SERMON ON THE MOUNT
Matthew 5:7
THE CYCLE OF MERCY
#6 - SERMON ON THE MOUNT
Matthew 5:7 - Blessed are
the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
A merciful person
feels compassion for those who are hurting.
A merciful person
acts in compassion towards those who are hurting.
Haddon Robinson -
"Mercy is a response to misery; mercy understands the hurt, feels the
hurt, and moves out to cure the hurt." Robinson, Haddon, The Christian Salt and Light Company, (
Showing mercy is
not easy, especially when someone is not deserving of the mercy they need.
Showing mercy is
not easy, when the people who need mercy are not pretty or likeable.
Showing mercy is
not easy, when the person who needs mercy has hurt or offended you.
There is what I
would call a cycle of mercy.
This cycle of
mercy begins with,
THE ACCEPTANCE
OF MERCY
You will not be
able to show mercy until you experience mercy.
You must
experience mercy in order to be right with God.
The first of the
"Beatitudes" or "Blessed Attitudes" that we studied was Matthew
5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
A person who is
poor in spirit has come to the end of himself, realizing that he has nothing
good to offer to God. He is actually throwing himself upon the mercy of God.
A person who is
poor in spirit recognizes that he is a sinner in need of forgiveness. Isaiah
64:6
A person who is
poor in spirit realizes that he or she as a miserable lost sinner is in need of
mercy.
And mercy is
exactly what God has shown on mankind.
Psalm 85:10 - Mercy and truth are met
together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
This verse was
fulfilled on the cross of
The truth is that
someone has to pay for your sins in order to satisfy God's perfect sense of
righteousness. Someone had to pay!
Jesus Christ, the
perfect Son of God, suffered and died on the cross in your place. That's God's
mercy at work. He took your punishment.
Righteousness and
peace "kissed each other" as God's righteousness was satisfied by the
payment of His Son and peace with God was secured for all those who want
it.
God has already
shown you mercy.
He requires only
one thing.
You need to accept
that mercy by faith. Romans 5:1
If you have
accepted God's mercy, you now know what mercy is, because you've experienced
it.
And if you have
accepted Christ as Savior, you still need God's mercy.
When we sin as
Christians our fellowship with God is lost. Isaiah 59:2
When we come to
God, confessing our sins, He forgives and restores the fellowship that we have
lost. 1 John 1:9
Every time we
accept God's forgiveness for our sins, we are shown mercy afresh.
THE ATTITUDE OF
MERCY
A bad attitude is
what keeps us from showing mercy.
There are some
mindsets that will hinder us from being merciful.
·
Pride will keep us from being merciful.
·
A critical spirit will keep us from being
merciful.
·
Selfishness will keep us from
being merciful.
·
Unforgiveness will
keep us from being merciful.
Ephesians 4:32 - And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Because God has
forgiven me, I need, with God's help, to forgive others.
A merciful
attitude is an attitude of compassion, because we have experienced God's
compassion.
It is compassion
for the person who does not have enough to eat.
It is compassion
for the person who is suffering illness.
It is compassion
for the person down on his luck.
It is compassion
for the person who is hurting.
It is compassion
for the person who is going to hell, because he or she has not trusted Jesus as
Savior.
It is compassion
for the person who has hurt you. Matthew 5:44
If God didn't have
a heart of compassion, of mercy, towards you, where would you be?
Ask Him for a
heart of compassion, of mercy.
THE ACTION OF
MERCY
An attitude of
mercy is not enough.
Attitude must be
translated into action! James 2:15-16, 1 John 3:16-18
When we start to
feel an attitude of mercy, or compassion towards someone or towards a
situation, the first thing we should do is pray. As you pray, ask God what to do.
·
Do you feel compassion towards an unsaved
friend? Ask God
for the person's salvation,
and ask God what you should do
about it.
·
Do you have compassion on someone hurting
because of the loss of a loved one, a marital problem, or some other sort of
problem? Ask God what to do about it.
·
Do you have compassion on someone who has
physical needs? Ask God what to do about it.
·
Do you have compassion on a situation in
another country? Again ask God what you can do, if anything. If you can't help, you can still pray.
·
Are you now feeling compassion for someone who
has chosen to be your enemy? Ask God what to do about it.
James 1:5 - If any of you lack wisdom, let
him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and
upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
After you have
asked God for guidance, take action.
Do what you can to
show mercy, to relieve the suffering of someone else.
When we show
mercy, who are we showing mercy to? See Matthew 25:31-40
THE
ACCELERATION OF MERCY
Matthew 5:7 - Blessed are
the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Does this mean
that people will be merciful to you, because you are merciful to them? Not
necessarily.
Jesus was the most
merciful man who ever lived.
They hung Him on a
cross.
However, it is not
man's mercy that I am in constant need of.
It is GOD'S MERCY
that I need!
And the more mercy
I am willing to show, the more mercy God is willing to give to me.