You were in a hurry to get to work – you did not see the stop sign, but he did, and in just a matter of seconds, you hear the siren and see the blue lights. You are about to receive a traffic ticket. The cost will be approx. $150.00 plus points on your license. Your insurance is going to go up, your spouse is going to be disappointed and your boss is going to be furious because you are late – After a brief exchange with the police officer, he gives you a citation – and you have just driven into “THE MERCILESS ZONE”
It started out as a dare, everyone is doing it, no one ever is caught they tell you. After all, you want to be cool don’t you? You have the money in your pocket to buy the candy bars and you do not really want to eat the candy bars, but you want to fit in; So you look both ways, no one is looking. You take the candy bars, place them in your pocket and begin to walk out. You did it, you got away with it. As you walk out the door, the store manager taps you on the shoulder and asks for the candy bars you have just stolen. “We take shop lifting seriously here”, he says as calls your parents and the police. You are embarrassed to say the least. When your parents arrive at the store they are fuming and disappointed, what will happen over the next 24 hours will be both humbling and painful, you will hear words like grounding, and “How can we ever trust you again” you just walked in “THE MERCILESS ZONE”
Have you ever visited “THE MERCILESS ZONE”?
A mistake is made or you said something you wished you could take back only to discover that punishment is swift and mercy is lacking.
Mercy is one of those words we long to hear at work, in school and in our homes. Because we are fallen people, we need mercy on a daily basis. What is true today was also true some 2,000 years ago.
Mercy was not a prized commodity in the ancient world.
A popular Roman philosopher called mercy “The disease of the soul”. Mercy was the supreme sign of weakness. Mercy was a sign you did not have what it takes to be a real man or a real Roman. The Romans judged everything by discipline, courage, justice and absolute power. In their world, there was no room for mercy.
A Roman father had the right of Patria Opitestas, he could decide if his newborn child lived or died. As the child was held before him, he could give a “thumbs up” – meant life, or a “thumbs down”, meant rejection and the child was immediately drowned.
Citizens had the same power over their slaves. At anytime or for any reason, a slave could be killed and buried with no fear of arrest or punishment.
Wives lived in fear of their husbands. Any provocation, no mater how small could mean banishment or death.
We look at these situations and shudder at such a merciless culture, yet today abortion and elder abuse reflect the same merciless attitude.
In the ancient world as well as today, societies that despise mercy are societies that glorify brutality.
The motive of self-concern is what characterizes people who lack mercy. Maybe it was because mercy was lacking in the ancient world that Jesus focused on this fifth beatitude; Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy
In this beatitude, I want us to discover three basic aspects of mercy.
The Meaning of Mercy
We have already discovered mercy is not a characteristic of those who are powerful or self-concerned. To many of Jesus listeners, showing mercy was one of the least practiced virtues. After all as a Jewish nation they had grown up under the law of an “Eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth” as well as the Roman laws which gave rights to the strong and had very little use for the weak. Mercy had very little meaning in their society.
Not only did they lack mercy, some people have the wrong idea of mercy.
They saw mercy as an exchange program, merciful only to those who would be merciful back to them. Jesus condemned this practice later in his sermon, Matthew 5:43-47,
43 You have heard that it was said, ’Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
Some people erroneous thought mercy given will mean mercy received. For some mercy was purely a self-seeking effort.
Mercy for self gain is not true mercy
Mercy Defined is simply – The outward expression of pity toward a person in need and using one’s adequate resources to meet that need.
Mercy is used of God in Ephesians 2, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
When Jesus said blessed are the merciful he was not saying be merciful and you will receive mercy from others. He was saying, be merciful and those who have resources (example of God in Ephesians 2) will be merciful to you.
Jesus was not looking for a self-seeking effort, rather Jesus was looking at mercy through the eyes of God
Think about it! Jesus was the most merciful man who ever lived. He reached out to the poor, healed the sick showed compassion to children and the aged. He rubbed shoulders with the sinners and outcast of his day. He was merciful to everyone. He was mercy in the flesh. Yet what was the response to Jesus’ mercy?
The more he showed mercy the more the religious leaders wanted to get rid of him.
The more he showed mercy the more he was slandered and despised
The more he showed mercy, the more he was rejected.
The ultimate outcome of His mercy was the cross. In Jesus crucifixion, two merciless systems (merciless government and merciless religion) came together to destroy the Prince of Mercy. Why – because their idea of mercy was one of self-seeking, I will do for you and you will do for me., yet Jesus wanted his disciples and us to practice true mercy. In other words, if you see someone in need, you use your resources to meet that need, regardless if they are able to pay it back, and in turn God will be merciful to you.
This beatitude does not teach that mercy to men brings mercy from men, but that mercy to men brings mercy from God.
Once we understand the meaning of mercy, we can then see…
The Source of Mercy
Mercy is meeting people’s needs. It is not simply feeling compassion, but showing compassion. Not only sympathizing with others but giving a helping hand. Mercy is…
Giving food to the hungry
Comfort to the hurting
Love to the rejected
Forgiveness to the offender
Companionship to the lonely
Pure mercy is a gift from God.
Mercy is not a natural attribute of man, but a gift that comes from our new birth in Christ. We can only be merciful in its full sense, with the right motive, when we have experienced God’s divine mercy. We can only practice mercy once we have allowed the Holy Spirit to work on our lives…
Realizing I am spiritual poor or bankrupt brings me to the point of humility where I must say I need god and I need you. This leads me to repentance as I am aware of my brokenness, in mourning I learn to press down my wants and desires – in submission I become meek, once this is accomplished I can then begin to hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness and holiness.
Thus the way to meekness is the way of humility, repentance, submission and finally holiness. This can only come from God, because my fallen nature seeks what I want to do, not what God wants me to do. When I take on God’s nature, I can then follow the command of Jesus in Luke’s gospel, Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:36
John Macarthur wrote; We are blessed by God when we are merciful to others and we are able to be merciful to others because we have already received salvation’s mercy. Moreover, when we share the mercy we received, we shall receive mercy even beyond what we already have. The old hymn says it best – Mercy there was great and free, pardon there was multiplied to me, there my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary
God is the source of our mercy – given to us without limits or conditions; therefore, we are to be merciful to those around us just as God was merciful to us.
This leads us to…
The Practice of Mercy
Remember our definition of mercy The outward expression of pity toward a person in need and using one’s adequate resources to meet that need.
Mercy must be expressed in vital areas of our life. It is not enough to feel for someone, remember we are called to live in community, therefore the feeling for someone is moved to the next level and we become expressing
For mercy to be true mercy is must be demonstrated outwardly!
We demonstrate mercy to others…
In Physical Ways
The most popular parable Jesus ever told was a parable of mercy – the Good Samaritan. Even the unchurched recognize this parable of mercy.
Jesus did not just tell stories of mercy he specifically commanded us to feed the hungry, visit prisoners, clothe the naked, visit the sick and give other practical help as needed. In serving others, in need we demonstrate a heart of mercy.
God’s idea of mercy was not just a New Testament idea, listen to the OT Law regarding mercy - 7do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. 8 Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. 10 Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land. Deuteronomy 15:7-8, 10-11
Just as mercy is part of God’s DNA for us, he expects it to be a part of our DNA toward others.
PRACTICAL WAYS
For some God has blessed you financially – you can demonstrate mercy toward others by giving and helping people in financial crisis, at times sharing resources and at other times being a financial mentor in their life.
For others God has given you the gift of encouragement – I want to challenge you to be a part of our comfort and care ministry visiting shut-ins and sick and elderly.
Others of you have been giving gifts of administrative ability – you need to be a sparkplug to a ministry of mercy – it all cannot rest in the hands of a few key leaders – Imagine the possibilities if we began to seek out ways to be minister’s of mercy today!
2. Mercy is demonstrated through our attitudes.
Mercy does not hold a grudge, harbor resentment or capitalize one another’s failure or weakness. The words of the merciless are words like
I told you So
I knew you would disappoint me
I expected you to let me down.
An attitude that demonstrates a lack of mercy reveals a hard heart and an unrepentant spirit. To illustrate the wrong attitude regarding mercy, Jesus told a parable of a slave who had a great debt that was forgiven by the king. The man then went to a fellow slave who owed him a small portion comparison to his debt and demand every cent be repaid and through the fellow slave in prison to work off the debt. When the kind heard what had happened listen to the rest of the story. Matthew 18:32-35, "Then the master called the servant in. ’You wicked servant,’ he said, ’I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.
33Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’
34In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
In each one of our messages, we have focused on a phrase to help us get a handle on each of the beatitudes – In practicing mercy we are able to say I have forgiven you already. You are only able to say this when your attitude is right. We are only able to practice mercy when we have a right attitude toward one another. Or as Jesus said in verse 35, Your heart is right
3. A third way we practice mercy is through our prayer life
The spiritual mercy of praying for those without God or for Christians who are walking in disobedience is lost art. Our mercy can be measured by our prayers for the unsaved and for erring brothers and sisters. For if God’s word is true, and there is but 2 destinations for all of mankind, then we must pray for those outside of Christ to know his ways and pray for those within the fellowship who have walked away.
4. Finally the most meaningful way we can practice mercy is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Watch this video clip regarding our need to practice mercy by telling others about Jesus Christ. PLAY VIDEO – THAT LIFE NO MORE (Source:Bluefish TV)
What if he would not have shared his faith what would have happened then? What would have happened if Brother Vander meter had not practiced mercy?
Lives are changed when we practice mercy.
PRAYER
