blessed to be merciful

Blessed to be merciful

Sermon on mount #4

Matthew 5:1-11

January 25, 2026

Last year I had a humbling moment. God took an opportunity to, as my dad would say, “tune my clock.” Meaning, my heavenly Father reminded me just how hypocritical I am. Oh, I’ll be the first one to tell you that I am patient and kind to those around me all the while my actions will say something completely different.

SHOW MAP. I was in my car with Heidi. We were waiting for the light at the corner of 2nd st and 11th Ave in downtown Nampa. I was planning to go through the light and continue 2nd St. I saw a man in front of the Old Country Sausage and saw that he was about to do the unthinkable. I could just see it on his face and knew it was coming. Just as I got the green light to go straight, myself and the car next to me started to go.

You know what that guy had the audacity to do? He decided to walk (not run) across that street holding up traffic. So, naturally as your pastor, was loving, kind and understanding. (NO I WAS NOT!). I laid on the horn and the result from that man was all kinds of hand gestures! The reason why I laid on the horn was the cross walk was less than 20 yards away and he was too lazy to just walk down to the cross walk? I thought, how dare he not accept my horn of correction!

Well just a few short weeks later and in that same area, I parked in this parking garage. I walked through the library courtyard to the street side. Now, instead of walking down to TWO crosswalk options at the end of both streets. As I ran across the street a co worker of mine said, “Von, you know that there is a cross walk less than 20 yards away?”

Guys, God hammered me! It was almost like God Himself just honked His horn of correction! How dare I show no mercy when I myself do the exact same thing! You see, I want mercy and kindness, when I am the one who needs it. But, showing it? That is another story!

If we are members in Christ’s kingdom, mercy must be seen through us by the world. Even when mercy seems illogical to the world we live in, it does not mean we are off the hook from demonstrating it.

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If you have missed the last three sermons, please go back and get those sermons. It will be hard to get what I am going to say today unless you understand some context. As a review, Matthew is our author. He is one of the 12 apostles. He gives us the clearest and most detailed account of Jesus’s first of five sermons.

He records a detail that is key to understanding the entire sermon in just one line. He writes, “and when He sat down, His disciples came to Him.” I have brought this up every Sunday since starting for a reason. He is teaching those learners or followers of His. These are not the 12 apostles. This is a general term used to describe those who have ears to hear, or those who hyper hear. Not only do their ears take in the sounds, but they respond in obedience, those who want to know truth.

But we have to assume that the crowd is made up of others who are not wanting the Truth of Christ. They are just curious or even enemies. We also have those here today. Like the crowd that He fed. They love the blessings, just not the giver. They love being fed, money in the bank, and health. But they never love God for who He is. To those, I am so glad you are here today. Please stay engaged. This sermon will help you.

Before we go much further, we must remember that blessed is makarious in the original language. It means fortunate, happy to have. This is not how some people of the kingdom of God are. Instead, it is how ALL people of the kingdom of God are.

Please look back at our text. Look at the 7 beatitudes. I want you to see something very important. Last week we talked about righteousness. That righteousness comes from God and it satisfies the heart of the believer. We can’t get it on our own. When God gives His righteousness, we WILL change. You see, each of these beatitudes of action are directly connected to an earlier beatitude of need.

SHOW CHART: Doriani, Daniel M. 2008  

The first three produce the hunger and thirst for HIS righteousness that produces actions. The result of being poor in spirit (knowing just how bankrupt I am in my sin, makes me desperate for the righteousness only He can give. When I am now righteous in Christ, the result is a tangible action of mercy, purity and peace.

To help us understand and apply this, we must have a shift in our default thinking here. You can not say, I want this beatitude and leave the others on the table. No, they are all dependent on the first, second, third and because of those, you are desperate for 4 and then, you WILL perform the action beatitudes. What will help us is to remove ourselves from the center of our understanding of these beatitudes. When we take ourselves out of the center and put HIM there, we will then more than understand what is being required. It will move past understanding and move to action.

These beatitudes can be successfully lived out if and when God is the supreme driving force in all aspects of our lives. Failure is to live these out comes when we keep God at arms length. We stop being poor in spirit, mourn, meek and thus, forget about His righteousness. When we are there, there is no way to perform the action beatitudes. See how they depend on HIM?

Today, we are going to do the first action beatitude, merciful.

1.             Mercy received.

Through the person and work of Christ, we who are His disciples (learner and follower) receive mercy. These are ONLY those who recognize that their sin has separated their hearts from God and they are spiritually incapable to paying their sin debt.

Then, in light of that understanding in their hearts, they mourn over that debt and they recognize that it had to be Christ to pay for that debt. Pride has no place in this person’s heart so they are humbly and meekly begging, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

In that state, they hunger for the only source of righteousness possible, His. They pursue it like a starving man. When they are in His righteousness, mercy happens.

Let’s define GOD’s idea of mercy:

(eleēmōn). adj. merciful. Indicates a compassionate and merciful quality.

This adjective occurs only twice in the nt. In the Beatitudes of Matthew’s Gospel, and In Hebrews 2:17.

The LORD distributes mercy by His strict providence from HIS good will. He does this knowing our hurt, pain and walk. However, when people come to God without beatitudes 1,2,3, they come with expectations on God. Some come to God expecting that God must show mercy. Much like me when I J walk. “well God, it’s me, we are good right God?” But the truth is that He owes no one.

The use of this word is carefully written by Matthew. If GOD is required to give mercy, then grace would not be grace. By definition GRACE is free and not forced. Remember, we are saved by grace (free gift) through faith. He does not have to issue mercy; He chooses to issue mercy. He delights in it yet is glorified in all His attributes.

It is also so important to know that His mercy is not arbitrary or happen chance. He offers mercy to those whom He chooses to show mercy. Exodus 33:18,19:

18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy[1]

How or why He does that is not on us to know. The secret things of God belong to God. But what is revealed to us belong to us. It is HE who directs it. He is a merciful God. At the end of the day, God is who He is. His mercy is part of His glorious nature of who He reveals Himself to be.

There is no greater example than those in this room who have seen their bankruptcy of sin, and you that know your sin know first-hand the mercy that has been extended to you. Those in this room are sitting here nodding your heads knowing that you don’t deserve this mercy and yet, He gave it to you.

These that I am speaking of know that people around you do not share your understanding that His mercy is the only thing keeping you from the justified sentence of hell. He has given you mercy that is indescribable. It is not something that you necessarily understand mentally, but you have caught it more in your heart. It is not taught, it is caught deep in your soul.

Ladies and gentlemen, there is no greater example than the people in this room that get this and live it. When I say they live it, it means they give it. MERCY IS NOT JUST CAUGHT, IT’S GIVEN.

2.             Mercy expected.

I don’t’ want you to take my word for it. Please remember how He taught us to pray: Matthew 6:9-139 “Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, [2] as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Oh, did you catch that “AS”?

Or, how about the parable of the wicked servant? Please turn to Matthew 18:21

21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”[3]

SUMMARIZE 22-27 “28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.[4]”

We know the end of that parable don’t we. The King found out. ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.[5]

Here are the beatitudes of action. Blessed are those who ARE merciful. I want you to catch that last phrase Jesus used in that parable. If you do not forgive your brother (or sister) FROM YOUR HEART. Meaning, your inner being, truly, and completely. Jesus’s EXPECTATION is that you and I ARE merciful, not act merciful. We ARE!

ARE: is a present tense of the verb “to be”. Meaning, we IS mercy. Those who HUNGER and THIRST for HIS righteousness ARE currently and indefinitely merciful. Why? Because we have been forgiven much! So, practically Jesus teaches radical mercy. Mercy that is given by the King that is expected of the servant: Slave to the king.

How does this look? In every aspect of our lives, from j walkers, meat head drivers and EVEN those who have wounded us deeply and personally. There is no limit to mercy as He has shown you and I no limit on His mercy. You and I have much to cry out for mercy, how dare we not show that to others?

So, how does that land on you? Are you saying, but pastor, you don’t know how they hurt me! You don’t know the gravity of that betrayal. For some reason we have this number in our minds or this line that cannot be crossed against us. If a person crosses this line or this many times of betrayal, then mercy is not owed.

Oh dear brother, you are right to say mercy is not owed. The good King in Heaven does not owe you mercy after you have crossed every line and every sin. And yet, He is still pouring mercy out to you.

We default to Taylor Swifts definition of forgiveness that says “You don’t need to forgive, and you don’t need to forget to move on. You just need to become indifferent and move on.” Oh, so just cancel them and move on? Spoken like a soul that has never experienced true forgiveness. That is hardly what God has done for us! He doesn’t cancel His kids nor can we cancel those who have betrayed us!

BUT that does not make us a door mat. We still use discernment. We set boundaries from a merciful heart. Forgiveness and mercy does not mean blindly walking into more damage. Our Lord does not say be dumb. Boundaries are okay. Mercy and forgiveness is required. “Behold I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves (Matt 10:16)

3.             Are you mercy fortunate?

All of our main points during the beatitudes are the same question. Are you fortunate to have and be merciful? Again, blessed means fortunate. To truly understand mercy, one must first understand that it was given before you can give it. When it is understood that way, we look to and are ready to give it as freely as He has given it to us.

So, let me ask you: Have you received His mercy? If so, now give yourself a letter grade on how well you have given mercy.

My honest grade on giving mercy: ______

Are you withholding mercy? If so, rate yourself honestly. If it is not like Jesus has given you mercy, then remember His expectation! He says “forgive us our debts AS we have forgiven our debtors.” So, if you gave yourself an honest grade, that grade is the standard you will be forgiven? How do you like that?

You want mercy at an A+ but you rated yourself what? Oh church, see the double standard? Those who have been forgiven much and understand that they have been forgiven much also forgive much.

But pastor, their sin was so personal and directed to me, I can NEVER show mercy: Repeat the LORD’s prayer. Yes, they hurt you, but so did your sin to HIM. Each of your sins cost God a life (His). Will you withhold mercy when He did not for you? Again, we are not a doormat. But, we have an action based on our hunger and thirst for righteousness. Here is the action steps we can do to handle hurt:

a.             Lovingly hold to the WORD of God. We can address wounds, pains and abuse as the WORD has shown us how. (Matthew 18 for the brothers and Luke 6:27-29 for non brothers)

b.             PRAYER: I hate how we reserve prayer as a hail merry. “Well there’s nothing left to do but pray…” Instead let’s start there! I have never been let down when I pray over a person’s abuse to me in times of conflict. When I pray over it, He changes me or He changes them. Or, He changes the situation all together. IT WORKS!

c.              Respond in light of the mercy He gave you. It will heal damaged relationships, change your heart and potentially change theirs! Who knows, your mercy may lead them to the foot of the cross. The stories are endless of this happening!

Conclusion:

To wrap this up, allow me to take you back to my j walk. I got to the other side of the street to only hear the correction from my friend. She was so kind in how she did it. She just said, “Von, there is a cross walk right there.” Brothers and sisters, it’s okay to show people the cross walks in love. It’s okay to hold to truth, in love and then allow the Spirit to do what He does the rest of the way.

You know what? The Spirit hit me like a ton of bricks. I remember the face of that guy I honked at. The anger, hatred and contempt that I caused will never leave my mind. How dare I do that! After all, I justified that same behavior just a couple weeks later. I have been shown such mercy; I pray I can show it the way my King expects me to.