The Beatitudes

If you have a Bible, please open it up to Matthew Chapter 5. We are continuing our series looking at the beatitudes. From Jesus as he taught in the sermon on the Mount. And let me just pray for the Lord's help before we read his word. Father, we thank you for that song that we just sang.

We look forward to the day when our glorious king brings home all his ransom children, whether persecuted, whether martyred, whether new or old father, we thank you that the lord Jesus Christ, not 1 of your people will be missing on that day. And we pray that now as we open up your word, you would instruct us in the way we should go, you would teach us, give us teachable hearts we pray. Lord, we're so hard hearted and when we come under your words, we assume we're alright and that we have heard it all before. But we ask that your whole spirit would give us ears that are ready to listen and hearts that are ready to be changed to grow more into the likeness of Jesus we pray in his name, amen. Okay.

Matthew, Chapter 5 from verse 1. Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him and he began to teach them. He said, blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Bless are those who mourn for they will be comforted Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled. Blessed of the merciful for they will be shown mercy. Blessed of the pure in hearts for they will see God. Blessed of the peacemakers. For they will be called children of God.

Bless are those who are persecuted because of righteousness. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Bless it to you when people insult you, persecute you, falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad because great is your reward in heaven. For in the same way, they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Just to lighten the mood a bit, we're gonna start this evening by playing a quick game and it's a game called Who said it. Was it Trump or Kanye? And so, I'm gonna try and use the clicker, there you go. Was it rapper, Kanye West or former US president Donald Trump. Okay?

I'm gonna put the quotes up on the screen, and you have to decide who you think said it. Okay? You're gonna keep your own score, and if you get all 7 right, then we'll all give you a big clap at the end. Okay? So here we go, number 1, here we go.

My greatest pain in life is that I will never be able to see myself perform live. Who do you think said that? Kanye or Trump? That's right. It was kanye.

Number 2. For me to say, I wasn't a genius, I'd just be lying to you and to myself. Who was that? That was Kanye. That was Kanye.

Number 3, my IQ is 1 of the highest and you all know it, please don't feel so stupid or insecure. It's not your fault. It was Donald Trump. Number 4, come on now. How could you be me and want to be someone else?

That was Can you? Can you? Yeah. Number 5, I made that song because I am a god. Kanye, good.

Number 6, I think I am actually humble. I think I'm much more humble than you would understand. Donald Trump, and then finally, number 7, my number 1 enemy has been my ego. There is only 1 throne, and that's God's. Can ye?

Now did anyone get all 7? Okay. Big round of applause. For you, you're clearly a genius. You've got a high IQ.

Well done. Now, Look at that last quote. I think this is 1 of the biggest miracles I've ever seen in my life. It looks like Kanye became a Christian a few years ago and released an album called Jesus is king. He went from saying, I am a God to Jesus is king, and that's proof.

That there's hope for all of us. Now, why play a game like this 1? To the British year, those first 6 quotes sound a bit big headed, don't they? They're quite funny, but they're not the sort of thing that you'd expect to hear from a Christian. They're not meek.

The last 1 is more meek. And tonight, as we come to hear Jesus say these words, Bless are the meek for they will inherit the earth. We need to know what that means. Meek. What does it mean?

Those first 6 quotes were not meek. The last 1, was more meek. So that's what we're going to look at this evening. But first, we need a big disclaimer. It could be that someone would read this verse and think, great.

I would like to inherit the whole earth. So what do I have to do in order to get it? Because it sounds like Jesus is saying, you just have to be meek. So I know what I'll do. I'll just Google meek, see what it comes up with, do it, and boom, the world is mine.

Right? So what does Google say if you search meek? Quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on, submissive. For example, she brought her meek little husband along. It's similar to patient, long suffering, forbearing resigned, gentle, quiet, and shy.

Someone might think, mightn't they? If I just become that, I will inherit the earth, but I don't think that's right. So if that's you, don't think that. Jesus didn't say, look, if you want to inherit the Earth, just be quiet, and it will be yours. He said, blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

And there's a difference. This is not an isolated saying like a standalone proverb. Jesus says these words, in the middle of a bigger thought, and the context is important. Now, Google might be right about the way that meek is used in 20 first century English. But remember, Jesus was in another country 2000 years ago, and language changes a lot in that time.

So I don't think he meant exactly the same thing as Google. No. Jesus is at the beginning of teaching his disciples the essence of Christianity. This is new stuff. It's never been tried before.

It was even more counter cultural than it is today. Because there's no church There's no new testament bible at this point, just 1 man sent by God, sitting before his students on a mountainside, turning the world upside down, 1 word at a time. Now, the world would say something like this, blessed are the strong, the aggressive, the the harsh, the tyrannical, they will inherit the earth. And Jesus says, no. And so having spent the loss 5 minutes now telling you what Meek is not, will get straight to the first point.

What does Meek mean here? What does meek mean? And I guess a lot of us would think about humility straight away. And that's okay, but what's the difference? And what's the foundation for Christian meekness here?

We call this section of Jesus teaching, the beatitudes, which is a funny word, but it just comes from the Latin word for blessed. And there are these 8 sayings, and they all begin with blessed, and they're all connected to 1 another. And because of that connection, we can't understand Christian Meekness here without reference to the previous 2 sayings. So far in this series, we've seen that it's the poor in spirit who are blessed, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, And last week, we saw that those who mourn our blessed, for they will be comforted. And this verse before us tonight comes deliberately after those those first 2, and the kind of meekness that Jesus has in mind is born out of those other 2 qualities.

They are necessary qualities. You have to have them in order to develop the kind of meekness that Jesus has in mind. Pouring spirit and mournful. Now, I'm sure you've heard this illustration before, but it really helps to make the point. Imagine God were to ask you this question.

Why should I let you into heaven? What would you say? Because I'm nice, because I'm so much better than everyone else here, Because I go to church, because I pray, because I give money to charity, All of those things are good things to do, but if your answer starts with because I, it will never be enough, it won't work. And that's because the only way to God the father is through his son. The answer has to start with because Jesus.

Because Jesus saved me. When you become a Christian, you have to put all of your good works down. And come to God with empty hands. As the song goes, nothing in my hand I bring simply to the cross I cling. The Christian is poor, poor in spirit, and that means that they're spiritually bankrupt in themselves at the moment of salvation.

There is nothing that they can offer to God in exchange for the forgiveness that they need. They can't earn it. They have to receive it as a free gift from a gracious God. As the old saying goes, I'm just a beggar, telling another beggar where to find bread. Christians are poor in spirit and mournful.

And because this Christian person mourns over their sin, when they come to make a sober assessment of themselves, and they evaluate themselves before a holy pure, and perfect God, they cannot be proud. Before Kanye became a Christian, it was easier for him to say, I'm a genius, I'm a gods, I'm the greatest, But now he's become a Christian, he cannot keep speaking so highly of himself. Because when you become a Christian, Jesus begins to change you. You see your sin more clearly, and it's much harder to boast before God. It just sounds wrong somehow.

You realize that your own good works, your own greatness, your own genius, your own strength cannot stop your sin. But God has the power that in ourselves we don't have to save those who are pouring spirit from their sin. When you see your sin, you realize that you need forgiveness. And Jesus says, blessed are those who mourn, that is mourn over their sin, for they will be comforted. And you need these other 2 qualities in place first as the foundation to produce Christian meekness.

Mekness here is about how you let that attitude affect your view of other people. It changes how you think about other people and how you relate to them. So just think about how you stand before God and before other people. If I see myself as spiritually bankrupt. How can I, with any integrity, boast before God, about how much better I am than you?

And if that's how you honestly see yourself, How can you boast before God about how much better you are than me? We can't. Even if it's true, that you are better than me at most things. And of course, you are, you're bound to be. But you can't be proud about it.

Now, if we both see ourselves as spiritually bankrupt, if we all do, If the whole church mourns over our sin and we see that we all need to receive God's forgiveness, That is going to affect our relationships with each other. We will be more meek towards 1 another. Don Carson in his 19 78 book on the sermon on the mount tries to pin meekness down to a helpful definition for us. So here's a quote. Meekness is not, as many people imagine, a weakness.

It must not be confused with being wishy washy, A meek person is not necessarily indecisive or timid. He is not so unsure of him of that he could be pushed over by a hard slap from a wet noodle. Still less is meekness to be confused with mere affability, Some people are just naturally nice and easy going, but then again, so are some dogs. Meekness goes much deeper. Meekness is a controlled desire to see the other's interests advance ahead of one's own.

Let me say that again. Meekness is a controlled desire to see the other's interests advance ahead of one's own. So what is Christian meekness? It's a specific type of humility born out of a sober judgment of myself before God. That affects how I put your interests ahead of my own.

Now, secondly, it's worth asking this question, is Jesus meek? How did Jesus get away with saying the things he said about himself being the son of God? That could sound arrogant and big headed in the wrong context, couldn't it? Now, somewhere in the world, right now, some youth group are probably playing a game of who said it. Jesus or kanye.

I am the light of the world. I am the way the truth and the life no 1 comes to the father, except through me. Jesus enemies at the time probably thought he was going too far. So what's the difference? Well, when Kanye says, I am a God, it's not true, is it?

If he makes a sober assessment of himself, he might now rephrase it. Look, I'm mean, I'm really pleased with that psalmer made. But when Jesus says, I am God's son, it is true. If Jesus makes a sober assessment of himself, he knows he's saying what his father has told him to say. The difference is, truth.

That's how we tell whether or not someone is over inflating their ego. By asking, is he true? We can't charge God with being arrogant, If the truth is, he really is that powerful. And even though he was that powerful, He doesn't boast about it. Rather, he comes here to give his life to save the world.

So yes. Jesus was meek. He was humble and gentle. Jesus describes himself as me in the King James version of the Bible, take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek. And lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest for your souls.

Now, Jesus didn't sin, he had no sin, If he makes a sober assessment of himself, he knows he's done the right thing. But despite his sinlessness, He goes to the cross out of a desire to see another's interests advance ahead of his own. When Jesus gives his life on the cross, to save his people from their sin, he is putting us first. He's putting my life ahead of his own. That was meek.

And when we become Christians, God, the Holy Spirit starts to change us. So that we become more like Jesus. And having this cold, hard look at ourselves, should produce Christian meekness in us slowly over time. It's a fruit of the Holy Spirit, if you like. And so we should hope to see Christians at church putting others ahead of themselves, more, and more as time goes by.

And by the way, what a brilliant verse to look at the night before acts of kindness month? Because that's 1 application, isn't it? This sermon comes with a built in project to help you practice meekness throughout February. Let's be more meek. I hope you can see this is a truly Christian quality.

And that's why it won't work to simply read Google's definition of meekness, do it, and think that you can inherit the Earth. It is Christians who will inherit the earth because the earth belongs to Jesus, and it is the church the bride of Christ, that is Christians united to Christ in Christ that will share in his inheritance. So, yes, Jesus is meek. But thirdly, are we meek Now, it may be that some of the qualities Google describes are born out of Christian meekness. You might be quiet, gentle, submissive, patient, long suffering, and forbearing.

You might add humble to that list. You might remove resigned and shy from it. But do you see the particularly Christian flavor of meekness that those other qualities are born out of. Why would I, or you, or kanye, be like that? Only because of the sober assessment of ourselves before God as spiritually bankrupt.

I cannot fashionably see myself as poor in spirit and mournful At the same time as boasting how much greater I am than you. So it's with some sad regret that I have to confess having now prepared this sermon. I don't think I'm very meek. I'm not quite where Kanye was 5 years ago. But I do sometimes see myself as morally bankrupt, and yet at the same time think I'm better than others.

I'm a contradiction of feelings and emotions. And I guess I'm not the only 1. Are we meek? Now, when I'm home alone, It's easy for me to admit before God that I'm spiritually bankrupt. But if you point out my sin to me, My goodness.

For some reason, I wanna fight you. I get all defensive and try to justify myself again. What do we do if we realize that we're just not that meek? Well, that's why I've called this sermon. Let's be more meek.

I know that we will all become more meek as Jesus gets to work on us, And I hope that even studying this verse tonight will be a part of our growth in this area. But even in even this week in preparing this sermon, God has been showing me what it looks like to be more meek. How often I pray for myself but not for others? How often I don't really listen to what other people are saying because I'm waiting to interrupt them. Some more interesting talking at them, rather than to them, or with them, which is quite strange if you're the preacher.

I need to speak less and listen more out of a controlled desire to see another's interests advance ahead of my own. And that's another application, isn't it? As the old saying goes, that's why God gave us 2 ears and only 1 mouth. Here's another quote from Don Carson. The scriptures make much of meekness.

And so it is the more appalling that meekness does characterize more of us who claim to be Christians, both at the personal level, where we're too often concerned with justifying ourselves rather than with edifying our brother, And at the corporate level, where we're more successful at organizing rallies, institutions, and pressure groups, than at extending the kingdom of God. Mekness has not been the mark of most Christians for a long time. To the extent that Mekness is practiced among us, to that extent, we may be sure a crassly materialistic world will oppose it. Materialism argues, grab what you can, The strong man comes first, and the devil take the hindmost. This is true, whether 1 is on the right or the left of the political spectrum.

Individually, each man tends to assume without thinking that he is at the center of the universe, Therefore, he relates poorly to the 4000000000 others who are laboring under a similar delusion. But the meek man sees himself and all others under God. Since he is poor in spirit, he does not think more highly of himself than he ought to. Therefore, he is able to relate well to others. Let's be more meek this week.

And finally, Jesus says, blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth. The reason the meek believer is blessed is because they will inherit the earth. So what does that mean? We've already seen that it is Christians who will inherit the Earth, and the reason for that is that it belongs to Jesus Christ. His bride, the church, his people will share in what is rightly his.

And there are 2 ideas here, 1 for now, and 1 for the future. If we consider the future 1 first, then it will help us with the present 1. So firstly, think about the new heavens and the new earth. When the kingdom of God comes in its fullness, when Jesus returns, bringing a new world with him where sin is a thing of the past. Blessed to the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, that kingdom.

Pete read a story this morning, where Jesus says, come, you who are blessed, by my father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you, since the creation of the world. And it's the church that will enjoy that new world and it will last forever. That's in the future. But secondly, if you keep 1 eye on that future world, that lasts for all eternity, how does that affect how we live in this world now Does it make us more arrogant or more meek? And I think it helps us to be more content now with what we have here.

I don't need to have everything in this life. I don't need to do everything in this life. Why? Because there are lots of things I can leave to enjoy in eternity. If I don't have that eternal view in perspective, I will want to do everything now in this life.

I will want more and more out of this world. If you only live once, you have to make the most of this life. Christian meekness helps you to wait for that inheritance. Like Paul says, how will he not also along with Jesus graciously give us all things. And Jesus says to the meek here, you're blessed.

For it will be yours. So you can wait for it patiently. And confidently. That's what it means to inherit the earth. To live in the new heavens, and the New Earth with Jesus and his people.

This verse is actually a quote from Psalm 37. So maybe as a final application, let me read these verses to us as something for us to practice this week. Be still before the lord, and wait patiently for him. Do not fret when people succeed in their ways. When they carry out their wicked schemes, Refrain from anger and turn from wrath, do not fret, it leads only to evil.

For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the lord will inherit the land. A little while and the wicked will be no more. They look for them they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land. And enjoy peace and prosperity.

If you're not a Christian, you can be Google Meek. You can be humble, quiet, gentle, easily imposed on, and submissive. You can be patient longsuffering for bearing, resigned, and shy. But if you'd like to inherit the Earth, You need to come to Jesus with empty hands. Because only a Christian can be poor in spirit mourn over their sin and grow in the spiritual fruit of Christian meekness.

A desire to see another's interests advance ahead of my own. And it's born out of a sober assessment of myself before God. Let's pray. Heavenly father. Thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ.

And for these words before us this evening. Thank you that you're committed to making us more like him. To forming the very image of your son in us, to making us more meek. Please help us as a church to grow in this area as we begin our acts of kindness. Please help us to practically put another's interests ahead of our own in all we say and do.

Thank you for the free gift of forgiveness so that we don't need to boast before you. And lord help us to wait patiently for the new heavens and the new earth with confidence that everything belongs to Jesus. And thank you for the blessing that it will be to spend eternity with you in a perfect new world with no sin. And Lord, if there's anyone listening to this message and they're not yet yours. Please would you help them to come to you quietly in their own hearts this evening, which empty hands, and begin a new life, humbly before you, that ends in eternal joy in the new heavens and the new earth.

We pray in Jesus' name, amen,