07.17.2022 | ACCEPTED NOT REJECTED
ACCEPTED NOT REJECTED
“Rejection is defined as a sense of being unwanted.” – Derek Prince, or “The absence of love.” – Cleansing Stream
The result of rejection: inability to receive or communicate love
1 John 4:19 – “We love Him because He first loved us.”
Unloved vs. unlovable: the former is an emotion felt in that moment; the latter is a negative identity. “Unlovable” is about who I am, not simply what’s happening in my life right now.
1. You are Accepted
Isaiah 53:3 – “He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”
Matthew 27:45-46 – “Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’”
Matthew 27:51 – “Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split.”
Ephesians 1:6 – “To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”
Luke 1:28 – “And having come in, the angel said to her, ‘Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!’”
Stop living rejected when you are actually accepted!
2. Receive God’s Acceptance
John 15:9a (NIV) – “As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you.”
John 15:9 (TPT) – “I love each of you with the same love that the Father loves Me. You must continually let My love nourish your hearts.”
John 17:23b (TPT) – “For they will see that you love each one of them with the same passionate love that you have for Me.”
Hebrews 13:5b – “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Practical Steps (from Derek Prince):
A. Recognize the Issues (Get Out of Denial)
B. Forgive and Choose Honor
C. Decide to Get Rid of the Bad Fruit Rejection Has Produced in Your Life (Bitterness, Resentment, Hatred)
D. Receive and Believe What God Has Done for You
E. Accept Yourself (Ephesians 2:10a [NLT] – “For we are God’s masterpiece.”)
Romans 12:2 (NLT) – “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
Stop living rejected when you are actually accepted!
3. Accept Others
Romans 15:7 (NLT) – “Therefore accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (Palmer’s Translation) – “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all coming alongside, who comes alongside us in our troubles, so that we can come alongside those in any trouble with the coming alongside we ourselves have received from God.”
A. Look for People to Come Alongside
B. Expect Resistance
C. Keep Bringing the Love/Hope of Heaven!
Galatians 5:1 (NIV) – “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
Discussion Questions:
1. What are 1-2 of the biggest rejections you have faced in your life?
2. What did the enemy try to whisper to you about these painful events (what was the lie; the distorted interpretation)?
3. Have you ever experienced a revelation of the truth of God’s love and acceptance in your life? If yes, share about it.
4. What have been some keys in your life to getting free from rejection?
5. What have been the most difficult aspects of rejection to break free from?
6. Share of two roadblocks in your life to accepting others.