The Fruit of the Spirit: Part 7 - Meekness

Galatians chapter five should have the fruit of the spirit memorized by now. We've been studying from these two verses now for quite a while. Galatians chapter five. The Lord willing will finish up this morning. Galatians five verse 22.

But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Against such, there is no law. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for your word. We thank you Lord for the spirit that you've given to your children who have come to know you through faith in your son, Jesus Christ.

Lord, we thank you for the privilege of praising your name here today. We thank you Lord for the privilege of serving you every day. For being called the children of God despite our our own sin and failure Lord, we thank you for the incredible privilege that we have been given. By your grace alone and by your mercy, to know you. And to be your children.

Lord, we pray as your children today that we would honor you in this service and we would honor you and all that we say and do that we would walk in the spirit that you would produce in us the fruit of the spirit we have been studying the last few weeks, Lord. Do a mighty work in our lives, we pray and Lord, we pray if there be one here today that's never trusted you as savior. Lord, we pray today. They would come to know Christ Jesus as their savior too. In Jesus name, we pray.

Amen. So, we've been studying the fruit of the spirit now for several weeks and notice to start with here, it's not the fruit of man. It's the fruit of the spirit. It's the fruit that the spirit produces in our lives, and we've looked started out, and I have I have fruit up here this morning. We started out with love.

The first is love. The love of God that the Bible says has been shed abroad in our hearts by his spirit that he has given unto us. A love that is not a selfish love, not a a self focused love but others focused love. A love that is selfless and sacrificial. A love that is lasting and unconditional.

A love that seeks the best for others despite themselves. That is the love that God has for us and the love that is produced within us by his spirit as we walk in the spirit day by day as his children. He produces that kind of love in our heart. Love for him and love for us or for others. The Bible says, we love him because he what?

First loved us. First loved us and he has put that love in our hearts. If we'll walk in the spirit, that love will bloom and grow and others will see Jesus Christ in us. When we start with love and as we go through the fruits of the spirit, I I I've noticed as I've been preaching and studying that that love seems to be intertwined with all of them. We just can't get away.

Charity never faileth. The next fruit we looked at was joy. Joy and not only does the Lord produce love in our hearts. God produces joy. You know, God wants you as a Christian to be happy.

He wants you to be filled with joy. He wants you to be a rejoicing person, a smiling person. He wants you to have a settled joy in your life. That no matter what the world throws at us, no matter what circumstances or situations we find ourselves in, that in our hearts, we can still have what? Joy.

Joy. No Christian should be one who's always walking around with a sour look on their face. The Christians should have a look of joy that represents an inner joy that only comes from God, that only comes from knowing Jesus, and that only God can give us. The rest of the world, it they depend on circumstances of life. But as Christians, God has already done everything for us that gives us joy.

Because even though I may fail or others around me may fail or even though unexpected trials may come, I know this, I have a home in heaven and I have a savior who will never leave me nor forsake me. And you know what? It gives me joy. It also gives me the third one and that's what? Peace.

It also gives peace. Jesus said, come unto me all you that labor in heavy laden, I will give you rest. Peace is a state of calm assurance. Blessed assurance. Jesus is mine.

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine. Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of his spirit, washed in his blood. This is my story. This is my song. He is my joy and he is my peace.

And I can have a calm assurance and rest in the hands of Jesus. And as I walk and we walk in the spirit, that peace grows and that joy grows in our life. It is the fruit of the spirit within us. When we continue on, love, joy, peace, long suffering, long suffering. And peace and long suffering, you see, as we go from one to another, it how how they're interconnected and how they overlap.

As we have peace in Jesus Christ, he will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusted in thee. God gives us patience to endure. Patience to endure the trials, the circumstances, patience to endure the waiting for things even the return of Christ. Faith and patience to endure the weaknesses of others. We get on each other's nerves sometimes but God gives us long suffering with each other As we minister, as we pray, God helps us to be patient.

And as we draw closer to him, that becomes more evident in the life of a child of God. Long suffering, what's the next one? I'm gonna try to keep these apples from falling off. Gentleness, gentleness, Mercy. Loving kindness.

That's the way a Christian should be. Jesus said to his disciples, this how all men will know that you are my disciples by your what? By your love for the brethren. And as we walk in spirit and we become more like our savior, we grow in gentleness. Not short-tempered.

Not not mean and ugly. But gentle and kind. That's who our savior is. He had every reason to be unkind and ungentle with many and he was, the Bible says, as a sheep to the slaughter. He was kind, kind hearted, and most importantly, kind and merciful to us.

And he says in his word, Be ye tender hearted, forgiving one another even as Christ Jesus hath, what? Forgiven you. Next one is goodness. Goodness. Not just being good, but being good toward others.

As we grow in Christ, we become more like our savior and our God is a good God. Yes, that means he's holy, he's without sin but you know something, he's good to us. He's good to us even when we are not what? Good and faithful toward him. He is a good God.

We can always count on him to be faithful. We can always count on him to be good and to want the best for his children. And as we become more like him, as we walk in the spirit, he'll produce that in our life. Where it will become more natural for us. To go out of our way to be good to others.

Last week, we looked at the next one and that is faith. Faith. Yes, it's God produces faith in us. One of the ways he produces that faith is through his word. So, faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God and we look last week as we began the message to walk in the spirit must mean means must mean also to walk according to the what?

To the word of God. As we hide God's word in our heart, he strengthens our faith. Our trust in him so that we will obey him when he calls because we know that he'll be with us. We know he will not fail us. We know that he will never lead us astray.

That he will protect us along the way. We have faith and we grow in our trust in him. This morning, we're going to look at the last two Lord willing, meekness, and if we have time, temper. Meekness and temperance. You know, we often measure spirituality in ourselves and others by the deeds which we do.

Deeds and actions that can be very misleading. Look if you would in first Corinthians chapter 13. First Corinthians chapter 13. We we often judge how well we're doing spiritually by the things we're doing. But these fruit of the spirit that we're looking at, they're not things we do.

They are things that we are and that we are becoming. Attitudes and character traits of the heart. In first Corinthians 13, Paul writes, though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not charity, I am become as a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. That means this, I'm become an aggravating, irritating noise in the ears of God. I may think I'm doing great things and it's just a Okay, yeah.

Pastor, that's enough. Stop. Okay. That's the point, okay? Verse two, and though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains and have not charity, I am nothing and though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

We can do all these things but that's not the point. That's not the point. The point is this, first of all, becoming a child of God and then as a child of God through faith, by God's grace, walking with him day by day. That he can produce a change not just in our actions but in our what? But in our heart.

God doesn't just want to keep you out of trouble. God doesn't want to get you over this one particular circumstance or this one particular failing in your life. God wants to make you a different person. He wants to make you like his son, Jesus Christ. If the only reason he saved you was to take you to heaven, where would you be?

You'd be in heaven but you're not there yet. God saved you to glorify himself in the change that he is making in you. Romans twelve two, Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is a good and acceptable and perfect will of God. He is transforming us. He's transforming us and conforming us into the image of his son, Romans eight twenty nine.

For those he foreknew, he also predestinated to be conformed to the image of his son. All before you were ever born, Christ you, God knew that you would receive Christ as your savior and he had predetermined that for all who are in Christ Jesus that he would conform them, change them, transform them day by day into the image of his son, Jesus Christ and that's the work that he starts the day you get saved, not the day you stand before him in heaven. That's when it's completed. We can be assured of this what God has started. He will finish.

Paul says, I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed against him against unto him against that day and he says in Philippians one six, being confident of this very thing that he which hath begun a good in work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. What that means is this, God's not finished with you yet. I when I was a kid, we used to listen to music on the radio and and Christian station that was nearby and they like to play this one song quite often was entitled, He's Still Working on Me. If you grew up in Virginia or North Carolina or or in the that area where they played Southern Gospel a lot, you probably recognize the song and how true that song was though. It's kind of a kid's song in a way, but it's got a good message.

He's still working on me to make me what I ought to be. It took him just a week to make the moon and the stars, the sun and the earth, and Jupiter and Mars. How loving and patient he must be because he's still working on me. You know, sometimes we don't even recognize what he's doing in our life but we can be assured of this. As we walk in the spirit holding to the hand of Christ as he leads us, we will grow to the glory of God and to the edifying of ourselves and others around us.

That caterpillar makes that cocoon and while it's inside that cocoon, it's being what? It's being changed. It's being transformed. It's it's not something the caterpillar decides on its own to do. It's not something, I'm going change this part of me and I'm going change that part of me.

It's something that just what? It happens because he's a caterpillar changing into a what? Butterfly. One day when I get to heaven, my cocoon is gonna be open and I'm gonna be a beautiful butterfly. Not really, but I am gonna be like my savior Jesus Christ.

And I look forward to that day but in the meantime, we who know Christ, we're in that cocoon. We're changing day by day to become more like him. As he produces the fruit in our life. Sometimes, the process seems very slow. Sometimes, it can be very difficult but in the end, we will come forth as gold.

Job twenty three ten, Job says, in the midst of his trial, he says, but he knoweth the way that I take and when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. Job wasn't speaking in pride and confidence in himself. He was speaking in confidence in his savior and despite the fact that he was suffering and despite the fact that he didn't know what was going on nor why it was happening, He trusted that his God knew and that his God had a purpose. When it was all through, he was going to come forth as God. That God is doing in your life today.

If you are a child of God and he will do even more so as we walk in the spirit day by day. The eighth fruit we're going to talk about this morning is that of meekness. Meekness. Meekness is not what? Help me out.

Meekness is not. Weakness. Weakness. Thank you, brother Steve. Meekness is not weakness.

It's been defined as strength under control. A meek person isn't a weak person but it is one who displays a quiet strength and a humble submissive spirit. A quiet strength and a humble submissive spirit. Spiritual strength and maturity goes hand in hand with a humble and submissive spirit and the person that is growing in that is learning to become more like their savior day by day in meekness. A meek person is not arrogant or braggadocious.

A meek person is not one to seek the glory or credit for themselves. I was listening after the who was it? The Cleveland Cavs, is it? Won the NBA championship and somebody asked LeBron James, how he managed to turn the team around and and how he brought them to the championship and how he did all this and LeBron James answered and I thought for sure he was gonna say, well, it wasn't me, it was the team but no, that's not what he said. He said, well, yeah, I did this and I came here and I was determined.

I thought, boy, this fellow stuck on himself. That's not meekness. Meekness is when at the Olympics last week, a lady bicycled across the finish line and won this bicycling long distance event, and they came and said, How did you do it? And she said, It wasn't me, it was my team. Now, you may not think of bicycling as a team sport but evidently to them it is and evidently, the team has a lot to do with it.

At least, in this lady's eyes. She praised her coach. She praised her husband. She praised everybody but who? But, yeah, that's true.

But she didn't praise herself. She gave the credit to others. A meek person is not one who seeks glory for themselves. They're willing to give the glory to whom it is due. In particular, as Alan pointed out, that person is Jesus Christ.

And God who makes us able Though he didn't see himself as a humble person was more humble than most of us will ever be. In Romans seven eighteen, he said, for I know that in me, that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. For to will is present with me, but to perform that which is good, I find not. When Paul suffered, he didn't take the credit. When Paul succeeded, he didn't take the credit.

He always gave the credit to the Lord because it is the Lord to whom it is truly due. A meek person doesn't just recognize that, but they live it. A meek person is unassuming and doesn't have to be heard or have his own way. What's the best kind of leader to get when you're going to look for a leader? For one to be a political leader, religious leader, or something else?

It's somebody who isn't striving to be a leader, but someone who is striving to be a what? A servant. Christ Jesus said, the greatest in the kingdom of heaven is the servant of all. Christ Jesus came not to be ministered unto but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. In James third three thirteen, James write this, wrote this, he said, who is a wise man and endured with knowledge among you?

In other words, who should you go to for wisdom? Who should you go to and say, would you lead us? Here's what James writes. Let him show out of a good conversation, his works with meekness of wisdom. So, this is the kind of person you want to lead you, a meek person And who is a meek person?

Not somebody who's always fighting to be heard or fighting to get their own way. Who is striving for power and to control others but a person who just wants to serve. The Lord. That is meekness. When I I think of meekness, I can't think but think a little of my dad.

My dad's not a preacher. My dad's not a singer. My dad's not a president of a company. Dad worked at GE as a factory worker. He wired jobs for thirty some years.

He did that in order that I might go to Christian school, that I might go to college, and my brother. He wasn't one to cause a stir at work or at church. He was confident in what he believed and what he thought but he he wasn't one that always had to be heard. We have a Thanksgiving reunion at my house in Virginia every year. And I think one of the reasons that it's at my parents' house every year is because they handle having 20 to 30 people in their house well.

And one of the reasons is because both my mom and dad are, in my estimation, meek people and are a good example to my brother and I and to the rest of our family. You don't always have to be heard. And there's more important things. A meek person is not one to fight for their place in line. Turn if you would to Numbers chapter 12.

Numbers chapter 12. Not one to fight in their place in line. Sort of goes along with one who seeks power and seeks first place. And this goes with a man named Moses. Numbers chapter 12 verses beginning in verse one.

We'll read about Miriam and Aaron. They are Moses' sister and brother. And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married, for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Hath he not spoken also by us?

And the Lord heard it. You know, it doesn't say anything here that Moses defended himself. The Moses said, no, it's me. It's me only. You can't know.

Moses didn't defend himself. Look in verse three, God's comment. Now, the man Moses was very what? Meek. Meek.

Above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. And so, the Lord defended him. You know, when we give God a chance, God will always defend his children but sometimes we jump in. That Moses didn't. He let God defend him.

Verse four, and the Lord spake suddenly under Moses and unto Aaron and said unto Miriam, come out, you three under the tabernacle of congregation, and they three came out, and the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle and called Aaron and Miriam and they both came forth and he said, hear now my words. If there be a prophet among you, I, the Lord, will make myself known unto him in a vision and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth even apparently and not in dark speeches and in the similitude of the Lord shall he behold, wherefore then, were ye not afraid to speak against Moses, my servant? And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them and he departed and the cloud departed from off the tabernacle and behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow, and Aaron looked upon Miriam and behold, she was leprous and Aaron said unto Moses, alas, my Lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us wherein we have done foolishly.

Anyway, we'll stop there. Here's the point. I think I was just read supposed to read through verse nine. But here's the point. You would have thought Moses would have stood up to his brother and sister said, no, I'm in charge.

Listen to me. But he didn't because he truly was a meek person. He let God do the talking for him. And God set his brother and his sister straight. I enjoy going to a camp in North Carolina, it's called The Wilds.

When I was a youth pastor, took teams there all the time. We took a group up there last summer. I miss not being there as often as I used to, and I think one of the things I like most about the Wilds is this, it seems like everybody on the staff is really a meek person. They will stumble over themselves to be the last in line. They will stumble over themselves to do something for you.

It's not about them. A meek person is neither greedy nor envious but content. Paul wrote in Philippians four eleven, not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. Paul says, I thank you for the gift, Philippians, that you've sent me, but not that I speak in respect of want, not that that I have to have this, For I've learned whatever place, whatever state God puts me in, I can be content. Those are the words of a meek person who's trusting in the Lord.

A meek person again is not weak but is willing to keep their place and wait upon the Lord. Isaiah forty thirty one, they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.

Jesus said in the sermon on the mount, blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. That those who seem weak in the eyes of the world, who are my children, who trust in me, I will reward them. They don't have to clamor to get what they want. They they don't have to fight and push themselves to the front. For Jesus said, I exalt the what?

The humble. And make low the mighty. And he said, they shall inherit the earth. The meeker we become, the easier we will we will find submitting to the will of our father, and the more joy we will find in doing so. John 13, Jesus gave an illustration to his disciples of what it means to be humble and meek.

He, the master, he, the Lord of the universe, went and picked up a bowl of water and a rag and And he went around and he did the task of the most menial servant of the house. And he washed their feet. And he said, as you have seen me do to you, so you do to what? To others, to one another. And he said this as he concluded in verse 17, he said, if you know these things, happy are you.

If you do them. And if we'll humble ourselves and allow God as we walk in the spirit to make us a truly meek person. Then we will be happy and filled with joy in the service of our king. And then the last one of the fruit of the spirit this morning is what? Temperance.

Temperance. Well, what does that mean? Well, temperance is self control or in the Christian is also spirit control. Ephesians five eighteen says, and be not drunk with wine whereas in excess but be why? Filled with the spirit.

Now, does that mean that you have half the spirit or a quarter of the spirit and you need the rest of him? No. To be filled with the spirit means to be controlled by the spirit. Don't be controlled or influenced by wine or some other mind altering drug? No.

Stay away from that. Choose instead to be influenced and led and controlled by the holy spirit. Those things, they'll lead you into sin and destruction and ruin. Trust in Jesus and walk according to spirit and he will lead you into life what? Everlasting.

He will give you joy. He will give you peace beyond all understanding. Allow the spirit to control, to be in control of your life. The Christian growing in the Lord and producing the fruits of the spirit is going to be one who has learned to take their hands off and let God do the what? God do the driving.

The problem is that doesn't come natural to the flesh. We want to be in what? Control. But one of the fruits that the spirit produces in us is allowing him to be in control. It is fitting that this temperance should finish off God's list of the fruit of the spirit for it wraps up Paul's point concerning restraint and discipline in the life of a believer.

Remember back in Galatians five, if you're there, Galatians five, Let me get back there. And verse one. It said, Paul said, stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ have made us free and be not entangled once again with the yoke of bondage but look over in verse 13. He says, for brethren, we, you have been called on the liberty, only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. Verse 16, for this I say then, walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Yes, we have been freed from the law. Happy condition. Praise the Lord but but we must not use that freedom as opportunity to sin against the Lord who saved us. To destroy others around us. To fulfill the lusts and the desires of the flesh.

But to walk in the spirit God has placed inside our heart and not fulfill the lust of the flesh. The child of God is restrained not by the law but by the spirit. It is the spirit that brings true and lasting self control and self discipline to the child of God. Who rather than being conformed outwardly to the restraints of the law is transformed inwardly to have the mind and exhibit the character of Jesus Christ in his life. It is no longer the law that constrains us.

It is the spirit who guides us. Now, which is better? Well, the second is far better than the first. And as the spirit guides us, he produces in us these character traits, even temperance, self control. A Christian who has no discipline in their life is a Christian who A, is not walking in the spirit and B, is not going to accomplish a lot for the Lord Jesus Christ, his savior.

To some people, self discipline comes easier than for others but as a child of God, as we grow and walk in the spirit, it is something that God can produce and strengthen in every Christian's life. That we live disciplined lives. Walking in accordance with the principles that we find here in God's word. And not based upon the feelings and desires and lust of the flesh which change from minute to minute to minute. As we walk, continue to walk in the spirit, God reveals his power in us to overcome the world and its trappings.

First John five four and five say this, and whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world and this is the victory that overcometh the world even our faith. Who is he that overth the overcometh the world but he that believeth that Jesus is the son of God. God says, you can overcome the world. Just walk with me. Walk with me.

I'll help you. You have a problem with self discipline? Walk with God. Read his word. Spend time on your knees in prayer.

He'll walk with you. He'll help you. Self discipline was something I I struggled with a lot as a teenager and a young man And it's not something by any means I've arrived yet either. But it took me a while to figure out that it simply isn't going to happen because I I go forward and I say, I'm going to do this. I'm going to do this.

I'm going to do this. Now, what happens is I draw closer to who? To the Lord. And it's the same thing with all these fruit because they're the fruit of the spirit, not the fruit of me. But that which God produces in my life.

And discipline is important If I want to be an athlete and I wanted to win the gold medal, I have to watch a little more carefully what I eat. I have to watch a little more carefully how much I exercise, or you might say, a lot more, pastor. To reach the goal that I wanted to reach. That we have greater goals that God has set for us as his children and he will help us to discipline our lives as we walk with him. I'm going to read just couple more verses and then we'll conclude this morning.

I want to read this verse though. First Corinthians chapter nine, if you want to turn there, first Corinthians chapter nine, As you're turning there, I'll quote Matthew sixteen twenty four. Jesus said to his disciples, if any man will be to my disciple or if any man will come after me, let him deny. What? Himself take up his cross and follow me.

And there are things that the flesh wants that they just has to be what? Denied. Isn't going to change? Flesh isn't going to go, hey, I don't want that anymore. We have to deny it.

We can't do it alone. It's important that we do by his help and Paul says this, he first Corinthians nine twenty five, and every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. What that means is discipline. Now, they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we end up in incorruptible. I therefore, I therefore so run not as uncertainly, so fight I not as one that beateth the air, but I keep under my body and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Paul says, it's important that I live a self disciplined life and that I allow God to help me by his grace to keep my life focused on the task that he set before me. And it is also true with us And it was also true with our savior. For he finished the course that was set before him. And he endured the cross for us and he died on our in our place and he has given us new life in him and he it is that has given us his spirit. That we might grow in him and follow him and serve him and walk with him day by day.

How are we doing? I'm sure that we can probably do a little better. And I'm sure as we go through these, have been going through these, there's something that the Lord has pointed in your life and said, that area could use a little polishing. Trust in me. I'll do it.

Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, we thank you Lord for Jesus Christ, our savior. We thank you for the fruit that you are producing in our life. And we pray Lord that you would continue to chip away as we walk with you. Lord, help us not to run away.

Help us Lord not to get discouraged. Help us Lord not to be satisfied. But Lord to look to you day by day to change us, mold us, make us more into the meek person and the self controlled Christian that you want us to be. We pray Lord this morning if there's one here that's never trusted Christ as savior. As we give this hymn of invitation, we ask Lord, we pray, we plead, that they come.

We can show them today how they can be saved and know it. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.