The Sermon on the Mount, Part 2

Well, brethren, do you want to be sure that your spiritual house is built on a very firm foundation upon the rock Jesus Christ? Do you want to be sure that your spiritual house will not seriously waver and certainly not fall, no matter how difficult the times become? Well, then it only makes good sense to study the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Chief Cornerstone, our foundation, the head of the Church of God. It only makes good sense to read and study what he had to say in the Sermon on the Mount. So we are continuing in the series on the Sermon on the Mount. This is the second part today. We do need to take to heart Christ's words what he said on this particular occasion. And in fact, we know that it was really a compilation of his teaching throughout the three and a half year ministry that Matthew, Mark and Luke put together. They put down so that we would understand the core of Christ's teaching. So here we're going to find instructions. We're going to find words from the Word of God and the foundation upon which we are to build our spiritual house, our spiritual temple. So last time in Part 1, we saw why we ought to listen to and read and also heed the words of Jesus Christ that were spoken on the Mount. We established the credibility as the very Son of God as we went through the first four chapters of Matthew. We saw many parallels between Jesus and Moses. And of course, Moses was greatly revered by the children of Israel. We saw how Jesus is the prophet that Moses spoke about that was to be like unto him. We saw that Jesus was indeed a son of David and a son of Abraham and that he was totally unique. Jesus Christ is definitely one of a kind. So Jesus taught his disciples repeatedly during his three and a half year ministry. He taught them to live by the instructions that we're going to be going through in the next several weeks, maybe a couple of months. I don't know. It's going to take a while to get through this, especially here in Lawton since I don't come as often. But that's time well spent as we study the fundamental teachings, the greatest teachings of Jesus Christ. It is an amazing compilation that is put together for us. In this particular sermon, he speaks of great blessings upon his followers in spite of the persecution that they will need to endure as his followers. He also speaks of the importance of the example that his followers to set in a dark world. So we are descended from our Father, conceived of the Holy Spirit. You know, Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit. God is our Father just as he was Jesus Christ's Father. And we are made in his image, made in the likeness of God.

So we are to be his followers in this dark world that we live in. Dark in many respects because the Scripture tells us that Satan is the God of this world. And we await a time when Jesus Christ will rule and reign. We look forward to the Feast of Trumpets that we'll be observing in just a couple of days that pictures the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the government and the kingdom of God here upon the earth. And Christ will rule and reign for a thousand years. We are to be his followers so that we may rule along with him in his kingdom. So it is important that we do follow him and we follow his instructions today.

In the Sermon on the Mount, we see that Christ upholds the law of God. In fact, he magnifies the law of God. He shows the New Covenant application of the Spirit of the law that goes well beyond the letter of the law. Yes, we are to keep the letter of the law, but we are to go beyond that. It's even more binding when we consider the Spirit of God's law.

Also, Christ upholds the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman. He doesn't say a whole lot about marriage, but he does have a little bit to say in the Sermon on the Mount. He speaks about how we are to treat our fellow man, even our enemies.

He also speaks of the importance of prayer and fasting and how we ought to long for his coming kingdom. All of this is covered in the Sermon on the Mount. He speaks of trusting in him and his father and also not worrying about the difficulties of this age in life. He speaks of our focus and how we truly do need to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. He speaks further of how to treat one another and the importance of humbling ourselves in all of our relationships. He speaks of persistence and how to approach him and how to approach his father and how to please them. He speaks of our need to be aware of false prophets and teachers and how to recognize them. He tells us to build our house upon the rock. Again, our spiritual house that needs to be built on the teachings of Jesus Christ. So, frankly, most everything we really need to know is covered in the Sermon on the Mount. So, after we're finished, you should all be perfect. And, well, maybe not perfect, but moving toward perfection.

Now, Daniel Webster says that beatitude means a state of utmost bliss. A state of utmost bliss. Every one of the beatitudes has the same general form. Blessed are. Blessed are. Blessed are. Well, Jesus spoke to beatitudes not in Greek, certainly not in English, but he spoke in Aramaic, the modern Hebrew of the day. Aramaic and Hebrew have a very common kind of expression, which in fact is an exclamation. It's not just a statement, but it's an exclamation which means, oh, the blessedness of. And that's what this expression that's been shortened in English to blessed are means. It's, oh, the blessedness of. It's an exclamation. So, the beatitudes are not simple statements, but they are indeed exclamations. And we should look at them as exclamations. William Barclay says on page 88 of his first volume of his commentary on Matthew, and I quote from Barclay, he says, that is important, talking about how the beatitudes are exclamations. It's important, for it means that the beatitudes are not pious hopes of what shall be. They are congratulations on what is. The blessedness which belongs to the Christian is not a blessedness which is postponed to some future world of glory. It is a blessedness which exists here and now. So, I think it's oftentimes easy to look at the beatitudes as something that will be fulfilled later on. And certainly, there is truth to that. They will be fulfilled later on in God's Kingdom, but they're also exclamations of what we can enjoy now as God's followers, as the disciples of Christ, those who put into practice these things and tell us how blessed we truly are by doing these things.

So, Barclay concludes by saying, it is not something into which the Christian will enter, it is something into which he has entered. So, these are blessings that we can enjoy today, right now. So, that's how we should approach the beatitudes as exclamations of what God is doing right now in our lives, as his disciples, as his followers, who are putting his teachings into practice in our lives. Of course, again, they do speak of a future, greater fulfillment as well.

So, we'll talk about both as we go through the beatitudes. A Christian may rejoice now, in spite of his sufferings in this age, as he has God on his side and in his heart, also in his mind. Where to put on the mind of Christ, where to learn to think like he thinks. And, of course, we know that Christ says he will never leave us nor forsake us, and the Father will never leave us nor forsake us. So, let's go to Matthew 5. Last time, we noticed that Jesus sat down, and he also spoke up, again showing that this is something important for us to listen to and to heed in our lives. So, in Matthew chapter 5, verse 3, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Now, of course, we know we haven't yet attained the kingdom of heaven, so certainly that's a future fulfillment. But those who are poor in spirit will also reap benefits of a follower of Christ, because there are blessings for obedience and faithfulness, and those blessings will come our way if we are indeed poor in spirit. So, what does it mean to be poor in spirit? We'll cover that in just a moment. Let's talk, first of all, about the word blessed or blessed. This is the Greek word makarios, and it basically means blessed or happy.

This is a word that is used of God himself, the happy God. He's referred to as the happy God. Now, that doesn't mean that God is always happy. There are times, I'm sure, when he's not so happy. But overall, he's generally a very happy being, just like hopefully you're a happy person. Most of the time, you're happy, I would hope. Some people are happier than others. It is important to be happy. If we can be happy, that's better than being sad all the time.

So, God is referred to as a blessed or happy God, and certainly that is the case.

Also, there's a country that was called the Happy Isle. It's the country of Cyprus. Have any of you ever been to Cyprus?

Anybody? No, I haven't either. I'd like to go because it's the Happy Isle.

I like being happy, and this reminds me of Hawaii. I think Hawaii is also the Happy Isle. That's a beautiful place. I love Hawaii. Well, Cyprus was known as the Happy Isle because of its great beauty, its fertility, its climate. It is also rich in natural resources, and a person would never need to go beyond its coastlines to enjoy the perfectly happy life. That's what Barclay says about the Happy Isle. So, that reminds me of Hawaii. If you've never been to Hawaii and you can go, by all means, you'll be happy you went. Now, on page 89 of William Barclay's commentary on the book of Matthew, he says, McCario's describes the joy that has its secret within itself. That joy which is serene and untouchable and self-contained, that joy which is completely independent of all the chances and changes of life. You know, life can change quite a bit, can it? Like, in a second. Life can change dramatically in just a few seconds.

The English word happiness gives its own case away, Barclay says, because it contains the root hap, H-A-P, which means chance. Human happiness is dependent upon the chances and the changes of life. Something which life may give and which life may also destroy. The circumstances of our lives can change dramatically very quickly. The Christian blessedness is completely untouchable and unassailable, so there should be a difference between someone who is truly a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, and just the average person who doesn't believe in Christ or doesn't believe in God, doesn't have faith in God, doesn't trust God.

Berkeley says, the beatitudes speak of that joy which seeks us through our pain.

That joy which sorrow and loss and pain and grief are powerless to touch. That joy which shines through tears in which nothing in life or death can take away. Now, that only comes from someone who really believes that God never leaves us nor forsakes us. Even in our darkest hours, we can take great comfort in knowing that God is there because God is referred to as the God of all comfort. God will comfort us no matter what the loss if we just lean on Him and look to Him, look to His Son. In John 16, verse 22, Jesus Christ said, and you now have sorrow, but I will see you again and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man takes from you. Jesus Christ knew that He was going to be laying His life down for mankind. He knew this would be a sorrowful time for His disciples, but He also knew that there was a joy that would come once a person truly accepts Christ as their Savior. There is a joy that cannot be taken away from us no matter what happens, and it will sustain us through very difficult and dark, dark times. Barkley, on page 90 of his commentary, says, the greatness of the beatitudes is that they are not wistful glimpses of some future beauty, they are not even golden promises of some distant glory, they are triumphant shouts of bliss for a permanent joy that nothing in the world can ever take away. So I hope we'll remember that when we read the beatitudes in the future.

The expression, poor in spirit, means a lot of things. It means someone who is humble, someone who is dependent, who depends upon God, someone who is vulnerable, someone who has teachable attitudes, someone who is not haughty, not proud, not arrogant, not boastful. This is all a part of being poor in spirit. The Believer's Bible commentary says this in regard to poor in spirit. It says, this does not refer to natural disposition, but to one's own deliberate choice and discipline. To be poor in spirit is a choice. It is a choice on how you are going to live your life, how you are going to look at life, the approach that you are going to take to life. The poor in spirit are those who acknowledge their own helplessness. I'm back to the Believer's commentary now. The poor in spirit are those who acknowledge their own helplessness and rely on God's omnipotence. They sense their spiritual need and they find it supplied in the Lord. The kingdom of heaven, where self-sufficiency is no virtue and self-exaltation is a vice, belongs to such people. The kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are poor in spirit. We will certainly inherit God's kingdom if we are truly poor in spirit. Now, there are two words in the Greek that are often translated poor in English.

The Greek word for poor in this verse, this beatitude, is not the one that speaks of someone who is poor but still has the bare bones and necessities of life. This word is not speaking of the person who has very little but he has enough. It's not speaking of one who has food, water, and shelter enough to survive. That Greek word that means all of those things is the word p-e-n-e-s and it is used to describe the working man who has no extras, but he's not destitute. He's poor but not destitute. He has what he absolutely needs. He doesn't have extras, but he has what he needs. But this word, the word that is used here, is the Greek word p-t-o-c-h-o-s. Remember, there were two words that mean poor in the Greek. This is the Greek word p-t-o-c-h-o-s. It is used here and it means absolute abject poverty.

Absolute abject poverty, one who has nothing at all. So it's important to understand the Greek word that is used here. It's not the typical word for poor that we think of. This is abject poverty type poorness. Christ is saying that the person who is poor in spirit is one who realizes that his abject absolute poverty is that which is apart from God. In other words, one who is poor in spirit realizes that without God he is nothing. He is totally nothing. This is the person who has learned to truly depend and rely upon God, one who has great faith in God but understands his own spiritual weakness apart from God. And I don't know if any of us have actually gotten there yet. It's a journey. To be poor in spirit means to be completely devoid of pride. And how many of us are completely devoid of pride? I don't think I'm looking at anyone who's completely devoid of pride and I know you're not looking at anyone who's completely devoid of pride. So this is something that we are to strive for. We want to become this way and we are on our way. We're a whole lot better hopefully now than we once were. Hopefully we've learned a lot about just how poor we truly are.

So Christ is saying that one who is truly poor in spirit realizes his abject absolute poverty apart from God. Without God we truly are nothing. We should not rely upon ourselves because we will fail ourselves oftentimes. Now we might be able to do some things but the really important things we need God's help with. So there is great strength in the power of God's Holy Spirit. So such a person who is poor in spirit realizes that there is great strength in the power of God's Holy Spirit that dwells within them. Blessed is the man who realizes his own utter weakness and helplessness apart from God. Even physically, our health could be taken away in an instant from an accident, a disease, or even perhaps deliberate violence against us.

So blessed is the man who looks to God at all times and in every way. At all times and in every way. That's really how we need to live our lives. Putting God first in our life and relying upon him.

This does not mean a man who will not act. We can't expect God to do everything. That's not what I'm saying. But whatever we do, we do with our might and we do it in a way that would be pleasing to God. And we want God to work in us and to help us do the work that we're striving to do. So if we have a right goal and we are trusting in God to help us accomplish that goal, then most likely we will be able to accomplish it with God's help. So this does not mean that blessed are the poor who live in squalor and physical poverty. That's not what this is talking about. Poverty is really not a good thing, is it? Maybe only if it helps humble you and turn you to God, then it could be perhaps a good thing for a short while. But it's not really a wonderful thing. God desires that we prosper and be in good health. That's what the scripture tells us, that God wants us to prosper and be in good health. One who doesn't have enough to eat and drink is not going to be in very good health.

So that's not a blessed state of being, being abjectly poor, destitute, spiritually yes, but not physically. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, many others in the Bible had great physical blessings. No, God did bless them physically in many ways. They weren't physically poor, the people that I just mentioned. David says, in fact, that he never saw a righteous man begging bread. Typically, we don't... we're not going to need to beg bread if we're righteous people applying the laws of God. We're going to be blessed for that. God is going to grant us many blessings.

It was the spiritual reliance upon God that made these people great. They relied upon God spiritually. Abraham was a man of faith, the father of the faithful. David was a man after God's own heart. Even though he was a king and had great wealth and riches, he humbled himself and relied upon God. So blessed is the man and the woman who is poor in spirit and relies completely upon God's strength and power in him to sustain him at all times, for he shall indeed enter into God's eternal kingdom.

So let's all strive to be poor in spirit.

In verse 4 of chapter 5, it says, blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Those who mourn will be comforted. This is a promise. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

That doesn't mean we won't have to be patient.

It doesn't mean we won't have to be faithful as we wait on God and know that he will comfort us and restore us.

There are some truly grievous trials in life, aren't there? The death of a child, for example, the death of a loved one, the death of a mate, a brother or a sister. These things are devastating in our lives. Those who we love, if something happens to them, if they're taken away from us, if they die, we're certainly going to mourn their death. But we can trust that God will comfort us. Of course, we have to seek that comfort and we have to go to God for that comfort. Sometimes people tend to pull away from God. They become angry with God. Obviously, that's not the right approach. That might happen to us. It might happen to you. It might happen to me. So we shouldn't be quick to judge others who go through such trials. But if that person is patient and persists, eventually they will be comforted, even through their anger. Sometimes, you know, that is a phase that people go through. They're angry at first, but eventually they work through that anger. So it's good to understand the different stages of grief, what people go through, so that we can better help them. It isn't easy to suffer. Suffering is difficult.

So the Greek word used here for mourn in this verse is the strongest word for mourning in the Greek language. Again, people mourn for many, many reasons. This verse is primarily referring to those who mourn because of their own sins and also the sins of others that have brought such destruction upon the earth. Certainly also time and chance can also bring about this type of mourning. It is referring to those who mourn the loss of loved ones, those who mourn because of their suffering, and the suffering of others. Well, we should all mourn when we're hurting, shouldn't we? I mean, isn't that natural to mourn to some degree if we're hurting? If we're in pain, our sins, of course, should cause us to mourn. When you sin against God, there should be a certain amount of guilt that causes a certain mourning for what you've done. You've turned against God. You've displeased Him. You've broken His law. You've transgressed His law.

So there should be some mourning that comes along. And if there isn't, how will repentance ever come along? How will we truly repent unless we are truly sorry in a godly way? Unless we have godly sorrow, we're not going to be repentant. God is not going to grant us repentance. Repentance is something that God grants us. It's not something that we can work up on our own.

It's something that God grants us as He looks upon our heart. He has to see some true godly sorrow for what we've done. So there should be some mourning that naturally takes place when we realize that we've sinned. Obviously, we have to be willing to face our sins. We have to be willing to admit our sins. Oftentimes, people don't want to admit that they've sinned. And so they blind themselves, and in a way, they steal themselves from the kind of mourning that they should be going through. The sins of others also will bring judgment and curses upon themselves. We reap what we sow. Be sure your sins will find you out. So our sins will cause us to mourn. The sins of others may cause us to mourn as they affect us. And we don't like to see people hurt themselves, either, through sin. But again, know that God will comfort us through our sins if we will truly admit that we've sinned.

So the most important thing is being willing to admit that you've sinned and that you have fallen short. God won't leave us or forsake us when we've sinned, either. It does separate us from God, yes, but that doesn't mean He will leave us or forsake us because He's right there. All we have to do is turn to Him and be sorry for what we've done and ask for forgiveness, seek forgiveness, and God will restore us.

So God is always there to comfort us and strengthen us, no matter how strong our grief, no matter how strong our suffering is, no matter how strong our pain is. God is there to help us through that. But again, we have to turn to Him and look to Him for that help.

Sorrow does make us stronger if we turn to God in our grief. It's not enjoyable. It's not fun to have sorrow, but it will help us get stronger as we deal with our sorrow. If we rely upon God, if we beseech Him, if we pray to Him, and if we have faith in Him, we're going to be comforted. There's an old Arab proverb that says, all sunshine makes a desert. All sunshine makes a desert. Sunshine is great, but too much sunshine is counterproductive.

Too much sunshine will eventually dry everything out and destroy everything eventually. Rain on occasion is greatly needed.

Along with the rain, of course, comes some cloudiness, some stormy weather.

Life can become very cloudy.

Sometimes life is also like a thunderbolt and heavy rain. It can be very grievous at times. Sometimes life is very overcast. But we can learn through those overcast times to rely more on God, to become poorer in spirit. And when we're poor in spirit, we'll also mourn properly. So these beatitudes work together, these characteristics of God's people, of His followers, those who mourn, those who are poor in spirit.

We all like the sunny and bright times. Today is a beautiful day. It's actually a joy to drive in this kind of weather. When it's gloomy and rainy, it can even be dangerous driving. Our cars are prone to hydroplaning at certain times. If it's raining so hard, we can't see, and our visibility is affected, then it's dangerous. But God will see us through all the difficult times as we rely upon Him and as we use wisdom. Godly wisdom is also a good attribute to have. When we sorrow in God's church, we are to have others who will be willing to sorrow and suffer along with us. It's very important that we all suffer together. When we read a prayer request and we see what a person is going through, then we should also mourn with them. We should try to put ourselves in their shoes, try to have empathy about what it is they're facing, what they're going through. I know it can make a huge difference when people find a number of cards in their mail every day as they go through a trial. I've talked to a lot of people who have been bolstered by just knowing that people are praying for them and that people care enough to take a moment to write a card, to send it. These are little things, but they do mean a lot. They do make an impression and they help a person bear a burden. We bear these things together. We put together a big card for the Bradford. You know, Liz Bradford, Randall Bradford, and family and what they've gone through, the loss of a child. We put together a big card that was actually an artist drew a sketch of their family. It's really done well. I think that they're really going to be encouraged by it. Whenever we can do these types of things—and I know you here in Lawton, in fact, I have a card in my briefcase I was supposed to read from someone who got a card from all of you, and they were thanking you for that. I'll put it at the back table after church. But people do care. They do care what other people are doing. They care about it. They like to know that they're not alone in their suffering. So we should suffer along with others. The Scripture tells us that when one part of the body suffers, every part of the body suffers. When you have a hangnail, I'm sure you've had a hangnail, right? You know, it's pretty painful. Just a little tiny little thing just is distressing to some degree for a little while. It's not a big deal, but I remember when I was younger, I had a traumatized toe. That's what the doctor told me. He told me I'd traumatize my toe, charged me a hundred bucks, and told me I traumatized my toe. He said, well, I know it's traumatized. It hurts. It's swollen.

But, you know, my whole body hurt because of my big toe.

It affects us that way at times. When one part of our body suffers, we all suffer along with it.

If you have a toothache, you feel miserable all over, don't you? A bad toothache. You know, no fun. So, the point is we should suffer along with others who are suffering within the body of Christ, pray for one another, beseech God on behalf of one another. It's important to show that you haven't forgotten someone, too. Someone who has a long trial. Sometimes these trials, they go on for months. Sometimes years. And just knowing that someone hasn't forgotten and that they send cards on a regular basis for someone who's going through a long trial, it's really quite encouraging to them. Also, when we see clearly the suffering of this world, we should sigh and cry over what we see and what's happening. You know, the Scripture says that those who sigh and cry there's going to be a difference between them and others in the days ahead. Those who sigh and cry and mourn over what's going on in this world, this satanic world that we live in, they're going to be set apart. Some will be protected in a place of safety. Certainly, all of them will be blessed if they truly sigh and cry for the suffering of this age. Those who long for a better time to come and truly pray fervently, thy kingdom come will be blessed for their approach. God does hear our pleas.

He is going to answer when the time is right. We should continue to pray, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

So there is a time that's coming that's beyond today. You know, we have that, that's what we call our magazine, our television program, beyond today. We need to look beyond today to a better time when eventually there will be no more suffering, no more pain, no more crying. That's a good time. We go keep the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day or the Eighth Day that remind us of that coming kingdom. So, brethren, we are greatly blessed when we mourn our own sins and when we repent of them, we are greatly blessed when we mourn for this world. And it's tremendous suffering because of the sins of all of mankind. We should long for a better day. We should mourn when we see again the sufferings of this world, but we should also be thankful that we are comforted now by God Himself and we will be greatly comforted when Christ returns. So blessed, blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Now in verse 5, blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Webster's dictionary has this to say about someone who is meek or meekness, someone who has meekness. This is having or showing a quiet and gentle nature, not wanting to fight or argue with other people, being meek. Webster's goes on to give a couple of different definitions, definitions about this word meek. Enduring injury with patience and without resentment. Enduring injury with patience and without resentment. That is an important part of someone who is meek.

Enduring injury. We've been injured, but we endure it through patience and without resentment. It isn't always easy to not become resentful when we've been injured. I know I've had to battle with that to some degree for the last couple of years. I moved to Texas, as you know, and God bless us with a brand new home. It was unbelievable. Couldn't believe we'd ever have a brand new house. Well, we got a brand new home and we really loved the house, but we also got an acre along with it. And it's been a bit of an ache. Because before we moved in, I had gone out to see the property. See, the property was like eight feet high, overgrown with grass and poison ivy and swampy and everything. That's what my backyard looked like. I knew that. There's lots of trees. I like shade. I like country. So I was pretty happy about that. Overall, we liked a lot. We liked the house. But I went out when it was... we were having a bad rainstorm. And I went out to check it out. And I couldn't believe how much water was coming down off the hill into my backyard. So I sent an email with many pictures and even a few videos. And I said, hey, this can't be right. Something is not right. There's way too much water. You couldn't even really see where the water was coming from because it was so overgrown. The brush was so thick. But I sent them that stuff. And I sent them it. And I said, look, this can't be right. And their answer was, essentially, do you want the house or don't you? Well, we were kind of in a bind. We had to get out of our other house. We had all of our stuff needed to be moved. So we really didn't want to back out on the house. So I decided, well, we'll go ahead and take the house. But we'll fight about this later. I didn't tell them that, but that's what I had in mind.

Well, that's what I've been doing for the last two years. I've been fighting about it. Finally, we're getting somewhere. But for the first year, I worked with them. I tried to get them to do certain things. They would do a little bit. They would admit a little bit because they couldn't deny that something had to be badly wrong. I'm not kidding you. My backyard, I couldn't mow it. I couldn't mow parts of it for a full year. Can you imagine not being able to mow your backyard?

It was a swamp. I had a fish this big right in my backyard. It was four inches. See, there was a pond back there, and they would allow that pond to overflow into our backyard. It was just eroded. There was no pipe or anything. There was no outlet. It was just whenever it got to a certain level, and then we had huge rains. The worst rains on record in Texas for a long time.

So every time it rained, we'd have a flood, and it would never dry out. The way they had it routed around my house, I could tell that this doesn't make any sense. Finally, I had to go to the county because I kept telling them, look, there's no way this can be right.

You can't just dump everyone's water in the neighborhood in my backyard. I mean, there's got to be a law against that in the good U.S. of A. You can't do that sort of thing here. So I had to go to the county. They came out, and they said, yeah, they violated all the drainage laws for this property. It shouldn't have been allowed to go this way. It should have gone to the back of the property, which was what I've been telling them the whole time. I said, look, you just need to build a trench in the back and get a pipe and make it flow.

When it got to a certain level, it should flow down that trench over to the other ditch, not into my backyard. Again, I shouldn't be responsible for everyone's water in the whole hundred acres above me. So the county backed me up, thankfully, and it's gotten better since then. But there were times when I was a little resentful. I had to suffer injury and try not to be resentful. So I was being tested. I'm sure I was being tested. Plus, you know, all that rain was really a good thing because it helped me realize the problem. If it hadn't rained so hard, then I probably would have not known the problem. Because they've had to spend quite a bit of money, over $10,000, I'm sure, to try to fix that problem.

They were very willing to put that on me. They wanted me to fix it. So that's not happening. So it has mostly been fixed for the most part. We still have to wait because it hasn't actually gotten to the level where it's flowed out of the pond yet. But it's like that close to flowing now. The pond is full. I think it's going to be okay, but they don't like to spend any money they don't have to spend.

It's funny how companies are that way. Anyway, and I don't say they're any worse than any other company. I just say they should have taken care of my problem better than they have. So anyway, my point is we're all going to be tested to some degree. Things are going to happen in your life. You're going to be tested. Maybe it won't be over a drainage issue, but something's going to come along. And I've had other tests, and sometimes I've done pretty well, and other times I've looked back and said I didn't do so well.

But that's how we learn. We are tested by these things, and we should strive to ask ourselves, how would God want me to handle this? How would Christ want me to handle this? I don't think God just wants you to cave in and let people run all over you, which is what would have happened had I not done anything.

I would be living in a swamp still. I mean, look, I know it's nice to have those kind of problems. A brand new house, an acre. This is not a third world country, for the most part.

I mean, that's why we get all upset about these kind of issues when most people on this earth, they'd be very happy to have what I have. Very, very happy.

But it's all relative, isn't it? So anyway, let's try to learn what we can from the things that God allows in our lives, the tests that come our way. Enduring injury with patience without resentment. I thought I was somewhat patient, lasting a whole year before I went to the county. Finally, I just realized they weren't going to fix it. That was the bottom line, is if I wanted it fixed, I had to get someone to back me up.

And I'm not really all that resentful either. I mean, I haven't been happy about the situation. I haven't been all Macarios about it, but it's getting better and I'm grateful for that. And I'm not really resentful. I don't hate anyone over this. I can still be friends. I said, look, it's not personal. That's what I told one guy recently when I was somewhat angry.

I said, look, it's not personal. It's just this is business. You know, you guys need to take care of business. No, do it right. It needs to be done right. Anyway, another definition from Webster's, and this is not one that would apply. It says deficient in spirit and courage. Okay. That's actually the exact opposite of what a person who's truly meek, deficient in spirit and courage.

And not violent or strong, not violent or strong, but being meek is being strong. It says that Moses was among the most or the meekest man on earth. He was quite strong. God in him. He was courageous, and we are to be courageous as well. So Webster's can be right to a point, but they're not always right in terms of these words can mean different things. We know that.

But the meekness that we're talking about in this verse is certainly not weakness.

It's the furthest thing from weakness. When true meekness is being displayed, there is great strength that's also being displayed. If you can be strong, and not become resentful while you're being injured, if you can be that sort of meek, then that shows you have strength. To be meek is to be able to endure injury again without losing it. I lost it a couple times.

I did. I actually lost it a few times. My wife will tell you. I lost it. There were times when it was raining buckets. Just recently, my sod. They put some sod down, finally in the high-traffic areas. Then it rained like a super cloud burst. They didn't put enough sod down. There goes my sod. It's going down the ditch. Then they came out and started making excuses. I didn't do well with excuses. I did not like excuses. Fix it!

I'm not the most meek person in the world. I have to work on that yet.

Having and showing a quiet and gentle nature, not wanting to fight or argue. I don't want to fight or argue. Sometimes I find myself doing it. I don't really want to. It's not a meekness that allows people to run roughshod over you, either. I don't believe that. I don't like to confront people, either. I hate it. I really don't enjoy that. I knew I had to, or it would never be fixed, to haunt me. I had to be strong enough and, hopefully, meek enough to do it in a proper way.

Justice and rightness should always be defended to a point.

If I hadn't stood up and said something and done something, I'm sure they would have been emboldened to try to do the same thing to somebody else. They're going to think twice next time and fix it. I sent them a quote from somebody that was a lot cheaper than what they ended up spending. Had they listened to me and fixed it from day one, I'm sure it would have cost them less money than it did because of the way they handled things. So, hopefully, they will learn and maybe they will be better with somebody else who comes around the next home they build that is on a hill or down below the hill. That's the problem. If I'd have been on top of the hill, I'd have been fine. But down below where the water goes, that was a problem. God doesn't want us to cave in so that people are emboldened to take advantage, to cheat, to steal from others. God does believe in the law that what one sows, that he shall also reap. When a person caves in, they are allowing the oppressor to, for a time, not have to deal with the proper consequences of their wrong actions. Now, when we're not courageous enough to stand up for what's right, then a person's emboldened for a time. Of course, there's a balance that needs to be sought in all of this. So blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Those who are truly meek will prosper on this earth, because they are humble. And yet, they're also strong. It's important that we're humble and yet strong. They will reap great benefits in this life, even now, if they are truly meek in the proper sense. People tend to appreciate a godly meekness. People can see that there's something good in that type of behavior.

So we should be willing to stand up for that which is pleasing and right and good in God's sight. God is a God of justice. And if we don't stand up for what's right and good, then how are people ever going to learn what's right and good? And we have to be willing to stand up for that. So blessed are the pure... I'm sorry, blessed are the meek, for they are going to inherit the earth. I have a bit more to say about this, but I think I'll wait on that until next time. Looks like I'll be back here in about a week. So we'll continue on with this particular sermon. You can read ahead if you'd like. To some degree, we're getting through a few beatitudes each time. It's not so important that we get through these quickly, but it is important that we see the depth of each one of these beatitudes. So today we've talked about blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. We talked also about blessed are those who mourn, for they're going to be comforted, what that means and what that pictures. And blessed are the meek, because they will inherit the earth. And I'm sure it also means when Christ returns, those who have been meek in this life and have learned what true meekness is all about will inherit the earth. They will rule and they will reign with Christ for a thousand years. But there will also be benefits today for being meek, for being humble, and also for being strong.

So again, if you want to build your house on the rock, then you'll want to heed what Christ has to say in the sermon on a mount.