Gentleness Commanded

Philippians 4, we'll read the first seven verses in your hearing. Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends.

I plead with you, Odea, and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yoke fellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again. Rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. It is absolutely amazing that the God who made us and all things around us has something to say to us this morning.

Think about that for a moment. Right now, in this existential moment, this God has something to say to this group of people. And he says it to us right here in his word.

Sixty-six books of the Bible. And we find ourselves in the book of Philippians. I'm inviting you to turn to chapter four. And as we thought about the fact that God has something to say to us, the question comes, are we ready to listen to him then?

Are we ready to hear him? Are we ready to obey him? Whatever it is that he has to say to us. Well, here in chapter four, we find ourselves in this list of short commands.

Very succinct. Stand firm in the Lord. Agree with one another in the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord. Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything.

Now, some of you have perhaps noticed that we skipped a verse in all of that. And it was meant to be covered in one of the earlier messages. Then we ran out of time.

And I'm going to go back this morning and come to verse five. Because in it, we have another command. And we're going to make that command the object of our meditation and preaching then this morning.

We have in verse five, a command and a motivation for obeying it. Paul is a very practical preacher. He comes to us and he says, do this and do it because of this.

And so, first of all, we see what is it that we're to do? What are we being commanded to do? Well, the command is let your gentleness be evident to all. So we start with gentleness.

What is it? What does it look like? I think several pictures will be helpful to us. Perhaps your mother has just had a formal meal in which she's put on her most fragile crystal.

And there are the goblets on the table and it's time to wash up the dishes. How do you handle that fragile glass? Do you just take your thumb and three fingers and grab four glasses and clink them together and throw them into the dishwasher like you do your plastic cups?

Or do you take them very tenderly and gingerly and perhaps even hand wash them with special tender care? Kids, how does mommy hold a baby?

Oh, there's the kid. Does she just reach over and grab it and hold it hard? Or does she get down and just barely even impress that flesh and just lift it so tenderly?

Paul tells the Thessalonians, We were gentle among you like a mother caring for her little children. 1 Thessalonians 2.7 Gentleness then is treating others with tenderness.

Like you do something fragile. Like you, a mother treats her little children. The Bible speaks of a gentle lamb in Jeremiah 11.19. You ever seen a little lamb?

It's a non-threatening creature, isn't it? You don't feel scared of a little lamb. It's a gentle lamb.

Now, sometimes opposites are helpful in helping us come to the understanding of a word. What's the opposite of gentleness? Turn to Proverbs chapter 15.

We're wanting to know what is this gentleness that we're being commanded? To exhibit in our lives. Proverbs 15. In these parallel Proverbs, we often see opposites.

And that's the way we have it here in Proverbs 15.1. See if you can find the opposite of gentleness. A gentle answer turns away wrath.

But a harsh word stirs up anger. A gentle answer. A harsh word. The opposite of gentleness is harshness.

Roughness. Meanness. And so those are some of the pictures, both from the Bible and otherwise, that are given to us of this idea of gentleness. It's a social grace.

Did you notice that? It has to do with the way we treat other people. It's a social grace. It's handling people, not harshly, not roughly, but with tenderness.

And you noted that gentleness even gets down to the very words that we say. And how we say them to others. A gentle answer.

Not only what we say can be rough and harsh, or it can be gentle, but even the manner in which we say it.

You might be saying something that you think is rather mild and gentle, but if you say it in a manner that is harsh, it will be interpreted by the other person as indeed something not gentle at all.

Gentleness. Gentleness. Treating other people with tenderness. Now there's a lot more to this word and idea of gentleness than just that.

The Greek word that Paul uses here in Philippians 4 or 5 for gentleness, it's like a suitcase, kid, and there's all sorts of things in this suitcase.

And I want to unpack some of those meanings in this word that Paul, at least in our NIV, is translated gentleness. You know, when you work from one language to another, there's not always a one-for-one word correspondence.

Leche, I believe in Spanish, means milk. And there's really not a whole lot of other words that you would use to translate leche. It's not always so clean and neat in translating from one language to another.

And that's the problem we have here with this word that Paul is using in verse 5 when he says, let your gentleness, this word here, has a range of meaning that's so broad that it's hard to put it all into any one English word.

And that can be noted by just reading all the other translations, all the commentators, the lexicons. And I want to just open the suitcase and let you see the ways that this word is translated.

It's not always translated gentleness. It's a much broader word. This word means graciousness. And you'll see they all are related to gentleness, aren't they?

Goodwill, big-heartedness, generous. Kindness, considerateness. Courteousness.

Did you know that being courteous is gentleness? You ever heard ladies and gentlemen?

What is a gentleman? Well, he's a gentle man, you see. And a gentleman knows how to behave with manners, with courtesy.

Kids, when mom's working on your manners, don't say, oh, that's not important. It is important. God says it's important. Let your gentleness, your courtesy, be evident to all.

Manners. Courtesy. It's part of what it means to be a gentleman. Forbearance. Forbearance. How much can you take and put up with before your gentleness fails and harshness takes over?

You're like the fool who shows his annoyance at once. That's not gentle. I read of a 67-year-old man in Ohio that shot and killed his neighbor boy, 15 years old, because he walked across his grass.

And he took good care of his grass. And his neighbor boy knew that he didn't want him walking on that grass. And so he took his shotgun and he shot and killed him.

That's not gentle. That's not forbearing, you see. That's the idea of this word that's able to take a lot without giving back in kind.

Mildness or moderation. Fair-mindedness. A yielding spirit. A yielding spirit. It means you don't have to have it your way.

You don't have to fight for your rights. But will yield your opinion. Your preference. Mercifulness. A readiness to forgive.

Charitableness towards men's faults. No retaliation under persecution. A sweet reasonableness is the way one translated this word. A sweet reasonableness.

There's a sweetness about gentleness. And there's a reasonableness. This person is approachable because you know he's a reasonable man. Well, all of these are different nuances of the meaning of this word that our translation translates gentleness.

Gentleness. So a lot is being commanded of us here in this command. Now, we're not surprised to find this command in a letter that is so concerned about unity.

Because gentleness is a unity building grace. Gentleness. Show me a church full of people known for their gentleness. And I'll show you a church that knows much of God-pleasing unity.

Because gentleness fosters unity. Remember, this is just one verse away from Paul's call to unity in verses 2 and 3. I plead with you, Odeon.

I plead with Syntyche that they would agree with one another in the Lord. That they'd be of the same mind. United. And now he says, let your gentleness be evident to all. There's a very strong relationship between gentleness and unity in the scripture.

Gentleness goes a long way in creating an atmosphere in which unity grows and thrives. In the body of Christ or in a family. Whatever you have.

Well, you just think about the shades of meaning that we just talked about. And you can see how that's true. People who are gentle. It's hard to get them offending others.

And it's hard to get them picking up offense from others. They're courteous. They're kind. They're big-hearted. They're yielding. They're considerate.

They're forbearing. They're quick to forgive. Slow to take offense. Charitable with the faults of others. No retaliating. Paying back evil for evil. You see, disunity will have a hard time finding ground in the midst of a people.

Who are known for their gentleness. Gentleness. Turn over to Ephesians chapter 4. When Paul is calling the Ephesians. In verse 3.

To unity. He says in verse 3 of Ephesians 4. Make every effort. To keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. But he first tells them in verse 2.

To be completely humble and gentle. Yes, it says you are completely humble and gentle. That you are pursuing the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Gentleness. Now, this verse brings up an interesting point. Gentleness and humility are often found together. They're friends that walk hand in hand.

And you'll often find them in the Scriptures together. At least more than once. Gentleness. And it suggests to us very clearly. That a man lacking in gentleness is a very proud man.

You think about that. A man lacking gentleness. Whatever he may claim is a very proud man. Because gentleness is humility in action toward others.

Gentleness is humility in action towards others. Humility is how we view ourselves. And when I'm viewing myself humbly.

Gentleness is the way I treat others. I treat them tenderly. A gentle spirit is a powerful force for unity.

And notice the commandment says that you are to be famous for your gentleness. Let your gentleness be evident to all. Or let it be known to all men.

Now, Saddam Hussein was known for his cruelty in Iraq, wasn't he? It was evident to all. Melda Marcos was famous for something else.

She was famous for her large budget of shoes. She was said to have had over a thousand pair of shoes. Kids, you could almost wear a different pair of shoes every day. And never duplicate for almost three years.

That's how many shoes she had. She was known for it. Colonel Sanders was known for his Kentucky Fried Chicken. Well, you are to be known for something as well.

Do you see that? Let your gentleness be evident to all. Let it be known to all men. You are to be famous for your gentleness. Everyone should know this about you.

Upon meeting you, they should go away saying, Boy, isn't she a gentle soul? Isn't that gentleness lovely in that man? It's to mark you.

You are to be gentle in such a way that it's clear, evident, known to all. Now, that should not be hard living in the age in which we do.

We live in a very rude and crude age, don't we? When courtesy and manners is a thing of the past. And it's everybody out for themselves.

And let the chips fall where they may. Fight for our rights. Sue for our rights. And in such a world, gentleness will stand out like a bright star on a dark night.

But it will be evident to all. Those people are gentle. What's different about them? They're not like the rest of us. So we have a wonderful opportunity living in a rude and crude age.

To be true gentle men. True gentle women. It's to be something others cannot miss. Let it be evident to all. Over in Colossians chapter 3 and verse 12, Paul puts it this way.

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Now there's our two friends again. Humility and gentleness. Kids, you like to wear your designer clothes. If you're going to spend $90 on a shirt, you want the label to be up front where everybody knows you spent $90 for the shirt.

It's known to all. You are to clothe yourself with not A and F, but H and G.

Humility and gentleness. Gentleness. And it's to be evident to all. They're to see you clothed. You're covered in it. So if someone bumps into you, it's gentleness that comes out.

If someone says a harsh word to you, it's a gentle answer that comes back. You're to be clothed in humility. Just as you are to be known for your love, joy, and peace, so you're to be known for your gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

This is a fruit of the Spirit of God living in you. So I have to ask you, is your gentleness evident to all? That's the command. Is your gentleness evident to all?

Not just the folks here at church. But is it evident to your family at home? We can be gentle at church and bears at home.

Just ask my children. Ask my wife. Or I'll ask your wife. Or I'll ask your children. Isn't that true?

But what does this passage say? Don't just be gentle in public and then a bear in private. Let your gentleness be evident to all.

Husband, there ought to be one woman that knows you're gentle more than any other woman knows it. And that's your wife. Let your gentleness be evident to all, especially your wife. There ought to be no kids that know you're so gentle as your own children.

Even your disobedient children. Even when you must apply the rod. They must know you're a gentle father. Even when you must make them cry.

You must deny them and say no to them. Let your gentleness be evident to all. That neighbor boy. That's such a pest. He's to know it too, isn't he?

Let your gentleness be evident to him. Your fellow students. The person at the checkout counter.

The waitress who messes up the order. Let your gentleness be evident to her. It's not just what you say to her. It's how you say it to her.

Christians are to be known for their gentleness. And it's not just acting gentle. We can do that, can't we? We can put on the act. The gentle act. That's not what we're being told here.

We're to be gentle. And therefore, if we are becoming more and more gentle, then it will become more and more evident to all. Now, the Bible applies this command of gentleness to many different people and settings.

And I want to bring just a few words of where the Scriptures urge this command upon us in particular settings.

The first is ladies and young ladies. 1 Peter chapter 3 and verse 4. Your real beauty should not come from outward adorning. It's not to be found in the way you fix your hair.

It's not to be found in the jewelry and the gold that you wear. It's not to be found in the clothes that you wear. That's not to be the real beautiful thing about you. The thing that's to set you apart as a beautiful woman is to be that of your inner self.

The unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is of great worth in God's sight. 1 Peter 4.3 Okay, so ladies there.

There you have it. Gentleness. It's to adorn you. It's to make you gorgeous. You know, if I could bottle unfading beauty, I'd be a billionaire before the year's out, wouldn't I?

Unfading beauty. What woman doesn't want unfading beauty? God says, I'll not only tell you about it. I'll give it to you.

I'll make it. I'll make it yours. The unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is of great value in God's sight.

You know, if you're growing in gentleness as you grow older, ladies, you will become more beautiful, not less. And so let all the magazines and sell their creams and put all this before you're trying to maintain a fading beauty.

You have something better. You have something far better. You have an unfading beauty. Not only in the eyes of God. It is valuable. But everyone who meets you. Your husband.

Your children. Unfading beauty. What makes her so beautiful? Oh, it's that sweet, gentle, peaceable spirit. Some of you know.

You're right here. You're gorgeous. You're beautiful. And what is it? It's because you have that gentle, peaceable spirit about you. Major on that.

But it's not just for the ladies. It's for the men as well. Colossians 3.19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

Remember, we said, what's the opposite of gentleness? It was harshness, wasn't it? Well, here's a commandment not to be harsh. Well, what is that commandingness then, husbands?

It's to be gentle. To be gentle. To not be harsh with our wives is to be gentle with them. And that means that your leadership in the home, men, is to be a loving, gentle leadership.

To rule with harshness in the home is an abuse of authority. It's an ugly abuse of authority.

And you'll have to answer to God for that someday. Because he's given authority. He's made the husband the head of the home as Christ is the head of the church. But Christ does not rule over his church with harshness.

But with gentleness. And you are to be a picture of that Savior in his gentleness. Husbands, in the same way, be considerate. That was one of the aspects of this word Paul uses.

To be considerate. To put yourself in your wife's shoes. Think what it would be like being married to you. Having to do what you think. And think about that. Consider.

Live with your wives according to knowledge. And treat them with respect as the weaker partner. That fragile vase. And as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life.

So that nothing will hinder your prayers. Again, it's with tenderness and gentleness that we're being told to treat our wives. So husbands, let your gentleness be evident to all.

But especially evident to your wife. Your wife. Your constant companion in life. I would venture to say if she doesn't see your gentleness, you don't have any that's real.

J.C. Ryle says it's home religion that is true religion. If it's seen at home, it's real. If it's only seen in the streets, it's false. So let your gentleness, men.

Be evident in the home. Love your wives and do not be harsh with them. And then there's a word for ministers.

In fact, I found this word on gentleness and harshness mentioned more often in the context of ministers than these others.

And I think, again, because harshness is abuse of authority. And ministers have a God-given authority in the home. And they must be very careful how they use it.

Do you realize that no one is to serve as an overseer in the church who's not a gentle man? Gentleness is one of the qualifications for elders of the church.

1 Timothy 3, 2 and 3. Now the overseer must be. Not, it would be nice if he were. He must be. It is absolutely essential that he be this or don't have him as an overseer in your church, whatever you do.

An overseer must be. Not violent, but gentle. Not violent, but gentle. Not quick-tempered is another way that that could be translated.

But gentle, yielding, tender. He may preach with the voice of an archangel. But if he's not a gentle man, you don't want him as your minister.

He must be gentle. Harshness in the ministry is an abuse of authority. You can read in Ezekiel 34 how God takes the shepherds of Israel, the ministers of Israel, to task in that chapter.

Because he says that you ruled the people harshly. You ruled the people harshly. You only thought of yourself. And you crushed the sheep.

You dirtied the water, you shepherds. It's that the sheep have to drink. And you sheared the sheep and took it for yourself. You ruled them harshly. And God has some harshness to deal out for harsh shepherds.

2 Timothy 2.24 and following. He tells elders. He tells Timothy. A leader in the church. Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments. Because you know they produce quarrels.

And the Lord's servant must not quarrel. Instead, he must be kind to everyone. Able to teach. Not resentful. And those who oppose him. These are his opponents.

Those who oppose him. He must gently instruct. In the hope that God will grant them repentance. Leading them to a knowledge of the truth. And that they will come to their senses.

And escape from the trap of the devil. Who's taken them captive to do his will. And I say if a minister is to. Is to gently instruct. His opponents. What must he do to his flock.

His sheep. He must be a gentle man. Absolutely essential. Hebrews chapter 5 tells us. How he is able to be gentle.

You know the high priest in Israel. Had to be selected from among men. And he was appointed to represent men. In matters related to God. And Hebrews chapter 5.

Tells us about that. That he's able to deal gently. With those who are ignorant. And are going astray. Since he himself is subject to weakness. That is why he has to offer sacrifices.

For his own sins. As well as for the sins of the people. Isn't it something. That in the Old Testament. Rubric of worship. That the priest.

Before he offered a sacrifice. For the sins of the people. Had to first go. And offer one for himself. That means. Before I ever get around.

To dealing with your waywardness. And your sins. I've already been to Calvary myself. And I've already had to plead. For mercy for me. For my weakness. My sins.

And by the time I get to you. I have the blood of my sacrifice. All over my apron. Lest I be harsh with you. Because if you're going astray. In your ignorance.

I just look down. And I see. I too. Am a man of weakness. And in need of daily cleansing. From sin. He is able.

This ability. He's able to deal gently. With others. Because he himself. Is a man. Subject to weakness. Brothers. If someone is caught in a sin. You who are spiritual. Should restore him.

Gently. Gently. And so the man of God. Must pursue. Gentleness. First Timothy 6. 11. So ministers.

Are to let their gentleness. Be evident to all. Especially to those. Who are going astray. Especially to those. Who need correction. Need to be brought back. Even need church discipline.

There is to be a gentleness. About the minister of the gospel. That reflects the gentleness. Of the chief shepherd. We'll get to him in a moment. And all of you.

Believers. You who are witnesses. Of the gospel. How are you to bear witness. Of Christ. To your neighbors. To your friends. Your work associates. Peter says.

In 1 Peter 3. 14 and 15. But if. Even if you should suffer. For what is right. You are blessed. Do not fear. What they fear. Don't be frightened. But in your heart. Set about.

Set apart. Christ is Lord. Always be prepared. To give an answer. To everyone. Who asks you. To give the reason. For the hope. That you have. But. Do this.

With gentleness. And respect. It's a very obnoxious thing. To have a Christian. Bearing witness. Of a gentle savior. In a proud.

And arrogant way. Must not be. We must always be ready. To give an answer. But. Peter says. And surely. Peter had his foot in his mouth. More than once. And he says.

But. It must be. With gentleness. And respect. So. In many ways. This. Command to gentleness. Meets us. In. In different offices.

And. And duties. And responsibilities. That we have. And we've just. Scratched the surface. This is a word. To all of us. Let your gentleness. Be evident. To all. Every one of you.

Let it be evident. To everyone else. Well. We come then. To. The chief shepherd. The Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus. Was known for his gentleness.

Wasn't he? That's how Paul referred to him. In 2nd Corinthians 10. 1. When he had a word. To give to those. Erring Corinthians. He says. I appeal to you. By the meekness. And gentleness.

Of Christ. Paul thought about. Jesus Christ. And the way. That he dealt with him. Paul. A.

A blasphemer. A persecutor. Out to. To. To. To persecute. Jesus. And his church. And how did Jesus.

Meet him. And how did Jesus. Treat him. Paul never got over. The gentleness. Of Jesus. Yes. It was a blinding light. But. Yes.

It threw him. To the ground. But. There was forgiveness. With this one. That he had. Persecuted. And sought to make. His followers. To blaspheme.

And he found. Forgiveness. In him. And he never got over. The. The gentleness. Of Jesus. And so. When he has something. To say to the Corinthians. He said. Oh. I appeal to you.

By the gentleness. And meekness. Of Jesus. He's a gentle. Savior. There's that woman. Caught in the very act.

Of adultery. And the leaders. Of the Jews. Grab her. And come. And throw her. At the feet. Of Jesus. Now come on. Deal with her. Tell us. What should she get? The law says. She should be stoned.

What do you say? And they're out. To. To catch him. In his words. And Jesus. Just stoops down. And he starts. Riding on the ground. And they keep pushing him.

Keep begging him. Come on. What do you. What do you. What do you want to do with her? What should be done with her? And finally. He says. You who are without sin. Cast the first stone. Keeps writing.

And one by one. They all go away. From the oldest. To the. To the youngest. And now. It's just Jesus. And the woman.

Caught in adultery. And he looks. Up. And he says. Woman. Where are your accusers? Are there none to accuse? She says. No Lord.

He says. Neither do I. Condemn you. Go. And sin. No more. Gentle. Savior.

Gentle. Savior. The woman. At the well. She was no better off. Than this woman. Jesus. Speaks to her.

With gentleness. And respect. Asks a favor of her. Could I have a drink. Please. She's shocked. At the gentleness. With which he addresses her. He a Jew. He a man. Speaking to a Samaritan.

Let your gentleness. Be evident to all. Go call your husband. We must never think. That gentleness. Goes easy on sin. Don't. Don't. Don't misunderstand me.

Just because I say. Jesus is a gentle savior. That. That he's somehow. Easy on sin. Go call your husband. I don't have one. You're right. You've had five. And the one you're living with. Is not your husband.

He deals with sin. But he's so gentle. Gentle shepherd.

Do you not have a testimony. Of the Lord Jesus Christ. Great gentleness. Who of you have been a Christian. For more than. Six days.

And don't have a testimony. About Jesus gentleness. In dealing with his people. Yes. He gets in our face. He loves us too much.

To let us ruin our life. With sin. And so he confronts us. And he disciplines us. And he chastens us. But. He's so gentle. In his corrections. With us.

Thou hast the true. And perfect gentleness. No harshness hast thou. And no bitterness. No bitterness. No bitter anger.

Against his fallen children. Perfect. True. And gentleness. We see him at Gethsemane. When the traitor Judas. Comes with the arresting mob.

To betray him with a kiss. And Jesus calmly steps forward. And says. Friend. Friend. Do what you came. To do. And we follow him to the cross.

And we see his gentleness. There toward his enemies. Father forgive them. For they know not. What they are doing. And. We see his gentleness. On the cross.

And caring tenderly. For his mother. He sees her there. At the foot of the cross. He sees her tears. He sees that he'll no longer. Be there. As. As the oldest son. In the family. To take care of her.

John. Behold your mother. Mother. Behold your son. The tenderness of Jesus. While the wrath of God. Is being poured out upon. Tending. Tenderly.

To his age. To his older mother. And then that thief. That just. Moments earlier. Was cursing him. And mocking him. Making fun of him. Just like the thief.

On the other side. And then that thief. Had a change of heart. And grace. Sovereign grace. Came and arrested him. And he starts to rebuke. The other thief. For speaking against the Savior. We're getting what we deserve.

This man has done nothing wrong. And he looks over. And he sees a bleeding. Man on the middle cross. And he sees him. As the perfect king. Who's never done anything wrong. Who has a kingdom to give. And he says.

Lord. When you come into your kingdom. Remember me. It was the look of faith. Given by God. And from the cross. Gentle Jesus. Said the most sweet words. Ever said to a dying man.

Today. You will be with me. In paradise. Where do you find. Such gentleness. In the son of God.

And in him alone. So Jesus referred to himself. Come to me. All you who are weary. And heavy laden. What are you doing. With that pack of sin. On your back. Come to me.

All of you. Who are weary. And heavy laden. I will give you rest. Take my yoke. Upon you. And learn from me. Because I am gentle. And lowly. In heart.

So Jesus viewed himself. Gentle. Lowly. In heart. And you will find rest. For your souls. Isaiah says of this. Servant of the Lord. He will not cry out.

Or quarrel. No one will hear his voice. In the streets. He is not a shouting preacher. Just condemning people. No. He is a bruised reed. That is just bruised. And ready to break.

He will not break it. A wick. That is just flickering. And ready to go out. He will not snuff it out. He is too gentle. For that. He will deal with sin.

But he will deal in gentleness. A gentle king. Oh. The monarchs of the earth. Have power. But they don't have gentleness. Generally.

We have seen that. In the book of Esther. Haven't we? No gentleness. In this king. Xerxes. Well. Nebuchadnezzar. Was the same way. He had a dream.

That troubled him. One night. And. He wanted to know. What it meant. And so he called his wise men. And said. You need to tell me the dream. And what it means. Or else I am going to cut your bodies to pieces.

And tear your houses. Apart. And they said. That is unreasonable. No king. Would ever ask that. Only God knows.

Tell us the dream. And we will tell you what it means. And the king says. No. You tell me the dream. And what it means. Or you will be chopped. To pieces.

And so the man is going out. To round up all the wise men. And he comes to Daniel. Daniel. Says. Why? Why has the king issued such a harsh.

Decree? Such an unreasonable decree. Such an ungentle. Decree. Why? Yes.

Monarchs wield their power. But not with gentleness. Not with sweet reasonableness. Oh. But Jesus laws are all holy. Righteous. And good.

How gentle his commands. How kind his precepts are. His yoke is easy. Yes. He has a yoke. But it's an easy yoke.

And his burden is light. Gentle Jesus. Here he comes. Riding into Jerusalem. On a donkey. To fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Zechariah. See your king comes to you.

Gentle. And riding on a donkey. On a colt. The foal of a donkey. See the sovereign Lord comes with power. Isaiah 40 and verse 10. And his arm rules for him.

Here's this majestic king. And he's coming with power. To rule. With omnipotence. He tends his flock like a shepherd. And gathers the lambs in his arms.

And carries them close to his heart. He gently leads those that have young. Powerful monarch. Gentle shepherd. One and the same Jesus.

We saw how the little children. Loved to jump up into his lap. Hang on his arms. He was a gentle man.

Non-threatening even to the little children. Who found a friend. In Jesus. In Jesus. But do not misunderstand his gentleness for weakness.

See what he does to the bear. Or the lion. That comes to destroy his sheep. He goes out after them. And tears them apart. See what he does to death.

When death comes. To claim one of his sheep. He goes right into the jaws of death. To save us from death. He dies.

And rises victorious from the grave. To save us. Lest one of his sheep should perish. Such is his gentleness.

This same gentle Jesus is coming. In judgment. He's going to judge all that disdained him. He's going to judge all that are unrighteous.

He's going to judge all that have any sin on their records in heaven. That has not been blotted out by the blood of Jesus. Through faith in him. He's going to come to judge the world in righteousness.

Everyone that's not trusted in Jesus. Oh it will be a bad day for you. And it will not be any hotter judgment than those. Who have heard the gospel. Who have heard his gentle pleadings.

And have disdained him. I don't need this Jesus. I don't want this Jesus. I don't want his laws. There will never be a hotter hell. Than the man. The woman. The boy or girl.

Who has turned aside the gentle pleadings of Jesus. His wrath is as great as the fear that is due him. His wrath is as horrible. As his grace is gentle.

And then the kings of the earth. The princes. The generals. The rich. The mighty. Now folks. These are the ones you see on TV. These are the ones you see on the fronts of the magazines. As you walk out the supermarket. These great kings of the earth.

Princes. Generals. Rich and mighty. And every slave. And every free man. Hid in caves. And among the rocks of the mountains. And they called for the mountains and the rocks.

Fall on us. And hide us from the face of him. Who sits on the throne. And from the wrath of the Lamb. For the day of their wrath has come. And who can stand the wrath of the Lamb?

Gentle Jesus. Lamb of God. But what is his wrath? What will the day of his wrath be? Kiss the sun. Lest he be angry. And you perish in the way.

When his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. His wrath does not diminish his gentleness. It makes it all the more amazing.

This awesome. Righteous judge. Who will rise up and judge the world. In strict justice and holiness. That he should be so gentle.

To every single sinner. No matter what they've done. When they come and cast themselves on his mercy. He's gentle. He's gentle. That's my savior.

That's this precious shepherd. That I commend to you. So believer. Be like Jesus. Let your gentleness be evident to all.

Get in the yoke with him. And learn from him. What it is to be lowly and gentle. Humble in heart. We're given a motivation to help us to obey.

The Lord is near. It's very short isn't it? I can see three applications growing out. Remember the Lord is near. At hand.

Watching the way you treat. Your wife. Your children. Other people. Would you not speak with more gentleness. If you knew the Lord was standing right beside you. Well he is. The Lord is near.

So you make sure that you let your gentleness. Be evident to all. To that little neighbor boy. You just think. If it's just you and him. No it's not. The Lord is near. He's watching. Secondly.

I see that the Lord is near. Could be a reference to his second coming. Is that. Those words often are taken in the. Writings of Paul. He's coming back. And he's coming back soon. When you think of eternity.

He's coming back. Is very near. That's how the New Testament speaks of it. These Philippian Christians were being persecuted. And what happens when you're persecuted? What happens when your. Your possessions are ripped from you unjustly?

When you think of retaliating. You give a sharp word back. Oh no. Yes. You're being persecuted. But let your gentleness be evident to all. Because. The Lord is near.

His coming is soon. You can afford to be gentle. When you're mistreated. Because. He's coming. And he's going to put all wrongs right. He's going to vindicate you. He's going to reward you.

Blessed are you. You're happy when you're mistreated. For my sake. He says. So. Let your gentleness be evident to all. He's coming back to judge your enemies. He's coming back to.

Make everything right. That you've lost. Because of the injustice of others. Their mistreatment. Is no reason to lose your gentleness. Those early Hebrew Christians.

Did not kick and scream. When authorities wrongly confiscated. Their earthly belongings. You. You joyfully accepted. The confiscation of your property. Because you knew you yourselves. Had better and lasting possessions.

So do not throw away your confidence. It will be richly rewarded. You will receive what he has promised. For in just a little while. He who is coming. Will come. And will not delay. He's near.

He's at the door. So you can wait. And be gentle. Under persecution. And then lastly.

The Lord is near. Not only to see. But also to help. All the gentleness you need. Is that you would for Christ. He's the fountain. And all of my sins.

Of harshness. And roughness. I can have washed away. In this fountain. And I can find grace. To help me. In my time of need. From him. We draw all gentleness.

From him. It's the fruit of the spirit. He pours out his spirit. Upon us. So we come. And seek fullness. Seek. From the fullness. That is in him. He's near.

At hand. To watch. And see how we treat. He's near at hand. He's coming back. To vindicate us. He's near at hand. To help us. In whatever. Our weakness. And need.

Of gentleness is. So let your gentleness. Be evident. To all. The Lord. Is near. He's near. He's near now.

He's had his word. With us. What will your response be? Let's. Quiet our hearts. And. Talk to him. In response. Let's pray. Holy.

Holy God. We. We bow in your presence. Having been searched. By your word. And we do confess. That we're embarrassed. At how we treat others. When our savior.

Has been so gentle. With us. We do confess. That there is none like him. Other lords. Beside you. Have ruled over us. But your name alone. Do we honor. Only in you.

Have we found power. Married. To gentleness. Thank you. That. You have dealt. With our sins. Thank you. That you have. Taken.

Our sins away. As far as the east. Is from the west. Not treated us. As our sins deserve. But with such. Gentleness. And forgiveness. Thank you. That in this Christian life. You're ever. Calling us.

To come to you. To cast our burdens. Off upon you. To learn that. Rest of soul. Thank you. Lord Jesus. For being our gentle shepherd. Oh.

Come and teach us. Help us. To put our neck. In the yoke. With you. And to learn of you. Make our wives. To. See more clearly.

Our gentleness. Make our children. See that we are men. And women of principle. We do not just. Sway with the. Prevailing opinions.

Of the day. But we are still gentle. And like Jesus. Make our unconverted neighbors. To see something. Different. Than the rude world. That they live in.

And are. And do it all. To bring glory. To our. Savior. And we will be quick. Lord. To give you praise. And to say. That we learned all of our gentleness.

At the foot of the cross. we do worship you we love you thank you for loving us first thank you for this time in your presence we pray in your holy name Amen