I don't have time to write this out as a devotional or in a more logical manner, but here's the outline for my talk for next week. I hope it makes sense and is useful to you!
Matthew 5:7
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be
shown mercy.
Blessed?
What is being Merciful?
Why are we called to be merciful?
- How does God show his mercy to us?
Who was the Ultimate example of Mercy
- How did he show it?
Why do we need to be shown mercy?
- What is sin? In essence?
- How serious is sin?
- Is there any way for us to pay for our sin?
Are only the merciful shown mercy? What is
God’s mercy
- In terms of Eternity?
- In terms of life here?
- How do Christians see Gods mercy in their lives
here?
Is this salvation by works? James 2:13 Matthew
6:14-15
What does being merciful look like in our
lives?
- What does not being merciful look like?
- What does being merciful look like?
- Specific examples?
How can we develop it?
Blessed?
- - God’s
favour, God’s blessing. Better then any earthly thing. But also has real implications
for our life, and for our eternity.
What is being Merciful
- - Tied
strongly to forgiving, undeserved forgiveness, or helping someone in need
without any real reason except to help them.
Why are we called to be merciful?
- - God is
- - Ex 34:6 “And he passed in front
of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious
God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,”
-
God is merciful to Us
Who was the Ultimate example of Mercy and how
did he show it?
- - Jesus, died for us. He was
God’s son. He also gave up his glory and lived among us. he has taken our sin
if we are his people and tat he died in our place so we are completely
forgiven, but rose again to prove it and to show he had fulfilled the law.
Why do we need to be shown mercy?
- - Ezekiel 33:11 “Say to them, 'As
surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death
of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn
from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?'”
- - 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not
slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient
with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
- - God offers
us forgiveness even though our sin is a personal attack on him. We are his
enemies, we rebel against him and ignore him, or worse – we mock him and attack
his people. Yet he offers to show us mercy in Jesus, sending his only son to
die in our place. We deserve none of it – that’s mercy.
- - God is
merciful, he wants us to be like him (Perfection = like God = his standard).
Therefore he wants us to be merciful and is delighted when we are.
Are only the merciful shown mercy? What is
God’s mercy
- - In terms
of eternity yes, we are granted heaven.
- - But here
on earth, every second of life we have, every good thing we have is a mercy of
God because we deserve only his punishment.
- - We have
here the promise of heaven eternally if we are God’s people! Complete
forgiveness. We were God’s enemies, he has every reason to destroy us yet he
accepts us as his children, co-heirs with Jesus, to miss out on heaven by
rejecting Jesus isn’t worth any pleasure or joy in this life!
- - Also or cs
it means joy and hope here, complete forgiveness, no guilt, no fear of death.
We also have God helping and strengthening and teaching us in this life.
Is this salvation by works? James 2:13 Matthew
6:14-15
- - No, it is
an evidence of salvation. If we have been forgiven so much by God how can we
not forgive others?
- - We
offended God far more then we can imagine – so much that the only payment could
be Jesus, God himself, dying in our place.
- - Yet God
forgave. How can we not forgive others?
- - We have
the Holy Spirit, we should be acting like it
- - Eph 4:32, Matthew 10:42
- - Being
merciful means nothing – it needs to be being merciful for God’s glory.
What does being merciful look like in our
lives?
- - It’s an
attitude of the heart, but à direct action.
- - The
opposite to seeking revenge – don’t try to get back at people, just let it go
and forgive!
- - Seeing the
suffering of others and wanting to help and then helping.
- - Can we learn from Jesus’ example? How should we
be acting like him? Giving up
glory and pride to save us who hated him – maybe standing up for someone whose
being bullied, befriending and helping them even if you don’t like them? Small
compared to what Jesus did.
- - Forgiving
people when the offend us – not just our friends, but even those who hate us
- - Helping
those in need, specifics?
- - Things
like 4 hour famine – helping people when really we have no reason to and it
costs us
- - It also
can mean telling people off when they are in sin. The biggest mercy we can show
someone is sharing the gospel with them. That involves telling them they are
sinners destined for Gods wrath unless they turn to Jesus. We need to direct
people to God’s mercy.
- - It also
can involve challenging christians with God’s word and rebuking them if they
are sinning.
-
How can we develop it?
- - Pray!
- - Read the
bible
- - Do it.
Work on it.
No comments:
Post a Comment