Study
Series on the Fruit of the Holy Spirit
Galatians
5:22,23
DATE:
1 Dec, 2002 AM
PLACE: BBC Blarney
I.
Introduction
A.
There are NINE fruits placed in the life of the believer
at salvation.
1.
On the very day you got saved, the Holy Spirit indwelt you
(1Cor 6:19).
2.
On that day, God put His Holy Spirit in you and there He
will remain.
3.
But He doesn’t sit idly by. He does two things
a.
Changes you from the inside out
b.
Exchanges your old works, with something he calls FRUIT!
The fruit of the Spirit
B.
These are God’s replacements for the seventeen WORKS of
the flesh as listed in Gal 5:19-21.
C.
The fruit of the Spirit is a direct result of my personal
walk and relationship with Jesus Christ in His word – it’s not complicated.
It just takes effort and focus (Gal 5:25) on your part! God help us ALL to have
personal love-life with the God of this Book!
D.
So far, we have studied the fruits of Love, Joy, Peace,
Long-suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, and faith
E.
None of these are not natural in our lives – not like
anything this world has to offer – but completely supernatural!
F.
This message will focus on the
eighth fruit of the Holy Spirit: Meekness!
G.
These 9 fruit are grouped into
three directions
1.
The first three are for the
believer
2.
The second three are given by
God for others
3.
The last three are given to me
to use towards God! Meekness is vital for me to be able to have the right
attitude towards God when under trial!
II.
Message
A.
The
Biblical Meaning of Meekness
(Mt 11:29)
1.
What the world thinks it means
a.
Spineless, spiritless, unambitious, weak, timid, soft
b.
None of that is true at all – that is not EVER what the
Bible teaches. And wouldn’t you think that the devil would like to steer us
away from this, and any of the fruit of the Holy Spirit?!
2.
Lots of meaning to the word, Meekness. Whatever Meekness
is, according to Mt 11:29, Jesus says “HE IS IT!”
a.
Softness of temper – a mildness (not just
“softness, or wimpy”)
b.
Submission to God’s will, without murmuring – it is a
joyful resignation (no longer “the Boss” of your life), to somebody more
qualified!
c.
Yielding, especially when you have every right not to,
only because God says it will be alright!
d.
Lowliness – taking the lower dinner place so that
someone else can get a needed blessing by sitting closer to an important person.
e.
You yield, resign, submit, yield – not because the other
person really IS better, but because of Christ!
f.
Meekness simply is ME getting
out of my life’s equation, so that Jesus can be ALL in ALL – that’s the
goal of the Christian!
3.
Slightly different than humility
a.
Humility is the thinking low of yourself in comparison to
others (Rom 12:3), and just trying to encourage them by thinking THEY are better
than yourself – this flies in direct opposition to what the world teaches!
b.
Meekness is NOT thinking of yourself at all!
c.
Meekness fuels humility – let me explain how:
1)
Meekness realizes that God is in control (Rom 8:28)
2)
Meekness then ACTS like God is in control
3)
If YOU are in control, you will act arrogant, and
self-assertive
4)
If God is in control, you just set out to live right, and
leave the rest to God
5)
If someone ruins your day (or your life) and you have
meekness, you won’t get upset – you won’t worry about your reputation –
you actually, will only worry about GOD’S reputation! (I will repeat this a
little later)!
4.
Meekness does not exist except in the heat of unfair
troubles
a.
Trials and troubles easily activate your flesh
b.
You feel like you ought to deserve better
c.
But then God shows you how that by ignoring yourself, you
can actually depend upon HIM
1)
Do you remember how that I said that if someone ruins your
day (or your life) and you have meekness, you won’t get upset – you won’t
worry about your reputation – you actually, will only worry about GOD’S
reputation?
2)
Well, in the time of trouble and testing, meekness enables
a Christian to trust God instead of self!
5.
Opposites of Meekness: Arrogance, and Rebelliousness
B.
The
Purpose of Meekness – Four great purposes in Meekness!
1.
Makes
a person “savable”
(Ps 149:4)
a.
Meekness doesn’t save you – it just makes it possible
to be saved!
b.
Christ only preached GOOD NEWS to the meek (Isa 61:1)
c.
Jesus CAN’T save a proud person – impossible!
d.
God cannot do anything but dump a proud, rebellious person
in hell – as long as they are proud, they are unfixable
e.
Christ preached hell-fire and damnation to the proud,
religiously stubborn, and sin-hardened sinners
f.
But a meek person is soft on the inside, and savable by
Jesus Christ
1)
That’s why the harlots and sinners were getting SAVED
and the religious Pharisees were not
2)
The harlots melted when they heard God’s word
3)
The Pharisees only hardened their hearts
2.
Makes
a person “teachable” (Ps
25:9; James 1:21) – CHANGEABLE!
a.
Teachable, meaning, able to hear instruction and
correction without getting upset
b.
Especially when we find out that WE are wrong, and need to
start all over
c.
So many Christians love a Jesus that loves them, but are
unwilling to follow a Jesus that intends on CHANGING them!
3.
Makes
a person “useable”
– God cannot use somebody who is not soft. God is NOT looking for wimps and
chickens, but soft-hearted men and women!
a.
To win your husband, or wife (1Pet 3:1-4) – not as a
throw-rug, but as a person who will STAY when they have every right to leave
b.
To win any lost person (2Tim 2:24,25) – that will put up
with any abuse, for the sake of their soul!
c.
To LIVE the Christian life (1Pet 3:15) – not with shame,
but great joy and courage!
d.
The reason why we “try” and try and try to live for
God, but with no fruit is because we do it probably with pride, and NOT with
meekness
e.
The reason why we are ineffective with our husbands, and
wives is because we are thinking that WE have to stay in control, instead of
letting GOD be in control, and WE just obeying HIM!
4.
Makes
a person “blessable”
(Mt 5:5)
a.
Meekness is the soil of joy (Isa 29:19) ***
b.
It makes us SATISFIED with God’s blessing (Ps 22:26)
C.
Two
Examples of Meekness
1.
Jesus and Moses were two MEN whose lives abounded with
meekness
2.
Both were powerful men, who were clothed not with PRIDE
and ARROGANCE, but in humility (1Pet 5:5)
3.
Moses
(Num 12:1-10)
a.
Moses was a man of decision and courage and acted with
authority
b.
He knew who he was, was confident in God’s calling and
therefore in his God enabled ability
c.
Moses’ sister and older brother Miriam and Aaron
confront Moses
d.
They used Moses’ marriage to an Ethiopian woman as a
wedge to demote him from office – to humble him so that THEY could take more
charge of the nation of Israel
1)
Moses married a non-Jew
2)
He did it when he was very backslidden
3)
It was NOT the right thing to do
4)
But it was DONE – you don’t UNDO a marriage
5)
But since it was wrong, Aaron and Miriam tried to use it
for their own advantage
e.
They mocked Moses in front of a million and a half people
(it would be like being humiliated in front of a TV audience of half of Ireland
for some stupid sin you did 40 years ago)!
f.
But Moses does not get mad and upset, and worried about
his position (12:3) – he did not defend himself
1)
God called him
2)
God enabled him
3)
God used him
4)
God would see to it that Moses was fine! AMEN!
g.
God defended Moses
1)
Moses’ primary concern always was God’s honour
2)
He was not worried about being shifted around, or
persecuted
3)
Only that his testimony as a Christian was intact
h.
You need to start living THIS way
i.
Meekness is NOT weakness
1)
YOU try and lead a million and a half people through a
desert for 40 years
2)
YOU try and walk with God, and keep a great attitude among
all that complaining, and murmuring
3)
YOU try and keep believing God, when everyone around you
is constantly giving up on His promises!
4)
Moses was a MAN’S man, but he was yielded and therefore
GOD’S man! AMEN! And AMEN!
4.
Jesus
(Mt 11:28,29; 21:1-5)
a.
Jesus knew who He was but did not make a show of it
b.
His disciples did, but Jesus knew their timing was off (by
about 2,000 years)
c.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, He could have done it on a
brilliant white Stallion – but instead came in on a tender female DONKEY, that
still had a foal tagging along right with her. Not a strong and arrogant
picture! But one of GOD ALMIGHTY come down to say, “Hey! As tender as I ride
this donkey, I can guide your life!”
d.
Meekness in Christ’s life meant:
1)
That all that happened was in God’s control
2)
That all of Christ’s life was to be lived for His
Father’s glory and honour
3)
That even if people killed Him (which He knew would
happen), He knew He would just get back up again!
4)
Do NOT believe that Jesus was EVER weak. He was always
submitted to God’s will
e.
Jesus SHOULD show us who is Boss – He SHOULD wipe this
sinful planet out – He SHOULD show His absolute awesome power – but He
waits. Why? So that people like YOU and I would hear His call, and see His meek
life, and RUN to Him in broken submission to such a worthy Saviour!
f.
Meekness is not weakness
1)
Jesus could have called 12 legions (12,000) of angels to
destroy His enemies
2)
He was surrounded by a mob of armed thugs who had come to
bind Him and drag Him to the High priest and ultimately to Pilate. When they
asked where jesus was, He replied “I Am He!” and just those three 1 syllable
words, the entire mob fell BACLKWARDS on their bums! AMEN What power, that was
yielded to God!
D.
Checklist
for Meekness
– ask yourself, “Do I have…”
1.
Concern for God’s honour at your job, or in your home?
His name?
2.
Concern that other’s see a consistent Christian attitude
and godly testimony?
3.
A yielding to God’s will? Even when it is harder that
you think you can handle – knowing however that God will never give you more
than you can handle!
4.
A holy boldness and courage at work, or in school as a
Christian?
E.
Hindrances
to Meekness
– Some things that stop you from yielding to God’s design for your life.
They include
1.
A habit of pride about yourself, and rebellion (leftover
from your teenage years) – “my way!”
2.
Things that excite my flesh so that I concentrate on ITS
feelings, and ITS needs instead of other’s!
a.
When you are focusing your attention on your self, and
your problems, and your needs, and your failures, and your loss and your
desires, and your work, and your accomplishments
b.
If YOU are in view, you are not meek
3.
Fear – not wanting to take a man’s stand for Jesus
Christ in this day of bullies! Allowing the world to drive you into the closets
in fear, instead of for prayer and for boldness in being bright lights in this
dark world
III.
Conclusion and Application
A.
Meekness is a full-flavoured word isn’t it now?
B.
It is so important for a person – for every person in
this room
C.
Let’s remind ourselves
1.
The
Biblical Meaning of Meekness
(Mt 11:29)
a.
It is definitely NOT being spineless, weak, timid, soft
b.
It is being like the Jesus of the Bible
c.
Softness of temper – a mildness (not just
“softness, or wimpy”)
d.
Submission to God’s will, without murmuring –
resignation (no longer “the Boss” of your life)
e.
Yielding, especially when you have every right not to,
only because God says it will be alright!
f.
Lowliness – taking the lower dinner place so that
someone else can get a needed blessing by sitting closer to an important person.
g.
You yield, resign, submit, yield – not because the other
person really IS better, but because of Christ!
h.
Meekness simply is ME getting
out of my life’s equation, so that Jesus can be ALL in ALL – that’s the
goal of the Christian!
2.
The Purpose of Meekness
a.
Makes a person “savable” (Ps 149:4)
b.
Makes a person “teachable” (Ps 25:9; James 1:21) –
changeable!
c.
Makes a person “useable” – God cannot use somebody
who is not soft. God is NOT looking for wimps and chickens, but soft-hearted men
and women!
d.
Makes a person “blessable” (Mt 5:5) Meekness is the
soil of joy
3.
Two
Examples of Meekness
a.
Jesus and Moses were two men whose lives abounded with
meekness
b.
Both were powerful men, who were clothed not with PRIDE
and ARROGANCE, but in humility (1Pet 5:5)
D.
Let me ask you some things:
1.
Would anyone characterize you as MEEK? Why not?
2.
The Holy Spirit was made available to save anybody who
would humble themselves, and surrender to His power of GRACE
3.
The Spirit from that moment seeks to produce that fruit to
its fullness
4.
If you are hindering that, you are not right with God
5.
If you have loads of hang-ups about your life, you can
dump them totally, and completely at the foot of the cross – by faith – and
pick up meekness
6.
It will change your life – guaranteed!
Craig Ledbetter
www.biblebc.com
Find me on AOL Messenger: IrishPreacherkjv