“But The Fruit Of The Spirit Is Gentleness” 2 Timothy 2:23-26 7/16/06
INTRO: I preached on the fruit of gentleness four years
ago.
I
began that sermon with a church history lesson that I want to share with you
again.
Often been said that those
who forget history are doomed to repeat it.
Church is full of examples of failures in
the fruit of gentleness.
During
the 4th century there was a split in the church that lasted for many
decades.
Donatist Schism. Donatus was a bishop who led the split.
Essentially,
the thing that motivated the Donatists was purity of
the church.
There were several things they saw happening
in the church
that they thought
was a disgrace to the name of Christ—
and they believed
that these impurities had to be ruthlessly removed.
Several
branches of the Donatist movement, one branch called Circumcellions.
Thing
that bothered the Circumcellions was the way that
rich landowners—
who were professing
Christians, members of the church,
were being unjust
to the poor who worked on their estates.
How
can these people call themselves Christians, Circumcellions
asked?
They are a disgrace to the name of
Christ. This is wrong, must make right.
Organized
armed bands and they would find these wealthy Christians
in homes, on the
road, even in church—and would kill them.
The
weapon the Circumcillions used was the club.
Didn’t use swords because mindful of Jesus’
words to Peter
when he cut off the
ear of the high priest’s servant—
“Put your sword away. Those who live by the sword will die by
sword.”
Circumcellions said: We’re good
Christians. We’re careful to obey
Christ.
Instead of using swords, we’ll use clubs.
Doesn’t take a great theologian to see that the Circumcellions
missed whole point.
You
can’t advance the Gospel through violence.
No
matter how biblically accurate they were about sins of these wealthy people,
no matter who eager
they were to defend the honor of Christ,
no matter how
zealous to restore the New Testament purity of church,
their method of
going about it undercut all these motives.
The
spirit of the Circumcellions been found in every era of church.
What
is their spirit?
Deep moral conviction, desire to see people change, combined with harsh
tactics.
Possible for a Christian to have good
motives:
I want this person to realize how serious
his sin is, what doing wrong.
I want him to realize that if he continues
face judgment.
I want him to know that he must turn to
Christ and follow in love and obedience,
But—if
you present all this truth harshly,
then you undermine
all that you are trying to say.
If
you can’t present the Gospel gently, then it may well turn out in the end
that you were not
presenting the Gospel after all.
Gentleness
must be at the heart of how you live out and share the Gospel.
Because it is ultimately the truth of the
Gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit
that changes
people—not us.
And
if the fruit of the Holy Spirit is gentleness, but gentleness is missing,
then how can the
Holy Spirit be at work?
What
is gentleness?
Dictionary
defines: mildness, pleasantness,
courtesy, friendliness, politeness
A virtue the ancient Greeks admired, necessary for civic life.
Fruit
of Spirit, gentleness much more than a civic virtue:
Gentleness is being so confident in the
truth of the Gospel and the power
of the Holy Spirit
to change people, that you don’t ever have to be rough
with them.
Gentleness not for people with weak moral convictions—but with strong
ones.
Not
for people who see people in sin and say, I don’t care.
But for people who do care, who want to see
people changed, things made right.
Gentleness
expresses confidence in the Lord.
He doesn’t need me to beat people over the
head to get their attention,
He calls me to be gentle, like He was, and
let His Gospel and Spirit work.
This
passage is Paul’s instruction to the pastor Timothy.
Talking about the character of a pastor. So of particular
application to officers.
But certainly has a more general application
to all believers.
Look
at what says about gentleness under three headings:
1.
The necessity of 2. The challenges to 3.
The cultivation of
MP#1 The necessity of gentleness
Paul
is giving Timothy instructions on dealing with people
with false beliefs
and sinful behavior who are also antagonistic to truth.
Tells Timothy not to quarrel, to be kind, not resentful, and to gently
teach.
Do this in the hope that God will grant
repentance leading to knowledge of truth.
Speaks
of need of these people to come to senses,
Escape from the trap of devil, because have
be taken captive to do will.
Focus
on these last two comments by Paul.
These people have, because of sin, lost
their senses—like a drunk person.
Got drunk willingly, drunk none the less.
These people have, because of sin, become
slaves of devil.
Willing slaves, but slaves
none the less.
Timothy—recognize that they are blinded and enslaved by sin.
God alone can rescue—does so by awakening to
true condition.
In order for God to work through you,
Timothy, must be gentle.
Harshness
doesn’t reach people—
causes people
trapped in sin to dig in heals and resist.
They cling all the tighter to the thing that
is enslaving them.
Even if you are telling them the truth—if not told gently, will have no
effect.
When
I was at General Assembly of our denomination few weeks ago,
picked up some
literature from a ministry called Exodus
Evangelistic
and counseling outreach to homosexuals—
started in
One
of the articles was by a PCA minister involved in Exodus.
He and two men from his church attended a
conference on AIDS
called the Gay
Men’s Health Summit. They went to share
Gospel.
Want
to read you some portions of his article.
The
largest seminar of conference was called “Healing Religious Wounds”
Every
man who spoke told how he had been rejected by the church
and had tried to
find peace with God through other means.
Then,
the seminar speaker, knowing who this pastor was,
asked if he had
anything to say.
He said: “We
thanked them for so graciously welcoming us to their
That
gentle and truthful response led to a number of one-on-one conversations.
“With
one man I suggested that if homosexuality is something with which one is born,
and if the Bible condemns such behavior, then those with homosexual leanings
should resist the temptation. I
illustrated this by saying each of my three sons is attracted to women but they
know they cannot engage in sexual intercourse until they are married, and only
in marriage. They must resist the
temptation until then. The response was,
“I cannot believe that God, who made me like this, would not allow me to
express my sexuality.” I replied by
saying that a single person who never marries, who has sexual desires for the
opposite sex is not allowed to express his or her sexuality, and that God is
most wise in ordaining it this way. The
conversation was very gracious and polite.”
From
these conversations, few men expressed an interest in visiting his church—
He has continued to talk to a number of
these men, and has been able to tell
them about Jesus
Christ and the hope of salvation.
Then
he wrote this:
“I liken this evangelistic work to the work
one does with Muslims. Nothing would be
gained, for example, by telling a Muslim in your first conversation, that
Mohammed is a false prophet. You won’t
get a hearing that way. No, it takes
time. One must listen, show compassion,
become friends, all the while firmly, uncompromisingly, but graciously holding
to the truth of the Bible.”
Paul
tells Timothy not to quarrel, to be kind, not resentful, and to gently teach.
Do
this in the hope that God will grant repentance leading to knowledge of truth.
Speaks of need of these people to come to
senses,
Escape from the trap of devil, because have
be taken captive to do will.
Gentleness
is absolutely necessary.
People
enslaved and blinded by sin will never respond to truth harshly presented.
And besides, this is God’s way in this age
of grace.
By
Word and Spirit works in people’s hearts and woos them to Himself.
He doesn’t impose by harsh methods some
external change—works from inside.
Is
this a guarantee they will respond?
No—Paul calls it a hope.
But can be assured not doing anything to
undercut the message of grace.
MP#2 The challenges to gentleness.
What
are some things that work against the fruit of gentleness in your life?
Let’s consider three challenges to
gentleness.
1. First challenge is when your idols get attacked.
Indebted
to Ted Tripp’s insight in “Shepherding A Child’s
Heart”
Dads, why do you speak harshly to your
children, discipline harshly, not gently?
Because children have an
uncanny ability to identify your idols and challenge.
And when your idols are challenged, you
defend them, harshly if necessary.
If
your idol is respect—self worth rests on what people think—
when your children
embarrass you, going to respond harshly.
f
your idol is order—that’s what gives peace, control of environment—
when children make
a mess of things—you going to respond harshly.
If
your idol is authority—this is my right, I am the father, I must be obeyed—
when disobeyed, you
are personally offended—will you respond harshly.
You
may be telling your child the truth—“Children obey your parents in Lord!”
“Honor your father and your mother.” 5th commandment!
If
you speak that truth harshly because your idols being attacked—
probably not
reaching child’s heart, just defending your idol.
Probably very little internal change, just external behavior.
2. Second challenge is when your Christian beliefs are
attacked.
Let’s
say you raise some matter of biblical truth morality, human nature, God.
Person says—that’s close-minded, judgmental,
holier-than-thou, stupid.
All this righteous anger boils up—what want
to do is argue with person.
What
does Paul say to Timothy—Be patient and forbearing
toward attacks.
Warns against stupid arguments.
Stupid subjects—fine theological points,
political opinions.
Stupid in that it
undermines your witness to this person.
So what if win, lost.
This
may be the time for a calm, gentle response—may be a time to be quiet.
Also, remember that Jesus said you are
honored if suffer for these things.
But there will be no honor if you respond
harshly.
3. Third challenge is a concern that your gentleness
will be interpreted as
condoning a
person’s sinful lifestyle or false beliefs.
You
are around a person who has a blatantly sinful lifestyle or false beliefs—
think that
gentleness will be perceived as condoning this behavior, these beliefs.
Even
if I’m a little harsh, little rough, stand-offish—better that than compromise.
This is quite a bit more complicated than
the first two challenges.
First,
this is only a challenge for people with a strong sense of right and wrong.
In
Defined as not judging anyone else’s
behavior or beliefs,
not saying or even
thinking something wrong or immoral.
But
that’s not tolerance—that’s indifference.
That’s saying: I don’t care what you believe or how you live.
Tolerance
is something completely different.
Treating people with courtesy, politeness,
friendliness, mildness—
even though you are
strongly opposed to their beliefs and behavior.
If
you aren’t bothered by an unmarried couple living together that’s not
tolerance—
that’s indifference. Tolerance is when you are bothered, still
friendly, polite. Tolerance is simply a
practical expression of gentleness.
Does tolerance condone sin? No—
as long as you live
a consistent life, speak gentle, truthful words at right times.
Just
consider the example of Jesus Christ.
Was
there ever a man who walked the earth who had stronger sense of right/wrong?
If you are bothered by false beliefs, sinful
lifestyles, how did it bother Him?
The
things He heard people say, things He saw them do, deeply offended Him.
At times writers of the Gospels describe Him
weeping, groaning, exasperated.
But,
was Jesus a harsh, stand-offish sort of person, radiated sense “I disapprove”?
No—the most tolerant, gentle man who ever
lived.
Seem
concerned that if mingled in a friendly, mild manner, condoning sin?
No—he talked, ate, drank with all sorts of
people.
People were attracted to him. Wouldn’t have been if he was harsh.
Think
about Zaccheeus—tax collector, extortionist, traitor
to his country.
When Jesus saw him in tree, said: Come down, going to your house today.
This
doesn’t answer all the questions about every situation.
Specific
situations you find self in call for wisdom, prayer, thought.
How am I going to deal with this person?
What am I going to say?
How much time should I spend?
But
it at least gives you a framework:
All
of my dealings with this person must be gentle.
My gentleness is not a sell-out, even if I’m
deeply troubled by beliefs/behavior.
I’m
not condoning sin any more than Christ was when ate with Zaccheus.
I must simply live consistently, speak the
truth at the right times.
Be
aware of the challenges to gentleness.
If
harsh because your idols being attacked—repent, focus on what really matters.
If
you are argumentative because your Christian beliefs
are being attacked—
relax, Jesus says
you are being honored, don’t have to win argument.
If
you are bristly and stand-offish because you don’t want to seem to condone sin—
think it through,
consider the example of Christ, what gentleness will look like.
MP#3 The cultivation of gentleness.
How
do you cultivate the fruit of gentleness in your life?
Certainly
by considering things we have studied so far—necessity, challenges.
Want to bring you back to the definition we
considered at the beginning.
Gentleness
is being so confident in the truth of the Gospel
and the power of
the Holy Spirit to change people,
that you don’t ever
have to be rough with them.
You
cultivate gentleness not so much by looking at life and saying,
I have to be more gentle
with my children, my wife.
Cultivate
it indirectly by growing in your confidence in the truth of Gospel
and power of the
Holy Spirit to change people.
When
you realize, I can’t change people.
I can beat them over the head in ever way,
attack verbally, argue,
I can radiate disapproval—might, at the
most, change some superficial behavior,
but I’ll never
change their hearts—never make better people from inside out.
But
the Lord can. In fact, He does it all
the time.
Changes
people by capturing their hearts with the Gospel.
The Good News that through Jesus Christ we
can have peace with God.
Changes
people through the mysterious, invisible work of His Holy Spirit,
who actually paves
the way for people to even hear Gospel,
by making them
spiritually alive to the truth, then taking and applying to hearts.
When
you have understand that, believe it—because read it in the Bible.
And because you have
experienced in your own heart.
And because you see it in lives of other
believers—
You
will be filled with a confidence in it, you will find
self becoming more gentle,
even to the most
exasperating, spiritually blind sinners.
Because
you know that God can change them,
and that He might
work through you.
This
Age we are living in, between the Ascension of Christ and His Second Coming
is the Age of
Grace. It’s the Age during which the
Gospel is going to nations.
Judgment
Day is coming but now is the now is the age of grace.
Way God works during this time,
Cooperate
with God’s plan when we present His truth gently, work for change.
Because that’s what He does.
Sometimes
talk about God being rough—Christians talk that way.
Testimonies—God hit me with a 2X4, certainly
Lord uses hard things.
But
really, no matter how hard it seems, He is really gentle.
He persuades, he urges—does that so often
through the gentleness of believers.
Read
a testimony by a Christian who said he was going to visit a person
in the
hospital. This person was in the
hospital as a consequence of sin in his life.
Preparing to say some
truthful things, some hard things to this person.
On
the way he saw a sign that said, “High Tech, Gentle Touch.”
Said
to himself—that’s kind of treatment I would want to get from dentists, doctors.
That’s what the Lord wants me to give—the
best, the truth—but with gentleness.
That’s
what he uses to bring healing.
CONC: