September 24, 2023 "Responding To A Great Compassion"

ReNew Ames Messages

Sin is a condition we all find ourselves in. We just make a mess of things. It's who we are. But if we only talk about it as a condition, we only get it half right AND we let ourselves off the hook. If we read the stories in the Bible, we come to find out that it's also about the choices we make. We have a choice in the matter. The classic example is David and Bathsheba. That's an ugly story. It is said that after Nathan confronts David, this Psalm is a result. David has the audacity to ask for forgiveness. What in the actual fart? Maybe David understands that the heart of God defines what love is - what compassion, and grace, and mercy are. The Hebrew word rechem is translated as "great compassion or mercy." Richard Rohr talks about this from the lens that mercy is part of the mystery of who God is. David understood the gospel before there was anything called the gospel. God just forgives, God just restores. Like we talked about last week, it's just who God is. God is betting that when we receive that kind of radical forgiveness we will be changed. Transformed. Speaker: Aaron Vis Scripture: Psalm 51:1-19 http://bible.com/events/49144023