Are you growing meek or weak?

In a world that says power comes from strength and pride, Jesus says the opposite.

In fact, he commands us as Christians to live counter cultural lives- more specifically, to live as Kingdom people.

In this part of the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5:5), Jesus says that humility and meekness is what Christians will inherit the earth with.

But what does that even mean?

If meekness is the lifestyle we are to live, we must examine our lives now. So... are you growing meek or weak in your life?

(SLIDE, MATTHE 5:5)

Matthew 5:5 NIV

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

John Stott, who was a well known preacher and author, says that “ “The Meek” come between those who mourn over sin and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.”

This would sound obvious at first, because Matthew 5:4 talks about those who mourn and Matthew 5:6 talks about those who thirst and hunger for righteousness.

At second glance reading that quote from Stott it reveals great truth in reality.

We must come out of our season of mourning with a meek spirit, as we hunger and thirst for righteousness growing closer to the Lord.

Let’s put it in lay mans terms: “It’s easy to confess our sin to God than it is to others in the state of mourning over our sin. But when we come out of that season of acknowledgment and someone out of the blue calls us out on the carpet for that same sin, we want to punch them in the face, not grow closer to God.”

But isn’t that hypocrisy? So we need to answer the question: What does Jesus mean when He says “The Meek”?

For this we’ll need to turn to Psalm 37:1-11, because this is the context in which Jesus quotes Matthew 5:5.

(SLIDE, PSALM 37:1-11)

Psalm 37:1–11 NIV

Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.

This psalm goes against our natural impulses of how to live a full and abundant life.

The message here in Psalm 37 is that true fulfillment in life comes as we quietly look to God and let Him sort out our lives.

It is not manipulating the people or circumstances in our lives.

I love the three ways Derek Kidner, in His commentary, breaks down Psalm 37:1-11:

He first explains how verses 1, 7 & 8 are reinforced by three encouragements to us.

(3 SLIDES, 3 ENCOURAGEMENTS)

3 Encouragements through Psalm 37:1-11

1. In verses 2 & 10 we are to “Look ahead!”

We often focus on time but we should be instead focused on eternity.

2. Verses 3-7 encourage us to “Look up!”

Trust in the Lord

Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart

Commit your way to the Lord and trust Him.

He will make your righteous reward

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him

3. We are encouraged to “Stay constructive!”

Anger, wrath and fretting keep us from being productive for the Kingdom

If we stay angry we choose destruction and we can’t trust God

God overcomes evil with good.

We might all be familiar with Moses who God spoke to through a burning bush, used to free the people of Egypt through bringing plagues on the Pharoah and his people, the same guy who received the 10 commandments (no not Charleton Heston, the real Moses)

Moses was one of the most humble and meek men to serve God in all of time, however he did not get to enter into the promised land for one reason.

(SLIDE, Numbers 20:10-12)

Numbers 20:10–12 NIV

He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

What was that reason? Moses had an anger issue. Anger kept Moses from the very reward he was working towards. Anger got in the way of his ability to inherit the land. He was able to see the land from a distance but he could not enter it.

Jesus refers to this land called Canaan or the promised land in Matthew 5:5. when he says “…Inherit the land.” Canaan was the early name for Israel and Palestine. Later they were were separated into the three places we know today as Galilee, Samaria and Judea.

Even though this reference is to Canaan, the promise of God extends to all of His people and to the whole earth now.

But God’s promises are only for the meek, who trust God. Who hope in God (Psalm 37:9 says).

Jesus was speaking specifically, in Matthew 5:5, about the riches in heaven than He was about earthly blessings.

(2 SLIDES, 2 Peter 3:13 and Rev. 21:1-2)

2 Peter 3:13

2 Peter 3:13 NIV

But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

Revelation 21:1-2

Revelation 21:1–2 NIV

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

To sum up the meaning of “will inherit the land”, the Baker commentary sums it up in these three ways:

(3 SLIDES)

3 truths of “Will inherit the land”

By grace the citizen of the Kingdom has a right to this possession.

The believer will certainly receive it as a treasure that can’t be taken away.

The believer will not need to or can not earn it on their own.

I’m working backwards in Matthew 5:5 because now we’re gonna focus on the word “meek.”

If meekness before the Lord is key to inheriting what Jesus promises then what does it mean? And how do we become meek?

(SLIDE, Tozer)

“The meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of his own inferiority. Rather he may be in his moral life as bold as a lion and as strong as Samson; but he has stopped being fooled about himself. He has accepted God's estimate of his own life. He knows he is as weak and helpless as God declared him to be, but paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is in the sight of God of more importance than angels. In himself, nothing; in God, everything. That is his motto.” -A.W. Tozer

We are nothing apart from God. Part of working towards meekness is realizing this.

Meekness is a soul attitude toward God that involves both our mind and heart in sync together.

Where the world says meekness is weakness, the opposite is true.

Meekness is power under control.

Aristotle, a great philosopher once said,

“Anyone can become angry. That is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way- this is not easy.”

Don’t you agree??

I think Moses would’ve understood this to be true.

Another great Philosopher, Augustine of Hippo, who lived between 354 and 430 AD said,

“The meek are those who do not resist the will of God… to practice this; when things go well, praise God and when they are bad, do not speak against him. Give glory to God for your good works and blame yourself for your own sin.”

Meekness is getting your mind and heart in sync:

1. It is accepting and owning sin but giving it to God.

2. It is praising God in everything.

3. It is giving God all the glory in everything.

“Meek” in Matthew 5:5 is the same word used to describe:

A soothing medicine

Sailors used it to describe a gentle breeze

Farmers used it to describe a colt that was broken.

Medicine can cure or kill, wind is good or bad in sailing and a horse that is not broke is not good for working in the fields.

Meekness is power under control.

So how can we tell then if we are growing weak or meek?

We become weak when we give into the emotions, feelings, or actions that do not give glory to God or His will but instead keep us from them. Anger has been a reoccurring theme today but pride is just as harmful.

I’m going to fire off 7 questions, without going into too much detail, that we should ask ourselves in determining if we have become weak or meek:

The Meek Test

Are you exercising self control?

What is your attitude towards life’s circumstances?

What is your attitude toward God’s Word?

What is your attitude towards a fellow believer who is living in sin? (See my sermon on Repentance and confession)

What is your attitude towards division in the church?

What is your attitude with those who disagree with you?

What is your attitude towards those who are not believers?

We could spend a whole sermon just unpacking these questions but these will at least serve us the opportunity to examine our lives and see how meek we are.

You might’ve heard this before, but the way up is down. Jesus, the son of God, humbly went to the cross for us all.

(SLIDE, Romans 8:18-21)

Romans 8:18–21 NIV

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

Jesus understood the suffering that was about to take place on the cross but knew the future glory would outweigh it all. He was determined to do the Father’s will.

There is one more passage I would like to check out this morning before we close and that is

(SLIDE, Matthew 11:25-30.)

Matthew 11:25–30 NIV

At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

The greek word for meek is Praus (PrA-U-ce) and means humble or gentle. The root is humility.

In Matthew 11:25-30 Jesus is not condemning the intellectuals but the intellectual pride of His Jewish audience.

What Jesus is simply saying is this:

If you want to see what God is like

If you want to see the mind of God

The heart of God

The nature of God

If your really want to see what God’s attitude toward you is...

Look to me.

Jesus was speaking to people who were desperately trying to find God and desperately trying to be good, but were weary of those tasks.

The weary search for God ends in Himself, Jesus says.

He invites us to take His yoke upon our shoulders. He’s not talking about making eggs.

(EXPLAIN WHAT A YOKE WAS)

In this verse Jesus is literally saying my yoke is easy which is translated to “well-fitted”.

It is much lighter than any burden, emotion or feeling we are trying to carry right now in life.

Jesus’ words in this passage give us a pretty good outline towards a lifestyle of meekness.

3 R’s to a Lifestyle of Meekness:

Reverence for God

Relationship to God

Rest in the will of God

Let’s close today with a fitting quote from another theologian, William Barclay:

“No man can lead others until he has mastered himself;

no man can serve others until he has subjected himself;

no man can be in control of others until he has learned to control himself.

But the man who gives himself into the complete control of God will gain this meekness which will indeed enable him to inherit the earth.

Without humility a man cannot learn, for the first step to learning is the realization of our own ignorance.”

And I would conclude in saying without meekness or humility like Jesus, there is no love or reliance on God… only on ourselves.

So you must ask yourself today; are you growing weak or meek, as we’ve understood this concept better through Matthew 5:5 today?