Strength Under Control
lanny smith
Reboot / Gentleness; Meek / Matthew 5:5
Intro:
• 98 lb. weakling ads from the comic books.
• [IMAGE] 98 lb weakling
• [IMAGE] He Man!
• Male or female, we worship power.
• We fear those who have more.
• We want to have more.
• We fear losing what power we have.
• But Jesus tells us, when we have our power under control we receive everything worth having.
• Whose control, however?
Matthew 5:5 NLT
God blesses those who are humble, ??for they will inherit the whole earth.
• Meek, gentle = strength, power under control.
• Inherit the earth = co-heirs with Christ.
• Current blessing comes when:
God is pleased when we use power wisely; then we receive everything we need.
• Areas that we can, with God’s direction, practice control over our power:
My Words Are Under Control
Matthew 5:5 NLT
5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.
• Here’s the problem:
James 3:8–10 NLT
8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!
• What’s the answer? What does controlling the power or words look like?
James 1:19–20 NLT
19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.
• Watching our words is vital. So is keeping our actions under control.
My Actions Are Under Control
Matthew 5:5 NLT
5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.
• Survey of HS seniors: Rate your overall leadership ability.
• 70% - Above average
• 25% - Top 1%
• 60% - Top 10%
• Also asked how well do you get along with others. 0 our of 829K surveys said “below average.”
• College professors ask to rate competency to their colleagues: 84% said “better.”
Matthew 20:26–28 NLT
26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
• Paul reflects on Jesus’ example:
Philippians 2:6–9 NLT
6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names,
• Jesus received the reward for keeping his strength under control.
• So will we. This means we can reassess our ambitions.
My Ambitions Are Under Control
Matthew 5:5 NLT
5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.
• Ambition, in 21st C. America, usually means money. Which buys power, material assets, reputation, etc.
• To have an humble estimate of ourselves is the most valuable asset we can have.
Mark 9:33–35 NLT
33 After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, “What were you discussing out on the road?” 34 But they didn’t answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. 35 He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.”
Reboot
• You are NOT powerless in this world.
Acts 1:8 NLT
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
• Strength under God’s control.
Romans 8:6–9 NLT
6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. 9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)
