Rick Warren - The Strength of Gentleness—Part One

Hello, and welcome to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope with Rick Warren.

We are so glad you're here with us.

Today we're going to continue our series called the Keys

to a Blessed Life.

Now.

In these messages, Rick walks through Jesus's Sermon on the

Mount and shows us how to live a truly hopeful

and purpose filled life. And now here's part one of

the Strength of Gentleness.

Today we're in part three of the series on jesus

eight Keys to living a blessed life. They're often called

the Beatitudes. That the first eight verses of the most

important sermon ever preached on planet Earth, the Sermon on

the Mount in Matthew chapter five, Verse five, Jesus says,

this the third key to God's blessing on your life.

God blesses those who are gentle. Look at that, God

blesses those who are And then here's the promise. The

whole earth will belong to them. Are you kidding me?

That's about the most extravagant statement ever made. The whole

earth will belong to anybody who's gentle. Do I really

believe that? Well, I wouldn't accept Jesus said it, and

Jesus doesn't lie. Jesus said, I am the truth. Not

I have the truth. I teach the truth to point

the truth. I am the truth. So if Jesus says,

God blesses those who are gentle, the whole earth will

belong to them. Guess what I believe that he's saying.

Somehow locked up in this third key of blessing is

the key that when you learn what it really means

to be gentle, the world's yours. I mean, it's your apple,

it's it's You're in charge, just not driving you it. Now,

in our hard driving, ego driven, market driven culture, you

don't hear a whole lot about gentleness. And the reason

why is we don't understand what it really means to

be gentle. We think gentleness means weakness, and God says

absolutely not. The gentle are the strongest people on the planet,

and the earth will be theirs. It's the weak people

who are arrogant, It's the weak people who are prideful.

It's the weak people who are pushy and rude and

mean and gossip. Those are weak people, he said. The

truly strong people in life are the gentle, and the

world will be theirs. Let me give you a true

definition of gentleness. Gentleness is strength under control. Gentleness, the

Bible teaches real gentleness is not weakness, but rather its

strength under control. A gentle person does not over react.

A gentle person is not driven by their own emotions.

A gentle person is not someone who just is so

moody and anything can let them fly off the handle.

A gentleness person is strength under control. The Greek word

in the Bible for gentleness is the word pratase pratase

in the old translations of the Bible. In English, it

is translated as the word meek meek. Now nobody uses

that word anymore because meek has become a synonym for weak,

and gentleness or pratase is anything but weak. In fact,

the word pratase or gentleness in the Bible was actually

used to refer to a wild stallion that had been tamed.

If you go out into the fields or in the

hills and you find a wild stallion who's strong and unbridled,

and they have enormous strength, and they could kick you

and kill you pretty quickly. But if you bring that

stallion back and you tame it, then the strength is

brought under control. The strength is bottled up for the

master's use, and now it's useful. A tamed horse is

no less strong than a wild horse. It has just

as much strength, it can go just as fast. But

a tamed horse, a proud taste horse, a meek horse,

a gentle horse, is one that it is strength under control.

It is bottled up for the master's use. And when

you learn true gentleness as a man of God, when

you learn true gentleness as a woman of God, it

doesn't mean you're weak. It doesn't mean you're a doormat,

it doesn't mean any of those things that you might

think meekness or gentleness means. It means you're not overreacting,

you're in control of your emotions, and you have strength

under control. Now today I want us to look at

the strength of gentleness, this third key to being blessed

by God in your life. And specifically, I want to

give you eight benefits what the Bible says eight benefits

of learning gentleness, so that this week you'll actually begin

to work on this quality in your life. Because once

you understand what this quality will do in your life,

you're going to go I want to be a gentle

man or I want to be a gentle woman because

it brings so many blessings in your life. I'm gonna

give you eight, so we're gonna have to write quick

take notes, real quick. Number one. Let's get right into it.

How learning to be gentle will bless your life? Number one.

The Bible teaches gentleness diffuses conflict. Gentleness diffuses conflict, It

de escalates anger. It curbs anger. It diffuses the time

bomb in any relationship that's about to explode. Gentleness is

an antidote to anger, the Bible says in Proverbs fifteen,

verse one, a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a

harsh word stirs up anger. I don't know if you've

noticed this or not, but it is tendency of human beings.

You and I tend to mimic the emotions of people

across from us. And the reason we do this is

because there's created in your brains. What or now we

now know about this, We didn't even know about this

years ago. We're in your brain are things called mirror

neurons in your brain, and mirror neurons allows you to

sympathize and also allow you to mirror back what other

people feel. So for instance, if somebody gets angry at you,

you get angry back. If somebody gets upset, you get

upset back. If somebody is really depressed, you hang around

the long enough you get depressed. On the other hand,

if somebody's energetic, you get energetic. That's part of the system. Now,

the Bible says, a gentle answer turns away wrath, but

a harsh word stirs up anger. Let me give you

a little tip that will save you a lot of

problems and a lot of heartache and a lot of

conflicts in your life. When other people raise their voice,

you lower yours. That simple tip will save you from

an enormous amount of conflict in your marriage and your parenting,

and your friendships and at work. When other people raise

your voice, you need to learn to automatically lower yours.

That's called strength under control. See what happens is usually

when somebody raises their voice against you, you raise your

voice back, and then they raise their voice higher, and

you raise your voice higher, and pretty soon it's way escalated,

way up here. That means you're out of control of

your emotions. Strength under control gentleness means that when they

raise their emotions, you lower yours. And you're not gonna

mimic and mock them. Here's a good verse you're gonna

need someday. Maybe some of you need it this week.

Ecclesiastes ten to four. If your boss is angry with you,

don't quit. If your boss is angry with you, don't quit.

A gentle a quiet, gentle spirit can overcome even great mistakes.

You see, when your boss rips one on you and

just let it, let's it rip and just kind of

vomits on you bad and really gets mad at you,

you need to first realize it may not be anything

have anything to do with you. They may have just

got a bad phone call. They may be receiving pressure

from their boss. They may have a bad situation at home.

They may eate a bad pizza. It could be any

number of things. And now they're turning to the person's

closest to them, which is somebody who works for them,

and they just kind of vent on you. And a

lot of times that has nothing to do with you.

And he says, when your boss gets angry at you, A,

don't get angry back, but B don't walk away either.

Just hang in there, because it says a gentle, quiet

spirit can overcome even great mistakes. Number two, Gentleness not

only diffuses anger. Gentleness, this is a big one, disarms critics.

It disarms critics. Now, the more successful you are in life,

the more critics you're going to have. If you don't

do anything with your life, nobody's going to criticize you.

The only way to not be criticized do nothing, say nothing,

be nothing. But if you actually stand for something instead

of falling for anything, you're going to be criticized. And

the more successful you are, the more criticized you are,

and the more well known you are, the more criticized

you're going to be. Now, how do you handle the

critics in your life? People who gossip against you at school,

at work, in your neighborhood, the people who malign you,

who say bad things against against you. Here's the point.

When you respond in gentleness, it disarms your critics. Why

it actually disappoints them. Because when somebody criticizes you on

social media, they're trolling friends, they're trolling. They want to

hook you, and they want you and they they're expecting

you to get mad back. They're expecting you and they

want you to be defensive and they want you to

get angry. Now, let me explain the psychology behind this.

There is actually an anger addiction that is as real

as any other addiction. Some people are addicted to the

feeling of anger. It's the only way they feel alive.

And they live in such a depressed state. They're living

in so much depression in their life. The only way

they can actually feel good, or feel alive, or feel

energetic is to get mad at somebody. Those people are

always looking for a fight. Do you know who I'm

talking about? Don't look at them, but you know who

they are. Maybe you had a parent like that, you know,

maybe you married somebody like that. Maybe I had a

boyfriend like that, And it's just like, why are you

looking for a fight? Because some people actually don't feel

very good until they get angry. And when they get angry,

then what happens is it energizes them and they feel

a whole lot better. Does that make sense? So you

cannot let that let them pull you in, because somebody's

gonna say something to you on you know, Instagram or

Facebook or something, Twitter or something, and if you respond,

they go hook them. Now I'm just gonna reel them

in and they feel so good because they love getting

in a fight. Normal people don't love getting in a fight,

but some people do. Now they're trying to hook you.

What do you do in those situations? One Corinthians four thirteen.

Paul says, here's what he does. We respond gently when

evil things are said about us. In other words, we

don't retaliate, We don't get back. You see, if somebody

hurts you, that puts them below you. If you get even,

it puts you even. But if you respond gently, it

actually puts you morally superior to them. And Paul says,

we respond gently even when evil things are said about us.

Titus two eight says this, your conversation should be so sensible.

In other words, it's gentle, it's kind, it's sensitive, and

sensible that anyone who wants to argue, in other words,

with you will be ashamed because there won't be anything

to criticize in anything you say. Did you know that,

as your pastor, I am forbidden by God to get

into arguments. There are multiple passages in the scripture that

says a pastor must never argue. Now, I know a

lot of pastors who do, and they just violate that scripture.

But the Bible says a pastor should never get caught

brought into a heated argument or debate, and says it says,

I am commanded by God to be gentle in every situation.

So this is equality I've had to learn in ministry.

Let me show you verse. It's up there on the screen,

two Timothy two twenty five. This is one of many,

it says, and the Lord's servant. It's talking about pastors.

It gives the qualifications for being a pastor, and it

says one of them is the Lord's servant must never quarrel.

Look at that. I am not allowed to quarrel, according

to the Bible. Instead, he must be kind and gentle

with everyone he agrees with. No, he must be kind

and gentle with everyone one in his political party. Now

then say that he must be kind and gentle with

everyone who is a Christian. And then say that it

says with everyone. Does that include other religions? Yes, includes atheists, Yes,

people with the lifestyle I disagree with. Yes, I am

to be kind and gentle with everybody. I am forbidden

to quarrel with anybody. It says they must be able

to teach effectively. A pastor and they must be patient

with difficult people. That means you. Then it says it

is those who oppose him he must gently instruct gently.

There's that word gentle. He must gently instruct in the

hope that God will grant them repentance, leading them to

know the truth. I don't know if you've noticed this

or not, but I get criticized every once in a while,

in fact all the time, and most it's just total nonsense.

It makes no sense at all. And when I read it,

I go, why would they criticize me for that? That's

not true. I know the stuff they should criticize me.

They should ask me, and then they could criticize the

real things that I'm worthy of criticism about. But I

am not allowed to retaliate in any way. It's why

I never ever ever fight back with critics. Never. I

just don't do it. Why the Bible says gentleness disarms critics.

And so I constantly ask God for a tough skin

and a tender heart. And that's what you need to do.

You need to say, God, give me a tough skin.

So when people say stuff about me, he just rolls

off my back. I don't let it bother me. But

I have a tender heart. You don't want a tough heart.

You want a tender heart and a tough skin. What's

really funny is because God says blesses, God blesses those

who are gentle, the whole earth belongs to them. Some

of my biggest critics have actually become some of my

best friends. Because I would not retaliate. I only responded

in generalists. He is a well known pastor who's been

on the radio for years and years and years. Henny's

just criticized me for thirty five years. I don't think

he's ever read anything that I've written, or even a

visit at saddle Back Church, so he's just heard it

all secondhand. Henny's criticized, and in thirty four years, I

have refused to ever say one single thing negative about

that guy. I just won't do it. In fact, the

other day he went on a recent rampage and was

talking about stuff that just wasn't right. And somebody on

Twitter said, Pastor Rick, have you seen what pastor so

and so has said about you? Are you going to

respond to it? And I wrote back on Twitter these

words what And I mentioned that guy's name. What? That

guy thinks about me in no way controls my response

to him, and I have nothing but total respect for

his ministry. That's called gentleness. That's called strength under control.

Gentleness diffuses conflict that gentleness disarms critics. Here's a real

important one. Gentleness is persuasive. The Bible says gentleness is persuasive. Now,

this is extremely important if you happen to make a

career in sales, if you're a salesman, a saleswoman, you

have to sell a product or a service, you definitely

need to learn gentleness. Why because the hard sell no

longer works. It used to be the way you got

people's attention in the world was to be the loudest advertisement.

And all you had to do was be loud and

fast and hard and strong, and people go, okay, I'll

buy I'll buy a vacuum cleaner. You know, okay, I'll

buy your computer, I'll buy your car. None of that

works anymore, I mean you know it. There were these

guys used to be on TV to sell cars, and

they talk real loud and real fast. In fact, when

somebody comes on really hard and really forceful, what's your

automatic reaction? Back off? No way, am I buying anything

from that person. Today, the hard sell no longer works.

In fact, advertising doesn't work anymore. What works is gentleness,

And so you get you know what, most of the

stuff you buy today, you don't buy it because somebody's

giving you a hard sales pash. You buy it because

somebody recommended it. And we go, oh, what are my friends?

What car are they buying, what movies are they seeing?

What restaurants are they going to? And it is recommendations. Why,

because that's a gentle approach, it's far more persuasive. Let

me show you some Verses. Privers twenty five, Verse fifteen

says gentle speech can break down rigid defenses. So you

want to convince your girlfriend, your boyfriend, your husband, your wife,

your parents to do something, not the hard cell. That's

not gonna work. Gentle speech breaks down rigid defenses. The

New Century version says a gentle word can get through

to the hard headed. And so if you're a parent,

screaming at your child never works, never works. You never

discipline in anger, and you never discipline in frustration. You

always discipline in love, and you do it gently because

screaming never works. All it does is create fear and

resentment in the person you're screaming at, and they get

defensive and they put it up. You know, if I

want to persuade you to live more for Jesus Christ,

I must do it in a gentle way. So I

could stand up here every Sunday evening and say, let

me tell you all the things you're doing wrong. And

what would you do? You just build emotional bears, I

forget rip and you probably stop coming you go. You

wouldn't say, hey, let's go to s battle back Sunday

night and have Rick tell us what bad people we are.

That doesn't work. It doesn't work in the pulpit, it

doesn't work in the house, it doesn't work in as

a teacher. Nagging never works. But gentleness is persuasive. A

gentle word can get through to the hard headed. You

say it gently. Look at this verse. Contemporary English version says,

patience and gentle talk can convince a ruler and overcome

any problem. That's what the Bible says. See that word ruler.

Let me give you a little tip on Bible study.

Anytime you see the word ruler in the Bible, you

translate it boss, manager, supervisor. Because we don't have rulers.

Today we're in a democracy. We don't have kings. We

don't have queens. We do have lords and ladies and

counts and vassals. We don't have kings and rulers. Nobody

rules over you. Everybody has a boss, and we all

have to work under supervision at different times in our life.

So anytime you see the word ruler or king in

the Bible, just translated CEO, boss manager, the supervisor over me.

Patience and gentle talk can convince your supervisor and overcome

any problem. Why, because gentleness is persuasive. Look at the

next verse. The Bible says in Proverbs sixteen twenty one,

a wise mature person is known for understanding. The more

pleasant his words, the more persuasive he is. Now, circle

the word pleasant, and circle the word persuasive, and draw

a line between them. Because if you want to be persuasive,

if you want to persuade people of your idea, your product,

your service, your faith, or anything else, you must be

pleasant pleasant. The more pleasant in his words, the more

persuasive is now. This is the mark of maturity. Wise

mature people are pleasant fools, and idiots are rude fools.

And idiots are rude. They're crass, they're crude, They're not pleasant,

they're unpleasant, and they speak in rude, crude ways. The

more mature, the more wise you are, the more pleasant,

the more positive your speech is going to be.

Hey, thanks so much for being with us today and

listening to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. I hope that you

were just as blessed as I was from today's broadcast.

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You know, when I started Saddleback Church over forty years ago,

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