00:00I want to talk to you about something that Jesus did that I think is going to surprise a lot
00:07of people.
00:08Jesus let people walk away.
00:12Now, that may not sound profound at first, but I want you to think about it.
00:19Jesus loved people perfectly.
00:22He healed people.
00:24He forgave them.
00:25He fed them.
00:27He sat with people nobody else wanted anything to do with.
00:32He cared deeply.
00:34But he still did not chase everybody who decided to leave.
00:40And I think some of us need to hear that.
00:43Because we're wearing ourselves out trying to keep people in our lives who have already made a decision.
00:51We keep explaining ourselves.
00:54We keep trying to prove our intentions.
00:57We keep replaying conversations in our heads.
01:01We keep thinking, if I could just get them to understand me, maybe everything would be different.
01:09Maybe.
01:10But maybe not.
01:13And that's where Jesus gives us a lesson.
01:18In John chapter 6, Jesus gave a teaching that was hard for people to accept.
01:25And the Bible says that many of his disciples stopped following him.
01:30They walked away.
01:32Now, imagine that.
01:35These were people who had been following Jesus, listening to Jesus, watching everything he did.
01:43And they left.
01:45You know what Jesus did not do?
01:48He did not run after them.
01:50He did not say, wait, come back.
01:53Let me change what I said.
01:55Or water down the truth to keep the crowd.
01:59He turned to the twelve and he asked them,
02:02Will ye also go away?
02:05And you know what?
02:06That totally gets me.
02:08Because Jesus was not insecure about who he was.
02:12He did not need everybody's approval to continue what the Father had sent him to do.
02:18And I wonder, how many of us are stuck because we're still trying to get approval from somebody
02:25who has already decided not to give it?
02:29Maybe it's a friend.
02:32Maybe it's family.
02:34Maybe it's somebody you worked with or somebody you loved.
02:39Maybe it's somebody you helped.
02:42And they still walked away.
02:44Here's what I want you to understand, my friend.
02:48Somebody leaving does not always mean that you have failed.
02:53Now, sometimes we do need to take responsibility.
02:58If you were wrong, you should admit it.
03:01If you hurt somebody, you should apologize.
03:05And if you can repair something, my advice would be to repair it.
03:11But you see, Jesus never taught pride.
03:16And there's a big difference between taking responsibility for what you did and taking responsibility for somebody else's decision.
03:27You cannot control both sides of a relationship.
03:32You cannot force somebody to understand you.
03:36You cannot force somebody to forgive you or make somebody stay who has decided to leave.
03:45And Jesus, he didn't try to.
03:49You see, there's another story in Mark chapter 10, where a wealthy young man comes to Jesus.
03:56He wanted to know what he needed to do to inherit eternal life.
04:02And Jesus challenged him.
04:04And the Bible says something important.
04:08It says Jesus looked at him and loved him.
04:13You see, Jesus loved this man.
04:17And then the man walked away.
04:20And Jesus let him go.
04:23I want you to think about that.
04:26Jesus loved him and still let the man make his own choice.
04:31Now, that doesn't mean that Jesus stopped caring.
04:34Don't get me wrong.
04:35It means love does not always mean chasing.
04:40Sometimes love means telling the truth and opening your hands.
04:45Sometimes love means praying for somebody without following them down every single road they choose.
04:53Sometimes love means leaving the door open without standing in the doorway for the rest of your life.
04:59Now, that's a hard lesson.
05:02Especially if you're the kind of person who wants to keep fixing everything.
05:08Some of us think that if a relationship breaks, it must be our job to repair it.
05:14And if somebody misunderstands us, it must be our job to convince them.
05:20And if somebody is angry with us, it must be our job to make them happy again.
05:27But sometimes you've done everything you know how to do.
05:31And at that point, faith looks like surrender.
05:35Not surrender to bitterness.
05:38Surrendering to the outcome that God has decided.
05:42You say, God, I've done what I can.
05:47I've prayed.
05:49I've apologized where I needed to.
05:52I've tried to make peace.
05:54Now I have to trust you with what happens next.
05:59You see, friends, that is not weakness.
06:03That takes strength.
06:05And let me tell you another part of this lesson.
06:08Do not let rejection turn you into somebody you do not want to become.
06:14That's the danger.
06:15You see, if somebody betrays you and now you trust nobody, that's not good.
06:22If somebody lies about you and now you become angry at everybody, that's not good either.
06:30Or if somebody leaves and now you decide you will never get close to anyone again, I want
06:37to remind you that Jesus never did that.
06:42He was rejected.
06:43He was criticized, misunderstood.
06:46Even his hometown rejected him.
06:49Religious leaders attacked him.
06:52Disciples left him.
06:55Judas betrayed him.
06:57Peter denied him.
06:59And yet Jesus kept loving people.
07:02Now that's powerful if you ask me.
07:05You see, Jesus experienced rejection without becoming controlled by rejection.
07:10And maybe that's the lesson we need to hear today.
07:14You do not get to choose everything people do to you.
07:19But you do get to choose what kind of person you become afterward.
07:24You see, if somebody is cruel to you, do not become cruel.
07:29If somebody refuses to forgive you, do not become unforgiving.
07:34And if somebody walks away, do not let it convince you that everybody else will.
07:42If somebody rejects you, do not let their rejection become your identity.
07:49Keep your heart soft.
07:51Keep your faith.
07:53And keep moving.
07:55Because some of us are still standing at the exact spot where somebody left us.
08:01We're mentally still there.
08:04Still replaying it.
08:05Still wondering what we should have said.
08:08Still wondering what they're saying about us.
08:12Still wondering whether they miss us.
08:15Whether they regret it.
08:17And meanwhile, life keeps moving on.
08:22You see, God is still working.
08:25There is still purpose in front of you.
08:28And there are still people you have not met yet.
08:32There are also still things God wants to teach you.
08:36And places.
08:37He can use you.
08:39You see, you cannot keep staring at a closed door and expect to see the ones God is opening.
08:47And in the end of that moment, in John chapter 6, after people walked away,
08:53Jesus asked the twelve if they wanted to leave too.
08:59Peter said,
09:01Lord, to whom shall we go?
09:04Thou hast the words of eternal life.
09:07You know what?
09:08I love that.
09:10Because some left, some stayed.
09:12But Jesus remained who he was.
09:15And that's what I want you to take with you today.
09:19You do not need everybody to stay.
09:23You do not need everybody to understand you.
09:26Friend, you do not need everybody to approve of you.
09:31You need to know who you are in Christ.
09:34You need to know who you are following.
09:37You need to know that even when people change, God does not.
09:42So, forgive people.
09:45So, forgive people.
09:46Love people.
09:47Pray for people.
09:49Own your mistakes.
09:51And make peace where you can.
09:53But do not spend your life chasing somebody who has chosen another direction.
10:00Jesus did not.
10:02He loved people deeply.
10:05Sometimes he did let them walk away.
10:09And then he kept walking in the purpose God gave him.
10:14And maybe that's what you need to do too.
10:21My name is Douglas Vander Graf, and I believe in Jesus Christ.
10:26God bless every single one of you, every single one, and everyone you love.
10:38Bye-bye.
Comments