Blessed are the Merciful Matthew 5 1-20-11

Sermon 1-20-11 Beatitudes Blessed are the Merciful Matthew 5

Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. KJV

What is mercy
Christian soup - Love, grace, mercy, forgiveness
The Christian faith does not exist without the purpose to forgive....

Justice is getting what we deserve.
Mercy is not getting what we deserve.
Grace is getting better than we deserve.

the difference between mercy and grace
Grace is a state. It is a general gift applied in a sweeping way
Mercy is a point in time
It belongs attached to a particular incident or circumstance

Mercy is a stay of execution. You deserve it, but didn't get it.
Someone needed help and you gave it to them

Ephesians 2:1-5
1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3all of us lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved.

What we deserved, what we got

this is good news to the world

To the Greco-Roman world, mercy was a character flaw; the ideal was justince. Since mercy involves providing unearned help or relief, it was contrary to justice,

Mercy is a primary trait of Christianity
Moreover, because God loves humanity, Christians may not please God unless they love one another was something entirely new.

Perhaps even more revolutionary was the principle that Christian love and charity must extend beyond the boundaries of family and tribe, indeed, that it must even extend beyond the Christian community.

Luke 6:31-36
31Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them, 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34And if you lead to those from whom your expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 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 children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Why is it important - Lords Prayer Matthew 6:9-15
9"Then then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hollowed be you name, 10your kingdom come, you will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 14For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your. 15But is you do not forgive others their sins, you Father will not forgive your sins.
the expectation that we will release others is central to Christianity

All of us know the burden of not releasing another
Who needs forgiveness more? The person you release or your who do the releasing?

How do we become merciful?
Barclay says - mercy required that you get inside someone else's skin
See them as God sees them
Think like them
Feel their pain - understand their frame
Isn't this what Jesus did it coming to earth as a man?

Mercy includes not only the concept of forgiving another, but having
compassion of the afflicted
Acts of mercy, Gifts of mercy

who is waiting for mercy from you?
Someone is suffered a job loss
Someone is lonely - left out
Someone is not cool, not popular
Someone hurt you

So how does this relate to you?
We are not as good at this as we should be
Lyle Lovett - God will

Who keeps on trusting you
When you've been cheating
and spending your nights on the town
and who keeps on saying that he still wants you
When you're thought running around
And who keeps on loving you
When you've been lying
Saying things ain't what they seem
God does - But I don't
God will - But I won't
And that's the difference - BetweenGod and me

How has God given mercy to me? John 3:16
19For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

We have nor right to judge

Instead we are invited to love -
Love keeps no record of wrongs
If you can do all the religious things, but cannot love, it doesn't count

We don't learn about this in class. I can't teach you this
You must walk with the master

demello
Someone you don't like - See Jesus with them
What does he say?

Why do we keep going to this church place
Why do we take our children.
there are things that the world will not teach

This is the place that we receive mercy
If is the place where our children will learn it

Mercy means it is never too late
For you - and for those to whom youextend mercy

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy