The Beatitudes & Attitudes
Matthew 5:3-12
February 7, 2026
by D. Mike Collins
The Beatitudes & Attitudes. Matthew 5:3-12.
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. . . Humility
2. Blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted . . . Repentance
3. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth . . . Gentleness
4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled . . . Obedience
5. Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy . . . Compassion
6. Blessed are the pure in heart . . . Integrity
7. Blessed are the peacemakers . . . Reconciliation
8. Blessed are those who are persecuted . . . Courage
1. Introduction – Overview
“Because of Christ we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation – an aroma redolent with life.” 2 Corinthians 2:15
2. Beatitude #5 – Mercy – “Compassion in Action”
Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. . . Compassion.”
The first four Beatitudes are inward in nature. It’s the foundation of where it all begins. The first three have to do with tearing down the “Old Self” by walking through the valleys of humility, repentance, and gentleness. It’s the crucial first steps. No skipping.
The fourth beatitude begins the process of resurrecting the “New Self” by fanning the flames of an inner hunger and thirsting for righteousness that consumes you from the inside out. Again, an inward transformation that becomes the nuclear energy source for your new life in Christ and the spread of the Great Commission.
But that inward change is about to explode outward in bold and daring ways and it’s all going to start with a trait you would least expect . . . mercy. A virtue the Romans abhorred and went so far as to say was not a virtue at all but evidence of emotional weakness, indecision, fear and a lack of inward fortitude. Jesus had other ideas about what his Kingdom would stand for and the contrast could not be more stark in its approach. He was about to use the foolish things of this world to turn it upside down.
3. The Meaning of Mercy . . . I had it all wrong?!
I’ve often heard it explained this way . . . “Grace is giving someone something they do not deserve, while Mercy is not giving someone something they do deserve.”
In Matthew 18:21-35, we have “The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant”. A man owes a lot of money. The King forgives the debt and the Servant receives mercy. Ok so far.
But in Matthew 20:29-34, we have the story of “Two Blind Men Receive Their Sight”. Jesus is leaving Jericho and two blind men are beside the road. They begin yelling at the top of their voices, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” Jesus stops and asks them, “What do you want me to do for you?”. “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.” Then Jesus had compassion on them, touched their eyes and healed them.
What did the blind men deserve that Jesus didn’t give them? Maybe you could say, they deserved to be ignored and Jesus didn’t give them that? What? My brain hurts!
“Mercy has much in common with forgiveness, but it is distinct from it . . . God’s forgiveness of our sins flows from His mercy. But mercy is much bigger than forgiveness . . . God’s mercy does not just forgive our transgression, but reaches to all our weakness and need.” John MacArthur, Matthew commentary pages 190-191.
4. Mercy . . . Relieves.
Mercy as demonstrated within the pages of scripture can forgive a debt but can also look with compassion to relieve the misery of people living in a world broken by sin, the fault of which may not lie with the victim.
That is what Jesus did with the two Blind Men. They were blind. No fault of their own. They needed help. They asked for mercy. Jesus had compassion on them and healed them. Compassion in action. That’s mercy. It relieves.
The Good Samaritan saw a Jew that was near death on the side of the road. He bandaged him up. No judgements made about how it happened, or that he was a Jew and most likely hated Samaritans. He saw that something bad happened to a fellow human being and needed help. The Good Samaritan helped. Compassion in action. That’s mercy. It relieves.
“Mercy is meeting people’s needs. It is not simply feeling compassion but showing compassion, not only sympathizing but giving a helping hand. Mercy is giving food to the hungry, comfort to the bereaved, love to the rejected, forgiveness to the offender, companionship to the lonely. It is therefore one of the loveliest and noblest of all virtues.” John MacArthur, Matthew Commentary, page 190.
5. Mercy with Limits?!
In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, we read this . . . “Therefore, so that I would not become arrogant, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to trouble me—so that I would not become arrogant. I asked the Lord three times about this, that it would depart from me. But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.”
Let me just paraphrase what happened to Paul in these few short verses. He had a real world “misery” issue that caused him constant pain. What it was, we don’t know for sure, but it was bad. He asked for God’s “mercy” to take it away. God said “No” to his request for mercy, but said “Yes” to his promise for grace. What grace? The grace that saved him for all eternity back on the Road to Damascus.
Which leads us to a very uncomfortable conclusion that Paul presents here that no one really wants to say out loud, “Sometimes my misery forces me to draw closer to God in ways that life without misery never could.” Let that sink in for a moment. Misery might play a role in drawing you closer to God? Yes, and God says this with as much compassion and mercy as possible.
6. Grace . . . Retrieves.
“Grace and mercy have the closest possible relationship; yet they are different. Mercy is about pain, misery and distress – the consequences of sin . . . Grace, on the other hand, deals with sin itself. Mercy deals with the symptoms, grace the cause. Mercy offers relief from punishment; grace offers pardon from the crime. Mercy eliminates the pain; grace the disease . . . Mercy says, “I pity you”; Grace says, “I pardon you.” John MacArthur, Matthew Commentary, page 191-192.
7. Love . . . Believes.
“Forgiveness flows out of mercy, and mercy flows out of love . . . Just as mercy is more than forgiveness, love is more than mercy . . . Love loves even when there is no wrong to forgive or need to meet . . . Mercy is the physician; love is the friend. Mercy acts because of need; love acts because of affection, whether there is need or not. Mercy is reserved for times trouble; love is constant. There can be no true mercy apart from love, but there can be true love apart from mercy.” John MacArthur, Matthew Commentary, page 191.
Love – Believes
Beatitude #8
Mercy – Relieves Grace – Retrieves
Beatitude #5 Beatitude #6
Forgiveness – Grieves
Beatitude #7
8. Mercy . . . Who needs it anyways?
Rome had no need for mercy. My original definition limited the scope of mercy. Yet Jesus wouldn’t build his kingdom without mercy. Why is that?
1. Mercy is like getting on first base.
Exodus 34:5-6, The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” (Beatitude 5, 6, 7 & 8)
“Mercy is like getting on first base. Getting on base is good,
but you still have to get home to put points on the board.”
D. Mike Collins
2. Mercy attracts you, but it’s Grace that keeps you.
Matthew 20:28, “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Romans 2:4, “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”
“It’s Mercy that catches your eye, but it’s Grace that saves your soul.”
D. Mike Collins
3. God’s Mercy – The Burnt Ends of God’s Brisket.
Lamentations 3:22–23, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
“God’s mercies are new every morning,
but unlike mana in the wilderness, they never grow old.”
D. Mike Collins
4. Mercy’s sweet aroma overpowers my misery as it guides me home.
Psalm 23:6, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
Revelations 21:4, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
God says there will come a time in the new heaven where there will be no more tears, or pain or death or debts to pay. All the reasons we currently need mercy, pity and compassion might just pass away. Will we still need mercy? I don’t know, but it’s a stunning question to think about. The ramifications of which, have real life consequences for my daily life.
If God’s mercies really are “new every morning”, then am I paying close attention to those daily mercies? Am I so busy just trying to cope, that I forget to smell the sweet aroma of God’s daily salve he is seeking to apply to the brokenness of my world?
What if God wants me to be the minister of his daily mercies to my fellow neighbor, am I ready? Am I relentless in seeking to be the Good Samaritan to my fellow neighbor in ways that come across my pathway that are unexpected and uncomfortable?
What if the most fragrant memories we have in heaven, occur as we recall the ways God allowed mercy to flow upon us in our misery and through us to the misery of those around us? Mercy overpowering misery to become the aroma of life. That’s a memory.
“Because of Christ we give off a sweet scent rising to God,
which is recognized by those on the way of salvation –
an aroma redolent with life.”
2 Corinthians 2:15
“God’s daily mercy that covered our earthly misery,
might be the most fragrant memory we carry throughout eternity. ”
D. Mike Collins
5. Everybody needs mercy.
Matthew 9:13, “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Who in your life needs a little compassion?
“Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.
Be kind. Always.”
Robin Williams
6. Those that show mercy, will be shown mercy.
A blessed life that God promises, requires that we go first. That can feel terrible until we realize who went first with us. “Oh, yeah. Forgot about that. I’m on it!” When God says he will show you mercy, he will and when he does, it echoes for all eternity.
Psalm 145:13, “God always keeps his promises.”
Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”