Mercy - (Matthew 5:7)

Scripture

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." 
Matthew 5:7

TAKE AWAYS
  • Jesus has established a theme of examining what following Him should look like. He speaks of things like being in a place of desperate need, of mourning, of being humble, and of having a strong yearning to get it right. 
  • The current religious thought was that it was all about effort. Jesus teachings leading in to this are not about effort, it is about the condition that we are in.
  • Jesus now teaches about mercy. That to receive mercy, we must possess mercy. 
  • Jesus is not reverting to a new law (Matthew 5:17-18). However, for those who have been in great need, mourning, are humble, and have a great desire to get it right, this is the next step. If we have been forgiven much, our response should be to forgive nuch in return. (Matthew 6:12, Luke 7:41-50)
APPLICATION

Jeremiah 24:7  "I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart."

Matthew 9:13  "Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."

  • Faith is a response to seeing His grace and mercy, and not an effort to earn favor from Him. This is the gospel, the good news, because I could never do enough to earn God's favor.  It is not that obedience is not important, it's just that obedience alone, obedience that is not driven but a heart for Jesus, obedience that is not driven by repentance, is not worthy of the grace and mercy of God.
  • It appears that getting mercy also comes as a result of our giving mercy. Need more confirmation of this? Read Luke 18:9-14 (The Pharisee and the Tax Collector). It appears that if our approach to God is incorrect (that we are trying to earn His favor, rather than accept it through faith), there is consequence. One man walked away justified as a result of his prayer (really as a result of his heart.)
  • There are also times when our refusal to merciful will result in a lack of mercy from others. (Matthew 18:21-35, note Vs 31) In God's economy, Our mercy comes as a result of Hus mercy, (Romans 12:1)
NOTES
Jesus came to set us free. But with freedom comes responsibility. I am free from the law that binds me to live a life that is a response to the grace and mercy of God. In Exodus, the Israelites were set free from the rule of Pharaoh. Soon after God will give them the 10 Commandments (responsibility). They will wander in the wilderness. Some will long for a return to slavery, this freedom is not all they wanted it to be. It was hard work. That is how the journey to the promised land is. But understand that without God bringing them through the trials of the journey, they would not experience  and know the mercy of God. Without experiencing the mercy of God, how would they know what it is to be merciful?

PRAYER
I pray to see God's mercy, and that it will drive me to be merciful. I pray for forgiveness when I fall short. I pray for a heart of obedience, and not just acts of obedience. 

Bonus
The words are awesome.

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