The Sermon on the Mount: The King’s Mandate: The Magnificence of Mercy

Sermon Series: The Life of Jesus: From Creation to the Cradle to the Cross to the Crown

Sermon Title:  The Sermon on the Mount: The King’s Mandate:  The Magnificence of Mercy

Sermon Text: Matthew 5: 7

Sermon Date: August 14, 2016

To be a child of the King, to belong to God's kingdom, to be a Christian, to be a saved person is to possess a certain kind of nature, a certain kind of disposition, a certain kind of character that is defined in these Beatitudes. As Martyn Lloyd-Jones also said, "We are not meant to control our Christianity, but rather our Christianity is meant to control us." And it starts from the inside and works its way out.

Salvation is something that happens to us at the very center of our being. It is something which occurs that is called a new creation. When the Holy Spirit makes us alive again in Christ, Jesus controls everything we are at the innermost part of our being and flows out from that point. Jesus was not interested in external religion. He was not interested in formal religious ceremony any more than God was. He was not interested in superficial works with wrong motives. He was interested in pure transformed hearts. He characterized the Jews as sepulchers or graves painted white on the outside, but inside full of dead men's bones.

This is so important to know.  This separate true and false conversion.  In addressing the issue of a real salvation, a real religion, a true knowledge of God, Jesus speaks to matters of the heart. As Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote many years ago, "A Christian IS someone before he DOES anything." It all starts with who we are. And we've already gone through the first four of these Beatitudes. He talks about those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who are gentle, or better translated meek, meaning humble, and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Those are characteristic inner principles that operate in the life of those who belong to God's kingdom.

This is a God-like characteristic for those who have been born again, and the way it shows is by having a heart full of mercy.

It is not softness

It is not sinament

Mercy – compassion in action. It is the opposite of being hard, unforgiving, and unfeeling.

I want for you this evening, to consider 3 points about this Beatitude. Notice if you would…

 

1. THE BEAUTY OF MERCY

Did you know one of the most beautiful characteristics of God is mercy, and when you give mercy, you are displaying a God-like characteristic.  Listen to Lam. 3:22-23 – Through the LORD’S mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

Did you ever stop to think that in order for you not to live this day that God doesn’t have to take it. No, all God has to do is stop giving it.

It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed.

Eph. 2:4 – But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us.

Eph. 5:1 – Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.

We see a good illustration of this by our Lord Jesus Christ in Luke 10:25-37.

What do I have to do to be saved asked the lawyer.  Love God with all of your being and your neighbor as yourself.

Vs. 25 – He got it right, but still got it wrong.

Did you know you can be 100% right and still die and go to hell?

I know the plan of salvation. It isn’t the plan that saves you; it is the man of salvation.

A. Jerusalem to Jericho – vs. 30

Jerusalem is set up on a hill

Jericho is down by the Dead Sea, in the rift about 1,300 feet below sea level.

Picture of man going away from God going from the Holy city of Jerusalem to heathen city of Jericho.

Man fell among thieves, cut-throats.

They beat him, robbed him, and left him for dead.  That is exactly what the world does to people.

B. Certain Priest – vs. 31

Religious people of that day, the teachers. They performed all of the rituals and sacrifices.

This priest represents the ritualism.  

C. Levite – vs. 32

Keepers of the Law

If priest represents ritualism, then this guy represents rules.

Law can describe us and condemn us, but it cannot redeem us.

D. Certain Samaritan – vs. 33

They were the one despised by the Jews.

Saw where he was.

Went to him.

Tended to his wounds, had compassion.

1) Oil – holy spirit

2) Wine – blood

Put him on his own animal – picture of Jesus taking our place and us taking His place. Substitution. What a wonderful picture of salvation.

Notice vs. 36-37. Oh that we would learn mercy, compassion in action.

 

Here’s what I know tonight. There are three kinds of people among us. There are the beater uppers, passer uppers, and the picker uppers.

 

2. THE BASIS OF MERCY

That is, How do you show mercy?

Might I say there can be no mercy without truth. You get that. There can be no mercy without truth. I’m talking about THE BASIS OF MERCY.

Psalm 85:10 – Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.

Study sometime the number of times God conjoins mercy and truth. You will be amazed.

Have you ever had someone try to argue the fairness of God? I say God is not fair. If he was fair we all would be done for. God is just and merciful. For some to get what is fair is to say they get what is coming to them.

The justice of God says sin must be punished. That is truth, and once you see the truth, you will cry out for mercy.

If you refuse the shed blood of Christ, don’t think you will come before God and receive mercy. Won’t happen.

I’ll tell you this; you either walk out tonight under or over the blood.

Heb. 10:28-29 – Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy n the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

In Old Testament, if a man said he didn’t care about the law, he died without mercy. (vs. 28)

You say that is Old Testament. I say notice in the New Testament (vs. 29).

 

3. THE BLESSINGS OF MERCY

For they shall obtain mercy

That doesn’t mean we are saved because we show mercy. It means we show mercy because we are saved.

The more mercy we show, the more we get

But we cannot get it till we see…

o Our bankrupt, our need for repentance

o Come under the authority of Jesus, desire Jesus. Then we can begin to show mercy.

Luke 12:48

Those who have received mercy want to give it.

Have you received mercy?