Simple Faith

Guest (Male): With a thought on meekness and parenting, here's Pastor Bill Henry.

Bill Henry: Meekness is Christian parents bringing their children up in the ways and admonition of the Lord, but choosing not to abuse that authority and power they have been given by God over their children, neither physically, verbally, emotionally, or even spiritually.

So many parents today, it's like they don't know how to parent. They haven't read their Bibles. I wish I had some kind of manual. We got married for kids and how to raise them. Here you go. I want to hear the words from God himself, just out loud. Read it out loud. Here you go. It's not going to teach you how to change a diaper, but it's going to teach you how to bring your children up in the ways and admonition of the Lord.

Guest (Male): Today on Simple Faith, Pastor Bill Henry returns to the subject of meekness as part of our continuing series in the Sermon on the Mount. We've been examining the Beatitudes for the past several broadcasts, and today we'll note that the meek will be blessed and they will inherit the earth.

Human nature tells us that meekness is a sign of weakness. Nothing could be further from the truth and the life of Jesus is a perfect example. Maybe the problem is that we don't really understand the definition of meekness. Here's Pastor Bill Henry with today's message. Again, we're in Matthew chapter 5, verse 5.

Bill Henry: I'm not up here saying, "I'm Pastor Bill. I got it all dialed in. I'm the best at all this." No, I'm saying this is what God's word says. This is what men who have finished well, those who preach the gospel and finish, this is what God says. We can either sit here and think, "I still know better because I've been a Christian for a whole three years or four months or 60 years." If you're going against God's word, you don't know better. I don't know better.

We have this great power that Jesus Christ had that kept him from using that power and walked instead in meekness. It is interesting that we can stand up against evil even today as Christians. There's many today within Christianity that go to that one side of passivity. We don't stand up against anything; we just cower in the corner. Sadly, we saw this during COVID.

So many churches, so many pastors, so much fear, and we know it wasn't God because God hasn't given us a spirit of fear. We saw our government sinning against God. I will never forget sitting there across the street during COVID at the height. There were hardly any cars, but that liquor store right across the street from my office was jam-packed all day long. The pot store down the street in Battle Ground, all day long. That is wickedness. But let's close the churches.

We have this great power in us that is from Jesus Christ that we can stand up against evil. We should do so as Jesus did and not as the world does. That's how this other side gets messed up. They decide they're going to stand up and go all out against people, start calling them names, and start going into sin. As we seek to stand up against the sin and corruption in the world, we do so in strength, but it should be strength under control.

It should be under the control of the Holy Spirit of God through the word of God. This is how we become angry but sin not. We are led, constrained, and empowered by the word of God. As the Holy Spirit shows us ungodly things to be angry over, yesterday I saw this little reel with Heidi St. John. She does a wonderful homeschool ministry here in Clark County and other parts of the world.

She was talking about over in Seaside, Oregon, that the high school there, a friend of hers called her and gave her some of the words out of this book. It was a book that was full of explicit sexuality. The teacher said, "This is my favorite book and this is my favorite portion of the book," and it was word pornography. I'm not even going to say what it says from the pulpit.

She contacted the principal there, and good on her for doing so. The principal sent back an email basically laughing at the lady, saying this has been approved for many years and by the state of Oregon. I pray she keeps going. I pray she continues to stand up and doesn't put up with this evil and this wickedness. Because we're supposed to be a republic, we're supposed to be a place that represents everyone.

We can stand up to correct and to protect what's happening in the schools, within sports, and within much of our government with this whole transgender issue. They say transgender, but it's really about sexuality when it comes down to it. Have you ever seen such a wicked thing that is so focused not on the older people or the middle-aged, but on the little kids? It's wickedness.

We can stand up and say that this is wicked, perverted, and wrong. If you want to talk scientifically, how about you go talk to the bears and see if they say there's more than two genders? Is there more than two genders for a cow or a bull? No, scientifically there's two genders, two sexes. There's a great deception that is happening, and if we as the church do not stand up, who will?

If we don't stand up and proclaim what God has said through his word, we must do it correctly. As we do this, we don't stand up and say, "Hey, you bunch of jerks," and start using all this diminutive language and being mean right back. We do it as Jesus did it. You stand firm. You declare the truth. You stand firm. But remember what they did to Jesus, and he didn't sin.

These are just a few things. We're going to stand up by meekness with this quiet strength, but we're not going to do it with hatred. We're not going to do it with wrath in our hearts. The world wants us to do it that way and even our flesh wants us to do it that way. When we're standing up even in our home to lead or to do whatever, we need to do it biblically.

It is the meek man of God who may have to go into war against a wicked nation. There are evil nations and wicked nations, and they may even have to kill some people. But he doesn't do so with guile in his heart. He doesn't say, "Oh good, I get to go kill people. I get to go kill these communist guys." He does it with no guile in his heart, but with a righteous and controlled anger and perhaps even a touch of sorrow.

He does not do it with outbursts of wrath nor pangs of regret. If I stood up to someone breaking into my home and I'm standing there with a 12-gauge shotgun and say, "You need to leave now, brother, or you're going to meet Jesus. I'm ready, are you?" And he has a crazed look in his eye and says, "I'm not going anywhere because I'm going to kill you, your wife, and your kids." What am I supposed to do?

I'm going to pray for the guy and then shoot because I'm going to protect my family. I'm not going to feel bad afterward. Today, if you stand up for righteousness, they try to make you feel guilty. It was this fellow's choice. When some guy is coming up to you and attacking you and you defend yourself, this world today wants to make you feel guilty for protecting yourself and your family.

Look at what just happened in New York a few weeks ago. That fellow, an ex-vet, this guy was on the train attacking people in New York and he just put him in a neck hold to wait for the police to come. Sadly, that guy died and they prosecuted him for murder. Thankfully he was acquitted, but this is how twisted our society has become. Let it not change you. Be meek, be strong, and stand up, but do not sin.

It is the meek woman of God who may have to go down to the school board and point out some terrible and wicked book or curriculum that they are pushing on innocent kids. She does so, but she does it with an unashamed strength, all the while she doesn't curse or call people names. She instead keeps her anger under control. That's meekness.

Remember, meekness also doesn't ignore these things. Meekness doesn't go to that place where I'm not going to use any anger. No, but it also doesn't have outbursts of wrath. Some in our church have outbursts of wrath and they think it's okay. It's not okay. Go read your Bible. If you practice this, you will not inherit the kingdom of God. But also nor will cowards. In Revelation, we read that cowards are outside the gates of heaven.

Meekness is not weakness. Meekness is a Christian husband leading his wife and family biblically, but not abusing that position and power he's been given by the Lord. It is not forcing nor allowing your wife to lead in the home, something she can never be equipped or empowered by God to do. So many men have been given this gift of leadership in your home and you say, "Well, my wife's smarter than I am." Maybe she is. "My wife's kinder than I am." Maybe she is.

"My wife has more love in her heart." Maybe she does. But she can never be equipped to lead in your home by God. "But she's so much more spiritual than I am." Then knock it off. Repent and you become the more spiritual one. Don't make an excuse. "She's just more spiritual than me, so I'm going to let her lead. Honey, by my authority that God has given me, I give you the authority now." That's what a lot of guys do.

If that's you, you're in sin. You're in rebellion to God. You're putting something upon your wife that she was not intended to bear. But again, you don't be abusive in the home. I'll say this to every woman, a Christian wife in your home: if your husband is abusing you, especially physically or sexually abusing you or the kids, get out, call the police, and throw him in jail.

I've heard churches here in this area say, "Now you're married, so Matthew 18 doesn't apply." I'm sorry, I missed the exception clause. If you're a husband, I've known some abusive wives. If your wife is abusive verbally, you can have what's called a biblical separation, but not a divorce. You don't have to subject yourself or the kids to that. But if you're being abused physically or sexually, call the police and have them thrown in jail.

Don't abuse the power that God's given you. Be meek. Meekness is a Christian wife choosing to submit to her husband and not abusing the power she has over his heart and his emotions trying to lead anyway. My wife and I have been married a few years and her grandma, bless her heart, came up to her and said, "Honey, you need to do this and this." And she's like, "No, my husband's the head of the home."

"Oh, I know, darling, he's the head of the home, but you're the neck and you turn the head whichever way you want to turn it." Wives, I don't think you realize how much power that you do have in that. You may think that you don't have that power, but those words that the Bible says to submit to your husband, to love your husband, to basically say, "Husband, you're my Superman," even if they're not perfect, you're doing it as unto the Lord.

Be careful. Meekness is a Christian wife choosing to submit to her husband. If your husband falls, you're going to fall too. I know it's scary. I can't imagine that position. I've been in other positions where I've had to freely submit to others and they fall. It's rugged. But God is always there and that's where your trust needs to be, in the Lord, not in your husband and not even in yourself.

Meekness is Christian parents bringing their children up in the ways and admonition of the Lord, but choosing not to abuse that authority and power they have been given by God over their children, neither physically, verbally, emotionally, or even spiritually. So many parents today, it's like they don't know how to parent. They haven't read their Bibles. "Oh, you'll never amount to anything." That's great parenting. That's beautiful.

What words have you spoken? Maybe you didn't abuse them physically. I was abused physically. I was abused verbally and emotionally. Anybody else here? Are you propagating it or have you corrected it according to the word of God? Meekness is strength under control.

Another commentator said many even in the church think to be meek is to be weak, but the opposite is true. What the Bible is talking about here is a powerful virtue. The slogan "strong enough to be gentle" comes close to defining it. True meekness is best seen in Christ. He was submissive, never resisting or disputing the will of God. His absolute trust in the Father enabled him to show compassion, courage, and self-sacrifice even in the most hostile situation.

Now let's apply this to ourselves. When we are meek, we will bear insults without lashing out in proud resentment or retaliation. We will thank God in every circumstance while using every circumstance, good or bad, as an occasion to submit to him. Meekness would be weakness if it meant yielding to sin, but because it stems from goodness and godliness, it is a great strength.

We need to first and foremost be meek unto the Lord. Remember what that one Greek scholar said: mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit, meekness toward God that is a disposition of spirit where we accept his dealings with us as good. How many people here are going through trials right now? Every single person here could raise their hand. It's just how many trials are you going through and what trials are you going through?

It can be so easy and be careful of this, beloved in Christ. I know you're going through it, but you're not going through it as bad as I'm going through it. How many of us even today feel this way? "You don't know what it's like to go through what I'm going through." I don't mean to make fun, but I also need you to hear this: you are not above anybody else. Everybody here suffers to one degree or another.

Then think about our suffering and then put yourself in Africa with 95% of the world. We need to go deeper and in the midst of that suffering, choose to say, "Lord, you've allowed this to happen. I don't know why," because we always want to know why. That's almost the first question. Why, Lord? Why? Because he's allowing it. But true meekness says, "Lord, not my will, but thy will be done." And it means it.

God gives us that power. If you were to get cancer today, the most painful cancer in the world, or you're having back problems, or you're having problems with this situation or that situation, God loves you. He died for you even while you're a buzzard and a sinner like me. He died for us. He proved his love, the Bible says, by doing that. He didn't just say, "I love you, man. I'm with you, bro. See you later, though. See you on the other side."

He's like, "I love you, man. I'm with you, bro. I died for you on the cross and I rose again so that you can have a resurrection power even over these things, even over that person that did this to you or even though this is happening to you." This is a trust in God. So apply this in your walk towards Jesus Christ. Because we need to remember what God says in Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

God knows his heart toward us. Do we? Romans 8:28: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, those who are called according to his purpose." Notice as we're closing: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Again, I love how one Greek scholar said the word earth here is gane. Inherit the gane, the land, the earth.

He said the meek do not now inherit the earth; rather, they inherit abuse and dispossession. But they will literally inherit the earth when Christ the King reigns for a thousand years in peace and prosperity. I'm going to go a step further. Here we're promised tribulations. Here Christians lose their property. Here Christians will lose our lives. There'll be persecutions. We're promised hatred.

But one day, and I believe it's not too far off, Jesus will return. It'll be after the tribulation and we will return with him and we'll rule and reign with him upon the earth for a thousand years. And then there'll be a new heaven and a new earth and we will inherit that too. In Revelation 21:1, "I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away."

Verses 3 and 4, "And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men.'" This will be the earth we inherit. "And he will dwell with them and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things had passed away." This is what we're going to inherit and so much more.

Guest (Male): That completes our look at Matthew chapter 5, verse 5, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Next time, we're going to move right along and look at hungering and thirsting after righteousness in Matthew chapter 5, verse 7. Join us then. I hope you've been blessed by today's message from Pastor Bill Henry. This has been Simple Faith.

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Guest (Male): Thank you for joining us today. Be sure to join us next time as our series on the Sermon on the Mount continues here on Simple Faith with Pastor Bill Henry, brought to you by Simple Faith Calvary Chapel.