Sermon - Rejection Is Not Your Final Destination

Subject: Rejection Is Not Your Final Destination

Text: Judges 11:1-11 “Now Jephthah of Gilead was a great warrior. He was the son of Gilead, but his mother was a prostitute. Gilead’s wife also had several sons, and when these half-brothers grew up, they chased Jephthah off the land. “You will not get any of our father’s inheritance,” they said, “for you are the son of a prostitute.” So, Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Soon he had a band of worthless rebels following him. At about this time, the Ammonites began their war against Israel. When the Ammonites attacked, the elders of Gilead sent for Jephthah in the land of Tob. The elders said, “Come and be our commander! Help us fight the Ammonites!” But Jephthah said to them, “Aren’t you the ones who hated me and drove me from my father’s house? Why do you come to me now when you’re in trouble?” “Because we need you,” the elders replied. “If you lead us in battle against the Ammonites, we will make you ruler over all the people of Gilead.” Jephthah said to the elders, “Let me get this straight. If I come with you and if the Lord gives me victory over the Ammonites, will you really make me ruler over all the people?” “The Lord is our witness,” the elders replied. “We promise to do whatever you say.” So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him their ruler and commander of the army. At Mizpah, in the presence of the Lord, Jephthah repeated what he had said to the elders.”

Introduction: It Has been said, “Rejection Is Direction, so Rejection does not have the Final say! Not everyone will be on your side or will accept your work or whatever you have in a positive way. While rejection is painful, its purpose is planned. God often uses man's rejection to redirect his people back into his will for their lives. God uses adversity, affliction and rejection to get our attention, so that we can hear his voice when he says, “This is the way; walk in it” Rejection is disappointing, painful, and costly, but it is not final. Just Because You Have Been Rejected, You Are Not a Reject! Judges 11:1–11 introduce Jephthah as the unlikely answer to the dilemma of the previous chapter (Judges 10:17–18). Jephthah is a warrior called to lead Gilead against the Ammonites. Though he had been driven from Gilead by his people, he agrees to return if the elders will make him their leader. The story of Jephthah is one of the most interesting in the Old Testament. It is really told from Judges 10:6 - 12:7. And I believe this story has a definite message for all of us today, but especially, those who believe and know they have been call to a higher purpose in life even though they have experienced rejection. The one prayer request I hear most often is, "pray that I will be all that God has called me to be."

Sometimes we are placed in a position in life where we know that God has something special planned for our lives, but no one seems to appreciate it but you. Then we suffer rejection. Whether it was not being picked for the kickball game by the kids in the neighborhood, not making the football team, or the cheerleading squad, not going to the prom with the person you knew you would, or getting into the college you wanted, not getting the job you hoped for, not marrying the person you thought you would marry ever since you were 10 years old, not getting the credit card, or having a marriage that you poured every fiber of your being into and have it destroyed in a moment of lust, by a person you thought was a gift from God.

In some form or fashion, we all have experienced rejection and felt the that it brings with it and will continue to feel them for many years to come. African Americans still feel the effects of being rejected as equal human beings and the results of slavery, Jewish Americans still feel the effects of an attempt to eliminate a race of people by what is called the Holocaust, everyone has felt rejection and suffered from the results of it. Rejection is a part of life that affects each of us at some point and it’s not limited to only one instance. One can only imagine how it feels to be raised in an orphanage or group home. Even in the body of Christ, it is almost impossible to calculate the damage wrought by rejection in the church. Whether it is real or imaginary, the effect is the same. Why do people get rejected? What is the cause of rejection?