Introduction and Ice Breaker
Share about times in your life where you were spared the consequences you deserved?
Themes to Consider
There are are things we need to experience MERCY FOR
SIN as cutting against nature
SIN as cutting against relationship
SIN as cutting against conscience
God is merciful
Discussion Questions
Mercy is not getting what you deserve. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve. Where in your life you need to experience mercy?
You know you have tasted mercy when you show mercy. To whom could you show mercy?
Guided Prayer
Silence / Remove distractions as much as you can and spend two minutes (time it, if helpful) in silence, noticing your body, your emotions and thoughts. Perhaps use a simple phrase to pray silently so that you stay focused.
Holy God,
From the beginning you have desired a people holy and set apart, like you—a people who reflect your character and make your glory known in all the earth. Yet, like sheep your people went astray (Is 53:6), worshipping idols of silver and gold and money and power. But even in the midst of their rebellion you promised to consecrate your temple and promised that your eyes and heart would be there for all time (1 Ki 9:3, 2 Chr 7:16). You promised to sit as refiner and purifier and to purify your sons and daughters (Mal 3:3). In the gentle words of an all-wise and all-loving Father, you beckoned your people with these words: “Come now let us reason together: Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow” (Is 1:18).
Thank you, Father, for the fulfillment of that promise in the person of your son, Jesus of Nazareth, “who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” (Tit 2:14)
Holy Father, again your people have strayed—far from your word and the teachings of Jesus. We have forgotten the poor, the widow, the orphan and the immigrant. We have not loved with our hands and feet as your son did when he dwelled among us. Your church is pitiful, poor, blind and naked. (Rev 3:17) Yet even now, the promise holds: “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands… purify your hearts.” (Ja 4:8)
Faithful, covenant-keeping God, purify us and make us a temple where your spirit is pleased to dwell. Give us your eyes and your heart. Let us remember that our citizenship in the Kingdom of God is more important than any other citizenship. Let us seek like never before the eternal power and gifts of the Holy Spirit instead of seeking temporary, earthly power. Grant us courage to love sacrificially and seek the good of our neighbors above our own comfort and security. Sanctify us with the truth of your word (John 17:17) and present your bride in splendor and holiness, without spot, wrinkle, or blemish. (Ephesians 5:27)
May we cling with unfailing hope in these words from 1 Thessalonians: “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” (1 Th. 5:23-24)
Amen
Supplemental Content
The Shema / The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” —Exodus 34: 6-7
We didn’t just occasionally slip into the passions of our flesh; we “lived in” those passions. It was the air we breathed. What water is to fish, inordinate ugliness of desire was to us. We inhaled rejection of God, and we exhaled self-destruction and well-deserved judgment. Beneath our smiles at the grocery store and cheerful greetings to the mailman we were quietly enthroning Self and eviscerating our souls of the beauty and dignity and worship for which they were made. Sin was not something we lapsed into; it defined our moment-by-moment existence at the level of deed, word, thought, and, yes, even desire—“ carrying out the desires of the body and the mind.” We not only lived in sin; we enjoyed living in sin. We wanted to live in sin. It was our coddled treasure, our Gollum’s ring, our settled delight. In short, we were dead. Utterly helpless. That’s what his mercy healed. —Dane Ortlund
We are so fortunate (blessed) that God is merciful - because mercy is what we need when we fall short and we all fall short!
He is a fountain of mercy. He is a billionaire in the currency of mercy, and the withdrawals we make as we sin our way through life cause his fortune to grow greater, not less. How can that be? Because mercy is who he is. If mercy was something he simply had, while his deepest nature was something different, there would be a limit on how much mercy he could dole out. But if he is essentially merciful, then for him to pour out mercy is for him to act in accord with who he is. It is simply for him to be God. When God shows mercy, he is acting in a way that is true to himself. —Dane Ortlund
If we don’t rediscover mercy we are going to tear each other apart. You know you have tasted mercy when you show mercy.
The Beatitudes, in particular, are not teachings of how to be blessed... They are explanations and illustrations, drawn from the immediate setting, of the present availability of the Kingdom through personal relationship with Jesus. They single out cases that provide proof that, in him, the rule of God from the heavens truly is available in life circumstances that are beyond all human hope. —Dallas Willard
Jesus is not suggesting that these are simply timeless truths about the way the world is, about human behaviour. If he was saying that, he was wrong. Mourners often go uncomforted, the meek don’t inherit the earth, those who long for justice frequently take that longing to the grave. This is an upside-down world, or perhaps a right-way-up world; and Jesus is saying that with his work It’s starting to come true. This is an announcement, not a philosophical analysis of the world. It’s about something That’s starting to happen, not about a general truth of life. It is gospel: good news, not good advice. —NT Wright
