Blessed are the Meek

Father, we thank you for today. We thank you for all that you do, and we thank you, Lord, for the opportunity we had to study your word. Tonight, open our eyes to behold your beauty.

Help us to see the glory of the Lord. Help us to understand our responsibility to follow you, and pray, God, that you touch all of our hearts as only you can, because you are a great and wonderful God, and we thank you that we can be together in Jesus' name. Amen.

If you have your Bible, turn with me to John chapter 18. John chapter 18.

Years from now, we will be in chapter 18 of John, just not any time soon. And the 18th chapter of John is just a, well, it's all a great passage, but I preach on this section of scripture in the Garden of Gethsemane when we go to Israel, simply because it's such a powerful, powerful passage. But it sets the tone for what we wanna talk to you about this evening, because the Bible says, in Matthew chapter 5, verse number 5, blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

And there's no greater example of meekness than Christ. And one of the areas in which it's illustrated the best is in John chapter 18, and it says this. When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden in which he entered with his disciples.

Now Judas also, who was betraying him, knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with his disciples. Judas then having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon him, went forth and said to them, whom do you seek? They answered him, Jesus of Nazarene.

He said to them, I am. And Judas also, who was betraying him, was standing with them. So he said to them, I am.

They drew back and fell to the ground. Therefore he again asked them, whom do you seek? And they said, Jesus of Nazarene. Jesus answered, I told you that I am.

So if you seek me, let these go their way to fulfill the word which he spoke of those whom you have given me, I lost not one. Simon Peter then having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest slave and cut off his right ear and the slave's name was Malchus. So Jesus said to Peter, put the sword into the sheath.

The cup which the father has given me, shall I not drink it? So the Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. So Jesus goes off to one of his four trials as a prisoner. But Jesus was not a prisoner.

He was a free man. But Judas and the Roman army, they were not free men, but they were truly prisoners. They just did not understand that.

Think of it, here is Jesus in the middle of the night and there are no streetlights in the Garden of Gethsemane. And so they come with torches and lanterns and weapons to imprison the Prince of Peace. And the cohort is 600 men and you think of the temple police being somewhere between 100 and 200 police.

So you have around 800 people plus Pharisees and some probably Sadducees and scribes all gathering together. So you have over 800 people all coming from Jerusalem, crossing over the Kidron with torches and lanterns looking for the light of the world. And Jesus meets them at the entryway to the garden and asks them, well, whom do you seek? And they respond by saying Jesus of Nazarene.

And he says, I am, and they all fall over backwards. And the most amazing thing is they get back up again. So he asked him the same question, whom do you seek? And they repeat Jesus of Nazarene.

And he says, I am. And they take him prisoner. But he's the only free man in the bunch.

While those who perceive themselves to be free are really prisoners. You see, Jesus was in complete control of the situation. And he had all the power to do whatever he wanted.

But he chose, he chose willingly to go with them because, why? He was the meekest on the face of the earth. He becomes the supreme illustration of what it means to be meek. But Christ is the master of the paradox.

One day I would like to do a series on all those paradoxes that Christ speaks of. Christ says, the last are first. Those who give, receive.

Those who die, live. Those who lose, find. Those who are the least are really the greatest.

Those who are the poorest are the richest. Those who are the weakest are the strongest. And those who serve are really those who rule.

He's the master of the paradox. Nobody can say it quite like Jesus says it. And the way he puts it, the way he phrases it is so startling.

And so if you're a Jew and you're on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee, and Christ ascends this mount and takes his seat and begins to say, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. And blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

All these things are supreme paradoxes in the minds of the people listening. But Jesus, Jesus knows how to say it in just the right way. He says, very simply, that those who realize their poverty are those who repent from their iniquity.

And those who repent from their iniquity respond with humility. And what Jesus says goes against everything we believe. If you wanna inherit the world, you're the aggressor.

If you wanna rule the world, you are the powerful one. You're the rich one. You're the strong one.

You're the one who overrides everyone else. So we think. Try to tell a CEO that his greatest quality will be meekness and he will laugh at you. Because that's just unheard of. But in God's kingdom, those who understand meekness are the ones who inherit the earth. In fact, Jesus said it this way.

All you that are heavy laden, come to me. I will give you rest. For I am meek and lowly in heart.

He opens the door for us to see the inner workings of the Messiah. He is meek and he is lowly at heart. This was a difficult pill for the nation of Israel to swallow.

Because if Jesus is their Messiah, which he claims to be and he is, their perception of the Messiah is different than meekness. It's strength. It's power.

And they would begin to think in the Jewish mind these verses about the Messiah. Daniel 7, verse 13. Where Daniel says, I kept looking in the night visions and behold, with the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man was coming and he came up to the ancient of days and presented before him and to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all the people's nations and men of every language might serve him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away. And his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. They think of the Messiah, which is a very, very familiar passage to Jews that this is the coming of the Messiah.

He rules and reign with power and dominion. And then they would think of those very familiar words in Isaiah chapter 9, verse number 6. For a child will be born to us and a son will be given to us and the government will rest on his shoulders.

And his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace, and there will be no end to the increase of his government or of peace on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness. From then on and forevermore, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this. They're thinking of their Messiah and understanding that when he comes, he rules over all.

And then they would be drawn to Malachi chapter 4, verse number 1. For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace and all the arrogant and every evil doer will be chaffed and the day that is coming will set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts. So it will leave them neither root nor branch.

But for you who fear my name, the son of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. You will tread down the wicked for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing, says the Lord of hosts. And they would think that here is the Lord who comes and he tramples everyone down and he rules over all and he is strong and mighty and the dominion is his.

That's what they're thinking about the Messiah. And Jesus comes and says, blessed are those who are poor, for I give them my kingdom. Blessed are those who mourn.

They and they only will be comforted. And blessed are the meek, for the earth is theirs. Theirs and theirs only, no one else's.

And this was completely shocking to a Jewish mindset. And so all throughout the ministry, they would hear words like Jesus saying, I've come to preach the gospel to the poor. I've come to preach the gospel as I look forward to those who are oppressed.

And Israel saw themselves as oppressed, but not because of their iniquity, but because of their enemy, Rome. They were under the oppression of Rome. And so if the Messiah comes, he is going to relieve their oppression.

He will release them from their imprisonment. And they're thinking their imprisonment is Rome, that Rome is hovering over them and ruling over them and they can be set free from that, not knowing that they are enslaved to their sin. They did not understand the arrival of the Messiah, even at the end of his ministry.

Remember Matthew chapter 21? It says, when they had approached Jerusalem, Matthew chapter 21, verse number 1, and had come to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples saying to them, go into the village opposite you and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a coat with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, the Lord has need of them.

And immediately he will send them. This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet. And he quotes Zechariah 9, verse number 9.

Say to the daughter of Zion, behold, your king is coming to you. Meek and mounted on a donkey, even on a coat the full of a beast of burden. They would know Zechariah 9.

They would understand that. And they would try to connect the dots of how it is that the son of man, one like a son of man would come and come up to the ancient of days and he would receive glory and power and a kingdom. And it's the power of the Lord of hosts that caused him to accomplish these kinds of things.

And then they would read that the Messiah would come on the backside of a donkey instead of a Persian steed, instead of a white stallion, he comes on the backside of a donkey. And yet, and yet, the disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them and brought the donkey and the colt and laid their coats on them and he sat on their coats. Verse 8, most of the crowd spread their coats in the road and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road.

The crowds going ahead of him and those who followed were shouting, Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Now you have to understand that here is Christ and he's making his way up to Jerusalem. It's Passover time. And there are thousands upon thousands of people moving toward Jerusalem.

And he's making his way up through Jericho, healing two blind men in Jericho and the crowds begin to swell beyond number. And so they're following him into Jerusalem while the crowds in Jerusalem are already there. And here comes Jesus, fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9 and they see him coming and they begin to take off their coats and lay them down in front of this beast of burden, this donkey.

Why? Because they are saying, I'm giving all I have to you. You're in charge, you're the king. Others were taking branches and waving them and laying them down and that's why the Pharisees were so upset because at Passover, you don't cut down the branches and wave them. You do that at the Feast of Tabernacles, not at Passover. And the Pharisees knew that if they're doing this, they're doing it because they believe that their Messiah is coming. And if the Messiah is coming and they don't think he is, we got a major problem, thus says the religious establishment.

And so they believe in some small way that this is their Messiah. And then over in Luke's comment on this, he says, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice because of his miracles. Not because it was a message.

His message was blessed are the poor, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are the meek and the hungry and the peacemakers and the pure in heart. But they didn't listen to that. It was the miracles that got them excited.

And they said, blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord, peace in heaven and glory in the highest. They even quote the Bible. They quote Psalm 110 and Psalm 40, both Messianic Psalms, saying that Jesus is the Messiah, is the king.

And Jesus goes into Jerusalem and he weeps over Jerusalem because he says, if you had known on this day what I was here for, oh, I would have gathered you together. But you weren't willing. You did not recognize the day of your visitation.

And they should have recognized the day of his visitation because it was the exact day, 173,880 days as prophesied by Daniel in Daniel 9:24-27. They should have known. But they missed it because they believed in the dominion and power of the Messiah.

And Jesus turns around and goes back to Bethany, comes back the next day and cleanses the temple. Instead of setting up his kingdom, instead of overthrowing Rome, he turns over the tables in the temple. They are extremely confused, so confused that three days later, they yell, crucify him. Crucify him.

See, the Messiah didn't come to be crowned. He came to be crucified.

He didn't come to be exalted. He came to be humiliated. That's why he came.

He came to die. And they missed it all. So Jesus comes along, early on in his ministry.

He is paving the way to the end. He's helping them to understand he's the king. I want you to be children of my kingdom.

To do so, you must understand how to enter the kingdom and how to grow up in the kingdom. It begins with poverty of spirit. It moves to poverty of heart.

It moves to mourning over your sin. Then it moves to meekness. But with all of that comes blessedness, comes true joy, comes happiness on the inside.

A joy that's unaffected by anything on the outside because you're right with God on the inside, and that's all that matters. And so he says, blessed are the meek. So hopefully you picked up an outline and you're able to follow us tonight because the outline is the same as it has been the last two weeks and will be the same as we go through the Beatitudes.

Number one, we will make sure that we define the condition for you, describe the consequences, detail the characteristics, and then determine our course. Follow this through with me, if you will. What meekness is not and what meekness is.

So many times we equate meekness with weakness, meekness with shyness, meekness with spinelessness, meekness with mere niceness. We really have a hard time defining meekness. But just let me give you just a real simple illustration.

The Bible says there's a man who was the meekest man on the face of the earth. That's Numbers 12, verse number 3. Moses writes the Pentateuch.

Under the inspiration of God, he says that he himself is the meekest man on the face of the earth. And so think of Moses as the essence of meekness in the Old Testament. And Moses was the one who slew an Egyptian as the meekest man on the face of the earth.

He was the one who coming down from Mount Sinai with the tablets, the 10 commandments, written in stone by the finger of God, coming down only to see and hear the idolatry of the people of God. So the meekest man on the face of the earth takes the stones and throws them down to the ground and crushes them. And then he takes the molten calf that they had made as a symbol of their God that they would worship.

He melted it down, let it dry, pounded it into dust, threw the dust into the water, and then made Israel drink the water. That is the meekest man on the face of the earth. That's just amazing.

Because we don't understand meekness. Meekness is one who has all the power, but all that power is completely under control. It's another word for being self-controlled.

Think of it this way. William Barclay says in his commentary on the Beatitudes that meekness is a word with caress in it. And Colin Brown in his commentary on the New Testament says it's a word used to describe tame animals, a soothing medicine, a mild word, a gentle breeze.

In other words, it implies self-control. Think about it. A gentle breeze.

We love to sit on the beach and have a gentle breeze or in the backyard and feel a gentle breeze. But if the wind is out of control, that gentle breeze becomes a hurricane, right? We love domesticated horses because they do what we tell them to do. They ride smooth and quick, but an undomesticated horse is a wild horse and runs all over the place.

Medicine is good if you take the dosage that the doctor gives to you, but if you overdose on the medicine, it can be deadly. You see, the essence of meekness is that it is power that is completely tamed and under control. And that's why our Lord would say that he has all the power in all the world and yet he is the meekest because he is lowly and he wants you to come to him because only he can do what no one else can do.

That's so important to understand. Proverbs 16:32 says, he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty and he that ruleth the spirit than he that taketh a city. That's self-control, that's power under control.

Point number two, let's describe the consequences for today and for tomorrow. For today, there is guidance. For today, there is blessing.

For today, there is joy. For today, there is salvation. Listen to what the Old Testament says.

It says in Proverbs 22:26, the meek shall eat and be satisfied. Proverbs 25, verse number nine, the meek will he guide in justice and the meek will he teach his ways. Psalm 147, verse number 6, the Lord lifts up the meek.

Isaiah 29:19, the meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord. Think of it this way, the rich and the powerful never have enough. They never get enough.

But the meek don't fight for that because they know in the end, it's all gonna be theirs anyway because they inherit the earth. So they're not worried about what they don't have today or tomorrow because everything that the unbelieving world has is theirs anyway because they, along with the Lord, inherit the earth. But tomorrow, tomorrow there's a ruling and reigning on this earth with the king.

And over in Psalm 37, the psalmist says this, which is so unique, he says in verse number nine, for evil doers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land. The meek person is one who waits and trusts because he is patient for what God's gonna do and that person inherits the land. Verse 11, but the humble will inherit the land.

Verse 18, the Lord knows the days of the blameless and their inheritance will be forever. Verse 22, for those blessed by him will, again, inherit the land. Verse 29, the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.

Verse 34, wait for the Lord and keep his way and he will exalt you to inherit the land. There's coming a day because we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. And in Psalm 2, the psalmist says this in verse number 8, ask of me and I will surely give you the nations for your inheritance and the very ends of the earth as your possession.

That's God speaking to the Messiah. And because we're joint heirs with Christ, what he receives, we receive. And therefore, the earth is his and the fullness thereof and one day, according to the book of Revelation, we will rule and reign with Christ as he sits on the throne of his father David in Jerusalem and we will reign over the land because we would have inherited the earth.

But let me try to describe for you the characteristics. Now, follow very carefully. They're in your notes.

One builds upon the other. The characteristics of the meek person is allegiance, benevolence, confidence, deference or preference, defense, and in essence, patience and obedience. Let me begin this way.

Characteristic number one is that those who are meek have an allegiance to God's sovereignty. And if I had time, I could take you back to the book of Genesis and talk to you about the man Joseph. Joseph rose to a level of prominence in Egypt unlike any other person ever.

And as he rose to a level of prominence, he became basically the prime minister of Egypt. And he had the opportunity to take care of Potiphar's wife who had lied about him, but he chose not to. And when his brothers came to Egypt because they were starving and hungry and didn't recognize Joseph, he could have refused to give them food, but he didn't. He gave them food.

And not only did he give them food, he forgave them for what they did to him while he had it in his power to destroy them as the prime minister of Egypt. That is the essence of meekness.

He had the power to destroy them. Meekness is always seen not when you do that which is wrong, but when you do that which is right. Because in doing that which is right and you're not in the wrong, you had the power to destroy those who are in the wrong, but you choose not to.

Why? Because your allegiance is to God's sovereignty. And Joseph knew about the sovereign work of God in his life, how God had moved specifically in every aspect of his life to move him to where he was, so much so that at the end he could say, you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good because God's sovereignty is ruling over all. And because of that, two nations were saved, both Egypt and Israel.

So the first characteristic is allegiance to God's sovereignty. The second characteristic is benevolence toward your enemy. Benevolence toward your enemy.

You had the power to destroy them, but instead you show them kindness and goodness. In the illustration for this is David, King David. He was anointed king over Israel.

And for over a decade, Saul was so angry with him and hated him so much and tried to kill him. And when David had the opportunity to kill Saul, even though he was already anointed king of Israel, he did not kill Saul, but spared his life. He was in complete control.

He had the power as king of Israel, already been anointed, and Saul had already been rejected as king. And yet he, because of his allegiance to God's sovereignty, then would demonstrate his benevolence toward his enemy. That's exactly what he did.

Even with Shimei, remember that? In, I think it's 2 Samuel, when he was going along the hillside and throwing stones at David and cursing at David, and Abishai said, hey, let me go up there and cut off his head. And David said, no, no, let it go. If he's doing this, it's probably because God told him to do so.

And David was the king, and David could have had him executed, but he did not. He had the power to, but because of his allegiance to God's sovereignty, he could show benevolence toward his enemy. And those who show benevolence toward their enemy do so because they have confidence in the Almighty.

And that was the Apostle Paul. That's why he said, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And the Apostle Paul was the one who said, we put no confidence in the flesh.

Why? Because all of our confidence is in the Almighty God. And that's what the meek person does, and Paul is a perfect example of that. So the person who has allegiance to God's sovereignty shows benevolence toward his enemy because he has confidence in the Almighty.

And those who have confidence in the Almighty show deference within their family, whether it be their personal family or their church family. And the illustration of this is Abraham. Remember in Genesis when Lot's herdsmen and Abraham's herdsmen had this great fight that would break out? And so they knew that they had to separate.

So what did Abraham do? Abraham's the father who received the promise. He knew what the land, the land was his. The promised land was Abraham's.

It was given to him, not to Lot, but Lot, but Abraham says to Lot, you choose which way you wanna go. You wanna go right, I'll go left. You wanna go left, I'll go right. You wanna go north, I'll go south. You wanna go south, I'll go north. Choose the way you wanna go.

So what did Lot choose? He chose the lush green area, the best area. And Abraham let him, although it was Abraham's. Why? Because he showed deference and preference in his family.

What does Paul say in Romans chapter 12? He says, give preference to one another in honor. That's within the church. You see, we need more of that in the church, don't we? We need meek people in the church who are willing to give preference to others, give honor to others, to lift up others.

Why? Because they understand that within their family, they wanna lift others up above them, whether it's their personal family or their church family, because they do have confidence in the Almighty. Therefore, they wanna show benevolence even toward their enemy, because they have an allegiance towards God's sovereignty. That's the characteristic of those who are meek.

And then, of course, there's the defense of your authority. That is, those who are meek are always willing to defend their God and defend the truth of the word of God. And that is how Moses lived his life, how Paul lived his life, always standing strong in the truth, always defending his God, fighting the good fight of the faith, always living in defense of their great and grand authority, never living in defense of themselves, but always in their God.

And of course, in essence, meek people show patience and they are the ones who demonstrate obedience. And that's Christ. Christ himself was completely obedient to his father.

Even though he was ridiculed, even though he was spat upon, even though he was mocked, he had the power to destroy. Even as he hung on the cross and he could have called legions of angels to come and save him, he did not. Instead, he said, "'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.'"

And Peter, when he denied him, what did he do? He restored him. He restored him, because that's what meek people do. They give preference to others. They minister to others.

And Christ lived a life of obedience to his father, always wanting to do the will of his father in heaven, simply because he lived out the meek and quiet spirit. How about you? What characterizes your daily life? Are you the kind of person who, when you have the power to destroy, or you have the power for revenge, or you have the power to conquer, it's all under your authority. You choose not to, because you want to demonstrate kindness, goodness, and gentleness.

So lastly, what's our course of action? How do we explain that? Let me give you a few principles. Number one is understand that meekness, realize it's a gift. Do you understand that? Galatians chapter 5, the fruit of the spirit is meekness, gentleness.

It's a gift of God. 2 Peter 1:4, we are partakers of the divine nature. As a child of God, you're a partaker of God's divine nature, and God's nature is that he is meek and lowly, so you become a part of that.

His nature is in you. You now automatically have the opportunity to live a meek and quiet life. So important.

But you gotta, number one, realize it's a gift from God, and then, number two, resolve to pursue meekness. Listen to what Paul says in 1 Timothy chapter 6, verse 11, but flee from these things, you men of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and meekness. Meekness is not only a gift, but meekness is something that we are to pursue constantly.

And then over in 2 Timothy chapter 2, verse number 24, Paul says, the Lord's bondservant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, and with meekness, correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God might grant them repentance. Wow. So not only do we realize that meekness truly is a gift from God, but we also need to understand that we are to seek meekness, we are to pursue meekness.

And then number three, understand this. Oh, by the way, Zephaniah 2:3 says, seek meekness. And then, we should always respond humbly to scripture.

Meek people do that. Listen to James chapter 1, verse number 19. This you know, my beloved brethren, but everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness in meekness, receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. In other words, we are the kind of people who respond humbly to the scriptures. That's what meek people do.

They hear the word of God, and they respond in humility, because they recognize that the all-powerful God of the universe, who could destroy them in a moment, his mercies are new every morning, and that his grace is sufficient for every situation.

And then, and then, number four, meek people receive criticism well. Meek people receive criticism well.

Look at Titus chapter 3. Remind them, verse number 1, to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, meek, showing consideration for all men. For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another, but when the kindness of God, our Savior, and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us, not on the basis of our deeds, which we have done in righteousness, but according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, we poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ, our Savior.

We are to respond to the authorities, those who are over you, whether they're in your workplace or whether they're in the government or whether they're in your family, with an attitude of meekness. And then, note this, over in 1st Peter, 1st Peter chapter 3, verse number 4, Peter says this about women who are married to unsaved men, he says, yet your adornment must not be merely external, braiding of the hair and wearing gold jewelry or putting on dresses. It's not that it can't be external, it just must not be merely external.

But let it be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable quality of a meek and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. Wow, so many times as women who are married to unbelievers, or yeah, who are married to unbelievers, receive all kinds of criticism because of what they do or don't do, or if they go to church, or they wanna raise their kids in the ways of God, and their husbands criticize them and malign them, they are to respond with meekness and in gentleness, because this is precious in the sight of the Lord. Realize that meekness is a gift, resolve to pursue meekness, respond humbly to the scriptures, receive criticism well, and restore a brother who sins.

Galatians chapter 6, verse number 1. Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of meekness, each one looking to yourself so that you too will not be tempted. Meek people restore sinning brothers and sisters, and they do it in the spirit of meekness.

And one more, I added it right before the service, and that is meek people react by walking worthy. Ephesians chapter 4, verse number 1. Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all meekness and gentleness with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace.

Meek people spend their energy maintaining the peace that we have in the body of Christ. And they do it because they prefer others more important than themselves. They do it because they trust in the sovereignty of God that rules over all.

They do it because they know they have confidence in the almighty God to accomplish his purposes, that they can sit back and rest and know that their God is in complete control. So Christ comes and he begins to preach. He begins to speak forth the truth of the word of God, helping people understand that that entrance into my kingdom comes because of poverty of spirit, complete spiritual bankruptcy.

You have nothing to give me. You have nothing to earn my favor. You have nothing that will cause me to love you.

You can't get God to love you. God is a lover of mankind. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.

You can't affect the love of God by anything that you do. But it's a poverty of spirit, the recognition that I have nothing to give you that causes me to cry out and mourn over my sin, recognizing that I'm separated from you, and then understand that the meek will inherit the earth. All foreign to a Jewish mind, foreign basically even to our minds because we don't look at life the way Christ looks at it.

But this is the way to true blessedness, true joy, true happiness, true gladness. It comes only God's way. It doesn't come my way or your way.

It only comes God's way. And so therefore you have to say, okay, am I gonna submit to the sovereignty of God and follow his marching orders, or am I gonna kick against the goads and continually fight against what God says? Or while I'm humility, receive with meekness the implanted word of God which is able to save your soul. That's my prayer for you and my prayer for me, that that would be our attitude. Let's pray together.

Father, we thank you for today and the opportunity you give us to praise your glorious name. Thank you, Lord, for your word.

There's so much to unfold, so much to uncover, so much to study and so little time to do it, but yet you've given us this opportunity and we are grateful. We thank you, Lord, that we can spend some time in the middle of the week. It's like a refueling.

It's like a refocusing. It's like a redirecting of our lives to make sure we're in line, to make sure that we are truly following the word of the Lord. Oh, so often we need that reminder of what your word says.

And my prayer is for everyone in the room. Father, my prayer is always for those that are in the room. They're here because in the sovereignty of your plan, you brought them here.

They're not here by accident. They're here by divine appointment. And therefore, Lord, you wanna use your word in their lives.

So Lord, if there's someone here tonight who's not born again, that you'd save them from their sin. And for those who are, may they understand that they need to live like a child of the king, honoring the king, glorifying his name. For there is nothing better than to understand that we are citizens of the kingdom of the living God.

For that, we thank you in Jesus' name, amen.