Grosey's Messages

Word puzzles          One on the screen.   Frustrating.. this Beatitude can be frustrating too. The Meek.. inherit the earth!  What??!!    Inherit.. it implies someone dies and leaves you an inheritance.        The earth? Well that's a big inheritance.    Exaggeration? When? How ? who ? what?   Merret: "Frankly, we don't know all that that means, but I do know this. What Jesus is saying is, "When you will give God all that should come to Him, you will get all that you would want to come to you.""

Beatitude 1 guilt. 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Beatitude 2 grief   4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Beatitude 3 grace  adoption to the Father.  5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

When a man is converted, the first operation of the Grace of God within his soul is to give him true poverty of spirit, so the first Beatitude is, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." The Lord first makes us know our emptiness and so humbles us. Then next He makes us mourn over the deficiencies that are so manifest in us. Then comes the second Beatitude, "Blessed are they that mourn." First, then, is a true knowledge of ourselves and then a sacred grief arising out of that knowledge.

And then there is grace.  Brought into the family of God reconciled to God you can now call Him "our father which art in heaven.." our Father.  My Father.

A Deeper Covenant Commitment and A Broader Personal Promise and A Life-changing Response

A Deeper Covenant Commitment

In Matthew 5:5 Jesus said, "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." Now to some, meekness means weakness; but not to Jesus and not to Christians. To understand the meaning of "meek," we need to go back before Jesus because these words were not original with him. In fact, he was quoting Psalm 37:11, "The meek will inherit the land, and enjoy great peace."

Psalm 37:9 NASB95 - For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.  10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. 11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. 12 The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, 13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.

Psalm 37:22 For those blessed by Him will inherit the land,
Psalm 37:29 The righteous will inherit the land And dwell in it forever.
Psalm 37:34 Wait for the LORD and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land;

It was a promise that the meek would inherit the land. The early readers of the Psalm took it, and rightly so, to be referring to the promised land of Palestine. God was promising to give his faithful people of Israel villages, towns, valleys and mountains where they would prosper.

Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (6:10). The opposition between heaven and earth clearly implies that land/earth refers to the entire earth. The petition anticipates a time when God's plan for the earth itself will be fulfilled finally and completely. This is the blessed earth that Jesus' disciples will inherit.

Meekness in the LXX meant dependence and submission towards God.

How are we to be submitted to God?

1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!

2 For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.

3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.

6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

Wow it is still an issue today!  But how did Israel keep the land in the times of the Kings of Judah? Reading through the books of Chronicles and Kings is telling.  It gives us understanding of what it means to be meek.  To be dependant upon the covenant relationship with God.  Most of the Kings were too strong for God to use.  And they lost "the land" either in part, as other opposing kings took valuable cities from Israel and Judah in battle, or totally, as another king came in and exiled all the people of Judah to Babylon.

2 Chronicles 16: 1 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 2 Then Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the LORD and the king's house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, 3 "There is a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me." 4 And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali. 5 And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and let his work cease. 6 Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.   7 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, "Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. 8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, he gave them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars."

How do you stop from worry? How do you stop from anger? How do you stop yourself from selfish retaliation or an unsubmissive response to abuse or persecution or malice?

Remember God is your Father. Be Submissive to God's Ways Because God is Your Father

God is in Covenant with you, therefore trust Him! God was the Creator of every human being, not just of Israel, but he had not established a covenant relationship with everyone. Only with the people of Israel and Judah. That was the Old Testament. Only Judah and Israel had a covenant relationship with God.  It was only the Jews.  But now the Lord Jesus takes this purely national Israel promise and makes it broader and personal to anyone who grieves over their sins and finds grace from the Lord. The Old covenant: Jews alone!  The New Covenant: to anyone world wide who trusts in Jesus!

God as Father is a term rarely used in the Old Testament.  It is there is Isaiah, but the Lord Jesus developed the term so that we understand under the new covenant in Jesus we are in a better covenant relationship with God. The Lord Jesus brought us to understand the Fatherhood of God the Father.

And this is where we get on with this Beatitude.  We are loved by the Father because of the grace we have received in the Lord Jesus Christ. We as believers who have been poor in spirit and mourned for our sin and received comfort from God have the greatest comfort available, that we should be called the children of God. We have entered into a Father-child relationship with God. That is our new identity! You are no longer just an Aussie just a dutch, just an asian, just a middle easters, just a Europen, you have a greater new identity. You are a child of God!  That which was unknown under the Old Covenant is now made known to us in the Lord Jesus Christ in the New Covenant. And that knowledge of the Fatherly covenant with God changes us. Look out how the Lord Jesus picks up on this idea of reconciliation with God to know Him as Father in the rest of the Sermon on the Mount.

You Can Rest Because Your Father Knows Best

Matthew 6:8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.9 Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 25 Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

You Can Rest Because Your Father Cares Best

Matt7:11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

We live in such a competitive culture that we are taught never to give up, never to give out, and never to give in. There are certainly times when that is great advice, but there is virtue in a totally different way and for a totally different reason to sometimes giving up and giving in. What we are going to learn today is simply put: the way to be in control is to be surrendered to God's control. The way to be surrendered to God is to recognise your new relationship to the Father.  So, a meek person is a person whose will has been broken by the power of God and whose will is totally surrendered to the will of God. A meek person is simply someone who has finally and fully waved the white flag and surrendered all that they are to all that God is.   And because He is our Father who knows and cares for His children best, we can confidently submit ourselves to His control.

A Broader Personal Promise

Surrender To Our Father In  Heaven. 

Conversion is inviting God to transform us and yearning for a complete turnaround, a shift in direction both morally and spiritually. It is not just about what you say, but about the transformation of your heart.  Conversion is not just a one-time decision or a mere commitment; it is a complete surrender to the authority of Christ in your life.  Have you experienced a personal transformation like this? If so, I encourage you to take a moment to express gratitude to the Lord for His saving grace.   If you have not yet taken this step personally, I pray that today will be the day you wholeheartedly surrender your life to Christ and embark on the journey He has planned for you.

Surrender Your Cares to The Father

"Be still before the Lord," commands Psalm 37:7, and verse 11 promises, "The meek will inherit the land." Meekness is the secret of possessing everything. And when you possess everything, you do not have to fret over what others have or what they are doing. King Saul's restlessness was caused by his envy of David, and he literally killed himself chasing David and trying to keep him from getting the crown. Saul's power was not under control, and it destroyed him.

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." What does that mean? Does it mean that meek people escape the difficulties of life? I don't believe so, because Moses was meek and yet he faced one difficulty after another. To answer the question we must go back to Psalm 37, where the original statement is found. The conflict in this psalm is between the righteous and the wicked. (Note the repetition of "the wicked" in verses 10, 12, 14, 20–21, 28, 32, 34–35, 38, and 40.) It appears that the wicked are winning and the righteous are losing. James Russell Lowell phrased it, "Truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne."

What can the righteous do in such a dangerous and difficult situation? Fret? No. God said, "Do not fret because of evil men" (Psalm 37:1). Fight? No. The Lord stands by to protect the righteous and fight their battle for them. "The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble" (v. 39).

Then what should the righteous do? Meekly submit to God's will by trusting in the Lord (v. 3), delighting in the Lord (v. 4), committing their way unto the Lord (v. 5), and resting in the Lord (v. 7).

The result is that they will "inherit the earth," which simply means that they do not have to be afraid of anybody or anything because God is in control of them and their circumstances. To inherit the earth means to reign as king over yourself and your circumstances through the power of the Holy Spirit. "A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace" (vv. 10–11).

When you are meek, you seek nothing for yourself, and when you seek nothing for yourself, God gives you all things. Saul's self-seeking cost him his crown, but David's submission gave him the kingdom. Something else is true: Meekness means power under control, and when you can control yourself, everything belongs to you. If you can reign in peace over the kingdom within you, then God will give you all you need .. you inherit the earth!

King Saul never learned meekness because he always tried to scheme his way out of the difficulties of life. Instead of trials bringing out the best in him, they brought out his worst. And he always had an excuse ready whenever Samuel showed up. But David profited from the trials of life and, in spite of his failures (and we all have them), learned how to be meek. Saul tried to use his own authority to make himself great, but David decided to leave the whole deal with God. God promised, He would do it.

Surrender Your Material Cares To Your Father The meek person is never envious of others because of what they have. "Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked" (Psalm 37:16). "I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread" (Psalm 37:25). The great enemy of meekness is impatience. "Wait for the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land" 34

A Life-Changing Response

 Are you Submitted to God's Word?

James 1: 19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

 Learn of Him With A Repentant Heart  Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness

Learn of Him With A Receptive Heart and receive with meekness the implanted word,

Learn of Him With A Responsive Heart  which is able to save your souls.

Learn of Him With A Reflective Heart  which is able to save your souls.

Are You Submitted to God's Purposes?

James 1: 19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God

1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!

8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

Why does James begin with anger and the Psalmist begins with anger and fretting?

Because when we are under pressure and stress from outside forces we are always tempted to react with anxiety (fretting) or anger.  It is the Flight or Fight Response.

Instead, having drawn our self-worth from our relationship with God as our Father, and knowing that our Father Knows Best and our Father Cares Best, we should respond with trust in the Lord.

Psalm 37: 3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.

CH SPURGEON wrote  "If there should be anybody here who is of an angry spirit, kindly take home these remarks and try to mend that matter, for a Christian must get the better of an angry temper. Little pots soon boil over and I have known some professing Christians who are such very little pots that the smallest fire has made them boil over!  When I hear of anybody losing his temper, I always pray that he may not find it again, for such tempers are best lost. The meek-spirited man may be naturally very hot and fiery, but he has had Grace given to him to keep his temper in subjection. He does not say, "That is my constitution and I cannot help it," as so many do. God will never excuse us because of our constitution–His Grace is given to us to cure our evil constitutions and to kill our corruptions!"

Have you heard the term Donnybrook? A donnybrook in Aussie English comes from the Irish settlers.

Some are always on the alert for some cause of annoyance. An Irishman at Donnybrook Fair, trailed his coat in the dirt, asking for somebody to tread on it,  so that he may have the pleasure of knocking that somebody down!

The truly meek person is humble, gentle, patient, forgiving and contented–the very opposite of the man who is proud, harsh, angry, revengeful and ambitious. It is only the Grace of God, as it works in us by the Holy Spirit, that can make us this meek. It is recognising that our self-worth is not a crown for us to defend.  We have submitted the crown of our life to our Father. If they say.. let them say.  It is not to you to defend yourself.   If you don't defend yourself, then you inherit the earth!

I have felt, when I have been in a meek and quiet spirit, as if everything around me belonged to me. I have  a beautiful view where we are living.  And I didn't have to pay for it.   The farmer across the road paid for it. And I have been very much obliged to him for keeping it just for me to sit on my front verandah and look at it.

If trouble should come, you are in God's hands.  If there should come little aanxieties that cause you to fret and fume, you will not allow yourself to be troubled by them, but will say, "With a little patience, they will all pass away… or I will pass away."  "The meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."

Spurgeon said: "After this earth has been purified by fire. After God shall have burned the works of men to ashes and every trace of corrupt humanity shall have been destroyed by the fervent heat, then shall this earth be fitted up again, and angels shall descend with new songs to sing and the New Jerusalem shall come down out of Heaven from God in all her glory! And then upon this earth, where once was war, there will be quietness and peace! There shall be neither swords nor spears and men shall learn the arts of war no more. The meek shall then possess the land and every hill and valley shall be glad, and every fruitful plain shall ring with shouts of joy, and peace, and gladness throughout the long millennial day!"