1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:06,600 You’re listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 2 00:00:06,600 –> 00:00:14,880 To contact us, call us at 1-877-OPEN365 or visit our website Openthebible.org. 3 00:00:14,880 –> 00:00:19,680 Let’s get to the message, here is Pastor Colin. 4 00:00:19,680 –> 00:00:25,160 We’re continuing our series on the Beatitudes and we’re really asking two questions of 5 00:00:25,160 –> 00:00:26,440 each of them. 6 00:00:26,440 –> 00:00:29,959 First, what is Christ calling us to hear? 7 00:00:29,959 –> 00:00:32,080 What is it that Jesus is saying? 8 00:00:32,080 –> 00:00:34,919 What is it that we are to pursue? 9 00:00:34,919 –> 00:00:39,419 And then secondly, we’re asking the question, how is it then that we can pursue what Jesus 10 00:00:39,419 –> 00:00:41,240 Christ is calling us to? 11 00:00:41,240 –> 00:00:46,400 And today, we’re coming to the third beatitude in our series, and we’re asking the first 12 00:00:46,400 –> 00:00:48,720 of these two questions today. 13 00:00:48,720 –> 00:00:55,860 What is Christ calling us to when He says, blessed are the meek? 14 00:00:56,240 –> 00:00:57,540 Now, I wonder what comes to your mind 15 00:00:57,540 –> 00:01:00,799 when you hear the word, meek. 16 00:01:00,799 –> 00:01:05,540 A person who is soft-spoken, a person maybe 17 00:01:05,540 –> 00:01:07,400 with a limp handshake. 18 00:01:07,400 –> 00:01:14,940 A person who is easily pushed over and does not seem to have terribly much spine perhaps. 19 00:01:14,940 –> 00:01:20,779 I know one thing that comes to my mind immediately is the line that was written by Charles Wesley 20 00:01:20,779 –> 00:01:26,879 who wrote a hymn that was called Gentle Jesus Meek and Mild. 21 00:01:26,879 –> 00:01:29,059 Are you familiar with that hymn? 22 00:01:29,059 –> 00:01:32,180 Some of you may have sung it when you were younger 23 00:01:32,180 –> 00:01:38,879 and putting the word meek and mild together is really quite a combination. 24 00:01:38,879 –> 00:01:44,660 It seems to convey the idea of being weak, maybe of being limp, certainly of lacking 25 00:01:44,660 –> 00:01:45,660 strength. 26 00:01:45,660 –> 00:01:47,360 I wonder why Wesley used the word mild. 27 00:01:47,379 –> 00:01:52,820 I suspect it is because he was trying to find something that rhymes with child and that’s 28 00:01:52,820 –> 00:01:56,019 not terribly easy to come up with. 29 00:01:56,019 –> 00:02:01,220 But a mild curry is one that is not very strong and probably not worth eating. 30 00:02:01,220 –> 00:02:04,860 What’s the point in having a curry if you’re going to have it mild? 31 00:02:04,860 –> 00:02:12,380 And so we get this idea in our mind of gentle Jesus meek and mild and, at least for guys 32 00:02:12,380 –> 00:02:16,820 who like to watch football, this doesn’t sound like the sort of thing that we’re likely to 33 00:02:16,820 –> 00:02:25,479 want to go after, but we have been discovering that each of these beatitudes is a fountain 34 00:02:25,479 –> 00:02:26,660 of blessing. 35 00:02:26,660 –> 00:02:34,000 The Jesus is telling us that there are certain things that we should go after in our lives 36 00:02:34,000 –> 00:02:39,740 at any cost, at any price, and that we should get as much of them into our own lives as 37 00:02:39,740 –> 00:02:41,720 we possibly can. 38 00:02:41,720 –> 00:02:47,119 But He’s telling us that one of them is meekness. 39 00:02:47,119 –> 00:02:51,820 So when I began getting really serious about trying to get on the inside of what Jesus 40 00:02:51,820 –> 00:02:59,000 is saying here, some weeks ago earlier in the summer preparing for this series, I asked 41 00:02:59,000 –> 00:03:03,119 myself the question, what do I think Jesus is referring to here when He says, blessed 42 00:03:03,119 –> 00:03:06,039 are the meek. 43 00:03:06,039 –> 00:03:10,839 And it wasn’t long before I came to the conclusion that I really had all kinds of confused ideas 44 00:03:10,919 –> 00:03:15,179 that were to do with weakness more than meekness. 45 00:03:15,179 –> 00:03:22,179 And you’re probably in the same place so I want us to do a kind of intentional reset 46 00:03:22,179 –> 00:03:27,600 of the mind with regards to what Jesus is speaking about here. 47 00:03:27,600 –> 00:03:33,520 I want you to see today that far from being weakness, what Jesus Christ is calling us 48 00:03:33,520 –> 00:03:37,940 to hear is one of the toughest things in all of the world, indeed something that is only 49 00:03:38,059 –> 00:03:45,059 possible by the grace and the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. 50 00:03:46,020 –> 00:03:50,259 Coming to the conclusion that I did not know clearly what Jesus meant here really launched 51 00:03:50,259 –> 00:03:57,259 me on a journey to try and discover what Jesus was speaking about, and that is the journey 52 00:03:58,300 –> 00:04:02,899 of discovery that has been very rich and profoundly challenging for me that I want to share with 53 00:04:02,899 –> 00:04:05,820 you today and then next week. 54 00:04:06,500 –> 00:04:12,639 The journey began with Matthew Henry, a famous commentator from a past generation, who wrote 55 00:04:13,779 –> 00:04:20,779 a book entitled The Quest for Meekness and Quietness of Spirit. The quest for meekness 56 00:04:22,040 –> 00:04:31,059 and quietness of spirit. Matthew Henry points out that in Latin, the meek person was called 57 00:04:31,239 –> 00:04:38,239 mansuitus. Mansuitus. That’s the Latin term that was used for a person who is meek. 58 00:04:39,059 –> 00:04:45,940 He pointed out that this term is made up of two distinct words. One, the word manue, 59 00:04:45,940 –> 00:04:52,140 which, of course, relates to the hand, manual, and the other, assutus, which simply means 60 00:04:52,140 –> 00:04:59,140 used to. So, Matthew Henry points out that this word literally means from its Latin root, 61 00:05:00,000 –> 00:05:07,000 Latin root, used to the hand and therefore calls to mind, really, the breaking in, as 62 00:05:07,880 –> 00:05:12,779 it were, of animals or creatures that are wild by nature. 63 00:05:12,779 –> 00:05:19,000 Now, that immediately sets a new direction for the mind in terms of understanding what 64 00:05:19,000 –> 00:05:25,799 meekness is really all about, because the Bible speaks about our fallen human nature 65 00:05:25,799 –> 00:05:29,820 as having the characteristic of wild animals. 66 00:05:29,820 –> 00:05:35,920 So that in the Old Testament, for example, you find God saying about His own people that 67 00:05:35,920 –> 00:05:44,660 they are like a wild donkey or like a camel that is wandering around in the desert untamed. 68 00:05:44,660 –> 00:05:49,600 Not a very flattering description, but you’ll find that in Jeremiah and chapter two. 69 00:05:49,600 –> 00:05:51,980 Now, Matthew Henry draws this conclusion. 70 00:05:51,980 –> 00:05:55,559 He says, man’s corrupt nature has made him like a wild donkey. 71 00:05:56,019 –> 00:06:06,320 But the grace of meekness, when that gets dominion in the soul it alters the temper, 72 00:06:06,320 –> 00:06:14,559 it brings the soul to hand, and it submits the soul to management. 73 00:06:15,779 –> 00:06:18,260 Now that really began to get my mind going. 74 00:06:18,260 –> 00:06:19,579 Wait a minute. 75 00:06:19,579 –> 00:06:28,920 So meekness is the means by which God is going to tame the distempers that are in the fallen 76 00:06:28,920 –> 00:06:38,320 soul, bring it to hand, subdue its wildness, and place this troubled heart under a proper 77 00:06:38,320 –> 00:06:42,339 management, used to the hand. 78 00:06:42,339 –> 00:06:47,239 So, meekness then is about the taming of the temper. 79 00:06:47,320 –> 00:06:52,019 It is about the subduing of the assertive self. 80 00:06:52,019 –> 00:06:55,079 It is about the calming of the passions. 81 00:06:55,079 –> 00:07:03,640 It is about the managing of the impulses of your heart, and of your life, bringing order 82 00:07:03,640 –> 00:07:10,640 out of the chaos that otherwise exists in a human soul. 83 00:07:10,640 –> 00:07:12,399 So think about this. 84 00:07:12,399 –> 00:07:14,920 I mean you go to work, imagine this situation. 85 00:07:14,920 –> 00:07:17,799 Some of you you’ll think this doesn’t take any imagination at all. 86 00:07:17,799 –> 00:07:23,579 You go to work, and let’s say you’re serving in a company where one of the partners is 87 00:07:23,579 –> 00:07:32,279 self-opinionated, and the guy is overbearing, and he’s always throwing his weight around. 88 00:07:32,279 –> 00:07:37,339 He’s short-tempered with his staff, and he’s demanding, and he’s always insisting on his 89 00:07:37,339 –> 00:07:38,339 own way. 90 00:07:38,339 –> 00:07:40,760 Whenever there’s a partner’s meeting it’s always got to be his way, and so forth and 91 00:07:40,760 –> 00:07:41,760 so on. 92 00:07:41,760 –> 00:07:43,239 This man is not a happy man. 93 00:07:43,239 –> 00:07:45,299 You can see that. 94 00:07:45,299 –> 00:07:51,119 There’s a turmoil, there’s a frustration that is going on within his own soul, and what 95 00:07:51,119 –> 00:07:54,880 happens, you see it in meetings, you see it around the water cooler when you pass, this 96 00:07:54,880 –> 00:08:01,640 sort of spills out on to people who are working around him. 97 00:08:01,640 –> 00:08:07,399 I’m describing the most common experience of life that you may see in a school, in a 98 00:08:07,399 –> 00:08:12,559 university, in a workplace, in a home, and in a family. 99 00:08:12,559 –> 00:08:21,239 Think about a horse, a horse that has not yet been broken, and it bucks and it kicks 100 00:08:21,239 –> 00:08:25,720 and it’s out there in the field, and when someone gets near to it, it always resists 101 00:08:25,720 –> 00:08:28,679 the bit and it always resists the bridle. 102 00:08:28,679 –> 00:08:31,920 It’s not used to the hand, you see. 103 00:08:31,920 –> 00:08:38,979 It’s tempers have not yet been subdued, but when it gets used to the hand, then it has 104 00:08:39,020 –> 00:08:47,900 a poise, then it has a dignity, then it becomes useful, this horse that is now used to the 105 00:08:47,900 –> 00:08:49,159 hand, that is broken. 106 00:08:49,159 –> 00:08:56,059 This is what meekness is all about, and it is of huge importance. 107 00:08:56,059 –> 00:08:59,119 The animal is at peace. 108 00:08:59,119 –> 00:09:05,299 The animal is altogether different from the unbroken horse that was out there in the field 109 00:09:05,299 –> 00:09:08,799 and no one could get anywhere near. 110 00:09:09,380 –> 00:09:13,299 Now, you see what the Bible is saying, Jeremiah in chapter 2. 111 00:09:13,299 –> 00:09:14,820 Israel is like a wild donkey. 112 00:09:14,820 –> 00:09:17,219 Well, we’re just changing the picture a little bit. 113 00:09:17,219 –> 00:09:21,500 By nature we’re all like the unbroken horse. 114 00:09:21,500 –> 00:09:28,299 And what that means is that we resist the hand of God and we kick out against Him. 115 00:09:28,299 –> 00:09:33,559 And as long as we fight God there isn’t a peace that we experience in ourselves, and 116 00:09:33,559 –> 00:09:38,219 as long as there is not a peace that we experience in ourselves, the turmoil that is inside of 117 00:09:38,640 –> 00:09:41,679 us is spilling out into other folks within our family, and 118 00:09:41,679 –> 00:09:46,380 perhaps in the church and in the workplace, and so forth, and so on. 119 00:09:46,380 –> 00:09:51,840 Karen and I were away last weekend in Iowa. 120 00:09:51,840 –> 00:09:53,580 Stayed a couple of nights in a hotel. 121 00:09:53,580 –> 00:09:57,080 The hotel was very full on the Saturday night. 122 00:09:57,080 –> 00:10:02,219 Sunday morning we were in what was a fairly small lift coming down to the ground floor. 123 00:10:02,219 –> 00:10:04,739 The lift was absolutely packed. 124 00:10:04,739 –> 00:10:07,000 And on the second floor the lift stopped. 125 00:10:07,000 –> 00:10:10,719 I guess someone had pushed the bell and there was one man who is standing there and he was 126 00:10:10,719 –> 00:10:11,719 waiting for the lift. 127 00:10:11,719 –> 00:10:14,380 The thing’s absolutely full. 128 00:10:14,380 –> 00:10:19,020 And when the door opened, and he saw there was no room for himself and his luggage, he 129 00:10:19,020 –> 00:10:21,859 started cursing and swearing. 130 00:10:21,859 –> 00:10:28,359 And, you know, maybe he was late for a plane. 131 00:10:28,359 –> 00:10:33,400 Maybe everything had gone wrong for him already that morning. 132 00:10:33,400 –> 00:10:37,299 Who knows what burdens he was carrying. 133 00:10:37,299 –> 00:10:44,239 But the turmoil that was within was just pouring out. 134 00:10:44,239 –> 00:10:46,820 And you don’t need me to describe this any further. 135 00:10:46,820 –> 00:10:50,700 This is life. 136 00:10:50,700 –> 00:11:01,859 Without meekness, we slide into an internal conflict of soul that begins to manifest itself 137 00:11:01,880 –> 00:11:08,700 in short-temperedness, in anger, frustration, sometimes bitterness, resentment, turmoil. 138 00:11:08,700 –> 00:11:11,739 But what does meekness do? 139 00:11:11,739 –> 00:11:15,940 Meekness calms the temper. 140 00:11:15,940 –> 00:11:18,919 It subdues the soul. 141 00:11:18,919 –> 00:11:20,500 It calms the passion. 142 00:11:20,500 –> 00:11:26,460 It brings order out of the chaos and the turmoil that otherwise is going to tear us apart through 143 00:11:27,020 –> 00:11:35,820 the day and it’s going to spill out in destructive ways into the lives of other people around 144 00:11:35,820 –> 00:11:36,820 us. 145 00:11:36,820 –> 00:11:46,219 Now, when I got to the place of seeing, ah, that’s what meekness is. 146 00:11:46,219 –> 00:11:50,219 Now it begins to make sense as to why Jesus says this is supremely blessed. 147 00:11:50,219 –> 00:11:56,299 Now I begin to understand why this too, far from being a, sort of weak caveat, that’s 148 00:11:56,299 –> 00:12:02,859 sort of, you know, a lesser beatitude in the lineup, while this too is something that I 149 00:12:02,859 –> 00:12:08,299 must go after and get as much as I possibly can of this in my life. 150 00:12:08,299 –> 00:12:15,780 This is what I need, and without it I’ll find myself in an unending kind of a turmoil. 151 00:12:16,640 –> 00:12:26,659 So meekness calms the passions that otherwise will be destructive both inside and around. 152 00:12:26,659 –> 00:12:28,020 Thomas Watson puts it this way. 153 00:12:28,020 –> 00:12:39,440 He says, by nature, the heart is like a troubled sea casting forth the foam of anger and wrath. 154 00:12:39,440 –> 00:12:43,099 Now meekness, he says, calms the passions. 155 00:12:43,099 –> 00:12:54,859 It sits as a moderator in the soul quietly giving check to its distempered motions. 156 00:12:54,859 –> 00:12:56,039 That is what meekness is. 157 00:12:56,039 –> 00:13:07,900 I want to get as much as I possibly can of this into this otherwise very fractured soul. 158 00:13:07,900 –> 00:13:11,820 Spurgeon has five words that he uses to describe what meekness involves. 159 00:13:12,539 –> 00:13:18,140 Meekness is to be humble, gentle, patient, forgiving, and contented. 160 00:13:18,700 –> 00:13:23,500 Isn’t that a beautiful array, this is one of these things that you do not want more of in your life. 161 00:13:25,659 –> 00:13:29,820 To be meek is to be humble, it is to be gentle, it is to be patient, 162 00:13:29,820 –> 00:13:32,539 it is to be forgiving, it is to be contented. 163 00:13:32,619 –> 00:13:41,099 And what that means is meekness is the way in which God delivers us from pride and from harshness 164 00:13:42,219 –> 00:13:52,859 and from anger and from vengeance and from ambition. So I want you to see that Jesus is 165 00:13:53,820 –> 00:13:59,739 calling us to something very wonderful here. Remember, we’re taking each of these beatitudes 166 00:13:59,739 –> 00:14:04,619 in two parts looking at what Jesus calls us to and then how we are to pursue it, 167 00:14:05,500 –> 00:14:10,140 but you will never want to pursue this. You will never feel oh I want to get more of this in 168 00:14:10,140 –> 00:14:16,940 my life unless and until you see what a beautiful thing it is and what power it brings in terms of 169 00:14:16,940 –> 00:14:26,460 the healing of the soul. Grow in meekness friend and you will gain control over anger. 170 00:14:26,859 –> 00:14:34,619 Meekness will calm your passions. You will drive more easily 171 00:14:37,099 –> 00:14:43,739 as you grow in meekness and more safely too. It will subdue your impulsiveness. 172 00:14:46,299 –> 00:14:48,619 Meekness is going to change the way that you speak. 173 00:14:50,219 –> 00:14:56,140 It will give you control over that harsh word and over that edge that is so destructive to 174 00:14:56,140 –> 00:15:02,140 relationships. You grow in meekness and you will discover contentment. 175 00:15:03,979 –> 00:15:08,219 You will be reconciled to the position that you’re in, which may be a very difficult position, 176 00:15:08,219 –> 00:15:12,859 the one that you’re in, but meekness will help you to accept the difficulties 177 00:15:12,859 –> 00:15:16,940 that are in your life as also under the hand of God. 178 00:15:16,940 –> 00:15:25,099 And so meekness will help you to enjoy peace. You can’t get too much of this. 179 00:15:26,460 –> 00:15:33,739 So meekness is being used to the hand, that image of the calming, as it were the restraining, 180 00:15:33,739 –> 00:15:40,059 the ordering, the breaking, even, of the wild animals so that it is brought to a tameness, 181 00:15:40,059 –> 00:15:45,900 used to the hand. Another way therefore of speaking about meekness and a word that’s 182 00:15:45,900 –> 00:15:51,580 very important to grasp in relation to this, is simply the word submission. Submission. 183 00:15:52,700 –> 00:15:56,460 Submission means very simply this, again it’s made up of two words, 184 00:15:56,460 –> 00:16:04,780 it means that you take your mission and you place it under, sub, the mission of someone else. 185 00:16:04,780 –> 00:16:11,020 Submission. I take the dream of my life I take the hope of my life. I take everything that I 186 00:16:11,099 –> 00:16:15,659 want to be accomplished in my life, and I say now Lord Jesus Christ because you are Lord, 187 00:16:15,659 –> 00:16:20,140 everything that I’ve ever thought all goes under You. My mission comes under your mission. 188 00:16:20,700 –> 00:16:28,140 It’s directed by your mission. It’s subject to it. Shaped by it. Determined by it. 189 00:16:28,140 –> 00:16:36,140 Submission. And that’s what Christ calls us to here. That is what a Christian does. A Christian 190 00:16:36,140 –> 00:16:41,179 submits to God. And Jesus says, now the people who do this, the people who 191 00:16:41,179 –> 00:16:48,460 are meek, they are blessed. Why? Because as they place all things in the hands of God, 192 00:16:49,900 –> 00:16:53,099 so too their great astonishment, as we’ll see next time, 193 00:16:53,979 –> 00:16:59,020 God places all things back into their hands, and that is why Jesus says blessed are the 194 00:16:59,099 –> 00:17:08,219 meek for they shall inherit the earth. Astonishing statement. In the world of might is right. 195 00:17:10,219 –> 00:17:18,380 The meek shall inherit the earth. Now that we’ve got our minds tuned in, 196 00:17:18,380 –> 00:17:24,300 as it were, to the frame of what this is about, I want to give just this simple definition 197 00:17:24,300 –> 00:17:29,500 of meekness for you that I hope will be helpful, and it’s simply this – that meekness 198 00:17:30,219 –> 00:17:37,420 is submitting to God’s Word, it is submitting to God’s will, and it is submitting to God’s people. 199 00:17:38,060 –> 00:17:44,699 Three parts of it – meekness, it is a God Word and a people Word dimension. 200 00:17:44,699 –> 00:17:49,260 It involves submitting to God’s Word, submitting to God’s will, 201 00:17:50,219 –> 00:17:57,660 and it involves submitting to God’s people. First, submitting to God’s Word, 202 00:17:57,660 –> 00:18:03,339 and you have that very clearly in James chapter 1 and verse 21. Receive with 203 00:18:04,219 –> 00:18:11,339 meekness the implanted Word which is able to save your souls. 204 00:18:12,219 –> 00:18:18,459 In other words, the evidence that a person really submits to God is simply this. 205 00:18:19,260 –> 00:18:26,939 In the first place, that we believe and we do what God says. Jesus said, 206 00:18:26,939 –> 00:18:32,459 it’s the person who hears My word and puts it into practice, who is like the one who builds 207 00:18:32,459 –> 00:18:39,660 his house upon a rock. And, friends, a church where the Bible is taught 208 00:18:40,380 –> 00:18:46,459 clearly and valued highly, is a wonderful place to be 209 00:18:47,660 –> 00:18:53,180 because it is through the Word of God that our lives are nourished and it is in this way that 210 00:18:53,180 –> 00:19:02,300 we grow. But I have to tell you that a church where the Bible is highly valued and clearly taught 211 00:19:03,020 –> 00:19:13,500 is a dangerous place to be, because every one of us is accountable for the doing 212 00:19:14,219 –> 00:19:21,660 of what we have learned from God, and no one more so than the one who speaks. 213 00:19:23,900 –> 00:19:28,540 And so this Word comes to us with great power as we become used to the blessing of receiving 214 00:19:28,540 –> 00:19:33,900 the Word of God. The question is, how do you receive the Word of God? How do I receive 215 00:19:33,900 –> 00:19:39,099 it, week by week, as I try to sit under it? Do I receive it with meekness, in other words, 216 00:19:40,380 –> 00:19:44,699 is it actually doing its work in the deep place of my soul, or like the unbroken horse, 217 00:19:44,699 –> 00:19:52,939 am I just talking about it, and actually pushing it away? See, the self-willed person comes to 218 00:19:52,939 –> 00:19:59,020 the Bible, and they think like this, well now this is what God says, but of course, 219 00:19:59,020 –> 00:20:03,579 I’ve got the right to disagree. That’s very much throughout our culture, isn’t it? 220 00:20:04,939 –> 00:20:08,540 This may be what God says, but I’ve got my own line on what it means. 221 00:20:10,540 –> 00:20:14,459 Simply because the Bible says it doesn’t mean that I have to do it, I have my own 222 00:20:14,459 –> 00:20:21,260 life, and it’s my right to choose. And hear the unbroken horse in that spirit. 223 00:20:23,339 –> 00:20:26,219 This may be what God says, but right now it’s not what I want. 224 00:20:28,540 –> 00:20:34,939 Or worse still, this is what I want, so it must be what God says. 225 00:20:37,020 –> 00:20:38,140 And I’m going to do it anyway. 226 00:20:38,619 –> 00:20:46,699 James says, you are receiving the Word of God, and here’s the thing for which each of us is 227 00:20:46,699 –> 00:20:52,939 supremely accountable. The way that we receive it, am I going to push the challenge of God’s 228 00:20:52,939 –> 00:20:58,780 word today away from me, or am I going to say, Lord, whatever this meekness thing means, 229 00:21:00,140 –> 00:21:05,660 as You teach it to me, I’m going to pursue it in my family, I’m going to pursue it in my work, 230 00:21:05,660 –> 00:21:10,859 I’m going to seek to grow in it in my life. That’s what it means to receive the word with 231 00:21:11,420 –> 00:21:17,339 meekness, the ability to flex according to the shaping influence of the Word of God 232 00:21:17,339 –> 00:21:23,420 in your life, so that your life becomes like soft wax and the Word of God actually makes an 233 00:21:23,420 –> 00:21:28,219 imprint that’s visible in the days that lie ahead. Isn’t that why we gather around the 234 00:21:28,219 –> 00:21:35,260 Word of God? We don’t come here simply to stuff our heads and be no different as a result. 235 00:21:36,540 –> 00:21:46,300 So, James says, receive the Word of God with meekness, submitting yourself to God’s Word. 236 00:21:47,900 –> 00:21:53,819 Second part of what meekness means is very simply this, it is submitting yourself to God’s will, 237 00:21:54,859 –> 00:22:01,020 submitting yourself to God’s will. Now, there are times in the life of every Christian believer, 238 00:22:01,020 –> 00:22:07,660 and it happens often, God will put you in places that you would not have chosen to be. 239 00:22:07,660 –> 00:22:12,060 It will happen, and it will keep happening. May be through a difficult circumstance of 240 00:22:12,060 –> 00:22:17,500 work and the family. It may be something difficult in the church, or in regards to your health, 241 00:22:17,500 –> 00:22:21,579 but God puts you in a situation that you would not have chosen. 242 00:22:21,579 –> 00:22:27,660 I would never have chosen to be facing this. And what happens in that circumstance of course, 243 00:22:27,660 –> 00:22:31,420 is that the flesh, you live this Christian life in the flesh, 244 00:22:31,420 –> 00:22:35,819 and the flesh is always resisting God. It’s why the only thing that can be done with it 245 00:22:35,819 –> 00:22:43,260 is for it to be crucified. Unbelief begins to rise from your flesh. The voice begins to say 246 00:22:43,260 –> 00:22:48,140 from somewhere, oh this must mean that God does not love you after all, because how could He 247 00:22:48,140 –> 00:22:54,380 possibly love you if He allowed this to happen? And resentment can grow, and envy can settle in. 248 00:22:54,380 –> 00:22:59,579 Why is it that she got that blessing that I so wanted? Why did I not get it in my life? 249 00:23:01,739 –> 00:23:04,380 Well, what does meekness look like 250 00:23:06,219 –> 00:23:11,819 when God puts you in a place that you would not have chosen for yourself? 251 00:23:14,060 –> 00:23:15,660 Let me give it to you in a picture. 252 00:23:15,660 –> 00:23:32,939 Come with me to a garden. It’s late and it’s dark. A few men are lying asleep on the ground. 253 00:23:34,540 –> 00:23:41,660 You go a little further, and there is another man, and his whole body is draped over a large rock. 254 00:23:41,819 –> 00:23:53,420 And as you see him, he’s sweating profusely. He’s in an agony of soul, and he says. 255 00:23:54,060 –> 00:24:02,219 Father, if it is possible, let this cup be taken from me. 256 00:24:04,540 –> 00:24:10,459 And then he says. Nevertheless not what I will. 257 00:24:12,219 –> 00:24:14,939 But your will be done. 258 00:24:17,819 –> 00:24:24,060 Frame that picture. That’s meekness in its very essence. 259 00:24:26,219 –> 00:24:33,900 Christ submitting himself to the will of the Father at incalculable cost. That’s meekness. 260 00:24:33,900 –> 00:24:40,619 And friends, that is what Jesus is calling us to do. Blessed are the meek. 261 00:24:42,380 –> 00:24:46,699 For they shall inherit the earth. 262 00:24:49,819 –> 00:24:55,500 So, I guess that raises the question, have you become used to the hand of God upon your life? 263 00:24:57,260 –> 00:25:01,339 You like the wild donkey that’s still kicking and fighting against 264 00:25:01,339 –> 00:25:07,260 the call and the claim of Jesus Christ upon you. All the turmoil that that brings? 265 00:25:07,260 –> 00:25:18,140 Like the unbroken horse, you still resist that hand? Here’s what meekness is, it submits to 266 00:25:18,140 –> 00:25:27,500 God’s Word and it submits to God’s will. Now, there’s one more thing here, and it’s 267 00:25:27,500 –> 00:25:35,099 very important indeed. And it’s this, that there is also a human dimension, a relational dimension 268 00:25:35,099 –> 00:25:41,180 between people to this whole matter of meekness. It begins with submitting to God’s Word and to 269 00:25:41,180 –> 00:25:47,819 His will, but it includes submitting also to God’s people. And here I’m thinking 270 00:25:47,819 –> 00:25:55,739 particularly of Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 21. If you thought the first part was hard, 271 00:25:55,739 –> 00:26:02,060 I promise you that this is even harder. But Jesus says that this is where blessing lies. 272 00:26:02,780 –> 00:26:08,140 This is where it is to be found, and it is through this that you will enter into further 273 00:26:08,140 –> 00:26:12,780 blessing down the line in your life. This is not something that we can bypass, 274 00:26:13,660 –> 00:26:21,579 it’s of huge importance. Now Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 21, Paul is describing in Ephesians 5 275 00:26:21,579 –> 00:26:24,859 what it looks like when God’s people are filled with the Holy Spirit. 276 00:26:25,819 –> 00:26:29,020 He identifies a number of 277 00:26:30,619 –> 00:26:37,420 evidences. One is that they sing to each other. There is singing of psalms and of hymns and of spiritual songs. 278 00:26:37,699 –> 00:26:41,880 One is when God’s people are full of the spirit. They are always 279 00:26:42,339 –> 00:26:47,020 thankful. They’re always thanking God for everything in every way, Paul says. 280 00:26:47,579 –> 00:26:50,699 Then he says there’s something else that is an evidence of 281 00:26:51,180 –> 00:26:58,140 being filled with the Holy Spirit, and it’s this Ephesians 5.21. God’s people submitting to one another 282 00:26:59,540 –> 00:27:02,459 out of reverence for Jesus Christ. 283 00:27:04,180 –> 00:27:10,719 When you see that happening it is an evidence of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit into the lives of people 284 00:27:11,099 –> 00:27:18,859 because it is not natural but it is also a wonderful place where blessing is found. Now, by the way, 285 00:27:19,819 –> 00:27:21,819 if you are not a 286 00:27:22,819 –> 00:27:25,839 member of a local church 287 00:27:27,260 –> 00:27:29,260 to whom do you submit? 288 00:27:30,280 –> 00:27:32,280 The serious question 289 00:27:33,439 –> 00:27:38,579 how can you do what God calls you to do as a Christian 290 00:27:40,280 –> 00:27:47,219 in Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 21 if you are not a committed member of some local church? 291 00:27:48,900 –> 00:27:54,219 See meekness grows through the discipline of committed relationships 292 00:27:55,500 –> 00:27:57,500 no other way for this to happen and 293 00:27:58,239 –> 00:28:01,839 This is God’s gift to us through the body of Christ 294 00:28:03,939 –> 00:28:05,939 What happens is that 295 00:28:06,959 –> 00:28:09,319 Self-Directed Christians autonomous Christians 296 00:28:10,020 –> 00:28:12,020 individualist Christians 297 00:28:12,180 –> 00:28:17,959 Miss out on the blessing of meekness that Christ wants to bring into your life 298 00:28:18,339 –> 00:28:22,380 Because it’s simply not possible to develop it apart from the context of 299 00:28:23,040 –> 00:28:25,040 committed relationships and 300 00:28:25,900 –> 00:28:32,160 So if the pattern is for you simply to to walk away every time. Someone upsets you 301 00:28:33,199 –> 00:28:35,579 How can you possibly grow in in meekness? 302 00:28:36,199 –> 00:28:43,459 Meekness only happens when there is something upsetting and and you’re able to respond in a way that reflects the Spirit of Christ 303 00:28:44,319 –> 00:28:52,380 Now there’s an important distinction of course to be made here between submitting to God’s Word and God’s will and submitting to God’s people 304 00:28:53,280 –> 00:28:58,239 Submitting to God’s Word and God’s will is unconditional. There are no limits. There are no boundaries upon it 305 00:28:59,599 –> 00:29:03,479 Submitting to God’s people that is different the Apostle said on one occasion 306 00:29:03,479 –> 00:29:08,500 You remember we must obey God rather than men though. They said that when they were 307 00:29:09,140 –> 00:29:11,239 forbidden to preach the gospel 308 00:29:12,040 –> 00:29:17,640 the normal pattern the normal pattern for healthy Christian relationships is 309 00:29:18,239 –> 00:29:20,739 That we submit to each other 310 00:29:21,479 –> 00:29:28,300 in the body of Christ and Christ calls us to this and meekness is formed out of the 311 00:29:28,880 –> 00:29:30,880 difficulty of doing this 312 00:29:31,680 –> 00:29:33,680 now 313 00:29:34,239 –> 00:29:40,040 Philippians puts it this way do nothing out of selfish ambition or out of vain conceit 314 00:29:40,979 –> 00:29:42,979 but in humility 315 00:29:43,319 –> 00:29:45,319 consider others more 316 00:29:45,739 –> 00:29:47,739 significant than yourself 317 00:29:48,640 –> 00:29:52,739 And what that means is simply this that I must listen 318 00:29:54,060 –> 00:29:57,800 To what others are saying and to what others think? 319 00:29:58,020 –> 00:29:59,020 and 320 00:29:59,040 –> 00:30:05,839 I must do that and give weight to it even and especially when I feel very confident that I’m right 321 00:30:06,459 –> 00:30:08,459 That’s true for all of us 322 00:30:09,219 –> 00:30:11,219 This is of a huge importance 323 00:30:12,619 –> 00:30:15,619 Now let me give to you some practical 324 00:30:16,560 –> 00:30:18,380 snapshots of 325 00:30:18,380 –> 00:30:21,760 what this meekness actually looks like and 326 00:30:22,479 –> 00:30:24,479 I want to tie these to one or two 327 00:30:25,219 –> 00:30:26,459 actual 328 00:30:26,459 –> 00:30:33,880 coincidences that you can read about and follow through in the Bible because here you’re seeing just how difficult it can be among the Lord’s 329 00:30:33,880 –> 00:30:35,199 own people 330 00:30:35,199 –> 00:30:37,199 among people of faith 331 00:30:38,479 –> 00:30:42,020 Think about meekness when you are opposed 332 00:30:43,280 –> 00:30:44,760 and 333 00:30:44,760 –> 00:30:47,739 I’m thinking particularly about the meekness of 334 00:30:48,800 –> 00:30:49,959 Moses 335 00:30:49,959 –> 00:30:56,020 the Bible says in numbers chapter 12 that Moses was very meek and 336 00:30:56,520 –> 00:31:00,619 It’s an astonishing word and statement that is used in relation to Moses 337 00:31:00,619 –> 00:31:00,859 You see? 338 00:31:00,859 –> 00:31:02,459 and why does the Bible say that 339 00:31:02,459 –> 00:31:09,160 Moses was the meekest man on the face of the earth as it says in numbers chapter 12 and verse 3 340 00:31:09,180 –> 00:31:11,959 well, just think about what he had to endure I 341 00:31:13,660 –> 00:31:16,119 Mean God calls this guy out of retirement 342 00:31:17,000 –> 00:31:19,000 to lead the people of 343 00:31:19,260 –> 00:31:23,979 Israel who had been slaves for 400 years. I 344 00:31:24,979 –> 00:31:28,180 I mean, what must it have been for Moses to lead the people of God? 345 00:31:28,180 –> 00:31:32,540 What must the pressures have been on him in doing that work? I can hardly begin to imagine it 346 00:31:33,699 –> 00:31:38,520 But by God’s grace he leads them out of Egypt. He leads them across the Red Sea 347 00:31:38,660 –> 00:31:45,660 They see miracles happening. He brings them to Sinai when God makes a Covenant with them 348 00:31:46,920 –> 00:31:48,920 Now friends you would think that 349 00:31:49,819 –> 00:31:53,780 God’s people would be grateful to Moses 350 00:31:54,099 –> 00:31:58,560 But if you know the Old Testament story, you will know very well that that is not what happens 351 00:31:58,579 –> 00:32:06,000 Instead we read this that the people grumbled against Moses and they said why did you bring us up out of? 352 00:32:06,300 –> 00:32:11,459 Egypt to kill us and our children. I mean, can you imagine? 353 00:32:13,040 –> 00:32:17,699 Believing people actually thinking that about Moses 354 00:32:18,160 –> 00:32:20,160 But they did 355 00:32:21,579 –> 00:32:28,260 And I don’t know about you but I can well imagine what my flesh would be saying in that kind of situation 356 00:32:30,439 –> 00:32:37,180 I’d be thinking like this. I’d be saying now. Wait a minute. You have never seen such blessing as you are seeing right now 357 00:32:38,099 –> 00:32:41,180 And if you can’t see that I’m out of here 358 00:32:42,520 –> 00:32:44,819 My flesh would think like that under these circumstances 359 00:32:45,060 –> 00:32:47,060 circumstances 360 00:32:47,180 –> 00:32:51,380 All I hear is you mourning and complaining about what you do not like 361 00:32:54,099 –> 00:32:57,380 You were slaves you’re surrounded by the blessing of God 362 00:32:59,459 –> 00:33:01,839 But Moses was not like that 363 00:33:04,020 –> 00:33:08,300 He was meek and so here’s what he did 364 00:33:10,199 –> 00:33:13,099 He prayed for people who said the most 365 00:33:13,400 –> 00:33:16,079 Astonishingly, scurrilous things about him 366 00:33:18,459 –> 00:33:21,040 And then try and take this in 367 00:33:22,260 –> 00:33:26,260 He went up a mountain and he said Oh god if it was possible 368 00:33:26,319 –> 00:33:31,939 I would be happy for you to blot me out off your book in 369 00:33:32,560 –> 00:33:37,020 order that the should not be blotted out from your 370 00:33:39,439 –> 00:33:41,739 That’s meekness 371 00:33:43,839 –> 00:33:48,140 That’s why the Old Testament says on anyone else on the face of the earth in Old Testament times 372 00:33:48,140 –> 00:33:50,140 It was quite as meek as that 373 00:33:51,000 –> 00:33:53,439 Under that kind of provocation and ingratitude 374 00:33:55,780 –> 00:34:00,660 Do you see now why far from meekness being a sort of brand of weakness 375 00:34:01,140 –> 00:34:06,099 This is something that is such a high calling that it is impossible for us 376 00:34:06,500 –> 00:34:09,280 Apart from the Spirit of Christ that in Dwarf Moses 377 00:34:10,060 –> 00:34:11,500 If 378 00:34:11,500 –> 00:34:16,239 Think about times when you are not so much opposed as provoked 379 00:34:17,760 –> 00:34:21,139 And I want you to think for just a moment with me about the meekness of David 380 00:34:22,280 –> 00:34:25,520 You can read about this in 2nd Samuel and chapter 16 381 00:34:26,219 –> 00:34:32,479 We read a story there of a man by the name of Shimi what a wretched man. That man must have been 382 00:34:33,419 –> 00:34:34,600 but 383 00:34:34,600 –> 00:34:38,739 He was a pain in the neck as the only way that I can see it to King David 384 00:34:39,699 –> 00:34:45,239 Maybe when you hear this story, you’ll think, oh I can think about someone who’s a pain in the neck in my life as well 385 00:34:46,659 –> 00:34:50,340 Shimmy belonged to the house of Saul who was the first king of Israel 386 00:34:50,560 –> 00:34:52,239 He was Saul’s man 387 00:34:52,239 –> 00:34:54,560 And what that meant was that even long? 388 00:34:54,959 –> 00:34:59,219 After Saul was dead and gone and long after David had been anointed as the king of Israel 389 00:34:59,500 –> 00:35:05,320 This man Shimei had not one. Good thing to say about. God’s anointed David 390 00:35:05,919 –> 00:35:11,840 And we’re told this in 2nd Samuel 16 in verse 5 that this man Shimei. He just cursed continually and 391 00:35:12,500 –> 00:35:17,300 He threw stones at David. I mean can you imagine is throwing stones at the King of Israel and 392 00:35:17,840 –> 00:35:22,100 As he was cursing he said to David shouting from a distance of course 393 00:35:22,280 –> 00:35:28,560 He said get out get out you worthless man. This is what shimmy used to shout and David had to put up with 394 00:35:29,639 –> 00:35:32,899 well remember David was Israel’s greatest King and 395 00:35:33,860 –> 00:35:37,459 Yet here is this man who cannot say a good word about it and 396 00:35:39,020 –> 00:35:43,979 The Bible tells us about Abishai who was a good man and one of David’s loyal men 397 00:35:43,979 –> 00:35:50,379 And he did not think that King David should have to put up with stuff like this and s he said to David now 398 00:35:50,379 –> 00:35:56,860 I love this phrase in the Bible. He says, why should this dead dog curse my lord the King 399 00:35:57,659 –> 00:36:04,479 Why should this fella be allowed to get away with wretched behavior like this and Abishai said to David 400 00:36:04,500 –> 00:36:10,939 Let me go and cut off his head and I wonder what your flesh would have said you’re the king of Israel 401 00:36:14,280 –> 00:36:17,060 Good idea Abishai, let’s be done with him 402 00:36:18,679 –> 00:36:20,679 But not David 403 00:36:22,020 –> 00:36:24,020 A man of meekness 404 00:36:24,780 –> 00:36:28,699 Leave him alone said David and let him curse 405 00:36:30,100 –> 00:36:31,899 which is what 406 00:36:31,899 –> 00:36:33,899 shimmy proceeded to do 407 00:36:34,179 –> 00:36:36,020 And I want you to get this picture in your mind 408 00:36:36,020 –> 00:36:39,540 I’m just reading from second Samuel 16 versus 13 and 14 409 00:36:40,120 –> 00:36:45,199 David and his men went on the road while shimmy went along the hillside 410 00:36:45,379 –> 00:36:50,459 Opposite him and cursed as he went. Can you imagine walking with your loyal people? 411 00:36:50,580 –> 00:36:56,239 You’re the king of Israel and here’s this man on the hillside. He’s shouting down all these curses and then it says this 412 00:36:57,199 –> 00:37:03,760 He ran along the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust 413 00:37:04,280 –> 00:37:07,820 you imagine that shimmy flinging dust and 414 00:37:08,379 –> 00:37:09,580 At the end of the journey 415 00:37:09,580 –> 00:37:15,120 We read this that the king and all the people who were with him arrived weary at the Jordan 416 00:37:15,679 –> 00:37:20,840 Wretched surely with this guy thrown dust at us every step of the way 417 00:37:21,679 –> 00:37:23,679 And he’s one of God’s people 418 00:37:25,860 –> 00:37:27,919 Jimmy showed extreme 419 00:37:30,860 –> 00:37:32,860 Unjustifiable provocation 420 00:37:34,620 –> 00:37:36,620 Towards the king of Israel and 421 00:37:38,199 –> 00:37:40,760 David puts up with him amazing 422 00:37:41,719 –> 00:37:44,520 Thomas Watson makes this penetrating comment 423 00:37:44,520 –> 00:37:50,500 He says how easily God could crush sinners and kick them into hell 424 00:37:52,320 –> 00:37:54,879 But he moderates his anger 425 00:37:57,080 –> 00:38:00,219 Dear David points us to the grace that we see in the Lord, Jesus Christ 426 00:38:02,479 –> 00:38:06,399 There’s a third little snapshot just very quickly when you’re disappointed 427 00:38:06,399 –> 00:38:09,520 This will be an experience that comes to you and here’s the weakness of Paul 428 00:38:10,000 –> 00:38:12,000 2nd timothy chapter 4 in verse 16 429 00:38:12,520 –> 00:38:18,179 Sometimes we’re disappointed because our expectations were unreasonably high for other people 430 00:38:18,459 –> 00:38:26,280 But surely after all the ministry that Paul had poured into the lives of so many people it would have been reasonable 431 00:38:26,840 –> 00:38:27,479 for him to 432 00:38:27,479 –> 00:38:33,020 expect that when he came to be tried in a court of law there would at least be one person who would come to his 433 00:38:33,840 –> 00:38:40,600 And he tells us in 2nd Timothy chapter 4 in verse 16 that that did not happen. Nobody came at my first offense 434 00:38:41,199 –> 00:38:47,159 Nobody came to stand with me, so where do you go from there? I’m so disappointed 435 00:38:49,840 –> 00:38:55,479 And you can see how the beginnings of bitterness and all kinds of stuff could be lodged in the soul 436 00:38:55,479 –> 00:39:00,719 But here’s what Paul says he says may it not be held against 437 00:39:01,320 –> 00:39:03,320 May it not be held 438 00:39:04,020 –> 00:39:05,919 against 439 00:39:05,919 –> 00:39:12,600 He prays for God’s blessing on people who really had let him down 440 00:39:15,360 –> 00:39:22,500 That takes me to the last and it’s simply this when you’re injured and of course the meekness of our Lord Jesus Christ 441 00:39:24,399 –> 00:39:28,860 When he was reviled insulted cursed 442 00:39:30,719 –> 00:39:32,719 He did not revile in return 443 00:39:33,959 –> 00:39:36,120 When he suffered he did not threaten 444 00:39:38,000 –> 00:39:40,739 You think of these folks nailing him to the cross 445 00:39:41,719 –> 00:39:43,719 You think of these folks 446 00:39:43,879 –> 00:39:46,419 spewing out all their bile standing 447 00:39:47,159 –> 00:39:50,120 mocking him wallies there in agony and 448 00:39:51,159 –> 00:39:59,239 How with perfect justice our Lord Jesus Christ could have said from the cross you wait 449 00:40:01,699 –> 00:40:03,699 You wait 450 00:40:05,199 –> 00:40:08,060 But he moderates his justice with mercy 451 00:40:09,959 –> 00:40:12,620 And instead he says father forgive them 452 00:40:14,020 –> 00:40:17,479 They do not know what they are doing that is 453 00:40:18,719 –> 00:40:20,459 meekness 454 00:40:20,459 –> 00:40:24,100 And you say how did he do that? Well, here’s how he did it Peter tells us 455 00:40:24,100 –> 00:40:27,719 He bore our sins in his body on the tree 456 00:40:28,439 –> 00:40:30,439 He absorbed it into himself 457 00:40:31,020 –> 00:40:33,860 And he did it so that we would die to sins and live to righteousness 458 00:40:34,139 –> 00:40:40,780 Because by his wounds we have been healed and so here we have just that a shining light into what meekness 459 00:40:41,280 –> 00:40:45,139 involves as it relates to other people it’s going to involve the 460 00:40:45,580 –> 00:40:49,139 Bearing of wounds it’s going to involve the forgiving of injuries 461 00:40:49,820 –> 00:40:53,020 It’s going to involve returning good for evil 462 00:40:56,020 –> 00:40:58,020 Matthew Henry 463 00:40:58,500 –> 00:41:00,500 Says 464 00:41:01,040 –> 00:41:04,120 After laying out what meekness involves 465 00:41:05,959 –> 00:41:09,679 He says if this is Christianity God help us 466 00:41:11,179 –> 00:41:13,179 If this is Christianity 467 00:41:14,459 –> 00:41:16,459 God help us 468 00:41:17,060 –> 00:41:19,120 Because he says we are called Christians 469 00:41:19,120 –> 00:41:26,580 We name the name of the meek and the lowly Jesus, but how few are actuated by the spirit or conformed to Christ’s example 470 00:41:27,120 –> 00:41:30,959 Friends we live in the land of lawsuits 471 00:41:32,500 –> 00:41:36,199 Where there has been such a loss of civility in 472 00:41:36,919 –> 00:41:43,080 public discourse and in conversation we live in the world of attack ads 473 00:41:44,520 –> 00:41:46,520 attack websites and 474 00:41:47,620 –> 00:41:50,739 What happens in the world creeps into the church 475 00:41:51,600 –> 00:41:52,620 and 476 00:41:52,620 –> 00:42:00,139 We desperately desperately need to rediscover the meekness to which Jesus Christ calls us 477 00:42:01,100 –> 00:42:05,399 Here it is much easier to be like shimmy 478 00:42:06,959 –> 00:42:08,959 Than it is to be like David 479 00:42:10,159 –> 00:42:12,860 But David has the Spirit of Christ and 480 00:42:13,560 –> 00:42:16,500 And Jesus says blessed are the meek 481 00:42:17,679 –> 00:42:19,199 For they 482 00:42:19,199 –> 00:42:20,560 shall 483 00:42:20,560 –> 00:42:22,560 Inherit the earth is that you? 484 00:42:24,679 –> 00:42:29,419 That’s what meekness is next week, we’re going to come back and look at how we pursue it 485 00:42:30,719 –> 00:42:34,800 And you’ll know that it’s going to be around this that we read in Matthew 11 486 00:42:34,800 –> 00:42:39,399 Jesus says take my yoke upon you tie yourself to me learn of me 487 00:42:39,399 –> 00:42:41,520 my 488 00:42:41,520 –> 00:42:48,479 For I am gentle meek and lowly in heart and then you’ll find rest from your souls bind yourself to me crisis 489 00:42:48,520 –> 00:42:50,520 Walk with me 490 00:42:50,719 –> 00:42:53,939 And here’s what will happen. You will find rest for 491 00:42:54,800 –> 00:42:56,800 your soul 492 00:42:57,399 –> 00:42:59,399 Let’s pray together I 493 00:43:01,159 –> 00:43:03,639 Want to use just a brief prayer that I 494 00:43:04,699 –> 00:43:06,699 use often in my own life 495 00:43:07,120 –> 00:43:10,439 It’s an old hymn, and I’ve personalized it when I use it 496 00:43:13,020 –> 00:43:17,580 Dear Lord and father of mankind forgive my foolish ways 497 00:43:20,939 –> 00:43:28,260 Restore me in my rightful mind in purer life your service find and in deeper reverence praise 498 00:43:28,739 –> 00:43:30,739 The notes are in my independence 499 00:43:31,800 –> 00:43:34,159 Drop your still juice of quietness 500 00:43:35,879 –> 00:43:38,620 Till all my striving cease 501 00:43:40,300 –> 00:43:43,280 Take from my soul the strain and the stress 502 00:43:44,860 –> 00:43:49,500 And let my ordered life confess the beauty of 503 00:43:50,840 –> 00:43:52,840 your peace 504 00:43:54,000 –> 00:43:56,679 Lord teach me this weakness 505 00:43:56,879 –> 00:44:01,899 And work it into the deepest places of my life 506 00:44:03,879 –> 00:44:07,340 For the glory of Jesus Christ in whose name I pray 507 00:44:14,459 –> 00:44:19,939 You’ve been listening to a sermon with pastor Colin Smith of open the Bible to contact us call us at 508 00:44:19,939 –> 00:44:26,939 1-877-OPEN-365 or visit our website open the Bible.org