Please open up your Bibles to Matthew chapter 5.
We have been in the Beatitudes, which has been an amazing chapter, amazing verses of Scripture.
Matthew 5, verses 1 to 12.
I'm going to be focusing just on the fifth Beatitude, verse 7, but I will read the whole thing.
But let me pray before I do.
Father, we are all sinners in need of mercy.
And you have given us so much mercy.
And so we ask God that right now, you would address us from your word.
And help us to remember and relish the great mercy that you have shown us in Jesus Christ.
And even as we rehearse those truths, want you transform us.
Renew our own mercy, the mercy that we show to those around us.
Meet with us.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
If you're able, please stand for the reading of God's word from Matthew 5.
I'll read from verse 1 to verse 12.
전전
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when others revile you, persecute you, and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.
For so they persecute the prophets who are before you.
This is God's holy and authoritative word. You may be seated.
We have come to the pivot point of the Beatitudes.
I've mentioned a couple times before that the first four Beatitudes all describe a form of emptiness.
Lacking something.
Being poor in spirit.
Being needy.
Being meek.
Being hungry and thirsty for righteousness.
Mourning something you lack.
But we go from needing mercy, people who need mercy in the first four Beatitudes,
now to being merciful.
Being full of mercy toward others.
And the rest of the Beatitudes will be describing Christian fullness.
What we are like as God's mercy overflows from our own lives.
And so the main point of this message that I want to share with you this evening is that
those who have received God's mercy are merciful toward others.
And that they will receive mercy in turn.
So first we'll talk about what mercy is.
Secondly, how to become full of mercy.
And third, we'll talk about who receives mercy.
In terms of details, we don't find much in verse 7.
It just says,
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
But mercy, if you trace this theme throughout the scriptures, is manifold.
It's variegated.
It's very rich with layers of meaning.
But first, let's look at the most relevant context in the Gospel of Matthew itself.
In Matthew 9, 27, in Matthew 20, verse 30, we see the blind men crying out to Jesus for help,
saying,
Have mercy on me.
We hear a similar cry from a Canaanite woman whose daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.
In Matthew 15, 22,
Have mercy on me.
And then a man whose son is suffering from terrible seizures in Matthew 17, 15, again,
Have mercy on me.
We see that pattern in the other Gospels as well.
A leper cries out,
Have mercy on me.
So from this pattern of people who cry out for mercy,
we can see that mercy is associated with those who are in need.
It belongs to those who need help.
Those who are not entitled to something or have earned something,
but someone who needs mercy nonetheless.
That's why the Greek word for alms or charitable giving used in the New Testament
is derived from the same word for mercy.
So in Matthew 6, 2-4,
when Jesus speaks of giving to the needy,
if you translate them more literally,
it's doing acts of mercy.
So mercy is an expression.
Charitable giving is an act of mercy, expression of mercy.
So it's the needy who cry out for mercy.
Jesus confirms this in Matthew 9, 10-13.
The Pharisees criticize Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners.
And Jesus says,
So once again, who are the objects of mercy?
It's the sick, not the healthy.
It's the sinners, not the righteous.
The needy need mercy.
To be merciful then is to have compassion for the needy in both your disposition toward them
and your deed toward them.
In both your attitude and your actions,
to have compassion for the needy.
In situations where there is physical, material need,
the merciful are going to have the impulse to meet that need,
tangible ways to help them.
In spiritual situations, when there's spiritual need,
where there are sinners,
the impulse of the merciful will be to forgive and to be gracious.
When Jesus says,
I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
he is contrasting,
he's quoting from Hosea 6, verse 6,
and he is contrasting genuine inward piety
from superficial outward piety,
fleeting outward piety.
It's the same distinction that Samuel makes in 1 Samuel 15, 22.
You may know the story.
When Saul, the king of Israel,
was instructed by God to destroy the Amalekites
because of their wickedness
and to not take any spoils from the war.
However, Saul decides that that's too much of a waste.
Well, look at all this good livestock,
look at all this treasure,
look at all this food,
and he decides to keep them for himself
and for the people.
And when Samuel confronts him about his disobedience,
Saul deviously says,
Oh, no, no, no, I kept all this
so that we could bring it as a sacrifice to God.
And then Samuel says,
Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice
and to listen than the fad of rams.
How many times have we paid lip service to God
and made outward sacrifices,
show of piety,
while inwardly our hearts are far from him?
Maybe even using these shows of piety
as misdirection to distract people's attention
from our disobedience.
Maybe even seeking to distract God himself.
That's what the Pharisees did.
On the outside, they were righteous
because they were great at keeping up
an appearance of conformity,
keeping the formalities of rituals,
but they did not truly know God
or obey God from the heart.
And how do we know that they didn't obey God from the heart?
Because they had no mercy towards sinners.
In Matthew 23, 23, 24,
Jesus denounces the Pharisees saying,
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites, for you tithe mint and dill and cumin
and have neglected the weightier matters of the law,
justice and mercy and faithfulness.
These you ought to have done
without neglecting the others,
you blind guides straining out a gnat
and swallowing a camel.
These Pharisees painstakingly kept the minutiae of the law.
They would, we talk about tithing
and sometimes people ask me,
do you tithe from the net or from the gross?
Like, what do you, what do you do?
Like, it's kind of like those questions a little bit,
but they were tithing 10% of the smallest spices
that they used to God.
They carefully strained out a gnat
from their drinks and foods.
The gnat is the smallest insect that caused impurity
in Jewish ritual.
However, after straining out a gnat,
they turned around and they ate camels,
which is the largest unclean animal ceremonially
in the Old Testament.
They weren't literally eating camels.
Jesus is using a figure of speech
to say that they care about the minutiae,
painstakingly care about the minutiae,
and then they neglect the weightier matters of the law.
So what is Jesus saying?
He's speaking of priorities, being merciful,
showing mercy is the bigger stuff that God cares about.
Mercy is one of the weightier matters of the law.
You're obeying the small commands,
well, good, good for you.
Keep doing that,
but don't neglect the bigger commands.
At the heart of Christian obedience
is a heart of mercy.
A classic example of mercy
is the parable of the Good Samaritan.
In Luke 10, 25 to 37,
Jesus tells this story of a man
who is mugged by a band of robbers,
and he is left half dead.
But what good luck for him,
because a priest happens to be walking by,
a minister of the temple of God.
And he sees the man,
and after seeing the man in need,
he decides that he's going to walk around
on the other side.
But never fear,
because there comes another person
and he's a Levite,
someone who ministers in the temple as well,
assists the priests.
If a priest is equivalent to a modern-day pastor,
the Levite is equivalent to a modern-day deacon
or worship leader.
Surely he'll come and help this person in need,
but again, the Levite sees the person,
and he says that he walks by on the other side.
But then, in comes a Samaritan.
He's an unlikely hero of the story
because the Jews despise Samaritans,
because they view them as religious heretics,
ethnic half-breeds, and political traitors.
And yet, the Samaritan is the one who cares for the man
and goes the extra mile.
He puts him on his donkey,
brings him over to an inn,
attends to his wounds,
and pays for his stay there
until he can fully recover.
And then Jesus asks his hearers,
after telling his parable,
which of these three,
the priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan,
do you think proved to be a neighbor
to the man who fell among the robbers?
And a lawyer responds,
the one who showed him mercy.
And Jesus says to him,
you go and do likewise.
The priest and the Levite in those days
were the ones who were responsible
for offering sacrifices in the temple.
And yet, they were the very ones
who in this parable
failed to keep the weightier matters of the law.
This is serving in that way
as cautionary tales of what Jesus just said
in Matthew 9, 13,
I desire mercy and not sacrifice.
So let's ask ourselves,
in what ways do we honor God with our lips
while our hearts are far from him?
In what ways are we keeping
the less important commands
but neglecting the more important commands
like being merciful?
I hesitate to use this example
because I do want to encourage you all
to show up to worship on time.
However,
if you are more concerned
with showing up to church on time
than with being merciful
to your spouse and kids,
if you are irate
and punishing toward them
when running late to church,
then you are neglecting
the weightier matters of the law.
If you are more concerned
with theological minutiae
than being merciful toward the people
who disagree with you theologically,
if instead of correcting them
with gentleness and mercifulness,
as it says in 2 Timothy 2, 25,
you are haughty and you're demeaning
in your discourse with them,
then you are neglecting
the weightier matters of the law.
If you are so invested
in pursuing justice
or certain social or moral issues
that you run roughshod over people
and you guilt-truth them
and you cancel them
and you ruin the reputation
of anybody who stands in your way,
then you are neglecting
the weightier matters of the law.
Blessed are the merciful
for they shall receive mercy.
We can flesh out this picture of mercy
by looking at the example
of power excellence,
of God himself.
This is what Jesus told us to do
in Luke 6, 36,
be merciful even as your father
is merciful.
Two different Hebrew words
in the Old Testament
are often translated as merciful
in the Greek translation
of the Old Testament.
And they are sometimes
in alternate translations
rendered gracious
or steadfast love.
Grace and steadfast love.
Again, they're related words
with the word mercy.
The two terms,
the words merciful and gracious
occur a dozen or so times together,
paired together in the Old Testament.
And they invariably describe God.
God is the one
who is gracious and merciful.
We find this meaning
in the Hebrew word
for steadfast love and grace.
Let's look at a few examples
from the Old Testament
where it describes
specific actions of God
that flow from
and stem from
his merciful nature.
It says in Nehemiah 9, 17,
that even though the Israelites
refused to obey God
and they stiffened their necks,
meaning they got stubborn
instead of letting God direct them,
they stiffened their necks
and resisted him.
God, it says,
was ready to forgive,
gracious and merciful,
slow to anger
and abounding in steadfast love
and did not forsake them.
Because God is merciful,
he was ready to forgive.
He did not forsake them.
2 Chronicles 30, verse 9,
enjoins Israelites
who have strayed from God
to return to him.
And how does he try
to motivate them
to return to him?
He says,
For the Lord your God
is gracious and merciful
and will not turn away
his face from you.
Because God is merciful,
he does not turn his face
from us when we return to him,
even after we have sinned
against him
and have strayed from him.
Jeremiah 3, 12 says,
Return, faithless Israel,
declares the Lord.
I will not look on you
in anger,
for I am merciful,
declares the Lord.
I will not be angry forever.
Because God is merciful,
once again,
he will not look on in anger
at us forever.
He relents in his anger.
In spite of our manifold sins
and our repeated sins,
God, right now,
loves us still
and forgives all of our iniquity,
rebellion, and sin.
And what do you call
a God like that?
We call him merciful.
Isn't this so different
from the picture
that we have of God sometimes?
Maybe you walked
into church today
with guilt, shame, dread,
weighing down upon your soul.
Do you fear
that God will abandon you?
Do you fear
his angry countenance?
Do you fear
that you are now
beyond the pale of his mercy?
You can rest assured
Lord, you are not
because God is full of mercy.
He is ready to forgive.
He will not turn his face
from you
if you return to him.
He will not be angry forever.
This is an amazing truth.
But we also must not
misunderstand
this precious truth
that God is merciful
does not mean
that he is an indulgent
or permissive father.
Our God is also
the consuming fire.
He is the thrice holy God.
Sometimes I think we
as Christians
can have an imbalanced
or skewed view of God.
Sometimes we
overemphasize love
and mercy
to the neglect
of truth and righteousness
or the vice versa.
Much like how a toddler
colors their coloring pages.
You know,
like,
I like blue
so everything is blue
or I like pink
so everything is blue
and it doesn't stay
within the lines either.
And it's only
as they mature
as artists
that they learn
to color in nuances
and shades
and contrast
and use
complementary colors.
Likewise,
as we mature
as Christians
we learn to appreciate
and delight in
and worship
the fullness
of God's glory
and character.
the King James Version
renders Psalm 85
verse 10 this way.
Mercy and truth
are met together.
Righteousness and peace
have kissed each other.
That's what God is like.
And it looks
then that means
that's what it looks like
for us
to be merciful also.
Taking our cue from God
being merciful
does not mean
that we never seek
or enforce
justice or righteousness.
Once again
20th century
Welsh pastor
that I've been quoting
in every sermon
in the Beatitudes
so far.
I know some of you guys
have started a book club
to go through
the studies
in the Sermon on the Mount
by D. Martin Lloyd-Jones.
I cannot be more proud
of you guys.
It is
started by a Welshman
nonetheless.
And he writes
in his book
there are so many
people today
who think
that being merciful
means to be easygoing
not to see things
or if we do see them
to pretend
we have not.
That of course
is a particular danger
in an age like this
which does not believe
in law or discipline
and in a sense
does not believe
in justice
or righteousness.
The idea today
is that man
should absolutely
be free-minded
that he has the right
to do just what he likes.
The merciful person
many people think
is one who smiles
at transgression
and law-breaking.
He says
what does it matter?
Let's carry on.
He is a flabby
kind of person
that's that word again
easygoing
easy to get on with
to whom it does not matter
whether laws
are broken or not
who is not concerned
about keeping them.
Only a person
who upholds righteousness
can be truly merciful.
Let me explain.
Showing mercy to sinners
and forgiving sin
is hard work
and sometimes
it's painful work
but being permissive
towards sinners
and condoning
or ignoring sin
is easy
and it's painless.
I read a remarkable
concession
from a New York Times
columnist
named Nicholas Kristof
this weekend.
His article
was entitled
We Thought
We Were Compassionate
But We Were Too Permissive.
He writes
As a good liberal
I used to oppose
arresting people
for using drugs.
They need health care
not handcuffs
I thought.
But then
to my surprise
and dismay
I found myself
praying
that my old pal
Drew Goff
would be arrested.
Drew 40 years old
was homeless
using fentanyl
and also selling it.
His wife
who was with him
was pregnant
and had overdosed
27 times
including twice
in a single day.
It seemed only
a matter of time
before Drew
killed himself
or one of his customers.
So Drew's mom
and I confided
to each other
our hope
that he would end up
in the relative safety
of prison
and get treatment there.
It's the only way
to save his life
his mom said wearily.
And in the end
Drew himself agreed.
Drew's most recent
tumble into addiction
came in part
because of a permissive
liberal culture
toward drugs
on the west coast.
This was meant
to be compassionate
but it almost
killed him
and has killed
many of my other friends.
You see
being merciful
and compassionate
is not the same thing
as being permissive
and indulgent.
Maybe you're really good
at overlooking
the sins of others
but maybe you're
too good.
Maybe others
sin against God
actually don't
grieve you
at all.
maybe you don't
actually care
about sin.
If that's the case
you are not
merciful.
You're permissive.
You're not
compassionate.
You're not
compassionate
toward sinners.
You are complicit
with sinners.
Psalm 119
136
says this
My eyes shed
stream of tears
because people
do not keep
your law.
It's only people
who mourn sin
who can truly
be merciful
toward sinners.
How then
do we
simultaneously
pursue justice
and righteousness
but also be merciful?
I don't think
we can come up
from Scripture
a rigid rule
that we can apply
to every situation
every single situation.
I think the answer
is to mingle
justice and mercy
according to
Scripture informed
and Spirit led
discernment
and wisdom.
Let's think of
some specific examples.
Do merciful employers
ever fire
incompetent
and delinquent
employees?
Of course they do.
If they didn't
then they would not
be good managers
and the company
would suffer.
They would not
be faithful
in their work
and they would
not meet their goals
and the company
would cease
to be a public service.
But merciful employers
might give
that employee
another chance.
that employer
might use
what is in
his or her power
to help the employee
to grow
and improve
and perform better.
Do merciful parents
ever discipline
their children
their disobedient children?
If they are obedient
to the Scriptures
yes they will
but they're not going
to be hardened
disciplinarians.
They'll have
a merciful posture.
They're not going
to punish
every offense
nor be harsh
with their children
or provoke them
to anger
as it says
in Ephesians 6.4.
They will be firm
yet gracious.
They will teach
and uphold righteousness
and yet they will
also show mercy
to their children
so that they can
represent God
to them.
God who is described
as the Father
of mercies
and the God
of all comfort
in 2 Corinthians 1.3.
Do merciful pastors
ever excommunicate
unrepentant church members?
Yes, but they will not
excommunicate members
for every little sin
nor will they be hasty
to excommunicate
church members.
If they are merciful
they will patiently
endure evil
they will exhort
and entreat earnestly
!
And if there is still
unrepentance
they will excommunicate
with tears.
Do merciful police officers
and lawyers
and judges
ever prosecute
and sentence people.
Of course they do.
If they didn't
we'd have a lawless society.
But if they are merciful
they won't press
every single case.
Some of you guys
have been pulled over
for speeding.
I know this
because it comes up
in the children's ministry
vetting process.
I will not
make it public
to anybody.
but when you do
sometimes you have
gotten a ticket
from a police officer
but maybe other times
you got pulled over
and the police officer
just gave you a warning
and didn't give you
a ticket
and let you off.
It's happened to me before.
You received mercy.
A judge in court
has to give everyone
equal justice under law
but he must be
impartial
and unbiased
but if he is merciful
he might use
his discretion
sometimes
when he has
the latitude
to lessen the sentence
reduce the fines
or dismiss
a minor charge
particularly when
the defendant
is repentant
or it's a first time
offense
where there are
other extenuating
circumstances.
Sometimes we're going
to give people
what they deserve.
That's justice.
Other times
we're going to
spare people
what they deserve
and that's mercy.
The Bible does not
give us
an exhaustive list
of do's and don'ts
about how to be merciful
in every single circumstance
and I think that's
for the better.
Notice how the
fifth beatitude
is phrased.
Like the rest
of the beatitudes
it speaks
not primarily
of what we do
but of who we are
because if we are
merciful
then we will
show mercy
and we will know
how to respond
in the situations
that come to us
because we have
been transformed
by the gospel
of Jesus Christ
from the inside out.
I've already shown
my hand here
by saying that
but with having
defined what mercy
is let's not talk
about how to become
full of mercy.
Again like the
other beatitudes
this is not something
that we can attain
apart from God
or apart from Christ.
These are all
divinely wrought
and spirit born traits
their spiritual virtues
enabled by God
and here's the key
to becoming merciful.
Ephesians 4.32
says be kind
to one another
tender hearted
forgiving one another
as God in Christ
forgave you.
How do we cultivate
mercifulness
kindness
tender heartedness
forgiveness
by receiving first
God's mercy
in Jesus Christ.
He forgave us.
You see this again
in Colossians 3.12-13
put on then
as God's chosen ones
holy and beloved
compassionate hearts
or merciful hearts
kindness
humility
meekness
and patience
bearing with one another
and if one has a complaint
against another
forgiving each other.
The list
very closely resembles
the beatitudes
right?
Meekness
humility
compassionate hearts
mercy
and the key
to obeying that command
again it says
later in that verse
as the Lord
has forgiven you
so you also
must forgive.
Once again
it's by receiving
and remembering
the mercy of God
that we become
merciful people.
We find this principle
all over the New Testament
in 1 John 4
it commends us
to love our brothers
and sisters in Christ
but how
do we love our brothers
and sisters in Christ?
It tells us
in 1 John 4.19
we love
because God
first loved us
in this
is love
not that we
have loved God
but that he
loved us
and sent his son
to be the propitiation
for our sins.
Beloved
if God so loved us
we also ought to
love one another.
The greatest mercy
that God
has ever shown us
is in the sending
of his only son
Jesus Christ
to die on the cross
for our sins.
We have all
sinned against God.
We have all
had pride
in our hearts.
We have made
ourselves
gods and lords
over our own lives
rather than submitting
to God
and worshipping God.
In political terms
we call that
treason
rebellion.
God could have
condemned us
for our sin
and he could have
damned us
for eternity
in hell
and that would have
been justice.
That's what man
would have done
in his place.
But praise be to God
that he is God
and not man
because instead
when he saw us
in our sin
and in our misery
his heart
welled up
with pity
and he had
compassion on us.
God says
in Hosea 11
8-9
my heart
recoils
within me
my compassion
grows warm
and tender
I will not
execute my
burning anger
I will not
again destroy
Ephraim
for I am God
and not a man
the Holy One
in your midst
and I will not
come in wrath.
It's like man
to be vindictive
and vengeful
it is like God
to be merciful.
Instead of coming
in wrath
what does it say
in Luke 1
7-8
describing Jesus'
coming as the
sunrise
the sunrise
visited us
from on high
why?
Because
of the tender
mercy
of our God
the tender
mercy
of our God
you have
all heard
and know
and love
Ephesians 2
4-5
but God
being rich
in mercy
because of
the great
love with
which he
loved us
even when
we were
dead
in our
trespasses
made us
alive
together
with Christ
by grace
you have
been saved.
It's
God's
tender
mercy
his
wealth
of mercy
richness
in mercy
and his
great
love
that's
the reason
God sent
Jesus'
only son
to die
on the
cross
for us
to redeem
us
from
death
and what
did we
bring to
the table?
We brought
no worth
no merit
it doesn't
say that
God made
us alive
together
with Christ
while we
were
sincerely
pursuing
him
and trying
to please
him
no it
says
that God
made us
alive
together
with Christ
even
when
we were
dead
in our
trespass
that's
why
it's
mercy
remember
our
definition
to be
merciful
is to
have
compassion
for the
needy
in
disposition
and
deed
if we
in some
way
deserve
to be
saved
it would
not be
mercy
it would
be
merit
salvation
then would
be a
reward
and a
wage
not a
gift
but it
turns out
salvation
is a
gift
it's a
grace
and it's
a mercy
some years
ago there
was a
famous
recording
artist
who claimed
to have
been
converted
to
Christianity
and I
along with
many of
you were
very excited
about it
it was
getting a lot
of media
attention
but then
in one of
the interviews
he said
that because
he is worth
three billion
dollars
and because
he's the
number one
Google search
brand in the
world
that God
was showing
off
and showing
out
by saying
that oh
he works
for me
he belongs
to me
he didn't
understand
mercy
and you
can see
now from
the way
he has
turned
around
from that
confession
God
saved him
because he's
so great
and he
wants to
show off
his latest
acquisition
that is
so far
from the
biblical
mindset
contrast that
with what
Paul says
in Philippians
three
he says
that every
reason he
has
for confidence
in the
flesh
things that
he might
boast about
that it's
all rubbish
compared to
the surpassing
worth of
knowing Christ
Jesus my
Lord
he says
same Paul
says in
first
Timothy
1 16
but I
received
mercy
for this
reason
not so
God can
show off
about what
a great
person
Paul is
now he
belongs
to me
I
received
mercy
for this
reason
that in
me
as the
foremost
of
sinners
Jesus
Christ
might
display
his
perfect
patience
as an
example
to those
who were
to believe
in him
for eternal
life
the reason
why he
received
mercy
Paul says
is so
that God
might show
how patient
and merciful
he is
to save
a chief
of sinners
in other
words
God saved
us
not because
we're
trophies
but despite
the fact
that we're
trash
isn't
that what
rubbish
is
trash
refuse
dung
that's
all
that we
have
to offer
to God
in our
flesh
the church
is not
Jesus's
trophy
wife
it's
the
whore
that was
redeemed
by the
mercy
of God
God
saves us
not because
we're
amazing
but because
he is
amazing
not to
showcase
our
merits
but to
showcase
his
mercy
and when
we remember
how much
we have
been forgiven
how much
mercy
we have
received
it makes
us
merciful
and forgiving
toward others
there's so much
mercy
we've talked
about and we've
only talked
about God
the Father
he says
of Jesus
in Hebrews
2
17
18
therefore
he had
to be
made
like his
brothers
in every
respect
so that
he might
become
a merciful
and faithful
high priest
in the service
of God
to make
propitiation
for the sins
of the people
for because
he himself
has suffered
when tempted
he's able
to help
those who
are being
tempted
what makes
Jesus
a merciful
high priest
what makes
Jesus
a merciful
high priest
who intercedes
on our behalf
and advocates
for us
that he was
made like
us
in every
respect
he took
on human
flesh
he walked
on the
earth
he suffered
he wept
he was
tempted
and that's
why he's
not callous
or indifferent
to our
sufferings
and struggles
he's
compassionate
and he's
merciful
we read
this from
the assurance
of pardon
in Hebrews
4
we do
not have
a high
priest
who is
unable
to
sympathize
with our
weaknesses
but one
who in
every respect
has been
tempted
as we
are
yet
without
sin
let us
then
with confidence
draw near
to his throne
of grace
that we may
receive mercy
and find
grace to
help in
time of
need
what gives
us confidence
to approach
God's throne
confident
that we're
going to
receive mercy
there
and find
grace
there
we have
a high
priest
who mediates
for us
who sympathizes
with our
weaknesses
because he
has been
made like
us in
every respect
Jesus
gets
us
Jesus
knows
us
Jesus
sees
our
tears
Jesus
has
lived
on
this
fallen
and
broken
world
Jesus
knows
our
struggles
he
knows
how
hard
he
can
get
and
because
he
shares
our
human
nature
he
has
compassion
on
us
so
much
that
even
as
he
is
being
crucified
being
killed
unjustly
he
prays
and
pleads
with
his
father
on
behalf
of
the
very
people
who
are
killing
him
in
Luke
23
34
father
forgive
them
for
they
know
not
what
they
do
that's
a
merciful
high
priest
and
that's
a
wonderful
comfort
to
us
who
are
needy
sinners
but
if
mercy
is
for
the
needy
the
promise
of
Matthew
5
verse
7
seems
to
contradict
that
because
it
says
blessed
are
the
merciful
for
they
shall
receive
mercy
this
is my
third
point
who
receives
mercy
is
God's
mercy
reserved
for
those
who
are
needy
those
who
need
mercy
or
for
those
who
are
full
of
mercy
the
answer
the
answer
is
yes
to
both
first
it's
the
merciful
who
receives
mercy
the
bible
teaches
this
consistently
2
samuel
22
26
and
psalm
18
25
which
quotes
it
says
with
the
merciful
you
show
yourself
merciful
proverbs
11
17
says
a
merciful
person
does
himself
good
but
the
cruel
person
does
himself
harm
james
2
13
judgment
is
without
mercy
to
one
who
has
shown
no
mercy
jesus
says
later
on
in
matthew
6
14
to
15
if
you
forgive
others
their
trespasses
your
heavenly
father
will
also
forgive
you
but
if
you
do
not
forgive
others
their
trespasses
neither
will
your
father
forgive
your
trespasses
the
testimony
of
scripture
is
consistent
and
clear
only
those
who
show
mercy
to
others
will
receive
mercy
from
god
but
wait a
minute
aren't
we
saved
by
grace
through
faith
alone
doesn't
this
sound
like
earning
god's
mercy
with
our
own
mercy
isn't
that
salvation
by
works
and
not
by
grace
these
are
good
questions
to
raise
while
it
is
true
that
merciful
people
receive
god's
mercy
that
does
not
therefore
mean
that
god's
that
we
merit
god's
mercy
by
our
mercifulness
if
that
were
the
case
it
would
no
longer
be
mercy
we
remember
mercy
by
definition
is
given
to
someone
who
is
needy
someone
who
is
not
entitled
to
anything
or
someone
who
hasn't
earned
what
it
is
that
they
receive
if
we
merit
mercy
then
mercy
ceases
to
be
mercy
it's
a
contradiction
in
terms
so
while
mercifulness
is
a
criterion
that
God
uses
in
his
judgment
to
decide
who
will
receive
mercy
in
the
end
it
is
not
the
basis
for
our
salvation
this
is
the
same
tension
that
runs
throughout
all
of
scripture
we
are
saved
by
grace
alone
by
God's
grace
alone
through
faith
in
Jesus
Christ
alone
but
on
judgment
day
it
says
all
over
scripture
that
we
will
be
judged
on
the
basis
of
our
works
how
can
those
two
things
both
be
true
!
Because
those
who
are
saved
by
God's
grace
through
faith
always
bear
fruit
in
keeping
with
repentance
because
true
faith
is
always
accompanied
by
good
works
our
mercifulness
is the
evidence
the
proof
and the
fruit
of our
faith
in
Jesus
Christ
alone
of
the
fact
that
we
have
truly
received
!
God's
mercy
as
I
mentioned
earlier
we
become
merciful
by
receiving
God's
mercy
we
love
because
he
first
loved
us
we
forgive
because
he
first
forgave
us
we
show
mercy
because
he
first
showed
us
mercy
and
those
who
have
received
God's
mercy
are
so
transformed
by
that
mercy
that
they
become
merciful
and
that's
why
mercifulness
is
the
criterion
that
God
uses
to
dispense
his
final
judgment
his
final
mercy
on
that
judgment
day
it's
a
cascading
waterfall
of
mercy
from
God
to
us
and
mercy
from
us
to
others
and
then
again
mercy
from
God
to
us
to
those
who
have
shown
mercy
we
find
a
perfect
illustration
of
this
in
the
parable
of
the
unmerciful
servant
in
Matthew
chapter
18
verse
23
to
25
Ed
preached
a
wonderful
sermon
on us
if you
missed
that
I
encourage
you
to
find
it
on
our
website
and
listen
to
it
in
the
parable
there
is
a
servant
who
owes
a
king
10,000
talents
one
talent
was
about
6,000
denarii
and
one
denarius
was
a
day's
wage
for
a
common
laborer
so
if
you
do
some
math
minimum
wage
in
Massachusetts
is
$15
an
hour
that
times
an
8
hour
work
day
is
about
120
a
day
120
times
6,000
because
it's
6,000
denarii
is
720,000
so
one
talent
is
720,000
times
10,000
that's
7.2
billion
dollars
it's
a
staggering
unimaginable
amount
of money
this
servant
owes
the
king
7.2
billion
dollars
and
he
has
no
means
understandably
to
repay
this
debt
and
so
he
and
his
wife
and
kids
are
all
about
to
be
sold
into
slavery
which
is
how
they
dealt
with
unpaid
debt
in
those
days
but
then
the
servant
falls
on
his
knees
and
implores
the
king
have
patience
with
me
and
I
will
pay
you
everything
and
the
king
has
compassion
on
the
servant
and
he
shows
him
mercy
by
forgiving
this
is
amazing
the
entirety
of
that
7.2
billion
dollar
debt
but
when
this
servant
finds
one of
his
fellow
servants
so
they're
equals
it's
not
even
king
to
the
servant
!
twelve
thousand
dollars
he
seizes
him
chokes
him
demanding
immediate
payment
and
when
that
servant
pleads
with
him
in
the
very
much
the
same
way
that
he
earlier
pled
with
the
king
saying
have
patience
with
me
he
has
no
mercy
and
he
throws
his
fellow
servant
into
prison
!
And
when
that
event
is
reported
to
the
king
the
king
summons
this
unmerciful
servant
and says
to him
you
wicked
servant
I
forgave
you
all
that
debt
because
you
pleaded
with
me
and
should
not
you
have
had
mercy
on
your
fellow
servant
as
I
had
mercy
on
you
and
then
the
unmerciful
servant
gets thrown
into
prison
and
Jesus
concludes
the
parable
by saying
so
also
my
heavenly
father
will
do
to
every
one
of
you
if
you
do
not
forgive
your
brother
from
your
heart
so
here's
the
principle
forgiven
people
forgive
people
those
who
have
received
mercy
show
mercy
to
others
why
was
this
servant
so
unmerciful
toward
his
fellow
servant
why
was
he
so
impatient
to
get
his
money
back
it's
like
somebody
is
breathing
down
his
neck
getting
demanding
repayment
from
him
remember
what
he
said
to
the
king
have
patience
with
me
and
I
will
pay
you
everything
this
servant
is still
living
like he
needs
to
repay
everything
he's
not
living
in light
of the
fact
that
his
staggering
debt
has
been
fully
forgiven
no
wonder
he's
breathing
down
the
neck
of
his
fellow
servant
saying
demand
payment
that's
Jesus'
point
why
is
our
forgiveness
of
others
our
mercifulness
toward
others
the
criterion
by which
God
judges
us
in the
end
because
our
merciful
toward
others
is
the
true
test
of
whether
or
not
we
have
really
entrusted
ourselves
to
the
mercy
of
God
whether
or
not
we
really
have
true
faith
are
you
living
today
like
you
still
have
this
insurmountable
debt
do
you
live
like
you
have
to
pay
God
back
sure
you
know
your
theology
in
your
head
we're
saved
by
grace
not
by
works
we're
saved
through
faith
alone
and
deep
inside
your
heart
but
deep
inside
your
heart
do
you
feel
though
that
you
have
to
earn
God's
favor
somehow
by
your
obedience
that
you
have
to
by
your
obedience
pry
mercy
out of
God's
reluctant
hands
if so
then
you are
not
going to
be
merciful
toward
others
because
merit
is the
name
of your
spiritual
game
and
you're
going
to
judge
others
the
same
way
you
imagine
yourself
being
judged
by
God
remember
Jesus
is a
merciful
high
priest
because
he
was
made
like
us
in
every
way
he
knows
us
our
weaknesses
and
sufferings
and
struggles
and
we
have
that
same
benefit
when
it
comes
to
the
way
we
treat
our
fellow
sinners
our
fellow
servants
around
us
we're
like
them
we
have
been
there
we
know
that
weakness
we
have
sinned
so
when
we
find
ourselves
in a
position
of
power
over
someone
who
has
sinned
against
us
and
when
they
are
finally
in
our
hands
and
it
is
within
our
rights
to
avenge
ourselves
do we
see
ourselves
in the
place of
that fellow
sinner
as ones
who have
already
received
!
mercy
from
God
it
is
the
mercy
of
God
that
melts
our
hard
hearts
and
makes
them
merciful
so
the
intention
of
this
teaching
by
Jesus
isn't
for
us
to
go
home
now
and
say
am
I
being
merciful
enough
am
I
merciful
enough
today
do I
have
enough
mercy
am
I
going
to
receive
mercy
in
the
end
that's
not
the
point
because
by
trying
to
become
more
merciful
like
that
you're
not
going
to
become
more
merciful
forget
the
requirement
for
mercy
because
the
requirement
that has
been
satisfied
by
Christ
on
the
cross
is
what
makes
us
merciful
so
relish
that
mercy
you have
received
from
God
receive
freely
and
fully
that
mercy
every
single
day
because
God
says
his
mercies
are
new
every
morning
because
surely
goodness
and mercy
shall
follow
me
all
the
days
of
my
life
psalm
23
6
says
God's
mercy
will
follow
you
to
every
place
where
you
have
sinned
and
to
every
place
where
you
have
been
his
mercy
will
follow
you
and
you
receive
mercy
you
can
trust
God
to
take
care
of
the
rest
that
you
will
become
merciful
and
that
you
will
receive
mercy
in
the
end
as
you
20
21
says
but
you
beloved
building
yourselves
up
in
your
most
holy
faith
and
praying
in
the
holy
spirit
keep
yourselves
in
the
love
of
God
that's
how
we
persevere
till
the
end
keep
yourselves
in
the
love
of
God
keep
yourselves
!
in
the
mercy
of
God
waiting
for
the
mercy
of
our
Lord
Jesus
Christ
that
leads
to
eternal
life
if
we
keep
ourselves
in
the
love
and
mercy
of
God
then
we
will
be
merciful
and
we
will
receive
mercy
of
our
Lord
Jesus
Christ
that
leads
to
eternal
life
let's
pray
together
father
we
don't
want
to
lose
the
sense
of
wonder
before
your
mercy
amaze
us
again
with
your
mercy
melt
our
hardened
hearts
with
your
mercy
and
help
us
give
us
eyes
to
see
your
mercy
which
follows
us
everywhere
we
go
every
single
day
that
every
single
day
we
become
more
characterized
by
mercifulness
thank
you
God
you
are
merciful
thank
you
God
in
Jesus
name
we
pray
amen
through
Thank you.