BE PREPARED FOR CHRIST’S COMING WITH GENTLENESS

Galatians 5: 22-23

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no
law.” (Galatians 5: 22-23)

Magandang gabi po sa ating lahat mga kapatid sa pananampalataya. Bago ako

magsimula nais kong pasalamatan ang ating butihing pastor/ ang aming ninang sa
pagbibigay sa akin ng opportunity na maging mensahero ng salita ng Diyos ngayong
gabi. At bago ako magpatuloy, hinhiling ko sa bawat isa na habang nakangiti ay
haplusin o tapikin mo ang iyong katabi at sabihing “MASAYA AKO AT NARITO KA.”

Ngayon ang tanong, matapos mong tapikin ang iyong katabi? May kasama ba itong
kasiyahan,kabaitan, pagmamahal at pagpapakumbaba? O kung pagsasama samahin
natin ang lahat, meron ba itong gentleness? Kung oo, satingin ko ay tapos na ang
sermon ko, umuwi na tayo.

JOKE LAENG AJAY KAKABSAT.

Mga kapatid, ang tema natin ngayong gabi ay BE PREPARED FOR CHRIST’S
COMING WITH GENTLENESS.

Ano nga ba ang kahulugan ng gentleness?

Hindi ba, Growing up, naturuan tayo kung paano maging isang gentle mula sa
paghahawak ng sanggol, sa pag hawak ng vase o anumang klase ng bagay na
madaling masira o mabasag, ganon din kapag tinutulungan natin ang taong
napilayan o nasaktan. Hindi bat Hinahawakan natin sila ng may halong pagmamahal,
pagkalinga at pag-iingat. Dahil sa takot natin na pwed silang masaktan or
masugatan.

INTRODUCTION: Ang gentleness mga kapatid ayon sa dictionary ay “the quality of

being kind, tender, or mild-mannered.”

In terms of the fruit of the Spirit, the kind of gentleness we are interested in involves
showing humility (kababaang-loob) and thankfulness towards God, as well as polite
(magalang), restrained and compassionate behaviour towards everyone else.

If we think about gentleness is in terms of its opposites, we find that it is countered by

a desire for revenge, a sense of self-importance, or the expression of anger.

I. Gentleness is a gift of the Spirit, but as a trait it is produced when a softened

heart abides in Jesus. It may be a gift, but true gentleness also demands something
on our parts: intention. By this, I mean being intentionally kind, compassionate,
and humble towards others, especially when they are facing struggle or difficulty.
Like many of the spiritual gifts we’ve discovered in this passage from Galatians,
gentleness is inseparable from other traits.

Jesus himself connects gentleness to humility in Matthew 11:29, when He says:

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and
you will find rest for your souls.”

Gusto ni Hesus na tularan natin siya, Gusto niya na magkaroon tayo ng pusong
mapagpakumbaba at mapagkalinga, at kung susundin natin ang kagustuhan niya,
ang lahat ng bagay ay magiging madali at magaan sa atin anuman ang pagsubok na
darating sa atin.

Oo, mahirap ang maging mabait at mapagpakumbaba lalo sa harap ng taong

pinakikitaan tayo ng hindi magaganda. Pero kung iisipin mo na iyon ang kagustuhan
ni Hesus, ang lahat ay magiging madali.

Gentleness can also be translated as meekness, which should definitely not be

confused for weakness.

Hindi ibig sabihin na kapag gentle ka ay mahina ka, ang ibig sabihin lamang non ay
ikaw ay taong malakas at kayang kontrolin ang sarili mo sa tulong ng maturity at
strength na ibinibigay ng Diyos.

(When my daughter was young, she used to love to squeeze my hand as hard as she
could, trying to make it hurt. She could squeeze with all her might, but it never hurt.
She didn’t need to be gentle because she lacked the power to cause me any pain. Then,
just for fun, I’d give her hand a tight little squeeze until she yelped.)
It’s the strong hand, not the weak one, that must learn to be gentle.

Instead, meekness is the quality of having controlled strength. As Paul tells the
Corinthians: “I myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ – I who am
meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent.” (2 Corinthians
10:1)
He instructs us in the kind of attitude we must adopt when we interact with others –
an attitude that is in tune with the Spirit and informed by the teachings of Jesus
and His disciples.

It’s easy to be gentle when we are around those who were care for, and who care about
us in return. But to do the same for strangers, or people who hurt us? This is where
gentleness is often confused with weakness. We fear appearing weak, fragile, or
uncertain to others, and in so doing forget that maintaining a gentle attitude is a
surer sign of strength. We fear their judgment if we become overcome with emotion,
when we should recognize that our ability to be moved, to identify with the suffering of
others, and to want to help them, make us better.

(the capacity to go beyond what we are, to be moved, and to be ready and willing
to accept the Spirit into our lives. True gentleness comes from this, and it does
make us better – better parents, siblings, friends, Christians, people. ?.

II. How can we be gentler? Well, we have to start by thinking about others. By living
with less judgment and more compassion, and by following Jesus’ wish for us to learn
from Him in the Gospel of Matthew. He isn’t asking for us to make hard decisions in
our treatment of other people, He is asking for us to follow Him. If we think about the
encounter with a woman caught in adultery in John 8:1-11, this motivation is
underlined even further. The Pharisees were begging Jesus to lose His temper with
her, and took their chance to remind Him (as if it was necessary) that Mosaic Law said
that this woman should be stoned. When asked what He himself would say, He
simply turned to the woman and spoke gently to her – telling her to “sin no more.”

Although this describes an encounter between the Son of God and His people, it is
also a parable of gentleness. Jesus’ words to the woman and His avoidance of
violence and self-righteousness is, in effect, how God wants us to be with
others. Rather than condemning them and bolstering our own sense of pride, He
wants us to demonstrate the power of His love with a gentle word of truth. Our world
may be a harsh place, but we soften it when we follow His teachings and work for His
kingdom.

Gentleness is the fruit of the Spirit that demands most from us. It means adopting a
position where we effectively place ourselves third on the list – putting God and other
people before ourselves. I’ll be open and honest and say that this isn’t something
that makes me feel that comfortable – and maybe it doesn’t for you either. It
requires humility and sacrifice, patience and compassion – qualities that we
might feel that we lack (even on our best days). But the good news? God shows us
the way. His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, and He never gives us
gifts that we can’t use.
A.Gentleness is a strong hand with a soft touch.
B.A gentle person speaks the truth in a way others can receive.
C.True followers of Christ are distinguished by gentleness.
That’s true gentleness. Ultimate power under God’s control.

COCLUSION.
This Christmas, let us serve His kingdom with intention, opening ourselves up to the
Spirit and all of its gifts – but especially to gentleness. For after all, our Heavenly
Father knows that the greatest and most important plans can come to fruition when
they are carried out with gentleness.

“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”

- Philippians 4: 5-7

AMEN