Beatitudes 5
Bible passage: Matthew 5:7
"7. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."
Dear brothers and sisters, The Word of God we hear does not teach us the impossible.
The call to be holy, live by the Spirit, recover the lost image of God, and partake in His divine nature is not merely a confession of faith but something that must bear real fruit. When listening to the Beatitudes, don’t simply confess, "It’s so gratifying and full of grace," or "I long for the Word." Instead, make them truly your own. May the Beatitudes manifest in your life, so that you can experience what it means for God to walk with you daily. Be recognized as God's children, both by fellow believers and non-believers.
I pray in the name of the Lord that others will see your transformation through the Word and comment how God's people are truly different and how blessed you are in the world. Today’s message focuses on the fifth Beatitude: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” “To be merciful" literally means to feel compassion or pity for someone. God’s mercy resembles the heart of goodness mentioned in the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. Goodness, as described in Matthew 12:19-20, means: “He will not quarrel, nor cry out; nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A battered reed He will not break off, and a smouldering wick He will not put out.” When the fruit of goodness is borne through the Spirit, it is expressed in action. Mercy is this goodness in action, combined with acts of discipline when necessary.
Previously, we looked at the difference between the fruit of the Holy Spirit and the Beatitudes. The fruit of the Holy Spirit refers to the truths God desires being cultivated in our hearts, while the Beatitudes are those fruits expressed in action. Through these actions, we can experience God’s blessings in part of our lives. Mercy is the fruit of goodness in our hearts being manifested through actions, which can be categorized into three. First is ‘the mercy of forgiveness.’ Goodness, as described earlier, is the heart of Jesus, who neither quarrels nor cries out, who does not break a bruised reed or put out a smoldering wick. ‘Not breaking a bruised reed’ means that, no matter how wicked a person may be, God patiently endures and waits for them instead of immediately punishing wrongdoing if there is even a slight possibility of salvation. ‘Not putting out a smoldering wick’ reflects God’s heart toward His Spirit-filled children. Even when they fail to live by the truth, He does not abandon anyone.
The Lord’s heart is to patiently guide and awaken even those who sin, helping them transform through the Spirit and truth. To embody this heart of the Lord is to practice mercy—understanding, forgiving, and guiding those who wrong you toward the right path. Mercy comes from thinking not from your own perspective or for your own benefit but from the perspective of others and seeking their good. It helps you to understand the incomprehensible and extend mercy. Those who show mercy will receive God’s mercy as well. As believers in Jesus Christ, we have already received His abundant mercy. If God had not shown us mercy and forgiven our sins, we would have been cast into hell to suffer eternally. But through faith in God’s only Son, Jesus Christ, we have been freely forgiven and saved. Even if you sin after believing in Him and make God lament, He waits patiently for your repentance, like the father of the prodigal son.
When you sincerely repent and return to God, He does not say, “You disappointed Me” or “You have committed so many sins.” Instead, He forgives completely and remembers your sins no more, as far as the east is from the west. But to receive God’s mercy, we must also forgive others like the Lord’s Prayer says, “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Only when we show mercy to those who wrong us can we ask God for mercy for our own sins. If we pray the Lord’s Prayer daily but fail to forgive and show mercy, our prayers become empty words, dishonoring God. An example of this is found in Matthew 18. Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” This means we are not to count how many times we forgive but to forgive endlessly and show mercy. Jesus then shared a parable to illustrate this: A servant owed his king ten thousand talents, an unpayable debt.
Since he could not repay, he and his wife, children, and possessions were to be sold. The servant begged for mercy, and the king, moved with compassion, forgave the entire debt. But as the servant left, he encountered a fellow servant who owed him one hundred denarii. Instead of showing mercy, he grabbed the man by the throat, demanding repayment. Despite the fellow servant’s pleas for patience, he refused and had him thrown into prison. In today’s terms, this servant was forgiven a debt worth over a billion dollars but had a fellow servant imprisoned for owing hum just ten thousand dollars. When the king learned of this, he was furious and summoned the servant. “You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?”
The king then had the servant thrown into prison until he could repay his debt. Jesus concluded this parable in Matthew 18:35, saying: “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.” Brothers and sisters, we were all sinners who deserved hell but only through the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross, we have been justified. If, having received this grace, we cannot forgive even a small fault in our fellow brothers and sisters, and instead harbor hatred and condemnation, how shameful it is before God. As James 2:13 says, “For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.” When we see the speck in our brother’s eye, we often fail to notice the log in our own. From a worldly perspective, some wrongs seem impossible to forgive. At times, a person may cause great trouble through their wrongdoing, leaving others deeply disappointed, especially when it is a fellow believer.
For example, imagine there’s a fellow believer in faith who speaks ill of you, slanders, or finds fault and tries to shame you in front of others. Or perhaps they borrow a large sum of money and refuse to repay it back, break promises, or neglect their responsibilities, causing you harm or loss. If you have a heart of mercy even in these situations, you will not harbor hatred or ill feelings. While wrongdoings before God should be corrected, we pray for their transformation through the truth. Since the church’s founding, we have encountered all kinds of believers—those who falsely accuse and divide, cause financial troubles and lead others into temptation, neglect duties and responsibilities, and leaders who contribute to church difficulties by disobeying God. No matter how wrong a believer may be, Pastor Emeritus Lee never publicly rebuked anyone or ask why they did a certain thing. He never spoke unkindly. Instead, he patiently waited for those at risk of falling away to change. We too must practice this mercy and forgiveness. But this doesn't mean we should ignore wrongdoings. It is necessary to discern with God's Word and teach in truth, helping the person receive enlightenment. When pointing out someone’s fault and giving advice, it’s important to not conceal criticism as loving counsel because their actions conflict with our personal views or sense of righteousness. No matter how much we quote the truth of God's Word, if it’s done without love and with an evil heart, it is not right before God. In these cases, the Holy Spirit cannot work, and we cannot change the person's heart.
It is also wrong to adopt a proud attitude, trying to teach and control others according to our own will. Instead, we need to approach others with a heart of mercy, understanding their position, and with a love willing to sacrifice. We should pray for them and offer counsel. With this heart, we can lead a person's soul to truth, even through discipline if necessary. The second type of mercy is the mercy of discipline. Though forgiveness and discipline may seem opposite, they are not. The mercy of discipline is done with love, not hatred or condemnation, and it has the power to change and restore. Let’s look at the mercy of discipline of God. Hebrews 12:6 says, “For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.” And Verse 8 tells us, “But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.” Because we are God’s beloved children, discipline follows when we sin. Discipline is meant to guide a person to walk in the truth. If someone has no relationship with God and continues in sin, God may turn away from them, and they will not receive discipline. Without fear, they live in sin and ultimately head toward hell. For example, if your son steals from you but then sincerely repents and asks for forgiveness, what would you do? Naturally, you would embrace him and say, “I forgive you, but don’t do it again.” This is showing the mercy of forgiveness. If a child repeatedly says they repent but continues to sin, a parent would admonish and rebuke them. If the child doesn’t listen, discipline is needed to correct them.
A parent disciplines because they love their child; if left unchecked, the child could become a thief, so discipline is necessary to wake them back. However, if it's not their own child but a neighbor's child who steals from them, what would they do? A good person may still forgive and show mercy, but most people would not. They would hold onto the offense, gossiping and judging the neighbor’s child. Discipline should come from love, not hatred or negative emotions. If a parent disciplines a child out of resentment, seeking to repay personal hurt or frustration, they may even involve the police as punishment. This is not discipline of love, but of bitterness. True mercy in discipline is rooted in love. Similarly, when you see a brother sinning, do not judge or gossip. If you do, it is no different than a neighbor who lacks love and acts out of malice. Instead, with a loving heart, firmly warn and rebuke them to lead them to repentance. This is the mercy of discipline. The Bible clearly explains the process of admonishing and disciplining a brother who has sinned. (Matthew 18:15-17) “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”
This process is part of the mercy of discipline. There are many forms of mercy, such as showing compassion to the poor or those in need. If a brother suffers from poverty, simply saying, "That's unfortunate," is not true mercy. True mercy, as recognized by God, is sharing what you have when someone is in need. While some may think they have nothing to offer, if your child were hungry, you wouldn’t say, " I'm poor too, there's nothing I can do," but would share what you have, even if it's all you had tomorrow for yourself. We must show mercy to our fellow believers in faith. When we show mercy, God also shows mercy to us. Proverbs 19:17 says, "One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed." The latter part of Proverbs 11:25 says, "He who waters will himself be watered." However, it’s important to keep in mind not to help someone suffering due to their own sin and God's discipline. In the book of Jonah, we see people who helped those who deliberately disobeyed God and facing discipline experiencing shared difficulties. God commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh, but Jonah, unwilling, boarded a ship going in the opposite direction. God caused a great storm to reveal that Jonah's disobedience was the cause. Though the crew initially hesitated to throw him overboard, they eventually did, suffering great loss by throwing all their cargo into the sea. Similarly, helping those facing God's discipline may bring us difficulties, so we must carefully listen to the Holy Spirit. We must also show mercy to those who have experienced failure, the sick, the lowly, the marginalized, and the unbelievers who have not yet been saved. While the world embraces the successful, it turns its back on those who have failed.
Initially, people may offer help a few times, but repeated failures often lead to neglect and mistreatment. However, when a believer falters, we should not turn away or despise them. Instead, we should respond with love and warmth. We must show mercy to the sick and pray for them, and evangelize unbelievers, even when they persecute and insult us. These people persecute out of ignorance, and if we do not show mercy and evangelize, they will fall into eternal damnation. We should also pray with mercy for the many souls in the world who do not live in the truth. This is the mercy God desires from us. Dear brothers and sisters, today we looked at the fifth Beatitude: "Blessed are the merciful." (John 13:34) "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another." Those who know the love of the Lord will naturally extend that love and mercy to others. When you become merciful, the fragrance of Christ will emanate from you. Just as a rose blooms in a wasteland, the Lord’s warm and gentle love will bloom, bringing life and comfort to many in these difficult times.
God will remember your actions, have mercy on you, and bless you in all things. He will forgive all your wrongs, provide for your needs, and bring overflowing blessings to your work and business. God will transform your weaknesses and make you strong in both spirit and body. May all of you become believers who practice and live with mercy in your hearts. I pray in the name of the Lord that you will receive great mercy and blessings from the God of abundant love.
