Meekness – the Fruit of the Spirit

Study Series on the Fruit of the Holy Spirit

Galatians 5:22,23

I. Introduction
A. There are NINE fruits placed in the life of the believer at salvation.
1. On the very day you got saved, the Holy Spirit indwelt you (1Cor 6:19).
2. On that day, God put His Holy Spirit in you and there He will remain.
3. But He doesn’t sit idly by. He does two things
a. Changes you from the inside out
b. Exchanges your old works, with something he calls FRUIT! The fruit of the Spirit
B. These are God’s replacements for the seventeen WORKS of the flesh as listed in Gal 5:19-21.
C. The fruit of the Spirit is a direct result of my personal walk and relationship with Jesus Christ in
His word – it’s not complicated. It just takes effort and focus (Gal 5:25) on your part! God help us ALL
to have personal love-life with the God of this Book!
D. So far, we have studied the fruits of Love, Joy, Peace, Long-suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, and
faith
E. None of these are not natural in our lives – not like anything this world has to offer – but
completely supernatural!
F. This message will focus on the eighth fruit of the Holy Spirit: Meekness!
G. These 9 fruit are grouped into three directions
1. The first three are for the believer
2. The second three are given by God for others
3. The last three are given to me to use towards God! Meekness is vital for me to be able to have
the right attitude towards God when under trial!

II. Message

A. The Biblical Meaning of Meekness (Mt 11:29)

1. What the world thinks it means
a. Spineless, spiritless, unambitious, weak, timid, soft
b. None of that is true at all – that is not EVER what the Bible teaches. And wouldn’t you think that
the devil would like to steer us away from this, and any of the fruit of the Holy Spirit?

2. Lots of meaning to the word, Meekness. Whatever Meekness is, according to Mt 11:29, Jesus
says “HE IS IT!”
a. Softness of temper – a mildness (not just “softness, or wimpy”)
b. Submission to God’s will, without murmuring – it is a joyful resignation (no longer “the Boss” of
your life), to somebody more qualified!
c. Yielding, especially when you have every right not to, only because God says it will be alright!
d. Lowliness – taking the lower dinner place so that someone else can get a needed blessing by
sitting closer to an important person.
e. You yield, resign, submit, yield – not because the other person really IS better, but because of
Christ!
f. Meekness simply is ME getting out of my life’s equation, so that Jesus can be ALL in ALL – that’s
the goal of the Christian!

3. Slightly different than humility

a. Humility is the thinking low of yourself in comparison to others (Rom 12:3), and just trying to
encourage them by thinking THEY are better than yourself – this flies in direct opposition to what the
world teaches!
b. Meekness is NOT thinking of yourself at all!
c. Meekness fuels humility – let me explain how:
1) Meekness realizes that God is in control (Rom 8:28)
2) Meekness then ACTS like God is in control
3) If YOU are in control, you will act arrogant, and self-assertive
4) If God is in control, you just set out to live right, and leave the rest to God
5) If someone ruins your day (or your life) and you have meekness, you won’t get upset – you
won’t worry about your reputation – you actually, will only worry about GOD’S reputation! (I will
repeat this a little later)!
4. Meekness does not exist except in the heat of unfair troubles
a. Trials and troubles easily activate your flesh
b. You feel like you ought to deserve better
c. But then God shows you how that by ignoring yourself, you can actually depend upon HIM
1) Do you remember how that I said that if someone ruins your day (or your life) and you have
meekness, you won’t get upset – you won’t worry about your reputation – you actually, will only
worry about GOD’S reputation?
2) Well, in the time of trouble and testing, meekness enables a Christian to trust God instead of
self!
5. Opposites of Meekness: Arrogance, and Rebelliousness
B. The Purpose of Meekness – Four great purposes in Meekness!
1. Makes a person “savable” (Ps 149:4)
a. Meekness doesn’t save you – it just makes it possible to be saved!
b. Christ only preached GOOD NEWS to the meek (Isa 61:1)
c. Jesus CAN’T save a proud person – impossible!
d. God cannot do anything but dump a proud, rebellious person in hell – as long as they are proud,
they are unfixable
e. Christ preached hell-fire and damnation to the proud, religiously stubborn, and sin-hardened
sinners
f. But a meek person is soft on the inside, and savable by Jesus Christ
1) That’s why the harlots and sinners were getting SAVED and the religious Pharisees were not
2) The harlots melted when they heard God’s word
3) The Pharisees only hardened their hearts
2. Makes a person “teachable” (Ps 25:9; James 1:21) – CHANGEABLE!
a. Teachable, meaning, able to hear instruction and correction without getting upset
b. Especially when we find out that WE are wrong, and need to start all over
c. So many Christians love a Jesus that loves them, but are unwilling to follow a Jesus that intends
on CHANGING them!
3. Makes a person “useable” – God cannot use somebody who is not soft. God is NOT looking for
wimps and chickens, but soft-hearted men and women!
a. To win your husband, or wife (1Pet 3:1-4) – not as a throw-rug, but as a person who will STAY
when they have every right to leave
b. To win any lost person (2Tim 2:24,25) – that will put up with any abuse, for the sake of their
soul!
c. To LIVE the Christian life (1Pet 3:15) – not with shame, but great joy and courage!
d. The reason why we “try” and try and try to live for God, but with no fruit is because we do it
probably with pride, and NOT with meekness
e. The reason why we are ineffective with our husbands, and wives is because we are thinking that
WE have to stay in control, instead of letting GOD be in control, and WE just obeying HIM!

4. Makes a person “blessable” (Mt 5:5)

a. Meekness is the soil of joy (Isa 29:19) ***
b. It makes us SATISFIED with God’s blessing (Ps 22:26)
C. Two Examples of Meekness
1. Jesus and Moses were two MEN whose lives abounded with meekness
2. Both were powerful men, who were clothed not with PRIDE and ARROGANCE, but in humility
(1Pet 5:5)
3. Moses (Num 12:1-10)
a. Moses was a man of decision and courage and acted with authority
b. He knew who he was, was confident in God’s calling and therefore in his God enabled ability
c. Moses’ sister and older brother Miriam and Aaron confront Moses
d. They used Moses’ marriage to an Ethiopian woman as a wedge to demote him from office – to
humble him so that THEY could take more charge of the nation of Israel
1) Moses married a non-Jew
2) He did it when he was very backslidden
3) It was NOT the right thing to do
4) But it was DONE – you don’t UNDO a marriage
5) But since it was wrong, Aaron and Miriam tried to use it for their own advantage
e. They mocked Moses in front of a million and a half people (it would be like being humiliated in
front of a TV audience of half of Ireland for some stupid sin you did 40 years ago)!
f. But Moses does not get mad and upset, and worried about his position (12:3) – he did not
defend himself
1) God called him
2) God enabled him
3) God used him
4) God would see to it that Moses was fine! AMEN!
g. God defended Moses
1) Moses’ primary concern always was God’s honour
2) He was not worried about being shifted around, or persecute
3) Only that his testimony as a Christian was intact
h. You need to start living THIS way
i. Meekness is NOT weakness
1) YOU try and lead a million and a half people through a desert for 40 year
2) YOU try and walk with God, and keep a great attitude among all that complaining, and
murmuring
3) YOU try and keep believing God, when everyone around you is constantly giving up on His
promises!
4) Moses was a MAN’S man, but he was yielded and therefore GOD’S man! AMEN! And AMEN!
4. Jesus (Mt 11:28,29; 21:1-5)
a. Jesus knew who He was but did not make a show of it
b. His disciples did, but Jesus knew their timing was off (by about 2,000 years)
c. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, He could have done it on a brilliant white Stallion – but instead
came in on a tender female DONKEY, that still had a foal tagging along right with her. Not a strong and
arrogant picture! But one of GOD ALMIGHTY come down to say, “Hey! As tender as I ride this donkey,
I can guide your life!”
d. Meekness in Christ’s life meant:
1) That all that happened was in God’s control
2) That all of Christ’s life was to be lived for His Father’s glory and honour
3) That even if people killed Him (which He knew would happen), He knew He would just get back
up again!
4) Do NOT believe that Jesus was EVER weak. He was always submitted to God’s will
e. Jesus SHOULD show us who is Boss – He SHOULD wipe this sinful planet out – He SHOULD show
His absolute awesome power – but He waits. Why? So that people like YOU and I would hear His call,
and see His meek life, and RUN to Him in broken submission to such a worthy Saviour!
f. Meekness is not weakness

1) Jesus could have called 12 legions (12,000) of angels to destroy His enemies

2) He was surrounded by a mob of armed thugs who had come to bind Him and drag Him to the
High priest and ultimately to Pilate. When they asked where jesus was, He replied “I Am He!” and just
those three 1 syllable words, the entire mob fell BACLKWARDS on their bums! AMEN What power,
that was yielded to God!
D. Checklist for Meekness – ask yourself, “Do I have…”
1. Concern for God’s honour at your job, or in your home? His name?
2. Concern that other’s see a consistent Christian attitude and godly testimony?
3. A yielding to God’s will? Even when it is harder that you think you can handle – knowing
however that God will never give you more than you can handle!
4. A holy boldness and courage at work, or in school as a Christian?
E. Hindrances to Meekness – Some things that stop you from yielding to God’s design for your life.
They include
1. A habit of pride about yourself, and rebellion (leftover from your teenage years) – “my way!”
2. Things that excite my flesh so that I concentrate on ITS feelings, and ITS needs instead of
other’s!
a. When you are focusing your attention on your self, and your problems, and your needs, and
your failures, and your loss and your desires, and your work, and your accomplishments
b. If YOU are in view, you are not meek
3. Fear – not wanting to take a man’s stand for Jesus Christ in this day of bullies! Allowing the
world to drive you into the closets in fear, instead of for prayer and for boldness in being bright lights
in this dark world

III. Conclusion and Application

A. Meekness is a full-flavoured word isn’t it now?
B. It is so important for a person – for every person in this room
C. Let’s remind ourselves
1. The Biblical Meaning of Meekness (Mt 11:29)
a. It is definitely NOT being spineless, weak, timid, soft
b. It is being like the Jesus of the Bible
c. Softness of temper – a mildness (not just “softness, or wimpy”)
d. Submission to God’s will, without murmuring – resignation (no longer “the Boss” of your life)
e. Yielding, especially when you have every right not to, only because God says it will be alright!
f. Lowliness – taking the lower dinner place so that someone else can get a needed blessing by
sitting closer to an important person.
g. You yield, resign, submit, yield – not because the other person really IS better, but because of
Christ!
h. Meekness simply is ME getting out of my life’s equation, so that Jesus can be ALL in ALL – that’s
the goal of the Christian!

2. The Purpose of Meekness

a. Makes a person “savable” (Ps 149:4)
b. Makes a person “teachable” (Ps 25:9; James 1:21) – changeable!
c. Makes a person “useable” – God cannot use somebody who is not soft. God is NOT looking for
wimps and chickens, but soft-hearted men and women!
d. Makes a person “blessable” (Mt 5:5) Meekness is the soil of joy
3. Two Examples of Meekness
a. Jesus and Moses were two men whose lives abounded with meekness
b. Both were powerful men, who were clothed not with PRIDE and ARROGANCE, but in humility
(1Pet 5:5)
D. Let me ask you some things:

1. Would anyone characterize you as MEEK? Why not?

2. The Holy Spirit was made available to save anybody who would humble themselves, and
surrender to His power of GRACE

3. The Spirit from that moment seeks to produce that fruit to its fullness
4. If you are hindering that, you are not right with God
5. If you have loads of hang-ups about your life, you can dump them totally, and completely at the
foot of the cross – by faith – and pick up meekness
6. It will change your life – guaranteed!