All right, let’s just have another quick word of prayer.
Lord, just echoing the prayer that Aaron just prayed, that we would see the simplicity of Your love, Lord, for us. We just pray for Your anointing upon Your Word, Lord, and for ears to hear what is from You, that we would gain a greater attraction to You, Lord, and to who You are in this time. We just commit it into Your hands, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
So, I’m going to read a story for starters and put up the pictures so that you can see pictures as I read. Then we’ll go on from there.
This story is from a book by Max Lucado—or at least, the book that I’m reading is from him. Some of you may recognize this story. This is about the Wemmicks. Has anyone heard the story of the Wemmicks and Punchinello before? Just Jeffrey? Okay, great. Awesome. All right, so here’s the story.
The Wemmicks were a small wooden people carved by a woodworker named Eli. Each Wemmick was different. Some had big noses; others had large eyes. Some were tall, and others were short.
Each Wemmick had a box of golden star stickers and gray dot stickers. The wooden people went around the village sticking stars or dots on one another. The pretty ones got stars. Wemmicks with rough wood or chipped paint got dots. The talented ones got stars too. Some could jump over tall boxes or sing pretty songs. Others, though, could do little. They got dots.
Punchinello was one of these. He tried to jump high like others, but he always fell. So the Wemmicks would give him dots. When he tried to explain why he fell, he would say something silly, so the Wemmicks would give him more dots.
“He deserves lots of dots,” the wooden people would say. After a while, Punchinello believed them. “I guess I’m not a good Wemmick,” he decided. So he stayed inside most of the time.
When he did go outside, he hung around other Wemmicks who had lots of dots. He felt better around them.
One day, he met a different kind of Wemmick named Lucia. She had no dots or stars. The Wemmicks admired Lucia for having no dots, so they would give her a star—but it would fall off. Others gave her a dot for having no stars, but it would not stay either.
“That’s the way I want to be,” thought Punchinello. So he asked Lucia how she did it.
“It’s easy,” she replied. “Every day, I go visit Eli, the woodcarver.”
“Why?”
“You’ll find out if you go see him.”
Then Lucia turned and skipped away.
“But will he want to see me?” Punchinello wondered. Later at home, he sat and watched the wooden people giving each other dots and stars. “It’s not right,” he muttered to himself, and he decided to go see Eli.
Punchinello walked up the narrow path and stepped into Eli’s shop. His eyes grew big. The stool was as tall as he was. He had to stretch on tiptoe to see the top of the workbench. Punchinello swallowed hard. “I’m not staying here.”
Then he heard his name.
“Punchinello.”
The voice was deep and strong. “How good to see you. Come, let me have a look at you.”
Punchinello looked up. “You know my name?”
“Of course. I made you.”
Eli picked him up and set him on the bench. “Looks like you’ve been given some bad marks,” said the maker.
“I didn’t mean to, Eli. I tried really hard.”
“Punchinello, I don’t care what the other Wemmicks think.”
“You don’t?”
“No, and you shouldn’t either. What they think doesn’t matter. All that matters is what I think. And I think you’re pretty special.”
Punchinello laughed. “Me, special? Why? I’m not very talented, and my paint is peeling. Why do I matter to You?”
Eli spoke very slowly. “Because you’re mine. That’s why you matter to me.”
Punchinello didn’t know what to say.
“Every day, I’ve been hoping you’d come,” Eli explained.
“I came because I met Lucia,” said Punchinello. “Why don’t the stickers stay on her?”
The maker spoke softly. “Because she has decided that what I think is more important than what the others think. The stickers only stick if you let them.”
“What?”
“The stickers only stick if they matter to you. The more you trust my love, the less you care about their stickers.”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
Eli smiled. “You will, but it will take time. For now, come to see me every day, and let me remind you how much I care.”
Eli lifted Punchinello off the bench and set him on the ground. “Remember,” Eli said as Punchinello was leaving, “you are special because I made you, and I don’t make mistakes.”
Punchinello didn’t stop. But in his heart, he thought, I think He really means it. And when he did, a dot fell to the ground.
So this story has some really—actually, it’s a very simple story—but it has some deep meaning to it. I want to look at a couple of the themes that are talked about in this story.
Before I do, we’re going to look at a few Scriptures together. I wondered if I could have some volunteers to read. There are sixteen different passages. Psalm 110 says, “Your people will volunteer freely,” so let’s fulfill that Scripture.
All right, it helps me to have some internal structure, and prayerfully this message will have that very thing that I desire: internal structure.
I want to look at a few things here:
The first topic is that of rejection. Many here, I’m sure, have dealt with this topic in some way or another. I definitely have. I’m sure we all have, and it can be a very painful thing.
For me, there are things back in my childhood that I can remember contributing to that, and I’m sure a lot of folks here have dealt with that too.
One thing that has recently helped me, and through which the Lord has really brought some healing, is considering how much our Lord Jesus was rejected—how much He suffered in that area.
He was despised, and rejected of men;
A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief:
And as one from whom men hide their face
He was despised; and we esteemed Him not.
—Isaiah 53:3
Who were some people who rejected the Lord? What are some areas in the Scriptures where we see that the Lord suffered rejection? Peter, His disciples, the Pharisees—the Pharisees rejected the Lord.
Nevertheless even of the rulers many believed on Him;
But because of the Pharisees they did not confess it,
Lest they should be put out of the synagogue:
For they loved the glory that is of men
More than the glory that is of God.
—John 12:42-43
That is a prime example of loving the approval of men rather than that of the Lord. The rulers did not confess the Lord because being put out of the synagogue had tremendous implications in that day regarding social status. They were fearful of that rejection of man. So they chose those gold stars, if you will, over the approval of God.
He that believeth on Him is not judged:
He that believeth not hath been judged already,
Because he hath not believed on the name
Of the only begotten Son of God.And this is the judgment,
That the light is come into the world,
And men loved the darkness rather than the light;
For their works were evil.
—John 3:18-19
That is another explanation of why the Lord suffered rejection. Really, the bottom line is sin. Men loved darkness rather than light, and so they rejected the Lord for that reason.
The Scriptures also say that His brothers rejected Him and did not believe in Him. John 7 talks about that. One of the words in Isaiah 53 is “despised,” and despised means to think little of. His brothers thought little of Him. They did not recognize who He was, and they did not believe in Him.
Another reason is that He grew up in Nazareth, which was thought of as backwoods. His own disciple Nathanael said, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” So, for many reasons, the Lord suffered rejection by many people.
Of course, the ultimate rejection that He suffered was on the cross, when the Father had to turn His back on Him. He bore our sins and was forsaken by God. For that reason, we will never be able to fathom what He went through.
Along with that, though, there is great joy: we will never suffer rejection from God because of what the Lord Jesus did.
One of the things that we deal with when we suffer rejection is how we respond to it. There can be a temptation toward unforgiveness or bitterness.
Wherefore it behooved Him in all things to be made like unto His brethren,
That He might become a merciful and faithful high priest
In things pertaining to God,
To make propitiation for the sins of the people.For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted,
He is able to succor them that are tempted.
—Hebrews 2:17-18
The Lord Jesus suffered rejection, and I am sure He was tempted to respond in a different way than He did. Because He went through that, He can come to our aid if we ever deal with that.
For we have not a high priest that cannot be touched
With the feeling of our infirmities;
But one that hath been in all points tempted like as we are,
Yet without sin.Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace,
That we may receive mercy,
And may find grace to help us in time of need.
—Hebrews 4:15-16
Just another encouragement there: the Lord endured rejection, and He can come to our aid. He never sinned when He endured rejection. So if it is something that we face, come to the Lord with it. Take that to Him, and find His healing and grace to overcome—to respond graciously through Him alone. He can give us that strength.
Back to the story: it talked about those gold stars of approval. I thought about where we can look for approval. One of those areas is the world, and there are some Scriptures that deal pretty strongly with that.
Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?
Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world
Maketh himself an enemy of God.
—James 4:4
But far be it from me to glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Through which the world hath been crucified unto me,
And I unto the world.
—Galatians 6:14
We really need to take a definite stand when it comes to the world. The world crucified our Lord, and we are in Him. John 17 deals a lot with how the Lord has put us in the world, and there is a mission. He definitely put us in the world for a reason. But we are to be in the world and not of the world—to be that light.
I thought I would mention a testimony along the lines of the Scripture in Galatians 6:14. When I was in college, I had grown up playing a lot of soccer. When I went to college, I wanted to be on the varsity team.
The University of Richmond had a soccer team at that time—they do not anymore—and they were Division One, so it was very competitive. I tried out three times and did not make it, but it was actually the Lord’s mercy that I did not make it. It was not a good environment at all. There were a lot of worldly guys on the team.
I was in a class one time with three guys who were on the team. They were All-Americans, and it was one of the years that I was trying out. I was really tempted to try to get in with that crowd, with the guys around the team. They were nice guys, but they were very worldly. I am ashamed to say that I was really affected by wanting to be included by them.
I remember that I knew there was an oppression with that. I knew it was blocking my walk with the Lord, and I was definitely struggling with it. One day, I was sitting in the cafeteria, and I looked up and saw one of the guys walking my way. Immediately, I felt that pressure of wanting to be accepted.
The Lord, thank the Lord, brought this Scripture to my mind:
But far be it from me to glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Through which the world hath been crucified unto me,
And I unto the world.
—Galatians 6:14
I do not know if I said it out loud, but maybe I did, quietly. Immediately, when I stood on that Scripture—that I had been crucified to the world and the world to me—the Lord dealt with that pressure. It was lifted right off. I knew that desire for acceptance was gone, because it is through His finished work that we can enter into that victory.
That is the position He has given us: we are crucified to the world. The world has no part in us—the world system. So, just an encouragement: do not look to the world to find your self-value and self-worth. Again, it is the world system that crucified our Lord.
Another area we can look to is other believers. It could be people that we look up to in the church. Maybe we get some sort of self-worth from whether we feel accepted by them or not.
These are just a couple of areas that I thought of, but if that is the case—if we are looking for recognition from one another—it really comes down to idolatry. The idol is me, because I want to be recognized. I want to be accepted.
We need to recognize that every believer, no matter how advanced they are in the Lord or how far along they are, is in desperate need of the grace of God. Everyone comes from a place of brokenness and has found healing in the Lord. We are all totally cast upon the grace of God.
So, again, do not seek to find your value in whether or not others look up to you.
There are a couple of areas where we should not seek approval. Now let us focus on where our true acceptance is found.
All that which the Father giveth Me shall come unto Me;
And him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.
—John 6:37
Praise the Lord—what a promise. “All who come to Me I will never cast out.” Truly, in Him alone is our acceptance.
I mentioned that considering how much our Lord suffered rejection was an area in which the Lord really brought healing to me. Another passage is Psalm 139. It is a beautiful psalm. I really encourage you all to meditate on it and personalize it as you do.
O Lord, Thou hast searched me, and known me.
Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising;
Thou understandest my thought afar off.
Thou searchest out my path and my lying down,
And art acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word in my tongue,
But, lo, O Lord, Thou knowest it altogether.
Thou hast beset me behind and before,
And laid Thy hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain unto it.
—Psalm 139:1-6
He goes on in that passage to talk about the Lord’s intimate knowledge of us and how He created us individually. It is just a wonderful passage to meditate on.
Know that, as the Scripture says, you are God’s creation—personally fashioned, intimately known, and cared for by Him.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,
That whosoever believeth on Him should not perish,
But have eternal life.
—John 3:16
So, here is the question: what do you have to do so that God will love you? For God so loved the world while you were here. So, exist? That is all you have to do, really. And God took care of that, right?
There is nothing to strive for as far as earning God’s love.
There are a couple of passages in Scripture that talk about God’s unconditional love. One is His choosing of Israel. If you look at Scriptures about Israel, it makes clear that God made a sovereign choice of a people to demonstrate His unconditional love and devotion to them.
The Lord did not set His love upon you, nor choose you,
Because ye were more in number than any people;
For ye were the fewest of all peoples:
But because the Lord loveth you.
—Deuteronomy 7:7-8
The Lord loved Israel because He loved them. There you go. If you want a reason, that is it. Israel is another example of God’s unconditional love.
For behold your calling, brethren,
That not many wise after the flesh,
Not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
But God chose the foolish things of the world,
That He might put to shame them that are wise;
And God chose the weak things of the world,
That He might put to shame the things that are strong;
And the base things of the world, and the things that are despised,
Did God choose, yea and the things that are not,
That He might bring to nought the things that are:
That no flesh should glory before God.But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus,
Who was made unto us wisdom from God,
And righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:
That, according as it is written,
He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
—1 Corinthians 1:26-31
That Scripture makes it clear that there is nothing to boast in. There is nothing in our flesh that God would want to choose us because of—naturally, anything that we possess. It makes it very clear: it is His doing that we are in Christ Jesus. There is no reason for boasting. It is all God’s choosing.
A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven.
—John 3:27
That is John the Baptist’s testimony. What have we received? The love of God, and that has been given to us freely. These are just some Scriptures that talk about God’s unconditional love for us.
I encourage you all to meditate on those and just know that God loves you without any strings attached.
I was thinking about Mac’s analogy of how we start off in college and have to, so to speak, unlearn so many things to get to kindergarten. The simplicity of “God loves me” is something a child can easily get. Children do not take it for granted that their parents love them in a good situation.
But it seems that as we go on—I know for myself—this works mentality creeps in. You think that you have to earn things, and the Lord needs to strip that away and bring us back to that simplicity: His love for us is unconditional.
I love the character of Lucia in the story that we looked at—the radiant figure that did not have any dots or stars. She was just totally caught up with the maker’s love and affection for her. That was what she valued above all else.
The world’s approval and the world’s disapproval did not matter to her. What mattered to her was the love of her soul, if I can use that term—love given unconditionally. That was her source of inspiration and meaning.
Does anyone know what the apostle John referred to himself as? The one that Jesus loved, right? How do you think John knew that he was the one that Jesus loved?
I think the simple answer is that he spent time with the Lord. It is true that each one of us here is the one that Jesus loves.
But it comes down to this: on our part, will we discover that truth? Will we spend that time with Him daily to know that it is true, to find our identity in His love, and to know that we are the beloved of the Lord?
Finally, our relationships with one another really spring out of what we just talked about—finding our love and acceptance in Christ alone.
Our love and acceptance of each other should be an overflow of knowing how much the Lord loves us.
This is My commandment,
That ye love one another,
Even as I have loved you.
—John 15:12
Unconditionally, we are to love one another.
Wherefore receive ye one another,
Even as Christ also received you,
To the glory of God.
—Romans 15:7
Just as Christ has welcomed us—unconditionally—all we have to do is come to Him. In the same way, accept one another, because Christ has accepted us.
These are just a few simple thoughts. My encouragement and desire is that the Lord would bring us all to that place of knowing Him as our all-sufficiency, knowing that His approval is totally His grace. There is nothing that we can do to earn it. His love is freely given to us.
May that be our source of identity and satisfaction. Then, if we come across rejection, it will not matter ultimately, because what matters to us is that we are beloved by the Lord.
As we abide in Him and know His love for us, may we demonstrate that love to one another. Just as He has freely loved us, may we freely love and accept one another to His glory.
Let’s close in prayer.
Lord, again, we thank You so much that You love this world so much that You gave Your only Son, Lord, and that You have intimately created and fashioned each of us. Lord, You have poured out Your love upon us.
I pray for myself and for everyone here that we would abide in You, abide in Your love, and take time to seek You, Lord—to discover and know that You intimately love us. May that be the sole meaning for our existence, Lord: knowing You, knowing Your love, and sharing that freely with one another.
Protect and defend us, we pray, and keep us for Yourself. In Jesus’ name, amen.