Experiencing the Mercy You Need
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Introduction
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Illumination
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
Like many of the Beatitudes, there is quite a bit going on here that we need to explore in order to better grasp what Jesus was saying. Our goal in exploration is not to over-complicate a simple statement. Our goal is to better understand so we don’t under-appreciate a simple statement.
Twin Concepts: Mercy and Grace
Twin Concepts: Mercy and Grace
Mercy is NOT getting what we DO deserve
Grace is GETTING what we do NOT deserve
These two always show up together. Where only one shows up, the other is necessarily implied: they are two sides of the same coin.
Parallel Perspectives: Positional and Experiential
Parallel Perspectives: Positional and Experiential
Positional is our standing before God. We have received the mercy He has extended to us and thus we do not receive the judgment we deserve.
Experiential is our understanding in life. Do we understand that we have received mercy from God? Often we do not, and there are some real reasons for this:
We do not always understand that we will not be judged by God. Some Christians, think that God is just waiting to pounce on them for everything thing they do.
9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
We do not always understand that we should not judge in the place of God. Christians (like most religious zealots) are among the most judgmental people in all the world.
4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
We do not always understand that we should not even judge ourselves.
1 Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.
We do not always understand the difference between our efforts to be godly and being judgy. We can continue to look at Paul as an example. He did not judge himself or others, BUT, he was acutely aware of his own sinfulness, per Romans 7, and he was diligent in his endeavors to be godly, per 1 Corinthians 9.
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.
27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
Paul worked hard to be better but did not condemn himself or others in the process. He received God’s mercy both in his standing before God and in his understanding of life.
Indicative Experiences: Received and Given
Indicative Experiences: Received and Given
Much of our experience in mercy comes down to our own actions and attitudes.
If you tend to be a merciful person, you will tend to understand and experience the mercy of God
If you tend not to be a merciful person, you will tend to not understand and not experience the mercy of God. This does not change the fact that He extends mercy or the fact that you stand as a result of His mercy, it only alters your perception, experience, and extension of His mercy.
Concusion
For those who have come to Jesus, as this audience had, believing in Him and following Him, the mercy that we receive from God is not conditional upon the mercy we extend to others. However, our ability to experience receiving mercy—even God’s mercy—is directly related to, and conditional upon, our ability to extend mercy to others.
Here’s the takeaway:
To experience mercy yourself, you must extend it to others.
Or as Jesus said:
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.