Living in the Father’s Favor: The Flow of Mercy
Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
I. The Downward Flow of Mercy: Mercy Offered.
II. The Inward Flow of Mercy: Mercy Received.
III. The Outward Flow of Mercy: Mercy Extended.
IV. The Reciprocal Flow of Mercy: Mercy Rewarded.
Intro: The beatitudes seem to fall into 2 distinct categories. The first 4 deal with our relationship to God. We are "poor in spirit," admitting our need for Him. We "mourn," we see our sin in light of what Jesus sacrificed for us. Then we surrender to God’s control. We empty ourselves of self-sufficiency and exhibit Christ dependency. We are "meek." The result of the first 3 steps? Hunger. Max Lucado writes, "Never have you seen anything like what is happening in your life. You admit sin- you are saved. You confess weakness- you receive strength. You are sorry- you find forgiveness. It’s a zany, unpredictable path full of surprises. For once in your life you are addicted to something positive- something that gives life instead of draining it. And you want more." And what you hunger for is righteousness. You want more of His Word, you can’t get enough of God; you find you are happiest when around fellow believers who become family to you. You hunger and thirst after a right relationship, and you are filled. [Timothy Smith, SC]
-Today we are talking about mercy. We touched on justice and righteousness last week. That reminds me of the lady who had her photograph taken and upon seeing the proof complained to the photographer. He said, "Ma’am what’s wrong?" "Wrong? Why this picture doesn’t do me justice." To which he looked at her and said, "Ma’am you don’t need justice, you need mercy."
-In the first century Roman culture, mercy was not seen as a virtue, but was seen as a sign of weakness. One Roman philosopher called mercy “a disease of the soul”. To them mercy was a sign that you did not have what it takes to be a real man and especially a real Roman. They glorified courage, justice, discipline, and absolute power. They looked down on mercy because they saw it as weakness, and weakness was despised above all other human limitations. So mercy was hard to find in that day and age. [Daniel Brown, SC]
-However, Jesus was full of mercy and kindness and freely gave it to countless numbers of people to whom He ministered. He showed mercy to people who were poor, sick, blind, crippled, discouraged, rejected, and abused. Now while some people in turn treated Him well, the hope of receiving the same treatment was not what motivated Jesus to let His mercy flow out to others.
-The flow of mercy is so much more than karma at work. While it is often true that what goes around comes around, there is a personal God in heaven and earth who rewards the merciful with His mercy. People often do not return the favor, but our Father in heaven will not let mercy go unrewarded. Jesus only wanted to obey and please His Father. That was His motivation for showing mercy. That should be our motivation as well – doing what honors and pleases the Father. That is what we call living in the Father’s favor, which leads us to the main idea.
Prop: God’s favor rests on those who live in the flow of His mercy.
Interrogative: What do we mean by the flow of mercy?
TS: Let’s take a look at it from four perspectives.
I. The Downward Flow of Mercy: Mercy Offered
-One of the first things we need to know about mercy is that it is available to all people. Just as Matthew 5:45 says, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” God does not reserve His mercy for those who deserve it. In fact, if anyone deserved it, it would not be mercy, but payment or obligation.
-Mercy is showing great concern for someone in need, having compassion, sympathy, or pity. Mercy is used to describe one of God’s attributes. Eph.2:4 says He is "rich in mercy." The Greek word for mercy, eleos, is used in relation to misery and its relief. Grace is God’s free gift displayed in the forgiveness of sins. Grace is extended to men as they are guilty. Mercy is extended to them as they are miserable (ISBE Bible Dictionary).
-Many people do not realize that God’s kindness is available to them in the midst of their misery. God has great concern for those in need- esp. those who are suffering. He cares about people who are hurting, and He is willing to help them if they will let Him.
-Some people are experiencing physical misery. They live with physical pain or may be fighting sickness & disease. Some live with emotional misery. They have fears and insecurities and emotional wounds from the past. Some live with the misery of regret over past mistakes. We could talk about spiritual misery, and maybe even the mental anguish and confusion some people live with.
-The point we need to see here is that in the midst of what might be a miserable life, we have a God who cares about us and offers His mercy and kindness. The downward flow of mercy is available to all who will close their umbrellas of defense, and let the undeserved and unrestrained kindness of God wash over them.
-TS: That leads us to the next point. The offer of mercy and its universal availability brings no benefit unless it is accepted.
II. The Inward Flow of Mercy: Mercy Received
-When someone asks God for mercy, they are really asking for relief from whatever misery they in. Mercy is not synonymous with grace, but it certainly relates. I’ve heard some people tell about how miserable they felt when they became aware of their own sinfulness. As they realized how dark their own heart and life had become without God, they came to a point of crying out for relief. God’s relief came in the form of grace and forgiveness that is available through faith in Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross.
-Now, I do not believe that God’s mercy is only available to those who have responded to His grace. Remember, He makes His rain fall on the just and the unjust. However, without receiving the free gift of God’s grace, mercy may only be a temporary fix. Without forgiveness and a meaningful relationship with God, misery will eventually become perpetual- if not in this life then certainly in the next. But with God’s grace and forgiveness, misery becomes momentary.
-As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
-So both those who follow Christ obediently and those who do not may be recipients of God’s mercy if they ask. But the favor and blessing of God can only rest on those whose hearts belong to Him.
-TS: Now the central truth of this beatitude is found in these last 2 principles. God’s favor and blessing, along with His endless mercies are given to those who habitually show mercy to other people.
III. The Outward Flow of Mercy: Mercy Extended
-Blessed are the merciful…. The merciful are those who not only receive mercy, but who have also learned how to pass it forward to others. Here are four marks of the merciful that will help us see how mercy should flow out of our lives to others.
1. Merciful people help hurting people (divorce, bereavement, abuse, shut-ins, etc.) These are people who might be living in misery or are suffering in some way. When we come alongside them and help them find comfort and relief, we are showing God’s mercy to them. Mercy may come in the form of a smile, a handshake, a hug, kind words, a kind act, taking meals to people, pulling someone’s weeds, visiting people, praying for them, or alleviating their pain and suffering in a way that values them and honors God. Merciful people help those who are hurting.
2. Merciful people are patient with those who struggle. Galatians 6:1-2 “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” If we’ve been serving the Lord for awhile, sometimes we can forget all of the times that we have struggled and came up short. Aren’t you glad God is patient with you? Let’s be merciful and show the same grace and patience for others who are still fighting their way free of the stuff of life or just struggling to keep their heads above water. Help them out. Pray for them. Walk with them! That is mercy!
3. Merciful people are kind, even to their enemies. Jesus asked in Matthew 5:46: “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?” The question is rhetorical. Jesus wasn’t saying that no reward would come. He was revealing one of the truest tests of a Christ follower: How do you treat those who mistreat you? Merciful people will repay evil with good so God will receive the greatest glory and honor.
4. Merciful people are forgiving people.
-Colossians 3:13 says “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may against each other. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
-Robert Schuller tells a story about Bernice Schug. He met Schug when she needed work and they hired her as a housekeeper. She was a lovely woman, showering the Schuller’s with love and poppy-seed rolls. But he says that no one knew of her hidden hurt. One day she came to Schuller and said, "Bob, I was reading the bulletin and I noticed that you are having a guest speaker next Sunday who was a Kamikaze pilot." Schuller nodded telling Bernice that this particular pilot had a tremendous story about finding Jesus. "That may be true, but my boy was killed in WWII by a Kamikaze pilot and I don’t think I could handle it." Schuller understood and told her he didn’t think it would hurt her to miss one Sunday. Schuller writes: "The next week the Japanese pilot shared his story. His love and gratitude for Jesus shone from his black eyes. You could feel the love and release he had found. People were moved by his testimony. And when the service was over, I walked with him back down the aisle to the rear of the Church. Suddenly, as we approached the last pew, an older woman stepped out directly in our path. She stood firmly in front of the Kamikaze pilot and blocked his exit. She looked him squarely in the eye and said, "My son was killed by a Kamikaze!" It was Schug. We all held our breath as she continued, "I have seen how God has forgiven you your sins, and tonight, for the first time in 40 years, I’ve allowed Him to forgive mine. Will you forgive my hatred for your people?" With tears in his eyes the young pilot said, "Will you forgive me for what my people did to you?" She threw her arms around this little Japanese man and they stood there holding each other, both of them crying and crying.” “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
-One of the reasons why I want to show compassion to others is because God has been compassionate to me! I’m so thankful that my sins have been forgiven! I’m grateful that I have a loving relationship with God through Jesus. I’m so thankful that I don’t have to spend eternity in the lake of fire. I’m so grateful for God’s mercy in my life that I want to extend that same mercy to others.
-I urge you: Carry out an act of mercy in someone’s life this week. Not because they deserve it…. Not simply because they showed you mercy..., but because you want to be more like you Father in heaven, showing mercy to all without favoritism.
[4 above points adapted from Marc Axelrod, SC]
-TS: If we will allow mercy to flow out from us to others, it will change our lives and many lives around us. This is better than the world’s idea Paying It Forward! It’s better than building up good karma. Let’s look at this last perspective on mercy and the reward that comes from living in the flow of mercy.
IV. The Reciprocal Flow of Mercy: Mercy Rewarded
-Merciful people are only merciful because they themselves have received mercy. However, the more they allow mercy to flow in and out of their lives, the more it will be available to them.
-In Luke 6:38, Jesus was speaking of mercy and forgiveness, and He said, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
-We aren’t told specifically who will be doing the pouring, but the source will certainly be upward. God is the God of mercy and will pour out His mercy on those who are merciful. However, as several Scriptures attest, God also moves people to give more mercy to the merciful as well.
-Proverbs 16:7 says, “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.” I don’t pretend to know how God does these things, but I do know that He rewards attributes like mercy.
-Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.
Conclusion: As we close, we’ve talked about the downward flow of mercy, where God gives mercy to just people as well as unjust people. He is a merciful God whose nature it is to show mercy. We come to a point today where we need to ask how much of God’s mercy have we allowed to flow into us. In turn, we must also examine the outflow of God’s mercy from our lives to other people. Our reward and blessing will be a greater capacity to give and receive mercy.
-Living in the flow of mercy – that is a place where God’s favor can be found! Today, if you need to ask the Lord for mercy to alleviate some form of misery in your life, I hope you will follow through and do so. If you need to ask the Lord to open up doors of opportunity for His mercy to flow out of you, I know He will hear and answer. As we do this, our lives will be blessed, and we will be able to bless others around us with the mercy and kindness of our heavenly Father. [Pray]
