A Cry For Mercy

[0:00] Thank you for choosing to listen to today's message by Reverend Dr. David Entry. We know you will be blessed as you seek and serve God. We believe that this message will stir up a desire for more of God even as you listen.

[0:13] Be blessed. Luke chapter 18 verse 10. Amen and amen. The Bible says that two men went up into the temple to pray.

[0:30] The one a Pharisee and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself. God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortionists, unjust, adulterers.

[0:50] So he was so sure that there are three things he didn't do. He said, I don't do these three things. I'm not an extortionist. I'm not an unjust and I'm not an adulterer.

[1:02] And he says, or even like this other guy who can't even pray properly. There are times you come to the presence of God and you have a sense of feeling that you actually don't even deserve to be in his presence.

[1:17] There are times you just feel like you don't deserve to be in his presence or God doesn't even have to listen to your prayers. You don't deserve that your prayers should be heard.

[1:30] The prayer that man prayed, it is the same prayer Paul. Paul also prayed one day because Paul was a Pharisee. Paul, he was a Pharisee. He says that when he's concerning the law, Philippians chapter 3, he says concerning the law, a Pharisee.

[1:48] So he was actually a Pharisee. And so once he was a Pharisee, that means that the things that the Pharisees suffer, he will also suffer.

[2:00] Or the lack of favor, you see, circumcised on the eighth day of the stock of Israel, on the tribe of Benjamin, and Hebrew of the Hebrews, and us touching the law, a Pharisee.

[2:13] He said, when it comes to the law, I am a Pharisee, far to see. Hallelujah. But he said something.

[2:25] He said, I used to be an injurious person, an insolent man, persecuting the church. First Timothy chapter 1 verse 13. But he said, I obtained mercy.

[2:37] I mean, think about it. If there is somebody who should be used for the church, it's not the one who was trying to destroy the church. The church shouldn't have mercy on. He said, who was before a blasphemer?

[2:48] Do you know who a blasphemer is? A blasphemer is when you know this is God, but you attack it. And you say negative things about God, and practically you are trying to insult God. Is that me?

[2:59] I didn't value all. Even though I wasn't sure, I thought I was doing it for God. Listen to me. This is very interesting. Listen, those times he thought he was doing God's service.

[3:11] According to Acts, I think, chapter 26. He said, I was killing the people thinking I was doing God's service. Can you imagine? So there are times you would think you are doing something for God, but actually working against God.

[3:25] But Paul says that when he was doing these things, he was persecuting the church and watched this. First Timothy chapter 1. He said, I blaspheme.

[3:38] I was a blasphemer. So at the time he was attacking God, he thought he was working for God. He was actually attacking God and blaspheming against God.

[3:49] He was blaspheming God. He was a blasphemer. Is it possible that there are people who think they are doing something for God, but actually doing it against God and blaspheming God?

[4:01] Paul said, I was a blasphemer. While that time he was a blasphemer, he didn't blaspheme God intentionally with the purpose to blaspheme or to speak against God.

[4:11] He did it thinking that he was serving God, not that he was actually insulting God. He said, I was a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious.

[4:25] And he says that he persecuted the church. He was a persecutor. He was injurious. But I obtained mercy. Somebody say mercy.

[4:36] Mercy. Why did he obtain mercy? Because Ephesians chapter 2 verse 4, he said, but God who is rich in mercy.

[4:48] God is rich in mercy. So there is always room for you. There is always room for you. Listen to this. Amen.

[5:00] This is interesting. John chapter 9. Let's look at verse 2. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?

[5:17] Did you see that? Who sinned? In other words, who sinned? Who sinned? Who sinned? Who sinned? Who sinned? Who sinned? Who sinned? Who sinned? Who sinned? Who sinned?

[5:28] Who sinned? Verse 2 again. The disciple asked him, he said, Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Because for you to be born blind, because they knew in those days that they knew in those days that they are consequences.

[5:51] When you sin, it can bring physical consequences on your life. I'm looking for where later on, the man saw Jesus. They asked him, who made you see?

[6:04] He couldn't even identify. He didn't even know. Then later on in the temple, he saw Jesus. And then Jesus said to him, now, Jesus said to him, go and sin no more.

[6:14] Go and sin no more, lest a strange or, I was trying to see, lest a worse thing comes upon you.

[6:30] Let me not get it for me. Jesus said, sin no more, lest a worse situation comes upon you. After Jesus has healed the man, he said, sin no more, lest a worse, lest a worse, lest a worse, lest a worse, lest a worse, lest a worse, lest a worse, lest a worse than a worse, lest a worse stellen.

[6:56] And then there's a correlation between sin and the things, consequences we pull so far. Right. But here, Jesus said, it's your sin that will bring it. If you go and sin, there's a worse thing that is coming on you.

[7:08] So, sister, I'm happy that guy has left your life. Wow. Because that's your sin partner. I'm happy that boy has left your life, sister. I'm happy that girl has left your life, brother.

[7:21] Because that's your biggest problem. Because of him, you couldn't serve God properly. Thank God this coronavirus, he has found somebody else. It paid you, but it saved you.

[7:35] That was your biggest salvation. Because Jesus said, sin no more. Now I'm forgiving you, but go and sin no more. Less, a worse thing comes upon you. Less, a worse thing comes upon you.

[7:48] Why? Sin opens the door for satanic afflictions. You might think, oh, I'm enjoying, I'm enjoying. No, you are actually harming yourself.

[7:59] You are exposing yourself. It's just like you go, it's cold, and it's winter. Very cold. And you go out without a coat, without any top. Just something light.

[8:10] And so it's nice. It's nice for people to see this, my nice top. You have not covered yourself. You will be sick. You will be sick. You can die. Okay? So sin exposes you.

[8:22] Don't sleep and leave your window open. In certain parts of the world, for instance, it's a part of Africa. If you are in your room and you are in the night, you do not close the door and find something.

[8:37] And you open the window. A lot of, they are an army. They are called mosquitoes.

[8:47] They are an army. They kill. Their guns are in their mouth. The army with guns, they will invade your room and kill you. They are mosquitoes. They are dangerous.

[8:58] So you might be enjoying the room because your room is warm and you want fresh air. But after you have openness, you are right. You want fresh air. But with the fresh air, the mosquitoes are also coming.

[9:10] What I'm trying to say is that you might be enjoying that relationship. You might be enjoying that anger thing you are holding against that person, that lying. You might be enjoying. It might be doing something for you on one hand, but it's doing more harm against you on the other hand.

[9:25] Because sin will expose you to danger. Jesus said, go and sin no more, lest a worse thing comes upon you. Now, why did I bring this in?

[9:37] Anytime somebody sins and does some things, it authorizes certain negative things to happen. Some sicknesses are as a result of breaking God's law.

[9:49] Some sicknesses are as a result of not working with God and things that you have done. Some sicknesses, some challenges are as a result of you exposing yourself for Satan to afflict you. Some people are struggling to find a marriage because Satan afflicted or they did something that opened the door for Satan to afflict them.

[10:07] Some people are not getting a job. You are struggling. You are qualified. But nobody wants you because of the way you curse your mother. And you cause your mother so much pain. Things have not left.

[10:19] So there are things you do that can open you up to the negative elements. However, when you come into God's presence, there are things you can do to trigger the mercy of God that can sustain and protect and preserve you.

[10:37] Even in the presence of those negative elements that it can harm you. Do you know there are people who go to the North Pole?

[10:48] The North Pole, you hardly see proper land. It's ice, ice. But people go there. They can go and spend two weeks. How did they survive? They wear coats. They wear heavy coats and cover, well covered from their head to toe, well covered.

[11:02] So the cold is there, but you can go and come without falling sick. In other words, the issues that the devil has placed in your life to harm you, to trouble you, which he has legitimate grounds to afflict you, the issues might still be there.

[11:20] The affliction might still be pending. But mercy can protect, just like an amniotic fluid, the fetus or the baby in the mother's womb is lying in some shock absorbers.

[11:33] So it does something, even when the mother jumps, the baby will not feel it because there's a covering. God will form a covering around you. It's called mercy. The mercy of God covers you.

[11:44] The mercy of God defends you. The mercy of God protects you. I see somebody enjoying fresh wave of mercy. If you are the one, shout amen. Amen. So as I was reading, we are going to pray.

[11:59] They came to the synagogue to pray. One said, Lord have mercy. One said that I am not like this other one because this other one is not qualified, even this publican.

[12:10] There are things in your life that means that judgment will come after you. There are things that have happened in your life that means you should suffer some consequences.

[12:24] There are things that, you know, Paul was persecuting the church and blaspheming against God or blaspheming God without knowing.

[12:34] So the fact that you are not aware that you are doing something wrong that can bring judgment and curse on you doesn't mean the judgment will not prevail.

[12:47] It is only the mercy of God. Paul said, I did it ignorantly. I was doing, I didn't know what I was doing. So is it possible that there are things you are doing against your destiny, doing against your job, or there are things you are, oh, Jesus, thank you, Lord.

[13:01] There are things you might be going through now and you don't know their cause. You are ignorant about what happened for this to come upon you. There are times somebody who said, I don't, I don't feel well.

[13:15] Maybe I know of one of our pastors. Years ago, he used to say, my head, every time I'm struggling, my head, I've had severe headaches for over a year. Severe headaches.

[13:25] Later on, he found out that he was, it was lactose intolerance. But he didn't know. And once he found out that it was the milk and the yogurt and that was causing it, he stopped it and he's free.

[13:44] Doesn't matter what some just nice ice cream you give him, he will not eat. Because he knows what to follow after eating that ice cream. Once you get to know what is causing the, your pain, your sorrow, your problems, your challenge, it is one step towards solution.

[14:05] Because it will help you to be able to not avoid it. That is why pastoral teachings are very important. That is why some people, listen, tell that your sister, big sister, or your auntie, the way she's struggling.

[14:17] Remind her, what she did to her mom, the curse she placed on her mom, insulting the mom, disgraced the mom. That's why her life, no one wants to marry her. Everyone, four husbands have all left her.

[14:29] That's why she's suffering. Tell her, I said it. That's why, what she did against her mother has brought a curse on her. Tell her, I said it. I said it. Yeah. Tell her, I said it. Tell him. He fought against his mother.

[14:40] Frustrated his mother. Impregnated one woman. Aborted the baby. And abandoned the woman. Maltreated the woman. He has cheated several women. Hurt them. Several women are bleeding in their hearts because of him.

[14:53] What makes him think he will do well in life? What makes him think he will do well in life? And to make matters worse. So if he's not in church too. He's not in church.

[15:04] And then when he sees negative stories about pastors, then he'll share it on Facebook too. Hey! Hey! Why are you doing this to yourself? Why are you doing this to yourself?

[15:17] Hallelujah. So there are people, I tell you, there are people who are suffering and they don't know the cause of the suffering. One of our sisters, she used to live with her mother. And every time, tension.

[15:30] She wasn't the one paying the rent. She wasn't paying rent. She wasn't paying water bill. She wasn't paying gas bill. She was living free. Sleeping free.

[15:40] Eating free. Using the toilet free. Drinking water. Free! Bathroom free! And yet, every time.

[15:52] Every time. She was on her mother. Argument. And challenging her mother. Every time. Her mother even can't correct her. Every time. Everybody around her was getting married.

[16:04] We prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed. And she's like, oh, she's a church girl. I think in the choir or something like that. We prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed.

[16:17] Every fasting, she's part of it. But still, her testimony was not coming. One day, I called her. Pastor O said, the way this lady has been talking to her mother. Because I knew the mother.

[16:28] One day, I called her. I said, listen. It looks like the real relationship with your mother has blocked your heavens. It has blocked your heavens. It has blocked your heavens.

[16:38] You better sort it out. And then she started. See, when you have a pastor, it's good. Who will tell you the truth? Because some of us say, your sister doesn't know what is hurting her. It is a fright.

[16:50] When she was in the other church and she fought the pastor and said, I'm going to sue you. And that's why she has never. That's why her child, every time in the school, he's the last boy in the school.

[17:03] Every time. Every exam. The boy is so dumb. Like dummy in the shop. Dumb. There's nothing you can teach him. But the mother is very brilliant. The father is brilliant. They don't know why.

[17:13] Why? What have we done? What have we done? The pastor, you fought. The first time you were fighting. That's what he's bringing. He said, Paul said, I did these things ignorantly.

[17:26] There are things you have done ignorantly. You never knew that it was fighting against you. You were destroying your destiny ignorantly. You go and sit in somebody's house and lambast, lambast your church, your pastor.

[17:40] You have joined the team and they are talking. You did. Now you are believing God for marital breakthrough. The pastor has professed all his intestines. Receive it. Receive it.

[17:50] Receive it. And doing acrobatics. Chamasoting. Incrobat everything. It's not happening. You are spoiling it. You are doing something ignorantly against your destiny. But tonight, the good news is mercy.

[18:03] Mercy is speaking for somebody. Mercy is prevailing for somebody. Mercy is prevailing for somebody. If you're in the world, show the answer. Thank you, Jesus.

[18:15] Thank you, Jesus, for mercy. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. We thank God for tonight. Tonight. Tonight. So, sometimes you will do things not knowing that you are hurting yourself.

[18:29] He said, I did it ignorantly. So, I obtained mercy. Now, you see the things I'm teaching you. If after you know this, you go and go and mishandle, mishandle your mother.

[18:43] Father. Please, ask for mother, father, pastors. Don't touch them. Don't touch them. Because they are people of honor. God requires us to honor them.

[18:56] Mother. Father. Doesn't matter how bad they are. If they do something. Make sure you don't do something. That will mean you have severely disrespected your father. You have showed him blatant disrespect and disdain.

[19:11] Don't do it. Even if you're upset, try and stay away from that. Don't disrespect your mother. Because of your girlfriend, you push your mother down.

[19:23] You push your mother down. Let's see if you marry. She can marry her. And let's see if she will ever get pregnant. Please, life is very complex.

[19:34] Life. Life is very complex. But that's why every one of us need mercy. Because, you see, I'm talking like this. And if I'm not careful, I might not know where I have ignorantly hurt my future.

[19:48] That's why everybody needs mercy. There are things you will be doing. You think you are enjoying it. You think it is good for you. But rather, it is harming, it is detrimental, it is dangerous for your future.

[20:02] Dangerous. Dangerous for your future. Those husbands who maltreat their wives, you know you are a bad man. You know you are a bad man. You are very mean.

[20:13] But you don't care. You don't care. A mean, very mean man. Most of them, they don't do well. Some wicked woman will hurt them. They will go and give their money to some wicked woman.

[20:24] The woman will hurt them later on, turn everything against them. Any husband who maltreats his wife brings a curse on himself. Yeah.

[20:36] Okay, but Pastor, how about the women? Me, the women, I don't know that much. Women, you know, it will not be like a curse. Because most of the time, it's the men who hurt the women. Because you see a woman, if you hurt a woman deep, and she, ow!

[20:52] Some of you boys, you have broken about three people's hearts. You think you'll go free? No. You have to pray for mercy. Yes. You are bad. It's different. You know, if there's something up here.

[21:03] But you knew it. You knew you were wicked to this girl. You were wicked to this girl. You were wicked. And you didn't care. You spoil her credit. I don't want to go there, because some people will feel that someone has told me anything.

[21:15] I'm telling you. I'm speaking by their spirit. You are fasting and praying. Let me tell you. You have to start calling out for mercy. Because your records are bad. Mary, boy, your records are bad.

[21:26] You sold drugs to somebody, and they went and killed somebody. You knew who killed that guy. You were quiet. And in the same place, he was put into prison. And now you are born again.

[21:37] Oh, Lord. Oh, Lord. Hey. You see? There's a standing order against you. I'm telling you. Yes. You basically were sleeping.

[21:47] You were sleeping with somebody's husband. You. You sleep with somebody's husband. And you were calling enjoyment. I love this man. He should leave his wife to come and enjoy.

[21:59] Any woman who. Listen. Don't stay in a relationship with a man who said, I will divorce my wife. Oh. That means he doesn't respect you. You are. All right. Oh, gee.

[22:10] Somebody say mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy. Mercy, mercy, mercy. Oh, wow. I'll give you prayer topical. Wow.

[22:23] So let me finish this. He says that I am not like other people. Because he knew that other people shouldn't get the favor of God. Look at verse 13.

[22:34] Verse 12. I fast twice in a week. I give tithe of all that I possess. But the Republican, he doesn't fast. He doesn't give tithe. Even Pharisees knew that if you don't fast and you don't give tithe, God shouldn't listen to you.

[22:52] The Pharisee even knew it. He said, that's why me. He knew that God would listen because I fast and I give tithe. You are joining fasting because you need a miracle. But you don't give your tithe.

[23:03] Oh, please. Okay. So he said, I fast twice in a week. I fast twice in a week. I give tithe of all that I possess.

[23:16] Verse 13. And the Republican standing afar off will not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven.

[23:26] Because the guy is bad. The guy is bad. Some of us, the kind of things that has happened in our lives doesn't give us the freedom to be able to be bold before God. He will not lift up his eyes to heaven, but smote his chest.

[23:40] Breast there means chest. Okay. Not chicken breast, but breast. He smote his chest saying. What did he say? God, be merciful to me as sinner.

[23:53] Hallelujah. He said, God, be merciful to me as sinner. That was his prayer. Jesus said, I, Jesus, I tell you the way there are the after effect of fasting, of mercy.

[24:08] You remember, this man went to his house justified. In other words, he got what he prayed for. He got what he prayed for. Tonight, we are going to pray for mercy. I don't know.

[24:19] Maybe sometimes, sometime ago, you did something against your mom. You did something against your dad. But that one, you didn't know you were in the world. So this is why we have to believe God for mercy. Because none of us is perfect.

[24:32] And sometimes in our imperfections, we can cross into areas of danger, danger zones. Because you might be imperfect. You can do some things and you might get away with.

[24:44] For instance, if you go and, let's say, you drink dirty water. Dirty water.

[24:54] You might have, maybe you started drinking, realize it's dirty. You might have some small stomach upset. Or you just maybe drink the kitchen, what do you call it, what we use to wash the bowls.

[25:09] You know, the washing up liquid. Washing up liquid. Thank you, Pastor. The washing up liquid. You drink washing up liquid, a little bit of it, accidentally. You know, sometimes it might, if you are fortunate, it might not be a hospital situation.

[25:27] But, listen, if you drink a little acid, your tongue will remove, will go off. You see, so you can drink some other things and it might not be as dangerous as when you get into acid.

[25:39] And let's say all of them you are not sure. You are ignorant. You just took something and drank. You can take some dirty water and drink and you will not die. You can take some, maybe, washing up liquid mixed with water and drink.

[25:52] You will not die. It's going to touch. It was apple juice. But if you go and take acid and drink it, you will be finished drinking and your entire internal organs will begin to be ripped apart.

[26:06] What am I saying? All were done ignorantly. But some carry severe consequences. In the same way, there are things you can do ignorantly and might not carry such severe consequences like others.

[26:26] Some of the ones that are very severe is when you, let's say you, the honor thing, dishonoring a mother, father, or a pastor. The next thing is when you intentionally or weakly maltreat and abuse your spouse, your married spouse, so your wife or your husband.

[26:45] And the other one, which is also very bad, is when you know somebody has been thrown into prison, innocent person, and you know you did it. And someone goes into prison.

[26:55] Or you go and say, oh, my, that boy raped me. That boy raped me. And you know he didn't. And because of that, he has been put into prison. And you are living, you are working free.

[27:06] You are never. In fact, you are more in prison than the one in prison. You know, there are things that you don't do. But let's say your friend went to buy, you went to buy a shoe from Aldo.

[27:19] And your friend saw it. He said, why did you buy it? And he said, I bought it from Louis Vuitton. And I almost said Harrods.

[27:31] Now, that may not carry certain severe consequences. Do you understand what I'm saying? So, everything we do carries, and this says, the Bible clearly says that don't be deceived.

[27:43] Whatsoever a man sows, the same thing will reap it. You will reap what you sow. You can't sow tomatoes and go and reap apple. You cannot sow oranges and reap banana.

[27:56] You can't sow pineapples and reap watermelon. You see what I'm saying? So, it's very important. So, we are going to pray.

[28:08] This is a very crucial prayer. Today is the day number three. I believe resurrection is coming to somebody's life. Satan would not be happy about today's prayer topic at all.

[28:20] Do you know why? Yes, yes, yes. Because today's prayer topic, you see, when you call, one of the things that God, when you pray for, he always answers, is mercy. You might pray for your husband.

[28:31] He might not answer. You might pray for a car. He might not answer. You might pray for money. He might not answer. You might pray for a house. He might not answer. You might pray for favor.

[28:42] He might not answer. You might pray for some other things. He might not answer. But if you pray for mercy, he will always answer. That is why when blind Bartimaeus in Mark chapter 10, verse 45, he started shouting, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, have mercy on me.

[29:00] Jesus stopped and said, bring him, because I can't go when somebody's calling for mercy. Jesus said, call him for me. He said, Lord, have mercy on me. Lord, have mercy on me. And look at verse 48.

[29:11] Have mercy on me. Pray for me. And people say, you keep quiet. He didn't mind that. He cried out. Listen, don't let anything stop you from crying out for mercy. Yes, sometimes you feel very guilty.

[29:22] It doesn't matter. Cry out for mercy. That's why you, when you feel more guilty, cry out for mercy. You have to tell God, please. Please have mercy on me. This thing that I've done, this thing I've been doing.

[29:33] Lord, please, mean it. Ask him for mercy. Mercy. And look at verse 49. Bible says that, then Jesus stood still. He couldn't continue going. He stood still and commanded him to be called.

[29:46] He said, call that guy for me. The way he's shouting for mercy, I can't go. I can't leave him. Jesus will not leave you when you cry out for mercy. When you ask God for something, you might not get it because you might pray in vain.

[29:59] But, oh, thank you, Lord. You can't pray for mercy and pray in vain. You can't ask God, please have mercy. Help me, Lord. Help me. Lord, help me. And pray in vain. And tonight we are going to lift our voice and pray.

[30:12] You know what you have to pray about. Sometimes this is how you sort out this. Maybe your health has been troubling you. You have done everything that's troubling you. You have done everything that's not stopping you. Begin to pray for mercy.

[30:23] Pray that God have mercy on me in this area of my health, in this area of my child care, in this area of my marriage. Lord, have mercy on me. Lord, have mercy on me. I need your help, Lord. I need your help, Lord.

[30:34] Lord, have mercy on me with my finances, with my education, with my studies, with my relationship with my mother, with my relationship with my dad, with regards to my relationship with my dad, with regards to my career, with regards to my business, with regards to my ministry, with regards to the things I've done, the things I don't even know.

[30:50] Father, so sometimes when things are going bad in your life, for instance, maybe you have run out of money and you are supposed to pay your rent in the next three days. And there's no hope from anywhere.

[31:02] Listen, don't be asking for money. Pray that God have mercy on me. I need money. I need to pay this thing. I don't know what will turn out. God, have mercy on me.

[31:12] When you have your court case, pray, God, have mercy on me. God, when you are going for interview, Lord, have mercy on me. Every time, learn how to pray. Tonight, we are about to pray for mercy. Mercy can cover anything.

[31:24] People who have done something wrong, people who have not done anything wrong. Once you feel that there's something in your life that God must do for you, or God must intervene on, or you believe in God for the favor of God, that means that you have to pray for mercy.

[31:37] And the good news is God is rich in mercy. In the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. In the name of Jesus. Amen. We thank God for using his servant, Reverend Dr. David Entry, to share this awesome word.

[31:52] If this message has blessed you in any way, please spread the word by sharing it and send us an email to amen at karis.org. Remember to stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter for regular updates on what God is doing here at Karis Ministries.

[32:09] Stay blessed. Amen. Amen.