July 8, 2007 - Sunday School

July 8, 2007

Dealing with Rejection - Part 1


Psalm 139:14-17

14I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!

We have a desire to feel needed or to be appreciated for what we are and do. What others think about us can have a big impact on our attitudes about ourselves. A sense of rejection can be destructive, leading to years of attacking self, withdrawing from others, or even doubting and attacking God. But as Christians we must recognize the rejection syndrome for what it is, self-protection in action. Those who feel rejected are focusing on self, not others; they are living for self, not God. Their emotions are most important, not God’s Word or God’s purpose.


Galatians 2:20 sets forth God’s cure for rejection syndrome—“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.”


I. Rejection—The Causes

Remember the words of John the Baptist, “He must increase, but I must decrease” John 3:30

A. Impact of Others

• We are “social” creatures, and having a basic desire to be accepted by others is
natural.

• Everyone experiences rejection at some time.

B. Impact of Self

• Many people view themselves through the eyes of others, and those opinions become
the basis for that view. And these evaluations tend to be inaccurate.

• We fail to recognize that blemishes, birthmarks, irregular teeth, freckles, large ears,
big noses, and receding chins are not the measure of our worth and that driving a 1972 Ford Pinto is not the end of the world!

C. A Balanced Perspective

• A case in point is the Apostle Paul. Tradition tells us that Paul was no physical
beauty—short and bald with a big nose and bowed legs. Paul lets us know that he was not impressive to look at or listen to: “in presence [I] am base among you” (II Cor. 10:1), “[my] bodily presence is weak, and [my] . . . speech contemptible” (10:10).

• But Paul spent little time comparing himself to other people, and he refused to let
others’ evaluations control him. “It is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self” (I Cor. 4:3). “For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth” (II Cor. 10:18).

• Paul sets forth a balanced perspective—The person who is active serving God has
little time to look at himself. He yearns for God’s approval, not the approval of his peers. He focuses on eternal matters, not earthly externals. He knows that God’s grace is sufficient no matter how great his imperfections, and he is too busy using what he has to worry about what he does not have.

• Note Paul’s words: “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet [or
“worthy”] to be called an apostle. . . . But by the grace of God I am what I am. . . but I laboured more abundantly than they all” (I Cor. 15:9-10).