Let Go and Let God Take the Lead

Be honest - are you stuck / have you been stuck?

Hands up!

If honest, we’re all messed up in some way.

We make bad choices sometimes.

We have bad habits.

We’ve had pain - sometimes serious, significant pain - in our lives.

Knowing how many of us are willing to be honest about this means this is a safe space.

A space where we can bring our weaknesses and our failures to God and to each other, and we won’t be judged, because we are all in the same boat.

Do you ever look at someone else’s bad habit - maybe anger, cynicism, a critical nature, gossip - and think, well, that’s just them? It’s a character weakness. Just a bad habit.

Can I suggest that bad habit you see in others, or perhaps in yourself this morning, is something different to a character weakness.

Often, it’s a response to a hurt.

They’ve been hurt by something or someone significantly, and the pain it caused has been left undealt with.

The bad habit - spending, television binge-watching, lying, overeating - whatever it is will never stop until you get to the root of the hurt.

But instead what many of us do is say, I must stop whatever the bad habit is, and we try to conquer it.

But we can’t.

And if we can, then we simply replace it with another bad habit.

The Good News is that Jesus spoke about eight choices we can make that can change our lives.

Eight choices that can help heal our hurt and pain, and with God’s help, help us to be different.

So, in Week 1 we looked at choice one - the reality choice - the choice to stop playing God and to realise that we are powerless to control our tendency to do the wrong thing. We must admit our need of God, and ask him for his help to change.

Then last week, we took the second choice to the general public at Family Fun Day - the hope choice to let God into our lives.

To recognise that God exists, and who he is, and that only he has the power to help us change.

As we turn back to the beatitudes of Jesus, we come to third choice - a pivotal one - the commitment choice. The choice to let go and let God take the lead in every part of our lives.

Matthew 5:1-12

Matthew 5:1–12 NIV

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. He said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

MESSAGE NOTES

Jesus wasn’t speaking to the meek

Need to recognise who he was speaking to:

Matthew 5:1–2 NIV

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. He said:

And he said this to them:

Matthew 5:5 NIV

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

But Jesus wasn’t speaking to the meek!

These people had become prideful people.

They were supposed to be different to everyone else.

They were God’s special people, and they were supposed to be set apart and holy, keeping his laws and statutes.

But they kept forgetting their uniqueness as God’s people.

They demanded a king so they could be like all the other nations.

They worshipped idols of wood and stone.

They ignored the warnings and pleadings of the prophets God sent them to remind them who they were supposed to be.

And now, they had their hearts set on a Messiah who would come and defeat the Romans and restore them to their rightful positions in society.

They didn’t want meekness.

They didn’t want a gentle Jesus.

They wanted a Braveheart shouting, “Freedom”!

They didn’t think you could defeat the Roman army with meekness and humility.

Surely it would need strength and pride!

Can you imagine the crowd of disciples hearing this for the first time?

Blessed are the meek?

Is that what he said?

I must be mistaken!

Some of you - I won’t ask for a show of hands this time - might well be thinking of the Monty Python film, The Life of Brian, where this kind of misunderstanding was played out.

At the back of the crowd where Jesus was giving the Sermon on Mount, someone says:

You hear that? Blessed are the Greek.

The Greek?

Mmm. Well, apparently, he's going to inherit the earth.

Did anyone catch his name?

It’s no surprise, because many of us don’t understand what it means to be meek

Many people think those who are meek are doormats for people to trample over simply because they lack the resources to be anything else.

Meekness is not being a coward and refusing to deal with any difficult situation.

Meekness isn’t spinelessness, refusing to ever come to a decision.

It isn’t timidity.

It isn’t settling for peace at any cost.

It’s not indecisive, wishy-washy, or lacking in confidence.

It’s not about being shy or introverted.

It’s not being nice.

So, what does it mean?

Greek - praüs (prah-ooce) - is often used to to describe an animal that’s been domesticated, trained to obey commands, learned to respond to the reins. It’s a word for an animal that has learned to accept control.

Ever seen a wild horse broken in?

Video: Breaking a Wild Horse | 2:00

Meekness is like the tame stallion.

It’s strength under control.

Blessed are those who have every instinct, every impulse, every passion under control. Blessed are those who are entirely self-controlled. (William Barclay)

Meekness is courage under fire.

It’s strength.

It’s having conviction.

Now, I don’t know about you, but this definition of meekness worries me!

Why?

I don’t have any self-control!

If you ask me if I want a takeaway this evening, I’ll probably say yes!

If going to the gym tomorrow morning relies on my self-control, then more often than not, I’m going to stay in bed instead!

I set out each day determined not to snap at anyone if I get frustrated, but I never seem to have that self-control in the moment.

Perfect self-control is beyond our human capacity.

So where’s the blessing in that?

The blessing is found in those who are completely God-controlled

Meekness, that gentle spirit, that strength under control, doesn’t come from our own spirit.

It comes from the Spirit of Jesus living in us:

1 Peter 2:21–23 NLT

For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.

Meekness has always been God’s way for humanity.

The meek are blessed because they live differently to the rest of the world.

So, what does meekness look like in everyday life?

What does strength under control look like?

Our great strength as human beings - our super power, if you like - is the gift of free will God has given us.

We have the choice.

Every day, we get the opportunity to exercise this strength in the choices we make.

Are we going to make right choices, or wrong choices?

It’s our decision.

That strength becomes strength under control when we make the conscious choice over and over again to choose God and his agenda, rather than our own.

I’ve come across Salvationists and Christians who proudly boast - I was saved, I was made a senior soldier in 1957 - and they think that’s it.

Life is sorted.

All is well.

Those of us with a bit more understanding understand that’s not it at all!

Strength under control - meekness - means making that decision again and again, every day, sometimes every minute - that choice to choose God and his will for our lives, rather than what we want to do.

When I’m standing here preaching, I have to decide, am I going to preach God’s way, or my own?

I’ve been regularly preaching for over 13 years now, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve spotted people who’ve been distracted - yawning, looking at their phones, looking out the window, eyes closed and pretty likely to be asleep.

And do you know what I want to do when I see that?

I want to ask you all a question, and then follow that up with, Isn’t that right, Norman?!

To draw attention to them.

To embarrass them.

But I choose not to!

Anything like that happen to you?

Do you ever receive a rude email or text and immediately want to write back in the same tone and be equally as nasty?

It’s your choice.

Someone cuts you up in their car. You really want to tailgate them for the next 3 miles. Do you?

It’s your choice.

A friend asks to see you. They want to talk through something bad that’s happened to them. You know it’s going to take some time. Do you say yes, or tell them you’re too busy?

It’s your choice.

God has been niggling away at you to join or start a Growth Group, or to join the Boiler Room Prayers in-person or online on a Friday morning. You know you should obey God, but you have a million and one reasons why you’re too busy to say yes.

It’s your choice.

Romans 6:16 NLT

Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.

It’s your choice.

If you want Jesus’ blessing then you must be meek

You must have your free will strength under control.

You must make the right choices.

And here’s the really, really difficult choice.

You must make the right choices in all of your life.

You must make the right choice in everything.

Choosing God’s way is not about half measures.

It’s all in.

He wants everything.

Luke 14:33 NLT

So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.

The blessed life is Jesus plus nothing.

Jesus isn’t just an added extra in life.

He is life itself.

You may be a parent.

But if you’re going to be a blessed parent, then you have to be a parent whose trying to live like Jesus.

You may be a friend, but you’re a friend whose friendship is based on making godly choices.

You may be an employee or a business owner, but you’re an employee or business owner that’s working hard to be a follower of Jesus in your workplace.

Are you willing to live this way in every part of your life?

Our response song reminds us that if we are going to be meek - if we are going to keep our choice strength under control - then we have to make these decisions every day in every moment in what we do, in where we go, in what we say, in how we handle our money, in what we think, in every choice that we make.

Are you willing to let go of the parts of your life you still want to control and let God lead instead?

Are you ready to commit to being meek?

To being humble?

Are you ready to drop any pride and admit that your choices aren’t working?

Maybe you’ve made that commitment before, but today God is prompting you to recommit to it again.

This morning, make the choice to say, Take my life - take it all - and make it thine.

Stand as God prompts …

SB 623 - Take my life

Take my life and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to thee; Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in ceaseless praise. 2 Take my hands and let them move At the impulse of thy love; Take my feet and let them be Swift and beautiful for thee. 3 Take my voice and let me sing Always, only for my King; Take my lips and let them be Filled with messages from thee. 4 Take my silver and my gold, Not a mite would I withhold; Take my intellect and use Every power as thou shalt choose. 5 Take my will and make it thine, It shall be no longer mine; Take my heart, it is thine own, It shall be thy royal throne. 6 Take my love; my Lord, I pour At thy feet its treasure-store; Take myself and I will be Ever, only, all for thee. Frances Ridley Havergal (1836-1879) Used By Permission. CCL Licence No. 135015 Copied from The Song Book of The Salvation Army Song Number 623