Adrian Rogers - The Mighty Meek
Take the Word of God and turn to Matthew chapter 5 as we continue our series of messages from the Sermon on the Mount under the general heading «Building on the Rock». For Jesus said, «Whosoever heareth these things of mine and does them will be like a wise man that built his house upon the rock». I’ve traveled in the Middle East, and been in the Mediterranean. It’s a beautiful island there that I have visited and some of you have visited, it’s the island of Crete. And that island is called in the Greek Makarios. And it’s the word that is translated, blessed.
There’s an island named Blessed. And the reason they named Crete Makarios is that they thought that it had everything on it that was needed to sustain life, that is, it was self-contained. There was enough vegetation, enough food, enough grain, everything that was on the island, enough water to sustain life. And not only did they have enough for themselves, but they had enough to export. And so, the Greeks named that island Makarios; blessed.
Now, we’re going to read some Beatitudes and these Beatitudes begin with that same word, Makarios; blessed. And that gives you some idea what the word blessing means. It means more than happy. Some translate this happy but it means more than happy. It means having everything that you need. Having everything that you need spiritually. That is being blessed. And so the Lord Jesus Christ gives us these Beatitudes or attitudes that ought to be. They’re not platitudes, they are attitudes, and really they deal with Christian character. And my dear friend, Christian character is what you are. Your reputation is what others think about you, but character is what God and your wife know about you.
Now, this deals with character. Not what blessed or what men have or do, but blessed are what men are. Because friend, all of us are going to die and some sooner than we think. And when you die, you’ll leave behind all that you have and all that you’ve done, and you’ll take with you all that you are. Isn’t that right? See its character that is so important. And that’s the reason it’s more important that you seek blessedness than happiness.
Most of the people in the world are doing what? Well, they are seeking happiness. They want to be happy. But do you know those who look for happiness the most find it the least? That’s a strange thing, but it is absolutely true. People who are on a search for happiness are generally the most unhappy people in the world. Happiness is not something you find by looking for it, happiness is something you stumble over when you’re seeking blessedness. Now friend, you seek happiness and you’ll never find it. But you get right with God, and blessedness will find you. It’ll run you down. And this is what Jesus Christ is talking about here, in these Beatitudes, He’s talking about blessedness.
Listen to it Matthew 5 verses 1 through 5, «And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him: and He opened His mouth, and taught them saying, 'Blessed, '» makarios, «'Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.'» And then we come to our text for today, «'Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the Earth.'» «Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the Earth». Now, you talk about an inheritance. Friend, to inherit the Earth.
When I was a little boy, I used to listen to a program called «The Search for Missing Heirs», did you ever listen to that? Somebody had died and left a lot of money but nobody knew to whom it belonged. And so there was a search for the missing heirs. It might be dear friend, that today you’re that missing heir, the one who is to inherit the Earth, and yet you don’t even know it. So, I hope today that you’ll hear your name called, «Blessed are the meek, blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the Earth». But what does that mean? What is this Beatitude? We’re going to talk today on this subject: The Mighty Meek. And if there’s one thing that this world would not say is blessed, it is meekness. I mean, we don’t think that meekness is a blessing at all.
People of this world would say, «Blessed are the mighty men. Blessed are the muscle men. Blessed are the mental men. Blessed are the money men. Blessed are any kind of men except the meek men». Because we think of meekness as weakness. But the Bible says, «Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the Earth». Well, what is meekness? Well, let me tell you what it is not before I tell you what it is. It is not weakness. Put that down big and plain and straight, meekness is not weakness. And if you think that meekness is weakness, you go a week trying to be meek. And you’ll find out that weakness is not meekness is not weakness.
You know what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 11 and verse 29? «Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart». Do you think of Jesus as weak? Jesus said, «I am meek», do you think Jesus was weak? If you think that Jesus was weak, then you read the Bible where He fasted forty days and forty nights alone in the wilderness, with wild beasts. I’d like to see one of you macho men do that. Do you think Jesus was weak? Get a picture of Jesus making a whip and driving the money changers out of the temple. Do you think Jesus was meek? Jesus, who said in Matthew chapter 8 verse 20, «The foxes have holes and the birds have nests, the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head». These pictures of Jesus make Him look like He just stepped out of a beauty parlor make me sick. Jesus was a man. And He said, «I am meek and lowly of heart».
My dear friend, meekness is not weakness. Do you know who the Bible says in His day the meekest man was? This is back in the Old Testament, it was Moses. In Numbers 12 verse 3, the Bible says that, «Moses was the meekest of all the men on the Earth». That’s before Jesus Christ got here, was more than a man. Do you think Moses was a wimp? You study the life of Moses. I mean, he got in trouble sometimes because of his temper, but one thing he was not was a weak man. He was a general who led the children of Israel out of Egypt; he’s no wimp. Meekness is not weakness.
What is meekness? Well, dear friend, it is not cowardice. It is not a milk toast type of character, it is not weakness. The word meek means yielded. It literally has the idea of strength under control. There was a man, J. Wallace Hamilton, who write an incredible book that I’ve had in my library for a long time. The title of the book is called «Ride the Wild Horses». That’s the title of the book. And he points out that when God made us, when God created us, when God put us together, God put into our nature certain drives, certain instincts, certain ambitions. And they’re not evil in themselves. But these drives, these instincts, these ambitions need to be yielded. And he pointed out what I want to point out that the word meekness has the idea of a wild Stallion being broken.
As a matter of fact in that day, and sometimes still in this day, when a steed, an animal, especially a horse, has been domesticated, it has been trained so a rider can sit upon it’s back or so it can pull a plow. The proper term for that was that that horse, that animal, that oxen, whatever, had been meeked. M-E-E-K-E-D. It had been meeked, it had been broken, it had been, now it yields to the rider. Now it yields to the yoke. It is strength under control. That’s what meekness is. It is a compliant spirit. You see, these Beatitudes come in order.
First in step is this, Matthew 5:3, «Blessed are the poor in spirit». Now my dear friend, that shows our condition. We say in myself I am spiritually bankrupt. And then verse 4, «Blessed are they that mourn». Because after our condition comes our contrition. You see, then, then we, we say, «Oh God, have mercy upon me, I see what I am, I weep over it. I truly repent of it». And then in verse 5, after that condition and that contrition, comes that control. Where I take myself now Lord, and I place myself under your control. I am meek; not weak, meek. I have a new master. A horse that has been meeked, still has the same strength, still has the same fire, still has the same drive, it still has the same instincts, but now there’s a bridle. A bit, a bridle, and a saddle.
Now, J. Wallace Hamilton, talked about different ways that you might deal with a wild horse. The first way is just to let him run wild and that’s what we have a generation that does today. How do they deal with, this is what we call just no restraint, or self-assertion. Just let the horse run. Whatever is natural is beautiful and whatever is beautiful it must be right. So you just do your thing. That’s self-assertion. Don’t put any restraint upon yourself. If you want to get drunk, get drunk. If you want to fornicate, fornicate. If you want to fight, fight. Just no self-restraint.
The chief apostle of this philosophy in yesterday was a man named Nietzsche. And Nietzsche influenced the world far more than we may realize. As a matter of fact, a student of Nietzsche was Adolf Hitler. Let me tell you what Adolf Hitler said about letting the horses run wild. He said this, and listen to this quote, «Get rid of your pious priests and their weak livered Gospel of mercy. Purge out of your souls this disease, this devil of Christianity. Progress depends on the strong man and the strong people. Therefore, be strong. Assert yourself. Be a superman». Hitler read that. Hitler said that’s what I’m going to have. A super race. And the result was the gas ovens. The holocaust. The war that some of us went through.
I did when I was a little boy. That’s one way to deal with the wild horse; just let him run. Assert yourself. Do your thing. And the devil will take the hindmost. Now there’s just the opposite of that and that’s not self-release, but its self-restraint. While there’re some who want to let the horse just run wild, then they’re others who want to cripple the horse. They want to hobble the horse so he can’t run at all. That’s Buddhism. Do you know what Buddhism, have you ever seen a fat Buddha, sitting there with that placid look upon his face? That’s Buddha.
Now, that’s a philosophy. And the philosophy is simply this. The thing that causes you your difficulty is that you have certain desires and then you get frustrated because these desires are not met, so what you need to do is just simply negate these desires. What you need to do is somehow dampen that spirit until you come to the place where you don’t desire anything, so therefore you’re never disappointed, so therefore in their mind you have come to a state called Nirvana.
Friend, that’s not Bible Christianity. That’s no more Bible Christianity than letting the horse run wild. You don’t let the horse run wild, and you don’t cripple the horse. Some people think, «Oh you know if I could, I would be holy if I would just go to a monastery somewhere and wear a wooly robe, and do a chant, and then I’d be holy». Well friend, there’s no holiness in a hole, I want to tell you that. What is Jesus saying? Jesus is not saying let the horse run wild. And Jesus is not saying cripple the horse. What Jesus is saying is, «Blessed are the meek».
Now, let me give you a verse for your margin. It’s Romans chapter 6 and verse 19, listen to it, «For as ye have yielded your members,» talking about your hands, your eyes, your feet, your tongue, «As ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity». That is, as you used to be yielded to Satan. Listen to it, «Even so now yield your members servants unto righteousness, or servants to righteousness unto holiness». That’s it. You yield. That’s what the word meek means. Strength under control. The same members, the same eyes, the same ears, the same tongue. But now rather than using my tongue to blaspheme, I use my tongue to praise. I still have ambition.
Now my ambition is to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. I’m still a fighter. But now I’m fighting the devil, I’m fighting that crowd. It’s the same strength. God does not hobble the horse, He energizes that. But He puts the bit on, He puts the bridle on, He puts the saddle on. He says, «Blessed are those who have yielded». Have you ever yielded? That the one thing we don’t want to do and that’s the one thing that we need to do more than anything else. I may have told you about an experience I had driving down the road, I saw a drunk staggering along in disgrace.
And by the way a drunk is not funny, not to be laughed at, he’s to be wept over. I looked at him, I thought I recognized him; I did. I stopped the car, I said, «Son, get in». He got in. I said, «Can I take you home»? He said, «Yes, Pastor». I drove up to the house with that drunken boy and brought him in the house. His dad and his mother were there and they were embarrassed that the Pastor would bring their drunken son home. They took him in and got him to bed. I started to leave, the dad stopped me. He said, «Pastor, can I talk to you»? I said, «Yes». He said, «Pastor,» he said, «I’m embarrassed that you brought my son home drunk». But he said, «He’s not the only drunk in the family,» said, «I’m a drunk too». And he said, «I don’t know what to say to this boy. I’d be such a hypocrite to tell him not to drink, because,» he said, «I, I’m a drunkard».
I said, «Why don’t you quit drinking»? He said, «Pastor, you probably won’t believe what I’m about to tell you, but,» he said, «I really hate liquor». And he used a curse word. He said, «I hate the blank stuff». But he said, «I can’t stop». He said, «I hate it». But he said, «I can’t stop». He said, «I just don’t have what it takes, I can’t stop». My heart broke for him. I said, «Fred, have you ever driven a team of horses»?
He was an old fellow. He said, «I sure have». I said, «Fred, if you were driving a team of horses, wild horses, and they were getting away from you and you were afraid for your life. And you couldn’t make them stop and you couldn’t rein them in, and,» I said, «sitting next to you there in the wagon was someone that you knew could control them. What would you do»? Well, he said, «Pastor, that’s easy. I’d just turn the reins over to him». And I said, «Fred, that’s the only thing I know for you to do. To just simply say, 'Lord Jesus, I can’t. I can’t.' And quit trying and start trusting and just simply turn the reins over to Him because my dear friend those horses are wild horses and there is only one who can contain them». He does not want to let them run wild, He does not want to cripple them, but what it is strength under control. That’s the meaning of it. That’s the meaning of meekness.
Now, I want you to look with me not only about the definition of meekness, but how do you have meekness? I mean how do you develop meekness? You know Jesus said, «Blessed are the meek,» well where do you get it? Now remember there’s a sequence. First of all, you see yourself as poor in spirit. Absolutely bankrupt. Secondly, you are brokenhearted over it. Now dear friend, if you’ve never been broken, you’re never going to be meek. A meeked horse is a horse that has been broken. We sit in our churches heady, high minded, unbent, unbroken.
As I said last Sunday, «Somehow getting the idea that we’ve done God a wild favor because we’ve come here». But we walk out never ever seeing our bankrupt condition, never ever mourning over our sin and therefore we never ever yield our lives to Jesus Christ. But if you’re ready to yield your life to Jesus Christ this morning, let me give you three steps now to develop this meekness. First of all, my dear friend, you must be submitted to the Son of God.
Put these verses in your margin, Matthew chapter 11 verses 28 through 30, listen to them. Jesus Christ is saying to you, today, «Come unto Me». Are you listening? Jesus Christ, not Adrian Rogers, Jesus Christ is saying to you today, «Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest». Now listen to it, «Take My yoke upon you,» now what is that? An oxen that has the yoke is meeked. «Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek». Do you see it? Do you see it? «I am meek and lowly of heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and my burden is light».
Here’s the picture of two oxen and they’re pulling together. The yoke is on one and the yoke is on the other, and these two oxen side by side are pulling. Jesus Christ is saying, «I want you to take My yoke upon you». It is no longer only you, but it is you and Jesus. Whenever the yoke is on two oxen, one oxen is the lead oxen. And in this case it’s Jesus. Jesus says, «Therefore you follow Me. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for My yoke is easy». Now when He means My yoke is easy, it means it fits right. It fits right. Friend, He is, Christianity is not something that you have to do, it’s something you get to do. I mean, God loves you so incredibly, He says, «My yoke is easy».
I hear people say, «Oh, it’s hard to be a Christian, it’s hard to be a Christian, it’s hard to be a Christian». My friend, that’s a lie! The Bible says in Proverbs 13:15, «The way of the transgressor is hard». Jesus said, «My yoke is easy. My yoke is easy. My yoke is easy»! Doesn’t mean you won’t pull, it doesn’t meant there’s no work to do. There’s plenty of work to do. Don’t say my yoke is lazy. «Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me». My dear friend, first of all, if you would be meek, there’s a decision that you have to make. Jesus Christ will not force Himself upon any man, woman, boy or girl in this room today.
There comes a time when you make a decision. And Jesus Christ says, «Come unto Me». He doesn’t say come to a denomination. He’s not talking about church-ianity. He’s not talking about a creed. He’s saying, «Come unto Me and you’ll find rest unto your souls». And don’t you let that dirty devil get you to thinking negatively about the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the way to blessedness, and meekness is the way to inherit the Earth. Not only my dear friend must you be submitted to the Son of God, I want to tell you something else. If you would be meek today, you must be responsive to the Word of God. Turn with me to James chapter 1 here for a moment. And let’s just turn to it because I think we ought to have it in our hand.
James chapter 1 and I want you to see what our Lord says here in verse 21, «Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive,» now watch it, look at it, James 1:21, «and receive,» are you listening? «receive with meekness, receive with meekness the engrafted Word which is able to save your souls». The word soul is psuche. We could say, «able to save your psyche». Receive with meekness. You want to be meek? Friend you know what meekness is? It is submission to a higher power. And not only must you receive the Son of God, you must respond to the Word of God. Receive with meekness. That is, let the Word of God be your control. Let the Word of God be your bridle and your bit.
«Receive with meekness the engrafted Word that is able to save your soul». And look at the word receive. Actually there are two Greek words that are translated receive. And obviously they’re both not used here. The first is a Greek word lambano. Which is sort of a self-prompted taking. It’s sort of grasping, or reaching out, snatching. Frankly there are some people who think they can learn the Bible that way. They say, «Well I’m going to study the Bible». And so what they do, they get a readable Bible. And what they do they get a dictionary, Bible dictionary, and they get a concordance. Maybe they get some commentaries, they get a yellow legal pad, they get a pen, they set down at they’re desk and they say, «I am going to learn the Bible».
I feel sorry for you. You’re not going to learn the Bible. You might learn some facts about the Bible, but you’re not going to learn God’s Word, until you receive it with meekness; ready to be taught. You might know the names of all the kings of Israel. You might know Bible chronology, you might know it all, but dear friend you have not received the Word. What you have done is simply lambano. You have gone into the Word of God to try to snatch out some truth. Maybe for your pride, maybe you’ll know more than somebody else, maybe you’ll show yourself as some teacher, but my dear friend, you will not know the Word of God because your spirit has never been broken.
There’s another word for receive, and it’s the word dechomai; that’s the word that’s used here. And do you know what that means? It means to welcome with humility. To welcome. Not to take, but to welcome. Have you ever welcomed the Word? Have you ever set down to study the Bible absolutely prepared to do everything it says? Not just parading the Word of God past the judgment bar of your mind, to make up your mind whether you think this is right or you think that’s wrong, or whether you think this interesting or that is interesting. The Bible is not meant to be interesting, it’s meant to be disturbing.
I went to China, to preach in China, and preached in Taiwan and Taipei in a citywide crusade there. And I had a wonderful time. We learned one thing when we went to a Chinese house. The Chinese are the most hospitable people I’ve ever known; will not allow you to come into their house without serving you something. And you should never come into the Chinese house without receiving something from their hand. But when they bring refreshment out, whether it be a cup of tea, or whatever it is, they said to us, «You never reach out with one hand and take it. You take it with both hands and bow. And at least take a sip». To reach out with one hand has the idea of grasping. To reach with both hands has the idea of receiving.
And, oh dear friend, if you let go of this world with both hands and reach out to Jesus Christ with both hands. And as you study the Word of God, receive with meekness the engrafted Word that is able to save your soul, deliver your psyche. You’ll learn, dear friend, that through the Word of God, God will put a bridle and a bit on you. And the horses won’t run wild and they won’t be crippled. My dear friend, they will be controlled. A third thing, not only receive Jesus, submit to Jesus the Son of God. Not only bring your life under, receive the Word of God. But, oh dear friend, be filled with the Spirit of God.
Read there in Galatians chapter 5 verses 21 and 22 and following. The Bible says, «The fruit of the Spirit,» is what? «meekness». Meekness. When you say, «Lord Jesus, I put Your yoke upon me». When you say to the Word of God, «I receive this Word with meekness». When you say to the Spirit of God, «Work in me, work in me». The Holy Spirit of God, my dear friend, produces meekness; it’s the fruit of the Spirit. You don’t produce that fruit, you bear that fruit; He produces that fruit in you. You walk in the spirit, there’ll be that meekness in your heart and in your life. «Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth». Talk to you about the definition of it, I’ve talked to you about the development of it.
Let me talk to you for just a moment about the dynamic of it, and we’ll be finished. «Blessed are the meek». «Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth». Have you ever just sort of daydreamed about having an inheritance? I heard a man sitting on a curb crying. Somebody said, «Why are you crying»? He said, «Well, I just read in the newspaper where Rockefeller, the richest man in the world died». He said, «Well why are you crying, you’re not a relative of his»? He said, «That’s why I’m crying». Oh, all of us you know we just kind of dream about having an inheritance. «Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the Earth». That’s the dynamic of it.
Now, what does that mean? What does it mean? Well, may I say friend you’ll never have your inheritance, you’ll never have your full inheritance without meekness. Now a man who cannot control himself or be controlled by the Spirit of God is never satisfied. Here’s some wonderful verses. What a blessing these were to me this week as I looked at them. And we’re dealing now with what it means. What does He mean when He says we’re going to inherit the Earth? Well it speaks of now, and it speaks of here after. In the sweet by and by and in the nasty now and now. You can inherit the Earth. First of all, how do we inherit the Earth right now?
First Corinthians 3, you may turn to it, verses 21 and following through verse 23. First Corinthians chapter 3. I want you to listen to it, «Let no man glory in men». Oh, we look at all of those athlete’s, and well what was the name of that boy who signed up the other day for what? Forty million dollars. Yeah. Well, you say, «I wish that I were he». Well, «Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours». That’s more than forty million. That’s more than forty million. That’s more than forty million. I mean all, that’s pretty big, isn’t it? All. A double L. «All things are yours». You know, do you believe that? I hope you do, it’s in the Word of God.
You say, «Well I believe it in my head, but it never got to my heart». «All things are yours. Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours. And ye are Christ’s. And Christ’s is God’s». Now, just keep that in mind and turn to Second Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 10. Second Corinthians chapter 6 verse 10. We’re talking about now inheriting the Earth. He says here, «All things are yours». Now look if you will in Second Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 10, «As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. As poor,» Well that doesn’t sound like you’ve inherited the earth does it? «As poor, yet making many rich,» and now here’s the key thing, «As having nothing, and yet possessing all things».
Friend, I don’t care what you have, if you don’t have blessedness, you can’t enjoy it, because blessedness does not come in things. And I don’t care what you don’t have, if you have blessedness you have everything. It’s so strange. What can the devil do to a person like this? He says here in this verse in that, «All things are yours. As having nothing yet possessing all things». And the devil comes to you and you know the devil will either come as what? The devil will either as a roaring lion to terrify you, or he’ll come as an angel of light to entice you.
So, first of all the devil comes as a roaring lion. And the devil says, «Arrrrrrrgh! If you don’t follow me, I’ll take everything from you». You say, «Devil you can’t take anything from me, because I don’t have anything». That’s what it says here, as having nothing. I don’t have anything. So. How are you going to take something from me when I don’t have anything? Well, the devil says, «That doesn’t work. I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll come to him not as a roaring lion, I’ll come to him as an angel of light». «If you follow me,» he says, «I’ll give you this, and this, and this».
You say, «Devil, how are you going to give me anything, I already have everything». What’s he going to do? «As possessing nothing, yet having all things». What can the devil do with a man like that? «All things are yours». «Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the Earth». But not only dear friend in this life, but in the world to come. Have you ever thought about that prayer in Matthew 6:9 that we’ve prayed? «Our Father which art in Heaven hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth».
There’s coming a time when, «The kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ». And, «Jesus shall reign where the Son doth His successive journeys run, His kingdom spread from shore to shore, till moon shall wax and wane no more». And the branches will bend down with fruit. The plains will wave with grain. The lamb and the lion will lie down together. And the saints will rule and reign with Jesus Christ. He didn’t make this for the devils crowd; He made it for His people.
«Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth». I don’t know what side you are on dear friend, but I want to line up on this side. I want to see myself as bankrupt, broken and destitute. I want to weep over it and then I want to say, «Lord Jesus, as best I know how I yield myself to You. I take Your yoke. I believe Your Word, I’m led of Your Spirit». And I’ll inherit, I’ll inherit the Earth.
Bow your heads in prayer. Heads are bowed. Do you know Jesus? I’m not asking are you a Baptist or Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Roman Catholic, Jewish or Muslim. Do you know Jesus? Would you today consciously say, «Lord Jesus, I trust You. I commit my life to You. You died to save me, You promised to save me if I would trust You. I take Your yoke right now, I submit my life, myself to You». You might pray it like this, «Lord Jesus,» just pray this way in your heart if you want to be saved. «Lord Jesus, come into my heart today. Forgive my sin. Save me, Lord Jesus». Pray it and say it and mean it. «Save me, Lord Jesus». Did you ask Him? Then say, «Lord Jesus, thank You for doing it. And give me the courage today to make it public, not to be ashamed of You». Father I pray that many today will come and say yes to Christ. In His wonderful name, Amen.