More Than We Deserve

Lamentations 3:22–23 “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

INTRODUCTION
Athletes know what it means to earn something. You train, you sweat, you sacrifice—and in the end, you expect results. Medals, wins, contracts, scholarships. But what if I told you that the most important thing in life can’t be earned? That it’s not about performance, but about grace?

God gives us more than we deserve... God’s mercy meets us right where we are—failures and all—and gives us something better than a trophy: eternal life.

I. GOD’S MERCY KEEPS US GOING
Lamentations 3:22–23 says: “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed…”

This was written in a time of national disaster. Jerusalem was in ruins. The people were broken. Jeremiah, the prophet, was weeping. But even in the middle of devastation, he lifts his eyes and says: “God’s mercy is the reason we’re still standing.”

You’ve had tough seasons. You’ve failed. Maybe you’ve lost your spot, torn your ACL, or made a mistake that cost your team the game. And deep inside, you think, “I don’t deserve another chance.”

And you’re right... But mercy means not getting what we do deserve--judgment, rejection, punishment. God holds back what we’ve earned, and instead He offers compassion. The only reason we’re not “consumed” is because God is merciful.

Psalm 103:10 backs this up: “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities.”

II. FRESH MERCY FOR A NEW DAY
Lamentations 3:23 says: “They are new every morning…”

God’s mercy isn’t recycled. It’s new every morning. Like fresh manna in the wilderness, it shows up daily, right on time.

Imagine your coach giving you a clean stat sheet every morning. No fouls. No turnovers. No missed shots. You start fresh. That’s what God does with mercy. Yesterday’s mistakes don’t define today’s mission.

Isaiah 43:18–19 says: “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing…”

Some of you carry yesterday’s losses into today’s game. Drop that weight. God’s mercy is new. Start today with grace, not guilt.

III. HIS LOVE OUTLASTS YOUR FAILURE
Romans 8:38–39: “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life… shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

You know how fans turn on athletes? One bad game and social media lights up with criticism. But God’s love isn’t like that. He’s not a fair-weather fan. He’s in it for the long haul.

Even when you’re at your lowest—when the season’s over, the scouts stop calling, and you feel forgotten—God still says, “You’re mine.”

This is agape love—unconditional, unbreakable, unearned.

IV. GRACE > GRIND
We live in a culture that glorifies the grind. “Outwork the competition.” “No pain, no gain.” But grace says something different.

2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

Paul wanted God to remove the pain, the struggle. But instead, God granted him grace. Because grace doesn’t always change the scoreboard—it changes you.

What’s your thorn? Injury? Insecurity? Identity crisis? God may not take it away, but He’ll give you grace to get through it. And that grace will grow you more than a championship ever could.

V. JESUS: OUR ULTIMATE MERCY
Let’s get to the heart of it. Mercy has a name: Jesus.

1 John 4:9–10: “In this the love of God was manifested toward us… that God has sent His only begotten Son… to be the propitiation for our sins.”

That word “propitiation” means satisfaction. Jesus took the full penalty for your sin. The wrath you deserved? He absorbed it. The mercy you needed? He delivered it.

Imagine you commit a foul that deserves ejection. But the ref turns to your teammate and ejects him instead. That’s the cross. Jesus took your place.

Get this... You don’t have to earn God’s love. You don’t have to win to be accepted. Christ has already won for you.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God…” — Ephesians 2:8

If you’ve never received God’s mercy, today is the day. Lay down your efforts. Admit your need. Trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

PRACTICAL TAKEAWAYS
    1.    Start every day at the foot of the cross. His mercy is new every morning.
    2.    Leave yesterday behind. Don’t carry old losses into today’s grace.
    3.    Compete with humility. Grace levels the field—no room for pride.
    4.    See failure as training ground. Weakness is where God shows strength.
    5.    Glorify God in your grind. Let mercy fuel your motivation.
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CLOSING PRAYER
Father, thank You that You give us more than we deserve. Thank You for mercy that meets us in our failure and grace that carries us forward. We confess we’ve tried to earn what can only be received. Teach us to rest in Your love, to trust in Your Son, and to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. Help every athlete listening today to know that their identity is not in wins or stats—but in Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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