2025 ITEROF Message Four

Scripture reading:

Matt. 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.

Rom. 9:15 For to Moses He says, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”

I. “‘I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy…’ So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy”—Rom. 9:15a, 16; Matt. 9:13: (Monday)

A. Mercy is the furthest reaching of God’s attributes; it reaches further than His grace and love—Matt. 9:13.

B. Our concept is that he who wills will get what he wills to get, and he who runs will gain what he pursues; on the contrary, God’s selection is of God who shows mercy—Rom. 9:16.

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C. If we would serve God in His New Testament economy, we need to know that it is wholly a matter of God’s sovereign mercy; God’s mercy toward us depends on His sovereignty—Rom. 9:15-16, 23; Heb. 4:16. (Tuesday)

D. The more we see that everything related to us is a matter of God’s mercy, the more we will bear our responsibility before the Lord; however, even our willingness to bear responsibility is of God’s mercy.

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E. The principle revealed in Romans 9 is that everything depends on God’s mercy; we must see God’s mercy once for all and definitely contact God’s mercy—Rom. 9:15-16, 23; Eph. 2:4. (Wednesday)

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F. Let us therefore come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help—Heb. 4:16. (Thursday)

G. God’s mercy and grace are always available to us; however, we need to exercise our spirit to come forward to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace—v. 16.

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II. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy; for the kingdom of the heavens, we need to be not only righteous but also merciful—Matt. 5:7: (Friday)

A. If we are merciful to others, the Lord will be merciful to us, especially at His judgment seat—2 Tim. 1:16, 18; James 2:12-13.

B.  We must learn to be righteous toward ourselves and merciful toward others.

III. “Grace, mercy, peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord”—2 Tim. 1:2.

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IV. For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment; if we are merciful to our brothers today, we will be shown mercy by the Lord at His judgment seat in the future—James 2:13; Rom. 14:10. (Saturday)

V.We need to prostrate ourselves before the Lord and worship Him for His mercy; the more we worship Him for His mercy, the more we are elevated—Psa. 145; Isa. 63:9; Eph. 2:4-5.

OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING

Reading the verses in each day.

Reading the main points in the outlines.

Pray-reading the verses:

For He said to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy—Rom. 9:15-16.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy—Matt. 5:7.
Let us therefore come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help—Heb. 4:16.

Word of Appetizer

Why does God’s mercy reach farther than His grace and love?
Mercy is the farthest-reaching attribute of God, reaching farther than His grace and love. God’s love does not reach as far as His grace, and His grace does not reach as far as His mercy. According to our natural condition, we are too far from God and are altogether unqualified to receive His grace. We are suitable only for His mercy.
God’s mercy and His grace are both expressions of God’s love. When we are in a pitiful condition, God’s mercy comes to us and brings us into a situation where God is able to favor us with His grace.

Spiritual Burden

If we are to serve God in His New Testament economy, we need to realize that this depends altogether on God’s sovereign mercy. It is because of God’s mercy that we respond to the gospel while others do not, that we receive the word concerning Christ as life while others reject it, and that we take the way of the Lord’s recovery while others draw back from this way.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy. If we are merciful to others, the Lord will be merciful to us, especially at His judgment seat. We must learn to be righteous with ourselves and merciful toward others.

Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting

The Revelation of the Truth

I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy… So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.
Grace, mercy, peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Experience of Life

If we know God’s mercy, we will not trust in our own struggling, nor will we be disappointed by our failures. The hope for our pitiful situation is in the mercy of God.
In God’s sovereign mercy, our heart is inclined toward Him. Because of the mercy He has shown us, we seek Him day by day.
What mercy it is that God has chosen us, predestinated us, called us, and placed us in His recovery!

Practice and Application

Let us therefore come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help. God’s mercy and grace are always available to us, but we need to exercise our spirit and come to the throne of grace in order to receive mercy and find grace.
God the Father has been merciful to us in His sovereignty; therefore, we must praise Him and worship Him for His sovereign mercy. We should prostrate ourselves before the Lord and worship Him for His mercy. For our future, we do not trust in ourselves; we trust in Him and in His wonderful mercy.

PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK

Day 1

T1 Mercy Is the Farthest-Reaching of God’s Attributes (Eph. 2:4)

(Please illustrate that mercy reaches farther than grace and love.)

T2 We First Need to Receive Mercy and Then We Can Find Grace for Timely Help (Heb. 4:16)

(Please illustrate that God’s mercy does not depend on man’s good condition; rather, God’s mercy is shown in man’s pitiful condition.)

Day 2

T1 Being Vessels of Mercy Originates from God’s Sovereignty (Rom. 9:15-16)

(Please illustrate that we are vessels of mercy, prepared unto glory, chosen by God according to His sovereign mercy.)

T2 Everything We Encounter Is out of God’s Mercy (Rom. 9:15-16)

(Please illustrate with examples that we must praise Him and worship Him for His sovereign mercy.)

Day 3

T1 The Principle Revealed in Romans 9 Is That Everything Is of God’s Mercy (Rom. 9:18, 23)

(Please illustrate from experience that we should have at least one specific seeing that everything is of God’s mercy.)

T2 God’s Mercy Is a Fact, and Facts Do Not Depend on Feelings (Rom. 9:18, 23)

(Why are people with a strong will, strong emotion, and strong mind those who should be dealt with by God?)

Day 4

T1 Christ Knows How to Be Merciful to Men, for He Is One Who Experienced the Hardships of Human Life (Heb. 2:17; 4:16)

(Please illustrate that to be qualified to be the High Priest, Christ became flesh, the same as we are.)

T2 In God’s Love, There Is Not Only Grace but Also Mercy (Heb. 4:16)

(Please illustrate the difference between grace and mercy.)

Day 5

T1 Righteousness Is Giving People What They Deserve; Mercy Is Giving People Better than What They Deserve (Matt. 5:7; 2 Tim. 1:16)

(Please illustrate with examples that mercy condescends to man more than grace does.)

T2 We Must Learn to Be Righteous to Ourselves and Merciful to Others (2 Tim. 1:16, 18)

(Please illustrate that to be righteous to ourselves and merciful to others is primarily not an outward action but an inward attitude.)

Day 6

T1 Mercy Triumphs over Judgment (James 2:13)

(Please illustrate that if we are merciful to the brothers today, we will also receive the Lord’s mercy before His judgment seat in the future.)

T2 The More We Worship Him for His Mercy, the Deeper We Enter into His Heart and the More We Are One with Him (2 Tim. 1:2; James 2:13)

(Please illustrate what aspects of knowledge we must have if we are to serve the Lord.)