GENTLENESS
The Fruit of The Spirit (Part 10)
Galatians 5:22-23
• Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)
[22] But 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.
INTRODUCTION:
Fragile: Handle with Care – How often have these words been put on a shipment to protect the contents of a package. In an ideal perfect world such boxes would be gently moved from place to place and nothing would ever be damaged. However, in the real world “Fragile: Handle with Care” means nothing. These words are overlooked on packages. Boxes are thrown together and carelessly dropped. Packages are opened to reveal broken and damaged contents everyday.
I wonder if God were to have placed a “Handle with Care” label on people if it would likewise be ignored? How often is the heart of an individual crushed or the spirit of a child broken? Words and actions damage and wound everyday. Healing and restoration to the human heart can be a slow difficult process; sometimes only God can make the wounded new again.
The fruit of the Spirit is GENTLENESS. What is gentleness? How is gentleness developed? What is the purpose of gentleness?
What is gentleness?
Paul said the fruit of the Spirit is “” (prah-ot’-ace). What is that? It’s defiantly Greek to me! This word has been translated as gentleness and meekness; however, sometimes it’s difficult to find just the right word to use when you are translating form one language to another.
For instance, how would you translate the word “pineapple” to an Eskimo who has never seen or tasted one before? An Eskimo would have no understanding of what a pineapple is or what the word means. Perhaps the best you could do for an Eskimo is call a pineapple “prickly sweet eatable blubber!” The same is true for “” (prah-ot’-ace); gentleness and meekness just don’t fully communicate what it really means!
Aristotle described “” (prah-ot’-ace) –gentleness/meekness- as a center between two extremes. For Aristotle gentleness meant finding the proper balance in life. Gentleness or meekness maintains a good equilibrium; it is to have a steadiness and stability that will not waver or be moved to extremes.
The Greek language is a precise and expressive language. When the Greeks developed a word, they not only gave it a careful definition, but they almost always illustrated it. “” (prah-ot’-ace) –gentleness/meekness was best illustrated by an animal that had been tamed; the wild spirit and nature of an animal is brought under the control of its owner. A tamed horse has yielded or submitted it’s strength; the strength of the animal is no longer wasted wildly, but has been focused in order to fulfill a purpose. Gentleness then is power under control, submitted strength.
o Illustration: The power and force of water can be focused and brought under control to turn a waterwheel and grind wheat, or the water can flow through a dam turning large turbines to produce electricity to give power to an entire city. However, the force and power of water can also be out of control bringing death and destruction through a flooded river or the massive tsunami wave that occurred last December killing hundreds of thousands of people.
Gentleness is power or strength under control; it’s the submission of our strength and will to God’s control and purpose. Gentleness or meekness is not weakness, but is strength under control. Therefore, gentleness is the fruit of the Spirit that brings us under God’s control; it is power under control – submitted strength.
Throughout this series on the fruit of the Spirit we have been reminded that it is FRUIT and not fruits. The fruit of the Spirit is one fruit that develop and grows within our lives; it is not a fruit market from which we can pick and choose the fruits we want and leave the others behind.
Love is the blossom through which the fruit of the Spirit is produced. Without love there is no fruit. GENTELNESS IS LOVE TOUCHING. Love expresses gentleness through a tender touch.
Without gentleness love does not touch others. Without gentleness or meekness our touch is harmful instead of helpful, painful rather than pleasing, selfish instead of selfless. Only as our strength is submitted to God, only as power is brought under the control of the Spirit through love, can we reach out and touch one another.
Gentleness is a balance between extremes; it is strength submitted to God – power under control. Gentleness is love touching.
How is gentleness developed?
When a horse is tamed it can be done in one of two ways: forcefully or gently. Perhaps you have seen the cowboy with whip and spurs break in a horse; it’s a rough job, but in time the horse submits its strength to be ridden. A horse can also be tamed gently by using some of the same ways horses communicate with each other through sound and touch. As the horse handler works with a horse it will eventually grow to trust the handler and be ridden.
Now guess what? God will develop gentleness within us in different ways, just like a horse can be tamed differently, so too God will teach us gentleness in different ways. Sometimes we learn by the example of His gentle touch; other times we learn gentleness through hard and difficult circumstances.
1. God teaches us gentleness through His gentle touch.
• Psalm 103:10-11 (NIV)
[10] He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. [11] For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.
I like how The Message Bible puts the last part of verse 11: “So strong is His love to those who fear Him.” God’s love for us is strong, but His strength is under control. God has not crushed us or treated us as our sins deserve. Instead with gentleness God’s love has touched us. God has shown us His loving and gentle touch.
We can see the gentle touch of God in how Jesus dealt with people. Jesus is the perfect example of what it means for us to be gentle with one another. Let’s look briefly at three events in the life of Jesus that show us God’s gentle touch.
1. John 4 shows us Jesus’ gentle touch to an outsider, the Samaritan woman.
[Tell the story.] Through Jesus’ gentle touch salvation came not only to the Samaritan woman, but to the people of her city as well. Jesus didn’t push the outsider away, but reached beyond prejudice with a gentle touch to include them in God’s gift of salvation.
2. John 8 shows Jesus’ gentle touch for the immoral, the woman caught in adultery.
[Tell the story.] Jesus did not condemn this woman for her sin. Jesus had the right to throw the first stone because he was without sin, but He didn’t. Instead Jesus reached out to her with a gentle touch and told her, “Go and sin no more.”
3. Luke 19 shows Jesus’ gentle touch for the dishonest and self-centered, Zacchaeus the tax collector.
[Tell the story.] Others hated Zacchaeus; he had cheated them out of their money. Bitterness and resentment along with a fair dose of jelousy caused others to push Zacchaeus away; he was a dishonest man who would never change his ways. The gentle touch of Jesus transformed Zacchaeus’ life. Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house.”
Why didn’t Jesus condemn these people? Why didn’t he treat them as their sins deserve? Jesus did not come with judgment to crush and destroy them for their sin. Jesus came in gentleness to restore their relationship with God. Jesus came to save the lost through God’s gentle touch.
Most of us are familiar with John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. How often do we stop there thankful that we are among those who believe in God’s Son and recipients of His great love? But there is more! God’s gentle touch is reaching out to the world.
• John 3:17 (NLT)
God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.
Jesus reaches out to the outsider, the immoral, the dishonest and self-centered with a gentle touch. How will we respond to these people if they came to our church? Are we a church that will welcome anyone and everyone with a gentle touch, or are there some people we would just rather not have be apart of “our church?”
o How will we treat a neighbor who is not like us? Will we respond with prejudice, or will we have a gentle touch?
o How will we treat a friend who has been immoral? Will we condemn them, or will we have a gentle touch?
o What about those who have been dishonest and selfish? Will we push them away or will we have a gentle touch?
The fruit of the Spirit is gentleness—strength submitted to God. Remember it’s the fruit of the Spirit not the fruit of the saints. The Holy Spirit enables us to be gentle so we can reach out and touch those different from ourselves. We can extend God’s loving touch to those who are lost in sin. All around us are people who are broken and hurting, empty and searching for love and acceptance. God does not condemn them; He loves them. We are called to gently touch them with God’s love.
2. God develops gentleness in us through forceful or difficult circumstances.
o How is the roughness of wood smoothed and prepared for a beautiful finish? The abrasiveness of sandpaper; something rougher and stronger is applied to the surface of the wood to remove the rough spots.
o How is a muscle developed and strength increased? Through resistance! As we have been playing softball I’ve noticed I don’t hit the ball as far, or run as fast as I used to because my muscles don’t face the same resistance they did fifteen years or so ago.
God wants to develop gentleness within our lives and sometimes He will use put us into difficult situations that we find rough or resist.
1. Gentleness can develop through people who oppose you.
• 2 Timothy 2:25 (NIV)
Those who oppose him he must gently instruct. . .
2. Gentleness grows when people fail you.
• 1 Peter 3:9 (NIV)
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
3. Gentleness can increase through correction.
• Proverbs 4:13 (NIV)
Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.
• Proverbs 13:13 (NLT)
People who despise advice will find themselves in trouble; those who respect it will succeed.
What us the purpose of gentleness?
God purpose for gentleness is not to make us a doormat for people to walk on and take advantage of us. Remember meekness is not weakness; gentleness is strength submitted to God; gentleness is love touching.
So why does God want us to be gentle? Some say a picture is worth a thousand words, so let me start by showing you a picture that illustrates the purpose of gentleness.
Many of you will remember the tragic day of April 19, 1995 when the federal building in Oklahoma City was bombed. In this picture fire Capitan Chris Fields carries 1 year old Baylee Almon, one of the many injured in the bombing. Pictured here is strength under control – love touching; gentleness came to rescue a child, to bring hope. While Baylee later died from the injuries sustained in the bombing, the picture shows us the goal of gentleness, to rescue and restore those who cannot help themselves.
Remember Paul’s instruction to Timothy? Those who opposed him should be instructed gently. Why? Look at it again.
• 2 Timothy 2:25-26 (NIV)
[25] Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, [26] and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
God wants to rescue and restore those who are helpless; they have fallen into the trap of the devil. Satan wants to destroy their lives, but God wants to bring healing and hope. God wants to rescue them with gentleness.
Anyone of us could find ourselves in need of gentleness coming to our rescue. As a spider spins its web so too Satan wants to trap us in a deadly snare of sin. While none may come to the rescue of the fly caught in the spider’s web, God wants us to go and gently restore those entangled by sin.
• Galatians 6:1 (NIV)
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.
Gentleness restores those caught in sin; that’s the first part of God’s purpose of gentleness. Did you notice the second reason we are to be gentle? It protects us.
The fireman who goes to rescue those who are unable to help themselves does not rush into a burning building unprepared. They are wearing up to 75 pounds of special equipment designed to protect their lives. You see some of their strength is directed and used to protect themselves from injury or death.
With gentleness we are to restore those caught by sin, but at the same time we are to be on guard. “Watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.” You are going into dangerous territory, so let gentleness protect you from falling into sin yourself.
Gentleness, what is it? Submitted strength, power under control, gentleness is love touching.
How is gentleness developed in our lives? Sometimes we learn gentleness through God’s tender touch, and at other times we learn gentleness through difficult situations, through resistance.
Why should we be gentle? Through gentleness we rescue and restore those caught by sin, and protect ourselves from temptation.
Let God truly strengthen you through gentleness.
