Blessed Are The Merciful
Matthew 5:7
DisMiss Grove KIDZ
We read the following in Luke chapter 10 beginning at verse twenty five.
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?” he replied. “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. 32 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.” – Luke 10 25-37
Prayer
OKAY – let me set the scene.
It’s 30 AD and Jesus has been: preaching, teaching and healing people for about a year. AND SO - there is a very large group of people following after Jesus.
AND – as Matthew chapter 5 opens up, it’s time for Jesus to give His platform speech, His manifesto. It’s time for Jesus to tell everyone what He and His Kingdom are all about.
AND LISTEN – everyone is hoping that Jesus is going to tell them, that He is here to overthrow the Romans, get them out of the country, so that things can get back to normal, to the way they were.
BUT – Jesus doesn’t say that.
YEAH – they’re hoping that He is going to say things like,
It’s time for us …
• To be strong
• To resist, to fight back, to hold the line
BUT – Jesus doesn’t say any of that.
INSTEAD – Jesus says something that is so radical and so countercultural, that it is still even shocking to us today, in the 21st century.
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down.
And that’s what rabbi’s did when they were about to drop some wisdom, they sat down.
His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. He said: “Blessed (joyful, fulfilled, satisfied, content, happy) are…
The poor in spirit,
Those who…
• Realize that they are busted, broken and bankrupt before God.
• Understand that good people don’t go to heaven, but forgiven people do
• embrace their brokenness and ask God for help. “Lord, please help me with…”
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn…
• For their loss
• Over: the hurt, the pain and the sin in this world, and
• Over their own sin,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek…
Those who keep their power and strength under control for the benefit of others and the glory of God.
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
Those who hunger and thirst: to know God, to be like Jesus, and to make this world a better place for
For they will be satisfied.
B/S – what if, Jesus was serious?
LIKE - what if… joy, fulfillment, satisfaction and contentment were found not in pursuing happiness (trying to control and make ‘just right’ all of the things happening around us), but in pursuing a blessed life?
YEAH – what if, Jesus was serious? AND – what if, you… what if you, took Him seriously… and began to really go after this life? B/S – the life you have always wanted, the life you were created to live, the Kingdom life… is within your reach.
IN FACT – it is ‘the life’ that He (through The Spirit) has empowered everyone who has come into His Kingdom to live.
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. – 2 Peter 1:3
MGCC – that is where we have been so far in Jesus radical, counterculture manifesto about life in His kingdom.
AND – this morning we begin unpacking the second half of Jesus’ beatitudes, with beatitude #5…
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
I. What is mercy?
NOW – if I were to answer that question a couple of weeks back (before I spent an entire week… studying and reflecting on that very question) what is mercy?
I would have answered rather quickly and confidently, “mercy is not getting what you deserve.”
YOU KNOW – like, because of God’s mercy we do not get what we deserve in regard to our sin.
We all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved – Ephesians 2:3-5
AND LISTEN - though that mercy, is not getting what we deserve in regard to our sin is… is true, and really good news.
The Biblical concept of mercy is much broader than that.
AND – I think the story of the good Samaritan (which we read earlier) is a perfect example of how mercy is much broader than forgiveness.
UNDERSTAND – the beaten and wounded man lying in the middle of the road had not wronged the Samaritan in any way. AND SO – he did not need forgiveness, he needed mercy. WHICH – what the Samaritan gave the man, by binding up his wounds and then taking him to a place of safety where he could recover.
“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.” – Luke 10 25-37
UNDERSTAND - you and I, will often have the opportunity of showing mercy in situations where no wrong has been done to us and where there is nothing for us to forgive.
NOW – there are two words in Greek that are translated as mercy or merciful.
Greek – eleemon (el lay eh mon), eleeo (el eh os)
1) The outward manifestation of pity
2) To be actively compassionate
3) Kindness or goodwill towards an individual or the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them
Basically anything that you do that is of benefit to someone in need, that’s mercy.
AND UNDERSTAND MGCC – ‘mercy’ is (as the title of one of my favorite bands when I was in High School) Mercy is, “More than a feeling”. AMEN?!
CHECKOUT – what one of the guys I read this week wrote about Mercy…
Mercy is not a weak sympathy which feels but never does anything to help. It is not the silent, passive pity which could be genuine but never seems to be able to help in a tangible way. It’s not any of those superficial things. It is genuine compassion with a pure, unselfish motive that reaches out to help somebody in need. That’s what it is.
In other words B/S - what Jesus is saying in His Kingdom Manifesto is that…
• The people in my kingdom aren’t takers, they’re givers.
• The people in my kingdom aren’t condemners, they’re mercy givers.
• The people in my kingdom aren’t the ones who set themselves above everybody, they’re the people who stoop down to help everybody.
The Puritan writer Thomas Merton defines mercy as…
“A melting disposition whereby we lay to our hearts the miseries of others and are ready on all occasions to be instrumental for their good.”
William Barclay defines mercy as “the ability to get inside someone else’s skin, until we see things with their eyes, think things with their mind, feel thing with their feelings, and then act on their behalf.”
Chuck Swindoll writes, “Mercy is God’s ministry to the miserable.”
MGCC – let me give you a definition of mercy.
Mercy – a compassionate heart that cares and acts for the good and benefit of others.
OKAY – now that we are on the same page to what mercy is, I want to unpack three statements, the first is…
II. Merciful, Is Who God Is
NOW – there is this powerful scene in the book of Exodus.
• Moses has been on Mt Sinai with God for 40 days and nights
• He received from God the ten commandments
• God is pleased with Moses and tells Him, “hey, ask me for anything and I will give it to you.”
• What would you ask for?
• Moses ask, “LORD, show me Your glory.”
And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. – Exodus 33:19
• God says, now you can’t see me directly or you will die
• So I will put you in the cleft of a rock and I will cover your face
• After I pass I will remove my hand and you will be able to see my back
The LORD passed before him and proclaimed,
A fourfold description that is repeated no less than seven times in the Old Testament (Nehemiah 9:7; Psalms 86:15; 103:8; 145:8; Joel 2:3; Jonah 4:2)…
“The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin… - Exodus 34:6,7
LISTEN – God is saying, here is what redeemed people most need to know about Me. That I am gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in love.
UNDERSTAND MGCC - Mercy is at the heart of what God tells us about Himself, and mercy means that God has a compassionate heart, that cares and acts for your good and benefit. AND - the rest of the Bible takes up this marvelous theme, LISTEN…
• Not only is God merciful, He is “rich in mercy” (Eph. 2:4).
• His mercy never changes, and this is why David is able to say, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (Ps. 23:6).
• The prophet Jeremiah, in the midst of great sorrow, writes this about God in Lamentations 3; The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22,23
• In Titus 2 Pauls tells us that is because of God’s mercy that we are saved… he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, Titus 3:5
• And when Paul describes God’s saving intervention in his life, he says, Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy.
1 Timothy 1:13
• The book of Hebrews focuses on the mercy of Christ: “He had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest” (Heb. 2:17).
• When you know that Jesus is your merciful High Priest, you will feel both the freedom and the desire to come to Him… Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. – Hebrews 4:16
AND LISTEN – when Jesus (God in the flesh) came into the world, He was the most merciful human being that ever lived. HE…
• reached out to the sick and He healed them, to the crippled and He gave them legs to walk.
• reached out to the eyes of the blind and they saw and to the ears of the deaf and they heard.
• found the prostitutes, the tax collectors and those far from God and He drew them into the circle of His love
• picked up the sorrowful and He wept with them,
• and He took the lonely and He made them feel like they were loved and belonged.
Once some men had caught a woman in adultery and they dragged that woman into the presence of Jesus, and He looked at that woman after He had talked with her and after He’d confronted her accusers and He forgave her and He said, “Neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more.” What mercy.
PETER
THOMAS
Jesus ate with tax collectors, and He ate with sinners, and when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eat with them…
They said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means:
Man those words had to really tick them off…
‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” – Matthew 9:11-13
In other words… your acts of worship, your sacrifices mean absolutely nothing to me, if you are not a person of mercy.
UNDERSTAND - from start to finish, the life of Jesus was one of constant mercy. He was merciful to everyone.
Merciful, is who God is… AMEN?!
“The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin… - Exodus 34:6,7
III. Mercy, Is Severely Lacking In Our World
QUESTION – do you agree with that statement?
NOW - in my senior year of High School a movie came out that kind of made people afraid to go swimming in lakes and rivers. It was called ‘Piranha.’
The film it about a bunch of fun loving, not so smart teens, unknowing releasing thousands of genetically altered piranha, into a river and lake, threatening the lives of the local community and visitors to a nearby summer resort.
Once someone falls into the water the Piranha all attack and devour them.
I watched the trailer this week.
Wow, crazy how lame movie trailers were back in the day.
"Sharks come alone. Piranha come by the thousands. They’re here, they’re hungry and they are unstoppable."
AND B/S – unfortunately that is such a vivid and accurate picture of our culture today…
I MEAN – don’t you just sense that everyone is on the lookout just waiting for someone to mess up…
• So they, can point it out.
• So they, can capture it on video and posted it on social media, So they, can… and what’s the term that is used today… so they, can ‘cancel people.’
YOU KNOW – like you: do something wrong, say something wrong, retweet something wrong… and you’re canceled.
• You mess that up, canceled.
• You got the vaccine, canceled.
• You didn’t get the vaccine, canceled.
• You support a different political party then me, canceled.
• You don’t agree with me, canceled.
• You like someone that I dislike, canceled.
• You let me down… fail me… disappoint me, canceled (or as I too often have thought or said, ‘you’re dead to me’)
• You said or did something wrong and stupid as a kid… and people found out about it 30 years later, canceled.
B/S – there is no doubt about it… ‘Mercy’ is severely lacking in our world. GET IT?
I MEAN – too many in our world have adopted the Cobra motto for how they live out their lives…
YET - Jesus says,
• Blessed are the merciful (not the piranhas) for they will be shown mercy.
• Blessed are the merciful (not the cancel culture) for the will be shown mercy.
• Blessed are the merciful (not the Cobra Kai’s) for the will be shown mercy.
Think about that… Jesus says merciful people are happy people.
AND – that people who lack mercy, lack happiness.
Let me ask you, how merciful are you?
Better yet, how merciful would other people say that you are?
B/S – believe me when I tell you, that this truth about being merciful, has been up in my grill all week long.
NOW BEFORE – we begin unpacking the final and very practical statement…
Merciful, is who we are called to be
I just want to make something perfectly clear.
Mercy, does not mean that justice doesn’t matter or that people should not be held accountable for their actions.
I MEAN – Jesus did show the woman in John 8 mercy, but He also told her to go and sin no more.
AND – throughout Scripture we see that our God is a God of Justice…
For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them. – Isaiah 61:8
OKAY – so how will we know when to do justice and when to show mercy?” I would answer, by saying that we need to get as close to Jesus as you possibly can.
I know of no hard and fast rules in Scripture to dictate when to do justice or show mercy, in every situation, and I don’t think this is an accident. BECAUSE - the aim of Scripture is to produce a certain kind of person, not provide an exhaustive list of rules for every situation.
The beatitude says, “Blessed are the merciful,” not, “Blessed are those who know exactly when and how to show mercy in all circumstances.” We must be merciful people even when we act in the service of justice.
Brian Zahnd (Beauty Will Save The World, rediscovering the allure and mystery of Christianity)
"WITHOUT - a commitment to justice, mercy can collapse into a cheap sentimentality that is nothing more than the saccharine advice to “be nice.”
BUT - the passion for justice must be tempered by a deep commitment to mercy, or we end up justifying viciousness in the name of justice.
Justice without mercy is cruel, and it is not like God.
WE LIVE - in the tension of longing for justice but always extending mercy. This cruel world needs more mercy, and where is this cruel world to find more mercy if not from the followers of Jesus?
LIVING - in the tension of justice and mercy can at times place us in difficult ethical dilemmas. When should we press for justice, and when should we plead for mercy? It may not always be easy to know, but when in doubt, go with mercy. Mercy should be our default mode.
The apostle James said it like this: “Judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.” (James 2:13) “Mercy triumphs over judgment” would be a good motto for those wanting to model the beauty of Christ in the ugly world of cold, hard justice.
If our churches are to be anything like a shelter from the storm, we must become famous for our mercy. But is this our reputation? If people find themselves in need of mercy, is their first thought to find an evangelical church? If not, then we need to change.
Why were sinners attracted to Jesus and evidently felt quite comfortable around him? The answer is simple. In Jesus they found mercy. If people really believe they can find mercy in our churches, they will come to us like wayfarers caught in a storm in search of safe haven."
IV. Merciful, Is Who We Are Called To Be
Three Scriptures…
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. – Micah 6:8
QUESTION – so what does the Lord require of you?
Jesus said in Luke 6…
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. – Luke 6:36
AND – the 5th beatitude…
Blessed are the merciful,
Note – just blessed are those who do acts of mercy, but who are merciful… And B/S – there is a difference.
for they will be shown mercy. – Matthew 5:7
OKAY – take a breath.
I know we have covered a lot of stuff.
Mercy – a compassionate heart that cares and acts for the good and benefit of others.
NOW – I want to spend the rest of the time remaining getting very practical about how we can practice mercy and in turn become more merciful people.
A) Show Mercy…To those who have a material need
AGAIN – the Good Samaritan is a great example of what this looks like, he saw this beaten up, left for dead guy on the ground in the middle of the road…
AND – he didn’t just feel compassion for Him, He didn’t just make a post his social media account about how important it is to help out the needy (you know ‘virtue signaling’ letting everyone know how much we care, without actually doing anything tangible to help out anyone else)…
INSTEAD – this guy came close, he went out of his way, he rearranged his schedule, he took a risk, and he used some of his own resources to help this guy out in a very practical way.
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? - James 2:14,15
If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? - 1 John 3:17
"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, to all the people you can, as long as you can."
– John Wesley
B)Show Mercy… To those who mess up and need a second chance
LIKE – Jesus did for Peter and for the woman caught in adultery… letting them know that they get a second chance.
That there fall does have end in failure.
A hard heart always makes a big deal of a person’s failure.
But merciful heart, comes alongside and lets them know that it is not over yet.
C) Show Mercy…To those who are on the outside
UNDERSTAND - there are people in your circle, people who live on your street that nobody wants to hang out with. People who you work with, go to school with that everybody tells the joke behind their back. People who are on the outside, not popular, outcasts.
THEY - may have quirks. THEY – may be a little odd and different. THEY – may even do things that are kind of obnoxious.
I MEAN – like, how can you be merciful with the obnoxious? Well, I think the best way is to understand that a lot of people who are out of step, are really in a lot of pain.
SO - we need to stop focusing so much on their external behavior and look more closely at their internal hurt. BECAUSE - usually behind every peculiar action there is a need for attention, caused by loneliness, hurt, or depression.
Merciful people are accepting people. Rom. 15:7- "accept one another in the Lord, as Christ has accepted you." They’re not quick to criticize or to judge, BUT LIISTEN – those who are merciful intentionally build friendships with people who don’t have friends. with people who seem to be on the outside, who are not accepted by other people.
Show Mercy…
To those who are struggling in their walk
Be merciful to those who doubt – Jude 22
UNDERSTAND - when Jude says, “Have mercy on those who doubt” (Jude 22), he reminds us that when a brother or sister in Christ is plagued with unanswered questions, when they are struggling in their walk with God…
Maybe even battling the lies of the evil one, that they are no longer worthy of God’s love, grace and acceptance…
Their greatest need is the kindness and compassion, the mercy of a believing friend who will come alongside and strengthen them in their faith journey.
LISTEN - people with doubts are not helped by harsh, demanding and merciless responses (“come on what’s your problem, read your bible more, pray more…”).
B/S THAT - is not the way of the Kingdom, or the way of Jesus. OF WHOM – Scripture says, A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
– Isaiah 42:3
D) Show Mercy…To those who fail and disappoint you
I am not talking about when people hurt you or sin against you, I am just talking about when people just let you down.
When they fail to deliver what you expected or asked them to do.
For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. – Psalm 103:14
WHEN – need to be careful about setting unrealistic expectations on other people.
NOW – I had my ‘being merciful’ challenged in this way on Friday as I went across the street to have labs drawn for an upcoming physical.
E) Show Mercy… When you hear gossip about someone
Remember, satan is called the father of lies. And he is always manufacturing rumors that would make a person think less of their brothers or sisters in Christ, and unfortunately some Christians seem to be very intent on helping him out !
Thomas Watson points out that it is as bad to believe a lie as it is to tell one, and that it is as bad to repeat a lie as it is to invent one. I have found that convicting.
NOW - we live in a culture where verdicts are often announced before evidence is properly heard, and we need to guard against this spirit, that is so quick to believe the worst and so slow to think the best of others.
And listen, when that habit takes root, it is very easy for us to slide into making more of other people’s failings than we do of their strengths and virtues.
But mercy goes the other way and makes more of a person’s virtues than of their failings.
A merciful person will close his or her ears to anything that would diminish their view of someone else, unless compelled to do otherwise.
Watson said, “A man’s name is worth more than his goods, and … he that takes away the good name of another, sins more than if he had taken the corn out of his field or the goods out of his shop…. Better take away a man’s life than his name. It is an irreparable injury.”
F) Show Mercy… To those who hurt you
Joseph’s brothers wronged him terribly, but God blessed him, and he became the prime minister of Egypt. When the brothers needed food, they came to Egypt and Joseph had them in his power. Understand, God orchestrated events in Joseph’s life so that he would have the opportunity to get even—or to forgive. Joseph chose to forgive his brothers. That’s what mercy does.
If you have been wounded by another person, don’t be surprised if, at some point, God puts you in a position where you have the opportunity to pay them back. If that happens, what you do at that moment will reveal if you are merciful.
There’s a famous story about President Abraham Lincoln’s mercy, that after the southern states were defeated by the northern states in the civil war in America 150 years ago, President Lincoln spoke to a crowd in Washington D.C. from the balcony of the White House. He was laying out his plan for reconstruction. At the end of his speech a very famous senator from Iowa whose name was James Harlan shouted out, “And what do we do with the rebels?” What do we do with these confederates who had started this whole war in the first place? The unmerciful crowd shouted back, “Hang them! Hang them! Hang them!”
What was interesting in this famous story is that Lincoln’s youngest son, Tad, who was eleven at the time, was standing next to him and he looked up at his daddy and he said, “No, Papa, no! Not hang them. Hang on to them.” Lincoln grinned at his eleven year old son and said, “That’s it! Tad’s got the answer. We’re not going to hang them. We’re going to hang on to them.” That is mercy.
G) Show Mercy…To those who need to hear the Gospel
OKAY – here’s the deal.
Merciful people speak often to Jesus about the lost and they speak to the lost often about Jesus.
Jude exhorts us to “save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear” -Jude 23
Augustine said, “If I weep for the body from which the soul is departed, how should I not weep for the soul from which God is departed?”
The merciful person cares deeply about people without Christ, and will act by sharing the gospel with them.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
UNDERSTAND B/S – during the next seven days, you will have many opportunities to show and demonstrate mercy.
