Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. How is your attitude? Peter here gives us five components for a good attitude. And we're going to learn that having a good day begins with godly attitudes. That is the key to having a good life.
It's not the circumstances that you may experience. But your attitude Uh This is the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. We've all heard the phrase, have a good day. But did you know that scripture also exhorts us to have a good day? Today, John takes us to 1 Peter chapter 3, where the Apostle Peter reveals the surprising key to good days and a fulfilling life.
It's not about perfect circumstances, but about cultivating the right attitudes of the heart. Here's Pastor John Monroe with his message. Living the good life. People often say they've had a good day or a bad day. I think we know what they mean.
But when we analyze it, this usually means that the circumstances of their day have gone well or badly. Life has its ups and downs, doesn't it? But from a biblical perspective, what is a good day? Peter writes about loving life and seeing good days. That sounds marvelous and something we would all like.
Don't you find it very fascinating that Peter is writing to persecuted and suffering Christians and informing them that they can live the good life? What does it mean? Let's look at chapter 3 of 1 Peter and verses 8 through 12 where we will learn about living the good life. Yes, God wants you to live the good life. Several years ago Friends of mine from Scotland were coming to Charlotte, and I went to meet them.
At the airport. And as we were leaving, uh and I was paying for the parking lot. Uh The woman taking uh my money said as we left, have a good day. My Scottish friend said, Do you know this person? I said, No, I've never met them before.
He said, she said to you, have a good day. I said, yeah. I said, that's what Americans do. In Scotland we might ignore the person. Tell them to get on their way.
Or perhaps say Cheerio. Have a good day. I realize it can be a bit of a cliché. Yeah, behind it may be a genuine desire that the person receiving a greeting will in fact have A good day. All of us want not only a good day, but a good life.
But what is a good day? What is a good life? For most people a good day is when things go well. when we're happy. When there are no problems or hassles in our life.
When everything goes smoothly, then we have a good day. On the other hand, We have a bad day when there are problems, our car breaks down. The cat is sick on the carpet.
Someone at work is difficult. our spouse or our children. Irritate us.
Something bad goes wrong in our ideas and we say we've had a bad day. We're going to read from scripture. how you can have and how I can have a good day. In fact, not only a good day, but a good life. And our passage, written by the Apostle Peter, as we're going consecutively through this wonderful epistle, gives us instruction regarding loving life and having a good day.
Do you love life? Do you have a good day? Would you say your life is good? Writing to persecuted and suffering Christians, Peter gives us wonderful instruction so that all of us who love Jesus Christ will have good days. and live lives pleasing.
To God. This is remarkable. Here is the point. If we live our lives God's way Blessings. Will be on us.
Let's stand and read our text. It's found in First Peter chapter 3. And we're going to be reading from verses eight. Through twelve. Read with me.
Finally, all of you have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless. For to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil. and his lips from speaking deceit.
Let him turn away from evil. And do good. Let them seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous. and his ears are open to their prayers.
But the face of the Lord. is against those who do evil. Amen. Please be seated. Remarkable passage.
And we're going to learn that having a good day begins with godly attitudes. That is the key to having a good life. It's not the circumstances that you may experience. But your attitude.
Now remember, Peter is writing the persecuted Christians. By most people's definitions, these Christians were not having a good day, were not having a good life.
Some of them had been driven from their homes. They are persecuted. They are suffering. As we've seen, that one of the themes of First Peter is suffering. They are not living, you would think, the good life.
But here is the point. Although they have little or no control over the circumstances of their life, they are responsible for their attitudes, for their response to the circumstances. This is a difficult lesson for all of us, isn't it? Therefore the Christian External circumstances do not determine whether or not we have a good day. Having a good day, as Peter is going to tell us, begins with our attitude, begins with our response to the circumstances.
Not reacting to the circumstances, but responding to the God who is sovereign over all of life. There are people I'm sure none of you. We're always complaining. who look on the negative. Unless everyone accommodates them They say they don't feel good.
They're thinking they have a bad day. That is not the way of followers of Jesus Christ. Often we can't Change our circumstances, but we can control our attitudes. Easy to have a good attitude when you're treated well. But when we're treated badly, as these Christians were, it is essential that we have the right attitude.
So I ask you. How do you respond to the difficulties in your life? Perhaps your difficult marriage. Perhaps a demanding work situation where you're treated unfairly in the marketplace. Children, students, how do you respond when you've got a difficult teacher?
A difficult coach. Your friends make life difficult for you. You're stressed, perhaps.
Some of us may be stressed in our ministry as you're serving the Lord here at Calvary or beyond Calvary. You're trying to please the Lord, and yet things are very, very difficult. How is your attitude? Peter here gives us. Five components.
for a good attitude.
So, if you've got your Bible, turn with me to the passage we've read, 1 Peter 3, verse 8. And the first attitude, he says: Finally, all of you have unity of mind. One translation says, live in harmony with one another, that is, be like-minded. Peter begins As we live with others, to have an attitude of harmony. Many homes.
Many workplaces, many churches are in conflict. We have different views, we have different opinions. and our enemy loves to produce strife. loves to produce disharmony in our homes, disharmony in the churches, disharmony between brothers and sisters in Christ. But the Holy Spirit produces not conflict, not disharmony, but peace.
Harmony, unity of mind. Don't be a person of conflict.
Some people are always creating trouble.
Some people pride themselves. Uh that They stir things up. Don't be like that. Don't be a person of contention. Don't be a person of disharmony.
Consider the interests of others rather than your own. Having a good day begins. with unity of minds. harmony. Pursue harmony.
Next is sympathy. To suffer with someone. to share in their sufferings. Paul writes in Romans twelve, but we are to Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep. with those Who weep?
Do you ever wept with someone? Not because of your circumstances, but because of theirs? It's not just understanding someone's difficulties. It's certainly not pitying someone. Pity can be very condescending as we look down on someone, no sympathy.
An essential attribute of the Christian faith is coming alongside an individual. entering in to their situation. sharing their feelings. Many of you have done that. Brother or sister here.
has gone through a difficult time. A bereavement. Difficult medical situation. A problem. I work.
a problem in their family. And what have you done? Not to be remote. But to be Sympathetic. coming alongside.
others. That's a beautiful thing, isn't it?
So a beautiful thing to receive, as I have received, and Muslim wife has received in our time of bereavement, to have brothers and sisters. who come alongside us and share Our situation. A godly attitude then embraces, first of all, unity of mind, secondly, sympathy, third, brotherly love. We've seen this before. This is the Greek word from which we get Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love.
Can I remind you, we are brothers and sisters in Christ. We're part of the same family. We have the same Heavenly Father. We have the same Savior. And this brotherly love is to be genuine.
It's to be Demonstrate it. Don't be afraid to demonstrate your brotherly love to others. We live in a cold world, don't we? We live in a hurting world. We need one another.
Simon and Gerfunkel had that wonderful hit. I'm a rock, I'm an island. A rock never cries, and an island feels no pain.
Well, we're not rocks, we're not islands, we're brothers and sisters in Christ. We sometimes hurt, we need one another, and the injunction of Scripture is: let brotherly love continue. Love one another. That's one of our themes. Don't be remote, don't stand off.
But reach out. to your brothers and sisters in Christ. A godly attitude then? has unity of mind. has sympathy, has brotherly Love, how are you doing so far?
Convicting isn't it? And then Peter says, A tender How it This is kindness. This is compassion. Again, don't be cold, don't be detached and aloof from others in need, be kind. Love is kind.
Peter says, be kind to one another, the scripture says, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ has forgiven you. This is the characteristic of the Christian that they are. Tenderhearted. That's not weakness. We saw last week, as we thought of Peter writing to husbands, he tells us to live in an understanding way, that we are husbands, we are to be tender to our wives.
That's not weakness, that's not being a wimp, that is spiritual strength, tenderness.
Some people at church are very polite, very sweet, until you sit in their pew. That tests our sanctification, doesn't it? Seriously, do you show kindness? to that new person who comes to Calvary. Students, are you kind?
to that boy, that girl, who comes to your Sunday school class. Youth ministry for the first time. Adults, what about the way you reach out in kindness to that new person in your life group? Have a tender Hark. A good attitude, a godly attitude, embraces a tender heart.
And then he says, a humble mind. This is convicting, isn't it? Our world is very assertive, very aggressive, self-serving, self-absorbed. have an attitude Of humility. Again, a key virtue for followers of Jesus Christ to be humble.
Not a false modesty, not denying the gifts and abilities that God has given us, not a fake humility, but a humble mind. They characterized our Lord Jesus, didn't it? Think of the order of the towel in in John 13. when there is no one to wash. the disciples' feet.
No no slave was there. No child was there, no woman was there who would normally do it. And as they looked at each other, these proud disciples looking for someone to serve. to their utter astonishment. Our Lord takes that towel.
takes that basin. and goes down. and washes the feet. of a motley crew. Of His disciples.
Are you like that? Peter is going to say in chapter 5: humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. Pride Is judgmental. Pride is critical of others. If you find yourself being very critical, very judgmental, that's an evidence of pride.
What about in your marriage? Essential to a good marriage. Is humility. Humility of mind. Essential to the harmony in the Church of Jesus Christ.
Our leaders who are humble. are servants who are humble. Division. Carnality is evidenced when there is pride. God is opposed to the proud, gives grace to the humble.
So, will you? embrace these qualities. Stop waiting for people to reach out to you. Living a good life begins with these godly attitudes: harmony, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Good days are determined not by your circumstances, but by your attitude towards others.
Every day. You can be tender to someone. Every day you can be kind to someone. Every day you can be humble before others. Having a good day then, first begins with godly attitudes.
Secondly, having a good day is sustained by godly actions. Verses nine through eleven. Do not repay. Are we listening to this? Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless.
For to this you were called. That is called by God. that you may obtain a blessing. Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. Let them turn away from evil and do good.
Let them seek peace and pursue it. When you're misunderstood. What you're hurting? When you're criticised, Well, you're persecuted. Yes, unfairly, don't retaliate.
When we're hurt, we often want revenge, don't we?
Now, Peter's readers are not like persecuted, they are insulted. and to seek revenge, to retaliate. When someone does evil to us, it's a natural thing to do. When we're hurt, when we're upset, we want to pay back. A college professor answered his phone at 3 a.m.
This is your neighbor. Professor, said the voice. Your dog is barking and keeping me awake. Professor Thanktem. and put down the phone.
The next morning at 3 a.m. The professor called his neighbor. at exactly three AM and woke him up. This is the professor. I just want you to know I don't have a dog.
We all feel like the professor, don't we?
Someone disturbs us.
Someone hurts us and their natural reaction is to get back. Don't be that. What is Peter saying? Verse 9, do not repay evil for evil. Has anyone done evil against you?
The answer is: yes, all of us have experienced that. All of us have experienced some reviling that is slandered. You have a good day. If you don't retaliate.
So if you retaliate, you know what happens? You get bitter. You get anxious, this hurts. This humiliation, this slander against you keeps reverberating through your mind. Don't do that.
And can I say, don't trade insults on social media. You say, well, there's a lot of clowns out there, yes, and you may be one of them. Don't do it. Don't get involved. in insulting people.
On social media. See, we often justify our own attitudes and actions by blaming others who hurt to injure and abuse us. But in spite of these very difficult circumstances, We must not retaliate. We are never to repay evil for evil. We are never to repay slander for slander.
That is the spirit of Christ. That is the way of the Christian. That is how Christians make a difference in our world. And Peter, to make his point, gives the authority of Psalm 34, which we'll look at in a minute. One of the ways, one of the most common ways we demonstrate a bad attitude.
is by your speech. Didn't he say that? Keep his tongue. From evil And his lips from speaking The seats. All insulting speech.
All lying. Old gossip. All deceitfulness ought to end. Charles Virgin said, If all men's sins were divided into two bundles, half of them would be sins of the tongue. You're having a good day.
is control your tongue. Keep your tongue from evil. and your lips from speaking deceit. What's the example of our Lord Jesus Christ? We read about it in chapter 2.
Who, when he was reviled, he reviled not again. When he was. Threatened he did not respond. That's your example. This is to which you're called.
Don't be mean spirited. Don't be foul-mouthed. Don't be insulting. Don't seek revenge. Insulting words.
And actions have no place in living a good life that pleases. God. What are you to do? Instead of insulting the person who's hurt you, Instead of retaliating, instead of showing that you can give As Scoot as um What are you to do? You're to bless Those Who offends you?
It's called loving your neighbor as yourself. It's called loving your enemies. This is the Beatitudes. This is the teaching of Jesus. This is the teaching that Peter has learned from the lips of our Lord and seen in action for three years as he followed him.
And now, as a mature man, as he's writing, he's giving the example of Jesus and saying, now, when you're insulted, when you're persecuted, when that person does evil to you, you're not only not to retaliate, you are to bless them. Have you ever done that? How do you respond? to the person who upsets you. Perhaps at work, perhaps your neighbor, perhaps in your family, someone who criticizes you, someone who offends you.
Here is the way to have good days. Refrain from rendering evil for evil. Refrain from giving an insult when you have been insulted. This is the verdict with Pastor John Monroe and the beginning of his practical message on living the good life. We'll continue this study tomorrow, but John's opening insights already challenge our common assumptions about what makes a good day and a good life.
Peter's five attitudes: unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love. tenderheartedness, and humility aren't just nice ideals. They're practical tools for navigating life's inevitable difficulties with a biblical perspective. To help you continue developing a biblical perspective, we'd like to send you John's insightful booklet for the time is near. This resource gives you a big picture view of God's plan of salvation, providing an eternal perspective that transforms how we view temporary trials.
Better understanding God's prophetic timeline gives us courage to live righteously today, regardless of opposition or hardship. Request your free copy by visiting the verdict. org. Your faithful support of the verdict helps bring biblical truth to listeners around the world who need hope and godly wisdom for daily living. When you partner with us financially, you enable these messages to reach people facing their own struggles with relationships, workplace challenges, and personal disappointments.
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Now, with his closing remarks, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well What's your verdict? Have you had a good day? What about last month or last year? Have they been good? Do you feel that you're loving and seeing good days?
Or have difficult circumstances caused you to be despondent and even depressed. Do you feel that most days are bad days? Be intentional. Put on these five components: harmony, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Try it out and you'll see how your life is transformed.
Join me next time as we continue to live the good life. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
