The Fruit Of Meekness

Transcript

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 0:01

I want to go into an area this morning where very few of us have dared to venture, and very few of us possess. And I don't mean that to be critical or to be derogatory, but I deal with the facts. I know this is an area that a lot of us have not mastered and have not accomplished. You know, if you ever read the book of Galatians, chapter 5, it starts off talking about the works of the flesh. But as you get on down towards the 21, 22 verses, it starts to talk about fruit of the spirit. Where you will find it, uh Paul lifts, he lists this nine fruit of the spirit. But there's one this morning. I want to just take one this morning and really expound upon so that we may understand. This is a character trait that Jesus had, and this is a character trait that he requires us to have. Well, all nine he expects us to have. But this one this morning, meekness. Very few people hear about meekness. But this morning I want to talk about the fruit of meekness. And some people are reluctant, if you would, to want to be this because most people think you got to let folks walk over you. You got to let folks talk to you in the kind of way. But I'm here to tell you this morning that is not the understanding or the definition of what this word means and why you ought to possess it. See, all non-fruit of the spirit, God requires us to be producing out of our lives. And if we're not producing those fruit of the spirit, we're not living a life of obedience. Meekness is a spirit or a fruit, if you will, spiritual fruit in your life that we all must possess. And I want to get into it this morning. Help, hopefully, but before I'm done, we'll all have an understanding of what this particular area of our life really means.

SPEAKER_00 2:35

See, one thing I want us to understand, Far Lady's foundation.

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 2:41

To be meek is not a weakness. Let me tell you, let me tell you what meekness really means. I have several definitions, but I want to share just one. But let me just give this one here the simple one.

SPEAKER_00 2:55

To be meek is to have strength under control.

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 3:03

Because it requires strength to be meek and hold your peace when you know you need to hold your peace and not let nobody pull you on their level. See, to be weak is the absence of strength. It don't require no strength to be weak. Because you're not trying to be strong. You just let happen, whatever happens, happen, and whatever you say, you say. But to be meek is to have that strength under control. Not to let nobody drag you into no argument, not to let nobody drag you on their level. But at the same time, what's strengthening you is that you are mindful of who you are living for. If we just get out of that frame of mind that we're doing stuff in front of people and get in the frame, that frame of mind is what you're doing, you're doing it because God requires this of you. He requires this of you and I. And if you are doing it, you doing, you live your life to please him. You ain't living your life to please people. If we are living our life to please people and worrying about what they think and how they see us, we're living in the wrong frame of mind. Because who's gonna have the last say over your life? It's not people, it's gonna be the Lord God. There's a young prophet, one of the minor prophets in the Bible, his name was Zephaniah. Have you ever read the book of Zephaniah? Zephaniah said this. This is gonna be my foundation. He was now, if you when you read this in Zephaniah, the second chapter of Zephaniah, you're gonna see he was talking to the people of Judah. And they had done a lot of things, gone astray, so living all wrangly lives, and he being a prophet, Lost is gonna say some things that God would take them back if they would just turn back to him. Anyway, in essence, Zephaniah, chapter 2, verse 3. Here's our foundation. He says this to the people of Judah, but this is also can be applied to us today. Seek ye the Lord. Hallelujah. Listen at that. These instructions. Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment, seek righteousness, seek meekness. It may be ye shall be heared in the day of the Lord's anger. See, if we what he's telling the children of Judah, and what we are to understand this morning is if we would just get with the Lord's program and seek the stuff we need to be seeking and stop seeking all this junk in the world and what we think we want to seek and what we want to have, and get on God's plan and start seeking Him. Start seeking His righteousness, start seeking meekness. Did you hear what Zelf and I said? It may be that the Lord, the wrath, I've been I'm waiting for the Lord to give me the Holy Ghost to give me this message. I've been waiting on the Lord to put in my spirit about the wrath of God that's coming upon the earth. Y'all, we are gonna have to be in that special place in God for the wrath, his wrath to pass over us. God's wrath is gonna come on this world, and all those who are not found in him will have to suffer the wrath of God. And see, that's something none of us know nothing about. You ain't seen the wrath of God. We ain't seen the wrath of God. But it is coming. There is gonna be a day where the wrath of God will be unleashed upon the earth. But what Zephaniah is doing is telling them, if you do this, start seeking God now. Start seeking as righteousness now, as mixed as now. You just may be hid in the day of the Lord's anger. And I'm telling you now, that you should not go want to be hid from the anger of the Lord, hid in him. See, God requires his people to be meek and humble before him. Now, if you don't know what that means, to be humble, to humble yourself. See, therefore, now I try to offer hope to those who were willing to turn back to the Lord while it's still time. You go back and turn back to the Lord now while it's still time. He encouraged them to deepen their commitment to God and his ways. And he told them that if they did, the Lord would perhaps protect them when he came in his wrath. Three things in that one verse that we need to pay close attention to. And they must be present in our quest in turning to God's ways. We must without a doubt seek the Lord God. This time to seek the Lord, y'all. The Lord God Almighty. Not those things we have made God, but the thing, but the one that is the one true living God, the Lord God Almighty. We must seek his righteousness. To do right, his righteousness is what he considers to be right. Not what you and I consider to be right. Because everybody got their own definition of what they think is right. And our mental capacity is what? And it's selfish, and it's based on our own opinions and our own ideas, and has nothing to do with God's righteousness. None of them, you'd be surprised what God would say, what we think is right, he'll say is wrong. You know that scripture in the Bible says there is a way that seems right unto man. All of us done thought we was right on a lot of things in life. But how many times you find out what you thought was right was wrong? When you find out better and realize how wrong you were. God doesn't like it when we arrogant, self-righteous, high-minded, think we better than other folks. God, no, all of us have sin that comes short of his glory. And nobody has no right to have no big head and no high mind. Because we all need God. That's why he said, humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. Come to God humble, because you know you need him and you know you've done dealt wrong. We must lay down all pride. That's that high-minded, self-righteous pride. That's what he's talking about. And our self-centered agenda in humble submission to God as his righteous way. We got to give in to God and say, Lord, I've been wrong in all my dealings in life. I done made a lot of mistakes. But now, Lord, I'm still alive and the breast is in my body, the blood is running on, I'm yet alive. Number one, I got time to change or allow you to change me into what you would have me to be. To get rid of all that self-centeredness, to get all of that arrogantness and humble me so that I can submit myself to you and your righteous way before it's too late.

SPEAKER_00 11:10

Meekness, we're talking about the fruit of meekness.

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 11:15

Meekness, like the other fruit of the spirit, is produced in God's children as they allow the Holy Ghost to direct and influence their lives. See, all this other stuff that don't influence us over the years, growing up, the many years we've been alive, got in trouble behind this, got now. Don't you think it's time now to be influenced by something better, something different? God, see, when we allow God's spirit to influence us and to direct our path, God will never direct. You remember what the book said, Proverbs? In all thy ways, acknowledge Him. Read Proverbs, the third chapter. In all thy ways, acknowledge him. Finish reading the rest of it. And he shall direct thy path. He will direct you the way you need to go. Now let me tell you something about that. Just something you can trust in. You can put your life on the line on this. That if God is directing your life, he is never gonna direct you wrong. You can bank on that. You can trust that. If he, if you are allowing him to direct your life, he will never direct you wrong. Okay, now if you're directing your life, I can't tell you that. Because look out at that time, we didn't thought we were going how we wanted to go, and it was the wrong path. It was the wrong decision. And we have paid for bad decisions. A big portion of our lives trying to get over and put it behind us. There are consequences when we try to live our lives without God. We go down wrong paths and we deal with have to suffer as the consequences and pay the price of going down certain paths for years before we get ourselves straight and get ourselves together. But when you trust God, you never worry about that. Because if he don't direct it, he'll never direct you wrong. Meekness is produced in God's children as they allow the Holy Ghost to direct and influence their lives, that they destroy sin. So see, when you allow God to direct your life, what you're also doing is contributing to the hope that sin has on your life. Because following the direction of the Holy Ghost, the power is given to you against those areas of acts of sinful nature. So you won't have to keep going down the wrong road.

SPEAKER_00 14:34

One thing about meekness, the fruit of meekness, it will teach you how to have a calm spirit.

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 14:49

Now you don't get there overnight, trust me on that, but stick with it. He said, A soft answer turns away wrath.

SPEAKER_00 15:06

But grievous words still like, see, too many of us must understand so many of us need to understand this here.

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 15:15

Listen, let me let me scroll down here. You got to get self out the way. You got to get yourself out of the way. Are you not gonna receive this and you're not gonna understand this and you're not gonna accept this? Because society has taught us if somebody goes off on you, you got the right to go off on them. That's what society says. But that's not what God says. I don't know, Pastor. If they go off on me and disrespect me, I don't know. I'm nothing to have nobody dis and me. Let me tell you something. You this this kind of stuff that helps me get to the point where I've gotten to and still growing in. Because I used to I used to think like that. But the Holy Ghost pulled me to the side. Them times I kicked and bucked against what the word of God was telling me.

SPEAKER_00 16:23

And it's no greater teacher than the Spirit of God.

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 16:28

When I find myself saying, I ain't gonna let nobody they ain't finna talk to me any kind of way, they're not finna disrespect me. Then I hear the Holy Ghost saying, Okay. Well, tell me to answer this question. Holy Ghost say, How many times have you disrespected God that you can't take being disrespect?

SPEAKER_00 16:57

How many times have you disobeyed him and ignored him? But yet he yet loved you, he yet provided, he yet blessed.

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 17:11

And when he asks you to take something for him, you mean you can't take it on the level that he's asking you to take it? So what if somebody lied on you? So they lied on Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 17:26

So what if somebody cussed you out in your face? So what?

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 17:33

They said all manner of things against Jesus, all kinds of verbal abuse against Jesus. But I'm gonna show you in the scripture in a few minutes. Well, when they did that to him, he's gonna the scripture gonna tell you he did not do it back to them.

SPEAKER_00 17:51

I tell people this all the time. Jesus didn't just come here to die on the cross so that we could have salvation.

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 18:03

Don't get me wrong, that was one of the greatest things he could ever did, but that's not the only thing he came here for. One other most more important thing that I consider being important to me is that he also, according to the scripture, he came here also to be an example unto us, how we ought to live. The 33 and 100 years he was here. Going to the cross was toward the end. But while he lived here for 30-something years, he was being an example unto the people of how they should live before God, how they should treat one another, how they should talk to one another, how they should not let nobody put, bring them or pull them onto that ugly, wicked level. God's plan works. I know society and God's plan are they are contrary one to another. Because society said they cussed you, cuss them back.

SPEAKER_00 19:11

They hit you, you hit them back. But God said, What do God say? What do the words say? So many of our homes have been destroyed because of the verbal abuse, the ugly words that have hurt one another internally. I tell y'all this all the time.

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 20:02

When you speak words, words can affect a person not only physical life, but they can also affect a person spiritually. Where some of the things that have been said to some people, they still, as adults, something said to them while they were a child, and as adults, they still have not gotten over it. Because of the sharpness of the words that were said to them by those who they thought loved them. And now our homes, right now, some of you, right now in your home, ain't nobody looking, can say some of the ugliest things to the people in the house hold that you say you love. We cannot see words. That's why you got to be careful to let come out of your word, out of your mouth. Because you can speak things not only on your life, but on the lives of others. And you release them into the spiritual because you can't see words. You can hear them. But words you cannot see, that means they can go all the way into the spiritual realm. Now, how much ugliness you done released in the spiritual realm? How much cussing and vile language have you released in the spiritual realm against your life and against the lives of those you think you say you love? And then to come back later and say you're sorry, that's fine, but you already done released it. You shouldn't have let it come out your mouth in the first place. Do you remember what Jesus said? By thy words, thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. Do you also remember what Paul told the church? Let no corrupt communication come out of your mouth. It's the reason why they're saying this. If we ain't saying nothing to help somebody, if we ain't saying nothing to edify somebody or to build them up, we need to keep our big lip mouth shut and stop speaking this terrible stuff on people's eyes. That's not what Jesus did. And if we are going to live a life of meekness, that should not be what we're doing. Yes, a surf answer will turn away wrath. Why pour fuel on the fire? You know, if you ever read Proverbs, Solomon said this. He said, Well, no wood is, he said, the fire go out. If you stop putting wood on the fire, it'll go out. Don't keep putting fuel on the fire. Well, Pat Vincent said, I'm not gonna let the body punk me. I ain't gonna be one walk away and shut my mouth. Why not? You live for the Lord now. That different rules. That don't make you weak. That don't make you repunk. That makes you righteous in the outside of God. In moments of harsh words and facing of anger from others, a calm and meek answer or response will encourage peace. And Lord knows that's what someone needs in our own peace. We ain't got it. Because we keep letting our own ways through his peace, walking the door, our ways jump on it and kill it. Adding more harsh words and harmful words will only prove to stir up more anger and hostility. That's not the way of the Lord.

SPEAKER_00 24:32

This will also place us on in a level.

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 24:44

Put us on the level of the one that's oppressing us, of the one that they're talking about, the one that's trying to start the argument. Don't get on that, don't get on another person's level. Don't get on the level of the devil in them. Stay on the level of Christ that's in you. Because this is not God's way. What he meant, what he means for us to be. Meekness, the presence of strength. It takes strength to hold your peace. And that strength can only come from God. You ain't gonna get it from nobody. It ain't gonna come out of you. It's got to come from God. That's why Zephani says, seek God.

SPEAKER_00 25:31

Because what you need is in God. To have a soft, tempered gentleness.

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 25:42

Ain't nothing wrong with being like that. That's being like Jesus. You're able to forbear verbal. When you get to that place, when you let God get you to the place you need to be, you can get you a you'll be surprised when you get to that place in Him, that verbal abuse don't even bother don't even hurt you no more. That's done built up that strength and resistance against harmful word. God done gave you a thick hide, a thick skin, if you would.

SPEAKER_00 26:16

Under under the pressures of verbal abuse and physical injury.

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 26:22

You get to the point where you're not easily provoked anymore, not easily angered. You now possess a humble spirit, submitting oneself to the divine will of God. In any situation, you let the Lord have his way, having no pride or arrogance. Meekness is a grace which Jesus alone inculcated. That means He instilled this. And which no ancient philosopher, no ancient philosopher seemed to understand. They never understood this, nor did they recommend it. Because when your mind is being influenced by society, you don't, some people can't see no other way. No, I can't do that. I'm not finna make myself, why not humble yourself for Jesus? Do you know how much humiliation Jesus had to take for us? We can't take nothing for him. People can tell one lie on us and then it'll they'll just tear up our whole world. So what? You know it ain't true, so why you letting it bend you out of shape like that? You ought to thank God that you was with you was able to go through something for him. You know that was a lie, a lie is a lie. You know it ain't true, and other people know it ain't true. So why you letting it change your whole countenance, change your whole attitude, ruin your whole day. I wish I would let somebody lie on me, ruin my whole day. I'm not finna give the devil that kind of power.

SPEAKER_00 28:19

Nor the person that he's working to.

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 28:24

Meekness is a fruit produced by the Spirit. That Spirit is the Holy Ghost. Under times of suffering. See, you a lot of stuff you ain't that we need to be to produce in our lives, it ain't gonna never produce until we yield ourselves and start going through something, start taking some things. You never gonna see it produce. If I had time, I'd go to the book of John. What Jesus was talking about a tree that bears fruit, he purges it. I mean he prunes it. Even a natural fruit tree got to go through something. If they got you look up by these folks that got these fruit arches, they had to tend to them trees in a special kind of way to cause them to keep producing. And a lot of that is clipping and cutting certain dead branches and certain spots off them so they can produce even better. And that's the same thing Jesus, he purges us so that we may bear more fruit. Read that. They're gonna say, more for you producing, but God always wants us to produce more for him. Why? Because it's for his glory, and we are here on this earth for his glory. Meekness is a fruit, like the other, the other, there's nine of them, but like the other eight. That is produced by the spirit under times of suffering, afflictions, oppressions, and times of humiliation for the Lord's sake. Trust me on this. Go through something now. I guarantee you, if you go through something for the Lord, when you come out of it, you ain't gonna be the same no more. Because God's gonna be to produce us produce something different in your spirit that was not already there. You're gonna be stronger in certain areas, you're gonna be able to take things more. Like they used to. And one thing I like about Jesus, even when they done stuff to him, you know what Jesus was what helps me? I it always the whole Lord's brain to my memory. When Jesus said, instead of him getting on their level, he committed himself to him. Talk about God. That's he to him is God. He committed himself to him that judges righteously. That's God. That's what he put it in the Lord's hand. When people were treating him wrong, when people talk about him. Because he could know God didn't send him down to be arguing and fussing and fighting with people. That ain't why God sent him. Well, let me flip that over. That ain't why God saved you and I for us to be different and arguing and fussing and cussing back and forth with other people. That's not why he saved us. That's not why he redeemed us. We ought to get ourselves in a place fit for the master's use. Let me read. Let me let the Bible tell you. If you ever read 1 Peter, this is 1 Peter chapter 2. I'm gonna read three verses. 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 21, 22, 23. They're talking about Jesus. This Peter talking about Jesus. He said, for even hereunto were ye called. We got to know why we've been called, while we've been saved, while we've been given a chance of salvation. You ain't called, and trust me, is God calling you in for He, He ain't calling you for you to keep doing what you're doing. He's calling you to do what He wants you to do. Point blank. For even here unto were you called. This is it, because Christ also suffered for us. Okay. We know without a doubt. The Lord Jesus God knows He suffered for us. Well, it's time for us to suffer Him now. This is what he said. Leaving us an example. I told you that they died on the cross wasn't the only reason why he came. He came so that he could leave us an example of his life, how he led us, how he did things. Leaving us an example. Why, Jesus, why he do that? That you should follow his steps, that you should live like he lived. How are we gonna know the example is Jesus? Get in the book. It's all in there. The example that he left for us is in his word. All we need to do is follow in his steps. The way he did it, that's how you do it. The way he said it, that's how you say it. The way he lived, that's how you live. His example. That means nowhere now where he's telling you to do it your way, or to follow your example, or to follow in your own footsteps. Some of us will be tired of doing things our way, busting our heads against the wall. Can't get ahead. Nothing seemed to work out right. Try Jesus' way. Verse 22. They're talking about Jesus. Paul Peter said, Who did no sin? God knows Jesus did not do no sin. Listen to this. Neither was Guile found in his mouth. He watched what he said. He wasn't finna let nobody cause him to say something that he didn't want to say. You know what we said? You know what we do when we give, I yeah, I said it, but see, I was mad. What kind of excuse did that? Because you were mad. That's you think that excuse is gonna be acceptable when you're standing in line before God? Get up there and tell God, Lord, I did it, yeah. I did it, but I was mad. And well, take your mad self on in the outer darkness. Because that's that wasn't my way, and if it wasn't done my way, you can't get in. Who did no sin? Listen to verse 22. Neither was God sounding his mouth. Yeah, we don't have to say everything, let everybody come out of our mouth. We we we don't have to say everything that crossed our minds and let it come out of our mouth. You choose to say what you want to say. Listen to verse 23. This is this this one I like. Who talking about Jesus? Who when he was reviled, let me tell you what that word revile means in the Greek understanding.

SPEAKER_00 35:30

It means Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, help us, Lord, help us, hallelujah.

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 35:42

That word means to be criticized in an abusive or angrily insulting manner. I know some of us we done been, some of us got testimony where we can say how bad we really have been criticized by other people. I know it. I have too. But y'all, we're trying to make it to heaven, and it's gonna cost us something. We're gonna have to show the Lord that we was willing to take those things for Him. And even because we was afraid of the person that was doing all. We ain't scared of people ain't scared of people like they used to be. It ain't because I'm scared. It's because, but I tell you one thing, it is because I fear the Lord. That's why I hold my peace. That's why I don't, when like Jesus said, when he was reviled, criticized. You know what? Jesus was the son of God. We know he's the son of God. But read your Bible. There were times they called him Belzybug, Prince of the Devil. The worst thing you can, the worst insult you can tell Jesus, the Son of God, call him a devil. That's insulting. But he took it. Because he knows the truth. He knows that he wasn't no Belzy Bug. See, when you know the truth, you don't have to let people's lies and criticism shake and rock your world. When he was reviled, look at that, revile not again. The ugly words that they threw at Jesus, you ain't gonna never read nowhere where Jesus threw back ugly words at them. Because he was meek.

SPEAKER_00 37:50

He was meek in the eyes of his father. Remind not again. When he suffered, listen to this.

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 38:00

As a result of their hand throwing rocks at him, pulling on his beer, spitting on it. He threatened not. How many of them have been threatened? But they, you quick to threaten somebody that done threaten you. Don't you threaten me? Come on, y'all. We're gonna have to. Our whole frame of mind, that's why the Bible says, that's why Paul told the church in Rome that we got to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. See, our whole mindset got to be renewed and changed. In order for us to receive on the level of understanding of spiritual things, our whole mindset got to be renewed from carnal things or natural earthly mind thinking ways. He threatened not. This is an example that Jesus left for. If he didn't threaten people, why are we threatening people?

SPEAKER_00 39:04

He didn't cuss people out. Why are we cussing people out?

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 39:10

He didn't criticize, verbal abuse people, insult people. Why are we doing that? Because we don't possess the fruit of meekness. This is why Jesus was able to do what he did. And this is the only way you and I are gonna be able to do the same thing. Listen to the last part of verse 23. But committed himself to him that judges rightfully. See, when you put it in God's hand, you know God is gonna have the last thing. When this thing all over and said and done with, God is gonna validate us. God is gonna come to our rescue. You ain't gotta try to deal with them people. Put gear to God and keep yourself committed to Him, to doing what He wants you to do. One of the highest honors in which we can be bestowed upon our Lord Jesus, the highest all you can give Him by living us a saved life is to be willing to suffer for Him as He has suffered for us. And sometimes that I don't get me wrong, I'd be the first to admit, some of those moments are gonna be some hard moments. Some of those moments are gonna be some real testing moments. But take it for him, trust me. In suffering for him, we follow his example of meekness and humility. We must understand spiritually that suffering brings us to a place of spiritual maturity, and that's what a lot of us need to be striving to get to: a place of spiritual maturity. We're still spiritual adolescence and still spiritual infants, but we need to be getting to that level of spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity takes you to a place where you can take some things because that's a sign that you have grown and you are growing even more in the things of God. We must also know that there will be no fruit of the spirit, and trust me on this, or in this case, fruit of meekness, if we have not been delivered from the works of the flesh. I said it. If you read Galatians chapter five, you will find out what Paul tells the church in Galatia. He starts out first in that chapter telling them about the works of the flesh that they got to overcome: adultery, fornication, strife. He tells them about the works of the flesh first. And it's not until he gets to verse 22 that he starts talking about the fruit of the spirit. Because the fruit of the spirit cannot happen. You cannot produce the fruit in your life that God won't produce in your life if you have not been delivered from the works of the flesh. And I challenge all of you, read the fifth chapter of Galatians and see if you find yourself in that list of the works of the flesh. And he tells you, nobody that's still doing those things will inherit the kingdom of God.

SPEAKER_00 42:58

We got to get delivered from that stuff in order for us to first produce something for the Lord.

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 43:10

Let me let me let me let me tell you a story. Let me tell you a story. Well, the Bible gonna tell you the story. It's in the Bible. We all know Moses. God had chosen him to lead the children of Israel out of uh Egypt. Okay. And Moses had a special connection with God.

SPEAKER_00 43:42

I mean a special connection. Anyway, in the book of Numbers, the word of God says this about Moses It says, Now the man Moses.

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 44:01

Was very meek. Listen at that. Listen at that. Talking about a man leading millions of people out of the church out of Egypt, leading them to the promised land. But he was the very, and he, and the word ain't anything in just stop there. They say he was very meek, but it's gonna tell you just how meek he was. He said, now the man Moses was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. In his day, during this time now. At that particular time, Moses was the most meekest man on the face of the earth. That's what the book just said. In the book of Numbers, you find this in Numbers, one of the books of the Pentateuch. Let me just let me just go back and let me just tell the whole story about most of it. Anyway, we all, if y'all know if you read a lot about Moses, you know Moses was married to uh his wife's name was Zipporah. Okay. But later on, years later, Zipporah died. And I guess Moses still spry, felt he was spry. He married again. But this time he married him a black woman. He wanted a sister, Ethiopian woman, the Bible said. He liked the black women. But his brother and sister, Aaron was Moses' oldest brother. Miriam was his sister. They had a problem with. Let me read, let me read it. The book of Numbers, chapter 12, verse 1, it says, and Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married. For he had married an Ethiopian woman. That's a sister. But they got a problem with it. But see, Moses belonged to the Lord. But that's all right. God finna get into it. He's gonna come down in the cloud. He's gonna come down in the cloud and say the listen thing. Verse 2 said, and they said, has the Lord indeed spoken on the Moses? You ain't the only one he's talking to. Has he not spoken also to us? And the Lord, this is this, the Bible said, and the Lord heard it. Y'all speaking to someone got favor with me. Yeah, yeah. There were times that God spoke to all three of them. They was the leader and in leadership position over the over the children of Israel. But the main man was Moses. And there were times God talked to all three of them. He talked to Abram because he was a priest, talked to Mira. Anyway, let me read. Verse 3 says this. Now the man Moses was very meek. Why they talk about him, criticizing him because he done married a sister, black woman, he ain't said nothing. Tell me he was. Now he could've because he's the number one man. He in charge. He could've. But he was meek. Because he knew he committed it to God. And God's gonna handle it in a few minutes. Let me get to it. Now the man Moses was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. But the Bible says, and the Lord heard it. Verse 4, and the Lord spake suddenly to Moses, and unto Abraham, and unto Miriam, come out ye three, unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. God for the deal with this. Verse 5, and the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud. See, if you know it was anything back then during the time that they were living in tents and things like that, while Moses was leading them through the desert until they finally got to Mount Sinai. He would oftentimes come down in a pillar of cloud in the tabernacle when he wanted to speak to Moses. But he came this time, he came down through the cloud in front of all three of them and stood in the door of the tabernacle and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. Now, what you're gonna find when you read the 12th chapter numbers, what you're gonna find, because I don't want to get too far off my text, what you're gonna find, God telling, he's gonna tell him, I talked to prophets in visions and in dreams. But he's gonna tell him, I he's gonna say, I talked to Moses mouth to mouth, faith to faith. In other words, he's telling, you ain't got no business to put your mouth on him. If I had a problem with him marrying that black woman, I'd have told him myself, not y'all. If I'd have had a problem with him marrying that Ethiopian woman, I'd have came to him because I talked to him mouth to mouth. And if I ain't said nothing, y'all shouldn't have said nothing. Make a long story short, the Bible said the anger of the Lord was kindled against them. You don't talk about Moses. He belonged to me, he's my servant. And anytime you read in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, when it says the Lord's anger was kindled, that means he was hot. He bad. And the Bible you're gonna read, you're gonna say he departed. And didn't say nothing else after that, he just departed. But when he left and they looked over at Miriam, the Bible says she was white as snow with the disease of leprosy for having said what she said against Moses. And that's his own sister. They just had a brother and sister spare. But yeah, but he belonged to the Lord. Your brother belonged to me. This is an argument between family, brother, and sister. But she was out of line. Her was out of line. Verse 9 says this. Let me just read a couple more verses. Number one. The anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed. And the cloud that he came down in departed from off the tabernacle. And behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow. And Aaron looked upon Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. That was a terrible disease back in them days. It's very contagious. You couldn't be around nobody. And there was many levels of the disease. If you had it so bad that it turned your skin white as snow, you had it bad. Now, you read the rest of that chapter 12, you're gonna see what Avon begged, Moses. We don't see it, we we acted so foolish. We didn't mean to say all that. Please, please, Moses. And let me tell you what happened. This meek man, the very one they talked about, because he done married a black woman, the very one they had to beg to pray for them. And you're gonna read what the Bible says, Moses cried unto the Lord to heal her. And God told Moses, if I was her father and spit in her face, she'd have to be ashamed for at least seven days. What that meant was that she was gonna have to suffer that disease for seven days. And according to the words, she did. And they was ready to move on, move the camp, on further into the desert. But they were patient and merciful, Moses, and didn't allow the camp to move. And another thing is she couldn't stay in the camp. She had to pitch her attention way out from the camp. So it's not to contaminate or cause nobody else to catch her disease. And Moses was willing to wait them seven days until the disease cleared up before they moved to camp, waiting on his sister. Because her mouth had got her in trouble, talking against someone that was meek in the eyes of God. Read that 12th chapter. Two chapters I want y'all to study. Galatians chapter 5, and read numbers, the 12th chapter. But focus on the meekness. Not the trouble they got in.

SPEAKER_00 53:26

That's gonna be part of it. But focus on the meekness that I want us to get to. Galatians, I'm about to let you go. Hallelujah. As we talk about the fruit of meekness. But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, which we don't have.

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 53:55

Long suffering. Ain't got no patience. Wait on nothing. Gentleness. Don't know how to be kind to one another. Goodness. Faith. Verse 23. Meekness. Temperance. Ain't got no self-control. Against such there is no law. There is no law nowhere. Both naturally or spiritually. No law against these nine fruit of the Spirit. Because these are the characteristics of the Spirit of God to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that He wants us to possess in our lives. Having meekness is having spiritual restraint coupled with strength and courage. Because you're going to have to have the courage, y'all. To go through some of the stuff we got to go through, we're going to have to have some spiritual courage. Yet having anger and hostility under control through Christ Jesus our Lord. When you let the Lord have his way in your life, and you're seriously seeking Him to make you over, to create in you a clean heart. You stop letting little things upset you so easily. I don't know why this is, but there's a spirit on this earth. People are so angry, don't know why they're so angry. Why do you stay so mad? They don't smile. They ain't never happened. They just seem like they just mad just to be mad and irritated just to be irritated. Where did that kind of spirit come from? It don't come from the Lord. Just every little thing irritates him. Don't have no sense of humor. Don't smile. Take everything the wrong way. That's not the spirit of God. And until we are delivered, we will never realize what we can have in him through the fruit that can be produced in our lives for his glory. See, the fruits are produced for his glory, but they also do your life and my life good. And they will continue to do us good all the days of our life. The fruit of meek, be meek, not weak.

SPEAKER_00 56:51

God bless you.