The Birthmark Of Mercy Series

The essence of being a Christian and walking after Jesus, is my reaction to what He is and my response to what He has done. Therefore, if I want to know what I should do as a Christian, then I don’t look at Christians. I look to Him. The heart of Christianity is my reaction to what He is and what He has done. 1 John 4:10: The Lord said, “Be ye holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:16

If you are not responding and reacting to who Jesus is, then you are not following Him. The Beatitudes are so searching because they reveal my true condition in the light of Jesus. Some of us like to use our Christianity like a water faucet and just turn it on and off at our leisure. Some of us at times try to control our Christianity, but in fact our Christianity is to control us. He is to be in control, and I am to be like Him in my everyday life, Matthew 5:7.

It is impossible for a person to have experienced the mercy of God and come to know what it means to stand condemned and then be forgiven. It is impossible for that man not to respond and react to that mercy and be merciful.

The Beatitudes are simply Jesus Christ living through us. Jesus said one of the characteristics of His disciples is they are merciful. Blessed are the merciful. Remember, each beatitude grows out of the previous one. What does it mean to be merciful.

I. The Definition of Mercy

1. Some people have the idea that when the Bible says God is a God of mercy, it means he winks at sin. They believe that He is easy going.

2. We have a great deal of Hollywood evangelists and religion which treat God as a super-star, a friend and meets Him on purely humanistic grounds.

3. In this type of religion, Jesus is portrayed as “sentimental, loving, merciful person who would never send anyone to Hell.” He is loving, but that is not the entire picture, Hebrews 10:31, 12:29.

4. When we speak of mercy, we are not talking about being easy going, lowering standards, or ignoring sin, true love is very firm.

5. The song, “Though it makes Him sad to see the way we live. He’ll always say I forgive.” That’s blasphemy. Unless we repent, He will not forgive.

6. Mercy literally means the ability to get inside another person’s skin and see with their eyes, hear with their ears, think with their mind, and feel with their heart.

7. It is sympathy in its truest form, to feel with another person, when they hurt, we hurt, when they rejoice, we rejoice.

8. This is what God did in Jesus Christ, Hebrews 4:14-16. He has experienced everything we experience; He knows.

9. Often, we tell people in sorrow, “I know how you feel.” But do we? I do know one who knows how you feel.

10. Mercy means Jesus knows exactly how I feel. He has been there. He feels with me.

11. It not only means pity and compassion, but it means pity plus action. Pity that does not do something to remove the need is hypocrisy.

12. It means I feel, and I give myself to relieve that need. James 2:12-17, 1 John 3:17-18, Hebrews 4:10-11.

13. If the love of God dwells in you. You will give yourself to meet the needs of others.

II. The Characteristics of a Merciful Person

1. You will be kind in your criticism and judgment. John 3:18

2. A merciful person is one who is already to forgive. Matthew 18:21-35, 1 John 3:17

3. He will give himself to meet that need.

III. Look at an Illustration of Mercy

1. Matthew 7:1-5

2. He gives the command, vs. 2-5, He gives the reason.

3. Judge not! What does that mean?

a. Man robbing store; doesn’t take any judgment to tell that man is a thief.

b. Drunkard.

c. Teenager cursing, telling dirty stories. A vile person.

4. The word judge means personal condemnation and has to do with judging and trying to discern a person’s motives for what he does. Judge not.

5. I have no right to look at another person and try to figure out what is in their heart and judge their motives and personally condemn them.

6. It speaks against a critical spirit and a critical attitude. It speaks against perpetual fault finding in others.

7. A person who has experienced the mercy of God should find it hard, almost impossible to judge others, to not show mercy.

8. Now Jesus gives us three reasons why we must not judge others.

a. When I judge others, I expose myself to the same judgment.