Study Guide: "Grace-full Living"

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Today we encounter another apparent contradiction as we examine the Gospel according to Jesus:

 

[Matthew 5:7]

 

This beatitude follows a different pattern than the others we’ve studied.  Other beatitudes state that the promised result is the opposite of the proposed action:

​Poor>receive kingdom

​Mourn>receive comfort

         Meek>inherit the earth 

           Hunger/thirst>receive complete satisfaction

This statement by Jesus involves a reciprocal action--something done to itself.  Give mercy/receive mercy.

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As we examine Christ’s statement, we will come to see that at the heart of Christianity is a heart that remembers resulting in a grace filled life.

 

Let me explain . . .

 

I.  Christianity Is Out of This World.

Or, in other words, Christianity was never meant to resemble anything in this world.

 

Christ never made a more radical statement than, “Blessed are the merciful . . .”

 

    1.  The Jews of Jesus’ day were not people of mercy.

John MacArthur: “For the most part, the days in which Jesus lived and taught were not characterized by mercy.  The Jewish religionists themselves were not inclined to show mercy, because mercy is not characteristic of those who are proud, self-righteous, and judgmental.”

 

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To most of Jesus’ listeners, showing mercy was considered one of the least of virtues, if it was thought to be a virtue at all.

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Mercy was in the same category as love – you loved those who loved you and showed mercy to those who had shown mercy to you.  That’s why Jesus made the statement in Matthew 5:43, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’”

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Neither were the Romans people of mercy.

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A popular Roman philosopher of Jesus’ days called mercy “the disease of the soul.”

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Mercy was a sign that you did not have what it takes to be a real man, especially a real Roman.

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The Romans glorified courage, strict justice, firm discipline, and, above all, absolute power.  They looked down on mercy, because mercy to them was weakness, and weakness was despised above all other human limitations.

illus:

During much of Roman history, a father had the right of (patria opitestas) deciding whether or not his newborn child would live or die.  As the infant was held up for him to see, the father would turn his thumb up if he wanted the childto live, down if he wanted it to die.  If his thumb turned down the child was immediately drowned.  At any time and for any reason they could kill and bury a slave, with no fear of arrest.  Husbands could even have their wives put to death on the least provocation.

 

3.

Our world today is still characterized by a lack of mercy.

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People are quick to judge.

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People are quick to hate – violence around the world (India/Pakistan).

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People are quick to want revenge.

 

So, what we’re saying is that being people of mercy stands at opposition with the accepted ways of the world.  If you become a person of mercy, you will be different/stand out.

 

II.  Christianity Is a Verb, Not a Noun.

    1.  The Meaning of Mercy.

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The word Jesus uses for merciful is the same word used in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint) to translate the Hebrew word for God’s character.  The English translation of the word is usually mercy, love, loving-kindness, or steadfast love.

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The basic meaning is to give help to the afflicted and to rescue the helpless.  It is compassion in action.

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Mercy is Love that Does Something.

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Jesus is not speaking of detached or powerless sentiment that is unwilling or unable to help those who are in need.

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This is not some passive, silent concern, which, though genuine, is unable or unwilling to give tangible help.

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Perhaps the best illustration of mercy is the story told by Jesus inLuke 10:30-37.  You probably know it as the story of the Good Samaritan.

[READ Luke 10:30-37]

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3.

Mercy Has Four Dimensions in This 

1) It sees distress (v. 33)- the Samaritan saw the wounded man/ didn’t turn his face away from the ugly 

2) It responds internally with a heart of compassion (v.33)-feel the 

3) It responds externally with a practical effort to relieve the distress (v.33)-do something about the 

4) It happens even when the person in distress is by religion and/or race an enemy (v.33)-a half-breed Jew with a warped religious tradition stops to help the Jew who hates 

    4. How do we practice mercy?

 

         1) Through physical acts, as did the good Samaritan.

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As Jesus specifically commands:

    Feed the hungry,

​​Clothe the naked,

​​​Visit the sick,

​​​​Visit the imprisoned,

​​​​​Give any other practical help needed.

In serving others in need, we demonstrate a heart of mercy.

 

2) Through our attitudes.

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Mercy does not:

   Hold a grudge,

​Harbor resentment,

​​Take advantage of another’s weakness,

​​​Publicize/gossip about another’s sin.

 

Close:

​I want to go back to my earlier statement: At the heart of Christianity is a heart that remembers.  What I’m referring to is God’s cycle of mercy.

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God is merciful to us by saving us through Christ.

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We remember God’s infinite goodness to us.  In gratitude, we are merciful to others.  We have been forgiven an unforgivable debt; therefore, we extend that same forgiveness to those who hurt/harm or disappoint us.

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God in love gives us even more mercy, pouring out blessing for our needs and withholding severe punishment for our sins.

[READ Matthew 18:21-35]

 

If we have received from a holy God unlimited mercy that cancels our unpayable debt of sin—we who had no righteousness but were in a beggarly, helpless condition, wretched and doomed—it surely follows that we should be merciful to others.

 

1) Have you experienced God’s unconditional forgiveness?

2) Have you forgotten God’s mercy?

3) Have you failed to extend mercy to someone else?

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes, Pastor) 

Image from bing.com