第四週 憐憫人的人有福了，因爲他們必蒙憐憫並領受憐憫
詩歌:22
讀經： 太五7， 羅九15 上、16， 弗二4， 雅二13，來四16
【週一】
壹 『「我要向誰施憐憫，就向誰施憐憫；…」這樣看來，這不在於那定意的，也不在於那奔跑的，只在於那施憐憫的神』—羅九15 上、16：
一 憐憫是神的屬性中搆得最遠的，比祂的恩典和愛搆得更遠—太九13：
1 按我們天然的光景，我們離神太遠，完全不配得祂的恩典；我們只適合接受祂的憐憫—弗二4。
2 我們的不信從給神的憐憫機會，神的憐憫就領我們得着救恩—羅十一32。
二 我們的觀念是：那定意的會得着他所定意要得着的，那奔跑的會得着他所追求的—九16：
1 若情形是這樣，那麼神的揀選就是照着我們的努力和勞苦了。
2 反之，神的揀選是出於施憐憫的神；我們不需要定意或奔跑，因爲神憐憫我們。
3 我們若認識神的憐憫，就不會信靠自己的努力，也不會因自己的失敗而失望；我們可憐光景的盼望，是在於神的憐憫—弗二4。
【週二】
三 我們若要在神新約的經綸裏事奉神，就需要認識這完全是在於神主宰的憐憫—羅九15 ～16，來四16：
1 我們若認識神的主宰權柄，就會爲着祂的憐憫感謝祂：
a 『主宰的憐憫』一辭，意思是神的憐憫完全在於神主宰的權柄。
b 作蒙憐憫的器皿不是我們選擇的結果，乃是起源於神的主宰權柄—羅九18、23。
c 神對我們的憐憫是在於祂主宰的權柄；要解釋神對我們的憐憫，我們只能說這是在於祂主宰的權柄，祂已選擇要向我們施憐憫—15 ～ 16、23 節。
2 在神主宰的憐憫裏，我們的心傾向於祂；因着祂給我們的憐憫，我們天天尋求祂—耶二九13，申四29，賽五五6。
3 我們越看見與我們有關的每件事都在於神的憐憫，就越會在主面前背負我們的責任；然而，甚至我們樂意背負責任也是出於神的憐憫。
4 因着神的憐憫，我們對福音有反應而別人沒有反應，我們接受關於基督是生命的話而別人拒絕接受，我們走主恢復的路而別人退後不走這條路。
5 就着神的恢復來說，神向祂所要施憐憫的人施了憐憫。
【週三】
四 羅馬九章所啓示的原則乃是：一切皆在於神的憐憫—15 ～ 16 節：
1 使徒保羅把這原則應用在以色列人身上，叫我們看見一切發生在以色列人身上的事，都是出於神的憐憫—16、23 節。
2 我們總得有一次看見神的憐憫，並且確定的碰見神的憐憫—弗二4，太九13：
a 對於這件事，我們需要眼睛得開而看見，一切皆在於神的憐憫。
b 不論我們是一次的看見，或是經過一段過程而領悟，當我們摸到這件事，就摸着一個事實，而非一個感覺；這事實就是：一切皆在於神的憐憫。
【週四】
五 『所以我們只管坦然無懼的來到施恩的寶座前，爲要受憐憫，得恩典，作應時的幫助』—來四16：
1 神的憐憫和祂的恩典都是神愛的彰顯。
2 當我們在可憐的光景中，神的憐憫先臨到我們，把我們帶進一種光景，使神能以恩典厚待我們。
3 神的憐憫和恩典對我們總是便利的，然而我們需要運用靈，來到施恩的寶座前，纔能受憐憫，得恩典—16 節。
六 父神已經在祂的主宰中憐憫了我們；因此，我們必須爲着祂主宰的憐憫讚美、敬拜祂：
1 『我今享受你的憐憫，永遠不舊、永遠新；每日早晨臨到我身，猶如甘露施滋潤。何等甜美、何等甜美，滿心讚美你憐憫』—詩歌二十二首，第五節。
2 『父，你憐憫並你恩惠、慈愛，我已得嘗；你這憐憫帶來你的同在，並你面光。因你憐憫，我今向你下拜，讚你憐憫，歌頌直到萬代』—詩歌二十三首，第三節。
【週五】
貳 『憐憫人的人有福了，因爲他們必蒙憐憫』—太五7：
一 義是將人所當得的給人；憐憫是將優於人所當得的給人。
二 爲着諸天的國，我們不僅需要是義的，還需要是憐憫人的。
三 蒙憐憫是得着我們所不當得的。
四 我們若憐憫別人，主就要憐憫我們（提後一16、18），特別要在祂的審判臺前憐憫我們—雅二12 ～ 13。
五 我們必須學習對自己公義，對別人憐憫。
叁 『願恩典、憐憫、平安，從父神和我們的主基督耶穌歸與你』—提後一2：
一 在保羅的書信裏，只有提摩太前後書開頭的問安說到神的憐憫。
二 神的憐憫比神的恩典達到的更遠。
三 在召會墮落的光景中，神的憐憫是需要的。
四 這憐憫帶進神豐富的恩典，彀應對任何的墮落。
【週六】
肆 『那不憐憫人的，也要受無憐憫的審判；憐憫原是向審判誇勝』—雅二13：
一 輕看貧窮的弟兄，就是無憐憫。
二 凡這樣輕看弟兄的，顯在基督審判臺前的時候，也必不蒙憐憫—羅十四10，林後五10：
1 我們來到主面前受審判的時候，祂也不會憐憫我們，因爲我們不憐憫弟兄。
2 我們必須憐憫人，因爲憐憫原是向審判誇勝。
3 我們今天若憐憫弟兄，將來在主審判臺前也要蒙主憐憫。
伍 我們要在主面前俯伏，爲着祂的憐憫敬拜祂—詩一四五，賽六三9，約十10，羅三24，十一32，林後四1，弗二4 ～ 5：
一 我們越爲着主的憐憫敬拜祂，就越被拔高。
二 神揀選我們、豫定我們、呼召我們，並且把我們擺在祂的恢復裏，這是何等的憐憫！
三 對於我們的將來，我們不信靠自己，我們乃是信靠祂，以及祂奇妙的憐憫。
四 我們同主前行，並不在於我們的定意或奔跑，乃在於神的憐憫。
五 神的憐憫行奇妙的事。
Week Four
Blessed Are the Merciful, for They Shall Be Shown Mercy and Receive Mercy
Hymns: E26
Scripture Reading: Matt. 5:7; Rom. 9:15a, 16; Eph. 2:4; James 2:13; Heb. 4:16
§ Day 1
I. "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy…So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy"—Rom. 9:15a, 16:
A. Mercy is the most far-reaching of Gods attributes, going further than His grace and love—Matt. 9:13:
1. According to our natural condition, we were far removed from God, totally unworthy of His grace; we were eligible only to receive His mercy—Eph. 2:4.
2. Our disobedience affords Gods mercy an opportunity, and Gods mercy brings us to salvation—Rom. 11:32.
B. Our concept is that the one who wills will gain what he wills to obtain and that the one who runs will gain what he runs after—9:16:
1. If this were the case, Gods selection would be according to our effort and labor.
2. On the contrary, Gods selection is of God who shows mercy; we do not need to will or to run, for God has mercy on us.
3. If we know Gods mercy, we will neither trust in our effort nor be disappointed by our failures; the hope for our wretched condition is in Gods mercy—Eph. 2:4.
§ Day 2
C. If we would serve God in His New Testament economy, we need to know that it is wholly a matter of Gods sovereign mercy—Rom. 9:15-16; Heb. 4:16:
1. If we know Gods sovereignty, we will thank Him for His mercy:
a. The expression sovereign mercy means that Gods mercy is absolutely a matter of Gods sovereignty.
b. Being a vessel of mercy is not the result of our choice; it originates with Gods sovereignty—Rom. 9:18, 23.
c. Gods mercy is in His sovereignty; the only thing we can say to explain Gods mercy to us is that in His sovereignty, He has chosen to be merciful to us—vv. 15-16, 23.
2. In Gods sovereign mercy, our hearts are inclined toward Him; because of His mercy to us, we seek Him day by day—Jer. 29:13; Deut. 4:29; Isa. 55:6.
3. The more we see that everything related to us is a matter of Gods mercy, the more we will bear our responsibility before the Lord; however, even our willingness to bear responsibility is of Gods mercy.
4. Because of Gods mercy, we responded to His gospel when others did not, we received a word about Christ as life when others refused to receive it, and we took the way of the Lords recovery when others drew back from taking this way.
5. Regarding His recovery, God has mercy on whom He will have mercy.
§ Day 3
D. Romans 9 reveals the principle that everything depends on Gods mercy— vv. 15-16:
1. The apostle Paul applies this principle to the Israelites, showing us that everything that happened to them was of Gods mercy—vv. 16, 23.
2. There must be at least one time when we see Gods mercy and definitely touch His mercy—Eph. 2:4; Matt. 9:13:
a. Concerning this matter, our eyes need to be opened to see that everything depends on Gods mercy.
b. Whether we see this all at once, or we realize it through a process, the minute we touch this matter, we touch not a feeling but a fact; this fact is that everything depends on Gods mercy.
§ Day 4
E. "Let us therefore come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help"—Heb. 4:16:
1. Both Gods mercy and His grace are the expression of His love.
2. When we are in a pitiful condition, first His mercy reaches us and brings us into a state where God is able to favor us with His grace.
3. Gods mercy and grace are always available to us; however, we need to receive and find them by exercising our spirit to come forward to the throne of grace—v. 16.
F. In His sovereignty God the Father has had mercy on us; therefore, we must praise and worship Him for His sovereign mercy:
1. "Father, we enjoy Thy mercy, / Ever fresh and ever new; / Every morning shed upon us, / It refreshes as the dew. / How we taste it! How we taste it! / Giving Thee the praises due"—Hymns, #26, stanza 5.
2. "Father, Thy mercy with Thy love and grace / Did we obtain; / And in Thy mercy, with Thee face to face, / Well eer remain; / And for Thy mercy we would worship Thee / Through all our days and through eternity"— Hymns, #25, stanza 3.
§ Day 5
II. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy"— Matt. 5:7:
A. To be righteous is to give one what he deserves, whereas to be merciful is to give someone better than he deserves.
B. For the kingdom of the heavens, we need to be not only righteous but also merciful.
C. To receive mercy is to receive what we do not deserve.
D. If we are merciful to others, the Lord will give us mercy (2 Tim. 1:16, 18), especially at His judgment seat—James 2:12-13.
E. We must learn to be righteous with ourselves and merciful toward others.
III. "Grace, mercy, peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord"—2 Tim. 1:2:
A. Only in 1 and 2 Timothy, among all his Epistles, did the apostle include Gods mercy in the opening greeting.
B. Gods mercy reaches farther than His grace.
C. In the degraded situation of the churches, Gods mercy is needed.
D. This mercy brings in Gods rich grace, which is sufficient to deal with any degradation.
§ Day 6
IV. "The judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment"—James 2:13:
A. To despise a poor brother is to have no mercy.
B. Anyone who despises a poor brother in this way will not receive mercy when he appears before the judgment seat of Christ—Rom. 14:10; 2 Cor. 5:10:
1. When we come before the Lord to be judged, He will not show mercy to us, because we have not shown mercy to our brother.
2. We need to show mercy, for mercy triumphs over judgment.
3. If we have mercy on our brother today, we will receive mercy from the Lord at His judgment seat.
V. We should bow down before the Lord and worship Him for His mercy—Psa. 145; Isa. 63:9; John 10:10; Rom. 3:24; 11:32; 2 Cor. 4:1; Eph. 2:4-5:
A. The more we worship the Lord for His mercy, the more we will be uplifted.
B. What a mercy that God has selected us, predestinated us, called us, and placed us in His recovery!
C. For the future we trust not in ourselves but in Him and in His marvelous mercy.
D. Our going on with the Lord is a matter not of our willing or running but of Gods mercy.
E. Gods mercy works in a wonderful way.
