Sermon Tone Analysis

April 29, 2007 at FBC, Comanche; */Expositional studies:/* Matthew

Text: *Matthew 5:1-12**; Matthew 5:7*

*      **7 *“/Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy/.”

[KJV]

*/“The Beauty of Mercifulness”/*

*Introduction*: The fifth beatitude:

*/ “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7)./*

In the first four Beatitudes, which have already been considered, a definite progression of spiritual awakening and transformation has been noted as one of the thrusts of our Lord’s teaching.

·        First, there is a discovery of the fact that I am nothing, have nothing, and can do nothing—poverty of spirit.

·        Second, there is conviction of sin, a consciousness of guilt producing godly sorrow—mourning.

·        Third, there is a renouncing of self-dependence and a taking of my place in the dust before God—meekness.

·        Fourth, there follows an intense longing after Christ and His salvation—hungering and thirsting after righteousness.

But, in a sense, all of this is simply /negative, /for it is the believing sinner’s perception of what is defective in himself and a yearning for what is desirable.

In the next four Beatitudes we come to the manifestation of /positive good /in the believer, the fruits of a new creation and the blessings of a transformed character.

How this shows us, once more, the importance of noting that order in which God’s truth is presented to us!

“/Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy/.”

How grossly has this text been perverted by merit-mongers!

Those who insist that the Bible teaches salvation by works appeal to this verse in support of their pernicious error.

But nothing could be less to their purpose.

*/Our Lord’s purpose is not to set forth the foundation upon which the sinner’s hope of mercy from God must rest, but rather it is to describe the character of His genuine disciples.

/*

/Mercifulness /is a prominent trait in this character.

According to our Lord’s teaching, mercy is an essential feature of that holy character to which God has inseparably connected the enjoyment of His own sovereign kindness.

Thus, there is nothing whatever in this verse that favors the erroneous teachings of Roman Catholicism.

The position occupied by this Beatitude in its context is another key to its interpretation.

The first four describe the initial exercises of heart in one who has been awakened by the Holy Spirit.

In the preceding verse, the soul is seen hungering and thirsting after Christ, and then filled by Him.

Here we are shown the first effects and evidences of this filling.

Having obtained mercy of the Lord, the saved sinner now exercises mercy.

It is not that God requires us to be merciful in order that we might be entitled to His mercy, for that would overthrow the whole scheme of Divine grace!

But having been the recipient of His wondrous mercy, I cannot help but now act mercifully toward others.

What is /mercifulness?

/It is a gracious disposition toward my fellow creatures and fellow Christians.

It is that kindness and benevolence that feels the miseries of others.

It is a spirit that regards with compassion the sufferings of the afflicted.

It is that grace that causes one to deal leniently with an offender and to scorn the taking of revenge.

It is the forgiving spirit; it is the non-retaliating spirit; it is the spirit that gives up all attempt at self-vindication and would not return an injury for an injury, but rather good in the place of evil and love in the place of hatred.

That is mercifulness.

Mercy being received by the forgiven soul, /that /soul comes to appreciate the beauty of mercy, and yearns to exercise toward other offenders similar grace to that which is exercised towards one’s self (Dr. A. T. Pierson).

The source of this merciful temper is not to be attributed to anything in our

fallen human nature.

It is true that there are some who make no profession

of being Christians in whom we often see not a little of kindliness of

disposition, sympathy for the suffering, and a readiness to forgive those

who have wronged them.

Admirable as this may be, from a purely human

viewpoint, it falls far below that mercifulness upon which Christ here

pronounced His benediction.

The amiability of the flesh has no spiritual

value, for its movements are neither regulated by the Scriptures nor

exercised with any reference to the Divine authority.

The mercifulness of

this fifth Beatitude is that spontaneous outflow of a heart that is captivated

by, and in love with, the mercy of God.

The mercifulness of our text is the product of the new nature implanted by

the Holy Spirit in the child of God.

It is called into exercise when we

contemplate the wondrous grace, pity, and longsuffering of God toward

such unworthy wretches as ourselves.

The more I ponder God’s sovereign

mercy to me, the more I shall think of the unquenchable fire from which I

have been delivered through the sufferings of the Lord Jesus.

The more

conscious I am of my indebtedness to Divine grace, the more mercifully I

shall act toward those who wrong, injure, and hate me.

Mercifulness is one of the attributes of the spiritual nature that one receives

at the new birth.

Mercifulness in the child of God is but a reflection of the

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abundant mercy that is found in his heavenly Parent.

Mercifulness is one of

the natural and necessary consequences of a merciful Christ indwelling us.

It may not always be exercised; it may at times be stifled or checked by

fleshly indulgence.

But when the general tenor of a Christian’s character

and the main trend of his life are taken into account, it is clear that

mercifulness is an unmistakable trait of the new man.

“The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again; but the righteous

sheweth mercy, and giveth” (<193721>Psalm 37:21).

It was /mercy /in Abraham, after he had been wronged by his nephew, that

caused him to pursue and secure the deliverance of Lot (<011401>Genesis 14:1-

16).

It was /mercy /on the part of Joseph, after his brethren had so

grievously mistreated him, that caused him to freely forgive them

(<015015>Genesis 50:15-21).

It was /mercy /in Moses, after Miriam had rebelled

against him and the Lord had smitten her with leprosy, that caused him to

cry,

“Heal her now, O God, I beseech Thee” (<041213>Numbers 12:13).

It was /mercy /that caused David to spare the life of his enemy Saul when

that wicked king was in his hands (<092401>1 Samuel 24:1-22; 26:1-25).

In sad

and striking contrast, of Judas it is said that he

“remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and

needy man” (<19A916>Psalm 109:16).

In <451208>Romans 12:8 the Apostle Paul gives vital instruction concerning /the/

/spirit// /in which mercy is to be exercised: “he that showeth mercy” is to do

so “with /cheerfulness./”

The direct reference here is to the giving of money

for the support of poor brethren, but this loving principle really applies to

/all// /compassion shown to the afflicted.

Mercy is to be exercised cheerfully,

to demonstrate that it is not only done voluntarily but that it is also a