Do You See What I See?
Do You See What Isaiah Saw?
Isaiah 53
December 14, 2003
Intro:
A. ["In Love and War": Ernest Hemingway’s Pride, Citation: In Love and War (New Line Cinema, 1996), written by Henry S. Villard, directed by Richard Attenborough and James Nagel]
(Elapsed time: Measured from the beginning of the opening credit, this scene begins at 01:46:50 and ends at 01:49:00. Content: In Love and War is rated PG-13 for sensuality and graphic portrayal of war injuries.)
The movie In Love and War is based on the WWI experiences of author Ernest Hemingway. The 18-year-old Hemingway (Chris O’Donnell) is a Red Cross volunteer in Italy just before the end of the war. While stationed there, he meets, falls in love with, and proposes to Red Cross nurse Agnus von Kurowsky (Sandra Bullock). But Agnus, unbeknownst to Hemmingway, accepts a marriage proposal from an Italian doctor after Hemingway returns to America. When Hemingway finds out, he is brokenhearted. Agnus later cancels the wedding, realizing she really loves Hemingway.
Agnus travels to Hemingway’s lakeside cottage to declare her love for him. As they stand on the veranda, Hemingway, bitter over Agnus’ previous rejection of him, turns his back on her. He says nothing. Agnus slides next to him and declares, "I’ll love you as long as I live." But Hemingway does not reciprocate. Instead, he walks into the cottage, bangs his hand on the table in frustration, and covers his eyes in anguish. Agnus sadly walks away.
Agnus narrates the film’s conclusion:
I never saw Ernie again after Waloon Lake. I often wonder what might have happened if he had taken me in his arms. But I guess his pride meant he wasn’t able to forgive me. Some say he lived with the pain of it all his life. The hurt boy became the angry man. A brilliant, tough adventurer who was the most famous writer of his generation. And the kid, who had been, eager, idealistic, and tender, lived on only in my heart.
Hemingway married four times and took his life in 1961.
B. The spirit of rejection can be a powerful thing.
1. It can lead us to do all kinds of things we wouldn’t normally do.
2. We’ve all felt its torture in some form or other.
3. Isaiah correctly prophesied that Jesus would be rejected and despised.
4. Let’s see if we can see what Isaiah saw.
I. Christ suffered rejection
Isaiah 53:1-3 (NIV), Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Matthew 21:42 (NIV), Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "’The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone ; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
Mark 8:31 (NIV), He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.
Mark 9:12 (NIV), Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected?
Luke 17:25 (NIV), But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
Mark 15:34 (NIV), And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
A. Isaiah correctly prophesied that Christ would be despised and rejected.
1. He prophesied that Christ would have no beauty or majesty to attract people to Him.
2. He prophesied that He would be despised and rejected by men.
3. He prophesied that He would be a man of sorrows, that Jesus would experience suffering, that men would hide their faces from Him.
B. And as we read the NT, we see that what Isaiah saw was exactly right.
1. Jesus kept insisting that He would suffer and be rejected.
2. And certainly when Christ was on the cross, He felt rejection!
a. The Pharisees capped a three-year pursuit of Him by getting Him convicted and sentenced to death in a sham of a trial.
b. He was beaten by a cat-of-nine-tails within an inch of his life, He had a mock crown or thorns thrust into His head, He was crucified, which was death by torture, and while on the cross, He even felt that His Heavenly Father had rejected him and He cried out in anguish, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
3. This was the ultimate in rejection (by God), but Jesus was rejected all of His life.
a. Matthew 2:16 (NIV), When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.
b. Matthew 2:13-15 (NIV), … an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod.
c. Matthew 13:54-57 (NIV), Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. 55 "Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56 Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor."
C. Christ suffered rejection.
1. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
2. Do you see what Isaiah saw?
II. We experience rejection
Isaiah 53:4-6 (NIV), Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
A. Isaiah said that Christ took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows.
1. And certainly some of those infirmities and sorrows are the stings of rejection.
2. Christ suffered rejection and so do we.
3. Each of us has sinned in some way because of the sting of rejection that we suffered.
4. We all have done stupid things like Ernest Hemmingway because of the rejection that we have felt.
B. There are many areas in our lives that Satan hits us with the devastation of rejection.
1. It often comes in childhood when we are either not chosen or one of the last ones chooses for the team.
2. It can come when someone is unfaithful to us.
3. It can be felt when we feel like someone has betrayed us.
4. It stings when a spouse rejects us like the Bible says in Isaiah 54:6 (NIV), The LORD will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit-- a wife who married young, only to be rejected," says your God.
5. Do you see that God sees and understands rejection?
6. I hope that you understand that rejection is not really what people do to us, but actually how we respond to what they do to us that causes us the problems.
7. Yes, when people reject us, it hurts and God understands that.
8. But the problem comes when we allow that rejection to take root in our spirit.
9. It is when we have be rejected over a period of time that rejection can take root in our souls and we then respond to it in hurtful and sinful ways.
10. Rejection can tempt us to respond with revenge, which is sin.
11. Rejection can tempt us to be depressed and lethargic.
12. Rejection can tempt us to become calloused and unloving.
13. Rejection can tempt us to commit suicide, like Ernest Hemingway.
14. Rejection can be a very destructive thing that Satan used us to put a wedge between God and us.
C. God gave me the main idea of the sermon Monday afternoon.
1. Monday evening, He confirmed it with an email that I got later Monday night.
2. This is from a modern day, spirit-filled prophet named, John Paul Jackson.
D. [“Experience a Divine Breakthrough Rather Than Rejection this Christmas!” by John Paul Jackson, www.streamsministries.com]
The Loneliest Time of the Year
Christmas is the loneliest time of the year. On the surface, it doesn’t seem like a time when one would struggle with rejection. Yet for millions of people, it is a time of pain and difficulty.
Although the holiday season revolves around giving gifts, hosting parties, sending cards, spending time with family, and blessing others, it can be bitterly lonely. This loneliness manifests itself in the strangest ways. Casinos report that Christmas week is their busiest time of the year. Movie theaters are usually packed on Christmas Day. Wounded people flock anywhere they can to avoid being alone during Christmas.
Much of this loneliness flows out of an individual’s battle with the scourge of rejection. Rejection chokes the life out of people, showing up as fear, loneliness, isolation, sorrow, despair, anger, or a thousand other ways. The matrix of rejection can work like a pair of sunglasses. The tinted dark lenses can subtly--or significantly--color everything in our field of vision. We respond to this "virtual reality" as if it were the truth. However, this truth is distorted. The facts never add up, and more often than not, they over emphasize the trivial to make it seem monumental.
When we don’t look through God’s eyes, we miss all sorts of opportunities. The Christmas story is a great example of this.
Imagine Yourself as Joseph
A carpenter named Joseph was heartbroken. Imagine yourself in his position. His beautiful bride-to-be had suddenly shown up pregnant. He hadn’t been intimate with her, and in his culture, to expose her sin would guarantee that she would be stoned to death in the public square. Joseph’s mind was filled with confusion. The woman he loved had a child growing in her womb, but it wasn’t his. He felt rejected, betrayed, and lonely.
Betrothal was a binding agreement that carried as much weight as marriage. It could only be broken by divorce, and that was not a decision he wanted to make. Joseph was in an awkward position; it’s not like people wouldn’t see Mary’s pregnancy. Eventually, her belly would swell and the townspeople would talk. Joseph and his beloved would be ostracized and rejected.
The only thing that could bring Joseph the comfort and resolve needed to propel him into his destiny was for God to step into time. In a dream one night, Joseph received all the answers he needed. An angel of the Lord told him not to be afraid, but to take Mary as his wife, for the child in her womb was from the Holy Spirit. Imagine that!
Pulled Out of the Matrix
Joseph woke up from the dream and walked into his future, with the woman he loved and a Son, Jesus, who would change the world. God’s touch had pulled Joseph out of his matrix of rejection and propelled him into his life’s call. This, in turn, saved Mary from being lost in that same chokehold of rejection.
Jesus Himself led a life filled with rejection and personal grief. His nation’s religious leaders crucified Him. People from His hometown nearly pitched Him headlong down a steep embankment. His dear friend, Peter, denied even knowing Him. "No prophet," observed Jesus, "is accepted in his own country."
The prophet Isaiah had predicted all of this about Jesus: "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."
Along with this verse, it is also good to note what is written in Hebrews 2:18: "For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted." Jesus was tempted in all things just as we are, and especially in the area of rejection. However, He overcame, and in doing so, He can enable us to overcome.
Jesus is the Key to Healing
The season of Christmas seems to magnetize our rejection issues, but the central character of the story, Jesus Himself, is the key to healing us from that pain. He alone is the source of our success and joy.
In John 1:4, we learn that in Jesus lies the fullness of life. We need to find the basis for our acceptance and fulfillment in our Creator and His purpose for us. We must not take too seriously the praise or honor--or hurts and slights--that others bestow on us. A visit with God each day helps us discover the center of joy.
My value is not found in my wife, my friends, or my possessions. My only hope for fulfillment and greatness in God’s eyes begins through a growing, dynamic relationship with Him.
Let God Reveal Your Value
Rejection and Christmas go hand-in-hand. It’s been that way for two millennia. The relationships and generosity that comes with this season can magnify our rejection issues. The choice is yours: Do you have more confidence in Satan’s power to blind others to the truth about you? Or do you have more confidence in God’s ability to reveal your value to them?
This Christmas, when the pin pricks of self-doubt and rejection touch your heart, turn your attention back to God. Ask Him to validate and care for you. God wants to take all of the tough circumstances in your life and use them to prepare you for your divine destiny. He wants to give you the great gift of joyfulness this Christmas--and every Christmas!
E. Christ suffered rejection and so do we.
1. We often allow Satan to win in these situations, but we don’t have to.
2. Because we have a Savior who overcame rejection and never sinned.
3. Therefore He is able to overcome rejection in our lives as well!
III. Christ overcomes rejection
Isaiah 53:7-12 (NIV), He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied ; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Psalms 118:22-23 (NIV), The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; 23 the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
Isaiah 41:9 (NIV), I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ’You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
1 Peter 2:4-9 (NIV), As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him-- 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." 7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone," 8 and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message--which is also what they were destined for. 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
How to overcome rejection from the story of Cain…
A. Cain felt rejection
Genesis 4:1-5 (NIV), Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man." 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
1. Cain brought a grain offering while Abel brought an animal sacrifice.
2. God looked with favor on Abel’s sacrifice.
3. Cain felt rejection when God looked on his brother’s sacrifice with favor.
4. Cain was very angry and his face was downcast.
5. Cain felt the sting of rejection.
B. God offered acceptance
Genesis 4:6-7 (NIV), Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
1. God asked Cain what the problem was. God asked Cain why he was so upset.
2. God told Cain that if he did what was right, he would be accepted.
3. God told Cain that if he did not do what was right, sin was going to overcome him.
4. God told Cain that if he did not do what was right, rejection was going to overcome him and sin would destroy him.
5. So why did God look with favor on and accept Abel’s offering and not Cain’s?
a. Because Cain did not do what was right.
b. Abel did what was right, but Cain did not; that was the difference in their offerings.
c. Abel offered an animal, while Cain offered grain.
d. Now it looks like both were sacrificing what they had.
e. Abel raised flocks for a living and he offered an animal; Cain grew crops, and offered grain; sounds like the both were making appropriate sacrifices.
h. But we already know that Cain’s offering wasn’t right.
i. So why was an animal sacrifice appropriate and grain inappropriate.
j. Had God taught them how to make appropriate sacrifices?
k. Well Moses didn’t record where about God out rightly talked about sacrifices, but we do know that God did correct their parents on this subject.
l. We see in Genesis 3:7 (NIV), Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
m. But we also know that God told them that leaves were not appropriate.
n. Genesis 3:21 (NIV), The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
o. God showed them that there must be a shedding of blood for sin.
p. God showed them that there was an appropriate way to do sacrifices.
q. And although Moses doesn’t record when and were Cain and Abel learned this, it is clear that God knew that both of them knew it.
6. But notice that even though God had told Cain the right way to sacrifice, and even though Cain offered an inappropriate sacrifice, there was no punishment other than God didn’t accept his sacrifice and looked with favor on his brother’s.
7. God offered him a way of acceptance, but Satan seized on these feelings of rejection.
8. So God was warning Cain that if he didn’t get a hold of himself, this was going to lead to destruction.
9. God was warning Cain that something awful was going to happen if Cain didn’t snap out of this and do the right thing.
10. God made Cain an offer to be accepted by God, but Cain didn’t take it and God’s prediction came true.
C. Cain embraced rejection
Genesis 4:8 (NIV), Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let’s go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
1. Cain, like Hemingway, embraced rejection instead of acceptance.
2. Agnus offered salvation from rejection and Hemingway refused it.
3. God offered salvation from rejection and Cain refused it.
4. Rejection overcame Cain, he gave into the lies of the devil, and slew his brother.
D. Cain was overcome by rejection
Genesis 4:9-13 (NIV), Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don’t know," he replied. "Am I my brother’s keeper?" 10 The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth." 13 Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear.
1. Now Cain was punished.
2. He had had actually only experienced non-acceptance by God before, but now he’s getting punishment.
3. God would cause him to be driven from everyone and get the scarlet letter “M” (for murderer) branded upon his head so that everyone from now on would know that he was a murderer.
4. But notice that even before any of this actually happened, Cain was feeling the sting of rejection.
5. Can you hear the cries of total, absolute rejection, when he said to God, “My punishment is more than I can bear?”
6. Can you image the sting of rejection that was in Cain’s heart?
7. Can you image what it would feel like to have God turn His back on you?
8. "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--
E. Will you choose rejection or acceptance?
Genesis 4:6-7 (NIV), Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
1. God offers all of us the same chance when we are hit with rejection.
2. Christ has experienced it all and He always provides a way of escape so that we can stand up under it.
3. We do NOT have to be overcome by rejection.
4. Christ can overcome it in us just like He overcame it in Himself.
5. We must hear the words of God; Christ says the same thing to us…"Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?
6. Do you want to be accepted? Then do what is right.
7. In Cain’s story, doing what was right was to go back and make a right sacrifice.
8. In our story, it’s the same. Go back and make a right sacrifice.
9. Sacrifice your shame and pride and do the right thing.
10. Do not be overcome by rejection and let sin become your Master.
11. Cry out to God before you sin and ask Him to show you the right thing to do, the way of escape.
12. Ask Him to hold your hand and walk with you as you walk through the way of escape!
13. In every situation, there is a way of escape; there is a right thing to do that will enable you to overcome rejection.
14. You are a child of God and He accepts you!
15. Go to Him and receive His acceptance—do not let rejection overcome you.
Conclusion:
A. [Celebrate! Daily Devotions for the Spirit-Filled Life, Jack W. Hayford, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1992, page: December 9)
There is a seldom noticed yet preciously tender lesson to be found in Mary’s actions immediately following the angel’s visit announcing her role as bearer of the Christ Child. She had been told that her cousin Elizabeth was also experiencing an unusual, though different, visitation of God’s grace: that now late in life, she was in the sixth month of pregnancy with her first child (Luke 1:36).
Now, almost immediately after she has discovered that she, Mary of Nazareth, is about to become the most unique woman in history, notice how beautifully her attention turns from herself to a need where she can serve.
She travels to help Elizabeth, and verse 56 says that Mary stayed with her aged relative and served her until Elizabeth’s baby was delivered.
This could well become our most important Christmas lesson for this year. Mary demonstrates a principle of God’s love in action: “May I be more concerned to assist the fulfillment of what the Lord is doing in another person than I am with what He is doing in me.”
1. Of course, she knew the rejection that was imminent, but her mind raced towards someone she could help.
2. There is ALWAYS a right thing to do in the face of rejection and usually it has to do with get your mind off of your “poor, poor pitiful me” and onto someone else!
3. This could well become our most important Christmas lesson for this year. Mary demonstrates a principle of God’s love in action: “May I be more concerned to assist the fulfillment of what the Lord is doing in another person than I am with what He is doing in me.”
B. [A Christmas Story, unknown]
I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid.
I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!" (Rejection!)
My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her "world-famous" cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true.
Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus?" she snorted...."Ridiculous! Don’t believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your coat, and let’s go."
"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn’t even finished my second world-famous cinnamon bun.
"Where" turned out to be Kerby’s General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through it’s doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I’ll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby’s.
I was only eight years old. I’d often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for.
I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church. I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair (rejection!), and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock’s grade-two class. Bobby Decker didn’t have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn’t have a cough; he had no good coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat!
I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that. "Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down.
"Yes, ma’am," I replied shyly. "It’s for Bobby."
The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a good winter coat.
I didn’t get any change, but she put the coat in a bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.
That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on the box.
Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker’s house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially, one of Santa’s helpers.
Grandma parked down the street from Bobby’s house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going." I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his doorbell and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma.
Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open.
Finally it did, and there stood Bobby. Fifty years haven’t dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker’s bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.
I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95.
C. There are many of us here today who have experienced rejection over a long period of time and it is about to overcome you.
1. There are many here today that need to come and pray through this rejection.
2. There are many who need to come and receive God’s acceptance.
3. There are many who need to reject rejection and accept acceptance!
4. However you need to respond to the One who overcame rejection for you, you do it as we stand and sing…“Lamb of God.”
