- Mercy engages human suffering.
- Mercy crosses ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, & religious barriers.
- Mercy costs something.
- Mercy involves forgiveness.
February 18, 2024 • Pastor Bryce Ulrich • Matthew 5:7
- True Meaning: God demands that followers of Christ love and pray for all people. - A follower of Christ loves and prays for all people as a reflection of their heavenly Father. - A follower of Christ loves and prays for all people because they are distinct from the world. - A follower of Christ must pursue holiness and develop a wholehearted focus on God.
- True Meaning: When faced with personal persecution, a follower of Jesus offers grace and mercy instead of retaliation. - Jesus does not diminish the authority or responsibility of the government to enact justice. - Followers of Jesus will face persecution. - Followers of Jesus should put the good of others above their own interests and rights. - Followers of Jesus must respond in a way that reflects Christ.
- True Meaning: A faithful life, not the utterance of oaths, confirms the trustworthiness and reliability of a believer’s word. - There are no shortcuts to integrity. - True integrity involves purity before God. - A lack of integrity reveals the depravity of one’s heart.