Preached on February 23, 2014 at Cornerstone Church in Cascade, IA

Open you Bibles to Matthew 5. We are continuing our exposition of Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount and today we find ourselves nearing the end of the well known, or perhaps not so well known, beatitudes. Let’s get right to work, and read the entire section of the beatitudes, and then look more closely at verse 9.

• Matthew 5:2-12 – “And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. “
  
  

As I stated, today we are focusing on verse 9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

Before we get into the ins and outs of this verse, let us start with some sobering facts. In the interest of full disclosure, these facts are things that I have pulled off of the internet and I did not spend hours and hours attempting to confirm their veracity, so take them with a grain of salt.

In recorded history, there have been approximately 14,500 major wars fought on this planet. Over the last 3,400 years of human history, only 268 of those years have been without a major war. This is only 8 percent of the time. It is estimated there are currently 33 major wars being fought in 32 different countries. One of those wars grabbing headlines this month is Ukraine. I am sure that next month it will be someplace else. It is very difficult to calculate, but some people estimate that that almost four billion people have died directly related to a war.

If you were to define humanity, it would be hard not to characterize us as a people of war. Since time began, we have been fighting. It is just want we, as people do. I love the way 2 Samuel 11:1 puts it so nonchalantly:

• 2 Samuel 11:1 – “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war”
  
  

It was like clockwork. If Spring, then war. Th cabin fever of winter lead to burning down the cabins of others. No questions asked. It was an expectation. It is just what they did. Things have not changed much. However, instead of Kings going off to war, we have drones.

This reality of war is not exclusive to nation verses nation. War mentality permeates every culture that has ever existed throughout time. War within our communities. War within our schools. War within families. War within our marriages. War within our hearts. We are by nature inclined to fight. We are by nature adversarial. Why? Why is this the reality of humanity? Why do we hate each other so much?

• James 4:1-2 - “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.”
  
  

The reason we fight outwardly is that we are at war inwardly. The problem is deep within every heart of every person that has ever existed. Last week we talked about the heart when we looked at verse 8

• Matthew 5:8 - “ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”
  
  

And we saw that it is God who gives us a pure heart through the power of His Spirit and the proclamation of the Gospel, but prior to that regeneration, our hearts are desperately sick and every intention is only evil continually. This is the inward reality of who we are prior to the grace of God, and this reality does not stay bottled up within us. It manifests itself. No matter how good of a Doctor Jekyl you are, we all have a Mr. Hyde that will rear his ugly face. The war in our hearts spills out and into our lives and leaves a wake of causalities, sometimes on a global scale and sometimes in your home. Having said that, at the core of this battle, is our relationship with God. Just a few verses later in James 4:4 it says this:

• James 4:4 -”You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
  
  

This is the essence of who we are prior to God's saving grace. We are adversaries to God. There is enmity, or strife between us and Him. We have all revolted against his authority over us, and have declared our freedom to be our own gods. We are enemies of God and we have declared war against our Creator and demand our independence. Another word for this is sin. The essence of sin: war against our Creator.

And this war in our hearts continues to be waged until peace is achieved. The question is how. How can a peace accord between God and man be struck. Can we, as enemies against God achieve peace? Do we have the capacity to lay down our arms and to surrender to Him? Can all of our war crimes that we have committed against God be swept under the rug as if nothing happened? Turn with me to Colossians 1:19-22.

• Colossians 1:19-22 - “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.
  
  

In order for peace to be achieved, blood must be spilled, but not the blood of man, but the blood of the Son of Man. It is God's gift of His Son that achieves peace between us and God. This is why Isaiah calls Jesus the Prince of Peace in Isaiah 9:6. And this is why the Angels when announcing the birth of Jesus to the Shepherds say in Luke 2:14,

• Luke 2:14 - "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" “
  
  

It is on the cross where our war crimes against God are paid by Jesus' blood. Therefore, what is important for us to understand is that the ultimate peacemaker is Jesus Christ. So how does this translate to being peacemakers on earth? I believe the answer lies in the blessing of verse 9. Let’s take a look at it again?

• Matthew 5:9 – “"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. “
  
  

As we have said, over and over again, it is crucial to remember that the beatitudes are not achieved by our ability. These characteristics that are listed are supernatural. We cannot be poor in spirit, mourn over sin, meek, hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, and pure in heart, except by grace of God coming into our lives and causing us to be these things. It is by the power of God that we are blessed.

The same is true in verse 9. Peacemaking is not something that we prop up like a ladder and climb so as to get to heaven, by our effort. We can’t make ourselves into peacemakers. Being a peacemaker is evidence, or proof, that God has already come into our lives and transformed us. And not only has he come into our lives and transformed us, but he has also adopted us into His family, “For they shall be called the sons of God.”

What I believe Jesus is saying in this Beatitude is that if you are a peacemaker, then this is evidence that you are a chip off the old block, or that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. We are acting just like our Father. When people see us making peace, they should see what we are doing and see our Father.

This should make total sense to us, should it not? When, by the grace of God, our eyes are opened, and we see our sin, and we recognize our need for Jesus Christ to be our Savior and Lord of our life, God’s Word tells us that the spirit of Christ, the Prince of Peace, comes and takes up residence in your heart. So we should say, “it is no longer I who live, but the Prince of Peace that lives within me.” Therefore it only makes sense that our life should be defined by our peacemaking, for Jesus’ life was.

Which leads us to the question? How does a peacemaking look in a Christians life? Let us do this by stating what it does not mean? A peacemaker is not passive. To by a peacemaker does not mean you are numb to the war around you. A peacemaker is not one who sticks there head in the sand and hopes the spiritual cannons quit firing. No, a peacemaker runs to the battle and lays down their life for the purpose of peace. We make peace. The only way to make peace is to jump in the trenches and take risk.

Once again, there is no better example of this than Jesus Christ. He did not apathetically watch as humanity continued to wage war against His Father. He obeyed the request of His dad, and took the form of man, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross for us. This was not passive. Jesus not only threw himself in harms way, he threw himself in Gods way. We are to be like this, active in our peacemaking. God’s mission is our mission. We are to join Christ and go and make peace.

Some of you may know be saying, how can we make peace? Is peace something we can manufacture? We can promote peace. We can encourage of peace. We can be an example of peace, but make it? If you are familiar with the Bible, you know that this is not the only place in which Jesus tells his disciples to go and make something.

• Matthew 28:19-20 - “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
  
  

Jesus tells us to go and make disciples. I believe when Jesus says, blessed are the peacemakers, he is saying, blessed are the disciple makers. And I believe when he says to and make disciples, he is saying go and make peace. For to have peace is to be a disciple, and to be a disciple is to have peace. Those two only exist together.

But it still leaves open the question, how do you make disciples? How do you make peace? I think the best way to understand is to watch it in action. Turn with me to Acts 14

• Acts 14:19-23 - “ But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 20 But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. 21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. 23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”
  
  

How did Paul make disciples? By proclaiming the Gospel. When he actively went and spoke the good news of Jesus Christ and told people to repent and turn to Christ alone for their salvation, hearts were awakened, eyes were opened and people placed their faith in Jesus. This is how you make disciples, this is how you make peace, proclamation of the Gospel.

This week I had a really goof conversation with the missions leader at The Church of Brook Hills, the Church David Platt is the pastor at, and we were talking about the nation of India, and how it is one of the last places on the planet that is still unreached with the Gospel. He was telling me that God is really moving in the Northern part of India in many of their house churches. He told me that in their support of the Church in India they rarely give money to pay for bricks and mortar, because in these intimate meetings at house churches, they ask a question, how many people did you share the Gospel this week? Every Sunday they asked that question. IN a house Church of 20-40 people you can't hide. And every week when you go to Church you know that you are going to be asked that question, you have one of two options, either stop going to Church, or start proclaiming the Gospel. The true, authentic Christians, start proclaiming the Gospel, and you know what happens. It works! It really works. Who would have guessed that God's word is true?

I think this is a major problem in the American Church. WE don't go and make disciples. We don't go and make peace. Instead we are afraid. We are afraid what people will think of us, we are afraid that we might lose our job. We are afraid of getting sued. We are afraid of getting detention at school. We are afraid of the war.

We refuse to lay our life down, and share the Gospel with our spouse, parents, children, friends, neighbors, co-workers, the town next door, and the world. And then we are surprised when there is war in our schools, streets, and homes. Let us be like Paul and be left for dead one day, and in Derbe the next, spreading the peace of Christ.

This is what the Sons of God do. SO let's recognize who we are in Christ and go and be peacemakers!

Preached on February 16, 2014 at Cornerstone Church in Cascade, IA

Turn in your Bibles to Matthew 5. We continue are walk through the beatitudes and find ourselves today in verse 8. For those who have not been with us for the last eight weeks, let me say a few words of review before we get started. The Beatitudes are eight statements made by Jesus at the beginning of his famous Sermon on the Mount. The best way to understand the Beatitudes is to see them as a description the character of a true, authentic genuine, Christian. To say it another way, the beatitudes are fruit hanging from a Christian tree. With that said, we are on the 6th beatitude today, so let us get right to it and read our text, ask God to show us His truth, and then examine it.

• Matthew 5:2-12 - “And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
  
  

“Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” What an amazing statement. Think about what is being said, “they shall see God.” There is no greater reward listed in the beatitudes then this promise. God is the pinnacle of all that exists. He is infinite, eternal, sovereign, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, unchanging, just, righteous, love, gracious, merciful, and good. There is nothing that exists that he didn't create. He spoke the Heavens into place, and He has given us life.

• Psalm 145:3 - “his greatness is unsearchable. “
  
  
• Ephesians 1:19 - “what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might  “
  
  
• Romans 11:33 - “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “
  
  

God is so great that we will never, ever be able to wrap our heads around his greatness. Many people wonder why the Universe is so big, yet man is so small. One of the reasons for this is so that we would have a small glimpse of how awesome God is. And Jesus promises that we will stand before him.

If that was not enough, not only is it unfathomable to stand is the presence of such greatness, but his presence is also our greatest treasure.

• Psalm 16:11 - “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
  
  

Why is Hell terrible? Because God is absent. Why is Heaven paradise? Because is God present. I love they way John Piper puts it, “God is the Gospel.” Meaning, that the good news of Christ is not primarily salvation, it is not primarily eternal life it is not primarily the absence of pain. All of those things are wonderful, but they are products in being in the presence of God. At the center of all those blessings, is God. So when Jesus tells us that we can see God, our heart should skip a beat, and we should ask how.

Jesus says that those who will see God are those who are “pure in heart.” Lets start with the heart. What is the heart? This is a common phrase within Christianity. We read about the heart in the Bible, we sing songs about the heart during worship, we pray that God soften hearts, change hearts, and clean hearts. What are we saying when we speak this way?

Obviously, when we speak of the heart, we are not talking about the biological heart, we are talking about something more. When we speak of the heart, we are talking about a person’s essence, their core. The heart is a description of the center of who we are and why we do what you do. When we talk about one’s heart, we are talking about the real you. When we talk about our heart we are talking about the force that drives our mind, our emotions, our spirituality, and our actions.

This heart of man is a mysterious thing. It is not something that we can see with our eyes. We cannot take it out of our chest and examine it. It is not tangible. However there are two ways that we can know our hearts. First, we listen to our cardiologist, otherwise known as God.

• 1 Samuel 16:7 – “For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."
  
  
• 1 Chronicles 28:9 – “for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought.”
  
  
• Proverbs 21:2 – “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart.”
  
  
• Luke 16:15 – “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts.”
  
  

Good looks at our heart. He searches our heart. He weighs our heart. He knows our heart. So what does God say about humanity’s heart? Warning, the diagnoses is not good.

• Genesis 6:5 – “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
  
  
• Jeremiah 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”
  
  
• Romans 1:21 – “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
  
  

When we sit in the examining room of God’s Word, and the Great Physician tells us that our heart is evil, dark and desperately sick. God’s diagnosis of our heart is unmistakably clear, and He willingly expresses to us our condition. However, many people do not want to accept this truth. They either refuse to go to the Doctor, or they seek a second opinion from the world. They want to believe that generally people are “good.” But this is just not true, and it is a recipe for damnation. Not only can you see it in God's word, but if we take an honest look at our life we can see the symptoms of a sick heart. Jesus speaks to this reality later in his sermon.

• Matthew 6:21 – “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
  
  

If you want to know the condition of your heart, examine what you treasure. What do you spend your time doing? What do you spend your money on? What do you dream about? What makes you happy? Are they things that please the Lord, or things that please yourself?

• Mark 7:21-22 – “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.”
  
  

This list is pretty convicting. It is easy for our eyes to focus on things like murder and adultery, but what about coveting, envy, pride, foolishness? The evidence of these things in our life is readily apparent. Which is a problem, for it is only the pure in heart that can see God. Not the impure, not the semi-pure, but the pure. Interestingly, this is not the only place that God says this. Jesus is potentially quoting Psalm 24:3-4 when he say this.

• Psalm 24:3-4 – “Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.”
  
  

So what does pure mean? Purity simply means singleness. If you are talking about pure gold, it means that it is only gold. If you are talking about pure water, you mean it is only water. It is clean water. Impurity means that there is something else mixed in. If water, it means both water and dirt.

In the context of purity of heart, Jesus is speaking to the singular devotion of your heart. Devotion to whom? God of course.

• James 4:8 – “ purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
  
  

The requirement to stand before God is to be wholly devoted to Him. We are not to be double minded. This is why the greatest commandment, according to Jesus is to “"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind“ (Matthew 22:37). Why is the greatest commandment? It is because it produces the greatest reward.

This is where so many people fall short. Instead of making God everything, they treat Him as an accessory. He is an add on. They spend time with God when it is convenient for them. They may go days and weeks without one thought of Him. They may pray, but only when they have to. The try to read the Bible, but more important things come up, like ESPN or laundry. They try to got to Church, but it is just much work. They would love to do what God requires, if it was easier. Does this sound like a heart devoted to God? Absolutely not! To say one thing and to do another is by definition, hypocrisy.

I love how Dietrich Bonhoeffer puts it, “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come a die.” To follow Christ, you are to die to self and to live to God. To be a Christian is to have one singular purpose. You are all about His glory, not your comfort. Someone who is pure in heart is someone who entirely sold out God; doing everything that He asks. Purity is perfection. Forty verses later in Matthew 5 Jesus says this:

• Matthew 5:48 - “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.“
  
  

So, once again, we find ourselves at a crossroads. Christ has drawn a line in the sand. We must be clean, pure, perfect. We know that our hearts are far from perfect. Our hearts are desperately sick. What are we to do? We can take the path of the Pharisees or we can take the path of grace. Lets look at the Pharisees.

• Matthew 23:25 - “"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. 27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness.”
  
  

These are perhaps the strongest words of Jesus that are documented, and it was directed at the religious. These were people who lived and breathed religion. They knew their Bible. They prayed for extended periods of time. They gave a great amount in money to the Temple. They didn't miss feast, festival, or sabbath. They did everything in their power to be devoted to God, yet Jesus calls them hypocrites, greedy, selfish, blind, whitewashed tombs, and dead. Their self-centered effort for purity had the opposite effect. It was like they were trying to wash their face with an oil rag. The more they tried to clean themselves up, the dirtier they got. So obviously, the road to purity is not found within yourself.

No, the pure heart takes an act of God. It takes grace. We have found ourselves at this text many times over the last year, hopefully you will see how crucial it is in understanding of God's saving Grace.

• Ezekiel 36:25-27 - “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”
  
  

It is God alone that can make us clean, that can make us pure. It is the proclaiming of the Gospel and the power of His Spirit coming into our life that produces the singularity of our hearts being wholly devoted to him. It is the Great Physician who performs open heart surgery with the scalpel of God's Word on our desperately sick hearts.

Having said that, it is God who does the work, but you must act out the miracle. You are not passive in this transformation. If you sit here today, and your are double minded, and your heart is not pure, do as James states.

• James 4:8 - “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. “
  
  

Make a choice to lay your life down at the foot of the throne and let him give you the greatest treasure in the Universe, His presence.

 

Preached on February 9, 2014 at Cornerstone Church in Cascade, IA.

Today, we find ourselves in verse 7, of Matthew Chapter 5. Let us jump right into our text today by reading through the entire Beatitudes before we unpack verse 7.

• Matthew 5:3-12 – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
  
  

As I said, today we are focusing on verse 7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” I think the best place for us to start is with the question of what is mercy?

To understand the words in the Bible, we must use the Bible to self-interpret. Why is this? Because when I use the word mercy, I may mean one thing, and when you use the word mercy, you may mean something else. However, to be honest, we don’t care what my definition of mercy is, or yours. What we care about is God’s definition of mercy. For it is Jesus who uses these words and we want to know what Jesus means, not what Merriam Webster’s dictionary means.

The Greek word for the verb mercy is eleeō. The Greek word for the noun mercy is eleos. It is actually a common word used in the book of Matthew. In fact, it was commonly used by people who are crying out to Jesus in the streets. Here are the times it is used by the crowds.

• Matthew 9:27 – “And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, "Have mercy on us, Son of David."
  
  
• Matthew 15:22 – “And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon."”
  
  
• Matthew 17:14-15 – “And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15 said, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. “
  
  
• Matthew 20:30 – “And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!"
  
  

In these verses we can start to see what mercy is. In each instance, there is a deep need for outside help. You can almost sense the despair in the actions of the people. In three of the instances we see the people crying out to Jesus. What comes to my mind is someone who is drowning in a pool and is yelling, “Help! Help!”; someone who is desperate to capture someone’s attention no matter what. In the other instance we see the person kneeling before Jesus in the form of a beggar, pleading for the mercy of Jesus. Once again, giving us a picture of doing whatever it takes to grab the attention of Jesus. In each of these instances, we can appreciate the anguish and suffering and plight of each individual. I think it would be fair to assume that behind each one of these people is a life best described as a terribly broken road; one that includes countless tears, and many dark days. One can only imagine some of the thoughts they would have had run through their mind. Having said that, each one of these broken roads led to Jesus, and Jesus did not disappoint. I like the way Matthew 20:34 plainly explains Jesus’ response.

• Matthew 20:34 – “And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.”
  
  

Other translations, instead of “in pity”, use the phrase, “moved by compassion” to explain Jesus’ response. And I think at this point, we have found our definition of mercy: to be merciful means to observe suffering, be moved by compassion and then to respond.

The interesting thing about Jesus and mercy is that not only is he merciful in providing care for people during his earthly ministry, but that He is mercy incarnate. Listen to what it says in Hebrews 2:17-18.

• 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. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”
  
  

The mercy of Jesus goes beyond a common street physician, responding to the cares of the day and healing this disease and that disease. The mercy of Jesus explains his coming to earth. The mercy of God was the catalyst behind His Son taking on flesh. For God is a God of love, and when he looks down upon humanity, he sees suffering. He sees affliction. He sees pain. He sees brokenness. When He sees these things, he is not numb to it. It affects Him.

If you recall when we talked about mourning in verse 4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”, we examined how sin grieves God. Sin is a big deal to God. He is not casual about our rebellion. However, it not only grieves him, but the consequences of sin (death, despair, anguish, affliction, etc.) moves his heart into action. God observes suffering, His heart is moved, and He responds. The way he responds is through His Son Jesus Christ.

• Ephesians 2:4 – “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved—“
  
  

God is rich in mercy, and it is primarily displayed in his Gift of Jesus to you, and to me.

With all that in mind, Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:7 that blessed are the merciful. Remember, as we have said in the past, “Blessed” is commonly translated to happy, but a more complete definition would be to understand blessed as the approval of God that brings about happiness. And this makes sense when we look at other passages in Matthew where Jesus speaks about mercy.

• Matthew 9:13 – “Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."
  
  
• Matthew 12:7 – “And if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.”
  
  
• Mathew 23:23 – “"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. “
  
  

So as we can see, mercy is important to Jesus. It is the desire of Jesus that people act like him. Mercy is more important than sacrifice. It is more important than tithing. Jesus designates mercy as a weightier matter of the law, meaning that there is more substance to mercy than there is to some other things.

How high up is mercy on your list? Is mercy of primary concern in your life or a passing thought? Are you rich in mercy, as God is rich in mercy? How would you define your religion, sacrificial or merciful? Are you more likely to cut a check or visit orphans and widows in their need? Once again, I find that God’s Word cuts deeply into my soul, and leaves me broken before God.

This leaves us in a very difficult predicament, for Jesus says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” The logical inverse of that statement is “Cursed are the unmerciful, for they shall be dammed.” This beatitude should cause us to tremble! Turn with me to Matthew 18:21-35.

• Matthew 18:21-35 – “Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. 23 "Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, 'Pay what you owe.' 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place.32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."”
  
  

I don’t have time to unpack this entire story, but you can see the high points. This story is somewhat ridiculous, when you think about it. Who would do such a thing? I will tell you who? Everyone, including you and me. Every time we go around demanding our just deserts, or looking down upon people and Lording over them with our self-righteous comments, thoughts and glances, we are the wicked servant. And what happens to the wicked servant? He was placed in prison until he paid the last cent of his debt.

Once again, scary stuff. We don’t want our story to end like the wicked servant, do we? So how are we to be merciful? Is mercy something that we can manufacture? Can we just go out and make ourselves merciful and therefore earn God’s mercy? Is mercy God something that can be purchased by Phil Parsons? Absolutely not!

If you hear anything today, hear this: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” does not mean that your mercy earns God’s mercy. If your mercy earns God’s mercy that what is the point of Jesus. If we work our way into heaven, we wouldn’t need Jesus’ work on the cross, it strips the good news o the Gospel or all of its power. Reading verse seven as a command by Jesus to take matters into your own hands is the leaven of the Pharisees. So if mercy doesn’t earn mercy, what does Jesus mean?

Let me ask? What was the problem with the wicked servant? Look at verse 35, “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart." The problem with the wicked servant is that the forgiveness that was offered to him did not reach His heart. Did he hear the offer? Yes. Did he understand the offer? Yes. Did he intellectually accept the offer? Yes. But it did not travel the necessary 8 inches to his heart. The love of His King did not shine in his heart.

Fellow Christian, I hope that this is not you. I hope that as you sit here, you do not presume upon the patience and kindness of your King. I hope that it has effected you more deeply than your mind. I hope that the Gospel message of forgiveness through our merciful high priest Jesus has transformed your heart.

The mercy that overflows from our heart after being filled with the mercy of our high priest is evidence of our future is security in Christ. It is not our mercy that earns our mercy. It is our mercy that proves we have been forgiven.   

Preached on February 2, 2014 at Cornerstone Church in Cascade, IA.

Turn with me to Matthew 5. Today we continue our journey through the Sermon on the Mount, specifically the Beatitudes. Before we get started in our specific text, I wanted to mention something that I believe I have wrongfully under emphasized over the last three weeks. For me, and I hope for you, each one of these beatitudes have greatly convicted me. They have pierced my heart, and this is exactly what God wants His Word to do when we interact with it.

• Hebrews 4:12 – “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 
  
  

This is why I continue to encourage all of us to be Bible people. Because God’s Word is not dead, it is alive, and it changes lives.

Having said that, once we are convicted by God’s Word we have two roads we can take. Road one is the road of the Pharisees and road two is the road of Grace. The Pharisaical road is when someone reads the Word of God and looks to themselves for the strength to adhere to what they found convicting. For example, last week we examined what it meant to be meek. If you walked out of here and said I need to be more meek. And then you asked yourself, “What can I do to be more meek?” Then you are walking down the road of a Pharisee. For you are looking to yourself to produce the fruit in your life. Jesus warned us about this in Matthew 16:6.

• Matthew 16:6 – “Jesus said to them, "Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
  
  

Jesus tells us that we need to watch ourselves. He is warning us that we must be on guard against this leaven, this appetite that we have to be our own God.

Instead, we are not look to ourselves, but to the Lord. It is His Grace that produces these qualities, these beatitudes, in our life. These Christian characteristics listed in the beatitudes are a result of the Holy Spirit coming into your life, regenerating you, and giving you eyes to see, a heart that mourns, and a lowly disposition. If you are born of the Spirit of God, then you should walk by the Spirit of God.

• Galatians 3:3 - - “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? “
  
  

Therefore, if you are convicted by the Word of God, do not look for strength within yourself, but look for strength within the Lord. Pray that God would grant you the characteristics listed in the Beatitudes. With that said, let us know look at Matthew 5:6.

• Matthew 5:6 – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied”
  
  

So often we read our Bibles, listen to sermons, and even teach without thinking about the words that are being used. As we start today I think it is important for us to understand the key word in this text, righteousness. What does righteousness mean?

The answer is somewhat obvious, for the answer is in the word itself. To be righteous is to be right. To do things, to say things, to think thing that are correct, and to not do wrong things.

This word righteousness assumes something. It assumes that there is an actual, real, measurable standard by which we all must live by. What is interesting about this belief of a universal and absolute standard is that it is a fleeting belief in this postmodern world. More and more people reject the idea of absolutes. Instead more and more of the American culture accepts relativism. Relativism is the idea that each person has their own standard to live by. It is the idea that each person makes their own rules and no one can tell them that they are wrong. Relativism is the belief that righteousness is self defined, or culturally defined, and this belief is rampant in America and rampant in churches.

Jesus's statement concerning righteousness totally blows the door off of relativism. Jesus says there is a right way to live. Jesus says there is a standard of virtue. And this is not the only time Jesus uses this word in Matthew. In fact, he mentions righteousness twice in the beatitudes, and he mentions is three more times in the rest of the sermon on the Mount. (Matthew 5:20, Matthew 6:1, Matthew 6:33). Therefore, either Jesus is lying to us, or there really is a right way and a wrong way to live in the world He created.

And if the world was intellectually honest, we would all agree with this; because this standard is something that everyone can sense or feel, it is intuitive. No matter what culture, no matter what point in history you look at, you will always find a similar standard that people live by. This standard is commonly called the moral law. For example, murder; all cultures throughout all time agree that it is wrong to randomly kill someone for no reason. Another example, all cultures throughout all time agree that it wrong to steal. If that is not enough, the proof or the moral law lies in your reaction when someone treats you “wrongly.” If you didn't have implanted in you a sense of right and wrong, then you would not be offended when someone spits in your face and pushes you to the ground.

The truth is that there is a standard, and there is a standard Giver, and he happens to be Jesus's Dad, the Creator of the Universe, and we are to live by this standard. But there is a problem, and Jesus speaks of that problem.

When Jesus say's “ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” He is making a very indicting statement about humanity. For to hunger and thirst for something means that you lack it. When you hunger for food, it means your stomach is empty of food. When you hunger for righteousness, it means you are empty of righteousness. You lack righteousness.

So if we put these two thoughts together we see that God has a standard, or way, in which we are to live; however, we fail to live in conformity with that standard. We fail to live in a right relationship with our Creator. In fact, we are incapable. The most on point indictment of this truth is Romans 3:10.

• Romans 3:10 - “as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; “
  
  

Paul leaves no wiggle room in this statement. In case we didn't understand what “none” meant, he reinforced it by saying, “no, not one.” Everyone who has ever been born, is not righteousness. However, many people do not accept this reality. They don't accept that they are sinners. They suppress this truth. The don't believe they are unrighteous. One reason for this, I believe, is because we tend to use the wrong standard. When we evaluate ourselves we compare ourselves to others. We look at the culture to determine our righteousness. We look around and feel good about ourselves because we aren't as bad as that guy over there. We are like Sodom comparing ourselves to Gomorrah, and because of this we think we are ok. Turn with me to 1 Timothy 1:8.

• 1 Timothy 1:8-11 - “Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted. “
  
  

The correct standard of living is provided to us through the law. It is like a line in the sand drawn by God. This law does not come from man, but from God. This law is provided to fallen humanity as a scale for which to weigh its righteousness, or lack there of. And this law is for a specific group of people: the lawless, and disobedient and the ungodly. It is for people who are not Christians. For if you are a Christian, you are not under the law, but under grace. But those who are not under Grace, i.e. those who live contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance to the Gospel, the law is for a very specific and good purpose.

• Romans 3:20 - “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
  
  

The law of God is like a spiritual cat scan. We stand up against it and we see that we are out of sync with God's will. The law runs us through a series of tests and the results are a zero righteousness count. God says don't covet, and then we covet. God says don't lie, and then we lie. God says don't lust, and then we lust. The law is the means to prove our desperate need for an outside righteousness.

And Jesus says that those who recognize this and hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed. So now let us ask, what does it mean to hunger and thirst for righteousness?

First, to hunger and thirst does not mean a casual interest. This desire to have righteousness is not one that is like taste testing. To hunger and to thirst is to have a deep and desperate longing for righteousness, and lets be honest, it is a desperation because we are spiritually starving. We are completely void and the threat of death is always looming. Psalm 63:1 provides a great picture of this thirst.

• Psalm 63:1 - “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. “
  
  

This is the kind of desire for righteousness that Jesus is talking about. A recognition that the one thing you need as you wander through the dessert of life, is the water that only God can provide. It consumes you. It is all that you think about in life, being and doing the will of God.

With that said, Jesus tells us that if we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we will be satisfied. How? How are we who are void of righteousness to get righteousness? We have already seen that the law of God is not the answer, for its purpose is to show us our unrighteous condition, not to fix it. So if the law won't make us right before God, what will?

• John 6: - “Then they said to him, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" 29 Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." 30 So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" 32 Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." 34 They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always." 35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.  “
  
  

If we are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, we will only find satisfaction in Jesus. There is no other well that we should drink from then Him. All other religions, all other philosophies, all other strategies are like drinking sand. Why? He is the only one who lived a righteous life and therefore He is the only one who has righteousness to give, and he offers this righteousness to you. It yours for the taking, all you have to do is to believe in Him. And notice that Jesus does not say that you need a balanced diet. He doesn't say that Him plus works equals, satisfaction. He says, “believe.” The belief is the means to the free gift of the living water of Jesus Christ. Only Jesus satisfied. Him alone. Faith alone. Grace alone. Christ alone.

Before we end, I want to clarify one thing. The hunger and thirst for righteousness does not end at conversion. It is an ongoing characteristic of a Christian here on this Earth. It is a longing that continues, until the return of Christ, or until death. Right now, some of you are saying hold on, you just told me that Christ satisfies and we just read in that “whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” All of these things are simultaneously true. Perhaps scripture would be the best way to explain.

• Philippians 3:8-14 - “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith-- 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
  
  

In this text Paul is explaining that he is simultaneously satisfied and hungry. Prior to having faith in Christ he attempted to create His own righteousness. All of that effort, all of those years, all of that work he now counts as rubbish, it was unsatisfying. It was like drinking sand. But now he has tasted that the Lord is good, and it was like honey on his lips. It was like that first sip on a hot day working out in the yard. It is like the Coke commercial, where they take one drink and release a satisfied “awwww.” He had found what he was looking for. However, having said that, Paul still knew that even though the spring of living water had taken up residence in his heart, there was still more work to do in his life. He knew that until the Lord returned he was still not perfectly righteous. He had not reached the goal of being Christlike.

If you have tasted that the Lord is good, this is exactly where you are at today, and what a good place to be. You have searched for satisfaction and you have found it in Christ. Your looking is over. There are so many who have yet to find it. Wandering in the dessert and dieing of spiritual hunger and thirst. So let us not waste this great gift. Let us drink deeply from the well of Jesus Christ.