Sermons

Used to keep chickens, growing them from hatched eggs. Jersey Blue Giant.

Putting a cat/dog down

Where’s your heart?

Spectrum of gentle-hearted to hard-hearted.

Hybels those of us who tend towards heard-heartedness need to be all the more surrenedered to the Holy Spirit to produce the fruit of gentleness. Need a constant reliance even more to have a kind and gentle spirit towards the hurting.

Gentleness defined as self control displayed in a calm spirit based on an unshakeable confidence in God.

Matt 11:25-30

Jesus describes himself as gentle and lowly.

Context

Gentle and lowly toall who come to him in need- sinners, suffering

Those not “coming to him”

Pharisees – Matt 12:34 he says to them “You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? “

Chorazin and Bethsaida – in the verses just before Matt 11:25-30

Jesus is gentle and lowly not mushy and frothy

As Dane Ortlund writes in Gentle and lowly – the dominant note left ringing in our ears after reading the Gospels, the most vivid and arresting element of the portrait, is the way the Holy Son of God moves toward, touches, heals, embraces and forgives those who least deserve it yet truly desire it.

Zaccheus – despised tax man, Jesus eats with him

Woman caught in adultery John 7:53-8:11

Note pharisees bring her “caught” – must have been watching!

Didn't bring the man – who was also punishable by death.

Jesus didn't react instantly. He bides some time writing in the sand.

Thinks – where's the man, this is a trap

Responds with a question knowing it was a trap.

When we think gentleness is defined as self control displayed in a calm spirit based on an unshakeable confidence in God.

Self control and calmness – not an instant reaction. Listens to both sides, before a judgement.

Jesus’ gentle and lowly heart causes him to move towards sin and suffering not away from it

Clean/Unclean

Moltman quote

German theologian Jürgen Moltmann points out that miracles are not an interruption of the natural order but the restoration of the natural order. We are so used to a fallen world that sickness, disease, pain, and death seem natural. In fact, they are the interruption.

When Jesus expels demons and heals the sick, he is driving out of creation the powers of destruction, and is healing and restoring created beings who are hurt and sick. The lordship of God to which the healings witness, restores creation to health. Jesus' healings are not supernatural miracles in a natural world. They are the only truly “natural” thing in a world that is unnatural, demonised and wounded.

How do we grow in gentleness?

Lack of love and roughness go together.

Fruit of the Spirit grow together like a cluster of grapes – to be gentle, you need more love and patience!

“Christ is love covered over in flesh”

In 2 weeks we are starting a series “Coming back to the heart of worship” with an emphasis on using some of the gifts of the Spirit.

I love that the Spirit gives us gifts and grows us in fruit.

Gifts often loud and noisy. Fruit grows quietly and gentle.

“The gifts are often loud and attention getters, but the fruits grow as quietly as the fruits of nature. We know when fireworks is going off at the fair ground, because we hear the loud explosions in the sky. We know someone is hurt or ill, for we hear the screaming sirens, as the ambulance races to the scene. We know there is a storm outside, because you can hear the wind in the trees and things blown about. The presence of many things are known by the noises that are produced. But no one has ever awakened in the night and said, “Listen to all the racket the apple tree is making. The apples are growing again.” No! They grow silently, quietly, and gently. So the fruit of the Spirit grows in us. The gifts might draw a crowd, because of the shouting, singing, and noise of rejoicing, and this is great. But the fruits do not come with a bang. They come as the Holy Spirit gently nudges us closer to Christ. He works quietly as we read the Word of God, and as we pray for guidance, and as we reflect on life and where we fit it the scheme of things.”

Grow in all the fruit – we need more of the Holy Spirit.

He comes not with a Spirit of fear, but with power, love and self-control

More Lord!