Meekness, Ps 45:4

Meekness Ps. 45:4 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

Ps 45:4 is a prophecy concerning the Second Coming of Jesus.  He rides prosperously because of his meekness, truth and righteousness.  In Jn 14:6, Jesus says that he is the truth.  In 1 Cor 1:30, he is made unto us righteousness.  But what is his meekness?

When you hear people speak of Jesus’ meekness, you generally hear them speak of his lowliness.  But meekness and lowliness are not the same thing.  The impression people give you is that he is fair and mild.  In Ps 45:1-6, he is anything but mild.  That verse says, “thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.”  We know that when Jesus returns, he will come with a sword, arrows and a scepter [Ps 45:3-6], flaming fire [2 Thes 1:7-9] and a sharp sword with which he will smite the nations [Rev 19:15].  He will tread the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God [Rev 19:15].  He will judge the nations and condemn those that are against him and Israel to everlasting fire [Matt 25:41].  While coming with all this destruction, Jesus will still be meek.

So, what is meekness if it is not lowliness or mildness?  The plainest definition, as it is used in the Bible, is “humble submission” or “humble obedience.”  Meekness implies that there is an authority to whom you submit, an authority whom you obey.  The greatest verse on the meekness of Jesus Christ is Phil 2:8, “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”  Here, you see his humility and you see his obedience.

Meekness is given to us by the Holy Spirit as part of his fruit [Gal 5:22-23].  When you look at the nine aspects of his fruit, you realize that meekness, alone, is that part that provides us with humility and obedience.  The fruit of the Spirit makes us like Christ and in meekness we become humbly submissive like Christ.

We need meekness for:

Salvation – Jas 1:21 – “receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.”  The reason many people don’t get saved is that they will not humble themselves and they choose not to obey the gospel.  They’re not willing to turn from their own self-righteousness.

Discipleship – Ps 25:8-9 – the Lord teaches and guides the meek.  You will not grow in your relationship with the Lord as long as you are in charge of your life.  When you humble yourself and submit to the Lord, then he can teach you what you need to know each step of the way in order to grow in the Lord.  Some of us were meek enough to get saved in our teens but we didn’t “surrender” to the Lord until we were older.  It takes meekness to get saved and meekness to follow Christ.

Ministry – 2 Tim 2:24-26 – when we are under the authority of the word of God, we can help others to get back under its authority.  That’s why we must be meek when instructing those that oppose themselves and who have been taken captive by the devil.  See how Paul was with the Corinthians [1 Cor 4:21].

Leadership – Num 12:3 – Moses was meek.  That’s why he could lead.  When he disobeyed the Lord and struck the rock twice instead of speaking to it, he lost his lead and Joshua took over.  See Gal 6:1. We must be careful dealing with others who have been overtaken in a fault.

Rest – Matt 11:28-30 – in Christ’s yoke and under his authority, we rest.  The reason more Christians don’t find the rest they desire is that they are wearing their own yoke and expecting Christ to yield to their demands.

Marriage – 1 Pet 3:4 – wives are supposed to be in subjection to their own husbands.  They are to obey them even when their husbands are not in line with the word.  It takes a meek and quiet spirit to be able to do this.

Conclusion: meekness is a tremendous spiritual trait.  Therefore, humbly submit yourself to the Lord.