Fruit of the Spirit
Part 10 – Gentleness
Rev. Bruce A. Shields
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SERMON TIMELINE
1. Christ set us Free
2. Walking in the Spirit
3. Love
4. Joy
5. Peace
6. Patience
7. Kindness
8. Goodness
9. Faithfulness
10. Gentleness
INTRODUCTION
Today is Sunday. September 24th, 2023
This week we are examining the Spiritual Fruit of gentleness and what it means to God, as well as why it is important in the Body of Christ. Next week we will be looking at the completion of this series with the Spiritual Fruit of Self-Control. After that, we will begin our look at the Whole Armor of God and Spiritual warfare.
When it comes to gentleness, we may not realize when it is present, but still appreciate it. It is one of those things that we notice more when it is absent.
When a person is arrogant, conceited, or acting superior, perhaps even angry you won’t believe what they are saying, maybe even acting aggressive towards you, you really want nothing to do with them. Those types of people are like trying to hug a cactus. You usually love them as were commanded, but from afar.
However, when someone is humble, calm, non-threatening, it makes it possible to have a connection, communication, actual conversations which build rather than tear down. This humble, calm, non-threatening behavior is gentleness, and it is one of the Spiritual Fruits, or characteristic of God.
It is one of the characters God wants us to have, which is why it is a Spiritual Fruit.
Why does God give us the Spiritual Fruit? Because we are broken vessels, but ambassadors to the Kingdom, and must be prepared for service.
The Fruits of the Spirit is God’s way of giving us the proper tools as His representatives to serve Him and present His character through our behavior. This essentially draws others to Him, through us.
Love – seeking the highest good of others.
Joy – based on our hope in Jesus and not our circumstances.
Peace – contentment in all situations.
Patience – with others taking in to consideration their level of understanding about God. (their spiritual maturity)
Kindness – showing mercy to others, especially the lost.
Goodness – being generous and open hearted.
Faithfulness – being dependable, loyal and full of trust.
Today’s Topic:
the Spiritual Fruit - GENTLENESS
SCRIPTURE READING (Legacy Standard Bible)
Ephesians 4:1-3
“Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, exhort you to walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
TODAY’S MESSAGE
I. WHAT GENTLENESS IS NOT
a. It does not mean
i. Spineless, weakness, push-over
ii. You are not called to be a doormat or punching bag
ILLUSTRATION:
Nearly 20 years ago I was serving as an elder at a Baptist church. A woman came to the elders because her husband had beaten her. After speaking with her we discovered it was not the first time. I told her she needed to leave him, and take her kids somewhere safe.
She refused, stating, “I cannot leave him, or divorce him, because God hates divorce.”
I answered, “You just said God approves of you and your children being abused, and I cannot agree with that statement. Any covenant you thought you had between God and this man was broken by him when he laid his hands on you. It was not you who broke covenant, but him, and you need to protect yourself and your children.”
Unfortunately she did not listen, and it happened too many more times until she finally ran for her life.
We are not called by God to be door mats and punching bags for the Kingdom, rather, beacons of light and hope drawing the lost to the salvation of Christ Jesus through standing for what is right and good.
Yes, God hates divorce…but God also divorced Israel in Jeremiah 3:8 because they broke covenant with Him by committing spiritual adultery. When someone breaks covenant, it is OK to walk away, especially if it will save your life, or your children’s lives.
b. Gentleness does not mean you take abuse
i. It means you are not the abuser.
ii. We can be strong morally, stand for what is right and be the protector of others, defender of the faith and not be an abuser, but gentle in every way.
iii. I talk about this with Spiritual Warfare and possession.
One of the more famous examples in scripture about possession is found in Acts 16.
Acts 16:16-18
“Now it happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a servant-girl having a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortune-telling. 17 Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” 18 And she continued doing this for many days. But being greatly annoyed, Paul turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to leave her!” And it left at that very moment.”
Notice a few things here.
Firstly, she was possessed with a spirit, which influenced her to publicly attack the apostles, who were doing God’s work.
Secondly, SHE was the one crying out. You have seen the type. You have seen street preachers attacked for sharing the Gospel. They yell, scream, curse.
Paul eventually got annoyed, and decided to engage in spiritual battle.
But watch! Paul turned and “said.”
He did yell, cry out, jump up and down, roll in the isle, “slay her in the spirit,” play the organ music loud and hard during his long dissertation of scripture and commands.
Verse 18 says he simply, “…turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to leave her.” And it left at that very moment.
The power is in the name of Jesus. The spirits must obey. They have no choice.
They don’t obey because you had a special event, tent gathering, a lot of people making a lot of noise and yelling at the spirit.
Spiritual warfare is not about yelling, but about remembering who you are in Christ Jesus, and exercising the rights given to you in His name, where all the power of the universe resides.
What makes people act out and lost their gentleness? I believe it is one of two things, either not understanding scripture and the power of Jesus’ name, or fear.
c. Gentleness is not a weakness, but a strength (toxic masculinity)
i. We hear a lot today about toxic masculinity
1. Of course if you asked one of the proponents shouting about it, they struggle to define what this actually means.
ii. The truth of the matter is, there IS toxic masculinity, but this does NOT negate the need and importance of masculinity.
iii. Toxic masculinity is born from weak men who do not know what it means to be a man, especially a man of God with morals, conviction, a desire to serve their family, protect and love their children and spouse.
iv. Men who feel out of control, abused, mistreated, unloved, they are usually the ones who become toxic, and their behavior is driven by their fear that whatever made them this way will happen again to them.
I saw a post on Facebook once which said, no woman wants a weak man, no child wants a weak father, no sibling wants a weak brother, masculinity is not toxic.
We need strong men of God to stand for what is moral, true and right, to defend the widow and the fatherless, to be there for our wives, children, brothers and sisters in Christ, and we can be masculine and Gentle at the same time. In fact, they work hand in hand.
Paul didn’t need to scream and yell at the spirit to cast it out. Jesus didn’t need to scream at the possessed man in the cave and shove his head so he fell backward to make the demons leave. We speak, calm, gentle, because the power is in His name, and all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him.
You may say, yeah, well some demons can only be cast out with fasting a prayer first.
That is to get you in the right place and has nothing to do with anyone else.
II. WHAT IS GENTLENESS
a. There are eight Greek words for the canonical form of gentleness
i. The word used in Galatians 5:23 (πραΰτης – prautēs)
b. This means gentleness and humility
i. In all contexts, gentle behavior involves showing kindness, patience, and respect toward others. We should seek to build others up instead of tearing them down.
c. What this looks like in a believer
i. In the workplace you can treat coworkers with respect and offer constructive feedback in non-threatening ways.
ii. As a parent, be patient with children, discipline fairly, avoid harsh punishments, and us gentleness when speaking.
iii. In public settings, show kindness and respect to strangers, avoiding aggressive or rude behavior.
III. EXAMPLES FROM SCRIPTURE
a. Paul says
i. Philippians 4:5 “Let your considerate spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.”
ii. Considerate, another word for thoughtful, sympathetic, compassionate.
iii. Let your considerate spirit be known to all men.
1. Not just to the “worthy,” “saved,” “nice,” etc.
2. “All men.”
iv. We are to be a light in this world, MOST OF ALL to the lost!
b. Other examples in scripture
i. One example is Moses, who is described as “very humble, more so than anyone else on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3). Moses demonstrated gentleness in his leadership of the Israelites, often interceding on their behalf and seeking to reconcile them with God.
ii. Another example is David, who showed gentleness towards King Saul, even when Saul was seeking to kill him. David refused to harm Saul, recognizing his position as God’s anointed, and instead showed him kindness and mercy.
iii. Jesus, of course, is the ultimate example of gentleness, as he embodied this quality throughout his life and ministry. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and forgave sinners, always demonstrating compassion and love toward those he encountered. These examples remind us that gentleness is a powerful force for good, one that can transform lives and relationships.
c. How to Cultivate Gentleness
i. Because this is a Fruit of the Spirit, it already exists within believers, whether we actively display it or not.
ii. So, the number one rule is, do not quench God’s Holy Spirit!
iii. Allow the Fruit of Gentleness to BE PRESENT in your life!
iv. Remembering this is a character of God and as representatives and ambassadors of the Kingdom, we need to display this in our walk!
CONCLUSION
As Christians, cultivating gentleness is an essential aspect of following Christ. Gentleness reflects the character of God, who is kind, compassionate, and gracious toward us. When we show gentleness towards others, we are showing them love and respect, and creating an environment of safety and trust.
Gentleness also helps us to build stronger relationships with others, as it allows us to communicate and resolve conflicts. As we seek to follow Christ and live out his love in the world, gentleness is an important quality to cultivate, one that can bring healing, reconciliation, and peace.
God is good, and we can show others His goodness through the Spiritual Fruit
Next week:
Fruit of the Spirit Part 11: SELF-CONTROL
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