Sermon XXIV - Motives to show mercy - Matthew. 5:7
Philippians. Despite Paul being such an instrument of God's glory, no church supported his needs except the Philippians. This is a high commendation. If God has given you a merciful heart more than others, do you not consider it a great mercy and blessing? Being rich in good works is greater than being rich in money. This will add to your commendation and bring comfort to you on the day of Christ.
Therefore, beware of vain reasoning in your hearts against acts of mercy. Whenever you are called upon to perform acts of mercy, be cautious of those reasonings in your heart that oppose it. Let your vain reasonings be silenced. In Deuteronomy 15:7-8, it is stated: "If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother.
But you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs." Then in verse 9, it warns:
"Beware that there is not a wicked thought in your heart, saying, 'The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,' and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and he cries out to the Lord against you, and it becomes sin among you." Beware of wicked thoughts arising in your heart, objecting against acts of mercy. All objections against acts of mercy stem from wickedness in people's hearts. Scripture consistently charges us to help our poor brethren and to guard against objections to acts of mercy.
Remember, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."
SERMON XXIV
Motives to show mercy Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. -
MATTHEW 5:7
The commendation of this grace of mercy has been abundant.
Consider it further. God shows you more mercy than others so that you may do good to others. Why would God have some poor and some rich if not to crown patience in some and mercy in others? In 2
Corinthians 1:4, the Apostle speaks of spiritual mercy, comforting us in all our tribulations. Why? So that we may be able to comfort those who are in trouble with the same comfort we ourselves receive from God. This is the purpose of God's comfort in our tribulations—to help deliver others. The same applies to outward afflictions. If God has comforted your soul, brought you out of distress, answered your doubts, and delivered you from fears, then when you see others facing dreadful temptations, know that God requires you to show them mercy. He has comforted you and delivered you so that you can help deliver them. The same goes for bodily distress. Some of you were poor in the past, and the Lord helped you and blessed you with wealth. Whether you were poor or not, God has given you abundance, not just for yourself but so that you can comfort those in need. It is part of God's purpose in making distinctions between individuals.
Another motive to consider is the great relief it brings to those in affliction. Even though you may be in affliction, straits, or deep poverty, know that the Lord has taken care of you. He has given His
Spirit's grace to His saints to be merciful to the afflicted. The Lord weighs upon them and charges them to exercise the grace of mercy.
Surely the Lord takes care of you, and though you lack, He has endowed His saints with the grace of mercy to help you in your
misery. Do not discourage those in distress, preventing them from crying out to God, thinking that He has made such a difference between you and them and that no one cares for them. When they see your compassion and mercy, they will acknowledge God's goodness, realizing that the Lord has cared for them and has secretly commanded you to pity and help them. Therefore, be merciful.
Furthermore, by showing works of mercy, even those of you in moderate circumstances can receive a reward as great as the most eminent saints of God. In Matthew 10:41, Christ says, "He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward, and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward." Show mercy to the righteous, and you can receive the same reward.
Those of you who are poor may say, "We can do little for God. We are weak and can be employed in only small services for God." But here is a way for you to receive the reward of God's prophets and the most eminent saints—by showing works of mercy to them.
To impress these things upon your hearts, fully internalize the principle that it is better to give than to receive. These are the words of Christ. It may be challenging to instill this principle in the hearts of many who believe that everything they bestow in acts of mercy is lost. No, he who gives to the poor lends to the Lord, and the Lord will repay. It is far better than anything else one may enjoy. Consider the saying of an ancient, "How much more glorious is it to do good to many than to live sumptuously."
Secondly, if you want these things to resonate, remember the times when you yourself needed mercy. When you see an object of mercy, think, "Have I never been miserable myself? Have I never been in need of mercy? Have I never experienced the necessity of mercy?"
And it may be that I am well now, with everything going well for me, but what if I soon become an object of mercy? What if all comfort and support are taken away, and I find myself in dire circumstances?
Then I would truly value mercy. Is mercy good for you then and not now? Make these times real to you. People who are healthy, peaceful, and prosperous carry on as if there will never be a change. But the mere thought of your own change and the sad condition you could soon be in should strongly compel you to show mercy to others.
Lastly, let your eyes affect your heart. Do not turn away from those in need; instead, look upon them. Lamentations 3:51 says, "My eye affects my heart." Looking upon those in misery is a powerful means to stir the heart. Those of you who enjoy all comforts, look upon the lamentable objects in the world and the city. Look into the hospitals among wounded soldiers and the desperately poor. Let your eyes move your heart to show mercy. For blessed are the merciful; they shall receive mercy.
We now move on from this point of mercy and proceed to the sixth rule of happiness that Christ presents.
Verse 8: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
There is a good connection between these two. Some people are willing to do good works and be beneficial to others while having unclean and guilty consciences themselves. They think that by doing so, they can silence their consciences. Many, I believe, silence their consciences with such things. However, Christ says, "Do not deceive yourselves. Blessed are the merciful; they shall receive mercy." But He adds this as well, "Blessed are the pure in heart." Purity of heart is necessary, not just mercy. Many acts of mercy can be done by those who are unclean and wicked at heart. Therefore, ensure that your hearts are clean and pure.
Blessed are those who have pure hearts.
Christ establishes this as the rule of blessedness, in opposition to the Pharisees' perspective. They believed that blessedness relied on external purity and ritualistic washing. However, Christ emphasizes the importance of looking inward to the heart. Blessed are those who possess purity in their hearts. Let us delve into the meaning of this purity.
Firstly, purity of heart involves cleansing the heart from the guilt of sin through faith. It is being washed with the blood of Jesus Christ.
Acts 15:9 states, "And he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith." This scripture is often interpreted as referring to the work of sanctification that occurs through faith. However, upon closer examination of the context, it seems to refer to the purity that comes through faith in justification.
It speaks of the Gentiles, who were considered unclean by the Jews.
But the Apostle affirms that God has taken away their uncleanness and purified their hearts through faith. By believing in Jesus Christ, the Gentiles are accepted by the Lord as children of Abraham.
Through faith, their hearts are purified, and they are regarded as clean before God. We are all naturally impure, and simply forsaking gross sins or living a better life does not make the heart pure before God. It is only through the cleansing of the soul with the blood of Jesus Christ that true purity is attained. The moment the soul believes in Jesus Christ, it is washed from the guilt of sin and stands before the Lord as pure as a newborn child, but even more so, for original corruption is cleansed, and the soul is purified from all the filthy and abominable sinful ways that defile it. This initial purification must occur; otherwise, all other forms of purity are meaningless.
Secondly, a pure heart is one that is guided by pure principles. The Scripture speaks of those with corrupt minds and, conversely, those with pure minds. There is much impurity in the thoughts of individuals, in the higher chambers of the soul, so to speak. When the soul acts from corrupt principles and holds unworthy perceptions of God and godly matters, it operates with base and corrupted notions. However, when the soul is purified, these corrupt principles are eradicated, and it acquires pure principles and a proper understanding of God, the ways of God, the covenant of grace, and the path of a Christian. The soul possesses correct apprehensions of everything that promotes holiness. Therefore, impurity arises from erroneous thinking and corrupt notions.
Thirdly, a pure heart is one that has expelled the love for every known sin and refuses to engage with it, no matter how insignificant.
It is a heart that has renounced every known sinful way. Although impurities may remain, a pure heart can genuinely appeal to God, declaring that it hates and abominates every known form of sin. This is referred to as purity of heart in the language of the Gospel. If individuals were rewarded according to the law, this may not be considered purity. However, in the Gospel, a heart that sincerely renounces known sin and can appeal to God, acknowledging its abhorrence towards sin, is deemed pure. Reflect on your own conscience to determine if this is the case. The blessing is attached to this purity, and the opposite is what renders the soul subject to God's curse.
Fourthly, a pure heart is one that aligns with the holiness of God. It corresponds to God's holy nature and His law. This alignment constitutes purity.
Fifthly, purity of heart involves having right and consecrated ends, dedicating oneself to God's service, making Him the ultimate purpose of all things, and pursuing righteous aims in all actions. This purity is an emulation of God's holiness. God is a holy God, and holiness implies consecration, dedicating oneself to a specific end.
God consecrates Himself to Himself as the ultimate end. He is His own ultimate end, and the excellence of His nature propels Him to work towards Himself as the ultimate goal. He wills everything according to this end, in accordance with His infinite excellence. This is God's purity. A pure heart is consecrated to God, making Him the ultimate end of all things and acting as God does. It has right ends and aims for God in all actions. The heart can genuinely appeal to God, saying, "Lord, You who search and examine all hearts, test my heart. I am willing for my heart to be open to the world regarding certain matters." This is a pure heart.
Sixthly, a pure heart works towards good ends with simplicity and straightforwardness. It is not enough to have good intentions while employing devious methods and mixing human cunning. Many individuals pride themselves on having general intentions aligned with God's purposes, but they employ cunning and devious strategies that stem from their own corrupt nature, thereby tainting their actions. True purity entails pursuing good ends while attaining them with the simplicity and straightforwardness of the Gospel. While craftiness and strategies may be suitable in worldly matters, they have no place in matters concerning Christ. A pure heart carries out all its endeavors with the plainness and simplicity of the Gospel.
Lastly, a pure heart aligns with every profession and duty undertaken. When individuals profess their faith in God and His ways, their hearts must correspond to their profession. A pure heart matches the profession made and the services rendered. Impurity
and uncleanness in the hearts of hypocrites arise when their profession is great and glorious, but their hearts do not align with it.
Therefore, when individuals make a profession of faith and engage in service, their hearts must genuinely correspond to their actions. This is purity. If all these qualities are present, blessedness follows.
However, it must be acknowledged that finding such purity in anyone is a challenge. Proverbs 20:9 states, "Who can say, 'I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin'?" In response, it is said that Christ speaks in a Gospel manner. Purity of heart, which is deemed acceptable, can still coexist with remaining impurities. Yet, alongside these dispositions, two factors must be considered.
Firstly, there must be a genuine effort to identify the remaining corruptions within the heart. Individuals should willingly search and discover all the corruptions, including the secret wanderings and turnings of the heart. The Lord knows that if He were to ask from Heaven, individuals would desire to know the depths of their hearts.
This willingness to search for and understand one's corruptions is crucial.
Secondly, there should be sincere mourning over every remnant of impurity. When the heart identifies any corruption, it mourns over it, recognizing it as the evil and disorder within. It is noteworthy that the more peace one experiences through assurance of being cleansed by the blood of Christ, the greater the mourning and lamentation for any remaining impurities. Ezekiel 36:25 speaks to this phenomenon,
"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you." A new heart will be given, and individuals will remember their own evil ways and loathe themselves for their iniquities and abominations.
God considers them cleansed when they genuinely loathe themselves
for their sins and abominations. Those who loathe themselves the most for their iniquities and abominations are those who have been most cleansed of them. This Scripture highlights the danger of individuals inappropriately magnifying free grace to the point of foolishness and licentiousness, failing to recognize the remaining evils in their hearts. They mistakenly believe that they are cleansed by the blood and the Spirit of Christ. However, the text promises that when the Lord cleanses His people, they will loathe themselves for all their abominations and evils.
Though there is evil remaining, still one who has true purity watches over themselves to prevent occasions of evil as much as possible. And fourthly, such a person loves the strictest rule. I find much impurity in my heart, but God knows the strictest rule I aim at, and my heart is most aligned with those who grow the most in godliness.
Fifthly and lastly, my soul longs for perfection. I hope there is a time coming when all my defilement shall be done away with. For now, my soul is washed and perfected in terms of justification. And I look forward to a time when it shall be perfect in terms of sanctification.
Oh, that that time were come! Certainly, here is a pure heart. So do not say, "Where is the pure heart? Who can make their heart pure?
Are there any who are pure?"
The next thing is to explain the excellence of a clean heart. First, a pure heart shows its excellence as the fruit of the blood of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. Those two Scriptures you had, from Revelation 1 and Ezekiel 36, clarify this. It is washed with the blood of Christ and cleansed by the Holy Spirit. Surely, the fruit of the blood of Christ is purity. When the blood of Christ and the Holy
Spirit, like water, are poured out upon the soul, they work gloriously to bring about cleanliness and purity.
Secondly, this purity of heart is the cause of soundness of spirit. It helps against disturbances so that even though there are outward occasions to disturb the heart, when the heart is clean within, it will not be disturbed as others are. It is similar to the body. If a person's body is dirty and they catch a slight cold, they will quickly become sick. Any external factor that disrupts their regular routine will reveal the filthiness of their body. They may attribute it to the cold they caught, but in reality, it is the impurity of their body that causes the illness. A dirty body is susceptible to diseases on any occasion.
But a person with a clean body, free from the impurities that affect others, can endure cold or heat and face any external situation while remaining healthy and sound. This is due to the cleanliness within their body. Likewise, with the heart, impure hearts are greatly disturbed by any temptation to evil. A multitude of filth appears in their hearts when tempted. They attribute it to the temptation, but if there hadn't been much impurity in their hearts, the temptation would never have prevailed. Jesus said, "The Devil comes and he finds nothing in me." Take, for example, the passion of anger. Many of you may seem to live fair and pleasant lives, but if someone angers you and you lose your temper, a great deal of filthiness and baseness is revealed. You may say it was the person who angered you and provoked you, but the truth is that the anger and filthiness were already present in your heart. The temptation merely stirred them up. A pure-hearted person, one whose corruptions have been mortified, who is cleansed from pride and self-love, can remain meek and composed even when wronged. They can entrust their cause to God and express their grievances to Him. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they have sound and whole spirits and are not easily disturbed like other people. Consequently, they have sound hearts.
Thirdly, the pure in heart have much peace of conscience. They are able to look upon the face of God with peace and joy. When God
reveals Himself through His great works in the world, their consciences speak peace to them, and they rejoice that they have to deal with such a holy God. All of this stems from the cleanliness in their hearts. In Job 11:14-15, it is said, "If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away and let not wickedness dwell in thy Tabernacles. What then? For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot, yea, thou shalt be steadfast and shall not fear." Notice that it speaks of having clean hands and putting iniquity far from oneself. When we not only remove iniquity from our actions but also from our hearts, when wickedness is far from both our Tabernacles and our hearts, then we are able to lift up our faces without blemish, remain steadfast, and fear nothing, regardless of any evil tidings. We can look upon the face of God, lift up our countenances, and not fear. When a person has guilt in their heart and an impure conscience, facing God's presence becomes terrifying, and horror threatens to overwhelm them. The presence of God is dreadful to an impure heart. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. The presence of God brings joy to them, but not to others. In Psalm 51:7-8, David, having defiled his heart, began to perceive God's presence as terrible. He cried out, "Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquities and cleanse me from my sin." And later, "Make me to hear joy and gladness." He recognized that he had polluted his soul with sin, and the voice of joy and gladness had departed from his heart. His bones were burdened with the weight of his sin. But he pleaded with the Lord to cleanse him, and then the voice of joy and gladness would return to his soul.
Can any of you, whose consciences are impure and reveal the base uncleanness in your hearts and ways, rejoice? Do you have gladness in your countenances and ways? Surely, you do not know God. You do not know Him, for if you knew the God you have to deal with, you could never have joy in your hearts until the Lord had cleansed you.
It is a sign that the grace of God is in the heart of a person when they have dealt with their sin, and nothing in the world can bring joy and
gladness to their hearts until the Lord has cleansed them. Therefore, blessed are the pure in heart. There are many excellencies in this purity of heart.
Fourthly, blessed are the pure in heart because they are fit to serve God's purposes in the ways of the Gospel. There are no individuals suitable for God's design and ways in the Gospel except those with clean hearts. God does not delight in using cunning and crafty individuals who employ sinful craftiness. It is true that the Lord requires us to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves when we live among wicked people. But I speak of cunning and craftiness in dealing with God. He takes no pleasure in using such methods.
However, those with sincere, upright, and genuine hearts are suitable to serve God's purposes in the ways of the Gospel. As in Psalm 24:3-4, "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully." Such a person shall receive blessings from the Lord and righteousness from the God of their salvation. Who is the person who shall ascend to the hill of God, whom God will receive into His
Church, and who is fit to bring honor to God in His Church? It is the one with clean hands and a pure heart, one who has not lifted up their soul to vanity. This is a particular impurity in people's hearts when they elevate their souls to vanity, mixing their own ulterior motives with any services they are engaged in. However, the one who does not lift up their soul to vanity, who looks at God with a single eye, is the one who shall ascend to God's holy hill. This is the generation of those who seek the Lord. The blessing of God shall be upon such individuals.
Fifthly, another point to consider is that the pure in heart are recipients of numerous gracious and blessed promises. Blessed are
the pure in heart, for they are under many blessed promises. In Psalm 18:26, it is written, "With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure." And in Psalm 73:1, it says, "Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart." It is as if to say, regardless of the world's ways, God is truly good to Israel, to those who possess clean hearts. A clean heart is invaluable. Therefore, continue on, those whose hearts the Lord has begun to cleanse, and strive to make them cleaner and cleaner, and keep them clean. You who are holy, remain holy. Regard it as your riches, regard it as worth more than the entire world to have a clean heart. There may be someone who possesses greater wealth and is more esteemed in the world, but the more people engage in worldly vanities, the more their hearts become defiled. The Lord has limited me in material possessions, but blessed be His name, my heart is, to some extent, cleaner than others'. There are those who possess greater talents than I do, but often, excellent abilities are accompanied by very impure hearts. Although I cannot do what they can, my conscience testifies to me that my heart is clean. Whenever I engage in prayer, I can enter into the presence of God with a clean heart. This should bring you comfort in the absence of any worldly comforts. It will protect you from the defilements of the times in which you live. In Psalm 119:1, it is stated, "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, they walk in the law of the Lord." It is a blessed thing to be undefiled in our way, to live in the world and maintain our purity, unblemished by the world's contaminations, and to keep our hearts clean. There are very few among us who have achieved this. When we reflect upon the past times in which we lived, times filled with great temptations towards evil, where is the man or woman who does not have cause to lament the defilements of their conscience and heart due to the pollutions of the era in which they existed? We have soiled ourselves with superstitious vanities in the past, and it is not only our actions that have become defiled, but even our consciences. It would be just for the Lord if we were never to see