How to Walk in the Spirit of Gentleness

James 1:21

Introduction.

  1. As we come near the end of the fruit of the Spirit, we fall upon gentleness.

    1. Or as the KJV calls it: meekness.

    2. Meekness or gentleness is often confused with weakness, as is evident by J. Upton Dickson who once claimed he was writing a book called Cower Power.

    3. Apparently he had founded a group called DOORMATS—Dependent Organization of Really Meek and Timid Souls, if there are no objections.

    4. Their motto was: “The meek shall inherit the earth—if that’s okay with everybody.”

    5. That is a poor representation of what Jesus was preaching when He made that statement in the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:5).

  2. So, how do we define this word?

    1. There are actually several Greek words that have similar meaning.

    2. The one in Galatians 5:23 is πραότης, from the root that Jesus used in the Beatitudes, πρᾶος – it means “gentleness, mildness, meekness.”

    3. Two other words we will encounter today are very similar to this concept.

    4. One means “mildness, gentleness, fairness,” while the other means, “having a humble opinion of oneself; a deep sense of one’s (moral) littleness; modesty, humility, lowliness of mind.”

    5. All three are traits that the Bible tells us are desirable for the Christian—but it is not weakness.

  3. The common phrase we use to describe meekness is “strength under control.”

    1. But it’s more than that, isn’t it?

    2. The best parents are those who are gentle with their children.

    3. They teach them with a gentle voice, yet remaining firm with them.

    4. A gentle parent is not one who is a pushover, i.e. weak, but one who gently reminds their children of the rules, and when they are broken, corrects appropriately.

    5. We ought to be gentle with our faith, while being firm at the same time.

    6. As we discussed a few weeks ago, “speaking the truth in love,” (Eph. 4:15).

    7. Speaking truth is being firm with what we believe; doing so in love is being gentle about it.

    8. It’s being kind and good at the same time.

  4. Preview – We ought to be gentle.

    1. In Bearing Each Other’s Burdens.

    2. In Bearing with One Another.

    3. In Doing Good Works.

    4. In Receiving the Word.

Body.

  1. Be Gentle in Bearing Each Other’s Burdens.

    1. Jesus was humble and lowly.

      1. He preached that the meek (gentle) shall inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5).

      2. Of course, He too was meek and gentle.

      3. Last week mentioned the rest He offers is refreshing, but now we talk of how He offers it (Matt. 11:28-30).

      4. We ought to learn from Christ, and the best way to learn is from someone who is gentle and lowly in heart. How do I mean?

      5. Recall the example earlier of the gentle parent, teaching his children how to behave.

      6. We learn best from someone who gently corrects us when we are wrong and guides us in the right direction, don’t we?

      7. What happens when we don’t correct someone gently … ?

      8. It comes out sounding highly critical, judgmental, and even cruel.

      9. It demeans the individual who made the mistake, and they are less likely to come to you later when they need help or guidance.

      10. Jesus was highly critical of those who needed to hear it, namely the religious leaders of His day, but He was never that way with the average person.

      11. Recall when the rich young ruler came to Him, the Bible says that He loved him before He told him what he needed to hear (cf. Mark 10:21).

      12. He was gentle and lowly in heart, and through Him, we can find rest for our souls! (Matt. 11:28-30).

    2. Just as Jesus bears our burdens, we ought to bear the burdens of others (Gal. 6:1-2).

      1. Jesus, the Great Teacher, was able to teach us best from His gentle nature.

      2. This makes the student far more receptive to the message, doesn’t it?

      3. The individual being corrected will not be restored unless he wants to be restored!

      4. And he won’t want to be unless you come to him in a “spirit of gentleness” – or at least, you’ll have a chance on getting him restored!

      5. Be gentle in your correction, but be firm, not backing down.

      6. The Bible says what it says: sin is sin and it damns us all to fiery hell—this cannot be denied.

      7. But be gentle with your approach, particularly with the average person just as Jesus was with nearly everyone He encountered.

      8. Don’t be overly critical, judgmental, or cruel. Never demean, but be kind, good, and gentle!

      9. Most people aren’t the scribes and Pharisees as in Matt. 23.

      10. This leads us into the fact that we ought to bear with one another.

  2. Be Gentle in Bearing with One Another.

    1. Working with longsuffering and love (Eph. 4:1-3).

      1. Bearing with one another, dealing with each other and our idiosyncrasies, there will be things we like about each other and things we won’t.

      2. We must learn, at the very least, to tolerate one another.

      3. But more, we are to love one another, being patient and longsuffering.

      4. This is best accomplished also by being lowly and gentle.

      5. Just as Jesus is gentle and lowly in heart, He bears with us and all our foibles, let us bear with our brothers and sisters in Christ and their foibles.

      6. Let us not think too highly of ourselves (lowliness), and be meek and gentle with them, not harsh or ugly.

      7. This helps to keep us united together as a church belonging to Christ.

      8. In so doing, we will have peace with one another.

    2. This is how Paul worked with the Corinthians.

      1. He wanted to come to them gently, but their attitude seemed to beg that he be far more harsh (1 Cor. 4:21).

      2. Thankfully, they repented of their sin by the time we get to 2 Corinthians.

      3. But there is a stark shift in tone between chapters 9 and 10.

      4. His gentle but firm attitude shines forth in the latter chapters of 2 Corinthians.

      5. As you read through it, you’ll see its brilliance.

      6. It is convicting, but not demeaning; it admonishes, but it is not judgmental; it rebukes, but it is not cruel.

      7. Let me tell you, that is a hard line to walk, and Paul does so brilliantly!

      8. He starts off telling them that he comes in the “meekness and gentleness of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:1).

      9. Just as Christ is meek and lowly in heart, Paul is here, and we are, too.

      10. Paul in fact directs Timothy to teach any servant of the Lord to gentle and humble while correcting others (2 Tim. 2:24-25a).

      11. And he tells Timothy why (2 Tim. 2:25b-26) – that they might be saved!

      12. Let us work diligently to be gentle but firm with those who need correction so that they will be corrected and repent, escaping the devil’s snare.

    3. This should apply to those who are outside the church as well.

      1. In our daily lives, we will certainly encounter people who are not Christians.

      2. As Peter tells us, we ought to “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you,” then he says how, “with meekness and fear” (1 Pet. 3:15).

      3. Then he says why, “having a good conscience” so that we might have a good conscience, “that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed” (1 Pet. 3:16).

      4. In other words, that they can’t honestly say anything against us!

      5. What has the reputation of the churches of Christ been, historically?

      6. When I first encountered the church, I spoke with others about it, and one said they were so argumentative and arrogant.

      7. Whoever spoke with this person may have been offering a defense, but they were not doing so with meekness and fear.

      8. Sometimes to get truth across, others may perceive it as argumentative and arrogant—we cannot help that.

      9. Let us do what we can to embody these traits, so no one can honestly say we lack meekness and gentleness.

  3. Be Gentle in Doing Good Works (James 3:13-14).

    1. Let us not be envious or self-seeking.

      1. It is very easy to do good works out of envy or self-seeking.

      2. Ananias and Sapphira were of this sort (cf. Acts 5:1-5).

      3. They did something good, selling a possession and giving a portion of the proceeds to the church.

      4. But they boasted and lied against the truth when they said they were giving all the proceeds.

      5. Their good works were not done in the meekness of wisdom.

    2. Let our works be done gently.

      1. As one who ought to be doing good works, it is easy to let that get to our heads.

      2. It is easy to lord over people, saying things like, “Look at what I’ve done for you!”

      3. Some people don’t want help from people like that because they don’t want to be constantly reminded of what they did for them.

      4. It’s an obnoxious attitude, and not one done in the meekness of wisdom, is it?

      5. Let us then consider one last point.

  4. Be Gentle in Receiving the Word.

    1. God resists the proud” (James 4:6a).

      1. The overarching sin that all people who resist God are guilty of is pride.

      2. They feel they can go their own way and God has to accept them—if they believe in God at all.

      3. And those who don’t believe in God (i.e. atheists), think that God hasn’t left them enough evidence for His existence, so they become prideful in their ignorance: Professing to be wise, they became fools” (Rom. 1:22).

      4. Pride is the opposite of the meekness, gentleness, and humility that we are talking about today.

      5. It is the exact opposite attitude we need to have when we approach the Scriptures.

      6. It is this attitude that causes people to read into the Scriptures whatever they want, rather than allowing the Scriptures to speak for themselves.

      7. If we want to please God, we will approach Him and His Word without such pride, embracing what He has to teach us rather than what we want Him to say.

      8. It is this attitude Eve had in the garden when she thought the fruit would make her wise (Gen. 3:6) – she had the pride of life (cf. 1 John 2:16).

      9. You see, God resists the proud…

    2. But gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6b).

      1. It is with this attitude that we must lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21).

      2. It is only when we forget our own ideas, forget our preconceived notions, and approach God’s Word with humility, that we will discover the truth contained within that word so that our souls can be saved.

      3. It is that word that saves us, but only when we are obedient to it.

      4. We will only accept it and obey it when we receive it with meekness and gentleness.

      5. And what does that word say to be saved?

      6. There are certain conditions we must meet in order to receive His free gift.

      7. When we meet a condition, that’s not earning it or meriting it, but it is doing something.

      8. It is hearing that we won a prize on the radio, but the condition for obtaining it is to call into the radio station.

      9. Calling in doesn’t mean we’ve earned the prize, but we won’t get it unless we meet that condition.

      10. This is what we must receive with humility, meekness, and gentleness in order to be saved.

      11. We will discuss those conditions in just a moment.

Conclusion.

  1. Gentleness is a trait that is hard to come by.

    1. As with kindness, some people are just the kindest, gentlest people we may ever meet.

    2. We are to be kind and gentle with others, for then they will be more likely to listen to us and come to us later.

    3. But never mistake such traits for weakness.

    4. As A. W. Tozer once wrote,

      1. The meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of his own inferiority.

      2. Rather he may be in his moral life as bold as a lion and as strong as Samson; but he has stopped being fooled about himself.

      3. He has accepted God’s estimate of his own life.

      4. He knows he is as weak and helpless as God declared him to be, but paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is in the sight of God of more importance than angels.

      5. In himself, nothing; in God, everything.

      6. That is his motto.”

  2. To that end, we cannot save ourselves.

    1. But we can meet the conditions He has given us for salvation.

    2. If we humble ourselves, approach His throne with meekness and gentleness, we can find out what those conditions are and humbly obey them.

    3. We are to believe, repent, confess, and be baptized.

    4. In himself, nothing; in God, everything.

    5. Let us surrender all to Him this morning!