Today we continue on in our series on the Beatitudes. Last week we looked at the attitude “Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.” We talked about the fact that it is good to mourn our own sin and shortcomings in our life. When we have sinned or have sin in our life we should be grieving that sin. Our sin is against God and if we love God we don’t want to have things in our life that grieve God. We also said that it is good to mourn our losses. Whenever we have lost a dear person in our life, or we have lost anything significant it is good to mourn and work through those feelings of sorrow. Even the scriptures say that there is a time to mourn. But not only is it good to mourn our own sins and shortcomings and losses, it is also good to mourn with those around us. All around us, even in the church there are people hurting. There are people who have had hurts in their life. They need others who feel their pain and mourn with them. Like it says in Romans we should rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. But we should also mourn the sins of those around us. In our community we are surrounded by people who are living in sin and do not have a personal relationship with Jesus. That should bother us. That should break our hearts. Once again, we will be become a church that is relevant in this community when we truly mourn the fact that there are so many people who do not know Christ. Yes it is good to mourn.
Let’s move along in our series this morning to the next beatitude. Once again, like the others it is one that makes no sense to the world at face value when they read it.
Matthew 5:5
The meek shall inherit the earth. I think the word meek has been so misunderstood. Most people think that meek is a person who is a pushover, a person who other people can force their will upon them. They see someone who is meek as spineless and maybe even a coward.
In a newspaper column written by Bill Farmer, J. Upton Dickson was a fun-loving fellow who said he was writing a book entitled Cower Power. He also founded a group of submissive people. It was called DOORMATS. That stands for Dependent Organization Of Really Meek and Timid Souls---if there are no objections." Their motto was: "The meek shall inherit the earth -- if that's okay with everybody." Their symbol was the yellow traffic light.” Our Daily Bread
That is how a lot of people think of meek people. So they don’t understand when the Bible says in their eyes, “Blessed are the doormats for they shall inherit the earth.”
We know from the scriptures that Jesus was meek. In Matthew 11:29 the King James Version says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Jesus’ teachings certainly suggest a meek approach. Listen to what He says later in this Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5:38-41 says, “You have heard it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” Now someone could read that and say Jesus is telling me to be a wimp. He is telling me to let others push me around. There is no way if someone hits me that I am turning my other cheek to them. He is telling me to be a doormat. If that is meek then forget it! How can I inherit anything like that? I would be more likely to lose everything I have! The people that expected Jesus to be their Messiah, was expecting a war conquering hero. I don’t think this teaching of turning the other cheek was doing much for them. I’m sure some of them were wondering how could He be their Messiah when He is preaching so much passiveness. Of course the thing with Jesus is that He didn’t preach something and not live it Himself. When Jesus allowed Himself to be arrested and led to His crucifixion listen to what it said about how Jesus responded through all the taunts and things that they did to Him during that time. I Peter 2:23 tells us, “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” Now some people would say that Jesus was weak. How could He just sit there and take it? How could He not fight back? But this is what you absolutely need to know and understand: The meek are not weak. It may sound like it and look like it at first glance. But do you really think that Jesus was weak? I don’t think so. To call the meek weak is a big misunderstanding of what it truly is.
If you really want to understand what the biblical interpretation of meek is you simply go to the Greek here. The Greek word that meek is being translated from here denotes strength that is brought under control. The ancient Greeks used the term to describe a wild horse that had been tamed. A wild horse may be full of strength but without it being tamed and brought under control it is absolutely no use to the master. The meek is strength under control. Just like the horse is no use to his master without being tamed and brought under control it’s the same in our lives. You see God desires to bring us under the control of His Holy Spirit. The only way we are truly of use to Him is if we are allowing ourselves to be controlled by His Spirit. Galatians 5:22,23 tells us the things that the Holy Spirit wants to develop in us. Listen once again, this time it is in the King James as well. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” God wants to tame you with His Spirit because a person who doesn’t have the Spirit in their life is more likely to have problems with things such as anger. Matter of fact, William Barclay, when He talks about meekness in his Matthew commentary, talks about meekness being a person who is always angry at the right time and not angry at the wrong time. If you look at Jesus He went through all of the difficulties and persecutions and never retaliated. But let’s take another look at Jesus in the scripture this morning. John 2:12-16 paints this picture: “After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days. When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, ‘Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!’ ” Goodness! That doesn’t look like the same turn the other cheek Jesus. He seems angry and out of control. The difference was, Jesus knew when it was acceptable to have anger. Showing a display of anger for Jesus wasn’t about defending himself. But when the Father’s house was being turned in to something that it wasn’t supposed to be that brought anger to Jesus. You see Jesus knew when there was a time for anger and when it wasn’t. He was fully under control of the Spirit. You might remember when Jesus sent James and John ahead to secure a place to stay on their way to Jerusalem. When the Samaritans found out they were headed to Jerusalem they refused to give them a place to stay. James and John were ready to burn down their village or town. Jesus refused to let them and He rebuked them. You see meekness is so closely related to gentleness and humbleness.
A.W. Tozer once wrote, “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 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. That is his motto."
The meek know they are strong, but they know where their strength comes from. The meek know that their real strength comes from being under the control of God’s Spirit. People who are meek aren’t interested in battling their own rights they are more concerned with other people. Meek people have a gentle spirit that doesn’t fly off the handle mad. But like Jesus here they know when the right time to have anger is and when it is not the right time. When your life is under control of the Holy Spirit you don’t fly out of control. The Meek is not weak. They are strength under control, under control of the Holy Spirit. When all of those people were abusing Jesus He had the power to do whatever He wanted. He could have had those people killed that were spitting on Him. But He was under the control of the Spirit and the Father’s plan was what was important. He wasn’t interested in defending Himself. It was about His Father’s plan. Once again, the meek is strength under control.
Now there is something else very important that we need to know about the meek. The meek will win the day. Once again Jesus said in Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” The meek are in control, they are being controlled by God’s Spirit. But when you have a person who flies out of control and has temper outburst they are not the kind of person who goes very far. People who are out of control emotionally and other ways as well make decisions that are based on the wrong things. They often times act out of impulse and speak out of impulse and often times end up regretting those decisions later. The meek have an inner strength given by God. They are the type that other people will have a respect for. They often times become a leader. Because they know and understand where their real power comes from they are filled with a genuine humility. They know they aren’t weak, but they know where that strength comes from. Because of that humility we know that even if they aren’t exalted here they will be in the kingdom of God. Proverbs 18:12 tells us “Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.” In the kingdom of God humility, gentleness, having strength under God’s control will make you the big winner. Once again James 4:10 reminds us, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” The meek don’t see themselves as weak because they know who they belong to. But the humility is there because they know where their strength comes from. Because of their humility before God they shall not only win the day, but they have a tremendous inheritance waiting for them in the kingdom of God.
Today as we come to a close are you meek in Spirit. Remember there is nothing weak about meek. It is simply strength under control. When you are meek you have allowed yourself to be tamed by the Spirit of God. Some would say you now have self-control, but I prefer it as now being God-controlled. Let me ask you this morning: When people look at you do they see someone who is more worried about yourself and getting your way? Do you tend to get angry easy? If you are still struggling in some of these areas why don’t you come and ask God’s Holy Spirit to take control of these areas in your life. To be really used of God you have to allow Him to break you or to tame you. Have you been tamed by God? Let’s pray.
