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Introduction
Introduction
Good evening, its great to be here on a day that I feel I have earned, and to receive a welcome I feel I deserve. All my self effort and hard work has paid off and I’m really pleased with myself. I look forward to continuing to demonstrate how great I am in the weeks and months ahead.
Now, before you choke on your softmints, I haven’t gone mad, neither am I being serious.
Now, before you choke on your softmints, I haven’t gone mad, neither am I being serious.
But the matter we have in view tonight is one which can be difficult to grasp, because it seems that when we make a grab for it in our own strength it disappears.
So, I thought I’d start with a demonstration of what we aren’t looking at this evening.
Meekness is easier described by what it is not, rather than what it is,
It’s the opposite of self righteousness, arrogance, smugness, haughtiness and defensiveness.
Putting it positively, meekness is unpretentiousness, gentleness, sweetness and the grace to be self effacing.
Now, my opening statement was anything but meek, it’s the kind of talk that’s all too familiar in our culture, characteristic of attitudes we see writ large in our society. Attitude’s of self rule, self effort, self confidence.
But these aren’t attitudes which characterise followers of Jesus, at least they shouldn’t be.
And that's what we have before again this evening, in the Beatitudes, we have 8 characteristics of Christ that are also to be characteristic of his disciples.
But these aren’t attitudes which characterise followers of Jesus, at least they shouldn’t be.
But these aren’t attitudes which characterise followers of Jesus, at least they shouldn’t be.
It’s the opposite of self righteousness, arrogance, smugness, haughtiness and defensiveness.
And thats what we have before again this evening, in the Beatitudes, we have 8 characteristics of Christ that are also to be characteristic of his disciples.
We have before us 8 statements that speak of what it is to be a disciple of Jesus, a mathetes, a learner, a follower of Jesus Christ who learns the doctrines of scripture and the lifestyle they require.
And these 8 statements teach us to follow Jesus because they are 8 character qualities of Christ himself.
And the LORD God is working everything in our lives to the purpose of transforming us into the image of Christ.
This means that everything that comes our way in this life, is filtered through the loving hands of God, with the view of transforming our hearts and minds in this life into conformity with Christ’s.
Now, this side of glory we will always sin and have the taint of sin’s imperfection, but as Paul writes in his letter to the Phillipians:
“he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
And that work is the work of sanctification, every morning when we swing our legs off the bed. We are a step closer to that works completion, a day closer to the day of Jesus Christ.
If we have repented of our sins, and turned to Christ in faith and trust.
Then that is a daily reality, as the Spirit of God works sovereignly and savingly in your life. Every second of every minute of every day, until we are called home or Christ returns.
So
We have seen in previous weeks that the first, and indispensable quality is that of poverty in spirit – dependence upon God.
You must totally depend upon HIM to even enter the kingdom (“nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling”), hence “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Then last time we looked at the quality of mourning, that if we mourn our sins, and the sins of others, and turn them into tearful prayers, God will hear and answer those prayers for ourselves and others.
And of course, Christ exemplifies both of these qualities.
But this evening we come to a quality that is perhaps the most misunderstood of any of the Beatitudes:
“Blessed are the meek” (or some translations say “gentle or humble”)
Whenever a person uses the word “meek”, there is picture that comes to mind: timid, mousy, fearful, weak.
That is not what the word means.
Jesus is not weak, he is meek.
There is a big difference.
Let’s look at what the Bible tells us about this important quality …
The Responsibility
The Responsibility
Who do we follow
The Requirement
The Requirement
The Big Picture
The Close Up
Aspects of
Up close and Personal
The Reward
The Reward
The meaning of meekness
Examples of the Meek in scripture.
A Promise to the Meek.
A Promise to the Meek.