11/13/22 - Hot Mercy - Genesis 43 - Pastor Jason Fritz

When Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy more food, he had no idea what was in store for the family. He did, however, ask God for a special measure of mercy upon them…and they needed it. The oldest son tried to make a power grab over his dad, the next two sons murdered an entire tribe out of hateful revenge and all of the boys were guilty of abusing their little brother Joseph. This family needs mercy. 

Mercy is not getting what you rightly deserve.

So you can understand the wisdom in dad’s prayer for his fractured family. Do you believe God answers prayer? Jacob's prayer was many years in the making and an untold number of family heartaches and pains were along the way. There’s no pain like family pain. God responds and the unity that will come about is unrivaled. Because of his faith in God, Joseph is said to have, "warm compassion” for the brothers who severely mistreated him. “Warm compassion” literally means “hot mercy.” 

Friends, don’t give up on your prayers for family restoration. You might feel that things are out of your control. They probably are. But one thing is within your power - God’s power to change anything and everything for his glory. It begins by recognizing the mercy you have received. From beginning to end, this chapter is drenched in kindness, compassion and forgiveness. I love how it points us to Jesus. He was the ultimate example of mercy. In Luke 23:34, He cries out from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Who needs mercy from you? Maybe it’s someone that others find difficult. Maybe you need to value the relationship over that person’s false and unbiblical ideologies. There’s every possibility that mercy needs to flow from you toward someone who has wronged or offended you. This is exactly what flowed from Jesus to you.