How many of you have heard the Golden Rule? Confucius taught the Golden Rule around 500BC "Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself" and people say Jesus’ teaching came after. But what Jesus taught is different. In Matthew 7:12, He said “do to others what you would have them do to you.” The two rules are similar but different. Jesus’ saying has a more active approach. He said “DO”. Do to others what you would have them do to you.” Confucius is saying “Don’t” while Jesus is saying “DO”.
Matthew 7:12 is the foundation of our message today and is consistent with the two greatest commandments in Matthew 22:37-40: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
This is based on the law of reciprocity. Basically it says “those who show mercy will obtain mercy.” There are many other verses similar to this: Forgive and you will be forgiven, give and it will be given to you, and do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
The first four beatitudes deal with our inner attitudes and how we are before God and ourselves.
- First, being poor in spirit is to recognize that we are spiritually bankrupt.
- Second, we mourn because we realize the gravity of the sins we have committed against God
- Third, we humble ourselves as we imitate Jesus Christ
- Fourth, we hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God
Matthew 5:7 is the 5th Beatitude
“Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy”
Mercy is an emotional response to the needs of others. It means to feel the pain of another person so deeply that you are compelled to take action.
LIFE LESSONS
1 Chronicles 21:13 tells us that “his mercy is very great.” and Titus 3:5 says God saved us because of his mercy.
God is not only merciful, He is “rich in mercy” meaning that He has abundant mercy for those who have repented and trusted in Christ.
Matthew 18:21-35
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. (in our time today, it is equivalent to twenty years of wages)
25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’
27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. (this is equivalent to one day wage). He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.
31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.
33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’
34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
The Master here in this story represents God who has given us His mercy. He is the ultimate source of mercy and mercy is an important attribute of His character. The Master said “shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?”
So the question here is – who gave mercy first? The Master or the Servant? The Master did and he expects his servant to share mercy to his fellow servant because he himself was a recipient of the Master’s mercy. It’s just a reciprocal arrangement.
Mercy includes three elements:
First is recognition -- “I see the need” We recognize the need of somebody around us.
Second is motivation -- “I am moved by the need” there’s compassion. You feel it yourself. You are touched by the situation.
Third is action -- “I move to meet the need” You did something.
Mercy is more than a feeling. Mercy begins with simple recognition that someone is hurting around you. But mere seeing or feeling isn’t mercy. Mercy moves from feeling to action. It is active compassion for those in need.
This beatitude assumes that we have already received God’s mercy. By definition, the only people who receive mercy are those who don’t deserve it. If you deserve it, it’s not mercy. Therefore, the basis for this verse is not how you want others to treat you but how God has already treated you. “Do unto others as God has done unto you.” Mercy is doing to others what God would do.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Paul said it best in Ephesians 2:4-5
Prayer
Wherever you are, whatever you situation you may be -- you need the love of Jesus in your life. Please say this prayer sincerely from your heart:
Father God, I confess all my sins to you today. Please forgive me. Today, I open my heart to your Son Jesus Christ. I accept Him in my life as my Saviour and as my Lord. May the Holy Spirit come to my life and make me the kind of person you want me to be. In Jesus Name, I pray. Amen.
The above article is an excerpt from a sermon delivered at WCCC Richmond during its service on Sunday, June 5, 2016
I apologize if there are grammatical and spelling errors. I also apologize if I have missed acknowledging or making proper references to my sources, if any. as it is purely unintentional.
If you are looking for a church in British Columbia, Canada please visit our website at:
www.wordchristiancommunity.com
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