hidden page for editing transcript

The title of our message is blessed are the merciful.

‣

NOTE:

Include sermon points in medium headings throughout the transcript. Refer to this sermon page for examples. Type “/h2” and either click on the option or press ENTER/RETURN to generate a medium heading.

If the sermon has subpoints like the following image, then type subpoint headings as small headings → “/h3”.

medium heading

small heading

Add correct line breaks, correct capitalisation, correct punctuation, correct Australian English spelling, and correct KJV Bible verse quotations and references to my paragraphs where applicable. But do NOT — I repeat — do NOT alter or change ANY words from my paragraphs under ALL circumstances.

Blessed Are The Merciful (Matthew 5:7)

I. The Meaning Of Merciful

II. The Example Of Merciful

III. The Expression Of Merciful

1. Mercy And Forgiveness
2. Mercy And Love
3. Mercy And Grace
4. Mercy And Justice
5. Mercy In Action

Our text for tonight's message is taken from Matthew 5:7 "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." As we study the beatitudes, we have already considered the first four beatitudes, and we have seen the logical progression in the beatitudes. Being poor in spirit, the first beatitude, will cause us to mourn for our sins, the second beatitude. And that will humble us, the third beatitude, and that meekness will cause us to turn to God to seek for his righteousness, the fourth beatitude.

Notice the first four beatitudes have to do with our inner attitudes and characteristics. They are our inner qualities. That which is in our hearts. The next four beatitudes have to do with the outward manifestations of those attitudes. Which means what is in our hearts will manifest itself in our actions, in our behaviours, in the way we live our lives, and in the way we treat others.

The title of our message is blessed are the merciful. We want to consider the meaning of merciful, the example of merciful, and the expression of merciful. Showing mercy is not only a virtue that was lacking in Jesus' time. It is also a virtue most lacking in our time as well.

Is Mercy A Weakness?

Oftentimes people who show mercy are considered weak and soft. The Romans believed that a real man must have courage, firm discipline, absolute power, and to show mercy was a sign of weakness. That is what the world teaches. You must be strong. You must not show mercy. You must even be vicious if you want to be successful in power.

Later on in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "You only love those who love you, and you only show mercy to those who show mercy to you." That was why you teach, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy." That kind of love was unacceptable to God.

Therefore, Jesus said in Matthew 5:44–45, "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." What was Jesus trying to say? Be merciful just as your heavenly Father was merciful.

I. The Meaning Of Merciful

Firstly, let us consider the meaning of merciful. The basic meaning of merciful is to give help to the afflicted and rescue the helpless. It is compassion in action. It is about meeting people's needs. It is not simply feeling compassion but showing compassion. It is not only being sympathetic but giving a helping hand, like giving food to someone who is hungry, rendering comfort to the bereaved, loving those who are rejected, forgiving those who have offended you, and being a companion to those who are lonely.

Remember, blessed are the merciful is the first beatitude to manifest itself in action. Let's say if you walk down the street and you see a hungry beggar, you may have compassion in your heart, but it takes mercy to show that compassion. You buy a packet of food and give it to the beggar. That is showing mercy. What you feel in your heart is only compassion.

If you hear of a brother in Christ who has just lost his job, you may have empathy in your heart, but it takes mercy to show that empathy. You help by paying some of his bills if you are able to. In other words, if you have compassion, sympathy, empathy, consideration, love, and so forth, you need to manifest those qualities. How? By showing mercy.So this word merciful is actually one of the most amazing virtues because it is an action word so to speak.

The Source Of Mercy

Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy from who? Some people translate this verse as happy are you who show mercy because whenever you show mercy to others, those to whom you show mercy to, they will be merciful to you. But that is not what this verse means.

Firstly, if you notice, God is the subject in the entire beatitude. He is the one who gives the kingdom of heaven to the poor in spirit. He is the one who comforts those who mourn. He is the one who gives the meek, the ability to inherit the earth. He is the one who fills those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. And here God is still the subject all the way until the last beatitude.

So by showing mercy to others, we are not expecting to receive anything from them. Whenever you show mercy to others, do you really believe that you will surely obtain mercy from them? Most certainly not. Sometimes they do return mercy for mercy. But at other times they even return evil for mercy. Right? The promise in this verse is that when we show mercy to others, we will receive mercy from God. That is a great encouragement.

You see, some people do have compassion, sympathy and empathy for others and they do show acts of mercy. But the problem is that they have certain expectations. They want something in return. They expect to receive gratitude, appreciation, acknowledgement, thankfulness, etc. When they do not receive those things in return for showing mercy, they become discouraged and then they stop showing mercy. That is a wrong expectation.

We do not look to the people, but we look to God because the promise is that we shall obtain mercy from Him. My encouragement to you is this. Whenever you show mercy to others, do not expect anything in return, but look to God because he is the one who will reward you. Man may forget your good deeds, but God never forgets. He remembers. and his promise is that you shall obtain mercy.

II. The Example Of Merciful

Now, who is the best example of being merciful? Jesus Christ. This brings us to our second point, the example of merciful. Jesus Christ was the most merciful human being ever lived on the face of the earth. 100% God and 100% man. He reached out to heal the sick, restored the lame, gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and even life to the dead.

He received the prostitutes, tax collectors, and publicans, and forgave their sins. When the scribes and Pharisees brought an adulterous woman to him to see if she should be stoned to death, he was merciful to her. And he said to them, "Who is he amongst you that is without sin? Let him first cast a stone at her." When no one step forward to condemn her, Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more." (John 8:11)

Now, what was the response to Jesus mercy? Did he obtain mercy from the people? No. The scribes and Pharisees were so offended by him that later on they pick up stones to throw at him. The more Jesus showed mercy, the more he revealed the unmercifulness of the people. The more he showed mercy, the more determined they were to kill him. What lesson can we learn from here?

When we show mercy to others, we not only do not expect to receive anything in return, but in fact we expect to receive the opposite. But some of us may be thinking, how is it possible that people will return evil for good? Well, firstly, the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. And secondly, in the eyes of the people, they will not perceive our acts of mercy as good, just as they will not perceive Jesus’ acts of mercy as good. and they persecuted him.

III. The Expression Of Merciful

How do we show mercy the way God wants us to show mercy? Let us look at several examples in the Bible. How this word mercy or merciful is expressed? Titus 3:5, "Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” God did not forgive us because of our works of righteousness, but according to his mercy. He not only saved us by his grace and mercy at our justification, but he continues to save us by his grace and mercy in our sanctification as long as we live on this earth.

We are not perfect. We will still fall into sin. But God is merciful to forgive our sins every day of our lives. That is why Lamentations 3 verse 22-23 said, "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.” So as believers, we are recipients of his mercy in the forgiveness of our sins.

a. Mercy And Forgiveness

But do you know that God expects us to show mercy by forgiving others? It is an expectation that believers must forgive. In Matthew chapter 18:21, then came Peter to Jesus and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him till seven times?" Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto you until 7 times, but 70 * 7. 70 * 7 means 490 times.

Can you imagine your brother sinning against you and you say that is once and then that is twice and then that is the 17th time and then that is the 39th time. Before long you will forget the number of times. It is impossible to remember every single one of those sins. And it could be also Jesus was referring to your brother sinning against you 490 times in one day. The point is that you forgive no matter how many times. That is showing mercy. But what if you choose not to forgive? Jesus then went on to speak of a parable about the unforgiving servant.

The Wicked Servant

There was a servant who owed the king 10,000 talents, a great amount of money. And since he was unable to pay the debt, his entire family and everything he had will be sold to repay the debt. He begged the king for mercy. And the king was merciful and forgave all his debts. But there was another servant who owed this servant 100 pence. Nothing in comparison with the 10,000 talants which he was forgiven. He went after that pitiful servant and threw him into prison for defaulting on his payment.

When the king heard about this matter, he was so angry and he said to the unforgiving servant, "Oh, thou wicked servant, I forgave all your debts because you beg for mercy. Why did you not show compassion and pity on your fellow servant?” He was so angry that he threw this servant to the tormentors until he was able to repay all his debts. Obviously that unforgiving servant was an unbeliever because he did not understand what mercy was.

The point of the parable was to teach us that as believers, we have received such a great infinite mercy from our almighty God who has forgiven all our sins. And therefore, we are expected to show mercy by forgiving the sins that our brothers and sisters have committed against us. When we bear a grudge or have a bitter spirit and refuse to let it go, we do not want to forgive our brothers and sisters in Christ. We will be just like this unforgiving servant in that parable. God forbid. We must show mercy by forgiving, no matter how many times.

b. Mercy And Love

Ephesians 2:4–5 "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)" You and I were once dead in sins. We were walking according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, that is Satan. We were by nature the children of God's wrath. But God loved us. He was merciful to us, and he saved us.

Can you see how God's mercy is connected with his love? He is rich in mercy because his love is great. In other words, when we show mercy, it is because of this love we have in our hearts. If we put it the other way around, this love that we have in our hearts will manifest itself in showing mercy. The greater the love we have, the richer the mercy we will show. Love and mercy are connected.

Dear friend, when you see someone who forgives very willingly, very compassionate, very willing to help, very willing to meet others' needs, very merciful, what do you see? You see a person who has great love. But the opposite is also true. When you see someone who is unforgiving, not compassionate, not willing to help, not willing to meet people's needs, even though he or she is able to, not merciful, you see a person with little or no love. Love and mercy are connected.

c. Mercy And Grace

1 Timothy 1:2, "Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord." Mercy is often connected to grace because both are related to sin. Grace refers to God's undeserved favour, love, and forgiveness. And it frees sinners from the consequences of sin. Mercy frees us, not from the consequences of sin, but from the misery that comes with sin. One theologian describes it very interestingly. Grace deals with the cause of sin, and mercy deals with the symptoms of sin. Grace cures the disease, and mercy eliminates the pain.

How can we show mercy in regard to sin? When we confront sin, whether it be in our lives or in the lives of the body of believers, the church, the spiritual family. When we see a brother or sister in Christ living in sin, we must confront his or her sin. And how do we do that? Using the word of God. 2 Timothy 3:16–17 says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."

So the more we know the word of God, the more we are equipped to confront sin. When the believer acknowledges his sin and repents, we must help to restore the person. And we do it gently with a spirit of meekness, as Galatians 6:1–2 has taught us. Having said that, it is not easy to confront sin. Nobody likes to be confronted. And more often than not, we will receive negative responses. We may be accused of being critical, judgmental, hypocritical, or having a holier-than-thou attitude. But we are still willing to do it. Why?

Because we love the brethren. We do not want to see them living in sin and suffer the terrible consequences. People always think that it is unloving and unkind to confront sin. But when we ignore sin, we are leaving the person in the most sorrowful estate. It is neither loving nor merciful. The opposite is true. To confront sin, as difficult as it is, is to be merciful. So believers must be willing to confront sin. And we see this connection between mercy or being merciful, grace, and confrontation.

d. Mercy And Justice

Mercy is also related to justice. Although on the surface they may seem to be contradictory, justice gives exactly what we deserve, and that is punishment. Mercy gives what we do not deserve, and that is forgiveness.

Some people find it very difficult to understand how God can be both just and merciful at the same time. For God to be completely just, how could he not punish our sins? For God to be merciful would appear that He has compromised His justice. But the truth is that God does not show mercy without punishing sin. And He did it through his only begotten Son on the cross of Calvary. That is how the good news of the gospel comes in.

When Jesus Christ paid the penalty of our sins in order that God might be merciful to us on the cross, Jesus satisfied God's justice. And when a person trusts in that sacrifice, God opens the door of his mercy. The good news is not that God compromised His justice or He closed His eyes to our sins. The good news is that through the shedding of Christ's blood, justice was satisfied, forgiveness of sin was established, and mercy was made available. That is why we must share the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the most merciful thing to do.

In Matthew 9:36–38, "But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."

Harvest is Judgement Time!

Whenever we see the word harvest, we always think of bringing in the fruits. Well, that may be true, but oftentimes when the Bible talks about harvest, it also refers to the harvest as in the time of judgment. Remember Jesus said, "Let the wheat and tears grow together until the harvest. And when the time of harvest comes, the tares will be bundled together to be burned, and the wheat will be gathered into the barns.” The harvest was a time of judgment.

When we look at the people around us, our unbelieving loved ones, our grandparents, our parents, our friends, we must have this compassion to look beyond that which is physical and know that they are all ripe for judgment. When death knocks on their doors, it will be too late. They will be judged for their sins and be eternally separated from God. The most merciful thing we can ever do to them is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Dear friend, when we participate in the evangelistic activities of the church, whether it be street evangelism, personal evangelism, gospel rallies, or teaching in the Sunday school, we must learn to see that it is the most merciful thing God wants us to do, to share the gospel that souls may be saved.

e. Mercy In Action

Finally, mercy in action. Sometimes a particular situation will come to you, and you need to exercise mercy. What do I mean? For example, when someone has offended you and you forgive the person, that is when the situation is presented to you, and you need to respond by being merciful.

But at other times you need to go out of your way to show mercy. That is what James 1:27 says, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." In other words, you actively go out of your way to show mercy by visiting the orphans and widows in their afflictions. They will not come to you. You need to go to them.

So when we visit the elderly residents in the Monash Gardens Home, that is one way of showing mercy. Or when we visit the mission field in Myanmar, like the establishment of the orphanage and help to meet their needs, that is another way of showing mercy. So there are situations that are presented to us, and we need to respond by being merciful. There are situations when we actively go out of our way to show mercy.

In the Gospel of Luke 6:36, Jesus commanded us, "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful." God will not command us to do something that we will never be able to do. It is not easy to forgive others. It is not easy to show love, especially to people who have hurt us. It is not easy to confront sin. It is not easy to share the gospel with people who would reject us again and again. But God wants us to do it, and he will give us the strength to do it.

If we are true believers, by the wonderworking of the Holy Spirit, we have experienced what it means to have this poverty in spirit. What it means to mourn for our sins. What it means to humble ourselves by turning to God. What it means to hunger and thirst after righteousness. All these are the inner attitudes, qualities, and characteristics in our hearts.

But now the time has come for us to manifest them in action. And it is also the work of the Spirit of God that we are able to be merciful. And when we show mercy, God promised that we shall obtain mercy. The more mercy we show, the more mercy we will receive from him. That we will continue to be merciful as long as we live on this earth until we see our Lord Jesus face to face. "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." What a blessed promise.

Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, in our study on the beatitudes in Matthew chapter 5, we have come to this fifth beatitude. As we have learned, the first four beatitudes have to do with our inner attitudes and characteristics. They are our inner qualities, that which is in our hearts. But we have come to the fifth beatitude, which is also the first beatitude to manifest itself in action.

So what is truly in our hearts ought to be manifested in our actions, in our behaviours, in the way we live our lives, and in the way we treat others by showing mercy. And thou hast taught us the meaning of being merciful. And thou hast given to us the ultimate perfect example of what it means to be merciful, our Lord Jesus Christ himself. And thou hast taught us the different expressions of being merciful.

And we pray that we will take it and apply all this truth into our lives. For we know that it is a command, and thou wouldst expect every one of us, as believers, as recipients of thy mercy, to be merciful. We cannot do this based on our own strength, but through the working of thy Spirit, we will be able to do it. So help us. We commit this time and this learning of thy word, and our breaking into different groups to pray and submit our items today. We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.