Blessed are the merciful Matt 5: 7

Straining out gnats.

How important is mercy? Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices - mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law - justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. Matt 23:23-24.

What does it really mean to be merciful? How do we practice mercy? Do we have to show mercy all the time? How does God view our acts of mercy?

What does it really mean to be merciful?

Is mercy an act of will?

Is mercy an attitude?

Mercy is an experience. Mercy is more than an act or an attitude. It is a response to our understanding and experience of God’s mercy. Be merciful even as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:36

Unless we are spiritually broken we cannot truly be merciful people. God have mercy on me, a sinner. I give a tenth of all I have! Unless we are spiritually broken we cannot truly be merciful people.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger are thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, First 4 beatitudes

Mercy comes from a heart that has first felt its spiritual bankruptcy, and has come to grief over its sin, and has learned to wait meekly for the timing of the Lord, and to cry out in hunger for the work of his mercy to satisfy us with the righteousness we need. John Piper What Jesus is saying in the Sermon on the Mount and throughout the Bible is that the mercy of God is not a theological doctrine to which we give intellectual assent; they are the experiences of a poverty-stricken spirit, filled with mourning, meekness and hunger. Haddon Robinson

Mercy. Love. Grace. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved. Eph 2:4 And like a flood his mercy reigns, Unending love, amazing grace. Chris Tomlin, Amazing Grace (My chains are gone)

Without God’s love and grace, there is no genuine mercy. Grace is a loving response when love is undeserved, and mercy is a loving response prompted by the misery and helplessness of the one on whom the love is to be showered. Grace answers to the undeserving; mercy answers to the miserable. DA Carson, Sermon on the Mount.

Detecting genuine mercy. And as he sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matt 9:10-13 Rich people need mercy

What will you ask- Who is your neighbor? or Where is my neighbor?

Mercy is a command from God, yet it cannot simply be a response to demand. It must arise out of hearts made generous and gracious by an understanding and experience of God’s mercy. It is the heart of the congregation that must be melted until they ask, “where is my neighbor?” Tim Keller - Mercy Ministries : The call of the Jericho Road.

Practicing mercy- lessons from the Good Samaritan Do you see with eyes of mercy? How much are you willing to risk? What do you expect in return?

Do we have to show mercy all the time? Mercy and discipline. Mercy and justice. Mercy and wisdom.

Mercy and discipline. If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order he may feel ashamed. Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother. 2 Thess 3:14-15. When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord. 1 Cor 5:4-5

Blending mercy and discipline.

Mercy and justice

Experiencing mercy means experiencing forgiveness

He has showed you, O man, what is good He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:35-36

Mercy and wisdom No good deed goes unpunished. On Nov 20,2006 an old woman fell to the ground and broke her leg after jostling at a bus stop in Nanjing, an eastern China city. A young man, Peng Yu, helped her up and escorted her to hospital. Later the woman and her family dragged the man to court, which ruled that the young man should pay 40% of the medical costs. (Source. www.chinahearsay.com) No good deed goes unpunished. Oscar Wilde.

Dirk Willems, 16th Century martyr. I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Matt 10:16

1 Tim Chapter 5 v3 Give proper recognition to those widows in need. v9 No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds. v11 As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. v16 If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need. 1 Tim Chapter 5

Mercy. Love. Grace. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved. Eph 2:4 And like a flood his mercy reigns, Unending love, amazing grace. Chris Tomlin, Amazing Grace (My chains are gone)