Blessed Are the Meek
First B Jackson
2015-10-11

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Blessed assurance. If you don't know and it's looking around and it's kind of sparse today, this is Columbus Day weekend. So, several of the schools had a four day weekend. A lot of lot of families went camping and our women's retreat is happening right now still going on up at the Heart six. So, would you join in singing with me to Blessed Assurance?

It's 572. Scott's still on vacation. Bob will join me if he gets here. Jesus

is mine oh what a foretaste of glory divine air of salvation purchase of God born of his spirit washed in his blood this is my story this is my song praising my savior this is my story this is my song praising my savior praising my savior this is my story this is my song praising my savior

Amen. Thank you. Judy's back from her vacation. No, mission trip to Georgia and she's still jet lagged but she's joining and playing for us. Hymn number 327.

327 is the Old Record Cross. Amen. Y'all can have a seat. I have a few announcements this morning for this week and one for next week. The connect hour happens between services if y'all don't know about that.

I I'm looking around. There are not many of you who don't know about that but at 10:00 between services, we have a time to connect. One service to another but it's also connecting people with people. So, that's down the hall with coffee and fruit and donuts and that sort of sort of thing. I'm glad people keep on bringing that stuff and doing it.

Monday nights at First B happens every Monday night down the hall to the west which is that way is the fellowship hall and we have Monday nights at First B which is meal, music, and a message. Every single Monday night at 06:00, we change the time a little bit. Used to be 06:15. Now, it's six. Carl is preaching through Philippians.

He's starting in Philippians one this week. So, he did a little background last week in Acts with Paul stopping in Philippi but Philippians one, if you wanna get in on the on the Ground Floor of this one, it starts tomorrow at 06:00. Also, same time, kids program, Awana for three year olds through sixth grade, Awana program is happening. You can leave the kids in this room and then walk west if you wanna come down for a meal, music, and message. Wednesday, October 14 at Rivercross and there's a time of prayer and fasting as a part of worldwide forty days for life.

They're calling it forty minutes for life because it's from 12:10 to 12:50 at Rivercross and and this is a time peaceable time to meditate and to pray about abortion, post abortive women, and helping the situation. So that's a time it's at River Crossing this week, and there'll be others. And I think it's in your bulletin for the rest of the month of October. So look at that. It's an orange sheet of paper.

The Solid Rock Youth Group last night. What happened, Renzi?

Well, we took the youth group sorry. I'm talking to the back of your heads. I'm afraid to leave this station with Blake gone. So someone needs to man this at all times. But we would took the kids to Idaho Falls last night for a Newsboys concert.

They had all had a great time. We had some Chick fil A and we also had some Cold Stone ice cream. So we had a good time. I joked with Ray in the first service that I'd be sleeping back here because we got so late. And they thought that was funny.

Not this group. So, anyway, it was great though. So, thanks for keeping our youth in your prayers. We're having a good time and we're plugging away.

They cut up a lot of firewood last week. Yes. Is there any of y'all that you see it stacked alongside of the Boy Scout supply little house out here, the storage unit. If you would like to get some of that firewood, if you'd like to have some, the youth will deliver it?

Either the youth or myself

Okay.

With Carl and Ray.

Youth or youth director and pastor?

Yeah. Exactly.

We'll bring it to you. Yeah. Alright.

So, if you do need some though, it's a little green. It'll probably sit for a little bit but if you're seeing an end to your supply, we'd be happy to re replenish that.

Thank you. So, that's Solid Rock Student Ministry. Middle school and high school. It's going strong and then, this is men's fraternity, the quest for authentic manhood is starting back up again, October 21 at 06:00 in the morning. So, that's next week, not this week and it's a breakfast for men.

So, quest for authentic manhood, men's fraternity starting October 21. For everything else, check your morning bulletin and there's all kinds of information, times, and everything. So, check your bulletins. I think that's it. So, would wait a second.

One more. There's one that doesn't have a picture. This guy, would you stand up for just a second? This is Lance Hawk. Lance Hawk is the area director.

What do you call yourself? Close enough. What do you call yourself? District executive. District executive.

You look more like an executive than a director. So Lance Hawk, like the bird with no s, Lance Hawk is the Boy Scout District Executive and he is kinda looking for guys from this church. We've been hosting the Boy Boy Scouts here. You can sit down if you want to. Eighty three years.

This is the eighty third year I think that we've been hosting the Boy Scouts in this church but we don't have anybody on the staff right now that is a member. Well, maybe there are some members but they're not many members and if you would like to help out with the Boy Scouts, a great organization, y'all know it well. Talk to Lance after the service. Thank you. Thank you for coming in.

And I think that's it. So, would y'all stand up and greet one another and Judy and I will bring you back together with a song.

My strength when I am weak. You are the treasure that I seek. You are my all in all. Seeking you as a precious jewel lord to give up I'd be a fool you are my all in all

Jesus

lamb of God worthy is your name Jesus lamb of God worthy is your name you are my whom cross my shame rising again I bless your name you are my all in all when I fall down you pick me up when I am dry you fill my cup you are my all in all

Have you any room for Jesus? Four seventy eight. Hymn number four seventy eight. I don't know this song. You don't know.

I've never heard this song before in my whole life. Practices. We probably should've practiced. Yeah. Let's let's get through it together.

How about that? I believe you. It's it's great. I already like it. The new life of Christ, invitation, acceptance.

Let's do it. Sing loud if you know it.

Four seventy eight if you don't know

it, alright? Y'all can read the, if you can read music, turn to four seventy eight. I'm needing some help, okay? Second verse. Y'all can have a seat.

We finally caught up with that. It's a very good song. I think we'll sing it again. I'm going to ask the frontline team if you come forward. God, I thank you that you love us, that you care for us, lord, that you are not a capricious God.

That is it is not a whim that you don't do things that are outside of your character, lord, that we can trust in you. We can have that blessed assurance that we sang about. God, I thank you that you have had your Christ lifted up I thank you lord that you are drawing all men. So, lord, would you, this morning, use these tithes and offerings that we bring, lord, giving back and acknowledging you that you're the giver of every good and perfect gift. God, would you use these gifts to further your kingdom here in this valley, in this state, around the world.

Lord, Judy just returning back from Georgia. Considering and contemplating my trip to Nepal coming up. God, I think about all the places lord where your name is not glorified. It's not as famous, lord, as it should be. They're calling out on other small g gods that don't compare.

God, would you expand your kingdom right here in this valley but around the world too. Would you take what we've given lord and multiply it. In Jesus name, amen. Thank you. That is a formidable duo right there.

Oh, thank you, Frenchie. I think about how big a world this is. And Florina's from Romania. French was born in Morocco to a French diplomat. Right?

Is that right? More or less.

Close enough. Yeah. And what's that?

Yes, diplomat. Diplomat. Okay, that's right. So, it's just great. We can worship God here and and all these different languages.

I thought you were gonna go into Romanian there at the very end. I have a few things to say before I get going this morning. Normally, what y'all know that I do is I go in order and we just keep on plotting through scriptures to kind of take agenda out of my hand. I don't want to have an agenda. Honestly, if scripture doesn't have that agenda, I don't want to have that agenda.

So, I try always to just go in order and we have gone through the life of Jesus in the gospel of John. We've gone through the history of the early church in Acts and then, we've been going forward in the order that the books were written. So, we've gone through James, first and second Thessalonians, Galatians, first Corinthians, and we're in the middle of second Corinthians right now. We're actually up to Galatian, oh, to second Corinthians six three through 13 was the sermon that I had planned for today. Have the slides ready for and then, I changed gears a couple of days ago.

For one thing, this is a four day weekend like I mentioned and there are a lot of people out of town. I was getting all kinds of Emails from people. Hey, we're gonna miss this week. When will the sermon be online? All this sort of stuff and then there's a ladies retreat where there are about 40 ladies that are on this ladies retreat together.

Several of them were saying, hey, when when are we gonna, when's that thing gonna be online? And I you know what? I'm just gonna press pause on the series because I know that there gonna be a lot of people absent today. What shall I preach, lord? And since there was a women's retreat, I'll just be quite frank.

Since there was a women's retreat up there, I thought, let's preach something manly. Let's go for something really, really manly and I think I've got the manliest. No, it's not really. It's good for both. It's about meekness and so, I I think that our typical kind of divide these days is silly.

And I just want to talk about biblical meekness and this is an unusual sermon for me. I don't do topical sermons. I don't do em very often. I find that when I do topical sermons, all I do is stack scriptures and I get a whole lot of scriptures and I just blast you with them and I don't mean, it's not something to blast with. Meekness is obviously not but there's a biblical quality of meekness that is pretty much unheard of today.

It goes against everything in our modern society. It goes against everything in our our modern world and modern way of thinking. So, I just wanna talk through this a bit. If you don't mind, we're gonna do a full reading of Psalm 37 but that'll be kinda towards the end. I'll talk about biblical meekness for a few minutes before that.

This is what I think of. When I if when somebody brings up the word meekness, the first thing I think of is Jesus's sermon on the mount and the beatitudes. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. It's an unusual thing to inherit. That's kind of a a thing.

The Bible tells us that Jesus will inherit the earth. It'll be like his footstool. Joint heirs with Jesus. We share in the inheritance of the earth. If we're meek, blessed, happy is the man, or blessed is the one.

To be envied is another translation of blessed. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Now, when you hear meek, is it something that you wanna be? Listen to this. James one twenty one says, therefore, rid yourselves of all sordidness, sordid, sordidness is unheard ofness.

Sordo is the word for in Spanish for deaf. We were at a deaf school in Mexico for a long time. Sordo, unheard of. The things that nobody even wants to talk about. Get rid from yourselves all of the sordidness, the unheard ofness, and the ranked growth of wickedness.

Put that behind you and welcome with meekness the implanted word of God that has the power to save your souls. So, meekness is kind of a prerequisite for receiving what the word has for you. Second Corinthians 10. Now, we're going through it and y'all have heard me say over and over in the first few sermons. I said, I want you to take a chance to look at Paul differently.

A lot of people see Paul as a legalist like he's got a wagging finger and he is constantly giving people instructions and commands but I want you to look at this and see that Paul loves these people. He knows them well and he loves them and he has been there among them and he is trying to keep them from error that false apostles, super apostles, he calls him in a couple of places have been given him and the first nine chapters of Corinthians are incredibly meek and loving. Now, when he gets to chapter 10 through 13, he gets rather stern and he starts it off this way. We're not there yet in our study but second Corinthians ten one says, I, myself, Paul, you know me, founding pastor, you know me, you remember me, I, myself, Paul, appeal to you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ. I, who am humble when face to face with you, but bold towards you when I'm away.

Now, that's one of the charges that those super apostles had made against Paul is that he was kinda weak and lily livered when he was with them but when he got away, he wrote these scathing letters and by this point, second Corinthians, he'd already sent at least three letters before and one of em, he calls himself severe. So, the charge was, yeah, he's a wimp and he can't stand up to it in person but when he gets away from you, he sends these scathing letters. Paul says, no, I, myself, Paul, remember me, the guy that was with you? I am calling out to you and appealing to you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ. I, whom humble when face to face, but bold toward you when I'm away.

Numbers 23. So, in the Old Testament, the guy that is considered to be the meekest man ever, you know, Solomon's wisest man ever, the meekest ever according to numbers twelve twenty three. Now, the man Moses was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. Now, do you think of Moses that way? No.

I don't either but he was. Actually, when this statement happened was when Miriam and Aaron were squabbling and they were saying, what does Moses get to do? No, no, no, no, no, no. They're grumbling and complaining because God's chosen Moses as his guy. You know, God had chosen Moses to be his guy and then Moses's anger had flared.

He kills the Egyptian and then he spends forty years on the backside of Mideon learning humility and meekness and it worked. It worked. Now, the man Moses was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. Now, the next things that you think about Moses, are they meek? Me neither.

I don't think of his meekness in leading all those people. I think he's a strong leader and I think of him throwing down the stone tablets and breaking em and I think of him striking the rock with his staff which God didn't say do which kept him from going into the promised land, right? Those were not meek but that was a break in his character. He was a meek man who sometimes went outside of the bounds. Very seldom in the scripture mentions somebody that it doesn't mention good and bad and so in the Old Testament, Moses is our example of meekness.

If you look up modern synonyms, scrabble fans, of meekness, you will find this from the Reader's Digest Oxford Complete Word Finder, Tame, timid, mild, bland, unambitious, retiring, weak, docile, acquiescent, repressed, suppressed, spiritless, broken, and wimpish. So who wants to be that? No. But that's the modern usage of that term and so when you hear somebody, oh, that joker's so meek. Ugh.

Ugh. Just drives me nuts. So meek. Well, that's not biblical meekness and that's why I qualified meekness with biblical meekness. That's the way that we typically use it today.

In the Bible, there are two different terms, Old Testament written almost exclusively in Hebrew and the New Testament written almost exclusively in Greek, a little bit of Aramaic in there. Meekness is all known, sounds southern, all known, all known is the is the Hebrew, that's the Old Testament usage, and Protest, Protest in Greek is the New Testament usage and if you look it up and this is what I was saying. A lot of times, stacking scripture is what I do when I do a word study and this was actually kinda grew out of my own personal study myself this week. Tanya was going up to do the women's retreat and I knew what they were going to be studying was this one another commands, the one another commands and I was helping Tanya through her sermon because she got to preach this morning at 09:00 for the ladies. And she was nervous about it and I said, you've got this.

You already know all this stuff. You know, she said, no, no, no, no. I want to know it. I want have it written down in front of me just in case. Oh, no.

And protest. Oh, no. It's used 20 times in the Old Testament. A lot of times in Psalms, it often comes up in Psalms. It comes up in conjunction with Moses.

It comes up in the prophets, minor, and major and Protest is used 12 times in the New Testament and it is different from humility and it's different from gentleness. Although, if you have any modern translation of the Bible, a lot of times where is used in the Old Testament and a lot of times where Protest is used in the New Testament, it will be translated gentleness or humility. I don't know why. Probably because of that because that's the way that we think of meekness nowadays. So, since the since it's changed, since the, you know, the usage of the word has changed and we've gotten away from this, it's it's hard to tell sometimes the difference in humility.

Some people draw a distinction between humility and meeknesses. Humility is an inner quality of how you think about yourself. You should be humble. Having the mind of Christ being humble and consider others as better than yourself. That's humility.

Meekness is about how you treat other people. It it it comes from the same place as humility and almost all of Paul's list where meekness is mentioned, peace, and joy, and and humility are found in the same list. So, here we go. That is a chart. It's not my weight.

Okay. I noticed that after the first one that last time I showed y'all a chart, it was my weight and it was going up, not down. It's not going down that much although it has gone down some. 1,800 to 2,010. The usage of the word meekness.

You can find anything on the internet. This is actually usage in print and in all sources, speeches, and all that sort of stuff. The usage of the word meek has gone from 18 to 2,010 like that. Ain't that interesting? We don't use it much anymore.

It's a dying concept in a lot of ways. I I I think of, well, let me just keep on going. I I like this quote about meekness. Sinclair Ferguson was our pastor in South Carolina. I remembered something that he said about it.

He says, meekness is or biblical meekness is. That spirit or disposition which submits to the word of God in scripture, it submits itself to the word of God in scripture and it also submits itself to the hand of God in providence. We don't talk a whole lot about providence in this church a lot but it's something, it's a concept of this is what God has given. The situation and circumstances we find ourselves in right now are what God has given. This is by God's providence where we find ourselves.

So, you submit yourself to the word of God in scripture and to the hand of God in providence where you find yourself. I like that and as I was doing my study and looking up those 20 times here, 12 times there, as I was looking that up, I found that he's right. These things fit where woe be unto me if I do not preach the gospel. Paul's submitting to the word of God in scripture. He knows that Israel is supposed to be a light for the nations.

He knows that Christ has redeemed him and he knows the message of the cross and so he must share it. He's submitting to the word of God in scripture and he submits to the hand of God in providence. In fact, when he list in chapter four, all of those things I ask you to remember, you remember? Pressed but not crushed, persecuted, not abandoned, that list four, eight, and nine. He was able to see the hand of God in providence through all of those very very difficult circumstances.

As a matter of fact, six three through 13 is another one of those lists or three through 10 is another one of those lists where Paul goes into in the hard times by this with that, he's talking about God protecting him and taking care of him and moving him through and in meekness, he accepts what God has given, thanks him for it, and continually goes forward because of his command and his love for other people and for God. So, meekness is that. Now, Paul knew this stuff but he did not eviscerate his opponents. He did not see that getting in there and just tearing the limb from limb was the thing to do. He was meek when he was with them.

He was humble when he was with them. When he got away and he's trying to teach, he's saying, listen people, this is the simple truth of the gospel. He didn't see a theological argument as something that he had to win right there in front of him, right? While he was with him. He was not a political guy.

In fact, the only time he ever used politics was to start a riot so he could get away. Y'all remember that in Acts? He throws a little theological grenade out there that he knew would blow up and he didn't argue about it. He just said, oh, they're they're upset with me because of resurrection. No one, Pharisees believe in resurrection, sadducees don't.

So, they start fighting with each other and he has time to get away. I like

that. I'm not a

political guy either. Psalm thirty seven one is a good picture of meekness. Now, I could keep on and I've got stacks and stacks of things written down up here about this and I will read some scripture at the end but I wanted to go through Psalm 37 because I think it's a good picture of strength under restraint because meekness is not timidity. It's not the same thing as that list of modern usage that I told you about. Biblical meekness is the strength of God almighty on your side but under restraint.

Philippians passage, Carl starting Philippians one this week, tomorrow night. Philippians two, it says, that Christ himself being in very nature, God did not consider equality with God, something to be grasped. Do you all get that? It's kind of convoluted a bit in language but what he's saying is, even though he was right, he did not have to prove that he was right. He did not have to win the argument right there.

If you're right, you don't have to. Does that make sense? If you're thoroughly convinced in your own mind of your position, and by all means, Romans 14 says, be thoroughly convinced in your own mind. Be thoroughly convinced but you don't have to bludgeon somebody with that. You don't have to beat em up in meekness.

There is evil. There are wrongdoers and there are people that will oppose you. That's just the way life is. Did Paul have that? Yes.

Did Jesus have that? Yes. Have you had that? Probably. I don't know.

Let's read Psalm 37. We're going to do the whole thing. It's 40 verses long. I put two at a time. Most slides and we're just going to walk through it and I'll interject here and there but look at this picture.

This is God speaking to. It's a Psalm of David. It's God speaking to us and he says in Psalm thirty seven one, do not fret. Actually, it says, do not fret yourself. Do not get upset.

Do not fret because of the wicked. Don't let yourself get all worked up because of the wicked. Do not be envious or jealous of wrongdoers. For they will soon fade like the grass and they will wither like the green herb. It's October in the valley.

Grass is mighty green for this time of year but by about mid November, that green herb is gonna wither. They soon will fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Oh, sorry. Renzi, can you turn the sound up and go back to the beginning of that? And I'll if you'll wait just a second, I'll I'll explain this.

Have you all seen this before? Just recognizing that. Maybe a couple of you have. This is a little clip. And I think it's interesting that that he says over and over, do not worry yourself.

Do not fret yourself. Don't let yourself get upset about what they're doing. And there's a child in this little car seat and this child is saying, has a refrain. It's obvious that they have siblings because the parents, you have said, don't worry about what she's doing. You just worry about yourself, okay?

Now, watch this little gal. She's trying to put a car seat on. She's trying to put a Can car

I help? No. I help. I don't. You can help when more

help when we're

out can help

when we're out here.

Do you have biscuits? Probably. You want me to help, Rose? No. Thank you.

No. Thank you. What do you want me to do? What about yourself? What about yourself?

I'll do this one. So gonna do that. You drive. Right now, yourself. Come drive.

You drive. You worry about yourself. That's right. Psalm 37 is speaking to those of us who will accept the word of God and his hand in providence. Psalm 37 is speaking to us and saying, listen, I'm in charge.

You worry about yourself. You worry about yourself. It goes, trust in the Lord. I'm in charge. Trust in the Lord.

God says, and do good. And so or and in this way, that so is not so much, it's so, and in this way, you will live in the land and you will enjoy security. Do good. Trust in the Lord and and in this way, you will live in the land and enjoy security. Take your delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Wow. Does that mean he'll give you a Cadillac? Not necessarily. I guarantee you, if you're taking your delight in the Lord, he will change your desires and then he'll give em to you. Commit your way to the Lord.

Trust in him and he will act. Commit your way to the Lord and trust in him and he will act and he will form a political action committee. No. He will act. He's saying, commit your way to the Lord.

Commit to him your heart and your life. Be meek before him and humble and accept the word for you. And he will act. He will make your vindication. What's your vindication?

The way that you are proven to be right. He will make your vindication shine like the light. Actually, that's he will make it shine just like the sun comes up every morning. He's the one who brings that sun up every morning and he will make your vindication obvious just like a sunrise. It will come to pass.

Though it looks like it's dark, though it looks like you're in the midst of night, he will make your vindication shine like the light and your justice and the justice of your cause like the noonday. It'll be plain as day. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him and do not fret over those who prosper in their way. You've commit yourself to his way. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.

Do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices. Have we ever seen anybody with an evil scheme win? Oh my goodness, it happens all the time. Is there another way? Yeah, it happens all the time.

God says, refrain from anger and forsake wrath. Do you all remember a few weeks ago, I brought up a little Mexican Spanish phrase all over Spanish speaking world. They say, God will repay. God will repay. Refrain from anger and forsake wrath.

Do not fret or do not fret yourself. It leads only to evil. The more that you dwell on and you process through and you keep on going back over how bad that person did you. How ugly they were to you? How they took the legs out from up under you?

I hurt because of him or her. Refrain from anger, forsake wrath, do not fret, it leads only to evil. The more you think those thoughts and keep on spinning em in your head, the worse it's going to get. Refrain from anger, forsake wrath, do not fret, it leads only to evil, for the wicked shall be cut off. But those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

Last week was a very evangelistic message and it comes up that there are two destinies. There's either heaven or hell. Those are the two. One of em is completely separated from God for eternity forever. The other is completely present and knowing God the way that he knows you.

Those are completely and utterly different and distinct and this says, the wicked shall be cut off but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. Meekness to accept that Being meek is looking forward to that but also trying your best to submit to the word of the Lord, his hand in providence, and saying, lord, I don't want anybody, not my worst enemy to spend any time separated from you. What I want is what you want, lord. Teach me how to do your will so that more may know you. So that more may come into your peace.

The wicked shall be cut off and there's some comfort in that but lord, you get even more glory when you save them. Would you use me? Yet a little while and the wicked will be no more. Though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there. But the meek, the all known, the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

They've committed their way to the Lord. They delight in him and he's given the desires of their heart. Abundant prosperity living with him. The wicked plot against the righteous and gnashed their teeth against him. Have you seen that happen?

Oh, I just hate that guy. The wicked plot and gnashed their teeth against him. Makes me so mad. The wicked plot against the righteous and they gnash their teeth at them but the Lord laughs at the wicked for he sees that their day is coming. They get what they want.

If they want separation from God, that's what they get. The wicked one draws the sword and bends their bow to bring down the poor and needy to kill those who walk uprightly. Their sword shall enter into their own heart and their bows shall be broken. If anybody have a Bible story that kinda illustrates this, I do but if you did, I was just gonna let you share, not really. How about Esther?

The biblical story of Esther. The name of God is never mentioned in the whole book of Esther. He's never mentioned. He's there but he's never mentioned and Esther has a time and for such a time as this, she was one of the ladies that the king could call upon. Mordecai and Haman are the other two players in this thing and it's it actually plays itself out like a western movie in a lot of ways.

So, Haman is plotting against the Jews and as he's plotting against them, he says, I've got this figured out. I'm going to trick the king into making a law against these people and we're going to get this thing done. He's having the gallows basically built outside and as Haman's getting already, Mordecai recognizes what's happening. He says, Esther, for such a time as this, God has put you in this place but he doesn't say, God, he's he's there. These are the faithful.

These are the meek. Esther's incredibly meek. Mordecai is incredibly meek. Haman is the evil villain. You remember the evil railroad man that comes out to the West in the in the movies?

It's always a railroad man. Haman is plotting to get rid of the good guy with the white hat and at the whole time they're building the gallows, Haman's figured this whole thing out and then, it turns and Haman ends up hanging. This is it. Wicked draws a sword, bends their bows to bring down the poor and the needy to kill those who walk uprightly. That would've been one of the first, well, it would have been one of the holocaust against the Jewish people if it had gone to but his sword entered his own heart and his bows were broken.

Psalm 37, sixteen, and seventeen picking up. Better is a little that the righteous person has than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken but the Lord upholds the righteous. Now, this comes up again. Who's the righteous?

We've we we read it in Psalms. We read it all over the Old Testament that there's no one righteous. No, not one. Not anybody except for those who wait upon the Lord. Those who are looking for his salvation.

Sometimes, people have questions about how the Jews get into heaven. Jesus had not been crucified yet. Those who wait upon the Lord, those who look forward to his Christ, those who look forward to his Messiah, the same way that we look back to him, they could look forward to him. They less information. Betters a little that the righteous person has an abundance of many wicked.

For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, the Lord upholds the righteous. We're going to take communion in a few minutes and what we're doing when we do that is saying, lord, I trust in you and I trust in your way. I have failed in the old covenant but I'm accepting your new covenant and your blood and that imputes Christ's righteousness. Not the act of communion but that act of belief. The Lord knows the days of the blameless and their heritage will abide forever.

They are not put to shame in evil times, in the days of famine, they have abundance. But the wicked perish and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures. They vanish. Like smoke, they vanish away. What's the glory of a pasture?

It's a place where animals feed. David, the shepherd, is writing this. So, it's great. The box sale would have a harder time if there were no hay in those fields, right? There would be a lot of trouble.

The glory of the pastures could either be the grass or the livestock, either one but you know what? In a grass fire, like smoke, it vanishes away. All the riches and all of the provision is gone. The wicked perish, enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures. It looks great for now but I tell you what, after a little fire, it don't last.

The wicked borrow and they do not pay back but the righteous are generous and keep giving. For those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land and those cursed by him shall be cut off. Our steps are made firm by the Lord when he delights in our way. Though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong for the Lord holds us by the hand. Remember when Paul said, he was body slammed.

He was he was slammed down but not crushed, not utterly destroyed. Though we do stumble and we still do stumble. We shall not fall headlong for the Lord holds us up by the hand. I have been young and now I'm old. Yet, I've not seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.

They're ever giving liberally and lending and their children become a blessing. There are a lot of future tense verbs in this thing and a lot of commands. Depart from evil and do good and so in this way, you shall abide forever. For the Lord loves justice and he will not forsake his faithful ones. The righteous shall be kept safe forever but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.

The righteous shall inherit the land and live in it forever. The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom and their tongues speak justice. The law of their God is in their hearts and their steps do not slip. This is walking in meekness. Are y'all seeing this as a picture of biblical meekness?

Are you seeing it with me? I hope so. The law of their God is written on their hearts and their steps don't slip. Oh Lord, I have hidden your word in my heart so that I might not sin against you. The wicked watch for the righteous and they seek to kill them.

The Lord will not abandon them to their power or let them be condemned when they're brought to trial. Wait for the Lord and keep to his way and he will exalt you to inherit the land. Wait for the Lord and keep to his way and he will exalt you. Do you remember that passage in Philippians the the second chapter where Paul says that make my joy complete and have the same mind, the mind of Christ who being in very nature God. Did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but he made himself a servant.

In humble obedience, even to death, even to the death of a cross which was the most shameful thing that he could do. He was waiting for the Lord and keeping to his way and it says, because he submitted to, because he meekly submitted to death and death on the cross. Therefore, God has exalted him and his name is above every other name. Wait for the Lord and keep to his way and he will exalt you to inherit the land. You'll look on the destruction of the wicked.

I've seen the wicked oppressing and towering like a cedar of Lebanon. If you look at the Hebrew here, there are a lot of people say, it's a tall tree but it's indistinguishable what type of tree. I thought that was funny. So, I'm gonna use redwood. I have seen the wicked oppressing like those towering redwoods of California.

Okay, the sequoias of California. The ones that you can drive a car through, the tunnel built in em. I've seen the wicked oppressing and they're towering like this massive sequoia of California and again, I passed by and they were no more. Though I sought them, they could not be found. Can you imagine losing one of those?

Bam. Completely separated forever from the righteous. I pray nobody. Oh my goodness. Nobody that have anything to do with has to experience that.

This says that it will happen though. God, help us to help the wicked. Mark the blameless and behold the upright for there is posterity for the peaceable. Blessed are the peacemakers. That comes a little later in the beatitudes, right?

But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed and posterity of the wicked shall be cut off. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord. It's not by might nor by power. It's but by God's spirit. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord.

He is the refuge in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and he rescues them. He rescues them from the wicked and he saves them because they take their refuge in him. Deuteronomy 32 since we said the meekness of Moses, I just wanted you to see this. So, this is in Deuteronomy.

It's not Psalms. This is just in the middle of the song of Moses. Moses is saying to the people, Deuteronomy is the second stating of the law. He says, is it not laid up in store for with me, sealed up in my treasures? Vengeance is mine, says the Lord, and retribution in due time, their foot will slip.

Have no worry. I'm in charge. For the day of their calamity is near and the impending things are hastening upon them for the Lord will vindicate his people. It's absolute. It is certain.

He will prove his people to be right and I will have compassion on his servants when he sees that their strength is gone and there's none remaining bonded free and so on and so on. Moses is stating this, Jesus has stated it. The prophets are stating it. It's a sure thing. But it still feels like night.

We don't see that light in the morning yet. The meekness I got one more little quote I wanna read to you. William Barclay says that the prowess, that Greek word, is the most hard to translate word into English because we don't have a word that means what that means. Not anymore anyway. Meekness is kind of gone.

The Hebrew word translated meekness is unknown, meaning depressed in mind, gentle in circumstances. Needy, especially saintly, humble, lowly, meek, poor. The translation depends on the context in which it appears. The Greek word prautus, that's the one that he said is the hardest to translate. James define the strong defines it only as mildness and humility.

Plato, of all people, puts it in exact opposition to fierceness or cruelty. As a Christian, you should not be known for being fierce or cruel. Even if you're right. We can see now why Barclay considered it to be the most untranslatable New Testament words. It's so because Jesus elevated the words common usage so far above its normal application because men and women so easily reject the Bible.

They have not accepted Jesus's usage of this word into their common languages. To mankind in general, meekness means what its common common synonyms illustrate. I want to give you one more example, kind of a visual. Strength under restraint, somebody came to me after the first service and said, it's kinda like an elephant at the circus that has his front foot on the lady's chest. And he's standing there and he's got all the weight of an elephant and he's standing there and he's got it right there in the he could very very easily crush her but he doesn't.

He holds back. That's the kind of strength but under restraint. Even if you're right, even if you have the power in a theological argument to take somebody's legs out from up under him. Paul did not do that. When he was in person with them.

Jesus very rarely did that. We do have that exchange with the money lenders where he was flipping tables over and completely righteous in it. No sin there. I'm pleading just like Paul is pleading and actually Zephaniah is pleading. Seek the Lord all you humble of this land who do his commands and seek righteousness and seek meekness to have strength but under control and perhaps, you may be hidden on the day of the Lord's wrath.

That's Old Testament. The perhaps is there. What we're going to celebrate now is the new covenant. The old covenant is, look, look, look, look, look forward to this coming messiah. Look for it and live your life in accordance with that.

That a lot less information than we did. The perhaps bothers me but not from a New Testament standpoint. Jesus says that if you put your trust in me, those who believe will be saved. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. What we're celebrating today is a remembrance of his broken body and his shed blood.

I'm going to invite the frontline team back up and I'll ask a prayer. We do practice an open table here. It's open to anybody who puts their faith in Jesus. There's a strong warning for those taking it unadvisedly or taking it lightly in the Bible but we practice an open table so that if you have placed your faith in Jesus, please partake of this little cracker and this Welch's grape juice. For God, would you please bless this bread as we distribute it, lord, as a symbol, a remembrance of your broken body.

Actually, your whole perfect life, lord, and the fact that you gave it as a ransom for many. Would you bless this bread as we contemplate your perfection and our lack. In Jesus name, forgive us our sins. Amen. And on the same night that Jesus was betrayed, he took bread after supper and after he broke it and he gave thanks.

He said, this is my body which is broken for you. Take this and eat and do it in remembrance of me. Lord God, we thank you for your broken body, for your perfect life given as a ransom for many and God, I also thank you for your shed blood as we sang in the 09:00 service. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus, the perfect, spotless, Paschal lamb.

So, in Jesus name, lord, would you bless this remembrance of him, this cup of grape juice that we take as a symbol. Would you bless it as we distribute it in Jesus name? Amen. Thank you. The same way that he took the bread, he took the cup after supper and he said, this is the new covenant in my blood.

This removes the perhaps, people. Jesus's blood moves it, removes the perhaps. The debt has been paid. Jesus said, this is the new covenant in my blood. Take this and drink as often as you'll do it in remembrance of me.

Amen. And Paul says that as often as we do this, we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes again. Would you stand with me? And Judy, think we're just gonna do a couple acapellas. How about that?

Okay. Do y'all know glory be to the father, the glory bees? How many lapsed Catholics do we have in here? Would you stand with us? Seriously.

Let's do glory be to the father. If you don't

know it, just catch up. Glory be to the father and to the son and to the holy ghost as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world end. Amen. And then let's do blessed be the tie. Blessed be the time.

Wait a second. That is pitiful.

That's the base trying to lead. Hold on just a second. How about?

Let's be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love. The fellowship of kindred hearts is light to that above. Amen.