Only the Meek

I just wanted to give special greeting to everybody who could not make it today, who had to stay home. We miss you. Wish you were here.

King Nebuchadnezzar, and I've told you this before and you've heard it before, but let's review it again. King Nebuchadnezzar was standing on his balcony, the most powerful man in the world, looking out at everything that was his, everywhere his eye could see. He ruled. He was far more powerful than any president of the United States. They say the president of the United States is the most powerful man in the world. He was nothing compared to Nebuchadnezzar. And Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, the Babylonian mystery religion, the head of gold, who would start a system that would last through the ages until Jesus Christ returns. This day pictures the day when that kingdom comes to an end. And yet it's ironic, it's ironic, that Nebuchadnezzar was standing on his balcony and he said, look at all that I have built. And immediately God struck him down like a brute beast. He grew hair like the feathers of an eagle and claws. He ate grass for years. He was in a stupor. And then God brings him out of that stupor. And in Daniel chapter 4 and I believe verse 37, the king, the beginner, the starter, at least the human beginning, of the Babylonian mystery religion said that there was only one true God and he alone should be worshipped.

Jesus Christ will return to this earth and put an end to the Babylonian mystery religion and the Babylonian system. That symbolizes everything that mankind is trying to do on his own. When we, not just Adam and Eve, when we, the human race, took of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we shook our fist at God and we said, we don't need you to tell us what to do. We'll do it ourselves. And yet we desperately need to do what he tells us to do. We desperately need his opinion on how we should live and react to other people because we do not know the way of peace. And this Babylonian mystery religion is predicted to come to an end. And in Zechariah chapter 14 verses 1 through 4, it talks about this day. Zechariah chapter 14 verse 1, it says, Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst, for I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem, and the city shall be taken. The house is rifled, the women ravished, half the city will go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. God will save certain people, specifically in Jerusalem. What kind of people is he going to save? Who are those people going to be? Now this isn't the church. This is Jerusalem. This is physical Israel. And God is going to save them. Who will he save? Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations as he fights in the day of battle. And in that day, his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives. I've been on the Mount of Olives. I've looked over into Jerusalem. We think of mountains as these humongous, you know. You have to go through a pass, and you don't want to do it in the wintertime, because the snow will trap you, and then it'll be like the Donner Party, and everybody will starve. That's not a mountain in the Middle East, okay? The Mount of Olives is kind of like a Texas foothill. It's big, you know? It'll take the wind out of you if you try to go over it, but you can pretty much do it in a day, and you don't need a pass to go through. You can just go over it. It's the Mount of Olives.

This mount will split in two, which faces Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives will split in two from east to west, making a very large valley. Half the mountain shall move towards the north, and half of it towards the south. And man's rule will finally be put to an end, and mankind will learn peace for the first time. And there will be no doubt who will be in charge. Let's pick up this story now in Revelation 19. Revelation 19 will read verses 19-20.

Who will God save on this day? Revelation 19-19, and I saw a beast. The kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse and against his army. Who is his army? Well, the angels will come with him. Who else? Well, the saints will be with him. Who will they be? Well, everybody who goes to church, right?

And then the beast was captured with the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, and by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of burning fire and burning brimstone. So, we're supposed to be there. We're supposed to be part of this group that comes back with Jesus Christ. What will we be doing? Well, turn your page over to chapter 20, and let's pick it up in verse 4. Revelation 20, verse 4, and I saw thrones and they that sat on them. So, positions of leadership, of responsibility. You don't sit on a throne unless you're responsible for something. And what will you be doing? And judgment was committed to them. You will be making decisions between people. You will be resolving conflict. You will be responsible for making peace. And judgment was committed to them. And I saw the souls. Who are these people? Of those who have been beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received the mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. These people were committed. They were committed to the point of death. Some people would call that extreme. They would simply call that faith. Who are these people? Are we these people? They will have a better resurrection. So, a couple of weeks ago, I went through the sermon talking about the seven trumpets and then the seven last plagues of the seventh trumpet. And we talked about how the entire environment of the earth would be destroyed. That's the environment Jesus Christ returns to on the day that this day pictures. An earth that is destroyed. Rivers and lakes that are destroyed. The oceans are destroyed. The mountains are flat. I don't know if you're going to Colorado this year or not, but enjoy the mountains while you can because they're going away.

And then verse 5, But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. The first resurrection, brethren, that little statement, but the rest of the dead did not live again until, is one of the biggest things that separates us from false Christianity. Now, you would think, well, wait a minute. There's lots of things that separate us from false Christianity. I mean, keeping the law of God, the Sabbath, you know, what else? The Trinity, our differences. Oh, those are way bigger than that statement. No, they're not. That statement, that little statement in Revelation, chapter 20, in verse 4, But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years, because we believe that mankind will be saved for the most part. Whether they be Hindu or Muslim or false Christian. You know, Christians throw darts at each other. If you look out at modern Christianity today, I was in a client's office one time, and he was a prominent member of the community. Quite a wealthy man. And we were talking about music, and I brought up the Mormont Tabernacle Choir. I said, what an awesome choir they have. Great sound, great orchestra. I heard Andrea Bocelli get up with them and do the Lord's Prayer. It was awesome. And he said, yeah, they're really good, but they're all going to hell, you know. Wow! Just out of the blue, he said that. Wow. This separates us, because this is what God is doing. The Sabbath and the law, and all the doctrine that we have, points to this. This is what God is doing. He's making a family. And this is the end of the story, where the family comes about, where it comes into being. But we were called to go first. Some people were called to go first.

And it is a better resurrection. You know, there is some risk involved in going first. There's some persecution involved in going first. A little bit of tribulation, you know, like we just read. Beheading, for example. A little bit of risk. But there's also reward. And God is a very fair God, and there's a great reward. And he calls this a better resurrection. Hebrews 11 and verse 35. Hebrews 11 and verse 35. And women received their dead, raised to life again. But others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. It's a better resurrection. We will be given great responsibility. I know my children just quoted Spider-Man just then, when I said that. With great power comes great responsibility.

1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 13. 1 Thessalonians 4, 13. But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest your sorrow as others who have no hope. I had several conversations with Mr. Hildebrand, who just died. And he wanted to live to see Jesus Christ's return. And I asked him why. And he didn't really have a tangible answer. He just wanted to do it. And I encouraged him that if he lived, if he didn't live, and I did, he was going to see the same thing I saw. I wasn't going to get, you know, any first ticket seat. I was going to sit in the front row, and he was going to be in the back. He said, I know that. And he knew that. He just wanted to live until then. But you know what, brethren? I think that a lot of us here in this room, myself included, may fall asleep before Jesus Christ returns. A lot of things have to happen. Times are bad. Don't get me wrong. In my lifetime, I have never seen the morality of our society so bad. And it's only getting worse. Pretty soon, we're going to have to meet in secret. And say the things that we say, the Word of God. But I've never seen them this bad. But, brethren, God tends to take a country down in steps. If you read in the book of Deuteronomy, the blessings and the cursings, you will notice that Moses explained that God would take ancient Israel down in steps. I will do this, and if you do not repent, then I will do this. And if you do not repent, then I will do this. And it took a long time. Eventually, ancient Israel disobeyed God, and they were taken down, piece by piece. Kind of like leprosy. Just one limb at a time was pulled off. And they never repented, and they went down. But it could take a long time before the tribulation ever starts. And the beast power rise, and the beast power can't be the dominant power on the earth if the United States is the dominant power on the earth. So, we're going down, and it may not be quick, which means we have to teach our children, and we may have to teach our children to teach their children. Maybe not. It's just speculation on my part, but it's based on history, and it's based on what God said in Deuteronomy, and the blessings and cursings. And I see a lot of frowns right now, because, and I get that. I get the frown. It's kind of like three o'clock in the afternoon on the Day of Atonement, right? You're really hungry, and you really want it to be over. And then some joker always makes a wise crack about cheese and crackers. Right then, oh, I could sure go for a cup of coffee. Rumble, grumble, grumble, grumble. I think Mr. Isaac said, don't grumble at each other.

And we want Jesus Christ to return right now! But brethren, we may be one of those who falls asleep. Guess what? We won't miss out on anything. Continuing on, 1 Thessalonians 4, 13. I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. Hey, we have hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus, like Mr. Hildebrand. Like Mary Jo Lomas. Like Manuel Lomas. Like the C-Ligs. Like Don Moore. All those who went before.

We will be reunited with brethren from our past, and brethren from other countries we don't even know, and brethren from other times in which we did not live, and we will all be together at the same time.

But who is going to be with Jesus Christ at his return? Well, everyone in the church, right? No. No. No. Matthew 7, verse 21, at the very end of the Sermon on the Mount, the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus Christ defines Christianity, where he defines what he's doing with his first coming to this earth. Matthew 7, verse 21, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven. But, but, but, I keep the Sabbath. I keep the Holy Days. I don't eat pork.

And some people, I think, it's a matter of, I'm right and God's right, so I think I'll hang out with God. Because, I mean, if we're both right, we should be allies, shouldn't we? And we don't realize, I'm wrong and God is right and I'm so thankful to be with God. And that's a real Christian. What attributes, and specifically what attribute, is God and Jesus Christ looking for in his firstfruits? Who will be in the first resurrection? Who will be with Jesus Christ when he comes back, vanquishes the Babylonian system, and sets up the kingdom of God on the earth for all of eternity? Who will be there? Colossians chapter 3 and verses 9 through 12.

It says who will be there. It says, do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man. Oh, baptized members of the church! That's us! That's you and me. We made that commitment. We made that promise. There's no going back when you make that promise. One time, Jesus Christ died. One time. We accept his sacrifice. One time. And having put on the new man, who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of him who created him, where there's neither Greek nor Jew, there's no ethnic difference when it comes to God. He saw us from the beginning when it was just Adam and Eve and their little pups running around. And he knows we are just the children of Adam and Eve. Oh, and we have so much variety today, which I love. You go to a different country, there's different smells and different foods and different music and different clothing styles and different architecture. It's really neat. Imagine if there was one kind of flower everywhere in the world. Wake up every morning to Edelweiss. Edelweiss, Edelweiss, little white flowers everywhere. I would love it! Absolutely love it! For about a week. And then I would just mow the lawn. Because I'd be used to it, wouldn't I? And that's human nature. But there's not just one kind of flower. Look at the front there, at those flowers. There's tons of them. And wait till the day of atonement. It'll be something different. Hopefully, because I forgot to assign that. But I know Debbie Dove is on it.

Thank you, by the way, for putting those together. It's lovely. Nice. So who will be there?

Whether there's neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free, employers, employees, rednecks, city slicker, doesn't matter. God couldn't care less. He loves variety. What is he looking for? Therefore, as the elect of God, holy, which means special and set apart for a very special purpose, very special, and beloved. We're not just special. We're loved. Who is loved? Well, everybody who goes to church, right? No. We already read. Not everybody who goes to church goes to the kingdom of God. As the elect, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, which we're going to talk about today, and long suffering.

When you eat a sandwich, you have to eat it one bite at a time. When you were a teenager, you didn't have to eat it one bite at a time. Right? Those of you who remember inhaling food, I do. I was skinny as a rail. I could eat a stack of pancakes and all the meat and all the stuff that went with breakfast and eggs. I was still skinny as a rail. Then, I don't know what happened, but I'm not skinny anymore. I don't even eat that much anymore. Anyway, we're going to talk about meekness. One of the attributes that God and Jesus Christ are looking for is meekness. Notice that it says meekness with humility in the same sentence. People easily get humility mixed up with meekness because they're so similar. We actually use those words interchangeably in our language. So, what's the difference between humility and meekness? If someone asks you that question, could you answer it? At the end of the sermon, if you don't conk out because of the heat, you will be able to answer that question. It's important that you know the answer to that question. In fact, it's important you do something with the answer to that question. What's the difference between humility and meekness? Well, that word humility means having a humble opinion of oneself, a deep sense of one's moral littleness, modesty, or lowliness in mind. Humility is inside your head. It's how you think. Do you think highly of yourself? Or are you realistic and realize that you are a very limited human being who is in need of the great God? Humility is in your head. So, what's meekness? Meekness means to be gentle, mild, or meek. How do you define a word with a word and know what it means, right? Gentle, mild, and meek. Well, in other words, meekness is external. It's how you treat other people. Being gentle is how you and I treat each other. Being humble is how we think. Being meek is how we act. It's what we do. Lowliness in mind, that's humility.

Meekness is the external expression of humility. And that's why we get them mixed up and use them interchangeably so often, because they are so similar. But it's an important difference. And we need to know the difference if we're going to be with Jesus Christ, if we're going to be with Jesus Christ at the first resurrection. Paul describes meekness and humility. In a very well-known scripture, we've read it a lot. Philippians 2 and 3.

Philippians 2 and 3. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit. Well, that describes Nebuchadnezzar until he was awakened from being a brute beast. And then the second part described him. But in lowliness of mind, that's humility. Esteem others better than yourself. That's meekness. Putting other people before you is meekness. When you are meek, you are compliant. Let me explain. Men tend to like to be compliant, to a point. Men are hierarchical. Women, not so much. Women are much more creative, much more expressive, and do not tend to march in straight lines following one another. If a woman comes in and sees another woman that has the same dress on, that's a bad thing. If five men walk in the room with the same tie, they give each other high fives, hey, you've got the memo! Men like to march in a straight line. If someone is the chief, the boss, we tend to say, yes, sir, yes, sir, I'll do that right away, sir. That's not meekness. That's male-ness. Why'd you do that? Because he's the boss. When I turn around to people below me, I'm the boss.

And we get all mean and grumpy. That's not meekness. Meekness is compliant. Not self-seeking. But actually willing to comply with what somebody else wants to do. For example, I'm going to blow everybody's dinner plans tonight with this one. I apologize in advance. I've got to say it. You're going to go out to dinner tonight, most likely. And the conversation is going to come up, where do you want to go to eat? And somebody's going to say Mexican. Somebody's going to say Middle Eastern. Somebody's going to say Indian. Somebody's going to say whatever. Steak.

Right? And then a debate will ensue. Well, I don't like steak. It doesn't digest well. Well, I don't like Mexican. It's too hot and spicy on my tongue. I can't do that. Well, maybe we should just go out to eat separately. All right. You know what? Be compliant. Let the other person have their way. If you can't digest Mexican food, I bet they have chicken on the menu. Just go. If you can't do steak, I bet they have chicken on the menu. Just go. Be compliant. You know what, though, brethren? That's kindergarten. That's Christianity. That's kindergarten Christianity.

Meekness is also patient. You know, God is incredibly patient. If God wasn't patient, there would be a lot of lightning strike marks all over the earth. And not that many people. Because every time we sinned, boom, we'd be gone. How many of you know somebody who's even been struck by lightning?

Less than 10 percent. I guarantee you, more than 10 percent of us have sinned. Guarantee it. God is so patient. People don't change immediately. And when we have conflict with each other, are we patient? Are we meek? Do we put their needs first? Realizing that even after they apologize, they're going to do it again? Oh, that means the apology wasn't sincere.

No, it doesn't. It means they're human. And so are you. And so am I. Trust me, I know. I've apologized a lot and still done the same thing. We need to be patient. Who's going to be with Jesus Christ teaching the remnant, those people who managed to survive all that goes on at the end time? Just that last plague, just that last bowl of the seventh trumpet. Remember the earthquake with the hail? There's no surviving that unless God intervenes. Okay? The whole earth shakes.

So you think, well, I'll get under this rock. No, because splat! Anybody goes underneath anything is goner. There's no such thing as a safe room when that earthquake goes off, right? But then you think, well, I just won't get under anything.

One hundred pound hail coming down all over the planet. And God is just saying, I have had enough of this. Boom! The only way you survive that. I mean, the oceans are already destroyed. The fresh water is already destroyed. You can barely breathe because of all the catastrophe that's gone up in the atmosphere. And now there's earthquakes and hail at the same time. Only a meek and humble people will be left on the face of the earth, and barely any of those.

Who is God going to trust to teach them? Oh, people who come to church and keep the Sabbath. That's not enough. That's not what God's looking for. I mean, that's first grade kindergarten level. That's easy. Meekness? That's hard. That takes God's intervention. This is where the rubber meets the road. A meek person is peaceful even when provoked. And that's the key here.

A peacemaker is meek. The outward expression of humility. The outward expression of, I'm not the most important thing on this planet. All right? You matter, too. And if that's your opinion, we're going to do it your way. If it doesn't go against Jesus Christ, we'll try it your way. There's a hundred ways to do just about everything. And your way might actually be quicker and save time, cheaper and save money, but somebody else really has their heart set on doing it slower and more expensively. And you know what? It won't break the bank. And they're more important than money and time. So you do it their way. And then they come around in time when you're with them and you're cooperating with them, and they're now open to suggestion.

Because there's peace between you two, they might learn a thing or two from you. They won't learn anything from you if you just squabble and fight. Who's going to be there? People who are peaceful even when provoked. You know, I learn by watching somebody else do something. Some people can just read a book and then they just learn it, you know?

Which is great. Good on you. I can read the book and go, makes sense, but I sure would like to see it in action. I sure would like to see an example. You're going to tell me how to fix a bicycle tire. Okay? The spokes are all broken, the inner tubes popped and all that. I need to know how to put new spokes on and do it. Now, I can read it, right? But I'd much rather go on YouTube and watch somebody do it.

So I want to go through some examples of meekness. I want to show you today meekness in action. This is what God's looking for. This is who will be with Jesus Christ when he returns. Meekness in action. Example number one. Moses was a very meek man. In Numbers 12 and verse 3, it says, Now Moses was a very meek above all the men which were on the face of the earth.

Moses was a hothead. Moses struck a rock instead of talking to it and was disqualified from entering into the promised land, the land flowing with milk and honey, for everybody but Moses. Because he had a temper. You remember when he saw the Egyptian beating the Israelite? What he did to him? He beat him to death. This is Moses we're talking about. But that was much, much earlier. Now, Moses did some changing. And Moses actually learned to put other people in front of him. Moses was not only humble, but he actually put his humility into action.

And we can look at what he did and do the same. And this first example is family conflict. Because we have conflict with the people we're around the most. Right? That's who we have conflict with. People we have the opportunity to have conflict with. And that is family. Family conflict. Moses faced that.

The reason I'm giving this sermon isn't so that you'll know what meekness is. Because meekness is not something you can just know. And it's good enough. Meekness has to be done. It has to be who you are. It has to be put into action. Look at what Moses did. Watch his reaction. His reactions are remarkable when you really think about what happened. His reactions are not the normal human reactions. Certainly not my reaction.

Probably not yours. We have to live this and put it into action. Example number one. Family disputes. Numbers 12.

We're getting pretty far along in the Exodus here when we drop into Numbers 12. Things are getting a little frustrating. Okay? We're walking around in the desert or the wilderness. It's not always desert, but it is always wilderness. And it's not really comfortable. And there's no Starbucks. And all the thing we have to eat is manna. So there is no debate. Are we going to eat Greek tonight or Indian? No, we're eating manna. And it's getting frustrating. And Miriam and Aaron, well, they let it slip a little bit. They let things get to them a little bit. And in Numbers 12 and verse 1, it says, And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses. Family conflict. I'm sick of that guy. Happens a lot when there's high stress. Right? What do we do? Start blaming each other. Start hitting each other. Family conflict. And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman who he had married. I think that was just an excuse. I think that was just an excuse. How dare you marry an Ethiopian woman? Where Levites, from the tribe of Levi, he should have married a good Levite woman, settled down and had six kids, married an Ethiopian woman. I think that was just an excuse. I think they were really stressed out. That's what they were. But this was rebellion. For... And verse 2. And they said, Has the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Has he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it. God heard Aaron and Miriam squawking against Moses. How would you have felt if you were Moses? You know, you weren't having the best day either. You were walking in the same sandals day after day after day, and you got to hear most of the gripes. Most of the griping that went on made its way to Moses' ear. Every day. And it's getting old. And all of a sudden, your sister and your brother turn on you. How would you feel?

I know how I would feel. I know how I would have reacted. And it wouldn't have been what Moses did. But he did this. He put meekness into action. He put his humility into action. He was the meekest man on the earth. And you know, Miriam and Aaron weren't wrong. God did speak through both of them. Both in Exodus and Leviticus, we see that God spoke through Aaron, not just Moses. And in Exodus 15 and verse 20, it calls Miriam a prophetess. You know what that means? God spoke through her. They were actually right. So what was wrong with what they said? Well, it was God who put Moses in charge. Moses didn't put Moses in charge. He didn't even volunteer for it. In fact, when he was told to do it, he tried to get out of it. This wasn't rebellion against Moses. It was rebellion against God. But you know what? It probably really hurt Moses' feelings. Probably really hurt his feelings. And in verse 3, is where it says, he was the meekest man on the earth. Why does it say that, right in the middle of this little story? Well, God was displeased, so he called him out to the tent. Remember, God moved the tent out of the camp. He was tired of hearing the grumbling. So now the tent of meeting is outside the camp. And Moses and Aaron and Miriam have to traipse outside the camp to the tent to go meet the principal, because they're in trouble. And God is very displeased.

And then, God told him that it was him who put Moses in charge. And since Miriam was the one who led the rebellion, and Aaron just went along with it, like Aaron often went along with bad things, like, remember the golden calf incident? Here's Aaron doing it again, going along with the popularity thing. Doesn't want to ruffle any feathers. So God gives Aaron a pass, but he strikes Miriam with leprosy. And this is amazing. In verse 13, just as soon as God does that, what is Moses' reaction? So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, please heal her. O God, I pray. His immediate reaction was to take care of the other person. Sister, he loved her. He realized life was bigger than him. He didn't live just inside himself in a little bubble, and it was all about him. His immediate, he didn't think about it. His immediate reaction was the care and concern for her. So God honored his meekness, and only made her stay out for seven days. And then she was allowed to be cleaned. She came back into the camp, and they moved on.

How do we handle family conflicts? How do we handle it? Would family members displease us? Do we go behind their backs and try to work out our own way? Do we get in their face and have conflict? Or do we settle it down? Are we meek?

We will likely need to do a better job than we're doing. If we're going to be in the day that this day represents, we're going to have to overcome quite a bit. Because remember, in Matthew 7, verse 21, Jesus Christ said, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will be in the Kingdom of Heaven. God honored Moses' request and honored his meekness. Okay, example number two. Meekness in action. This time, we're still in the Exodus, and it's still Moses. But you know what? Moses didn't always keep a cool head. But from that point forward, he was always meek. And it's not always required, when you're meek, to be weak. Meekness does not mean be a doormat. It means be concerned for other people over yourself. Moses actually gets really angry in this next example. And I want you to notice what he does when he's angry. How does meekness work, even when anger is appropriate?

We're to be peacemakers, even when we have conflict. What was Moses' reaction when Korah rebelled? Okay, here's the backstory. They had sent the spies in, and they came back and they said, there's giants in the land, we can't take it. They had no faith, except for Caleb and Joshua. Well, the only two spies that gave the good report. And then, God said, you're going to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, and your bones are going to be scattered out here. So they said, we're not going to take that judgment. And they went and they tried to take the hill that belonged to the sons of Esau. Only God gave that hill to the sons of Esau. So they whooped the Israelites. And so now, they can't go into the land filled with milk and honey. They're condemned to wander in the desert for 40 years, and die, which they don't want to do. And they're fed up. They want a new plan. So they hold a vote.

So in this vote, they tell Moses, we don't want you anymore. We're going to appoint Korah and all of these men of renown who have led us all these years. These are the great men of Israel, and they're going to lead us back to Egypt.

So Moses does the meek thing, and he calls for a meeting. All right? Let's meet about it, and we'll solve it. But two guys won't come to the meeting. Dathan and Abiram. Let's pick it up. Numbers 16, verses 12-14. I don't blame Dathan and Abiram for not coming to the meeting. They weren't idiots. They knew their life was in danger here at this point. All right? They were really angry with God, not with Moses. But but they were taking it out on Moses. And Moses sent Numbers 16, verses 12, and called Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliyev, but they said, We will not come up. Is it a small thing that you've brought us? And they start accusing Moses. Right? Congregational conflict. Is it a small thing you brought us out of the land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? Okay, that's what God did. So they're not accusing Moses, are they? They're blaming God. Brethren, we do this. Same thing. So don't judge Nathan and Abiram. Judge yourself. When you get into trial, do you tend to blame human leaders or other people? Or are you meek? Do you live outside your own little bubble? Well, Nathan and Abiram did not. So they start accusing Moses of the things God did. Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of the land of flowing with milk and honey? Now, at this point, they're referring to Egypt. They're not referring to the Promised Land, because there's giants out there. To kill us in the wilderness, that you should keep acting like a prince over us? Acting like a prince? He was appointed. They should have read a few chapters back when Miriam had leprosy. Oh, wait! They saw that!

This was a major rebellion against Moses. Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up. We're not coming to your stupid meeting.

They're the ones who wouldn't go into the Promised Land. God is the one who told them they would wander for 40 years. So they decided to take a vote and get rid of Moses. And after all, they were all holy. They were all the special people of God.

Brethren, the meek follow God. Korah and his followers are a type of people in the church. They were a symbol of people in the congregation of God. And they didn't like how things were going, because things didn't seem to be going their way. And it was their fault. But they decided just to blame each other. I'm going to blame Moses. They knew good and well it was God they were blaming. Not Moses. And I'm not talking about rebellion today. I'm talking about meekness today. This isn't about Korah or Dotham and Abiram. This story is about Moses and his reaction to all of this.

The meek follow God. The low in mind are teachable. In other words, when we're Christian, the ones who will stand with Jesus Christ on the Mount of Olives ask themselves, what's God's opinion? And they do God's opinion. Whatever his opinion is, that's what they do. Psalms 25 and verse 9. The meek are teachable. Psalm 25 and verse 9. The meek he will guide in judgment. We can be guided. If our opinion is different than God's opinion, we move to God's opinion. And the meek he will teach his way. And we're starving for his word. We're starving for his opinion on what to do, what to think, how to treat other people.

Korah's rebellion made Moses very, very angry. How did he react when he got appropriately angry? This is a critical point. Numbers 16 and verse 15. Notice! Numbers 16 verse 15. Then Moses was very angry. And he took out his sword, and he chopped off their heads. No! What did he do? And Moses was very angry. And he said to the Lord, he prayed! His gut reaction when people got in his face was to pray. But this time, Moses didn't pray that they be okay. Why? What was the difference? Well, Miriam was his sister, and Korah wasn't. Right? No. That's not the difference. The difference is, Korah was going to lead people away from God. He was going to tear apart ancient Israel. Some stay with Moses, some go with Korah. They're no longer a special people. So that the next generation, which was going to go into the Promised Land, would have never made it. This was actually a threat to the plan of salvation. Moses knew that. Moses was angry by that. And Moses didn't take it out on them. He prayed. This is meekness. Moses had learned a thing or two at this point. Then Moses was angry, and he said to the Lord, Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I hurt one of them. I have never cheated any one of these men, he said. And they're going to bring an offering to you, trying to take charge. Please don't let them do that. Now, what would be the motivation for Moses to pray that prayer? He was still looking out for ancient Israel. He was still trying to protect his people. Now the threat to his people was coming from within. So he asked God to remove that threat. But he was still being meek. He didn't lose it. He didn't go off the chain. He still was protecting his people. He was still thinking outside of himself. So God kills Korah and his followers, opened the ground up, swallowed them whole. We know all of that, right? Then what happened? Very next day, the whole congregation of Israel, hundreds of thousands, maybe more than a million people, congregate and start walking towards Moses. And what do they do? They start waving their fingers in his face. Why did you kill Korah and all of our leaders? Blaming Moses for what God did. I mean, they were all standing there. Moses didn't have one of those little TNT plungers and go, and the ground opened up. They saw the hand of God with their own eyes. They knew better than to blame God, so they blamed Moses. God knew what they were doing, so he sent a plague, and they just started dropping in lines. The plague just started going through the crowd, and they were just dying. One, two, three, four. Thousands of them were dying. Aaron immediately picks up his censor and runs into the crowd to stand in between the plague and the people. What did Moses do? He immediately fell flat on his face and prayed to God to save his people. What do you do when people get in your face and they wave their finger at you and they're angry with you because you did so-and-so and such-and-such and you are a foul, foul, filth, foul? Bill Cosby. I love that guy. He's funny. What do you do? What do I do? I remember what I used to do and still do a little bit.

When I was in high school, I was a skinny little kid. I know you can't imagine that, but I was. I was a skinny little-I didn't intimidate anybody. Nobody was afraid of me until they started to squabble with me because I went to public school. And when the teachers went around, the biggest guy on the field ruled the field. And if he wanted you to do something, you either did it or you got it. I remember one time I was just standing around minding my own business and this football player, varsity football player, guy was huge! Really tall, really stocky. I was the same height I am now, skinny as a rail. Let me tell you what. He got in my face, he backed off. He was intimidated by me, and he didn't think I was all that tough. But he was pretty sure I was crazy.

He was pretty sure he did not want to get a hold of me. That's not what God's looking for. That's not meekness. That's not the reaction. That's our normal reaction. That's what we do when people get in our face and we have conflict with people. And that is not what God is looking for. Moses, when people were waving their finger in his face, fell down on his face and prayed for them. That's who we'll be with Jesus Christ when he returns.

Last example.

Jesus Christ himself. I don't have time. We could go through tons of these examples, but it's hot and we need to wrap it up, so we'll just do one more. Jesus Christ is a study in meekness. I mean, he wasn't weak. He was weak. Anybody could come up to him and challenge him on the Word of God and he would send them away speechless and not knowing what to say. He kicked people out of the temple and they ran.

But when it came to personal abuse, he did not revile back. He was peace in human form. God with us. And when he was crucified and he was beaten and spat upon, he had gone through a mock trial. And even during that trial, he made some great legal points, if you understand Jewish law. While he was being beat by the Sanhedrin, he was shaming them with their own law.

And then brought before the crowd with Pilate and they yelled, Crucify him and they beat him and they mocked him and they scourged him. And finally, he's nailed to the post and they're getting ready to divide up his clothes and cast lots for them for who will get his clothes because this is a real famous guy being killed here and I want a piece of the action. Not caring what they were doing to him. He cared about them. And that is meekness in action. And that's what he wants in us. That is who will be in the first resurrection. Not people who go to church, but people who live it. Luke 23, verse 34. Jesus being nailed to the cross. They're making fun of him. They're telling him to bring himself down. But that wasn't his purpose for being up there. His purpose for being up there was to die for you and me. And so he said, verse 34, then Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. And they divided his garments and cast lots.

Can you do that yet?

I get concerned about some of us that we probably think we can. And yet I watch, and those people don't necessarily lack conflict in their life.

Brethren, they were putting him to death, and he asked them to not be charged with it. And he asked for us to not be charged with it. Can you do that? Can I do that? Do you know that we have to be able to do that?

If we want to be a first fruit. He was the perfect model of meekness. Humility in action. What is the reward for those who are meek? Well, Psalm 37 and verse 11. You can also read this in Matthew chapter 5, in the Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount. Psalm 37, 11. But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. If you're going to be with Jesus Christ at the first resurrection, you better know how to make peace.

Only the meek will be left on the earth. In Isaiah 11 and verse 4, it says, But with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth. So he's going to preserve the meek of the earth, but continuing on, he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, with the breath of his lips, and he shall slay the wicked. The only people who will be left on the earth when Jesus Christ returns are a meek group of people. Who's he going to trust to lead and judge those people? Only a meek group of people!

Why is meekness so important? Because God says it is. That should be enough right there. Because God says it is. Zephaniah chapter 3 and verse 12. I will leave in your midst a meek and humble people. And what do a meek and humble people do? They shall trust in the name of the Lord. Whatever God's opinion is, that's what we do. We don't work things out ourselves, our own way, for our own benefit. But rather, we trust the Lord. Because he said, the meek shall inherit the earth. And we believe him, and we are going to practice putting other people first, letting their opinion rule. My opinion, just not that big of a deal. I read the first part of Matthew chapter 7 and verse 21, but I didn't finish it. Let's go back and finish there. Matthew chapter 7 and verse 21. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven. But he who does the will of my Father in heaven. And God's will is that we are not proud and haughty and self-seeking but meek. Which means the outward expression of humility that's inside. Taking care of other people. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? Cast out demons in your name and done many wonders in your name? Now, I know I've gone through this before, but we need to hear it again.

You know why? You know what really strikes me about that question? These people were in the church! These people followed the Lord. They preached in His name. They cast out demons in His name. These were followers of Jesus Christ, and they're not in the kingdom.

You know what that tells me?

That some of us are unaware of the fact that we're not really Christians. Which is alarming to me, which is why I'm sounding the alarm on the day of trumpets, the day of alarms. We should be alarmed. And I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness. What is lawlessness? It is the opposite of meekness. Lawlessness means I reach up to that tree, and I pull the fruit off of that tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and I do things my way. There is no law that tells me what to do. I get my way, I do my way, I make other people do my way. It's my way or the highway. That's lawless. A meek and humble people are teachable, and compliant, and gentle. They treat other people better than themselves. The lawless, they go to church too. They keep the Sabbath. They even preach in the name of Jesus Christ, and sometimes they even cast demons out in His name. And they're shocked that they're not in the Kingdom when He comes. When He comes to the earth, they say, what about me? And He says, I never knew you.

Brethren, that is not the time to be asking the question. The time is now. Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, does them. Action! You have to do this. It's not enough for you to go, yeah, that was a good sermon. Yeah, we learned about meekness today. What's for dinner?

And then have him say, I never knew you. You can research, I never knew you. It means you don't have the Holy Spirit. I don't have time to go into that. We can do that later in another sermon. But if He doesn't know you, you don't have the Holy Spirit. It doesn't mean He doesn't know who you are. He doesn't know your personality, your likes, your dislikes. He knows you. It means you're not converted. It means when you were baptized, you just took a bath. That's all that happened, because you really didn't mean it.

But you still have time.

Therefore, whoever hears these things of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who build his house on a rock. And the rains descended, and they will come. And the floods came, and they will come. And the winds blew and beat on the house. And it did not fall. For it was founded on the rock, and only the meek are founded on the rock. Brethren, not everyone who says to Jesus Christ, Lord, Lord, will be in the kingdom of heaven. But we can. You and I can. It's a learning process. And you know what? We're supposed to be patient with other people. God's patient with us. God wants us to succeed. He gives us these words that we read today in Zechariah, in Zephaniah, in the Psalms, in the New Testament and the Old Testament. He gives us the prophecies that we've read over the past couple of months to help us along the way. He knows it's not an instantaneous change. He knows that, you know, I've grown a little bit from that guy who put on the crazy act in front of that football player, and I'm not that guy anymore, but I'm not Jesus Christ either. Nor am I Moses. Nor am I close. And he knows that. And he works with us. We have to be willing. We have to have humility inside, and we have to start being meek. Putting that humility into action on the outside. That's who will be in the kingdom of God. That's who will be with Jesus Christ when he returns. The meek shall inherit the earth.