Living In The Kingdom Part 3 Series

Living In The Kingdom Part 3

Scripture: Matthew 5:7-9; Ephesians 5:1-2; First John 3:1-3

This is part three of my series “Living in the Kingdom.” So far we have examined what Jesus said about those who are poor in spirit; who mourn; are meek; and have a thirst and hunger for righteousness. This morning we will be looking at verses seven through nine of Matthew chapter five. As a reminder, the “beatitudes” are character traits that all Christians should be demonstrating as part of their lives here on earth. They show others that there has been a change in our lives and our spiritual residency. If we are not seeing these traits in the lives of those claiming to be Christians, then we have to ask ourselves if their profession is true. This morning we will be looking at the merciful, the pure in heart and the peacemakers. Let’s begin with Matthew 5:7.

“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matthew 5:7) When someone intentionally harms or wrongs us, we have a desire for justice; swift and immediate justice. And if we’re truly honest, the justice we desire exceeds the actual wrong that was done to us. However, when we are the ones in the wrong, we do not want justice. We want mercy. In order for us to receive mercy from God, we must first be willing to give it. We cannot go to God seeking mercy when we have sinned against Him and refuse to give mercy to those who ask for it from us. Jesus said that those who are merciful will receive mercy. Webster’s dictionary defines mercy as “refraining from harming offenders and/or enemies; a disposition to forgive.” To better understand what Jesus was saying, let’s examine the two Greek words for merciful and mercy. The Greek word eleemon, when used as an adjective, means merciful. It does not mean someone is just possessed with pity, but someone who is actively compassionate. There is a difference between someone who is filled with mercy and never shows it and someone who is filled with mercy and actively gives and/or demonstrates it. The person who proactively shows mercy when faced in situations where others would demand justice is the one who Jesus was referencing here. When we choose to be merciful instead of demanding justice and/or revenge, we open the door for God to show us mercy when we least deserve it.

The Greek word for mercy is eleeo. It means to have compassion or mercy on. As a verb it signifies in general, “to feel sympathy with the misery of another.” So think about our responses when we are the guilty party and we must come clean before our Lord. When we stand before Him we desire mercy not justice. We are guilty and are deserving of the punishment that we should receive. However, because we have been merciful to others, God shows mercy to us. He has compassion on us when we least deserve it because we have shown that same compassion to others. Do you remember reading about the servant who owed his lord a debt that he could not repay? It’s found in Matthew 18:23-35. His lord showed him mercy and forgave all his debt. But, that same servant had a fellow-servant who owed him money. When that servant could not pay him back, he put him in prison. The lord heard about it, sent for him and called him wicked for actions and delivered him to the tormentors. If you want mercy and forgiveness from God, you better be willing to do the same. Many do not understand this concept and continue to treat those who have offended them as guilty parties deserving to be punished. But if we remember that we too have been the guilty party and we asked for and received mercy, should we then not do the same for those who request it of us? Of course we should, but that is the first step. The trueness of being merciful comes when we have mercy on an offender without them requesting it. This is what the Greek word for merciful refers to – someone who proactively demonstrates compassion. As you might imagine, this mixes with how the world operates like oil mixes with water.

Last week I shared with you about being gentle – being gentle or meek while walking in the true strength that lies within you. I told you that being meek was not a sign of being weak, it was actually the opposite. Well the same applies to being merciful. Being merciful is also about strength, not weakness. You see, the world teaches us that we should be strong without feeling. We should exercise our strength by crucifying our enemies and making sure everyone knows that they should not cross us. The world teaches us that there is no room for weakness; especially for those who are leaders. The world teaches us that we should be strong; stand firm; and when we are crossed to take immediate action to deter anyone else from crossing us in the future. This is what the world teaches us. This is why there are many conversations that take place where someone says “If I was you and they did that to me, I would do such and such.” Seldom do they say “I would show them mercy and forgive them.” Come to think of it, I don’t remember anyone ever saying that. We generally do not recommend having mercy on someone; we demand justice because we have been wronged and someone should compensate us for our being wronged. There is true strength that rests within those who are merciful that the world does not understand. It takes a very strong person to forgive and wipe the slate clean when the other person does not deserve it. But the person who is merciful understands that it is not about the other person, it is about them and their relationship with God.