I. Jesus goes up to the mount and gives the greatest sermon ever preached.
A. And the words He gives are counter revolutionary.
B. In the Beatitudes Jesus gives the Secrets to Happiness.
II. His statement ran against the current mood of the religious leaders of the day.
A. To their way of thinking, the only way to inherit the land was to overthrow the Roman government, and that certainly could never be done by being meek.
1. It would take a massive show of force and a great deal of aggression to accomplish such a monumental task.
B. I like the ad about the secretary reviewing the bosses daily schedule.
1. “Mr Jones you are scheduled for a staff meeting at 10am, a board meeting at 11 and an auto accident at 3pm but I have to know if you want a side impact or a head on collision?”
2. Sounds ridiculous but it is the way we live.
3. We plan our days down to the millisecond and then become incensed when we get stuck in traffic.
C. Percentage of Americans earning less than $30,000 per year who believe that "the meek shall inherit the earth": 61
1. Percentage of Americans earning more than $60,000 who believe this: 36 Citation: Harper's (3/96). "To Verify," Leadership.
2. It's too bad that the meek haven't already inherited the earth, because the unmeek are making a real mess of it.
D. When’s the last time you heard someone say, "If you really want to get ahead in life, try being meek."?
1. Or, "If you want to rise to the top and be someone and get somewhere, exhibit a little meekness along the way."?
a. Meekness is not a characteristic that is promoted much in our society today.
b. Hezekiah 6:1 The Lord helps those who help themselves.
c. Blessed are they who go and get theirs because no one else will.
2. I must confess that I have a problem here. I am a pusher and a manipulate
III. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.(NIV)
A. What does it mean being meek and being humble?
1. Although weakness and meekness may look similar, they are not the same.
a. Weakness is due to negative circumstances, such as lack of strength or lack of courage.
b. Meekness never implies weakness.
2. Phillips Brooks “The true way to be humble is not to stoop until you are smaller than yourself, but to stand at your real height against some higher nature that will show you what the real smallness of your greatness is.”
3. Charles Haddon Spurgeon Humility is to make a right estimate of one's self.
B. The opposite of meekness and humility is pride.
1. Spiritual pride is something which is very pervasive in the church.
2. We have a way of looking down our noses at people who are different than us.
3. Too often the church becomes a house full of critics and pride run a muck.
C. In contrast to weakness, meekness is controlled strength.
1. It is an attitude of heart in which all energies are brought into the perfect control of the Holy Spirit.
2. The meek inherit the earth, not by conquering in this present dispensation but by achieving ultimate victory during the final manifestation of the kingdom, or the Millennium
3. It means now I am not in control.
a. God has control and I can not force my agenda nor my will.
b. Humbleness and meekness implies submission and relinquishing control to God.
4. Do we really believe in God?
a. Do we really believe in a God who has control of the universe and every moment of my life?
b. We act as though God has governs the stars but in the ity, pity parts of our lives, He is too busy or just doesn’t care or has turned that over to us.
c. Surely we have responsibility for our behavior but do we have ultimate control and determination of the events of our lives.
D. Meekness was used of colts and other animals whose naturally wild spirits were broken by a trainer so that they could do useful work.
1. As a human attitude it meant being gentle of spirit, meek, submissive, quiet, tenderhearted.
a. During His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus was hailed as the coming King, though He was “gentle, and mounted on a donkey” (Matt. 21:5).
b. Paul lovingly referred to the “meekness and gentleness of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:1) as the pattern for his own attitude.
2. The essential difference between being poor in spirit and being meek, or gentle, may be that poverty in spirit focuses on our sinfulness, whereas meekness focuses on God’s holiness.
E. Meekness, in
1. It must be clearly understood, therefore, that the meekness manifested by the Lord and commended to the believer is the fruit of power.
a. The common assumption is that when a man is meek it is because he cannot help himself; but the Lord was `meek' because he had the infinite resources of God at His command.
b. MEEKNESS An attitude of humility toward God and gentleness toward men, springing from a recognition that God is in control.
2. But meekness is due to a person's conscious choice.
a. It is strength and courage under control, coupled with kindness.
F. Biblical Examples
1. Abraham was truly a meek man.
a. In the story of Abraham and Lot (Genesis 13), Abraham took his wife and all that he had and left Egypt and Lot followed him.
b. Because both Abraham and Lot had a considerable amount of possessions,
c. Abraham and Lot were forced to part ways.
d. In the parting of ways, Abraham gave Lot the first choice as to where he wanted to settle and Abraham would be satisfied with what was left over.
e. In his actions, Abraham demonstrates genuine meekness.
2. David, although he had his bouts with sin, demonstrated meekness in his dealing with Saul.
a. God had given David the kingdom. Samuel, the prophet, had told him it was his and had anointed him as king.
b. At that point, "the spirit of the LORD came upon David...but the spirit of the LORD departed from Saul..." (1 Samuel 16:13-14).
c. On numerous occasions David was presented with the opportunity to kill Saul and take the kingdom for himself, but each time he refused.
d. David knew that God had promised him the kingdom and that God was able to deliver it into his hands in His own time.
3. Meekness is a virtue practiced and commended by our Lord Jesus
a. Matt 11:29 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. (NIV)
b. Matt 21:5 “Say to the Daughter of Zion, `See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'” (NIV)
IV. Inherit the earth?
A. They shall inherit the earth—
1. It is probable that here is a reference to the manner in which the Jews commonly expressed themselves to denote any great blessing.
2. They regarded it as a great blessing.
a. When our Saviour uses this language here, he means that the meek shall be received into his kingdom, and partake of its blessings here, and of the glories of the heavenly Canaan hereafter.
b. The value of meekness, even in regard to worldly property and success in life, is often exhibited in the Scriptures,
c. It is also seen in common life that a meek, patient, mild man is the most prospered.
B. Meekness and humbleness have temporal benefits.
1. When we realize ultimate control is not ours, there is a burden lifted from our shoulders.
a. Consequently the tension and the stress of the ultimates are not ours.
b. What a relief, what an easing, what a peace.
2. Also, essentially we are but one actor in the play and not the director.
a. We are obligated to share love and the gospel of Christ with all people.
b. But we can not impose nor control anyone else.
c. Our relations with others takes on a whole different tint.
d. Coercion and manipulation are no longer the nature of our connection with others.
e. Our earthly relations are less confrontational.
C. Meekness produces peace.
1. It is proof of true greatness of soul.
2. It comes from a heart too great to be moved by little insults.
3. It looks upon those who offer them with pity.
D. Meekness is necessary because we cannot witness effectively without it.
1. Peter says, “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Pet. 3:15).
a. Pride will always stand between our testimony and those to whom we testify.
b. They will see us instead of the Lord, no matter how orthodox our theology or how refined our technique.
2. Meekness is necessary because only meekness gives glory to God.
a. Pride seeks its own glory, but meekness seeks God’s.
b. Meekness is reflected in our attitude toward other children of God.
c. Humility in relation to fellow Christians gives God glory.
E. More specifically, however, the gentle shall inherit the earth.
1. God gave man dominion over the whole earth (Gen. 1:28).
a. The subjects of His kingdom are going to come someday into that promised inheritance
b. Theirs will be paradise regained.
2. One day God will completely reclaim His earthly domain, and those who have become His children through faith in His Son will rule that domain with Him.
3. And the only ones who become His children and the subjects of His divine kingdom are those who are gentle, those who are meek, because they understand their unworthiness and sinfulness and cast themselves on the mercy of God.
