1 - Introduction - Living like a real Christian MEEKNESS | Page 12

runaway; Jesus has been tried unceremoniously and convicted unfairly; the cross has
been carried; the nails have been hammered and Jesus hangs on the cross about to die.
The last six hours of Jesus’ life were chaotic and out of control.We see, however, Christ
exercising “power under control” because we read that Jesus could have called ten
thousand angels from heaven to wipe out all his persecutors and take him back to
heaven, but Jesus epitomises to us incredible meekness as He allows mankind to abuse
and kill Him. We see also Jesus exercising power when things are so out of control. Jesus
exercised, in those last few hours,the power to see it through, to finish what God had
called Him to do and, in the words of Paul, finish His race. This power to see it through
is something that sadly is not that evident in our churches today. So many people with
great enthusiasm will commit their lives to Christ, but many succumb to temptation, or
cannot continue when trials come, and the sad fact is that not many finish what they
began. The ultimate picture of meekness is seen in an individual’s ability to finish the
race. When Jesus cried out from the cross, “It is finished!”, He was epitomising the cry of
meekness. All through His ministry here on earth, Jesus had submitted Himself to the
will of His Father, and now the ultimate price had been paid; His blood had been shed
and mankind could now be forgiven and, through repentance, be restored in
relationship with a Holy God.
Matthew 5 v 5 says, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” This verse
incorporates two great promises to the meek. The one is “blessedness”, which is really
just another word for “happiness” and I cannot help but totally agree, that some of the
happiest people I know are the “meek”. The second promise is that of the Promised Land
(Heaven) and the meek sincerely believe in such a place. They believe that it is worth
persevering in their faith, they believe that it is worth enduring temptation and trials;
they believe all of this because they unapologetically believe in the place that we call
“Heaven”. Meek people are people who have the ability to live this life in the context of
the next one, and it is with eternal eyes that they are able to weather the storms of this
life. My prayer for each of us here at Norwegian Settlers Church is that we too, will have
eternal eyes, and that we too would have lives that would be characterised by a
meekness that the world will stand in wonder at, but remember that this meekness is
reserved for those who, like Paul, live this life knowing full well the fact of the rewards of
the life that is still to come. I know that we have shared some deep truths, but it is the
practical nature of these truths that have so challenged me in my thinking this week. I
remind you as we close, that true meekness is reserved for those who use “power under
control” and who evidence “power when things are out of control”. Ponder these
thoughts if you will.

SEE YOU IN CHURCH!!