Pastor Heather Stanley – April 23, 2023
Counselors tell us that 1 out of every 5 people in America’s culture today have a serious problem with rejection. But when they did the statistics on today’s youth culture, they said that 1 out of every 3 people in today’s youth culture deal with serious rejection issues.
There’s no bigger battle in life than the one between the parts of us that WANT TO BE HEALED…and the parts of us that are comfortable and content with REMAINING BROKEN.
“How blessed is God! And what a blessing He is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in Him. Long before He laid down earth’s foundation, He had us in mind. He had settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love. Long, long ago, He decided to adopt us into His family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure He took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of His lavish gift-giving by the hand of His beloved Son.”
Ephesians 1:3-6 The Message Bible
Biblical Patterns Of Rejection
1. SAUL: Rejection that comes from STUBBORNNESS and SELF-WILL
“Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD?” “But I did obey the LORD,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal.” But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.”
1 Samuel 15:19-23 NIV
Biblical Patterns Of Rejection
2. PETER: Rejection born out of FAILURE
An Important Question Today:
WHEN YOU FEEL REJECTED, WHAT’S YOUR FALLBACK?
THREE IMPORTANT FACTS WE NEED TO GET INTO OUR HEARTS
- Christ, on the cross, took every ounce of my rejection. He died not just for my SINS…but also for my feelings of REJECTION.
- In the GREAT EXCHANGE of Calvary, I became ACCEPTED because Jesus Christ was first REJECTED.
- You get SAVED when you BELIEVE in Jesus. But you will be TRANSFORMED when you realize that JESUS BELIEVES IN YOU!
What’s the most painful rejection you’ve ever experienced? Why did it hurt so much? How might God be using that experience to refine your character, to deepen your dependence on him, and to give you more compassion for others who have had a similar experience? Who do you need to forgive and let go of?
Is there someone who may feel rejected by you, whether you meant it or not? How can you become an example of the power of Christ, to seek reconciliation?
