The Birthmark Of Meekness Series

I. The Meaning of the Word

1. It is a word that was used to describe a wild animal that had been domesticated.

2. Take a stallion that has never been ridden, wild, full of energy, strength, and spirit. You break him, domesticate him, he becomes meek.

3. You can put a saddle on him, put a bit in his mouth and reign. His master can ride him. What have you done to this horse?

a. Have you taken away any of his strength? None at all.

b. Have you taken away any of his energy or spirit?

4. The only difference between that wild and domesticated stallion is not in strength, energy, or spirit.

5. The difference is that all his energy is now controlled by another person and that power is being channeled into a useful purpose.

6. The domesticated one is controlled by his master and has learned to obey the masters touch on the reigns.

7. In verse 5, Jesus is not saying, “Blessed is the man who has no power or strength.”

8. He is saying, “Blessed is the man who is no longer controlled by self but controlled by God.”

9. Your spirit must be ruled. If you do anything you want to do, you will run into a brick wall.

10. One of the birthmarks of a Christian is that he is controlled by someone else. He is a meek person.

11. Let me say three things about this person.

II. A Meek Person is Controlled by God

1. Notice the contrast between what you've always heard and what Jesus says. Versus 38-39, 43-44.

2. have you noticed that everything Jesus is talking about here has to do with how you react?

3. Most of us evaluate our Christianity by how we act. God says that it is how you react. It's easy to act right, but it's hard to react right.

4. How are your reactions? How do you react when things are not going right?

a. Not talking about how you act on the basketball court when everything is going great.

b. Your Christianity is not illustrated by how you act, but by how you react.

5. Our actions and reactions are to be God controlled.

6. There's another scriptural term about which we are talking. Dying to yourself, Galatians 2:20.

7. we might say,” blessed is that person who is not sensitive about himself.” The most miserable person here tonight is the person who is super sensitive about themselves.

8. He goes around with his feelings on his sleeve, always making sure he is treated right.

9. Have you lost your temper this last week? Have you had your feelings hurt? If you have, it's because somebody didn't treat you the way you thought you should be treated.

10. Do you know what marriage problems are? Do you know what personality conflicts are? It's my old self irritating my new self.

III. A Meek Person is to be Love Controlled

1. Verse 44

2. There are four things Jesus says we ought to do:

a. Love your enemies.

b. I can’t do that, then you don’t know what love means.

3. Love is meeting the needs of another. Jesus explains this in verse 45.

a. That is not the way you and I would operate if we were God.

b. We would react different.

4. Love is treating your enemy as though he were your friend. Treat people the way God treats people.

5. Bless them that curse you. Not just God bless you but seek to be a blessing to them. Look at the last two. Love controlled.

6. Evaluate yourself, someone injured you deliberately. If you had them in your power and could do anything you wanted to them, what would you do?

IV. A Meek Person is to be Eternity Controlled

1. Someone says, “That’s the only way they will ever get the earth, is to inherit it.” That is what God says.

2. The person who is self-controlled, ambition controlled, emotion controlled will scratch and fight to get every ounce of dirt he can, in this life.

3. He is a fool. God says this earth is already in the process of passing away.

4. Have you noticed how God keeps reminding us of this?

5. In verse 5, everything is eventually coming to God's people. God controlled people, love controlled people, eternity-controlled people.

6. Are you among this group?