If you missed WAFBEC 2022 live, reading this blog post should spur you to get the messages via different platforms of The Covenant Nation listen over and over again because faith truly comes by repeated hearing. Apostle Joshua Selman was the last preacher on Day 4 after the previous series of eye-opening, faith spurring sermons, you honestly want to download Pastor Nkechi Ene’s message, Ah! we can only implore you to, thank us later for recommending it. Please have a five-star faith, not batcha.
Apostle Selman commenced his sermon by recapping his previous session the previous day. To truly understand the subject of God’s mercy you must understand the nature of God, the nature of man and the entire exegesis of the subject of salvation.
Mercy is not just extended to sinners alone but also alleviates pain and suffering. We must understand these dimensions in order to position ourselves properly to receive mercy. Each one of us requires the mercy of God to make progress in life. He emphasised that it is important we understand the system of administration of mercy in order to benefit fully from it.
Quoting from Ezek 1:10, he quickly pointed out the four dimensions that must be captured in our Christain walk in order to be balanced in our sojourn on earth:
His focus was on our humanity, and how that necessitates the mercy of God. Mercy enables us to rise to God’s expectations regardless of our humanity. He buttressed that using Psalm 51:1- 12. He reiterated that mercy is an action word, hence the verb prefixes, “have mercy”, “show mercy”.
In spite of the availability of God’s mercy, there are people who won’t access it because they don’t understand the system of its administration. We must understand God’s system of administering mercy, he said. Reading from Psalm 51:17, he revealed the spiritual state a man must assume to access God’s mercy. Brokenness is the name given to the spiritual state that any man must assume to access God’s mercy. God can’t close his ears to a man with broken and a contrite heart. He also read Psalm 34:18 to buttress that.
Citing the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32, this story establishes that even though we may not be able to help ourselves, we can come to the realization that we need help. The prodigal realized his helplessness without his father and went back home. And his father received him and restored him with a celebration. The elder brother on the other hand didn’t enjoy the provisions available to him because he was self-righteous – he thought his service to his father all these years should entitle him to the father’s mercy.
He admonished the audience never to think their service to God is what qualifies them for mercy. Everywhere we find the mercy of God lies a broken and contrite heart. We must abhor self-righteousness like the prodigal son. The condition for mercy isn’t service, neither is it flawlessness; it is brokenness. The strength of God comes looking for brokenness, but where He finds human strength He backs off.
He also pointed out from the story of Jonah that Jonah was reluctant to go preach to the people of Nineveh because He knew God is full of mercy and doesn’t turn his back on the brokenhearted. Daniel 4:34, Luke 18:9 Anyone you see that God uses or blesses so powerfully, there’s something about their walk with God that has brought them to a state of perpetual brokenness. We must understand God has respect for broken people and shows them mercies. He concluded by leading the congregation in a prayer of brokenness.
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Here are a few pictures from Day 4 evening session
