The Fruit of Meekness

The Fruit of the Spirit  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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The fruit of the Spirit is the supernatural ability to walk in the ways of the Spirit. Meekness is ability to love and accept people as equals and care for them the way God cares for you.

Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Galatians 5:22–23 ESV
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Quick Recap
Love, Joy, and Peace are the divine characteristics of your spirit.
Patience, Kindness, and Goodness are the external characteristics of your body.
Faithfulness, Meekness, and Self-control are the internal characteristics of your mind.
Working Definition:
Meekness is the gentle but confident response from a humble heart.
Or as Kim said, “Calm, Cool, and Collected.”

Our Champion of Meekness

“Jesus is our living example of gentle and meek.”
Matthew 11:28–30 ESV
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Jesus is gentle to others.

An openness and acceptance toward others.

People expect judgement and punishment.
Jesus provides safety, rest, and restoration.

Bearing the weight of another’s burdens.

Katie’s confession

Jesus is lowly in heart.

A humble heart of equal status.

Treating people as equals and not less than.

Loving your neighbor has yourself.

We should be able to make the same call to the others:

Matthew 11:28–30 ESV
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Our Challenge of Meekness

“Meek and gentle is not natural but supernatural.”
Galatians 5:20 ESV
20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,

A false meekness

Passive aggressive behavior.

Mother-in-law: “You doing so well cleaning the house considering where you were raised.”

Prideful humility

Example of the Pharisee and the tax collector.
Luke 18:9–14 ESV
9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
When the church says, “We should reach out and help them.”
There is no us and them there is just ”one another.”

A lack of meekness due to Insecurities.

Insecurities are feelings of not measuring up to a set of standards.

Insecurities cause us to guard our hearts against pain and emotional hurt.

Insecurities cause us to over compensate with fleshly actions.

1 Corinthians 13:4–6 ESV
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

Our Change toward Meekness

“What makes a person confident enough to be meek?”

Understanding your worth.

Your worth doesn’t come from others but from the Lord.
Letting the Lord define your worth to Him.

Knowing and living within your limitations.

Knowing what you are good at or how you are gifted.
Knowing what you’re not good at and being ok with it.

A genuine love and concern for others.

Ephesians 4:1–3 ESV
1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Colossians 3:12–13 ESV
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Small Group Discussion:

How would you rate you meekness on a scale from 1 (horrible) to 5 (the best)?
What are some of the roadblocks that you need to overcome to show meekness or gentleness to others?
What are some ways that you can show meekness to others this week?
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