Blessed to Be a Blessing Lesson Five
Matthew 5: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
We are now on the fifth Beatitude or blessing that Jesus taught.
We have learned that Blessed is being filled with an inner sense of joy and peace because we are right with God. Blessed is being filled with an inner sense of joy and peace because we are right with God. This is a gift of God, yes it is associated with these attitudes of the heart, but always remember you are blessed simply because you belong to Him, you are his child. He loves you and blesses you for that reason and that reason alone
Tonight we are going to discuss mercy and being merciful.
What do you think mercy and merciful mean?
One definition is kind or forgiving treatment of someone who could be treated harshly. Or compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence:
Young’s literal translation of merciful is being actively compassionate.
I notice two things about this definition. One it is always toward someone, an offender who does not deserve it and the second thing is all the definitions have the word compassion or compassionate in them, also kindness.
I think this is important for us to examine.
We need to know God’s compassionate kindness toward us so that we can show it to others.
Matthew 9: 36. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.
- Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38. "Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.''
Matthew 14: 14. And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.
Jesus was always moved by compassion.
Mercy and compassion generally go hand in hand and are always fueled by love, God’s love.
God’s greatest act of mercy was to send Jesus to die for us. We didn’t deserve it but he did it anyway, why because He loves us. It is that simple.
Mercy and compassion are demonstrated by Jesus in healing the sick raising the dead,
and performing miracles. These are demonstrations of His love for us. It continues today, through us the church. We are to show compassion and mercy to those around us.
The sad thing is there are many in the world who show compassion and mercy toward those in need and they do not belong to Christ. They are just good people who care for others. The sadness is you cannot tell them apart from the church or “Christians”. Why is this?
Worldly compassion is That (human) disposition that fuels Acts of kindness and mercy. Compassion, a form of love, is aroused within us when we are confronted with those who suffer or are vulnerable. Compassion often produces action to alleviate the suffering.
Notice it is directed toward those who suffer or are vulnerable. It is never directed toward those who do not deserve it. The world can be compassionate toward a starving child in a third world nation, but what about the murderer, the terrorist, or the child molester? That is really where the rubber meets the road and your true heart
is shown.
That is why it is so important for us to remember that Godly compassion and mercy only come from God and are created in us by the love of God deposited in us when we are saved. Without acting on this love in our heart, without actively practicing it daily, we can never truly show God’s loving mercy. We will always be left with a weak worldly version of it.
Mercy always involves forgiveness. You can never show mercy if you haven’t forgiven first. You can show compassion toward someone who is hurting without forgiveness but mercy is the by product of forgiveness.
In many of the Psalms, the psalmist cries “have mercy on me.”
The wonderful thing is, God did just this through Jesus.
Psalms 13: 5. But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. 6. I will sing to the Lord, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
David says in the 23 Psalms: 6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.
Psalms: 1. To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 2. O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me. 3. Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. 4. Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths.
- Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. 6. Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, For they have been from of old. 7. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness' sake, O Lord. 8. Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. 9. The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way. 10. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.
Exodus 34: 5. Then the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6. And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7. "keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation.''
This is the old covenant truth of God’s mercy and compassion, but we know that through Jesus Christ His son, we now have the clearing of guilt. Praise God!
1 Chronicles 16: 34. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
When David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, He appointed singers who did nothing but worship, because of this very thing, “God is good and His mercy endures for ever.”
I want you to really get this into your heart.
God is good and His mercy endures forever!. I don’t want you to just say it, but really meditate on it and get it into your heart. God is good and His mercy endures forever!
This is how you get through all the bad days in your life. You meditate on God’s mercy and goodness towards you and you know you can do all things through Him who strengthens you.
How then, do we show mercy?
Romans 12: 6. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith;
- or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;
- he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
- Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.
- Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
- not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
- rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
- distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
- Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
- Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
- Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
- Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
- If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
- Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,'' says the Lord.
- "Therefore if your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.''
- Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
And finally :
Jude: 20. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
- keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
- And on some have compassion, making a distinction;
- but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
We have to keep ourselves built up by praying in the Holy Spirit.
This helps us to walk in the love of God, looking for the mercy of Our Lord and Savior. It helps us be compassionate when we need to be compassionate and strict when we need to be strict. It leads us in how to minister to others in love and compassion.