Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness
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Behold, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.
The New Bible Dictionary, Third Edition Gentleness
epieikeia suggests the yielding of a judge, who, instead of demanding the exact penalty required by strict justice, gives way to circumstances which call for mercy. Thus the concession of a legal right may avoid the perpetration of a moral wrong (see R. C. Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament, pp. 153–157). Similarly in the OT the Heb. ‘ānâ, ‘to be humble’, and its cognate noun are used of God: ‘Thy gentleness (RSVmg.) made me great’ (2 Sa. 22:36; Ps. 18:35). Although the word itself is rarely used, it expresses the typical condescension of the divine Judge, whose refusal to exact the full demands of the law lifts up those who would otherwise be crushed under its condemnation. The adjective epieikēs describes one of the qualities of the Christlike believer. Note the other qualities with which it is associated in 1 Tim. 3:3; Tit. 3:2; Jas. 3:17; 1 Pet. 2:18. epieikeia is used in a formal rhetorical sense in Acts 24:4.
PRAYER
We have been walking through
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
The Apostle Paul is trying to make it clear to his readers that there are certain characteristics that ought to be true of us if we are establishing , growing our lives in Christ; ultimately we will take on his characteristics.
Paul got it!
He could be bold, show strength,
But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.
Puritan leader and Theologian Jonathan Edwards called gentleness "the Christian spirit." Edwards said, "All who are truly godly and are real disciples of Christ have a gentle spirit in them."
“All who are truly godly and are real disciples of Christ have a gentle spirit in them."
Known for his great quotes and his stellar perm
When the OT describes what the Messiah would be like...
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Matt.
Paul would often point to the gentleness of Christ as a reminder of how we ought to live.
I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!—
What makes it difficult for many today is that many equate gentleness with weakness.
II. Cor. 10:1
with getting stepped on.
But the Bible description of gentleness is something very different.
In scripture rather than a weakness we see gentleness as a display of strength, we see that rather than steal life away it enhances it.
Rather than something we ought to run from it ought to be something we embrace as the very character of Christ which saved us.
PAUSE
Looking back at our opening text, of Isaiah 40:10-11
This text from Isaiah speaking of the reign of God over his people.
This text from Isaiah speaking of the reign of God over his people.
That he is powerful and strong, he is mighty, his recompense is before him, means that he has the power to make things right.
All power and authority are his......
yet......
he is also in the same text described as a a gentle shepherd, who lovingly gathers his lambs, carries them, and gently leads.
And when we take the text in its entirely we see what seem to be two very different aspects of God’s character being described.
Power and might but also tender gentleness and care.
So it clear that gentleness cannot mean a lack of power or strength.
I. THE STRENGTH OF GENTLENESS
Gentleness takes strength, especially when everything in us screams for justice!! it takes strength; much more than I can often muster at times!
Speaking about leadership in the church, the Apostle Paul writes that....
not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
notice that in all these scenarios they have a choice. They can go with power, show their ability to argue, show strength....
Gentleness is not what we do when we have no other choice....it is chosen, in place of lashing out.
it takes nothing to lash out!
It isn’t strength that loses its cool. That has all the power and is sure to use it to put others in their place!
A few years back, I remember a guy getting out of his truck, bald big beard and tattooed, apparently the lady in front of him (a tiny little thing, a visual minority) had done something that he didn’t like and so when the traffic stopped he jumped out of his truck and started yelling at her through her window, screaming, telling her how stupid she was as she glared forward too scared to look at him.
Fortunately the traffic started moving quickly and he needed to get back in his truck.
everyone started honking at him as he turned and showed everyone the one way sign, except he learned it wrong.
No one looks at the guy freaking out in traffic and says wow!!!! that guy is so strong!! Look at the way he stood outside the poor little ladies car and screamed expletives at her!!
Respect!
Respect!
There is nothing wrong with strength, but that was not a show of strength!
In fact the effect of gentleness is enhanced when a show of strength is an option.
PAUSE
We always get out of whack as Christians, theologically and in practice when we are unwilling to take God on his terms.
When we take an aspect of God we like at the negation of ones we do not.
Ultimately making him less than he is.
Is.
So, we like the God of love some argue that we find in the NT,
But not the God of wrath.
But what we find in Scripture as God reveals himself, is that when we are content to remove aspects of God we are not improving him, we are actually making him far less than he has revealed himself to be is.
When we remove one aspect of his character we actually neuter those parts we think we are improving on.
For instance, we say we like the God of love, but not a God of wrath, but in the cross we see that because God is a God of wrath who takes sin seriously, His love is intensified in its display for us on the cross.
Thomas Jefferson Bible
In May of 1820 Thomas Jefferson produced what would come to be known as the Jefferson Bible.
in May of 1820 Thomas Jefferson produced what would come to be known as the Jefferson Bible.
Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of the United States of America, was like many of thew founding fathers a deist, meaning he believed that that God was more like a watchmaker who constructed everything, turned the crown, wound it up and left things to run on their own without intervening.
There was much in the Gospel accounts that Jefferson didn’t not agree with.
So taking a pen knife he began to cut out those bits that seemed for him hard to take.
Owen Edwards from the Smithsonian Magazine says this....
“Much of the material Jefferson elected to not include related miraculous events, such as the feeding of the multitudes with only two fish and five loaves of barley bread; he eschewed anything that he perceived as “contrary to reason.” His idiosyncratic gospel concludes with Christ’s entombment but omits his resurrection.”
One wonders what the point of loving or following this Jesus would be.
and if you are like me you say…the audacity!!
Who does that?
We all do!!
There are parts I wish were not in the bible!!
There are aspects of the bible that speak of sexuality, that if I took my scissors to it would sure make my life easier as a Christian
But to do so is to say to God you are not wise.
A God we do not disagree with is just a bigger version of ourselves and not a God worth worshipping!
See you can buy the Jefferson Bible today. And this is what you will see. (Pic)
That is no longer the Gospel of Jesus Christ, whose Gospel is that?… its easy to serve a God who we create.
And a God we never disagree with is just a bigger version of ourselves and not a God worth worshipping!
A God we do not disagree with is just a bigger version of ourselves and not a God worth worshipping!
God’s gentleness can only be understood when it is placed next to his strength!!
Do you ever watch these gory animal shows, there there are like lions chasing gazel, and like a cheetah lying in wait, takes down an impala and then the hyeenas and buzzards come in!? It’s worse than Game of Thrones, but a BBC natural history program, and the protagonist was a crocodile. Its victim was a wildebeest.
What I always find fascinating about these shows are the amazing power you can see in one shot and the gentleness in the next.
A lion taking down a beast, with its great speed and strength, and in the next playing with its cubs.
Some of you have maybe seen one from a few years back of a crocodile taking down a wildbeast wildebeests cross a river while the crocs lie in wait. It is the biggest feast of the year for them. It’s not as if wildebeests are easy to take down. They weigh up to 600 pounds and have considerable strength. But that’s where the jaws of a crocodile come into play. Watching crocodiles fell, drown, and tear apart such huge animals with their mouths was horrifying and awesome.
At another point in the show, we saw the same jaws caring for their eggs. The jaws that were strong enough to fell and crush an enormous wildebeest were also gentle enough to hold a delicate egg between their teeth without breaking it.
This gets us close to what the Bible means by gentleness. It is not the absence of strength, but the application of strength to a tender situation.
“Meekness has nothing to do with being weak or passive. Meekness is power harnessed by love.....”
Christian author Dave Harvey
epieikeia suggests the yielding of a judge, who, instead of demanding the exact penalty required by strict justice, gives way to circumstances which call for mercy. Thus the concession of a legal right may avoid the perpetration of a moral wrong (see R. C. Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament, pp. 153–157). Similarly in the OT the Heb. ‘ānâ, ‘to be humble’, and its cognate noun are used of God: ‘Thy gentleness (RSVmg.) made me great’ (; ). Although the word itself is rarely used, it expresses the typical condescension of the divine Judge, whose refusal to exact the full demands of the law lifts up those who would otherwise be crushed under its condemnation. The adjective epieikēs describes one of the qualities of the Christlike believer. Note the other qualities with which it is associated in ; ; ; . epieikeia is used in a formal rhetorical sense in .
Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him;
I Tim.
not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.
Tit.
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
he will gather the lambs in his arms; tenderly and with compassion
Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.
and
“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
I Pet
“If you think of all the things he could break, you will begin to see the wonder of what he won’t break.”TweetShare on Facebook
Isaiah says.
During their annual migration — a movement of an astonishing number of animals — wildebeests cross a river while the crocs lie in wait. It is the biggest feast of the year for them. It’s not as if wildebeests are easy to take down. They weigh up to 600 pounds and have considerable strength. But that’s where the jaws of a crocodile come into play. Watching crocodiles fell, drown, and tear apart such huge animals with their mouths was horrifying and awesome.
The power that is capable of crushing is tender and caring, that is the strength of gentleness
The is also a healthiness that come from gentleness
At another point in the show, we saw the same jaws caring for their eggs. The jaws that were strong enough to fell and crush an enormous wildebeest were also gentle enough to hold a delicate egg between their teeth without breaking it. This gets us close to what the Bible means by gentleness. It is not the absence of strength, but the application of strength to a tender situation.
II. THE HEALTH OF GENTLENESS
There is a real safety in living lives of gentleness.
A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
There is a door we walk through when we decide that we are going to be wrathful that can mean difficulty and brokenness ahead.
I wonder if everyday on the way home from work, I should be reminded of this verse.
My poor innocent family just biding their time until I get home. Thinking wonderful thoughts of their father, and I come in with a lack of gentleness.
To be honest, there are times when my daughter has been scared to tell me things because she is afraid that I will respond in a callous way; not with gentleness.
When I have been frustrated, and rather than show strength, I have been less that gentle, and in small ways made it difficult for her to approach me.
Where gentleness would protect our relationship and protect my little girl.
Today the default of our society is to shoot to kill when we sense a transgression has taken place.
People have stepped onto planes making unwise posts to twitter only to land 7 hours later and be hated by the world.
It used to be that we had a jury of peers to make a judgement, now we just need to have a pulse and a smartphone!
a. Gentleness defuses
A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Prov
If the anger of the ruler flares up against you, do not resign from your position,
for a calm response can undo great offenses.
Don’t leave your work just because your boss is angry with you......
show gentleness, a calmness
Don’t match anger with anger. It doesn’t work. I’ve had years of experience!
In the words of Mr. Miyagi
"Never put passion before principle. Even if win, you lose”
Gentleness defuses conflict
b. Gentleness disarms
Speaking to a young pastor, the Apostle Paul knowing what it would mean for a young ministers of the Gospel, says to Timothy in....
Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.
and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.
And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,
Gentleness disarms critics.
Have you ever got your self all hyped up for an altercation. You created a version of that person in your head. You knew how they were gonna treat you and how they were gonna respond…then when you sat down with them they were so stinking full of grace, kindness, gentleness, that it completely disarmed you and you were able to drop your defences and have civil conversation.
c. Gentleness persuades
Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,
and a gentle tongue can break a bone.
The wise of heart is called discerning,
and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.
All the days of the afflicted are evil,
but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.
Persuasiveness doesn’t come from force, that is imposed.
It’s not Vin Diesel that wins the argument!
It’s
Persuasiveness comes from gentleness birthed our of the a wise heart that has a very sober understanding of the self.
The way we correct each other must be done with gentleness.
What is our default when we are in conflict with someone
If you wonder why no one listens to you, it may be because you enter conflict like Dwayne Johnson instead of like Jesus.
Who knew how to flip table by the way, but who approaches you and I with gentleness and compassion. That is why he is approachable.
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
Because it......IS ULTIMATELY AN ACT OF GENTLENESS THAT HAS SAVED US
III. THE GOSPEL OF GENTLENESS
not only does it strengthen us, or sustain us in our relationships and sustain health in our relationships, but it is the very model of our salvation.
Isaiah’s prophecy looks forward to one who will not break a bruised reed ().
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
That is not because Jesus is a pushover. He is not soft. He knows how to apply strength to vulnerability. Think of all the things he could break and you begin to see the wonder of what he won’t break.
This is the picture Isaiah is painting...
Think of the smoldering wick on a candle. Barely a flicker left in it, a mere speck of orange light, the tiniest bit of air, movement would put it out. And yet Jesus is able to deploy his care with such surgical, forensic precision that the most delicate and fragile of things (thinks like the broken human heart with all its intricacies)can be taken and nurtured with utter care and protection.
Christian author Sam Allberry says it this way
“Part of the wonder is that Jesus is able to combine what we so easily separate. In our experience those who are gentlest tend to lack strength and force when it is called for, while those who are strongest tend to lack the capacity for gentleness and restraint. But Jesus exemplifies perfect gentleness and awesome strength. No one is crushed by mistake. There is never any friendly fire or collateral damage.”
This is the kind of saving we need!!! Isn’t it?
It is the very fact that the Gosple proclaims God’s might and gentleness.
It is because in Jesus we see the authority of Heaven and earth yet the humility of a servant, that...He is strong and mighty to save:
that he can take on sin and death, the strongest of our enemies, the greatest cause of our fears and anxieties and he wins!!
He is strong and mighty to save: that means he can take on sin and death, the strongest of our enemies, the greatest cause of our fears and anxieties and he wins!!
and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.
Rev
His white hair isn’t about being old, it is about being pure and holy and powerful, is it any wonder why John fell on his face as if dead when he say Jesus like this?
YET!!!
It is THIS God, THIS saviour, who set his power aside. Who as one hymn says COULD HAVE CALLED ten Thousand Angels to his aid, who could have called on all the force and might of Heaven, with his heavenly father pulling out some old testament fire from heaven!!
But Instead in gentleness approached his creation, as a warrior?!?!? no....as a baby!!! as a man, who hurts, who stubs his toe, and bleeds
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
WHAT??
but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews
Do you see? Do you see how the potency of the gospel is lost when we neuter God of his power and his strength!!! His holiness and his desire for justice!
The power of his gentleness and love is powerful not in spite of these aspects of his character, they are enhanced because of them!!
With all this power. With all this authority, strength, holiness........he is amazingly, (and I should say surprisingly)gentle and careful with us.
he is he is unspeakably delicate and careful with us. There is no wound or vulnerability he doesn’t understand or handle with the utmost care. He is someone we can trust with our most tender bruises and fragility. He will not be clumsy with us. He won’t steamroll us. He can apply his unimaginable strength to us with affection and sensitivity.
He knows us and knows where we are delicate.
For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust.
He kno
We do not serve a
And so there is no hurt he doesn’t understand.
He is someone we can trust with our most tender bruises and raw hurts. He will not be clumsy with us. He won’t power over us. He can apply his unimaginable strength to us with affection and sensitivity.
See in a fallen world like this, all of us are people who have sinned and been sinned against. Some of this will have left us with deep wounds that seem unfixable even to us, let alone others. But Jesus knows us fully and understands us entirely. He loves us more than we love ourselves. He is even more committed to our ultimate joy than we are.
In our pain and confusion, in our weakness and mess, we come to him assured that he alone is trustworthy. He has the power and capacity to help us, and the tenderness and care to want to. We can trust him with our deepest pains and bruises. There is no one more powerful, and no one more gentle.
The greek word for gentleness has at its root the understanding of something transferred.
That something you have been has been given, it now to be given to someone else.
It means that somewhere there has been a source of gentleness placed on you and you now have the opportunity to transfer it to others.
So, knowing the god of justice is also the God of grace, what will that look like, when you have been unjustly treated.
Knowing that our saviour who gave his like for many could have displayed all the power of heaven to justify himself and prove himself, instead for your sake and mine said, “Father forgive them they don’t get it”
Knowing that one of God’s greatest displays of strength was to in humility take on the punishment owed us for our sin, in gentleness, who will be a beneficiary of our gentlenss this week? This afternoon?
Who deserves your wrath this week?
“Meekness has nothing to do with being weak or passive. Meekness is power harnessed by love.....”
Christian author Dave Harvey