"What If They Reject Me?" Rejection, Follow-up, and the Fear of Man

Opening illustration…

You’ve been praying for several lost people

Maybe spouse, relative, neighbor, co-worker, friend

You finally open up and tell someone the gospel

Go through the gospel

At some point in the conversation they interrupt you and harshly reject the gospel.

What do we do in those moments? How do we carry on through rejection? How can we get the courage to get started when rejection is a real possibility?

Three Questions:

Why do people reject the gospel?

Why then should we evangelize?

How can we persevere through rejection?

1) Why do people REJECT the gospel?

When I talk about rejecting the gospel, I don’t necessarily mean all unbelievers. There are many people who aren’t Christians because they’ve never heard the gospel.

Proclaiming the gospel at the Easter Egg Hunt in Louisville, KY and none of the kids knew about the resurrection

The Gospel is OFFENSIVE

1 Corinthians 1:22–24 “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

What is offensive about the gospel?

Can we add unnecessary offense to the gospel? How?

How can we avoid adding those unnecessary offenses?

Unbelievers are spiritually DEAD

Romans 3:10–11 “as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.”

Ephesians 2:1–3 “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

God must DRAW sinners to Himself

John 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”

1 Peter 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”

Explain: regeneration precedes conversion

Tell the story of Ella’s testimony

If these things are true, why do anything?

2) Why then should we EVANGELIZE?

It is God’s appointed MEANS to save sinners

Romans 10:13–15 “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!””

It is an act of LOVE that demonstrates our concern for sinners

Mark 12:28–31 “And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that He answered them well, asked Him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.””

Mark Dever—“What does such love require of us? It seems to require that what we want for ourselves, we want for those we love, too. If you desire to love God with perfect affection, you will desire that for your neighbor, too. But you are not loving your neighbor as yourself if you’re not trying to persuade him toward the greatest and best aspect of your own life—your reconciled relationship with God. If you are a Christian, you are pursuing Christ. You are following him, and you desire him. And you must therefore also desire this highest good for everyone whom you love. It is love itself that requires us to pursue the best for those we love, and that must include sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with them.” [1]

It is an act of WORSHIP that brings glory to God

J.I. Packer—We glorify God by evangelizing, not only because evangelizing is an act of obedience, but also because in evangelism we tell the world what great things God has done for the salvation of sinners. God is glorified when His mighty works of grace are made known. [2]

2 Corinthians 4:13–15 “Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.”

It is an act of OBEDIENCE that demonstrates our love for Jesus

Matthew 28:18–20 “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

John Cheeseman—Love for God is the only sufficient motive for evangelism. Self-love will give way to self-centeredness; love for the lost will fail with those whom we cannot love, and when difficulties seem [i]nsurmountable, only a deep love for God will keep us following his way, declaring his Gospel, when human resources fail. [3]

3) How can we PERSEVERE through rejection?

Be COMFORTED

John 15:20–21 “Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.”

1 Peter 4:12–16 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.”

Be MERCIFUL

1 Peter 2:21–23 “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.”

Be PATIENT

If you’ve faithfully told someone the gospel you don’t need to evangelize them every time you see them

1 Corinthians 3:6–9 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.”

Me and Preston

Be HOPEFUL

Acts 6:7 “And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.”

Story of Jim Elliot

Be PRAYERFUL

Luke 18:1–8 “And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?””