Sunday PM Service

Teachers

Richard Sutton Preacher

Clint Davison Preacher

Lesson Summary

The class opened with a personal anecdote about Tom and Tammy’s car crash, using their broken ribs as a vivid illustration of physical pain that requires time to heal—paralleling the spiritual need for God’s mercy. The teacher explained that while God’s attributes such as goodness, faithfulness, and justice are part of His nature, mercy and grace are not optional accessories but essential aspects of who He is. He defined mercy as “not receiving what we deserve” and showed its inseparable relationship with grace, which provides what we do not earn. Through a tour of Scripture, the lesson highlighted Psalm 136’s chorus of “His mercy endures forever,” Psalm 36:5’s praise of heavenly mercy, and the compassionate language of Psalm 113. The teacher examined the Old Testament Hebrew terms *chesed* (steadfast love) and *ram* (compassion), and the New Testament Greek *eleos* (mercy). Lamentations 3:22‑23 was quoted to demonstrate how God’s mercies prevent us from being consumed, and Matthew 15:22 illustrated Jesus’ response to a pleading Gentile woman. The central message affirmed that without God’s mercy, humanity could not survive His perfect holiness, and believers are called to rely on and reflect that merciful character.

Key Scriptures