Study 16 - Mercy not Sacrifice

Study 16

MERCY NOT SACRIFICE

Let us begin our study with the following prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, Almighty God,

We come before You in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Father, please open our eyes to see and our ears to hear the things of Your Kingdom. Please grant us a spirit of wisdom and revelation so we can understand the things You are speaking to us through Your Word. Lord we pray that You would please open our heart to not only receive these things but also to go forth and do them.

Amen

INTRODUCTION

The motivation for writing this study was born from the observation that even though the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes and elders were very careful and diligent to try and comply with all the commands, rules and traditions of the Jewish religion, Jesus was extremely unhappy with most of them. As one reads the New Testament we find that these people were well versed in the Holy Scripture. In fact, they most likely had a much better working knowledge of the Scriptures than most of us. They were very careful to attend all the Temple services and diligently practiced all of its regulations and traditions. In public, they were very careful to be recognized and spoken of as men of God and avoided any association with any person or group that could reflect a bad light upon their spirituality or holiness. Thus, from all outward appearances, these people appeared to be holy, righteous and spiritual. Yet, we find that our Lord Jesus Christ was not happy with them. In fact, He chastised them with some of the harshest language of the New Testament. Why? What was the problem? More importantly, by examining and understanding the issue that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ had with them, we can then examine our relationship with God to be sure we have not become like them.

Perhaps the best way to summarize the contention that our Lord Jesus Christ had with most of the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes and elders is to read what He said to the Pharisees as recorded in:

Matthew 23:27-28

""[27] Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. [28] In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."

In other words, what Jesus told them was that from an external viewpoint they did everything they could to appear righteous and holy in front of God and man. Yet, their hearts were far from Him.

This attitude of the Pharisees, etc., of strictly adhering to laws and traditions out of a sense of obligation or sacrifice rather than being moved in our hearts by the Holy Spirit’s love and compassion, is called hypocrisy. To see this, let us carefully consider Jesus’ warning to His disciples in,

Luke 12:1

"[1] meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy."

Given the seriousness of this issue, this study is written to help us examine our attitudes and motives to determine whether or not there is any yeast of the Pharisees within our hearts. To do this, we will:

1. Refresh our memories that each and every born again believer in Jesus Christ is called to a walk or life motivated by the love from the Holy Spirit.

2. Explore some key aspects of our life where our attitude in serving God may be merely acts of obligation and sacrifice rather than works of faith motivated by love and mercy.

We begin with a brief review of

OUR CALL TO LOVE

To do this let us read a conversation Jesus once had with an expert in the law, who was a Pharisee. To read the Pharisee’s question and Jesus’ response we go to,

Matthew 22:34-40

"[34] Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. [35] One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: [36] "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" [37] Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' [38] This is the first and greatest commandment. [39] And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' [40] All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.""

Since, the first commandment Jesus gave is to love our Lord and God with all our heart and soul and mind, one may ask, “How does one do this? To find out let us read what Jesus said in,

John 14:15

""[15] If you love me, you will obey what I command."

Jesus’ statement brings up the question; “What did Jesus command us to do?” To find out let us go to the time just prior to His crucifixion and physical departure from this earth and read the following excerpt of what Jesus said to His disciples. To do this we go to,

John 13:34-35

""[34] A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. [35] By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.""

Thus, Jesus is teaching us that if we say we love Him and hate our brother (or sister), then we really do not love Him. To see this let us read from,

1 John 4:20-21

"[20] If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. [21] And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother."

This is why Jesus said to the lawyer in Matthew 22:39 that the second commandment of: "Love your neighbor as yourself" is like the first commandment of loving God with our whole heart and soul and mind.

It is also interesting to note that as Jesus said to the lawyer in Matthew 22:40, if we do this, which is to love God and one another, we will in effect be fulfilling the Law and Prophets.

In reflecting upon the above, one might come to the question of; “How do I know if I truly love my brother (or sister)?" Perhaps put another way, "How do I know that my life is motivated by the love of God?"

Unfortunately, just as most of the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes and elders, we may mistakenly think that just because we may faithfully attend church meetings, study the Bible and comply (to the best of our ability) with the various religious rules and traditions that all is well with us.. We must not forget that the Bible teaches us that if we do these things without love we gain nothing. To refresh our memories let us read from,

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Consequently, the Bible encourages us to examine our hearts to be sure our good works are works of mercy motivated by God's love and compassion and not merely works of sacrifice (that is works motivated by our own sense of duty or obligation or self righteousness). To see this, let us read the following command Jesus once gave to the Pharisees,

Matthew 9:13

"[13] But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' ...""

With the above command in mind let now begin to examine our motives and/attitudes to determine whether or not we are living our Christian life motivated by,

MERCY (COMPASSION) OR SACRIFICE

To do this we will explore our,

1. Attitude toward the unbelieving world.

2. Attitude in our charitable activities.

3. Attitude in assisting those who need help.

Before we begin our study into the above areas of our lives, it is noted we will probably find we are not measuring up to the goals set out by the Scriptures. This does not necessarily mean we are not the Lord’s or have not been born again. However, if we do find problems or areas with our heart or attitude it does mean we must confess them, seek forgiveness and place our faith in God to bring forth the fruit we might find lacking in our lives. To encourage us in this effort, let us consider the following Scriptures,

1 John 1:9-10

"[9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. [10] If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."

The first area of our examination is our,

ATTITUDE TOWARD THE UNBELIEVING WORLD

To do this we will,

1. Read about the time when Jesus had dinner at the house of Levi.

2. Explore the example of Jonah

3. Review Jesus’ teaching on this subject.

4. Summarize the message for this section.

5. Review some words of caution.

We begin by reading about the time when Jesus ate dinner in,

The House of Levi (Who is also known as Matthew)

For this study, let read this event as recorded by,

Mark 2:15-17

"[15] While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. [16] When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" [17] On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.""

In reflecting upon the above incident one may ask; “What was or is the issue? What was the problem that caused Jesus to give such a rebuke?” As one considers the above we must realize that in addition to not wanting to appear unholy, the Pharisees did not want to associate with the Gentiles. These were the people who were not Jewish and considered to be sinners. In fact it was against their law to do so. The reason for this law was that the "sinners" and tax collectors were considered to be enemies of Israel and their faith. In addition, they did not want to tarnish their own reputations by associating with them. However, this is a misinterpretation of the Scripture. To see this, let us recall what the Apostle Peter (a Jew) said to the gentile Cornelius and his household when he began to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them.

Acts 10:28

"[28] He said to them: "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean."

To amplify upon this issue a bit let us explore,

The Example of Jonah

To illustrate how deceptive this attitude of the heart can be, we find that the even the prophet Jonah was deceived by it. Jonah’s Pharisaic attitude surfaced when God called him to go to the city of Nineveh and preach to its inhabitants. To see what happened we begin by reading from,

Jonah 1:1-3

"[1] The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: [2] "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." [3] But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD."

Let us notice the following verses,

1 … It is noted that Nineveh was the capital city of the ancient Assyrian empire with a population of 120,000 people. In the days of Jonah it was known for its cruelty, especially for those they had captured¹. In addition, Jonah considered Assyria to be an enemy of Israel. In approximately 35 years after the death of Jonah, the King of Assyria Tiglath – Pileser III (also called Pul) invaded Israel. He forced the King of Israel to pay a large ransom to spare Israel from being destroyed and its citizens from being driven into captivity².

2 … Jonah disobeyed God’s command and ran away.

However, God did not allow Jonah to run away from His call. Instead God caused a major storm to arise and threaten the safety of the ship. Realizing that he was the reason for the storm and not wanting the people on board to perish, Jonah insisted that he be thrown overboard. Once in the sea, God commanded a large fish to swallow Jonah. While in the belly of the fish Jonah cried out to God to save him. Hearing Jonah's cry, God commanded the fish to vomit Jonah up on dry land. God again told Jonah to go and preach to the people of Nineveh. This time Jonah obeyed God's command and preached to the people living in Nineveh. After Jonah finished preaching, the inhabitants of Nineveh repented from their sinful ways. To see what happened next we go to,

Jonah 3:10

"[10] When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened."

In other words, as a result of Jonah’s preaching the people of Nineveh repented. Consequently, God did not bring upon them the destruction.

Let us now read God’s lesson to Jonah and also for you and me. To do this we go to,

Jonah 4:1-11

"[4:1] But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. [2] He prayed to the LORD, "O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. [3] Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live." [4] But the LORD replied, "Have you any right to be angry?" [5] Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. [6] Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine. [7] But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. [8] When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live." [9] But God said to Jonah, "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?" "I do," he said. "I am angry enough to die." [10] But the LORD said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. [11] But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?""

Let us notice the following verses,

1 … Seeing what had happened Jonah became angry and upset.

2 … This was the very reason why Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh. He knew that God would relent from destroying the enemies of Israel. In other words, even with seeing God’s blessing being extended to the people of Nineveh, Jonah was still angry. He obviously went and preached in Nineveh out of pure sacrificial obedience to God and not out of love or concern for the people.

6 … To teach Jonah and us of how wrong his attitude was, God, to ease Jonah’s discomfort, first provided a vine to shade him from the sun’s heat.

7-8 … Then God took the vine away so that the heat and wind would bear down upon Jonah’s head. As a result, Jonah became very angry because he no longer had the comfort from the shade of the vine.

9-11 … In other words, God had revealed to Jonah that he had more concern for something that provided him comfort or relief than he did for a multitude of people who were lost and about to perish. To see this, let us prayerfully reread what our Lord said in,

Jonah 4:10-11

[10] But the LORD said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. [11] But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?""

The Teaching

What about us? Shouldn’t we be concerned about those who are perishing and have not yet come to the saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ? Remember, God so loves us that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to save us.

John 3:16-17

""[16] For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

As Jesus told the Pharisees during His dinner in the house of Levi, "He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Perhaps put another way, the Bible teaches us that Jesus died for each one of us while we were yet sinners. This is given to us in,

Romans 5:6-8

"[6] You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. [7] Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. [8] But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

The Message

So what is the point? What is the message to be received from this portion of our study? Actually, the message is twofold.

First of all, it is a message for us to not be self righteous but to remember that each and every one of us is a sinner saved by God’s Grace. Thus, we are not only to love and have mercy for those who are our spiritual brothers and sisters but also for those who are not yet born again. To see this consider,

Matthew 5:43-48

""[43] You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' [44] But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, [45] that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. [46] If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? [47] And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? [48] Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Secondly, our association for the lost or unbeliever should not be considered as an obligation or sacrifice of our time and resources. Instead, our association should be viewed as a privilege to express God’s love and compassion towards those whom Jesus suffered for. Perhaps put another way, we should rejoice at the opportunities God may give us to be lamps for His light to shine to the unsaved world. To see this consider,

Matthew 5:14-16

""[14] You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Before we move on to the next topic it is important for us to review,

Some Words of Caution

We must be very careful to not misinterpret the above instruction to imply that when we do associate with the lost or unbelieving world we can: (1) participate in their evil deeds, (2) become yoked or intimately involved with them and (3) continue to bear witness of Jesus Christ and His Gospel even though they openly oppose or do not accept us, and in reality may be trying to pull us away from our faith.

First of all,

We Are Not To Participate In Evil Deeds

To see that, in our associations with the non believing world, we are not to participate in their evil deeds, let us read from,

Galatians 5:13

"[13] You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love."

An example of a situation where the above Scripture would apply is as follows: We are invited to a going away party for an unbelieving work associate. However, the party is to be held in a place known for its illicit activity. In this case we should not misinterpret our freedom to associate with the unbelieving world in an activity that would excite our sinful nature and cause us to enter into the sin. Let consider what Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount about this type of situation. It is recorded in,

Matthew 5:13

[13] “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”

In other words, by following the unbelievers to participate in or observe illicit or sinful activities we have become like them. Thus, we lost our flavor and no longer can be an effective witness to them for the saving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Secondly,

We Are Not To Be Unequally Yoked

The Holy Spirit also cautions us to not become so involved in our associations with the lost that we become unequally yoked. In other words, we are to be careful to not misunderstand our love and concern for the unbeliever to mean we can be bound or intimately involved with them or their affairs.

Even though the hope of the believer is that God would use the relationship for their partner’s conversion we are not to enter into a marriage or a binding business partnership with an unbeliever. We must remember that the born again believer’s views and actions are from God’s viewpoint; whereas, the unbeliever’s views and actions are from the world’s viewpoint. Perhaps put another way, the born again believers are children of God and their citizenship is in heaven; whereas, the unbeliever's citizenship is still of this world. To see this, let us prayerfully read,

2 Corinthians 6:14-18

"[14] Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? [15] What harmony is there between Christ and Belial ? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? [16] What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." [17] "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." [18] "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.""

The third and last area of caution is that,

We Must Recognize The Time To Move On

In other words there is a time when we are to leave a particular unbeliever or group of unbeliever's in the Lord's hands and move on. To see this let us read the instruction our Lord gave to His disciples just before He sent them to evangelize in the various cities of Judea.

Matthew 10:14

[14] If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town."

As we study the Scriptures we find that the apostles did indeed follow this instruction. To see this, let us read about the time when some of the Jewish people of Antioch opposed Paul and the Gospel he was preaching.

Acts 13:44-46

"[44] On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. [45] When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying. [46] Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles."

The second area of examination for this study centers on our

ATTITUDE IN OUR CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES

The question to be addressed is; “Do we do charitable work from a willing heart or do we do it as a sacrifice or obligation?” Since this whole issue of charity and financial giving is a subject for a separate study, the discussion here is limited to the observation that we are to be cheerful givers. To see this, let us read the following excerpt of the instruction Paul gave to the church at Corinth.

2 Corinthians 9:7

"[7] Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

In reflecting upon the above, one comes to realize that a cheerful giver is a person who is be motivated by compassion and concern. In addition, as we read earlier, even though the recipient of our service or charity may greatly benefit from it, unless it is motivated by love, we gain nothing.

The last area of examination for this study concerns itself with our,

ATTITUDE IN ASSISTING THOSE WHO NEED HELP

The particular issue here is with our attitude toward helping others verses religious gatherings and meetings. To help us understand this issue, let us read about the time when, on the Sabbath, Jesus healed a woman who was crippled for eighteen years. This event is recorded in,

Luke 13:10-16

"[10] On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, [11] and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. [12] When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity." [13] Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. [14] Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, "There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath." [15] The Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? [16] Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?""

As one reflects upon the above incident, two points come to the surface.

The first point is contained in Jesus’ response to the Pharisees’ rebuke for allowing His hungry disciples to pick and eat grain on the Sabbath. We read it in,

Mark 2:27

"[27] … "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."

The New Testament teaches us, God created the Sabbath for our good; it was instituted for our benefit. Specifically, the Sabbath, church meetings or the gathering of the believers is to be structured and viewed that when we participate in them we can grow and be strengthened in our love, faith and devotion to God. To see this we go to,

Ephesians 4:11-16

[11] And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, [12] for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, [13] till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; [14] that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, [15] but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—[16] from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

The second point or message of this portion of our study comes in the form of the following question: “Are we in the mode of being so concerned about having to attend and participate in various religious meetings and gatherings that we turn our back on those who come to us in time of their need?” In other words; “Do we view helping others as sacrifices or obligations that take us away from attending and participating in various church or religious meetings or do we have love and concern for them and their needs?” To better explain or illustrate the issue, let us consider the following example: Mr. & Mrs. Christian is about to leave their home to attend a meeting of the believers, that is going to a church meeting. Before they get out the door a neighbor arrives stating that their car will not start and asks for a ride to help them take their elderly mother to an urgent care facility. Unfortunately, Mr. & Mrs. Christian told their neighbor they cannot take them right now because they are on their way to a church gathering. However, they did tell their neighbor that if they can be of any assistance after they returned home, please let them know. Ironically, the message for the meeting was taken from the following passage of Scripture:

Proverbs 3:27-28

"[27] Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. [28] Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow"-- when you now have it with you."

THE MESSAGE

The message or point of this study is twofold. First,

WITHOUT LOVE WE GAIN NOTHING

To refresh our memories of this truth let us read from,

1 Corinthians 13:1-8

"[1] If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. [2] If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. [3] If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. [4] Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. [5] It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. [6] Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. [7] It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. [8] Love never fails. ..."

The second point of this study is that if we discover some yeast of the Pharisees within our hearts then,

WE ARE TO HUMBLE OURSELVES AND CONFESS OUR WEAKNES

To encourage us to do this let us return to the first letter of John and read the following Scriptures.

1 John 1:9-2:2

"[2:1] My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. [2] He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.’

Blessed be the Lord forever!

AMEN and AMEN

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