Matt Smethurst, pastor of River City Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia, urged students to stop seeking the approval of others in their daily quest and look solely to the approval of God — ultimately finding true fulfillment and freedom in Christ. He shared his message during the Sept. 10 chapel service at University of Mobile.
Citing three key verses that he challenged students to memorize, Smethurst characterized Galatians 1:10 as detailing the problem of seeking approval from other sources instead of God, Galatians 2:20 as referencing the solution and Galatians 5:1 as the result of being in Christ.
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“Everyone wants to know that they matter in someone’s opinion or seeking their approval,” Smethurst said. “Galatians was probably the apostle Paul’s earliest letter which written to the church of Galatia, which is now modern-day Turkey. Galatians 1:10 asks, ‘Am I now seeking the approval of God or man?’ In Andy Crouch’s book, ‘The Life You’re Looking For: Reclaiming Relationships in a Technological World,’ it states that before we ever knew to look for a mirror, we were looking for a face gazing back at us and coming into the world wanting to be recognized, known or loved.”
Ongoing search
Smethurst told students that their current stage of life reflects an ongoing search — still seeking the approval of a face that lights up. He reminded students of Galatians 2:11 where rather than being satisfied with God’s approval, Peter feared not having the approval of man.
Smethurst cautioned students: “If Peter could fall into the category of approval-seeking, gospel-denying behavior, so can you and I. Galatians 2:11 is a living illustration of Galatians 1:10.”
Smethurst reminded students there is hope for those who are in Christ and have surrendered their lives to Him, not to fall into this trap.
“When Christ walked out of the tomb, the same power that rose Him from the grave is the same power that resides in you when you belong to Jesus through the Holy Spirit being at work in each of our lives,” Smethurst said. “Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20, ‘I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
“The most important thing about you isn’t how many friends you have or how good your grades are,” he said. “The most important thing is whether or not you are in Christ and whether He is in you. It’s like the ultimate wedding ceremony where you bring this enormous, crushing, unpayable debt into the marriage, but it just so happens that you’re marrying the most wealthy man in the universe. Your debt becomes His and His wealth becomes yours. What’s true of Him becomes true of you. The truth of Galatians 2:20 is the antidote of Galatians 1:10.”
Smethurst encouraged students to rest in and cling to the promises of Christ’s resurrection and to seek His approval.
“I know it’s easier said than done because everyday is a struggle in our hearts looking for new ways to be justified or to earn the approval of others,” Smethurst said. “For those who are in Christ, remember that the God of glory smiles because He sees Christ in you. His approval sets us free and should revolutionize the way you view prayer. In Christ, we have the approval God — the only One that truly matters. In Christ, we have been adopted and can experience the ultimate freedom and forgiveness. For those who aren’t in Christ, God is not pleased because you are still relying on yourself.”
‘Secure and known’
He noted, “Every human is in search of the face of approval. The wonder of the being born again is realizing that the most beautiful face has already been searching for us.
“Let’s be honest, it’s a face that should have turned away from us a long time ago because of our sin, but it turns out that this is a face that can’t look away because when He sees you, He sees His beloved Son,” he added. “We all want to be known and loved, neither at the expense of the other. In Christ, that’s what we received through the only One whose opinion really counts in the end, and we don’t have to choose between being known or being loved. In Jesus, we are secure and known to the bottom and loved to the sky.”
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