Mercy and Compassion - Lesson 5 of the series How to Really be Happy

And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:1-7 NKJV 1. Mercy Begins With God. 5Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth.” Exodus 34:5-6 NKJV “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NKJV 4But God is so rich in mercy… Ephesians 2:4 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. 2 Corinthians 4:1 Five Ways The Mercy Of God Is Manifest: - God Is Kind, Good, Benevolent and Caring. I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. Psalms 27:13 24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ 26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. Matthew 25:24-28 You are good, and do good; Psalms 119:68 - God Is Empathetic. He can feel what you feel. He understands what you go through and identifies with your pain and sorrow. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 6 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16 KJV - God Is Forgiving. When we ask for His forgiveness, He pardons without holding bitterness. He releases us from our debts. 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.. Psalms 103:12 - God Is Giving. He is a Giver! He is generous, ready and willing to extend blessing. “For God so loved the world that He gave…” John 3:16 - God is a Restorer. He takes broken lives and puts them back together again. (He restores my soul… Psalms 23) 2. Jesus Was Often “Moved With Compassion,” when He Encountered Human Need and Brokenness. 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36 NLT A. The Divine flow of God’s love and mercy can move you toward the people God wants you to reach. We need to watch for the rising of this supernatural love, and be ready to follow wherever it leads us. 3As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. 4“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” 6They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. 9When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” 11“No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” John 8:3-11 NKJV B. The very same Jesus who dealt compassionately with the adulterous woman is the Jesus who deals with us now. C. Jesus didn’t condone her sin. He didn’t say: “Sexual sin isn’t so bad, don’t worry about it.” He did say: “Go and sin no more!” He met her at the point of her need and showed mercy in order to bring her to wholeness and to holiness! 3. Jesus Says The Pathway To Happiness Involves More Than Receiving God’s Mercy. Real Happiness Results From Showing His Mercy To Others. 1) "How often has God forgiven