Approval Pains

intro

It is nice to be liked and lovley to be loved. And its not nice knowing that there are people who diskile you or even dispise you. - I think we can all agree on that.

God created us with the capacity to love and be loved, and when we love and are loved we feel a deep level on peace and contentment, its like we are fulfilling our purpose relationally with our fellow man.

And I also believe that is very good to be regocnised when we have maybe done, or said something praiseworthy. - Its good to commed our children on a job well done.

And when we work hard at something it really feels good to have someone say well done.

It feels really good as well when a husband or a wife compliments their spouse. “You’re such a sweet husband… You are an amazing wife”. These kinds of expressions really do touch and bless our hearts.

Im not speaking about boasting or showing off.

Proverbs 25:27 AV

27 It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.

Thats not what im speaking about, thats a whole other sermon - but just to be and feel appriciated is a blessing.

But...

But within this blessing, lies a potential trap - and its a trap that sadley mny people, including myself, have often at times fallen into.

This trap exists as a result of our fallen nature, and when our spirit is weak or weary, that is most often when we llow ourselves to be drawn into a very unwise nd unhealthy game.

You see, its good to be told “Well done”. It is a wonderful encouragement. But what can happen is that we can become addicted to the approval. Often because we might be feeling low or down or sad or upset, and approval has a europhic effect on the mind.

But, when we become desperate for more of that feeling (and we are often oblivious to this) it can become very dangerious.

WHY?

Why? 2 reasons: 1: You become a slave to other peoples opinions of you. and 2: If it feel good when people like you, it feels terrible when people dont like you, and tharts a problem because it is impossible to have everyone like you, you will upset people and many people will dislike you and even hate you.

Luke 17:1 AV

1 Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!

And if you feed on that kind of energy then you will live a very up and down unstable life.

Some people will like and appriciate you, some people will dislike and dispise you

Thats life and for our ability to live holy, victorious lives does depend quite a bit on how we live knowing that we will be like by some and not by others.

And in this Jesus shine as bright as ever.

Jesus is the defenition of a victorious life, He was victorious everyday. On days on miracles, on days of preaching, he was even victorious in death.

But Jesus, like all who are in Him, was like and loved and appriciated by some and dislike and dispised and hated by others. - but whether he was loved or hated - nither of them affected him.

Jesus did not get upset when the crouds tried to throw him off a cliff, or did he get puffed up when crouds whanted to make him king.

And i believe that this is because Jesus knew something very impotent.

John 2:23–25 AV

23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. 24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, 25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.

Jesus has turened water into wine and cleaned the temple and many people have come to believe in His name. They believed that he was who he said he was - the messiah and as such they loved him.

This is something which sound that likesomething to be pleased with. They like him, no they love him and theu believe in him - this should make Jesus feel glad, at least according to human thinking) but look:

verse 24:

That phraise commit himself to them means that he diddnt let their feelings towards him affect him in any way, it diddnt make him feel upset nor did it make him feel appriciated.

This crouds opinion of Jesus, and it was a posative opinion, did not impact or affect Jesus’ spirit in any way, positive or negative.

why? - Well this is the key. The crowed, the people were not in controll of Jesus’ spiritual and emotional well being. Jesus was not a slave to their approval or their disapproval.

Which means that His victory and His Spiritual well being were not linked to weather or not people liked him.

Why did the opinions of the people not effect Jesus?

Verse 24-25

Jesus knew something, He knew what was in man. He knew their heats, but more importantly he knew just how fickly and shallow and contrary people can be.

As our creator Jesus knows:

Psalm 103:14 AV

14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

Our opinions are worthless as far as humanity goes. What we thing and how we feel on any given day is a almagamtion on our mood, testosterone or estrogen levels, how mucg sleep we had, our personal predudges, our misinformation about a person or thing, what we had for breakfat and how much we need the toilet.

Do you really wnat to base your well being on what a hungry, sleep drprived, hormonal, misinformed bag of meat with a full bladder thinks?

Jesus diddnt!

It a crazy game to play, and you always loose when you play it.

Now please undertand, Jesus knew what was in amn, he knew how shallow and fickle we were, bBUT and its a big but - knwing this about us, he still loved us and cherished us.

he loved us and cherished us, but he did nit seek approval from us.

This is important because we must not let the fact that people are so contrary make us feel bitter towards them. we must remeber that we can be just as shallow at times.

The Fathersd Approval

So Jesus did not seek approval from us, this then leads to the final reason Jesus was immune to peoples opinions: If he did not get approval from us, where did he get it?

Matthew 3:17 AV

17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Jesus knew that the only opinion that matters, it the Fathers. And becaue he had his fathers approval he did not need anyone leses.

And because you are in Christ, and if you simply follow Jesus, then That same approval rests on you.

Romans 14:18 AV

18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

The apostels lived by this rule:

Galatians 1:10 AV

10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

John 12:43 NKJV

43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

Psalm 118:6–9 AV

6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? 7 The LORD taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. 8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. 9 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.

1 Thessalonians 2:4 AV

4 But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.

Here is the key. Our approval by God is not based in works or in anything we do, its based purley in Jesus Cherist. And the reality and peace and pleasure of knowing that God is for me:

Romans 8:31 AV

31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

The truth and peace that comes from knowing God is for us, becomes more and more tangeble, more and more manifest the more time we spend with Him in the His Word and in pareyer and in devotion.

The more you know God, His love, his godness and the more you understand that because of Jesus his love and goodness to towards you, the less yoou will find yourself needing the aproval of others and the less their diasproval will matter.

Untill one day you can say like the Apostle Paul:

1 Corinthians 4:3 AV

3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.