Throughout the episode, we reflect on biblical figures such as Moses and the prophetic confirmation of Christ’s role as a teacher of meekness. By examining Jesus’ message in the synagogue, his transformative entrance into Jerusalem, and his endurance during his suffering, we learn how Christ’s meekness provides a model for us to follow in our spiritual journey. We invite new listeners to discover a wealth of resources from the International Gospel Hour, including a free online Bible study and more insights into living a life of grace and strength.
Think of these beautiful words from Jesus, I am meek and lowly in heart. Are they not beautiful words within the Lord’s invitation to come to Him for all of mankind? Let’s think of the unique strength of meekness in the life of Christ. That’s today from the International Gospel Hour. Please stay with us.
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I think I am bound for the promised land.
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Well, thank you to our J-Web for his kind words, and greetings to all of you. It’s great to have you with us once again for this, our lengthier weekly broadcast from the International Gospel Hour. Now, friends, if you are a new listener, and we like to mention this from time to time because we seem to pick up new listeners on at least a weekly basis, maybe a daily basis. We are encouraged to hear from our listeners. And if you are a new listener to the International Gospel Hour broadcast, well, not only are you currently listening to this, our weekly 30-minute broadcast, And again, thank you for tuning in, and thank you for tuning to the station to which you are listening. And as I always say at the end of the broadcast, to keep listening right here on this station or platform of your choice. but we also have daily 15-minute programs available, and occasionally you may hear our shorter segments, Are You Listening?, or 60 Seconds for the Savior, which are both one-minute segments, and A Couple of Minutes for Christ. We also have a weekly TV broadcast via our YouTube channel, which is International Gospel Hour, and you’ll also find us on a number of over-the-air television markets worldwide. You can find our programming options at our website, internationalgospelhour.com. You scroll down just a bit when you get there, and you’ll see all of our programs, even our Hispanic podcast, Cristianos Feliz, with our friend and brother, Marlon Ratana, of SpanishBibleSchool.org. how thankful we are for every opportunity to speak the oracles of God as commanded in 1 Peter 4.11, as we declare the counsel of God, Acts 20 and verse 27. So thank you, friends, for joining us, and stay right here where you listen to International Gospel Hour. Friends, when meekness is mentioned, now I would say this for the Bible student, three things probably come to mind immediately and not necessarily in this order. Now the first one I’m going to share probably crosses the minds of anyone. So let’s just address it from the very outset. Meek does not mean weak. Now, when we define meekness, we understand it is a gentle and mild approach and it is an approach or a behavior exercised by God and it comes from God. Now, time would not permit us, but if you looked at each and every text of the Bible dealing with meekness, It actually reflects strength and might of God and from God. And in turn, the meek individual praises God for the strength received and can honestly say in the words of Paul, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, Philippians 4.13. Now let’s research this word a little deeper in its original Greek meaning from the Greek language, of course. Now I credit Vine’s dictionary of New Testament words that assist me with this research. It’s like the Webster’s dictionary or the dictionary.com of the New Testament or of the Greek language. It says the word meekness must be clearly understood, therefore, that the meekness manifested by the Lord and commended to the believer is the fruit of power. The common assumption is that when a man is meek, it is because he cannot help himself. But the Lord was meek because he had the infinite resources of God at his command. Now, friends, that’s powerful. Let’s do that one one more time. It must be clearly understood, therefore, that the meekness manifested by the Lord and commended to the believer is the fruit of power. The common assumption is that when a man is meek, it is because he cannot help himself, but the Lord was meek because he had the infinite resources of God at his command. Friends, the word is a dominant word, meaning a strength that is brought under control. The late Wayne Jackson of ChristianCourier.com, an excellent website for research that we would encourage you to view. The late Wayne Jackson said it does not suggest weakness, rather it denotes strength brought under control, and how the ancient Greeks employed the term to describe a wild horse tamed to the bridle. In the biblical sense, therefore, being meek describes one who has channeled his strengths into the service of God, to which we will say, Amen. Jesus, in Matthew 11, 28-30, and this would be the second thing that would come to mind, when Jesus said, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest unto your souls, for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Now that’s another verse that comes to our mind. That’s how we began our broadcast today, and we’ll talk about that one in a moment. But the third thing that comes to the mind of the Bible student when you mention meekness would probably be Moses in Numbers 12 verse 3 that says, Now the man Moses was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. Now while we are not here to look at Moses’ personality or his meekness, A perusal of his life shows Moses anything but weak. I mean, his confrontations with Pharaoh on behalf of God expresses as much. But listen to the words of Peter preaching Christ in Acts 3, 22 and 23 when he references Deuteronomy 18. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me. Him shall you hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that every soul which will not hear that prophet shall be destroyed from among the people. So see, here is Moses pointing people to the Christ. And Peter affirmed Moses was speaking to the Christ in Acts chapter 3. So friends, today let’s study the meekness of the Christ of whom Moses spake, Peter preached, and the Gospels affirm. Because the meekness of Christ can be applied in our lives to make our lives richer and fuller. But before we do that, Let me pause for just a few seconds with a few words about our social media.
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Let’s talk about meekness in the message of Jesus Christ. I take us now to Luke, the fourth chapter, beginning with verse 16, and we’ll read through verse 21. Where the Bible speaks of Jesus, And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah, or Isaiah, or Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him, And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. Now this Jesus read from what we know as Isaiah 61 and verse 1. The good tidings the gospel is preached to the poor. That good tiding message. A message that will change the lives of people. Those that would need it the most. Now, the King James translation translates the word meek here, where the gospel is preached to the poor, or the meek, meaning one with absolute dependence on God. The meek soul, the poor empty soul, the humble soul, does not depend on self, but rather on the Savior. Now think about that, friends. Do we depend too much on ourselves, and not enough on the Savior. A Christian, a true follower of Christ, will depend on the Savior. and will change self. I mean, there is the gospel message that saves. This is affirmed in Romans 1, 16 and 17, when Paul said, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of salvation to everyone that believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. That gospel message in 1 Corinthians 15, 1-4 was preached to the Corinthians, they received it, They were saved by it, and they stood in it if they kept in mind what was preached unto them, unless they had believed in vain. Paul declared unto them the Scriptures, how that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried and was risen again the third day, according to the Scriptures. They believed that gospel message. They were obedient to that gospel message, as we learn in Acts, the 18th chapter, beginning at verse 8. You see, the gospel message that saves is written to those that Jesus mentioned in Matthew 5, 3, who are poor in spirit, or those who are empty and who are seeking the Lord, seeking to be filled. You know, that’s a beautiful, beautiful section of text in Matthew 5, beginning with verse 3. And if we just consider verses 3 through 6, watch how a person comes to Christ or how a person changes their lives according to Christ. Matthew 5, 3, again, “…Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” They are poor. They are empty. There is nothing there. We would say they have hit rock bottom. And when a person hits rock bottom, the only way they can go is up. And here’s the promise to those who are poor in spirit, the kingdom of heaven. You can have a better life, a heaven-bound life, more than an earthly-bound life that’s got you in the position where you’re at. Then in verse 4, blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Now, friends, a lot of times we use that when we, well, a lot of times when we lose a loved one and we mourn and we cry. And yes, that is true. We will be comforted. God grants comfort through individuals who have been comforted. He uses them to comfort others. 2 Corinthians 1, 3 and 4. But in the context of the Beatitudes or attitudes to become, blessed are those who mourn. Those who mourn or their sins have them broken hearted. They’re empty. They are crying. They are hurting. But the promise of comfort will come. That person who is hit rock bottom, who is poor in spirit, who’s mourning. Now, verse 5 of Matthew 5, blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. I mean, look at the great blessing that is there. It’s all before you. Not only the promises here, but the promises to come. Blessed are the meek, those who are weak or who are downtrodden, but God provides them a strength that they are able to use to control their lives. They begin now, verse 6, they hunger and thirst for righteousness, and they will be filled. You see, they’re empty and they’re crying. But there are greater promises and comfort that’s ahead. They take that strength that they did not have before and apply it through their lives through Christ as they hunger and thirst for righteousness. And they will be filled. You know, Paul said there are those who are once slaves to sin, but now they are slaves to righteousness. Romans 6, 17 and 18 says, God be thanked that you were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness. You see, the meek one, Jesus Christ, instructs us to provide the strength to change, and that strength continues to change us. You see, that long, very popular invitation song, Just As I Am, will result in just what He would have me to be. That’s why we can look once again at that beautiful invitation of Matthew 11, 28-30. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me. In other words, you’re heavy laden, but when you take my yoke, I lighten your burden. You learn of me. For I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. You can see meekness in his message. And we can embrace that message. Now, let’s affirm with meekness in his entrance. Now we learn about the entrance of Christ into Jerusalem from all four gospel accounts. Matthew 21, 1-11. Also Mark 11, 1-11. Luke 19, 29-44. And John 12, 12-19. Let’s consider Matthew 21, 1-11. Now when they drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied in a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to me, and if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, The Lord has need of them, and immediately he will send them. All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king is coming to you lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. Now, friends, What Jesus taught and what he instructed here in the first five verses of Matthew 21… is a fulfillment of the prophecy from Zechariah 9, 9 and 10. You see, this entrance was unlike the entrance of an earthly king. The late H. Leo Bowles observed that Jesus came in a peaceable state, not as a conquering monarch with battle array on a fiery charger and armed with sword and spear, but as a prince of peace. Hear Jesus as a prophet in Matthew 21, verse 11. But within a week, They would be among those who cried out, crucify him. And within a couple of months, many of them would be pricked in the heart with the preaching of the gospel in Acts 2. A meek entrance of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords would eventually bring this or those who were lowly and meek to the point of asking and bring these individuals to this point. From Acts 2.37, Men and brethren, what shall we do? And when they made that plea, Peter said in verse 38 of Acts 2, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ. For the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And many that received his word were baptized, and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. Acts 2 and verse 41. Friends, they were added to the church, Acts 2, 47. They are now in the kingdom of Christ, who is the King of kings and Lord of lords, 1 Timothy 6 and verse 15. You see, there’s meekness in his message and in his entrance, and how all of this can apply to us. Now friends, if you don’t mind, I’m going to pause here. Because sometimes we are prompted to think on these things and want to learn more. And we try to offer a variety of different Bible study tools. Here is our J-Web with an offer, a free offer from our friends at the World Bible School.
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That’s the free online study at worldbibleschool.org. Sign up today. Tell them the International Gospel Hour has sent you.
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Now, friends, let’s think about the meekness of the Christ with his suffering. You know, when we see Jesus in the garden in Matthew 26, verses 36 through 56, here we are the night before his death. And yet we see the meekness of Christ, the strength under control, so strong. Three times in his prayer to the Father, he said, Not my will, but thy will be done. Matthew 26, 39, 42, and 44. In other words, move this cup from me. Let this not be. If there be another way. But then Jesus acknowledged, not my will, but thy will be done. You know, verse 53, when they came to take Jesus, and Peter pulled his sword and went to cut off, and did cut off the ear of one named Malchus. Jesus stopped him, healed Malchus, and did he not say that he could pray to the Father for twelve legions of angels to come? But yet he kept that strength under control in the garden. Even his response in meekness in John 18, 22 and 23, when one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, Do you answer the high priest so? And Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil. But if well, why did you smite, or why did you strike me? Now friends, that slap was illegal according to the law, which was one of many laws broken in the trial of Christ. And this slap, or this smiting on the cheek, was actually a very heavy blow. As a matter of fact, the Greek of which this word is translated means to flay the skin or to thrash. He really let Jesus have it. And Jesus’ reply was accurate, but not angry. He could have made a plea according to the law, but he did not. And please keep in mind, He still could have called for the legions of angels. During His trial, my beloved bride and I were talking one day, and she said, You know, you really see His strength under control. And to summarize it all, friends, upon the cross, did He not have that great strength under control, hanging from a cross, Were they thrashed, severely beaten, and stripped back from the scourging, the suffering, the abuse? But listen to Peter’s words in 1 Peter 2.21. He also suffered for us. leaving us an example that we should follow his steps, who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth, who, when he was reviled, reviled not again, when he suffered he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously, who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sin, should live unto righteousness, by whose stripes you were healed.” the meekness in his suffering, that strength under control provides us strength that should be controlled through God. I’ll be back to wrap up our study in just a moment.
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The International Gospel Hour app is available for your iPhone or Android. A free download awaits you at the App Store for iPhones and Google Play for your Android. Just search International Gospel Hour and download our app free. Our app allows access to our study resources all in the palm of your hand. Please download the International Gospel Hour app today.
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Friends, such strength under control, the meekness of Christ for you and for me. What a blessed study. This assignment was given to me recently to preach in a tent meeting in Parkersburg, West Virginia. And I’m grateful for that opportunity and am grateful for those of you that listen to us all over but there around the Parkersburg area. Let’s bring our study to a close when we note Hebrews 5, 8, and 9. Though he was a son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered, And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. Friends, let us allow His meekness. to become our meekness, to obey Him and bring our lives under His control. If we indeed believe in Christ as commanded in John 8, 24, then allow that faith to move us to repent of our sins as Jesus commanded in Luke 13, 3 and 5, to confess Him before men, Matthew 10, 32, and and to be baptized into Christ so that our sins will be forgiven, Mark 16, 16, and as noted earlier in Acts 2 and verse 38. Raised to walk in newness of life, Romans 6, 4 through 6, we walk in Christ and according to His way as a new life in Christ, 2 Corinthians 5, 17, and faithful unto death. Friends, let us help you toward that end. Thank you for checking us out on social media at International Gospel Hour. Use our website at internationalgospelhour.com. We hope our study material will be of help to you. And if you would like us to mail you study material, please call us at 855-444-6988. Leave us your name and address and just say, Home Study, and we’ll send it right to you. We’ll continue these studies together at another time, but thank you for joining me today on the International Gospel Hour broadcast. I’m Jeff Archie, and friends, keep listening.
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Thank you for listening to our broadcast today. To God goes all the glory, and we hope that our study today will draw you closer to His Word to walk in His way. To listen to it again, or our other broadcasts,
