Dare To Bear Series

Prescription For Pressure

Part 2

“Dare To Bear”

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Philippians 4:5 (NIV)

Introduction

Little Bobby had a habit of stretching the truth just a bit. One day while walking home from school he saw a large black dog run across the street in front of him. He rushed home as fast as he could and told his mother, "Mom, you’re never going to believe what I just saw!" "What did you see Bobby?" his mother asked cautiously. "While I was walking home, a huge black bear jumped out of the bushes and tried to eat me! But I was too fast for him and ran home as fast as I could!" declared Bobby. By this time his mother was somewhat distraught and began to worry about Bobby’s "truth-stretching".

When Bobby’s father returned home from a business trip the next day, Bobby excitedly ran to his father and told him about his adventurous walk on the way home from school. His father promptly instructed Bobby to go to his room, get down on his knees and ask God what He thinks about his story. Within minutes Bobby came bouncing out of his room and into the kitchen. "Well son, just what did God think about your story?" asked his father. "Well, replied Bobby, God told me that when He first saw that dog, He thought it was a bear too!"

Life Can Be A Bear

I don’t know about you, but I have to admit that more often than not, life looks and feels much more like a bear than a puppy. You know what I mean? The bear is relentless. He never ever quits. And every day of our lives we feel the wear and tear of the relentless pressure of the bear’s pursuit. And the fact of the matter is that none of us are exempt are we? And it shouldn’t surprise us that one of the predictable results of this relentless pressure is the onset of a hardened heart. It starts innocently enough with just a little irritability. Then irritability, if left unchecked can turn into frustration. Frustration if left unchecked can turn into pessimism, and pessimism in turn can lead to cynicism.

Before you know it we find ourselves dealing with a hardened heart. And don’t fool yourselves into thinking that it doesn’t carry over into other areas of your life, because it does. And that’s why it’s so dangerous. Especially when it carries over into our spiritual lives. God takes the insensitivity of a hardened heart very seriously. Listen to what the writer of Hebrew says,

12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. 15 As has just been said:

"Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts

as you did in the rebellion."

Proposition:

It is vitally important that we do not allow the pressures of this life to harden our hearts. Tall order wouldn’t you say? How do you do it? How do you prevent the problems and pressures of this life from hardening your heart? I think the secret is found in Philippians 4:5

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Philippians 4:5 (NIV)

As we stated last week, we have to remind ourselves that the Apostle Paul was not writing this letter from EuroDisney. And if anyone had an excuse to be bitter and cynical, it was Paul. But instead of succumbing to cynicism, he counters it with a powerful antidote: Gentleness. “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”

Transition

And if you and I hope to keep our hearts from hardening, we need to apply the spiritual quality of Gentleness in our daily lives.

Gentleness: the spirit-enabled ability to bear with others through patience and consideration.

Three Ways to Demonstrate Gentleness

The First Way to Demonstrate Gentleness is by Giving . . .

1. Gentle Answers

A gentle answer turns away wrath,

but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:1 (NIV)

You’ve heard the old saying that “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me”. Well I’m here to tell you that words can hurt us far deeper than any stick or stone. Bruises on the body heal much faster than bruises on the heart.

In fact, Jesus taught us that the words we speak are very important.

36 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."