Application Guide: “Blessed are the meek…”

September 26, 2004: Kimber Kauffman, Senior Pastor of College Park Church, continued his series on Matthew with a message on the third Beatitude (Matthew 5:5). From other Scripture passages, he provided a picture of what being meek before God and others looks like. The first two beatitudes describe our relationship with God…being poor in spirit and mourning over sin in our lives. Now we come to the third beatitude of being meek which involves our relationship to God and with others. And the sequence in which Jesus proclaimed them is important because to be meek you must be poor in spirit and mourn over your own sin and shortcomings. Only with this attitude can you then be meek in your dealing and relationships with others.

Pastor Kimber pointed out that those who are poor in spirit are the humble, the lowly minded, the self abased, those who are deeply convinced of their sinfulness in God’s sight, those who see their need for a Savior, in order to live the Christian life. And with this perspective in mind we mourn over the sin in our lives, and look to God to enable and empower us to live the Christian life that is pleasing to God.

Pastor described those who mourn as those who are sorrowful for sin in their lives and grieve daily over their own shortcomings. This is a Godly sorrow that leads to repentance and leaves no regret vs. a worldly sorrow that ends up like Judas Iscariot, or like someone else who takes their own life and commits suicide. Even in our mourning, we must mourn in faith, knowing that we have God’s promise that we will be comforted. If we mourn like those who have no hope, then we have no promise that we will be comforted.

To help us along our journey, we need to associate with fellow believers, to pray for us and encourage us in our walk with the Lord. We need to take our sorrow for sin and confess it before God, and then taste his forgiveness and go on rejoicing, happy, not that we have sinned, but that we have been forgiven.

Application Question on Mourning:

Read 1 John 1:8-9 and Romans 6:21-23 and 12:1-2 and discuss how you might encourage someone who finds themselves overwhelmed with sin in their lives, and perhaps are having thoughts of self destruction and even taking their own life?

And now we turn to this evening’s topic of being meek. According to Pastor, being meek means those who are of a patient and contented spirit, who are willing to put up with a little honor here below, who can bear injuries without resentment and do not readily take offense. They are people who can accept criticism gracefully. Such people are a joy to be around, because they are almost impossible to offend. Such people are humble, mild of temper, not easily provoked or irritated, patient under injuries, not vain or haughty or resentful. It is an attitude of forbearance and submission. A person how is meek is a person who is approachable, not the kind that you have to tip toe around lest they get upset. Those who are meek are open to rebuke and willing to listen to how you might be wrong.

Life, in the world, today is about self assertion, demanding your rights, get if for yourself or someone else will get it first, so hurry up and get there. It’s about power, stature, prestige, deep respect from others, you give orders and everybody jumps.

But it is God’s desire that we be, act and do things differently. Throughout scripture, God has given us examples of those who were meek:

• Abraham in his handling of the division of the land with Lot.
• Moses in his dealing with those who criticized him having a wife of a different skin color.
• Joseph in dealing with his brothers when he had power over them, but chose to forgive.
• David in restoring members of Saul’s household rather than crushing them as king.
• David’s response when rocks were thrown and insults were hurled his way.
• Jesus who suffered for our sake that the will of His Father might be accomplished. And in so doing gave us an example to follow (1 Peter 2:21-23)

Application Questions on Meekness

1. Knowing that God desires us, as members of the Kingdom of God, to be, act and do things differently, what can we learn and apply from God’s word with regard to being meek in our relationship with God and others?

1. How should we receive God’s word? James 1:21
2. How should we share our faith with others? 1 Peter 3:15-16
3. What should be evident to others we’re living in the Spirit? Galatians 5:22-23
4. How should we interact with others? Galatians 6:1; 1 Corinthians 4:21; 2 Corinthians 10:1; Ephesians 4:2; 2 Timothy 2:24-25; and Titus 3:2
5. How shall we then live? Colossians 3:12 and 1 Timothy 6:11

2. Look up meekness and forbearance in the dictionary. What do you find? How does forbearance relate to Biblical meekness?

3. When our walk with the Lord is less than desirable, how do we “sometimes” respond when others point out our shortcoming? What is our immediate reaction?

4. After careful thought and prayer, how would a forbearing, Biblical meek, response look like in such situations?

5. What effect would it have on our marriages and relationships with others if we approached criticism and conflict with an attitude of Biblical meekness?

6. Give some examples of situations in which you responded with an attitude that was not characterized as meekness, and describe what the results might have been if you responded in a spirit of meekness. [Hint: If you are having trouble coming up with situations, take a few minutes and talk it over with your spouse, or a close friend].

During your Prayer Time, encourage your group to confess any sins the Spirit has brought to their minds this evening, and ask God, and those involved, to forgive them. And then follow-up, as you feel led, to pray for and encourage one another in walking more closely with the Lord.

Lord, help us to be meek like our Lord and Savior. Help us to be non-judgmental, merciful, and the kindness most patient people in the world as we pass on our Christianity to others. Forgive us for our haughtiness, our arrogance and let us be the people you would want to draw close to. (Pastor Kimber)