Good morning and welcome to the Panhandle where it is a lot warmer than last week praise the Lord. Well come on in, open your Bible and sit a spell.
St. Paul’s Cathedral was finished in 1710 after thirty-five years of construction. The architect waited attentively for Queen Anne’s reaction. He was elated when she said that the cathedral was “awful, amusing, and artificial.” If someone said this of an American structure in the twenty-first century, the architect would be heartbroken and feel dejected. However, the queen’s words in 1710 did not mean what they mean today. Awful meant “awe inspiring,” amusing meant “amazing,” and artificial meant “artistic.”
“He or she is as meek as a mouse,” we often say, because like mice they soft spoken and unassertive. The meaning of the word meek is very much misunderstood today. Many think of a meek person as a weak, milquetoast, spineless person who is unable to stand up for themselves or for anyone else. Many peace-at-any-price people, who would rather compromise their convictions than take a stand, are called “meek.” But none of these describe the meekness of which Christ Jesus spoke.
Meek is a word that denotes self-control, but also means genuine humility. There is a progression from the first beatitude “poor in spirit” to the second beatitude “those who mourn”, to this third beatitude on the “meek.” The pride of the Rabbis was in learning; of the Greeks, in intellect; and of the Romans, in power. But it is only the humble who can receive, who can learn or be taught, who can accept forgiveness, who can walk in grace, who can live in love. Augsburger, Myron S. ; Ogilvie, Lloyd J.: The Preacher's Commentary Series, Volume 24 : Matthew. Nashville, Tennessee : Thomas Nelson Inc, 1982 (The Preacher's Commentary Series 24), S. 18
Matthew 5:5
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
1. Happy Is The God-Controlled Person
The God-Controlled person is not some kind of puppet on strings or a programmed robot. A God-Controlled person is the person who try's to live a life pleasing to God. In other words happy is the person who try's to live by God's statutes ~ “I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word.” (Psalms 119:16).
Aristotle spoke of meekness as the middle between anger and indifference. Stuart K. Weber in his New Testament Commentary, Matthew states, “The “gentle” or meek are those who are powerful, but who have the maturity and grace to use their power for constructive rather than destructive purposes.”
The Greek word for “meek” praus (prah-ooce') is the standard word used to describe a domesticated animal. The picture is that of a young colt broken to harness. It implies purpose in control; the colt is harnessed to something.
Southern horse breeders use to have a phrase - “the meekest horse wins the race.” The meek horse is the one that responds to his training. All his obvious and inherent strength is harnessed and brought under focused control.
As a Christian to be at the center of God's will, will make you happy. To have your impulses, instincts, passion, thoughts, and actions in line with God’s is to be meek or gentle.
As a God-controlled person you are to try and live a disciplined life of service committed to Him. Your affections, conscience, will, temper, motives, conduct, and speech should be brought under God’s control. This is not done because God is some kind of control freak, but because God loves you and wants what is best for you.
A.W. Tozer once wrote, 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." Today in the Word, September, 1989, p. 19.
You as a committed Christian need to let God take the reins of your life. Are you ready to let Him lead and guide you each and every day.
2. Happy Is The Teachable Person.
The meek person can be told something; they do not do all the talking. The teachable person is ready to listen and learn. The first half of our text could read as “Blessed are meek, for they listen and shall learn enough to get by in the world.”
A sign hanging over the machines in a factory admonished the employees: “When the threads get tangled, send for the foreman.”
But on one occasion a workman tried desperately to untangle the threads on his machine.
When the foreman finally came, he asked, “Didn’t you read the sign?”
“Yes, but I was doing my best to take care of it myself.”
“Doing the best you can,” said the foreman, “always means sending for the foreman.”
When it comes to God in your life, “doing the best you can” always means listening to Him. Do you take time to listen and learn?
The teachable person is a humble person. If you are really humble, you usually don't think about it. It isn't something you flaunt. A humble person never asks for more than their due; they already feel they have more than they deserve.
The story is told of a little watch that looked up at Big Ben and said, “I wish I was as high as Big Ben so that everyone could notice me too.”
The owner of the watch suspended it on the face of the tall clock tower next to Big Ben, but no one could see it. Elevation became annihilation.
Those who long to be elevated for their talents and to be noticed by others are only asking for annihilation ~ “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 14:11).
Is your relationship with Christ Jesus all about you or all about Him?
The teachable person is trusting, that is they place their trust in God. Instead of worrying about your provisions, trust the provider, God. Job asserted, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. . . . Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 1:21; 13:15).
What trust! What meekness! Are you ready to take the first step in this kind of trust? Then it's time to ask the same question that the rich young ruler asked, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 18:18).
3. Happy Is The Person Who Has Fellowship With God.
The promise of this beatitude is “They shall inherit the earth.” Our Lord is not speaking of a physical inheritance today. Although He will bring blessings into your life.
The Christian inherits the purpose for which God created the earth. God created Adam and Eve to have fellowship with him ~ They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, (Genesis 3:8). The inheritance of earth here looks ahead to the reward of being with Christ Jesus, at the climax of history. When you invite Christ Jesus into your life you inherit fellowship with God. Like Adam and Eve, God will walk with you in the form of God the Holy Spirit.
The idea of hell and judgment are nowhere to be found [in Betty Eadie's bestseller, Embraced By The Light, on the N.Y. Times bestseller list for more than 40 weeks, including 5 weeks as #1]. In November 1973 Eadie allegedly died after undergoing a hysterectomy, and returned five hours later with the secrets of heaven revealed by Jesus]. Eadie says that Jesus "never wanted to do or say anything that would offend me" while she visited heaven. Indeed, Jesus seems to be relegated to the role of a happy tour guide in heaven, not the Savior of the world who died on the cross. - Richard Abanes, in Christianity Today, March 7, 1994, p. 53.
Contrary to Mrs. Eadie's description of Christ Jesus, until you have asked Him to be your Lord and Saviour, you are merely inhabiting the earth; and reserving your eternal place in Hell.
When you come to Christ Jesus for salvation, you take upon yourself the spirit of true meekness. “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:5 – 8).
Christ Jesus exhibited meekness because of His love for you. Are you willing to become meek because of your love for Him? Are you willing to let Christ Jesus take the reins of your life?
Thanks for dropping by, I'll see you next week. In the mean time may the Lord bless you and yours.
Biblesurfer
very good...
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