Gentleness, Fruit of the Spirit
Notes
Transcript
Gentleness
“God’s Great Gentleness”
Address the book give away in pew.
Matthew 11:28-30
Illustration - My wife has a lamp. It is one of those pieces of furniture that the family makes fun of. It has hundreds of what looks like cracks in the glass, but it is intentionally designed this way to have a distressed look. We tease her that if it ever breaks we can easily glue it because its already been broken and glued back together so many times. When we moved to Louisville. Susan would not let anyone touch the lamp. At moving time, It had a special place in the backseat of her car and was buckled in a seatbelt.
-We are gentle with the things we care for.
-We treat what is valuable with gentleness.
1.What is Gentleness
Opener - I remember the first time I picked up my newborn baby from the bassinet.
I knew t do 2 things:
Be tender and soft with her little fragile body. Don’t drop that child.
One hand cradled under the neck and head. Another hand cradled under the bottom and lower back.
Gentleness has both tenderness and strength.
Gentleness is...
tender, kind, soft, pleasant, mild, calm acceptance, merciful,
Gentleness comes from a heart that cares and is concerned.
Gentleness is birthed from a desire to nurture and love.
I want you to also have the imagery of a mother bear with twin cubs.
That bear is gentle and patient. Undergirding that patience is power and strength.
Gentleness does not operate in a vacuum. It is undergirded by great strength.
What gentleness is not...
Gentleness is not - being laid back, being well spoken, Gentleness is not indifferent, quietness is not gentleness.
Gentleness is tender and merciful. Gentleness is concerned and kind.
Pause
Many times gentleness is associated with being feminine.
But, gentleness is also what a Godly man is called to
Read,
11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.
Men, we are called to gentleness.
Gentleness is not weakness.
Illustration - Holding Hand
We have all had a child try to squeeze our hand as hard as they could to see if they could be stronger than us. If you wanted to, you could squeeze their hand back and crush it. Instead you just smile at them, because they cannot break your grip. You respond with gentleness. You have the power to hurt, but the love for gentleness.
We know that the heart of God is gentle. Friends, in strength God calls you to be gentle.
Transition - But what is the gentleness of God like?
Illustration - I’ve visited the Taj Mahal 3 times in my life. If you ever get a chance to go, it’s definitely worth seeing.
Much of the ornateness is inlayed with semi-precious stones.
Many of these stones glow & sparkle when exposed to a flashlight.
They light up with beauty.
Many times the gentleness of God is subdued and stands in the back of the line of God’s attributes. The character of gentleness doesn’t really push its way to front to be seen.
To light up gentleness I want us to contrast it to the wrath of God.
Transitions - I want us today to … uncover the gentleness of God. So, How do you uncover the gentleness of God?
2.How to uncovering the gentleness of God.
How do you uncover the gentleness of God or any other attribute?
So many time you say, I want to experience more of God. I want more of Him.
If you will take the time to do this simple technique you will experience more of God.
Simple technique - Take on of God’s attributes like gentleness and contrast it to an opposing attribute - like His wrath.
By doing this today we will shine a flashlight on His gentleness.
You will gain an “Awe” of God.
God is a God of tremendous gentleness. He has a heart of gentleness.
In your Christian experience one of the reasons you miss out on having an “Awe” of God’s regarding God’s gentleness is because you look at God from just one dimension.
Or you are so busy in life you do not take time to sit and consider the greatness of God at all.
We don’t have a one dimensional God. God is not simple.
God is not like us.
God is dizzyingly complex.
You can spend all of your life getting to know God and on your last day of life on this earth, as you lay on your death bed, you can still learn more about his wonder.
Our awe of God comes as we compare God’s opposing attributes to each other.
To understand the gentleness of God we need to view God’s gentleness with understand his wrath.
No one wants to talk about God’s wrath because we think that makes God look mean. Talking about God’s wrath makes people feel uncomfortable.
Plus you can’t grow a church if you talk about God’s wrath.
What is God’s Wrath?
The outpouring of God’s furious anger toward sin.
The hard truth is this - That every person, including me, deserves justice for their sin.
God is a good judge.
-God must judge sin.
-He will not ignore or overlook any sin.
-Your sin deserves an eternity in hell.
-Every person who ever lived on this earth is sinful & deserves the justice of God.
-In hell God’s righteous wrath is poured out on sinners who have not surrendered to Jesus.
-There will be no relief from the wrath of God in hell.
This is why we talk so much about Jesus and forgiveness found through faith in His work on the Cross.
-Because God’s wrath & hell is so very real.
-If you have come to Christ in faith, repented, and follow Jesus as your King. You have escaped the wrath of God.
-You have begun to receive His gentleness.
You deserve the just wrath of God for your sin, but God chooses to NOT give you what you deserve
Instead of hell, God treats you with gentleness.
Quote
“The more robust one’s felt understanding of the just wrath of Christ against all that is evil both around us and within us, the more robust our felt understanding of his mercy.” Unquote
Instead of wrath for your spiritual failure, He invites you to himself with tenderness… unpack this.
In what religion does God not give you the wrath and punishment you deserve, but instead pour out on your gentleness?
Only in Christianity.
What kind of God does that?
An amazing God.
An eternal God who loves His creation.
Transition - Let’s take this flashlight of God’s wrath and shine it on the precious stone of God’s gentleness.
3.The gentleness of God is found at his heart.
Our focal scripture today is the only place in the Gospels where Jesus tells us what his heart is.
Your heart is not just your emotions.
It’s the seat of your motivations & passions.
Hear the motivation and passion of the Lord.
Matthew 11:28-30
vs. 29, Jesus shares His heart.
He tells us that his heart is gentle and lowly.
Pause
And in our passage in verse 29 we see that there is a yoke - oxen pull the load with a yoke. The yoke is the burden of weight. - a burden to bare.
What does Jesus says about this yoke?
He will give you rest, His yoke is easy and burden is light.
Listen to what Dane Ortlund says in his book about the yoke & burden of Jesus of Jesus.
quote
What helium does to a balloon, Jesus’s yoke does to his followers. We are buoyed along in life by his endless gentleness and supremely accessible lowliness. He doesn’t simply meet us at our place of need; he lives in our place of need. He never tires of sweeping us into his tender embrace. It is his very heart.
unquote
Jesus meets us and lifts our yoke. He makes it light. He lifts our yoke and causes our soul to rest.
God can doe this because he is both powerful and gentle.
Illustration
Moving John’s Piano
A few weekends ago there was a team that gathered to help John’s family move into their new house. On the list of challenging items to move was an upright piano.
Several years ago at the last church there was an event at Clarks Hill. Several guys needed to get an upright piano to the lake. They put the piano in the back of a pick up truck. They did not secure the piano.
-Went around a corner too fast the piano tipped out, hit the road, broke into a thousand pieces, slid into the ditch - they kept on driving.
-An upright piano can weigh up to 800 pounds.
-We successfully moved that piano. It was a challenge.
-It did not just take strength, but gentleness.
The heart of God is tender, it wanting to care for you, it invites you into His embrace.
- AND verse 29 tells is that God’s heart is not only gentle but also lowly
God’s heart is also lowly.
It is humble, He reaches down to you.
We see this in how Jesus came down to earth to minister to human kind.
Jesus condescends
The words of the first verse of the song
Come behold the wondrous mystery.
Come behold the wondrous mystery
“Come behold the wondrous mystery, in the dawning of the King
He the theme of heaven’s praises, robed in frail humanity
In our longing, in our darkness, now the light of life has come
Look to Christ, who condescended, took on flesh to ransom us.”
Consider how this majestic king full of splendor and glory who is also a judge...
A judge who is wrathful toward sin has also identified himself as having a heart of gentleness.
In all of God’s great depth and complexity, his heart is gentle toward you.
God’s mercy & compassion for His people are on a whole other plane.
Not a human plane.
A supernatural plane.
God exhibits supernatural gentleness to you.
This gentle heart of God did not just show up in the New Testament.
This has been God’s heart all along.
When God the holy righteous God appeared before Moses on Mt. Sinai here is what God revealed about himself.
Exodus 34:5-8, God is gentle
look in verse 7, The word “Thousands” means thousands of generations.
He keeps steadfast love for a thousand generations
Sin effect 3rd and 4th generation,
but God’s steadfast love is for thousands of generations.
Do you see the heart of God and his desire to love and be gentle to you.
Isaiah 40:10-11
God’s desire is to gather you (his lamb) in his arms.
He is desire is to cradle you and to carry you close to himself.
He wants to gently lead you.
Why do I choose texts out of the Old Testament?
I want you to see that in the Old Testament God is also gentle with you.
Your God has been a gentle God all along. Gentleness is His character.
Transition to the next point -
He wants you to be gentle like Him?
How is the Christ follower to be gentle?
How do we live out the gentleness of God?
The earthly ministry of Jesus does not happen in a majestic court of power.
The earthly ministry of Jesus happens from a place of gentleness and lowliness.
4. Living out the Gentleness of God.
Colossians 3:12
A. You must internalize Christ’s gentleness
Dan Ortlund
quote
Do not minimize your sin or excuse it away. Raise no defense. Simply take it to the one who is already at the right hand of the Father, advocating for you on the basis of his own wounds. Let your own unrighteousness, in all your darkness and despair, drive you to Jesus Christ, the righteous, in all his brightness and sufficiency.
unquote
As you internalize Christ’s gentleness on a daily bases - ask Him for the help to receive it.
Ask for his help to sit and meditate on His closeness to you.
Through prayer and God’s Word, in the stillness of your time with God, move closer to Him in your relationship.
Allow Him to comfort you.
Allow Him to tend to you wounds.
Allow Him to speak into your life and encourage you.
Ask Jesus to help you be gentle.
Ask Him to help you be like Him.
B. Gentleness shines the light of Christ
-The world responds in anger.
-The world responds in drama.
-The world responds in manipulation.
Christ and His followers respond in gentleness.
God wants you to respond to sin.
God desires you to respond to manipulation.
God encourages you to confront others when needed.
He leads you to do these things in gentleness.
Illustration -
Soldier in a war zone with children.
We have all seen video of our US soldiers in a war zone patrolling the streets.
They never know when they are going to to be shot at or an IED may go off.
What always amazes me is how the soldiers treat the children.
While they are looking for enemy snipers, many take time to give high 5s.
Hand out a piece of candy.
Or play soccer.
This kindness and gentleness with children wins hearts and minds...
-Even when it is difficult, even in a war zone, it is gentleness that helps win hearts.
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