Be the Merciful One
Please stand with me as we go over our current memory Scripture:
Matthew 5:6-8
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
And our memory Scripture “refresher” verse is:
Matthew 5:3-5
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
Today we will be reading from Matthew 5:1-12
Mercy. Let me tell you a little secret about Pastor Karenlee …
If you play board games with her do NOT expect any mercy.
She will crush you like a bug if she gets a chance.
Her game playing aggression makes four year old grand kids cry.
Yes, even when she is playing the game “Sorry” it is only the name of the game and the only time the word, sorry, is ever mentioned is in the phrase, “sorry … Not sorry …” when she sends your man back home!
Actually, she has softened over the years and she even lets me win once in a while.
Now, when she is not playing board games she is extremely merciful. And, mercy is what we will be talking about today as we look at the fifth Beatitude, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.”
And to get us focused, let’s go ahead and read Matthew 5:1-12
(Prayer for help)
OK. So, let’s briefly review the previous Beatitudes that have brought us to the verse about mercy.
First of all, the word blessed does not mean “happy”. In order for someone to be “blessed” there must be Someone who is bestowing a blessing and someone who is being blessed. In return the one who is being blessed blesses or praises the One who is bestowing the blessing in a perpetual cycle of relationship.
So, we need to keep that in mind as we go through the Beatitudes.
In Matthew 5:3 it says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.”
When it says “poor in spirit” it is not talking about someone who is always depressed; someone who always finds the worst in any situation. Instead, it is talking about a person who realizes their true spiritual position of helplessness outside of Christ. This person knows that they have no righteousness of their own. As it says in the old hymn Rock of Ages, “In my hand no price I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling.”
In Matthew 5:4 it says, “Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.”
Here the mourner is mourning for the state of their soul. They may be born again and yet still constantly struggling with sin and struggling with the attraction that the world had on them before they were saved. They are mourning because they know they are not pleasing in the sight of the Lord and they cannot imagine ever hearing, “Well done, good and faithful servant. (Matthew 25:21)
In addition they may be mourning about the state of sinfulness that is suffocating this world like a pillow being held over the face of a victim.
In Matthew 5:5 it says, “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.”
Here the believer is meek because they know that even though they are saved their actions are still not pleasing in the sight of God and there is nothing they can do on their own to change. They are meek because they know that in every single step of spiritual growth they take is fully dependent on the Holy Spirit for help. And, this dependence leads us to Matthew 5:6 where the “poor in spirit”, “mournful” and “meek” Christian can start to find help in ...
Matthew 5:6 where it says …
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”
As a born again person grows in their relationship with the Lord they realize that the righteousness the Lord desires from them is something that is missing from their life. When that realization takes place the serious disciple of Christ will hunger and thirst for this right standing with God and since that is the Lord’s desire for all of us, He will grant it.
This brings us to one of the elements of righteousness which is the characteristic of mercy.
Matthew 5:7 says,
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.”
Isn’t it just human nature to want to jump to the second half of that verse where WE will be shown mercy? But, if we have the mind of Christ our focus would be on the first phrase.
When we think of mercy we often think of it from the human perspective; we want the Lord or others to have mercy on us.
Sometimes people define grace and mercy like this:
- Grace is getting what you do not deserve (eternal life)
- Mercy is NOT getting what you DO deserve (condemnation)
Grace is God’s gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord; He gives us salvation which we do not deserve.
Mercy is received by confession and repentance.
In this case we do NOT get what we DO deserve which is condemnation.
We do NOT deserve salvation but we get it anyway because of God’s grace.
We deserve condemnation but we get salvation instead because of God’s mercy.
Are you confused yet????
The word mercy or merciful is found 144 times in the NIV translation of the Bible.
The Bible is an amazing commentary on mercy. In the Scriptures we see mercy in action.
In Matthew 9:27 we see two blind men calling out to Jesus for mercy. They want to be healed. This is something they cannot do for themselves and there is no hope of ever seeing unless Jesus has mercy on them, and He does.
In Matthew 15:22 we see a Canaanite woman calling out to Jesus for mercy. She wants Jesus to cast out the demon who is possessing her daughter. This is something she cannot do for her daughter and there is no hope of deliverance unless Jesus has mercy on her, which He does.
In Luke 17:12 we see ten men with leprosy calling out to Jesus for mercy. They want Jesus to heal them. This is something they cannot do for themselves and there is no hope of healing unless Jesus has mercy on them, which He does.
So, what do we see here? Only Jesus can do what only Jesus can do. The blind cannot see unless they call out to Jesus for mercy.
How many did blind men Jesus walk by? And how many of them failed to call out to Him for healing and they remained blind until their death?
The demon possessed would not have been delivered unless her mother called out to Jesus for deliverance. How many demon possessed people failed to call out for deliverance and were tormented all the days of their lives?
The ten lepers and others with leprosy would not have been healed unless they sought healing from Jesus? How many lepers failed to call out for healing and were never healed?
You see. This is generally how we see mercy; the helpless call out to the one with power to help, mercy is extended and the need is met.
Another way we see mercy is in the forgiveness of sin.
We all have sinned and we often fail to see how treacherous our sins are in the sight of the Lord. But, when the Holy Spirit reveals that treachery to us we confess our sin, we repent and turn away from our sins and ask for forgiveness. Then, the God the Father extends His forgiveness to us in mercy on behalf of His Son.
Now, we are all thankful for the Lord’s mercy toward us, aren’t we?
But, that’s not the end of the mercy. The sum total of the Lord’s mercy is NOT that we are forgiven and therefore do not have to face eternal punishment. No, the Lord’s mercy is more than that.
Here’s the thing. The Lord IS Merciful!
Deuteronomy 4:31a says, “the Lord your God is a merciful God”.
And we certainly see the mercy of Jesus Christ to those who were helpless.
But we are not to just be recipients of God’s mercy. We are to be conduits of His mercy to others! How do we know that?
Luke 6:36 says, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
But, to whom are we to show mercy?
Luke 10:25-37 NIV contains a parable commonly called the Good Samaritan and it is a perfect comparison of unmerciful people and a merciful man …
“On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” Jesus asked. “How do you read it?”
He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
What did the Samaritan have to gain from helping the man?
Nothing … His acts of mercy actually cost him:
- Time - the time it took actually set him back on his schedule. Was he supposed to be somewhere at a certain time? We don’t know but what we do know is that it delayed his trip. It was unexpected but he showed mercy.
- Supplies - in order to help the man who had been robbed, stripped and beaten it took the bandages and other supplies that he used to treat the victim’s wounds. He did not plan on this encounter and he must have had these supplies for his own use, but, he was merciful in spite of his own inconvenience.
- Money - the housing and food for the man’s recoveries came out of his pocket. In today’s work environment two denarii would be the equivalent to two days wages, probably at least a couple of hundred dollars. I am sure he needed this money and yet he showed mercy to the wounded traveler.
I wonder if the Good Samaritan ever even knew the man’s name?
Did he ever see the man again? The wounded man may have been gone when the Good Samaritan passed through again.
Why did he do the things he did? We don’t know but what we do know is that even though he got nothing out of it and even though it may have cost him dearly, he showed mercy.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy …
We often struggle with this in our society. We often have doubts about those who are asking for help.
There are professional beggars. Did you know that there are listings of the richest, millionaire beggars in the world? Yes, millionaire! Doubts … do they really need it?
And then there are always questions about, what are they going to use the money for; booze, drugs? Doubts … should I be careless with the money the Lord has provided?
As I did the research I read about a (seemingly) pregnant woman with a young son who commuted back and forth from her begging locations in a Mercedes Benz. And, she lived in an upscale apartment complex. More doubts …
In another case the beggar lived in at $250,000 home and was making an unreported $60,000 per year. More doubts …
And, isn’t the internet wonderful? I found a website with Seven Tips on how to be a Professional Panhandler and another beggar was taking credit card donations using an app on his smart phone!
Doubts … does a beggar with a smart phone and an app to take credit cards need a donation?
With the great pile of doubts how can we know who really needs help.
First of all. Jesus calls us to think beyond the financial.
What do they need? Hope? There is hope in Jesus. Can we tell them?
Do they need shelter? Would it be possible to have a list of the phone numbers of local shelters?
Do they need clothing? Could you go to a store or a mission and get what they need?
Beyond that, think about your friends, coworkers and others in your church. They may have hidden needs that you will never find out about until you gain a person’s trust.
Are you a distant acquaintance or even a stranger to the people in your church? If so, whose fault is that?
How can you know about a need if you don’t ask?
And, what about the mission field? In Africa alone there are continuous crises of drought, famine, disease including AIDS/HIV, Human trafficking, civil unrest and civil war including the genocide of ethnic groups and religious groups.
Can’t we just pray about problems?
Do we actually need to DO something ourselves and if so, why?
Because the Bible says so. And, because there are real needs to which only Jesus has the answer.
According to the research I was able to do this week, approximately, 1,042 people, including children, have died from starvation in the hour this church service has taken place.
They didn’t just miss breakfast and then keel over a couple of hours later. Each of those deaths are the accumulation of the effects of malnutrition that occurred over months or years. Starvation is a long process of dying but we don’t see it.
Can something be done for the beggar? Yes, an act of mercy, not mercy so that we will receive mercy but mercy because we are conduits of the Lord’s mercy to those in need just as someone else was a conduit of the Lord’s mercy to us when we were in need.
Can something be done for friends, acquaintances, coworkers, neighbors and family members who need help? Yes, an act of mercy for the sake of the Lord if we take the time to find out what the need is.
Can something be done for those starving around the world?
Yes, if we open our hearts to the need. I DARE YOU to get on the internet, type in “starving in Africa” and then click on images.
You won’t be looking for long. It will break your heart and you can help not only meet their physical needs but their need for Jesus as well.
Can something be done for those lost in the grip of sin around the world? Yes, that is the number one thrust of our World Missions ministry!
Finally, is there a need for mercy in today’s world. You bet there is!
Do you want to be more like Jesus? Find the need and be merciful!
In mercy God the Father did not just send a few coins that He didn’t really need in order to the world to help out, instead He sent His One and Only Son!
Examine your heart are you merciful like Jesus or selfish like the world?
When God examines your life will you be blessed, will you be shown mercy in YOUR time of need?
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.
Final thoughts and prayer leading to communion.
