The spirited horses pictured above are representative of kingdom citizens before they entered into Christ’s kingdom.
You might be thinking, “I was not wild or unruly before I was born-again.” But God’s word states that you were. The wildness of which I am speaking may not have been physically apparent in your life; but it was definitely apparent spiritually and morally.
How so?
By your rebellion against God’s commands; by your following your own dictates about how your life should be lived; about what was of supreme importance….
If you examine your life prior to conversion, you will find that you were on the path to self-fulfillment. You were not on the biblical path, the path of self-denial wherein you sought Christ, followed Him.
Therefore, you were in rebellion.
Note, how God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah to His people Israel because of their idolatry (all verses below are from NLT)
Jer 5:8 They are well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor’s wife.
Jer 5:9 Should I not punish them for this?” says the LORD. “Should I not avenge Myself against such a nation?
In the following verses, note how God defines idolatry; also note what God stated is in us before we’re born-again:
Col 3:1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
Col 3:5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
Col 3:6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.
Col 3:7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world.
Rom 7:7 Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.”
1Jn 2:15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.
1Jn 2:16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.
1Jn 2:17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
The above verses indicate that the nature we inherit at birth is of the world; it seeks the things of the world via the lusts of the eyes, flesh and pride (the NLT calls lusts, “cravings”); those who are in Christ (born-again) are advised to seek His righteousness, spiritual things…and to turn away from the futility of trying to fill up their empty souls by worldly means; but to fill them by spiritual means — God’s appointed means of grace (Acts 2:42ff).
After being converted (born again), we hunger and thirst for spiritual food and drink (next beatitude will cover that); God’s Spirit begins to open our eyes to our selfishness, which is apparently the root of all of our sin. We are not the center of the universe, God is and He has purchased us by Christ’s blood; therefore, we need to begin the spiritual warfare of denying fleshly desires, starving them by not giving in to them…and we need to learn self-denial by abiding in God’s means of grace; and cooperating with the Father by receiving the providential events, afflictions… that He sends into our lives.
(If you didn’t come to that conclusion by reading the above verses, then read the entire passages and commentaries; pray, and meditate upon them and you will come to a similar conclusion. If you read across the entire Bible, then you will find these ideas / commands in many places. I copied and pasted the following cross references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, and E-sword commentary on 1 John 2:16: the lust of the flesh: Num_11:4, Num_11:34; Psa_78:18, Psa_78:30; Pro_6:25; Mat_5:28; Rom_13:14; 1Co_10:6; Gal_5:17, Gal_5:24; Eph_2:3; Tit_2:12, Tit_3:3; 1Pe_1:14, 1Pe_2:11, 1Pe_4:2-3, 1Pe_4:2-3; 2Pe_2:10, 2Pe_2:18; Jud_1:16-18; and the lust: Gen_3:6, Gen_6:2; Jos_7:21; Job_31:1; Psa_119:36-37; Ecc_5:10-11; Mat_4:8; Luk_4:5; and the pride: Est_1:3-7; Psa_73:6; Dan_4:30; Rev_18:11-17
is not: Jam_3:15)
Therefore, when God’s Spirit gives us spiritual life, He also begins working the beatitude life into us. The first and second beatitudes are states that crush pride and move a convert to begin questioning his selfish priorities.
As we feed on God’s word, we are routinely humbled. That is, our pride is broken, like a rancher breaks a horse so that it can be of use to him (for riding, pulling, etc.); God the Holy Spirit, breaks our rebellious spirits.
A different word for “breaking” is “meeking.” A horse that is meeked does not spend its days doing its own will, pursuing its own pleasures…but it is ready to do what its master requires of it, when it is required. The horse doesn’t even have to be concerned about how to acquire its food, water and shelter, its master takes on all of those responsibilities. The horse only has to do as its master directs it.
That is what Christ is promising in the following scripture (if we yoke up with Him, then He will take on all of our cares; those “weary” ones in verse 28 were working in their own strength to follow the many rules of the Pharisees and were also striving to supply their own daily needs such as food):
Mat 11:28 Then Jesus said, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29 Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Mat 11:30 For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
The horses pictured above have been meeked; they are now useful to their owners.
There are 3 sermons about the blessed meek below: firstly, three excerpts; then the full sermons by the same preachers. Please listen to all three excerpts for the fullest understanding; hopefully, you’ll like one enough to hear his full sermon.
The first 11 minute excerpt is by Dr. Sinclair Ferguson:
The following 17 minute sermon excerpt is by Dr. Nelson Kloosterman:
The following 17 minute sermon excerpt is by pastor Timothy Bixby:
The following whole sermon is by pastor Timothy Bixby:
The following whole sermon about the blessed meek is by Dr. Nelson Kloosterman:
And lastly, the following whole sermon on beatitudes 1 — 3 is by Dr. Sinclair Ferguson:
RECOMMENDED STUDY:
***See categories, beatitude life posts for more information presented in narrative form.