Blessed are the

Merciful
Rev. Greg Green
Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church
Burlington, NC
.Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful
for they shall receive m.ercy.
At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, Matthew
records the proclamation of Jesus in one
of I-Tis most well known and probably most
misunderstood sermons. 'fhis sermon does not
present a sct of lofty unachievable principles
for living, rather, they arc proclamations
of a King to His subjects that can and
will be reproduced by His assistance.
The emphasis of Matthew's gospel is to present
J CHUS Christ as the King. Descending from the
royal line of David, Jesus' recorded birth is shown
to be a fulfillment of the faithful and prophetic
promise of God. Two names in chapters one and
two arc significant of the purpose and position
of Christ as he entered into the world. Mt. 1:23
states, "Behold the virgin shall be with child,
and shall bear a Son and they shall call His name
Immanuel," which translated means "God with
us," a quotation from Isa. 7:14. The verse shows
that Jesus is the son of God, and His purpose
in coming into the world is to save His people.
Then in Mt. 2:6 it is stated that His position
coming into the world was that of a ruler: "And
you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means
least among the leaders of Judah; for out of you
shall come forth a Ruler, who will shepherd My
people Israe1." This statement had followed the
Magi's inquiry of King Herod earlier in chapter
2, saying, "\\There is He who has been born King
The Co'unsel of Chalcedon
of the Jews?" Another faithful
fulfillment of prophecy recorded
in the book of Jeremiah 23:5 is
"Behold the days are coming,"
declares the Lord, "when I shall
raise up for David a righteous
Branch: and He will reign as
king and act wisely and do justice
and righteousness in the land."
Therefore, the context of the
sermon and the entirety of the
gospel of Matthew is Jesus, the
promised Messiah, is the King
coming to save His people.
The King comes as the result
of prophetic fulfillment, and
also proclaims the gospel of the
l{ingdom, which is His righteous
rule and power upon the earth. He
is the Good News of the kingdom
proclaimed. He is the fulfillment
of the promised blessing that God
would pour out upon the nations
of the world as seen in GaL 3:11 as
well as Acts 2:32-33. "This Jesus
God raised up again, to which we
are all witnesses. Therefore having
been exalted to the right hand of
God, and having received from
the Father the promise of the Holy
Spirit, He has poured forth this
which you both see and hear."
There is a centrality in the Bible
regarding the blessing of God upon
those who are His own. They bow
in humble obedience to the Son,
who is the King, who has heen
installed upon Mt. Zion, His holy
mountain. To better understand
who are the blessed and what
affect blessing has on their life,
we will consider one verse of the
Sermon on the Mount found in
Mt 5:7 "Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall receive mercy."
Let us consider three points;
1. The Proclamation of the King
Jesus the King is presented in
ch. 1-3:12, approved in 3:13-4:14,
selects disciples in 4:18-22,
Mahing the Nations Christ's Disciples
begins to minister in the area of
Galilee, and preaches the Gospel
of the Kingdom in 4:23-25.
\\Then Jesus began His
preaching, there had been a
predominance of ignorance
regarding the way of
righteousness. The Pharisees and
the Scribes were religious leaders
of that day and had misconstrued
the way of righteousness to a
formal, external, tedious keeping
of man-made laws, rather than
the true keeping of the law of
God. So distorted was their
way of righteousness that few
understood the law. Jesus, the
King, now ascends the mount
and opens I-Iis mouth to teach
the people to remove the twisted
thinking of men and restore a
rightful understanding of the
principles of the kingdom. Jesus
did not teach anything new, rather
expounded the law rightly.
Jesus' message conveys that
gospel righteousness embraces
the highest realization of
the law, which surpasses the
righteousness of the Scribes and
the Pharisees. This righteousness
is embedded not in that which is
merely external, but that which
comes from the heart. - God
is always concerned with the
heart, "The sacrifices of God are
a broken spirit; A broken and a
contrite heart, 0 God, You will
not despise." (Psalm 51:17)
The teaching of thc King is
notably different than the teaching
of the religiOUS leaders. Jesus
teaches as one having authority so
much so that they are practically
overwhelmed. This is the great
power of Christ preaching and
shaking men to the core of their
understanding and being. This
is the power and the authority of
a King to break the shackles of
man-made religion, of sin, guilt,
and rebcllion. This is the power
to rebuild and restore the rightful
order of the lives of the King's
truc subjects. Kings rule their
people by the authority of their
word. The words of the Pharisees
and the Scribes are like that of
the adultercss, they are smoother
than oil, but they are enemies of
God who profane the covenant
of God, "their hearts are at war;
their words are softer than oil, Yet
they are drawn swords, ready to
deliver death." The King makes
known the paths of Hfe and in
his presence is fullness of joy,
in His right hand are pleasures
evermore, Ps. 16:11. The path of
life is described as narrow and
few are those that find it. (lviatt
7:14) Few of these,who sought
only to maintain their own kind
of righteousness before God,
would find the path that leads
to life. Only "If they hear and
serve Him, They will end their
days in prosperity, and their
years in pleasures." (Job 36:11).
The word of the King alone is
reliable. It alone is the infallible
counselor of the souL Are you
committed to truth as it comes
from King Jesus, or the opinions
of friends or religious leaders
you liker;l The authority of
Christ's word shatters the frail
systems and sophistries of men.
To whom wi.ll y01t listen?
Upon whom will you rely?
Those who follow the King are
blessed by the King. How are
we to define the word blessing
that the Lord Jesus here uses
eight times? This portion of the
sermon is popularly known as
the 'Beatitudes' which comes
from the Latin word for blessed,
beatus, thus beatitude. (1) The
uttering of the word 'blessed'
was a pO\verful word to those

13
14
Blessed are the Merciful
that heard Jesus that day. They
were not as confused about its
meaning as we may be today.
The Definition of Blessing
When we compare the words
used for blessing in the Old and
New Testament, there is scarcely
any difference in the meaning of
the word. Generally, it means a
condition or state of happiness,
enjoyment or increased benefit,
productivity. To be blessed does
not mean to feel delighted, though
feelings are not entirely excluded.
It implies an inner satisfaction
and sufficiency that does not
depend on outward circumstances
for happiness. It is the typical
language of God for how men
live before Him - they either live
for blessing or for curse. Dt.
11:26-28 states, "See, I am setting
before you this today a blessing
and a curse; the blessing, if you
listen to the commandments of
the Lord your God, which I am
commanding you today; and the
curse, if you do not listen to the
commandments of the Lord your
God, but turn aside from the way
which I am commanding you
today, by following other gods
which you have not known."
The Dispensing of Blessing
The term blessing can be
understood most Significantly as
it comes from God as a bestowal
of benediction. Blessing came
as a result of conformity to that
whdeh glorified God. It could
be botb gift and reward. Tbe
term blessing could be used
in four particular ways:
1. God to man or creation- Gen.
1:22, "God blessed them, saying be
fruitful and multiply ... " Creation
has received God's blessing and
sustaining hand. If it were not for
his hand and moment by moment
keeping the creatures and this
planet that they walk upon, it
would suddenly and violently fling
into innumerable pieces, yea, and
total non-existence. His hand
is ever upon that which he has
blessed and He will accomplish His
purpose toward that which groans
and awaits it total redemption.
2. Man to God - We see the
example of where Abraham's
servant blessed God in Gen
24:27 when he said, "Blessed be
the Lord, the God of my master
Abraham, who has not forsaken
His lovingkindness and His truth
toward my master; as for me,
the Lord has gUided me in the
way to the house of my master's
brothers." This a creaturely
imitation of what God does, in
whose image we are made.
3. Man to Man - Rebekah's
relatives bless her in Gen.
24:60, by saying, "May you, our
sister, Become thousands of
ten thousands, and may your
descendants possess The gate
of those who hate thee."
The truly blessed person is one
who trusts, hopes, fears, waits for
God, and loves Him. These are
qualities that the Pharisees and
the Scribes could not produce.
The internal qualities, of which
Jesus now speaks, come only
when one is in a right relati onship
with God. This is then seen in
the fourth aspect of blessing:
4. Covenantal Blessing - Far
beyond the above examples of
blessing is the Covenantal bleSSing
of God. This is a bestowal of
divine good in terms of a special
relationship. The goodness of
God is the fount from which
God's love, ,grace and mercy flow.
His special love is expressed by
blessings that are abundantly
poured out to the redeemed people
of His Covenant. God attaches
Himself to his chosen people
in a bond oflove through the
merits of Christ, the mediator.
The Desire of Blessing
The Redeemed long for the
blessing of Him who has united
Himself to them by Covenant.
Their hearts can only find true
satisfaction in Him. Only He has
the power which can deliver the
goods they need for this life and
the life to come. Only He can
deliver the good He promises to
successive generations. Because
He is eternal, He will faithfully
attend to them that are the
continued objects of divine
Covenantal blessing. Because
He is faithful, He will keep
His promise. We understand
this Covenantal blessing most
poignantly from Gen.12:1-3.
Pastor Morecraft has stated that
in this passage God initiates
a Covenant with Abraham, in
which he promises four things:
1. Fellowship means the:
-Presence of God. His
relationship with the world
as he knew it was going to
change. God would be a
Father to Him, and he would
be adopted into a new family.
-Guidance- to the land
that I will show you.
-Protector - I will curse
those that curse you.
-Prosper - I will make you great.
2. Seed - Gen. 15:5 There would
be descendants too numerous
to count, but most importantly
Christ, the one preaching this
sermon, is the seed of Abraham.
Gal. 3:7, 9, 16, 28, 29
The Counsel qi Chalcedon
Gal. 3:16 Now the promises
were spoken to Abraham and
to his seed. lIe does not say,
"And to seeds," as referring to
many, but rather to one, "And
to your seed," that is, Christ.
Gal. 3:29 "And if you
belong to Christ, then you
are Abraham's descendants,
heirs according to promise."
3. Land - To the Land I will
show you. In Mt. 28:18, Christ
says "All authority has heen given
to Me in heaven and on earth."
Mt. 28 is the promised fulfillment
of Ps. 2, "Ask of Me and I will
surely give the nations as Thine
inheritance, .And the every ends
of the earth as Thy possession."
4. Blessing through his
seed to all families of the
world Ps. 22:27-31
"All the ends of the earth will
remember and turn to the Lord,
And all the families of the nations
wil1 worship before You. For
the kingdom is the Lord's and
He rules over the nations. The
prosperous of the earth will eat
and worship, All those who go
down to the dust will bow before
Him, Even he who cannot keep
his soul alive. Posterity will serve
Him; It will be told of the Lord
to the coming generation. They
will come and will declare His
righteousness to a people who will
be born, that He has performed it."
Who has received the
covenantal blessings of God?
They are the "majestic ones"
of Ps. 16:3, the members of the
royal family. By adoption, they
have been transferred from the
kingdom of darkness to the
kingdom of light (Col 1:13). They
are the covenantally blessed
ones of the King. Covenantally
blessed people are those that have
1Vlaking the Natiuns Christ's Disciples
received the blessing of salvation;
as a fulfillment of the promise
which God made to Abraham.
II Thess. 2:13-14 "But we
should always give thanks to
God for you, brethren beloved
by the Lord, because God has
chosen you from the beginning for
salvation through sanctification
by the Spirit and faith in the
truth. It was for this He called
you through our gospel, that you
may gain the glory of our Lord
Jesus Christ." Only those who
are in relationship with God,
whereby He has bound Himself to
them in covenantal faithfulness,
are able to hear and obey the
principles laid down by the lUng.
Are you bound
to the King?
It is only within the bonds of
the Covenant that the greatest of
bleSSings can bc known. More
than prosperity, more than just
sustained life, but within the
covenant there is a life of special
union and communion with the
King. One where His life lives
in his subjects, enabling them to
live as he has lived. Indeed the
principles of the kingdom would
be impossible to live apart from
this enabling union. Yet, as Paul
conveyed under the inspiration
of the Spirit in Gal 3:20, "It is
no longer I who lives, but Christ
lives in me." By faith the subjects
of the king live as their king did
upon the earth, though imperfect,
it is nevertheless, closely in
accord with the principles
laid down in this sermon.
Having received redemptive
bleSSing, Christians become the
worl{manship of Christ. There
is now liberty from the burden
of man-made laws to earn favor.
God loves His covenant people
because of the King, His Son.
Blessed are the Merciful
The Character of the
King and His Subjects
A. God's perfection and
expression of mercy
Matthew 5:7 goes further in a-list
of characteristics that describe the
King and those with whom he has
covenantally bound himself. Jesus
says, "Blessed are the merciful."
This statement reveals that those
blessed with new life in Christ will
demonstrate the perfection of the
King in their lives. Jesus reforms
the understanding of those present
in regard to the disposition
of those who are redeemed.
The Christian cares about the
struggles of those around him. He
shows mercy; God's kind of mercy.
This is not the equivalent of
humanistic mercy which amounts
to charity. Humanistic charity is
not motivated by divine impetus.
In other words, it is not motivated
by love for God, obedience to God,
or a desire for His glory. It is the
mercy of the Pharisees; empty,
temporal, and self-centered.
Jesus essentially says that the
saved are those that show godly
mercy. These righteous displays
of godliness flow from a new
heart and are the evidence of new
life. New streams flow from the
heart cutting new channels of life
and action which make the life
a source of refreshment to those
it touches. No longer are there
streams that merely terminate
in the individual, producing a
stagnant putrid pond of 8elf-
righteousness, but a life yielding
stream which is Spirit-produced
and end in with true spiritual
results. The blessed life flows from
the throne of God. Dispensed
from His goodness and love, are
the grace and the mercy needed
to live as one of his majestic ones.
Anything else is a cheap imitation,
Continued on Page 38
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Streams oj Kindness
I loathe my lovelessness, my
selfishness. I keep running back
to the fountain of God's love,
Jesus Christ. I desire to be healed
by his touch. I have seen other
heaIed men, other loving men,
and women. Jesus has touched
and healed me by his love through
their love. I would not be here
without their kindnesses. I shall
remember their cups of cold water
given to me in Jesus' name for
Blessed are the J.\lerci/ul
Continuecljrmn page 15
and is an insult to the real gift
and blessing of the salvation of
the King. The religious leaders
of Jesus' day failed to honor God
and live truly righteous lives.
They did not have as the source
of their behavior - the Spirit of
God, working in renewed hearts.
Therefore, they had forgotten
mercy. In fact, Jesus admonished
them to go and learn mercy.
B. Mercy is a perfection of God
The word merciful in v. 7 is
deornan. (2) It is those that
show mercy in all their being.
The word comes from eleos
meaning compassion, which is
a sympathetic consciousness of
other's distress, coupled with a
desire to alleviate the distress. It
is a sympathetic sorrow for the
one suffering. It is also described
as pity. One of the primary words
of the Old Testament, chesedh,
communicates the deep richness
of mercy, especially as it is seen in
the perfection of God. It relates
compassion, lovingkindness, the
pity that God has, not only on
redeemed man, but the entirety of
ereatian.(3) Ps. 145:9 "Jehovah is
good to all, and His tender mercies
are over all His works", v16 "Thou
eternity. Until then, I know what
I must do to contribute to the
healing of the nations. 'Vhatever
my particular caIling and gifts,
there is only one tree whose leaves
heal: the cross of Jesus Christ. It
was a thorny and bitter tree upon
whieh the Lord of glory hung for
my salvation; for me it is the tree
of life. I hear Jesus forgiving his
enemies while hanging there. I
hear his concern for his mother.
openest thine hand and satisfiest
the desire of every living thing."
The word in Hebrew
communicates identifying with
an individual and the suffering
they are experiencing. Jesus,
for example, in Hebrews 2:17,18,
"Therefore, He had to be made
like His brethren in all things,
that lIe might become a merciful
and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God, to make
propitiation for the sins of the
people." And also in Hebrews
4:15, "For we do not have a high
priest who cannot sympathize
with our weaknesses, but one who
has been tempted in all things as
we are, yet without sin." He has
literally experienced what we have
experienced. He has walked in
our shoes.
Mercy is clearly an important
aspect of the Christian faith; a
mark of the redeemed (the blessed
man). To better understand
mercy, we must understand
the mercy of God, who is the
fount of mercy. In Ex. 34:6,7,
as God displays His goodness
before Moses, He proclaims His
perfections saying, "The Lord,
the Lord God, compassionate
I am inundated with the love
displayed through the cursed
tree. And I hear my Savior calling
me to take up the cross daily, in
self-denial, in sacrifice, in love. I
have overcome the world, he tells
me; be of good cheer. I have laid
down my life in love; you do the
same. If you would be used by me
to change the world, love as I have
loved. I3y this, all men wi11 know.
and gracious, slow to anger, and
abounding in lovingkindnes8 and
truth; who keeps lovingkindness
for thousands, who forgives
iniquity, transgression and sin;
yet He will by no means leave
the guilty unpunished ... "
'Ve see in God, the perfect
balance, as expressed in Ps. 85:10,
where lovingkindness and truth
have met together, righteousness
and peace have kissed each other.
The same God ,,,ho says He is
angry with the wicked every day
can at thc same time, without
contradiction, proclaim Himself
to be full of compassion, loving-
kindness, and pity. There can be
no mercy if there is no justice.
Mercy presumes sin. God can
exact justice which vindicates I-Iis
honor and gives the unrighteous
the due for their iniquities as
lawbreakers. At the same time,
He displays His mercy in forgiving
iniquity, transgression, and sin.
The mercy of God is seen as that
perfection which flows from His
goodness. His goodness generally
means that lIe is in every way
as God should be, He is absolute
perfection, He is the fount of
all good and the highest good.
The Counsel Qf' Chalcedon
His goodness to His creatures
prompts Him to deal bountifully
and kindly with all. It is that in
God which desires the happiness
(blessedness) of His creatures and
He delights in their happy state.
Micah 7:18 says, "Who is a God
like Thee, who pardons iniquity
and passes over the rebellious acts
of the remnant of His possession?"
He does not retain His anger
forever, because He delights in
unchanging love. Mercy is that
aspect of His goodness which
comes down to the lowest part
of our need and is often termed
'tender.' God's mercy is unfailing
(Ps. 103:7). For it to cease, He
would himself have to cease to
exist. His disposition is that of
giving abundantly, generously,
without regard to whether it
is deserved. Friends as well
as enemies receive from His
inexhaustible stores of mercy, so
much so that no one can ever say
that God has not been good to me.
We see the heart of God
providing what man in his deepest
misery needs; grace and mercy.
Grace, according to Louis Berkhof,
"is the unmerited goodness or love
of God to those who have forfeited
it, and are by nature under the
sentence of condemnation."
Mercy is the goodness of God
shown to those who are in
misery or distress, irrespective
of their deserts. (4) R.J.
Rushdoony simply says, "Grace
redeems, mercy relieves."(5)
God is not moved in His displays
of mercy by misery or merit. It
is rather the determination of
God's own good pleasure. God
is not like man who evaluates,
then acts, rather God determines,
then executes, performing
His good pleasure for His own
glory. God would not be God if
there were circumstances which
Making the Nations Ch,ist's Disciples
controlled Him. " ... 1 will have
mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on
whom 1 have compassion"(Rom.
A.W. Pink makes the point
that, "even the merits of Christ
do not move God to bestow
mercies on His elect, which
would be putting the effect for
the cause. It is "through" or
because of, the tender mercy
of our God that Christ was sent
here to His people. (Luke 1:78).
The merits of Christ make it
possible for God to righteously
bestow spiritual mercies upon His
elect, justice having been fully
satisfied by Surety! No! Mercy
arises solely from God's imperial
pleasure."(6) Mercy is a must,
but not a matter of compulsion.
God's mercy is seen in
three particular aspects:
1. To all creation - Ps. 145:9,
Acts 17:25 He gives life, and
breath, and all things. God
has pity upon the creation in
their need and supplies them
with suitable provision.
2. Special mercy - extended to
the children of men, helping and
supporting them, not withstanding
their sin. To them he
communicates all the neceSsities
of life, these are temporal needs,
for this life only. In this sense,
there is no mercy extended beyond
this life, it ends with the grave.
Matt. 5:45 "He maketh the
sun to rise on the evil and
the good, and sendeth rain on
the just and the unjust."
Isaiah 27:11 " .... For they are
not a people of discernment;
therefore their Maker will
not have compassion on
them. And their Creator will
not be gracious to them."
Blessed are the Merciful
God's mercy is supremely
displayed in:
3. Covenantal Mercy - this
is reserved for the heirs of
salvation which is communicated
to them in a Covenantal way
through a mediator. Mercy
flows out in this instance of
special love with which he has
bound himself to his people.
Isaiah 63:7 "1 shall make
mention of the lovingkindnesses
of the Lord, the praises of the
lord, according to all that the
Lord has granted us, and the
great goodness toward the
house of Israel, which he has
granted them according to His
compassion, and according to the
multitude of His lovingki1!dness."
God's eternal plans included
the fall of man by his own free
will from the state of being holy
and happy to that of being sinful
and miserable. He purposed in
the counsel of His eternal love
how this condition, in which man
was bound would be relieved.
While there is a general display
of God's mercy, there is a specific
covenantal display of mercy
applied to those who become the
objects of His special favor. In
the person of Jesus Christ, He
does for them what they cannot
do for themselves. He pays
their debt and buys for them
pardon with his own blood.
I John 4:10 "In this is love, not
that we first loved God, but that
He loved us and sent His son to
be the propitiation for our sins."
To those whom the Lord loves
he continuously pours forth the
refreshment of His mercies, they
arc new every morning - Lam.
3:22, 23. These are the blessed
people who have been given new
hearts and now seek to live by and
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Blessed are the Merciful
establish His righteous standards
in their lives, the standards of
the lUng. They become full
of mercy and good fruit.
C. God's people's perfection and
expression of mercy Those who
can rightly demonstrate mercy,
"the merciful," of which Christ
speaks in Matt. 5:7 are those
"blessed" of God who because of
His mercy, arc in right relationship
with Him. Mercy has accomplished
the goal of restoration. Men are
not naturally disposed to be
mercifu1. Some unconverted
men may be more kind and show
more compassion than others,
but this is not the mercy of which
Christ speaks. 'Ve must not have
a man-centered understanding
of mercy, which is rooted in
self-love, self aggrandizement, a
humanistic kind of charity. If the
divine impetus is removed from
mercy, we arc left with prideful
humanism - man's work, man's
accomplishments for man's glory.
Christian mercy always glorifics
God - "Not to us 0 God, not to
us, but Thine be the glory." As
a result of the redemptive work
of God, the blessed man, the
man to whom God has attached
Himself in covenantal love, can
be the merciful man. It is a
heart attitude and what a man
is, will determine what a man
does. Christ's redemptive work
of grace and mercy produces, by
the Holy Spirit, a new attitude
that takes Biblical action.
Romans 1:31 says of those
outside of God's covenantal
love arc without exception;
characterized as being without
understanding, untrustworthy,
unloving, and unmercifu1.
The unredeemed corrupt
the biblical understanding of
mercy. They equate relieVing
someone's misery as that which
is permissive and turns its back
on disciplinc and biblical law. To
stay the hand of justice by freeing
a murderer and not exacting a
capital punishment for capital
crime is for them mercy. To not
discipline a child, to give money
to those who refuse to work, is
to misconstrue mercy and in
fact, causes evil to triumph over
good; wickedness is rewarded.
Proverbs 12:10 teaches,
"The mercies of the wicked
are crue1." 'Vhen justice is
not exccuted, the righteous
and the innocent suffer; chaos
increases. It actually suppresses
good and gives victory to evil.
The righteous are then further
victimized and evil increases.
The heart of man is wicked,
and when the justice which God
requires is not followed, criminals
are released and they statistically
will repeat those crimes for
which they had bcen imprisoned.
Tears and apologies do not pay
for sin. Restitution is the goal of
mercy, and the King of Glory gives
precise directions on how men
can have restored relationships
when broken by sin. (Lev. 19)
'When the Scripture says that
God overlooked the sins in time
past, it was not permissiveness,
rather, it was based on the
payment for sin that would come
in Christ. (Acts 17:30-31) God
exacted punishment on the only
one who could satisfy the debt
owed by men. Man's mercy
brings no merit to them before
God. All our righteousness is as
filthy rags. It is only the merit
of the infinitc sacrifice of Christ
that merits any favor with God.
So when this passage says,
"Blessed are the merciful, for
thcy shall receive mercy," it is
not teaching a basis of salvation
being grounded in one's works,
rather, the fruit of salvation. It is
an evidence of regeneration and
that one is in covenant with God.
Ephesians 2:8 says that we are
saved by grace. There is no good
thing in us that can commend us
to God. Only those acts of mercy
that are done from new hearts in
response to the great debt owed
to God and are accepted by him
in the beloved, Jesus Christ.
The Christian is called to be
perfect even as his Father in
heaven is perfect. Loving displays
of mercy, responding to suffering
and relieving the misery of others
is evidence of God's perfecting
grace in the life of an individual.
The absence of mercy 'raises the
question as to whether one knows
intimately the mercy of God.
Matthew 18, in the context of
healing relationships through
forgiveness, conveys through a
parable of Christ, that those who
have been forgiven much ought
to forgive much. The unmerciful
servant, had been forgiven a
debt which was impossible to
pay back. He made a mockery
of the forgiveness of the King by
not extending mercy to another
who owed him very little by
comparison. It was reported to
the King and when he was hauled
before the King, he was called
wicked. We are wicked when
we refuse to forgive others their
trespasses against us in light of
the great trespasses we have been
forgiven. The unredeemed have
known God's mercies generally,
but the redeemed, how can they
forget? Like the unmerciful
servant, the wicked presume upon
the mercy of God. They trample
on Ilis law, despise His goodness
as they continue in sin. They do
not draw from Him mercies unto
repentance and they will perish
from the way - Psalm 2:12.
The Counsel of Chalcedon
"God will always deal justice
when His mercy is despised,"
says A. W. Tozer. (7) It is a vain
hope of those today, who presume
upon God's mercy, saying, he will
not cast me into Hell, He is too
merciful! Ileal' the final words
of the parable, the words of the
King - v. 33-35 "Should you not
also have mercy on your fellow
slave even as I havc had mercy
on you? And his lord moved
with anger, handed him over
to the torturers until he should
repay all he owed. So shall my
heavenly Father also do to you,
if each of you does not forgive
his brother from your heart."
Another parable, found in
Luke 10:25-37 of the Good
Samaritan, conveys that God's
children must have compassion
(an exercise of the heart towards
others) not just towards those we
love, but those who God in His
providence places in our path.
We have a duty to show mercy
because we have been shown
mercy. vVe do not respond from
guilt, but we are moved from the
heart to relieve another's misery.
The heart moves the hands to
action. The cry of the heart
is "I must do something." For
example, I must do something to
help that poor mother abandoned
by ber busband, to belp tbat
family down the street whose
house was leveled by those fierce
winds last week I must plead
with the governor to not extend
clemency to the murderer, the
rapist, the child molester, etc.,
but exact the full measure of the
law, God's law, in order that true
righteousness may fill the land.
Vve cannot be like those 'good'
church-going people of the parable
(the priest or the Levite) and
pass by on the other side. I fear
that Hell will be filled with 80
Making the Nations Chdst's Disciples
called 'good' church members,
who worship according to the
regulative principle, are external1y
clean, but whose hands have
never gotten dirty with the
misery of other's suffering. If
money couldn't fix it, then it
was never tended to; if the
time was not convenient, it was
never done, if it required veering
from our schedule because we
are just so busy, then someone
else will just have to do it.
Thanks be to God that he has
not passed by his beloved people.
Can God's people fail to forgive
one another their trespasses that
are by comparison, insignificant?
Can the husband, wife, brother,
sister, elder, deacon, church
member refuse to forgive? Can
we help to give a clear witness
to an on looking world, or will
the King receive a bad report?
III. The Promise of
Merey - Matt. 25:34-36
A. The King promises that His
children will receive mercy in the
day of judgment. Not because they
merited it, but because they are
blessed, they will receiVe mercy.
"You who are blessed of My
Father, inherit the Kingdom
prepared for you from the
foundation of the earth." The
people of God inherit the
Kingdom because they proved
themselves to be children of God.
Their actions reveal who they
are. They will receive mercy.
Vs. 35-36 - "For I was hungry,
and you gave me something to
eat; I was thirsty, and you gave
me drink, I was a stranger and
you invited me in, naked and you
clothed me, I was sick and you
visited me, I was in prison and you
came to me." All these were done
as to Christ, from the heart, as a
Blessed are the j\;[erci/ul
result of the great debt that was
owed. It was impossible not to!
B. The Need for ongoing mercy
If you arc racking your brain for
a place to begin, what better list
than that found in the previously
cited verses - (the hungry, thirsty,
naked, destitute). These are not
the humanistic acts of charity
which are temporal and will pass
away. These are acts of the heart
drawn to the miseries of others
and are moved to relieve those
miseries. Mercy has eternal
value and reward. The homeless
shelter, the crisis pregnancy
center, helping a widow or taking
the fatherless on an outing are
just some of the ways we can
relievc the misery of others.
C. vVhat must we do?
1. Pray - Pray that we
will recognize opportunities
to show biblical mercy.
2. Forgiveness - what higher
testimony can be given to a dying
world than we, God's children,
forgive and bear with one another
because of the forgiveness they
we have received in Christ.
Our love ought to draw them
into our fellowship where they
learn more of Christ' love.
3. Proclaim - we must shout
the gospel to a lost and dying
world, who are not even aware
of the condition of their soul's
dangcr, because they live in
darkness. Only God can change
their hearts, yet we must continue
to proclaim the remedy of their
soul's need. We must tell them of
the mercy they are experiencing
in this life. Tell them of the
mercy they need in Christ,
for after death, this temporal
mercy will end. Plead for them
to repent - are we moved with
41
42
Blessed are the Merciful
compassion, or do we think like the Levite and priest,
possibly, that they are getting what they deserve.
Do we think they don't deserve mercy, anyway.
4. Correction - the sins of others. We see
in II Tim 2:25 that our manner must be in the
gentleness. We are to win them and not slice
them up with the sword of God's word.
5. Teach our children how to demonstrate mercy.
They will have many opportunities to practice mercy.
When a brother or sister is injured, will they ignore
the pain or act with compassion? 'ViU the response
to the suffering be, "Oh, they deserved it anyway, and
besides, when did he care about me?" 'Vill a husband
relieve a tired wife after a long day of caring for
children and managing the home, even if he has had
a long day at work? There are many opportunities
at work to help a fellow employee who has lost a
loved one or may have expressed issues with his
children. 'Vi1l you take time, or make yourself
available to listen and share an encouraging word?
This could be the refreshing water that they need.
As children of the King, blessed of God, our
lives are to be profuse with mercy; that which
is the perfection of God our Father whose
resemblance we must manifest. It is a display
of godliness in which there is great reward.
Thanks be to God who causes us to
overwhelmingly conquer for His name sake,
that we forever wi11 know his tender mercies
and not the blast of His indignation as he exacts
His justice on vessels fit for wrath who have
despised His mercies. Mercy is not something
to be hoped for, it is something to be enjoyed.
Ezra 3:11- "They sang, praising and giving
thanks to the Lord, saying, For He is good, for
His lovingkindncss is upon Israel forever."
Micah 6:8 - "He has told you, 0 man, what
is good; And what does the LORD require
of you, But to do justice, to love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
FOOTNOTES:
1 . TBEC - The Bible Expostion
C01nmentary: Wiersbe, ,"Varren W:: The
Bible Exposition Gomnwntary. lVheaton,
Ill.: Victor Books, 1996, c1989
2. Theological Dictionary of the New
Testament, in One Vol. pg, 223.
J. The Theological Word Book of the Old
Testament, R. Lard Harris, Gleason, L. Archer,
Bruce 1C Walke, Chicago, lVloody Press pg, 305.
4, Systentatic Theology, Lewis Berhho!,
Grand Rapids, Michigan, Wm, B.
Eerdmans Publishing Co., p, 71,72.
5. Salvation and Godly Rule, Rousas
John Rushdoony, Vallecito, California,
Ross House Books, 1984, 2004.
6, Gleanings in the Godhead, A,l. Pink,
Chicago, Moody Press, 1981, p, 71.
7. The Knowledge of the Hol:y, AW Tozer, Harrisburg,
Pa., Christian Publication, Inc., p. 97. 9:15).
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