The Fruit of the Spirit and the Crucified Christian (Meekness)

The Fruit of the Spirit and the Crucified Christian (Meekness)(2 Samuel 16:5-14)

Meekness - humble submission to the will of God, not apt to complain about what God allows. (Sometimes we think God should do things for us, or keep things for us, because we’re a “good Christian.” We don’t deserve anything but hell.) Opposed to pride and arrogance.

The ability to take injury and remain Christian (as someone that throws a rock into a river. It goes right back to going on. If someone goes in and tries to dam it up, it tries to keep on going forward!)

Matthew 21:5 “Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.”

Not one week later, these same people were rallying to crucify our Savior, yet it didn’t change Him or His course. We’re saved because of the meekness of Christ!

Christ was treated a lot worse than we will ever be, and it didn’t change who He was.

Exercising meekness means that when you get hurt, you have no excuse to exercise the works of the flesh.

Opposition and Meekness (vs.5-8) (2 Timothy 2:23-26)

Oppose themselves - destroy, hinder, defeat, argue, resist, to act against

There are those that do things to hurt themselves, but that doesn’t mean it should hurt you or effect you.

Bars, drugs, all those bad places and bad things doesn’t hurt us (because we’re not in those types of places), but when you are invested in someone, you try to help them, and they hurt you, meekness helps us to stay like Christ, regardless of the circumstance.

You will be criticized, scrutinized, ostracized for living the Christian life.

Miriam (Moses’ sister) and Aaron (Moses’ brother) spoke against Moses (a saved person) because he had married and Ethiopian woman. Miriam becomes leprous, Aaron asks Moses to forgive them, and to heal Miriam, and Moses asks God to heal her. Moses done right, when people were doing wrong!

The Option of Meekness (vs.9-12)(James 3:8)

If someone does us wrong, we have the option to be bitter or sweet. You can’t bring out both.

This person done me wrong, how do I act like a Christian because of that? We don’t get mad and get even, we stay CHRISTLIKE. You can either be like Abishai (get ready to cut someone’s head off) or be like David (I’m going to do right no matter what!)

John 18:10–11 “Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?”

Luke 22:49–53 “When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword? And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him. Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the elders, which were come to him, Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves? When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”

We’re really good at telling God how people are doing bad to us, but were not so good at asking God how we can be right.

The Ongoing of Meekness (vs.13-14)

David didn’t stop with meekness after the first stones. Shimei kept throwing and cursing, but David didn’t quit showing meekness.

We want God to fix people so that we don’t need the Holy Spirit, but there are those that won’t let God fix them, so God gave us the Holy Spirit, so we can stay right with God when things aren’t right with others.

2 Corinthians 12:14–15 “Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.”

Meekness kept Paul going because he cared about others, not what he got from others.

Meekness kept Paul going because he loved others when others didn’t love him.

Corinth’s corrupt conduct didn’t hinder Paul’s meekness: it showed Paul’s meekness.

“Meekness is not about demanding everyone to be perfect. It’s about responding properly when they’re not.” - James Knox