More Mercy (Matthew 5:1-12)

Will it stand for the reading of God's word is two of our

seniors? Olivia Island Lane Jones, Come

and read to us from Matthew Chapter 5, the Beatitudes.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

All right, seeing the crowds he went up on the mountain and when

he sat down his disciples came to him and he opened his mouth

and taught them saying blessed are the poor in spirit for

theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for

they shall be? Comforted blessed, are those the

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 and others? Revile, you, and persecute, you

and other 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 persecuted the prophets

who were before you, this is the word of the Lord.

Please be seated. Thank you both.

I'm very grateful. May is a month for many people,

where our eyes are moving back for all the seniors.

It's probably already happened and if it hasn't yet, it will

over the next couple of weeks where you're going to see your

parents and grandparents others, who love you, dearly shedding

tears. They're going to see pictures

and you're going to see pictures, sometimes in private,

sometimes on big screens where you are a baby and you probably

didn't. Choose the picture they put up

there, but it's going to move through with music signifying.

These incredible events that took place in your life.

You've just graduated or about to graduate high school.

There are other seniors in our church.

Those who have just graduated college or about two?

Others are moving on, from eighth grade to ninth grade.

In some of those schools, have their own graduation ceremonies.

And then each time there is this turning of a page there is a

moment especially for parents and Grandparents were the

remembering what took place just as As you are and then looking

forward to what's next. Our daughter Madeline, our

second born graduated yesterday from the University of Oklahoma.

Here's what was great about that ceremony for her College, it

only lasted one hour. It was incredible, but it was

very different when my wife and I and some of her siblings came

into the huge Auditorium was pretty full, but we didn't know

one person other than our daughter compared to graduation

where we knew almost everybody that was there.

It seems pictures are going to flow, you're going to see

things. And remember, things and be

celebrated and it's wonderful. But then the next chapter of

your life is going to come with new pictures, my daughter Maddie

and Major is soon going to be teaching at Yale.

Not the one known as a college with the handsome, Dan the

Bulldog, but they yell roadrunners.

Here in Richardson, should be teaching fourth, grade listening

to the young woman, who spoke at her graduation, she said some

very interesting things not unlike what you're going to hear

your graduations centered on the world as it's been while you've

been in school. Think about it spring break two

years ago and all that begin to change so quickly.

I heard that woman began to speak of it that thinking we're

over this we don't need to hear any more about the pandemic that

was a wake of Destruction we're still experiencing but let's

move on. But reality is when she said

this we're all teachers we're going to be teaching in

textbooks. The reality of what we have been

living. It's true you guys have grown up

in an amazing season in the history.

Not only of our country, but our world.

Leaving graduation celebrating that wonderful day.

Coming back from Norman to Dallas turning on the news last

night, I had not heard of what took place a buffalo.

A young man about the age of some of you decided out of hate

that he would go and take the lives of innocent people.

We live in a dark divided in dangerous worlds, and I'm not

going to spend a lot of time, staying in the darkness and then

the In and then the danger of this morning because I want us

to remember what we've been singing that we will not deny

the reality of that pain, that Brokenness that evil.

But we must remember who we are in Christ in the midst of it.

I love what will said to you that in Christ, you will be a

problem for the enemy wherever you go.

We want that for you. We want you to look at us and

challenge us to see if we're being a problem for the enemy in

the place. Has of work that we go in the

church that we worship in and we will be an enemy.

Of the enemy, a problem for the enemy of serious problem for the

enemy. If we abiding in Christ live

out, the Beatitudes that are before us this morning.

As I said last Sunday, we're going to continue to talk about

mercy and mercy in this text is primarily centered on

compassion. It's centered on this idea of

compassion. That's not just an emotion, a

feeling for Those who are suffering in the misery of sin

in the world but it's compassion with action.

I love how will said that you are committed to missions.

Well Mercy is Mission. It is being moved by something

that you see that is broken. Something that is dark,

something that is divided, something that is dangerous.

The world in which you have grown up in, especially the last

couple years, though. It's Unique is not new in

history. Think about Genesis 3, all the

way back to the beginning of your Bible. when Adam and Eve

ate the sin that the evil deceiver tempted them with when

they ate the apple committing that sin, they experienced This

incredible Darkness, they experienced division between

them and God between them and one another.

They were naked before sin and didn't even know it and as soon

as they ate the apple, their eyes were opened, and they

realized they were naked in the head, pay attention to the word

eyes today. Then they experience the danger

of what sin does in the world. The violence of their first two

children, one murdering the other ever since the fall the

world has experienced the darkness.

It is experience the division, it is experienced the danger.

So I want us all to think about today, not just the seniors is,

how are we looking at the world? And how was the world looking at

us, does the world? And those who are lost, see the

radiance of something or someone in us, that is compelling.

They will. If they see these attributes in

her life, they will see mercy and not understand it because

Mercy is truly shocking to understand it.

I want everybody to grab their own Bible.

If you brought it or open the bloop you Bible, In turn to Luke

the Gospel of Luke chapter 10. I encourage you last week to go

Luke 10 · chapter mention

to this place and listen to this story.

Again, it's not new to any of us.

Maybe there's a few would be new too, and I'm glad that's new to

you. I'm glad you're here to hear it,

but I'm going to read the parable of the Good Samaritan

for. There is no greater story that

Christ use outside of his own example of Mercy.

Luke chapter 10 look with me at verse 25 and let's walk through

Luke 10 · chapter mention

this. Behold a lawyer stood up to put

Jesus to the test teacher. What shall I do to inherit

eternal life? Now, listen to what he says.

Jesus says, what is written in the law?

Have you, how do you read it? And he answered, you shall love

the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and

with all your strength, and with all your mind and your neighbor

as yourself, and he said to them, you've answered Directly

do this and you will live, but the lawyer wanted more

justification. He wanted to justify himself,

that's what he was asking for. And who is my neighbor in other

words, he wanted to know who do I have to love that way?

Now, listen to what Jesus says, he replied A man was going down

from Jerusalem to Jericho and he fell among robbers who stripped

him, and beat him and departed. Leaving him half dead.

Now, as I I've said before we often read our Bible so fast we

can be in a Bible reading plan and we're just simply trying to

check the box for the day read slow, slow down, ask the Holy

Spirit to illuminate your eyes and open your ears.

Pay attention to what the story is being told how would the

people have heard the story? How could this story relate to

today? So picture the man he's been

robbed. He's been beaten.

He's been left half dad, have you ever seen someone like that?

Not just on TV but really beaten, it's a disturbing

picture. Christ is telling this

disturbing picture before he tells what's even more

disturbing. He says, Now by chance verse 31,

a priest was going down that road and when he saw him, he

passed by on the other side. Likewise a levite when he came

to the place and saw him passed by on the other side, but a

Samaritan as he journeyed came to where he was And when he saw

him, he had compassion. So what do you notice about

those three? All three individuals saw him.

Every day, we see people, maybe not lying half dead on the side

of the road but lying dead spiritually in the lunchroom.

On our teams in our classrooms co-workers neighbors, we see

people every day who were lying half-dead.

We see people who are experiencing the misery of Sin

Sin done, too. Them by them sent outside of

them. And inside of them, the priest

who in this case would be the most religious sees him.

And you could tell by the way, Luke The Physician records this

from a distance, he recognizes that.

It's a person who could be dead and if he touches someone who is

dead he will be defiled and unclean.

So from a distance of seeing the man in need Or potentially dead.

He simply crosses the street and moves along the other side.

He turned away from what he saw. He did not have compassion.

He did not show Mercy. He might have felt sad.

We aren't told he might add sorrow, but feeling sad and

having sorrow is not Mercy. That doesn't Shock the World

seeing something that's wrong. Seeing the Brokenness and acting

in love with, however, your He ball that's Mercy.

The levite who's also religious not as highest status as the

priest but the one who's responsible for the Liturgy and

the temple. He sees him and based on the

way, the Greek unfolds, we see that he actually got closer to

the individual, but what does he do?

He steps away as well. It goes down the side of the

street whether he felt anything or not as not Mercy.

He didn't show Mercy. Now comes the shock.

Those listening to this story would have been expecting Jesus

to say, but then a Jewish lay person.

A person who's part of our community but not of the

religious establishment. Lay person was walking down the

street but that's not what they heard because it's shocking is

that might have been and a slap at the establishment of religion

that Jesus might have given he does something more.

He says, somebody that you despise somebody who would have

been despised by the man laying on the street beaten half-dead.

That is who comes, who sees the same man.

And instead of crossing the street and pretending he's not

there, instead of only feeling something, maybe not even that

perhaps, but doing nothing, even if he felt something, he moves

towards him, pick it up with me at verse 34, but a Samaritan

went to him and bound up his wounds pouring on oil and wine

on him. Then he set him on his own

animal and he brought him to an inn and took care of him.

And the next day, he took out two denarii and gave them to The

Innkeeper. That would provide 24 days of

food and he gave them to The Innkeeper saying, take care of

him and whatever more. You spend, I will repay.

To you, when I come back then, Jesus asked the question from

this story, which of these three do you think proved to be a

neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?

And the lawyer says this, the one who showed him what to say,

Mercy. What Mercy, the one who was

fulfilling, what Christ has said, was the Samaritan who

showed Mercy, Mercy is shown compassion, can be felt, but

compassion without Mercy is not Mercy.

Compassion without action is not Mercy.

The one who showed him Mercy he said and Jesus said to him you

go and do likewise picture the story.

The priest saw him and went the other way didn't want to be

defiled didn't want to take time the levite the same way

expecting this to be a story about a Jewish layperson who

Rises to the occasion and shows what it really means to be Godly

Christ goes further and shocks him.

It wasn't a Jewish layperson, it was the very people that you

racially despise, this individual comes and offers

Mercy. What does the mercy look like

first? When he sees them?

He went to him when you see someone who is in a dark place,

who's experiencing the division of this world, who is in a

dangerous place, go to them. Last week, I read from Matthew

Matthew 8 · chapter mention

chapter 8, and 9, the two chapters of Follow The Sermon on

the Mount. And I showed us one after

another. Another, how many times Jesus

showed Mercy. That section of scripture ends

with two Blind Men. Crying out to Jesus.

Jesus is passing by and the two Blind Men know that he's coming

and they shout out, have mercy on us.

Jesus. What does that mean?

Don't just have compassion. Do something like the leper who

went to Jesus. Early in Matthew 8 said if you

are willing you can make me clean.

Jesus said I'm willing. He was willing.

Now, to The Blind Men, when they cry out, have mercy, son of

David. Jesus asked them, do you believe

that I am able to do this? And they said to him?

Yes, Lord, Jesus was willing in. Jesus was able in Christ Jesus,

because we are filled with his Spirit.

He has given us the ability to show, others Mercy did not just

feel, Shin and walk on the other side of the street, to ignore

the lonely person and walk to the other side of the cafeteria,

to ignore the person who is just committed a heinous sin and is

struggling in shame. He's given us the ability to

show Mercy to hold Jesus out. But will we have, the will do we

have the will Jesus had both and Jesus gives both the Samaritan

went to him. Then we're told that he touched

him, the very wounds that the man had needed to be tended to.

He wasn't a doctor, but he had the ability to do triage.

He had the ability to do what was needed in that moment.

And the will to do it, to make sure this man might be able to

survive. He took all and wine, his very

own things in poured them on the wounds.

And then he took the man and he carried him how many lonely

broken people could be carried by us?

To the throne of Christ. He's given us the ability in

him, he can give us the will as well.

From there. He transports him to a place

where he can receive greater need.

And then he pays for the care. He gives what's necessary for

now. And I'm guessing based on the

credibility of the man, The Innkeeper receives the promise,

that whatever it costs, I'll take care of it.

When I return, which tells us That he wasn't just going to

show Mercy For a Moment. He was going to return.

Mercy isn't drive by. Throwing turkeys over a wall to

starving people. Mercy isn't just occasionally

writing a check to be done with it, that's part of it.

But it's being engaged with the people that God has put in your

path, our path that are experiencing the profound

Brokenness of sin in them and outside of them done by them,

done to them. It's amazing story.

Keep your eyes open. What do you see?

And when you see a need has God given you the ability to do

something about it every time not just sometimes, And are you

going to? That is where the will comes in.

And if our life is characterized by a consistency of not caring,

that means there is an enormous disconnect and our understanding

of the mercy, that was done to us by God himself, who sent his

son to die that we might live forever.

One of the most amazing displays of Mercy.

The most amazing display of RC is Jesus Christ on the cross.

But from that, remarkable place of Mercy.

Jesus says one of the most amazing things.

Father forgive them. For they know not what they do.

Mercy. Given by our Lord shown by our

Lord is also given to us. Enabling us to show the same

kind of Mercy to those like us who didn't deserve it. one of

the most powerful occasions of Mercy on display is when we, as

Believers, show it to others who have sinned against us, Others

who don't think like us others who have wronged us Mercy is

seen, so bright and so beautiful.

When Believers are willing to say to someone who has wronged

them and even severe wrong. He's and say, I forgive you what

I'm going to share for a moment is not cheap.

Forgiveness I know his children at some point.

If you've got a sibling, your parents said to you, when you

were in Conflict, tell her, you're sorry, I'm sorry.

Tell him. If you forgive him, I forgive

you, good move on. Nothing of significance happened

in that transaction, except the parents got a little bit of

peace, and every parent has set it and you will when your

parents. This is not what I'm talking

about. Some of you have experienced

profound wrongs domestically, Some of you have experienced

some profound wrongs professionally, and forgiveness

is really hard, and that's why forgiveness is so incredibly,

beautiful, especially in cases, when it is so, so difficult.

So, please don't hear me saying that this is easy or shallow or

a very quick. I forgive you, let's move on.

But sometimes we think the only reason Jesus was able to save

from the cross. Father forgive them for they do

not know what they know what they do is because he was God.

So let me close by taking this to Acts chapter 7.

Acts 7 · chapter mention

Verse 54. Prior to what I'm about to read.

Steven a follower of Christ, have been telling the history of

redemption up to this point. Sometimes we think if we show

Mercy, we're compromising truth. We never need to compromise

truth but I'm afraid that many Christians say and spew in Yale

truth and never show Mercy. That is not what God is calling

us to either. Steven wasn't compromising truth

prior to what I'm about to read. He said to the Jewish leaders,

you stiff-necked people. Uncircumcised in heart and ears.

You always resist the Holy Spirit as your father's did.

So do you He was telling the truth.

And when they heard the truth that have been going on for some

time, as Stephen filled with the Holy Spirit is saying these

things. It tells us in verse 54 what

happened? Now, when they heard these

things, they were enraged and they ground their teeth at him

picture that But he Stephen Full of the Holy Spirit.

If you're a Christian, the same, holy spirit, that filled

Stephen. In this moment in history is the

same. Holy spirit that lives in you

the same, Holy Spirit, not a different one, not unless Iran,

but he full of the Holy Spirit gazed into heaven and he saw the

glory of God. Can you imagine what he saw?

And he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and then he

said these words before Hold, I see the heavens opened and the

son of man standing at the right hand of God but they cried out

with a loud voice and they stopped their ears and rushed

together at him. Imagine the scene.

This isn't Jesus. Now this isn't a Divine being.

This is a man just like us. He's looking up and seeing

something that's beyond description.

But the same time, those who are grinding, their teeth are

rushing at him verse 58. Then they cast him out of the

city and stoned him, and the witnesses laid down their

garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

Who is this young man? He's the one who's going to

write thirteen books of the New Testament?

but now, He's endorsing celebrating.

What's about to happen to Stephen?

And as they were stoning, Stephen, he called out Lord.

Jesus receive my spirit and falling to his knees.

Imagine. As the stones are being thrown

at him, moved on him and falling to his knees.

He cried out with a loud voice, Lord.

Do not hold this sin against them.

And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Chapter 8, you probably would stop reading at this moment to

check the box for the day but I don't want to let me read the

first verse and Saul approved of his execution.

They didn't have mercy on Steven.

Because they were blind. They were doing in this moment

of stoning, him what made sense to them, because they were

blind, Saul, who would go on to write 13 books of the Bible was

doing what made sense to him to protect his religion because he

was blind. Not many pages past this.

We know what happens. As Saul is on a road.

This isn't a parable now. His eyes are blinded.

He hears the voice of Christ. Saul Saul, why are you

persecuting me? He spends a season blind a few

days and then his eyes are opened and when his eyes are

open to see the Glorious similar glory to what Steve and saw his

life is transformed. No one could have imagined that

this man who was throwing Christians in prison throwing

Owns that Christians approving of the execution of Christian

leaders. He would one day profess with

his lips. That Jesus Christ is the one who

saved me. He's the only one who can save

you. He was shown mercy and from the

mercy, he received, he spent the rest of his life seeking to show

that Mercy to others. Some of you.

No, the story of Corrie, Ten. Boom.

And I'm going to close by reading something from her book,

from her journal. It's too easy for us to think.

With stories about Christ in stories.

Like this about the followers of Christ in the Bible that they

were just some level of super Christian, it's not true.

Corrie Ten. Boom, was at Robins Brook

concentration camp. She experienced the darkness,

the division, and the danger of this world.

Like we can't even imagine But it was at a church service in

Munich years later that she writes.

I first saw him, the SS man who had stood guard at the shower

room door in the processing center at Robins Brooke.

He was the first of our actual jailers that I'd seen since that

time and suddenly it was all there, the room full of mocking

men, the heaps of women's clothing Betsy.

Her pain, blanched face. Corrie, Ten.

Boom. Had been speaking at this

church. The man didn't know who she was,

but he heard what she said. He came up to me as the church

was emptying beaming and bowing. He said to me how grateful I am

for your message to think. That as you say, he has washed

away, my sins. His hand was Thrust out to shake

mine. That hand.

That hand which had done so much evil. and I who had proclaimed

so often to the people, the need to forgive kept my hand at my

side. Even as the angry vengeful.

Thoughts, boiled through me. I saw the sin of them.

What Mercy? Jesus Christ had died for this

man. Was I going to ask for more Lord

Jesus, I prayed forgive me and help me to forgive I tried to

smile, I struggled to raise my hand.

I could not. I felt nothing.

I felt nothing. You blame her.

I felt nothing. Not the slightest spark of

warmth or charity. And so, again, I breathe the

silent prayer sometimes. That's all we can do.

Sometimes, it's all we can do. I breathed a silent prayer,

Jesus? I cannot forgive him.

She couldn't and we can't. Apart from Christ.

Give me your forgiveness. As I took his hand, the most

incredible thing happened. As I took his hand.

Can you imagine feeling that hand?

From my shoulder, along my arm and threw my hand.

A current seem to pass from me to him while into my heart

spring. A love for this stranger.

That almost overwhelmed me. Mercy.

Compassion for a sinner who had done so much evil against.

Her sister and so many others. Mercy isn't just feeling sorry

it's action and what was her first action?

A prayer. I can't do this.

I'm not able. I'm not willing.

But he was, and he did. And she was just a woman, not

divine. And so are you and so, are you?

So, are we? Who are in Christ.

We're Jesus, thank you for the love that you've shown to us.

You loved us first. So we can say we love you back.

You showed us mercy and you show us mercies each day.

And father, from this place of Mercy, you give us the ability

to see To have compassion and to act as we are able.

So would you do that even now bring to mind first, the mercy

that we have received and overwhelm us?

Even in this moment that we might leave this place eager to

overwhelm others with forgiveness, with compassion,

with love. We pray in Jesus name.

Amen.