Sermon Tone Analysis

Gentleness

I. Introduction

A. Read Text Matt 11: 28-30

“Come to me all who are weak and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly of heart; and you will find rest for your souls.

30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

B. Opening Illustration:

I was asked by Chris to give this message on Gentleness, a character trait of a Christian with the fruit of the spirit in their life.

At first, I was like yeah, I’m gentle this is great, which quickly goes hand in hand with Chris’s message on humility.

So, then I actually thought about it and my past as a new believing teen as well as moments in my current Christian walk and it hit me like a ton of bricks, I couldn’t help but think of how this fruit is being displayed in my life and the many times, much to my shame, that it’s been nonexistent.

I mean I couldn’t imagine asking my 17-year-old self to think about what gentleness looked like in my life back then.

At the time my life was so focused on being the best rugby, golf and tennis player I could be, that meant the strongest, most physical guy on the field, I was certainly not thinking about gentleness being a fruit of the spirit, let alone how my Lord and savior describes His very essence of character by telling us what the root of His heart is (being Gentle and Humble).

How life changing thinking about these things would have been for me had I started during the first shaky steps in my walk with Christ.

As I meditated on God’s word, it was a good lesson for me to be reflective and think about one particular fruit of the spirit at a time and really put effort into how I’m displaying characteristics of a Godly man and contrasting it with the man the world says I should be.

The man I want to be and the fallen man I often find myself being.

Gentleness was a good topic for me, not because I excel in it, but because more than I like to admit I’ve seen how I’ve lacked a biblical gentleness and require much growth and putting the time and effort into understanding how it’s been displayed in biblical characters and how its described as Gods nature, has been exceedingly beneficial in the highlighting importance that I hope to now place on this characteristic to all of you.

More than that I hope that you will leave today feeling the same weight to addressing gentleness in your own life and how you’ve come to neglect its importance in defining your character.

Finally, my prayer is that you leave feeling encouraged knowing that the bible is filled with practical applications for us to lean on in pursuing gentleness and all the other fruits.

Questions:

- 1) Can someone try and define gentleness for me?

It doesn’t have to be a perfect definition, but just your general understanding of the word.

Or even what words come to mind when you think of Gentleness.

- 2) Think of some of your past experiences in life, where you have been the beneficiary/ recipient of gentleness by someone that you either know well or don’t know?

- 3) Why do you think Gentleness is important?

- 4) Now for the real test, what are some biblical examples of where you think you gentleness is displayed?

C. Establish Need:

During the past few weeks now, Chris and few others have been taking you through a series of Christian Characteristics, and how to walk the walk, for a la lack of a better term.

In other words, Im sure we can all agree that it’s much easier to just say that I am a “Christian,” but to live in a manner that reflects Eph 41-2 walking in a manner that is worthy according to the purposes to which you have been called, with all humility and Gentleness, with patience bearing with one another in love, this is much more difficult, and far less commonly seen in life.

To accurately emulate Christ in your life through word and through deed is a much greater challenge, yet the reward is greater than anything else we could hope for and is never ending.

Now as we look at gentleness, I want to remind you all, that in all things with life the word of God must always be our first stop.

That is why I took you through a series of questions before I started.

Defining a characteristic is no different than better understand substitutionary atonement or the Trinity, the word of God is applicable to all of life not just theological principals and apologetics.

I mention this even although I know you have had many discussions about this, because the reminder is necessary, we are quick to look at the world for information, especially for this topic, where the world, the flesh and the devil are constantly opposed to Gods Word and feeding you lies about what gentleness and all the other fruits and characteristics of a person, should look like.

The picture that the world creates of gentleness, if followed will lead you down a horrible/ dark road with no spiritual fruits.

The need for understanding biblical gentleness is -fold:

- 1) It is the character of Christ:

I want you to think about this passage throughout this message, and quite honestly every time you open your bibles.

John 14:9 “9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?” wow, what a frightening verse, 3 years listening to him, watching him heal the sick, raise the dead, feed the thousands and Jesus looks Phillip in the eyes and says, “you don’t know me yet!”

Not really, do you know, you are still fundamentally misguided, as Phillip asks Jesus to show him the Father after Jesus has described to him that in seeing Jesus, one sees the father as they are one and the same.

Now I wonder if we can make the same mistakes still today, thinking that we know Christ but not spending the time and effort into actually knowing who He is, what He has come to do, How He has done it, what and how He will do and whom He represents, which is also the why behind doing all these things.

That was me 10 years ago, and to some degree still is, the nature of blind spots is that we can’t see them, they are our weaknesses for a reason.

10 years ago my understanding of Jesus was based all on emotions, a Jesus that was only there when I did the right things, a Jesus that would only appear when the right music and smoke machines were used, a Jesus the was ultimately just a bigger, friendlier more powerful version of myself.

Not The Jesus, for whom my ongoing sins and sufferings draw Him in all the deeper.

The difference however between me 10 years ago and me now, is my desire and commitment to understanding the nature of Christ through His word and by prayer.

It was the realization that There is no greater biblical principal than the one that identifies who Jesus Christ is, at the core of everything.

His heart in Matt 11: 29, the center to who He is at the root of everything Is what Christ Himself describes as Gentle and lowly or humble.

- 2) It is completely distorted by the world:

The world will tell us two things about gentleness that look very different, but at their core are both attacks on gender roles.

You will hear either that as a girl you shouldn’t have to be gentle as that is something of the past, created by male domineering societies you are free to embrace all the characteristics of a man, and if that doesn’t quite do it for you then you also have the option of becoming a man.

- The second is almost the flip of that, where boys and men are encouraged to be as gentle as woman in all things, embracing all their soft attributes because men embracing bravery and strength, is not gentle, and something that “olden day men did,” because they were chauvinists and not in touch with their feminine side.

In its worst form this looks like a case last year in Australia where a child of just 4 years old started the process of undergoing a sex change and was encouraged by most leading psychologists around the world.

· So, defining character through scripture is vitally important because the wisdom of the world as we have heard from many of Chris’s sermons working through Corinthians, is foolishness to God, that means that the way Gentleness is defined by the world is not at all how God will define it through His Word, and the perfect image and representation of gentleness and all the other fruits of the spirit is through Jesus Christ.

· The main question we should all have is, how can we be biblically gentle and at the same time a strong and courageous leader, a “Conqueror in Christ Jesus, who is also gentle and lowly in heart.”

Because the world will have us believe that those two things (a conqueror and being gentle and humble) cannot and should not coexist, and yet, Christ our perfect example shows us that it does exist.

- 3) It is the mark of a true believer in Christ Jesus:

Gal 5: 22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (The fruit of the spirit, marking what a believer who is grafted into Christ, the one true vine, looks and acts like).

1 Tim 6: 11 “But as for you, O man of God, flee these things.

Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness” (Paul addressing Timothy encouraging him to live as a Godly man, dying to his previous struggles and fleshly desires and instead pursuing the things associated with being a Godly man, one of which is Gentleness)

- 4) It corrects the wrongs often misunderstood by Calvinists and reformed Christians:

This is a slightly more theological topic, but I would be a fool to think that It couldn’t possibly have roots even in youth ministry.

Ever heard of the term hyper Calvinist?

Well, if you haven’t it s typically someone that has given their whole life to the one principal in Scripture that God chooses and calls whom, according to His perfect will, therefore I can sit back and really not do anything.

Or on the flip, everything in a bible bashing way, being harsh and abrasive and lacking all gentleness when telling someone the truth.

Understanding Gods character as being gentle towards us, will shape how we respond to others in gentleness with the great power Christ has given us through His Word and the Spirit.

A. Gentleness defined:

1. Gentleness in scripture

- The importance of Gentleness in scripture is an attribute of God that is so often overlooked, especially in reformed Christian circles and even as God is portrayed to the world, yet it sets the tone of Christs ministry in how he did everything.

Being the Son of God and yet, having a gentle and humble heart that is sufficient to deal with the unending sinfulness of man.

Gentleness is who Christ is and Gentle is what we are called to be.

- The word gentle in Greek (Prou-teis) can be translated elsewhere in the new testament as meek and humble.

- Matt

2. Gentleness Defined:

- Looking at Matt 11: 29…

- Gentleness is the essence of who Christ is at His core.

It is complete power under control, subject to the Will of God.

To be Gentle, one must have a sensitivity of disposition, a kindness of behavior, founded on strength and prompted by love.

3. Quotes

- Martin Luther - "A Christian is one who feels no hatred or enmity to any man or woman, one who has in his heart no rage or vengefulness but only love, gentleness and kindness."

- George Bethune (fruit of the spirit) – “Perhaps no grace is less prayed for, or less cultivated than gentleness.

Indeed it is considered rather as belonging to natural disposition or external manners, than as a Christian virtue; and seldom do we reflect that not to be gentle is sin.”

- Jerry Bridges (The practice of Godliness) – describes the subtle difference between gentleness and meekness although often used interchangeably.

“Gentleness is an active trait, describing the manner in which we should treat others.

Meekness is a passive trait, describing the proper Christian response when others mistreat us.”

4. Gentleness in action: Lets look at some practical scenarios in which gentleness or its sinful counter parts can be displayed.

a) Having power under control:

You meet someone from a different church who claims to be a Christian.

You enter a brief discussion and come to find out that although they believe in Jesus, they also think that no one will ever go to hell, because Jesus saves everyone even if they aren’t believers, you know that this is incorrect theology.

How do you respond?

· 2 Tim 2:24-25 “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness.

God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,”

· 1 Peter 3:15 “15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,”

· Gal 6:1 “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.”

b) Subject to the will of God:

You happen to find yourself in a disagreement with a teacher or your parent, you know that you are right, and yet you don’t see any signs of them acknowledging their own fault and still tell you to do as they say.

What is your response?

· Isa 53:7 “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.”

· Matt 26: 42 “Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”

· 1 Pet 5:5-6 “Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders.

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”