The Weighty Matter of Mercy- Mat 23:23 I. The Example of Mercy II. The Exercise of Mercy III. The Embellishment of Mercy IV. It Should be Exhibited A. With Cheerfulness B. Within the Family C. To The Fallen (Physically) D. To the Fallen (Spiritually) when they repent E. To the Poor V. Is Essential to Authority VI. The Enjoyment of Mercy VII. The Encumbrance (limitation) for those without Mercy

1. The Weighty Matter of
Mercy
Matt 23:23
23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for
ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have
omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment,
mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to
leave the other undone.
Matt 9:12-13
12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them,
They that be whole need not a physician, but they
that are sick.
13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will
have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come
to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Matt 5:20
20 For I say unto you, That except your
righteousness shall exceed the righteousness
of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no
case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

2. Matt 23:23
23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites!
for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin,
and have omitted the weightier matters of the law,
judgment,
mercy,
and faith:
these ought ye to have done,
and not to leave the other undone.
…these ought ye to have done,
and not to leave the other undone.
Matt 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of
these least commandments, and shall teach men so,
he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven:
but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same
shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
—Joseph Parker, (1830 – 1902) was an English Congregational minister.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ, p. 28.
Illustration—I go to the Great Northern Railway to go to Scotland.
The man who is in charge of the place insists on being fundamental; he is
a man of culture. When I approach him,
he says, 'Let us begin at the beginning,'
my reply is, 'I want to go to Edinburgh'.

3. 'By no means begin at that end of the business,' he will reply; 'let us
be at once elementary, fundamental, and complete.'
I look at the man with a feeling of emptiness, for either he is out of his
head or I am.
He says, 'This is the Great Northern Railway'.
I reply, 'I never doubted that'. '
But do you understand it?'
'I think so.'
'Let me explain it to you,' he continues. 'Consider' the importance of
the word "the," a little word, an article, and a definite one; in all
languages the article plays a most important part.
"Great," a word you might apply to kings, to empires, to the
heavens themselves.
"Northern," not North-Eastem—mark that; and not North-Western,
be on your guard; this is an age of sophistry; not the North-Western.
Not the Southern, but the Northern. Stand in front of a map, where is
the North?
At the top.
Mark that.
I thank him for his lecture, and feel that it must have cost him a great
many hours of anxiety to prepare it, and I say now to a porter,
'Where is the train to Edinburgh'?
He says, 'It is gone, sir!'

4. Gone! Will this man who has been lecturing to me on the Great Northern
bring it back? Never; he has befooled me.
So it will be with many at the last. Whilst you have been talking about
matters of absolutely insignificant importance, or of merely relative
importance, the train will have gone.
have omitted the weightier matters of the law…
mercy…
Matt 9:13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will
have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to
call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
I. The Example of Mercy
Luke 6:36
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is
merciful.
II. The Exercise of Mercy
2Kgs 6:21-23
21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw
them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
22 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them:
wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive
with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water
before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their
master. 23 And he prepared great provision for them: and

5. when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and
they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no
more into the land of Israel.
Prov 11:17
The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that
is cruel troubleth his own flesh.
Hos 12:6
Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and
judgment, and wait on thy God continually.
Rom 12:20
Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he
thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt
heap coals of fire on his head.
Col 3:12
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved,
bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind,
meekness, longsuffering;
III. The Embellishment of Mercy
Prov 3:3
Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about
thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:

6. IV. It Should be Exhibited
A.With Cheerfulness
Rom 12:8
8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let
him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he
that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
B. Within the Family
Zech 7:9
9 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true
judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man
to his brother:
C. To The Fallen (Physically)
Luke 10:30
And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from
Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which
stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and
departed, leaving him half dead.
Luke 10:37
And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said
Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

7. D.To the Fallen (Spiritually) when they repent
Luke 15:18-20
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him,
Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make
me as one of thy hired servants. 20 And he arose, and
came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off,
his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell
on his neck, and kissed him.
2Cor 2:6-8
6 Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was
inflicted of many. 7 So that contrariwise ye ought rather
to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one
should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. 8
Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love
toward him.
E. To the Poor
Prov 14:31
He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but
he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.
Dan 4:27
Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto
thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine

8. iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a
lengthening of thy tranquillity.
V. Is Essential to Authority
Prov 20:28
Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is
upholden by mercy.
VI. The Enjoyment of Mercy
Prov 14:21
He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath
mercy on the poor, happy is he.
Matt 5:7
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
VII. The Encumbrance (limitation) for those
without Mercy
Hos 4:1
Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the
LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land,
because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of
God in the land.
Hos 4:3

9. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that
dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the
field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the
sea also shall be taken away.
Matt 18:32-34
32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto
him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt,
because thou desiredst me: 33 Shouldest not thou also
have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had
pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered
him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due
unto him.
Jas 2:13
For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath
shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
The Weighty Matter of Mercy
I. The Example of Mercy
II. The Exercise of Mercy
III. The Embellishment of Mercy
IV. It Should be Exhibited
A. WithCheerfulness
B. Withinthe Family
C. To The Fallen(Physically)
D. To the Fallen(Spiritually) whentheyrepent
E. To the Poor
V. Is Essential to Authority

10. VI. The Enjoyment of Mercy
VII. The Encumbrance (limitation) for those without Mercy