Ephesians 1:6 (NKJV) to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
We must deal with insecurity and rejection in our lives. Adonijah and Absalom were born to different mothers. They showed signs of rejection and insecurity because of King David’s neglect. King David did not even rebuke Adonijah when he declared himself king! Probably, King David never believed that Adonijah could carry out a military coup against him and succeed. Absalom was offended because King David failed to adequately address the issue of the rape of his sister, which showed how insignificant Absalom’s family was to King David.
Both of them strived to prove their worth, gathered followers to enhance their image, sought recognition, and found it hard to trust authority. They sought power, positions, and approval to fill the void in their lives. Neither of them knew God.
Unbelievers have a void in their lives, so they try to identify with their assets, social status, and social connections to elevate their image. For these individuals, validation must come from others, especially those they respect and esteem. Therefore, they gather influential people around them to boost their self-esteem, and they feel devastated when they have to downgrade their lifestyle because it threatens their identity. They crave attention and validation; compete for position and never allow their successors to appear more successful than themselves.
As believers, we don’t have a void in our lives after receiving Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, nor do we need to hold a leadership role to prove our worth because we have a new identity in Christ. We are children of the living God, and address Him as our Heavenly Father. God is the Father to the fatherless. The root of rejection was dealt with at the cross when Jesus was rejected. God turned His face away from Him because our sins were placed on Him. As a result, we are accepted in the Beloved; we are unashamed because we have imputed righteousness and the ability to stand before God as if we had never sinned. Once we’ve settled this truth in our hearts, all striving for positions of importance or leadership ceases. Knowing who we are in Christ is priceless because it brings great joy, love, and peace.
When we have a proper foundation in Christ, we will not compete for positions through church or company politics, but will trust that God will promote us in due time according to His plan. We will also ensure that our successor is well briefed, introduced to all partners and clients, and continue to support them to the best of our ability. As Christians, we should go the extra mile to help our successors, because everything we do is for Christ, and our goal is to bring glory to God. Failing to support our successor shows that our achievements are for self-glorification, and our works will go up in smoke when tested at the judgment seat of Christ.
Sermon Series: Walk into your Calling
认识身份，止息挣扎
以弗所书 1:6 使他荣耀的恩典得着称赞。这恩典是他在爱子里所赐给我们的。
我们必须正视并处理生命中的不安全感和被拒绝感。亚多尼雅和押沙龙分别出自不同的母亲。由于大卫王对他们的忽略，他们身上显露出被拒绝和缺乏安全感的表现。大卫王甚至没有责备亚多尼雅在自立为王时的行为！或许在大卫看来，亚多尼雅不可能成功发动并完成一场军事政变。押沙龙之所以心生怨恨，是因为大卫王未能妥善处理他妹妹被玷污的事件，这让押沙龙觉得自己的家庭在父亲眼中并不重要。
这两个人都竭力想要证明自己的价值，聚集追随者来抬高自己的形象，渴望被看见、被认可，也难以信任权柄。他们追求权力、地位和人的肯定，试图填补内心的空虚。然而，他们都不认识神。
不信主的人内心存在空缺，因此常常试图用财富、社会地位和人际关系来定义自己、抬高自己。对这样的人来说，认同感必须来自他人，尤其是他们所尊敬、看重的人。因此，他们会刻意聚集有影响力的人在身边，以提升自我价值；一旦生活水准被迫下降，就会感到极其挫败，因为这威胁到了他们的身份认同。他们渴求关注和肯定，争夺位置，也不容许后来者比自己更成功。
但作为信徒，当我们接受耶稣基督为主和救主之后，生命中就不再有空缺；我们也不需要靠任何领袖角色来证明自己的价值，因为我们在基督里有了全新的身份。我们是永生神的儿女，可以称祂为天父。神是孤儿的父。拒绝的根源已经在十字架上被彻底解决——当耶稣为我们的罪被挂在十字架上时，祂经历了被拒绝，父神因我们的罪转脸不看祂。正因如此，我们如今在爱子里蒙了悦纳；我们不再羞愧，因为我们得着了算为义的地位，能够坦然无惧地站在神面前，好像从未犯过罪一样。当这个真理在我们心中被确立时，对地位、重要性或领导角色的一切挣扎与争竞就会止息。认识我们在基督里的身份是无价的，因为它带来真实的喜乐、爱与平安。
当我们在基督里拥有稳固的根基，就不会透过教会或职场的政治手段来争夺位置，而是信靠神按着祂的计划，在适当的时候亲自提升我们。我们也会用心装备接班人，将他们介绍给所有的合作伙伴与客户，并尽我们所能持续支持他们。作为基督徒，我们应当多走一里路去帮助接班人，因为我们所做的一切都是为着基督，终极目标是荣耀神。若我们不愿意支持接班人，往往显明我们的成就只是为了自我荣耀；这样的工作，在基督审判台前经不起考验，终将化为乌有。
讲章系列：走进你的呼召