Finding Rest and Gentleness in Jesus' Invitation

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. Matthew 11:28-30
2. Galatians 6:1
3. 1 Peter 3:15

#### Observation Questions
1. What does Jesus promise to those who come to Him in Matthew 11:28-30?
2. How does Galatians 6:1 instruct us to restore someone caught in sin?
3. According to 1 Peter 3:15, how should we respond to those who ask about our hope?

#### Interpretation Questions
1. What does it mean to take Jesus' yoke upon us and learn from Him? How does this relate to experiencing rest for our souls? [50:25]
2. How can the concept of "strength under control" redefine our understanding of gentleness in our daily lives? [40:17]
3. Why is it important to restore someone caught in sin gently, and what might be the consequences of not doing so? [01:11:23]

#### Application Questions
1. Jesus invites us to come to Him for rest. Reflect on a time when you felt weary and burdened. How did you seek rest, and how can you apply Jesus' invitation in Matthew 11:28-30 to your current situation? [50:25]
2. Think about a recent conversation where you had to defend your faith. How did you approach it, and how can you incorporate more gentleness and respect in future conversations? [01:09:44]
3. Identify someone in your life who is struggling with sin. How can you approach them with the gentleness described in Galatians 6:1? What specific steps will you take to ensure you are mindful of your own vulnerabilities? [01:11:23]
4. Reflect on your interactions at work, in traffic, or at home. Can you recall a moment when you were forceful or harsh? How can you practice "strength under control" in similar situations moving forward? [45:52]
5. The sermon mentioned the importance of being gentle with skeptical individuals. Think of someone who is skeptical about faith. How can you engage them in a conversation that is both bold and gentle? [01:09:44]
6. The story of the prodigal son highlights the father's gentle restoration of his wayward son. How can you embody this kind of gentleness in your relationships, especially with those who have hurt or disappointed you? [01:12:14]
7. Gentleness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. What specific practices can you incorporate into your daily routine to stay connected to Jesus, the true vine, and bear this fruit more consistently? [49:11]

Day 1: Jesus' Invitation to Rest
Jesus invites those who are weary and burdened to come to Him for rest. This rest is not just physical but for the soul, offering relief from the pressures and demands of life. By taking His yoke, we share our burdens with Him, experiencing His gentle and humble heart. This invitation is a call to a way of life where we allow Jesus to carry us through our challenges. [52:12]

Jeremiah 31:25 (ESV): "For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish."

Reflection: What specific burdens are you carrying today that you can bring to Jesus? How can you practically take His yoke upon you and find rest for your soul?


Day 2: The Heart of Jesus
At the core of Jesus' being is gentleness and humility. Despite His power and authority, Jesus is tender and compassionate. He calmed storms, stood up to corrupt leaders, and showed compassion to the marginalized. This gentleness is not weakness but strength under control, a model for us to follow in our interactions with others. [54:53]

Isaiah 42:3 (ESV): "A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice."

Reflection: In what ways can you embody the gentleness and humility of Jesus in your interactions today? Think of a specific situation where you can practice this.


Day 3: Gentleness in Conversations
When engaging with skeptical or questioning individuals, we should always be prepared to give an answer for our hope, but do so with gentleness and respect. This approach fosters genuine conversations and relationships, allowing us to share our faith without being forceful or domineering. [01:09:44]

1 Peter 3:15-16 (ESV): "But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame."

Reflection: Think of someone in your life who is skeptical or questioning. How can you engage with them in a way that is gentle and respectful, fostering a genuine conversation?


Day 4: Restoring with Gentleness
When dealing with those caught in sin, we are called to restore them gently, being mindful of our own vulnerabilities. This gentle approach mirrors the story of the prodigal son, where the father welcomes his wayward son with open arms, restoring him without condemnation. [01:11:23]

Galatians 6:1 (ESV): "Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted."

Reflection: Is there someone in your life who needs gentle restoration? How can you approach them with a spirit of gentleness and humility, being mindful of your own vulnerabilities?


Day 5: Living a Life of Gentleness
Gentleness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, not something we can achieve on our own. By staying connected to Jesus, the true vine, we can bear this fruit and live lives that reflect His heart. In our daily interactions, whether at work, in traffic, or at home, we should embody this gentleness, showing strength under control. [01:16:45]

Colossians 3:12 (ESV): "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience."

Reflection: In what areas of your daily life do you struggle to show gentleness? How can you stay connected to Jesus to bear the fruit of gentleness in these areas?

To be in the house of the Lord today, and we are glad that you're here on this Memorial Day weekend.

And I know there's many of you that are not here, but you're watching online. You might be out in the woods somewhere a couple hours away, you might be on the road, you might be at home, you just couldn't make it today, but we are glad that you're able to join us wherever you may be, and we're glad that we're here.

We continue to celebrate with you today, and if you're a guest, we're so honored that you're here to worship. In your program, as you came in, hopefully you got a program. Inside our program is a connection card. We ask you to take a minute and fill that card out. Let us know about your visit, what's up today, and as you leave, you can drop it in one of our offering boxes throughout the room, or you can give it to me right outside here in the main lobby, and I'd love to meet you and give you a free gift. Thank you for coming.

We're really continuing our worship here in just a second, but before we do, let's pray and ask God to bless our service this morning.

Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day, and we pray for joy in the house of the Lord as we worship you and shout out our praise to you, because you are worthy of it all, because of what you've done for us. And so, God, we ask you to bless the service. Bless all the music and the preaching of your word. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Thank you, Pastor Chris. And thank you, worship team. And thank you for being here again.

And yes, we are kind of winding down. We still have a few more to go. Next Sunday, Pastor Chris is actually going to be speaking on self-control, and we're going to be talking about that because I'm out of control, so he's got to do the message. And he's more in self-control.

But no, the real reason is just FYI, and I haven't really publicized it too much yet. Some of you know about it, but this week on Thursday, I'm flying out to Africa, and I will be going to Tanzania with a group of pastors down there. We're going to be seeing a ministry, what God is doing in different places there. And so we will be gone for eight days. We fly back the following Friday afternoon.

And I had every intention of preaching, you know, like the Sunday I get back, but then I felt like I'm not going to preach that Sunday. I'll be here, Lord willing, I'll be here, and I just may be a little exhausted. And hopefully, I don't get sick, you know, on that journey. But we will be gone this Thursday to the following Friday. So Pastor Chris is preaching this Sunday and then Pastor Dave Goff, our discipleship pastor, he'll be preaching for us the Sunday after.

So, you know, you'll want to be here as we continue this series on fruition. And don't miss a Sunday, what's going on here.

But I do ask, and I do covet your prayers. You know, and people ask me if I'm excited. I am excited. I'm also a little nervous. And you know, I've never been to Africa. So pray for me and pray for safety. Pray for the safety of our team and that we go out and do mission work and see what God is doing on the front line. And I pray for you right there in Tanzania.

But anyway, we just, you know, covet your prayers this week. And if you are new with us, we have been in that series, like I said, on the fruit of the Spirit. And by the way, it's not the fruit of your best effort. Pray God for that, right? It's not the fruit of your best effort. It's the fruit the Holy Spirit produces through us if we let him.

Because if it's left to us, our own device, you know, we have a tendency, every one of us, we tend to make a mess of things. We really do. And the only power that can help us overcome the sinful nature that is within us is through the power of the Holy Spirit.

And in other words, you know, we've been using a poem. Hey, I want you to do this for me, though. I want you to say it out loud with me, this poem that we've been kind of using. And so I want you to say it with me, and it's right up here on the screen. Are you ready? Let's go.

The pull of sin is strong, but the living Christ is stronger. So open yourself to his Spirit, and you will bear his fruit.

Let's do it one more time. I want y'all, hey, give me some passion in this, okay? Give me some gut show, and especially for the guy that can't hear, okay? So really let me hear it, okay? You ready? Let's do it together.

The pull of sin is strong, but the living Christ is stronger. So open yourself to his Spirit, and you will bear his fruit.

And that's what this series is all about. And today we're going to talk about gentleness.

Gentleness. Now some of you, right, you hear that word, and it sounds really, really unappealing, right? It sounds like softness. It sounds like weakness. In fact, if you're reading this in Galatians chapter 5, in the old King James, they use the word meekness. Meekness. And who wants to be meek, right? I mean, it sounds so mousy. It sounds so spineless. And it sounds so, you know, cowardly.

But that is a complete misunderstanding of the word. If you're taking notes, from the original Greek translation, the word gentleness or meekness literally means strength under control. Strength under control.

It's a word picture of a wild horse or a wild stallion that has been broken and tamed. About 20 years ago, I went on a mission trip to Mexico, and I was there, and I took a group of people from Pensacola, Florida. We went on the trip, and we've been there all week doing ministry work. And we had a day off. You always get the day off, okay? You know, where you get to go see the different things in the area.

Like, for example, when I go to Tanzania, we'll have like a half a day off where we'll go on a safari. We're going to see some wild animals. You can't go that far and not see a safari, right? So we'll be able to do that.

But, you know, we had a day off, and we're in Mexico, and we're like, let's go to the Pacific Ocean. And there was a little, small tourist town, and we got there to the tourist town. I forgot the name of it, but we went there, went to eat, went shopping in different places, found some souvenirs, and then we're kind of riding out.

And just south of town, there was this little place, and there was, you know, a horseback rider. And the car was like five dollars a ride for an hour. And we're like, man, you go to the United States, and across over there, it's going to be 30, 40 dollars an hour. You know, and so everyone's like, hey, that'd be cool. And it's right next to the beach, and we have no idea where to go. We don't know if we're going to go in what direction we're going to go.

But everyone's like, let's go horseback riding. And I said, all right, we'll go horseback riding. And we pulled over, and there was enough horses for the group. And I look at the group, and I said, let me just, you know, how many of you have ever ridden a horse? You've been on a horse? And in my group, I was the only one that had been on a horse. None of them have been on a horse.

And usually, you go to the horseback saddle, you know, ride, you know, these horses are tamed. You know, they've got a way. They're following each other. You really don't have to do anything, just get on it, right? And so I said, well, I'm not sure what's going to happen here because we are in the wild, wild west of Mexico.

So we get off. There's no waivers, there's nothing. I mean, we're just getting on horses. We're paying five bucks. And then, you know, the translator, we didn't have our interpreter with us. And so, you know, the guys were talking, you know, the people running the horseback stable, you know, trying to communicate, and it was Spanish. None of us knew Spanish.

And so we were just kind of like, ha-ha, yeah, yeah. And then I figured, like, man, I'm going to have to be the one to teach them how to ride a horse. I'm not really an expert. I've been on a horse two or three times in my life, but I have a few ideas. You know, pull back, you know, go this way, go that way, you know, kick your feet, you know, if you want to get moving. And so make sure you don't pull back too far back.

And so we all get on these horses, and we start going. And the guy that's leading us, he's kind of leading. These horses are kind of not following each other. They're kind of wild. And we're going, and we head toward the beach, and then we start the horseback, and then we just started taking off. All of us started taking off, right? On the beach of the Pacific Ocean.

And some of our people on the mission trip, the horses, I mean, the horses started bucking like the Lone Ranger, you know. And it was like, you know, hi-ho, silver, you know. And I mean, it was like, hey, calm down, don't do this. And I was really nervous. I was like, man, I'm going to kill my team. You know, this is not good because these were wild horses.

And we finally get back, and thankfully, you know, we had a couple mishaps, but thankfully, we didn't have any major issues, and we got back safely. But man, I was thinking about, man, you know, strength under control, you know, riding these horses through a powerful, powerful animal.

And gentleness, it's letting these horses be tamed and driven by the master. The master leads them, and they go where the master wants them to go. And I think about gentleness, and I think about strength under control, and I can't think of a virtue that's more needed in today's world.

I think about the opposite. I think about the opposite of gentleness. What does it look like when we're not gentle? I think of the words. Here are some of the words I think about. I think of the word forceful, demanding, controlling, harsh, domineering, severe.

Think about that, right? Does that sound like so much of today's social media? Political discourses? Right? Forceful and harsh. Some of you have a boss like this, maybe a teacher, a co-worker. Maybe some of you were raised by a parent like this, you know, domineering, demanding, severe.

And honestly, it did sound like a lot of things, but it didn't make some damage to you because leading by fear might get people to comply in the short term because they're bullied into submission. But in the long term, what truly changes hearts is the heart of gentleness because gentleness is powerful, strength under control.

Now, there are two important guidelines for becoming a gentle person. Now, the first thing that we need to understand about gentleness is this: that it is a product, it's a byproduct of the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It's not natural for human beings. It's not natural for you and I to be gentle. I think we all know that, right?

Gentleness is, you know, the Bible talks about that it comes from the Spirit of God. It's a gift from God. The second thing we need to understand about gentleness is that gentleness is a choice. You're either God-controlled or other-controlled. You can't be both.

So a gentle person is God-controlled, not other-controlled. And as a believer, right, you have a choice in the matter. You can choose to be God-controlled or you can be controlled by other people.

John chapter 15, verse 5, Jesus said this: I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing.

Now, here's the analogy to the Christian life. You as Christians, all of us are followers of Christ, we're branches. You're connected to Jesus Christ, he's the vine. The vine provides all the nourishment that we need. It provides the food that we need. And because of the vine, we blossom, we will bloom. Because of the vine, we can produce fruit.

But if you're not connected to the vine, the branch, what happens if you're not connected to the vine? The branch dies. In fact, it says in the passage that the branch becomes worthless. The branch becomes worthless; you might as well burn it.

And so if you're God-controlled, if you're controlled by God, you're connected to the power of the Holy Spirit. You're connected to Jesus Christ. If you're other-controlled, you have severed a relationship with God in that way.

Now, if you choose to be God-controlled, you can become gentle people. If you're God-controlled, you are allowed the verbal blows that come at you to just be absorbed because you're gentle in heart. You don't retaliate in anger when someone offends you.

If you're other-controlled, here's what you're admitting. What you're admitting is that you're giving someone else control of the emotions of your life. Have you ever said this? He makes me so mad. Or I can't believe that he did that to me.

Here's what happens when you say those things. When you say that, what you're saying is that you have given control of your emotions to someone else, and you have taken that control away from God.

So if we're going to be gentle people, we've got to be God-controlled. God-controlled people. And the greatest man of all time, Jesus Christ, he modeled this out for you and me. He modeled this for us.

Notice, you've seen this verse before. Notice the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 11. It says in verse 28, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Then he said, 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. For my yoke is easy, my burden is light.

Jesus addressed this invitation to people who were weary and burdened. By the way, it's not talking about physical weariness, physical tiredness. This is all about soul weariness. Maybe your spirit is getting beaten down. That's who Jesus is offering this invitation to.

And he was speaking to people in this time period. He was speaking to people who were weary from the demands, the pressure that was being placed on them by the religious leaders. They were marked. The religious leaders, they were marked by forceful, harsh, demanding, domineering, severe. That describes the Pharisees.

And they controlled the thermostat of Jerusalem and all of Israel. And everyone was under this religious pressure. And the Pharisees, they just knew the details of the Old Testament laws. And they just kept reminding people of their shortcomings. They kept reminding people how constantly far they were in keeping the commandments, keeping the laws.

And if you've ever been under that kind of leadership, you know that it's exhausting. It is demoralizing. You just want to get away from it, right? And so this is how your typical first-century Jewish person was feeling. This is where they're at.

And Jesus said, come to me. I want to give you rest from all that. I'm different from all the other leaders. The best devotional book that I've read in the last few years, it's a book called Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund. And I highly recommend it. In fact, I had like three copies. Different pastors sent it to me, and I passed it forward because I already had a copy, you know, and gave it to another pastor. But I kept a copy.

And it's just a powerful little book, Gentle and Lowly. And in the very first chapter, he's talking about these words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 11. And I have it on a screen. You see it on your hand. It's in that note. This is what Dane Ortlund wrote, what he said.

It's in the one place in the Bible where the Son of God pulls back the veil and lets us peer way down into the core of who he is. We are not told that he is austere and demanding in heart. We are not told that he's exalted and dignified in heart. We are not even told that he is joyful and generous in heart. That in Jesus' sector term, his surprising claim, is that he is gentle and lowly.

I want you to leave that up for just a minute. I want you to take the phone out. Just take a picture of that. Give me a minute to take a picture of this. Because I want you to let this sink in for just a minute. This is at the core of who Jesus is. This is at the core of who he is. This is at the deepest, deepest level. He's gentle. He's lowly. He's humble.

And this is why he's different from all those other religious leaders of his days. Now, again, don't misunderstand what gentleness is. Jesus was powerful and authoritative. Jesus was courageous. He calmed storms, cleared the temple. He stood up to corrupt leaders.

But he also gathered into his arms little children, even when the disciples didn't want the children to be around Jesus. He gathered them in his arms. He showed tender compassion to a woman with chronic bleeding and an adulterous woman as well. He wept at the death of his dear friend.

But the ultimate display of his gentleness was on the cross. He had the authority to call legions. He had the authority to call legions of angels to come to his rescue. He could have just with a word, a word, you know, just take care of business right there on the cross. But he didn't because he was gentle and humble and lowly in heart.

Have you experienced his heart personally? And he said, well, how do you do that? Well, just look at Matthew 11, verse 28 again. Look at the invitation. I said, come to me. He said, come to me. And then he says in the next verse, take my yoke upon you.

You know what a yoke is? A yoke is a wooden, like a wooden harness that you would fasten to the neck of an ox or an oxen, and he would pull the plow. And usually there were two so that an oxen could walk side by side and pull the load together.

Which means that Jesus is inviting you to step into his yoke. I love this, right? One opening for me, the other opening is for him. And he actually walked alongside with you, with me, gently but powerfully. And he pulled the load with me.

Which means that whatever God calls me to do, whatever God calls you to do, whether it's a hard job or taking care of elderly parents or dealing with a tough kid, whatever that is, you and I, we don't pull that weight alone. We don't.

And we have to learn to develop dependence on him, that he is with us, that he is with me. And when that happens, you begin to feel his strength empowering your life, not feel less flustered, more calm, more peaceful, because that's why his yoke is easy, and my burden is light, because he's doing all the heavy lifting. He's doing all the heavy work.

And that was the invitation of Jesus back then, and still his invitation today. He said, come to me, take my yoke upon you, and I'll give you rest for your soul. And are you experiencing that? Are you experiencing this rest? This is what he's talking about.

Now, I don't just mean, hey, have you received Christ as your Lord and Savior? That's a starting point, for sure. But this is an invitation to a way of life, where you allow the gentleness and the power of Jesus to carry you through everything that you do. It's what your soul needs.

And when you're experiencing the gentleness of Christ, it changes you. The most powerful person to ever live. What? A faithful and humble in heart. He modeled that for us. Modeled it for us.

Now, one of the most theologically rich books of the New Testament is the book of Ephesians. It has six chapters. The first three chapters is all about what God has done for us. The second half of Ephesians are all about how we should live for God.

And so right at the beginning of the second section, after all this amazing doctrine of being dead to our sins and being raised to, being raised in Christ through his power, you know, where he brought us back to life, here's how the second half of the book starts in Ephesians chapter four, verse one.

As a prisoner for the Lord, then I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely, let's stop here for a minute. What do you think Paul could have said here? He could have said, be completely holy. He could have said that. He could have said, be completely committed. Be completely generous. And all those things would have been valid.

But Paul, he didn't say any of that in this verse. In his Holy Spirit guided mind, when we really understand the wonder of what God has done for us in Christ, the first thing that comes to mind is that we should be humble and gentle. That's what Paul said.

And I find that so interesting because if that's what Jesus is like, then that's what his followers should be too. That's what he's calling us to be like, to be like him.

So as we get practical here, how does it look to reflect the gentleness of Jesus? To take a note, number one, let's talk about the gentle approach to life. What does it mean to live our lives with gentleness?

Well, it means the opposite of living in a forceful, harsh, controlling, dominating, demanding, severe way. You know, it's the opposite of clenching our teeth, you know, and pinching our shoulders. It's the opposite of that. It means realizing that things go better and we're actually more powerful when we do things with a soft touch. Life just goes better when you do things gently.

John Ortberg, another great author that I love to read, he's got so many great books. He has a great little teaching that he calls a little message called Try Softer, and he said that we are so programmed to think that we always need to try harder. That's how we're programmed, we're wired that way.

So we work more hours, we exert more energy, because we think trying harder is the answer to everything. But based on the gentleness of Jesus, he said sometimes we need to try softer.

For example, he says in tennis, trying to hit the serve harder won't necessarily make it better, so try softer. Pickleball, try softer. I like to play golf. I like to try to get up there and win as hard as I can at the tee box and drive that ball, you know, 300 yards. I'm never going to make it 300 yards.

And when I do try to hit it so hard, I'm not going straight, I'm all over the map. Or it's a swing and a miss. That's the worst way to play. I've learned, hey, the best way to play golf is try softer.

Sometimes I see Dan, I play with Dan sometimes, Dan's got the muscles, Dan's up there and he's cranking it. I say, hey, I'm not Dan. I need to be me. I need to try softer. Don't try to be like Dan, because when I try to be like Dan, I just mess things up. Right, Dan? There you go.

He's seen me play. But when I have strength under control, I can play decent golf. Try softer.

When you're on a first date or a job interview, trying too hard can actually make you less yourself. So try softer. John Ortberg said when you're lying in bed and you're trying really, really hard to fall asleep and you can't, and so you fall asleep when you start to relax. He said, so softer works.

When you're trying to remember someone's name, and you're racking your mind, can't think of it, but sometime later, after you've given up, it comes, right? So try softer.

In relationships with your kids, when you try really hard to control them, it usually goes the opposite direction. It makes it worse sometimes. So back off. Let God be God and try softer.

Try softer. Remember the gentle heart of Jesus. Get into the yoke with him and try softer. Whatever you're doing in life, step into the yoke with Jesus and do it with gentleness.

And so a gentle approach to people or to life is a beautiful and powerful way to live.

Here's the second thought: a gentle approach to people. A gentle approach to people, and all through the Bible, there's instruction on living with gentleness, and so much of it is about how we relate to people. Gentleness with people.

Titus chapter 3, Paul says, remind the people to be subject to rulers and authority, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always, and always, and always, underline this, in that word, always, to be gentle toward everyone, toward one another.

No matter who you're working with, gentleness is the right way to go. Remember, it doesn't mean weakness, right? It's not being passive. It's strength under control. Always be gentle towards everyone.

Here's a few examples. We should be gentle toward angry people. Angry people. Proverbs chapter 15, verse 1. A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Gentle answer turns away wrath. I mean, how many times, you know, someone responds, or someone gets mad at you, and we respond back with anger? I was talking to a pastor this past week, and I was telling him about what I was preaching on this week, and gentleness, and I used to talk about this first.

And he started laughing. He said, man, that was my verse. He said, when I first moved in the house in Roseville, you know, I had a pet dog, and every time I let him back in the backyard, you know, he would always run to the neighbor's dog. You know, there was a fence that would separate us, and my dog would just bark, bark, bark, and then the other dog would start barking, and they're having a barking match.

And I would step out there, and every time I would read Proverbs 15, verse 1, I would tell my dog, I would preach to my dog, hey, a gentle bark. A gentle bark turns away wrath. You know, when someone barks at you, and you bark back, it's just nonstop, right? It's nonstop, and it has no end. And sometimes it ends really bad.

Now, be careful. Proverbs says be careful about what you say and how you say it. Now, again, I want to, you know, it's not being weak. It's not being passive. I love this, if you're taking notes. A gentle person is tender without surrender.

We're not asking you to comply and fall in line, but there's a way to speak truth and love, to speak truth with gentleness. A gentle answer turns away wrath. And to do that, it takes the help of the Holy Spirit, right?

Here's the second thought. We should be gentle with skeptical people. Skeptical people. 1 Peter 3, verse 15. But in your hearts, reveal Christ as 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.

I remember when I was a teenager, and they were teaching us how to share our faith. And I was a little confused. I was too bold. I was talking to this one lady, you know, in the street. And she told me she was not interested in the conversation. She said, I don't really care about the conversation.

And the way I responded grieved my heart even to this day. And it saddened me. But the way I responded was like, if you don't care about this, and I said it with a forceful voice, you're going to hell. I was young and stupid. And she looked at me, tears coming out of her face. She said, you have no idea what I've just been through. I just buried my son.

And from that day forward, I said, Lord, help me to stand when I believe, but to do it in a way that loves and is gentle and respectful. Now, boldness. Being bold doesn't mean arrogant. Sometimes we think that's a bonus. Don't be arrogant. You can be bold and not be arrogant.

And I'm so glad that the Holy Spirit has helped me over the years to be gentle. Always be prepared. Listen. You know, people will question you. People will challenge you about your faith. Don't get defensive. Don't try to shame them. Don't argue them into submission, right? Talk to them like fellow humans. Talk to them about the reason why you're following Christ.

But respect their thoughts. Listen to their questions. Take their questions seriously. Another book that I read is called, When Jim and Casper Go to Church. Jim and Casper. Jim is a pastor. And Casper was an atheist. And they talked about this conversation where they became friends. And they learned to give each other space. Space in the conversation.

Unfortunately, a lot of Christians or a lot of times, you know, it doesn't matter if you're a Christian or not, we don't give space. We don't listen. We talk, talk, talk. You listen, you listen, you listen to me. You know, we've got to give the space. That's gentleness and respectful.

Number three, we should be gentle with sinning people. Sinning people. Galatians chapter 6, verse 1. Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. There's that word again, right? Gently.

But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. So Paul in Galatians is talking about a situation where someone's been engaged in a very destructive sin. Maybe they're caught stealing or lying. Or maybe they're in a fight. They're in despair. They're doing drugs.

And it says here in Galatians chapter 6 that if you're living by the Spirit, you should restore that person gently. Not harshly. Not condemning. Not publicly embarrassing them. And then that last line is so important. You know, where it says, watch yourself so that you also may not be tempted.

You know, in other words, don't get so self-righteous where you say, hey, how could you do that? Don't ever say, I could never do that. Oh, yes, you can. Oh, yes, we can. It's only by the grace of God that you are where you are right now. Stay humble. Remember all the grace that God pours out on you and pours out on the person who's gotten caught in sin.

I'm reminded of the story that Jesus told, of the story of the father and the prodigal son. The prodigal son who had blown it, right? He just blew it. He comes home. And the father, instead of chastising him when he saw him, when he sees him, instead of punishing him, he ran toward him, hugged his neck, put on fresh clothes, restored his sonship, put shoes on his feet, started all over again with him.

We need to be gentle with those who are away from the Lord. They can grieve your heart. They can break your heart by their actions, but you love them and you're gentle with them. You're tender. You don't surrender. You don't sweep it under the rug. That's not what I'm saying to you.

Under control. God is calling us to be gentle people in a society that's gone crazy, in a society that's gone mad, violent, selfish. God is telling us, hey, I want you out there. I want you to model my son Jesus and live out this gentleness.

Today, when you're out in the restaurant and mess up your food, a way to apologize for putting out the wrong food or the food's not right, instead of being demanding, forceful, there's a way to be kind and gentle and loving. And then you tip well.

I said, well, I tip only if the service is good. You know, I just tip. And I tip generously. I don't play this game. I don't play this game where, hey, you know, you deserve 10% today, 5%. You know, I'm just generous and gentle in heart.

Because they're not perfect. They're human beings just like you and just like me. By the way, I've been in that side of their shoes before. And I know what it's like to be treated, you know, looking down.

Hey, when you're going out today, be gentle. Be gentle. Be gentle with your boss this week, with your people that you work with this week. Be gentle as you're going out and about this weekend. Be gentle when you're driving. If someone cuts you off or someone gets mad at you because you cut them off by accident.

I mean, it's happened the past week. And I just look at them and say, okay, whatever, man. You know, it's overreaction. I'm not going to make it worse. Hey, I'm not going to bark back. No road rage. I've seen it all. You've seen it all. We can be different.

God is calling us to be lowly and gentle when it's under control. And matter after Jesus. Gentleness.

Our Heavenly Father, we ask you to help us today. Help us to bear fruit. Help us to bear this fruit of gentleness. It's not weakness. It's a powerful word. And the world needs to see it. And they need to see it in us. And we can't do it on our own, God. Help us this week. Help us this week to live it out.

God, help us to find rest for our soul when we're gentle and lowly of heart. We'll come to you and let you do the heavy load, the heavy lifting. You walk right beside us.

God, help us this week to live life with a soft touch. Be tender, not surrender, but be tender. And so, God, help us that when we live out this gentleness, that the world will see our fruit. And they will know that there's something about us that points us.

So, God, we thank you. Thank you for your word. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Amen. Well, hey, again, thank you for being here today. And we have a couple quick things. We have the Clark family, the Clark family. Alex and Amber want to stand up. Stand up. Stand up.

Alex and Amber, this is their last Sunday. They're moving to Kentucky. Alex is working for the FBI. And so, he'll be stationed in Louisville, Kentucky. And they've been with us for the last two, three years. And they're faithful, faithful people. The two kids are in the back.

And so, we're going to miss them. Alex has been gone for the last six months, really. He's been kind of going to training and, you know, going to secret places that we can't talk about. And so, but we're proud of you. We'll see you guys when you come up and visit from time to time.

But, you know, just letting you guys know, thank you guys for being a part of our church. And God, many blessings on your way to Kentucky and Louisville. And so, be praying for the Clark family. And they leave this week.

So, thank you. You may be seated. And so, if you are a guest with us, I'd love to meet you. I'll be out here in the lobby in just a minute. Got VBS, all this stuff to sign up for. Take your connection card. You know, let us know about your visit with us if you're a first-time guest.

And our prayer team, if your prayer team wants to come up to the front, let's all stand while they're coming up. Hope you'll be back here next Sunday. Just because I'm not here doesn't mean you should be here. You know, I may be sleeping. I don't know what time it is over there.

Actually, I'll be at night. It'll be like 7 o'clock at night while you guys are having church in the morning. I think it's like 8 hours difference or 9 hours difference. You know, but I'll be, if I can watch the fire, I will. I don't know what my situation is going to be.

And so, just be praying for me as I head out this Thursday. And I'll be here next Sunday. It'll be great. We're going to talk about self-control. And it's going to be a great, great Sunday next week.

Let's pray. God, we thank you for today. We thank you for what you're doing in our church. We pray for your blessings as we leave here. God, help us to be people of God. Help us to be gentle. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

You're dismissed.

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "God is calling us to be gentle people in a society that's gone crazy, in a society that's gone mad, violent, selfish. God is telling us, hey, I want you out there. I want you to model my son Jesus and live out this gentleness. Today, when you're out in the restaurant and mess up your food, a way to apologize for putting out the wrong food or the food's not right, instead of being demanding, forceful, there's a way to be kind and gentle and loving. And then you tip well." [01:15:02](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



2. "Now, boldness. Being bold doesn't mean arrogant. Sometimes we think that's a bonus. Don't be arrogant. You can be bold and not be arrogant. And I'm so glad that the Holy Spirit has helped me over the years to be gentle. Always be prepared. Listen. You know, people will question you. People will challenge you about your faith. Don't get defensive. Don't try to shame them. Don't argue them into submission. Right? Talk to them like fellow humans. Talk to them about the reason why you're following Christ. But respect their thoughts. Listen to their questions. Take their questions seriously." [01:09:44](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



3. "Life just goes better when you do things gently. John Ortberg, another great author that I love to read, he's got so many great books. He has a great little teaching that he calls, a little message called Try Softer, and he said that we are so programmed to think that we always need to try harder. That's how we're programmed, we're wired that way. So we work more hours, we exert more energy, because we think trying harder is the answer to everything. But based on the gentleness of Jesus, he said sometimes we need to try softer." [01:02:09](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



4. "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Gentle answer turns away wrath. I mean, how many times, you know, someone responds, or someone gets mad at you, and we respond back with anger? I was talking to a pastor this past week, and I was telling him about what I was preaching on this week, and gentleness, and I used to talk about this first. And he started laughing. He said, man, that was my verse. He said, when I first moved in the house in Roseville, you know, I had a pet dog, and every time I let him back in the backyard, you know, he would always run to the neighbor's dog." [01:05:31](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



### Quotes for Members

1. "For my yoke is easy. My burden is light. Jesus addressed this invitation to people who were weary and burdened. By the way, it's not talking about physical weariness. Physical tiredness. This is all about soul weariness. Maybe your spirit is getting beaten down. That's who Jesus is offering this invitation to. And he was speaking to people in this time period. He was speaking to people who were weary from the demands the pressure that was being placed on them by the religious leaders." [52:12](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



2. "Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. There's that word again, right? Gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. So Paul in Galatians is talking about a situation where someone's been engaged in a very destructive sin. Maybe they're caught stealing or lying. Or maybe they're in a fight. They're in despair. They're doing drugs. And it says here in Galatians chapter 6 that if you're living by the Spirit, you should restore that person gently. Not harshly. Not condemning. Not publicly embarrassing them." [01:11:23](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



3. "He gathered them in his arms. He showed tender compassion to a woman with chronic bleeding and an adulterous woman as well. He wept at the death of his dear friend. But the ultimate display of his gentleness was on the cross. He had the authority to call legions. He had the authority to call legions of angels to come to his rescue. He could have just with a word, a word, you know, just take care of business right there on the cross. But he didn't. Because he was gentle and humble and lowly in heart." [55:54](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



4. "And all those things would have been valid. But Paul, he didn't say any of that in this verse. In his Holy Spirit guided mind, when we really understand the wonder of what God has done for us in Christ, the first thing that comes to mind is that we should be humble and gentle. That's what Paul said. And I find that so interesting because if that's what Jesus is like, then that's what his followers should be too. That's what he's calling us to be like, to be like him." [01:01:14](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



5. "If you're God-controlled, you are allowed the verbal blows that comes at you to just be absorbed because you're gentle in heart. You don't retaliate in anger when someone offends you. If you're other-controlled, here's what you're admitted. What you're admitted. What you're admitted is that you're giving someone else control of the emotions of your life. Have you ever said this? He makes me so mad. Or I can't believe that he did that to me. Here's what happens when you say those things. When you say that, what you're saying is that you have given control of your emotions to someone else. And you have taken that control away from God." [49:11](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)