Discipleship Part 5: Character Traits
Scriptures: Matthew 5:3-11; Numbers 12; Matthew 11:27-30
Introduction
This morning we will continue with the character traits of a disciple using the beatitudes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount as our reference. To date we have discussed three traits: being obedience; being poor in spirit; and being mournful. This morning we will continue beginning with verse five of Matthew chapter five.
I. Be Gentle (Meek)
“Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Vs. 5)
The word translated as gentle or meek in this verse carries the meaning of someone with a fine blend of spiritual poise and strength; it is the gentleness of strength. This verse is talking about having a sense of humility as you walk in your spiritual strength. It is referring primarily to our attitude towards God which in turn is reflected in how we treat people. A good example of someone demonstrating this trait was Moses. Moses walked and talked with God just as we walk and talk with one another. With everything Moses experienced while in the presence of God he never lorded his strength over the people. He was always meek even as he angrily addressed their rebellion. There was one incident when Moses’ brother and sister rose up against him because he chose to marry a woman of color. This story was recorded in Numbers the twelfth chapter. Turn there as I want you to witness the gentleness of Moses.
Let’s begin reading at verse one. “Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman); and they said, ‘Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?’ And the Lord heard it.” (Numbers 12:1-2) We need to be careful how we complain about one another. In this case, they did not like Moses’ decision to marry a Cushite woman. The Cushite reference comes from the descendants of Cush, Ham’s first son. They lived in the southernmost part of the region, most likely Ethiopia. It is not known if she was fully Ethiopian or mixed, but she was definitely a woman of color and Mirian and Aaron were not in agreement of his decision. Regardless of why they were not in agreement, what is important here is their decision to speak against Moses whom God had chosen to lead the people. They felt that they were just as important as Moses was in the leadership of the people. Now look at verse three.
“Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.” (Vs. 3) Moses did not answer their charges or lash out against them. He did not defend his action nor did he try to fight with them over the leadership of the people. From all accounts, he said nothing. This verse records that Moses was very humble, the most humble man on the earth. Now we do not have time to read all of what happen, but when you have time, go back and read it. Because Moses was who he was; God defended him. God called a meeting and invited Miriam and Aaron to attend with Moses. How would you like to be called into a private meeting with God so that He can set you straight on something or someone you’re complaining about? This is what happened with Miriam and Aaron. You can read the story to find out the rest of it.
My point with this is that Moses was a very humble man who walked in the strength of God’s anointing. He stood before kings in battle and won; yet he remained humble. At his hands God performed many miracles; yet Moses remained humble. Through the leading of God he accomplished the impossible, delivering the Children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; and still he remained humble. Moses understood that everything he did was through the grace and power of God and through that understanding he could be humble regardless of what he accomplished for God. If some of us had done a small part of what Moses had done we would have our own talk show; books written; and be on tour as a motivational speaker about how God can use anyone (of course we would be getting paid for our speaking.) This was not who Moses was and because the world praises this mentality of recognition, we struggle to be meek.
Jesus said the following in Matthew 11:27-30: “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burdens light.”
In these verses the word “know” means more than just a cursory knowledge of someone. It implies an intimate relationship. The communion between God the Father and Jesus His Son is the core of their relationship and for anyone else to know God in such a manner God must reveal Himself to that individual. So we are blessed that He has done so through His Son Jesus Christ who has revealed us to God. Jesus says that He is gentle and humble and we should come to Him and take His yoke upon us. A yoke is a heavy wooden harness that fits over the shoulders of an ox or oxen. It is attached to additional equipment that the ox is to pull. We too carry heavy burdens such sin, life stresses and concerns, physical ailments, excessive demands of religious leaders, and even mental/physical weariness in our search for God. But Jesus said if we take on His yoke, His is light and easy to carry. We can find our way to becoming gentle and humble when we trade off the yokes of the world that we’re currently carrying and take on Christ’s yoke. We can take off the stress of living; the trials of living righteously; the worries of the job; and everything else that takes our focus off Christ. Bring all of those things to Christ and trade them in for His yoke and find the peace we so desperately seek.
The individual who is gentle and/or humble will inherit the earth, the new Promised Land. As disciples we must develop this character trait because as we begin to see the manifestation of the Spirit of God in our lives if we are not humble we can get confused and think that what we are accomplishing is about us. If you do not believe me just turn on your television and watch the news. There are many celebrities who have achieved some status and it changed them. They began to believe the press releases. They began to believe it is about them. There are many Christian leaders who have been established by God and have fallen because of their success as they began to believe it was about them. Whenever we begin to think that what we are doing for God is about us we slowly start going down a slow ride of separation from Him. By remaining humble through every experience we are able to give God the credit for what He is doing through us and we are always able to separate what people say about us versus what we know about ourselves; that everything we accomplish is by the grace of God!
Let’s move on to verse six.
II. Hunger/Thirst For Righteousness
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” (Vs. 6)
In this verse Jesus turns one of the elemental human instincts to spiritual use. The word “righteousness” in this verse according to the Greek means “whatever is right or just in itself that conforms to the revealed will of God; whatever has been appointed by God to be acknowledged and obeyed by man.” There is happiness when we seek to understand God’s will and then begin to thirst and hunger for its completion in our lives.
Everyone one of us here today and everyone who has ever lived at some point became hungry and thirsty; for food; water; love; and God. This phrase that Jesus used is interpreted as a passionate hunger and thirst for goodness; for holiness. This is not your average desire to see some good in the world; it is the desire you would have for food if you had not eaten for days. It is the way you search for something to drink when you have been out in the hot sun working in the yard. There is a difference when you’re thirsty while in the house under the air conditioner and when you’ve been working in the yard. This hunger and thirst that Jesus is referencing is about intensity – you’ve got to have it; you’re longing for it. Jesus said that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled. The word “filled” means to feed or fatten cattle. Imagine going to your favorite restaurant or having your favorite meal at your home. This meal had been planned for several days and you have been so looking forward to it. As the meal is being prepared, you imagine sitting down at the take and having that first bite. You imagine that there will be plenty and you will have more than enough to get filled. This is the anticipation that Jesus is talking about as it relates to our hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Hungering and thirsting after righteousness again conflicts with the world. The world will have us pursuing our personal needs and ensuring they are fulfilled even though many of our “person needs” have nothing at all to do with righteousness. As a matter of documented fact, many of our personal needs lead us into sin because we continue to be in a spiritual battle with our flesh. Our fleshly desires want what it wants when it wants it. To thirst and hunger after righteousness requires that we drastically shift our desires.
Imagine being a meat and potatoes person all your life and this is the food you crave. Your doctor tells you that you must give it up for your health and eat vegetables only. Your comfort food and the food you love are being taken away so that you might live longer. The initial transition is extremely difficult, but over time you adjust and you begin to identify new foods that you can enjoy as much as what you gave up. Eventually you begin to look forward to the new foods as much as you did your old unhealthy foods. This is the transition that will take place when we make the mental decision to begin thirsting and hungering after righteousness.
Paul, in his thirst and hunger after righteousness wrote the following in Philippians 3:7-11: “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
In order for us to understand what Paul was saying we must understand a little more about him. Paul was very established in the Jewish community. He had natural pride in his Jewish attainments and was the star of hope for Gamaliel and the Sanhedrin. He was the rising star of the time but after encountering Christ, he walked away from it. You see, when he began to hunger and thirst for true righteousness, everything he had learned and attained to became rubbish (some use the phrase dung (trash). Paul was never satisfied with his knowledge of Christ and always craved to have more fellowship with Him. Think about being in a new relationship with a person. You crave to spend time with them and to learn everything you can about them. This learning continues for years as both you and the person continues to evolve. Because of your love for the person, you continue to crave time with them even though you may have been married for many years.
In verse ten Paul speaks of knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection. There again is the word “know.” He is speaking of an intimate relationship and knowledge of Christ and the resurrection. This again carries a much deeper understanding of the person. When he speaks of the power of the resurrection he was speaking of the assurance believers have in immortality and our triumph over sin. When he talks of the fellowship of Christ suffering, Paul considered it a prize to even be able to share in Christ’s suffering. This was a major shift in his thinking because before as he worked for the Sanhedrin he was one of the causes of suffering for those who followed Christ. When Paul wrote this, he was a changed man. He now had a hunger and a thirst for righteousness that could not be quenched by what he had already accomplished in his life.
I shared with you a few weeks ago that when Jesus chose His disciples He chose the twelve because He knew that they had a willingness to follow Him. They believed and would walk with Him even though they did not understand everything that was happening around them. They did not meet man’s expectations of men who would change the world, but they met Christ’s. Every one of you can have an impact on this world if you are willing. Your impact may not be the same as someone else but it will leave a lasting mark. Even though some of you may be thinking that you cannot do certain things because you do not know what others may know, I am telling you that you have the same opportunity to learn and experience the fullness of the Spirit of God. Jesus has made the Holy Spirit available to all of us; not just certain individuals. If you are willing, then He is willing. I want to close with something Jesus said in John 16:5-11 about the Holy Spirit. This is something you need to remember as it applies directly to you; me; and everyone else that calls themselves Christians.
John 16:5-11 records the following: “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.”
I want us to understand something very clearly. The Holy Spirit convicts us and as we choose to listen, we can come to know Jesus Christ. I have talked to people who consider themselves intellectuals and do not accept the Bible as written. They also struggle with the concept of Christ because intellectually He does not make sense to them. In their mind if Christ was truly who He is then all religions that say they are serving Christ would believe the same things and practice their faith the same way. Because this is not the case, intellectually they cannot accept it. For these intellectuals the Bible has way too many holes that cannot be filled. Faith for them has nothing to do with it because if you rely on faith for everything you cannot explain then that represents a cop out to reality. While I understand their reality and the foundation for their conclusion, I still believe fundamentally that they are wrong. At some point I pray that they will yield to the unction of the Holy Spirit because God is not giving up on them.
In verse eleven Jesus says that the “ruler of this world has been judged.” Jesus was talking about Satan. The Greek tense of this phrase show that Satan stands condemned. Although the sinful world was in his grip, he would be cast out. When Jesus rose from the dead He proclaimed that all power had been given to Him in heaven and in the earth. Satan was stripped of His power.
I will share this as I close. In order for us to begin hungering and thirsting for righteousness, we have to believe that Christ rules and Satan has been stripped of his power. We have to believe that even though we live in this world, as disciples of Christ we are not bound by the values of this world. We must believe, despite all of the craziness going on around us that righteousness will prevail within those who will seek it. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”
We will continue with verse seven next week. May God bless and keep you is my prayer.
