The revelation in this blog comes from a family member that I collaborate with in bible studies, who has chosen to remain anonymous. They are a bit shy, but they agreed to make our conversation into a blog. I thought the revelation that came out of their study needed to be heard by all who would listen. This information is a chain breaker, a true key to access Kingdom living here on earth. The real difference between a Christian and a true believer living the Kingdom life are these keys. Knowing them and applying them in our lives drastically changes the trajectory and outcome of not only our lives but the generations that stem from us as well. What am I talking about. Okay I will start from the beginning, the verse in the bible that sparked our discussion and study on the topic of mercy.

Matthew 18:21-35

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

²¹ Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”

²² Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.²³ Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.²⁴ And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.²⁵ But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.²⁶ The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’²⁷ Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

²⁸ “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’²⁹ So his fellow servant fell down^[e]at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you^[f]all.’³⁰ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.³¹ So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.³² Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.³³ Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’³⁴ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.

³⁵ “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother^[g]his trespasses.”

In this parable we see the King (God) showing mercy to a guilty servant. The parable equated forgiveness as an act of mercy and in this case mercy was expressed as an exemption for judgement for a debt owed. What is the definition of Mercy, what does it mean to show mercy?

MERCY:

• compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one’s power.
• Lenient or compassionate treatment.
• a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion.
• compassionate treatment of those in distress.
• the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or to mitigate punishment, especially to send to prison rather than invoke the death penalty.

Now that we have the dictionary definition of the word mercy, we can begin to explore the revelation received from the scripture above. This could be one of the most important keys a Christian needs to know as they attempt to be more like Christ and our Father in Heaven. I wrote a blog on this scripture with the focus on forgiveness, but the revelation I received from my family’s study is on the act of Mercy. If you look at the definitions for the word Mercy, they infer that the person showing mercy is in a position of power. Almost like the indebted has been made subject to their creditor. The bible says the following.

Proverbs 22-7

⁷ The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

In the Old Testament when someone stole or lost the property of someone, they were not only required to return what was lost, but they had to include an additional offering equivalent to a fifth of its value, as recompense. Therefore the person who was wronged stands to gain from the debt owed to them. Why then would they choose to accept the loss, and have mercy on the debtor? In addition to being in a position of authority over the debtor, they’ve acquired a slave if the offender is unable to repay. In today’s society this may play out as ostracizing someone by telling everyone of the debt they can’t repay. Causing others to view them in a negative light, isolating that person and giving them social control. Having that person humble themselves to you over and over until they can repay or reconcilliate with you. Why should we give up on these advantages? This is how the world’s system is designed to enslave and that is why un-forgiveness is common and mercy is rare. The creditor is enslaved and corrupted by power to control and the debtor, who is enslaved by the creditor.

If you read Jesus’s parable, the King was placed in that same position of authority and he chose to show mercy. His servant chose to squander his opportunity to show mercy and decided on judgement. The King in the parable attempted to rule his Kingdom with mercy, but his servant decided to live benefitting from the King’s grace while living without mercy. In other words the servant was living in contradiction to the King’s desire for his Kingdom. Our King, God in Heaven was owed a life and more for the sins of man, a price we are incapable of paying. Yet God sent His Son to pay the price on our behalf so we could be free of sin’s debt. Christ paid an unimaginable price so we could be free to live, love and be in peace with God. Question: Is the opportunity for us to show Mercy our chance to show God we’ve learned from his salvation, to be more like him? We’ve learned to show compassion for others through mercy, reflecting our obedience to the Holy Spirit that lives in us? Let’s see what the word of God has to say.

Colossians 3:12-14

¹² Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

¹³ Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

¹⁴ And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

Matthew 5:23-24

²³ Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

²⁴ Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

We are commanded to offer mercy when we are wronged and to reconcile any wrong we have done. God paid a tremendous price, the life of his Son, to grant us Mercy (Salvation) for the sin of man. He did it out of love to reconcile us to him. No wrong or trespass done to us is greater than what God has forgiven us, all for love. Why is God so adamant on us showing mercy? That our hearts develop his compassion required to show mercy?  Is it because mercy is a requirement, a key to live in his Kingdom? Think of it in layman terms, what do parents do when they are raising young kids? They teach them the correct way of doing things not only by instruction, also by action, acting out how they want their kids to live under their roof. This is true whether the lessons we teach as parents are bad or good. Kids learn by example the morality and standards that their family honors. The King’s mercy was not just to show he was gracious, but also to teach how to live in his Kingdom. This explains why the King was shocked when he heard of his servant’s actions. He addressed him as wicked.

WICKED:

• morally very bad (Evil)
• disposed to or marked by mischief
• causing or likely to cause harm, distress, or trouble
• going beyond reasonable or predictable limits: of exceptional quality or degree

The King characterized his servant as someone causing harm and distress, morally evil and going beyond reasonable or predictable limits. That is how God see’s our actions when we don’t follow his commandments. He is King and he has set the boundaries for his people and what they should do and how we should act in all circumstances. The word of God is comprehensive in its instruction and Christ was a living example in flesh of how God wanted us to be in this life. Christ walked this earth healing, forgiving and granting mercy on all he came across. Make no mistake, as Christians we have no excuse, because we also have a helper, ‘The Holy Spirit’ to empower and guide us to do God’s Will.

Therefore why did this servant after benefitting from the King’s system, not act in obedience and express compassion. I attribute it to a misunderstanding or ignorance. I am going to say something controversial and its okay if many of you don’t agree, but God’s grace the King’s mercy is transactional. There are consequences tied to asking God for his mercy, accepting it and then not fulfilling the requirement of paying it forward. God said his burden is light and for granting you mercy and forgiveness, he asks that you pay it forward. Something that you have full control over. Some may say the comment above diminishes the expression of God’s love, but does it though? Think of human nature and the earthly Kings that existed in history, when you wronged them or owed them a great debt, how often did they show mercy. If they did, what were the conditions of the mercy they showed? Your life was spared but you were put into servitude, which was comparable to slavery until they deemed your debt was paid. God only asks us to pay forward the mercy we have been shown, seventy times seven. This at times may be a huge ask depending on the offense, but to God who is all sufficient and a healer, there is nothing too big that we should not be able to grant mercy to someone. Even if we may see it as our detriment. Why? Because our Lord fights for us, intercedes on our behalf and makes everything work out for the good of those who love Him. Our refuge is strong, capable and willing. I am not trying to be insensitive, but I am trying to draw your attention to a key you have been missing in your walk with Christ. To prove mercy is transactional, below is the prayer Christ gave to teach us how to pray. See if you can find the transaction for mercy etched into this monumental prayer.

Matthew: 9-13

9. Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name.

10. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

11. Give us this day our daily bread, 

12. and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Verse 12 clearly states you will be forgiven as you have forgiven your debtors. There lies the transaction that almost all of us miss. We go to God our King and ask for forgiveness daily, thinking his Grace and Mercy is sufficient to forgive us. It is, but lack of mercy and compassion for others leaves our account empty. What does that mean? Well like I said the promise of mercy and forgiveness is transactional, just like exchanging money in your bank accounts. Initially when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, God makes a deposit of mercy into our accounts that covers all our sin and debts. It is the gift of Salvation we all receive because of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The problem is we are not perfect and therefore still at war against sin in the flesh, causing us to fall sometimes as Christians. Therefore continual grace and mercy is provided to us as Christians from the Kingdom of God to which we need access. If we through the Holy Spirit, offer Grace and Mercy to others in our lives, then God is able to process our daily requests for Grace and Mercy. Every act of Mercy shown to others, is like a key giving us access to God’s Kingdom account, which is filled with an abundance of Mercy. Christ said in the Sermon on the Mount, ” Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” This is such a powerful statement that most Christians over look. Christ is proclaiming that God blesses the merciful, why? Because by having enough love and compassion for others, granting mercy to those who offend you, we are walking in obedience. Living as the King desires us to live in his Kingdom. The underlying message in the parable is the King’s love conquers all and his subjects should live by His example.

It is the end of verse 7 that should concern us all, ‘ for they shall obtain mercy‘. We have forgotten what the King in Christ’s parable was willing to do in order to receive payment for his debt. The consequences did not only stop at the servant, but his wife and children were to be sold as well. His future generations were affected. See the verse below.

Matthew 18:25

²⁵ But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.²⁶

If we fail at grasping the revelation, that true mercy is our key to access the Kingdom’s provision, we expose ourselves and the generations under us to the consequences of life. Our debts go unpaid and therefore life’s harsh consequences attempts to collect. Is it too hard to imagine that some of the hardships in our lives, that we have fought through, may be our own fault, because of unforgiveness? We refused to put down our offering, to mend things with our brother before we came before God. The bible is clear that the gift of mercy is transactional. The problem is our ego, society’s expectations, the need to seek justice through our own judgement and misdirected anger and pain. It all causes us to abstain from granting mercy. This behavior leaves us and our families vulnerable to the consequences of life. Look at the meaning of the word blessed.

BLESSED:

• bringing pleasure,
• contentment,
• good fortune.

To obtain mercy in a time of judgement is like being granted the freedom to live life without the shackles of sin and guilt, which lead to eternal death. Free, knowing that if you falter, forgiveness is always available through repentance. The question is, if we enjoy such a blessed place in our lives with the Lord, why would we refrain from providing the same grace to our brothers in Christ? Due to our selfish carnal nature, God in His Wisdom made grace transactional. It gives us the initial motivation to offer grace to others, until it becomes ingrained in who we are as children of the Most High God.

In the bible there is a similar transaction with God that requires our obedience and that is Tithing. The bible says God will rebuke the devourer from our possessions if we are obedient and bring the tithe, 10% of our earnings into the House of God. See verse below.

Malacai 3:10-11

¹⁰ Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

¹¹ And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.

The blessings we are granted for being obedient to God in tithing is immense. There are many more transactions in the bible that can affect our lives as Christians greatly, the problem is we don’t see them as such. We view God as a vending machine that we only need to have Christ to access. We forget their are conditions as the word states, we need to meet in order to access Kingdom provisions. All these transactions all seem to be dictated by our actions and the consequences all surround either providing access or revoking access to the Kingdom resources. It makes me think of the verse.

Matthew Chp 18:18

Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Jesus said this statement to his disciples after instructing them on how to handle a brother that offends and refuses to repent. The brother insists on holding a grudge or refused to show grace or mercy and therefore is told to be treated like an unbeliever. I feel this statement is tied to what we are addressing now. I believe Matthew chp18:18 is directly related to the consequences we experience when we obey or violate the transactional requirements of God’s word. After Christ instructs the disciples to leave their brother and treat him as a pagan (unbeliever), I think the next verse shown above in Matthew, was a warning to the disciples as it relates to the change in status of their brother to pagan. As an unbeliever their former brother no longer has access to the Kingdom or its provision. In that time period, the family or church of Christ shared everything, their possessions, food and shelter to ensure everyone in the church was taken care of. The brother now considered pagan has lost that provision because of his stubbornness. This is the moment where Christ said in Matthew Chp 18:19 ‘if you have something against your brother lay down your offering have it rectified and then come‘. The reason is because of verse 18, where it says whatsoever you bind on earth, in other words, what you choose to confine, restrain or constrict as if with bonds on earth, will be bound in heaven. Are you getting the picture now. The brother in Jesus’s example chose to confine and restrain himself from forgiveness and grace, regardless of who spoke with him and therefore his status as brother in Christ was changed to pagan (unbeliever). Pagans have no access to the Kingdom provisions from heaven and therefore heaven is bound to them. This is what I was trying to get everyone to understand. ‘Whatsoever ye’ in verse 18 refers to us. We are the ones binding up the provisions of the Kingdom for ourselves, by restricting the flow of God’s Grace, Mercy, Love etc. here on earth. This can apply to any of the provisions or transactional requirements in God’s word. Every transaction covers a different aspect of provision in our lives.

Another example that falls into the purview of this revelation on transactional requirements in God’s word is Giving. Give and it shall be given unto you press down shaken together and running over. Luke 6:35-38

³⁵ But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

³⁶ Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

³⁷ Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

³⁸ Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

This verse, actually this chapter is directed to what we are addressing in this blog, but I wanted to focus on verse 38 and the other verses. It just highlights the transactional nature of God’s word, which puts our life experience as a Christian in our hands. We really are the author of where we are now in life, all because we choose to restrain the flow of God’s desires through us, by our disobedience to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The opposite is true, if we were to be obedient to God’s word and follow the direction of the Holy Spirit that lives in us, then the provisions from heaven will be loosed upon us here on earth. What we believe, place our faith in and act upon, now becomes more important in our daily lives. Knowing that these progressive acts can lead us to restrict God’s blessings in our lives or open up the heavens in our favor.

Christ our Lord knew that the choice to be obedient in this area would be hard. Many of us have unspeakable transgressions to forgive, man can be evil and our carnal desires leads to the destruction of ourselves or someone else. That is why I believe Christ our Lord then spoke the words he did, in the next verse Matthew Chp18:19 

¹⁹ Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

²⁰ For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

If you have the faith to believe and pray that Jesus will rectify any wrong and restore what was lost, then Our Father would grant the request. Notice Christ clarifies the type of faith required in your prayer. The type of faith that manifests that thing you are praying for, here on earth, as if it is already there. A faith that exhibits an expectation that is unwavering, doubtless and focused. The, ‘Peter walking on water type faith in Christ’. Many misunderstand this verse, as the genie in the bottle concept. Make any three wishes and God will grant them in Jesus name. I actually was one of them that did not read this verse in its context. This verse when kept in context, is tied to Jesus’s teaching on grace and mercy. Christ is a restorer, He died on the cross to restore humanity to communion with God. Verse 19 is His way of restoring you in your obedience. Offering grace and mercy can come with a price and Christ in verse 19 says anything you ask for in faith, my Father shall provide it. If it is peace, comfort, memory loss of painful experiences, healing from broken hearts and  It is Christ who will restore you, not the person who offended you.

This brings the concept of Grace and Mercy full circle. Our obedience to the King’s word, covers us and future generations with blessings and favor. It opens up Heavenly provisions when we are in need. It is now more important to guard what we believe, how we act and what we speak. The key to access the Kingdom’s provision has been given to us in God’s word, we have to be careful not to allow our disobedience to shut up the heavens from our prayers.

God Bless