WEBVTT 00:00:01.100 --> 00:00:05.139 Remember that? Its host, David Horowitz, encouraged 00:00:05.139 --> 00:00:09.500 taking aggressive action in order to demand one's 00:00:09.500 --> 00:00:13.779 rights. It seems to me that the spirit of the 00:00:13.779 --> 00:00:18.219 Fight Back program was something of a reflection 00:00:18.219 --> 00:00:21.859 of the spirit of man and of this humanistic age. 00:00:22.359 --> 00:00:25.300 Of course, there are times when it is entirely 00:00:25.300 --> 00:00:30.379 appropriate to insist upon one's rights. But 00:00:30.379 --> 00:00:33.500 that spirit is not the kind that should mark 00:00:33.500 --> 00:00:37.560 a Christian who is conducting himself as God's 00:00:37.560 --> 00:00:43.579 royalty. Human royalty may, in fact, be characterized 00:00:43.579 --> 00:00:48.539 by a certain arrogance or a pompous attitude. 00:00:49.520 --> 00:00:55.640 But never, never should heavenly royalty be characterized 00:00:55.640 --> 00:01:00.759 that way. To walk worthy of our high calling 00:01:00.759 --> 00:01:05.540 in Christ Jesus, we are to be known for certain 00:01:05.540 --> 00:01:09.400 qualities. He tells us here, I therefore, the 00:01:09.400 --> 00:01:12.700 prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in 00:01:12.700 --> 00:01:15.939 a manner worthy of the calling with which you 00:01:15.939 --> 00:01:21.140 have been called, with all humility and gentleness. 00:01:22.680 --> 00:01:25.359 We are in the first place to be known for our 00:01:25.359 --> 00:01:30.319 humility. Not thinking of ourselves as worthless, 00:01:30.620 --> 00:01:36.780 but regarding ourselves as unworthy. Not thinking 00:01:36.780 --> 00:01:40.900 less than we should of ourselves, but then not 00:01:40.900 --> 00:01:45.659 thinking more than we ought. Not failing to have 00:01:45.659 --> 00:01:49.859 a proper self -esteem, but considering others 00:01:49.859 --> 00:01:56.959 as more important. and failing to properly assert 00:01:56.959 --> 00:02:02.299 ourselves by denying the aggressive, self -serving 00:02:02.299 --> 00:02:07.540 ways of the natural man. That's humility. Humility 00:02:07.540 --> 00:02:10.000 is a slippery thing, for just when you think 00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:14.500 you've attained it, you've lost it. The smaller 00:02:14.500 --> 00:02:19.780 we are, the more room God has to work. It seems 00:02:19.780 --> 00:02:23.400 to me that's why that particular... quality heads 00:02:23.400 --> 00:02:26.840 this list in Ephesians 4. But there are other 00:02:26.840 --> 00:02:30.680 qualities here, other qualities which also must 00:02:30.680 --> 00:02:35.139 mark the character of those who are God's chosen 00:02:35.139 --> 00:02:42.000 called children. These qualities being present 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:44.360 will preserve the unity of the fellowship, and 00:02:44.360 --> 00:02:46.300 that, by the way, is the context of this whole 00:02:46.300 --> 00:02:50.639 first paragraph. But in addition to preserving 00:02:50.639 --> 00:02:54.719 unity, these qualities will prove to be an acceptable 00:02:54.719 --> 00:02:59.500 lifestyle to God. Now let's move ahead in our 00:02:59.500 --> 00:03:01.960 text and look today at this matter of gentleness. 00:03:03.620 --> 00:03:08.159 Gentleness is sometimes misunderstood. We notice 00:03:08.159 --> 00:03:11.960 here that it's paired in a yoke with humility. 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:16.539 Sometimes in Scripture these two are in fact 00:03:16.539 --> 00:03:20.139 associated, as here, Colossians 3 .12. There's 00:03:20.139 --> 00:03:23.340 another list of qualities which we are to bring 00:03:23.340 --> 00:03:26.800 into our lives, and there also humility is paired 00:03:26.800 --> 00:03:31.080 with gentleness. The reason for that is probably 00:03:31.080 --> 00:03:38.319 that only the humble can be gentle. Gentleness 00:03:38.319 --> 00:03:46.129 flows from humility. wrote, it is only the humble 00:03:46.129 --> 00:03:49.990 heart which is also the meek, and that word is 00:03:49.990 --> 00:03:54.490 synonymous with gentle, and which as such, he 00:03:54.490 --> 00:03:58.270 continues, does not fight against God and more 00:03:58.270 --> 00:04:01.009 or less struggle and contend with him. This meekness 00:04:01.009 --> 00:04:04.729 or gentleness, however, being first of all a 00:04:04.729 --> 00:04:08.150 meekness before God, is also such in the face 00:04:08.150 --> 00:04:12.639 of men, even of evil men. out of a sense that 00:04:12.639 --> 00:04:15.340 these, with the insults and injuries which they 00:04:15.340 --> 00:04:19.040 may inflict, are permitted and employed by God 00:04:19.040 --> 00:04:22.899 for the chastening and purifying of his elect. 00:04:24.379 --> 00:04:29.339 Humility and gentleness go together. This word 00:04:29.339 --> 00:04:33.220 is also translated, as does Trench in some translations 00:04:33.220 --> 00:04:38.019 of the Bible, meekness. It means power that is 00:04:38.019 --> 00:04:44.509 under control. It is a dynamic that comes from 00:04:44.509 --> 00:04:48.329 energy that is harnessed and channeled in the 00:04:48.329 --> 00:04:53.850 right direction. A horse is a powerful animal 00:04:53.850 --> 00:04:58.829 and a beautiful animal. It is fun just to watch 00:04:58.829 --> 00:05:05.069 horses run wild. But it is not until that horse 00:05:05.069 --> 00:05:10.300 is brought under control. placed into a harness 00:05:10.300 --> 00:05:16.720 and attached to some equipment, that that energy 00:05:16.720 --> 00:05:20.220 is brought into usefulness. And so it is with 00:05:20.220 --> 00:05:24.860 this idea of gentleness. It is a dynamic energy 00:05:24.860 --> 00:05:27.819 that is harnessed and then channeled in the right 00:05:27.819 --> 00:05:31.720 direction. It is the fruit, not of weakness, 00:05:32.079 --> 00:05:36.589 but of spiritual power. The linguistic key to 00:05:36.589 --> 00:05:39.509 the Greek New Testament says this about this 00:05:39.509 --> 00:05:44.730 word, the humble and gentle attitude which expresses 00:05:44.730 --> 00:05:49.110 itself in a patient submissiveness to offense, 00:05:49.490 --> 00:05:56.410 free from malice and desire for revenge. I repeat, 00:05:56.589 --> 00:06:02.920 gentleness is not weakness. Rather, it is the 00:06:02.920 --> 00:06:06.600 full strength of human personality which is in 00:06:06.600 --> 00:06:11.180 submission to the lordship of Jesus Christ. Vine's 00:06:11.180 --> 00:06:13.579 Dictionary of New Testament Words says, It is 00:06:13.579 --> 00:06:17.379 that temper of spirit in which we accept God's 00:06:17.379 --> 00:06:21.000 dealings with us as good, and therefore without 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:25.980 disputing and resisting. It is in submission 00:06:25.980 --> 00:06:30.629 to the lordship of Jesus Christ. Synonymous words 00:06:30.629 --> 00:06:35.310 might include consideration. Gentleness is kindness. 00:06:35.649 --> 00:06:41.810 It is thoughtfulness, graciousness. Gentleness 00:06:41.810 --> 00:06:48.709 is not rudeness. It is not harshness. A gentle 00:06:48.709 --> 00:06:53.870 spirit is a soothing disposition. Undoubtedly, 00:06:54.050 --> 00:06:57.370 the greatest example in all of human history 00:06:57.370 --> 00:07:00.769 of gentleness. He is the person of our Savior, 00:07:00.850 --> 00:07:04.790 the Lord Jesus Christ. He said of himself in 00:07:04.790 --> 00:07:12.250 Matthew 11, 29, I am gentle and humble of mind. 00:07:14.550 --> 00:07:19.790 Our Savior possessed all power. It was his. All 00:07:19.790 --> 00:07:23.949 authority resided in our Lord, and yet it was 00:07:23.949 --> 00:07:29.259 never out of control. So never think of gentleness 00:07:29.259 --> 00:07:34.040 as weakness. Our Savior was gentle as well as 00:07:34.040 --> 00:07:42.620 humble. His majestic power as God was completely 00:07:42.620 --> 00:07:48.639 under control. And yet, it might be good to point 00:07:48.639 --> 00:07:51.579 out that there were times when Jesus was angry. 00:07:55.209 --> 00:07:57.509 That's not a contradiction to gentleness, by 00:07:57.509 --> 00:08:04.009 the way. That person who cannot be angry is an 00:08:04.009 --> 00:08:12.910 emotional cripple. A person who hears that our 00:08:12.910 --> 00:08:15.810 legislature is considering what it is this week, 00:08:15.889 --> 00:08:20.230 that I talked about earlier, and is not angry 00:08:20.230 --> 00:08:24.000 about that, does not become indignant because 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:26.620 of it, is somehow missing something in his personality. 00:08:28.399 --> 00:08:32.360 There are appropriate times when anger is the 00:08:32.360 --> 00:08:38.399 right response. And then it also must be expressed 00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:42.580 in an appropriate way. Anger is not necessarily 00:08:42.580 --> 00:08:45.919 the opposite of gentleness. In fact, I see gentleness 00:08:45.919 --> 00:08:51.190 and anger as complementary. Anger is a human 00:08:51.190 --> 00:08:57.389 emotion. It may be righteously felt and expressed, 00:08:57.529 --> 00:09:03.809 or sinfully so as well. We ought to become indignant 00:09:03.809 --> 00:09:11.210 at injustice, at oppression, and sin. And if 00:09:11.210 --> 00:09:15.230 we don't, something's wrong. Our world was indignant 00:09:15.230 --> 00:09:21.330 about these things. J. Adams, in his edited New 00:09:21.330 --> 00:09:23.830 Testament entitled The Christian Counselor's 00:09:23.830 --> 00:09:27.789 New Testament, says this, Anger is not sinful 00:09:27.789 --> 00:09:31.750 in itself. It is an emotion designed to mobilize 00:09:31.750 --> 00:09:36.370 force to tear something apart. Anger is sinful 00:09:36.370 --> 00:09:38.990 when it grows out of pride, hurt feelings, etc. 00:09:40.230 --> 00:09:42.870 Anger is sinful when it's expressed in sinful 00:09:42.870 --> 00:09:47.899 ways. Two sinful expressions are Blowing up and 00:09:47.899 --> 00:09:54.279 clamming up. Blowing up, ventilation, is energy 00:09:54.279 --> 00:09:59.379 wasted and used to tear up others. That's sin. 00:10:00.899 --> 00:10:06.500 Clamming up or internalization is energy wasted 00:10:06.500 --> 00:10:09.700 and used to tear up ourselves on the inside. 00:10:11.950 --> 00:10:14.830 He continues, there is a scripturally acceptable 00:10:14.830 --> 00:10:19.549 expression of anger. Anger released under control 00:10:19.549 --> 00:10:23.490 and aimed at tearing up the problem while building 00:10:23.490 --> 00:10:29.210 up persons. Those are good words. If you want 00:10:29.210 --> 00:10:31.370 a helpful book on anger, there is one in our 00:10:31.370 --> 00:10:33.350 bookstore that's available. There are eight copies 00:10:33.350 --> 00:10:35.769 that are left. And I didn't mention the first 00:10:35.769 --> 00:10:38.370 service. I forgot to. So they may still be there. 00:10:38.950 --> 00:10:42.309 But it's called Anger, Yours, Mine. what to do 00:10:42.309 --> 00:10:49.730 about it. I encourage you to buy it. Gentleness 00:10:49.730 --> 00:10:58.490 is not in contradiction to indignation. Our Savior 00:10:58.490 --> 00:11:02.830 was a perfect example of this balance. Gentleness 00:11:02.830 --> 00:11:05.889 is one quality that should characterize our relationships. 00:11:07.409 --> 00:11:13.320 How then is it to be expressed? The New Testament 00:11:13.320 --> 00:11:15.840 gives us some ways in which gentleness may be 00:11:15.840 --> 00:11:19.960 appropriately evidenced in the life. I'd like 00:11:19.960 --> 00:11:22.600 you to look at these with me. In the first place, 00:11:22.639 --> 00:11:24.779 the Bible teaches us that gentleness should be 00:11:24.779 --> 00:11:29.740 exercised in matters of discipline. Turn with 00:11:29.740 --> 00:11:32.019 me to Galatians, just back a couple of pages 00:11:32.019 --> 00:11:34.740 from where we are, to the sixth chapter in the 00:11:34.740 --> 00:11:38.980 first verse. He says, Brethren, if any man is 00:11:38.980 --> 00:11:42.710 caught in a trespass, You who are spiritual, 00:11:42.870 --> 00:11:47.610 restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, 00:11:47.870 --> 00:11:52.590 each one looking to yourself, lest you too be 00:11:52.590 --> 00:11:56.669 tempted. Now the apostle is dealing here with 00:11:56.669 --> 00:12:00.529 all of us in this matter of discipline. You see, 00:12:00.590 --> 00:12:02.990 church discipline is not just for the pastor 00:12:02.990 --> 00:12:07.460 and the elders of the church. Biblically, church 00:12:07.460 --> 00:12:09.940 discipline is the responsibility of each one 00:12:09.940 --> 00:12:15.019 of us. We are to look out for each other. Now 00:12:15.019 --> 00:12:18.980 he says if we see one who is overtaken, who is 00:12:18.980 --> 00:12:24.440 caught in a trespass, one who has been ensnared 00:12:24.440 --> 00:12:29.919 in sin, what are we to do? We are not to gossip 00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:35.250 about that person. We are not to make... accusations 00:12:35.250 --> 00:12:39.669 about that person, but it says that we are to 00:12:39.669 --> 00:12:44.409 go to that person and to seek to restore, to 00:12:44.409 --> 00:12:49.129 bring healing, to free that person from being 00:12:49.129 --> 00:12:52.429 caught and to pull them back so they may be put 00:12:52.429 --> 00:12:55.830 back together. That is the responsibility of 00:12:55.830 --> 00:12:59.710 each of us. But notice it tells us that we who 00:12:59.710 --> 00:13:03.299 are spiritual are to do that. Now someone says, 00:13:03.379 --> 00:13:05.379 oh, well, you know, I'm not a spiritual person. 00:13:06.559 --> 00:13:10.639 Shame on you. What a terrible admission ever 00:13:10.639 --> 00:13:17.240 to make to say I am not a spiritual person. That's 00:13:17.240 --> 00:13:22.240 an awful confession. You say, well, what is a 00:13:22.240 --> 00:13:25.600 spiritual person? Well, I'm glad you asked. Because, 00:13:25.659 --> 00:13:27.580 you see, a spiritual person in the first place 00:13:27.580 --> 00:13:32.059 is not a perfect person. A spiritual person is 00:13:32.059 --> 00:13:36.740 not a sinless person. In fact, a spiritual person 00:13:36.740 --> 00:13:41.899 may not even be a mature Christian. A brand new 00:13:41.899 --> 00:13:47.740 baby in Christ can be a spiritual person. A spiritual 00:13:47.740 --> 00:13:50.679 person is one who is simply walking, that is 00:13:50.679 --> 00:13:54.320 living, in dependence upon the Holy Spirit and 00:13:54.320 --> 00:13:57.419 not himself, according to chapter 5 where it's 00:13:57.419 --> 00:14:02.679 defined for us. That is a spiritual person. It's 00:14:02.679 --> 00:14:06.940 one who has confessed his sins as fully as he 00:14:06.940 --> 00:14:10.440 knows them to be, has claimed God's forgiveness 00:14:10.440 --> 00:14:13.580 faithfully, freely extended to us in Christ, 00:14:13.799 --> 00:14:20.500 and who then says, Lord, you dominate me. You, 00:14:20.620 --> 00:14:23.919 by your Holy Spirit, control my life, energize 00:14:23.919 --> 00:14:30.620 me. That person, from that point on, is a spiritual 00:14:30.620 --> 00:14:33.799 person until he chooses to sin, and then the 00:14:33.799 --> 00:14:35.879 Holy Spirit obviously isn't in control anymore, 00:14:36.120 --> 00:14:40.220 and he has to confess and yield afresh to the 00:14:40.220 --> 00:14:43.419 Holy Spirit, and the spiritual walk continues. 00:14:44.059 --> 00:14:46.679 It is a terrible thing to say, I am not a spiritual 00:14:46.679 --> 00:14:50.559 Christian, because every one of us can and should 00:14:50.559 --> 00:14:54.279 be spiritual, because we are walking with God, 00:14:54.340 --> 00:14:56.820 dealing with our sins when they erupt in their 00:14:56.820 --> 00:15:00.399 ugliness. And then allowing the Holy Spirit to 00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:05.179 go on and control us from that point on. Now 00:15:05.179 --> 00:15:08.320 he says, we who are spiritual, who are dealing 00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:10.960 with our sins, who are not caught at the present 00:15:10.960 --> 00:15:13.240 time, because all of us have at times been caught. 00:15:14.460 --> 00:15:16.919 We have been overtaken and we've needed someone 00:15:16.919 --> 00:15:20.139 to come to us. This morning there are some of 00:15:20.139 --> 00:15:22.820 us who are sitting here who are caught in sin. 00:15:25.799 --> 00:15:28.200 And our greatest need is for someone here to 00:15:28.200 --> 00:15:30.600 love us enough to do what this verse tells them 00:15:30.600 --> 00:15:34.980 to do. To come to us and wrap their arms around 00:15:34.980 --> 00:15:38.919 us and help to restore us. And when they come 00:15:38.919 --> 00:15:41.620 to us, by the way, we must not reject them, be 00:15:41.620 --> 00:15:45.639 angry with them. Even if at first it burns a 00:15:45.639 --> 00:15:47.960 little bit, it stings when they say what they 00:15:47.960 --> 00:15:50.779 do. Let's be thankful they love us enough to 00:15:50.779 --> 00:15:56.820 come. And we who are going and obeying the word 00:15:56.820 --> 00:16:00.440 of God in this matter, he tells us here we're 00:16:00.440 --> 00:16:02.519 to not only be spiritual, but he says that we're 00:16:02.519 --> 00:16:07.940 to do this with a spirit of gentleness. We're 00:16:07.940 --> 00:16:12.059 not to be harsh. We're not to go out to grab 00:16:12.059 --> 00:16:17.019 them by the tie and say, now look, fella. No, 00:16:17.039 --> 00:16:20.259 that's not the way we restore people. We don't 00:16:20.259 --> 00:16:23.000 like to be talked to that way. And as we deal 00:16:23.000 --> 00:16:26.539 with people, we must be gentle with them. Paul 00:16:26.539 --> 00:16:28.639 pled with the Corinthians. He says, look, do 00:16:28.639 --> 00:16:30.679 you want me to come to you with a rod of correction? 00:16:31.639 --> 00:16:36.840 You know what that is. Or may I come with gentleness 00:16:36.840 --> 00:16:41.220 and humility. He did not want to come with a 00:16:41.220 --> 00:16:45.480 spanking stick. By the way, boys and girls, young 00:16:45.480 --> 00:16:50.659 people, young men and women, Your parents don't 00:16:50.659 --> 00:16:54.379 enjoy coming to you with a spanking stick. I 00:16:54.379 --> 00:16:56.159 know there are times you think that their greatest 00:16:56.159 --> 00:17:01.980 delight is beating you. And I put that in quotes. 00:17:03.659 --> 00:17:08.440 Your parents do not enjoy spanking you. They 00:17:08.440 --> 00:17:10.700 seek to obey the word of God and discipline you, 00:17:10.779 --> 00:17:14.279 bring you up in the nurture and admonition of 00:17:14.279 --> 00:17:16.519 the Lord. They would much rather come to you 00:17:16.519 --> 00:17:19.569 with gentleness. And they can if you'll let them. 00:17:21.269 --> 00:17:23.470 Because a lot of it depends upon your attitude 00:17:23.470 --> 00:17:26.529 and the way you're willing to receive their instruction, 00:17:26.769 --> 00:17:30.210 their chastisement, their discipline. If you'll 00:17:30.210 --> 00:17:34.690 be receptive to that, then it helps them a great 00:17:34.690 --> 00:17:38.950 deal to be able to avoid that rod, which must 00:17:38.950 --> 00:17:43.369 at some times nonetheless be used. When we deal 00:17:43.369 --> 00:17:45.109 with people in matters of discipline, it's to 00:17:45.109 --> 00:17:48.160 be with gentleness. Secondly, We are to exercise 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:52.000 discipline in matters of difference. Turn over 00:17:52.000 --> 00:18:02.960 to 2 Timothy 2. Here, through the Apostle Paul, 00:18:03.079 --> 00:18:06.900 we are instructed this way. Verse 24, 2 Timothy 00:18:06.900 --> 00:18:11.480 2. And the Lord's bondservant must not be quarrelsome. 00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:17.380 But be kind to all, able to teach, patient when 00:18:17.380 --> 00:18:22.660 wronged, with gentleness, correcting those who 00:18:22.660 --> 00:18:26.420 are in opposition, that perhaps God may grant 00:18:26.420 --> 00:18:29.180 them repentance, leading to the knowledge of 00:18:29.180 --> 00:18:31.640 the truth, and they may come to their senses 00:18:31.640 --> 00:18:34.599 and escape from the snare of the devil, having 00:18:34.599 --> 00:18:40.000 been held captive by him to do his will. Now, 00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:41.859 these are words written really to all of us, 00:18:41.880 --> 00:18:43.539 and especially the leaders. You know what he 00:18:43.539 --> 00:18:47.220 tells us here? He tells us that we can't expect 00:18:47.220 --> 00:18:51.039 opposition. You write it down that if you're 00:18:51.039 --> 00:18:54.240 not being opposed in what you're doing to serve 00:18:54.240 --> 00:18:58.359 the Lord, something's wrong with you. Opposition 00:18:58.359 --> 00:19:02.000 is just natural. It's going to be there. Now, 00:19:02.019 --> 00:19:04.859 the important thing is how we handle it, and 00:19:04.859 --> 00:19:08.559 that's what he addresses. And among other things, 00:19:08.660 --> 00:19:11.700 he says that we are to with gentleness seek to 00:19:11.700 --> 00:19:15.940 correct those who are wrong. Now he tells us 00:19:15.940 --> 00:19:19.799 that God may grant them repentance so that they 00:19:19.799 --> 00:19:24.079 can see what the truth really is. He tells us 00:19:24.079 --> 00:19:26.400 at the present time that they're out of their 00:19:26.400 --> 00:19:30.779 senses. They're intoxicated and need to sober 00:19:30.779 --> 00:19:35.559 up is the idea. And they're not necessarily intoxicated 00:19:35.559 --> 00:19:38.579 on booze. You can be intoxicated on false ideas 00:19:38.579 --> 00:19:42.160 and thinking. He tells us, furthermore, that 00:19:42.160 --> 00:19:44.940 they're held captive by Satan to do what he wants. 00:19:47.579 --> 00:19:50.740 Now, rather than getting unrighteously angry, 00:19:51.039 --> 00:19:58.759 we are to gently seek to restore them. In fact, 00:19:58.839 --> 00:20:01.019 we may get angry with those who are opposed. 00:20:02.349 --> 00:20:05.710 But that anger should not be expressed in either 00:20:05.710 --> 00:20:08.730 ventilation or internalization. That's only a 00:20:08.730 --> 00:20:13.589 waste, a waste of energy. But rather, under control, 00:20:13.630 --> 00:20:16.829 we are to seek to correct the problem and at 00:20:16.829 --> 00:20:23.569 the same time build up the person. Gentleness 00:20:23.569 --> 00:20:26.589 is to be used in matters of difference. There 00:20:26.589 --> 00:20:29.809 are differences here. There's not a congregation 00:20:29.809 --> 00:20:31.630 in the world where there are not differences. 00:20:31.869 --> 00:20:34.569 You have a congregation of two people and you've 00:20:34.569 --> 00:20:37.509 got differences. Here's how to handle them with 00:20:37.509 --> 00:20:43.349 gentleness. Now a third proper exercise of gentleness 00:20:43.349 --> 00:20:47.750 is in the matter of discipleship. Turn over with 00:20:47.750 --> 00:20:52.450 me please to James chapter 1 and verse 19. This 00:20:52.450 --> 00:20:57.519 you know, my beloved brethren. But let everyone 00:20:57.519 --> 00:21:01.039 be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to 00:21:01.039 --> 00:21:05.220 anger. The life verse of every parent. Right? 00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:10.519 The one that should be written over the mirror. 00:21:12.019 --> 00:21:14.519 So that whenever you look at yourself, you have 00:21:14.519 --> 00:21:18.559 to see what those words say. They're hard words 00:21:18.559 --> 00:21:22.890 to put into practice in my life. He tells us 00:21:22.890 --> 00:21:26.529 why. Because the anger of man does not achieve 00:21:26.529 --> 00:21:28.650 the righteousness of God. You know when we are 00:21:28.650 --> 00:21:33.890 angry people. When we have anger that is churning 00:21:33.890 --> 00:21:38.569 down inside of us. And sometimes we don't even 00:21:38.569 --> 00:21:41.769 know when that is. Often it's expressed by depression. 00:21:44.250 --> 00:21:47.470 Depression is often anger that's internalized. 00:21:48.059 --> 00:21:51.380 When there is anger that is churning down inside 00:21:51.380 --> 00:21:53.900 of us, it never accomplishes the righteousness 00:21:53.900 --> 00:21:57.339 of God in our lives. We have to deal with that 00:21:57.339 --> 00:22:01.180 anger in a right way. Sometimes we need help 00:22:01.180 --> 00:22:04.460 to do that, professional help. There's nothing 00:22:04.460 --> 00:22:09.359 wrong with that. Anger does not accomplish the 00:22:09.359 --> 00:22:12.019 righteousness of God in our lives or in the lives 00:22:12.019 --> 00:22:17.380 of others. Do you know an angry person begets 00:22:17.380 --> 00:22:25.640 angry people? Then he goes on to say, therefore 00:22:25.640 --> 00:22:30.420 putting aside all filthiness and all the remains 00:22:30.420 --> 00:22:34.420 of wickedness, in humility, and here's our same 00:22:34.420 --> 00:22:37.720 word, gentleness. In gentleness, receive the 00:22:37.720 --> 00:22:40.539 word implanted which is able to save your souls. 00:22:41.519 --> 00:22:43.920 He draws a picture here of our hearts, and he 00:22:43.920 --> 00:22:47.460 says our hearts are like a garden. They can go 00:22:47.460 --> 00:22:50.799 to weeds. If you have a garden, maybe that's 00:22:50.799 --> 00:22:53.240 the way yours looks right now, if you haven't 00:22:53.240 --> 00:22:56.640 planted it yet. Weeds are very natural to soil, 00:22:56.779 --> 00:23:00.279 just as they're natural to the human heart. He 00:23:00.279 --> 00:23:02.660 tells us that we have to first of all get the 00:23:02.660 --> 00:23:05.200 weeds out of the garden. He says get rid of the 00:23:05.200 --> 00:23:10.339 filthiness, all of it. Get rid of all the remains 00:23:10.339 --> 00:23:14.680 of wickedness. Tear out all of that excess growth. 00:23:15.559 --> 00:23:20.400 Remove it so that the word of God can be implanted 00:23:20.400 --> 00:23:25.599 down to the soil of your heart. Now he tells 00:23:25.599 --> 00:23:27.900 us that as it's planted, it needs to be planted 00:23:27.900 --> 00:23:32.319 with some fertilizer. You see what it is? It's 00:23:32.319 --> 00:23:36.819 gentleness. He says as you open up your heart, 00:23:37.480 --> 00:23:40.220 all the weeds being pulled out, as you open up 00:23:40.220 --> 00:23:43.240 your heart to the Word of God, as hopefully you 00:23:43.240 --> 00:23:45.700 do when you come to church on Sunday, or when 00:23:45.700 --> 00:23:48.380 you sit down in that Bible study at home, or 00:23:48.380 --> 00:23:51.059 in the small group that you meet with, or as 00:23:51.059 --> 00:23:54.599 you personally open God's Word. As you have the 00:23:54.599 --> 00:23:57.720 Word of God planted down in your heart, he says, 00:23:57.779 --> 00:24:01.480 fertilize it, receive it, appropriate it with 00:24:01.480 --> 00:24:06.480 gentleness. And he says if we do this, we'll 00:24:06.480 --> 00:24:09.779 get a nice crop. He says it's able to save your 00:24:09.779 --> 00:24:15.359 souls. That's a pretty good produce. He's not 00:24:15.359 --> 00:24:18.319 talking about salvation from hell. He's addressing 00:24:18.319 --> 00:24:20.799 believers here who've already been saved in that 00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:23.940 sense. He's talking about being saved from the 00:24:23.940 --> 00:24:30.700 misery, the woe, the destruction of a life that's 00:24:30.700 --> 00:24:34.599 overrun by weeds. A Christian life overrun by 00:24:34.599 --> 00:24:38.759 weeds of filthiness and wickedness. Want to save 00:24:38.759 --> 00:24:43.900 yourself from a life of misery? You want to save 00:24:43.900 --> 00:24:46.140 yourself from going in the same direction you're 00:24:46.140 --> 00:24:49.039 going now and experiencing destruction and everything 00:24:49.039 --> 00:24:53.680 falling apart? Here's how to do it. Get rid of 00:24:53.680 --> 00:24:57.299 the weeds. Then begin implanting the word of 00:24:57.299 --> 00:25:00.869 God in your heart with gentleness. Wherever the 00:25:00.869 --> 00:25:04.769 discipleship is coming from, let it be received 00:25:04.769 --> 00:25:08.369 with gentleness so that that seed can be carefully 00:25:08.369 --> 00:25:12.130 planted there and not disturbed. So then the 00:25:12.130 --> 00:25:15.549 Spirit of God can cause it to germinate and bring 00:25:15.549 --> 00:25:18.309 forth this produce to get your life straightened 00:25:18.309 --> 00:25:21.470 out. That's what James says. Now there's a third 00:25:21.470 --> 00:25:24.710 way in which gentleness is to be exercised, and 00:25:24.710 --> 00:25:28.730 that's in the matter of defense. Turn with me 00:25:28.730 --> 00:25:36.799 to 1 Peter. Chapter 3 and verse 15. We briefly 00:25:36.799 --> 00:25:38.799 looked at this last week. Let's come back at 00:25:38.799 --> 00:25:41.920 it. It says, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your 00:25:41.920 --> 00:25:46.619 hearts, always being ready to make a defense 00:25:46.619 --> 00:25:51.660 to everyone who asks you to give an account for 00:25:51.660 --> 00:25:54.720 the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness 00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:59.369 and reverence and keep a good conscience. He 00:25:59.369 --> 00:26:02.029 tells us here that we can expect to be questioned. 00:26:04.630 --> 00:26:08.069 There will be times that all of us will face 00:26:08.069 --> 00:26:14.430 the inquisitor. And someone will say, why do 00:26:14.430 --> 00:26:19.210 you believe this and that? Now he says, always 00:26:19.210 --> 00:26:23.369 be ready to give a defense. He doesn't mean defensively. 00:26:25.089 --> 00:26:28.619 He doesn't mean to get in a fight about it. You 00:26:28.619 --> 00:26:32.539 can win an argument and lose a soul. But he says, 00:26:32.559 --> 00:26:35.880 always be ready to give a reasoned explanation, 00:26:36.220 --> 00:26:42.059 a rationale for why you believe what you confess 00:26:42.059 --> 00:26:47.599 to anyone who asks you about it. But notice that 00:26:47.599 --> 00:26:51.539 in our defense, we're to keep in mind gentleness. 00:26:51.619 --> 00:26:54.400 He says, do this with gentleness and reverence. 00:26:55.220 --> 00:26:58.900 Reverence toward God. and reverence toward that 00:26:58.900 --> 00:27:02.640 person. You know, one of the basic rules of being 00:27:02.640 --> 00:27:04.819 a good witness for Christ is just to respect 00:27:04.819 --> 00:27:08.619 people. Once more, you don't go up to people 00:27:08.619 --> 00:27:10.700 and take them by the nap of the neck and shake 00:27:10.700 --> 00:27:13.759 them and try to get them to see their sin and 00:27:13.759 --> 00:27:18.059 need to trust Christ. Respect that person. Be 00:27:18.059 --> 00:27:20.859 considerate and courteous of that person, he 00:27:20.859 --> 00:27:24.519 says, with reverence and with gentleness. Give 00:27:24.519 --> 00:27:28.809 your answer. to that one who seeks a reason for 00:27:28.809 --> 00:27:32.970 the hope, that living hope that you have in Jesus 00:27:32.970 --> 00:27:36.710 Christ. You see, gentleness is very practical. 00:27:37.430 --> 00:27:41.089 It should be a part of our everyday life. Gentleness 00:27:41.089 --> 00:27:43.910 is a grace of spirit that needs to be enjoyed 00:27:43.910 --> 00:27:48.630 by every child of God. In 1 Timothy 6 .11, Paul 00:27:48.630 --> 00:27:51.670 says to that young man, There are some things 00:27:51.670 --> 00:27:55.420 to flee, Timothy. You get away from them. And 00:27:55.420 --> 00:27:57.660 there are other things that you must pursue with 00:27:57.660 --> 00:28:00.819 every ounce of strength and energy that you have 00:28:00.819 --> 00:28:04.079 as a person. And among those things that he lists 00:28:04.079 --> 00:28:11.240 is gentleness. Pursue gentleness, he says. The 00:28:11.240 --> 00:28:13.579 book of Titus is so practical. Look at Titus 00:28:13.579 --> 00:28:23.299 chapter 3 and verses 1 and 2. He writes to Titus 00:28:23.299 --> 00:28:28.440 to... Remind all of us to be subject to rulers, 00:28:28.599 --> 00:28:33.420 to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for 00:28:33.420 --> 00:28:38.880 every good deed, to malign no one, to be uncontentious. 00:28:40.119 --> 00:28:44.480 Here's our word, gentle, showing every consideration 00:28:44.480 --> 00:28:48.779 for all men. Whether they're saved or lost, we 00:28:48.779 --> 00:28:51.779 are to be a considerate kind of people, gentle 00:28:51.779 --> 00:28:56.980 people. I'll tell you what, this gentleness presents 00:28:56.980 --> 00:29:02.259 a powerful testimony in our world today. But 00:29:02.259 --> 00:29:06.859 in addition to that, it preserves the unity of 00:29:06.859 --> 00:29:10.900 the body, a body which is diverse. Just look 00:29:10.900 --> 00:29:15.339 at us this morning. Almost any way you can think 00:29:15.339 --> 00:29:19.180 of, we are a diverse people. But he says that 00:29:19.180 --> 00:29:23.720 gentleness, when it marks our character, will 00:29:23.720 --> 00:29:27.859 preserve unity in the church. Now the Holy Spirit 00:29:27.859 --> 00:29:31.799 produces it. You and I are not expected by God 00:29:31.799 --> 00:29:37.579 to conjure up gentleness. Galatians 5 .23 says 00:29:37.579 --> 00:29:39.920 that it's one aspect of the fruit of the Holy 00:29:39.920 --> 00:29:43.160 Spirit. And so it is as we yield to the Holy 00:29:43.160 --> 00:29:45.380 Spirit, as we were talking earlier, as we are 00:29:45.380 --> 00:29:49.680 spiritual people, not carnal, gentleness will 00:29:49.680 --> 00:29:56.470 be expressed in our lives. It will come. Now, 00:29:56.470 --> 00:29:59.730 Satan and the world, frankly, have sold us a 00:29:59.730 --> 00:30:04.549 lie. That lie is that gentleness is not desirable. 00:30:06.849 --> 00:30:09.630 That gentleness will result in your being taken 00:30:09.630 --> 00:30:12.609 advantage of, so therefore you had better fight 00:30:12.609 --> 00:30:17.250 back. And you know, some of us have bought that 00:30:17.250 --> 00:30:22.650 lie. Like the manager who boasts, I don't have 00:30:22.650 --> 00:30:33.329 ulcers, I give them. Or the husband who, if is 00:30:33.329 --> 00:30:37.190 questioned by his wife, or has a disagreement 00:30:37.190 --> 00:30:40.430 with his wife, attacks her, even physically abuses 00:30:40.430 --> 00:30:43.769 her. I want you to know that I believe everything 00:30:43.769 --> 00:30:46.230 the Bible says regarding the authority of the 00:30:46.230 --> 00:30:50.890 husband in the home. along with the mutual submissiveness, 00:30:51.029 --> 00:30:54.109 by the way, of husband and wife, mutual submissiveness. 00:30:55.309 --> 00:30:58.250 But nowhere is there one word in all the scriptures 00:30:58.250 --> 00:31:01.309 regarding a wife having the right to touch his 00:31:01.309 --> 00:31:07.529 wife to abuse her. Not one word. In fact, that's 00:31:07.529 --> 00:31:13.690 sin. That's a lack of gentleness. And it's true 00:31:13.690 --> 00:31:16.369 of wives toward husbands, too. That sometimes 00:31:16.369 --> 00:31:19.609 happens. And it's true of parents toward children. 00:31:21.009 --> 00:31:24.869 There's not a place for harsh physical abuse. 00:31:26.509 --> 00:31:29.849 Now, if in fact that exists in your relationship 00:31:29.849 --> 00:31:33.250 to somebody, you need to find some help with 00:31:33.250 --> 00:31:37.890 that. Because not only is that a sin, but there 00:31:37.890 --> 00:31:40.509 are times when we are predisposed to that because 00:31:40.509 --> 00:31:45.869 of experiences that we ourselves have had. The 00:31:45.869 --> 00:31:48.190 greatest tragedy would be for that to go on and 00:31:48.190 --> 00:31:52.069 continue and not to be dealt with. It is not 00:31:52.069 --> 00:31:56.690 a shame for you to seek help from someone if 00:31:56.690 --> 00:31:59.910 you have that problem in your life, in your home. 00:32:01.089 --> 00:32:03.650 It's the shame if you don't do something about 00:32:03.650 --> 00:32:09.930 it. That's the shame. The roommate who gets fed 00:32:09.930 --> 00:32:14.410 up with the living habits of the other. You know, 00:32:14.430 --> 00:32:16.630 sometimes a room becomes actually a habitat. 00:32:17.490 --> 00:32:22.789 You ever experience that? I was 25 when I got 00:32:22.789 --> 00:32:24.829 married. I had time to have a lot of roommates, 00:32:25.130 --> 00:32:29.809 college years and afterward. And I'll tell you, 00:32:29.829 --> 00:32:32.170 sometimes roommates are tough to get along with. 00:32:32.390 --> 00:32:38.549 They're just nasty. They're sorry people, as 00:32:38.549 --> 00:32:43.609 much as I am. It's possible, I'm talking to some 00:32:43.609 --> 00:32:46.730 career people here today, it's possible that 00:32:46.730 --> 00:32:48.750 you may want to even take some severe action 00:32:48.750 --> 00:32:51.930 against that roommate of yours. Hey, be gentle. 00:32:52.529 --> 00:33:00.309 Be gentle. Oh, I'll tell you anyway. I remember 00:33:00.309 --> 00:33:02.630 the one roommate that we had when I was in college 00:33:02.630 --> 00:33:08.009 and we, because of certain problems that we were 00:33:08.009 --> 00:33:11.099 confronted with, took him down to the shower 00:33:11.099 --> 00:33:16.779 and gently showered him. But what you do, do 00:33:16.779 --> 00:33:19.500 it with gentleness. That's the point. And again, 00:33:19.599 --> 00:33:29.079 I'm trying to dig myself out here. You may even 00:33:29.079 --> 00:33:32.839 be angry about some aspect of a relationship 00:33:32.839 --> 00:33:35.700 with another person, but don't allow that anger 00:33:35.700 --> 00:33:39.619 to be sinfully expressed and handled. It may 00:33:39.619 --> 00:33:42.400 be righteous anger, but deal with it in an appropriate 00:33:42.400 --> 00:33:47.480 way, not an abusive, wasteful way. Rather than 00:33:47.480 --> 00:33:50.660 attacking and destroying that other person, get 00:33:50.660 --> 00:33:54.019 to the problem and build up the person. That's 00:33:54.019 --> 00:33:56.980 what Jay Adams was trying to tell us. To lack 00:33:56.980 --> 00:34:00.160 gentleness, folks, to lack gentleness in our 00:34:00.160 --> 00:34:05.140 lives is a symptom of worldliness. Now some of 00:34:05.140 --> 00:34:07.680 us would rather... have a list of things that 00:34:07.680 --> 00:34:09.400 we could say, well, this is worldly if you do 00:34:09.400 --> 00:34:12.860 these things. I want to tell you something. If 00:34:12.860 --> 00:34:14.860 you have that idea of worldliness, you're missing 00:34:14.860 --> 00:34:17.480 a whole lot that the devil wants you to miss. 00:34:18.079 --> 00:34:20.960 Because a lack of gentleness is worldliness. 00:34:21.320 --> 00:34:25.179 Because our world is not gentle. It's militaristic. 00:34:25.679 --> 00:34:30.380 It's oppressive. It's greedy. It's pushy. Our 00:34:30.380 --> 00:34:33.539 whole world is based upon the idea, fight back. 00:34:37.530 --> 00:34:40.670 Gentleness is not the only quality that should 00:34:40.670 --> 00:34:43.469 mark us as God's children, but it is one quality. 00:34:44.690 --> 00:34:47.010 Is it a characteristic of your dealings with 00:34:47.010 --> 00:34:53.309 others most of the time? With your family? With 00:34:53.309 --> 00:35:00.210 your co -workers? If not, will you today ask 00:35:00.210 --> 00:35:06.940 God to make you a gentle person? Will you today 00:35:06.940 --> 00:35:10.679 allow the Spirit of God to do a fresh work in 00:35:10.679 --> 00:35:14.980 your heart so that this fruit might be born, 00:35:15.119 --> 00:35:20.599 this fruit of the Spirit? It is with this very 00:35:20.599 --> 00:35:23.000 same tenderness and gentleness that the Savior 00:35:23.000 --> 00:35:27.719 calls us to a place of faith and obedience. He 00:35:27.719 --> 00:35:30.780 calls His wayward child this morning, maybe you. 00:35:32.650 --> 00:35:34.969 And with the tenderness of the father who waited 00:35:34.969 --> 00:35:38.510 for his prodigal to come home, he waits for you 00:35:38.510 --> 00:35:42.610 to come. That father that Jesus told about saw 00:35:42.610 --> 00:35:45.269 his son coming and he ran down the road to meet 00:35:45.269 --> 00:35:47.550 him. And when he saw him, he didn't say, I told 00:35:47.550 --> 00:35:50.849 you so. I warned you you would waste your substance 00:35:50.849 --> 00:35:55.269 if you went out that way. That was true. But 00:35:55.269 --> 00:35:57.489 rather he just reached out and embraced that 00:35:57.489 --> 00:36:01.090 son of his and welcomed him home. I want you 00:36:01.090 --> 00:36:03.150 to know that's the same gentleness with which 00:36:03.150 --> 00:36:06.050 the Savior waits for you this morning, prodigal 00:36:06.050 --> 00:36:11.570 son of his. And it's the same gentleness with 00:36:11.570 --> 00:36:16.750 which he seeks that lost person. Like the shepherd 00:36:16.750 --> 00:36:19.590 who went out looking for the one lost sheep. 00:36:20.170 --> 00:36:22.429 I don't know what the thicket is that you may 00:36:22.429 --> 00:36:26.030 be caught in this morning. I don't know the predicament. 00:36:26.800 --> 00:36:29.500 that your sin has worked you into. I don't know 00:36:29.500 --> 00:36:32.559 the mess you're in, but I know this, there is 00:36:32.559 --> 00:36:39.260 a gentle shepherd who came to seek and to save 00:36:39.260 --> 00:36:43.219 that which is lost. And if you're lost today, 00:36:43.380 --> 00:36:46.639 he's looking for you, and he wants to save you. 00:36:48.260 --> 00:36:56.010 Will you let him? Let's bow together. Our Heavenly 00:36:56.010 --> 00:37:01.809 Father, may the Holy Spirit work into our lives 00:37:01.809 --> 00:37:04.570 the practical applications of this message that 00:37:04.570 --> 00:37:10.829 all of us have to respond to in some way. And 00:37:10.829 --> 00:37:14.949 if there are those who need particular prayer 00:37:14.949 --> 00:37:21.670 help this morning, I pray that humility and courage 00:37:24.300 --> 00:37:26.539 will be seen in their lives as they're willing 00:37:26.539 --> 00:37:28.820 to step out from where they are and come to the 00:37:28.820 --> 00:37:32.599 front in response to that gentle voice that they 00:37:32.599 --> 00:37:39.139 hear inside right now telling them to come. In 00:37:39.139 --> 00:37:46.199 Jesus' name, amen. Our closing hymn is 301.