Scripture: Mark 6:1 - 13 (Call to worship - Psalm 48)
Theme: Rejection - How do Deal With It
Title: Brush It Off and Move On - Dealing with Rejection
This sermon deals with the reality of Rejection and How to handle it. Jesus faced rejection. His disciples faced rejection. We will face rejection. What is the best way for us to handle rejection?
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God our Father and for Jesus Christ our Redeemer who came to take away the sin of the world and bring us the fullness of His Holy Spirit!
What a joy it is to be with all of you this Sunday morning!
One of the greatest desires that any of us have is the need to be loved, accepted and needed. It's because we were created in love, to be loved and to share love. Our Heavenly Father, the Good God of Creation created us out of love for the Bible tells us that God is love. We were created to be loved and to share that love with God, with ourselves, with other humans and with all of creation.
In light of that, one of the greatest fears that any of us humans can experience or face is the fear of rejection. So many times, rejection is the opposite of being loved, received and accepted. Rejection is one of the most difficult things that any of us can experience in this life or for that matter in the next.
No one wants anyone or anything ( a team, a business etc...) to reject them when they desperately wanted that person or that thing to accept them, receive them and include them. None of us like the feeling that we experience when what we wanted so bad lets us know that it does not want us back.
And yet, rejection is something that we have all experienced and will experience in the future. Rejection is sadly a part of the human experience. It begins in our childhood. We get laughed at or ridiculed. We're not chosen by this certain team or that group. We're not invited to sit at this table or allowed to hang out with this crowd. We're not invited to go to this party or this social event.
Rejection doesn't end when we graduate from either middle school or high school. The truth is we all have to face the possibility of rejection throughout the rest of our lives. People get rejection letters from trade schools and from colleges. They get rejection notices from banks on loans and are told they can't buy this house, this car or that boat. They receive rejection emails or messages from prospective employers. It is said that today only 2% of all resumes get accepted and of that number of course only 1 is offered the job.
We all know people who have faced rejection because of their skin color, the way they look or the culture that they come from. Perhaps, one of the most difficult rejection is the one people face from a spouse who suddenly and at times very abruptly wants out - they want a divorce. They no longer want you in their life. They no longer want to share space with you.
Tragically, this is the same person who previously stood in front of a church or a government official and committed to accept you, love you and be with you until one of you or both of you die. Now, they suddenly decide to trade you off for a newer model or at least what they think is a better model. You no longer are a real person but just an object to move out of the way.
You are not tall enough. You are not pretty enough. You are not smart enough. You are not young or old enough. You don't speak well enough. You don't carry yourself the right way. You don't come from right background. You don't have enough money. It really doesn't matter what the rationale is, the fact is you have been rejected.
And it not only happens to just a portion of our population. It happens at some point to everyone. In our passage this morning that everyone included Jesus and his disciples. That is what our two stories share with us this morning. Jesus faced rejection and did his best to prepare his disciples to face rejection.
Mark tells us that Jesus has gone home for a little period of time. Perhaps, he needed some time off. Perhaps he needed to do a little work to have some money to go out on the next trip. That is what many rabbis did at that time. They would work, save up some money which they would then use to travel and teach. Perhaps he just wanted to show his disciples where he grew up, the people he grew up with and to meet his mom and the rest of the family.
All we know is that Jesus goes home and his disciples follow him.
On the Sabbath Jesus goes to the local synagogue and begins to teach. Mark wants us to understand that people from all over had gathered together to hear him. And why not? Everyone from Tyre and Sidon to Beer-sheba had heard the news of what he had been doing. The buzz about Jesus' teaching, his healing people, casting out demons and even stilling the storm was big news. Who wouldn't be drawn to hear Jesus?
As they listened that Sabbath morning, Mark tells us that everyone was amazed. They had not heard someone speak the way that Jesus was speaking. His words were full of power and authority. His presence was electrifying. He literally lit up the room. There was an energy about him that was inviting and warm and yet at the same time invaded the very depths of a person's soul and spirit.
It seemed like everything was going well and then suddenly the tables were turned. What started off well ended up being this horrible and horrendous time of denial and rejection. The town turned on Jesus. His own people turned on him. The very same people he grew up with turned against him. The people that he had fixed their furniture, constructed the stone work around their wells, the walls of their homes and that had helped put on their roofs turned on him.
They rejected him and began questioning his identity, his worth and his abilities. They began to wonder how in the world this little boy that they had seen walk around their town could do all the things that he could do. After all, he was just a carpenter a few months ago. He was one of their local handymen.
They once again questioned his lineage. If you notice, they don't refer to Jesus as the son of Joseph. Instead, they allude to him being Mary's son as they once again question who was Jesus' father. They knew the story of his birth but they didn't believe for one minute that Jesus' true father was God. They also didn't believe it was Joseph either. The gossip and slander that surrounded Jesus' birth was still well alive and well.
They actually began to wonder if Jesus was even worthy of being home or being able to speak to them. After all, they knew the family and none of his other siblings showed any great promise. None of them had left home and started preaching, teaching, healing people and exorcising demons. When all is said and done, the Jesus they knew was only a handyman in their minds. He didn't hold any degrees or have a high position in the Temple at Jerusalem.
Looking from the outside, one would have thought that they would have welcomed Jesus. That the town would have put a banner across the road telling everyone that Jesus was home. You would have thought that the synagogue ruler and the town elders would have given him the key to the city. That they would have had a meeting so that they could rename one of the streets after him.
But they didn't. Instead, they turned their backs on Jesus. They rejected him so severely that Jesus was unable to do very many miracles around them because of their unbelief. People that should have been healed and released from oppression never experienced the joy of being whole and free.
When it comes to the work of the LORD - Love and Faith are vital keys. The lack of both (love and faith) are so powerful that they can stop the work of Our Loving Heavenly Father, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Jesus' home town family, friends and neighbors' lack of faith denied them of all kinds of miracles, anointings and blessings. Here they had God in Flesh walking around them and instead of considering themselves living in Paradise they wanted to cast Jesus out of their midst.
We see the same thing happening to the disciples in the story that follows this one (verses 7 - 13). Jesus had given his disciples the power to cast out demons and to bring healing to those who desired it. He had given them a message of salvation to share with those who would listen.
And yet, like Jesus they face rejection after rejection. They faced towns and places that even though they have the power to heal, to put down evil and to share the Good News the people rejected them. They didn't want what any of them were so willing to give away. If it meant accepting this carpenter turned rabbi or accepting his disciples they would rather retain their brokenness, their diseases, their demons and their uncleanness.
It's hard to read these stories and not shake your head in disbelief. If hard to read these stories and not be shocked at the way they treated Jesus or his disciples. I mean, if anyone should have been in Jesus' cheerleading section it should have been the people in his home town. If anyone should have welcomed his disciples it should have been these towns that were oppressed by sickness, depression and evil. Who in their right mind(s) wouldn't want their town transformed?
The truth is this morning is:
I. Our World is Full of People Who Will REJECT US
No matter what you do or what you say or even how nice your are there are some people who will reject you. They will reject what you want and they will reject what you stand for. They will reject you for merely being you. Not every time does it mean that they are not nice but at times it does mean that they choose not to be nice.
It is just a fact that our world is full of people who are mean and ugly folk. Our world is full of people who will do their best to use you, abuse you and then toss you away. They think nothing of you being a genuine human being made in the image of a loving God. They don't have your best interest at heart and the only thing they want from you is what they can get from you.
No matter how saved or sanctified you are the truth is some people will never accept you or want to be in your presence. They don't want to talk to you, have a cup of coffee with you or listen to what you have to say. They don't want to hear you talk about Jesus, about your family or yourself. They don't want anything to do with you. Period. Simple. End of conversation.
Some people will never be on your side. They will never cheer you on. They will never stand behind you. They will never help pave the way for you to be the person God wants you to be. No matter how gifted, how anointed or how Spirit-filled you are the truth is some people will simply reject you.
There may be a million and one reasons why they have chosen to reject you or your message but it really doesn't change the outcome - they don't want you, they don't want to be around you and as far as they are concerned all they want to do is to close the door in front of you and for you to leave them alone and get away from their presence as soon as possible.
Wow! Really? Yes! Really!
Jesus - God in Flesh faced rejection. Not just once but many times in his life. His disciples even though they came in the power of the Holy Spirit faced rejection. But why?
Why? That's the question that sometimes just bugs us. We don't like it when we are rejected. We want to know why? However, if we are not careful we can allow ourselves to be paralyzed by all kinds of questions.
+Why wouldn't they want us?
+Why did they choose to suddenly not want us anymore after all these years?
+Is there something wrong with us?
+How can they not want what we have to offer?
+What is wrong with them?
+Are they out of their minds?
Sometimes we are at fault. Sometimes there is nothing wrong with them or their minds. Sometimes there is something wrong with us or the way we convey our message. We must therefore allow the Holy Spirit to examine us and guide. And if there is something adversely wrong with us then we do what we can to find healing and wholeness.
But a great deal of the time there is not something wrong with us as was in the case of Jesus and His Disciples. When we are not at fault or there is nothing wrong with our message then:
II. We have to learn how to brush it off and if necessary walk away.
We have to understand that it is during these times of facing rejection that we have to learn:
+That we have to brush it all away
+That the best thing we can do is to walk away or let them walk away
Now, none of this is easy. None of it comes natural. We were not created by a loving God to either be rejected or to reject someone else. It was not in God's plan for any of us to face rejection or be rudely dismissed. I believe that rejection on the whole is a result of sin, pride and rebellion.
However, the truth is that we will all have to face rejection. The key is what we do when we are rejected. If we are not careful, we may decide to isolate ourselves and avoid people in general. We may decide that we are going to do our best to stay out of any conversations or inject ourselves in very many group settings. We may become so angry that we decide to give people a piece of our minds. That is not a good option because it can open the door for a spirit of bitterness and resentment to come into our lives.
What do you mean I am not good enough for your company?
What do you mean that I am not good enough for your school, your team or your little group?
What do you mean I am not good enough any longer to be your friend, your spouse or your partner?
What do you mean I am not good enough for you to listen to what I have to say?
What do you mean you don't want Jesus, the Holy Spirit or salvation?
It is right then if we are not careful that the two little things called anger and bitterness begin to take over. We must not allow rejection to lead us to living a life filled with anger, bitterness, revenge and malice.
-Why you all are just a bunch of snobs?
-You know where you can put your job and your company don't you?
-If you don't want me then I don't want you and just so you know - I haven't wanted you for a long time. You just beat me to it. Good riddance.
-You just wait to you see what I am going to do to you. Once my attorney gets finished with you, you'll be begging me to come back but oh, no - I am never, ever coming back. Even if you crawled on your knees over a pile of broken glass, I am never, ever coming back. If I get my way, you have seen and heard the last of me.
-So, you want to reject me. Then I'll just turn you over to the Devil. See if you like Hell. See if you like what is getting ready to happen to you. See if I care.
Sounds a little harsh doesn't it?
Jesus tells us that we must brush it off. We must learn how to take the L ( L meaning a loss). We must learn how to realize that we are not going to get every job, every person to like us or every person to want to hear us talk and spend time with us.
We can't let our pride get the best of us. Our pride says that there has to be a reason or at least the person has to be deficient in some way. Our pride says that it has to be their problem and not ours.
If we are not careful we will let a closed door stop us. It will paralyze us. Rejection can cause us to stop living. It can stop us from enjoying life. It can stop us from fulfilling our dreams and enjoying life. If we keep rehearsing all the times we have been rejection by this person, that person, this group or that group then we will allow our rejections to hold us hostage.
That is why Jesus and his disciples walked away. They didn't get into an argument. They didn't get into a long term battle. Jesus knew that in some situations that the best thing we can do is for us to walk away or to allow other people to walk away.
When People walk away from you the best thing you can do at times is simply let them walk. We see this flesh out in the book of Ruth:
When Naomi started to go back to Israel after the death of her husband and two sons, her two daughters in law said that they wanted to go back to Israel with her. However, after thinking it over, one of them - Orpha decided to reject the offer. She decided she didn't want to go and live in Israel with her mother-in-law. She decided to go back home to her family and to her gods.
Now, Naomi could have thrown a fit. She could have said - "Orpha - you married my son. You now belong to my family. You can't reject him. It's your responsibility to come back with me, find our kinsman redeemer and for you to have a child. Otherwise my son's heritage will come to an end. He will have no children to pass on his name, his identity and his heritage. Orpha, you can't do this to my family. You can't reject him, me or our heritage. You can't reject the Good God of Creation - the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob".
But you don't read any of that. Naomi decided to let Orpha go. When People Walk Away from You - Sometimes the Best thing you can do is to let them Go.
You see, if Orpha hadn't rejected Naomi and had gone back to Israel to uphold the name of Mahlon we wouldn't be reading the book of Ruth. We would most likely be reading the Book of Orpha. Mahlon was the eldest and Orpha was his wife. Boaz would have had to marry Orpha instead of Ruth. Her child would have been the one in the line of King David (or whatever name he would have been called). Her child would have been part of the Messianic line.
But Orpha went back home. She rejected Naomi, Israel and the Good God of Creation. She went back to her home, her people and to her pagan gods. She changed her destiny forever because of her rejection. It's sad but we have to allow people to exercise their free will even when we don't like how they exercise it.
We have to know when to take an L - a loss. We have to know when to let it go. To brush off the rejection. To brush off the neglect and the feelings of abandonment. We can't allow the naysayers in our lives to take us hostage. We can't allow rejection to paralyze us. We can't allow rejection to destroy us.
We have to know that sometimes the truth is that there are some people that do not want us. And then again there are some people in which the saying - "do not cast your pearls before swine" applies. They will never accept your pearls no matter what you do. And if you insist that they do then don't be surprised when they crush them under their feet.
Our Lord Jesus knew that some people would never accept His message. They would never want His love or Him. Jesus had already experienced that when 1/3 of the angels had decided that they would rather worship themselves than worship the Father, Himself and the Holy Spirit.
His disciples had to learn the same message. Even though they had to power to bring freedom, new life and allow people to live abundantly they had to realize at times all they can do is to take the L and move on. All they can do is brush it off and in their case walk away.
But, they didn't do it in a spirit of continued anger or allow bitterness to take root.
Of course, we get angry when we are rejected. It hurts our pride. It wounds our souls. How dare they reject us. But if we are going to grow as people and as a people of God we have to know when to brush ourselves off and walk away. Not in anger, not in a spirit of bitterness but with our heads held high knowing that we have done our best and been faithful to our task.
III. We have to Learn How to Keep Going - Keep Sharing - Keep Loving - Keep Reaching Out
Jesus didn't let his home folk stop him. He didn't decide to go back to being a stone mason/carpenter. He didn't slink away to never be heard from again. He didn't send the boys back home and decide that since these folks in his home town could not accept him then they all needed to pack it in.
Mark tells us that Jesus' disciples didn't quit either. They didn't come back with their tails between their legs, licking their wounds and go back to fishing, being a CPA or whatever else they had done before.
No, the brushed it off. They realized that not everyone was going to accept them and they went on. They took their L's but they also know that they were going to have some wins as well.
Verses five and thirteen tells us that both Jesus and his disciple experienced some amazing victories. They may not have been as many as they wanted but the truth was there were men, women, boys and girls that were saved, redeemed and made whole. The Devil was defeated time and time again. Human lives were transformed. People were brought out of darkness into light.
We also have to understand that not every rejection is a total rejection. Sometimes the seed is sown and the Holy Spirit uses it in another season. Sometimes all we are to do is to sow that seed.
One of the greatest photographers in the world will be 75 years old in just a few days (July 26, 1943). His name is Dewitt Jones. He is most famous for being one of the photographers who has worked for the National Geographic Magazine. He is one of the people who has been responsible for some of the greatest pictures ever taken of the earth and all its creatures. Dewitt has made award winning movies, taught his technique to thousands of people, written numerous articles and has enjoyed having nine of his books published.
He owes his success to determination and perseverance. Over his life time he has taken hundreds of thousands of photos. In a recent interview, Dewitt reported that on an average shoot he takes somewhere around 4,000 different shots. 4,000!
A long time ago, he began to realize that that more than 99% of them would be rejected either by him or by his publishers. In some cases only 1 or 2 at the most will be accepted. 4,000 pictures taken but 3,998 of them rejected. Think about that for a moment. All of those pictures painstakingly taken but only 1 or 2 accepted.
Even though he knows that over 99% of the pictures he takes will be rejected, he still takes picture after picture after picture. Why? Because the fact is, one or two or even at times a whole slew of them will be accepted, printed in a magazine and the whole world will get the opportunity to enjoy what he has seen. He will get the privilege to share what he has seen and everyone who sees them will be able to get a little taste of what this animal or this part of God's Good Earth looks like.
For Dewitt, it is all worth it. It is worth all the effort, all the pictures being taken and yes, even all the rejection that he has to face. He knows what it means to be steadfast, determined and have perseverance.
Did you know that the average major league baseball player hits only around .260? That means that out of ten at bats they are going to get less than three hits. Over 70% of the time they are either going to strike out, fly out or ground out. And yet, that same average player today makes over 4 million dollars each year and hopes to play for at least 15 - 20 years or more.
The average NBA player only makes about 46% of their shots. Only 5% of all the articles, books or manuscripts that are written get accepted and of that group only around 5% actually get published. And did you know that only around 20% of the people who start college actually finish college in four years.
The truth is life is full of all kinds of rejections, denials and dismissals. But it is also full of all kinds of victories, celebrations and successes. Babe Ruth, one of the greatest hitters of all times hit 714 HRs but did you know that he also struck out over 1,300 times? That means that he nearly struck out nearly twice as many times as he hit a home run and yet baseball history considers him one of the greatest to ever lived and played the game.
The truth is no one bats 1.000.
The key is that we have got to keep on going. We have got to learn how to brush it off and get up and go again. We have got to put everything into its proper perspective and continue to share the message of Jesus. We got to go on living and doing our best to be the best that we can be with God's help.
We can't go it alone, nor should we try. Jesus had the boys with him when he went back home. I am sure that they were a great comfort to him. I am sure that they helped him brush it off and get back on his feet. I am sure that they were there reminding him how much that they cared for him, believed in him and were willing to follow him no matter what the cost.
When Jesus sends out his disciples he sends them out in teams of two. Friends can help you handle rejection and we all need friends. Not to make us bitter but to help us brush it all off and get ready for a new day.
Just to help us get all of this into some type of perspective I will finish with this:
+ Over the last 140 years, the Quaker Oats Company has went bankrupt three times but today it is worth more than 2.5 billion dollars.
+Winston Churchill was considered a failure most of his adult life but at the age of 62, he became Prime Minister and helped save Briton and the United Kingdom
+Clint Eastwood was first rejected because he had crooked teeth, spoke to slow, had too big of an Adam's Apple and was considered average looking. He didn't let any of that stop him. Instead, he used all his so called shortcomings to create himself as an iconic image.
Now, at the age of 88, Clint is still both directing and acting. In fact, his latest movie comes out next year in which he will both direct and act (The Mule). All told his movies over his career have brought in almost 3 billion dollars. And his personal worth is estimated to be around 375 million dollars. Not bad wouldn't for someone everyone wanted to reject.
+Charles Schulz was rejected by his high school paper because they didn't like the way he drew his cartoons. And yet, today - who doesn't love Charlie Brown and Snoopy?
It's not will you face rejection - it is what you will do during it and after it.
+Don't let it paralyze you. Listen to it. Put it through the Holy Spirit filter meter. If you need to change, then allow the Holy Spirit to do His work and go on.
+Surround yourself with some good friends who can be both accountability partners and encouragers.
+Take the L - learn how to brush it all of and if need be - Let the person walk.
+Give it all to God - God knows how it feels to be rejected.
+Keep on - If God has given you a mission - then step out in faith and do your best to get it done.
Jesus went on and did what he could. He taught. He healed and he broke the power of Satan in people's lives. His disciples did the same. Each time it looked like they were down for the count - the LORD led them to victory.
Today, the Devil wants nothing better than for you to quit, stop sharing, stop trying or to isolate yourself and quit. He wants nothing more than for you to get angry and allow bitterness and malice to take root in your heart and life.
What he doesn't want is for you to understand that in this life - rejection is just a fact. What he doesn't want you to understand is to learn how to brush it off, walk away or allow others to walk away and get going again. What he doesn't want you to do is to surround yourself with good friends and allow God to anoint you so that you can go out and live an abundant life.
This morning, you may be dealing with a time of rejection or maybe you have been tempted to just quit - no longer share, no longer try to get involved. You will just sit on the sidelines. Don't do it. Instead, as sing the hymn - HIGHER GROUND - allow God to renew your strength, to remind you to continue to persevere, to brush off rejection and to do what you can.
Jesus healed all those he could. His disciples brought healing and wholeness to all they could. Let's be determined to do the same.
Open altar/Higher Ground/Prayer Time/Blessing Time
