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."
Matthew 12:36-37 (NIV)
One of the primary ways that we can demonstrate gentleness is through the words we speak or by giving gentle answers.
Wouldn’t it be great if we had some type of translator or apparatus that could translate all of our harsh words into gentle words?
PLAY CLIP
I don’t know about you, but I must confess that I have not always responded to people with a gentle answer. But over the years, I have been learning how to do this. The good news is that we don’t have to conjure it up on our own. Although we don’t have voice translators, we do have the help of the Holy Spirit. This is a perfect example of how we need to allow the Holy Spirit to control, lead and strengthen us. Galatians 5:23 tells us that one of the products or fruit of the Holy Spirit is gentleness.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)
In other words, if the Holy Spirit lives in you, then gentleness is a part of the package. The ability to give a “Gentle Answer” is within you.
I have people ask me all the time, how do you measure spiritual maturity? This is one of the ways that you can measure spiritual maturity.
How many of you have had a child throw a hissy fit? How many of you just know someone who has a child who has thrown a hissy fit? It’s not a pretty sight is it? But that’s how children act when they don’t get their way. I mean they just let it all hang loose don’t they?
I know adults who are still having hissy fits when they don’t get their way and they are anything but gentle. These people just say whatever is on their minds or how they feel without any consideration to others.
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 4:29-32 (NIV)
RECAP
It’s as simple as this, when you speak harshly to someone or respond harshly to someone, your heart gets a little harder each time. But when you speak gently or respond gently, your heart softens and becomes more responsive to God.
The Second Way to Demonstrate Gentleness is by Expressing …
2. Gentle Actions
Do not be overcome by evil,
but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21 (NIV)
The second way of “letting your gentleness be evident to all” is through Gentle Actions.
When you’re driving down the highway at night and someone turns their high beams on, what do you do? When you have been wronged by someone, what is your natural inclination? To get revenge! Right? Admit it, some of your most creative thoughts have come to you thinking about how you could get even with someone. It is only natural to want to get back at someone. That’s what makes gentleness so powerful … it’s not natural, it’s supernatural. And in order to express gentle actions you need the power of the Holy Spirit to pull it off. Listen to this passage of Scripture in Romans 12:14-21:
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:14-21 (NIV)
Stop, Drop & Roll
Sound too difficult? Let me suggest starting with a method that can get you started on the right path. Now if you or someone you know is on fire, what are supposed to do? Stop, Drop & Roll. I would like to suggest the same method when it comes to revenge. When you’re burning with the desire to get back at someone, do this
(1) Stop – whatever you’re doing or thinking, just stop yourself
(2) Drop – figuratively or literally, drop to your knees and pray
(3) Roll – roll your burden and your hurt onto the Lord
Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall.
Psalms 55:22 (NIV)
RECAP
When you seek or even get revenge, you can count on your heart hardening. When you overcome evil with good, your heart softens.
The Third Way to Demonstrate Gentleness is by Developing . . .
3. Gentle Attitudes
Be completely humble and gentle;
be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Ephesians 4:2 (NIV)
If we are going to prevent the daily pressures of life from hardening our hearts, then we must learn to:
1. Give Gentle Answers
2. Carry Out Gentle Actions
Thirdly, We must learn to Develop Gentle Attitudes.
Earlier in this same letter Paul defines and describes what a “Gentle Attitude” is all about. Listen to Paul’s words in Philippians 2:5-10:
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
Philippians 2:5-9 (NIV)
Three Essential Characteristics of a Gentle Attitude
Three Essential Characteristics of a Gentle Attitude
(1) Do not consider yourself better than others.
(2) Take the nature of a servant
(3) Take up your cross
23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?
Luke 9:23-25 (NIV)
Taking up your cross means dying to self – daily.
The moment we begin thinking that it’s all about us is the moment we suffer from hardening of the attitudes. How do you know if you have “hardening of the attitudes”? People who suffer from this malady are always keeping score. And if they’re not keeping score, they’re trying to settle old scores. In fact, that’s the epitome of their life.
But a person with a gentle attitude is someone who is quick to forgive and keeps no record of wrongs. Why? I’ll tell you why. Because they’ve been to the cross.
Friends, that’s a gentle attitude. And because of their gentle attitude when the heat’s on they don’t harden, they soften into a pliable substance that God can mold and change.
Let your gentleness be evident to all, the Lord is near.
Philippians 4:5 (NIV)
Response
Gentle Answers, Gentle Actions and Gentle Attitudes – that’s the prescription for preventing the pressures of this world from hardening our hearts. Let me ask you a personal question. How’s your heart this morning? If you’re like most of us here, then more than likely your heart’s suffering from some hardness. But it doesn’t have to stay that way. Paul said, “Let your gentleness be evident to all …” but don’t forget the rest of this verse which states . . . “the Lord is near”. He is near in the sense that He is very close to returning again to this earth. But he is also near in the sense that He is right here with us today. And his invitation to you and I is stated very clearly in Matthew 11:28-30:
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
