Laying Down Our Longing for Approval

Transcription

1 Laying Down Our Longing for Approval March 9, You Can Become Who God Says You Are March 16, Laying Down Our Feelings of Inadequacy March 23, Laying Down Our Need for Control March 30, Laying Down Our Right to be Offended April 6, Laying Down Our Longing for Approval Proverbs 29:25 (NLT) 25 Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the LORD means safety. John 12:42 43 (NLT) 42 Many people did believe in him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. 43For they loved human praise more than the praise of God. Galatians 1:10 (NLT) 10 Obviously, I m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ s servant. 1 Thessalonians 2:4 (NLT) 4 For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts. Luke 9:23 (NLT) 23 Then he said to the crowd, If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! Ephesians 1:7 (NLT) 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. Romans 8:37 (NLT) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. Philippians 4:13 (NLT) 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Matthew 5:14 (NLT) 14 You are the light of the world like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 2 Corinthians 5:20 (NLT) 20 So we are Christ s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, Come back to God! Romans 8:11 (NLT) 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Five Signs We Are Living for the Approval of Others: 1) We occasionally or often worry about what. 2) We are. 3) We our values. 4) We hesitate to in Jesus. 5. We have a hard time. Can you identify with any of the signs? Being obsessed with what others think of us is the quickest way to forget about what God thinks of us. Anytime we make people too big and God too small in our lives it is a problem with God and it has a negative impact on our lives. Two Things To Do: 1) We need to focus on instead of pleasing people. See John 12:42-43, Galatians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 2:4, and Luke 9:23 You can t please everyone but you can please the One who matters most in life. It is a lot easier to please One than everyone! 2) We need to about us instead of living for the approval of others.

2 Romans 8:15 17 (NLT) 15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, Abba, Father. 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. James 1:17 18 (NLT) 17 Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. 18 He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. Romans 5:8 (NLT) 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 8:38 39 (NLT) 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow not even the powers of hell can separate us from God s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. When God looks at you He doesn t look at you and see someone He wishes He had made different. He looks at you with love and mercy and pride. 7 Truths About The Way God Sees Us: a) When you are a follower of Jesus, God sees you as a new and changed person. See 2 Corinthians 5:17 b) When you are a follower of Jesus, God sees you as good enough for a relationship with Him because of the forgiveness of your sins. See Ephesians 1:7 c) When you are a follower of Jesus, God sees you as victorious over things that are humanly impossible and destructive in your life. See Romans 8:37 and Philippians 4:13 d) When you are a follower of Jesus, God sees you as His representative in the world and as His mouthpiece to tell others about Jesus. See Matthew 5:14 and 2 Corinthians 5:20 e) When you are a follower of Jesus, God has chosen for His Spirit to live within you. See Romans 8:11 f) When you are a follower of Jesus, God has chosen to make you an heir and treat you as His adopted child. See Romans 8:15-17 g) When you are a follower of Jesus, God loves you unconditionally and sees you as one of His prized possessions. See James 1:17-18, Romans 5:8, and Romans 8:38-39 Two Important Things To Consider: 1) The key to fully experiencing how God looks at us is tied into our a follower of Jesus. Believe Accept Follow For more information about what it means to begin a relationship with Jesus or what to do after making a decision to follow Him, stop at Guest Central in the lobby following the service or call the church office at to set up an appointment. You may also learn more about what it means to follow Jesus and/or request materials and find additional information to help you on your spiritual journey by clicking Jesus on our website at ww.otterbeinchurch.org 2) Our daily choice to our relationship with Jesus is essential to experience life the way God designed us to experience it. For Next Week... Finish the Altar Ego book if you haven t yet done so. Watch Week 5 Video (Developing Spiritual Boldness) with your small group or online at Conclude the 35-day Altar Ego Bible Reading Plan. Pray and ask God to help you know the next steps to take in your life as a result of this series.

3

4 1) We occasionally or often worry about what others think.

5 2) We are often overly sensitive.

6 3) We compromise our values.

7 4) We hesitate to share our faith in Jesus.

8 5) We have a hard time saying no.

9 Can you identify with any of the signs?

10 Being obsessed with what others think of us is the quickest way to forget about what God thinks of us.

11 Anytime we make people too big and God too small in our lives it is a problem with God and it has a negative impact on our lives.

12 1) We need to focus on pleasing God instead of pleasing people.

13 You can t please everyone but you can please the One who matters most in life.

14 It is a lot easier to please One than everyone.

15 2) We need to dwell on what God thinks about us instead of living for the approval of others.

16 a) When you are a follower of Jesus, God sees you as a new and changed person.

17 b) When you are a follower of Jesus, God sees you as good enough for a relationship with Him because of the forgiveness of your sins.

18 c) When you are a follower of Jesus, God sees you as victorious over things that are humanly impossible and destructive in your life.

19 d) When you are a follower of Jesus, God sees you as His representative in the world and as His mouthpiece to tell others about Jesus.

20 e) When you are a follower of Jesus, God has chosen for His Spirit to live within you.

21 f) When you are a follower of Jesus, God has chosen to make you an heir and treat you as His adopted child.

22 g) When you are a follower of Jesus, God loves you unconditionally and sees you as one of His prized possessions.

23 When God looks at you He doesn t look at you and see someone He wishes He had made different. He looks at you with love and mercy and pride.

24 1) The key to fully experiencing how God looks at us is tied into our decision to become a follower of Jesus.

25 2) Our daily choice to nurture and grow our relationship with Jesus is essential to experience life the way God designed us to experience it.

26