Introduction: Last time we looked at longsuffering in the fruit of the Spirit.  This week we will look at the virtue of gentleness and goodness.  Once again I will try to make this as practical as possible again

      Before getting into this message, let me remind you of a few truths that I mentioned several times in this series.  Love is the color of the fruit of the Spirit.  Joy is the bloom of the fruit.  Peace is the skin that binds all together.  If you don't have joy in your Christian life, you have a leak.  If you don't love, then you are not like God.  If there is no peace in your life, then it is most likely that you have sin in your life.

      Since love is the color of the fruit, and joy is the bloom and peace is the skin, then longsuffering was the flavor of the fruit.  Flavor is a virtue fruit possesses, but which others must taste if it is to be realized and praised. 

      Since longsuffering is the flavor, then gentleness is the distinctive flavor of the fruit.  Let me illustrate like this.  When I was a kid, we had some grapes that grew wild.  If you would bite into one of them, you would know it was not a white grape like you get at the store.  The flavor was distinctive.  Gentleness is distinctive.  It gives you the flavor of the Holy Spirit that this world has a hard time fighting.  They may make fun of you but in the tough times when they need someone, they are going to look for someone who is full of gentleness.

      This virtue glides into each other bring us from the passive side unto an active virtue.  It is what flavors our lives in a way that demonstrates the Holy Spirit in our lives. 

      Oliver Green calls this passage "the Holy Spirit's fruit basket" and he further states that none of the Spirit fruit named here can be bought, earned or secured through human effort.  I want our church to be a fruit basket of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance that's the talk of the town. We should all say that we want to be a fruit basket full of this Holy Spirit fruit!

      So let’s look at this virtue of the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

I.  THE DEFINITION OF GENTLENESS

      It is being considerate or kindly in attitude.  It is also defined as tender, mild and soft, carefulness and politeness. It is also seen as mildness of temper, calmness of spirit, and an unruffled disposition. This is one of the results of the Spirit’s operations on the heart. Jesus makes no one sour. It sweetens the temper; corrects an irritable disposition; makes the heart kind; motivates us to make all around us as happy as possible. This is true politeness. You can say that it is easy to be entreated – doesn’t take much to get a gentle person to care.  How many times has it been said that the world does not really want to know how much you know but how much you care?

      When defining this word that is almost foreign to the world, Jesus gave His followers the following command. Matthew 10:16

“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”

      A dove is considered as harmless.  It is a bird that is not aggressive.  It coos when you hear it.  I read that the taming of a horse is called gentling a horse.  This virtue of the fruit of the Spirit will tame our temper and sweetens our disposition. 

      It is important that gentleness is not to be mistaken for meekness.  Even though meekness is one of the virtues of the fruit of the Spirit; gentleness is not meekness.  Gentleness is how we treat others.  Meekness is how we respond to how others treat us.

      One of the greatest compliments that a man can get is being honestly called a gentleman.  The same is basically true for a woman to be called a lady.  Being called a lady shows a woman that is gentle.

II.  THE DIVERSITY OF GENTLENESS

      The Greek word for gentleness is translated in our English several ways.  I want to give those verses to you.  In fact, let’s look at them together.

                              Romans 2:4     

“Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”

                              Romans 3:12 

“They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”

                              Romans 11:22 

“Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.”

                              2^nd Corinthians 6:6 

“By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned”

                              Galatians 5:22 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith”

                              Ephesians 2:7 

“That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”

                              Colossians 3:12 

“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering”

                              Titus 3:4 

“But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared”

      The diversity of the Greek word that is translated in the English shows the greatness of our Lord that must be evidenced in our lives and can be with total submission to the Holy Spirit.

III. THE DEMONSTRATION OF GENTLENESS

                        Do we need to look any further than our Lord Jesus? 

                                                2^nd Corinthians 10:1

“Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you”

A.  We see this truth in His character.

                              Matthew 12:20

“A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.”

      This verse speaks not only of the condition of the sinner but also of the character of the Saviour.  The bruised reed and the smoking flax are a picture of bruised and battered people.  They were bruised by the fall of man and always battered by sin. His purpose is not to do away with us but to save us and make good use of us.

      Think about an oil lamp. When it came time to put out the lamp, you can cup your hand just over the top of the globe and blow out the flame. Immediately, a long stream of smoke would rise from that wick.  The smoking flax was like that. Jesus said that He is so gentle that even if you and I are reduced to just a puff of smoke, He is considerate of even a puff of smoke.  That is just like Jesus.  Every part of His character is gentle.  In fact, it is gentleness in every way.  Character is what you are in the dark.  Jesus always had character in the light and in the dark.

                  B.   We see this truth in His caring.  Titus 3:2-6

“To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour”

      Let’s see how Jesus demonstrated gentleness.  We see this in His treatment of the woman caught in adultery in John chapter eight.  He was kind to her.  He never spoke harshly to her.  His gentleness was the conviction of her sin to her.

      We see it in His conversation with the woman at the well in Samaria in John chapter four.  Once again, no one can condemn His conversation with this woman.  She was living with a man but Jesus’ gentleness in His conversation steered her to her sin and her turning from that sin.

      It is also seen in the way in which He healed people who were suffering.  In Mark chapter five, one preacher called it the hospital of the incurable.  We see the demon-possessed man in this chapter.  Jesus treated him with such gentleness that when the folks came to see why the swine jumped in the sea; they found this “incurable” man sitting at the feet of Jesus, suited with clothes and sane.  Only Jesus can do that.  Then you see the diseased woman.  She must have felt like Jesus did not have time for her.  She thought that if she could just touch the hem of His garment, she could be cured.  She was right and wrong at the same time.  She had been diseased with this problem for the twelve years.  She was healed when she touched the hem of His garment but it was the garment that did it but the Lord Jesus that did it.  Then we see the dead girl.  In our time she would be considered incurable but Jesus just touched her and she was alive again and given to her parents.  Over and over again, suffering people came to Jesus and He showed gentleness to them and helped them.  No one ever left Jesus the same.  The only ones He could help were the ones who were full of themselves. 

      It can be seen in the way He treated doubting Thomas.  Instead of condemning Thomas for his doubts, He went to the heart of the problem that was the problem of the heart. 

      We see it in the way He treated Peter who denied Him.   He reminded Peter what his purpose was in life and it was to feed the lambs and sheep that came to him.  He did not bray Peter but spoke to Peter in a gentle way.  It is the same way He still does with His children that deny Him.

      Think about His prayer for those who crucified Him.  When He prayed “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do”, it was not a blanket pardon but it was for anyone who would accept it.  I think of two.  They are the thief on the cross beside Him and the soldier who called Him the Son of God.

      How must more demonstration do we need?  How much more should this must be seen in our lives?

IV. THE DISGRACE OF GENTLENESS

                        It is not so much we are treated.  Our Lord was treated badly.

                                                John 15:20

“Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.”

      When Jesus went to the house of young girl who died, He told them that she was not dead but slept.  They laughed Him to scorn. One day those same people who laughed Him to scorn will stand before Him as being judged by Him.  Over and over again, He was treated badly especially on that last day on this earth before His crucifixion.  So if we are treated badly, we are in the best company in the world and the world to come.

      It is not how we are treated but how we treat others.  Let’s look at this way.  It is just as wicked and wrong for us to be unkind as it is for someone else to be unkind.  Let see the flip side of the coin.  There are other Christians have been unkind to us.  Should I count the times?  No, I should not.  Forgiveness is the word that should be our lives. 

                                                Matthew 18:21-22

"Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?  Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven."

      The Jews taught that a man was to forgive another three times, but not the fourth. Peter more than doubled this, and asked whether forgiveness was to be exercised to so great an extent.  The idea of forgiveness means that you don't even keep score.

V.  THE DELIVERANCE OF GENTLENESS AS SEEN IN OUR LIVES

                        I want to give some practical application to this. 

                  A.  Gentleness is expressed in our communication.

                                                Proverbs 31:26

                        “She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.”

        Colossians 4:6

“Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”

      This means that we do have any verbal karate chops or verbal cluster bombs.  In other words we answer gently.  Isn’t the way we want people to talk to us?

                  B.  Gentleness is expressed through our compassion.

                              We need a heart that is sensitive and tender.

                                                Romans 12:15

                        "Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep."

      Gentleness cares for the feelings of others and feels with them. It experiences the full depth of sympathy and empathy. It shows care and gets right into the situation with a person. Gentleness suffers with those who suffer, and struggles with those who struggle, and works with those who work.

      This takes an effort on our part.  I try to compliment employees publicly and criticize privately.  I learned that from a lost man when I was a police officer.  That is how he treated me.  He did not realize that this was how Jesus treated His people. 

                  C.   Gentleness is expressed through loving confrontation.

                              It means to speak the truth in love.

                                                Ephesians 4:15

“But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ”

      Gentleness is NOT being a pacifist or completely non-violent.  Sometimes gentleness requires confrontation.  But gentleness is in reality strength under control. Jesus was aggressive at times. John 2:14-16

“And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.”

      In Matthew chapter twenty-three Jesus was aggressive against the sinfulness of the Pharisees and scribes.  But His language was not ugly or not gentle.

      Paul reinforced this in the book of Ephesians.

                        Ephesians 4:26-27

“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.”

      Gentleness towards someone may require us to be aggressive towards another. Some situations may require exercising force towards another to show gentleness towards another.  For instance you may have an intruder into your house that threatens your family. For you to show gentleness to your family necessitates showing strength against the intruder. It would not be gentle to allow someone to assault your loved ones.

      It would not be gentle to leave a deadly cancer alone while it threatens your life. Gentleness may require radical and aggressive surgery to remove it.

      A wayward child may need to be chastised. It is love that requires discipline. To allow a child to continue to be unruly is not gentleness. Gentleness sees the big picture of where that child's behavior is leading him and does what is necessary to correct the problem.

      It would not be gentle to allow someone to travel down a road that you know would lead to his or her harm or destruction. Preaching must be given in love but firm so that the person can see the path that they are traveling. 

Conclusion: Let me end this message with a cute illustration I read in my research.  An old Christian man moved into a community where lived a notoriously disagreeable and contentious neighbor.   When informed of the character of his neighbor, the old man answered, "If he disturbs me, I will kill him."   Before turning off my illustration, hear the rest of the story.

      His statement reached the ears of this neighbor who in various ways tormented the new settler.   But every offense was met with kindness until at last the contentious neighbor was overwhelmed.   "I was told he would kill me, but I did not know he would kill me with kindness."

      May that be our testimony too!