WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.439 --> 00:00:06.320 Hello, and welcome to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope with Rick Warren. 2 00:00:06.519 --> 00:00:09.119 We are so glad you're here with us today. We're 3 00:00:09.160 --> 00:00:12.199 going to continue our series called the Keys to a 4 00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:13.119 Blessed Life. 5 00:00:13.199 --> 00:00:13.359 Now. 6 00:00:13.400 --> 00:00:17.160 In these messages, Rick walks through Jesus' Sermon on the 7 00:00:17.239 --> 00:00:20.239 Mount and shows us how to live a truly hopeful 8 00:00:20.399 --> 00:00:23.679 and purpose filled life. So let's jump right in with 9 00:00:23.800 --> 00:00:26.239 part one of your Ministry of Mercy. 10 00:00:26.960 --> 00:00:29.960 One of Saddleback's values, one of our ten key values, 11 00:00:30.079 --> 00:00:33.920 is every member is a minister. Not everybody is a pastor. 12 00:00:34.200 --> 00:00:37.960 But if you're called to follow Christ, you're called to serve. 13 00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:40.560 To be a servant is to be a minister. To 14 00:00:40.560 --> 00:00:42.399 be a minister, to be a servant the word serve 15 00:00:42.439 --> 00:00:44.679 and minister of the same in the Bible, and the 16 00:00:44.679 --> 00:00:48.920 Bible says every believer is a minister. Now, we all 17 00:00:48.960 --> 00:00:52.520 minister in different ways, but anytime you help somebody else 18 00:00:52.679 --> 00:00:56.840 in Jesus' name, that is called ministry. And as they said, 19 00:00:57.079 --> 00:00:59.479 the Bible says, there are different kinds of service, different 20 00:00:59.560 --> 00:01:03.799 kinds of ministries, but there is one ministry that we 21 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:06.760 all have in common. And that's what I want us 22 00:01:06.799 --> 00:01:09.560 to look at this weekend. I call it your ministry 23 00:01:10.200 --> 00:01:15.040 of mercy. God wants you to be an agent of 24 00:01:15.120 --> 00:01:19.239 mercy in the world. There's not enough mercy in this world, 25 00:01:19.519 --> 00:01:23.200 and God wants you to be a provider. He wants 26 00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:25.200 you to be an agent. He wants you to be 27 00:01:25.239 --> 00:01:29.439 a purveyor of mercy in the world. Now, in the 28 00:01:29.480 --> 00:01:33.799 fifth Key to a blessed life, Jesus says this Matthew five, 29 00:01:33.920 --> 00:01:40.480 verse seven. God blesses those who are merciful, for they 30 00:01:41.079 --> 00:01:44.480 will be shown mercy. In other words, what you give out, 31 00:01:44.719 --> 00:01:47.680 you're going to get back. What you give you're going 32 00:01:47.760 --> 00:01:50.760 to get. God blesses those who are merciful, for they 33 00:01:50.760 --> 00:01:53.200 will be shown mercy. This is the fifth key to 34 00:01:53.239 --> 00:01:56.400 a blessed life. You got to learn to be a 35 00:01:56.519 --> 00:02:03.000 minister of mercy. Now, what is mercy. Well, usually we 36 00:02:03.040 --> 00:02:06.480 think of two things. Usually we think of forgiving people 37 00:02:06.480 --> 00:02:10.719 who don't deserve it, or we think of helping people 38 00:02:10.919 --> 00:02:14.879 who can't help themselves. And those are two definitions of 39 00:02:14.919 --> 00:02:20.360 mercy that we typically think of. But mercy, which by 40 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:22.439 the way, is a part of God's character, has so 41 00:02:22.599 --> 00:02:25.879 much more to say and to do in your life 42 00:02:25.960 --> 00:02:28.960 than simply those two things. Mercy is really like a 43 00:02:29.759 --> 00:02:34.319 it's like a diamond. It's multifaceted. And this weekend I 44 00:02:34.360 --> 00:02:38.520 want us to look at seven facets of mercy, seven 45 00:02:38.680 --> 00:02:43.840 ways that you can transform your relationships, because I guarantee you, 46 00:02:44.039 --> 00:02:46.520 if you'll learn how to be an agent of mercy, 47 00:02:46.960 --> 00:02:51.879 it's going to change your work relationships, your marriage, your friendships, 48 00:02:53.319 --> 00:02:56.479 family relationships, any other relationship you've got if you learn 49 00:02:56.560 --> 00:02:59.479 how to be an agent of mercy. But before we 50 00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:02.280 look at how to practice mercy in a relationship, I 51 00:03:02.319 --> 00:03:05.520 want to just ask the question why, why in the 52 00:03:05.560 --> 00:03:08.800 world should I be merciful? So just write these four down. 53 00:03:08.840 --> 00:03:10.840 This is kind of a little introduction here. And the 54 00:03:10.840 --> 00:03:13.080 first reason that we need to show mercy is because 55 00:03:13.080 --> 00:03:17.639 God has shown me mercy. God has shown me mercy. 56 00:03:17.639 --> 00:03:21.080 The Bible says that God is merciful. It's emphasized all 57 00:03:21.159 --> 00:03:23.919 through the Bible. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of 58 00:03:23.960 --> 00:03:28.400 scripture to talk about God's mercy and his love, his compassion, 59 00:03:28.639 --> 00:03:31.599 and his grace. Let me show you a couple verses. 60 00:03:31.599 --> 00:03:33.879 One is up here on the screen. Ephesians chapter two, 61 00:03:33.960 --> 00:03:39.280 verse four or five says this God's mercy is so abundant, 62 00:03:39.719 --> 00:03:44.000 and his love for us is so great that why 63 00:03:44.120 --> 00:03:48.560 we were spiritually dead in our disobedience. He brought us 64 00:03:48.599 --> 00:03:52.599 to life with Christ. It is by God's grace you 65 00:03:52.719 --> 00:03:56.479 have been saved. God has shown mercy to us. Now 66 00:03:56.719 --> 00:03:58.800 the point is this, God wants me to act in 67 00:03:58.840 --> 00:04:00.680 the same way to our other people. He wants me 68 00:04:00.719 --> 00:04:03.280 to pass on the mercy that I received from God. 69 00:04:03.479 --> 00:04:05.439 He wants me to pass on. Look at the next verse. 70 00:04:05.439 --> 00:04:08.840 It's there on your outline, Matthew eighteen. Shouldn't you have 71 00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:12.520 mercy on others just as I had mercy on you. 72 00:04:13.280 --> 00:04:17.839 Jesus is telling a story here about an unmerciful employee 73 00:04:18.199 --> 00:04:23.720 and he owes his boss some money, and the boss says, well, 74 00:04:23.720 --> 00:04:25.800 I'm gonna show mercy on you. Let's just clear your 75 00:04:25.839 --> 00:04:28.160 debt and I'm gonna just wipe it off and just 76 00:04:28.199 --> 00:04:31.199 say we're even. And the guy can't believe it because 77 00:04:31.199 --> 00:04:33.439 he's been shown such great mercy. But then he goes 78 00:04:33.480 --> 00:04:35.639 out to some people who owe him some money far 79 00:04:35.759 --> 00:04:38.759 less money, and he starts grabbing him by the throat. 80 00:04:38.759 --> 00:04:40.000 He say, pay me or I'm going to have you 81 00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:43.160 thrown in prison. When the boss hears about it, he goes, 82 00:04:43.240 --> 00:04:46.240 what are you doing. I was merciful to you, and 83 00:04:46.279 --> 00:04:49.199 you're not merciful to the people around you. You're a 84 00:04:49.199 --> 00:04:53.600 wicked guy. And he throws him in prison. God says, 85 00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:56.160 if I show mercy to you, I expect you to 86 00:04:56.240 --> 00:04:59.279 show it to others. God has shown me mercy. Second reason, 87 00:04:59.480 --> 00:05:03.920 God come d me to be merciful. God commands me 88 00:05:05.040 --> 00:05:10.720 to be merciful. There's a verse in the Bible in Micah. 89 00:05:10.879 --> 00:05:12.079 I'm going to show it to you up here on 90 00:05:12.120 --> 00:05:16.560 the screen. It's again one of many verses. God has 91 00:05:16.680 --> 00:05:21.639 told you what is good and what he requires from you. Okay, 92 00:05:21.639 --> 00:05:24.879 so whatever comes next is what God says is good 93 00:05:25.240 --> 00:05:28.279 and is required of you. And here's what's required of you. 94 00:05:28.360 --> 00:05:31.839 Three things. To do what is right with others, to 95 00:05:31.959 --> 00:05:35.319 love being merciful to others, and to live humbly in 96 00:05:35.360 --> 00:05:38.519 fellowship with God. Now leave that up there for a minute. 97 00:05:38.759 --> 00:05:41.399 That's if you want to summarize what life's all about. 98 00:05:41.439 --> 00:05:43.720 God says, this is what's required of you. If you're 99 00:05:43.720 --> 00:05:45.040 going to be in my family, if you're going to 100 00:05:45.079 --> 00:05:47.600 be my child, you got to do what's right with others. 101 00:05:47.800 --> 00:05:50.240 You got to love being merciful to others, and you 102 00:05:50.319 --> 00:05:53.399 got to live humbly in fellowship with God. One third 103 00:05:53.480 --> 00:05:57.079 of God's requirement for you on this planet is to 104 00:05:57.199 --> 00:06:01.920 learn mercy. Why because God is let me shock you 105 00:06:02.399 --> 00:06:06.480 with this next statement. God says that being merciful is 106 00:06:06.519 --> 00:06:11.480 more important than worship. Did you hear that? God says 107 00:06:11.680 --> 00:06:15.000 that you being merciful to other people is actually more 108 00:06:15.040 --> 00:06:19.920 important than worship. Hoseiah six, verse six. God says this, 109 00:06:20.360 --> 00:06:25.879 I don't want your sacrifices. I want you to be merciful. 110 00:06:26.759 --> 00:06:29.560 Now what is he saying here? He's saying, I don't 111 00:06:29.600 --> 00:06:33.879 want your acts of worship. I want you to be merciful. 112 00:06:34.079 --> 00:06:38.439 This is much more important. In fact, this verse Hoseiah 113 00:06:38.759 --> 00:06:42.240 chapter six, verse six is so important Jesus quotes it 114 00:06:42.480 --> 00:06:46.800 two times in his ministry in two totally unrelated situations 115 00:06:46.839 --> 00:06:49.360 in debates with the Pharisees. This is one of the 116 00:06:49.360 --> 00:06:51.759 most important verses in the Bible. So look at it again. 117 00:06:52.319 --> 00:06:56.839 I don't want your sacrifices. I want you to be merciful. 118 00:06:57.160 --> 00:06:59.800 God is saying, I prefer a flexible heart over in 119 00:06:59.800 --> 00:07:04.199 an inflexible ritual. I don't care if you come, and 120 00:07:04.199 --> 00:07:06.399 saying I praise you. I love you, you're great and 121 00:07:06.399 --> 00:07:07.839 all of that, and then you go out and you 122 00:07:07.879 --> 00:07:11.480 treat people like dirt. You treat your wife or your husband, 123 00:07:11.519 --> 00:07:13.439 or your children, or your friends, or the people you 124 00:07:13.480 --> 00:07:16.079 work with, or or people who are working at fast 125 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:19.480 food joints, whatever. He says. If you don't treat people 126 00:07:19.480 --> 00:07:23.720 with mercy, you've missed the whole point. God's shown me mercy, 127 00:07:23.839 --> 00:07:26.000 and he commands me to be merciful. There's a third 128 00:07:26.040 --> 00:07:27.759 reason I need to learn what we're gonna look at 129 00:07:27.759 --> 00:07:30.439 this weekend, and it's because I'm gonna need more mercy 130 00:07:30.480 --> 00:07:34.480 in the future. I'm gonna need more mercy in the future. 131 00:07:34.519 --> 00:07:36.439 You're not gonna be perfect between now and when you 132 00:07:36.560 --> 00:07:40.439 get to heaven. And the Bible tells us that we 133 00:07:40.519 --> 00:07:45.040 cannot receive what we are unwilling to give. And so 134 00:07:45.800 --> 00:07:51.000 in James Chapter two James two, verse thirteen, the Bible 135 00:07:51.040 --> 00:07:56.120 says this, you must circle that word must. You must 136 00:07:56.439 --> 00:08:01.839 show mercy to others, or God won't show mercy to you. 137 00:08:03.680 --> 00:08:07.279 But here's the good news. The person who shows mercy 138 00:08:08.079 --> 00:08:12.279 can stand without fear at the judgment. Don't you want 139 00:08:12.279 --> 00:08:13.800 to be able to do that on judgment day? To 140 00:08:13.800 --> 00:08:17.279 be able to stand without fear on judgment day. It says, 141 00:08:17.319 --> 00:08:21.040 the person who shows mercy can stand without fear on 142 00:08:21.079 --> 00:08:24.800 the judgment day. Now there's the fourth reason, and that 143 00:08:24.959 --> 00:08:32.240 is showing mercy brings or causes happiness. Showing mercy brings happiness, 144 00:08:32.480 --> 00:08:37.960 it's really the source of happiness. The Bible teaches over 145 00:08:38.039 --> 00:08:40.840 and over in scripture that the more merciful I am, 146 00:08:41.200 --> 00:08:43.960 the happier I'm going to be. Remember the beatitude is 147 00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:47.759 the word blessed also means happy macarios. He's saying, happy 148 00:08:47.879 --> 00:08:50.080 are the merciful. If you want to be happy, you 149 00:08:50.200 --> 00:08:53.559 need to learn this quality. And the more you learn 150 00:08:53.600 --> 00:08:56.679 this quality, the happier you're going to be. Look at 151 00:08:56.679 --> 00:08:59.000 this verse on the screen. The Bible says, if you 152 00:08:59.080 --> 00:09:02.279 want to be happy, Roverbs fourteen twenty one, be kind 153 00:09:02.320 --> 00:09:05.039 to those in need. And then he says, it is 154 00:09:05.080 --> 00:09:08.600 a sin to despise anyone. And let me show you 155 00:09:08.600 --> 00:09:13.480 another one. Proverbs eleven seventeen says this, a merciful person 156 00:09:14.360 --> 00:09:19.200 helps himself, but the cool person hurts himself. So you 157 00:09:19.279 --> 00:09:22.960 actually help yourself when you are merciful. I love this 158 00:09:23.080 --> 00:09:26.759 verse Proverbs eleven seventeen. In the Living Bible, it says, 159 00:09:27.000 --> 00:09:32.320 your own soul is nourished when you show mercy. Your 160 00:09:32.360 --> 00:09:37.720 own soul is nourished when you show mercy. So these 161 00:09:37.720 --> 00:09:40.399 four reasons God shown me mercy. He commands me to 162 00:09:40.399 --> 00:09:43.600 be merciful. I'll need mercy in the future and it's 163 00:09:43.639 --> 00:09:47.240 the key to happiness. Tell me that this is an 164 00:09:47.279 --> 00:09:50.279 important quality that I need to build into my life. 165 00:09:50.600 --> 00:09:53.759 All right, let's look at how can I learn this 166 00:09:53.879 --> 00:09:56.559 quality of mercy in a world that's not very merciful, 167 00:09:56.600 --> 00:09:59.919 it's pretty unmerciful. How do I fulfill what God can 168 00:10:00.360 --> 00:10:04.679 my ministry of mercy. Some of these ways you're quite 169 00:10:04.759 --> 00:10:06.960 familiar with, but I guarantee you there's a few of 170 00:10:07.000 --> 00:10:09.240 them that you probably have never even thought of. Oh 171 00:10:09.279 --> 00:10:11.639 that's a part of mercy, and yes it is too. 172 00:10:11.919 --> 00:10:17.639 Let's look at them. Number one, be patient with people's quirks. 173 00:10:19.159 --> 00:10:23.600 Be patient with people's quirks. I'm talking about don't look 174 00:10:23.639 --> 00:10:31.320 at them right now. They're idiosyncrasies, their peculiarities, their mannerisms, 175 00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:38.960 their odd behavior, they're irritating habits. You know what I'm 176 00:10:39.039 --> 00:10:44.759 talking about, right, Okay, you show mercy. You show mercy 177 00:10:45.120 --> 00:10:49.200 when you don't get irritated and you don't get angry, 178 00:10:49.200 --> 00:10:54.200 and you don't get uptight with people's personal quirks. And 179 00:10:54.279 --> 00:10:57.159 we've all got them. You've got them, I've got them, 180 00:10:57.559 --> 00:11:01.840 and we've all got these little mannerism and irritating habits. 181 00:11:02.639 --> 00:11:05.759 A way of speaking and thinking and talking and acting. 182 00:11:06.480 --> 00:11:10.679 When you control your anger and when you refuse to 183 00:11:10.679 --> 00:11:16.559 get upset by people's quirks, you are showing mercy. It's 184 00:11:16.559 --> 00:11:20.720 a very practical way. Now, I want to give you 185 00:11:20.759 --> 00:11:23.559 maybe the most important marriage advice you'll ever get in 186 00:11:23.600 --> 00:11:28.080 your life. It's the next verse Ephesians four to two. 187 00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:35.519 Be patient with each other, making allowances for each other's faults. 188 00:11:36.200 --> 00:11:40.440 Why because of your love circle the phrase making allowance, 189 00:11:41.279 --> 00:11:47.519 making allowance for each other's faults. You see, you married 190 00:11:47.679 --> 00:11:55.039 a sinner, guys, and she married a bigger one. Two 191 00:11:55.120 --> 00:11:59.759 imperfect people cannot make a perfect marriage. You have faults, 192 00:12:00.159 --> 00:12:05.519 your spouse has faults. And marriage is the great. Marriage 193 00:12:05.559 --> 00:12:10.399 is the union of two great forgivers. That's what makes 194 00:12:10.399 --> 00:12:13.600 a great marriage. It's the union of two great forgivers. 195 00:12:14.240 --> 00:12:17.639 Now it says here, make allowance for each other's faults, 196 00:12:17.679 --> 00:12:20.879 because your love the number one place you need to 197 00:12:20.960 --> 00:12:25.120 learn to show mercy is at home. It's at home. 198 00:12:25.240 --> 00:12:28.960 Why because you see each other's faults far more than 199 00:12:29.039 --> 00:12:33.080 anybody else does, and you're up close and personal with 200 00:12:33.080 --> 00:12:34.960 those faults, and you've got to live with them the 201 00:12:34.960 --> 00:12:41.120 rest of your life. So show mercy. Show mercy, you know. 202 00:12:41.440 --> 00:12:43.480 And when I used to do marriage counseling, I discovered 203 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:47.039 that marriages don't die usually because of one big catastrophe. 204 00:12:47.960 --> 00:12:50.919 Marriages are buried because of a lot of little digs, 205 00:12:52.639 --> 00:12:56.840 and they're just little nagging and digging and nagging and digging. 206 00:12:57.080 --> 00:13:00.279 It says, make allowance for each other's faults because of 207 00:13:00.480 --> 00:13:03.120 your love. Look over this verse on the screen. James 208 00:13:03.159 --> 00:13:06.720 two thirteen says, the man who makes no allowances for 209 00:13:06.799 --> 00:13:12.559 others will find none made for him. None may show mercy. 210 00:13:13.759 --> 00:13:16.320 The Bible says we show mercy by being patient with 211 00:13:16.440 --> 00:13:20.759 each other's quirks, our foibles, our weaknesses, are mistakes, all 212 00:13:20.799 --> 00:13:23.600 of the things that make us make us human. Say 213 00:13:24.000 --> 00:13:26.320 I really want to do that? How do I How 214 00:13:26.320 --> 00:13:30.039 do I get more patience with my kids, with my spouse, 215 00:13:30.120 --> 00:13:32.840 with my friends? How do I get more patient? One 216 00:13:32.879 --> 00:13:38.399 word wisdom. The wiser you get, the more patient you 217 00:13:38.440 --> 00:13:40.919 will be. The Bible says this in James Chapter three. 218 00:13:41.600 --> 00:13:46.799 The wisdom that comes from heaven is pure and peace loving, 219 00:13:47.879 --> 00:13:52.200 and gentle at all times, circle all gentle at all times, 220 00:13:52.559 --> 00:13:57.320 and is willing to yield to others. Wisdom is full 221 00:13:57.679 --> 00:14:02.279 of mercy. The wiser you get, the more merciful you get. 222 00:14:02.480 --> 00:14:05.879 A lot of people who think they're wise. Aren't there, pompous? 223 00:14:08.639 --> 00:14:13.120 Pompous you thought I was going to say that worried. 224 00:14:15.279 --> 00:14:18.639 Wisdom is full of mercy. Now, notice it says there 225 00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:22.120 wisdom from heaven is peace loving. If you're not peace loving, 226 00:14:22.240 --> 00:14:25.679 you're not wise. It says it's general at all times. 227 00:14:26.360 --> 00:14:31.039 If you're easily irritated, you're not wise. It says it's 228 00:14:31.279 --> 00:14:35.120 willing to yield. If you're unwilling to yield, you're not wise. 229 00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:41.799 The wiser I become, the more patient and merciful I become, 230 00:14:42.879 --> 00:14:49.279 the more unbending, the more irritating, the more angry, the 231 00:14:49.279 --> 00:14:53.000 more I get upset, the more foolish, the Bible says, 232 00:14:53.360 --> 00:14:56.399 I am. If you're easily irritated, you're not wise. So 233 00:14:56.600 --> 00:14:59.759 be patient with people's quirks. Number two, the second way 234 00:14:59.799 --> 00:15:03.679 to practice mercy this week, help anyone hurting around me 235 00:15:05.159 --> 00:15:08.320 help anyone hurting around me. They're hurting people all around you, 236 00:15:08.759 --> 00:15:11.879 but too often we're too busy to notice it. If 237 00:15:11.919 --> 00:15:15.159 you care, you'll be aware. Jesus told the story of 238 00:15:15.159 --> 00:15:18.240 the Good Samaritan to teach this very point about helping 239 00:15:18.279 --> 00:15:23.200 the hurting around us is the meaning of mercy. A 240 00:15:23.279 --> 00:15:25.440 guy came to Jesus one day and he said, Jesus, 241 00:15:25.600 --> 00:15:30.200 what's the most important command in the Bible? Okay, give 242 00:15:30.240 --> 00:15:32.279 me the bottom line here. I don't have time to 243 00:15:32.320 --> 00:15:35.799 read the whole Bible, So what is it that matters most? 244 00:15:35.799 --> 00:15:37.840 And Jesus said, oh, that's really easy. It's two things. 245 00:15:38.200 --> 00:15:41.120 Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor 246 00:15:41.159 --> 00:15:43.519 as yourself. That's the whole Bible in a nutshell. Love 247 00:15:43.559 --> 00:15:46.320 God with all your heart and love your neighbors yourself. Now, 248 00:15:46.360 --> 00:15:48.039 the guy wants to get out of this, and he's 249 00:15:48.240 --> 00:15:50.440 kind of weasling out of us. He says, so love 250 00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:54.919 your neighbors yourself. Yeah, who's my neighbor? And Jesus says, well, 251 00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:57.279 let me tell you a story, and he tells the 252 00:15:57.320 --> 00:15:59.679 story of the famous story of the Good Samaritan, of 253 00:16:00.120 --> 00:16:02.279 the man who was going down the road to Jericho 254 00:16:02.639 --> 00:16:07.120 and he is he's robbed, and he's beaten, and he's abused, 255 00:16:07.159 --> 00:16:08.799 and he's left for dead at the side of the road, 256 00:16:09.120 --> 00:16:12.080 and three guys pass by him, and two of them 257 00:16:12.120 --> 00:16:16.120 do nothing, and the third guy of another race and 258 00:16:16.200 --> 00:16:20.720 culture stops and helps him, nurses him back to health, 259 00:16:21.000 --> 00:16:25.000 puts him on his donkey, takes him to a hotel 260 00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:27.840 or motel, checks in, pays the bill for the guy 261 00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:31.200 and says that if he has any other bills, when 262 00:16:31.240 --> 00:16:33.759 I come back by, I'll pay for it. And Jesus 263 00:16:33.759 --> 00:16:35.639 looks at the guy. He says, who's my neighbors? Who 264 00:16:35.639 --> 00:16:38.759 do you think was the neighbor? And the man says, 265 00:16:39.159 --> 00:16:43.759 the guy who showed the most mercy, the guy who 266 00:16:43.840 --> 00:16:48.080 showed the most mercy. You cannot love your neighbor as 267 00:16:48.120 --> 00:16:52.840 yourself without being merciful. And we help those around us. 268 00:16:52.919 --> 00:16:56.759 Look at some verses here priors three twenty seven. Whenever 269 00:16:56.799 --> 00:17:01.159 you possibly can do good to those who need it, 270 00:17:01.440 --> 00:17:03.960 you got to look for it now. By the way, 271 00:17:04.160 --> 00:17:06.880 when you are helping people in need, and they're going 272 00:17:06.920 --> 00:17:10.079 to be people in your area of life this week 273 00:17:10.279 --> 00:17:12.880 that God intentionally puts in your life to allow you 274 00:17:12.920 --> 00:17:15.799 to practice mercy. They're going to have an emotional need, 275 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:18.839 they're going to have a physical need, a financial need. 276 00:17:19.880 --> 00:17:24.400 They may just need an assistance. They may need, you know, 277 00:17:25.319 --> 00:17:28.480 help you to care for him in some way. God, 278 00:17:28.759 --> 00:17:31.480 when he's watching you, is not simply watching what you do. 279 00:17:31.519 --> 00:17:35.319 He's watching your attitude. Look at this verse Romans twelve eight. 280 00:17:35.839 --> 00:17:43.359 When you do acts of mercy, show mercy with what cheerfulness? Yeah? 281 00:17:43.400 --> 00:17:46.440 Circle that with cheerfulness. He says. You don't do it 282 00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:49.400 grinning and bearing it. You don't do it as a 283 00:17:49.599 --> 00:17:53.160 grudging attitude. I love this verse Romans twelve eight. And 284 00:17:53.200 --> 00:17:55.400 the message paraphrase look up here on the screen. It 285 00:17:55.440 --> 00:18:00.359 says this, if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let 286 00:18:00.400 --> 00:18:04.960 yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep 287 00:18:04.960 --> 00:18:08.799 a smile on your face. That's good word. Keep a 288 00:18:08.839 --> 00:18:13.160 smile on you. That, friends, is mercy. Mercy is being 289 00:18:13.279 --> 00:18:18.440 patient with people's quirks, and it's being helpful with people's hurts. 290 00:18:18.799 --> 00:18:21.680 Number three third way you can show mercy this week. 291 00:18:22.920 --> 00:18:28.319 Give people a second chance, and everybody needs that. Give 292 00:18:28.359 --> 00:18:34.079 people a second chance. We forgive the fallen, especially those 293 00:18:34.240 --> 00:18:36.680 who have hurt you. You need to forgive now that's 294 00:18:36.720 --> 00:18:40.759 not normal, is it? Normally? When somebody hurts us, we 295 00:18:40.799 --> 00:18:43.000 want to do one or two things, either A get 296 00:18:43.079 --> 00:18:48.039 even or B write them off. Somebody hurts you, you 297 00:18:48.079 --> 00:18:50.960 don't want to be giving them a second chance, your 298 00:18:51.039 --> 00:18:53.599 natural inclination. That guy hurt me at work, you know, 299 00:18:53.759 --> 00:18:55.759 he messed me up. He you know, he put me 300 00:18:55.799 --> 00:18:58.359 down in front of somebody else. Whatever, you either want 301 00:18:58.400 --> 00:19:00.559 to get back or you want to write them off. 302 00:19:01.400 --> 00:19:06.000 But here's what the Bible says Ephesians four. Don't get 303 00:19:06.000 --> 00:19:12.119 bitter or angry or use harsh words that hurt each other. 304 00:19:12.839 --> 00:19:20.000 Don't yell at one another or curse or ever be rude. Instead, 305 00:19:20.359 --> 00:19:24.599 be kind and merciful and forgive others just as God 306 00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:29.079 forgave you. Now, notice in that verse, Jesus contrast or 307 00:19:29.119 --> 00:19:34.000 the Bible contrast mercy with six negative responses. You might 308 00:19:34.079 --> 00:19:38.480 circle those, okay, because he says, if you want to help, 309 00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:41.200 if you want to be merciful, he says, don't get bitter. 310 00:19:41.319 --> 00:19:44.759 That's number one. Don't get angry, don't use harsh words, 311 00:19:45.839 --> 00:19:50.200 don't yell, don't curse, and don't be rude. Do you 312 00:19:50.240 --> 00:19:53.640 see why mercy is so important today? Because that's the 313 00:19:53.680 --> 00:19:57.720 way the world acts today. That's the world responds with bitterness, 314 00:19:57.720 --> 00:20:00.200 harsh words, hurt. If you don't believe it, just go 315 00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:04.359 on the internet and you'll see that there's very, very 316 00:20:04.359 --> 00:20:09.200 little mercy on the internet. How would you rate yourself 317 00:20:09.359 --> 00:20:13.680 on mercy? How would you rate yourself bitter, angry, harsh words, 318 00:20:13.960 --> 00:20:16.559 you yelled, your courage, you get rude, or you always 319 00:20:16.640 --> 00:20:19.680 kind and merciful for giving others just as God forgave you. 320 00:20:20.400 --> 00:20:22.759 How would you rate yourself in this See, we want 321 00:20:22.799 --> 00:20:27.279 saddle Back to be known, not for our size, and 322 00:20:27.319 --> 00:20:31.519 not for our great programs or great music or anything else. 323 00:20:31.559 --> 00:20:33.640 We want saddle Back to be known. That's the church 324 00:20:33.680 --> 00:20:39.599 of mercy. That's the church of mercy, and when you 325 00:20:39.680 --> 00:20:42.480 go there, that's the place to get a second chance. 326 00:20:42.759 --> 00:20:46.279 In fact, it's in our values. You know. We have 327 00:20:47.200 --> 00:20:50.440 this word saddleback S A D, D, L, E, B 328 00:20:50.559 --> 00:20:53.400 A C K, and each letter represents one of our 329 00:20:53.440 --> 00:20:55.640 ten values we talk about in class one oh one, 330 00:20:56.039 --> 00:21:00.720 and the first s of Saddleback is second chants, place 331 00:21:00.759 --> 00:21:03.599 of grace. This is very thing here. It's we want 332 00:21:03.599 --> 00:21:06.839 this to be a church of mercy, a second chance 333 00:21:06.920 --> 00:21:09.200 place of grace where if you've messed up. You need 334 00:21:09.200 --> 00:21:11.640 to start over. You need a fresh start. This is 335 00:21:11.680 --> 00:21:15.799 the Church for you, and so we are to do 336 00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:18.680 We are to give people a second chance. Number four 337 00:21:19.559 --> 00:21:24.160 Another way to show mercy, do good to those who 338 00:21:24.240 --> 00:21:28.319 hurt me. I am to do good to those who 339 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:33.519 hurt me. See, if you really boil it down, mercy 340 00:21:33.640 --> 00:21:37.200 is giving people what they need, not what they deserve. 341 00:21:38.960 --> 00:21:42.319 That's mercy, giving people what they need, not what they deserve. 342 00:21:42.359 --> 00:21:45.279 Why because that's what God does with you. God gives 343 00:21:45.319 --> 00:21:47.400 you what you need, not what you deserve. If I 344 00:21:47.440 --> 00:21:49.519 got what I deserve from God, I wouldn't be standing here. 345 00:21:50.400 --> 00:21:53.759 I wouldn't be alive. But the Bible says we give 346 00:21:53.799 --> 00:21:56.160 people what they need, not what they deserve, and we 347 00:21:56.240 --> 00:21:58.279 do good to those who are Why should I do 348 00:21:58.359 --> 00:22:01.880 good to those who hurt me? How many times have 349 00:22:01.960 --> 00:22:07.559 you heard me say hurt people? Hurt people? Yeah, hurt 350 00:22:07.599 --> 00:22:13.319 people hurt people. And the people who you want to 351 00:22:13.359 --> 00:22:16.720 love the least are those who need it the most. 352 00:22:18.079 --> 00:22:22.119 The most hurtful people are those who need massive doses 353 00:22:22.279 --> 00:22:27.160 of love and mercy. Let me ask you to just 354 00:22:27.160 --> 00:22:30.039 think in your mind, who's hurt you the most in life? 355 00:22:30.759 --> 00:22:32.960 Think about that who hurts you the most in life? 356 00:22:33.720 --> 00:22:36.799 They need your mercy. Let me ask you this, who's 357 00:22:36.839 --> 00:22:43.759 hurts you the most recently in life? They need your mercy. 358 00:22:44.480 --> 00:22:47.759 The Bible says this in Luke chapter six, Jesus says, 359 00:22:48.319 --> 00:22:52.920 love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to 360 00:22:52.960 --> 00:22:57.119 them without expecting anything back, sa witmute, Why would I 361 00:22:57.160 --> 00:22:59.039 want to do that? Well, remember those four reasons we 362 00:22:59.079 --> 00:23:02.519 went over. God shown me mercy. He commands me to 363 00:23:02.559 --> 00:23:05.319 be merciful. I'm gonna need mercy in the future, and 364 00:23:05.359 --> 00:23:09.279 it's the key to happiness. Anytime you hold on to hurt, 365 00:23:09.279 --> 00:23:13.440 you're making yourself miserable. You're not hurting them. Love your enemies, 366 00:23:13.480 --> 00:23:16.440 do good to them, and lend to them without expecting 367 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:19.160 get anything back. You see, if somebody hurts you, that 368 00:23:19.319 --> 00:23:24.440 puts you above them. If you forgive them, if you 369 00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:26.359 get even, you're just on the same level. You know 370 00:23:26.400 --> 00:23:28.359 better than they are. If you get even, if you 371 00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:30.160 do a hurt, you're beneath them. If you get even, 372 00:23:30.160 --> 00:23:32.440 you get you're even. But if you forgive them, you're 373 00:23:32.480 --> 00:23:35.160 above them. Morally, Love your enemies, do good to them, 374 00:23:35.440 --> 00:23:39.599 and lend to them without expecting anything back. Then your 375 00:23:39.680 --> 00:23:43.200 reward will be great. There's a motivation, and you will 376 00:23:43.240 --> 00:23:46.279 be the children the most high. In other words, you 377 00:23:46.319 --> 00:23:49.960 get the identity because God is kind to the ungrateful 378 00:23:49.960 --> 00:23:52.400 and wicked. Is God kind to the ungrateful and wicked? 379 00:23:52.480 --> 00:23:55.160 Just look at the world. God is kind to the 380 00:23:55.240 --> 00:24:00.000 ungrateful and wicked, and so he says, so be merciful, 381 00:24:00.759 --> 00:24:03.759 just as your Father is merciful. 382 00:24:09.400 --> 00:24:12.440 Thank you for listening to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. I've 383 00:24:12.440 --> 00:24:15.200 got some great news to share with you today. We've 384 00:24:15.200 --> 00:24:18.119 got some generous friends of Daily Hope that have offered 385 00:24:18.119 --> 00:24:21.759 a fifty thousand dollars matching grant, and now here's Rick 386 00:24:21.799 --> 00:24:22.960 to tell you more about it. 387 00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:24.839 You know, I just want to take a quick second 388 00:24:24.839 --> 00:24:28.400 to say thank you everybody. Because of your generosity, we're 389 00:24:28.440 --> 00:24:30.640 able to take the hope of Jesus Christ into places 390 00:24:30.680 --> 00:24:35.160 where there are no Bibles, no believers, and nobody of Christ, 391 00:24:35.200 --> 00:24:38.440 no churches at all. Now, as you pray about giving, 392 00:24:39.359 --> 00:24:42.039 I want to ask you to ask God about sending 393 00:24:42.039 --> 00:24:45.480 a gift that's the largest you're able to give, because 394 00:24:45.559 --> 00:24:49.039 at this point of the year, we have a donor 395 00:24:49.519 --> 00:24:52.599 who is offered to match your gift that means what 396 00:24:52.640 --> 00:24:56.000 you give will be doubled. We get twice the bang 397 00:24:56.039 --> 00:24:59.359 for the buck, in other words, so please respond quickly 398 00:24:59.640 --> 00:25:02.880 and again in such a way that we can maximize 399 00:25:02.880 --> 00:25:05.839 it through this matching gift. And I want to ask 400 00:25:05.880 --> 00:25:08.720 you this, would you pray for us at Daily Hope. 401 00:25:09.000 --> 00:25:11.279