In our hymn book, words are a
lot different. That was a blessing, thank you.
After the service, if some men can have Kelly command them where
to put the tables, Kelly will be glad to bark out the orders. I'm going to attempt to preach
on all meekness. Now meekness is something that
if I'm a believer, I have it. If I'm a believer, but I have
a hard time saying it. Uh, Betsy actually said to me
a couple of weeks ago, and this was an encouragement to me. Uh,
when I was talking about not knowing much about meekness,
she said, well, the Lord was meek and his meekness are meekness.
Yeah. Yeah, his life is our life. His humility is our humility.
His meekness is our meekness. But meekness is a part of the
worthy walk. I therefore the prisoner of the
Lord beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith
you are called with all lowliness and meekness. Lowliness, humility,
and meekness always go together. And the Lord said concerning
himself, I am meek and lowly in heart. That is the character
of the Lord, meek and lowly in heart. When he was riding into
Jerusalem on the donkey in answer to the prophecy of Zachariah,
Behold, thy king cometh unto thee. That's a blessing. He comes to me where I am. I
don't have to reach some point before he'll come to me. He comes
to me right where I am. He is just and having salvation,
lowly, meek, and riding upon an ass and upon a colt the foal
of an ass. When Paul appeals to the Corinthians
to bring every thought into obedience to the, every thought subject
unto the obedience of Christ. And every time I hear somebody
quote that, they say bring every thought into subjection to obedience
to Christ. Well, that's not what it says. Bring every thought in subject
to the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the key. Any thought that is contrary
to you being saved simply by the obedience of Christ is a
wrong thought. You know what he says? I beseech
you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ. that you bring every
thought in subjection to the obedience of Christ. Now meekness is the fruit of
the spirit. You remember that in Galatians
5, 22, it's one of the fruits of the spirit. And it's not found
in the natural man. It is an attitude toward God. No natural man has I think it's
interesting. Usually when a preacher tries
to deal with the subject of meekness, they're quick to point out, well,
meekness is not weakness, and try to make all kinds of statements
about that. Well, I'm not going to do that.
I'm not going to do that. What is meekness? What is it to be meek before
God? Well, I said it's a fruit of
the Spirit. It's that attitude to where we know He is the first
cause. You gotta begin here. You can't
be meek without a belief in the absolute sovereignty of God.
That's absolutely necessary. You have to believe He is the
cause of everything. Whatever happens to you, He is
the cause. I don't care what it is. I don't
care what the situation is. Whatever takes place, he is the
first cause. And that meek person is that
one who bows towards his dealings with us as good, whether we see
it or not. And therefore, without resisting
and complaining. Whatever comes our way, God sent
It's best, if I don't see it, I know it anyway. It's best,
whatever he sends my way. So you see, this is an attitude
toward God, God on the throne, the absolute sovereignty of the
living God. Believers are meek before him. Now let me give you some examples.
Turn with me to Moses, not Moses, Numbers chapter 12. Numbers chapter 12. And Miriam
and Aaron spake against Moses. They criticized him. They complained
about him because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married, for
he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, hath the Lord
indeed spoken only by Moses? Hath he not spoken also by us?
And the Lord heard it. He heard their complaining. Now,
the man Moses was very meek above all the men which were upon the
face of the earth. Now, what is seen? He didn't
try to answer them. He didn't try to defend himself.
He was meek before their complaint because he knew that it was all
in the Lord's control. and he didn't try to defend himself.
I wish I'd learned that, don't you? Don't try to defend yourself. The Lord will defend you if you
need defended, but don't try to defend yourself. Moses didn't
try to defend himself at this time, but the Lord did, as you
go on reading in this passage of scripture. Abraham was a very
meek man. In Genesis chapter 13, we read
of a strife that took place between the herdsmen of Lot and Abraham. And Abraham said to Lot, you
take the right hand, I'll go on the left. You take the left
hand, I'll go on the right. You make your choice. And Lot looked
towards Sodom and he saw that well-watered plain where he would
benefit, his flocks would benefit and his people would benefit.
And he chose that for himself and let Abraham take what was
left. And Abraham took it. Now, if
I were Abraham, I would have said, Lot, the covenant was waiting
with me. I'm taking the well-watered plain,
you get the rest. But no, he's meek before God. And whatever Lot takes, he'll
just take the other because he believed in God's absolute sovereignty. Eli, Samuel comes up to Eli and
he says, because you haven't restrained your two sons, you've
been a very Poor parent. God is going to kill your two
boys, Hophni and Phinehas. Wow. You know what Eli said? It's the Lord. Let him do what
seemeth him good. David has been running from Absalom,
and he has everybody in Israel against him at this time. They're
all for Absalom. And then he's going, trying to
get away, trying to get out of trouble. A man by the name of
Shammai starts cursing him and saying, you're a bloody man.
And Abishai, one of his mighty men of valor said, you want me
to go take his head off? You know what David's reply was? The Lord told Shammai to curse
David. The Lord told him to do that. To complain or be resentful about
what takes place is not meekness. Here's meekness. Here's meekness. In everything, give thanks. In everything, give thanks. For this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you, whatever it is. Doesn't matter
what it is. In everything, give thanks. This
is something to thank the Lord for because you know He's the
one that sent it. And whatever He does is best
and right. He's too wise to err and too
kind to be cruel. So in everything give thanks.
That is meekness. Now meekness is the third beatitude. And the word beatitude means
the highest state of blessedness. Now the beatitudes You're familiar
with them. Blessed are the poor in spirit.
Blessed are they that mourn. Blessed are the meek. Blessed
are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness. Blessed
are the merciful. Blessed are the pure in heart.
Blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed are they who are persecuted
for righteousness sake. Yes, it describes what a believer
it is, but first and foremost, it describes the character of
the Lord. Who was ever more poor than him when he emptied himself?
You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he
was rich, yet for your sakes, he became poor. Nobody mourned over sin like
Christ did. How hard-hearted you and I are
toward our sin. Oh, we might get upset sometimes,
but for the most part, we're just heartened and desensitized. But when the Lord was made sin,
how he mourned before his Father. over that sin. How ashamed he
was before his father. He saw the grievousness of the
sin. You and I really don't see it.
He did. How meek he was before his father. Though he slay me, yet will I
trust him. How He hungered and thirsted
after righteousness. Oh, I think of when He said for
the cross, I thirst. That meant infinitely more than
physical thirst. Who is merciful like the Lord
Jesus? He delights in mercy. Who's pure
in heart like Him? Oh, He's the ultimate peacemaker.
He made peace by the blood of His cross. That's what He accomplished.
No one has been persecuted for righteousness sake like him.
Thank God the character of the Lord is seen in the character
of all of his elect. The Beatitudes speak of the character
of every single believer without exception. Every believer, and
I love it that it begins here, they're poor. They don't have anything at all. that could recommend them to
God. They got nothing to bring to the table. All they have is
Christ, which makes them rich, but they're poor. And how they
mourn over sin. Now, let me tell you what it
means to mourn over sin. It means you mourn over your helplessness
before it. You're not indifferent about
it. You don't excuse it. You mourn over your helplessness
before it. Like when somebody mourns over
a death, They're mourning because they know they can't bring them
back. That's the way a believer mourns over sin. They're helpless
before it. Every believer is meek before
God. Every believer hungers and thirsts
after righteousness. Every believer is merciful. He's experienced mercy. Every
believer is pure in heart. He's being given a new heart.
That's talking about regeneration, the new heart given in the new
birth. Every believer is a peacemaker and every believer is persecuted
for righteousness sake. But this thing of blessed are
the meek for they shall inherit the earth is a quotation from
Psalm 37. Would you turn with me there? Psalm 37. Verse 11. But the meek, shall inherit the earth and should
delight themselves in the abundance of peace. It's the meek who inherit
the earth. Now let's see what led up David
to saying this. I love this psalm. Fret not thyself,
verse one, because of evildoers. Fret not. Fret not. Well, they said fret
not. What about fret not? because
of evildoers. Neither be thou envious against
the workers of iniquity, for they shall soon be cut down like
the grass and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do
good. So shalt thou dwell in the land
and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord
and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. which with every
believer is likeness to Christ. Perfect conformity to his image.
Commit thy way unto the Lord. Lord save me is another way of
saying that. Trust also into him and he shall bring it to
pass. He's gonna bring salvation to pass, it's his work. And he
shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, which is Christ's
righteousness, and you know that, and thy judgment As the noonday
rest in the Lord. And wait patiently for him. Fret
not thyself because of him who prospers in the way, because
of the man who brings wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger
and forsake wrath. Now quit getting mad at things. Quit getting mad. Don't have
any reason to. It's the Lord that sent it. Fret
not thyself in any wise to do evil, to seek vengeance. For
evildoers shall be cut off, but those that wait upon the Lord,
they shall inherit the earth for yet a little while, and the
wicked shall not be, yea, thou shalt diligently consider his
place, and it shall not be, but the meek shall inherit the earth. Psalm 22, six says, the meek
shall eat and be satisfied. Now, I'm satisfied. to be saved by
Christ. Are you? I'm satisfied with that. It's the only thing I'm satisfied
with. And I'm satisfied with his providence when I'm given
grace to believe he's the first cause of everything. Psalm 25, nine, the meek will
he guide in judgment and the meek will he teach his way. Psalm 76, nine, God arose in
judgment to save all the meek of the earth. You see all the
meek are all of God's elect. Everybody Christ died for. Psalm
147, six, the Lord lifted up the meek. Psalm 149 verse four,
he will beautify the meek with salvation. They've been predestinated
to this and that is what they will have. Now walk worthy of
the Lord in all meekness. He is the first cause and is
worthy of being trusted. And really, whatever happens,
I'm too sinful to have a ground of complaint in the first place.
I shouldn't have been treated that way. Yeah, you ought to
have been treated worse. You believe that? If I'm meek, I will think, no,
I deserve worse. You know, when people You go,
how are you doing? They say, well, better than I
deserve. And you're right, a whole lot better than you deserve.
That's true of all of us. Meekness, like humility, is so
beautiful. I think of the publican that
was in the temple. He heard what the Pharisee said.
I'm not like this other man, this publican. I'm not like him,
and I guarantee that that and thought, he doesn't know half
of it. He doesn't have any idea just how bad I am. And every believer feels that
way about themselves. You see meekness and poverty
of spirit go hand in hand. Now in the Hebrew Old Testament
word, meekness means depressed. to berate one's self, to browbeat
and chasten oneself. It's translated lowly, humble,
and poor. All those words represent the
meek person. Now, like I've already said,
meekness is a fruit of the spirit, impossible for the natural man. And thankfully, a grace that
can be grown. as all the fruit of the Spirit
is grace that can be grown in. And I want us to see how, what
great value the Lord puts upon this. Turn with me to 1 Peter
3. 1 Peter 3, verse one. Likewise, you wives be in subjection
to your own husbands. And the only way a woman can
be in subjection to her own husband is because that's what she wants.
If a man tries to force it, it won't work. It won't work. Anybody
will rebel against that. It must be something she wants
to do. That if any obey not the word,
these husbands, they're not believers. If any obey not the word, they
also may without the word be won by the conversation of the
wives. While they behold your chaste
conversation coupled with fear, whose adorning, let it not be
that outward adorning of plaiting the hair and of wearing of gold
or putting on of apparel, but let it be The hidden man of the
heart. Let's talk about the new nature.
This is what women need. This is what men need. This hidden
man of the heart, this heart that God gives in that which
is not corruptible. It's not even subject to corruption.
Even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the
sight of God of great price. Here's a woman married to an
unbeliever, and all he sees is this conduct, this meek and quiet
spirit. Meek before God, quiet means
not trying to cause trouble, not trying to change things,
a meek and quiet spirit. And that's in God's sight of
great price. Look at Colossians chapter three. Colossians chapter three, verse 12. Put on therefore as
the elect of God, holy and beloved. Now let's, before we go on reading,
look how Paul addresses every believer. The elect of God, chosen
of God before time began. Lord said, You didn't choose
me, but I chose you. Now, there are very many different
ways to take that. You didn't choose me, but I chose
you. Now, understand this about election.
If there were no election, nobody would be saved. That's how important
this is. Somebody says, well, election
keeps people from being saved. No, it doesn't. It saves people.
If there wasn't an elect, no one would be saved. And guess
how, guess how, that's not the right way to put this, but look
at the way all of God's elect are addressed. Holy and beloved. Every single child of God, holy,
holy. If Christ has made unto me sanctification,
you know what that means? I'm holy. Every believer is holy. David
said, I'm holy. I used to read that and think,
how could he say that? Well, I understand now. Every believer,
because of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, every believer
is holy. Every believer is beloved of God. What a way to address
God's people. Put on, therefore, as the elect
of God, holy and beloved, boughs of mercies, kindness, humbleness
of mind, meekness, meekness, long suffering for bearing one
another and forgiving one another. If any man have a quarrel against
David, any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Turn to James chapter one. I
want you to see these scriptures. James chapter one, verse 21. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness
and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with meekness the
engrafted word which is able to save your soul. Now this is
my attitude toward the word of God. This is God's word. God wrote this book. Aren't you
thankful for that? Aren't you thankful He's given
us a written revelation where you can listen and see if what
is being said is according to the Word of God? This is God's
Word. And how is it to be received?
With meekness. This is God's Word. And the only
way it is to be received is with meekness. James 3 verse 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. Now, if there's no meekness,
there's no wisdom. That's just the way it is. If there's no
meekness, there really is no wisdom. There might be some knowledge,
but not wisdom. Let him show with meekness of
wisdom. Remember this attitude of meekness
is an attitude toward God. Meekness is what we want men
to see. Titus chapter three, verse two says, to speak evil
of no man, to be no brawler, but gentle, showing all meekness
to all men. Now that's what you and I ought
to be zealous for people to see in us, is meekness before God. We really believe what we say
we do. And meekness is the spirit in which we deal with our erring
brothers and sisters. If a man be, Galatians 6.1, if
a man be overtaken in a fault. Can you understand that? A man
being overtaken. in a sin, in a fault, in a grievous
fault. If a man be overtaken in a fault,
you which are spiritual, restore such in one in the spirit of
meekness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted. You
realize that however that brother is, you're worse. And that temptation
he's falling to, you fell to worse ones. And you do this in
this spirit of meekness. Now, turn to 1 Peter 3. This
is the last passage we'll look at. 1 Peter 3. Once again, we've
already been there once. Verse 15. but sanctify the Lord God in
your hearts. Now what does that mean? How
do you sanctify God? You don't make him holy. You
can't make God holy. He is holy. You know what you
do when you sanctify him? You regard him as holy. You know what you do when you regard
him as holy? You look to Christ. You're afraid to look anywhere
else. When you really sanctify the Lord God in your heart, you
know the only respect a sinner ever demonstrates with the Lord God
is when he looks to Christ only. He proves by that, he really
does believe him to be holy. That's what drives him to Christ.
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always
to give an answer. to every man that asks you a
reason of the hope that's in you. Now, I'm going to pretend
like you asked me, give me a reason for the hope that's in you. Well,
here's the hope I have. I have a hope that on judgment
day, when my name is called, God is gonna say to me, well
done. thou good and faithful servant. How? Because if Jesus Christ
was good and faithful, which he was and is, and if everything
he did is well done, that's my doing. That's mine. It's because of union with the
Lord Jesus Christ. Here's my hope. I have a hope
that on judgment day, I'm gonna hear him say to me, well done,
thou good and faithful servant. What about your sin? Christ died
for my sin. And he put my sin away. And I have no sin. It's what the Bible calls justification. I stand before God having never
sinned, not just as if I never sinned, having never sinned. That's my hope. How am I to present
that glorious hope? Well, let's go on reading. but
sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to
give an answer to every man that asks you a reason for the hope
that's in you with meekness, with meekness
and fear, reverence, and respect. Not with a cocky, arrogant attitude,
but don't hold back. Don't hold back. an accurate
answer to that reason that's hoping you don't, don't be afraid.
Well, they won't understand. You give that reason. You give
that reason, the reason that God has taught you the way God
saved you. You give that reason, but you
do so with meekness and with fear. Now the worthy walk, and
I want to do this, don't you? He says, walk worthy of the vocation
wherewith you're called. with all lowliness and with all
meekness. May the Lord grant us this. Now don't, don't, this is a grace
of the spirit. This is not something you work
up. The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. This is
the fruit of the spirit. It's not the fruit of your works.
It's the fruit of the spirit. Lord, give me the grace to be
meek before you. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for the
meekness and the gentleness of thy son. Lord, we ask that we might be
found in him We ask that all you would see when you would
see us as our blessed son, we don't want to be seen in any
other way. And Lord, we ask that we would be given grace to walk
with all lowliness. And with all meekness. Lord, how beautiful is your son? How thankful we are to simply
be found in him. Lord, we beseech your blessing
on the Vacation Bible School. Lord, we ask that you would take
this time and use it to reveal yourself to these young people.
In Christ's blessed name, we pray. Amen.