MEEKNESS, Church of Christ @ Riverdale, Georgia USA Page 1 of 5 MEEKNESS BY ITORO AKPAN-IQUOT CHURCH OF CHRIST @ RIVERDALE 635 DENHAM STREET RIVERDALE, GEORGIA - USA www.cocriverdale.org BIBLE CLASS, MARCH, 2016
MEEKNESS, Church of Christ @ Riverdale, Georgia USA Page 2 of 5 Meekness Church of Christ @ Riverdale, Georgia www.cocriverdale.org Reference Scriptures: Matthew 11:29 - Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. What is Meekness? Submissiveness. Submissiveness: Ready to conform to the authority or will of others. The Hebrew word for meekness means, It means someone who is afflicted or bearing a heavy burden. In Greek, the word for, meekness means, gentleness. Meekness is NOT Humility Though both involve our relationship with other people, they are not the same Humility means putting the interests of others ahead of our own interests. It also means not elevating ourselves over others. Meekness means to submit to the authority of others. Meek is NOT Weak! The meek person s strength comes from their compassion and loving spirit. Meek people are generous, have a gentle disposition and are easy to get along with. Meekness is a quality of wisdom James 3:13 - Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
MEEKNESS, Church of Christ @ Riverdale, Georgia USA Page 3 of 5 Examples of Meek people in the Bible Moses Numbers 12:3 - Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. o Though he was meek: He was the leader of the Israelites at the time. He stood up to Pharaoh, the leader of the greatest country on earth at the time When the rest of the Israelites trembled at God s voice, he actually spoke with God o Examples of his meekness Numbers 12:1-3, Exodus 18:13-23 Abraham (Genesis 13) There arose a dissension between Abraham s herdsmen and Lot s. Abraham could have asserted his authority being the older one but he didn t do that. Instead, he let Lot have the first choice. Jeremiah God s word was a burning fire shut up in his bones (Jeremiah 20:9). For standing up for the truth, he became unpopular, isolated and hated. Yet, despite this discouragement, in meekness, he continued to preach and teach the word of God. Jesus o Jesus described himself as meek (Matthew 11:29) o Isaiah 53:7 - He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. o 1 Peter 2:23 - Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Even before his accusers, he was silent and took his punishment quietly Jesus meekness didn t come from weakness or cowardice. Rather, it came from confidence in his Father s power. He wasn t concerned about himself but in fulfilling his purpose while he was on earth. Matthew 26:50-54, Philippians 2:4-8
MEEKNESS, Church of Christ @ Riverdale, Georgia USA Page 4 of 5 Why be Meek? We are commanded to be meek Zephaniah 2:3 - Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger. It is a requirement for teaching and inspiring others o 2 Timothy 2:24-26 o 1 Peter 3:15-16 It is needed for learning James 1:21 - Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. o In order to teach others, we must be willing to learn. When we learn, we can t do so with a prideful attitude. Our confidence in God leads to a willingness to listen and to apply his teachings It is a quality needed to forgive others - Colossians 3:12-13 Meekness leads to unity and oneness of Spirit Ephesians 4:1-3 It is one of the fruits of the Spirit Galatians 5:22-23
MEEKNESS, Church of Christ @ Riverdale, Georgia USA Page 5 of 5 The Impact of Meekness on our Lives A proper attitude towards God Jesus displayed this attitude: o John 6:38 - For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. o Luke 22:42 - Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. Jesus approached the will of the Father without resistance, murmuring or dispute. When we look at our lives today, how do we approach the Father? How do we approach God s will for all mankind as declared in his inspired word, the Bible? We become God-tamed Reference how a horse is caught and broken. Reference how a dog is trained by man. The result is we become gentle, submissive, calm, quiet, not easily provoked, takes insults without getting offended, slow to anger. Proverbs 16:32 - He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. We shall inherit the earth o Matthew 5:5 o Psalms 37:9-11 we shall receive as a gift from God, an earth in which we are delighted (happy) and have an abundance of peace God gives gladly of himself to us o James 4:6-10 o Psalms 34:17-19