[ TITLE SLIDE ] Going to talk about Issues that we all deal with in our lives we NEED to Overcome!

August 26th, 2018 THE OVERCOMING LIFE Overcoming Rejection Terry Baldwin 1 [ TITLE SLIDE ] Going to talk about Issues that we all deal with in our lives we NEED to Overcome! VICTORY IS OUR BIRTHRIGHT - Jesus gave us the Victory - Means we CAN overcome Anything [ Philippians 4.13 NKJV / NLT ] - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me - NKJV - For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need - NLT [ 1 John 5.4 NKJV / NLT ] - For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith. - NKJV - For every child of God defeats this evil world by trusting Christ to give the victory. - NLT Jesus died on the cross so that we can have Dominion in every area of life [ Revelation 12.11 NLT ] And they (us) have defeated him (devil) because of the blood of the Lamb and because of their testimony. And they were not afraid to die. - Jesus has EMPOWERED so we can overcome - Jesus also made Promises to those who do trust Him and Overcome! EXAMPLE: Jesus letter to ever church in Revelation ends with Promise [ Revelation 2.7 NLT ] Church (people) of Ephesus Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Everyone who is victorious will eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God. [ Revelation 2.17 NLT ] Church (people) of Pergamum

2 Everyone who is victorious will eat of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it. - Part of Blessing in heaven... Get to know Real Name - Part of curse of hell... Never know your name! [ Revelation 2.26-28 NLT ] Church (people) of Thyatira And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. [ Revelation 3.21-22 NKJV ] Church (people) of Laodiceans To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. POINT: We re either OVER COMERS or we are OVERCOMED - Jesus did not die on cross just for our Ability to COPE - For ABILITY to CONQUER TODAY: Want to talk about the Issue of REJECTION All of us HAVE and WILL experience Rejection - For some people it can be Devastating - Can STOP God s Destiny in your life Let me read Prophesy about Jesus [ Isaiah 53.2-6 NLT ] My servant grew up in the LORD's presence like a tender green shoot, sprouting from a root in dry and sterile ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected - a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins! But he was wounded and crushed for our

3 sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed! All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the guilt and sins of us all. Jesus was the most Rejected man in the world From Birth to Death He was rejected - His earthly adopted Father, Joseph, Rejected Him at first - Took an angel to change his mind - Herod the King Rejected / Tried to kill Jesus (Matthew 2) - Jesus Home Town Nazareth / Tried to throw Him off cliff (Luke 4) - Jesus Mother and Family / Tried to take Him home... thought He was crazy (Mark 3) - Own people, JEWS / turned Him over to be killed ULTIMATELY on the Cross... God the Father totally rejected Jesus - Jesus got what we deserve so we don t get what we deserve From Birth to Death... Jesus was Rejected, BUT... Jesus Overcame Rejection!!! Rejection Never Affected His... - Decision making / Attitude / Way He treated people / Did NOT keep Him from accomplishing His purpose All of us have and are going to be Rejected 1. Rejection is are Greatest Fear - We were created - BY Love - TO Love

- Because Love is our Greatest need... Rejection is greatest Fear 4 - Most fear Public speaking than death... because fear of Rejection 2. Rejection is our Greatest Scar 3. Rejection is our Greatest Control Point - Many are Controlled whole life by Fear of Rejection - BECAUSE of this it changes... - How we Treat People / Make Decisions - Keeps us from accomplishing God s will for our lives...it Didn t change Jesus FORMS OF REJECTION... Comes in many Forms - Being Unwanted as a Child / Not being accepted or loved - Lack of Attention or Affection - Being Excluded / Activities / Sports - Being Laughed at or Made Fun Of - Being Gossiped or Lied about - Being Compared in Unfavorable way - Divorce... is a huge scar of rejection - Adultery - Abandonment / Emotionally & Physically... Neglect - Abuse / Verbal / Physical / Sexual - Not being accepted for who I am / Racism / Sexism / Discrimination - Chronic lack of employment - Premature death we can feel rejected... Especially suicide - Fear of Rejection is Control point of devil Some have a SPIRIT OF REJECTION - They expect it / They live it / Defines who they are... Changes way they Think EXAMPLE: mass spirit of Fear of Rejection in MARRIAGE

- 1930 / 83% adult American were Married - 2018 / 49% 5 [ BLANK SLIDE ] UNHEALTHY WAYS WE REACT TO REJECTION 1. WAYS WE RESPOND TO REJECTION - AVOIDANCE OF RISK (Not Marrying) - Not trying in Relationships - Pre-emptive Rejection / Reject others before they reject me - Lack of commitment - Conforming to others instead of being yourself - Laying Low... Not expressing your opinion * (All relationships have inherent risks / Anything you do by faith is a Risk!) * (If you live a Risk free life... you live a Meaningless life) - Jesus knew He would be Rejected... In Ministry you will be Rejected and Hurt If you Avoid this Risk... God cannot use you Don t be unwise... you re going to get hurt for Jesus sake...can t love without risk of getting hurt 2. WAYS WE RESPOND TO REJECTION - ANGER and AGGRESSION Rejected people are the most Anger on earth RESEARCH: 2003 of all school shootings / - 13 out of 15 shooters felt Chronic Rejection by peers - Young people with wild hair / clothes / Body Mutilations - Don t care if you like me or not - go ahead & reject, I m use to it Most violent Crimes by MEN - Recently Divorced or Loss Relationship / ANGRY * Rejection Wounds us... Creates Bitterness & Aggression 3. WAYS WE RESPOND TO REJECTION - HOPELESSNESS & DESPAIR - Feel Isolated / Lonely / Rejected

- Those Die at Younger age - Higher Mental & Emotional problems / Suicide Rate higher 4. WAYS WE RESPOND TO REJECTION - OVER SENSITIVE & OVERLY DEPENDENT ON THE APPROVAL OF OTHERS 6 REJECTION HURTS!!!! The devil is the HURT WHISPERER Devil wants to speak into our pain Problem with pain IS NOT the pain... Problem with pain is the MESSAGE IN the Pain When you ve been Rejected devil puts subliminal thoughts... you think are yours Here are the Lies he speaks - You re not Worth anything... reason people reject you - No one will ever Love you... why even try? - You re defective... Something is Wrong with you... - People don t love you cause God doesn t love you... - You re unloveable and undesirable - You re a loser... You ll always going to be disappointed - Don t let people inside cause they will Always hurt you! - People don t care, they just want to use you to get what they want Because Love is our greatest Need / Rejection is greatest Control Point When FEAR OF REJECTION CONTROLS US... - Low Self-esteem - Over compensate by Macho - People Pleaser in unhealthy way - Compromise moral standards to be accepted

Very Offendable & Reactive REJECTION CHANGES US 7 When OLDER you don t care as much - Younger walks into room... (sucks in stomach) - Older let s it hang out!!! - Don t care if outside people accept you or not as much RECAP: AVOIDANCE OF RISK / ANGER and AGGRESSION / HOPELESSNESS & DESPAIR / OVER SENSITIVE & DEPENDENT ON THE APPROVAL OF OTHERS Lets talk about HOW TO OVERCOME REJECTION (CLAP!) 1. BASE YOUR LIFE ON GOD S PERFECT LOVE & WHAT HIS WORD HAS TO SAY ABOUT YOU Don t know who hates you... BUT there is one Person who Loves you... GOD! - The Only thing that got Jesus through... GOD S LOVE - Regardless of who Rejected Him... He knew God loved Him! [ Hebrews 13.5 NKJV ] Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say: The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me? - This means He won t physically Reject you

- He will never turn His heart away! (Forsake means turn heart away) 8 God has PROMISED us He will never turn His heart away from us! [ Ephesians 1.5 NLT ] His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure. Did you know you re part of God s Family? - The most Secure family on planet - Not family of Rejection... We have FULL RIGHTS as family member [ John 6.37 NLT ]...those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. When you base you love on God s Love... you will bold as a lion! - God s Love has the Power to Heal us! - God ADORES you!! - If ever you hear voice say God doesn t... that s the devil...bind it and cast it out!!! 2. PURSUE RELATIONSHIPS WITH FELLOW BELIEVERS If you choose the wrong friends,... They are going to break your heart - Some only friends if your look pretty [ Proverbs 17.17 NKJV ] A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity. - Shouldn t have to peddle harder to get people to like you! Christian People are the most Wonderful people on the Earth!!! - You may need to get rid of all your CLOSE ungodly friends.

- Friend should love you for who you are... Worts and All! 9 Be Careful of the Friends you choose - Want friends that love God - Same Values you have - Except you for who you are!! Even when times are bad for you!!! 3. EXPECT REJECTION & DON T TAKE IT SO PERSONALLY [ Luke 6.26 NKJV ] Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets....if ever body talking good about you... there s something wrong! - You can walk into many places in our culture, and say you re a Christian, and you re in danger - There s a hatred for the Word of God - Many pastors caving in and becoming PC... so everyone will like them You re going to be Rejected... especially if you re a Christian You don t want to MAKE it happen - Jesus said it!! [ Luke 6.22-23 NKJV ] Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man's (Jesus ) sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets. Many times we set ourselves up for HURT... with toxic thoughts

Everyone should like me... 10 [ John 16.33b NLT ]... Jesus said: Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. - We have some of the same problems of the World... - ONLY, we have a better solution! 4. FORGIVE THOSE WHO REJECT YOU AND GIVE THEM GOD S LOVE & ACCEPTANCE IN RETURN [ Luke 6.27-29 NKJV ] Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. I m going to get hurt... OK God Loves me!!! Get off the DEFENSE... and Get on the OFFENSE - When we ve been rejected... We go into Preservation mood...and live like this ^ - WE are Not doing what GOD CALLS us to do! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me - I m NOT going to live life so you won t Reject me - I m going to live my life so you ll know Love of God You were created by Almighty God... and You re LOVABLE

- You re Special / Valuable / Unique - There is something of God in you and you deserved to be loved 11 I m going to live my life to let the world know about the Love of Jesus It s the only answer for the Spirit of Rejection! PRAYER