Opening Illustration: One Sunday morning the pastor noticed little Alex was staring up at the large plaque that hung in the foyer of the church. The plaque was covered with names, and small American flags were mounted on either side of it. The seven year old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor walked up, stood beside the boy, and said quietly, "Good morning Alex." "Good morning pastor," replied the young man, still focused on the plaque. "Pastor McGhee, what is this?" Alex asked. "Well, son, it’s a memorial to all the young men and women who died in the service." Soberly, they stood together, staring at the large plaque. Little Alex’s voice was barely audible when he asked, "Which service, the 9:00 or the 11:00?"
You know this is Memorial Day where we have recognized and acknowledged the men and women who have fought for our country. I wonder what our service would be like if we decided to remember those who fought the good fight of faith. How many of us could stand up and tell stories of remembrance of people in our lives that did that? How many of us in this room when we are gone will have those kinds of stories told about us?
We need to be remembered for what we did with our faith. How did we live our lives in a way that reflected the character of Jesus? For many of us in this room, living a life of faith is somewhat foreign. Some have not thought about what might be said spiritually about them when they die.
Valerie and I were talking just the other day about what people are known for. Are they known for their following Jesus or not. For a person who has gone to church all their life, it seems incredible that there are so many who will have very little to remember in regard to their spiritual life.
Church what is it we are trying to produce here? Disciples! What is a disciple? A learner – one who becoming like His master / teacher! If we are going to become like Jesus, our Master we must apply ourselves to understanding Him and how He lived.
That is why I am preaching this series. Many people in the church have the understanding that they are to be like Jesus but few actually know what Jesus was like. I want to present to you a picture of what Jesus character was like so that you and I can begin to emulate Him in our lives. The bible sdays we are to be transformed into the likeness of Christ. Being like Jesus - that is a memorial I want said about me.
Turn to Galatians 5:22-23. Pray
Did you notice that these are called “Fruit” of the spirit? The definition is : that which originates or comes from something, an effect, result.
We cannot look at these as individual traits that we can pick and choose from. They are all the fruit of the spirit. As the Holy Spirit resides in you, he will produce these traits. The key however is that while he is always in us, there are times we don’t allow him to work on the outside. We try and hide him away. When we do that these traits are also hidden and our witness for Christ is harmed. Therefore, we must always seek to be filled with the spirit and give him freedom every day to move in our lives to make us more like the Master – Jesus.
These Jesus traits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self control, humility and thankfulness are to be visible in our lives. Not just when we come together on Sunday mornings but everywhere we find ourselves: at home, at work or at play.
Each of us must be willing to help others and receive help from others in this process of becoming like Jesus. We must encourage one another, live as examples for one another and even exhort if necessary in order for us to grow in these traits of Jesus. Look at what the bible says about this transformation process: 2 Cor. 3:18.
These attributes of Jesus are to be ever increasing in our lives. When we live these out the world will see Jesus in us. We will be Jesus to the world – being used by him through the power of the Holy Spirit to build up the kingdom of God in the lives of those we come in contact with daily. Listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 10:24-25a.
Today, we are going to look at the traits of gentleness and humility. These traits of the Master hold great promise for us if we will develop them in our lives. Let’s first verify that these are in fact tr4aits of Jesus: Matthew 11:29; 21:5; 23:12; II Cor. 10:1; Phil. 2:8.
So we clearly see that gentleness and humility were part of the character traits of Jesus. I have put these two together because many times in scripture they are in tandem. A true disciple of Jesus will have these traits growing in their lives. I want to share with you 4 things that are found in this type of disciple.
A person of gentleness and humility will…
I. Possess great power!
I want you to know that gentleness and humility are not synonymous with weaknesses! They are not equated with sissy boy stuff. When you think about Jesus who we saw had these traits, he was fierce at times. During his interview with Pilate, he said that he had the power to call down legions of angels to his rescue if he wanted to! Yet in Phil. 2:8 says he humbled himself and took the form of a servant! Think about when he cleared the temple: he was a man of power!
Many times people see men who are humble or gentle as being less than a real man. Just because they don’t tear someone’s head off doesn’t meant they couldn’t. Gentle and humble people choose to lay aside their power at times for the sake of others. We must remember what the word translated gentle (meekness) means: power under control. It is an equestrian term used to describe a horse under the control of a bridle.
2 verses speak of the power of gentleness: Pro. 15:1 and 25:15.
There is power in the words of one who has a gentle spirit. Just like Jesus, when a gentle and humble person speaks, his words carry significant weight.
II. Experience God.
Several times in the Bible gentleness and humility are shown as gateways to experiencing the power and presence of God. Here are 3: II Chron. 7:14; James 4:7-10; I Peter 5:5-7
A disciple who is growing in and practicing the traits of gentleness and humility will see God move in his or her life. We must recognize that these are critical for us if we want to be on mission with God and be where he is working and moving.
III. Gain wisdom and Honor.
The person who lives by these traits will be the one to whom wisdom and honor are given. Listen to God’s word on the subject: Pro. 11:2; 15:33
In our culture, we get the idea that the wise and honorable ones are those who are always in the front – always getting all the publicity. But true wisdom and honor are not given by Hollywood or the ESPY’s or any other awards show for that matter. God himself gives true wisdom and honor. Only those who have the Jesus traits of gentleness and humility will receive true wisdom and honor. In Matthew 23:12, Jesus says…
Jesus is the perfect example for us in this area: Phil. 2:5-11. Jesus is the ultimate example of how humility and gentleness bring wisdom and honor.
IV. Encourage and build up others.
This is pretty simple to see. When you are around someone who is humble and gentle, there is a peace in the air. We are going to talk about peace in a later message but I want to say now there is a real connection with gentleness and humility and being able to be a person of peace. A person who is gentle and humble will not cause trouble all the time. Listen again to God’s words as he teaches us about being gentle and humble: Phil. 2:3-4; Titus 3:1-2.
Encouraging and building others up is part of the role of every person in this room who claims Christ as Lord and Savior. You can’t do that by always looking out for your own interests and wanting everything your way. Encouragement and building up comes from people who are goring in the Jesus traits of gentleness and humility. Without these, there is little encouragement and the body of Christ suffers. In the kingdom of God – we are either building up or tearing down. There is no neutral ground.
Conclusion: Becoming like the Master, that is what we are to be about church. We are to individually apply ourselves but also assist one another in the development process. Remember however where we started from this morning: The fruit of the Spirit. These Jesus traits are the result of the Holy Spirit being given freedom to work in your life. This requires submission to God.
Do you want to be a person that is remembered as a man or women of God? Do you want people to say about you – his life reflected Jesus. Christian, are you a person of gentleness and humility? Do you see those traits active and growing in your life? If not, the Holy Spirit is not being given full access to your life. Ask Him this morning to forgive you for trying to be the master of your own life. Give Him control right now.
If you have never given your life to Jesus you need to know that you are missing what life is all about. You also need to know that when this life is done, you are going to have to stand before God and give an account of your life to Him. Without Jesus you are going to stand alone before a holy and righteous God. Will you be able to stand before Him without guilt? No. God’s standard is perfect obedience. No one in this room can match that standard on their own. All of us have disobeyed God’s law. The Ten Commandments show us how far from being right with God we are. Only through Jesus can our lawlessness be forgiven. Jesus did perfectly obey the law of God and because of that He is the only one who can stand in our place. When we look to the cross we see Jesus taking all the punishment that was rightfully ours. We deserved death for our sin – our disobedience – but He took it himself. Now anyone who will believe and accept Him as Lord and Savior can be forgiven and actually have Jesus’ perfection applied to his or her account. So when we stand before God – we will be accepted because the righteousness of Jesus has been given to us! Jesus came to save you and I from the punishment that we deserve. You have no hope of tomorrow: today you have another opportunity to pass from death to life. Will you accept what Jesus has done for you and give your life to Him today?
