Blessed Are The Merciful
Beatitudes Of The Bible • Sermon • Submitted
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Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
The theme of our current series of Sunday morning sermons has been the “Beatitudes Of The Bible.”
We find ourselves, having finished up the O.T., looking to the N.T. now and smack dab in the middle of the most “common” beatitudes which are the opening of the Sermon on the Mount.
Last week we examined “Blessed Are Those That Hunger & Thirst For Righteousness.”
The need to long and crave after being right & just in the sight of God according to his word.
Today we look to the next “beatitude” which is…”Blessed Are The Merciful.”
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Like each of these beatitudes there are two key truths.
That which we do and then that which receive.
With that in mind let’s examine our lesson for today.
The Merciful
The Merciful
Defining The Word.
Defining The Word.
The word mercy, in English (ESV), is found 209 times in the Bible.
138 times in the Old Testament.
71 times in the New Testament.
This specific wording is only found here and in Hebrews 2:17 of Jesus.
Mercy is definitely a character trait God wants us to possess.
3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.
6 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
6 “So you, by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God.”
8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
It is beyond clear God desires for his children to be merciful towards others, but what does that actually mean?
Vines defines it as, “not simply possessed with pity but actively compassionate.”
In other words biblical mercy “is to go to the relief of one in misery. It causes one to make the circumstances of another his own, thereby creating a strong desire to offer assistance.” 1
Showing Mercy.
Showing Mercy.
As I just mentioned mercy is going to the relief of the one in misery and helping them because you have put yourself in their shoes, so to speak, and would want that same help.
It was mercy that led Joseph to forgive his brothers after they mistreated him years before. (Genesis 45)
It was mercy that motivated Abraham to seek a stay of execution on Sodom & Gomorrah. (Genesis 18:22-33)
It was mercy that moved Moses to intercede for Miriam in her leprous condition after she had rebelled against him. (Numbers 12:13).
Mercy is more than a feeling of sympathy or empathy that we have towards those in need it includes action on our part.
15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’
37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Summary
Summary
As brother Parrish once wrote…
“The kind of mercy that receives a blessing from God, the kind of mercy that results in true happiness for the one possessing it is that which exerts itself in doing good.”
Receiving Mercy
Receiving Mercy
Reap What We Sow.
Reap What We Sow.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
The latter part of this verses exemplifies the principle found throughout the Bible concerning “reaping and sowing.”
7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.
21 He who follows righteousness and mercy Finds life, righteousness and honor.
This reality is demonstrated in two ways, each of which are…
Mercy Benefits.
Mercy Benefits.
First, when we show mercy to others there is a satisfaction and joy that is in our soul at doing so.
17 A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself.
21 Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.
Second, when we show mercy on others there is a relief that God will show mercy on us.
25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
25 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. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 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.’
29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 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. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.
33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt.
Summary
Summary
Because all of us sin (Romans 3:23) we stand in need of God’s mercy.
A simple yet powerful condition to us receiving God’s mercy is our willingness to show mercy towards others.
If we show very little mercy not much mercy will be shown toward us and if we show no mercy, no mercy will be shown to us.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Illustration of the mother with Napoleon.
The story is told of a mother who once approached Napoleon asking for a pardon for her son. Napoleon replied that the young man had twice committed a certain crime and that for justice to be done, the man deserved to die.
“But I don’t ask for justice,” the mother explained, “I plead for mercy.”
“But you son does not deserve mercy,” replied Napoleon.
“That would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all that I seek for him,” replied the mother.
Because of the mother’s sound and clear reasoning, Napoleon said, “Well, then, I will have mercy,” and spared the woman’s son.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Endnotes
Endnotes
The Beatitudes Notes: “Blessed Are The Merciful” by Eddie Parish