Gal. 5.22-23 Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness
1. [Read text]. I’ve been thinking about this list we have been reading, these fruit of the spirit. And I’ve been wondering about the way they appear, the order they appear. And an image to capture the author’s intention. Is it a fruit bowl as we have here before us? All of these fruit are together. Love, joy, peace, etc. Or is it more like a staircase that you continue to climb? Or is the best image a tree where the first fruit are near the lower branches and the others get more and more to the top? In other words, I have wondered this week, if those listed at the front end of this text are the easiest to get, those at the back half, harder or are they all equally the same level?
2. Today we are talking about gentleness. At least that’s the word used in this translation. Looking at several other translations is the word “meekness”. Jesus, if you remember, called His followers to be meek. But meekness has often been misunderstood. Meekness has been seen as a “wimpy” characteristic, meaning that if a person is meek, they must be a door mat that people walk over. A businessman once had this understanding. After a sermon on Jesus’ statement, “the meek shall inherit the earth, “ he told his wife in the parking lot, “All I can say, is if the meek are going to inherit the earth, they are going to have to get a lot more aggressive.” You see, if there is any fruit of the Spirit that our male egos wrestle with, it’s this idea of being meek. I too wrestle with this ideal. Just recently, actually, I had opportunity to be gentle, and I missed it. If I was graded on meekness, I would have gotten an F. But Jesus, the most perfect human was meek and He called those of us who are His disciples to be the same. And Galatians tells us that the Spirit produces this kind of fruit.
3. But we need to understand that being meek doesn’t mean we lack power, rather, it is power under control, that is, under God’s control. Jesus lived His entire life that way. And we have His words recorded in Matthew 11.29, “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Once again, though, we don’t find this attribute very easy because it means we give up control. It means we allow someone else to control the events and actions of our life and if there is one thing we don’t want to give away, it’s control. Think about this fact, there are only two people in the whole of scripture that are called meek. Moses, in Numbers 12.3, “(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)” (KJV) and Jesus in Matthew 21.5, ““Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”(NIV) Jesus did more than just call us to live a life of meekness, He also demonstrated how we could live it out.
4. So let’s look at that now. How do we live a life of meekness or gentleness? The answer is found in these words, “Living life under God’s control.” In every aspect of your life. And there are five areas that will help us practically live this out.
5. First, in our personality . . . we are to live under God’s control. A guy had troubles getting along with others. Finally, he turned for advice to a counselor friend. He asked, “Why doesn’t anybody get along with me?” “You have heard of the gift of hospitality?” . . . . “Yes” . . . . “Well, you have the antidote!” God doesn’t change our personality… he just brings it under his control.
6. That’s what He did with James and John, known as the sons of thunder. James and John wanted to call down fire on the Samaritans to destroy them because they did not receive Jesus (Luke 9:54). On another occasion they wanted to insure that they would could be properly enthroned in Jesus’ Kingdom . . . one on his right and the other at his left (Matthew 20:21). There were arguments amongst them as to who would be the greatest (Luke 9:46).
7. It’s John who writes the Revelation and calls himself a servant, a brother and a companion. No longer does he think of himself as fighting for top position, rather, he now has a gentleness and humility that did not exist prior to the filling of the Holy Spirit. God didn’t change his personality, God just brought it under His control.
8. Secondly, in our outlook . . . we are to live under God’s control. We don’t look at things in the same way. Philippians 2.4-5 says, “Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” And what was His attitude? Gentle and meek. Jesus looked to serve, not to be served. He didn’t make demands even when He knew what would be demanded of Him. His outlook was different.
9. Third, in our words . . . we are to live under God’s control. Eph. 4.29 says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Our tongues are powerful tools. With them we can build up or we can tear down. We can encourage or we can discourage. James 3.8 says, “but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” So the only way to live with our tongue is to live under God’s control.
10. Fourth, in our expectations . . . we are to live under God’s control. Again, scripture speaks to this in Eph. 4.2, “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” When we have expectations we have placed on others and they don’t match up to them, we can have problems. “Why won’t they start doing this? What’s wrong with them?” When our relationship with God isn’t what it’s supposed to be our expectations sound like, “why are you letting this happen to me?” But when our expectations have been surrendered to God, we begin to see our need, and to focus on ourselves and our questions become, “what are you trying to teach me?” or “how can I grow from this situation.”
11. And fifth, in our responses . . . we are to live under God’s control. Proverbs 16.32 says, “Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city.” It is said that a proactive person is spirit controlled and a reactive person is others controlled. Either you are prepared to act as you have been filled with the Holy Spirit no matter what people do to you or you allow the actions of others to control what you do. Either you are filled with the fruit of the Spirit or you are bearing everyone else’s rotten stinking fruit.
12. Put this all together to get: Personality, Outlook, Words, Expectations, Responses and you get POWER, under God’s control you get meekness, the kind of gentleness that Christ calls His followers to, the ones who will be inheritors of the earth.
13. How are you in this area of meekness or gentleness? Are you power living under God’s control? If you sense the answer is no, the good news is, the Spirit produces this kind of fruit in you. But the warning is this is not automatic. The Spirit does not produce this kind of fruit in those who are not willing to be changed. Those who are not willing to be transformed.
14. This morning, I’m going to the altar because I want God to help me to be meek. Maybe some of you need God to help you love, or you lack joy, or you want peace, desire goodness, kindness, or one of the other spiritual gifts. If so, I encourage you to join me as I pray this morning and ask God to do what He needs to in me.
