Date of Sermon Delivery: 27. 3. 2022
Place of sermon Delivery: Delhi, India
Sunday Worship Service
Speaker: Jatin Bisht
Title - The fruit of the spirit is gentleness
Bible – Galatians 5:16-26
16. So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other
Hello.
People of God.
Once again i welcome you all in the house of living God.
I hope last week have been good for you.
As we are in the sermon series of the fruit of the spirit and I hope you are learning a lot of things and you are using it in your life.
And I hope that you are growing spiritually because it is important for us that we grow day by day.
Let’s read today bible
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Let’s pray.
As we all know we are in the sermon series, “the fruit of the spirit”. (Atmaa ka fhal)
It is also mark of the spiritual maturity.
When a people growing in spiritual, we can find in him this fruit of the spirit.
He will have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
If these things are found in someone’s life, then that person is in good relationship with God.
When Jesus was in the earth, he said to his follower that he will send us a helper.
Today that helper is in my life and your life. Whose name is Holy Spirit.
And that holy spirit is not working in our life from outside but is working in our life from inside.
The Holy Spirit comes in us and removes the 17 types (19-21) of flesh desire and the Holy spirit produce his fruit in us (Love, joy, peace, patient, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control)
Holy spirit gives us the nature we need to be.
So how are we supposed to be?
The New Testament tells us clearly that we have become like JESUS CHRIST.
Today we will see Gentleness (Namrata, komalata)
In dictionary the word gentle means kind and careful in the way you behave or do things, so that you do not hurt or damage anyone or anything.
Hebrew word for gentleness is “anah”. Which means look down, to humble oneself, to be bowed down.
Greek word for gentleness is “prautes”.
For example – if you have power, like you are a prime minister of India and someone did anyone wrong against you. but you are in power, so you have authority to kill him, or give him any punishment. But you do not kill him nor do punish him this is called gentleness.
Example – In our church not much have experience of baby birth, only our brother Ashish and sister varsha have experienced
When a baby born and a father take in his hands which is so hard and ruff but a baby’s skin is very soft, he shows extra cautions that baby hands may not be mood, or his leg may not hurt. You are very strong but you are very careful that baby should not be harmed, this is gentleness.
Somewhere we find gentleness in everyone life, open the door for someone, stopping lift machine for someone, if someone old person is coming you are opening door for him and then you are closing.
We can find into our world.
But God says something amazing things those who are gentle.
Truly the teaching of God is totally opposite then this world, and as I am growing in him, I could able to see his revelation.
Let’s open Matthew 5:5 blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.
I want if you have time please mediate this 9 beatitudes, which is written in Matthew 5.
Really it will shake your heart and bring newness inside of your heart.
The word gentle also known as meek, it does not mean weak though many misinterpret it.it is not sign of weakness, but gentleness is the sign of strength.
In a Christian perspective is about faith, it is about trusting God to win the battle in the end instead of going to extremes to win the battle on our own terms.
Most of people believe the world to be controlled and belong to the strong, the rich, the dominant (Prabhaavashaalee) and the bold( badang). But Jesus flips it and He declare that the true inheritors of the earth are the meek(gentle people), and they are blessed.
What does bible say about gentleness?
Gentleness is the sign of Christian faith, even God wants us that if we teach someone or correct someone we must be in gentleness.
In our society we hear “the truth is bitter”.
Truth never bitter but it is bitter when there is no gentleness.
Paul says 1 timothy 2:24 and the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.
Does Paul speak here only for pastor, or teacher? No.
Here is everyone, and if we are saying we are God’s people that means patience and gentleness must be in our life.
If I am saying I am the servant of Jesus Christ then gentleness must be an attribute of my life.
Peter says in 1 peter 3:15, but in your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.
Always be ready to give answer but with gentleness and respect, so here we can see gentleness is require for every believers.
James 3:17 but the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
What wisdom is peter talking about here?
Is he talking about worldly wisdom?
Here peter is talking about wisdom from above(God), and a wisdom comes from heaven it has quality of gentleness.
When we travel into Delhi Metro, there are written over some seat offer this seat to needy person, or seat reserved for lady or senior citizen.
Why does it written like that? Do not people know that seats should offer to old people?
Because gentleness is just remain in the selected place, or for the selected people.
Gentleness has vanished from our society, so it has been written that this seat reserve for ladies or old people.
Somewhere gentleness is so less in our society, families, even in present churches.
Colossians 3:12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience.
Paul says to Colossians that normal people must be like God’s chosen people,
And quality of God’s chosen people is, they are holy, compassionate heart, kindness, humility, meekness and patience.
One thing is clear that gentleness is necessary in the life of the believers, it is the qualification of a believer.
Yes this quality are produce by God in our life, but as Paul says in Galatians if you live by the spirit, then you also walk by the spirit.
God is doing his part in our life, but in the same time we have to walk by the spirit.
Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Be gentle and forgive one another as God in Christ forgave you.
Tell with honestly
Is this gentleness found in our life as bible is teaching to us?
I hope you all have or you will have gentleness because you are people of God.
Why Holy spirit teach us gentleness? Because it is the attribute of God
Let’s see verse Isaiah 42:1-3 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street;
3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice
In this verse Isaiah is talking about Jesus Christ that when he will come he will not cry but with gently he will do his work.
If you will this whole chapter of Isaiah 42, it’s speak about Jesus’ ministry and his nature.
In Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls
What Jesus is saying ? He is talking about himself that “I am gentle and kind”. Gentleness is the attribute of Jesus Christ, and what we are talking about 9 types (love, peace, joy patience, kindness, faithfulness, goodness, gentleness and self-control) it is the attribute of the lord and this is the nature of the lord that we are seeing and we should expect and every believers should have at least these 9 types of characteristic.
Jesus is saying I am gentle and kind. And Paul says be imitator of Jesus Christ, and if you want to be like Jesus Christ then we have to expect that Jesus was gentle.
I have never met such a person in my life that someone is coming to arrest and he is waiting to them. Have you met such a person in your life?
Jesus knew that they will come in gethsemane garden and he was not hiding himself, but he was offering himself.
And when peter cut off the ear some solider, and Jesus is fixing his ear. This is a gentleness, Jesus is taking pity on his enemy.
In John 8, A woman was caught, who was caught in adultery. The pharisees who used to carry the law, and used to practice their law and it was written in their law that if anyone is caught in adultery, he/she should be stoned to death. But they came to test Jesu and they all had stones to kill that sister because according to the rules she could be stoned to death.
But when this point was placed in front of Jesus, Jesus said that the one who has not committed any sin should stone her first. So all who were there left the stone and left from there.
But Jesus Christ did not go, because he never did sin, Jesus could have stoned to her but Jesus did not and here we can see the gentleness nature of Jesus Christ.
Dear brothers and sisters, see gentleness first in Jesus and do not look to the world to learn gentleness, if someone is opening door for someone, or someone offer seat for someone. Yes that is gentleness and it must be part of our life.
But a gentleness is that coming from above that is spiritual, and this gentleness should be a part of you and my life.
2 Corinthians 10:1
I Paul myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away.
Here Paul is saying, I teach you with the gentleness of Jesus Christ, he is not saying that be gentle like me, but gentle like Jesus because he is the best example of gentleness.
If you want to learn about gentleness then see to Jesus Christ.
Why do we need to be gentle?
God is omnipotent, he is omnipresent, and he is omniscient. And if our God is omniscient, he knows everything, he knows my past, my present and future. He knows how was my life last some months, may be I can hide with everybody, but I cannot hide from God. Therefore David says where shall I go and hide myself because everywhere is God’s presence.
And this God knows our sins, he know what we did yesterday, he knows what we think but still he is gentle towards you and me.
Despite our weaknesses, despite our sinful nature, he is so gentle and kind that still he has not stopped to loving us.
Psalm 8:4 says what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?
Who we are? that he(God) keeps thinking for us. What is my reputation? What is my status in society? Am I so important that God keeps thinking about me and you?
But this is the gentleness of our God, because God made me and you in his image and likeness.
God did not make us like he made others, other things he made just by saying.
when God created you and me, he spent some time and this is the gentleness of God.
Why did not the lord just says that Adam should become? this is nature, a loving and gentleness. Because God makes us in his image and likeness.
Hallelujah
And if God created us in his image and likeness, and if he is demanding to us that you should be gentleness
So what do you think that the lord is making wrong demands from me and you?
He has done everything for you and me, God did not do any mistake, Sins came because of the Adam and eve. And still God sent his son to restore that likeness of human kind by the blood of Jesus Christ.
To restore us on that same image and likeness God has done everything,
Do you still feel that lord have given up some work? Can you say like this?
Maybe no, sometime when nothing happen in my life, I see that cross and tell the lord that there can be no greater work in my life than this cross and blood.
So if God is demanding through me and you to be gentle, he is demanding because he has done everything for us.
Even bible also tell us, if we call ourself as a children of God then Gentleness must be part of our life.
And if we are not gentle then we have to think that does the holy spirit is working in my life?
If we do not have gentleness than can we think intentionally that I will work for this fruit inside of me?
And I am not talking only about gentleness but I am talking all other fruit of the spirit.
Did we work on love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness intentionally after listening to the previous messages?
If you do not work on these things by intentionally then these things will never be able to become a part of our life.
God is working his work, but we also need to do our work.
Paul says if we live by the spirit then you walk by the spirit.
Therefore it is essential for us that intentionally we work in the fruit of the spirit.
God, who is omniscient, he knows what is lacking in our life, but still he is so gentle toward us, and as written revelation 3:20 God says I stand at the door and knock. Knocking is the sign of gentleness, because hitting on the door and knocking on the door has difference.
1 Thessalonians 2:7 but we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. Here Paul is saying how we did ministry in the midst of you, that we were so gentle like a mother, as mother take care her baby same we did. If you are minister in church, or you are a leader or you are a believer then gentleness must be seen in you for others.
I will finish here, but I want to ask you.
How we can make our self-more gentle?
I do not want to see society as I or anyone else sees it, but I have to see society as lord Jesus sees it. Because when I see the world, I see with my sinful eyes, oh ye itna bura hai, o oh vo itna achchha hai, o oh sab bahut bure hai, bas me achchha hu etc. therefore it will difficult to show gentleness to others.
But when I will see my society, my church, my family, my state and world with the eyes of Jesus then I will able to give gentleness to others, as Jesus gave gentleness to everyone.
Dear brothers and sisters
Today this gentleness need in our society, in our family and in our world, really then we will able to see great changes, and maybe you will loss something to practise this gentleness, but this is price that we have to pay as a believer of Jesus Christ.
May God bless to us
Amen.
