The Joy of Lament: Self-Control, The Soul's Search for Respect
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth - Matthew 5:5
My Grandfather would often say, “Just because you can do something doesn’t always mean that you should.” At the time I had no idea what he was saying to me but as
This statement is extremely nuanced because it carries with
it a humble submission that defers to another. Remember this entire
sermon is a description of how people of God are to live in relation to God,
each other and those around us. Our meekness towards others stems from our
submission to God. The first act of meekness is to lay our rebellion down. We
have all sinned against a Just and Holy God and we have done so joyfully. It’s
only when The Holy Spirit comes and reveals to us how utterly disgusting our sin is in the presence of a Pure and Undefiled God that we mourn and lament
and repent. Initial repentance brings us comfort that will carry us through the
rest of our life and the first stop is resisting the sin that clings so closely
to us.
James 1:13-18 tells us that when we are tempted, we ought
not to say God is doing the tempting. Jesus said that uncleanness comes out of
a man (Matthew 15:19-21) and in Ephesians 2:2-4 we find that this is our
nature. Therefore, sin is not so much something we do as much as it is who we are. We live in happy rebellion against the God who made us, and that same God
made a way for us to be reconciled to Him by sending His Son and enveloping Him
a nature like ours yet without sin. He lived the life we could not and can not
live and died the death we so justly deserve. Yet, because He had no sin for
which to die God vindicated Him by raising Him from the dead and thus defeating
death, hell and the grave. He is seated at the right hand of the Majesty on
high and all of those who have laid down their rebellion He has given power to
resist sin.
There is no such thing as sinless perfection unless you’re
talking about Christ. When we repent and turn to Christ, He first delivers us
from the penalty of sin, which is death. As we live for Him and walk in Him, we
find that He is also sanctifying us from the power of sin, and we have great
hope in Him coming again to deliver us from the presence of sin.
Our resistance of sin is an act of meekness. Just think of
being in traffic and someone cuts you off and gives you the bird as they do it.
Can’t you just feel the anger rising in you? Can’t you hear all the impulsive
cursing flowing from your lips like honey? Then as you walk in the house you
step on a Lego or stub your toe and few more choice words come forth with no
effort. This is sin. God gives us His Holy Spirit so that we can say NO. He
changes us from the inside out and it is an ongoing resistance and that’s why
those who are meek are blessed with inheriting the earth, because when Christ
returns He is ushering in a new heavens and a new earth (Isaiah 65:17-18 and 2nd
Peter 3:13). We are, according to James 1:18, a kind of first fruits of this
new creation and as such we have assurance that we will inherit the earth. While on the earth as we exercise self control we cultivate quality relationships and this adorns the Gospel by offering opportunities to share Christ with others as they see how we live (more on that later in the series).
Meekness means that we learn to acknowledge the space between. There is a tiny space between offense and action. Meekness is the pause button that allows us to recognize that space and call on God for help. We want to leave all aspects of judgment and vengeance to God even as we are praying for justice in the world. We want to be those who mirror our Savior in every regard.
Proverbs 16:32 sums it up best, "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city."
May the Lord grace us to be marked by meekness.
In Christ,
Storm
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