Don't Let Peer Pressure Keep You From...

DON'T LET PEER PRESSURE KEEP YOU FROM PLEASING GOD

JESUS CHOSE THE APPROVAL OF GOD OVER THE APPROVAL OF MEN

1 Pet. 2:4 "REJECTED BY MEN, BUT CHOICE AND PRECIOUS IN THE SIGHT OF GOD"

remember the building analogy

INTRODUCTION:

We hear a lot about peer pressure - the pressure to conform; to be accepted by your circle of friends or co-workers

(We hear a lot about the need for approval)

We all have different circles of our peers - the circle of our immediate family; our larger family; our neighbors; our friends; our local church family; our teammates; our schoolmates; our co-workers

"reject" - to cast off; to refuse to hear, receive, admit; rebuff; to refuse as a lover; to refuse to acknowledge or submit to

What type of Rejection did Jesus face?

The Son of God was rejected by mankind

Have we forgotten the high and lofty position of Christ - Heb. 1: 2-4

The Creator was rejected by His Creation

shall the pot criticize the potter who has made it; much less reject and persecute...

The King of the Jews was rejected by His own countrymen

their cry: We shall not have this man rule over us

(John 1:11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.)

The Great High Priest after the Order of Melchizedek was persecuted and crucified by the the chief priests and the scribes and the Pharisees; the religious hierarchy was his chief opposition

(Luke 9:22 saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.")

The Prophet who was greater than Moses was not allowed a fair hearing in the synagogues but was run out of town after town; accused of blasphemy; examined by trick question after trick question

(Luke 7:30 But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God's purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.)

The great I AM who existed before Abraham, the Father of the Jewish nation, was rejected by the very generation that was graced with his physical presence, that had the opportunity to witness all of His miracles, to see his godly character in action (Luke 17:25 "But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.) The one who is not ashamed to be called our brother and friend was rejected by his own brothers who did not believe on him - at least for quite some time (Jon 7:5) Jesus testified that a prophet does not have honor in his own country and among his own family

He did not have to endure such unjust rejection at the hands of sinful men

1) He could have refused to come to fulfill His mission of Redemption -

remember Jonah refusing to go to Nineveh to preach the Word;

remember Abraham being willing to sacrifice Isaac, his beloved son

Behold I come to do Thy will - Hebrews 10:9

2) He could have struck down with righteous wrath any and all who would have opposed him -

That was the solution of the Sons of Thunder - Lord, strike them down with a lightning bolt and a blast of holy thunder (Luke 9:54 - response to rejection by the Samaritans)

3) He could have sent 10,000 angels to destroy the world and set him free - when taunted while on the cross - If you are the Son of God, if you are the King of the Jews - save yourself

Instead: Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing

The son of man came not to condemn the world but the save the world

(However, He will come a second time to execute judgment against all of those that remain confirmed in their decision to reject the grace that he freely offers)

He chose to endure the rejection and in doing so he chose to do the will of His Father

The judgment of the Father:

This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased

How to make sure you won't be rejected by men - Simple 4 step Program

(I wanted a 5 step program - but this is so simple - only 4 steps)

guaranteed to work - you will fit in, be accepted, run with the crowd

1) Friendship with the world - Cost: Enemy of God

James 4:4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

How do you go about making yourself a friend of the world?? Love the world - that's a good start - Love what the world loves; act the way the world acts; set your value system to be the same (1 John 2:15-17)