Introduction
We are on the
upward journey. We, hopefully, are being filled – filled with (the capacities
of) the Holy Spirit … becoming the sort of person (and people) that God created
us to be. This has become possible as we have been emptied of all the blockages
to our growth. We have dispensed with pride and humbled ourselves (“poor in
spirit”). We have mourned our sin, become emotionally honest, and repentant. We
have opened ourselves to the new and become teachable (“meekness”). As we have
been emptied of all selfish agendas and egocentric attitudes, we are ready to
fully focus on God – we “hunger and thirst for righteousness” and thus can be
filled with the Holy Spirit.
We are on the
upward journey. In this way we can become like Jesus. The remaining
‘beatitudes’ guide us in our assessment of our growth. We might call these
‘check-points’. If we are truly being “filled”; if we are growing, and becoming
more like Christ – then we should be exhibiting “mercy”, being seen as “pure in
heart”, actively being “peace-makers” in everyday life, and dealing well with
any set-backs … specifically showing courage in the face of persecution.
“Blessed are
the merciful”
There are
two basic ways we can be merciful!?!
1.
Compassion
·
Feeling
for others – if we are not moved with compassion because of the needs,
struggles and suffering of others, then we would have cause to look at
ourselves and wonder why! Could it be that we are somewhat ‘battle-weary’ or
hardened? Sometimes our own journey has understandably led us here. A sense of
‘compassion fatigue’ can build. But sometimes there are other factors …
mindsets where our own desires are rated much more highly than anyone else’s
needs. That is why, if we feel less than compassionate, when compassion would
be rightly expected (as a Jesus-follower), we would need to go back to those
earlier emptying steps … to see if we have really fully completed them. Are we
humble, repentant, teachable and desperate for God enough?
Are we
willing and able to let the struggles of others touch us?? Jesus himself, when
confronted with disease and a great variety of needs, was moved with compassion
to the depths of his being – he was often ‘gutted’ by what he saw. From this
level of empathy, Jesus was truly able to demonstrate “mercy”. In this way,
compassion unites us with the very heart of God. We should NOT be able
to easily turn our eyes away from any tragedy and suffering.
·
Neighbour
love – we know from Jesus’ teaching … that our ‘neighbour’ is actually anyone
in need. Solidarity with a neighbour involves considering what it is like
living in their shoes. This involves developing an understanding of, and
empathy for, the difficult experiences that many people have endured. This
involves being non-judgmental, slow to condemn, and not giving in to the sort
of gross generalisations many people make (typified again this week by Senator
Hanson). No doubt that Jesus was here challenging a society that generally
lacked compassion (and held onto their racial animosities)!
Also, the “golden rule” (Matthew 7:12) indicates that we need to
treat others as we wish to be treated ourselves. How would we like to be
persecuted as a religious minority, or a victim of violence, forced to flee by
any means available, and then be stuck in a detention centre (God knows where)
having committed no crime! What sort of support and help would we desire (or
even expect) when we were in that place of suffering? This then surely guides
our response to others.
·
Acts
of kindness – practical compassion means acting in kindly ways; which may in
some cases be a very hands-on approach with the person next door, and people
from here have been wonderful helpers of others, one-on-one, and through
involvement with Anglicare and the like. On other occasions (on a broader
scale), practical compassion involves a lot of advocacy i.e. talking,
social-media activity, letter-writing, project development and fund-raising. If
you are interested in this sort of conversation and activity, then we have just
formed a group to work and pray in these areas.
2.
Forgiveness
Why do we need to
forgive??? For both others and ourselves – to release both others and
ourselves.
·
Letting
others go – we need to forgive others … so that they might have the
maximum chance to change and go forward. This does NOT mean that what they did
(and we suffered) was in any way acceptable, but rather it means that the
future is opened up … it is the future where potential lies. This does NOT mean
that we give ourselves to more abuse, NOR does forgiveness mean that we will
necessarily trust the person again – but it does mean that we won’t
deliberately take actions that will make the problem worse.
In movies,
books, and on reality TV, revenge is celebrated, so much so that ‘revenge’
itself is a bit of a cultural norm. It’s easy to fall into that mode of …
because you have done that, you should get this! Justice becomes vengeance.
‘Sweet revenge’ has become acceptable. But this is NOT the way of Jesus, who
looked into the face of rejection with the eyes of love and mercy. We should
leave all of the accounting to the only wise judge.
Even where
a person has not sought forgiveness (and remains seemingly unrepentant),
offering forgiveness may open the opportunity of a better future. No-one had
sought forgiveness … when Jesus, in torturous agony, opened his heart of gold,
and said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing”. In
this statement, Jesus forgave them [i.e. all those responsible for him being
there on the cross] regarding any personal offence toward him, and also had a
mind toward God forgiving them for this whole act of violence. In this way, a
whole new future opened for all humankind. We also are forgiven for putting
Jesus on a cross; in fact, we are forgiven because Jesus went to the cross in
the ultimate act of self-giving.
·
Letting
ourselves go – retaining bitterness is the most soul-destroying thing we
can deliberately do to ourselves! Harbouring resentment or ill-will towards
others demeans us. We need to dispense with bitterness. When bitterness is
allowed to build, it destroys more and more relationships. Forgiveness, on the
other hand, releases us. And not only that – we bring ourselves into the place
of God’s mercy! Without forgiving others, we deny ourselves forgiveness.
Through unforgiveness, we put up barriers between us and God. Only those who
show mercy, receive mercy.
We
shouldn’t just expect mercy, for that blessing, which is mercy, is only
afforded to those who first show mercy themselves. That is why, when Jesus
teaches us how to pray (Matthew 6:12, 14-15), it is here taken as a
given, that we are a forgiving person, and because of this we have the right to
ask for forgiveness ourselves. We will only be recipients of forgiveness, after
we have forgiven all others ourselves. Only the forgiving, receive forgiveness;
only the merciful, receive mercy! We cannot hold back on mercy, while expecting
mercy ourselves.
·
Breaking
the cycle of negativity – old animosities and hatreds continue to bring
destruction through the generations. New disputes occur because of a sense of
being offended against. Someone needs to stand up and put an end to this, with
an act of radical forgiveness. Allan Meyer tells a story about the thief who
comes back hoping for relationship, wondering how we might react to this! “Mercy
is a heart attitude that moves a person to act in love – even when there are
reasons not to”.
The blessing
of receiving “mercy”
Let’s receive the
blessing of mercy – being forgiving towards others (together with a heart of
compassion) releases God’s stream of mercy toward us! And we really need this
blessing … we really need mercy … we really need forgiveness!! We may have
caused unnecessary hurt, we may have uttered an unguarded word, we may have
treated someone unfairly, we may have broken a promise, we may have let someone
down, we may have broken a trust, we may have been dishonest or selfish, we may
have contributed to existing hostility, we may have just been apathetic. In
your mercy Lord, forgive us and heal us!
Then, when God
has forgiven us, we should be prepared to forgive ourselves. If God has
determined to put aside our sin, then we should do the same. If we ever feel
unworthy of forgiveness, then we could reflect on the extent to which God went
to give us forgiveness – which shows how much God values us. However, if we
continue to feel unforgiven, we need to consider whether we just might be
holding back forgiveness (or holding tightly to some form of ill-will toward
another), which may be blocking our own forgiveness and healing. “Our
forgiveness of others is the outstretched hand by which we are
able to grasp the forgiveness of God” (Athol Gill).
IS THERE SOMEONE
WHO HAS HURT YOU … THAT YOU HAVE NOT FORGIVEN, AND THUS YOU ARE HOLDING
ONTO BITTERNESS?
IS THERE ANYONE
THAT YOU NEED TO FORGIVE RIGHT NOW??
LET THEM GO – AND
RELEASE THE CHAINS FROM YOURSELF!!
DO YOU NEED TO
SEEK FORGIVENESS FROM ANYONE OR FROM GOD?
WE WOULD BE
HOPEFUL CONCERNING HUMAN FORGIVENESS!
BUT WE CAN BE
CERTAIN ABOUT GOD’S FORGIVENESS (ONCE WE HAVE SHOWN MERCY OURSELVES)!!
“Blessed are
the pure in heart”
What does
it mean to be “pure in heart”?
·
Pure
motivations – our “heart” is the place where our motivations (or our ‘drivers’)
lie; these are the internal workings that determine our decisions and
behaviour. To be “pure” is to be unmixed – with no ‘impurities’ … not
mixed with other substances; or to have been purged of all undesirable elements
or pollutants. Proverbs 4:23 reads, “Above all else, guard your heart; for it
is the wellspring of life” (NIV); or, “Guard your heart above all else, for it
determines the course of your life” (NLT). So purity of behaviour rests in purity
of heart.
Being
“pure in heart” is about being truly in harmony with God’s ways, and seeing the
things around us as God sees them. This is being really tuned in, even
single-minded – no double vision! The “pure in heart” will never serve more
than one master. Evil and darkness is rejected, worthless pursuits are shunned;
light is embraced! In reading this verse, we are caused to check our motives,
goals, desires and priorities – we can take an internal audit, asking: ‘what
drives me’, and, ‘why do I do what I do’??
·
Honesty
– when a heart is not right or “clean”, often anything goes, and
easy justifications follow. To be “pure in heart” is to be sincere, genuine,
the ‘real deal’, having integrity – outward actions and inward thoughts are in
total harmony. To be “pure in heart” is to be moral and ethical in all our
dealings, having good character, having clarity, being transparent (Oxford
meaning: free from disguise) … then maybe even translucent; to be
clearly/obviously set apart … for a purpose (i.e. “holy”). Using the simple
basic ‘yes’ or ‘no’ avoids being loose with commitment. The “pure in heart”
will have straight honest open communication. In this way, the “pure in heart”
will be very naturally able to critique negativity, falsehood and evil. “Why don’t
people come to church”, we sometimes ask – this is what they need to see … the
“pure in heart” … have they seen it … will they see it??
·
Resources
– the resources of the “pure in heart”, along with the Holy Spirit, are prayer, worship and bible study.
Each of these connects us with God, who is, of course, the very essence of
purity and holiness. The more we pray (individually and in groups), the more we
worship together as the church, the more we search God’s Word (individually and
together) for truth and understanding – the more we will sense, know and see
God.
“For they will
see God”
In fact this is
the blessing for the “pure in heart” … “seeing” God. In this way, the “pure of
heart” will hold up under pressure, and will likely make a huge difference in
the lives of many. As God is the epitome and the definition of ‘purity’, only
the “pure in heart” can truly see and understand God for all of who He is. How
do you rate on the “pure in heart” scale? Be encouraged … we are works in
progress.
Let God in to
purify your heart, and more and more we shall see God in all his wonder, beauty
and majesty. We see God’s brilliant creation every day, and the provision of
sun and rain, and all the other resources we need. But human lives too, can
demonstrate God’s greatness. Let’s be part of God’s grand design! As God looks
upon the heart, the “pure in heart” are able to see God.
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