Blessed are the merciful

The Four Gospels   •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  44:34
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Morning 25 june 2023

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Order of Service

Welcome

Hymn -

Psalm Reading

Psalm 55:1–3 ESV
Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy! Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan, because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me.

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Reading

Matthew 5:7 ESV
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Sermon

Quotes: John Blanchard’s book “The Beatitudes for Today”
Matthew 5:7 ESV
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Sermon on the mount is not a course on how to earn salvation
It is a mirror to show whether an individual is truely born again

Background Principal

People misuse scripture...
Matthew 7:1 ESV
“Judge not, that you be not judged.
They err and create a false doctrine
being easy going, indulgent, uncritical and endlessly tolerant
Yet scripture teaches...
John 7:24 ESV
Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
and again...
1 John 4:1 ESV
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
John Stott quote (2 slides)
The Beatitudes for Today Character before Conduct

John Stott’s comments on this verse are particularly relevant in today’s climate: ‘There is an urgent need for discernment among Christians. We are often too gullible, and exhibit a naive readiness to credit messages and teachings which purport to come from the spirit-world. There is such a thing, however, as a misguided charity and tolerance towards false doctrine.’

We must use discernment, not taking people at “voice” value
Matthew 7:20 ESV
Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
Not enough to merely recognise evil...
1 Corinthians 5:9–11 ESV
I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.
We cannot pluck passages out of context
The beatitudes set the scene for the rest of the sermon
The beatitudes are what ...
The Beatitudes for Today Character before Conduct

A W Pink calls ‘the birthmarks by which the true subjects of his kingdom may be identified

“Jesus puts character before conduct, because the first dictates the second”
Jesus later teaches his disciples ...
Luke 6:45 ESV
The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Which is in keeping with the old testament
Proverbs 4:23 ESV
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

In Context

Matthew 5:7 ESV
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Each beatitude works in connection and in logical sequence
They are not a random collection of perls of wisdom
They are seperate yet inseperable
Poor in spirit - cannot contribute to their salvation
Mourn - Sin grieves and hurts them
Meek - (power under control) their egos are fatally wounded, God’s Word is paramount
Hunger & Thirst for Righteousness - long to be holy, yet seek the provision from God
a person fulled with Righteousness overflows with Mercy
Worldview:
The Romans glorified justice, courage, discipline and power; mercy was despised as a contemptible sign of weakness
Jews believed that those most likely to make it big in Messiah’s reign were the hard-nosed conservatives, those who, when the tide finally turned, would wreak vengeance on their nation’s enemies and then be rewarded by Messiah for showing no mercy on those who had opposed his people

Meaning of Mercy

Dictionary: compassion or forgiveness shown towards someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm:
oiktirmos [ok-tir-mos] - pity, mercy, compassion
2 Corinthians 1:3 ESV
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
Father of compassion and God of all comfort
Compassion is the plural of Mercy
Paul in his teaching includes the attributes of believers
Colossians 3:12 ESV
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
The Beatitudes for Today Windows on Words

Guy Appéré writes, ‘The Christian is conscious more than anyone else of the plight of the world in which, behind men’s physical and moral troubles, he sees their spiritual ruin.’

splagchnizomai [splag-niz-omry] - Deep inner feelings of affection, compassion, pity and love
Matthew 9:36 ESV
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Jesus uses: Eleeo [ile-eo] - action based on feelings
Matthew 5:7 ESV
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed in the Merciful person, for they shall be shown mercy”
Merciful person
Feelings of pity and compassion
Will take practical steps to relieve the misery
1 John 3:18 ESV
Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
return..
Matthew 5:7 ESV
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Mercy/commpassion is:
Practical
giving help to the needy
Spiritual
granting forgiveness to the guilty
Reminder: Beatitudes are characteristics of true Christians
not laws, commandments or conditions of membership in the Kingdom
God judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart...
Hebrews 4:12 ESV
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Absense of mercy is a bad sign

1 John 3:17 ESV
But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
Pious words are meaningless without action
Pious words - “Virtual Signalling
James 2:14–17 ESV
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
James condemns the “armchair philanthropist” [Scottish Preacher, Alexander Maclaren]
However loud the profession of faith, the person without mercy to others is not a Christian

Presence of mercy is a good sign

Psalm 37:21 ESV
The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives;
It is not possible to live a Christian life, without being a Christian
Doing good things does not fulfil “Christian living”
A Christian is a person whose heart has been radically changed
attitude towards God, sin, life, death and everthing else is permanently changed and brought under the authority of the Word of God
Uncoverted can sometimes show mercy...
Good Samaritan Luke 10
Paul was shown kindness after shipwreck...
Acts 28:2 ESV
The native people showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold.
Newspapers & TV have many examples
Yet not spiritual dimension
Most even deny the existence of God
Their mercy directed at the body & mind, but not the soul
They provide such needs as food, clothing, accommodation, healing, counselling or comfort
But no concern for the souls of those being helped
Isaiah spoke of this type of good deed...
Isaiah 64:6 ESV
We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
John Stott wrote on this...

Walk in His Shoes, John Stott says, ‘Naturally if we had to choose between evangelism and compassionate service, we would have to agree that the spiritual and the eternal have a higher priority than the material and the temporal. But we don’t have to choose, or very seldom.’

Jesus’ Example...
Matthew 9:35 ESV
And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.
Jesus sending his disciples....
Luke 9:2 ESV
and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.
In both examples preaching is mentioned first
No room for self-righteousness
Do you have a “Passion for Souls”
If you recognise your own need for salvation and righteousness how can you not have the same passion for others?
No room for secret belief, or a lack of evangelism
Next Time
Motivation for Mercy
Giving to God
Dynamics of Mercy
Covenant in Kind - They shall receive Mercy

Hymn -

Closing Prayer

Doxology

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