Jesus and the Upside-Down Kingdom, Part 3
Notes
Transcript
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Bob - Has been in the church his whole life.
Bill - Recently came to church after many years of avoiding the church.
The Inheritance of Kings for the Gentle.
The Inheritance of Kings for the Gentle.
(Matthew 5:5)
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Spiritual bankruptcy was about what a person believes about himself.
Mourning over our sin was about the emotional response to poverty of spirit.
But meekness has both a vertical and horizontal component.
Gentleness toward God
Gentleness toward God
Submission to the Word.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Gentleness is not weakness nor self-assertive.
Gentleness is not weakness nor self-assertive.
Gentleness is often also confused with a term like weakness.
To be weak is to lack strength.
Its to lack strength
Its to be fragile.
The problem is that weakness does not define the biblical concept of meekness.
Look at the people our society believes are successful.
Executives with strength.
The strong.
The self-sufficient.
The capable.
One of the tests of how gentle a person comes when they are provoked.
Striving after “number one” looks to himself above everyone else.
The self-assertive man is the man who tries to assert himself as a way to glean attention from others.
The self-assertive person is the person who is quick to defend their own cause.
Gentleness is strength under control.
Gentleness is strength under control.
When we think of the word “meek” we need to have in our minds the idea of strength under control.
We are not talking about a flabby weakness.
Strength under Control in Animals
We need to picture something like the tame thoroughbred horse.
An animal of immense strength and ability but gentle enough to be petted by a child.
Matthew 11:29 (ESV)
I am gentle and lowly in heart…
The grounds for the weak to come to Jesus isn’t their need.
It isn’t their self-worth.
It isn’t their status as Christians.
It isn’t the social institutions they have yoked themselves to.
Jesus’ heart stands as the reason that people who are labored and heavy laden can come to Him.
The biblical term ‘heart’ is not the physical muscle in our chest.
It’s not simply emotions that we have.
The biblical term for heart is the central command of a person.
Essentially the heart is the seat of the person.
But when Jesus tells us what His heart is like, He describes it as “gentle.”
Jesus models this for us.
He gives us the model of a gentle and meek person
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 gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
The imagery here is one of two oxen plowing a field.
A “yoke” is what binds them together which allows them to pull the plow together.
Usually when ox are plowing a field they will place an inexperienced ox with an older one so he may learn as the older one bears more of the weight.
Jesus says if you are weary from the religious system weighing you down, come to Him.
What makes a person meek though?
What gives them the strength under control?
One of the most powerful examples of this in the NT is the Lord Jesus Himself.
R. Kent Hughes points this out well.
There is a scene in the gospel of the Lord Jesus standing before the Roman governor Pilate.
Jesus appeared to be the height of weakness, frailness, and inability.
Whereas Pilate appeared to be the height of human power and the strongest of earthly powers.
But these two people could not have been anymore paradoxical.
The Lord Jesus, the weak man, was the most powerful of all.
Though he was a prisoner, in reality He was free.
Whereas Pilate was the free governor, completely captive to his own pride.
He couldn’t even control his own being.
For Jesus, He was strong because He entrusted Himself to His Father in heaven.
Our strength though doesn’t come from within us.
Our strength comes from where we are trusting.
A Christian is able to be gentle because they entrust themselves to God.
A Christian is able to be gentle because they have been yoked with Jesus.
Christian - Are you gentle?
Our salvation isn’t dependent upon being gentle enough.
But if a person were to fill out the characteristics of you, would gentleness be one of them?
Sermon on the Mount—The Message of the Kingdom Becoming Meek
“The man who is truly meek is the man who is amazed that God and man can think of him as well as they do and treat him as well as they do.”
A gentleness that comes by faith to those who trust Christ for salvation.
The Christian does not conjure up gentleness.
Gentleness is the fragrance of the Christian life.
Gentleness is the fragrance of the Christian life.
The Christian is gentle because the Christian has been lowered in poverty of Spirit.
The Christian is gentle because the Christian has mourned their sin.
The Christian then wafts to the world, the kindness that God has shown to them.
Jesus quotes a portion of Psalm 37.
Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.
In this Psalm, David is struggling with what he sees vs. what he believes.
He sees the wicked prosper.
But he believes that the righteous will be truly blessed.
In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.
The righteous are those who wait for the LORD to remove the wicked.
They do not take it into their hands to remove the wicked.
Non-Christian - Where are you in this Psalm?
Nobody likes to think of themselves as wicked.
But the reality of the cross of Jesus Christ reveals that we were all once wicked.
We were all once people who stood condemned in the “wicked” camp.
If you’re still refusing to trust Christ, then you’re still within that wicked camp.
The RIGHTEOUS entrust themselves to the Lord.
Those who are RIGHTEOUS because of faith in Christ.
Those who are DECLARED RIGHTEOUS in Jesus CHRIST, entrust even their enemies to God.
The gentle inherit the land because they wait on the Lord to provide for them.
The gentle inherit the land because as they cling to Christ.
As they cling to Him, they know that all the descendents of Abraham will be as many as the stars of heaven (Genesis 15:4-5).
They know that the glory of God will cover the earth like the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14).
The Lord is the One who does this.
He does this in the hearts of His people.
His glory spreads to every corner of the earth.
Church - Who are we trusting to defend our cause?
Jesus promised that He would build His body (Matthew 16:18), and the gates of hell wouldn’t prevail.
2 Corinthians 2:14–16 (ESV)
But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.
Our gentleness is a reminder to the watching world that the Lord is near (Philippians 4:4-5
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Gentleness is submission to the Word.
Gentleness is submission to the Word.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Picture with me: the human heart as that of a raging sea.
Before a person comes to Christ…
there heart wages and wars within themselves.
Before God has changed the heart of a Christian...
they cast forth anger, rage, and wrath like the seas foam.
They toss to and fro.
But the Christian that has had poverty of spirit…
a mournful brokenness over their own sin will result in a gentle calming of the storm.
Like Jesus calls out to the waters from the boat, “Peace, Be still!” (Mark 4:39), is what God does in the Christian.
The fruit of this peace then is the gentleness of Spirit.
The meek are those who as James says,
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
The way of our former life was marked by hating God and hating one another (Titus 3:3).
The way of our former life was marked by chaos and confusion.
The way of our former life was marked by filthiness and rampant wickedness.
Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
It’s not for some Christians.
It’s for all Christians.
The Christian is known for gentleness.
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
Where does this come from?
The Spirit working within our heart through the Word of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
We’re not talking about a SPECIAL GIFTING.
We’re talking about the FRUIT of the SPIRIT in the life of the Christian.
Gentleness toward Man
Gentleness toward Man
Conquering with “Gentlemen.”
Gentleness is not being a “doormat.”
Gentleness is not being a “doormat.”
The phrase “doormat” is typically understood as a derogatory term used to describe a person that gets walked all over.
People have often accused Christians as being “doormats” to be walked on.
Doormats get walked on.
Another definition of gentleness has been defined as….
“The humble and gentle attitude which expresses itself in a patient submissiveness to offense, free from malice and desire for revenge” (Roger & Rogers, pg 8)
Gentleness is bold in correcting error.
Gentleness is bold in correcting error.
The Christian can be bold toward others in correcting error.
One of the best examples of this tension between gentleness and boldness is Moses.
In Numbers 12:3, Moses is describes as..
Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.
Of all the people on earth, Moses was the meekest.
He was the gentlest.
The most unassuming.
Yet Moses was the one who stood before the tyrant Pharaoh.
Moses stood before Pharaoh and demanded, “Let my people go!”
How can a person be bold and yet gentle?
Gentleness is able to be bold because it trusts in the promises of God.
A person can be gentle and bold because they rely upon the Lord to defend them.
Moses is continually called meek throughout the book of Exodus and into the wilderness.
Moses was commanded earlier in Exodus 17:6
Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.
He struck the rock and was able to provide water for the people.
But there is a scene later in the book of Numbers that describes the people as thirsty again.
This scene reveals much about this connection between gentleness and boldness.
Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
And the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord!
Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle?
And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.”
Now the Lord again hears the cries of His people and tells Moses what to do to provide water for them.
“Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.”
This has happened before, and the first time Moses brought forth water from the rock that he struck.
But this time God tells him to only speak to the rock.
Seems like a minor difference.
But notice what Moses does.
Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?”
And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock.
Did you catch it?
Instead of speaking to the rock as he was told, Moses struck the rock twice.
He was bold, but he was not meek.
He was bold as a lion yet arrogant.
It was possible for Moses to be BOLD but yet NOT GENTLE.
Moses was BOLD but it was boldness that sprang from unbelief.
It was a boldness that proceeded from himself.
Numbers 20:12 (ESV)
“Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”
Gentleness is bold, but it is bold in the Word of God.
It’s not boldness from one’s self.
It’s boldness that is in the Word of God.
It’s a boldness that springs from standing upon the promises of God.
It’s lowness before God that allows a man to stand high before men.
It’s the spiritually bankrupt that mourn their sin that can stand upon the promises of God.
Christians to One Another
It’s not if you’ll offend each other, it’s when.
You will offend each other.
You will wrong each other.
The question is: will we show gentleness to one-another like Christ has first shown us in the gospel?
Gentleness is bold in correcting error.
First in oneself and then moving outward.
Gentleness is the tenor of our warfare—covering.
Gentleness is the tenor of our warfare—covering.
We are told on repeat in the Scriptures,
“wage the good warfare,” (1 Timothy 1:18),
“Fight the good fight of the faith.” (1 Timothy 6:12)
This is an apparent contradiction and not a genuine one.
It’s apparent because it only appears to be a contradiction.
“God has promised great mercy to those who seek peace and endure guile [mistreatment]…War does not gain much, but loses much and risks everything. Gentleness, however, loses nothing, risks little, and gains everything.” —Martin Luther
To make war as a Christian is to fight as Christ taught us how.
We are to do war against the world the flesh and the devil.
One of the primary weapons for us as Christians is to forgive as we have been forgiven (Matthew 18:27)
When God goes to war against the world,
He both punishes and forgives.
He punishes sin in the death of His Son as well as forgiving those in Christ Jesus.
How can the Christian both be engaged in warfare and be gentle?
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
This is battle language.
This is the language of war.
This is military language.
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
But don’t miss what Paul said just above…
I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!—
How is the Christian to wage war meekly?
How is the Christian supposed to fight in gentleness?
The Christian can meekly fight because the Christian entrusts himself to the Lord to win the battle.
Covering offense of others.
The Christian fights beating into submission his own passions under the rule and reign of Christ.
The Christian’s warfare is against sin and corruption, but the gentle Christian knows his own sin best.
He knows his own sin to be the worst, and this makes him gentle toward others.
Gentleness results in world conquest.
Gentleness results in world conquest.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:5 is almost a direct quotation from Psalm 37:11
But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.
The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives; for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
The concern is over the observed vs. the believed.
Whats happening in front of him is different than what he knows to be true by faith.
He knows that the wicked will perish but currently they are prospering.
Election year and trusting the LORD’s purposes.
2024 will be an election year.
There will be a temptation for us to “fight” like the rest of the world.
Brother and sister, we do not wage warfare like the world does.
We know that our God uses our gentleness to conquer His enemies.
What more can the world do to a person who is gentle?
One who is spiritual bankrupt before God,
mourns their sin before God,
and is gentle before God.
Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.
This Psalm is the reminder to the righteous to look beyond what is seen to what is unseen (Hebrews 11:1).
To trust what the Lord says and not what you see happening all around you.
David is imploring everyone to see with the eyes of faith.
To see what will come of those who do not wither (Psalm 1:3)
Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
The way of prospering is the way of trusting the LORD.
When a person delights themselves in the LORD, the LORD gives us the desires of our heart which is more of Himself.
When a person is delighting in the LORD in this manner, they become the blessed who inherit the earth.