Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• Most people have likely heard of the Beatitudes in some way
• Well known verses
• Is there anything that the Bible says that is more counter cultural (than these verses)?
• Meekness is not a sort after quality
• What is meekness?
• A fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:23)
• It is not human niceness
• Example: The Rudyard Kipling Poem 'if'
• It is impossible without the renewing power of God in our life
• Num 12:1-3
• Someone who is bold and zealous for God but indifferent to his own honour and reputation
• Those that have the Spirit of Christ dwelling within them

Worship

• To be meek, is to worship: not self-centred but God-centred
• Not to be obsessed with image and neglecting character
• Not to have hate, rage, war and violence
• A crisis of identity
• The way we see ourselves affects how we deal with others
• Racial intolerance
• Meekness is about seeing myself as God sees me
• This protects us from the two extremes of pride and self-pity
• We should see ourselves as God does: sinners but treasured by God (Christians)
• Meek people are zealous for the right things
• Quote from John Brown
• Example from Mike Mellows and John Stott
• Jesus is the prime example of someone who was meek
• He was dead to self interest
• He acts decisively to defend the honour of His Father
• He did not protect Himself - 1 Peter 2:23
• Meekness is the only attribute that Jesus draws attention to in Himself - Matt 11:28-30

Waiting

• Nobody today wants to wait for anything
• To be meek is to wait
• The bible is full of delayed gratification - the opposite of what the world believes
• "Not yet"
• Heb 2:8-9
• We are not a prisoner of pleasure
• Everything is under Jesus
• The meek are looking ahead for that which is to come
• The treasures ahead are of far greater worth than the treasures of the world
• The best things are still to come
• Rom 8:18-25
• Waiting is hard, but Christians are called to wait upon God
• Ps 73:16b-20
• The meek will inherit the earth

Winning

• To be meek is to win the prize
• Not just the earth
• 1 Pet 1:3-5a
• God will keep us through the trials
• We do not think enough about the world to come
• A new heaven and a new earth - Rev 21:1-4
• The presence of Christ
• The enjoyment of every pure pleasure in Christ
• Nothing for ourselves but in Him and for Him

Closing Remarks

• The romans hated meekness
• The scribes didn't like meekness
• The disciples didn't understand why meekness was important
• The meek shall inherit the earth
• As Christians our inheritance is in Christ