Gentle Jesus meek and mild……. As if he was some kind of effeminate door mat at the mercy and whim of other peoples agendas. But my Bible tells me about a Jesus who laid hands on the sick, cast out devils, who confronted evil and religious heresy, who raised the dead back to life. Who walked on water, spoke to wind and waves……

So when God speaks of Meekness what does it mean, and how is it lived out?

What it is not
Not weak
Not nice all time
Not spirit of compromise, peace at any cost.
not always agreeable
Not something merely instinct or physical or natural.

It is clear that this is not a natural quality,

Characteristics
1. The meek person does not glory in themselves.
Western culture has been greatly influenced, often unconsciously, by the philosophy of Friedrick Nietzsche.” His hero was the tough, brash and overbearing superman, who would become a “lord of the earth.”

But if the ideal of Nietzsche was the superman, the ideal of Jesus was the servant.
What…….. a servant.

This humble servant approach runs counter to conventional wisdom,
which insists that to succeed we must exalt ourselves, whereas if we humble ourselves, if we trust in another, we will fail.

But Jesus calls us to a radical re-evaluation.
He maintains if we live by the values and principals of his kingdom we will see those principals and values bearing great results in our lives.
He has no problem with the desire to be great.
Has no problem with great exploits. But he hates pride and arrogance.

2. Does not make demands because of his position, his privileges, his status in life.

Phil 2: 5-8 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!

Talking serious humility. Do you know what God’s city in heaven is like? What Jesus left to come to earth? Not like the secret millionaire where they slum it for a couple of weeks

Rev 21: 15-21 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length (2,200 km), and as wide and high as it is long.  He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick (65 Metres), by man’s measurement, which the angel was using. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.
That is a serious crib!

3. To be meek means we don’t have to be constantly protecting our reputation.
Our tendency is to defend ourselves against every attack and find some way to protect our image.
Jesus was openly and bitterly criticised for the words he spoke, for the company he kept, the things he did, the claims he made. Yet he never once tried to justify himself or prove himself.
Our natural inclination is to retaliate with interest. We do not need to defend ourselves by retaliation.
Workplace, School, uni,

Rom 12: 17-19 Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”
Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.

4. Meekness commits it’s cause into God’s hands
Important to understand bible writers didn’t make up words. So we can look at how that word was used in its day. One use was of a domesticated animal who would respond to its master’s voice.

Jesus greatest demonstration of meekness was putting his desires aside and embracing the purpose of God for his life. The garden of Gethsemane is not the picture of a weak and impotent man falling apart at the seams. It is the picture of a man wrestling with his will and God’s will for his life.

Anyone who tells you God’s purpose for you life will always be easy, if it’s hard then it’s not God, has not read the bible.

King David demonstrated great meekness when confronted with an opportunity to bring about God’s purpose by his own means.
He knew he was going to be the next king. The prophet had come and prophesied and anointed him. He had been on the run for years, pursued by a maniac, paranoid and insecure king. In 1 Samuel 26 David snuck into the enemy camp right up to Saul. Refused the exact self motivated revenge.

When Adoniram Judson began his missionary work in Burma, he was captured by natives, beaten and thrown into a makeshift prison. They said and now what of your plans to win Burma for Christ. He replied, my future is as bright as the promises of God.

Apostle Paul sees vision and follows vision to Philippi where he and Silas are beaten whipped and throne in prison. What is your response when you believe God has given you a direction and then you find yourself in a hell hole? Acts 16:23-25

True Christianity, true faith, changes us from the inside out. The nature of God, displayed in Jesus, is becoming our nature, through the Holy Spirit.