Happiness Through - Meekness (Beatitudes) Series

Happiness In An Unsettling World

Steele Creek Church, Eastfield Campus

Dr. Tom Bartlett – October 4, 2020

Matthew 5:5

Meekness

OUTLINE

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:1–13 (ESV)

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Vs. 5)

“the world belongs to those who can control themselves”

Meekness is not weakness, it’s strength under control

HOW DO I CONTROL MY EMOTIONS?

“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1 (ESV)

Three options when I’m emotionally charged

• Retreat in fear. . . NO

• Attack in anger. . . NO

• Respond in love. . . YES

LOVE FOR OTHERS GUIDES YOU TO . . .

SERVE

“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:4-5 (ESV)

ACCEPT

“Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.” Romans 14:1 (NLT)

For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 3:16–18 (ESV)

LISTEN

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. James 1:19 (ESV)

MANUSCRIPT

Good morning and welcome to Steele Creek Church of Charlotte, Eastfield Campus. If before this week you didn’t feel unsettled, after this past week the current events probably pushed you over, lol.

It’s becoming more and more clear to me than ever before why the words of Jesus and His plan for salvation must be the priority of our lives. Whether you love Jesus or you’re not sure about faith at all, every person can say that they deal with circumstances that try them and unsettle them. It’s part of life.

Last week I gave a glimpse into my own journey. I talked about the emotionally overwhelming circumstances of a deteriorating marriage which eventually led to a one-sided divorce. Now, I don’t in any way want to make this about me, but I heard from so many people last week concerning that. I want to bring a little follow up from that message, because I got a phone call Monday night from a person that I had not talked to in 27 years. In fact, he was my pastor at that time. I was young in ministry and he was just a little older. What he told me gave me some freedom from a burden I had held for all these years. I’ll share that part with you in a bit.

You see, we’re in a series of talks looking at the teachings of Jesus on one particularly fine day in His ministry. The teachings have come to be known as the “beatitudes.” The word beatitude comes from the Latin beatitudo, meaning "blessedness." The word, in reality does not refer to many attitudes, but one, “BLESSED”, or happy, peaceful, joyful.

Now this blessing is actually a progressive walk into a deeper experience with God. Let’s read the full section in Matthew five and then I’ll explain a little.

Matthew 5:1–13 (ESV)

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.