The Fruit of the Spirit is Gentleness

Christ Restoration Church Sermons

James 3:13-18
June 2, 2024
preached by Pastor Doug Cooper
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Time of Reflection Quotations

“Authority without wisdom is like a heavy axe without an edge, fitter to bruise than polish.”

~ Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672), Renowned English-American poet

“The meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of his own inferiority. Rather he may be in his moral life as bold as a lion and as strong as Samson; but he has stopped being fooled about himself. He has accepted God’s estimate of his own life. He knows he is as weak and helpless as God declared him to be, but paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is in the sight of God of more importance than angels. In himself, nothing; in God, everything. That is his motto.”

~ A.W. Tozer (1897-1963), American pastor and author

“Both gentleness and meekness are born of power, not weakness… It takes strength, God’s strength, to be truly gentle.”

~ Jerry Bridges (1929-2016), American author and speaker

“Meek. Humble. Gentle. Jesus is not trigger-happy. Not harsh, reactionary, easily exasperated. He is the most understanding person in the universe. The posture most natural to him is not a pointed finger but open arms.”

“He doesn’t handle us roughly. He doesn’t scowl and scold. He doesn’t lash out, the way many of our parents did. And all this restraint on his part is not because he has a diluted view of our sinfulness. He knows our sinfulness far more deeply than we do. Indeed, we are aware of just the tip of the iceberg of our depravity, even in our most searching moments of self-knowledge. His restraint simply flows from his tender heart for his people.”

~ Dane Ortland (1978-present), American pastor and author

“For the Son of God to be counted the vilest of men; the Sovereign of angels, to be made lower than His creatures; the Lord of heaven, to become a worm of the earth; for a Creator to be spurned by His creatures – is an evidence of a meekness not to be paralleled.”

~ Stephen Charnock (1628-1680), English pastor and author

Sermon Passage

James 3:13-18 (ESV)

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. ¹⁵ This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. ¹⁶ For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. ¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸ And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.