The Merciful

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Well, I encourage you to turn back with me to “The Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew, chapter 5, as we continue our study of the Beatitudes. Today we come to a Beatitude that, frankly, like the rest of them, but especially this one, is so out of sync with the culture in which we live. People in our world and in our culture here in the U.S. increasingly show no mercy. Several incidents have gone viral where witnesses video those in distress instead of helping them or calling for help. Drivers have followed and threatened and even shot at other drivers for the smallest perceived offenses. Bystanders will video a person that is in a moment of anger, and then they'll post it online with the name of the person, even their workplace, leading to public shame or even the loss of their job. Speakers are routinely disinvited from scheduled events because of an unwise past statement, sometimes despite a public apology and even a pattern of change. Family members cut each other off forever over past disputes or offenses, unwilling to seek reconciliation. When someone shares publicly a failure or a grief, such as having lost a child or struggling with addiction, people will often leave mocking, even brutal comments online about the person. Many respond to the suffering of innocent people forced to leave their homes because of war or disasters around this globe. They respond with cruelty with comments that totally lack compassion. The absence of mercy is evidence of an unredeemed heart. 

And in fact, today, we're going to learn in “The Sermon on the Mount,” our Lord here teaches us that a redeemed heart will always be characterized by, be known by, the quality of mercy. Jesus began “The Sermon on the Mount” with “Eight qualities that define the character of those who belong to His spiritual kingdom,” eight qualities that describe all true Christians. So far, we have examined the first four of them. Verse 3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Every true Christian is convinced, at the depths of his being, of his spiritual bankruptcy. Verse 4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Every true Christian mourns his own sin as well as the presence and power of sin throughout this fallen world. Verse 5, “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.” Every true Christian submits to God and then treats others with a humble, gentle spirit even when wronged. Verse 6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” As we learned last time, every true Christian longs to have a right standing before God, to be justified, but every true Christian also longs to have a righteous character and to have a life marked by righteous conduct. 

Now today we come to the fifth Beatitude. Let's read it together. Matthew, chapter 5, and look again at verse 7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Those who belong to Jesus' spiritual kingdom are always known by the quality of mercy. Now we can unlock Jesus' meaning here by considering “Three Key Concepts” that are embedded in this compelling statement. Let's look at those concepts together. 

Now the first key concept actually lies just beneath the surface of this Beatitude. It's not mentioned directly, but it's there supporting it. Let's consider first of all “The Divine Pattern of Mercy,” the divine pattern of mercy. You see, Jesus didn't invent the idea of mercy. It's very common in both Testaments, but it's especially frequent in the Old Testament. As a man, and remember He was both thoroughly God and thoroughly Man, as a Man our Lord learned the Old Testament Scriptures as He grew. He learned them thoroughly; He quoted them regularly, and He argued from them constantly. And so, it's no surprise then that He borrows this concept of mercy from the Old Testament. Specifically from the Greek translation that was popular in the first century that He and His disciples often quoted, and that is the Septuagint. 

Now the Old Testament Septuagint makes it clear that the virtue we call ‘mercy’ is “Perfected in God's Nature.” In the Old Testament, the overwhelming use of the word ‘mercy’ is not to describe a quality in humans, but a perfection in God. Now, as I pointed out to you, all believers manifest all of these qualities that are in the Beatitudes, and except for the first one, “a beggar in spirit,” they're all true of God as well. The reason that all believers manifest these attitudes is that in regeneration, the moment you came to faith in Christ, when God gave you a new heart, when He gave you the new birth and you were born again, implanted His Spirit within you, in that moment, He also began to recreate you in His image. Paul talks about us as believers “being renewed in the image of God.” That process began at your salvation, continues throughout this life, will only be perfect when you are like Christ, body and soul, at the rapture. 

Now, at the heart of what God is like, then, is this quality of mercy, and that's why it marks us. Now, there are two primary word groups in the Scripture that convey this truth about God. The one is ‘mercy,’ the one we're looking at. The twin truth that is really used as a synonym is ‘compassion,’ and the Septuagint treats these two words, ‘mercy’ and ‘compassion,’ as synonyms. Let me show you, turn back to Exodus, chapter 33; Exodus 33, and verse 18. You remember Moses asked God to show him His glory, and in verse 19 of chapter 33, God said this, “I Myself will make all My Goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD (Yahweh) before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” Now, Paul quotes that in Romans 9, about election, we'll look at that passage in a little bit, but here in the Septuagint, in the Greek translation that Jesus and the Apostles used frequently, the word ‘gracious,’ in verse 19 in our text, is the word ‘merciful,’ the same word as in the fifth Beatitude. Go down to chapter 34, verse 6, as the Lord proclaims His name to Moses, as He preaches a sermon on His name, it says, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious.” Again, in the Septuagint, it is ‘compassionate’ and ‘merciful.’ Those really are two slightly different words but really are often used as they are here as synonyms. Same thing is true in the New Testament, in James chapter 5, verse 11, it says, “the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.” So, this virtue then that we're studying is rooted and perfected in the nature of God. That's why Albert Barnes wrote, “Nowhere do we imitate God more than in showing mercy.” 

Scripture also teaches that the divine pattern of mercy is “Displayed to God's Creatures.” Not only is it inherent in and perfected in His nature, but it overflows to all that He's made. First of all, God shows mercy “To All.” Psalm 145, verse 9 says, “The LORD (Yahweh) is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works.” God shows this quality to all of His works. He even shows mercy “To unbelievers.” Luke chapter 6, verse 35, Jesus says, “for He (God) Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.” And then here's Jesus' point, therefore you “be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” And in context, He's talking about showing mercy to unbelievers. But God especially shows mercy “To His own.” To those whom He chose and whom He has redeemed, He is especially merciful.” says in Luke 1, verse 50, “AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM,” those who know Him, those who have repented and believed in Him. 

Now, His mercy in the lives of us who are believers takes a number of different forms. But let me give you two specifically. First of all, God's mercy is a “Ground of our election.” Turn over to Romans, chapter 9. I mentioned this passage a moment ago. Romans, chapter 9, Paul is arguing for sovereign election, that God chooses to save based on nothing in us but solely what is in Himself. And in verse 15 of Romans 9, Paul writes, “For He (God) says to Moses, ‘I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.’” There's the Septuagint version with the word ‘mercy’ instead of ‘gracious.’ And here's Paul's conclusion, verse 16, “So then it (that is election, God's choice to save) does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs (in other words, it's not because of human decision, it's not because of human effort, but election depends) on God who has mercy.” So God's choice of you, the fact that you sit here this morning as a believer, the fact that He chose you in eternity past, that He drew you to Himself through the Gospel, that He saved you, that He changed you, God's choice of you wasn't because of your will or your effort. Instead, His decision was completely free of obligation, solely according to His sovereign grace. 

God's mercy is also “A reason for our salvation.” Ephesians, chapter 2, verses 4-5, “God, being rich in mercy…made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” Titus 3:5, the passage I read this morning, the theme of the morning, “He (God) saved, us not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy.” 1 Peter, chapter 1, verse 3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again.” If you sit here this morning, if you're a Christian, it's because of God's mercy toward you. The divine pattern of mercy is perfected in God's nature, it's who He is, but it's displayed to His creatures.

Thirdly, it's “Illustrated in God's Son.” Jesus exegeted God, John 1:18 says; and Jesus perfectly illustrated God's mercy and God's compassion, and He showed it in so many different ways. Let me just highlight a couple of them. Jesus showed mercy “Toward physical needs, including hunger.” Matthew 15, verse 32, “Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, ‘I feel compassion for the people, (Why?) because they have remained with me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.’” You see, the compassion, the mercy of Jesus in His concern for the physical needs of the people. 

You see this same quality in His mercy “Toward suffering,” toward human suffering, Matthew, chapter 20, verse 30:

And two blind men were sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Lord (Listen to their cry.), have mercy on us, Son of David!” The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” (and verse 34 says) “Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him. 

Our Lord perfectly illustrated God's compassion, His mercy toward those who are enduring human suffering of various kinds. 

He also showed compassion and mercy “Toward poverty.” Jesus and His disciples regularly gave out of the money that they had collectively to the poor. John 13:29, that's what the disciples thought that Judas left to do on the night of the Last Supper, because that was routine for Jesus and His disciples.

And, fourthly, Jesus illustrated God's compassion “Toward sin and its consequences.” Maybe better, “Toward sinners and the consequences they face because of their sin.” In Mark, chapter 5, verse 19, you have this statement about the demoniac of Gadara. You remember the man that was horribly enslaved by Satan, and whom Jesus saved and freed. Jesus said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” Jesus showed mercy to that man by redeeming him, by saving him, by changing him. 

So the truth that undergirds this Beatitude, then, is that there is a perfection in our God that causes Him to be moved by human misery and to act to relieve it. In fact, A.W. Tozer, in his book, The Knowledge of the Holy, writes this “When through the blood of the everlasting covenant, we children of the shadows reach at last our home in the light, we shall have a thousand strings to our harps. But the sweetest may well be the one tuned to sound forth most perfectly the mercy of God.” So, there's the first concept that really lies beneath and supports this fifth Beatitude, and that is “The Divine Pattern of Mercy.”

Now that brings us to the Beatitude itself, and the second key concept is “The Believer's Practice of Mercy,” the believer's practice of mercy. Where does this mercy come from in the believer? Ultimately, it traces back to God, but where exactly does this originate in us? Look at verse 7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” You'll notice those two words, ‘merciful’ and ‘mercy,’ are from the same Greek root. But you'll notice the description of believers is an adjective. It's not describing an occasional act of mercy; rather, Jesus is saying that the one who belongs to His spiritual kingdom has a heart that is characterized by mercy. In fact, we use the word ‘merciful,’ you know, how that human word is constructed? It means ‘mercy-full.’ It means this person has a heart that is full of mercy. 

Now this is a crucial distinction, because unbelievers can at times show mercy. For example, Acts 28:2, after Paul's shipwreck, you remember, we read, “The natives (of the Island of Malta) showed us extraordinary kindness; for because of the rain that had set in and because of the cold, they kindled a fire and received us all.” Unbelievers can show occasional acts of mercy. We see that every time there's a natural disaster, and we see people rally to help those who are suffering. You watch on the news the destruction, the devastation down in South Texas with the floods, and unbelievers respond to that. Why? They can be generous in helping the unfortunate. Why does that happen? 

It's because of the residual image of God in them. You see, we are all made in God's image, and although that image was terribly marred at the fall, even unbelievers still retain remnants and shadows of that image. So, whenever you see unbelievers showing mercy, understand that that is simply an expression of that residual image of God in them. I would add that it's also an expression of the fact that we live in a country that still bears some marks of the Judeo-Christian past, and because of that, there's an appreciation for showing mercy. This isn't true in all cultures. I still remember talking, years ago, to a woman who was a part of our church who was raised in Buddhism, and she explained to me that as a younger person, she had been raped, and she said that all of her friends in Buddhism, immediately, when they heard of this, alienated her because they didn't want their karma to be affected by her bad karma. That's completely foreign to what Christ taught and the way Christians respond, and even our culture still bears some faint markings of that Judeo-Christian ethic. 

But understand this, while unbelievers can occasionally demonstrate mercy, mercy does not constantly characterize unbelievers. When they truly express who they are at a heart level, they are not consistently merciful. Proverbs 12:10 says, “even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.” Romans, chapter 1, verse 31, describing the sins that mark a pagan country, like ours has increasingly become, says that unbelievers are, by nature, “unmerciful.” And if you doubt that, just go rattle around the Internet a little bit. On the other hand, Jesus says that those who belong to Him and to His kingdom are characterized, like God Himself, by the quality of mercy. So that raises the question, “What exactly is mercy?” 

Let's consider “The Definition of Mercy.” Let me give you two definitions initially. One of them is from the leading Greek lexicon, Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon; it defines it as ‘Kindness or concern expressed for someone in need.’ That's good as far as it goes, but I like John Frame's even better. It is ‘A sympathetic view of another's distress, motivating helpful action.’ Now before we go further in this definition, we need to make sure we understand the significant difference between two similar biblical words, the words ‘grace’ and ‘mercy.’ ‘Grace’ is doing good to those who deserve the opposite. ‘Mercy’ is doing good to those who are in misery and distress. ‘Grace’ is a response to objective guilt that sin creates. ‘Mercy’ is a response to the misery that sin creates. ‘Grace’ brings forgiveness from sin's guilt. ‘Mercy’ brings relief from sin's misery. ‘Mercy’ then, along with its synonym ‘compassion,’ is the quality that moves a person to respond to the sin, the misery, the suffering, the pain of others, in order to relieve it. 

So let me give you a sort of three-part definition of mercy.  First of all, “It begins with being merciful–that is, with having a heart that is merciful.” “Then it responds emotionally with sympathy toward those in misery.” So, it starts inside; you can't consistently be full of mercy unless that's who you are, the Holy Spirit has changed you at the heart level. And then when you encounter misery, you respond with sympathy to that misery. But true mercy doesn't stop there. “True mercy always acts whenever possible.” So, don't think that when you see someone in misery and you feel bad about it, that that necessarily is this quality of mercy. I mean, mercy does involve sympathy, but true biblical mercy takes the next step, if it is at all possible, and acts; it acts to relieve the misery and the suffering. 

Now, how does this quality express itself?  Let's consider, now that we've defined it, let's consider “The Expressions of Mercy.” When it comes to God's mercy toward us and our mercy toward others, mercy includes these three fundamental expressions. First of all, “To the misery of sin and guilt, mercy extends forgiveness and restoration.” We are to extend to others the same mercy God has shown us by being quick to forgive the sins against us. You see it displayed in so many places. You see it with Joseph's response to his brothers in Genesis 50. But I want you to turn to Matthew chapter 18; you're familiar with this passage. The first part of the chapter, beginning in verses 15-20, documents church discipline, the process we're to follow if someone is in sin. And if they repent in that process, then we, as God's people, are to forgive them. So Peter is sort of working this out in his mind. Verse 21, “Then Peter came and said to Him (Jesus), ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’” Peter thought he was being generous. The rabbis taught three times, so he doubles it and adds one. And he says, “Is that enough?” “Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.’” He's really saying there should be no limit on your forgiveness. Now, let me just say, “That doesn't mean there aren't consequences to the sinful choices of people.” So I'm not saying that; but there ought to be a heart of forgiveness. That's what Jesus is saying. 

And then He tells the story, you remember, about a slave who is forgiven a massive debt. If you do the math, it is a debt that couldn't be repaid in multiple lifetimes, even if he devoted every penny he earned to repaying his debt. And the Lord forgives him; the master forgives him. And then there's a fellow slave who owes him a small debt equal to about three months’ worth of repayment. And he refuses to forgive him. Now, let's go to the conclusion; go to chapter 18, verse 31:

So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened (his refusal to forgive his fellow slave for the small amount, the small debt that he was owed), they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. Then summoning him, his lord said to him, “You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave in the same way that I had mercy on you?” And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. (And then Jesus makes this sobering statement, verse 35.) “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”

Jesus basically says here, “Listen, if you're a true follower of mine and you refuse to show mercy, the mercy of forgiveness to somebody who sins against you, then you're going to come under severe discipline. Or the other option is that refusal to demonstrate the mercy of forgiveness shows you've never experienced forgiveness yourself.” Those who belong to Christ respond with mercy to those who sin against us, even when the sin is horrible. Corrie ten Boom in her book, The Hiding Place, describes an unexpected encounter with one of the Nazi guards from Ravensbrück, the concentration camp where her sister died and where she was so horrifically treated. This is what she writes.

It was at a church service in Munich that I saw him, the former SS man who had stood guard at the shower room door in the processing center at Ravensbrück. He was the first of our actual jailers that I had seen since that time. And suddenly it was all there. The room full of mocking men, the heaps of clothing, Betsy's (that was her sister.) pain-blanched face. He came up to me as the church was emptying, beaming and bowing, “How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein,” he said, “to think that as you say, He has washed my sins away.” His hand was thrust out to shake mine. And I, who had taught so often the need to forgive, kept my hand at my side. Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man. Was I going to ask for more? “Lord Jesus,” I prayed, “Forgive me and help me to forgive him.” I tried to smile. I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth or charity. And so again, I breathed the silent prayer. “Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me your forgiveness.” As I took his hand, the most incredible thing happened. Into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me. 

You see, the point is, a merciful heart forgives those who have sinned against us.

A second expression of mercy is that “To the misery of need and poverty–it offers practical help.” You see, mercy actually helps people who find themselves in a variety of needs. Proverbs 14:21,”He who despises his neighbor sins, but (blessed) happy is he who is gracious to the poor.” Proverbs 14:31, “He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker, but he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.” Daniel 4:27, Daniel says to Nebuchadnezzar, “Therefore, O king…break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor.” This is a huge issue to God. I want you to turn with me to Isaiah 58; Isaiah 58, and God here chastens His people, corrects them and says, “You're doing all these religious activities, but without a heart of repentance” (Paraphrase). Verse 6, Isaiah 58, God says, “Is this not the fast which I choose (If you're going to do some religious thing, if you're going to have a fast, if you're going to have a festival, then repent.), to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and to break every yoke?” Isn't that what I'm after, God says? Verse 7, “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?” Your own flesh here is probably talking about the responsibilities we have to care for the needs of our family, our extended family. Certainly, it includes God's people. Helping those in need is so important to God that showing mercy is even a spiritual gift the Spirit gives to believers, according to Romans, chapter 12, verse 8. And showing practical mercy to others is also a test of the reality of our faith. 1 John 3:17, “But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?” 

A third expression of mercy is that “To the misery of pain and suffering,–it shows compassion.” Wherever there's suffering, Christians want to relieve it. Turn to Luke, chapter 10. This is really the point of this famous story of “The Good Samaritan.” Luke, chapter 10, and look at verse 29. Jesus has just said, “You need to love your neighbor.” Verse 29, the man he's talking to:

But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho” (That's about a drop of 3,300 feet in 17 miles; it's one of the most rugged roads in all the nation of Israel, and if you've been there, you understand that. And there were a lot of thieves and bandits that hid, waiting to take advantage of travelers.) and (this man) fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise, a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. (Here is a person in serious need, by all accounts, a fellow Jewish person, and they just don't want to get involved. There are lots of reasons but notice what happens. Surprisingly, verse 33.) But a Samaritan (And you understand the animosity that existed between the Samaritans and the Jews. A Samaritan.), who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, (And notice what compassion or mercy does.) and came to him and he bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them (That's an antiseptic as well as a soothing ointment.); and he put him on his own beast (This man was hurt badly enough he couldn't walk.), and brought him to an inn and took care of him. (So he personally took care of him, and then.) On the next day (He had to leave.) he took out two denarii (two days’ pay) and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ (Jesus said.) “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robber's hands?” And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”

Christians are to be compelled by mercy to help those who are suffering, who are in pain and suffering. You know, it's no surprise that the largest, most effective humanitarian projects in human history, things like hospitals, disaster relief agencies, caring for the homeless, orphanages, most of them have been started and maintained by Christians because this is what God implants within our hearts. Mercy is expressed practically by visiting the sick, being involved in a jail ministry, caring for the poor, ministering to the disabled, reaching out to the grieving. And in Old Testament terms, “caring for the sojourner.” You remember all the laws in the Old Testament about the sojourner? How do you define sojourner? That word means this, “The resident alien living in the country without the full rights of a native-born citizen.” There was to be compassion and mercy shown toward them. 

Now, don't misunderstand me. I understand the immigration issue is a complicated issue; one that needs to be dealt with politically and resolved. But let me tell you, “Don't allow your politics to get in the way of your Christian faith, a heart of compassion for those who are suffering and hurting.”

So how do you respond when someone sins against you? Do you get angry? Do you nurse a grudge, bitterness? Do you plot revenge whether you act upon it or not? Or are you willing to extend mercy, the mercy of forgiveness? How do you respond to the needy and poor that are in your life? Do you just write them off as lazy and undisciplined? Or do you try to help? Now, don't misunderstand; that doesn't mean you shouldn’t do this in wisdom, you should. It's not wise just to give money to everybody that might ask for money. They're likely going to misuse it. But do you actually seek to help those who have needs? Do you regularly give to our church's benevolence fund where the elders can carefully manage how those funds are distributed wisely to those in our church and beyond, who have needs? Do you seek to meet the need personally? Do you have compassion toward those suffering? And does it move you to pray for them and then to seek to relieve their suffering?” This is what the believer's practice of mercy looks like. So, we've seen “The Divine Pattern of Mercy;” We've seen, secondly, “The Believer's Practice of Mercy.” 

The third key concept is in verse 7 as well; it's “Jesus' Promise of Mercy.” Verse 7, “Blessed are the merciful, for (because) they shall receive mercy.” Now, there are benefits of showing mercy even in this life that accrue to you. Proverbs 11:17, “The merciful man does himself good, but the cruel man does himself harm.” But here, Jesus is speaking of something else. Just like the other promises in these Beatitudes, this one describes what God will do for the true believer in the future. God Himself will extend mercy in the future to the one who is merciful. Now, don't misunderstand, we don't earn God's mercy by being merciful. We saw it in Romans, chapter 9. God says, “ will have mercy on whom I have mercy.” He has mercy on whom He desires; so our mercy is not the grounds of God's mercy shown toward us. What Jesus is saying here is that those who are merciful are blessed. That is, they already belong to His spiritual kingdom. They have already experienced God's mercy to them in salvation. And having known that mercy in salvation, they in turn extend that mercy to others. Such people enjoy God's mercy in this life, and Jesus says when they stand before God someday, He will treat them in that day with mercy. 

Now, remember that when Jesus gave the Beatitudes, Luke tells us He also announced corresponding judgments or woes. Luke doesn't record this Beatitude or its opposite, but based on the pattern, Jesus' corresponding woe that day went something like this. “Woe to those who are unmerciful, who refuse to show the mercy of forgiveness to those who sin against them, who don't act to relieve the need and poverty of those in their lives and families, who don't respond to those who are suffering with sympathy and help. Woe to them, for they will not experience God's mercy for all eternity.” That, by the way, is exactly what James says in James 2, verse 13. “For judgment (God's judgment) will be merciless to the one who has shown no mercy.” God's judgment on the Day of Judgment will be without mercy to the one whose life has not been characterized by mercy here. Why? Because by the failure to show mercy, a person shows they have never known God's mercy. D. Edmund Hiebert puts it like this, “The practice of mercy toward others is the evidence that God's grace has produced a transformation in a person. The merciless man reveals that he has never vitally apprehended God's mercy himself.” He's never experienced God's mercy; that's why he doesn't show it to others. Leon Morris says, “These are people who show,” speaking of now, those who do demonstrate mercy, “these are people who show by their habitual merciful deeds that they have responded to God's love and are living by His grace and they will receive mercy on the last day.”

Now, as we've walked through this Beatitude, I've applied it in several different ways, but I want to end with “Four Specific Applications.” Number one, I encourage you to “Use this Beatitude to examine yourself to see if you are truly in the faith.” You see, like others, this is a litmus test of a true Christian. Jesus says those who are in His spiritual kingdom are characterized by mercy. The true Christian responds to sin against him with forgiveness. Now, let me just say, that doesn't mean you won't struggle to forgive, we do. The problem is when you refuse to forgive and you consistently refuse to forgive, when you want to nurse a grudge, when you want to keep it alive; that's not the response of a true Christian. The true Christian responds to need with practical help, and the true Christian responds to suffering with prayer, sympathy, and help. So let me ask you this morning, “Are you merciful? Are you merciful?” If so, then be encouraged. According to Jesus here, you are truly in His kingdom. You belong to Him because only the Spirit of God can produce that in the human heart where it's manifested consistently. 

Jesus says, on the other hand, that “If you are not characterized by mercy, when you stand before Him at the judgment, unless something changes, in that day, He will show you no mercy.” That's what Jesus said because you don't really belong to Him. In fact, look at Matthew, chapter 25; Jesus makes it very clear that this indicates whether you're truly a believer or not. We're not saved by showing mercy, but the failure to show mercy indicates we have never been saved. Look at verse 41, this is Jesus describing the judgment:

“Then He will say also to those on His left, ‘Depart from me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; (Why?) for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these (My followers), you did not do it to Me. These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’”

Jesus here says, “Those who are not merciful will end up in hell, because they've never known God's mercy. 

Secondly, “If you're a believer,” you already are merciful; the Holy Spirit has produced that in you; “you need to excel still more in showing mercy.” Paul says to the Colossians in Colossians 3:12, “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion”–make this what you're known by. Pursue it; ask the Holy Spirit to further produce in you a heart of mercy like our God's.

Number three, “Find comfort in the truth that Jesus always responds to His disciples with mercy.” If you're His, He is merciful. In fact, the exact form of the Greek word translated ‘merciful’ in our text occurs in only one other passage in the New Testament, and that's Hebrews, chapter 2, verse 17, “Therefore, He (Jesus) had to be made like His brethren in all things (He had to become fully human.), so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest…to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” It's because of His mercy that He saved you, and He will continue to show you mercy. In chapter 4 of Hebrews, verse 16, “Therefore, let us (who are His followers) draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” If you know Him, He's always going to show you mercy. 

Number four, if you don't know Him, if you've never repented of your sins and believed in Him, “If you are willing to do so, if you're willing to turn from your sin and to believe in Jesus Christ in His perfect life, His substitutionary death on the cross for sin, and His resurrection, if you will believe in Him, then God has promised to respond to you with mercy.” Let me show you this. Look at 1 Timothy, chapter 1. I love this passage, 1 Timothy, chapter 1, verse 15, Paul writes, “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom (Paul says.) I am the foremost (worst).” Why would God save Paul? Verse 16, “Yet for this reason I found mercy, (Why?) so that in me as the foremost (worst), Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.” God saved Paul, a man who tortured Christians, who hunted them down, who killed them. Why? To show you, if you're not yet a follower of Jesus Christ, that He will show you mercy if you will truly repent and believe in Him today.

Let's pray together. Father, thank You for our time. Lord, for those of us in Christ, help us to excel still more in this quality of mercy that so marks Your character. Don't let us be influenced by the world around us that is just brutal. Help us instead to reflect Your image. And Father, for those who don't know You, may they run to You because You promised to show them mercy. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.