親愛的朋友們，

我認識一個名叫戈登的人，他幹了一輩子的推銷員，銷售的是一種製造混凝土的產品。他走訪一個又一個的混凝土製造商去推銷和展示他公司的商品再簽下訂單。雖然他在職業生涯中取得了巨大的成功，但是一些奇怪的事情卻在他身上相繼發生。他在三次不同的時間裏被分別授予了最佳銷售員的殊榮，可是在得獎之後等待他的卻不那麼美好，那就是被公司解雇。還有一次他得到了年度最佳銷售員的大獎，並且公司給了他和夫人到夏威夷的免費假期。可就在他度假回來不久他又被公司開除了。這只是其中一次。如果他是一個優秀的銷售員那為什麼世界上的公司都要解雇他呢？甚至這樣奇怪又相似的事情還在三次不同的時間發生，經歷的雖多可他每次都很難接受。

沒有人會希望被別人拒絕，可這樣的事情一直都在發生。更令人悲傷的是這樣的事甚至還會發生在教會中。我今天想要告訴你們的是：這個世界上誰都可能拒絕你，可是在我主耶穌基督面前，只要你帶著悔改和信念來到他的面前，他總是等待著接受你。

這些來自耶穌的話語出現在他為神做工的十字路口。當他的名聲達到了最高點時，無數的會眾到他那裏去看他所創造的奇跡並且聆聽他飽含力量的講道。他們異常震驚，不知道他如何將僅供一個人食用的小小午餐變成可以讓 5000 多人食用的豐盛食物。他們希望耶穌基督做他們的王，這樣他們就永遠不用再去工作，這被稱為是最終的退休。

在耶穌基督餵養了 5000 人之後，他從眾人之前消失，因為他發現那些狂熱的人們要用武力逼迫他為王。這之後眾人又將耶穌團團圍住，他用很坦白的語言和他們交流。告訴他們他王國中需要純淨自然的精神力量，他還告訴他們要去尋找這種精神物質，而不是世俗的物質。就因為這個很多人紛紛拒絕跟隨耶穌，他們想要的僅僅是免費的麵包，而不是免費的榮耀。

面對眾多跟隨者的離去，耶穌仍然充滿信心。雖然很多人離去了，可耶穌說不論是誰只要來到我的面前我就不會拋棄你。對於耶穌來說詛咒那些離去的用背對著他的人是一件多麼輕而易舉的事啊，可他沒有這麼做，代替詛咒的是召喚他們回來的是輕柔的話語，那話語中富含著恩惠原諒和無盡的愛。

APL-- 親愛的朋友們，不論你的生活中發生了什麼事情，耶穌總會敞開他寬大的臂膀去邀請你歸到他的名下。

曾經有一個年輕人到明尼蘇達大學去讀書。在他的童年時，他很少有機會去接觸基督教。但是到了大學，他被邀請參加一個聖經學習小組。接下來，在學習中他被生靈充滿，恢復了人與生俱來的神性並且接受了洗禮。可一天夜晚一些不好的習慣又重新支配了他，他到酒吧喝得爛醉，遇到一個女孩並和她有了不軌的行為。第二天他對自己所做的可怕的事萬分驚悸，他覺得自己拒絕了為拯救他而死的救世主，整個人充滿了內疚和自責。他到聖經學習小組後知道如果做了錯事犯了罪就要在主面前懺悔，於是他嘗試著在沒有任何隱藏的情況下向主訴說了他的整個罪行，最後向主求取寬恕。聖經小組的成員安靜地聽完他講述的故事之後突然說，“滾出去！”他們說：“一個基督徒怎麼能做出那樣的事情！別再回到這裏了！”

這個年輕人被他們這些人的言語毀壞了，此後他還嘗試去自殺，後來事情如何發展下去我就不得而知了，我只知道那些他所在教會裏的人拋棄了他，如此輕易地就將主揀選的人丟棄在教會生活之外。可是我們都該知道即時他們做了這樣可怕的事情和我主耶穌基督無關，他絕對不會做同樣的事情。教會和牧師都會犯錯誤可耶穌不會，他會接受所有在他面前懺悔自己罪惡並請求寬恕的人。如果那個年輕人真心懺悔那耶穌就會原諒他。

我想你們中很多人都會承受著舊日之事給自己帶來的一些內疚的感覺。這些事情使你們難堪甚至都不願去想起，並且你確信除了自己沒人會知道。即使別人知道了也無法去做什麼來彌補來舊日的內疚和遺憾，可主耶穌知道發生在我們每個人身上的每件事情，他知道我們的心是黑還是白。就這樣他還是一如既往的愛我們，他張開手臂歡迎你，邀請你進入到他的國度，永遠不會拒絕你。

•  現階段美國大約有 200 萬人在監獄中服刑。也就意味著 200 萬人被社會拒之門外，我們總會用“被拒之人”來談論他們。可是實際上這樣的人在監獄裏還有很多，他們因為各自的原因住在監獄中，為自己所行的罪接受懲罰。他們不知道還有另外一種生活方式，可就算這樣只要這些人用信心來在耶穌面前，就能得到自由。

你曾經被拒絕過麼？我確信一定有過。我回想起在我還是個男孩的時候，一個新的家庭搬到了街的對面。我很高興我的鄰居中有了可以和我一起玩的小孩子。那個夏日的夜晚我們很興奮地一直玩到天黑，我們計畫著明早和以後的日子都能在外面一起玩。但是隔天早上他們卻沒有按約出來，就這樣我孤零零地等了一整天。後來他們其中的一個從窗戶中向我大喊，告訴我他們被禁止出門。令人不解的是之後我再也沒有和那些孩子玩過。出於一些原因，他們開始恨我和我的家庭並且做出了這樣卑鄙的行為在我身上。

上面這些事雖然已過去四十餘年，可是至今我還能清晰地記起，被拒絕的痛楚依然縈繞心頭。

我想，那些曾經被解雇的人，婚姻破裂的人，失去好朋友的人，在學校排名不好的人，或者是在工作中的申請被拒絕的人都會深切地體會到我說的東西。被拒絕總是難以被接受。

但是還有一個拒絕遠遠比我提到的所有拒絕都要壞的多 ---- 那就是被我們唯一的真神拒絕。想像一下你要用你瘦弱的肩膀去承受整個世界的罪惡和上帝無情的背影。我無法忍受這樣的拒絕，我想你們也不能，可耶穌可以。他獨自承受了來自上帝的拒絕使我們不用再承受被上帝拒絕的痛苦，只有耶穌才知道被拒絕的真正感受。他大聲疾呼，“我的神，我的神啊，為什麼你要拋棄我？”耶穌被上帝拋棄要他一人去為了整個世界的罪去接受懲罰，你們所有人的還有我的罪。他雖被拋棄可他解放了我們，讓我們不用忍受被拋棄的痛苦。
親愛的朋友們，來在主耶穌的面前，用你的信念來到他的面前，相信他所做的一切。把自己看成一個被拒絕的人，你就不會真正體驗到被拒絕的感覺。

最關鍵的是要有信念。你必須相信耶穌不會拒絕你，你必須來在他的面前信任他為愛所做的承諾。耶穌逐漸地溫柔地用他無限的寬恕接納我們。你們得到了上帝的諾言，他不會趕走任何一個來在他面前的人。

將你堅定的信念和信心放在主裏面，從今日直到永永遠遠。那麼你就永遠不會感到孤單，耶穌會一直在你左右陪伴。他不會拒絕你，也永遠不會遺棄你。

阿門。
Jesus will not reject you!

John 6:37

•  When you come in repentance

•  When you come in faith

Dear Friends,

A man I know named Gordon has been a salesman all his life. He sells products that are used to make concrete. He goes around from one concrete maker to another presenting his company's products and taking orders. He has been very successful in his career. But some strange things have happened to him. Three different times, he was given an award for being a good salesman, then the next thing he knew he was fired from the job. One time he won the award for salesman of the year. The company gave him and his wife a free vacation to Hawaii . But a few days after he came back he was told to get out. This is odd. If he is such a good salesman why in the world would the company fire him? And even more strange similar things happened three different times. Each time it was difficult for him.

No one wants to be rejected by anyone. Yet it happens all the time. Sadly, it can happen even in church. But the message I want to leave you today is this: no matter who may reject you, Jesus Christ is always willing to accept you when you come to him in repentance and faith.

These words of Jesus come at a crossroad in his ministry. His popularity was at the top. Huge crowds of people came to see his miracles and hear his powerful preaching. They were really impressed when he turned a small lunch for one person into enough food for more than 5,000 people to eat. They wanted Jesus to become their king so they would never need to work again. This would be the ultimate retirement.

After Jesus fed the 5,000, he fled from the crowds, because he saw that they wanted to make him a king by force. Later when the crowds caught up with Jesus, he spoke plainly with them. He told them about the spiritual nature of his kingdom. He told them to seek spiritual things, not the things of this world. From that point many refused to follow Jesus any more. They wanted free bread, not free grace.

Yet, in the face of many followers turning away, Jesus still offered hope. Though many were leaving, Jesus said that anyone who came to him would never be turned away. It would have been easy for Jesus to call down curses upon those who turned their backs on him. Instead he gently called them back with a tender offer of grace, forgiveness and love.

APL – Dear friends, know that whatever happens in your lives, Jesus still holds his arms open and invites you to come to him.

Once there was a young man who came to the University of Minnesota . In his childhood, he had very little contact with Christianity. But when he came to the University, he was invited to a Bible study. One thing led to another and he was brought to faith by the Holy Spirit and was baptized. But one night some bad old habits got the best of him. He went out to the bars and got drunk. He met a girl and committed adultery with her. The next day he was horrified at his terrible deeds. He was filled with guilt and remorse. He had denied the Savior who died for him. He went to his Bible study knowing he had to confess his sin. He told the whole story. He did not try to hide or cover up his misdeeds. He asked for their forgiveness. The others in the Bible study listened quietly to his story and then responded, “Get out!” They said. “A Christian would never do anything like that! Don't ever come back!”

The young man was devastated. He later attempted suicide. Whatever happened to him after that I do not know. The people of his church rejected him. They basically threw him out. But even though these people threw him out, that does not mean Jesus did. Churches and pastors may make a mistake. But Jesus does not. He welcomes all those who repent of their sins and come to him for forgiveness. If this young truly repented, then Jesus forgave him.

Some of you out there are also bearing guilt from things in the past. There are things you are so ashamed of you cannot bear to think about them. You are pretty sure no one knows about them. If someone did know that person would have nothing to do with you ever again. But Jesus does know about those things. He can see how black your heart is. Yet he still loves you. He opens his arms to you. He invites you into his kingdom. He will not reject you!

II. In the United States there are about two million people in jail right now. Two million people who have been rejected by society. Sometimes we refer to them as “rejects.” But in reality there are many more people than that in prison. They live in the prisons of their own minds. They live in a prison called sin. They do not know there is another way. But Jesus offers freedom for all who come to him in faith.

Have you ever been rejected? I am sure you have. I recall when I was a small boy a new family moved across the street. I finally had some kids in my neighborhood to play with. I was so excited as we played until dark one summer evening. We planned to get out the next morning and continue. But the next morning they did not come out. I waited all day but no one came out. Late in the day one yelled out the window that they were not allowed to go out. Here is the strange part: I never played with those kids ever again. For some reason, they began hating me and my family and would play dirty tricks on us.

All of that happened over 40 years ago. Yet I still remember it. The pain of rejection does not easily go away.

Anyone who has ever been fired from a job, had a marriage break up, lost a good friend, gotten a bad grade in school, or had an application for a job turned down knows what I mean. Rejection is hard.

But there is a rejection far worse than any I just mentioned. I am talking about being rejected by God. I am talking about having the sins of the entire world placed upon your shoulders and having God turn his back on you. I could not bear that rejection. Neither could you. But Jesus did. He bore the rejection of God so that we would not have to. Jesus knows what rejection is really like. He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus was forsaken by God to pay the full penalty for the sins of the world, yours and mine. He was forsaken to spare you from being forsaken.

APL Dear friends, come to the Lord Jesus, come to him in faith, believing all that he has done. Put your faith in The Rejected One and you will never truly experience rejection.

But the key here is faith. You must believe that Jesus will not reject you. You must come to him trusting in his promise of love. Jesus gently and tenderly reaches out to us with an offer of forgiveness. No one who comes to him will be turned away. You have God's promise.

Put your firm faith and trust in Jesus Christ, today and every day. And you will never be alone. Jesus will stand by you. He will not reject you. He will never drive you away.

Amen.