The Beatitudes

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The Beatitudes

• Blessed are the merciful,
• For they shall obtain mercy.

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From need to character

• Beatitudes showing our need
• Poor in spirit
• Need for God
• Mourning
• Need for forgiveness
• Meekness
• Need for certain salvation
• Craving righteousness
• Need for the gospel
• Now a few beatitudes showing our character

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What is Mercy?

• Greek word eleos
• Not the same as grace (Gr. Charis)
• Grace - Kindness which bestows upon one what he
  has not deserved
• Mercy Kindness or good will towards the
  miserable and afflicted, joined with a desire to
  relieve them
• Therefore, mercy leads to grace.
• Grace is given to relieve the misery seen by the
  merciful

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Grace vs Mercy

• From Gods perspective
• His mercy preceded His grace
• i.e., He saw mans miserable condition and
  desired to help man (Mercy) and sent His Son to
  save man (Grace)
• Eph 24-9

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Grace vs Mercy

• From mans perspective
• Man receives grace because of anothers mercy
• i.e., at the moment of salvation, mans guilt is
  removed and man begins a new life (grace) because
  God is merciful
• You could say Grace is mercy obtained

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Blessed are the merciful

• God calls upon us to have a merciful character
  like His own
• We need to be looking at the misery of others and
  desiring to relieve that misery

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Examples

• The Good Samaritan (Lk 1030-37)
• The priest and Levite had an appearance of
  righteousness, but were not merciful
• Because no grace given
• The Samaritan was merciful, and so bestowed a
  gracious gift on the man
• The man obtained mercy in the form of the
  gracious gift

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Examples

• The Unforgiving Servant
• Matt 1821-22
• Peters question How long do we have to be
  merciful to an undeserving man?
• Matt 1823-35
• The king was merciful, and graciously forgave the
  debt
• The slave was unmerciful
• Therefore, though the king was merciful (his
  character), the slave would not obtain mercy

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Application

• Mercy is part of ones character
• A gift that is forced is not merciful
• We forgive because we have been forgiven
• We are merciful because we received mercy
• But mercy can only be obtained by those who are
  willing to give it away
• Much like the manna for Israel (Ex 1614-20)
• A principle of love (1 Jn 317)

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Conclusion

• Do you want to obtain mercy?
• God is merciful and offers you forgiveness of
  your sins.
• You will be a new creature, gone the misery of a
  wasted life.
• Then share the mercy with others so they too can
  begin a new life
• Will you accept Gods mercy and grace that was
  offered on Calvary?

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