Do you remember in preschool when you would arrive at the park to play and, without hesitation, you would run-up to a group of kids you had never met before and become friends? Do you remember in middle school arriving at the school dance only to stay huddled with the same three friends, or just to watch everyone else in their small huddles? What is the difference between these two scenarios? The subjects in each scenario differ in their exposure to rejection. We’ve all felt rejection in one form or another, and it’s painful. We were not created for rejection. We were created for union. We were created to be accepted by God, but our sin has separated us from Him.
“If you’ve lived long enough, you’ve felt the pain of rejection. That pain was not something we were created to feel.” #The7
— Providence Baptist (@PBCRaleigh) March 22, 2020
On the cross, Jesus faced the greatest of rejection and separation on our behalf. In His final breaths on the cross, Jesus, recorded in the language he would have spoken in, cries out to the Father, quoting the psalm, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” These words uttered from the cross not only show the utter and complete separation Jesus was enduring, but it is a real picture of what our separation from God looks like apart from Christ. Fear of rejection, or the fear of man, drives many of our actions, behaviors, and decisions. We spend our lives chasing after satisfaction, fulfillment, and acceptance that can only be found in the Father.
“The fear of rejection drives many of our actions, behaviors, and decision. The fear of man can drive us and shape us. We feel it in our relationship with God. We spend our lives chasing after satisfaction and fulfillment that we can only find in God.” – Daniel Savage
What a tragic end; to die still under the weight of separation and rejection from God. Jesus’s tragic end is the end we have earned for ourselves; the total brokenness, death, and loss of everything good. This is what Jesus was tasting on our behalf. But there is hope.
“Jesus is bearing the full weight of rejection, and all the bystanders can think are to wet his mouth for the possibility to see Elijah, to see themselves something miraculous.” #The7
— Providence Baptist (@PBCRaleigh) March 22, 2020
Jesus, through His death, removes our rejection and separation. We see this through the centurion’s reaction and the tearing of the temple veil. The centurion, seeing the results of Christ deaths, comes to the belief that He must be the Son of God. The veil that separated man from the holiest of holies was torn in two; Christ is our veil, and we are able to be drawn near to the Father through Him. The tragic death of Christ allows us, His followers, to be brought near to God.
SERMON NOTES
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The Pain of Rejection (Mark 15:33-34)
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Amos 8:9 — During the crucifixion of Christ, the world darkened.
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2 Corinthians 5:21 — God hates sin. And Jesus had become sin for us.
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The Hopelessness of Rejection (Mark 15:35-37)
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The Removal of Rejection (Mark 15:38-39)
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You are NEVER forsaken because Jesus was forsaken. God is ALWAYS with you.
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You are NEVER rejected because Jesus was rejected. God ALWAYS accepts you.
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You are NEVER separated because Jesus was separated. God is ALWAYS near.
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INTROSPECTIVE QUESTIONS
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Have you trusted in Christ for the removal of your sin, shame, and separation from God.
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Do you rest your identity in the work of Jesus? Do you believe and know that you are eternally accepted?
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How can you resist being satisfied with lesser joys, and instead practice being in the presence of God?
FINAL THOUGHTS
Even in the midst of a pandemic, in the midst of fear and uncertainty, in the midst of death and suffering, there is hope. Because Christ bore the separation, rejection, and death that we deserved, we are able to be brought into the presence of a Holy God. What grace! We are able to bring our fears, worries, and sufferings to the feet of the cross and know that the Father hears us.
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