The Power of God’s Mercy
Psalm 51:1-10 – New International Version (NIV)
1 Have mercy on me, O
God,
according
to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot
out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and
cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my
transgressions,
and
my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and
done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and
justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful
from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the
womb;
you
taught me wisdom in that secret place.
7 Cleanse me with
hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash
me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let
the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and
blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure
heart, O God,
and
renew a steadfast spirit within me.
What does David ask God to do according to His “unfailing love”
(verse 1)?
What does he ask to be cleansed from (verse 2)?
Where is David’s sin (verse 3)?
Who has David sinned against (verse 4)?
When did David’s sinfulness begin (verse 5)?
What did God desire from David (verse 6)?
When will David be clean (verse 7)?
What does David ask to let rejoice (verse 8)?
How does he want God to treat his iniquity (verse 9)?
What does David want God to “create in” him (verse 10)?
In your
opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In your
opinion, what does this passage teach us about the power of God’s mercy?
Matthew 20:29-34 - New International
Version (NIV)
29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd
followed him. 30 Two
blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was
going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted
all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”
34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately
they received their sight and followed him.
Who did the “large
crowd” follow (verse 29)?
Where were the “two blind men” (verse 30)?
What did they shout (verse
30)?
How did they respond when the crowd told
the “to be quiet” (verse 31)?
What did
Jesus call out to them (verse 32)?
How did they
respond to Jesus (verse 33)?
What happened
when Jesus compassionately touched their eyes (verse 34)?
How did they react when they could see (verse 34)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In your
opinion, what does this passage teach us about the power of God’s mercy?
In your opinion, how is the mercy that David is asking for in Psalm 51:1-10 different from the mercy that the two blind men are asking for in Matthew 20:29-34?
Acts 9:10-19 - New International Version (NIV)
10 In Damascus there was a
disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered.
11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on
Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is
praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come
and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I
have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your
holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And
he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who
call on your name.”
15 But the Lord said to
Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to
proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of
Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my
name.”
17 Then Ananias went to the
house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul,
the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has
sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately,
something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up
and was baptized, 19 and after
taking some food, he regained his strength.
Where did Ananias live (verse 10)?
What was Saul doing (verse 11)?
What did Saul see in a vision (verse 12)?
What reports had Ananias heard (verse 13)?
Whose authority was Saul operating under (verse 14)?
How did God describe Saul’s duties (verse 15)?
What was God going to show Saul (verse 16)?
Why had Jesus sent Ananias to Saul (verse 17)?
What did Saul do when he could see again (verse 18)?
When did Saul regain his strength (verse 19)?
In your opinion,
what is the basic message of this passage?
In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the power
of God’s mercy?
In your opinion, how do you think Saul’s thoughts while he
was blind in Acts 9:10-19 were similar to David’s thoughts expressed in Psalm
51:1-10?
In your opinion, how would Saul’s prayers while he was
blind in Acts 9:10-19 have been different from the cries for mercy by the two
blind men in Matthew 20:29-34?
Romans 5:1-11 - New International Version (NIV)
1 Therefore,
since we have been justified through faith, we have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through
whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now
stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not
only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that
suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance,
character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not
put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still
powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely
will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might
possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love
for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his
blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through
him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were
reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been
reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not
only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation.
What do we have “since we have been justified through faith” (verse
1)?
What do we “boast in” (verse 2)?
What do we “glory in” (verse 3)?
How is “God’s love” poured into our hearts (verse 5)?
Who did Christ die for (verse 6)?
What might someone “dare to” do for a “good
person” (verse 7)?
How does God demonstrate “his own love for us”
(verse 8)?
How have we been justified (verse 9)?
How are we saved (verse 10)?
How do we “boast in God” (verse 11)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the power
of God’s mercy?
In your opinion, how
are Paul’s words in Romans 5:1-11 the answer to David’s pleas in Psalm 51:1-10?
In your opinion, how is the response of the blind men to
Jesus after receiving His mercy in Matthew 20:29-34 a foretaste of the
spiritual foundation that Paul is establishing in Romans 5:1-11?
In your opinion, how does Romans 5:1-11 help us understand what
Paul understood about the transformation that happened to him when Ananias laid
hands on him and baptized him in Acts 9:10-19?
In your
opinion, what do these passages from Psalms, Matthew, Acts, and Romans teach us
about what we need to do to receive God’s mercy?
In
your opinion, how do we respond to God’s mercy today?
(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)
