How To Be Happy Part 5

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Introduction:
My name is Adam, I’m the pastor here at Abide church.
I’m also a professor in here at CBC. I teach Accounting and Economics courses.
Psalm 34:8–9 ESV
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!
Matthew 5:1–6 ESV
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Matthew 5:7–11 ESV
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Today we look at the 5th “blessed are” statement:
Matthew 5:7 ESV
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the merciful:
- The Meaning
- The Location
- The Achieving
- The Result

The Meaning

Google says:
Mercy = compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.
STORY OR EXAMPLE
It feels good when you’ve got someone.
It feels good when you’ve been wronged to make someone pay.
But God says:
Matthew 5:7 ESV
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
There is actually a happiness when we show mercy. When it’s in our power to punish or harm, we show mercy.
Jesus showed this mercy over and over again...
John 8:2–7 ESV
Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
John 8:8–11 ESV
And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
2 Points:
1 There is a very real sense that our lack of mercy towards others demonstrates a lack of self-awareness
2 Ironically, Jesus, the one without sin who could cast the first stone, threw no stone
God’s mercy is not separate from his justice
1 Sometimes his mercy is simply his patience
2 Sometimes his mercy is tied to his sacrifice
Our mercy always flows from these two

The Location

To understand the location of this “blessed are” statement, it’s important I point out the parallelism in these statements.
The second set of 4 statements run parallel to the first set of 4.
v 3 = blessed are the poor in spirit
v 7 = blessed are the merciful
Those who are poor in spirit are merciful because God has shown them mercy
v 4 = blessed are those who mourn
v 8 = blessed are the pure in heart
Those who mourn over sin are led to purity of heart
v 5 = blessed are the meek
v 9 = blessed are the peacemakers
Those who are meek bring peace
v 6 = blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
v 10 = blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake
Those who pursue righteousness will be persecuted for it
Going back to v 7:
v 3 = blessed are the poor in spirit
v 7 = blessed are the merciful
Those who are poor in spirit are merciful because God has shown them mercy

The Achieving

Matthew 18:23–27 ESV
“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.
Matthew 18:28–31 ESV
But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place.
Matthew 18:32–35 ESV
Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
I can’t count the number of times I’ve read this passage and each time it cuts me straight to the bone.

The Result

Matthew 5:7 ESV
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
It’s not that you get the mercy of man, this is not a selfish mercy.
God’s mercy is not a reward to be earned.
Mercy can only come from God
The merciful are happy because they will receive mercy from God
Titus 3:3–7 ESV
For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
[[Confession]]
O Father, we are gathered before you,
the Maker of Heaven and Earth,
whose chosen dwelling place is with the broken and contrite,
to confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed;
we have not loved you with all our heart and soul,
we have not loved you with all our mind and strength;
we have not even loved our neighbor as ourselves.
In your mercy, deepen our sorrow for the wrong we have done and for the good we have left undone,
so that we may hate our sin with a holy hatred.
But, please Father, do not leave us in sorrow.
With you, O Lord, there is forgiveness.
In your mercy, restore the joy of our salvation;
so that we may love you with a holy love.
Amen.
Take the next few moments to confess your sin silently to the Lord.
IF YOU ARE IN CHRIST, YOU ARE FORGIVEN.
Psalm 63:1–8 ESV
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
[[Communion]]
We are going to enter a time of communion together as a church.
This is the culmination of our remembering and renewing our relationship with God. Because of the importance of the communion table and what it represents (the new covenant in Christ’s blood), we celebrate communion every week. Communion is a meal, and the Bible shows patterns of meals being parts of celebrations and special events. Communion is a time of remembrance, a time to remember what Christ did for us on the cross, but also a time of celebration. Jesus will eat and drink together with us in the fulfillment of the kingdom of God.
Let me read from 1 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 11:27–29 ESV
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.
You don’t have to be a member at Abide Church to participate in communion with us, but we do ask that you are trusting the righteousness of Christ before you take communion.
John 15:1–11 ESV
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
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