14, September 2003
Dakota Community Church
Merciful Savior
Week 5: Imitate Christ Series
Hebrews 12:2-3
2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Lets begin by looking at Jesus acting in mercy and talking about its importance:
Matthew 23:23-24
23"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
Luke 10: 28-37
29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coins 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.’
36"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
37The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
Mark 5: 18-19
18As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."
Luke 7:12-14
12As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out--the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don’t cry."
14Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!"
This should be the easiest thing of all to imitate.
What is the opposite of mercy?
- Judgment.
None of us like to be judged. We look at our motives, but we look at others actions.
Clearly Jesus was anti-judgment.
If you are sitting there thinking, "Well I may not be allowed to judge but I certainly am allowed to be a fruit inspector be cause the bible says we will know them by their fruit." I have one question for you.
Why do you want to be a “fruit inspector” so desperately?
The bottom line is this:
1Samuel 16:7
7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
If we know all this why do we so often get judgmental and refuse mercy?
1. We fear guilt by association.
- We would rather stand with the accusers than risk joining the accused.
- What if I am viewed as being “soft on sin”?
- What if they say I practice “sloppy agape”?
At a recent wedding I was at a table with many unchurched people, the man beside me was coming back from the open bar with beer two at a time and sitting one of them in front of me so he would not appear to the hosts as being "greedy"
I later found out that a family, one of whom had witnessed this wedding, left our church because of my drinking. I should point out that I was not drinking although that is a matter of personal taste not religious conviction. The truth is I would rather associate with the two fisted beer drinker than the judgmental believer. How will we ever reach the lost if we continue to cling to silly legalist ideas and avoid people while claiming we are avoiding "the appearence of evil"?
Luke 7:33-35
33For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ’He has a demon.’ 34The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ’Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ’ 35But wisdom is proved right by all her children."
One Sunday evening, William Booth was walking in London with his son, Bramwell, who was then 12 or 13 years old. The father surprised the son by taking him into a saloon! The place was crowded with men and women, many of them bearing on their faces the marks of vice and crime; some were drunk. The fumes of alcohol and tobacco were poisonous. "Willie," Booth said to his son, "These are our people; these are the people I want you to live for and bring to Christ." Years later, Bramwell Booth wrote, "The impression never left me."
2. We feel validated and superior when others are down.
2Corinthians 10:12
12We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.
John 21:21-
21When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?"
22Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." 23Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?"
- In other words mind your own affairs in the Kingdom of God.
- If I feel like I am more successful as a believer because compared to you I look great, then I am not likely to help you up when you fall, rather I will point and say tsk, tsk.
A farm boy got a white football for Christmas. He played with it awhile and then kicked it over into the neighbor’s yard. The old rooster ran out, looked at it, and called the hens to see it. "Now look here," the rooster said, "I don’t want you girls to think I’m complaining, but I just want you to see what they are doing next door."
When we play the comparison game we are like the rooster.
3. We condemn what we recognize of ourselves.
It’s the old “Me thinks thou dost protest to much!”
The people who are judgmental about promiscuity tend to have problems with lust.
Nobody condemned prostitution like Jimmy Swaggart.
When John Belushi died in the spring of 1983 of an overdose of cocaine and heroin, a variety of articles appeared, including one in U.S. News and World Report, on the seductive dangers of cocaine: "It can do you no harm and it can drive you insane; it can give you status in society and it can wreck your career; it can make you the life of the party and it can turn you into a loner; it can be an elixir for high living and a potion for death."
Like all sin, there’s a difference between the appearance and the reality, between the momentary feeling and the lasting effect.
What can we do to change all that?
A.) Remember we are all the same.
Romans 3:23-24
22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
B.) Remember we are teammates not opponents.
1John 4:19-21
19We love because he first loved us. 20If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
C.) Remember how Jesus cares for the one we are condemning.
Romans 14:4
4Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
D.) Stir up the love God has put in your heart.
Romans 5:5-8
5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
- I am a voyeur by nature. As a kid in every restaurant my mom could be heard yelling: “Danny stop staring” This is my excuse for watching some "Reality T.V."
- Watching Big Brother 4 – Allison prays to her family before the big competition.
- Talk about sheep without a shepherd
- How lost is that?
Do feel compassion for her or delight that she is "Going to hell"
E.) Remember we are all at different levels of maturity in God.
Professional golfer Tommy Bolt was playing in Los Angeles and had a caddy with a reputation of constant chatter. Before they teed off, Bolt told him, "Don’t say a word to me. And if I ask you something, just answer yes or no." During the round, Bolt found the ball next to a tree, where he had to hit under a branch, over a lake and onto the green. He got down on his knees and looked through the trees and sized up the shot.
"What do you think?" he asked the caddy. "Five-iron?"
"No, Mr. Bolt," the caddy said.
"What do you mean, not a five-iron?" Bolt snorted. "Watch this shot."
The caddy rolled his eyes. "No-o-o, Mr. Bolt."
But Bolt hit it and the ball stopped about two feet from the hole. He turned to his caddy, handed him the five-iron and said, "Now what do you think about that? You can talk now." "Mr. Bolt," the caddy said, "that wasn’t your ball."
How silly to get angry with people for something they do not know.
Conclusion:
James 2:12-13
12Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
