Blessed Meekness

Blessed Meekness

Matthew 5:5

            The idea of meekness has taken a real beating in popular culture. I heard about a guy named J. Upton Dickson who started an organization called "Dependent Organization  of Really Meek and Timid Souls - DOORMATS. Their motto was "The meek shall inherit the earth - if that's OK with everybody." Their organizations symbol was the yellow traffic light.

            In our society, people associate meekness with weakness. We think of meek people as, well, doormats. We think they are indecisive, pushovers, cowardly, milquetoast. We don't look upon meekness as a desirable quality. Can you imagine someone listing meekness as an admirable quality on their resume?

            Contrary to this popular view, Jesus listed meekness as one of the chief qualities for a kingdom citizen. It is a quality He looks for in those who name His name and associate themselves with His kingdom.

I. Blessed are the gentle (meek).

            A. Gentleness of spirit.

                        1. The term praus has been translated many ways:

                            meek, gentle, considerate, humble.

                        2. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones defined it as "a gentle

                            attitude toward others which is determined by

                            a true estimate of ourselves."

                        3. Thayer comments, “Meekness toward God is that    

                           disposition of spirit in which we accept His dealings

                           with us as good, and therefore without disputing or

                           resisting… Gentleness or meekness is the opposite to

                           self-assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust

                           in God's goodness and control over the situation. The

                           gentle person is not occupied with self at all.”

            B. The Old Testament Context for Meekness – Psalm 37.

                        1. Note that Ps. 37:11 is almost identical to Matt. 5:5.

                        2. Psalm 37 shows us several qualities of meekness.

                                    a. Doesn’t fret over evildoers or envy them

                                    b. Trusts in the Lord and does good.

                                    c. Delights in the Lord.

                                    d. Commits his/her way to the Lord.

                                    e. Waits patiently for the Lord in the face of the

                                        wickedness and scheming of men.

                                    f. Refrains from anger against the evil.

                                    g. Hopes in the Lord.

APP; So then meekness is the grace of the Spirit at work in our lives to keep us from angrily seeking revenge or promoting our own cause or harboring resentment toward others. Instead, we trust in the Lord, delight in Him, commit our way to Him, hope in Him, and leave the outcome in His hands. Meekness is about faith and self-restraint.         

ILL: A.W. Tozer said, " 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.”

            C. Examples of Meekness

                        1. Moses: Numbers 12:3

                                    a. Moses understood his sinfulness.

                                    b. Moses understood his calling from God.

                        2. Jesus: Matthew 11:29

                                    a. Jesus was a gentle, humble servant.

                                    b. Yet, Jesus was not weak (Mr. Rogers with

                                        a beard).

                        3. Paul: 2 Cor. 10:1

                                    a. Paul was gentle to the churches (1 Thess. 2:7)

                                    b. Yet, Paul was not weak.

APP: Meekness reveals its presence or absence in our lives when we are confronted with adversity and criticism. When we face an unjust accusation, we will find out if we possess meekness. Meekness includes the virtues of humility and teachability.

Now, we need to be careful that we don’t associate meekness with a certain kind of personality. I think the examples I gave above were three very strong personalities. Moses, Jesus, and Paul were not pushovers. A person could have a very strong personality and still demonstrate meekness. On the other hand, a  person could be very quiet and unassuming and lack meekness.

Meekness in our lives will reveal that our hope and sufficiency is Christ and not ourselves.

II. Shall inherit the earth.

            A. Old Testament Roots - Psalm 37:10-11

                        1. Possessing the land was important to the Jews. It was

                            the fulfillment of God's blessing promised to Abram.

                        2. This Psalm speaks about the world's way vs. God's

                            way of possessing it.

                                    a. World way is by evil deeds, plotting, power,

                                        devious dealings, taking advantage of others.

                                    b. God's way is to trust Him, delight in Him,

                                        commit to Him, wait on Him, live rightly. In

                                        other words, to display meekness.

                                    c. World's plan will end in withering like grass,

                                        being cut off, perishing, passing away.

                                    d. Righteous (meek) will inherit the land, have

                                        plenty, be upheld, protected, delivered.

                        3. The contrast is clear. Those who humbly trust in the

                            Lord will inherit the land and God's blessing. Those

                            who proudly grasp and do evil will perish.

            B. Future fulfillment.

                        1. The ultimate inheritance of the land will be realized

                            in a new heaven and a new earth.

                        2. The meek don’t have to strive and claw for their

                            Inheritance. As John Piper put it, “…you don't need

                            the vain pleasures of one-up-manship because God

                            has already made you an heir of the world? Would I

                            feel the need to brag that my house is bigger than

                            your house if I knew that my Father owned the city

                            and I was the beneficiary in his will?”

CONCLUSION:

Let's take a little meekness test. I am going to give you some sets of character traits. You choose which ones best fit your attitudes and responses.

Proud                                                  Humble

Overbearing                                        Teachable

Tender                                                 Hard-hearted

When criticized do you….

Listen, evaluate, accept worthwhile correction.

Get angry, withdraw, or quarrel.

When a relationship is damaged do you….

Sulk, blame the other person, isolate yourself.

Seek reconciliation, ask forgiveness, repair the relationship.

I don't know about you, but this meekness test is making me uncomfortable. These are the issues that will reveal whether we are developing the trait of meekness.

Dear friends, if you would have meekness, you must have Christ. If you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you cannot develop meekness. Surrender your life to Jesus and trust in Him who died and rose from the grave to give sinners new life.

If you are a follower of Jesus, pray that the Spirit of God will develop in your heart the virtue of meekness so that you may live as a true citizen of His kingdom.