Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy (Matt 5:7; Luke 10:30-37) 1. Jesus said we attain a state of utmost bliss; we are blessed by

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1 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy (Matt 5:7; Luke 10:30-37) A. Genuine Christians are the only genuinely happy people. 1. Jesus said we attain a state of utmost bliss; we are blessed by a. being humble in spirit. b. grieving over sins. c. placing our power under His control. d. longing to be like our Righteous Lord. 2. Why would these attitudes make us happy? a. Because God will only have a relationship with people like that; the Father s children are like that. B. To this point the Beatitudes Jesus has dealt only with our relationship to God. 1. Today, we ll discuss the first beatitude that deals with our relationship to others. [ Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy (Matt 5:7; Example: Luke 10:30-37). Don t confuse mercy: Ignoring wrong doing (Shultz on Hogan s Heroes). Being permissive ( Live & let live. ). Mercy is: Compassion: Refraining from harming offenders or enemies; a disposition to forgive or be kind. To be merciful is to be actively compassionate, like the Samaritan who came to the rescue of that Jew.] I. THE UNMERCIFUL OVERSHADOWS THE MERCIFUL 1

2 A. Jesus lived in just such a world. 1. The Lord said there is joy in heaven when one sinner repents (Luke 15:7). 2. But the Jews said there is joy in heaven when their enemies are destroyed. 3. In Roman society, slaves were tools of their masters; slaves could be over-worked, beaten, sold or killed. a. Slave masters delighted in the sound of a whip - more than in the singing of a bird or the sweet sounds of an infant. b. Aristotle ( B.C) said, Let there be a law that no deformed child shall be reared. - It was common for an unwanted child to be thrown away. - Beggars would retrieve the child, maimed him, & used him to awaken sympathy from those who gave alms. [Oh yes, Jesus lived in an unmerciful world. But then, so do we.] B. We live in a world where the unmerciful overshadows the merciful. 1. We are thankful to have child labor laws & traffic laws, alcohol & narcotics regulations to serve as some protection against the unmerciful in our society. 2. And, we are also glad that people are willing to show mercy during natural disasters, & to assist the poor & helpless in society. 3. We seem to have an ever-increasing number of laws to protect human rights. 2

3 4. And yet, we have fewer laws, or none at all, to protect the unborn child. HOW UNMERCIFUL!!! 5. We are almost completely unprotected against those who unmercifully demand that we accept their idolatrous religions or their perverted way of life. a. Public school children are being indoctrinated with humanism (atheism), & other false religious systems. b. Same-gender couples can literally put a company out of business if it does not serve them (New Mexico photographer). c. Women can demand birth control from their employer, sending their company into a legal tailspin (Hobby-Lobby). [Oh yes, we know about an unmerciful world. And we haven t even begun to discuss warfare, civil unrest, bullying and other cases of just downright cruelty in our fellow man. But Jesus said, Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy (Matt 5:7)] II. GOD S MERCY & OUR RESPONSE A. In the Bible God uses the word mercy to describe God & His activity in the world, especially toward His people. {NASU: lovingkindness} 1. The earth is full of His mercy (Psa 119:64), there are examples all around. 2. His mercy reaches to the heavens (Psa 36:5; 57:10; 108:4); it s limitless except to the degree that He limits it (Hosea 1:6). 3. His mercy is everlasting (Psa 100:5; 103:17; times); as long as mercy is needed by those who fear Him it will be available. 3

4 4. His mercy is the reason David prayed in times of trouble (Psa 59:16); it s why God hears the prayers of the faithful (Psa 66:20). 5. He is compassionate: He refrains from harming offenders or enemies; He has a disposition to forgive or be kind. Psa 59:16-17 (David) 16 But I will sing of Your power; yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; for You have been my defense & refuge in the day of my trouble. 17 To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; for God is my defense, my God of mercy. In the midst of a plague of locusts, drought & starvation. Joel 2:13 13 And rend your heart & not your garments. Now return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious & compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness (mercy) & relenting of evil. To those who were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, Paul informed them Ephesians 2:4-5 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), Peter reminded us that it is not only God s grace (favor) but His mercy too that gives us hope of eternal salvation in heaven. 1 Peter 1:34 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, B. So to be merciful is to have the same attitude toward others that God has had toward us. 1. To say it another way. To be merciful is to act toward others as God acts toward them. 4

5 Luke 6: But love your enemies, & do good, & lend, expecting nothing in return; & your reward will be great, & you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful & evil men. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 2. Mercy is love in action; mercy is love that shows active compassion. 3. We are to be merciful, because God has been merciful with us. 4. We could say that mercy is irreplaceable - we cannot even replace mercy with spiritual worship. (Not feeling particulary merciful? Don t expect to cover that failing with a little worship.) Hos 6:6 6 For I desire mercy & not sacrifice, & the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. (Matt 23:23) Mic 6:8 8 He has shown you, O man, what is good;and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, & to walk humbly with your God? III. EXAMPLES OF MERCY A. The Biblical examples of mercy are too numerous to go into this morning. 1. David (1 Sam 26:8-10). 2. Jesus (Luke 9:51-56; 23:34; John 8:2-11); all His miracles demonstrated mercy. 3. Stephen (Acts 7:59-60). 4. Two of my favorite examples of mercy are in the O.T. Genesis 27:41 41 So Esau bore a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him; & Esau said to himself, "The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob." 5

6 [20 years later, after gaining wisdom & blessings from God, Esau extended mercy to his once cunning & crafty brother.] Genesis 33:4 4 Then Esau ran to meet him & embraced him, & fell on his neck & kissed him, & they wept. Genesis 45:4-5 4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come closer to me." And they came closer. And he said, "I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 "Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. [Jacob died & the brothers again feared what Joseph might do to them.] Genesis 50: And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father." And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 Then his brothers also came & fell down before him & said, "Behold, we are your servants." 19 But Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid, for am I in God's place? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. 21 So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you & your little ones." So he comforted them & spoke kindly to them. [These examples of mercy tug on our heart strings don t they? We can hardly read them without weeping. And I think the point is --- mercy, or being merciful, is both a rational & emotional response to the physical & spiritual needs of people.] IV. TO WHOM DO WE SHOW MERCY? A. The poor & destitute. 1 John 3:17 17 But whoever has the world's goods, & sees his brother in need & closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Proverbs 14:21 21 He who despises his neighbor sins, but happy is he who is gracious to the poor. 6

7 Proverbs 19:17 17 One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed. Proverbs 28:27 27 He who gives to the poor will never want (Ecc 11:1), but he who shuts his eyes will have many curses. 1. The truly merciful consider the poor; they think about them. a. Here we are, healthy, happy, prosperous --- but what is life like for them? b. We may be sick or in bad health. What it s like to be poor & in ill health too? 2. The Good Samaritan got much more from the the poor man than the poor man got out of him (explain). 3. It is more blessed to give than to receive (Paul quoting Jesus: Acts 20:35). B. The grieving & depressed. 1. Many people are repelled by those who grieve (sorrow, disappointment) & are depressed. 2. Grieving is a natural state of mind caused by a tragic occurrence in someone s life. 3. Depression is an unnatural state of mind that, for many, cannot be overcome any more than you could overcome a headache or fever without some help. 4. But the merciful are always merciful to those who have such afflictions. a. They do their best to understand their plight. They don t expect comfort from such people; they give comfort. 7

8 Hebrews 12: Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak & the knees that are feeble, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. 1 Thessalonians 5:14 14 We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. C. The offender. 1. When our feelings get hurt or when we ve been done wrong, we can become bitter & try to ruin the person s reputation. Proverbs 19:11 11 A man's discretion makes him slow to anger, & it is his glory to overlook a transgression. Ephesians 4:32 32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. (Ro 12:18ff) a. Forgiveness is an act of mercy. D. The openly sinful. 1. Remember how the Pharisee viewed the Publican (Luke 18). a. He saw him as a vile, trecherous man who was getting what he deserved as an outcast of Jewish society. b. The Pharisee showed no mercy to a man who was at the brink of breaking away from all his sins. 8

9 2. It would do us well to consider that Parable, as we come into contact with what some would call the dregs of society. a. Some of them may just be on the brink of repentance toward God. E. To all souls. 1. We are not JUST to show mercy to the poor, the suffering & the openly sinful; we must extend mercy to all souls. 2. We were once like those who are outside of Christ; we were lost, separated from God & dying in our sins. Galatians 3:22 22 But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. (Rom 3:9, 23) Romans 11: For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all. 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom & knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments & unfathomable His ways! a. How can we bring souls to Christ if we do not in mercy teach them the gospel of Jesus Christ & how to respond to Him? [Mercy can be shown in many other ways. Mercy toward animal life: The ancient mariners said, He prayeth well who loveth well both man and bird and beast. There is a touch of grace in the kindness we feel toward all the living things that God has made. Proverbs 12:10 10 A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal, but even the compassion of the wicked is cruel. 9

10 Toward the character of people: 1. A merciful person is not anxious to receive reports of a derogatory nature concerning others, & they never pass it on to others (Pro 20:19). 2. A merciful person does not spend time looking at the worst side of a person s character. 3. A merciful person is quick to forgive a penitent brother or sister in Christ. Like the Father in the parable of the prodigal son; unlike his older brother (Luke 15). 4. A merciful person does not expect more from someone than he is able to give. 5. A merciful person does not put the young & weak in faith into situations where they may be overcome by the temptation to sin (Matt 18:1-10). [In short, we are in a position to be merciful when have some advantage over some one. To act without mercy is a serious offence. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy (Jas 2:13; Matt 25:31-46). V. MERCY S PROMISE: THEY SHALL OBTAIN MERCY. A. Some mercy from God will come from those who see our need (Prov 19:17; 21:13). Proverbs 19:17 17 One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed. B. God s mercy is always shown by His willingness to forgive sins (Luke 1:77). 1. In our initial obedience to Christ (Acts 2:38) By extended forgiveness to others (Matt 6:12, 15; 18:35; Mk 11:25).

11 C. God s mercy is what we will desparately need on the Judgement Day. 2 Tim 1:16-18 The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, & was not ashamed of my chain; 17 but when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously & found me. 18 The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that Day -- & you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus. [This noble saint showed mercy to Paul, & Paul prayed that he might find mercy at the judgment seat of Christ.] CLOSING A. The supreme example of mercy is the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Pet 2:21-25) 1. One who never sinned or harmed anyone. 2. One who came preaching the truth & seeking to save the lost. 3. One who went to cross without a complaint, to bear our burden of sin. 4. You know nothing of mercy until you have received His mercy. Gospel Plan of Salvation Hear the gospel Romans 10:17 Believe the gospel John 20:30-31; Acts 8:37 Repent (change of heart) Acts 2:38; 2 Peter 3:9 Confess faith in Jesus Christ Romans 10:9-10 Baptism into Christ Galatians 3:27; 1 Peter 3:20-21 Obey Christ John 8:31-32; Hebrews 5:8-9; 2 John 9 11