Becoming Gentle
Galatians 5:22-23
September 17, 2023
Fragile: Handle with Care – How often have these words been put on a shipment to protect the package. When we moved here, the movers told us if our dishes broke they were not responsible because they didn’t pack them. Have you ever packed and shipped something and put on that great
FRAGILE: HANDLE WITH CARE label?
Even when we carelessly put together a package, we still expect it to arrive in one piece, unbroken. We not only do that with packages, but we also do that with many aspects of life. We usually don’t handle life with care.
We can say things which are very upsetting. In fact, do you know people who are very draining? Jon Gordon calls these people “ENERGY VAMPIRES.”
They’re the kind who say things that set you on edge and you’re convinced they enjoy doing it? They say things as if they are looking for a fight. They come into your home and ask, "Where did you find that wallpaper?" It’s obvious they’re not asking because they like it.
Do you have a bunch of Ralph Kramden’s in your life? If you remember the Honeymooners, Ralph was one of those loud and obnoxious people who are usually wrong, but can’t admit they’re wrong and always think they’re right. Besides that, they’re the type of people who easily get agitated and blow up when someone challenges them.
They come right out and ask, "Ooh, how much weight have you gained?" Or they tell us we look really tired. They tell us our outfit doesn’t really go. And they seem to question everything, even when there’s nothing to question.
They’re all around us! They’re in our families, at work, at school and even in the church. When deciding your Thanksgiving and Christmas plans, you try to work around their schedule so you can spend as little time with them as possible.
Our temperament, our personality, our reactions in dealing with these people, in dealing with issues when life becomes really fragile often times is an indicator of how we are doing on today’s topic.
Lately, we’ve been looking at what it means to find rest for our wearied bodies and spirits; how do we discover that Jesus’ offer of His yoke is really easy and His burden is light. Do we believe that? It’s an offer which should bring us rest, comfort, peace and relief.
For the next couple of weeks, we’re going to continue on that theme, and today I want to look at the spiritual fruit of what it means to have a spirit that demonstrates God’s GENTLENESS. Before he wrote about the fruits of the Spirit, in Galatians 5, Paul wrote - - -
13 For you were called to freedom. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. - Galatians 5:13-15
That’s a pretty sobering statement from Paul. God grants us freedom. And with that freedom we can love or hate. Of course, we’re called to love one another, but if we don’t, this last verse is pretty brutal. If we bite others, beware that you’re not just bitten, but consumed by that enemy. That’s a pretty stern warning.
Paul then goes on to list a number of sins. He calls them the sins of the flesh. Right after that, he gives us a list of 9 items called the Fruits of the Spirit. Paul tells us - - - -
22 The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 GENTLENESS and self-control. Against such things there is no law. - Galatians 5:22-23
As we’re moving towards being more like Jesus, I hope you understand this is not about “trying harder.” It’s not about trying to be more patient, trying to be more gentle, trying to be more loving. Not that this is all bad, but this means you’re doing this on your own power.
And whenever we do this on our own power, we might succeed for a bit, but often times we get wearied, tired, frustrated; and we aren’t able to keep going. Notice that Paul calls this the Fruits of the SPIRIT. Not the fruits of Michael (insert your name).
This is about what the Spirit of God is offering us. I’m hoping you’ll allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in you, changing and making you into the kind of person God wants you to be. And when that happens, others will be coming up to you and asking how you’ve changed. It will be the fruit of the Spirit which is now evident in your life.
So, as we look at gentleness, let’s first look at what it means. Because, like most biblical words - - - - there’s more to gentleness.
There are 2 Greek words for gentleness. In Philippians 4:5, Paul wrote - - - -
5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. - Philippians 4:5
Paul instructed the Philippians to be gentle. The word for “gentleness” in this passage has a very different meaning than what we may think. Another word that’s used for gentleness in the ESV is REASONABLENESS.
That really doesn’t sound like gentleness. The word conveys a sense of being fair and equitable with others. It’s our call to be reasonable. It’s being fair by relaxing overly strict standards in order to keep the "spirit of the law."
And when you think about it, we all know people who if it suits their purposes will use the law to get what they want, when everyone else knows the “spirit of the law” is really what’s best.
In this sense the gentle person would know what the real intent of the law is, and would follow that. It’s the person who builds on the real intent of what’s at stake in the decisions being made. So, that person seeks to fulfill the spirit of the law, not just the letter of the law.
That’s a bit different view of gentleness. It’s one we might like to aspire to. It’s great when people can look at us and say we always seek to make fair and equitable decisions in all situations. That, we’re a reasonable person and unbiased.
In Galatians 5, Paul uses a very different word, which has a very different meaning to tell us to practice gentleness. The word Paul uses to talk about the fruit of the Spirit of GENTLENESS can also mean meekness or gentle strength. Too often when we hear meekness, the world thinks of weakness, or lack of strength, but that’s not the case.
Paul could have called for us to be MEEK, which means having a gentle strength, which is a person who shows power with reserve and gentleness.
For you and I, meekness begins with the Lord's inspiration and empowerment. It’s a divinely-balanced virtue that can only operate through faith.
So, meekness is strength under control. It’s someone who is tremendously strong, but holds that strength in reserve and uses it only when needed. Picture a person who is really angry about something, someone who we would all agree has been grievously wronged and hurt and would be fully justified to demonstrate their anger. But they choose not to explode. Instead, they practice gentleness. And handle the situation differently.
One of the sources I use, described GENTLENESS this way - - - -
It denotes the humble and gentle attitude which expresses itself, in particular, in a patient submissiveness to offense, free from malice and desire for revenge...controlled strength, the ability to bear reproaches and slights without bitterness and resentment; the ability to provide a soothing influence on someone who is in a state of anger, bitterness and resentment against life...the word indicates an obedient submissiveness to God and His will, with unwavering faith and enduring patience displaying itself in a gentle attitude and kind acts toward others, and this often in the face of opposition.
It was also used in secular Greek writings to describe a soothing wind, and a healing medicine.
Most words in Greek were word pictures. So, when you heard the word, there was also a picture in mind. This word brought up 2 word pictures . . .
One is a tamed animal. Think about a strong horse that weighs about 1000 pounds. It has great strength, and yet, once it’s tamed, great things can happen. It can pull a plow through a field and help bring about a harvest. A saddle can be put on it and a child can ride it. “Gentleness” is strength under control.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy9Uf5fENHI
The other word picture comes from medicine. “Gentle” medicine is medicine that is easy on the stomach. It won’t upset your stomach. Some medicine we take upsets our stomachs. And we’re told to take some medicine with food so that we do not get sick.
So, we can also picture that gentleness is a person who is easy on your stomach. When we think of people who are not gentle, what happens to our stomachs when we hear they want to speak to us. Immediately your stomach begins to knot up.
Because, that’s a person who is not easy on your stomach. Whether or not they speak the truth to you. BUT - - - the way they do it, is not gentle. They are a person you seek to avoid because even though they might have good intentions, the way they go about it is rough on your stomach.
A gentle person is not necessarily one who tells you what you want to hear – but they find a way to do it — that is mild on your stomach. You look forward to meeting with them, you trust them, and you know they have your good intentions at heart and they will be gentle in their handling with you.
Often times a person who lacks gentleness, particularly with the way in which they treat people, doesn’t recognize it or see it in themselves. Part of the issue is the fact that they have not been confronted in a gentle way to help them understand the damage they’re doing to others. So, for many people their lack of gentleness is not a result of being mean spirited, it’s because they don’t know anything different.
And, so, I think the big ah-ha for a person who lacks gentleness is that they probably don’t know it, and the people in their life aren’t going to tell them because the people in their life are afraid of them. I mean, who wants to confront a non-gentle person to tell them they’re a non-gentle person?
The greatest thing we can do is to draw closer and closer to God. One of the greatest passages in the Bible was written by David, it’s one we know well. He wrote - - -
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Think about these words as we think about gentleness. Not only are we to be gentle towards one another, but we’re to experience the gentleness of our God, who loves us and sent His Son for us.
When I consider God as my Shepherd, that means He’s the One who cares for me, He looks out for me, who’s guiding me, who’s chasing me down and looking for me when I wander away.
He’s the One who will - - - - and I love this was of saying it, who will make me lie down. It’s like when you’re teaching your dog to sit, and you kind of gently push down on their back side to get them to sit. It’s like God giving me that nudge, ‘lie down, Michael, lie down in that soft green grass.
Look at the water. There’s no more rapids, it’s not a racing river, it’s still, so you can find peace and have a refreshing drink.
And God restores my soul. He leads me in a way in which I can be a good person for His name’s sake. Not for me, but for Him. It’s a reminder which comes from the verses we’ve looked at for the past weeks . . . . when Jesus tells us He is gentle and lowly in heart, and we will find rest for our souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. - Matthew 11:30
Ahh, the Lord’s gentleness, meekness, His magnificence and His power held in reserve for us. Take His gentleness and let it be evident to all around you.
