Hello Everyone,

So how so we respond to ridicule? Remember the character of those doing the ridiculing.

We are known not only by the friends that we make but by the enemies that we make.

Acts 5:41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

Jesus challenged us to:

Matthew 5:44 …Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Pray for them, remembering their character, and don't respond the same way they do, becoming like them.

-Remember the company you are in when ridiculed.

When Jesus was about to perform a great miracle...

Mark 5:40 But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was.

Luke 22:63 And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him.

Which was worse, the mocking or the smiting? I believe it was the mocking.

Luke 23:35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.”

This was on the cross. A big portion of the pain!

The greatest way to respond to ridicule is toRemember the compensation you will receive for being ridiculed.

Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Each time you are ridiculed for Christ's sake, a deposit is made in heaven!

Lastly we respond to ridicule by Remember the conclusion of the matter.

"He who laughs last, laughs best."

Proverbs 1:24-29
²⁴ But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,
²⁵ since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke,
²⁶ I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you—
²⁷ when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

²⁸ “Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me.
²⁹ Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD,

God who spoke the world into existence will get the last word.

Whose side are you on? Jesus said you are for me or against me, you are scattering or gathering. It's time to take our stand for the right.

"I have decided to follow Jesus!" "Though none go with me, still I will follow!"

Greater Things Are Still To Come!

Pastor Phil