Sharing Mercy

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

Hunger and Thirst

The greatest cause of death is surprisingly not cancer or war, its hunger.  Food and water are basic human needs, we need them to survive.

The Sermon on the Mount is the longest recorded sermon by Jesus and the twelve verses that we read from contains the Beatitudes.

There are eight (8) beatitudes, i.e. verses 3-10. 

The word “beatitude” came from Latin word “beatus” w/c means blessed or happy.  

So technically, Jesus was saying “HAPPY are THOSE WHO HUNGER AND THIRST” for what?  For Food?  No, for RIGHTEOUSNESS!

Why do you think being hungry and thirsty is a good illustration? 

Humans hunger and thirst not only for food but for satisfaction in life. We search in all kinds of different areas to be filled, to be satisfied, but we always end up falling short.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” 

Blaise Pascal said that we all have a “God-shaped void” in our lives. 

All men are hungry and thirsty; the problem is that we try to fill that hunger and thirst, with things other than the righteousness of God. Some of you here today are empty; you have not been satisfied. You are trying to fill that “God-shaped void” in your life with all kinds of things, but you are left empty and unsatisfied.
Jesus said:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:25, 33)

Righteousness starts in the heart and changes a person from the inside out.  True righteousness is like a magnet that attracts people to Christ.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:20 “For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" 

The Pharisees had been so merged in a religious system involving intricate rules and following traditions. It was like wearing cheap perfume that you splash on to make yourself smell good. It's not really a part of you and it can't cover the odour underneath. True righteousness starts from the heart and changes a person from the inside out.

Righteousness doesn't need to be seen by others, but only by God
Jesus said: "Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of people, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven". The Pharisees loved to pray in public - loudly!

Righteousness is a lifestyle of a true believer which distinguishes him from others.  In doing so, as a believer pursues righteousness, he becomes an effective witness and attracts people to Christ.

Jesus exposes the self-righteousness of the Pharisees and the issue of heart of the people in the crowd. Jesus is raising the bar.
He is presenting to the crowd that He is that true Righteousness; He is the One they have been hungering and thirsting after, and the only One who can fill that emptiness inside of them. He is presenting Himself as the means to satisfy deeper thirst and hunger, our spiritual starvation can only be fulfilled by Jesus.

When Jesus fed the five thousand, He said -- Do not labour for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you.

This truly is a message of hope to those who are lost and perishing, to those in Jesus’ day and in our day. The emptiness that fills their lives, and ours, can only be satisfied in Christ, the true Righteousness. 

Only by hungering and thirsting after Christ can that void, that emptiness, be filled. The things of this world will not satisfy; only Jesus Christ satisfies. 

This message is one of hope to unbelievers, but there is an important message to believers as well.  In your life right now, what are you hungering and thirsting after? Where is your heart? 

In one sense, it is easy for us as believers to see that we are filled and satisfied when we accept the free gift of salvation, but still many believers struggle with big areas of sin, and they try to fill a hole with something other than Jesus Christ.  Some of us sit week after week here in the church longing to be satisfied but do we really seek after true righteousness? This is a daily pattern we go through, each one of us, because our body needs food; it is the same with thirst. This is the same in the spiritual realm of life. We need to hunger and thirst, actually starve, for righteousness in our lives.

We need to hunger after God on a daily basis, every second of every day and avoid the many things we do that affect our relationship with Christ. These things hinder our walk with the Lord; they distract us from true righteousness. Hungering and thirsting is not easy because we have to make tough decisions, the decisions to be different, to not always do what other people are doing,  

 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled.” We are blessed if we hunger and thirst after righteousness. How? Because we are filled; we don’t hunger any longer as the world hungers because our satisfaction has been met in Christ. 

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, May 22, 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

Inheriting the Earth

Being gentle or being meek is not a characteristic that is well promoted in our society today.  According to our world today, the more we assert and express ourselves, the more we display our strength, our power, our authority, our abilities --- the more likely we are to succeed. 
One problem with the English word meek is that it rhymes with weak, and we tend to link the two words together.   Some dictionaries even define meek as “too submissive; easily imposed on; spineless; spiritless.”  According to our world today, if you are MEEK… you are WEAK.

To understand the context of “Blessed are the gentle” in the Sermon on the Mount it is important to know that the word “blessed” also means “happy.” 

Jesus started the first Beatitude with “blessed are the poor in spirit...” Here, we see our need for God. We admit our spiritual bankruptcy because of our sins.   We have nothing to be proud of before God. 
The next thing the Lord said was: “blessed are those who mourn…” Accepting that we are “poor in spirit” leads us to repent or “mourn.”  Recognizing how much we have offended God when we sin, we mourn! 

In other Bible translations, the word “meek” or “humble” is used.  The idea is that -- a person will have joy if he or she is gentle. The blessing is coming from God’s perspective, not our own. It refers to spiritual prosperity, not necessarily to an earthly happiness.

The first two Beatitudes deal with our relationship with God, now we have to deal with our relationship with others. To love God is to love others.  The Apostle John says “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, is a liar! For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.  

When you inherit something, it doesn’t mean you did something.  It’s not based on your actions it is based on who you are.

When it comes to our inheritance from God he sends us the Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts and give us the assurance that our inheritance is secured, it’s sealed and no one can snatch us away from the Father’s hand.  When we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we become co-heirs with Him in the Father’s inheritance – we become children of God.  We should therefore ACT like one. 

Gentleness is not just a moral virtue.  It’s a Christian grace. You are able to demonstrate gentleness because God gave it to you first.

Some people tried to pretend that they are humble or meek.  They end up showing false humility.  You cannot fake genuine meekness or gentleness. The Bible says out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Gentleness is a natural fruit of being a Christian.  Show me someone who claims that he is a Christian but who is arrogant and proud and always angry and mean --- and I can tell you he is not what he claims he is. A true follower of Christ is indwelt by the Holy Spirit and exhibits the Fruit of the Spirit as a way of life. 

As we mature as a person and in faith, the more we understand that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

We commit a SIN if we are not gentle or if meekness is not seen in us.

The Bible says “speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people” (Titus 3:2)

GENTLENESS is not only a virtue but a grace from God.  On our own, we cannot do it.  But with the Holy Spirit living in us… we can exercise humility or gentleness especially in times when it doesn’t make sense.

Being gentle is a very important characteristic of a believer not only for ourselves or in keeping fellowship with other believers but more importantly in sharing the Gospel to others.  Believers are called to share the gospel message with gentleness and meekness because you know why?   Being gentle draws people to Christ!

I will be very difficult to introduce someone to Jesus if the person sharing the Gospel is arrogant and proud.  No one will listen!

We can persevere even if life is tough because we look forward to God’s promise.

I always look at the phrase “inheriting the Earth” in two ways.  

First, it pertains to a future inheritance.  Those who are humble, gentle or meek, being a true child of God, will inherit the new earth as described in the book of Revelation.  This promise of heaven and the culmination of our sufferings here on earth is our ultimate hope against this world.

Second, it’s an inheritance at the present time, right here, right now.  I believe God will bless and multiply the work and ministry of those people who are gentle or meek.  We are heirs in the kingdom of God and citizenship to that kingdom is available here on earth.  Not only that… He supplies our needs and oftentimes He even blesses us with things that we don’t need. 

I know we all struggle with humility. That is why we need a role model.

Jesus Himself exemplified how to be truly gentle and humble in life.

Keep your calm and be gentle!

.

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, April 17, 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

Those Who Mourn

There is something interesting about this passage. “Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.”  The word “blessed” means “happy.” To “mourn” means to be sad. So it’s similar to saying “Happy are those who are sad!”  How does this make sense?

Jesus tried to convey the notion of deep, personal agony that is not necessarily expressed by outward weeping or wailing. He is talking about mourning that is also godly sorrow.

It’s recognizing that our sin is so grave that it offends God and we mourn over it.  

The problem with the world we live in today – it tends to undermine the effects of sin in a person’s life. The world tells us to be happy while offering temporary solutions

A good picture to paint is probably of a husband who committed a serious offence against his wife. When the husband realized the gravity of his sin, he mourns over it… he grieves… he asks for forgiveness and he repents, vowing not to commit the same mistake again and started doing things to make up for it

When was the last time you agonized over a sin that you have committed and you felt its full weight and gravity?  When was the last time you mourned and recognized that when you sin, you offend God?

This is a promise of God’s special presence in our lives in the midst of our grief and sorrow. The word “comfort” in Matthew 5:4 comes from the Greek word “parakaleo” which means “to console, to encourage, to comfort.”  It’s the same Greek word used to identify the Holy Spirit, “parakletos” the Comforter. Through the Holy Spirit, the Lord himself draws near to us in times of great suffering. We sense His presence in a way that goes beyond what is ordinary. 
Suffering turns us to the Lord as nothing else can. We pray more often when we grieve, we read the Bible and try our best to listen to what He has to say during our mourning. 

C.S. Lewis said “God whispers to us in our pleasure, speaks to us in our problems but shouts in our pain.  It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

If we are in great pain or grief, God draws us closer to Him.

How can we grow faster during hard times?

This passage in Romans 5:3-5 tells us that God uses suffering to develop godly character in our lives. Even in the most challenging moments, God’s people can rejoice because we know He is at work in us and  “hope does not disappoint,”  Why doesn’t hope disappoint?  “because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”  

What starts with suffering ends with the love of God. This is a wonderful progression.

There are people in this church who are highly qualified to minister and reach out to others. They are the ones who are poor in spirit and mourn over their sins. They are the ones who have suffered and have been deeply hurt by the troubles of life and through it all, they have experienced God’s comfort and discovered that God is faithful.

We can’t be effective comforters of other people if we ourselves have not received a similar kind of comfort from the Lord.  

We have seen people receiving Jesus in their lives during their darkest, most depressing moments.

I have mentioned earlier that…

The thing you are experiencing now, if you get out of it victorious, God will certainly use it to bless others.

Most of our questions will never be answered in this life. Some people can’t live with that truth, so they devise human answers to explain suffering and death. Those answers almost never work and sometimes they hurt more than they help.  

Godly sorrows lead to godly happiness because God is good and we know that he has our best interests at heart. 

God’s goodness doesn’t depend on our own happiness. People say, “God was good when He healed my loved one.” True, but the same God would have been just as good even if your loved one had passed.

The most productive Christians are those who have been through suffering and come through it with their faith in God intact. The beauty of Christ is in their eyes and their voices testify to God’s amazing grace.

Are you grief-stricken today?  Are you suffering at this very moment? If you are mourning over your sins, asking forgiveness from the Lord, vowing not to commit the same sin again, promising not to offend God anymore, realizing that you are weak and your strength is in the Lord and humbling yourself before His footstool, accepting the fact that you are poor in spirit…

Take heart… because Jesus said…

Happy are the sad!    

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, March 13, 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

The Poor in Spirit

God has compassion for the poor.  He knows that most people will call unto Him more often when they are in need.  In the story of the rich man, Jesus said that “it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”    

The Sermon on the Mount is the longest recorded sermon by Jesus. It contains several do’s and don’ts of Christian living.  The first 12 verses contain what we call “The Beatitudes”

I’m not sure if you noticed that but Jesus said in verse one “Blessed are the poor in spirit…” and in verse eight “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness” --- the promise here is happening at the present time.  But for the others---  Blessed are those who mourn, for they WILL be comforted

    -- Blessed are the meek, they WILL inherit the earth

    -- Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for

        they WILL be filled

    --  Blessed are merciful, for they WILL be showed mercy

    --  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they WILL see God

Anaphora  is a repetition of words at the beginning of successive statements.

Being poor in spirit has nothing to do with how much material things we have. Some people are poor because of their own wrongdoing and Jesus is not going to reward them for that.  

Being poor in spirit is not about our relationship with one another.  It’s about our relationship with God. We recognize our own deficiency – we recognize that we are spiritually lost, that we are hopeless and helpless.  It means that without the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives, we are spiritually malnourished – regardless of what we may have accomplished in life, without Christ, we can never be satisfied.

Jesus is the perfect example of submitting to the will of God.  In Luke 22:42, He said “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”  You may be a talented singer, a superstar athlete, or even a successful businessman. But if you have truly met God, you will know that without Him, you have nothing to offer  

Recall the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 

Luke 18:9-14   “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 

God longs for us to pray. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”  There’s a huge issue with this prayer.  Instead of humbling himself, he promoted himself.  The Pharisee was a “holier-than-thou” person. He thought that God really loved him because of how righteous and holy he was.

“A tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’  Jesus said “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

There’s a very thin line that divides true humility from false humility.  It boils down to what’s in your heart. If God has blessed you, if God has done great things in your life…share it with others.  It’s a testimony that God is our provider. 

If you are facing difficult times, share it with others.  Let them see how God has been helping you to stay strong and remain faithful no matter what your situation in life is at the moment.  

Humility is also thinking about the right priorities.  

Even before the creation of man, pride was there. Satan tempted Adam and Eve with it. He said “you can be like God!”

Pride is sin and it separates us from God.  Being proud is obviously the opposite of being poor in spirit.  

God lives in heaven – high and lifted up. But now Jesus wants us to know that He also lives with the person who is poor in spirit. Heaven is to live with God, and the poor in spirit gets a foretaste of heaven because God comes to live with them!   

God bless you.

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, March 13, 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