From: SouthsideBC.org
MEEKNESS IS NOT WEAKNESS
Matthew 5:5
Psalm 37:1-11
Introduction: To many people a meek person has no “backbone”. To them a meek person let’s everybody run over them and stands up for nothing. That IS NOT what Jesus was referring to when he said, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth”. Jesus was meek, but certainly no pushover. Matthew 11:28-30, 21:5. The word meek means to be “gentle”. According to John McArthur, “Meekness is gentleness and mildness, and a subdued character, but it is not weakness. It is power under control.” A meek person can be very powerful and very much in control. A meek person is capable of anger. Jesus got angry at the right things at the right times.
- Jesus got angry with hypocrisy.
- Jesus got angry with dishonest people who bought and sold in the temple (Mat. 21:13).
He did not get angry when:
- He was betrayed in the garden.
- He was falsely accused at His trials.
- He was nailed to the cross.
Instead Jesus prayed for those who persecuted Him (Lk.23:34, Isa.53:7). As you know, Jesus had the power to fight against his enemies. He could have come down off the cross [I disagree, because of Jesus’ Phillipians-2 emptying and empowerment by the Holy Spirit, which I discuss here: A Call to Intimacy: The Holy Spirit in John’s Gospel & Epistles, by Jeff Fenske [D. A. Carson – Johannine Theology, 1993 – editor]. He could have resisted the mistreatment he had received. He had the power, as God, but didn’t use it. That’s power under control. So how do we go about developing meekness in our lives? First, we must realize that meekness is part of the Fruit of the Spirit. As we allow God’s Holy Spirit to control us, we are allowing God to perfect the fruit of meekness (Gal. 5:22-23). It would also be nice if there was a passage of Scripture that would give us an idea of how to develop meekness in our lives. Good news! There is! When the Lord Jesus talks about meekness, He is alluding to Psalm 37:11 “But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace”.
Entire Article Here
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Wes Hall: Many ministers weren’t even called into the ministry. “The reason you’ve gone to seminary is to prove to God…how dedicated you are.” • “Some of you should have been in ministry, and you went into business; and you tried to become the best you could to earn your father’s approval in the natural.”
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Blacksheep
MEEKNESS IS NOT WEAKNESS? BUT FEAR IS…
Matthew 5:5
I detest the New Testament God aka Jesus for being much worse then the first…Meek no way…
In the New Testament there evolved a monster of a God much worse than the Old Testament God. As much worse in fact, as endless torture is worse than endless sleep, as much worse as eternal burning in hell is far worse than, annihilation.
Thus, unlike the God of the Old Testament, the meek God of the New Testament was not happy when his poor flesh victims lay mutilated and butchered like animals at his righteous feet. No this new and improved “Meek Son of God” would not only carried on with the family tradition of dishing out wrath , but has exceeded the wildest expectations of the father in many ways…
If we are heartless enough to believe everything we read in this Bible, then we must believe in the Meek God of the New Testament who pursues the dead into death itself. This Meek God, we are told, has found a way to torture even those who have paid “the final penalty.” An often painful and miserable physical death (cancer, disease old-age) with something far worse…
Jeff Fenske
Dear Blacksheep,
I don’t understand what you mean in your second paragraph.
And by posting this, in know way was I implying there was anything at all imperfect or unholy about Jesus.
“Jesus wept,” and He weeps today, for most ‘Christians’ are just doing their own thing, falling into the pit that the Devil is leading them into.
This grieves Jesus’ heart, whether you believe it or not.
I can’t fully explain hell, but I can tell you that Jesus doesn’t want anyone to go there, but that all people would come to the knowledge of the truth and go to heaven.
I can also tell you from personal experience that the more we get to know God the more we will respect and be in awe of Him, not the other way around. We will never, ever be disappointed.
But most ‘Christians’ are not on the path of holiness. They are misrepresenting Christ which in itself turns many off from God, Who is so unlike most ‘Christians.’
There is a dark side and a really bright side. God is totally bright; though, we may not fully understand His justice.
You can do what you want, for He gives us free will, but the only safe place is in God, finding your place of rest. If you don’t want to pursue that direction, the Evil one will be delighted to take you into his dark home where only maximum disappointment and horror awaits.
It’s up to you. You can either study God with a jaundiced attitude, or you can really pursue the truth about Who God really is and find the source of pure love and truth — and justice.
ToBeFree!
jeff