Sunday's Sermon - Earth or Dirt

During the summer of 2017, I preached a series of sermons entitled "Living by the Spirit." Although God has called us and filled us with the Spirit, often our lives don’t actually reflect his presence. Of course, that doesn’t stop us from talking about it and claiming to understand how to get it and even judging whether or not others have got it. This we do often and well. What we’re not so good at doing is living it, in other words, living by the Holy Spirit. And that’s what we’re going to talk about this summer, how we might demonstrate the presence of God through our lives. Using Galatians 5:22-26, we’ll consider the following topics:
✙ Those who live by the Spirit...
✙ Those who live by the Spirit demonstrate love.
✙ Those who live by the Spirit feel joy.
✙ Those who live by the Spirit work for peace.
✙ Those who live by the Spirit have patience.
✙ Those who live by the Spirit show kindness.
✙ Those who live by the Spirit practice generosity.
✙ Those who live by the Spirit understand faithfulness.
✙ Those who live by the Spirit exhibit gentleness.
✙ Those who live by the Spirit have self-control.

Below is a copy of the ninth message in this series sermon, "Those who live by the Spirit exhibit gentleness."

Well, here we are, moving into the middle of what I think is the worst month of the entire year. Now, if your birthday is in August and you’re horribly offended by what I just said, I’m sincerely sorry, but that’s how I feel. Of course, I know that are some hot-blooded folks here this morning, and you know who are you, and y’all will disagree and point to a month like January or February or maybe even March as worse, but let’s just consider some of the obvious problems with the month of August. I mean, first, in terms of weather, well, I don’t know about y’all, but by August I’m tired of the heat and I’m tired of the humidity and I’m tired of the stupid grass that doesn’t seem bothered by either one. I’m sick of the weather, that’s one. And second, you tell me, what’s the big August holiday? Well, it’s not New Years Day. And it’s not Valentine’s Day. And it’s not St. Patrick’s Day. What’s that special day in August? Well, if it falls during the month, you could say that it’s your birthday, but I think we need to put an asterisk beside that one, because it may be great for you, but what about your mother, who was nine-months pregnant in August for crying out loud. And the Fourth of August is no big deal. And that’s two. And third, August has got to be the pits for anyone who loves the big four sports. I mean, is there hockey? No. Is there basketball? No. Is there football? Well, only if you consider the pre-season actual football, which I don’t. And baseball, even if you love it, it’s too late for every team to have a chance, but we’ve still got miles to go before the post-season. I’m telling you August ain’t great.

And I’ll give you another sad thing about this month: we’re about to finish our Summer series on living by the Spirit. I mean, this morning we’re down to the last two fruits. And to get here, well, we’ve already talked about what living by the Spirit doesn’t look like. And then we considered stuff like love and joy, peace and patience, kindness and generosity, and last week, faithfulness. Good times, good times. Now that's where we've been.

And so, this morning, as we get down to the bottom of the basket, we’re going to look at the eighth fruit, gentleness, also translated meekness and humility, which by the way, is also the last of the seven heavenly virtues that, when practiced, are suppose to help people resist the seven deadly sins. Of course, not everyone sees the willingness to be gentle or meek or humble as a good thing. For example, in that wonderful Lerner and Lowe musical Camelot, the character Modred, King Arthur’s illegitimate son and enemy, sings a song entitled “The Seven Deadly Virtues.” And when he gets to this one he says, “I find humility means to be hurt. It’s not the earth the meek inherit, it’s the dirt.” And he ends the song with this: “You’ll never find a virtue unstatusing my quo or making my Beelzebubble burst. Let others take the high road, I will take the low. I cannot wait to rush in where angels fear to go. With all those seven deadly virtues free and happy little me has not been cursed.”

Now that’s what he sings, and to tell you the truth, with this attitude, I think he’d fit into our society pretty well, at least when it comes to gentleness and meekness and humility. In fact, I don’t think these are virtues valued in either our country or our world now-a-days. And if you have any doubt, just look at the game of nuclear chicken that we’re playing with the North Koreans or the state of emergency being declared by the city in which Maggie was born. My gosh, we might love to talk about how we’re a Christian nation, but we seemed to have skipped the part about how “blessed are the meek...”

And I’ll tell you, I really don’t think even that’s surprising, because what label do we generally slap on a person who’s gentle and meek and humble. Well, it’s not leader. And it’s not confident. And it’s sure not strong. Good night nurse, in 2020, after the first presidential debate, if the three words to describe one of the candidates is “gentle,” “meek,” and “humble,” do you think that person going to win? For us, the humble should follow. And the meek probably lack confidence. And the gentle are weak. And let’s get real, does that sound like the kind of people who’ll inherit the earth? Not in my reality.

And yet, whether we like it or not, Jesus said they would, and the Apostle Paul wrote that gentleness, that meekness, that humility was a spiritual fruit therefore a sign of someone living by the Holy Spirit. And because of that, I think it makes sense to spend a little time talking about, first, who these gentle people are and, second, why they’re considered so important by Paul.

And I’ll tell you, as we’ve done with all the other things we’ve discussed, we’re going to use the Bible to understand these people a little better. And you know, when we do, I think we find that there are several ways to translate the Greek words πραυς and πραυτης, you know, like “gentle” or “meek” or “humble.” You see, translators have used all of those English words in translating the Greek. And I’ll tell you something else, there’s also a bunch of words that are sort of connected to it. For example, Paul wrote this to the Colossians: “God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient. Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you. Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together.” [Colossians 3:12-14] And to the Ephesians, he said, “As a prisoner of the Lord, I beg you to live in a way that is worthy of the people God has chosen to be his own. Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other and love each other. Try your best to let God's Spirit keep your hearts united. Do this by living at peace.” [Ephesians 4:1-3] Now that’s what gentleness is all about.

And those who choose to be gentle, well, according to the Bible, they’re actually anything but weak. In fact, for the Apostle, humble people are actually strong. I mean, just listen to what Paul wrote to the  Corinthians, a church in which people were just running amuck. In his first letter he wrote, “Some of you think I am not coming for a visit, and so you are bragging. But if the Lord lets me come, I will soon be there. Then I will find out if the ones who are doing all this bragging really have any power. God's kingdom isn't just a lot of words. It is power. What do you want me to do when I arrive? Do you want me to be hard on you or to be kind and gentle?” [1 Corinthians 4:18-21] And then in the second letter, when things actually seem to have gotten worse, he said, “Do you think I am a coward when I am with you and brave when I am far away? Well, I ask you to listen, because Christ himself was humble and gentle. Some people have said that we act like the people of this world. So when I arrive, I expect I will have to be firm and forceful in what I say to them. Please don't make me treat you that way. We live in this world, but we don't act like its people or fight our battles with the weapons of this world. Instead, we use God's power that can destroy fortresses. We destroy arguments and every bit of pride that keeps anyone from knowing God. We capture people's thoughts and make them obey Christ. And when you completely obey him, we will punish anyone who refuses to obey.” [2 Corinthians 10:1-6] Humble folk have power.Man, they’re strong.

And I’ll tell you, this passage really points to another characteristic of gentle people. I mean, not only are they strong, they’re also faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote to Timothy, “Timothy, you belong to God, so keep away from all these evil things. Try your best to please God and to be like him. Be faithful, loving, dependable, and gentle. Fight a good fight for the faith and claim eternal life. God offered it to you when you clearly told about your faith, while so many people listened.” [1 Timothy 6:11-12] But this wasn’t the case just for Paul or even in the New Testament. The Prophet Zephaniah wrote, “You disgraceful nation, gather around, before it's too late. The Lord has set a time when his fierce anger will strike like a storm and sweep you away. If you humbly obey the Lord, then come and worship him. If you do right and are humble, perhaps you will be safe on that day when the Lord turns loose his anger.” [Zephaniah 2:1-3] And according to the Psalmist, “Be patient and trust the Lord. Don't let it bother you when all goes well for those who do sinful things. Don't be angry or furious. Anger can lead to sin. All sinners will disappear, but if you trust the Lord, the land will be yours. Sinners will soon disappear, never to be found, but the poor will take the land and enjoy a big harvest.” [Psalm 37:7-11] And remember, when Matthew described Jesus entry into Jerusalem, you know, the first Palm Sunday, he believe that all this happened to fulfill the prophecy of the Zechariah. I mean, Matthew wrote, “So God’s promise came true, just as the prophet had said, ‘Announce to the people of Jerusalem: “Your king is coming to you! He is humble and rides on a donkey. He comes on the colt of a donkey.”’” [Matthew 21:4-5/Zechariah 9:9] You see, gentle, meek and humble people are not only strong, they’re also faithful. You see, that’s exactly who they are.

And why are they important? Well that’s in the Bible too. And I’ll tell you, as I read scripture, it all comes down to two things. I mean, first, humble people can learn; they can grow, something that arrogant, “know-it-alls” just can’t seem to do. I mean, if I think I’m always right and my ideas are always best, I’m not exactly open to anything that doesn’t fit into what I already think or believe. And this was something James saw, and that’s why he wrote, “My dear friends, you should be quick to listen and slow to speak or to get angry. If you are angry, you cannot do any of the good things that God wants done. You must stop doing anything immoral or evil. Instead be humble and accept the message that is planted in you to save you.” [James 1:19-21] And then a little later in the same letter he said, “Are any of you wise or sensible? Then show it by living right and by being humble and wise in everything you do. But if your heart is full of bitter jealousy and selfishness, don’t brag or lie to cover up the truth. That kind of wisdom doesn’t come from above. It is earthly and selfish and comes from the devil himself.” [James 3:13-15] You see, humble people aren’t full of themselves; therefore, they can learn.

And second, they can also persuade. You see, when there was a problem in the church, Paul didn’t trust a bully to storm in and knock a few heads together. Instead he sent someone on the other end of the spectrum. As Paul wrote to the Galatians, “My friends, you are spiritual. So if someone is trapped in sin, you should gently lead that person back to the right path. But watch out, and don't be tempted yourself. You obey the law of Christ when you offer each other a helping hand.” [Galatians 6:1-2] And to Timothy, he said, “Be humble when you correct people who oppose you. Maybe God will lead them to turn to him and learn the truth. They have been trapped by the devil, and he makes them obey him, but God may help them escape.” [2 Timothy 2:25-26] In fact, to Titus he wrote, “Remind your people to obey the rulers and authorities and not to be rebellious. They must always be ready to do something helpful and not say cruel things or argue. They should be gentle and kind to everyone. We used to be stupid, disobedient, and foolish, as well as slaves of all sorts of desires and pleasures. We were evil and jealous. Everyone hated us, and we hated everyone.” [Titus 3:1-3] You see, Paul seemed to recognize that the saying is right and that you really do get more bees with honey than vinegar. In other words, he believed in gentle and humble persuasion. Of course, I don’t know if that would work with Kim Jong-Un, but I’ll tell you, one of the best businessman and salesman I’ve ever known was Robb Starck, and I can’t think of a more gentle and humble man than Robb. You see, according to Paul, gentle and humble people can learn and they can persuade and that’s why they’re important.

Of course, given the direction of our world, I don’t think there’ll suddenly be a new appreciation for gentleness, not in our country, much less our world. The aggressive and the arrogant seem to be winning. But as Christians, you know, followers of Jesus Christ, I think it’s important for us to recognize that this is not the example he left nor is it a trait that Paul recommended. In fact, quite the opposite. He praised the faith of the gentle and offered practical reasons why humility is important. And I’ll tell you something else, since the ultimate destiny of the world is and will always be in God’s hands, since Jesus said it, I believe we can trust that the meek will inherit the earth, not just the dirt.