Blessed are the Merciful
Matthew 5:7 (NIV) “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
Mercy: compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one’s power.
Mercy: not giving someone what they deserve.
We’ve become great judges of others’ sin but great lawyers of our own.
Blessed are the Merciful
Remind ourselves how merciful God is to us.
Matthew 6:12 (NIV) “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
If we think we can earn God’s forgiveness, we’ll make others earn our forgiveness.
Ephesians 2:4-5 (NLT) But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)
The forgiven forgive.
Remember, we will all face God one day.
Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV) “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Matthew 18:33 (TLB) “Shouldn’t you have mercy on others, just as I had mercy on you?”
James 2:13 (NCV) So you must show mercy to others, or God will not show mercy to you when he judges you. But the person who shows mercy can stand without fear at the judgment.
Let’s stand before God having loved too much rather than having judged too harshly.
Our Ministry of Mercy
Micah 6:8 (NIV) And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
2 Corinthians 5:16-19 (NIV) So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in me.” ~C.S. Lewis
We are called to show mercy…
1. To those who make mistakes.
Matthew 12:17-20 (NLT) This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him: “Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen. He is my Beloved, who pleases me…He will not fight or shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle.”
James 2:13 (NIV) Mercy triumphs over judgment.
2. To those who let us down.
Luke 23:34 (NIV) Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Jesus was denied, betrayed, accused, rejected, abused, and humiliated.
Colossians 3:12-13 (NIV) Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
“Unfaithfulness is wrong. Revenge is worse. But the worst part of all is that without forgiveness, bitterness is all that is left.” ~Max Lucado
3. To those far from God.
Jesus connected before He corrected.
Matthew 9:10-13 (NIV) While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
4. To ourselves.
Psalm 38:4-8 (NIV) I am drowning in the flood of my sins, they are a burden too heavy to bear. Because I have been foolish, I’m utterly worn out and crushed, my heart is troubled.
Disappointment is the gap between expectation and reality.
1 Timothy 1:13-15 (NIV) Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.