The Sermon on the Mount (5)

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Today we are going to be looking at verse 7 this Beatitude deals with mercy, another characteristic of one truly living the Kingdom life. It is this fact—that they have recieved God’s mercy that makes them merciful. I am going to read through verses 2-12 again and then I have a story to share.
Matthew 5:2–5 ESV
2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:6–9 ESV
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Matthew 5:10–12 ESV
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
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Mercy

What is mercy—the basic meaning we see from the Greek word “eleos” is to give help to the wretched to relieve those who are miserable. Mercy gives attention to those in misery.
Matthew 5:7 ESV
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
I want to point out the difference between mercy and grace—grace is shown to the undeserving (all of us) and mercy is compassion to the miserable (all of us). Mercy exists when something is done to alleviate distress (the parable of the good Samaritan).

Mercy is Compassion in Action

Mercy is compassion in action— it means active goodwill. True mercy demands action, it is not just a feeling. The true picture of mercy is Christ—God’s mercy towards sinful mankind through the gift of His Son. We were truly wretched and miserable, lost in our own sin, then Christ came. As kingdom servants we must reflect in our own hearts the heart of the King. We are objects of God’s mercy, and out of that our being merciful should come, we should be others oriented. What we have recieved in abundance we must dispense abundantly.
Matthew 22:39 ESV
39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
How can we be the good neighbor showing mercy to our family, our friends, the people we meet. Remember just as mercy is compassion in action, love is not just an emotional feeling, but an action as well.
1 John 3:17 ESV
17 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?
Compassion in action. Do we try to help alleviate the needs of others. Physically, Emotionally, Financially, Spiritually.

Mercy is Forgiving

Mercy is forgiving— a merciful person remembers their own sin and God’s mercy towards them as sinners, and they understand the weakness of others and forgive. We who have been forgiven much, must offer much forgiveness. Are we keeping accounts, holding grudges, holding onto bitterness towards someone or are we being merciful towards our fellow sinner. “Holding a grudge is like drinking poison and then expecting the other person to die”. we are to be imitators of Christ, and since in His mercy He gave up His life for ours, we ought to give of ours. Being merciful embraces the characteristics of being generous, having compassion for those who are suffering, forgiving others. Matt. 6:14-15
Matthew 6:14–15 (ESV)
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Forgiving should be a part of who we are, and it stems from God. We have been forgiven, we have been shown mercy, and because of that we must do the same, we must forgive and we must show mercy. When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior we are changed, our hearts, our thoughts they are upward pointed, more like Christ’s, but still imperfect. Are we merciful or are we like the merciless servant from Matthew 18 who had been shown so much mercy, and refused to show mercy to his fellow servant. Do we keep accounts, demanding reparations for every way we think we have been wronged.

Receiving Mercy

Look at the last part of the verse.
Matthew 5:7 ESV
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Receiving mercy— you can summarize this verse like this, those who are truly God’s children and are objects of God’s mercy, will themselves be merciful and will receive mercy in the end. Now I want to be very clear, for us to show mercy to others we must have recieved it first, we cannot earn God’s mercy, it flows out of the abundance we have been given. Therefore if we refuse to be merciful, it is because we do not understand the grace of Christ and we are outside grace and unforgiven. We have been given so much, so why do we not extend to others what we have been given. When we talk about receiving mercy, it is something we experience now and in the future. Through God’s infinite mercy, we have the gift of hope in Christ. God’s mercy is constant, like a river that flows continuously.

The Sermon on the Mount

My question for us today is this, do you extend mercy? When people look at you do they see Jesus— kind, caring, forgiving, merciful—or do they see something else. If we are Christians in the true meaning of the word, we can forgive and we will forgive however imperfectly it may be. We cannot live like the brothers in the story I read. It is not always easy, but we must extend mercy. When God looks at His children, what does He see, does He pick out all of our imperfections, does He focus on our shortcomings, on our mistakes, NO He sees His perfect spotless Son. Think about that, we know we are not perfect, so why do we always focus on the bad, looking for any imperfection, any reason to become bitter towards people, to hold a grudge. I want to be very clear that being merciful does not mean we turn a blind eye to sin, but that we seek restoration for sin, standing on the truth of God’s word. I want everyone one of us to think about being merciful, when someone says or does something that upsets us, I want us to stop for a moment and think, ask God to help you show mercy, ask God to help you be forgiving as He is forgiving. It all starts with God, love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. Extend to others that which has been given so richly to you.
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