It's great to see everyone out this morning on this beautiful Sunday. It really is a beautiful, beautiful day to be together here in Columbus, in this part of the world. Some have traveled quite a ways to be back, and we're grateful for their safe travel and their arrival home.
I'm grateful to be back with you. Clay called me earlier this week after his knee surgery, and I was glad to be able to, let's say, fill in in this moment. I am a stand-in, quite literally, in this moment, but I'm always grateful for the opportunity to be up front and to preach, to teach the goodness of God and the glory of God. And it is a wonderful day to do that.
I remember the first time that my littlest one, when she was a newborn, we went to visit my parents in Montgomery, Alabama. At the time, that's where they lived. We drove down there, and I remember she was probably just a month old. Now, some of you have not met him yet; one of these days, I hope he will travel up here, but my youngest brother was at the house at the time. Now, my youngest brother is also my largest brother. He is six foot seven, close to 280 pounds. He is a ginormous giant of a man. He rivals my beard; his beard is longer than mine, and he is the gentlest of people.
I remember the first time seeing him hold my littlest one. It looked like a football, but one of those mini footballs, the little tiny ones. I remember looking at them and going, just the purest of touches to hold on to something so delicate. I remember thinking of the power that exuded from just his presence standing there as he held my littlest one. I could tell he was doing everything in his power to control his touch, to control everything that he was while holding these very precious little ones.
I also remember he made a joke and he said, "Did you know that there's a little soft spot on the top of their head?" I said, "Yeah, I do know that." He said, "It is really hard not to touch that." I remember thinking, it's kind of like when you see a button that says, "Do not touch." You really want to touch the button that says, "Do not touch." And I remember thinking at the same time, please don't touch the top of her head; like, don't do that. That's not a good thing.
This sense of gentleness that he had. In fact, the topic that's been given to me today is this premise of gentleness, but also gentleness and humility. I want to make sure to lay out for you real quick, we often misconstrue this concept of gentleness. We make it seem almost like weakness, when in reality, the best definition I can give you for gentleness is power under control. It's power under control. It's not this idea that there is nothing there; it is just gentle. In fact, we've so taken apart the word that we've made it seem like it's nothing. To be gentle, in fact, seems almost like this amorphous blob of just feeling instead of it being what we see so often in scripture, which is power under control—power that is restrained, even if it could do something more than what it does.
There's incredible beauty to the premise of power under control. Gentleness, from a spiritual perspective, I was thinking of ways in which I could share this with you this morning, and the easiest analogy that I could give you was a real-life experience that happened to me while working with the underground churches in China. I'd been there over a year at that point in time, and there were about 20 house churches that we were working with.
On any given Sunday, my day would start around 4 a.m., and I would start taking a bus around the city of Wuhan to different church families that would meet. These were groups of five or ten, or at the largest, 20 typically, because that's as many as you could fit in a Chinese apartment, but also because the larger the group, the more often you were to be found out, to be seen. So we kept in small family units all across the city.
I would travel around, and I can be honest with you, from 4 a.m. until about 2 a.m. on Monday morning was the time frame of my travel back and forth. It would usually end around midnight, and then I would take a bus back to my house. This got to be to where Saturdays and Sundays were a long, long day.
Then two Americans showed up and said, "Hey, we're with the Churches of Christ. We'd love to help you out. How can we help?" My first thought was, fantastic! Two other people who can help take on some of these church families, and they can go and support and teach and preach and do these other things.
Now, I learned a valuable lesson because, let me just tell you, sometimes when people show up and say they're one thing, you should ask more questions. They showed up and said, "Yeah, we're members of the Churches of Christ." I said, "Okay, awesome, great."
I remember getting the first phone call on the first Sunday that we actually, where they were going out to places, from one of the Chinese Christians. They said, "Hey, Brandon, would you mind stopping by on your way through town?" I remember going, "Is there a problem?" Well, let's just say there were some misunderstandings.
So I made my way over there, and I walked in, and there were the two men, and they decided we were teaching and so forth. I asked, "So what's the problem?" They said, "Well, it's some of the things they're teaching; we have questions about." I said, "Well, what are they teaching?" They said, "Well, they're teaching that we should be speaking in tongues and have women elders." I went, "I'm sorry, what? We're doing what right now?"
I'll tell you, the first thought that I had was these are babes in Christ, new converts. Who is this that's coming over to, like, this is your go-to first lesson? This is your go-to; we're going to preach the word of God. So I turned to them and I said, "I have a question: who are you?" They said, "Well, we're, you know, we're with it." I said, "No, no, no, let's go back. Who are you?"
I felt terrible in the moment because I had not vetted the way that I should have prior to sending them to this house church. But I had this moment where one of the Chinese Christians turned and said, "Well, we have been talking back and forth with them. We've been discussing what they have brought forth, and we're really struggling with it." I said, "Well, what's the struggle?"
They said, and I kid you not, they said, "We find what they're teaching to be quite idiotic." I went, "I'm sorry, what did you just say? Idiotic?" They said, "Yes, you see, they're making a cultural argument saying that Paul was preaching from a cultural perspective, which is why women should remain silent in worship and so forth."
We said, "Well, is it cultural?" And they said, "Yes, it's cultural." And they said, "Well then, in China, we would not even be in the room. We would be out, stopped. We would not be welcomed in even the times of worship if this was cultural." So they turned to him and said, "Is it cultural?" And they went, "Yes, but no." And they went, "I think we'll stick with the scriptures, thank you for coming. It's nice to meet you."
I remember sitting there very quietly, feeling terrible about the fact that I had invited these individuals in, but at the same time watching these young Christians in faith and in gentleness saying, "We're going to stick with the scriptures." There was no anger, there was no animosity, there was no self-righteous indignation. Instead, that was just gentle rebuke: "No thanks, we're gonna stick with scripture."
I remember sitting there going, I'd never quite seen or experienced such a moment where power under control was shown itself in real life. Now, if you want to see truly who is the master at power under control, there is no better example in all of scripture than Jesus the Christ—power under control.
In fact, I'm going to invite you to turn to Luke 22, and I want you to see this in the last day of the crucifixion, in the Passover and the rest. You're going to see over and over again moments where Jesus, in his power, who he is, the Son of God, constantly controls the situation and controls his power, knowing that at any point in time—it's been said and been sung many times before—he could have called ten thousand angels, but instead, he submitted himself to the will of the Father. Power under control.
You'll start in verse 7 of Luke 22. The Passover with the disciples then came the day of the unleavened bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us that we may eat it." They said to him, "Where will you have us prepare it?" He said, "Then behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters and tell the master of the house, 'The teacher says to you, where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there."
And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. I don't want you to skip over this; there's a reason why we read it. Did you notice what Jesus already knew? He sent them ahead to do that. With that type of power, there is still a humility to the way Jesus lives out his life, knowing even that which was to come. He sends them forward knowing it's what will happen. There is power there.
When the hour came, he reclined at the table, and the apostles with him. He said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."
He took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves, for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."
He took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."
And likewise, the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood. But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me at the table, for the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to the man by whom he is betrayed."
They began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this. Now, I need you to understand Jesus sat in the Passover feast and set forth that which we will do here in a few minutes as a remembrance, as an over and over again reminder of what it is that took place, knowing that the one sat with him at the table at that time would betray him.
I don't know about you, but when it comes to betrayals, I'm pretty prickly about those moments. I'm pretty touchy when it comes to how people treat me. In fact, I dare say it's one of the greatest faults all of us have is how we are treated.
Let me tell you, we currently live in a world that elevates the self beyond all things. Don't you dare get walked all over. Don't you dare let anyone say that about you. Don't you dare have anybody speak ill of you in those ways. In fact, this elevation of the self, this elevation of who you are, is constantly set forth for you.
And I'm just going to say this: we have—and don't think that it's just in this arena, but it's also in this arena—we have whole months dedicated to the very pride of who you are and the very notion of who you are and who you say the world to be, and the world better agree with it, and the world better stand behind you when it comes to it.
May it never be that we, as individuals, elevate ourselves so much when we are taught to be Christ-like in our example, which is to deny ourselves, to die to ourselves, that we might walk in newness of life. The more we are like him, the more we are truly who we are meant to be. The more we are like Christ, the more we are like who we are meant to be.
Yet we live in a culture, in a world, that elevates the self consistently. To have power and control, to sit in the midst of the one who would betray you and not do something is gentleness. In fact, there are many of us who oftentimes should sit at more tables with people that we know are actively working against us in this world, and in gentleness, we show Christ through the lost and dying of this world.
But we don't worry about the side effects of what people might think or say, but instead, we decide to be like Christ in strength and in gentleness. We be who we have been called to be.
Notice what happens right after this. They go from trying to question one another as to who would be the one that would betray them to a dispute also arose among them as to which of them would be regarded as the greatest.
Now, I don't know about you, but there are moments when I read scripture, especially about the disciples and the apostles, where I go, I feel pretty good about myself some days when I read about these guys because I'm like, have these guys had Jesus around them, and they still got it wrong 99% of the time? And so it makes me feel a little bit better about myself, but it shouldn't because this is still us.
He just goes and says, "Here's what's going to happen. The Son of Man is going to have to die. He's going to have to suffer. One of you is going to betray me." And they went, "Yes, but who's the best of us? Obviously, one of us is going to be the worst, but which one of us is going to be the best? Who is the greatest among us?"
He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become the youngest, and the leader is one who serves. For who is greater, one who reclines at the table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves."
You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, and I assigned to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Now notice, he's going to go forward and talk about Simon Peter's denial and what's going to happen from there. Then, if you'll go down to verse 39, you're going to see where he goes out to the Mount of Olives to pray. He came out, when it was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him.
When he came to the place, he said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." He withdrew from them about a stone's throw and knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me."
Notice here the greatest moment of gentleness—power under control—nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done. Not my will, but yours be done.
When I was studying for this this morning, I remember thinking this concept of "not my will, but yours be done" is not a mantra of our world. In fact, even in Christianity at times, and especially in Americanized Christianity, it has become lost because we have become a very consumeristic concept of a church. We consume churches; we church hop. We don't like how things don't go the way we want.
I'm not talking about doctrine; don't get me wrong about that, okay? Doctrine matters. What I'm referencing is the things that do not matter, that 5, 10, 15, 20 years from now will not matter, and yet we elevate them because it's the self. It's the things we like, the things we want, the things we desire.
Now, it doesn't sound that way, and we don't put it forth those ways most of the time, but it almost always is. Instead of dying to ourselves or letting that God may be glorified, we instead focus on a—I could give you some examples.
One of the things that I purposefully did and didn't do in some ways is we have a cultural aspect today of what a Christian looks like. In fact, if you read much of James, you will see, "Do not give the man who comes in the back that has much money the better seats in the service. In essence, send the lesser man to the back," and the rest.
We think that doesn't play itself out, but we do that all the time with how people dress and how people look. We do this all the time, and it's a sad reality in our world, and we make justifications for it when in reality, because we are Christians, we are given the power of the Gospel to preach and teach the gospel.
And that power must be used in gentleness, which means that we do not do it for our will but for God's. That means that we die to ourselves, and that means that uncomfortable moments are the norm for us in a lost and dying world.
Gentleness is power in control. You see, we are not powerless when we go out into the world as believers. We have the gospel; we have the ability to preach and teach the good news of Jesus Christ that any who should come to him and die to themselves, to the waters of baptism, and arise in new creation will be able to live in eternal life with God.
And there is nothing more powerful than that message to go out into this world, and yet we get so often distracted by what people look like or what people might say or think about us when in reality, God has said, "Die to yourself. It's not about you; it's about God. It's not about us; it's about God."
If you look with me in Ephesians 4, I want you to notice something that we often miss when reading about the unity of the body of Christ. It says this, starting in verse 1: "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
Do you realize that gentleness and humility are the major key tenets of what it means to be unified as a church family? Which means that you humble yourself in spite of others. Let me put it in the easiest way I know how: God first, you last, everyone else in between.
You see, what happens with a church family builds itself up where everyone sees them places themselves last as a servant to others, then everyone is serving one another in love, in humility, in gentleness—power under control.
You don't exert your influence on everything, but instead, you utilize it for the good of others, not for yourself, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Do you know how we become closer as a church family? It's where we constantly, even though we have who we are, each of us individual, each of us different, each of us just a little bit different than everyone else, realize it's not about us; it's about God.
And with that in mind, we serve one another in love. We serve one another in gentleness. It doesn't mean that we don't have talents or abilities; it doesn't mean that we don't utilize that which God has given to us. As I noted last week, instead, it means that we step up and we serve, but we do it in the power which is control, that we do it in humility and gentleness for one another.
What does it look like when you put everyone else above yourself? It's gentleness; it's power under control. It's a ginormous man holding a tiny infant because guess what? Spiritually, there are some who are giants of the faith, and there are others who are infants.
And you treat infants in the faith differently than you do giants of the faith. We don't expect everyone to get everything right all the time, but instead, we exhort and we teach and we rebuke and we uplift, but we do it in gentleness. We do it in love. We do it for the sake of unity of the church that others may come to know Christ, that others may come to know him, that we may be one—one Lord and one faith and one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
See, if I were to wrap all of this up and just say this: putting God first is not easy. It was never meant to be. I, at times, worry about the fact that we've made the world's toughest thing to do—dying to yourself—something that we say things like, "Well, anyone can do it." Of course, anyone has the option of doing it.
To live your life for Christ is hard, and I hope no one has lied to you and told you that it was to be simple or easy. It's not because you have to deny yourself that Christ may live. But if you've bought into that, I hope you can realign that today and realize that you have been called to the toughest thing a person can do, which is to die to themselves.
But let me tell you this: the more you die to yourself and that Christ lives, the world changes. You change. Life is different. No matter the pain and suffering that might come, there is peace and joy to be found in the life of the believer. There is peace and joy to be found in the life of he and she who walks in the footsteps of Christ.
There is joy to be found. You know why? Because everyone around you who is also a believer is there to serve you and uplift you and connect with you and help you and grow you in the Lord.
Now, I don't know where you may be this morning. I don't know if you've been struggling in your faith or if you haven't become a believer at all. Maybe you've convinced yourself or tricked yourself into thinking that what you're doing—that somehow you could live a life as a Christian without actually changing anything.
And there are many in our world who do that. They make a claim of Christianity, but nothing of their life, no conviction of their life, speaks forth that actual activity—what it means to be a follower of Christ. Some of you have not been baptized, have not had your sins washed away, as Jesus directly gave us the Lord's Supper as a connecting point to his death, burial, and resurrection.
Today is the day. Don't miss this opportunity. In fact, some of you want to tell you, get out of your own head. It's not about you; it's about what God has done for you and what God will do for you in the waters of baptism, where he, through his grace and his mercy, washes those sins away that you might arise in newness of life.
Maybe you're just struggling and you need the prayers of the church. Maybe you've gotten caught up in the "me, me, me, do it my way" type of mentality, even within the church. Maybe you need to repent of that, and in all reality, I think a lot of us do because it's so easy to get caught up in that mentality.
But if you have a need today, I want you to know that this church family is here for you. The elders and the ministers and every person here, all of us want you to walk with the Lord and to rise up each day with conviction that who you are is a believer in Christ, and in that, there is joy and peace to be found.
If you have a need today, will you come? As together we stand and sing.
on Nov 05, 2023
