“The Gentleness and Self-Control of Jesus”
Series: Winning the War Within (Fruit of the Spirit)
Sunday, April 5, 2009: Galatians 5:22-23; John 19:1-16

Introduction: Have I told you about what my children have done lately? You’ve probably heard me say this before. That is because I am very proud of my children. It is one thing however, to be proud of someone else, and another thing to be proud of yourself. There is an interesting balancing act we need to do when it comes to pride. It is important to think well of ourselves, but to temper that with not thinking overly well of ourselves. As the apostle Paul says in Romans 12:3, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”
This morning, we wrap up the series, Winning the War Within, as we look at the last 2 fruit of the Spirit, gentleness (or humility) and self-control. If we let ourselves be too prideful, we will not be humble or in control.

I. The Gentleness of Jesus- (Proverbs 15:1; Matthew 22:15-22, 11:28-30; John 19:1-16)
a. Getting to the root- The fruit of gentleness is also known as
humility, or meekness. It is a difficult word to translate, because there is no English word that adequately corresponds to the Greek word prautes {prah-ot'-ace}. Part of our challenge here, is that if I use the word gentleness, you might think of someone who is kind hearted and very loving in the way they treat people. If I use the word humility, you might think of someone who struggles with their self-esteem or doesn’t seek to dominate a situation. If I use the word meekness, you might think of someone who is weak or who is afraid to speak up. We see that the connotation for each of these words leads us in a different direction; and usually in a negative direction. So to understand this fruit, we need to have the right perspective.
Illus. “Perspective”- One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" “It was great, Dad.” “Did you see how poor people live?” the father asked. “Oh yeah,” said the son. "So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father. The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them." The boy's father was speechless. Then his son added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."
The fruit referred to as Prautes, is actually a combination of all 3 of those words. It is important to let the aspects of gentleness, meekness, and humility, come together to understand this eighth fruit. It is about the way we relate to others, the way we think of ourselves, and having an unpretentious demeanor. As we think about this fruit, we need to have the perspective that it is powerful and good, not weak.
To be gentle and humble then is to have a calming affect on the anger of others. As the wonderful proverb reminds us in Proverbs 15:1- “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” To have this fruit is to show kindness and forgiveness, instead of judgment. The fruit of gentleness and humility is displayed in being able to discuss things without losing your temper (especially controversial or conflictual topics).
Aristotle had this to say about the word Prautes: “It is the ability to bear reproaches and slights with moderation, and not to embark on revenge quickly, and not to be easily provoked to anger, but to be free from bitterness and contentiousness, having tranquility and stability in the spirit." (On Virtues And Vices)
b. The humility of Jesus- Jesus Himself had great gentleness and
humility of spirit. Let us look at a couple of examples: the first we see in Matthew 22:15-22, “Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap Jesus in his words. 16They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?’ 18But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, ‘You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19Show me the coin used for paying the tax.’ They brought him a denarius, 20and he asked them, ‘Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?’ 21’Caesar's,’ they replied. Then he said to them, ‘Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's.’ 22When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.” Even though Jesus used the phrase “you hypocrites,” and spoke with authority, it was still the humbleness of a teacher teaching His students. It didn’t say they went away angry, but that they went away amazed. They knew they had been caught in their attempt to trick Jesus, but Jesus used it as a teaching opportunity!
The second we see in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” The gentleness of Jesus is seen in how He wants to help unburden us and give us rest. He even says that He is gentle and humble in heart.
The third we see in John 19:8-10, “When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9and he went back inside the palace. ‘Where do you come from?’ he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10’Do you refuse to speak to me?’ Pilate said. ‘Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?’” We see Jesus holding back here. But His holding back in His not talking was not a sign of weakness, or a sign that Jesus was afraid of Pilate. Jesus had many times confronted the Pharisees and religious rulers. Jesus was being silent out of His strength and His understanding of what was to take place. Jesus knew that there would be the time (and in fact we will see it in the next verse), the time to speak what needs to be said!

II. The Self-Control of Jesus- (James 1:13-20; Luke 9:23; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Hebrews 4:15; Romans 8:13; John 19:1-16;)
a. Us- The very concept of self-control implies that there is a battle
between a divided self; a self that is struggling with a choice to make. A choice between the right thing God would have us to do, and the wrong thing that Satan would like us to do. So if we were to ask the question, “why do we need self-control?” we would see that we need it because we struggle with what we are called to do, verses what we might be led to do.
In the book of James we are reminded where this battle comes from as we look at James 1:13-14, “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” Satan comes to us and places before us that which will entice us. We have this desire inside that because of our sin leads us to make choices against what God would want for us.
If we were to make a list in regards to what might tempt us our list could include things like: anger, language, gossip, smoking, our attitude, lying, cheating, pride, lust, drugs, alcohol, and on and on the list would go. We need self-control because there are a myriad of temptations out there attacking us. The fruit of self-control helps us to be victorious in this battle.
James 1;19-20 gives us a good word: “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” This same sentiment could be said of many other issues, that when we give in to temptation, we do not live the righteous life that God desires for us; that God created for us.
Illus. “How To Catch A Monkey,” Hot Illustrations, (Youth Specialties, p. 118).
Native hunters have a clever way of trapping a monkey. They slice a coconut in 2, hollow it out, and in one shell cut a hole just big enough for the monkey’s hand to pass through. Then they place an orange in the other coconut half before fastening the 2 halves together. Finally, they secure the coconut to a tree with a rope, and then retreat and wait. What happens is that the monkey smells the orange, sticks its hand through the hole and grabs the orange. But when the monkey tries to pull the orange out, the orange won’t fit through the hole. The monkey at any time could let go of the orange and get away. But the monkey persists, and in the time of the struggle, the hunters come and catch the monkey!!
So as not to get caught by Satan, we need to learn how to be in control. How can we have control? Let me give you a couple of verses to help:
Luke 9:23, “Then Jesus said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’” Denying ourselves is letting go of the orange, of our selfish desires, and seeking out God and what God has for us. 1 Corinthians 10:13- “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” God always gives us a way out. We just need to recognize it and take it!
b. Jesus- When it comes to Jesus, the good news is that Jesus
understands, and Jesus gives us a wonderful example. One of the reasons Jesus came to this earth was to give us an example of how we are called to live. We read in Hebrews 4:15, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.”/ Jesus, because He was human, experienced temptation. But because He was God in the flesh, He was able to perfectly exercise self-control and not sin.
When we look at Jesus, we need to understand that Jesus understands our struggle with temptation, and how we are prone to give in. This is why Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit, and why one of the fruit of the Spirit is self-control!
Jesus gives us the perfect example of what it means to rest in the Spirit of God. With the Spirit of God flowing through Him, He was able to overcome the desires of the flesh. With the Spirit of God flowing through Him, He was able to put to death the misdeeds of the body. This is what the apostle Paul reminded us of in Romans 8:13, when he said: “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”
And if there was ever a time when Jesus could have given in to the misdeeds of the body, it was when He was arrested, and then beaten, and then He was put before Pilate. Let us not forget that Jesus was God in the flesh. Let us not forget that Jesus had the heavenly host available to Him. Let us not forget that Jesus had all authority in heaven and earth!
So when Pilate said to Jesus: “…. ‘Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?’” Jesus could have laughed at this. Jesus could have swatted Pilate away, or subject Pilate to judgment! Jesus exhibited self-control by refraining from anger while He was being beaten and questioned, and by His answer in John 19:11, “Jesus answered, ‘You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.’”
Jesus exhibited self-control because Jesus knew what the result of His actions would be; salvation and restoration of our relationship with God for all who believe.

Conclusion: 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 says: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” We are running in the race of life. To run in a way that we will win requires that we put the Fruit of the Spirit to work in our lives. God has given us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, humility, and self-control so that we could “win the war within.” I pray that you would not just go through this series, and then forget it. If you want a CD of all the talks I would be happy to make you one so that you could keep reminding yourself of how to bring forth this fruit in your life. Praise be to God for giving us a way to be victorious, as we remember on this Palm Sunday how Jesus celebrated like a king; a king who was victorious. So may we hold fast to this truth, this day and every day. Amen.