Blessed Are the Merciful
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October 06, 2013 |
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 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy" (Matthew 5:7).
Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
A dictionary definition of the word 'mercy' is "compassionate treatment of those in distress." The mercy that God talks about is to forgive others from the heart and admonish them with love when they commit sins or give times of difficulty to us. It is similar to goodness of the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit, but it belongs to a deeper level.
Goodness is the heart free of evil that seeks only after goodness. When the heart of goodness is revealed in action as love that changes others, it is the mercy that God desires. From now I will explain about the fifth blessing among the Beatitudes by looking into the three aspects of true mercy.
1. Boundless mercy of forgiveness
Matthew 12:20 tells us that Jesus changed people with the heart of goodness that doesn't break off a battered reed and put out a smoldering wick. He showed the mercy of forgiveness with love great enough to sacrifice even His life.
'Not breaking off a battered reed' carries the meaning of not immediately punishing someone but to endure him, even if his heart and actions are full of evil. Most people do not understand or forgive someone when he does harm to them. Instead, they hate, fight with them, and spread their shortcomings. However, Jesus endured with everybody and gave all an opportunity to be changed.
'Not putting out a smoldering wick' is not forsaking the children of God who have received the Spirit but have little chance for salvation because they do not live according to the truth. It is the heart of the Lord who bears with and leads even those who still commit sins to repent and be changed by the truth.
The mercy of forgiveness is the heart of God. He had mercy on us when we were destined to the dreadfulness of Hell because of our sins. He sent His only begotten Son to us as atoning sacrifice. He allowed for Him to shed all water and blood for us, which demonstrated God's great love.
However, many people commit sins even after they say they have become God's children. Even though they break the heart of God, He does not forsake them right away. He waits for their repentance and returning with the mercy of forgiveness just like the father who waited for his prodigal son. If you repent and turn back from sins, our Father God will remove your transgressions from you as far as the east is from the west and He will forgive you.
2. Mercy of discipline with love
'Discipline' may sound the opposite of forgiveness but actually it is not. It is because the mercy of discipline recognized by God is not done with hatred or condemnation, but with love, so it helps others change. Just as Hebrews 12:6 says, "For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives," this mercy of discipline is the love of God.
Because God loves us so much, He gives us yet another opportunity to turn back from sins through His discipline. This is because if there is no discipline people may continue to desire the world even after they have received salvation and may fall again into the darkness. God cannot just watch as we are following the enemy devil and Satan, so He gives us grace to turn back from the way of sins by disciplining us.
Suppose your child did something wrong. You might not spank him immediately to discipline him. Instead you might teach him why and how what he did was wrong and then gently reprimand him so that he can deeply repent from his heart. But if your child repents with his lips but keeps on sinning, you will have to use the rod of discipline to punish him though it breaks your and his heart. You should make your loving child turn back even with such discipline.
But discipline without love can't be said to be mercy. Say a child in the neighborhood stole something from your house. If the child repents from his heart, a person of goodness will have mercy on him and forgive him. But, those who are evil will get furious over the loss, rebuke him, and even demand he be severely punished. Even if you do not punish him, if you spread it around or you are biased toward him, it is not mercy and you cannot change the child.
Only when you discipline someone with love by considering the situation and the person's future can we say you applied the mercy of discipline. The Bible explains to us in detail the process of admonishing and disciplining a brother who commits sins (Matthew 18:15-17). You should first advise him and give him a chance to change with love, not spreading it here and there. But if the brother still does not listen and it seems that he will listen to higher authority of the group he belongs to, you can go to him again with those people to advise him once again to turn back. If he still does not listen to them, you should report it to the church to save the brother. If he refuses to listen to the church, you can just let him be as a worldly person.
You can just follow what the Bible teaches us, but the thing is that we must not judge or condemn others though they committed sins. Only when we discipline out of mercy with love can we receive mercy from God.
3. Mercy in charitable works
If a brother is suffering from poverty and you do nothing but just acknowledge the situation as such a pity, you cannot say there is any mercy. The kind of mercy recognized by God is to actually give what you have to your brother who is in need. James 2:15-16 reads, "If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?"
Some say they want to help but they do not have anything to give. But if your own children are starving, none of you would just look at them. You would give your children what you have right now. You should do the same for your brothers.
We should not just unconditionally help those who are suffering. It is not right to help those who are in hardship as a result of their sin or those who do not work because they are lazy. If we help some people whom we should not help in the sight of God, it may result in loss to us. Besides, we should also help people in the world as well as brothers in faith, which is to save souls.
4. For they shall receive mercy
What kind of blessing will be given to those who extend mercy to others in the proper way in the sight of God? If we forgive and have mercy on those who give us a hard time and do harm to us, when we are in hardship or do harm to others by mistake, God will give us mercy and a chance to be forgiven. If we have mercy and help those in need or with diseases, God will give us wealth and good health.
If we have mercy on others, God forgives us of our transgression, fulfills our shortcomings, and makes our infirmities whole. This is the blessing from God given to those who have mercy on others.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will cultivate mercy in your heart, show your mercy in action, give life and comfort to many people, and, above all, receive mercy from God who is full of love and mercy and enjoy a blessed life forever.
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