The Mercy Journey

Intro

Hey Refuge! For those who may not know me, my name is Austin and I’m on staff here at Refuge, and I am so glad that you have chosen to tune into our service this week. I believe that what we are going to talk about is something that we all go through and something that we can all apply to our lives. Before we get to that, I want to ask you a question, have you ever been hurt so bad that you just wanted to give up on someone? This could be physically, emotionally, or verbally. I want to tell you a little something from my life. So growing up, there were points where I wasn’t the best guy, I unintentionally intentionally picked on this one guy that was the same age as me. This meant that I knew what I was doing but I never believed that I was bullying this guy. This went on for years, until it all came to a boiling point. We were playing a game at youth during our christmas party that involved trying to hit people with pool noodles while blindfolded, and in my very immature mind I thought it would be funny to just hit that guy whenever I had the chance since we were doing it together. And in my mind i thought it was funny but he was getting very frustrated, and he couldnt take it anymore so he just straight up kneed me to get me to stop. The thing was, through all of this I didn’t realize how much it was effecting those who were close to both of us. I almost lost my best friend because of this since they were this guys cousin. Ever since that day I have regretted how I treated that guy growing up. No one deserves to be treated less then anyone.

As I was preparing for this talk, this story popped in my head first which really made me reflect back on it. The fact that stood out to me was that he never retaliated until grade 11, and this had been going on for years. He always turned the other cheek rather then giving me what I desereved. He showed me mercy and forgiveness. And this is what we are going to be talking about today, this idea of mercy. Lets read our passage together, I will be reading out of Matthew 5:7, it is short but is dence with lessons.

English Standard Version Chapter 5

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

But what does mercy actually mean? Let me break it down for you, first of all it is forgiving your enemies, various acts of kindess and It is a quality exercised between person to person, independent of written law. So something that the world doesn’t see as nesessary, but something that is expected from a Christian. This guy from my childhood didn’t have to treat me with respect even when i wasnt the best person, but he chose to forgive me and show me mercy.

Now what does mercy look like in the context of Scripture? When I think of mercy, I think of something that Jesus said in Matthew 7:12, He spoke of a Golden Rule

The New International Version Chapter 7

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you

If we wish to be treated with respect we must respect others. But if this is the fact, why did this guy continue to show me respect even if I did not recirocate it? He showed me mercy. Mercy is closely linked to forgivness but it is so much more broad then that, then just specific offences. A commentary I read said it like this, “It is a generouse attitude which is willing to see things from the others point of view and is not quick to take offense or to gloat over others shortcomings.” We are to take a step back and try to look at life through their lives, to try and feel what they feel.

Lets go back to Matthew 5:7, the passage says “blessed are the mercyful” but how are we blessed if we are merciful? This is how, the more you show mercy, the more you are in haromony to the direction of the Scriptures. The more you show mercy, the more will you resemble God. And the more we show mercy to others, the more we appear to live out the spirit of Christ. God shows us mercy, so why shouldn’t we show mercy to others? It is the consistent teaching of the New Testament that indeed only the merciful shall receive mercy which is why it is laid out in the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:5-15, “forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Jesus also continues after that as well “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins”.

Throughout every day of our lives, we should strive to live as Jesus lived here on Earth. With love, forgiveness, and mercy. Mercy sets aside society’s assumption that it is honourable to demand revenge.

So let me ask you again, have you ever been hurt so bad that you just wanted to give up on someone? Now, let me add to that, even though they hurt you did you show them mercy? Or even, have you ever been the person who hurt others? Healing from either of these can be quite difficult. Mercy is much more than an emotional wave of pity; clearly, this demands a quite deliberate effort of the mind and of the will. This could look like you reaching out to that person, praying to God to help you through it. Or if you were the one who hurt someone like I did, this could look like you reaching out to the person and apologizing for what you did if you haven’t yet and praying for God to change your heart for the better.

But remember, you are not in this alone, you have people around you to build you up and push you to be better. Also if you wish to connect with any of us hear at Refuge you can message our instagram account or email us at [e-mail], we would love to journey with you on the road to healing.