Blessed are the merciful
Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the
merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
Mercy is related to
compassion. It is when we give someone
something good when they don’t really deserve it. Justice is when we give them exactly what
they deserve. Mercy cannot be demanded
from someone by the one who needs it. It
can only be asked or begged for. It is
not something we can earn or deserve. It
cannot be bought. It is an act of
love. Mercy is what we have been
promised by God, but we must be merciful ourselves if we hope to get it.
Salvation is an act of
mercy. That is why it cannot be
earned. We can only obtain it through
grace. Grace is a gift that is not
earned – so is mercy.
Luke 6:36 Therefore be
merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
We must imitate God. The greatest act of mercy was also the
greatest act of love: God sent us His
son.
John 3:16-17 (NKJV) 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son
into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be
saved.
The gospel is all about
mercy. Men are not condemned because
they do not follow the Gospel. They are
condemned because of their own sins. The
gospel of Christ is about how to obtain mercy.
We can’t be saved without it, but it is not what condemns us before
God. Our own sin does that. (vs. 17)
Eph 2:1-2 (NKJV)1 And
you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and
sins, 2 in which you once walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of
the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
Col 3:12-13 12 Therefore,
as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness,
humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and
forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as
Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
Do you want mercy? You must show mercy to others. Do you want God to forgive you? You MUST forgive others just as Christ
forgave you.
Clara Barton was the founder
of the American Red Cross (which she founded in 1881). She was responsible for helping many wounded
and captured soldiers during the civil war before this.
Louis Palau relates the
following story in “Experiencing God’s Forgiveness”
Clara Barton was reminded one
day of a vicious deed that someone had done to her years before. She acted as if she had never heard of the
incident. Her friend asked her if she
remembered it.
“No”, she replied, “I
distinctly remember forgetting it.”
That is what God can do for
our sins.
Acts 3:19 (NKJV)19 Repent
therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted
out, so that times of refreshing may come from the
presence of the Lord
Heb 8:12 (NKJV)12 For
I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless
deeds I will remember no
more."
Picture yourself on judgment
day. Perhaps one of your enemies who is
still bitter towards you will accuse you of some great sin that you committed
in your life. Would you rather stand
there on you own, or would you rather stand there covered by God’s grace
through His beloved son. Perhaps God
will say. “That has been blotted
out. I will remember it no more.” God offers mercy. We must show it to others if we want it
ourselves.
Eph 2:4-5 4 But
God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even
when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace
you have been saved),
Do you want to be alive in
Christ? Remember that without his grace
you are already dead in your sins. We
can rely on God’s rich mercy. Only His
mercy and grace give us hope. We can have
no hope on our own. If we rely on God’s
mercy, we need to remember to extend that mercy to others.
James 2:13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who
has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over
judgment.
Luke 16:19-26
19 "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine
linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar
named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be
fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs
came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was
carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was
buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw
Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 Then he cried and said, 'Father
Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his
finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.' 25 But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that
in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil
things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all
this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to
pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.'
This rich man refused to show
mercy to Lazarus. In return no mercy was
shown to him even though he begged for it.
Blessed are the merciful, For
they shall obtain mercy. How often do we have to show mercy? Is there a limit to how much mercy God
expects out of us? If someone messes up
over and over and we have already forgiven them time after time, does there
come a time when we can simply give up on them?
Look at what Jesus said in answer to this question.
Matt 18:21-35 (NKJV) 21 Then
Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against
me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus
said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven
times, but up to seventy times seven. 23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who
wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to
him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he
be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be
made. 26 The servant
therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I
will pay you all.' 27 Then
the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave
him the debt. 28 But that
servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred
denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying,
'Pay me what you owe!' 29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'
30 And he would not, but went
and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were
very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. 32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You
wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant,
just as I had pity on you?' 34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers
until he should pay all that was due to him. 35 So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you,
from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."
1 Cor 13:4-8 (NKJV)4 Love suffers long and
is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does
not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does
not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all
things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails.
Do you have love and
forgiveness in your heart, or do you have a hate filled, grudge filled
heart? Being unwilling to forgive hurts
the one who holds on to the grudge.
Someone once said that no one ever made a grudge better by nursing
it. Grudges prey upon our hearts. They destroy us.
Fortunately Jesus is merciful
towards us.
Heb 2:17-18 (NKJV)17 Therefore,
in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a
merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make
propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that
He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are
tempted.
John 8:3-11 (NKJV) 3 Then
the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when
they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him,
"Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now
Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You
say?" 6 This they said, testing Him, that they
might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down
and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7 So
when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone
at her first." 8 And again He stooped down
and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it,
being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning
with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the
woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised
Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" 11 She
said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither
do I condemn you; go and sin no more."
Your sins are not too great
for God to forgive. Jesus is merciful
because of what he learned when He was a man on earth. If he could forgive this woman, he can also
forgive you.