Relationships and Rejection
(Genesis 2:18 NIV) Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”
(Genesis 37:3) Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.
9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
17 So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. 18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.
19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. 20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”
(Proverbs 29:25 NIV) Fear of man is a dangerous trap, but to trust in God means safety.
How the fear of rejection becomes a
1) The fear of rejection causes us to
2) The fear of rejection keeps us from
3) The fear of rejection prevents us from giving and receiving
4) The fear of rejection leads to
5) The fear of rejection moves us toward
6) The fear of rejection
Not Everyone is going to
(Matthew 5:10-11) Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
The fear of rejection involves the dread and avoidance of
How to overcome fearing the rejection of others
1) Face the fact that people
(Galatians 1:10 NIV) Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
2) Fall back on God’s
(1 John 4:10 NIV) This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
(1 John 4:18 NIV) There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
3) Focus on how
(1 Samuel 16:7 NIV) The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
When we live to please an audience of one, God’s love crowds everyone else out