BLESSED ARE THE MEEK

BLESSED ARE THE MEEK

Mat 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

The meek are those who quietly submit to God; who can bear insult; are silent, or return a soft answer; who, in their patience, keep possession of their own souls, when they can scarcely keep possession of anything else

DICTIONARY:
1. Mild of temper; soft; gentle; not easily provoked or irritated; yielding; given to forbearance under injuries.

Now the man Moses was very meek, above all men. Num 12.

2. Appropriately, humble, in an evangelical sense; submissive to the divine will; not proud, self-sufficient or refractory; not peevish and apt to complain of divine dispensations. Christ says, "Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest to your souls." Mat 11.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Mat 5.

We are still writing about qualities of character that make us fit for the Kingdom of God. I sort of envy those folks who seem to have been born with a mild nature, because I was not so fortunate. Any of those traits that I have are the result of hard-learned lessons. I have been left with some rather unpleasant memories of what can happen when I allow my own nature to get in the way of community or Christian tranquility.

Jesus did very little teaching about Salvation from our sinful nature, but spent almost all of his energies on telling the people how to enter the Kingdom. Much the same is true of most of the Epistles of the New Testament—telling people HOW TO LIVE after they are forgiven of their sinful condition.

I remember Charlie Yadon preaching when he was a young man, “There are two kinds of Christians in the world—those who please God, and those who don’t.” I don’t remember hearing too much of the rest of the sermon, for my mind was going miles per hour on just that one statement.

It is enlightening to see how many places where the trait of Meekness is mentioned in the Bible.

Zep 2:3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: IT MAY BE YE SHALL BE HID in the day of the LORD's anger.

2Co 10:1 Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

When we spend time and effort yielding to the Voice of The Spirit, we will find that the Fruit is beginning to grow. We DO NOT produce the Fruit by our own efforts. It HAPPENS as a result of us obeying the Spirit. It is the natural result of our communion with God.

Gal 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

Eph 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
Eph 4:2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Eph 4:3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Col 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
Col 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
Col 3:14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

1Ti 6:11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

2Ti 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
2Ti 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
2Ti 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Jam 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
Jam 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Jam 1:23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
Jam 1:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
Jam 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

1Pe 3:14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
1Pe 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
Jam 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
Jam 3:14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
Jam 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
Jam 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
Jam 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
Jam 3:18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

Many of our Church leaders are now stressing Unity among the believers, and while that is certainly to be desired, it would fall short of the goal if they COULD accomplish it, for it would be patterned after what THEY think unity to be. It almost always embodies their creeds and dogmas and methods.

But, the real truth is that KINGDOM PEOPLE (those who are reaching Kingdom Status) are actually ONE right NOW, though they may not presently even know each other personally. That “Oneness” is brought about by the Spirit of God in EACH INDIVIDUAL HEART, rather than church affiliation or doctrine. It is a COMMON RELATIONSHIP TO JESUS. It is a plain geometrical illustration of how two objects that are each equal to a common object are also equal to each other. (I learned that in High School in 1935)

I often stand back and look at the condition of the World today, and wonder “how will God ever accomplish what He seems intent on doing?” His intent goes far beyond the Church world today. It embodies the entire spectrum of human affairs—including the political, business and financial realm. We glibly say that it all belongs to Jesus, but I’m quite certain that we don’t realize what we are saying. It ACTUALLY WILL HAPPEN!

Zec 4:6 ----This is the WORD OF THE LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but BY MY SPIRIT, saith the LORD of hosts. (emphasis added)

John 6:67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

There is an experience in God, which, if we attain to it, there is no question about turning back or away from God. But if our experience in God is shallow-- the "sinner's prayer" type, we might be in real danger of losing faith in Jesus at some point in our lives. A deep experience in God is vital to a robust Christian Life. WE NEED TO SEEK GOD FOR SUCH AN EXPERIENCE WITH HIM.

David had obtained an experience with God which transformed and shaped his life. He became an outstanding example of one whose love for God and His House. The depth of our love is also determined largely by the depth of our experience in God.

Psalms 73:25 Whom have I in heaven [but thee]? and [there is] none upon earth [that] I desire beside thee.

It is an exercise in futility for us to put trust or hope in any other but Jesus Christ, and the Salvation which He offers to us.