The Challenge To Show Meekness Series

Introduction:

The world says that people who got money no matter how they got it are blessed. The world says that people who have risen to the top in sports, politics, or business no matter how many people they had to step on to get there are blessed. The world says that people who name everybody recognized or whose face is well known no matter what they had to sacrifice to get to that place are blessed.

And God looks at us and says wait a minute that is not how you get blessed. You got it all wrong; you get blessed by meekness. In the Bible, the word meekness and gentleness are pretty much interchangeable, and they describe a person who has power, but that power is under the control of God.

And as I thought about it, power under the control of God is basically surrendering your will and your actions to God. And we all should be able to do that because, in Galatians Chapter 5, Paul list the fruit of the spirit, and one of those fruits is gentleness, the same Greek word that is used in our passage to describe meekness.

So, if meekness is a fruit of the spirit and Jesus tells us that we are blessed to show meekness in our lives, we should be able to look in the Bible from Old Testament to New Testament and see example after example of people the Bible says are meek people. It makes sense, right.

So that is what I did, and here is what I discovered. In all the pages of the Bible, only three people are described as meek- Moses Jesus and Paul. If you want the Bible references, Moses is described as meek in Numbers 12:3, Jesus in Matthew 11:29 and 21:5, and Paul in 2 Corinthians 10:1. That’s it.

So what are the challenges that prevent more people from being described as meek? That is where we want to go today with our study. So please stand as we read from Matthew 5:2-11

Scripture

Matthew 5:2-11 (NKJV)

2 Then 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 filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain 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 they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.

Point #1

THE CHALLENGE TO BEING A PERSON WHO IS MEEK IS THAT OUR OLD LIVES, OUR OLD ACTIONS, KEEPING CALLING OUR NAME, AND WE GIVE THOUGHT TO WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE IF WE COULD GO BACK THERE.

James 1:21 (NKJV)

21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

The first half of the verse that talks about laying side aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness that speaks of our former life before we knew Christ. And that verse implies that there are times in our Christian life, we say boy it would be nice if we could do that or we could go back there again.

I told you the Bible only mentioned three meek people. The interesting thing about these three people is they never looked back. Not once will you find in the Scripture that Moses looked back and longed for the times he was in the Pharaoh’s house again. Compare that to the Israelites that he lead who wanted to go back and be slaves in Egypt.

Nowhere in the Gospel do I see Jesus saying: “I wish I never came here, and I want to go back home. I am tired of having nowhere to lay my head; I want to go back home and sit on the throne next to my Father. ” Instead, He was always looking ahead to what His Father had sent Him here to do.

And then there is the Apostle Paul; he is blunt as he can be; Paul tells us plainly how he feels about looking back in Phil. 4:13 when he says to us that he forgets what lies behind and pressing forward to what lies ahead.

This point slapped me in my face. I know God has sent me here to minister to this church. But there are times that I long to forget about what God wants and go back home to Louisiana. And what I am actually saying to myself; I want to take myself from under God’s control and put myself in control. That’s not meekness.