The Kingdom of God in the New Era

 This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on August 21st 2022  by Navaz D. For the audio & video please click here.  To listen to the worship please click here.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE NEW ERA.

INTRODUCTION – 

The world has seen many watershed events in history right from the time of creation. To trace a few: creation, the Fall, the flood, the tower of Babel,( the bronze and iron age) The Egyptian empire, the Red sea crossing, The covenants given to Moses and the birth of the nation Israel, The Kings, the rise of the Babylonian empire, the fall of Jerusalem and the period of captivity and exile, the return from exile, the rise of the Greek and Roman Empires, and the Old Testament Era ending in 400 years of silence.

THE NEW ERA- THE KINGDOM HERE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

Then a New Era burst upon the scene not with fanfare but in humble obscurity in a cowshed, witnessed by animals and lowly shepherds. The King of the universe stepped down from the heights of heaven into darkness and sinful humanity. A New Era was indeed birthed that night and heaven would not keep silent but rushed towards earth to sing “Glory in the highest and peace on earth”.

This was important. The world was reeling under oppressive rules from Kingdoms and religious systems. God’s salvation plan was coming to a culmination and is now in play. The Messiah is born. He was going to usher in a kingdom unlike any other – where the humble will be exalted, the servant of all will be the greatest of all, the one who denies his life will gain it, and the just shall live by faith and not rituals.

Jesus started his ministry by saying the Kingdom of God has come. He taught His disciples to pray “Your kingdom come here on earth as it is in heaven”. So, it was all about ushering in a New Era unlike any other people had encountered. He explains what His kingdom looks like and how its subjects ought to behave in the Sermon on the Mount. It was counter to anything they had heard before. Where the Jews wanted a physical revolution, Jesus said offer your other cheek, walk the extra mile, give your cloak to anyone who asks, you be the first to forgive and so much more. Jesus was creating a counter culture at the core of which was heart transformation. He created a body of disciples who were apostolic that would bring about cultural transformation – from inside -out.

 An apostle is a person who shapes and facilitates cultural transformation. An apostolic people are those who live with that knowledge and mandate to affect and influence change. Not everyone is apostolic in the way they function – but everyone can learn. Are you?

Apostolic people will be the salt in the community bringing flavour and light that would dispel darkness. Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of God 127 times and spoke about the church only twice. The Kingdom is larger than the church, however, without the church, there is no kingdom advance.

What has happened over the centuries is the church has forgotten the reason for her existence – she has forgotten her apostolic mandate. It has become that fancy lighthouse club for the exclusive. Instead of going into stormy waters and rescuing people from capsized ships and from drowning, it has become a club for the exclusive where we care for each other, eat together, plan events for the young, the teens, the mothers, the old, men's breakfast club etc.

God forbid that Word of Grace would become a happy-clappy club. We are here for the lost, the broken, the disillusioned, the people trapped in addictions, and alternate lifestyles. We need to ready ourselves for these are they are going to come in large numbers. Will we be salt that will heal, will we be light that will dispel spiritual darkness and confusion?

Ephesians 2 tells us that we have been chosen for a great purpose -to do good works.

When we bring the Kingdom of God to earth – we can experience in measure heaven on earth here and now. God’s desire has always been that His people would shine and be His glory and image bearers. Today that is you and I.

My text for today if you like is Isaiah 61 & Matt 28:18-20

Is 61 Is a Kingdom apostolic mandate – to preach the good news, bind up the broken hearted, set the captive free and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[a]
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
³     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendour.

⁴ They will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
    that have been devastated for generations.

 

Is 61 Is a Kingdom apostolic mandate – to preach the good news, bind up the broken hearted, set the captive free and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.

In Isaiah 60 we are told to arise and shine. V18 God’s glory would come upon us (this happens when we receive salvation) and we will be a light to the Gentiles. The nations will come to your light, the kings to the brightness of your dawn.

V4. Talks about the ones that were once broken come alongside you to rebuild ancient ruins – so they in turn become world changers. This is who we are and have been saved for. It is not about your blessing, but about being a blessing. It is not about your comfort but bringing comfort to the discomforted. It is not about your brokenness, but about being the healing to the nations. It is not about looking at the darkness and getting discouraged – it is about rising and being that city set on a hill and being the hope of the nations.

 Matt 28 is also a Kingdom apostolic mandate to be world changers and cultural transformers. We are also told that one generation will commend our deeds to the next.

One generation commends your works to another;
    they tell of your mighty acts.
⁵ They speak of the glorious splendour of your majesty—
    and I will meditate on your wonderful works.^[b]
6 They tell of the power of your awesome works ( Ps 145:4-6)

It means we are a multi-generational movement – embracing the young and old. We need to have a generational mindset of leaving a legacy. Because our forefathers invested in cultural change by building schools, hospitals, and works amongst the less fortunate they brought about cultural transformation.

This is for everyone. We are part of a family of churches called Regions Beyond. A couple of years back we received a prophetic word about all of us stepping into a New Era- New Era means there is no blueprint to follow. We will have to learn to walk by the Spirit. Therefore, in this era our intimacy with God, where we hear His voice is critical. There is no grid to follow or copy-paste. There has been a lot of copy paste in the past. It is not wrong to learn from each other – everything we do must be submitted to the Holy Spirit and needs to be in line with principles laid down in scripture. There is no ‘one size fits all’.

Matt 28:18-20 – we are commanded to make disciples of all nations and teach them to obey Jesus' commands. This is an apostolic mandate because the obedience of the disciples will bring about cultural transformation. This means each one of us has a responsibility: to be discipled and disciple new believers. When revival comes all of us should have been used to being activated. There are no observers and consumers in the kingdom of God.

In line with what I have shared, I am going to share what Steve Oliver shared about 4 threats and 3 opportunities in the New Era. There are some things we have that apply to us as a church and some things that you as individuals can take hold of as well.

Before I share them – I want to alert us to get ready for a gear change, an increase in pace and momentum. Word of Grace got a word at the conference to get ready for big growth. We will only be able to contain it if we have good strong nets: that is everyone activated to hold the catch in. Are you ready?

KEYNOTE BY STEVE OLIVER

We all want the next new thing/ new word, and it appeals to a consumer mentality. We must be obedient to what God has already said and called us to. He spoke to us about being in a New Era and building bigger boats to reach new horizons.

As Steve started to travel again, he began to feel that we as churches have some lessons to learn from the pandemic and he divided them into

4 Threats that we need to be careful about and 3 opportunities not to be missed.

 

4 THREATS 

1. Not taking the prophetic seriously and acting upon what God has said. We must weigh the words and settle them in our hearts.

2. Not adjusting to the lessons, we have learnt from the Pandemic years which are:

i) It’s a time to be intentional about the discipleship of all believers and not just looking for converts.

ii) The Pandemic has undone the platform-focused ministry.

iii) We must activate every member of the church and see gifts emerging.

iv) We must see more Kingdom expression outside the church building.

v) Gospel must go to the unreached.

 

3. Another threat is too much focus on the present and not the future. Steve was concerned about how many churches do not have a succession plan and do not understand the transition.

4. Limited penetration of a lack of flow of the broader vision into each church. What happens at conferences like this one, must percolate down to the rest of the leadership and church so they catch the heart of what God is saying to us as a family.

 

 

3 OPPORTUNITIES NOT TO BE MISSED

1. Acts 4:33 There is great grace in the new Era for acts of faith. We need to run at a new pace and take risks. Those who adopt this position will see great grace.

2. Intentionality and focus will be rewarded. There is an open heaven over this. It is time to build well and when we do, God will come through for us.

3. God will entrust key people to us if we are faithful.  They will be partners for gospel advance.

CONCLUSION

Therefore what? What does this mean for you? What does this mean for the church? The leadership team sat with these words, and we spent a few hours deconstructing them and seeing how we need to move forward, and what changes we need to make to embrace this prophetic word and move in the direction God wants for us.

 

DISCUSSION 

• ·       How can I embrace a kingdom mindset in everything I do?
• ·       Is my light being seen in my place of work: Am I helping maintain the moral standard and a good work ethic around me by being an example first?
• ·       What can I do in my neighbourhood/ building to be salt and light?
• ·    How can I make my gifts and service available to the church in a way that will help us get ready for growth? Talk about this with your Gym leaders and we will look at how to develop and deploy you.
• ·       Am I being discipled by anyone? Am I willing to be? ( get in touch with us and we will partner you with someone).

 

  Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.  

 

 

 

Creating A Counterculture Part 3

 This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on Sept 19th 2021 by Navaz D via zoom. For the audio & video please click here.  To listen to the worship please click here.

CREATING A COUNTERCULTURE – PART 3 . Navaz

 INTRODUCTION

Over the last few weeks, we have been looking at how Jesus came to usher in the Father's Kingdom- an upside, inside out Kingdom.

Jesus also said that when citizens of His Father's Kingdom live like this, it brings glory to the Father. And Jesus' reason for coming to earth was to do the Father's will and bring Him glory. Matt 5:16: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.".  So right off the bat, we are told the intent.

The last two weeks, we looked at Blessed are the poor in spirit, for there is the Kingdom of heaven. Poverty of spirit is the gateway to salvation- expressing our need and dependence on a Saviour.

Then we looked at Blessed are the those who mourn for they shall be comforted. When we live from the Father's heart, we will mourn over the unrighteousness and wickedness we see around us, and we will find comfort in God's word that God is sovereign and in charge.

We have already looked at what Blessed means – to be happy, to enjoy the favour of God. Let us ask God to speak to us through today’s text.

 

Today we are going to look at the next beatitude.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Matt5:5

This beatitude is probably a reference to Psalm 37 which, the Jews recognized. Psalm 37:9 and 11

V9 "but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land."

V11 "But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.."

Jesus is taking things in the OT that the Jews were already familiar with, showing them the Father's heart of how it needed to be applied.

Look at these pictures

 

Both men have guns. Both horses are strong and fast.

Do any of them depict meekness?

MEEK- the Greek word is "Praus". Why do we look at the original meaning? Because the meaning and use of words change over time, we can lose the actual context of these words.

Meek has the idea of a powerful personality adequately controlled and of humility.

A meek person is not a passive, 'push over person'.

Do you know a soldier has to learn to become meek?

 A good soldier is a meek person – he is trained to fight, kill, subdue, and take land BUT only at the command of his General or superior. Every army needs soldiers who must learn to be meek first to win a war.

How is meekness different from humility?

Humility is how we look at ourselves – that we have a sober judgment of who we are and what we can and cannot do.

Meekness is about how we relate to people.

 

CHARACTERISTICS OF MEEKNESS

Meekness is not a personality trait. It is a character we are called to cultivate in this counterculture called the Kingdom of GOD.

1.TRUST – from Psalm 37, we see the meek "hope" in the Lord and "wait "for Him.

They do not put confidence in their strength or strategies.

2.WAITING – Hope often requires "waiting". Waiting is not passive. You continue to live a whole life seeking God's Kingdom.

Our faith is not a transactional relationship. You are not God's equal to dictate terms to Him. Many Christians have an "If.. then" relationship with God, which is unscriptural. We need to have an "Even if.." like the three men in the fire.

Like in Ps 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will do this".  We need to learn to surrender our will to God's for Him to act.

3.REFRAIN FROM REVENGE – We are often reminded not to fret when evil men do wicked things. We are reminded to wait for God's vengeance and refrain from taking vengeance in our hands. It takes a tremendous amount of strength, courage, and self-control not to act spitefully.

3.SLOW TO SPEAK - James 1: 19-21 Know this, my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God. Therefore, put away all filthiness and rank growth of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

When we lack meekness, we are quick-tongued and quick-tempered. We are therefore unteachable and want to push our own opinion.

4. QUICK TO LISTEN a meek person is quick to listen. They know their limitations and accept their faults.

Is slow to speak always soft-spoken? No. We know that Jesus was meek, and yet He drove out the money changers with a whip.

You can be in a situation of conflict and still be meek – as long as you are quick to listen, slow to speak, teachable and willing to be open to another's opinion.

5. TEACHABLE He is teachable. Because they have a sober judgement of themselves and are open to counsel and correction, they are teachable. Or do you kick back or play the blame game, sulk, and pity yourself?

Look at Jesus – Phil 2 tells us though He was the son of God he learned obedience through the things He suffered. Therefore, God exalted him. The way up is down.

6. WISE

A wise person is a meek person. James tells us a wise person is peaceable, gentle, and open to reason. The meek are teachable and wise. When was the last time someone could give you feedback, and you accepted it? When was the last time you invited feedback and not shoot the messenger?

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.  James 3:13

7. DEFENDS TRUTH

Meeks submits to and seeks truth in every situation.

Meekness stands for righteousness and truth no matter what the cost. We have the best example in Jesus.

Meekness is the willingness to submit our thought and opinions to a higher moral standard. The Bible is our plumbline.

Matthew Henry describes meekness as a kind of self-control. True, biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

MEEKNESS IS NOT

Weakness – you are not a pushover or a doormat.

It is not a lack of convictions - It is not fence-sitting and saying your truth is your truth, and my truth is my truth.

Matt 5:5b  "Shall inherit the earth".

Let us look at what happens when we become meek. The world tells you the meek are weak and that you are looser.

However, Jesus says that we will inherit the earth. Is this a new thought?

No. God's plan and design in the garden of Eden for Adam and Eve was to have dominion over the earth – to be in charge, to rule to steward it well. But they forfeited this privilege because of the fall.

Had Adam and Eve lived with meekness towards God, surrendering and submitting to His will, they would have stayed in charge. But we know they forfeited that privilege when they fell.

Jesus came to glorify the Father and to reveal Him to us and restore us to sonship.

When we live with meekness towards God, God will once again entrust all things to us. We are co-heirs with Christ and reign with Him are seated with Him in the heavenly places.

Now is this inheritance a physical one? Does this mean you and go and claim any land as yours? The Jews misunderstood the rule and reign of the Messiah. They wanted a conqueror, and not even the OT described the Messiah in this manner.

If you read Isaiah, you will see the Messiah portrayed as meek

"He will not shout or cry out or raise his voice in the streets." Is 42:2. 

It was there all along, but they did not want to see it. What can we learn from this?

Do not try and make God in your image or conform to a figment of your imagination. God will do this and that for me when I tell Him to do so.

EXAMPLES OF MEEKNESS

Jesus said of Himself 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. Matt 11:29.

Jesus demonstrated his meekness by saying I only do what I see my Father doing. We see Christ living out meekness flawlessly, emptying Himself as He carried out His Father’s will. Meekness turned the tables in the temple, had compassion on the crowds, called the Pharisees a brood of vipers, and prayed, “Not my will, but yours, be done.” It is meekness that characterizes the Lion of the tribe of Judah who is the Lamb that was slain. It is meekness that carried out the Trinity’s plan for our salvation. Increasing meekness in us is merely a reflection of our Immanuel. ( Matthew Henry)

Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane epitomized meekness.

Moses: was considered the meekest man that lived, and yet he faced Pharaoh. Moses the Pharaoh’s son was not meek – he killed a slave in the name of justice. Forty years later he comes back meek and leads millions out of slavery. In his own strength he saved one. Surrendered he saved millions.

Abraham was meek – he did not assert himself with Lot but let his nephew choose first.

David allowed himself to be ill-treated by Saul- he suffered injustice, unkind treatment.

Stephen was meek. Paul was meek. And they spoke up boldly when required. They healed the sick and spread the gospel, and both were martyred.

 

 

CONCLUSION

So, we see meekness as a Christlike quality. All the characteristics of living the Kingdom life reflect our King. When we become like this, we become more like Jesus.

·         He will increase and we will decrease.

·         His priorities will become ours.

·         What breaks His heart will break ours too.

·         We will embrace our circumstances in surrender to His will allowing His peace to guard our hearts and minds.

Meekness is not easy.  Without becoming poor in spirit, we cannot become meek. Without mourning over our pride and independence, we cannot come to repentance to desire change and become meek.

Let us ask Jesus to grant us the grace to become meek and submit to His authority in our lives.

 

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

 

Creating A Counterculture Part 2

 

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on Sept 5th 2021 by Lasya D via zoom. For the audio & video please click here.  To listen to the worship please click here.

Sermon on the Mount – Creating a Counterculture - Part 2 (Matthew 5:4-5)

 

 My first introduction to the Christian lifestyle as a new believer was the book of Matthew and until chapter 5 it was a storybook, and suddenly, the book was speaking to me – when I was going through the beatitudes for the very first time, I remember feeling I was going to have to renounce the world and live as a nun. Blessed are you when you are persecuted? Blessed are the poor, the mourning, the meek, the hungry? To be honest, it scared me.

 But as I developed a relationship with Jesus, I’ve come to understand that His heart is to bless those who are becoming like him. We are not just to be the poor, the mourning and meek, the pure and the persecuted. We are also the comforted, the inheritors of the earth, the satisfied, the children of God, the rewarded. Why do we do these things that crucify the flesh? so that we can be raised with him, in glory and fullness of life. His blessings always surpass the cost, it is always disproportionate. That is how we are to view this passage - not as a list of rules, but as a doorway to blessing, inheritance and reward.

 Last week navaz spoke about this upside-down kingdom that's so countercultural, that goes against the grain of everything that the world teaches us. And today I want to talk about the inside out kingdom. The world looks at performance and rewards the outcome, but God looks at the heart.  Before going on to things like murder, adultery and divorce, Jesus addresses mourning meekness, mercy, purity - he addresses the matters of the heart for everything we do flows from it. Our scripture for today is Matthew 5: 4-5 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

 

 In this passage, Jesus is dealing with how to get our inside world to line up with the kingdom of heaven. We started off last week by understanding the blessedness in confessing our utmost dependence and need for Christ. Today we will look at how we express our need for God in our hearts, our mind and our attitudes. How do we get our internal world in alignment with the values of heaven?

 1.      Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted

Contrition leads to comfort – This statement seems like a total paradox. The word blessed in the Greek also translates to happy. So, happy are the unhappy? It makes no sense! But theologians agree that the mourning referred to here is not just a state of our emotions, but a mourning in the spirit that leads to repentance.

 

1. Why do we mourn?

Today we live in a grief averse culture – we have 101 ways to cope, avoid, and be distracted from feelings of grief, brokenness, guilt… (illustration - yoga seminar) and then since we don’t mourn, we remain unchanged and we don’t find comfort in the things of the world.

                                                              i.      We mourn into repentance: 2 Cor 7:9-10 Paul says “As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.¹⁰ For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” In Acts 11: 18 “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life”. Repentance is a gift and proper mourning - not regret, not self-condemnation - leads us to repentance and transformation.

                                                            ii.      Mourning invites fellowship with the spirit: It is not the mourning itself that makes us happy, but when we mourn in the spirit, we have fellowship with the spirit - the spirit of comfort. Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Isaiah 66:2 “But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”  Psalm 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

 

2. What do we mourn for?

                                                              i.      Our own sin - Mourning is not just a doorway for unbelievers to enter into salvation. (Illustration - Gym membership) This passage describes primarily, the life of a Christian and not the world.  We need to mourn as a people who ourselves are not wholly sanctified. (illustration - Heart of worship)  In the late 1990s, one worship leader stood on a stage with no sound system and sang his song of mourning - I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made when it’s all about you. The song Heart of worship became an anthem for a whole generation who said, hey, I’ve not been living right. I need to set my heart right before God. Luke 18: 11-14 “ The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

                                                            ii.      The world - Jesus, who was without sin, mourned as well. In Luke 19: 41 “And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it”; He mourned over the state of the city that was chosen and loved by the Father. He wept at the tomb of Lazarus – He did not mourn because Lazarus was dead, because he knew he was going to raise him up – he mourned for the state of man and the effect of sin. It was a spiritual mourning. It sounds very poetic when we sing in a song break my heart for what breaks yours - but when was the last time that your heart was broken over the concerns of the Lord? We need to mourn for our own sins and the sins and state of the world.

 

3. How do we mourn?

                                                              i.      We don't make a show of it - The mourning of the spirit is done with fasting and prayer and Jesus gives very specific instructions on how to fast and pray Matthew 6: 16-18 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

                                                            ii.      Mourn until you are comforted - 1 Samuel 1:16-18 “ Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.”17 Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.” 18 And she said, “Let your servant find favour in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.” It’s uncomfortable to mourn - it feels bad, but let's not be too quick to make ourselves feel good. For me, it is entertainment and shopping. Disarm the thing that you run to when you want to feel good. Mourn and stay uncomfortable until you are comforted by the Holy Spirit - because then we are able to comfort others with the same comfort we have received. We don't mourn as those who have no hope.  2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

 

Take the opportunity during our 3 days of fasting and prayer to set time apart to mourn in the spirit over your own sins and the sins of the world and we will experience the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

 

2.      Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth

Submission leads to succession - The Greek word Praus which is translated as meek refers to being gentle, humble, considerate, and courteous. In fact, Jesus referred to himself in Matt 11:29 as Praus (gentle) and lowly in heart. Since Jesus is Praus he calls us to be praus - meek.

 

1. What does it mean to be meek?

                                                              i.      Not an inflated opinion of ourselves - To be meek means to have an accurate estimation of ourselves and others. Closely connected to mourning - if we cannot see and mourn over our own sin, we will have an inflated opinion of ourselves. (illustration - Instagram filters) Meekness is not a personality trait but a heart attitude. All of us are called to be meek.  Phil 2:3 “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” How about people who are lower than you in socio-economic status, in righteousness, inexperience… this is how - we wash their feet. Serve those who are below you because when we serve, we get to know their stories.

                                                            ii.      Not a doormat - Meek does not mean weak. it does not mean to give up all power and just be a yes-person. That is false humility - to not take responsibility for ourselves and blame others for the state we are in. meekness does not mean a lack of confidence - it means having a rightly placed confidence - not in our flesh but in God. In fact, all the great leaders we see in the bible were mighty meek men - it’s not an oxymoron. Not only is meekness a quality of great leaders, but it is a qualification for leadership in the church - 1 Tim 3:2-3 “ Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, ..., respectable, hospitable, able to teach...not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money” Leadership requires that we take ownership for our own selves and our decisions, while still maintaining a posture of meekness and gentleness. Consider Stephen - the great martyr who saw Jesus himself welcoming him into heaven as he gave up his life for the gospel - his assignment was not preaching to thousands but to be a server for the Greek widows at meals.

 

2. How do we develop meekness? - These are spiritual disciplines that we cannot do in our flesh, so we need the holy spirit to grow in meekness. ( come to relational dynamics seminar this evening to equip yourselves with some practical dimensions of how to live this powerful yet meek Christian lifestyle)

                                                              i.      Sober judgement of ourselves - Romans 12:13 “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned”. Our attitudes are shaped by our thoughts. Meekness, which is an attitude of the heart, is developed by thinking of ourselves with sober judgment. (Illustration of recording myself singing)

                                                            ii.      Do not promote ourselves- Trust that God in due time will grant you the very thing you seek. Matthew 20:20-22 “Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” Instead our attitude must be like that of David - the anointed king -disregarded by his father and despised by his king, being chased to kill and driven away from his own country, his land, his inheritance by the current king Saul, still submitting, still honouring him as he says in Ps 16:6 “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance” Ps. 37:11 “But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.”

 

3. How do the meek inherit the earth?

Story of the prodigal son - he demanded what is rightfully his - he followed all the self-help books and went and got what was his. And then he squandered it on reckless living. It might not mean a severed relationship with the father, but the inheritance once squandered is not coming back.

 

Instead we need to adopt the posture of Jesus as he did in the garden of Gethsemane - the very location of this sermon. In Luke 22:39-46 “³⁹ And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives ... and knelt down and prayed, ⁴² saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” ⁴³ And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. ⁴⁴ And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground”.

 

Philippians 2: 5-11 “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” This is the example we are to follow as followers of Jesus.

Let’s pray. 

   Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.