Come Up Higher - God is Gentleness

So today we will journey through God’s love story the Bible and explore another aspect of God’s characteristics, and that is gentleness. A gentleness that is the very essence of God Himself. In humility, kindness, equity and patience, God acts in gentleness. For God is gentleness. As you listen be blessed, empowered and transformed in Jesus name.

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Transcript

00:00 Intro music and voice over.

Welcome to jesus loves the world podcast. For more information and free resources visit our website jesuslovestheworld.info Be blessed empowered and transformed in Jesus’ name! 

00:21 Speaker

Following on from last week, we discovered that God continues to invite us to come up higher, to know and experience Him and His faithfulness more and more. A faithfulness that is the absolute integrity of God. He is true to His characteristics, fulfilling His purpose and plan of salvation and judgement. Bringing equality and freedom, restoration and transformation, healing and wholeness, and peace and harmony to humanity.

So today we will journey through God’s love story the Bible and explore another aspect of God’s characteristics, and that is gentleness. A gentleness that is the very essence of God Himself. In humility, kindness, equity and patience, God acts in gentleness. For God is gentleness.

The Apostle Paul knew and experienced the gentleness of God - the Father, Son and Spirit. He writes in 2 Corinthians 10:1-6 Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

In this letter to the saints, that is those who have received Jesus, received God, the Apostle Paul links the gentleness and humility of Christ Jesus, with the mighty working power of God and His truth. His truth that disarms the arguments, thoughts, plans and intentions of evil and the selfish desires of humanity. Both evil and the selfish desires of humanity want to raise self up and push others down. Effectively opposing God. For it is God’s heart desires that each individual be truly free. For everyone is equal in God’s kingdom.

In the complete contrast to evil and humanity, God’s life giving, life transforming, creating something out of nothing mighty power, is expressed in humility and gentleness. In this instance the humility and gentleness of Christ Jesus. 

God’s gentleness and humility is not only linked with the empowerment of others, but also with judgement. That is the judgement of evil and all those who have rejected God and His truth. As a result of rejecting God, having aligned themselves with evil, come under the judgement of evil. 

This is what the text is referring to in punishing all disobedience. The disobedience of rejecting God and His truth is aligning oneself with evil and therefore comes under God’s judgement. 

God the all powerful one never abuses His power. In gentleness, humility, equity and patience He rules and reigns. God never controls, dominates or manipulates people or circumstances. As that is an abuse of power and the way of evil and humanity’s selfish desires. 

For God is gentleness. He is the all powerful and humble. The only one who is justice and truth. The self existing, self sustaining, ever present, eternal one, has no evil or selfish desires within. 

So He continues to invite us to come up higher and live in the reality of who He is. For God is gentleness.

In another letter to those who have received Jesus, received God, the Apostle Paul links Christ’s humility, gentleness and patience with relationships. That is the perfect relationship of equality and respect within God Himself. It is this relationship that God shares with others and is to flow through to one another.  

The Father, Son and Spirit, who being of the same essence are in a perfect relationship of love and respect. God’s humility, gentleness and patience is evidence in everything God says and does. This becomes a reality in us through the surrender of our selfish desires to Him. Where in surrender to Him, in gentleness and humility, He reaches down into our hearts and minds. 

In the daily journey of surrendering to God, He transforms our hearts and renews our minds. So that we can come up higher and live in the reality of His oneness.  

Let us go to Ephesians 4:1-6 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

Again the Apostle Paul links together God’s humility, gentleness and patience. In humility or lowliness and gentleness, the all powerful reveals His love. He gives all of Himself to humanity. Upon saying yes to Jesus, yes to God, we are enjoined with Him and each other. Each one regardless of ethnicity, age, gender or socio-economic status, having said yes to Jesus, yes to God, is one in Christ Jesus. Partaking of the divine oneness of the Father, Son and Sprit. Being one with the living God.

All those who have received God, become bonded together as one spiritual body. This Spirit of unity, brings His peace within individuals and into our relationships with each other. We are joined together in His bond of peace, and maintain His unity by living in a continual heart and mind condition of surrender. That is surrender of self will, to that of the Father’s will.

Being worthy of the divine calling is receiving God’s gift of Himself to us. It is the daily journey to live in the fullness of His truth and the highest value that God has placed on our salvation.  

The Father, Son and Spirit are one in will and plan. It is God’s heart desire that none should perish. That every individual throughout the ages, be given the opportunity to hear the truth. For God is gentleness. A gentleness that is intertwined with His humility and patience.

The Father, Son and Spirit created heaven and earth and all things good. However humanity has given power to their selfish desires and evil. Yet God continues to pursue humanity in love. In humility, gentleness and patience, He is waiting until all who will come to Him have come. At that appointed moment in time, Jesus will return and the judgement and elimination of evil will take place. 

When Jesus, the Son of God walked the earth as a man. He made a powerful statement that again reveals the link between His humility and gentleness. 

Matthew 11:26-30 Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

God in Jesus brings eternal salvation and rest. True rest in freedom from striving to be good enough or accepted, honoured or loved. Jesus, the Son of God gives an eternal rest which refreshes the soul and delivers humanity from guilt and shame, condemnation and death. Bringing innocence and honour, endorsement and eternal life.

Jesus continues, Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart… 

In rural cultures at the time of writing and still in some cultures today, the yoke is used in ploughing and harvesting. The yoke is a device used in joining two animals together, whether oxen or bulls. It is a pair of balances that can regulate the load between the two animals connected to the plough. 

Jesus in human form represents humanity and still fully divine represents God. In humility and gentleness, He came down to earth and took upon His human body the burdens of humanity. God Himself in Jesus came to break the yoke of bondage of humanity. 

To the first hearers the yoke represented bondage of forced servitude. Jesus is contrasting the forced servitude of humanity’s selfish desires, evil and religion with the perfect peace, humility and gentleness of God.

God delights in serving humanity, bringing salvation and deliverance, wholeness and healing, peace and rest. In humility, gentleness and patience He continues to pursue humanity. As His hearts desire is that none should perish.

The main action word in the text from Matthew is learn. To learn in this context is to know and receive God and His truth. That is the moment of saying to Jesus, yes to God. Accepting His right to rule and reign and giving total allegiance to Him. 

Being empowered to live in the reality of the intimacy and oneness with God is a daily journey of being enjoined with Him. Knowing and experiencing Him more each day. We are invited to come up higher and be immersed in His humility and gentleness. At rest in Him. 

A rest for our soul. In this context the soul is the centre of everything of both mind and spirit. It is all encompassing and includes thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, physical well being and even the breath of life itself. 

In coming to Jesus, receiving Him, receiving God, in surrender to Him, we find an eternal rest for every part of ourself. Body, mind, spirit and emotions. 

In humility God does not boast of His own awesomeness of power or character. 

Possibly one of the most descriptive passages of scripture that reveals the humility of God is in another letter by the Apostle Paul. This time to the saints in Philippi.

Philippians 2:5-11 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

In Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, God’s humility and gentleness was revealed. The all powerful, in His humility and gentleness became the servant of humanity. The divine wrapped Himself in human skin and yoked Himself together with humanity. Carrying the weight of humanity’s selfish desires and offences on His physical human body.

It was the very ones He came to save that forced the crown of suffering into His skull. He willing was yoked to the mental and emotional torture of humanity’s guilt, shame and condemnation. 

Humanity drove the nails of punishment into the hands and feet of this innocent man. Fully divine, yet in humility and gentleness He willingly laid Himself down. He carried the burdens and paid the cost for every offence ever said, done or thought by humanity. 

The Son of God, the holy one, in humility and gentleness willingly came. One with Father and Spirit came from eternity, into our finite world. The all powerful lived, died and was raised on high. Jesus the kinsman redeemer, saviour and friend, did all for us. For God is gentleness. 

So as we enter into this new season, God is inviting us to come up higher. To know and experience Him and His gentleness more and more. A gentleness that is intertwined with His humility and patience. A gentleness that He personally shares with us each and every day. As we surrender to Him, take a moment to receive from Him, we are immersed in His gentleness. For God is and always will be, gentleness.

19:40 Outro music and voice over. 

For more information and free resources visit our website jesuslovestheworld.info Be blessed empowered and transformed in Jesus’ name!