2005-07-10 Communion Dedication - Baldwin Christian Church
Matthew 5:1-5
1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
3 Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
You know the meek. They're the ones with the little fish symbol on the back of their cars; the ones who tailgate you in traffic, and then narrowly swerve in front of you so they can be the first in line waiting for the next light to turn green, right? Hey, wait a second! Isn't the fish a symbol of those "Jesus people"? Jesus said He was "meek and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29), so does that mean He was always in a hurry and cutting in line, too?
Meekness is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23), so it takes time to grow before it will show. It needs cultivated, watered, fertilized and weeded. When I asked Jesus to be Lord of my life, it didn't happen immediately, but little by little the Father is being revealed to me. The clearer I see His power and glory, the clearer I see His mercy on me, and that causes me to grieve for my sins. I believe the Old Testament was written to show us that sin is the reason we have nothing to offer; sin is the reason that we're all 'poor in spirit'. Everyone is poor in spirit, whether we know it or not, but few will ever come to terms with that fact. Blessed are those who are able to see by the light of God's grace, for they're able to see the absolute poverty of their own spirit, and therefore they mourn not only for their own sins, but also for the sins of other people, for the lost, for the wickedness and profanity of this world, and most importantly, for those who take the name of Christ (even if it's only a sticker on their car), but because of their actions, the world is given opportunity to speak evil about Jesus.
Meekness is not weakness, it's gentle strength. The meek accept the Spirit of Jesus, and accept their lowly position. The meek are gentle and mild in their own matters, but when they see harm being done to God, to country or to others, watch out! The meek shall inherit the earth, so they're the ones we read about in the Revelation, "...which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (Revelation 20:12). The meek are not pushovers; to this world they may be a mark, but they will not accept the mark of this world.
Are you like me, and sometimes have difficulties with meekness? Consider Jesus. As the song goes, "Out of the ivory palaces, Into a world of woe, Only His great eternal love Made my Savior go." Meekness will leave everything behind and give it's life to save even one. Meekness forsakes the moment for the promise of eternity.
Blessed, or happy are the meek. When you don't think highly of yourself, it takes all the pressure off. You no longer have to be offended when you're made fun of; you no longer have to get mad when someone is trying to make you mad; you can be courteous when nobody else is; you can be content with what you have, and you don't need to keep up with the Jones', and any one of you can come up to me and say, "You're wrong", and with meekness, I can actually listen to you instruct and admonish me, because pride hasn't closed my ears.
Lord, we thank you for sending your Spirit who comforts us. Thank you for giving us this hope of a hereafter, when all the troubles of this life will be over, and we can be blessed with uninterrupted communion with You. Thank you for giving beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:1-3).