https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Meekness.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: James 4:1-10<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. One aspect of the fruit of the Spirit is meekness – Galatians 5:22-23<\/p>\n
A. Few view meekness as a desirable trait<\/p>\n
1. Instead, people take assertiveness training<\/p>\n
2. We are conditioned to be aggressive, to watch out for our own interests.<\/p>\n
B. Rudeness is in, consideration for others seems to be out of fashion<\/p>\n
C. Yet we must humble ourselves – Matthew 18:4<\/p>\n
II. What is meekness?<\/p>\n
A. Meekness is defined as gentleness<\/p>\n
1. Yet, it is usually viewed in a negative manner<\/p>\n 2. “Humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed\nsubmissiveness”\n 3. “Compliant: evidencing little spirit or courage; overly submissive or\ncompliant”\n B. Vines: “The meaning of prautes<\/i> is not readily expressed in English, for the terms\nmeekness, mildness, commonly used, suggest weakness and pusillanimity to a\ngreater or less extent, whereas prautes<\/i> does nothing of the the kind. Nevertheless,\nit is difficult to find a rendering less open to objection than ‘meekness’;\n‘gentleness’ has been suggested, but as prautes <\/i>describes a condition of mind and\nheart, and as ‘gentleness’ is appropriate rather to actions, this word is no better\nthan that used in both English Versions. … Described negatively, meekness is the\nopposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest; it is equanimity of spirit that is\nneither elated nor cast down, simply because it is not occupied with self at all.”\n
C. It is related to humility, but it is not the same thing.<\/p>\n 1. To be meek, a person must be unconcerned about self . They must have a\nlack of self-pride\n
2. This is why the poor and the oppressed are often called meek<\/p>\n
a. Isaiah 11:4 – poor related to meek (or afflicted or humble)<\/p>\n
b. Proverbs 16:19 – Better to be poor and humble<\/p>\n
c. There is no cause for pride in their current position<\/p>\n
D. A trait of a Christian – Titus 3:1-2<\/p>\n 1. Depending on the translation, it is rendered “gentleness,” “humility,” or\n“consideration.”\n
2. How do we show meekness toward all men?<\/p>\n
III. Jesus as our example<\/p>\n
A. Matthew 11:29-30 – Jesus describes himself as meek and lowly in heart<\/p>\n
B. Before his accusers, he was silent – Isaiah 53:7<\/p>\n
1. He took his punishment quietly<\/p>\n
2. I Peter 2:23 – He did not revile or threaten<\/p>\n C. Jesus’ meekness did not come from cowardliness or a lack of strength; his\nmeekness was due to confidence in the Father’s power.\n 1. Matthew 26:50-54 – Jesus had but to ask and he could have stopped the\nviolence about to be done to him.\n 2. But Jesus wasn’t concern about himself, but fulfilling what needed to be\ndone – Philippians 2:4-8\n
IV. Meek is not weak<\/p>\n
A. Meek men are gracious, congenial, easy to get along with, a gentle disposition.<\/p>\n
B. Their strength comes from compassion and loving spirit<\/p>\n
C. Example: Moses – Numbers 12:3<\/p>\n
1. Yet, this man was the leader of the Israelites<\/p>\n
2. He stood up to Pharaoh, the leader of the greatest country of the time.<\/p>\n
3. He talked with God when all the Israelites trembled at God’s voice.<\/p>\n
D. Meekness is a quality of wisdom – James 3:13<\/p>\n 1. Too often our educated are filled with pride, overbearing, and\ncondescending in dealing with the less educated.\n
2. True wisdom doesn’t have to prove their position is superior.<\/p>\n 3. True wisdom comes from God, so the wise should simply be confident that\nthe Lord is always right; such leads to a calm, peaceable demeanor –\nPhilippians 1:27-28\n
V. Why be meek?<\/p>\n
A. Zephaniah 2:3 – Seek meekness (most translate it as “humility”).<\/p>\n
B. Needed to teach others – II Timothy 2:24-26<\/p>\n
1. I Peter 3:15-16 – Defend in meekness and fear<\/p>\n 2. Christianity is not spread by force. It is made attractive by gentle\nconfidence.\n
C. Needed to learn – James 1:21<\/p>\n
1. Before we can teach, we must learn<\/p>\n
2. We cannot learn with a prideful attitude. <\/p>\n 3. Our confidence in God leads to a willingness to listen and apply His\nteachings.\n
D. Unity, oneness of spirit, comes from meekness – Ephesians 4:1-3<\/p>\n
1. Pride leads to many individuals going their separate ways<\/p>\n 2. When a person is not concerned with their own agenda, but confidently\nfollows God’s will, then unity springs forth.\n
E. A quality needed to forgive others – Colossians 3:12-13<\/p>\n 1. Pride interferes with forgiveness because the prideful is focused on their\ninjuries\n 2. The meek is not concerned about himself, but in improving the lives of\nothers – Galatians 6:1\n
F. It is valuable – I Peter 3:3-4 – very precious in God’s sight<\/p>\n
VI. The impact of meekness<\/p>\n
A. It is the soil from which faith springs<\/p>\n
1. A self-righteous, haughty, egotistical person has no need of God<\/p>\n 2. Until we see our frailty and our inability to save ourselves we will not come\nto God to learn\n
B. To the meek, God gladly gives Himself<\/p>\n
1. Psalm 34:17-19 – God saves the contrite<\/p>\n
2. James 4:6-10 – Humble yourself in the sight of God and he will lift you up<\/p>\n
C. The meek are the ones who change the world<\/p>\n 1. Matthew 5:5 – the meek inherit the world. After this world dies, the meek\ninherit the world’s estate.\n
2. The meek leave an indelible mark on those they meet<\/p>\n a. Not by force, but by their confidence in God – the force of their\nconviction.\n b. It is so different from what men expect, that it causes people to\ntake notice and to say “they have something that I want to have.”\n
VII. I Timothy 6:11-12<\/p>\n A. Compliance and non-assertiveness does not describe God’s idea of meekness and\ngentleness. \n B. It would be odd to say, “be gentle” and follow it immediately with “fight the good\nfight”\n C. People might oppose us, but they will admire the meek for their quiet confidence in\nthe Truth.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: James 4:1-10 I. One aspect of the fruit of the Spirit is meekness – Galatians 5:22-23 A. Few view meekness as a desirable trait 1. Instead, people take assertiveness training 2. We are conditioned to be aggressive, to watch out for our own interests. B. Rudeness is in, consideration for others seems to be…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[250,788],"class_list":["post-14301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-confidence","tag-meekness"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8384,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-meekness-of-moses\/","url_meta":{"origin":14301,"position":0},"title":"The Meekness of Moses","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 26, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: Numbers 12:1-15 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0If a little boy came up to and announced, \u201cWhen I grow up, I want to be the meekest man on earth!\u201d What would you think? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Oh, intellectually we know that meekness is a good thing. It is one of the fruit of the Spirit -\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14781,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/removing-hindrances-to-servanthood\/","url_meta":{"origin":14301,"position":1},"title":"Removing Hindrances to Servanthood","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 13, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Too Much Self-Focus by Oscar Miles The Pursuit of Happiness","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":90023,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/meekness-in-the-media-age\/","url_meta":{"origin":14301,"position":2},"title":"Meekness in the Media Age","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Bubba Garner We live in the age of media. Not just the 24-hour news cycle, but all kinds of social media as well. Just last week, I saw a comic strip of a couple getting married. The preacher said, \"You may now change your relationship status on Facebook.\" That's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5261,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-could-moses-be-called-meek\/","url_meta":{"origin":14301,"position":3},"title":"How could Moses be called meek?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 12, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: The Bible says that Moses was the meekest man on earth. Can we really believe that to be true considering all the things he did, such as the angry outbursts which eventually cost him the promised land and the grinding of the burnt golden calf? Answer: The difficulty you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23618,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-chutzpah-a-part-of-biblical-faith\/","url_meta":{"origin":14301,"position":4},"title":"Is chutzpah a part of biblical faith?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 26, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I came across your teaching with \"The Meekness of Moses\" tonight by a Google search: \"Moses meekest man.\" I am beginning a study on chutzpah and faith for my career in business, specifically sales. I Googled the search term because if chutzpah is a part of biblical faith then\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8382,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/where-in-the-old-testament-does-it-say-to-honor-others-more-than-yourself\/","url_meta":{"origin":14301,"position":5},"title":"Where in the Old Testament does it say to honor others more than yourself?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 8, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Where is it said in the Old Testament about honoring (or a similar word) the other\u00a0more than\u00a0oneself? Also, what are similar words to \"honoring?\" Answer: In the New Testament you can find, \"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14301"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14301\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}