Why the Pursuit of Happiness Will Not Lead to Your Best Life Now, Pt 4

This is the fourth of a 6-part series of posts based upon the sermon I preached at Morningside Baptist Church on September 20, 2009 from Matthew 5:3-6. For audio of that message, please click here.

To read part 1, click here.
To read part 2, click here.
To read part 3, click here.

Jesus says in verse 5: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” When it comes to the term meekness, there is much confusion in our day. Many people believe that meekness describes a personality trait, and a weak one at that. They confuse meekness with weakness, cowardice, and being a people-pleaser. In today’s culture of “looking out for #1”, meekness is not viewed as a highly valued attribute. Yet, Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek.” So, what is He talking about?

The word used for meekness in Matthew 5:5 can also be translated as "gentleness" or "one who is submissive". John MacArthur says, “Meekness means power put under control.” A meek person is not a weak person; a meek person is a submissive person. A meek person has realized and mourned the fact that they are spiritual bankrupt, and therefore they have no right to exalt themselves before God or other people. Thus, a meek person is a humble person, who instead of exalting themselves, willingly submits themselves to God and others. And the greatest example of meekness is none other than Jesus Christ.

Jesus never sought to defend himself or vindicate himself. In 1 Peter 2:21-23, the Bible says, “Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” Here, we see that Jesus did not fight back whenever he was beaten, reviled, and falsely accused. Why? Because He was meek and did not seek to exalt Himself.

However, we see a very different picture of Jesus when we come to John 2:14-15. In this passage, Jesus found that the temple had basically become a sacrificial flea market. So, he made a whip of cords, drove everyone out of the temple, poured out the money, and overturned their tables. Yet, this is the same meek Jesus. So, what’s the difference? On this occasion, He is not seeking to exalt Himself, but He is seeking to honor God. He is not defending Himself, but He is defending God’s honor.

But, we often get this backwards. When someone makes us angry at work, or someone cuts us off in traffic, or someone spreads lies about us, or someone does just about anything to offend us, normally, we are quick to rush to defend ourselves. However, when someone blasphemes the name of our Lord or someone spreads false teachings about God, we often sit back and do nothing. Why? Because we don’t want to offend anybody. But, we’re not worried about offending someone when they have first offended us.

In the spirit of Christ, may we embrace His example of meekness! May we turn the other cheek when someone insults us or falsely accuses us. May we seek humility and submit ourselves to God's will for our lives. May we seek to become meek!

Stay tuned for Part 5 of this series later this evening!