(Opened message with BlueFishTV Video Clip depicting a church service similar to a Football Telecast)
Quite a production the church has become. Visit the right congregation on the right Sunday, and you will feel like you have fallen into a happening similar to the Super Bowl, or a UK basketball game. It is more than a worship service. It is an event. Can I say it without cringing? A production.
And it seems hard to imagine that what the church has so often become is what Jesus had in mind as the make-up of Christ followers when He sat down on that mountainside, and began his first sermon by saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” And I think it is especially a contrast to this third beatitude, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
Listen to some of these quotes, and see if they fit your initial picture of meek living.
“Our mission is simple. It is to mobilize Christians one precinct at a time, one community at a time, until once again we are the head and not the tail, and at the top rather than the bottom of our political system. We will be the most powerful political force in America by the end of this decade. We have enough votes to run this country, and when the people say, ’We’ve had enough, we’re going to take over!”
Strike you as what Jesus might have meant by living meek? That was Pat Robertson referring to the Christian Coalition. How about this one -
“I want you to just let a wave of intolerance wash over you. I want you to let a wave of hatred wash over you. Yes, hate is good. Our goal is a Christian nation. We have a Biblical duty, we are called by God, to conquer this country. We don’t want equal time. We don’t want pluralism.”
Sound like a match to being poor in spirit, mournful, meek? That was the founder of the “Christian” pro-life movement Operation Rescue, Randall Terry. How about one more –
“It’s like guerrilla warfare. If you reveal your location, all it does is allow your opponent to improve his artillery bearings. It’s better to move quietly, with stealth, under cover of night. You’ve got two choices: You can wear cammies and shimmy along on your belly, or you can put on a red coat and stand up for everyone to see. It comes down to whether you want to be the British army in the Revolutionary War or the Viet Cong. History tells us which tactic was more effective.”
How comfortable are you equating the suggestion that the Christian movement should operate like the Viet Cong in light of Jesus teaching, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth”? That last quote was from a Christian politician you might remember named Ralph Reed.
Now contrast those quotes with the following quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer. A man who left safety and seclusion to return to his home country of Germany in the midst of the Nazi regime. A man who believed in standing for the Kingdom, but took a very different approach to it. Listen to his words as he reflects on Jesus call to character in the beatitudes (read p. 109 & 110 - The Cost of Discipleship).
It is obvious, just a few sentences in to the Sermon on the Mount, that the life that Jesus is picturing. The life that Jesus is defining. That He is calling those who would be His disciples to live is counter culture. I’ve already said it a dozen times. Each step into this life is a step towards Christ, and a step away from the world.
And while it may take considerable effort to find the first two beatitudes blooming in the gardens of most Christians and churches, by the time we get to this third piece, we have definitely found a missing link between the life that Jesus described, and the life most of us are living. And that missing link is living meek.
The world thinks in terms of strength and power. Of ability. Of self-assurance and aggressiveness. That is the world’s idea of conquest and possession. Only the strong survive. It is survival of the. . .fittest.
And Matthew, which was written largely for the Jewish community, was speaking to people that saw it much the same way. The kingdom view that the Jews were holding for their long awaited Messiah was not only a physical reign on the earth, but even a militaristic reign on the earth. When the Messiah came, He was going to conquer, led them into victory, and take the land.
So is it any wonder when this man showed up and said, “Blessed are the meek. Blessed are those who don’t trust in their own organizing, or institutions. Who don’t look to their own power and might. Blessed are those like Gideon who find God reducing their numbers to show a different way of conquering. Blessed are they, for they shall inherit the earth.” Is it any wonder that in the face of that message, they were at the very least perplexed, and at the most, confident that this was not their Messiah.
We are cultivating this garden of our heart. And each of these beatitudes naturally flow out of the previous. So let’s look at the relationship of these simple words in line with what we have already explored.
Jesus started with, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus taught that the beginning of blessing was found in that spirit that rules our hearts when we see our helplessness in the face of God’s holiness. That’s being poor in spirit. That’s the true path to happiness. Recognizing our helplessness in the face of God’s holiness. The first beatitude asks us to realize our own weakness and our own inability.
Then Jesus went on to say, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” And again, we find ourselves having to pull away from traditional usages of this verse and be reminded that Jesus is providing an entirely spiritual teaching here. This is not about those who cry out because they have experienced the pain of loss. This is not simply about those who have experienced agony and sorrow. This is a spiritual teaching about spiritual character.
And Jesus said that when we recognize our helplessness in the face of God’s holiness, the natural consequence will be living a life that is mournful. When we stop comparing ourselves to other people. When we shift our focus from me compared to you, to me in the presence of God. When we see His holiness, and think about the life we have been called to live. When we see our utter helplessness and hopelessness. When we truly look upon our quality of spirit and find it to be poor indeed, we immediately mourn.
It is inevitable. When I truly face myself, and examine myself, and my life, out of the very necessity of what I see. . .I mourn. I cry out with Paul, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of death?”
And then, believe it or not, things truly turn difficult. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” And here is why I am referring to this as the missing link.
The first two beatitudes involve self-examination. I see my own nothingness. I see my own helplessness. I look at the demands of the Gospel, I am honest with myself, and I mourn the condition that my sin nature and the evil influence of this world have brought me to. It is me looking in the mirror, and not liking what I see.
But this third beatitude. This spiritual character of meekness. This is when we begin to allow other people to place us under the magnifying glass. This is when those around us begin to humble and humiliate us. And we find ourselves wrestling with the reality that I can say of myself that I am a sinner, but I don’t like anybody else to say it. That is when the test of meekness comes in, and Jesus probes, how does your spiritual character respond to that?
(Example of commenting on in-laws)
Maybe the best way to try and understand this character of meekness is to look at some Bible characters.
Abraham. He is standing on the plateau, seeing as far as the eye can see. His nephew Lot at his side and what does he do? He allows the younger man to assert himself, and have first choice. Never murmurs or complains. Internally is able to process the thought that, “You see yourself as better than me. More deserving than me of the best land. So be it.”
Not only that, and not only once, but twice he rescues Lot’s rear end, and never utters an “I told you so.” That is living meek.
David. The man after God’s own heart, and he exemplified this character of God’s heart that we call meekness. Especially in his relationship with Saul. David had already been told he would be king. He had been informed. He had even been anointed. Yet he continued to suffer unjust and unkind treatment at the hand of Saul. He didn’t flaunt is anointing and appointing. He lived meek, and awaited his inheritance.
At one point Saul is mocking, taunting ridiculing David in front of his men. And one of David’s men is ready to put an end to it. He asks David, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please, let me go over and take off his head!” And David responds, “So, let him curse.” That’s meekness. Someone else inflicting judgment upon David, and he says, “Let him be.”
Paul. Mighty man of God. Like David or Abraham, would in no way be considered some kind of a wimp. And for most pastors of today, if a church was saying about them and treating them the way the church at Corinth was Paul, we would pack up and leave town. Yet he is a wonderful example of meekness. In the face of critical evaluation at the hand of others, he continues to love and to lead.
In 2 Timothy he writes, “At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them.” That’s meekness. (2 Timothy 4:16)
You see, this word meek does not mean weak. The Greek word is praus. It is a gentleness of spirit. A mild disposition. It is a word used to describe a domesticated stallion. Power under control. Strength with a direction.
In other words, in the horse capital of the world language, blessed are those who are harnessed. Blessed are those who recognize their God-given responsibilities. Blessed are those who acknowledge that there is only one God and have quit applying for his position.
Which of course brings us to the ultimate example of living meek, Jesus. Later in Matthew, Jesus will even describe himself as meek and lowly in heart. He suffered persecution and scorn, sarcasm and derision. Yet His attitude towards His enemies modeled His teaching. And His complete submission to the Father modeled His meekness.
So how is meekness the missing link? I like the definition that D. Martin Lloyd-Jones gives in his Studies on the Sermon on the Mount. He says that meekness is essentially “a true view of oneself, expressing itself in attitude and conduct with respect to others.” Let me repeat that. “A true view of oneself, expressing itself in attitude and conduct with respect to others.”
To parts to that definition. To be meek requires that I have. . .
1. A TRUE VIEW OF MYSELF
That’s why it follows being poor in spirit and mourning. If I don’t have a true view of myself. If I have not honestly seen myself for who I am. If I have not reached that point of sorrow over my helplessness and hopelessness apart from God, I can never be meek.
This is so critical. The rest of the beatitudes will flow out of this, and so Jesus starts with this. As John Bunyan puts it, “He that is down need fear no fall.” Think about that for a moment. Pretty good wisdom.
Until I see myself for who I really am, then there will remain an element of pride in my life that will make it impossible to live in the manner of meekness that God calls me to. If I still see myself as someone with rights, privileges, possessions, status, and things that I’m just plain entitled to. . .I can’t live meek.
This is one of the things that can so frighten me about the, and I’ll use the world’s label for this, the “right wing Christian conservative movement.” It’s like the quotes I started this message with. “We will be heard.” “You will listen to our voice, or you won’t get our votes.” “We will not go away until we are recognized.”
I wrestle with that stance in the church because it seems to me to be counter-Beatitudes. Counter a collection of people that are living poor in spirit, mournful of their own sinfulness, and therefore meek before the Lord.
It seems to be counter Philippians 2 that describes Jesus in the following way, “Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8)
“Well Pastor. Surely you are not suggesting we sit idly by while they take prayer and the ten commandments and the word of God out of our schools and courtrooms, and public places. Are you?”
Honestly, I don’t know. But I know that when I look at a school superintendent and tell him we have a “right” to be heard. Or we have a “right” to pray in our schools. Or we have a “right” to post God’s Word in the courthouses of our country. I just keep hearing us shout about our rights, and then I pick up my Bible and struggle to find described an approach to life as a Christ follower that is based on what “rights” and “privileges” the world is obligated to give to me.
It doesn’t say, “in this world you will have entitlements.” It says, “in this world you will have trouble, but I have overcome the world.” It doesn’t say, “In this world you will get equal time.” It says in just a few more verses, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”
The strongest Christians. The most powerful believers. Those who are literally storming the gates of hell, and disrupting the working of the enemy are typically those Christians who live in the countries where they have the least rights. The least amount of freedoms. Where by law, they are forced to leave in reliance upon God, and meek.
Christians in China are nowhere close to being labeled as weak. But they are meek, and the world is taking notice.
To be meek. I have to have a true view of myself. And that poverty of spirit and mournful awareness includes recognizing that I haven’t earned anything, nor do I deserve anything. That’s why it is called grace. And give me the grace of God over the legislation of a government any day.
And then here comes the link. John Wesley puts it like this, “Meekness, therefore, seems properly to relate t ourselves. But it may be referred either to God or our neighbor. When this due composure of mind has reference to God, it is usually termed resignation; a calm acquiescence to whatever is his will concerning us, even though it may not be pleasing; to nature; saying continually, “It is the Lord; let him do what seemeth him good.” When we consider it more strictly with regard to ourselves, we style it patience or contentedness. When it is exerted toward other men, then it is mildness to the good and gentleness to the evil.”
Because to live meek, I have to have a true view of myself, and I have to. . .
2. EXPRESS IT IN MY ATTITUDES AND CONDUCT TOWARDS OTHERS.
And you know what. That’s hard. That’s really hard. My garden needs a whole bunch of weeding for that flower to bloom.
Because I have no problem standing before God and recognizing my condition. But to carry that same lowliness of spirit, that same humility into my attitudes and activities with everyone else around me. That flower ain’t blooming so well. That is often the missing link in my life.
Practically, it should look like a complete absence of retaliation. People today like to say, “I’ve got your back.” God says, “Nobody else needs to have your back. I’ve got your back. No one else needs to defend you, stick up for you, or fight for you.” Including myself. Because truth be told, when push comes to shove. We usually are pretty good at having our own back, aren’t we?
Practically, meekness in my attitudes and conduct towards others means that I am teachable. I can listen and learn from the Spirit, and from people the Spirit sends into my life. Because I no longer see myself as better than them. In my poverty of spirit and mourning, I’m the chief of sinners. So whatever you have to offer, I’m willing to listen to and learn from. (Example of Accountability Team)
Practically, meekness in my attitudes and conduct towards others means that I leave everything in the hands of God. Revenge. Rights. Privileges. Causes. My whole future. You take it upon yourself to destroy me. Have at it. This life I live is not my own. I have been bought with a price.
This is hard stuff. Just for me of course. I’m really just preaching to myself, and God is working on my spirit. I’m sure most people don’t struggle with defensiveness, or retaliation or a teachable spirit. But it’s hard stuff for me.
As one commentary defined it, “meekness is an attitude of humility toward God and gentleness toward people, springing from a recognition that God is in control. Although weakness and meekness may look similar, they are not the same. Weakness is due to negative circumstances, such as lack of strength or lack of courage. But meekness is due to a person’s conscious choice. It is strength and courage under control, coupled with kindness.”
So it looks like this. The first step is to ask for help — to become “poor in spirit” and admit our need for a Savior. We recognize that we are in need. The next step is sorrow: “Blessed are those who mourn.…” Those who know they are wrong and say they are sorry. No excuses. No justification. Just tears. Repenting of our self-sufficiency.
The first two steps are admittance of inadequacy and repentance for pride. The next step, the missing link, is the one of renewal. Realization of weakness leads to the source of strength, God. And renewal comes when we become meek. When we quit calling the shots and surrender control to God. When we give our lives to God to be His tool.
The first two beatitudes pass us through the fire of purification; the third places us in the hands of the Master. It’s no casual shift of attitude. It is a demolition of the old structure and a creation of the new. The more radical the change, the greater the joy. The blessing. The happiness. And it’s worth every effort, for this is the joy of God.
(Influence of "Dissident Discipleship" – Tie to Amish Living)
(Recite Matthew 5:1-5)
Closing Congregational Prayer:
God,
As yet our love is weak, our hearts imperfect,
and so we have great need of your strength and comfort.
Visit us often, we pray, and instruct us in the way of your laws.
Set us free from all evil passions,
and heal our hearts from all immoral desires.
And thus, healed and cleansed in spirit,
may we learn how blissful it is to plunge
into the depths of your love.
Let your love dissolve our hard hearts.
Let your love raise us above ourselves.
Let your love reveal to us joy beyond imagination.
Let our souls exhaust themselves in singing the praises of your love.
Let us love you more than we love ourselves,
and let us love ourselves only for your sake.
And let us see your love shining in the hearts of all people,
that we may love them as we love you.
Amen.
