BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL FOR THEY SHALL OBTAIN MERCY.

As we begin each new day, we can say; It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness" Lamentations 3:22-23.

In a real way, the study of the beatitudes confronts us with two questions. First of all: is our faith real? Secondly: is our faith healthy? This beatitude confronts us this morning with those two questions…. Dr Martin Lloyd-Jones put it like this: 'A Christian is something before he does something'. We do not try to become a Christian and they try to act like one! That is religion.

The Christian faith is Christ lives in me. That is why we read about the new birth, the new creation in Christ Jesus. Our entire lives are now the result of this new nature which we have received from God beloved. The whole of our lives are a proclamation and an expression of what we really are.

It needs to be pointed out immediately that being merciful does not mean that we wink at sin or allow injustice go on. Whatever we find in Scripture as the meaning of being merciful, keep in mind that it cannot be disconnected from the nature of God Himself, and we know that God does not wink at sin or injustice.

When Jesus said, "Blessed are the merciful", no doubt His audience would have been surprised, because both the Jews and the Romans at that point in time were merciless peoples. They were egotistical, self-righteous, and condemning. The Romans glorified justice, courage, discipline, and power - not mercy. The Jews glorified outward acts of religion and ritual, but in reality were merciless, self-righteous and condemning. Both alike considered mercy, as taught by Jesus, to be a sign of weakness.

What is the definition of mercy? The Greek word for 'mercy' within the New Testament simply means this: 'to give help to the wretched, to relieve the miserable'. Mercy is not simply feeling compassionate… it is more than a feeling, it is an active verb - it is something that is demonstrated.

Perhaps it is necessary to point out the difference between grace and mercy and grace and kindness. Grace is particularly related to men in their sins, while mercy is particularly related to men in their misery. Grace is a friend calling you when you are sick; kindness is a friend calling you when you are well.

In His earthly ministry, Jesus demonstrated being merciful with forgiveness.

• Remember John 8, we have the woman caught in adultery - and there were all the religious men stuffed up with their own self-righteousness, standing about in their long garments with their big scrolls and beards, and looking ready to throw the stones at this woman. And they say: 'Rabbi, what do we do? Moses says stone her, what do You say we do?' - And the merciful Jesus looks at that woman and says: 'Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more'. Mercy forgives….mercy calls us to repentance.

In His earthly ministry, Jesus taught that our being merciful is likewise connected with forgiveness.  

·      Jesus told a parable (Matt 18.21-35) about a man who owed his creditor an amount so great, it would have been impossible to ever repay. Rather than throw him in jail, his creditor mercifully forgave him his debt. Soon that same man demanded a debtor pay him a small debt of $20.00. This time, rather than extending the mercy that had been given to him when the man couldn't pay; he refused to grant mercy and threw the debtor in prison. Then this man's former creditor heard about his lack of mercy, became angry, and threw him into prison.

·      The most miserable prison in the world is the prison we make for ourselves when we refuse to show mercy. Our thoughts become shackled, our emotions are chained, and the will is almost paralyzed. Blessed are the merciful.

·      In this parable recorded in Matt 18, Jesus teaches how God looks upon a person who has received His mercy and in turn hesitates or refuses to give mercy to our neighbor. The cold facts are saints, if we are unforgiving and unmerciful to the failures and sins of others towards us, it probably means we have never truly stood before Jesus helpless, exposed, and needing his mercy. Listen carefully beloved, the one condition of forgiveness from God is repentance. Repentance means that I have no claim upon God other than clinging to His mercy and grace, as David did in Psalm 51. Thus, the forgiven man or woman will be a forgiving person.

o   Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

As God is merciful, so are we to be the same!

• Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
• Col 3.12 Put on….merices.
• Paul talks in Colossians about Jesus taking our sins and nailing them to his cross. He is referring to the custom of the times, to create a list of charges for any person accused of a crime. When a nail was driven through a charge list, it was proof that the charges had been paid or canceled.
• When Jesus was nailed to the cross, all charges against us were paid, and nailed to his cross. If Jesus paid for all sins on the cross, why do we still seek to make people pay for what we consider to be their sins?
• Father forgive them…said Jesus. Stephen also prayed for those who were stoning him to death…Father forgive them.

·      Many of the problems that persist within the body of Christ are due to the unwillingness to forgive, as have been forgiven. Mercy doesn’t hold grudges…mercy sets people free.

·      As we strive to be merciful as the Lord requires, may we keep in memory the words of the inspired writer of the book of James, For judgment is without mercy to him that hath showed no mercy: mercy glorieth against judgment. Jam. 2:13

·      Justice is getting what we deserve; grace is getting what we do not deserve; mercy is not getting what we deserve.

Who is the greatest person that ever showed mercy? Is it not the Lord Jesus Christ, The Son of Man? Jesus was the most merciful human being that ever lived, and He demonstrated it so beautifully by ministering to the deaf, the dumb, the blind, the lame, the prostitutes, the tax collectors, the drunkards, the outcasts, the weak little children.

• Since it should be our supreme desire to follow Jesus and be like Him, let’s look at Luke 10 and learn from Jesus Himself how we are to follow His example.  In Luke 10, the Lord Jesus teaches us that to have mercy or compassion on others demands action and sacrifice. Convenient Christianity is a contradiction of terms.
• Mercy is, to put it bluntly, putting your money where your mouth is! Mercy is more than feeling; it is more than pity or feeling sorry; it goes beyond good intentions….the Good Samaritan looked and he saw the wounds, and he didn't just think about dressing them - he dressed them! He saw the man cast down, and he didn't just think about picking him up and take him to an inn - he did it! The Samaritan didn’t say, “You idiot, why did you travel such a dangerous lonely road by yourself….you got what you deserved.”
• Isn’t it interesting that in this parable the people who were not merciful were the priest and the Levite, both so called religious people.Mercy in action is an evidence of being Spirit filled.
• When Jesus encountered a broken reed, He did not brake them. When He encountered a smoking flax, He did not snuff them out.
• Hosea 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

For they shall obtain mercy is not saying that mercy given is necessarily mercy returned. Our Lord was the most merciful person who ever lived, yet people screamed for His blood. If mercy carried its own reward, the Lord Jesus Christ wouldn't have been nailed to a cross, spat upon, and cursed.

For they shall obtain mercy certainly isn’t saying that if I am merciful that I earn the mercy of God. If I am truly repentant, I know that I deserve the wrath of God, and not His mercy. Being forgiven means that I have been given the mercy of God; thus, I forgive and am merciful towards others because I have tasted the mercy and forgiveness of Christ.

·      A true revelation of the mercy of Jesus Christ, rooted and exemplified in Jesus’ sacrifice for us, can break the cycle of judgment, retaliation, hatred, intolerance that is so prevalent in our society, and even the body of Christ. When we begin to see others with the same perspective we see ourselves... forgiven sinners... imperfect... but loved of God, we will inevitably become merciful.

·      When you are in touch with the Father in Heaven, we will be vessels through whom the mercy of God will flow. This is why you need daily quiet time before the Lord. We need to meet with the Lord. If you don't have that time with the Lord you won't be recharged. Our smoke detectors need new batteries every six months.

Beloved, my prayer and hearts desire for the body of Christ and this family of believers is a revival. Not a weekend carnival…not a seasonal display of “good feelings” and no problems….revival.

This kind of revival is linked with a fresh realization of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and the mercy of God.

• Mercy and revival go hand in hand. Psa 85.6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? 7 Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.

·      And who does God revive?

• Isa 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
• God does not revive the proud, the arrogant, the hardhearted, the legalist, the self-righteous, but the merciful! At the very center of personal and congregational revival is the cross of The Lord Jesus Christ….

Mercy and evangelism go hand in hand saints. John 3.16 is the love and compassion of God towards sinners.  We are, as merciful servants of the King, are to be moved with compassion when we see the multitudes.

·      Like our merciful and faithful High Priest, we are called to be merciful toward the world’s spiritual misery. John said, And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness 1Jn. 5:19. Whether they know it, believe it, or not, the unsaved are lost in sin and are in misery. It is up to us, as merciful servants of the Lord, to take the gospel to a lost and dying world. Jesus said, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

·      As we seek to bring the mercy of Jesus into a hurting world, we need to remember that true mercy never contradicts God’s truth and justice. The most merciful act of a surgeon facing a patient with a malignant tumor is usually to tell the truth and operate, not to give false comfort by denying the problem. Yet, it's often far easier to give temporary comfort than to speak His truth in love. The latter may sting at first, but it's the only way to permanent healing.

Mercy is that awe-inspiring attribute of God, whereby He looks upon man in his pitiful state of sin and rebellion and comes to his aid.

• Exodus 34:5 Now 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.
• Micah 7:18 Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy. 19 He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
• 2 Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

The supreme act of mercy of course, was the death of Jesus Christ upon Calvary's cross.

• Ephesians 2:4 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).
• Titus 3:5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.
• Before the foundation of the world, God saw our pitiable condition and the consequences of sin. Thus, Jesus is depicted as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev 13.8).
• Thus the mercy of God is connected with His grace and love in the doctrine of the atonement. Salvation beloved is all a matter of God’s grace, love and mercy in the Person of His Son Jesus Christ.

As we close this morning, we can all admit that our lives have been surrounded by the mercy of God.  

• When we look back, we can say, Surely goodness, and mercy have followed me all the days of my life. Psalm 23:6
• When we look ahead, were members the words of Jude 21 Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
• Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.