[SPEAKER_00]: Christian parenting.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well hello two seekers, or should I say influencers for Jesus?
[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome back to our summer series on the Beatitudes.
[SPEAKER_00]: Are you starting to see a little bit more about what it means to follow Jesus?
[SPEAKER_00]: Is it what you thought it would be?
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're a little surprised, that's okay.
[SPEAKER_00]: Following Jesus will look nothing like influencers of the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: The world tells you to be proud and arrogant to think only of yourself to do what you have to do to get ahead.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't show mercy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Cut corners.
[SPEAKER_00]: Put yourself first.
[SPEAKER_00]: These are opposite of what Jesus gave us in the Beatitudes.
[SPEAKER_00]: To follow Jesus takes a completely different road than those who don't know Jesus and who don't follow Him.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not for the faint of heart, but Jesus has promised that He will always be with us, and it's worth it in the end.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's so much blessing that comes from following Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: The world's way only brings heartache and sadness.
[SPEAKER_00]: Are you ready to learn the fifth be out of tune today?
[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus said, blessed are the merciful.
[SPEAKER_00]: but they will be shown mercy.
[SPEAKER_00]: You might be thinking what is mercy?
[SPEAKER_00]: Well the best way I can describe mercy is to say that mercy is not getting the punishment for sin that we deserve.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Bible says that the punishment for sin is death and it also says that we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: But God, in His mercy, stepped in, sent Jesus to die in our place as our punishment, so that we would not be separated from Him.
[SPEAKER_00]: That is mercy.
[SPEAKER_00]: To follow Jesus, we must also show mercy to others.
[SPEAKER_00]: We must be willing to forgive and extend the same mercy that was shown to us.
[SPEAKER_00]: Can I share with you an example of someone in the Bible who was an influencer with a very large following in He showed mercy?
[SPEAKER_00]: Joseph's life started off a bit rocky, he was his father's favorite son, so favorite that his father gave him a special coat of many colors.
[SPEAKER_00]: Joseph's brothers were so jealous of him that they threw him in a pit and sold him as a slave.
[SPEAKER_00]: Joseph ended up in Egypt working as a slave in Potter's house, second in command to Pharaoh.
[SPEAKER_00]: If that wasn't bad enough, Potter first wife had Joseph thrown in prison where he stayed for years, but everywhere Joseph ended up, he never gave up on God.
[SPEAKER_00]: He knew Yahweh was with him, even in the dungeon.
[SPEAKER_00]: Joseph served God with his whole heart to the best he could.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know about you, but I might have been tempted to pout and throw a temper tantrum and say, God, why did you let this happen?
[SPEAKER_00]: but not Joseph.
[SPEAKER_00]: Joseph kept his trusting God even despite the bad things that happened to him.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well God was with Joseph during those dungeon years.
[SPEAKER_00]: God did not forget Joseph.
[SPEAKER_00]: And eventually everyone around Joseph knew there was something different about him.
[SPEAKER_00]: He did not act selfish like the other slaves.
[SPEAKER_00]: He did not become bitter or cruel and he was willing to serve.
[SPEAKER_00]: He was smart actually.
[SPEAKER_00]: He showed himself to be a good leader, so much so that it caught fair as attention.
[SPEAKER_00]: Before you know it, Joseph was made second in command of all of Egypt.
[SPEAKER_00]: Joseph was in charge of handling the food and supplies, especially when famine hit.
[SPEAKER_00]: People from all over the region came to Egypt for grain.
[SPEAKER_00]: And do you know who happened to arrive in Egypt, standing right in front of, face to face with Joseph?
[SPEAKER_00]: You guessed it, his brothers.
[SPEAKER_00]: The very same brothers who had betrayed him, who left him for dead, who sold him into slavery.
[SPEAKER_00]: What would Joseph do?
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean what would he do?
[SPEAKER_00]: What would you do?
[SPEAKER_00]: What would I do?
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm sure after all those years he had time to think about what he would do in this moment if he ever saw his brothers again But he throw them in prison Would he send them away with no food?
[SPEAKER_00]: Would he have them killed?
[SPEAKER_00]: Would he do to them what they had done to him?
[SPEAKER_00]: Would he get revenge?
[SPEAKER_00]: Joseph did something surprising, something this world would never expect him to do.
[SPEAKER_00]: Joseph was an influencer, many people were watching him, and in that moment Joseph forgave his brothers.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not only did he forgive them, but he invited them to come and live with him and give them all the food they would ever need.
[SPEAKER_00]: He found land for them to come and live and build homes.
[SPEAKER_00]: Joseph could have repaid them for what they deserved after what they did to him.
[SPEAKER_00]: And everybody around him in Egypt would have said, you're right, Joseph, get revenge, but he didn't.
[SPEAKER_00]: He showed his brother's mercy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Those who are in the world don't understand how we as followers of Jesus can show mercy like Joseph did.
[SPEAKER_00]: But it's because we know that we have been shown mercy.
[SPEAKER_00]: When you know the mercy and forgiveness of Jesus, then you are able to show that same mercy and forgiveness to others.
[SPEAKER_00]: Influencers for Jesus show mercy.
[SPEAKER_00]: For they know that they have been shown mercy and will continue to be shown mercy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Mercy is a beautiful gift that God has given to us through His Son Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus has promised that those who are merciful will be shown mercy.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's a blessing, that's a promise, that as we show mercy, we will be shown mercy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's pray.
[SPEAKER_00]: Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for the mercy that you have shown those who have put their faith in you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Without your mercy, we would be lost and sin and darkness.
[SPEAKER_00]: I pray that you would help us to know the riches of your mercy, help us to be aware of the great cost that your Son Jesus paid to show us mercy, and help us in return to show mercy to others.
[SPEAKER_00]: For we know that when we show mercy, we will be reflecting you in your glory, and others will see you in us.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's in your name we pray Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: Amen.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, two seekers.
[SPEAKER_00]: We have made it through five of the Beatitudes.
[SPEAKER_00]: We have three more to go.
[SPEAKER_00]: I hope you join me for the next three days as we continue to learn what it means to be an influencer for Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll talk to you tomorrow.