The Beatitudes; Merciful will receive Mercy

Introduction

Series Recap

Week 1 - Poor in Spirit

Week 2 - Mourn

Week 3 - Meek

Week 4 - Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness

The Beatitudes; The Merciful will Receive Mercy

Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

I asked a few people this week, “what is mercy?”

really it seemed to be one of those things that everyone wanted, but could not themselves define what it is

some may be able to quote scripture, His mercies are new every morning! we like that one

so we want it, are not sure what exactly it is

but we have this issue of this verse, of those that are merciful, or who give mercy, will receive mercy

mercy is having pity or helping a person in a difficult time or circumstance

Every person at different times has needed mercy… and every person has had the ability to extend mercy

The Attitude of Mercy

Not something we do to get something

Have you ever asked somebody to do something for you and the basic response was, “what is in it for me?”

like, they might do it if the price is right…

we get angry when our kids do it… what do I get for obeying?

we get frustrated when employees do it… you get your check.

But this is how we look at things like forgiveness and mercy

the Bible says that we are to forgive as the father has forgiven us…

here, in our text, is says blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy

it is easy for us to think that this is a quid pro quo… I will do this and God will do that

but please understand that could not be further from the truth

this is not a verb, but an adjective and only used in two places in the NT

this is not a statement about things you are to do in order to receive this blessing

it is a description of a believer in Christ…

the only other place that it is found is in a description of Jesus himself

Hebrews 2:17 Therefore, he had to be like his brothers and sisters in every way, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in matters pertaining to God, to make atonement, for the sins of the people.

mercy should be a primary characteristic of a priest

help the wretched

those who were broken needed restoration

we of all people should understand that

church we should be about the restoration business… regardless of their standing in the community, we should desire all people around us to be restored,

This was the mission of Jesus… to seek and save the lost

raise the fallen

Jesus came to build his church and the gates of Hell cannot withstand

Jesus didn’t desire to see people feel better, but to be raised with him in the last days…

to see people spend eternity with him

was not in the day of Jesus...

more concerned with own power

more concerned with own standing in the law

Mercy is different than forgiveness

forgiveness is a legal term

atonement

debt paid

mercy is more like a medical term

healing in the brokeness

Jesus did not forget Peter’s sin, but instead restored him

In the same way, we do not go in and act as if people have never sinned, or have lived a perfect life

no, we go to them in their brokeness

but this isn’t just an action that we do when we take on somebody as a project

blessed are the merciful is the attitude that we live by, a characteristic that we are identified by

The Acceptance of Mercy

Mercy flows from other attitudes

We are looking at the different beatitudes separately, but we must understand that they are connected

poor in spirit, mourning our sin, meek or humble, hunger and thirst

when this is you spiritual walk you realize the mercy that you have already received

you have already received mercy just to receive that understanding

when we get to that point, we do not look at people as projects

we cannot even look down on people as less than us

we simply look on people with compassion, mercy

desiring that all people would be as we are, saved by the grace of God

To often we are quicker to receive mercy than we are to give mercy

based on our scence of justice

we believe that we deserve mercy

the reason is because we think that we are pretty good

we admit that we have sinned, but come on, I am not that bad

we end up wanting to play a game of who has sinned the worst

this is a game that has been played since the beginning

Genesis 3… who told you that you were naked, did you eat of the tree that I told you not to?

the woman you gave me…

the snake told me…

but we think that others do not deserve mercy for their sins

it is not even all people that we think about this… but we begin to start picking winners and losers for our mercy

if you have committed this list of sins, you do not deserve mercy

drunkeness, divorce are okay

homosexuality and abortion not ok

When we walk in humility of spirit seeking the will of God, we cannot help but give the mercy that we have received

we desire everyone to know the mercy of God

we hate to see people walk in the miserable state

The Allowance of Mercy

Spurgeon Illustration - If you meet a sinner, do not turn your back on him, as a Pharisee might, but help him all you can, for Christ helped you all he could. If it should cost you a great deal of trouble to win that soul for Christ, gladly put yourself to that trouble, because Christ took so much trouble to save you.A good brother said to me, the other day, concerning a certain boy, that he was afraid we should never do much with him because he was of very corrupt origin. I said, “So were you.”He replied, “I do not quite mean it that way.”“No,” I said, “but I do mean it that way.” He or she who is a son or daughter of Adam had a corrupt origin. As we all came from that source, we are all corrupt. Do not ever say of anybody, “That person is too bad for me to do anything with him.” It is the genius of Christianity to select the worst first, and we should never regard any man as utterly hopeless until he is dead. As long as the breath is in his body, even if all the devils from hell were also in him, there is enough power in the Lord Jesus Christ to make the whole troop of them fly, and it is for us to attack those devils in his name. Jesus Christ having saved us, the salvation of other sinners must be possible.

how often do we say, that person really needs help

or better yet, say the prayer, “Lord will you please put somebody in their life”

God put you in their life… I know you’re busy, everyone is busy when are you not going to be busy…

have you ever noticed that the season that you are in, is always the busy season, and you find yourself saying wait until… then maybe we won’t be so busy

wait until the fall when school starts back up, or when school is out…

Jesus walking into Jericho… blind man calling out to him

merciful people have dirty hands

mercy is not a feeling that we have for people, it is an action that leads to sparing or helping others

mercy is compassion that acts

Luke 18:38 -39 So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 Then those in front told him to keep quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Jesus is a busy guy… he has a lot of people to teach, a world to save....

yet here he is, stopping to make time for this guy

he doesn’t just feel bad for him, he goes to him and meets him in his need

mercy is compassion that acts

to often we feel compassion for people, yet we do not act

merciful people have their hands dirty reaching into the muck and mire of the people and problems around them.

If God had only felt mercy, not given mercy, we would all be bound for Hell

God’s desire for man was a relationship…

man broke that relationship

can you imagine if God would have only felt sorry for us

still given us the law and told us that we are on our own at that point

he has that right…

it would only be fair…

yet instead, God comes to this earth in the form man Jesus and lives the perfect life

tempted in every way yet never sinned

instead, he died a sinners death and took the wrath that was due us

so that who ever believes and puts their trust in him will spend eternity in Heaven with him

Ephesians 1:4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.

God did not simply feel bad for you, he showed his mercy

God came and showed what mercy truly is

God came and served

God came and died