Gospel of John [16:33]. Why the believer has tribulation in the world [part 7 - mercy]. Mat 5:3-12; Heb 2:17; Psa 18:25.

Title: Gospel of John [16:33]. Why the believer has tribulation in the world [part 7 - mercy]. MAT 5:3-12; HEB 2:17; PSA 18:25.

 

Announcements/opening prayer: 

 

 

MAT 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

 

This is experiential or practical righteousness and not positional righteousness which all believers are imputed with at the moment of salvation.

 

The promise from our Lord is that that hunger and thirst will be satisfied or quenched. Cravings for worldly or fleshly things will not be quenched.

 

Solomon is the prime example in the Bible. All he attempted did not satisfy him.

 

ECC 12:13

The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.

 

MAT 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied [or filled].

 

MAT 5:7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

 

"merciful" - eleh,mwn[eleemon] = actively compassionate, the outward manifestation of pity; it assumes need on the part of him who receives it, and resources adequate to meet the need on the part of him who shows it.

 

Pity has gained a lot of emotional nuance over the centuries. This is pity as defined by Vine as meeting a need.

 

The word is used of Christ as our high priest, coming to our aid in times of temptation. He meets the need.

 

HEB 2:17 Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

 

HEB 2:18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.

 

MAT 5:7

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

 

The words are likely fetched from PSA 18:25. A beautiful psalm about David's deliverance from the persecution of Saul, which lasted 10 years.

 

PSA 18:1 For the choir director. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord, who spoke to the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord  delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said,

 

PSA 18:16 He sent from on high [never ignoring what His children are going through], He took me; He drew me out of many waters.

 

PSA 18:17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, And from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.

 

The pride of the world would resist admitting that an enemy was too mighty, but the humble before God knows that in spite of this, they are not too mighty for God in whom they put their trust.

 

PSA 18:18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the Lord was my stay.

 

PSA 18:19 He brought me forth also into a broad place; He rescued me, because He delighted in me.

 

PSA 18:20 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me [as opposed to divine discipline].

 

PSA 18:21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, And have not wickedly departed from my God.

 

PSA 18:22 For all His ordinances were before me, And I did not put away His statutes from me.

 

PSA 18:23 I was also blameless with Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity.

 

Admitting he has iniquity but fighting to suppress it rather than having an apathetic attitude towards it.

 

PSA 18:24 Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in His eyes.

 

PSA 18:25 With the kind [steadfast love, merciful] Thou dost show Thyself kind [merciful]; With the blameless Thou dost show Thyself blameless;

 

PSA 18:26 With the pure Thou dost show Thyself pure; And with the crooked Thou dost show Thyself astute.

 

PSA 18:27 For Thou dost save an afflicted people; But haughty eyes Thou dost abase.

 

We would conclude that those who are not merciful have not seen the mercy of God, though it is all around them. The same is true of all virtues.

 

1PE 5:5

all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

 

All of us have received mercy in that our need to be delivered from sin and death was met by our Lord at salvation. Yet, as with many positional things, there is an experience in time.

 

ROM 8:28

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God

 

Not that our mercifulness comes absolutely first. On the contrary, our Lord Himself expressly teaches us that God's method is to awaken in us compassion toward our fellow-men by His own exercise of it, in so stupendous a way and measure, toward ourselves.

 

He exercises His mercy toward us at salvation with all the gifts given to us. As we learn of these gifts we learn mercy and we learn to meet the needs of others in the same gracious way, through the power of G/HS of course.

 

MAT 18:21 Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"

 

MAT 18:22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

 

MAT 18:23 "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a certain king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.

 

MAT 18:24 "And when he had begun to settle them, there was brought to him one who owed him ten thousand talents [approx. million].

 

MAT 18:25 "But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made.

 

MAT 18:26 "The slave therefore falling down, prostrated himself before him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will repay you everything.'

 

MAT 18:27 "And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.

 

MAT 18:28 "But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii [10 days wages: i.e. much less]; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, 'Pay back what you owe.'

 

MAT 18:29 "So his fellow slave fell down and began to entreat him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you.'

 

MAT 18:30 "He was unwilling however, but went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed.

 

MAT 18:31 "So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened.

 

MAT 18:32 "Then summoning him, his lord said to him, 'You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you entreated me.

 

MAT 18:33 'Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, even as I had mercy on you?'

 

MAT 18:34 "And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.

 

MAT 18:35 "So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."

 

A forgiveness from the heart is from within and therefore not just in words while harboring an unforgiving attitude within.

 

The Christian stands in a middle point, between a mercy received and a mercy yet needed.

 

Sometimes the first is urged upon him as an argument for showing mercy - "forgiving one another, as Christ forgave you" and in our passage it is the last, the merciful will receive mercy.

 

The believer is always to look back at the mercy received as motivation for the mercy he shows.

 

He also continues to look forward to the mercy he still needs, which he has absolute confidence he will receive from the gracious King of kings who has promised to meet all of our needs.

 

HEB 4:16

Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.