DOCTRINE: If you strive to glorify Christ in word and deed, you will be slandered for His name’s sake; and when you are slandered, you must entreat.

I. IF YOU STRIVE TO GLORIFY CHRIST IN WORD AND DEED, YOU WILL BE SLANDERED FOR HIS NAME’S SAKE (1 Corinthians 4:13a)

I) You and I have to be prepared to be slandered for Christ’s sake so that we can be prepared to to respond in holiness (1 Corinthians 4:13a)
(I) You may be slandered when you do not participate in the sins those outside of Christ are swimming in (1 Peter 4:4).
(II) You may be slandered when striving to obey and enjoy Christ (1 Corinthians 10:30).
(III) You may be slandered when you expose false teachers (2 Peter 2:2,10" class="scriptRef">10,12; Jude 8,10).
(IV) You may be slandered when you preach the gospel to unbelievers (Acts 13:45).
(V) You may be slandered when you preach the free and sovereign grace of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:8).

II) You and I have to look to Christ in faith who was slandered as He lived and died to redeem us.
(I) Christ was slandered because He made great claims about Himself (Luke 22:63-64).
(II) Christ was slandered while He was on the cross, bleeding and bearing the wrath of God for your sin, believer (Matthew 27:39-40).

II. WHEN YOU ARE SLANDERED, YOU MUST ENTREAT (1 Corinthians 4:13a)

I) First of all, you need to notice that you are forbidden from slandering even when you are slandered (1 Peter 3:9; Proverbs 20:22).

II) When you are slandered for Christ’s sake, you must entreat by preaching the gospel and pleading with people to turn to Christ (Luke 15:28).
(I) John the Baptist entreated by preaching the gospel (Luke 3:18).
(II) Peter entreated by preaching the gospel (Acts 2:40).
(III) Barnabas entreated by preaching the gospel (Acts 11:23).
(IV) Paul entreated by preaching the gospel (2 Corinthians 5:20).

III) When you are slandered, pray.

Listen to Charles Haddon Spurgeon: “The best way to deal with slander is to pray about it: God will either remove it, or remove the sting from it. Our own attempts at clearing ourselves are usually failures; we are like the boy who wished to remove the blot from his copy, and by his bungling made it ten times worse.”

IV) When you are slandered for Christ’s sake, you must rejoice (Matthew 5:11-12).

When you are catching flack for Christ you must be over the target! The closer you get to Christ, the more the world who hates Him will hate you! If they slandered Him, they will slander you. Rejoice, for your reward is great in heaven!