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by David Neal
The meek accept suffering and tribulation realizing that all things
work toward attaining God’s purposes in them. This was
illustrated in scripture by Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s
refusal to bow to an idol upon prideful Nebuchadnezzar’s
command (Dan chap 3). These men were meek in accepting God’s
judgment whether they would be delivered (live) or die (not apt
to complain). God turned an impossible situation to their favor.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were exalted due to their
uncompromising obedience to the Lord and their willingness to
forbear the injuries of another – placing their lives in God’s hands.
King Nebuchadnezzar was greatly humbled before all his servants
in his pride and arrogance for exalting self above all others. The
same could be said concerning Daniel and the den of lions; David
and Goliath; or prideful/arrogant Haman and humble Mordecai.
Isaiah 2:12, 17, “For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon
every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is
lifted up; and he shall be brought low. And the loftiness of man
shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made
low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day (also Is
13:11).” Those who have exalted self (your will or way) above
God’s purposes will be the target of the Lord’s judgment. Psalms
37:34, “Wait (patience) on the LORD, and keep his way
(obedience), and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land (must first
be meek): when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.”
Jesus came to teach the meek God’s way (Ps 25:9). The
prophecy: Isaiah 61:3, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me;
because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto
the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to
them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the
LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that
mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto
them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of
praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees
of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be
glorified.” The fulfillment of the prophecy: At the start of Jesus
earthly ministry, He publicly proclaimed: Luke 4:18-19, “The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to
preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the
brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and
recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are
bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Notice that
between the two accounts that “meek” and “poor” have the same
meaning. When John the Baptist sent disciples to Jesus to enquire
if He were the Christ, Jesus told them to tell John: Luke 7:22,
“Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell
John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see,
the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead
are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.” The fact of Christ
preaching to the meek was an assurance or verification of who He
was. Consider further what Jesus said: Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are
the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” AND Luke
6:20, “And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed
be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.” The “poor” would be
those who are low (dejected, humble in rank, not exalted in self,
tremble before God, submissive); destitute of spirit (wanting,
needful); broken (deeply sensible of one’s spiritual poverty or
wretchedness); in great need of what God offers; abased in one’s
own sight by a sense of guilt; and contrite (broken-hearted for
sin, deeply affected for grief and sorrow for having offended God,
humble, repentant). The meek (poor) inherit the earth and those
who are poor (meek) in spirit have attained to the kingdom of
God (Mt 5:3, 5). We must come to this place before God’s
purposes can take place in us. Now consider the broken-hearted
(having your spirit depressed or crushed by grief or despair
through sense of sin or transgression) or those that mourn:
Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be
comforted.” To mourn is to be deeply sorrowful for your wrongful
actions against God and others; lamenting your unrighteousness;
and being convinced of your own guilt. The meek are quite the
opposite of the proud and have a heart ready to receive what
Christ came to say. A heart that grieves over sin is a pliable one
that can be shaped for God’s purposes. These are not puffed up in
self (inflated with vanity or pride) and are ready to submit and
obey the Lord. Thus, Jesus came to teach them the way (gospel)
of God (Jn 14:23, 15:7). The religious men that heard Christ
speak were prideful and could not tolerate what He had to say –
His Word found no place in them (Jn 8:37, 12:47-48, Lk 9:26)
and they received Him not (Jn 1:11, 5:43). John 8:47, “He that is
of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because
ye are not of God.” Pride is a corrupting and unyielding condition
that precedes a fall: John 5:40, “And ye will not come to me, that
ye might have life.” Jesus said they didn’t have the love of God in
them (Jn 5:42). Religious man sought his way and Jesus was
telling them to do the opposite through submission. Man refused
to yield to God, but rather rejected Him. This is what happened in
Eden and this is what happens today. Nothing has changed in the
corrupted nature of man. This is why it is imperative (crucial,
essential) that we become meek before God and be “born again”
(Jn 3:3, 6-7). John 3:5, “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God.” To be born of water is refering to
repentance, which results from being “poor in spirit,” “meek” and
“mourning.” To be born of the Spirit refers to God’s Holy Ghost
dwelling in you (Jn 14:17, 1 Cor 3:16, 6:19, Rm 8:9) and working
to tear down the things of self to conform you to the image of
God (Jn 16:13, 1 Cor 6:11. Rm 8:11, Eph 3:16, 2 Thess 2:13).
These enter into the kingdom of God and that kingdom is within
you (Lk 17:21).
We will understand in this study that God resisteth the proud, but
giveth grace (forgiveness and the Holy Spirit to work in your life)
unto the humble (Js 4:6, 1 Pt 5:5). In other words, God will send
His Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of those who are willing to
surrender to and obey Him (Jn 14:23, Acts 5:32, Rm 8:14). This
can only be accomplished in a willing heart that will cast aside the
things of the flesh and be transformed, renewed or born again to
the things of God (Jn 3:3, 7, Rm 12:2, 2 Cor 4:16, 5:17, Eph
4:23, 1 Pt 1:23). The Lord is working to transform your corrupted
nature back into His nature or image. Colossians 3:10, “And have
put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after
the image of him that created him.” For reconciliation to occur, all
things must be restored as before the transgression. The Holy
Spirit works in you to accomplish this by tearing down the things
of the flesh as you yield in obedience. If you are not yielding, then
you are grieving and quenching the Spirit, which is
your sealing for the day of salvation (Is 63:10, Eph 1:13, 4:30, 1
Thess 5:19). God’s grace is enacted through the Spirit of grace
and our only role is to obey. All the high places and things that
exalt themselves against the glory of God must come down in you
(2 Cor 10:5). Therefore, you must forsake the things of the flesh
and surrender in obedience to God. This is really easy to
understand, but this spells death to the self seeking (fleshly) and
this is why mostrefuse to comprehend. Those who refuse to
submit, just go about seeking another way. However, John 14:6,
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no
man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Self seeking religious
men will not let this statement hinder them, they just redefine
Christ and twist His Word to “their” liking. They develop religious
doctrines that allow them to continue in the flesh seeking their
selfish desires. They still walk in their corrupt nature, but with a
powerless form of godliness (2 Tim 3:5).
Consider the proud and the meek in this parable that Christ told:
Luke 14:16-24, “Then said he unto him, A certain man made a
great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper
time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are
now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse.
The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I
must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And
another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove
them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have
married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant
came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the
house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the
streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the
maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it
is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the
lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges,
and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I
say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall
taste of my supper.” The certain man is God. The great supper is
God’s provision for salvation through fellowship and relationship
with Christ. The invitation is God’s reconciliation (salvation)
through Jesus. Those who refused the invitation brought great
dishonor to the one who extended it. Notice that those who were
first invited (to whom the promises were made) knew the man
(i.e. God), but were too busy “seeking self” to be concerned with
God’s great invitation. These placed emphasis on temporal
possessions, livelihood, and earthly relationships – the things of
the world. These folks were so busy living for SELF, that they do
not see the value/importance/significance of what was truly
meaningful. The kingdom was offered, but not desired. They
made light of the invitation (Mt 22:5). They did not have time
(shunned) to please the Lord God and submit to His will. The
things they were doing seemed much more important to them
(SELF), and frankly they did not see (deceived) why these things
would be offensive to God. They assumed they could serve Him in
their own way and time. Therefore, God extended the invitation
to all the meek (the broken, contrite, and humble) of the world,
who gladly received it. These were thankful and saw the
tremendous merit. These were faithful to the call. Finally notice
that the Lord says the prideful (self seeking) will not taste His
supper. The Lord was angry because this great supper was
prepared at great cost (the death of Christ). Unfortunately those
who had been invited became eternally excluded because they did
not see how precious the invitation was and at what cost the
supper was prepared.
Suffer the Wrong
Conclusion
When you truly surrender to the Lord in obedience, then your life
will begin to outwardly manifest the nature of God. The Holy Spirit
works in you to produce this fruit. The fruit is what your life
produces. One of the fruits of the Spirit is “meekness” (Gal 5:22-
23). Love and meekness go hand in hand because this nature is a
surrender of self to God and in your interactions with others. It
truly takes a meek man to be taught and led of the Lord. Only the
meek would ever embrace a way of life that denies self for the
purpose of being conformed to God’s purposes. To become what
the Lord wants you to be, you must die to what you are. This
process of dying to self and being transformed into Christ’s image
(likeness) produces great “change” in your life. It is truly
marvellous to witness this taking place in someone’s life, but it is
rare. Most still want to cling to their old life and just add Christian
aspects to it. As long as “self” dominates, then fruit is not being
produced. Fruit is only produced through the surrender of self and
the obedience of the Lord (Jn 15:4). A fruitless branch is a very
serious thing. These are in great danger of being removed from
the vine (Jn 15:2, 6). Jesus said: John 15:8, “Herein is my Father
glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.”
The fruit in our lives is indication that we are in fact Christ’s
disciples. If your life does not produce change which outwardly
manifest as fruit (God’s nature in you), then you cannot be
Christ’s disciple. A disciple is a learner; a “follower;” one who
“receives” instruction from another; an adherent to the doctrines
of another. The Holy Spirit works in you by instructing in the way
of the Lord. Your obedience to the instruction is what produces
the fruit. Its like this: If you were a disciple (or apprentice) to a
master carpenter, you would be expected to die to your ways and
learn from the master. In obeying and following his leading, you
would eventually produce wonderful works. The works would
manifest due to your embracing and conforming to the
established truth that you were being shown. Your lack of
surrender and obedience to the Holy Ghost will definitely hinder
the amount of fruit being produced in you. Jesus said: Mark 4:20,
“And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as
hear the word, and receive it, andbring forth fruit, some
thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.” Notice the fruitful
hear the Word and “receive” it. The gospel of Luke adds: Luke
8:15, “But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest
and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth
fruit with patience.” To “receive” the Word is the same as to
“apply” and “keep” the Word. Patience is also a fruit of the Spirit
– it denies the flesh. The amount of fruit varied from individual to
individual. “Self” hinders the amount of fruit produced. Surrender
and obedience to the Lord brings forth the fruit. Every branch that
beareth fruit, he (God) purgeth it, that it may bring forth more
fruit (Jn 15:2). The Lord “purgeth” (to remove what is offensive)
self (your way/will, the flesh) so as to bring forth more fruit. John
15:5, “I (Jesus) am the vine, ye are the branches: He that
abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit:
for without me ye can do nothing.” Jesus tells us: “that ye should
go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain” (Jn
15:16). Everything is to be done in meekness and love. The
author therefore beseeches you that ye walk worthy of the
vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and
meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. (Eph
4:1-3, 32). Philippians 2:3, “Let nothing be done through strife or
vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better
than themselves.”
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