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The Beatitudes: The Meek, Not
the Weak!
Matthew 5:1-12: Seeing
the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples
came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. 4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be
comforted. 5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit
the earth. 6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 "Blessed are
the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 "Blessed are
the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 "Blessed are
the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 "Blessed
are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when others revile
you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my
account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in
heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
I. Blessed are the Meek: Meekness, Not Weakness!
A.
What is
meekness?
Martin Lloyd Jones: “A humble and gentle attitude to others
based on a true estimate of ourselves.” To know who we truly are and
to live a life based upon this knowledge (third step is meekness after
realization of ‘poor in spirit’, ‘mourning’ and now
living consistently meekly in light of this realization of who we are
before God.
1.
Illustration
of meekness- A lioness and her
cubs. Meekness is not being a
doormat for others run all over or to be made a step stool or ladder for
someone else’s progress. Iain Duguid: “Meek people are tough as well as
tender.”
2.
Meekness in
salvation: nothing we can do (being poor in spirit)
3.
Meekness to
others- Humility: Considering others better than ourselves! A man who overlooks an offense because
they know how offensive they can be.
An intellectual who can listen and learn from others sometimes
rather than merely being the one always speaking and teaching others.
4.
Meekness
throughout our Christian life- Total humbling reliance and dependence upon
the Living God through a day-to-day life of repentance- Isaiah 30:15-18
Isaiah 30:15 For
thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, "In returning and
rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your
strength." But you were unwilling, 16 and you said,
"No! We will flee upon horses"; therefore you shall flee away;
and, "We will ride upon swift steeds"; therefore your pursuers
shall be swift. 17 A thousand shall flee at the threat of one;
at the threat of five you shall flee, till you are left like a flagstaff on
the top of a mountain, like a signal on a hill. 18 Therefore the
LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show
mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who
wait for him.
B.
What is the
opposite of meekness? Simply put:
SELF
1.
Proud- We
should be able to receive criticism from others without becoming
unnecessarily defensive of ourselves.
We are eager to let others know of our “rights” and we
don’t so much stand up for the oppressed and
persecuted, but for ourselves!
For
instance: We would much rather have God’s name taken in vain than for
others to speak of us in an evil manner.
2.
Independent
and Self-Asserting- We have rights,
but we do not always have to use them.
For the sake of love, we “lose our rights” in order to
place others first.
We need to remember that our primary call is not to our so-called rights in this world, but as Kingdom
people to lose our rights and to take up our cross and follow a king who
did not demand equality with God (Phil. 2: 5-11).
Be warned: In
culture of self-assertion, you may be called
“weak” but you are in good company with a Savior many thought
to be too weak to save! “He
saved others, why can’t he save himself??!!” They asked as
Jesus hung on the cross!
3.
Controlling:
Forgetting God’s sovereignty and goodness in His providence
4.
Ruthless: lit. “without
peace or gentleness to others”- cruel, oppressive, self-centered!
o It is interesting to
note that it is just these that Isaiah prophesies will not inherit the earth!
Isaiah 29:14
therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful
things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their
wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be
hidden." 15 Ah, you who hide deep from the LORD your counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say,
"Who sees us? Who knows us?" 16 You turn things upside
down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should
say of its maker, "He did not make me"; or the thing formed say
of him who formed it, "He has no understanding"? 17 Is
it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall
be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded
as a forest? 18 In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a
book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.
19 The
meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among mankind shall
exult in the Holy One of Israel. 20
For the ruthless shall come to
nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be
cut off, 21 who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and
lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn
aside him who is in the right. (cf. Psalm 37:35).
1 Corinthians 13:4 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. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things. 8
Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues,
they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we
know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect
comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I
spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I
reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in
part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these
is love.
C.
“The
meek don’t want it”
II. Inheritance of the Earth? Really??!!
A.
New Heaven
and New Earth- not a vague, ethereal, cloud-like habitation with harps and
little cherubim
B.
The very
earth, or land that sinful man so desperately desires; the earth and the
land that everyone wants to rule and to establish their own name as a
banner; this earth is what the meek inherit. The very pursuit of the land and earth on
one’s own sinfully proud terms, is what
makes one ruthless and cruel- - NOT meek.
C.
The very
term inherit implies a
meek waiting and patience upon the LORD.
This earth, this land is not received through might or right, but
through meekness it is received!
D.
Psalm 37-A
contrast between God’s meek
people and the ruthless!
Psalm 37:1 OF DAVID. Fret not
yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! 2 For
they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. 3 Trust
in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 4
Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of
your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he
will act. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday. 7 Be still before the LORD and
wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his
way, over the man who carries out evil devices! 8 Refrain from
anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. 9 For
the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall
inherit the land. 10 In just a little while, the wicked will be
no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. 11
But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in
abundant peace. 12 The wicked plots against the righteous and
gnashes his teeth at him, 13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his day is coming….
…. 23 The steps of a
man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; 24 though
he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand. 25
I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous
forsaken or his children begging for bread. 26 He is ever
lending generously, and his children become a blessing. 27 Turn
away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever. 28 For
the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved
forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. 29 The
righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever…..
39 The salvation of the righteous
is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. 40 The
LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and
saves them, because they take refuge in him.
E.
But a: Renewal
and Restoration of the creation! (not a ridding or destruction)
1.
Our Bodies/Souls
2.
The Creation
3.
God saw that
is was all “very good” in Genesis 1.
E.
Inherit, not take nor steal, nor covet, but inherit!
Why
do we inherit the earth?
We have totally depended on the Great Creator and Redeemer who will have
his creation and the worship of His people the way he intended it to be.
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