Something that seems to be of God is happening this week. If the truth be told, I have never had so much feedback on any audio sermon I have posted online as I have already had from Sunday’s one entitled “Good News for the Rejected”. Some of the comments have been so encouraging, and others have raised interesting points. It is such an honour to stand before God’s people and share his word. It is such an honour for that preaching to have an impact online also. I am sure that there is something of God’s grace in the response that this sermon seems to be prompting as I am sure you will see as I share some of it here.
I have had kind emails, as well as Cara’s gracious comments. Glenn also said the following in my comment box-
My first experience listening to an Adrian Warnock sermon. 🙂 You lay out the contrast between pleasing humans versus pleasing God very sharply, clearly. This is such a difficult, difficult issue in life. Part of me wants to say, Adrian, because of your training in psychiatry you KNOW that others’ opinions matter. You even say so when you say “words can never hurt me” is a lie. Another part of me says, “But Adrian is holding out the Scriptural truth– that we live for one God, one Lord. People are not our God, God is.”
Practically, as you say, if people try to live their lives pleasing “all the people all the time” they will fail all the time. There is no joy in living for others’ approval. And yet…disdaining the approval of humans can make for isolation, even within the Church. Tough stuff. Thanks for unpacking it with sensitivity and clear focus on the Lord.
To which I would respond by emphasising that there are four ways of dealing with rejection-
- Making God your “One Thing” and living for an audience of one.
- Getting ahold of the truth of the Gospel
- Being filled with the Holy Spirit
- Getting involved in a church where you can give and receive love.
God never intended us to be alone, and he will provide those we need to love and receive love from. Ultimately though, five minutes can end any such relationship (eg a sudden death, or a house move or whatever) and the only truly dependable source of our acceptance is God himself.
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