Matthew 5:7-9 Beatitudes Part 2

Matthew 5:7-9

The Beatitudes Part 2

1. (Matthew 5:7) “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”

1. Merciful is a word used to describe someone who is beneficial or charitable. The basic meaning is to give help to the afflicted and rescue the helpless. It is compassion in action.

1. The ancient Greek word for mercy, has its root from an ancient word from a language that was an even older language than the language the disciples spoke existed, which was Hebrew, this word is “Chesedh” which means, 

The ability to get right inside another person's skin until we can see things through eyes, to understand things through their mind, and to feel things as they themselves feel things. ie through their personal  feelings if you will.

Clearly this is much more than an emotional wave of pity; clearly this demands a quite deliberate effort of the mind and of the will. It denotes a sympathy which is not given, from outside, but which comes from a deliberate identification with the other person, becoming so close to another person that you see things as they see them, and feel things in an emotional way as they feel them. This is sympathy in the literal sense of the word. Sympathy is derived from two Greek words, “syn” and “paschein”

syn, ========= Together with, 

paschein ====== To experience or to suffer

So sympathy means experiencing things together with the other person, literally going through what they themselves are going through. A well known proverb in many cultures the World over puts it this way, 

“You never know another person’s troubles until you walked a mile in their shoes”

1. So when you consider what God did for us, you must understand that

1. God came “into the skin” of man, through Christ, in order to be able to identify with us, so that He could truly suffer as we should, so that we could gain forgiveness and eternal life

2. It truly puts into perspective what we read in 2 Corinthians 5:21 and Isaiah 53:4-6 as to the length God went to to save us from hell and eternal damnation

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him 

2 Corinthians 5:21

Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows;

Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 

Isaiah 53:4-6

2. The merciful show an attitude of forgiveness towards those who wrong them

3. The merciful have sympathy for those around them who suffer

1. To have sympathy is to suffer together or to experience together the pains and sufferings of others.

1. No picture is better then that of a mother for her suffering child, she suffers in her heart

4. The merciful person has compassion on the sinful, as Jesus had compassion (Luke 19:41-44)

5. Mercy as it is relates to compassion is practiced in three ways

1. Through physical actions: (Luke 10:25-37) (Matthew 25:35-40)

2. Through spiritual actions: 

1. Praying

2. Witnessing

3. Confronting sin in another believer

3. Through our attitudes:

1. By not holding a grudge

2. By not publicizing or capitalizing on other peoples sins and failures 

3. Forgiving as Jesus had toward those crucifying Him (Luke 23:34) and Steven (Acts 7:60)

6. Mercy as it relates to justice

1. Justice gives exactly what is deserved

2. Mercy on the other hand gives less punishment and more help than is deserved i.e. grace

3. God does not show mercy without punishing sin that would negate His justice

4. However He does not offer mercy, but judgment to those who will not repent of there sin

5. That is why He sent His son to die for our sins, so that He might be merciful to all sinners

6. Jesus last words from the cross were words of mercy for others not himself (Not woe is me)

1. Luke 23:34 "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."

2. Luke 23:43 "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."

3. John 19:26 "Woman, behold, your son!"

4. John 19:27 "Behold, your mother!"

7. The cross demonstrates both God’s justice and mercy

1. Through the shedding of Christ blood Justice was satisfied

2. sin was forgiven

3. righteousness was fulfilled and mercy was made available to who would have faith and believe

8. There never is, there never was, and there never will be an excuse for sin, 

1. However, His sacrifice gave us a remedy for sin.

9. Nowhere do we imitate God more than when we show mercy towards others.

7. Obtain Mercy:Jesus is not referring to the mercy of salvation which God gives to a believing sinner; that mercy is not dependent on a person’s being merciful – it is a free, unconditional gift. Rather the Lord is speaking of the daily mercy needed for Christian living and of mercy in that future day when one’s works will be reviewed (1 Corinthians 3:12-15). The same sentiment is found in (Matthew 10:42), and (Matthew 25:34-40). If one has not been merciful, that person will not receive mercy; that is one’s rewards will decrease accordingly. So, if you want mercy from others - especially God - then you should take care to be merciful to others.

2. (Matthew 5:8) “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

1. Pure In Heart

1. In the ancient Greek language, the phrase pure of heart has 3 meanings

1. Straightness

2. Honesty

3. Clarity ( being able to see things with a clear mind)

2. Someone who isn’t constantly "dirty" from little "stains" that come from contact with this world.

3. A pure hearted person is one whose motives are unmixed

4. One whose thoughts are holy, and conscience is clean

2. The word purity basically means:

1. To make something pure by cleansing from dirt, filth, or other contamination

1. The word was used to describe metals that had been refined by fire

2. Thus there were no impurities i.e. pure gold, pure silver, pure bronze

2. In defining ones character we would say he or she has a heart of gold or that they are “Pure of Heart”

1. Defined as "singleness of heart, the honesty which has no hidden motive, no selfish interest, and is true and open in all things."

3. Refers to one who is sincere, honest, without hypocrisy (John 1:47-49)

4. That such a quality is necessary to see God (Psalm 24:3-4)

5. It does not mean they are perfect, only that they strive daily for clean living

3. In a Christian perspective there are five types of purity

1. Created purity (Genesis 1-2) Existed in creation before the fall

2. Positional purity (Rom 4:5 and Gal 2:16) What we are given at salvation

3. Actual purity (2 Cor 5:17 and Rom 6:4-5) In the new nature of the believer

4. Practical purity (1 Pe 1:14-16 and 2 Cor 7:1) Requires our participation

5. Ultimate purity (1 John 3:2) Perfected purity in heaven

4. The heart is metaphorically used to represent the inner person

1. It where your motives and attitudes come from

2. It also includes your thinking process and your will, where as the brain only thinks the way the heart tells it to think (Proverbs 23:7) (Matthew 9:4)

3. The heart is the control center of your mind, will and emotions

4. In two words it is “Everyone’s Personality.”

5. All religions are not the same

1. All man made religions are based on two things; Head religion and Hand religion

1. Head religions – Have you put your trust in creeds and religious knowledge

2. Hand religions – Have you put your trust in good works, what you have to do to attain utopia

2. The only true religion is of the heart

1. Christianity is the only religion that says you can do nothing for salvation

2. All the work was done by Jesus, we just need to believe in our heart and stop trying on our own

3. We have in our heart the seed that calls to the true God of the True religion (Jeremiah 31:33)

4. He implanted a purity that is provided through Jesus Christ (John 4:16)

5. The inwardly pure, show them selves to be under the power a pure and undefiled religion

6. The one true religion calls for the purity of heart, cleansed from all contamination (Jer 4:14)

7. We must lift up to God, not only clean hands, but a pure heart, (Psalm 24:4-5) (1Timothy 1:5)

8. Love is not works, because the most natural thing to do is love, you really have to work to hate

6. They will see God

1. It is this idea of seeing God that keeps a Christian striving for a pure heart

2. We shall all see God

1. Some will see Him as their Judge, but they will not be able to endure looking upon Him because of their impure hearts, such is why we as humans cannot look upon God (Ex 33:18-23)

2. Some will see Him as a Friend, having greater intimacy with God than they could have imagined

3. It was regarded as a high honor to be in the presence of kings and princes

4. Ultimately, this intimate relationship with God must become our greatest motivation for purity, greater than a fear of getting caught or a fear of consequences (1John 3:2-3)

3. (Matthew 5:9) “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”

1. This Beatitude takes more growth and maturity then all the rest do

1. Paul wrote about this by saying “If it be possible, live peaceably with all men.” (Romans 12:18)

2. Blessed are the peacemakers

1. Four things that characterize a peacemaker:

1. He is at peace with God (Romans 5:10) “Works of peace by the Holy Trinity”

1. God the father is the source of peace, (Leviticus 26:6) (Romans 15:33) 

2. Christ is the manifestation of that peace (Colossians 1:19-20)

3. The Holy Spirit is the agent of peace (Galatians 5:22)

2. He leads others to make peace with God (Acts 10:36)

1. To preach Christ is to promote peace,

2. Christ did not bring peace at any price 

1. To bring rebellious unbelievers to Christ is to make peace with them

2. Helping others to be at peace with God by proclaiming the Gospel of Peace

1. The full armor of God includes having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. (Ephesians 6:14-20)

3. Peace makers help others make peace with others (Romans 12:18) (Matthew 5:23-24)

1. Righteousness and truth are the key ingredients to peace without them peace is impossible

2. Where there is conflict it is because of sin, the sin must be resolved

3. Men can stop fighting without righteousness, but they cannot live peaceably without it

4. If you separate the conflicting parties you have a truce without peace

5. Two parties can’t be at permanent peace until they recognize their need for God

4. Peacemakers speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15)

1. Jesus never evaded issues of wrong doctrine or behavior(John 4:21-22) (John 16:14-15)

2. We are to contend without being contentious

3. We are to disagree without being disagreeable

4. We are to confront without being abusive

5. Peace is not the absence of conflict it is living in right relationship with God and man

6. A peacemaker is someone who seeks to bring Jesus perspective to every problem

2. Sometimes peacemakers will get involved in great conflicts

1. Peacemakers deal with the corrupted issues so that there can be a true state of peace, 

2. When the forces of evil prevail, there is no way to have peace except by destroying them

1. Jesus fought against the corrupted religious system cleansing of the Temple (John 2:14-16)

2. Real peace can never compromise with evil. There can never be a peaceful coexistence with sin

2. Ultimately peacemakers exert a calming influence in the storms of life

2. “For they will be called sons of God”

1. God is the Author of peace and all those who endeavor to promote peace are like him, and are worthy to be called his children (1Corinthians14:33)

2. It does not say “They will become sons of God”, its ays, “They will be called sons of God”

1. Not a means to be saved 

2. Not a means to be right with God 

3. If you live like this, others will recognize you are related to God 

3. This they seek God's will 

1. Humble, poor in spirit 

2. Mourn over your spiritual condition, ask God for forgiveness 

3. Meek, surrender your power to God's control 

4. Develop an appetite for spiritual things 

5. Become like God: merciful, pure in heart, sincere 

6. Help others make peace with other people and with God 

7. People recognize you as child of God 

4. Children, or sons, of God have been given new heart through Jesus

1. Their eternal reward for following Jesus and emulating the peace of Christ 

2. D.A. Carson (Founder of the Gospel Coalition) put it this way;

“The peacemakers are called children of God or sons of God, because of their eternal reward in following Jesus. The verse is saying that those who inherit the kingdom of God, through faith and trust in Jesus Christ, will receive the eternal reward of being a child of God. Their reward is what makes them blessed or happy, and their peacemaking simply reveals and proves their trust and faith in Jesus.....What it is saying is that God is the supreme peacemaker and, insofar as we are making peace, we show ourselves to belong to God’s family. It is not talking about ontology. It is not talking about how you become a Christian. It is that if you act like God you are godlike in his attributes of love, and one of the ways of saying that is that you are a son of God.”