Finding Strength and Peace Amidst Criticism

Paul must have been tempted when he was in Corinth to lose heart. We know that because God appeared to him in a vision. The Lord Himself appeared in a vision and in Acts 18 and verse 10 said to him do not be afraid Paul but go on speaking don't be silent I'm with you no one will attack you or harm you for I have many people who are in this city. [06:32]

I want to speak particularly this weekend to all the parents who have a son or a daughter who has nothing good to say about you. You've done your best to love your children to provide for them but for some reason or another and you may not understand it the son or daughter has turned against you and nothing you do is ever right. [02:19]

I want to speak to everyone today who has been loyal to a difficult task. You have been loyal perhaps to a difficult spouse or to a difficult friend. The reality is that you have been taken for granted you have been presumed on you often feel that what you have done is you have extended yourself in one way or another has not been very much recognized. [03:08]

I'm speaking today to every person who lives under the crushing burden of unrealistic expectations. Other people in some way seem to hold you to an impossible standard and nothing you do ever seems to be good enough. Perhaps you feel that in a work environment or even in a relationship you feel yourself to be living in the shadow of someone else. [03:43]

Paul says in second Corinthians five and twelve we are not commending ourselves to you again but we are giving you cause to boast about us so that you may be able to answer those who boast in the outward appearance and not about what's in the heart. [18:08]

Blessed is the man who does not sit in the seat of scoffers. We usually remember the first bit the man who doesn't walk in the way of the wicked yes but at the end of the verse blessed is the man who does not sit that's very significant sit because it means hang out with hang out with cynical critical people who are always pulling other people down. [22:43]

Maintain a clear conscience and notice that he refers to conscience in verse 11 and speaks about their conscience he can only speak about their conscience in the light of his own conscience and so just back a page in 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 in verse 12 he says the testimony of our conscience is that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity. [33:02]

Find peace because God knows your hearts love this in verse 11 what we are is known to God it's known to God. Now the orders friends here is very important because of course if you have a bad conscience the fact that God knows you is not good news that will not comfort you will now give you peace in your bad conscience and God knows me that's very very troubling. [36:21]

Draw strength from the love of Christ and that's why we just went over into verse 14 and we're going to come back to it next week but just to end here very very briefly you think about what Jesus endured and what people said about him people called him Beelzebub that is they called him the devil they said he's demon-possessed. [39:11]

Friends we owe it to each other to make the kindest possible judgments we can about each other don't we that's the Spirit of Christ always to think the best of others to make more of a person's virtues than their faults to make more of another person's strengths than their weaknesses and to learn to answer the critical person. [27:50]

Don't be a habitual critic don't be a fault finder never assume the worst love always hopes that's what love does so when you hear something that is unkind about another person at least the first reaction would be to say oh I hope that that is not true and love is patient and kind so even where a person is at fault. [29:15]

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself and in that way you will not grow weary and lose heart same phrase and then the writer to Hebrews adds this in your struggle you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood you see the point of this so people are saying that you're unreliable. [41:51]