Happiness In An Unsettling World
Steele Creek Church, Eastfield Campus
Dr. Tom Bartlett – October 4, 2020
Matthew 5:5
Meekness
OUTLINE
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:1–13 (ESV)
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Vs. 5)
“the world belongs to those who can control themselves”
Meekness is not weakness, it’s strength under control
HOW DO I CONTROL MY EMOTIONS?
“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1 (ESV)
Three options when I’m emotionally charged
• Retreat in fear. . . NO
• Attack in anger. . . NO
• Respond in love. . . YES
LOVE FOR OTHERS GUIDES YOU TO . . .
SERVE
“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:4-5 (ESV)
ACCEPT
“Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.” Romans 14:1 (NLT)
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 3:16–18 (ESV)
LISTEN
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. James 1:19 (ESV)
MANUSCRIPT
Good morning and welcome to Steele Creek Church of Charlotte, Eastfield Campus. If before this week you didn’t feel unsettled, after this past week the current events probably pushed you over, lol.
It’s becoming more and more clear to me than ever before why the words of Jesus and His plan for salvation must be the priority of our lives. Whether you love Jesus or you’re not sure about faith at all, every person can say that they deal with circumstances that try them and unsettle them. It’s part of life.
Last week I gave a glimpse into my own journey. I talked about the emotionally overwhelming circumstances of a deteriorating marriage which eventually led to a one-sided divorce. Now, I don’t in any way want to make this about me, but I heard from so many people last week concerning that. I want to bring a little follow up from that message, because I got a phone call Monday night from a person that I had not talked to in 27 years. In fact, he was my pastor at that time. I was young in ministry and he was just a little older. What he told me gave me some freedom from a burden I had held for all these years. I’ll share that part with you in a bit.
You see, we’re in a series of talks looking at the teachings of Jesus on one particularly fine day in His ministry. The teachings have come to be known as the “beatitudes.” The word beatitude comes from the Latin beatitudo, meaning "blessedness." The word, in reality does not refer to many attitudes, but one, “BLESSED”, or happy, peaceful, joyful.
Now this blessing is actually a progressive walk into a deeper experience with God. Let’s read the full section in Matthew five and then I’ll explain a little.
Matthew 5:1–13 (ESV)
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
There’s an order to the Beatitudes, and each one propels you toward the next.
• You’ll find that the first three Beatitudes deal with our need.
o We’re poor in spirit (see v. 3) because we don’t have what it takes to live as God commands. We need God.
o We mourn (see v. 4) This world leaves us broken-hearted
o We become meek rather than self-willed and defiant (see v. 5) We realize we need self-control.
These are the roots of a blessed and godly life. More on the remaining beatitudes in another message. . .
[Continuing the metaphor, the roots produce shoots, and the shoots bear fruit. The fruit of this blessed and godly life is, first, mercy or forgiveness (see v. 7), then purity (see v. 8), and finally peace (see v. 9).
Our Lord also gave us an Eighth Beatitude: “Blessed are those who are persecuted” (v. 10). This one is different from the rest because the others all reflect character that God’s people are to actively pursue. Persecution is different. We aren’t to pursue it, but we’re to understand that when we seek the blessed, godly life that Jesus lays out for us in the Beatitudes, persecution will pursue us. Those who are blessed by God will be persecuted in this world.]
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Vs. 5)
I like to say it this way: “the world belongs to those who can control themselves”
The ancient Greeks, namely Aristotle - "the character of one having the passion of resentment under control, and therefore is tranquil and untroubled."
What is meekness? Meekness is not weakness.
There are only two men in the Bible called meek: Jesus and Moses. Neither of them was pushovers. The Greek word referred to a wild horse tamed or medicine that could tame a fever. Strength under control.
Meekness is not weakness, it’s strength under control
Now, if we’re honest, we must all say that we have overreacted to things in our lives. And out of those overreactions good things never come. However, those who can tame their emotions, their reactions have the world in front of them!
Jesus is teaching in this mountain setting that it is possible to live in such a way that your emotions, your reactions are in check and under control. BUT it does take a choice and that choice begins in a relationship with Christ. He, through His powerful presence in you, will help you to grow to the point that over reactions become a thing of the past.
Another way to express Jesus words, "Happy are those who don't over react to people."
HOW DO I CONTROL MY EMOTIONS?
Obviously out of control emotions have been a problem for man from the beginning. Cain gets emotionally charged, angry and kills his brother right at the beginning of creation. Solomon warns us in Proverbs about anger when he says,
“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1 (ESV)
Does that mean you never get upset? NO
Do I have to stuff it down and forget it? NO
Three options when I’m emotionally charged:
Retreat in fear. . . NO
Attack in anger. . . NO
Respond in love. . . YES
There needs to be a response to others and the situations that cause us to overboil. By chopping someone’s head off every time they do something wrong will only make it worse. I believe that love for others creates a temperature, an environment within us that is expressed toward others regardless of almost anything they could do.
Meekness, is the ability to remain strong and not react when someone wrongs you. Love is the ability to react in a way that values others first before yourself.
To love people who love you is easy, to love them when it’s hard takes meekness.
LOVE FOR OTHERS GUIDES YOU TO . . .
SERVE
I need to ask you, how do you respond when your server at a restaurant gets your order wrong, or late?
You know, oversees, people see American’s as pushy, bossy and selfish. How about you? Are you like that?
Paul teaches us to become loving like Jesus and to take a servant’s attitude toward everyone regardless of your title, or position in life.
“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:4-5 (ESV)
That takes meekness because when we’re all born, everything inside us says, “it’s all about me”! But it’s not and the path to a blessed or happy life starts with a realization that you were put here to serve others.
Now, what’s the benefit of that service? Well, just everything you thought you were gonna get by making it all about you. Honor, respect, and love come back to you.
So, serve others, then . . .
ACCEPT
• Ever meet someone who acted like no one else was up to their level?
• Ever met a person that accepted only people that acted, looked and talked like they do?
That’s a false pretense of importance. If someone, if you, think you’re better because of externals you have a shallow mindset and are missing so much of what’s good in the world.
Can you accept others that are different? Less mature? Less intellectual? Paul teaches. . .
“Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.” Romans 14:1 (NLT)
The point is people have value, not because we think so, but because God says so. When we judge on the externals, we have to make others look bad to make ourselves look better.
James addresses that further. . .
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 3:16–18 (ESV)
Finally, love will cause you to. . .
LISTEN
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. James 1:19 (ESV)
I’ve sat with people, sometimes and hour, and all I did was listen. They shared all that they have gone through or dealing with. When they’re done, they’ve looked a me and said, thanks for all you’ve done for me. Really? All I did was listen.
Listening is a gift and it demonstrates love. It’s God ability for one person to release a burden that is crushing them, without crushing the one listening.
STORY OF MY FORMER PASTORS CALL
