Living Wisely through Meekness

Introduction:

Well its mothers day and what is the saying. If mama ain’t Happy , ain’t no one is happy.

It's during these holidays when families get together that disfunction and conflict happens.

What is the other saying for keeping holidays peaceful and mamma happy. At the dinner Table never talk about Politics and Religion.

That’s hard to do, isn’t it.

We all desire harmonious relationships, and yet many Christian churches and homes are marked by frequent conflict.

Being Christians, we put a spiritual face on our side of things to make it look as if we’re defending the truth or standing on principle.

The churches that James wrote to were experiencing conflict (we will see more of this next week in 4:1–2).

When James writes (3:14),

James 3:14 (ESV)

14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.

The Greek conditional clause indicates that it was true.

James was not addressing a hypothetical situation that might arise in the future, but rather a real situation that already existed.

In the context,

he began chapter 3 warning that not many should become teachers, because we will incur a stricter judgment.

Then he broadened the exhortation to deal with a problem that we all wrestle with, the evil of a destructive tongue.

In our text, James may still be focusing, at least in part, on those who would become teachers.

Teachers are especially prone to boast in their knowledge and wisdom.

They easily may fall into jealousy against those who have a bigger audience than they do.

They may succumb to wrong motives,

serving out of selfish ambition,

trying to attract people to themselves,

rather than to Christ.

So our text especially applies to all of us who teach God’s Word.

But it also applies to every believer, in that James is showing us God’s wisdom that will lead to harmonious relationships.

He contrasts it with worldly “wisdom” that inevitably leads to conflict.

The things he writes here apply to harmonious relationships in the church, but also in our homes and in all of life. James is saying,

For harmonious relationships, behave with godly wisdom, not with worldly “wisdom.”

James 3:13 (ESV)

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.

The main question he seeks to answer in verse 13 is this:

“Who is wise and understanding among you?”

Wisdom is the ability to connect faith to life. The biggest fool was somebody who knew the truth, but couldn’t live it.

Wisdom - skill in righteous living.

The other word that he uses—the word “understanding”—carries a similar meaning.

It’s not that you’re just knowledgeable about a particular subject.

It has more to do with that knowledge being exercised from day to day.

The same pair of words—“wisdom and understanding”—were applied to Israel’s leaders and Israel as a nation (Deut 1:13, 15; 4:5).

Deuteronomy 1:13 (ESV)

13 Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads.’

Deuteronomy 1:15 (ESV)

15 So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, commanders of tens, and officers, throughout your tribes.

Their knowledge of God’s law was supposed to transform their day to day

living so as to leave an impression on the surrounding nations for God’s glory (cf. Dan 1:4; 5:11).

If you didn’t live out what you knew from the law, then you didn’t really understand it. True understanding of God’s word was demonstrated in action.

The Bible talks about this skill of righteous living as something that can be developed.

The Bible repeatedly says the way to gain this kind of wisdom is from God’s Word.

Colossians 3:16 (ESV)

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

2 Timothy 3:15 (ESV)

15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

God’s word explains the truth about life.

It tells us about sin.

It tells us of the devil’s working against us.

It tells us about God’s love for us.

It tells us about faith, the Holy Spirit and God’s providential care for us.

It tells us there will be a final judgment and the reality of heaven and hell.

These are the truths we need to live wisely.

The greatest piece of wisdom we need to live is knowledge of and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Apart from knowing Christ, we can not live wisely in this life.

Now what happened in the first-century churches James wrote to, and it happens in many churches today, was they lost a biblical understanding of wisdom.

They became enamored by the witty speakers,

the charismatic leaders and those who became the center of attention.

Their heroes weren’t people who did the hard spade work of following Christ in real life.

James wrote to straighten out their thinking.

Which means that when James asks us, “Who is wise and understanding among you?”

we cannot think in terms of who knows the most,

or has the most Scripture memorized,

or who is the oldest,

or who is the smartest,

or whose been to seminary.

No, true wisdom and understanding has a moral and ethical component to it, especially in how it affects our relationships with others.

The First thing we see about Godly Wisdom is

Godly Wisdom Produces Good Works

James has given a great deal of attention to faith being demonstrated in works.

The same is true for wisdom.

True wisdom will demonstrate itself in good works—

not works that seek to earn favor with God,

but works that flow from a relationship already established with God by grace.

True wisdom will produce good conduct evidenced by works.

Just as I mentioned with Israel,

the one who is wise will leave an impression on others for the glory of God.

People will recognize the life devoted to God’s glory.

James says, you think you are so wise and smart? Show it by your good conduct.

Then James tells us, if we are truly wise about life, our good works will be done in meekness.

Godly Wisdom is shown in meekness

But notice that such a wise person will also do the works with meekness.

We begin with the observation that the word “meek” does not have a positive connotation in our culture.

It suggests many things, none of which are very appealing.

If you tell something you think they are meek,

they will probably not take it as a compliment.

In fact, they will probably think you are implying something negative about their character.

Meekness Defined

A quick check of the thesaurus bears this out. Here are some listed synonyms for “meek:”: humble, docile, mild, calm, gentle, peaceful, tame, submissive, soft, spineless, passive, and broken. Some of those words are positive, others are not.

Another source lists the following phrases as illustrative of meekness: “to eat dirt,” “to lick the dust,” “to cringe like a dog,” “to take it on the chin.”

Most of us tend to associate “meekness” with “weakness,”

For instance, if we call someone a meek little man, we mean he has no backbone.

If say, “There goes a meek woman,” we mean that she lets her husband walk all over her.

It’s no wonder that we don’t want to be called meek.

I wouldn’t either, if that’s what the word really means.

But this is the word Jesus used to describe his followers. Therefore, we need to understand what this word really means.

Meekness ≠ Weakness

To the ancient Greeks, meekness described a virtue that lay midway between two extremes.

The meek man was neither timid

nor given to fits of anger.

Aristotle defined this as the absence of excessive anger.

He also said it meant getting angry

at the right time for the right reason in the right way.

The Greeks also used the word to describe

mild words,

soothing medicine,

refreshing wind,

and a horse that has been tamed.

What do those four things have in common?

They all represent different forms of power that can be harnessed for good or evil.

A meek horse is not a weak horse,

but rather a powerful beast brought under its master’s control.

A meek medicine is one that has the strength to heal.

In the Old Testament (particularly Psalm 37),

the equivalent Hebrew word is used to describe a man who is submissive to the will of God.

The “meek” man has yielded his rights to God.

He kneels that he may stand,

he keeps silent that he may speak later.

He has no need to insist upon his own way.

The “meek” man has yielded his rights to God.

With that in mind, here is a simple four-word definition of meekness:

Power under God’s control.

The meek man has enormous power,

Several years ago, Chuck Norris, When He was filming Texas Ranger ,the actor and martial arts expert (who is also a Christian) had finished a long day of acting in a Texas town, and had gone to get dinner.

While he was sitting in the restaurant, a man came up to him and said, “You are sitting in my booth.” Norris didn’t like the man’s tone, but he just got up quietly and moved to another booth.

A few minutes later, the man came back to him and said, “You’re Chuck Norris, aren’t you?” He said he was. The man said, “You could have kicked me around just then, but you didn’t!”

And Norris proceeded to talk to the man, and made a friend of him.

Chuck Norris illustrates the meaning of the quality we are looking at today in James

“Power is nothing without control.”

Contrast this with the world’s view that meekness is weakness.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Meekness is power brought under control.

That’s why the Greeks used the word to describe a man silent in the face of insults

and a king lenient in his rule.

A survey of the New Testament shows how important this virtue is.

Galatians 5:22-23 lists meekness as one of the fruits of the Spirit.

Colossians 3:12 includes it as part of the “clothing” of the Christian.

James 1:19-21 tells us that meekness is the opposite of anger and moral filth.

It is the basic attitude we are to have toward all people (Titus 3:2),

especially those who oppose us (II Timothy 24-26).

By a meek and quiet spirit a Christian wife may win her unbelieving husband (I Peter 3:1-6).

As Christians with a regenerated heart are called to be meek.

Meekness Displayed

Meekness is that quality which is best demonstrated when you are dealing with unreasonable people.

It’s not hard to be gentle when you are feeling good and have no pressure.

That’s not meekness; it’s niceness.

Meekness is seen when you are under the gun,

up against deadline,

surrounded by problems,

when you feel yourself getting frustrated.

If you don’t have it then, you just don’t have it at all.

Did you know that only two people in the Bible were ever called meek?

Fist we see Moses:

Numbers 12:3 (ESV)

3 Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.

Moses was meek.

I don’t known what words you would use to describe Moses, but the word “meek” doesn’t easily come to mind.

After all, here is a man who in a fit of anger killed an Egyptian and then hid his body.

Later he went toe-to-toe with Pharaoh, saying, “Let my people go!”

Again and again, he summoned the courage to face the most powerful man in the world.

Later he led the children of Israel across the Red Sea

and climbed Mt. Sinai where he met God face to face.

That certainly doesn’t fit any of our modern stereotypes of “meekness.”

It helps to know the background of this story.

Numbers 12:1 tells us that Moses had married a Cushite woman (that is, a black African woman).

His decision to marry was criticized openly by his brother Aaron (the high priest) and their sister Miriam. “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” (v.1)

The answer, of course, is yes, God had spoken through them,

but that didn’t give them the right to criticize Moses.

Verse 2 tells us that God “heard” their critical comments–a fact that does not bode well for them.

So God calls Moses, Aaron and Miriam to meet him in front of the Tabernacle (another bad sign for the two offenders).

Then he tells Aaron and Miriam to step forward (trouble is on the way).

Verses 6-8 record God’s word to the two critics:

Numbers 12:6–8 (ESV)

6 And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. 7 Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”

This is a devastating rebuke to Aaron and Miriam.

“I speak to Moses face to face. He is my main man.

I trust him with the future of my people.

If I want to say anything about his wife, I’ll do it myself.

He doesn’t need your criticism and I don’t need your help.

Who do you think you are to have any opinion at all about who Moses marries?”

Ouch! The ax is about to fall.

Verses 9-12 tell us the judgment.

Miriam will be stricken with leprosy–the equivalent of AIDS in that generation.

Suddenly Aaron has had a change of heart about Moses.

When he realizes that he’s been on the wrong side,

he quickly becomes Moses’ best friend.

He begs him to pray for Miriam that she might be healed of leprosy.

What does all this have to do with Moses and meekness? One question:

While all this is going on, what is Moses doing? Nothing.

His first recorded words come in verse 13 where he cries out, “O Lord, heal her!”

Numbers 12:13 (ESV)

13 And Moses cried to the Lord, “O God, please heal her—please.”

It is at this point that we see Moses’ greatness.

He didn’t fight back.

He didn’t answer his critics.

He didn’t get angry.

He didn’t seek revenge.

He didn’t argue or try to explain his actions.

He didn’t complain about his unfair treatment.

Instead, he kept silent and let the Lord take up his cause.

He only opened his mouth to pray for Miriam.

No one would ever call Moses a pushover or a doormat.

But he didn’t strike out at his critics.

He let God take care of them.

In fact, he prayed on their behalf.

Moses normally was a man of action,

but here he refuses to defend himself.

He didn’t say a word.

He didn’t have to. It is as if he didn’t hear what they said.

That reminds me of a wonderful story concerning Jonathan Edwards, considered by many to be the greatest theologian America has ever produced. At one point in his career, he was dismissed from the church he pastored by a vote of 222-32. He was voted out because he insisted that only saved people should take communion. Many men would be destroyed by such a calamity, but one of his friends explained that “his joy in God was beyond the reach of his enemies.” That’s what meekness does for a man.

Jesus was Meek

He described Himself as meek in...

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.”

As the incarnation of meekness, he displayed it in two ways, both of which showed his power.

In respect to his own person, he practiced neither retaliation nor vindictiveness.

When he was mocked and spat upon, he answered nothing, for he trusted his Father.

As we have noted, when he was confronted by Pilate, he kept silent.

When his friends betrayed him and fled, he uttered no reproach.

When Peter denied him, Jesus restored him to fellowship and service.

When Judas came and kissed him in Gethsemane,

Jesus called him “friend.”

And Jesus meant it. He was never insincere.

Even in the throes of death, he pleaded, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

In all of this Jesus, meek and mild, was in control. He radiated power.

Yet, when it came to matters of faith and the welfare of others, Jesus was a lion.

He rebuked the Pharisees’ hardness of heart when he healed the man’s withered hand on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:9–45).

He was angered when his disciples tried to prevent little children from coming to him (Mark 10:13–16).

Jesus made a whip and drove the moneychangers from the temple (John 2:14–17).

He called Peter “Satan” after the outspoken fisherman tried to deter him from His heavenly mission (Matthew 16:21–23).

All of this came from Jesus, the incarnation of gentleness.

Bringing this all together, we have an amazing picture.

The one who is meek has a gentle spirit because he trusts God.

Indeed, there is a caress about his presence.

At the same time the meek person possesses immense strength and self-control,

which he exhibits in extending love rather than retaliation against those who do him evil.

He stands up fearlessly in defense of others or of the truth as the occasion arises.

Hughes, R. K. (2001). The sermon on the mount: the message of the kingdom (pp. 35–36). Crossway Books.

Meekness Described

What does meekness look like in practice? Here are 4practical answers:

1. Gentleness when provoked.

2. Boldness in the defending the God’s truth and reputation.

3. Teachable by God and others.

4. Refusing to retaliate.

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones comments that meekness comes from having a right view of yourself before God.

You don’t worry about what others say about you because you know you deserve it and more.

Instead you are amazed that God treats you so well

and that men are as kind to you as they are.

In your heart, you know you deserve worse than you are getting.

That is true meekness.

The meek man does not fight for his own rights, does not insist upon personal vindication, does not always have to correct others, does not repay in kind, does not return insult for insult, and does not use force and intimidation to get his way.

Is meekness manifested in your life?

Of course, no one perfectly manifests meekness in his or her life. No one’s life is a perpetual caress. No one is so strong that his or her only response is love. No one totally escapes pride and self. Nevertheless, Jesus’ warnings are clear.

• Harshness: If you are mean in your treatment of others, if there is an absence of gentleness in your treatment of others, take heed.

• Grasping: If you make sure you always get yours first, if numero uno is the subtle driving force in your life, if you care little about how your actions affect others, beware.

• Vengeful: If you are known as someone never to cross, if you always get your “pound of flesh,” be on your guard.

• Uncontrolled: If rage fills your soul so that life is a series of explosions occasioned by the “fools” in your life, watch out.

Again, this is not to suggest that you are not a Christian if you fall into these sins, but rather to point out that if they are part of your persona, if you are a self-satisfied “Christian” who thinks that the lack of gentleness and meekness is “just you” and people will have to get used to it, if you are not repentant

Hughes, R. K. (2001). The sermon on the mount: the message of the kingdom (p. 36). Crossway Books.

Lets respond to James by singing the family of God

Communion

The Lord’s Supper is a tangible reminder of our Savior’s wisdom.

The world concluded that Jesus’ humiliation on the cross was foolish. But the resurrection tells us otherwise.

It truly is the wisdom of God for our salvation.

It’s where our sin was exchanged for his righteousness.

As you eat this morning and you drink, remember Christ, our wisdom from God.

Remember that his death has covered all your foolishness.

And then look with hope to that future day when he will come again to make you like himself.