How To Face Life’s Challenges Part III
3/25/2001 NLF Psalm 32:1-11 Eph 5:1-20 Matthew 5:7-9
How many of you had some problems in your home or on the job last week in which things did not go the way you had wanted them to go? One thing about life is, if we keep living, it will keep on presenting us with challenges. Challenges are nothing more than opportunities for us to glorify God in a way we had not anticipated. Every challenge brings the possibility of us discovering new life for ourselves in God.
We are going to continue our look at the message of Jesus in Matthew chapter five. We find in this passage, several ways in which Jesus tells us that we can be happy, fortunate, and blessed in this life in terms of our relationships to each other and to God. We have seen though, that to possess real life, we have to go against the messages we are taught daily in our society. There’s a lot of life we’re missing out on, because our information sources have been providing us with some bad information as to what we need to enjoy life. We do not have to have a lot of power or money to get the most out of life. What we need is a word from the Lord.
I remember reading of an incident that happened in WWII. A group of German soldiers had doused a building with gasoline. They then rounded up a group of Jews from the nearby village and stuffed as many of them in the building as possible. There were men, women, and children hoarded into the building. The doors were locked. The order was given and the building was set on fire. The soldiers had orders to shoot anyone attempting to escape out of the building.
A few years later a Jewish inmate was brought out of a concentration camp into a German field hospital. The inmate was taken to the bed of a German solider, who was mortally wounded. The young soldier confessed to the inmate that he had had a part in the burning of the Jews in the building. He could still see the look of horror on their faces. He wanted to ask a Jew for forgiveness before he died. The Jewish inmate took a look at him and turned and walked away.
If you had of been that concentration camp inmate, what would you have done? What would you have said? Here is this soldier from a people who hold you in captivity, forcing you to live a life that was practically void of life itself. The powerful asking the imprisoned for forgiveness, only to have the imprisoned return to the concentration camp.
Let’s go back up on the mountainside with Jesus on that sunny afternoon as he sat upon the rock teaching his disciples. Now keep in my mind, Jesus’ words were intended for his followers. Therefore if they sound a little strict or demanding, you must always keep in mind, He Loved his followers and always wanted the very best for their lives. Jesus never asks his followers any more than He demanded of Himself.
In verse 7, Jesus says, "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." Now here is something that all Christians can practice regardless of their age, their sex, their background or their bank accounts. When we come to Christ, God puts within us an unlimited possibility in terms of what we are capable of doing. The spirit of Christ is present within us. Therefore the very qualities of Jesus have the possibility of maturing in us. Our New Testament reading gave us a command, not an option. It said in Ephesians 5:1-2 "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."
All of us who know God, know that God is compassionate, forgiving and merciful. If God was not, we have all blown it enough times for God to have given up on us a long time ago. The Greek word that is used here for mercy is found only here in Matthew 5:7 and in Hebrews 2:17. In Hebrews it refers to Jesus as being a merciful and faithful high priest.
Mercy springs to life when we discover someone has a need and we have the ability to do something about it. To be merciful, we have to actively involve ourselves in meeting someone’s need. We have plenty of people willing to express pity, over a person’s condition. They may say "Oh wasn’t that awful" but then continue on as though there was no reason to expect them to do something about it." Pity evokes a feeling, but it never goes beyond that.
We do not exalt being merciful in our society. At times we even get a sense of glee out of the pain and sufferings of others. We have to rate movies based on how violent characters are too each other. Today, when kids get into a fight, there is a rush of kids to see just how bad one kid can beat up another and then there is the boasting of what the loser suffered. To be merciful means getting help to stop the fight.
Too often we think, being merciful is simply giving a whole dollar to beggar on the street at least once a month. Being merciful though always involves a sacrifice on our part. It takes time, money, and energy to meet the needs of those who are in pain. Remember what it cost the good Samaritan to help the man alongside of the road. Sometimes being merciful may be our own lives being placed in danger.
But other times the price which needs to be paid is a sacrifice of our pride. In our homes, there are times when we as parents need to be strict, but there are other times when God is calling us to be merciful. Yes the rule was this, and yes it was broken, however sometimes the love of Christ is more important than the rule. Yes we may be angry with our child, but does that anger prevent us from seeing where our child may be hurting. Sometimes being merciful can bring about a greater change in others than simply showing them we can be persons of steel.
As spouses, are we more merciful to those outside our home than we are too each other. The mere fact that we live together means that we will need to demonstrate more mercy toward each other than we will toward anyone else. Satan is feeding us a lie, when he whispers to us how well we get along with Bob or Sally who we flirt with at the office. Well if you’re unwilling to be merciful to your spouse, the problem is in you. So even if you make the foolish decision to pursue Bob or Sally, and end up with them, your problems will still be the same. Every marriage and every home needs some merciful people living in it. The more there are, the more life that home will experience.
Do your family members consider you as being a merciful person? If not why not? Do you want it said at your funeral, "There were a lot of things you could say about him or her, but you cannot say he or she was merciful." Merciful is not only seeing a need and meeting it, it goes even deeper into the issue of injustice. Remember that German soldier and that prisoner in the concentration camp. How do you think they would have taken Jesus words, "Blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy." Do you think Jesus would have told the soldier, "well you should have thought about mercy back before they set the fire." Do you think Jesus would have told the prisoner, "he deserves your forgiveness, since he asked for it."
We are all going to run into situations in which we will be unjustly treated in life. They will be opportunities to be merciful in the spirit of Christ. It may be as simple as being punished in school for talking when it really was the person behind us. It may be us telling our boss a great idea only to have him steal it and pass it on to his supervisor as his own thereby getting the credit we deserved. It may be as deep and complex as having been sexually abused by another in our own home by someone who was suppose to love and protect us. It may be as painful as hearing a partner admit to committing adultery.
In each of these situations, we are the victims, yet we have the power to be merciful if we’re willing to forgive. No doubt this is a level of being merciful that is extremely hard and difficult. It goes against our natural desire to want to strike back and to get even. There is the thought that if I can make you suffer, then I’m going to have peace inside. No we won’t. No we won’t. Do you really think, when that concentration prisoner walked away that he had a greater peace inside. Getting even, does not bring life into a relationship. It only brings more agony into the equation of life.
Jesus did not say simply blessed are the merciful and stop. He said there is a reason the merciful are blessed. That reason is that they will receive mercy. When we try to get even, we are trying to force our anger and our pain on this other person. But when we do, there is nothing they can pour into us to give us a sense of peace. However when we forgive, we choose to release that force and anger into the hands of God. God can then in turn fill our hearts with mercy. With God’s mercy comes God’s peace.
That’s why we are told in 1 Pet 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety or your cares on Him because He cares for you." God wants to bring life into our homes and our relationships. But God cannot do it as long as we choose to hold grudges and to be unforgiving. Your parents cannot undo what was done last week. Your spouse made a terrible choice of judgment but it cannot be undone. Your child did betray your trust again. Jesus said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." There is a release available in God. God is not going to make us be merciful. But He did command us to be imitators of Him. What we choose to do is going to be based on what’s in our hearts.
Jesus says in verse 9 "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." When something is pure, it has been cleansed and it’s been washed. Suppose somebody asked you if you’d like a nice glass of lemonade. You watched them pick up the glass, fill it with water, squeeze the lemons, put in the sugar and then add the ice. But when you start to drink it, you spit it out because it taste horrible. You say this stuff tastes like gasoline. The person says, well you saw me make it. That gasoline was poured out of the glass yesterday, well next time I’ll wash it out after I pour it out.
Now the spirit of God is like that lemonade. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the ingredients or its power to bring refreshment. The problem was the container. It still had the flavor of what use to be in there. Saints our hearts are the containers. If they are not cleansed on a daily basis, the Spirit of God within us will begin to stink. Now having a pure heart is never something we can get on our own. Nor once we get it, does it stay that way without a continual updating.
Jesus is not saying here, only those who are perfect will see God. The second meaning or of being pure means "sincere, without hypocrisy, single minded, or undivided. According to CS Lewis, the only people who will want to see God are the pure in heart. We live in age in which we are told everybody is okay no matter what they do. Everybody is supposedly all right with God as long as they are true to whatever god they hold to be right for them. Everybody is on their way to see God. What you do and what you believe really does not matter. Jesus would beg to differ with us. Jesus will hold us all accountable for what it is we do with His claim on our entire lives.
Pure in heart is a high standard yet it is the standard God is calling us to. The heart is where all kind of things originate, both good and bad. No matter how quickly we tell a lie, it was in the heart before it reached the lips. If we praise God joyfully on Sunday, it was in the heart Saturday night. No matter what wrongdoing we fell into doing, it was done in our hearts, before it actually took place. We chose to do the right thing in that circumstance, because it was in our heart before the situation arose. If we want to know what our future is going to be like, le us examine the things in our hearts and consider which ones get the most attention. That’s what’s waiting to become reality.
The heart is at the center of the kind of life we experience. We like to think when our kids or adults misbehave, if we just get them to a therapist or a counselor their behavior will change. No my friends, what they, and we need is Jesus. When we truly accept Christ, there is a change in our hearts. When the change takes place in the heart, the change in the behavior follows.
Sometimes we do not experience new life because we compromise with doing wrong and try to pretend it does not matter. God is not so desperate of a lover that He will put up with anything simply to have us follow him a little. How many of us would be content with a boyfriend or girlfriend or spouse who promised to love us dearly, but for four days out of the week, they want the right to live as though we did not exist? Why would God be willing to make such a bargain with us. When the bible tells us here is what we are to do, if we are not doing it, then why do we expect God’s blessings or favor. Of if the bible says, not to do something and we are doing it, why do we expect God’s blessings or favor.
New Life for a relationship that’s gone bad always is rooted in repentance. It does not work to simply say let’s start over again, without first admitting your part in the wrong which led to the breakdown in the relationship. In our Old Testament reading, David said "When I kept silent about my sin, my bones wasted away." Do you remember when as a kid you knew you had done wrong, and you knew your parents knew you had done wrong, but you didn’t want to bring up the subject, so you tried to be nice, and talk but it was very awkward. Deep down inside you wished they would just hurry up and give you your punishment." Like David, you were wasting away inside because of your sin.
But David says, "but Lord I confess what I had done and you forgave the guilt of my sin." Confession to God brings cleansing and purity. It’s bad when we have treated someone wrong and will not admit it. There is nothing Christian about sweeping things under the rug without dealing with the pain our actions caused. To be single minded for Christ, means we are going to deal with others as Christ would have us do it. So many relationship are stuck trying to hide things and going on as though they didn’t happen. It’s not more prayer that’s needed. It’s time for us to remove the pride in our hearts so that we can truly be pure in heart.
God is not looking for spiritual giants. He wants plain ordinary people who are willing to admit they have blown it and will blow it again in the future, but they will always be open to His correction. Are you a merciful person today? Can you say you’ve got a pure heart before the Lord? Jesus calls us to follow in His footsteps. There’s not anywhere we can go that He’s not been. You can make a difference this week in your life and in the lives of others simply by choosing to be merciful and pure in heart. God is willing to help you if you are willing to be helped.
M. The Deception Of Compromise
1. New Life Not Compatible With Choice To Do
Wrong
2. God Not A Desperate Lover---Faithful But 4
3. God Is Not Into Bargains--No Special Favors
4. New Life Rooted In Repentance
5. Not Enough To Simply Start Again
6. David--When I Kept Silent, My Bones Wasted
7. Kid Feeling-Wrong, Parents Knew, But
8. Please Give Me the Punishment--I’m Wasting
N. The Healing Power Of Confession
1. David Said--When I Confess You Forgave
2. Confession- Cleansing & Purity
3. Be Willing To Say I Was Sorry
4. Silence & Rug Sweeping Not Healthy
5. Relate As Christ Would Have Us Relate
6. Relationships Stuck On Hiding--Not Prayer
7. Removing The Pride In our Hearts
O. God Not Looking For Spiritual Giants
1. Plain, Blew It, & Will Blow It Again
2. Open To His Correction
3. Are You Merciful
4. Are You Pure In Heart
5. Jesus Calls Us To Follow
6. Yes You Can Be Different
7. Yes You Can Make A Difference
8. God Is Willing, What About You
Sermon Outline Pastor Rick 3/25/2001
How To Face Life Challenges Part III
Psalms 32 Ephesians 5:1-20 Matt. 5:7-8
A. Were There Any Problems This Week
1. Keep Living And Life Will Keep Giving
2. Challenges--Unexpected Opportunities To..
3. Each Challenge Brings Possibilities…
B. Jesus And Matthew Chapter Five
1. Blessed, Happy, Fortunate, To Be Envied
2. Going Against The Grain--Bad Information
3. What’s Needed To Get The Most
C. A Tragedy Of WW II
1. German Soldiers & The Building
2. The Jews, The People, The Fire
3. A Soldier Facing Death In Need Of Mercy
4. A Concentration Camp Inmate
5. A Cry For Mercy
6. What Would You Do?--Two Men
D. Jesus On The Hillside
1. Words For Followers--Strong Demands
2. Because He Loved & Did It First
E. Blessed Are The Merciful---Shown Mercy
1. A Job For All--It Does Not Matter
2. Christ Comes In--Unlimited Potential
3. Ephesians 5:1-2 Command--Not Option
Eph 5:1-2 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
4. All Who Know God--Know God Is
5. Blew And Blown It Yet God Has Hope
6. Merciful--Here 5:7 & Hebrews 2:17
7. Jesus--Merciful And Faithful High Priest
F. Mercy Spring To Life When We Have Ability
1. Must Be Actively Involved In Meeting….
2. Pity--Oh Wasn’t That Awful"-- Feeling Only
3. Merciful Not Exalted In Our Society
4. Violence---Kids & A Fight
5. The Homeless And The Dollar
6. Sacrifice--Time, Money, Energy, Danger
G. Mercy Can Be Hindered By The Enemy Pride
1. Parents Time To Be Strict--The Rule Broken
2. Times The Love Of Christ Overrules
3. Anger May Present Merciful From Seeing
4. Spouses Need More Mercy Because Of Space
5. Satan’s Deception of Bob & Sue
6. Every Home Needs The Merciful
7. Your Degree Of Mercy--Your Funeral
H. Merciful Goes Deeper With Injustice
1. German Soldier--Prisoner--What Would Jesus
Say To Each
2. Too Late--You Owe Forgiveness
3. All Will Face Injustice--Small--To Huge
4. In Class, On Job,
5. More Complex-Sexual Abuse, Unfaithfulness
6. Victims Have The Power To Be Merciful
7. The Difficulty--Goes Against What’s Natural
8. If I Make You Suffer--Then Comes Peace
9. The Prisoner Walking Away
I. Jesus Did Not Stop At Merciful
1. They Shall Receive Mercy
2. Directing Our Anger At A Person- No Return
3. Directing Our Anger To God--Mercy Received
4. With God’s Mercy--Comes Peace
5. 1 Peter 5:7 Cast All Your Cares
J. God Wants Us To Choose Life
1. Grudges & Unforgiveness Ties The Hands..
2. Parents Can’t Undo, Spouse Bad Judgment
3. Child Betrays Trust Again
4. Blessed Are The Merciful For They Shall
5. Release Available In God--We Must Act
6. Act Based On Heart
K. Blessed Are The Pure In Heart--See God
1. Pure--Cleansed Washed
2. The Delicious Glass Of Lemonade
3. The Wrong Container--Gasoline Residue
4. Spirit Of God--The Drink Hearts--Glass
5. Stinking Up The Holy Spirit
6. Pure Heart-Not On Our Own--Not A One Time
L. Pure In Heart---Not Perfection
1. Sincere, Without Hypocrisy, Single Minded
Undivided.
2. CS Lewis--Only Pure In Heart Want To
3. Age Where Everybody Is Okay On The Way
4. Jesus Begs To Differ
5. High Standard--But God Calls
6. All Starts In The Heart
7. Lie-Praise, Wrongdoing--Right Choice
8. To Know The Future--Examine The Focus
9. Only Jesus Changes The Heart--
10. Kids Therapist, Counselors, Etc.
