The Early Years - The Sermon on the Mount (Part 2)

1.  You may want to review the definition of mercy as given in the lesson!

1. God has revealed Himself to be a merciful God by not consuming all of mankind in His anger at their sin and rebellion. He has shown Himself to be merciful in the providing of His Son, The Lord Jesus Christ, as His sacrificial offering for sin.

2. God has been kind to mankind in His longsuffering and patience, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to salvation in and through the Lord Jesus Christ.

3. Subjective.

4. Subjective. (Should incorporate within the answer the belief that God has brought salvation to an individual by delivering them from the guilt and shame of their past sinful life.

5. Subjective. (Should incorporate how God has extended His love and His mercy to each individual who will receive Jesus Christ as their Savior, based not on any merit in the individual but simply on the goodness and love of God.

6. Subjective.

7. Subjective.

8. The clear implication is that those who are not willing to be merciful will not receive mercy. Those who are not willing to forgive will not receive forgiveness. One sure mark that one has been Born Ahimgain is their willingness to "become willing", to forgive others for each and every trespass committed against them. Just as God, in Christ Jesus, has forgiven us all of our sins and trespasses.

1. Those who can approach the throne of God in complete confidence are those who are walking in truth and light, in whose lives there is no deceit, and in whose hearts there is no unrecognized, unconfessed and un-repented of corruptness.

2. God’s Word says that the heart is "desperately wicked and deceitful above all things." Therefore, the unregenerate heart is completely and totally corrupt, and can only be renewed  through regeneration by receiving salvation in Jesus Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit of God to regenerate the heart, with all of its corruptness, lusts and desires.

3. The idea is that all of the Word of God is binding on the believer. There should be no distinction made as to "small sins" and "big sins". All of the Word of God should be brought to bear upon the life of the believer and none of it should be watered down or annulled. Those who do so will be considered among the least in the Kingdom of God and the  righteousness of the believer, which is through faith in Jesus Christ, (II Cor 5:21) is so much greater than the righteousness of the legalistic system of the law which was practiced  by the Pharisees.

4. The pure in heart are those whose heart harbors no corruptness, but rather the individual constantly and consistently holds their life up before the Lord Jesus Christ, bringing all sins of omission and commission to the light. There is no room for guile or deceit in the life of a believer.

5. One develops a pure heart by hiding the Word of God in their heart on a consistent, constant, ongoing basis and by bringing every part of the Word of God to bear on their life. By observing the statutes and commandments of the Word of God, and aligning one’s life on the Word of God.

1. Through backbiting, gossip, slander, ill speaking of others, by being argumentative, opinionated and by failing to seek the heart and mind of God in a variety of situations.

2. One can promote love, peace and unity through simply allowing the Holy Spirit of God to lead and guide in every situation. By applying the rules of scripture to every situation and by practicing the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. At times, this may result in dis-unity, but every tree is recognized by its fruit.

3. God was willing to reconcile us, sinful men, to Himself, through the sufferings and death of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We have likewise been give the ministry of reconciliation in trying to bring men to reconciliation with God through the Lord Jesus Christ and to promote unity among those who have been brought to reconciliation through the Lord Jesus Christ.

4. That in Christ Jesus, God was providing a way of reconciliation for sinful men to be reconciled to Holy God and when one comes to saving faith in Jesus Christ, God no longer imputed their sins to them and we likewise should be willing to forgive others of their transgressions and seek to reconcile men to God through Jesus Christ.

5. Subjective.

6. Subjective.

7. By slandering or gossiping about one of the parties involved, by spreading malicious lies, by mis-stating facts, by spreading rumors and gossip.

8. By praying for the individuals involved, and by seeking to have them reconciled, in love, through mutual understanding and forgiveness, relying on the Holy Spirit of God to change their hearts, and to anoint you and direct you in your attempts to be a minister of reconciliation.

1. Those who are persecuted simply because they are a righteous person, having been born again, and who are striving to live a life of righteousness, will be blessed with all the benefits and joys of heaven.

2. Subjective.

3. Personal Applications.

      (1) Subjective. (Should and could incorporate such things as: being made fun of on the job, perhaps not getting a promotion, perhaps being given menial, sub-servant tasks on the  job, or perhaps being excluded from the "in crowd".

       (2) Subjective. (In the home, through strife, dis-unity and even ridicule.)

        (3) Subjective. (By perhaps being considered "fanatical" having gone "too far", having "gone off the deep end", and perhaps even ridiculed or laughed at.

        (4) Subjective. (In school, by being excluded from the "in crowd", having unkind pranks played on one, being laughed at, ridiculed, and even perhaps injured through physical  mistreatment.

1. Christ says that you are a blessed person if, for His sake, you are mistreated and evil spoken of. This would include being misunderstood, slandered, laughed at and joked about as well as being mistreated either physically or emotionally. When this is done, on account of your stand for Him, and your identification with Him, Christ promises you will be blessed.

2. Christ tells us to rejoice when we are reviled and persecuted for His sake because we have an exceeding reward. He points out that even the prophets were reviled and persecuted.

3. Absolutely!