Blessed are the Meek
For they will inherit the earth
Matthew 5:1-5:12
Turn to Matthew 5 as we continue to look at the Sermon on the Mount. We will be looking at the third Be-attitude this morning. “Blessed are the Meek for they will inherit the earth.”
Recapping the first two-
1. Blessed are the poor in Spirit. (The humble.) Blessed are the humble for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
2. Blessed are those who mourn- those that have a God given “inner grief” for sins in their life and inner grief for those around us that do not know Christ. Willing to get involved in their life.
Today- blessed are the meek, is an odd one. Depending on who you are talking too. Every Be-attitude should tell us a character of God we are striving to attain. So the question that we have to answer is… what does meekness have to do with God? The only answer is that when applied to our lives , we become the reflection of the character of God.
(16)” let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good work and give glory to your Father who is in heaven”
Jesus preached this sermon so God would get glory for the way the disciples lived their lives.
Scholar believe that Jesus was quoting from Psalms 37:11 for this beatitude.
(11) The meek shall possess the land, and delight themselves in abundant prosperity. Mt 5:5- The meek shall inherit the land. The word for land in the Greek is earth.
Let’s first try to get a definition of meek.
We know what the world thinks of meek. We also need to know what God thinks.
Webster- 1. Enduring injury with patience and without resentment.
2. Deficient in spirit and courage , submissive, not violent or strong.
The world looks at being meek as passive, easily pushed around, unable to take a stand, unable to stand up for one self, weak-minded, and weak minded person.
They look at a meek person as a Monk stuck up in the mountains with other monks avoiding all issues of life.
I believe this is far from the meekness that Jesus is taking about or lived out.
Have you ever heard of:
“Dependent order of really Meek and Timid Souls”
shortened it is Dormats!
Their official motto is “The Meek shall inherit the earth, if that is okay with everyone.
Upton Diskson wrote a book- Cower Power.
If this is the definition of Meekness, then I want you to know that your pastor has not arrived yet.
If standing there letting someone struck you for no reason is a sign of meekness, I am not there yet.
If letting someone step all over your beliefs and inflict their foolish thoughts is a sign of meekness, I am not there yet.
If watching someone else be hurt and you do nothing is a sign of meekness. I am not there.
Most of the world would have to say we are not there.
While I admit my city attitude is one that God has been working on in my life for over 30 years.
Being meek is not being a dormat. It is not being a punching bag in Jesus name!
That does not give God glory.
Let’s get God’s definition of meek-
Jesus invites us Mt. 11:29-
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart; and you shall find rest into your souls”
Jesus tells us take His yoke (carry his principals) learn from me (understand who I am and what I can do in your life) and you shall find rest for your souls.
We have said it before- rest is what we are looking for)
Christ was meek and lowly in heart, but Jesus was not weak!
Jesus was strong in every way.
Jesus was a man of strength.
Jesus was a man of principal.
Jesus was not a wimp.
Jesus was not going to let the world remove Him from His relationship with His Father.
They beat Jesus and hung him from a cross until he was dead.
He was not a weak person he was an obedient person.
He did not just let them beat Him for no reason. He fulfilled the plan of God which included taking those beating up to an including being killed.
Meekness Is an attitude of being humble.
An attitude of not taking revenge over every wrong that was done to us.
A meek person doesn’t always have to take a beating and stay quiet and say thank you.
A meek person has to have the attitude that God has our anger under control.
Truth be told, a person who watches people being wrong and does nothing about it, is not meek, they are a coward!
Greek word for meek is mild and gentle(natured)
today’s idea of meek is wrong- to think that you have to be a pushover , or have to live up in the mountains and secluded from people is not biblical.
A.W. Tozer
The meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of his own inferiority. Rather he may be in his moral life as bold as a lion and as strong as Samson; but he has not stopped being fooled about himself. He has accepted God’s estimate of his own life. He knows he is as weak and helpless as God declared him to be, but paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is in the sight of God of more importance than angels. In himself, nothing; in God, everything.
Godly meekness does not want revenge.
They are gentle and patient.
They will not take personal insult to the next level.
They will not bring wounding words to destroy people.
They allow the Holy Spirit to do the spiritual works in others.
“Do nothing to sadden the Holy Spirit with whom you were sealed against the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, all passion and anger, harsh words, slander, and malice of every kind” (Ephesian 4:30)
“See that none of you repay evil for evil, but always seeks to do good to one another and to all”
Jesus gives us a examples of righteous anger-
when he cleaned out the temple of money changers.
There is such a thing as righteous anger, and to do nothing would be wrong.
Uncontrolled anger is sin
The anger that burns for revenge and obsesses our lives.
Jesus with righteous anger wants to destroy sin without destroying the sinner.
“Be angry and sin not” Eph. 4:22
Meekness then would be spiritual strength!
A meek person will fight back with controlled anger. They will protect their rights and the rights of others.
A horse is a powerful animal. It is the symbol of strength in the Greek world. Wild and untamed horses are useless. It can not be used for anything until it has been tamed. A trained horse is a picture of power under control. (Sermon Central)
There are two kinds of people
Saved and unsaved.
Those that follow God- those that do not .
God controlled- out of control.
“Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. For the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God”
For we know that as a Christian, we cannot be self-controlled without God being in control.
It goes beyond human capacity.
A ship without a rudder is out of control and at the mercy of the waves driving it.
True religion is the realization of our own weakness and our need for God.
True humility- can only be reached when we realize that we are created and God is the creator.
We cannot do anything without God.
Blessed are those who have the humility to know their own ignorance, their own weakness, and their own need for God.
Closing:
Meekness is a reflecting the character of God. God laying down principals and we as obedient believers living up to the standards that God desires for us.
If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, sitting at the feet of Jesus this morning. It means that you trust Him and commit your ways to Him and patiently follow Him to direct your life.
What I believe Meekness is- according to God’s Word. A portrait or picture of Meekness is:
1. They trust God-
Biblical meekness is rooted in our confidence that God is for you and not against you. He will work things out for your good if you will let Him.
2. They commit their ways To God-
Hebrew word for commit is roll, Meek people have discovered that they need to roll everything over to God. Their business , their problems, their relationships, health, fears, money, frustrations.
3. They are quiet before the Lord.
Meek people are waiting for God. They are listening and believing for the work of God in their lives.
4. Meek people are not trying to get even-
They are not worrying if the worldly are prosperious because God’s word says to refrain from anger. They know that God is a just God who does not sleep and doesn’t miss anything.
Revenge is mine, I will repay, says the Lord- Romans 12:9
Anger is a response to a wrong that is done to you.
God can do a lot of things with righteous anger.
Uncontrolled anger does not solve anything.
Does not make anything go away. It actually will elevate problems everytime.
5. Meek people are teachable
“Who is wise and understandable among you? By his good life let him show his works in the meekness of his wisdom.”
Blessed are those who are always angry at the right time, and never angry at the wrong time.
Blessed are those who have every instinct, every impulse, every passion under control.
Blessed are those who are self-controlled.
Blessed are the Meek, for they will inherit the earth.
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