Topics: meek, gentleness, strength
I. The Messiah demonstrated godly gentleness
* Our Lord was not weak, but He was meek!
- "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Mat. 11:28?30).
- "Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold your King is coming to you, Gentle, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.' " (Matthew 21:5).
- Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:5-8).
The world despises and ridicules gentleness
* Our world values strength and power and aggressiveness!
- See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ (Colossians 2:8).
- "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world . . . The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me" (John 17:14; 22-23).
The blessed have the character of gentleness
* We enjoy the favor of God as we model strength under control!
- "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5).
- For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land. Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; and you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. But the humble will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity (Psalm 37:9-11).
Sermon by Pastor Rod Akins August 29th, 2021
