JSM | Identity .4 | Mercy (6/30/24)

Jesus Sermon on the Mount | Identity .4 | Mercy
By Rev. Nicholas Sybrowsky
Heb. (נּט רּקהץ מּןביםךשד דּטנרם'דלט)
Gk. (Βψ Ρεω. Νιξηολασ Σψβροωσκψ)

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Invocation:

Merciful Father of creation.  We stand before you today first and foremost as children of your own volition.  You’re the same God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Secondly, we stand here today as Americans.  We stand in freedom to worship you as we so please.  Have your way in this blessed sanctuary as we worship you with complete adoration, humility and submission.  And all of God’s people in agreement, said amen.

May I lead you in the pledge of allegiance to our Nations flag?

Opening Word & Reading for Worship:

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

In Congress, July 4, 1776

THE UNANIMOUS DECLARATION

of the

THIRTEEN UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.--That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.

 We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The Ideal Character Traits of followers of Jesus have come to the least likely people.  

Intro:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Thus far in this JSM series we’ve tarried as the Lord has done in the introduction phase of His discourse.  We’ve observed verses Mt 5:1-6 and today we delve in the ideal of mercy, the character trait described in verse :7.

 Main Text:  Kingdom Identity Mt. 5:1-16 | The Good Life/The Ideal Character Traits of His Disciples 5:3-12 | :7

"(7) Blessed [are] the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." (Mat 5:7 KJV)

From Gospel according to Luke we can see a similar parallel in 6:36.

"(36) Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful." (Luk 6:36 KJV)

Grace is unearned favor and mercy is undeserved grace.  While we were sinners, he died for us.  The wages of sin are death. 

 "(1) Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (2) By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (3) And not only [so], but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; (4) And patience, experience; and experience, hope: (5) And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (6) For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (7) For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. (8) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (9) Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (10) For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (11) And not only [so], but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." (Rom 5:1-11 KJV)

1. Mercy begets mercy.

Mercy comes to the merciful and the merciful are qualified for the Kingdom of heaven.  What is mercy?  According to Gray & Adams Bible commentary it is 

"compassion to fellow-men, forgiveness of injuries, kindness to the poor, etc.  If we want to obtain mercy, we must be merciful because we have obtained mercy [from God] and because we need more mercy. 

The holy God has been merciful to imperfect man; let man, in memory of this, be merciful to his fellow-man.  Mercy is promised to meet all our need, let mercy be promptly and fully shown.

“When the country near Albany [New York] was newly settled, an Indian came to the Inn at Lichfield, and asked for a night’s shelter, at the same time confessing he had nothing to pay.  The hostess drove him away with reproachful epithets (nicknames, labels, name calling, etc.); and as the Indian was retiring sorrowfully, a man sitting by directed the hostess to supply his wants and promised to pay her.  The Indian thanked his benefactor and said he would some day repay him.  Several years after the settler was taken prisoner by a hostile tribe and carried to Canada.  One day an Indian came to him, and, giving him a musket, bade the white man follow him.  The Indian came never told where they were going; but day after day the captive followed his mysterious guide, till one afternoon they came on a beautiful expanse of cultivated fields, with many houses rising among them.  ‘Do you know that place?’ asked the Indian.  “Ah, yes, it is Lichfield.’  The Indian exclaimed, ‘And I am the starving Indian on whom, at this very place, you took pity.  And now that I have paid for my supper, I pray you, go home’”

“The quality of mercy is not strained: it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath; it is twice bless’d it blesseth him that gives, and him that takes” ~ Shakespeare

Footnote:  Gray & Adams Commentary of Zondervan pg. 25. (Not selling mine, simply showing you its binding).

“The “merciful” are full of sympathy and compassion toward those who are suffering either from sin, sorrow [or in the case of this Indian near Albany, shelter].  The merciful sincerely want to help ease and eliminate such suffering by influencing people to depend on God for help and to entrust their lives to Jesus Christ.  Merciful people also get actively involved in meeting people’s needs.  By showing mercy to others, we “shall obtain mercy.””  ~Donald C. Stamps (Full Life Study Bible).

 The Law of the harvest indicates that we reap what we sow.  If you sow mercy you shall obtain mercy. 

2. Atonement “the mercy seat” and Jesus the new High Priest.

This ideal character trait of a disciple of Jesus begs that we examine Atonement.  Atonement in the OT leads us to understand that it is a covering of sin.  As I said the “wages of sin are death” Paul remarked this in the epistle/letter to his anticipated visit to the church in Rome and the theme of this letter is 

“God’s Gift of Righteousness Revealed Through Christ and Received by Faith.” (~FireBible MEV Outline)  

"(23) For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom 6:23 KJV)

The lamb of the Passover for a Christian is Jesus Christ.  What about in the OT?  Exodus 25:17.  In Exodus 25 we see Offerings for the Tabernacle, The Ark of the Covenant is a chest which contained the Ten Commandments, a jar of manna and Aaron’s staff.  In verse 17 

“You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits [(18”)] long and one and a half cubits wide.” ~Exodus 25:17 (MEV)

“The mercy seat was the lid for the ark.  The high priest sprinkled sacrificial blood on it to make amends for sins.  This act was symbolic of God’s forgiving mercy.  Leviticus 16:33  "(33) And [the priest] shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation." (Lev 16:33 KJV)  The Day of Atonement is an Annual Event within the Jewish tradition known as Yom Kippur.  This entire chapter 16 in Leviticus, describes the Day of Atonement a very important Jewish day that points forward to Jesus Christ and how he would pay the ultimate price for our sins.  This Hebrew word “kippurim” comes from the verb kaphar, which mean “to cover over”.  The word suggests that sin can be covered or removed from sight by making a payment or “ransom” equal in value to the wrong that was done.” 

Yom Kippur is an appointed feast that includes solemn fasting from food where “The priest, who is anointed and consecrated to minister as a priest in the place of his father, shall make atonement, and shall put on the linen garments, the holy garments. (Leviticus 16:32) making burnt offerings of a Bull for himself, a goat for the “all the people of the congregation” and a live “scape goat” for the release into the desert.  Before releasing the scape goat, he “put his hands on its head and confessed over it all the Israelites’ unforgiven sins.  There were and are many OT Feasts with sacrifices offered to satisfy the wrath of God and promote holy living in the truly repentant believer, yet Yom Kippur was like that of a final covering and forgiveness for all sins and offenses not atoned for during the previous year and it had to be repeated the same way every year.  The fact that the OT sacrifices had to be repeated each year shows that they were only temporary.  They pointed ahead to the time when Christ would come to permanently take away all confessed sin.

With the blood of the first goat the High Priest entered behind the curtain into the Most Holy Place and there he sprinkled the blood on the atonement cover (lid) of the ark or rather the mercy seat.  Symbolic of the Passover blood used during the exodus from Egypt where death “passed” over all the homes with blood on the door frames and window frames.  With blood over the ten commandments the covering satisfied the wrath of God.

Hebrews 9, written by an unknown author, is reference to the change from an old covenant to a new covenant.  The mercy seat described within verse 5 is an earthly atonement cover type—a prophetic symbol—of the heavenly ‘throne of grace’ (Heb. 4:16), which believers can now approach because of Christ’s shed blood in order to receive mercy and help for all their needs.

Footnote: Donald C. Stamps (FireBible pg. 174-175).

Hebrews 4 describes the “Believers Rest”  Jesus is the ‘new High Priest’. 

"(14) Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast [our] profession. (15) For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin. (16) Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb 4:14-16 KJV)   

3. Enter into a “Faith Rest” and the Judgment of Christ.  

"(29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."" (Mat 11:29-30 ESV)

Some Old Testament/Old Covenant scripture to help us understand mercy furthermore are 2 Samuel 22:26 and Pr 11:17.  In 2 Samuel 22:26 David’s Song of Deliverance that in my opinion was likely written before his adulterous fall with Bathsheba that led to other acts of sin.  He sang in verse 26 of chapter 22:

"(26) "With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;" (2Sa 22:26 ESV)

"(17) Those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves." (Pro 11:17 NIV)

This proverb of Solomon suggests that when we are kind, we sow kindness into the soils of our souls and it is a benefit, but if we are cruel or mean to others, we actually will reap that which we have sown.

I’m a big proponent of critical thinking, but I must be careful to not become cynical and/or over critical.  For it causes my inner skeptic to become paranoid and promotes ruin within me and eventually externally.  This seems a good place to point out one thing I remember Christ said in the Gospel of Matthew in his sermon about the end and the Judgment of the Nations.  In Mt 25:34—40 The Sheep and the Goats

  "(31) "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. (32) All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. (33) He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. (34) "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. (35) For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, (36) I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' (37) "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? (38) When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? (39) When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' (40) "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'" (Mat 25:31-40 NIV)

This passage goes on to describe the “goats” on the left as they who did the opposite of the sheep and they were not kind nor did they have sympathy for the broken, lost, bound, imprisoned, widowed, orphaned or poor.  And they because they did not have mercy, the “king” did not have mercy on them and the merciless are to be cast into the lake of fire with Satan, the adversary and his angels (Mt 25:46 & Rev. 20:11-15).

Citizen’s in the Kingdom of heaven do what the Father of Heaven does.  Image bearers of God follow the unreproachable example of God and exhibit his virtues.  God is merciful so we are to be merciful too.

4. On earth righteousness will be persecuted.

After Jesus healed the chronically handicapped man at the healing pool of Bethesda. 

"(16) For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. (17) But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working." (18) Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. (19) Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. (20) "For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. (21) "For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to [them], even so the Son gives life to whom He will. (22) "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, (23) "that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him." (Jhn 5:16-23 NKJV)

Jesus said, 

"...Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” ~John 5:19 (NKJV)

Henceforth as a church our values are the pneumonic acronym DOVE CREEK and the E in Dove represents Empathy.  Deep empathy comes from having experienced the same woes or difficulties we see in another person, yet you need not have experienced the same hardship experienced by others in order to be moved to compassion.

Our Father in heaven can empower us to have pity, sympathy, empathy and be moved to compassion.  The Lord our God is moved and when God is moved, we are moved to compassion too.  It is God’s desire that “none shall perish” missing out on eternal life.   

“Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.” Mt 5:7  Beatitude/Blessing 5/8

  Love is the driving virtue that supplies mercy.  Love empowers us to be merciful.  Mercy is not purchased but at the price of mercy itself.  We get mercy IF we are merciful.  

Be not surprised when in doing the right thing you in turn become persecuted by the world.  Don’t get tired of doing the right thing or by choosing to be a high road leader.  Take courage and do the perfect will of God.

"(4) "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. (5) But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! (6) Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. (7) Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows." (Luk 12:4-7 ESV)

Conclusion & Exhortation:

The Kingdom of God has come to the least likely people.  

"(35) For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, (36) I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' " Mt 25:35-36 (NIV)

Put on the New Self.

"(1) If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. (2) Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. (3) For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (4) When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (5) Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. (6) On account of these the wrath of God is coming. (7) In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. (8) But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. (9) Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices (10) and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. (11) Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. (12) Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, (13) bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (14) And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (15) And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. (16) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (17) And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Col 3:1-17 ESV)

4. Join us next week for more in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

Prayer & song.  

Anchor Holds pg. 297

 

Benediction:

"(24) Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, (25) to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." (Jde 1:24-25 ESV)