Beatitudes Sermon Three based on Matthew 5:5

I. Brief review of first two Beatitudes. A key idea is that happiness is not determined by what is going on around me, but rather happiness is determined by what is going on in me.

II. Read Matthew 5:5 and comment about meekness. Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

III. Only two men in Bible called “meek.” In Numbers 12:3 we read, “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.” Jesus in Matthew 11:28-29 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

IV. Meekness of Jesus on Palm Sunday.

V. When you are disappointed in life, be gentle not judgmental. Galatians 6:1 tells us, “If anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of meekness.”

VI. Too judgmental.

VII. When someone disagrees with you, be tender without surrender.

VIII. A better option in Ephesians 4:1-2. A better option in responding to someone who disagrees with you is to be meek. Ephesians 4:1-2 states, “Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and meekness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.”

IX. Meekness is strength under control. When you are corrected, be teachable without being unreachable. Meek people do not claim to know everything. Proverbs 13:18 tells us, “Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored.”

X. Booker T. Washington quote. Booker T. Washington, the great black scientist, who was a target of racial hatred all his life, once said, “I will never allow another man to control my life by making me hate him.”

“Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” (Proverbs 16:32)

XI. We are loved by God in Jesus Christ. That makes all the difference for us. Colossians 3:12 tells us, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

XII. Jesus chose the cross, nails, agony, spear, and darkness for us.

XIII. Healthier way to live is the be-attitude: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”