What is Your Answer?

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Transcript

Welcome And The Feeling Of Unfair

0:05

Hello and welcome to Five Minutes in the Word. I'm Ronnie Cooksy. Sometimes we just want to say to God, that's not fair. Sometimes people treat us in ways that make us frustrated and sad and very disappointed.

Blessed When You Suffer For Christ

0:18

Well, yesterday in 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 14, in the beginning of verse 15, we looked at this and how God calls that being blessed when you follow Christ and people treat you in an ill manner. And we are told to sanctify Christ as the Lord of our hearts, reminding ourselves that He's the ultimate judge, and not the people who are treating us in a wrong way, and to not fear.

Ready To Give A Defense

0:44

But Peter goes on in verse fifteen to say that we are to be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence, and keep a good conscience, so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. He says, Be ready to give a defense. Now he doesn't mean an apology, but a reason. So here's how this works. You determine in your heart that you first know Christ as your Savior, but then you're going to try to follow him. And from time to time, people treat you in a way that's not very kind. It's not fair. Sometimes we imagine it, but many times we don't. It's very true. So what do we do? We just continue to remember that Jesus is the ultimate judge, and we keep following him and fearing him and not man. When we do this, and if we're kind about it, somebody may want to know what makes you different. They may be saying in their hearts, now when that difficult guy at work treats us that way, we respond in kind. We're not nice back to him, but you somehow are kind in response. When that person that's difficult to deal with in the extended family treats the rest of us that way, we bark back at them. We try to get them back, but you seem to lovingly

Explaining The Hope That Changed You

2:14

move on. How do you do that? And that's our opportunity to give credit where credit is due, to give an answer for the hope that is within you. What's your hope? That you're trusting in Christ. He has met all of your needs, especially your spiritual needs, that you were a sinner, not forgiven, needing a savior, and he died in your place when you didn't treat him very well. And he loved you in response anyway. And so therefore you have, as a believer in Christ, turned to try to apply that in your life. And when people are not kind to you, that you can treat them in a way that Christ would treat them. So you give an answer for the hope that you know Christ as Savior. He's changed you, He's forgiven you of all that you've done to Him, and so you can forgive others.

Gentleness, Reverence, And A Good Conscience

3:04

He says, Do this with gentleness and reverence. In other words, your reverence is for the Lord, your gentleness is toward those who are not kind. He does give us this reminder, though, in verse 16, to keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. Let it not be true about you if they say unkind things about you. Let the Lord take those from you, take them to Him in prayer, pour out your heart to God, tell Him all those things. But you keep a good conscience. Are you perfect? No, and that's why we're thankful for the cross. But you continue to treat people well so that the thing that they may try to say about you falls flat, falls on deaf ears because people realize, no, that Christian, the one that you're trying to speak ill of, we've seen them. We've seen how they react to you in a kind way, in a gracious way. Why? Because their life has been changed by Christ. And then you will give God glory. All through the scripture we see stories of those who were mistreated, and they continued to follow Christ, and then God used it for his glory, and then they were so glad that they got to be a part of the story of giving God his rightful

Prayer For Courage, Hope, And Joy

4:22

glory. Well, God bless you today, and I'm praying right now, especially for those who are being mistreated for their walk with and their following of Christ. May God give you courage, hope, and joy in the midst of that today, as you identify with Christ and as you pour out your heart to Him, He hears, He cares, He listens. Thanks again for being with us today. God bless you, and I'll see you back here next time.