Passage: Philippians 4:5

The Big Idea

“Let your gentleness be known to all people. The Lord is near.” Gentleness is the heart of someone who lets the Lord fight their battles. It’s faith lived out: not escaping, forcing, grasping, controlling or coveting, but patiently trusting God. Jesus was gentle: little children ran to Him, and He didn’t break bruised reeds. His gentleness already lives in every believer, and it grows as we stop worrying, repent of self-reliance and take His yoke. Because the Lord is near, we don’t have to fight for control.

Gentle Like Jesus

Picture a child-life specialist at a children’s hospital: someone whose whole job is to help scared kids understand what’s happening. Calm and gentle, they explain, comfort and help a frightened child feel safe.

That looks like Someone I know: Jesus.

Spurgeon marveled that Jesus, born amid the praises of angels, honored by visitors from distant lands and foretold by the prophets, didn’t burst onto the scene as a celebrity in His youth. Instead, for thirty years He quietly worked in Joseph’s workshop, patiently occupied with His Father’s business.

When people brought little children for Jesus to touch, the disciples scolded them. But Jesus was indignant and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and don’t stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Then He took them in His arms, laid His hands on them and blessed them (Mark 10:13-16).

Jesus knew how to be gentle.
He could take children in His arms without frightening them!
If they’d fully understood that the One holding them was the almighty Creator, the Judge of every soul, they might have been terrified.
But there was something about Jesus that invited people to come close. And there still is.
That same gentleness is in you, because Jesus is in you. As you surrender to His Spirit, He’ll make you gentle the way He is.

Your Gentleness (4:5)

Let your gentleness be known to all people. The Lord is near.

The Greek word means reasonable, fair, mild, gentle.

Paul says “your gentleness.” It has already been given to you. It might be buried under layers of self-driven ambition, but it’s there in every true believer.

Bible teacher David Guzik describes this word as the heart of a person who lets the Lord fight their battles, knowing vengeance belongs to God (Romans 12:19). It’s someone free to let go of anxieties and stress, because they know the Lord will take up their cause.

Do you let the Lord fight your battles? Or do you stress about them?

Maybe the real question is: Do you think He would fight your battles if you let Him? Do you trust Him?

What Gentleness Is Not

Scripture talks about this often. Paul says an overseer should be not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous (1 Timothy 3:3).

Each of those traits reveals what gentleness is not:

Given to wine: wanting to escape. Gentleness is willing to endure hardship.
Violent: wanting to force your way. Gentleness is patient with people and influences them through love and service.
Greedy for money: grasping for comfort and security. Gentleness accepts its current position as exactly where God has placed it for now.
Quarrelsome: controlling people. Gentleness gives others the dignity of making their own choices while ministering truth and grace to them.
Covetous: wanting what others have. Gentleness doesn’t want to take from others, but to give.

Gentleness looks a lot like faith lived out.

That sounds like Someone I know: Jesus.

Spurgeon pointed out how quietly Jesus stepped into public ministry. He didn’t push through the crowd at the Jordan and demand John’s attention. He waited until all the people had been baptized, and then asked John to baptize Him.

Paul tells believers to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable and gentle, showing every courtesy to all people (Titus 3:2).

Speak evil of no one: don’t wish for someone’s downfall or broadcast their failures and weaknesses.
Humility: genuinely consider others more important than yourself.
That sounds like Jesus.

Spurgeon wrote that though zeal for God’s house consumed Him, Jesus didn’t need outside excitement to keep His fire burning: “there was an inexhaustible fount of fire within. Therefore He was ardent but not noisy, intense but not clamorous.”

It’s Wise

James says the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere (James 3:17).

It’s wise to be gentle, to trust God to fight your battles.
It grieves me to watch people insist on fighting every battle themselves. They haven’t learned wisdom. You can’t control your life.
You have to let it go and trust God with it.
We have to stop fighting for control.

That even applies to politics.

Christians are citizens, and we can participate thoughtfully and pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
But Scripture never says a particular political system is required for believers to thrive.
For most of church history, Christians lived under kings and emperors with few rights, and they still loved Jesus and showed Him to the world. Many believers do the same today.
The government isn’t greater than the church. We aren’t afraid of it. We don’t have to control it. Our God reigns.
Gentleness rules in God’s kingdom on earth.
Do the people on the other side of you politically know how gentle you are? Do they see your unwavering trust in Jesus? Or do they see you striving for control just as hard as they are?

To All People

Let your gentleness be known to all people.

That’s how we’re to treat everyone. No exceptions. Not if they mistreat you, hate you, overcharge you, cheat you or try to control you.

What does that look like? Jesus said: if someone strikes you on one cheek, offer the other. If someone takes your coat, don’t withhold your shirt. Give to everyone who asks. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Even sinners love those who love them. Love your enemies, do good and lend, expecting nothing back, and your reward will be great, and you’ll be children of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and evil (Luke 6:29-35; see also Matthew 5:39-42).

There it is: insults, theft, unfair treatment, people taking advantage of your kindness.
We have no right to withhold gentleness from anyone.
Not, “I’ll get you back.” Not holding grudges and nursing resentment.

(Gentleness isn’t the same as staying in harm’s way. Jesus is talking about personal retaliation and revenge, not about refusing protection from abuse or danger. Seeking safety, and letting proper authorities do their God-given job, is not a failure of gentleness.)

What keeps us from being gentle? Worry and fear.

What if they take advantage of me?
What if they take my stuff?
What if I get hurt?
What if I can’t be happy?

Jesus knew this, so He addressed it directly.

Don’t Worry

Don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34).

Jesus told His disciples: don’t worry about your life, what you’ll eat or wear. Life is more than food and the body more than clothes. Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest, yet God feeds them, and you’re worth so much more than birds. Who can add an hour to their life by worrying? If you can’t do that small thing, why worry about the rest? Look at the lilies. They don’t work or spin, yet not even Solomon was dressed like them. If God clothes the grass, which is here today and burned tomorrow, how much more will He clothe you, you of little faith? Don’t chase after what you’ll eat or drink, and don’t keep worrying. The whole world runs after these things, but your Father knows you need them (Luke 12:22-30).

Jesus couldn’t be clearer. We’re not to worry. Worry makes us abandon gentleness.
There’s a deep, inner gentleness in every believer who simply trusts that God will take care of them.
They know God is their Father, and they can’t imagine Him not giving them what they need.
The flesh and the enemy plant the thought that God won’t give you what you need.
The Spirit keeps reminding us that He will give. He will provide. That’s what grace is: everything we’ll ever need, provided by Jesus Himself.

Jesus said, Don’t be afraid, little flock, for it’s your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:32).

God’s desire is to give! That’s the language of grace.
And when God desires something, He accomplishes it. He’s sovereign.
He wants to supply our needs as a Father. He wants to partner with us in His kingdom, even entrust it to us, as we live out His love and gentleness.
So we know beyond doubt that the kingdom didn’t come because of us. It was given to us by God’s power alone.

The Lord Is Near

The Lord is near.

In English, this phrase can look tacked on. But it’s central to the sentence.

God is near to those who put themselves in His care.

He doesn’t always change the pain or the circumstances, but He promises His presence and grace, and He uses you as a light to the world.

The pursuit of comfort and control isn’t really compatible with serving God’s kingdom.

His kingdom is all about Him. We can be gentle because of our relationship with God. We want to be where He is and do what He would do. We want to please our Master. His kingdom is in our hearts and on our hearts. We want it more than prosperity or anything else.

Gentleness keeps us near His heart, His will and His blessing.

How Do I Get Gentleness?

The Lord and His kingdom are near, inseparably linked. So what should we focus on?

John the Baptist preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2).
Jesus preached the same: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

Every time the nearness of the kingdom is announced, we’re directed to repent: to freely admit our failure. That’s the key to being near Him.

“I’m not good. I’m not right. I’m not sufficient.”
“Instead of depending on myself, I’ll turn and believe Your Word.”
“No one is righteous. But You freely offer help, grace and everything we need through Jesus alone.”

That’s a great way to repent!

Have you been gentle with everyone? Your boss? Your employees? Your children?

So how do I become like this?

Jesus invites us to take His yoke and learn from Him, because He is gentle and humble in heart, and we’ll find rest for our souls. His yoke is easy and His burden light (Matthew 11:29-30).

Yoke yourself to Jesus.
Connect with Him and never let go.
Draw near and attach yourself to Him.
Through prayer and His Word, follow Him closely.

Matthew applies Isaiah’s prophecy to Jesus: He will not quarrel or cry out, and no one will hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out, until He brings justice to victory. And in His name the nations will hope (Matthew 12:19-21).

Spurgeon said Jesus’ design “was not to be the idol of the populace, but to break their idols and lead their hearts back to God.” No violence has been used to spread the gospel; no worldly weapon has been raised to advance Messiah’s reign. “He does not strive nor cry.”

Grace Takeaway

Jesus is gentle with bruised reeds like us. He doesn’t crush the weak or snuff out the faint. And the same gentleness He showed to children and sinners now lives in you by His Spirit. You don’t have to fight for control, worry about tomorrow or get even with anyone. The Lord is near. Take His yoke, learn from Him, and let your gentleness be known to everyone.

For Discussion

What do you think Jesus looked like?
What do you think it means to let God fight your battles? What’s the opposite?
Share some “battles” you’ve been involved in.
Read Matthew 5:39-42. Why is this standard hard for us? Which part is most difficult for you?
What do you think of the saying “God helps those who help themselves”? What would be a more accurate saying from this passage? “God helps those who ____ themselves.”
Read Matthew 11:29-30. What is a yoke? How do we “yoke” with Jesus? How can we help each other do that?
Pray together: confess areas of self-dependence, give thanks, and ask for Christ’s strength to pull the yoke for us. Ask for open doors for ministry and boldness to share the gospel.

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The Godliness of Gentleness