Meekness

Some years ago. Somebody told me that perception is reality. Now it took a long time for that to sink in, and really experience that and understand that not only loan life with a lot of other people. Now that 20 years later. I have to agree with that statement that in many times. Perception is reality, at least of that person and I have learned also that one of the most difficult tasks is to try to correct a wrong perception really is. It is one of the toughest things in the world. A person who has a wrong perception is like the person who says look, I've got my mind all laid up, don't confuse me with the facts and one of the most persistent wrong perception is the concept of meekness and gentleness. It really is whether it is within the church of Jesus Christ or outside of the church of Jesus Christ is even worse outside for people to understand and really comprehend what it means to be biblically meek, what it means to be biblically gentle. The perception that meekness means weakness stubbornly processed. Somehow, the biblical concept of meekness is far far far from weakness and yet most people describe timidity, wimpiness or cowardice as meekness. That's how they would describe it while in reality, biblical meekness is synonymous with courage, biblical meekness is synonymous with confidence. Biblical meekness is synonymous with interest, security, biblical meekness is synonymous with strength under control.

That's what it means. In fact, the Greek word that is used here, particularly in Galatians, the word that all tasks has real deep roots in the Greek language itself before the time of Christ and the Hellenist culture that Greek word which the apostle Paul takes him, and he puts it in his list of the fruit of the spirit was understood by the Greeks themselves in the BC time has nothing to do with weakness. Absolutely nothing to do with it is a matter of fact, Aristotle, the Greek philosopher had a theory in his theory was basically this that virtue is the mean between two vices. Now it's up funny idea.

I'm not necessarily supported but at least that is his philosophy. So here's how he visualized rage as advice on the one hand, then on the other hand, he saw indifference as an extreme vice on that side so he came in between us as meekness that is word privatized means it's in the middle and therefore it's a virtue it's a in between two vices now probably in my thinking as I thought about this a great deal this week a modern-day example of biblical meekness that I could really think about a visible example be Reggie White.

The player for the Green Bay Packers. I mean he could tackle he could hit taken of a big man strongman and yet is truly a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ and he would not compromise his convictions for all the millions in the world that is biblical meekness. There are two things that I want to tell you about things before I get carried away and move on until tomorrow. I want to just put everything in a container if you like or two containers and I want to tell you and I hope if you forget everything I meant to say to that.

Don't forget those two things, meekness is not weakness in the second thing I want to tell you is meekness is not false modesty. What I mean by meekness is not weakness. Well, if you look at the Scripture in the book of Numbers chapter 12 verse three. The Bible describes Moses as the meekest man on the face of the earth that you have to have a hard time with that. If you're really honest with yourself and you say what a minute for Jimmy Moses. He was me coming. He was a very strong and decisive leader. I mean, he was prone to lose his temper immediately. Moses, he killed an Egyptian now.

From my point of view that is not very good Moses.

The meekest man on the face of this, he knew what the rock instead of speaking to it as God told him to, and ended up missing the other going to the promised land because of that, how come he is the meekest man was a meekest man on the face of yours. Well, the Bible calls and why.

Because biblical definition of meekness is not the same as secular definition of meekness or our common definition of meekness because in the Bible, meekness is far from being a customer milquetoast gentleness and meekness has more to do with the way you express the truth rather than denying the truth.

Meekness and gentleness has to do with the way you stand firm which way which method they used in standing firm rather than caving in gentleness and meekness in the Scripture has more to do with the way you express your courage, not lacking.

It meekness and gentleness is about the vehicle that carries forward your conviction into the public arena not having courage, meekness and gentleness in the Scripture is more related to how you answer your critics how you answer your antagonists and not the fact that you don't have any critics or antagonists that misconception of the real meaning of biblical meekness showed up in the little girl's essay and yes I was about the Quakers, so she wrote the following words she said Quakers are very meek people who never fight and never answer back. My father is a Quaker, but my mother is not just the kids a giveaway family secrets was look back at Moses again milk the way he expressed strength under control. Look in the way he expressed meekness from a biblical perspective is what happened. His brother Aaron, his sister Miriam, the only two siblings. He had got jealous of his leadership.

They did not like his leadership style. There were jealous of his popularity. There were jealous of his success. There were jealous of his authority. So what did I do think they did what most people do. Instead of going up there was a look I'm really not very excited about the way you leading I don't like your leadership style. I am really having a hard time with that.

In fact, I'm very jealous of that.

That would've been an easy way to deal with things because you can sit down, talk about it pray about it and deal with it is but Aaron and Miriam did what most people believe. Basically, they found that some sort of a cockamamie criticism there trying to level at him, especially they knew is going to bring some popularity is just few people going to side with them is that you will write what was it that Moses married a wife, was happy to be darker skin so they said well that is really not very good and man that use in their mind Israelites went as fast as a weaver's shuttle me as fast as your service engine and that in the network and in the in the Internet man. It was so fast everybody find out about and the people of course begin to support measurement and Aaron and things got out of control. The rumor mill, the gossip mill got going.

What did Moses do.

How did he express his meekness well. He could have said the now, Aaron, Miriam, you either shut up or ship out right then that was within his rights. He could have said you idiots don't you know how important I bunch of no good complainers.

If it wasn't for me you will still be in Egypt knee-deep in mud making bricks. You've done nothing but mooching off me all the time. You are nothing but a bunch of takers you do nothing but grumble and complain all the time but you see biblical meekness is strength under control, courageous, secure, Moses exercised meekness. Please listen to me. Amanda comes home and kicks the cat and announce what is the man of the house is not really strongman is a weak man, a person who constantly announcing that they are the boss. I will people not really strong they not make but weak. You have to remind everybody how important you are. Your we cannot make someone who really understood the biblical concept of meekness said the following. He said you know it's too bad that the real meek people have not inherited the earth yet because they unmake a making a real mess of it is react to this criticism and gossip and all the stuff well hidden on the peace and is a better fact, only God is the one who got ticked off with Miriam and Aaron, and if it wasn't for God being ticked off. We were never probably have heard of this incident is God is what's going on here.

I don't like this.

Now it does not mean that we do not confront some situations, it does not mean that we got to confront some issues. It does not mean that we've got to confront some people that's not what it means at all, but you do it out of strength under control. Not anger. You do it with compassion mixed with the inner security and not vengeance. You do it with courage mixed with confidence and not vengeance and revenge. In fact, Moses infraction God's chastisement of Miriam was an incredible act of meekness.

Let me tell you about what happened when Miriam complained about the shade of the color of her sister-in-law. God says you know you don't like the dark skin, I'm going make your real white white with leprosy and she was stricken with leprosy. What did Moses do you see weakness would've said this well you've got what's coming to write weaknesses that may deserve what you got weakness would've said you got your just reward weakness would've said all that, but meekness which is strength under control sent Moses literally on his knees crying out to God all God please heal my sister Mary.

There are people I've met through my years who just left the tutor on horn and bangle known drums and and you are just trying to protect the little teach them a little kingdom and and brag about their exploits in this weakness not meekness. That's weakness. The moment you see or hear that recognize it for what it is not biblical meekness is weakness. Those who truly achieve success. Those who have to have truly been given honors but seeing no necessity to tell anyone of those ones who are truly meek. The second thing I want to tell you is this, that meekness is not false modesty. I wanted to listen very carefully to what I'm going to tell you about this because this is far more serious, far more dangerous than the first one.

False modesty is far more dangerous for more dangerous for more serious than the braggadocio's cc under tell you why, because it's very hard to detect. It's very hard to discern when we tell you I have fallen in the trap several times several times just once or twice why because it looks like meekness looks alike and is very hard to be able to distinguish a ticket you can pick up the brag about braggadocio's Noah because this is opposite of meekness but false modesty is is is a look-alike and that's why it is so difficult to discern that it was more serious. I will explain this to you. God has given each one of us was listening to me right now everyone against at least one. Some have more 234, but at least every one of you every one of us has been given at least one gift from God.

And if you don't know what that gift is you are under obligation before God to discover and use it so what is God saying when he bestowed a gift of more than on you is what God is saying to you is saying you are worthwhile here saying that you are important to me here saying that you have a value to me here saying that you are unique because I made you in my own image and as a believer I have redeemed you through the blood of my son, the Lord Jesus Christ. You are special to me you are of value to me. So with this false modesty do false modesty comes in and says well self-deprecation and refusing to stand up for anything is truly denying of God's gift as if you're saying God you're lying Seattle the seriousness dangerous, far from being a true virtue. False modesty is a substitute for passive selfishness. It really is. Let me repeat this far from being a virtue false modesty as a substitute for passive selfishness, someone gives an excellent speech and then they say well you notice this really was nothing.

People like that. So it comes out and sing magnificent song and recommend all sharks and I'm just getting over a cold bath.

That's false modesty when you've got nothing to brag about everything is given to you. How can you brag about a gift is about to walk up to me and Henry gift and somebody else of man is not wonderful the way you stretched your hand, and took that gift is just this class. This is really not. I like to see him again in a deed restriction received the gift I have nothing to brag about nothing to to take credit for. It's a gift from God. Every gift we have is from God and God needs to get the glory. Someone said years ago. He said the essence of meekness and gentleness is the capacity to value others as much as we value ourselves. It is the capacity to value others as much as we value ourselves. The apostle Paul commands Timothy to exercise biblical meekness second Timothy chapter 2 versus 24 and 25 a particular verse 25 he says, correct, correct your opponents with gentleness she got both here on the one hand you don't ignore that era out of false modesty of saying well you know about who am I to correct them or who are my for dinner of their work.

Who am I to bring this to their attention. Nonetheless, false modesty on the other hand, he is not to lord it over them is not to say well you will do this or else he does not say well you got to be as good as me. He is not the same missing work hard and you gotta get up to my standards.

No no no no, that's not the way you do it, although we often don't say it that way we can use other words but the effect is the same.

Neither extreme a truly biblical meekness is not weakness. False modesty is not meekness I'm going to tell you this and I'm going to conclude a true story of true biblical meekness. Booker T. Washington was a man who knew all about biblical meekness and gentleness. He was born in 1856 worked in the coal mines as a child, taking only three months a year to do schooling to read and write and study what is hard work paid off and he graduated from Hampton Institute in 1875, six years later he was named the very first president of the Tuskegee Institute, a trade school for African-Americans after he accepted the presidency. One afternoon he was. He went for a walk in the street in his as he was walking down the street in Alabama. One day a white lady spotted him and not recognizing who he was, so she summoned him to come in and asked him to chop some wood for her not to tell you most of us in Washington's situation would have not tolerated such indignity. We might have yelled at her.

Who do you think you are lady when I have said, look how arrogant of you to judge me by the color of my skin but not Booker T. Washington because he knew and he understood biblical meekness strength under control. He took his coat off and he went over and shot the word and he carried it over to the house and refused payment. And then when the lady discovered who he was. Later a few days later she went over to his office and she apologized Washington's center so that's all right. He said I delight in doing favors for my friends and this lady not only became a major supporter of the Institute, but she left her entire state to the Institute in Washington himself went on to advise presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, and brought several books somebody was selling. I'm not really sure that's the best response. I'm not going to argue with you but I can tell you that that Washington you true biblical meekness of strings under control. He understood what it means to have strength under control during the life stuff challenges blesses a mix of Jesus were very shallow that maybe or possibly, but shall inherit the earth. You want to know what it is to be meek. It's filled with the Holy Spirit, moment by moment have to confess to you, sometimes when I face challenges of life. Life prayed in the morning, spend time with the Lord and asked to be filled of the Holy Spirit but were not somehow in the enemy kind of sneaks on here and in surprise he was as he has a habit of doing a fund that's a very moment. Say Lord Jesus let this particular fruit that I need right now be manifested in is being filled with the spirit of that very moment you know what God always obliges, shall we pray, my very precious friends with me. Urge you that if the spirit of God has spoken to you, do not harden your heart. Scripture tells us to keep on resisting.

We build the spiritual callous hardness in the spirit in the word, penetrating a more whichever side of the ledger you are in let you cry.

The old Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit, moment by moment of every day, Lord Jesus, that I may bear the fruit of meekness, Lord Jesus, forgive me my false modesty on the one hand, the Lord Jesus, forgive me my high opinion of myself, Lord Jesus, let your Holy Spirit come filmic overflowing and crowd out any feelings that I have everything and I've done it my way and I deserve everything that is getting the movement for Jesus for his new name that I pray Lord Jesus. Thanks for listening to this message from Dr. Michael. You sat recently featured on leading the way.

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