 Matthew chapter 5. We're going to look at verse 5 today as we continue our study in the gospel of Matthew and as we continue our series through what has been referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. Verse 5 says, blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. As we've been going through this particular portion of Scripture we have begun to look at what has been called the Sermon on the Mount. It's obvious that it's referred to as the Sermon on the Mount because Jesus is on a mount somewhere in the northern portion of Israel. He's in a region called Galilee and he's speaking at this time to a large group of people. Matthew refers to them as a multitude and this large group of people have gathered to hear him. Now as he sees this multitude he takes the opportunity to present to them things concerning the kingdom of God. Now that becomes to be a habit of the Lord Jesus Christ that multitudes gather and Jesus teaches. You'll see it in again throughout the gospel of Matthew but Mark in chapter 6 verse 34 says, Jesus when he came out saw a great multitude was moved with compassion for them because they were like sheep not having a shepherding he began to teach them many things and so that's what the Lord would do when given opportunity is he would speak to the multitude and would share with them concerning the things of the kingdom of God. Now it states to us that Jesus was seated there which tells us that as a rabbi he was now speaking with authority and he gives to them what is called the blessings or the beatitudes. As we've been looking at the beatitudes or the blessings the message he gives gives us insight into the steps of coming to faith in him as well as insight into the qualities of a genuine Christian. Now we here in the United States have surveys every once in a while and people will answer the survey as it pertains to whether or not they have a religious faith and very often the highest percentage of response will be in the survey concerning religious faith will be that they have Christian faith 83% and above in the United States very often will will say that we are Christians well the fact of the matter is as many people refer to themselves as Christians but in reality they're anything but they haven't been born again they don't like to read the Word of God they don't have fellowship with other Christians they never speak concerning faith in Christ unless it's an argument concerning the religious preference and very often these who are arguing out in the state and that that they are Christians they don't have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ they don't have a faith in him and so Jesus is actually telling us how one becomes a Christian and he speaks concerning in this way he says blessed are those who are poor in spirit now when he says blessed are the poor in spirit as I've been mentioning to you blessed are those who have an awareness of your spiritual poverty blessed is the one who realizes that you have nothing to offer God at all blessed are you when you stop believing that you can earn or purchase eternal life blessed are you when you realize your spiritual poverty Romans 11 34 and 35 says it like this who has known the mind of the Lord or who has become his counselor or who has first given to him and it shall be repaid to him who first gave to God so that God owes you anything is what Paul is asking and those who have spiritual poverty are simply those who have realized that we have nothing to offer God at all I can't bargain with him I can't say that I've been good I've been religious I can't do any of that and Jesus said blessed is the one who is recognizing their spiritual poverty for theirs is the kingdom of heaven and so with that will come mourning blessed blessed is the one who mourns blessed is the one who recognizes that they have sinned against God because when we have understood that we are spiritually impoverished it leads to our mourning over sin not simply the fact that we sin and do wrong but primarily because we have sinned against God and we have a personal guilt like it says again in Psalm 51 4 against you you only have I sinned and done this evil in your sight and so one to be a Christian means that I recognize my spiritual poverty to it results in a response of mourning over my sin against God and then three it produces a meekness of heart that should characterize a Christian now in our society there is confusion about what meekness really is many consider meekness to be weakness and they don't find the quality of meekness attractive the readers digest Oxford complete word finder gives a list of synonyms for meekness tame timid mild unambitious retiring weak docile acquiescent repressed spiritless these words are not properly describing what it means to be meek this is typical of how many people look at meekness and that's why they find it unattractive poverty of spirit mourning meekness these aren't acceptable qualities to possess for many people you see the way of the world is to defend yourself constantly to fight to argue to look out for number one to deflate footballs to win a game I mean that's what the world does super bowl humor but that kind of mentality only produces unhappiness conflict and hurt it runs contrary to what the Lord would have us to be like in Proverbs 29 23 it says a man's pride shall bring him low but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit meekness speaks of being mild or soft the word describes a soft breeze a soothing medicine meekness is a gentleness of spirit a quietness a tender heartedness but it does not mean weakness the word has an association with domesticated animals specifically beasts of burden like an ox and an ox at the plow is not weak it's strong the key is his power is harnessed and directed and therefore meekness is strength that is submitted to an appropriate authority when you read the Bible you'll find this interesting I hope in the Bible only two people are ever spoken of as being meek Moses and Jesus when you read numbers chapter 12 verse 3 it says Moses was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth and in Matthew 11 28 and 29 Jesus said come unto me all you that labor in our heavy laden I will give you rest take my yoke upon you learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest unto your souls so only Moses and Jesus are ever spoken of as being meek in Scripture but nobody who reads their Bible would ever say that either Moses or Jesus was weak nobody would say that I mean when you look at Moses Moses dealt firmly with that Egyptian taskmaster and he led the children of Israel with firmness we remember the story of Moses we remember how that in Exodus chapter 2 the Lord had spoken to him or rather in his heart he had perceived that he was to lead the children of Israel to be a deliverer and what had happened is Moses had gone to visit the children of Israel and while he went to visit them there was a Hebrew that was being mistreated by a taskmaster now the taskmasters and some of you may not be aware of this maybe you've never been taught this or it's just it hasn't been something that that you've heard in the past but the taskmasters during the time of the Jewish captivity in Egypt the taskmasters were amongst the strongest and meanest members of the Egyptian society they would bully the Hebrew slaves they intimidated them they were ferocious and frightening and so with that kind of mentality they they were lording it over and they were the taskmasters so here's Moses Moses goes to visit the children of Israel and he watches as a taskmaster abuses one of his Hebrew brethren and the Bible is very clear about this it speaks of how that Moses looks to the left and then he looks to the right and then he immediately kills this taskmaster don't let that get past you because it's telling you something you see what Moses was doing is he already had sized up this taskmaster he had no fear of him at all he was simply looking to see if there are going to be any witnesses to what i'm about to do that shows to me confidence it shows to me that he had a capacity to take care of business in an instant he's not even thinking in terms of what is going to happen he's just looking to the left to see who's watching nobody looks to the right there's nobody there and then he immediately kills him and buries him in the sand now when you think of Moses you may not be thinking of him in that light because again according to numbers 12 3 Moses was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth he was the most meek of the meek and yet when he saw this injustice he responded with ferocity in the book of acts chapter 7 verse 22 Moses was learned learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and deeds one of the things we need to remember about Moses is he was in the house of Pharaoh being raised as one of his sons in line to the Egyptian throne he would have been trained in everything that would be offered to somebody in that position which included martial arts so Moses was was the Cain Velasquez we'll say of the Jews he was a UFC fighter a champion that's what he was and so when he sees the task master he's not intimidated at all about it he looks to the left he looks to the right there's nobody watching bang it's done bury you off we go so meekness is not weakness meekness is not being powerless it is power that is under authority who would say that Jesus Christ was weak anybody who would speak of him in that way is really doesn't have an understanding of who this man was Jesus was a carpenter as a carpenter he worked with his hands if he was going to make a table he didn't call Bethlehem lumber and said I'd like to order some you know one by fours he would go out into the forest he would cut down the tree he would prepare it he would bring it his hands would have been calloused his back would have been strong his legs were strong he walked everywhere he went and there are times that he'd take a day's journey that's 20 miles that he would walk with his men Jesus was also a mason he worked with his hands with stone so his hands would have been bruised and cut up by all that heavy labor and that kind of works so when you think of Jesus very often you get caught up of thinking him like some of the pictures we've seen in in medieval art where Jesus is meek and mild with a lamb over his shoulder and kind of a sad face the little glow around his head he didn't glow in the dark and when you saw Jesus this was listen carefully this was a man's man he was the kind of man that a fisherman like like the apostle Peter would follow he was the kind of man that had strong men following when you read about the apostle Peter on one occasion he by himself pulls a a net filled of fish he drags these this net up by himself 153 fish this was a powerful man and this powerful man named the apostle Peter followed another powerful man by the name of Jesus Christ it was Jesus Christ who walks into the temple you see it in John chapter 2 and then later on in in Matthew we'll see that and he walks into the temple and he sees what's taking place there with the sale of animals and and the ripping off of the people for religious reasons he fashions a cord into a whip cords into a whip and he drives them out he didn't cross his arms and tap his foot and say this makes me very angry he drove them out it is written my father's house shall be a house of prayer you have made it he said into a den of thieves this is a man's man this is somebody who walks in and says i'm not putting up with this he didn't do it just once he did it twice this is a man who would speak to the religious authorities of his day and he would speak firmly to them and even refer to them in unflattering terms you are serpents you are whitewashed tombs that takes a strength so when you think of Jesus as being weak he was never weak he stood before the high priest and challenged the high priest when the high priest was questioning him and Jesus challenged that high priest when that high priest said tell me about your work and your disciples and he said go and ask somebody out there and see they've all heard they've all seen the things that i did somebody punches Jesus in the face do you speak to the high priest like that if i've done wrong then judge me for the wrong but if not why are you striking me that's strength when Jesus did that he's standing before Pontius Pilate and Pontius Pilate says you answer me nothing don't you know that i have the power to to put you to death and Jesus looking back at the Roman governor who is trying him says you have no power at all unless it's given to you Jesus Christ was not a wimp Jesus had strength and majesty about him and by the way by the way anytime you're preaching the gospel sharing the word of God and you're coming against the tide of the age that takes courage and that takes strength to do that because it's easier as a dead fish to flow down the stream but it takes a live one to go against it and that takes the holy spirits powering you but you don't come with an argumentative arrogant mindset you come with humility but you come with the knowledge that the strength you have comes from God himself Jesus didn't defend himself but he did defend others and there are times when the church has to stand up to defend others the rights of the unborn those who are being victimized in the society we have that call from God and we ought to stand up and we ought to speak with the kind of conviction that God gives to those who are on the side of justice in that which is right and Jesus does that amen you can clap if you like that's the truth so Jesus would do nothing to defend himself he didn't use his supernatural or even his natural power for his own welfare because he was meek meekness is not weakness again meekness is power under control in Proverbs 1632 he who is slow to anger is better than the mighty he who rules his spirit then he who takes a city meekness is a quality of gentleness that results when we see ourselves for what we really are it results when we become aware of our need for God and cry out for his mercy it exists when we have spiritual knowledge of our self we have understanding and when our knowledge understanding and passion is in balance now meekness is a necessary quality for many reasons there are blessings and Jesus says it here in verse five that are coming with meekness blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth so it's a necessary quality for various reasons and we receive benefits and blessings through it it's how we receive God's word to be saved in the first place and it's how we we grow in our faith after we're saved James 1 21 says get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and meekly accept this word planted in you which can save you meekness increases your joy Isaiah 29 19 says the meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel meekness is how you will live a contented life Psalm 22 26 says the meek shall eat and be satisfied they shall praise the Lord that seek him your heart shall live forever with meekness you become a better witness for Jesus Christ in 1 Peter 3 15 said it says sanctify the Lord God in your heart be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear with meekness and respect for men meekness it is it is withholding and it's presenting with gentleness see i've had a lot of lessons God teaches us meekness and he's been working in me for a long time in this one particular area meekness because i too have had misunderstanding of what meekness actually is i was very argumentative i was arrogant on more than one occasion but especially so as a young man no excuse but explanation i got saved i was brought out of darkness into light i was excited about the Lord Jesus Christ and what he does in somebody's life how he transforms still in process being changed and all still learning about him and all but very excited about being a Christian and as a young man i started reading the bible i started studying i started going to bible college i started picking up books to help me to understand the elements of the Christian faith i began to speak to people who would knock on my door and and bring a false doctrine to me especially Mormons and Jehovah's witnesses and i can still remember a young man knocking on at my door i was in my mid 20s at the time so it's been a couple of years and knocked on the door and i answered the door hello how can i help you he says well i'm just going door to door sharing the good news of the kingdom i said really he says yes i'm a Jehovah's witness and i just wanted to know if you have a few minutes that you'd like to talk about God and i said sure he says do you know anything have you ever heard of the Jehovah's witnesses and i said yes i have and he says oh what do you think of Jehovah's witnesses and i said i think you're a false prophet i think that you lie to people and that you're going to the hell that you deny exists that's what i think you are now isn't that kind isn't that meek wasn't that sweet that was me i was a cult hunter some of you don't know that i would actually hunt them in my Volkswagen that's the truth i am not lying to you i would drive down neighborhoods and i'd pull over and wait and they would walk up to my door to talk to me bang thank you very much let's get it off that was me i'm serious i really was abusive arrogant self-righteous unloving everything you shouldn't be that's that's me as a young man i i said god you know what zeal for thy house has consumed me i want to speak about you and and the lord for years has taught me a simple lesson in the greek he taught it to me in the greek i'll tell you it in english shut up shut up you don't have to win every argument you don't have to present all that you know listen and love them respond to their questions and show humility the things i've given to you are not intended to burn other people they're intended to show the love of god stop having to be right about everything stop having to be right in every argument have a ear to hear what somebody else is saying and with meekness speak to them concerning the things of god it has taken me years to learn that years oh by the way i am still more than willing to speak about the lord and say what is true but i don't do it with arrogance anymore i hope i don't do it with that kind of attitude anymore i i want to love the person and share listen the god that we worship is a god of love and i my heart goes out to you because you're out there knocking on doors and writing your 10 speeds and all of that and and and and would to god more christians would would have it in their heart to take for the truth what you do for that which is not true but at the same time these humility and the meekness that should be in a man's heart had not been in mind we are not to be arrogant we're not to be argumentative we're to be patient and loving and we share the word of god with other people and that's what god has called us to do one of the things that lord has taught me and is teaching me and has taught me to do over the years and i can share this with some who perhaps will benefit from this one bit of advice or one lesson i've learned is this to learn to bite my tongue there have been times when i when i wanted to just share what's on my mind and i literally literally would take my teeth and bite my tongue in a literal way and i listen and i actually would bite my tongue because it was my way of reminding myself shut up shut up shut up you can do that with your children you can do that with friends you i have learned to just bite my tongue i bit my tongue so much i have half a tongue i have bitten my tongue so many times because the lord has said i don't need your mouth to bring my truth at this moment they're not going to listen to you especially with your attitude so you do me a greater service by saying nothing than if you open your mouth at this moment and i have learned to do that i have learned to bite my tongue and not to share sometimes just to listen because sometimes people need an ear more than they need to hear my voice and then there's a certain withholding that that there that you will sometimes need to do you can feel guilty i should share but lord haven't you commanded me to share but the holy spirit will prompt you sometimes and will say not at this moment not at this moment listen to what they're saying because later on you may have opportunity to share in response to what's being said right now and so there are benefits to the meekness that the lord would have us to have in order that we might also be blessed he says not only that but he says the meek shall inherit the earth the meek shall inherit the earth the word inherit means to receive your rightful inheritance it speaks of receiving your allotted portion you shall inherit the earth your allotted portion when god created man he gave to man dominion over the earth man was given stewardship of god's creation and adam was created to care for creation in a proper way but when he was tempted he yielded it up he yielded up his authority luke chapter four verses five through seven says the devil taking him taking jesus on high mountain showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time and the devil said to him all this authority i will give you and their glory for this has been delivered to me and i give it to whom ever i wish therefore if you will worship before me all will be yours this has been delivered to me adam yielded it up when jesus died on the cross he paid the penalty for sin he redeemed man but he also redeems creation romans 8 19 through 21 says all creation is waiting eagerly for the future day when god will reveal who his children really are against its will everything on earth was subjected to god's curse all creation anticipates the day when it will join god's children in glorious freedom from death and decay so the meek shall inherit the earth the complete fulfillment of that work is still yet in the future one day god will take the earth out of the hands of the enemy and the wicked who dominate today you read your newspaper you see the things that are going on and you begin to wonder how long oh lord is like what the psalmist asap in psalm 73 verses 3 through 5 says he said i envied the proud when i saw them prosper despite their wickedness they seem to live such a painless life their bodies are so healthy and strong they aren't troubled like other people or plagued with problems like everyone else you raised your kid to fear the lord your kid doesn't want to go to school and the pagan next door has one of those bumper stickers my kid is an honor student and you want to have your pagan kid go beat up that honor student there's something inside you how long oh lord give them devotions pray with them take them to church i do all the things that you call me to do i love them for christ's sake but they're not listening how long i pray i seek you i've lost my job i pray i seek you i can't take him to the to the doctor i can't afford the medical care how long and they don't ever get sick they seem to prosper that's all that's going on i don't understand well asaf wrote that and he went on to say in verses 16 through 19 i tried to understand why the wicked prosper but what a difficult task it is then one day i went into your sanctuary oh god and i thought about the destiny of the wicked truly you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction in an instant they are destroyed swept away by terror sometimes it can seem as if the wicked will always prosper and we believers will live in constant tension but that's not true god's word declares the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of god and as believers we come to the place of simply trusting the lord to do what is right god will settle accounts and so we live by faith and we rest in his promises and his promise in the future is what belongs to christ belongs also to us we will inherit the earth in first Corinthians 3 21 3 23 let no one boast of men for all things are yours whether paul or apollos or seafus or the world or life or death or the present or the future all are yours and you are christ's and christ is god's amazing because we trust in jesus our place in his kingdom is as secure as his the meek because they've received god's grace live in peace with god now and in the future because only meekness will give complete glory to god pride seeks its own glory meekness seeks god's glory and meekness teaches us that when we have him we have all that we will ever need so blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth