The Horrible Truth – Part 6A: MERCY The X-Factor of Millennial Exclusion

The Horrible Truth – Part 6A: MERCYThe X-Factor of Millennial ExclusionUp to this point in The Horrible Truth, we have spent a great deal of time in doctrine—examining the warnings of Scripture, the Judgment Seat of Christ, the possibility of millennial exclusion, and the sobering consequences of failing to walk faithfully with Christ.But now, we need to make a turn.Because if what we have been saying is true—if the warnings of Scripture are real, if there really is a coming judgment of believers, and if some who possess eternal life can nevertheless suffer loss and exclusion from Christ's millennial kingdom—then there is a natural reaction.It is the same reaction the disciples had when Jesus confronted them with something that seemed humanly impossible:“Who then can be saved?”And Jesus answered:“With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”That brings us to what may be the greatest practical X-factor in everything we have been discussing:MERCY.Mercy is not merely a comforting side note to the doctrine of exclusion. Mercy is one of the great leveling principles of Scripture.Why?Because mercy is available to everyone.You don't have to be wealthy to show mercy.You don't have to be powerful.You don't need a platform, a title, a degree, or a ministry.You don't even have to wait for some extraordinary opportunity.You can sow mercy today.In fact, you probably already have opportunities sitting right in front of you.Someone irritates you.Someone insults you.Someone overlooks you.Someone takes advantage of you.Someone says something unfair.Someone hurts your feelings.Someone doesn't give you the respect you think you deserve.And right there—in that tiny, ordinary, almost invisible moment—you have an opportunity to make an eternal investment.You can answer injury with injury.Or you can show mercy.You can keep the score.Or you can release the debt.You can demand what you believe you are owed.Or you can give what you did not have to give.And Scripture tells us that God pays attention to those choices.This is what makes mercy so remarkable.It is perhaps the easiest kingdom resource to invest, because opportunities to exercise it surround us every day. And yet, if Scripture is telling us the truth, it may also carry an extraordinary return.Jesus said:“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”James said:“For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.”Think about that.In a doctrine that can leave us asking, “Who then can be saved?” Scripture points us toward something every one of us can begin practicing immediately.Mercy.This doesn't make the warnings less serious.It makes them more personal.Because millennial exclusion isn't merely about some distant prophetic event. It brings the coming kingdom into our ordinary Tuesday afternoon.It asks:What will I do when I'm offended?What will I do when I'm wronged?What will I do when someone doesn't deserve my kindness?What will I do when I have the opportunity to retaliate—but choose mercy instead?Perhaps the greatest irony of The Horrible Truth is that the very doctrine that can initially overwhelm us may also reveal some of the simplest opportunities God has given us to invest in eternity.Every wound can become an opportunity.Every slight can become an investment.Every offense can become a kingdom transaction.And every act of mercy may be laying up something that will matter far beyond this present age.So in this segment, we're going to stop looking primarily at the doctrine from a distance.We're going to talk about MERCY—the X-factor of millennial exclusion.Because if there is a coming judgment, then perhaps one of the most important questions isn't merely:“What will happen to me then?”Perhaps the question is:“What am I doing with the opportunities God is giving me today?”