We are Valuable
Value means, worth; importance; precise significant. To rate at a certain price; to
esteem; to regard.
Our value doesn’t come from us, our value comes from who He has made us. God
places high value on His human creation (Psalms 8:1-9) written by David, says “O
Lord Yahweh our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth! Who have set
Your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings have You
ordained strength because of Your enemies, that You might still the enemy and the
avenger. When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and
the stars, which You have ordained. What is man, that You are mindful of him? and
the son of man, that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than
Elohim, and have crowned him with glory and honor. You made him to have
dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet. All
sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field. The fowl of the air, and the fish of
the sea, and whatsoever passes through the paths of the seas. O Lord Yahweh our
Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth”.
When we look at the vast expanse of creation, we wonder how God could be
concerned for people. Yet God created us only a little lower than Himself. The next
time you question your worth as a person, remember that God considers you highly
valuable. We have great worth because we bear the stamp of the Creator (see
Genesis 1:26-27 for the extent of worth God places on all people); “and God said,
let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness; and let them have dominion over
the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the
earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. So God created
man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female
created He them”. Because God has already declared how valuable we are to Him,
we can be set free from feelings of worthlessness.
Jesus told us that we are more valuable in Matthews 6:25-30 “therefore I say to you;
take no thought for your life; what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor yet for
your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than
raiment? Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor
gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better
than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature? And
why take you thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;
they toll not, neither do they spin. And yet I say to you, that even Solomon in all his
glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of
the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more
clothe you, O you of little faith”?
Jesus explained our value to the Pharisees, when he healed the man with the
withered hand (Matthew 12:9-13) “and when He was departed from there, He went
into their synagogue. And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered.
And they asked Him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days? That they
might accuse Him. and He said to them. What man shall there be among you, that
shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will be not lay hold
on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is
lawful to do well on the Sabbath days”.
Our new birth has caused our value to change; we became the righteousness of
God in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17-21) “therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all
things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and has given
to us the ministry of reconciliation. To say, that God was in Christ, reconciling the
world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them; and has committed to us, the
word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did
beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ’s stead, be you reconciled to God. For
He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him”.
We have been adopted and have become a child of the Most High God (Romans 8:
15-17a) “for you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have
received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba Father. The Spirit Himself
bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. And if children, then
heirs; heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ”.
We have to see ourselves as God sees us (Colossians 2:6-10) “as you have
therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk you in Him. Rooted and built up in
Him, and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding therein with
thanksgiving. Beware less any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit,
after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world; and not after Christ. For
in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And you are complete in Him,
which is the head of al principality and power”.
God paid a high price to redeem us (John 3:16-17) “for God so loved the world, that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the
world; but that the world through Him might be saved”; and again in I Peter 1:18-23
says “forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things,
as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your
fathers. But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb with blemish and without
spot. Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was
manifest in these last times for you. Who by Him do believe in God, that raised Him
up from the dead, and gave Him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit o
unfeigned love of the brethren, see that you love one another with a pure heart
fervently. Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the
word of God, which lives and abides forever”.
Psalms 82 shows us that God wants us to stand up for the helpless; it says “God
stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods. How long will
you judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. Defend the poor
and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy;
rid them out of the hand of the wicked. They know not, neither will they understand;
they walk on in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have
said, You are gods; and all of you are children of the Most High. But you shall die
like men, and fall like one of the princes. Arise, O god, judge the earth, for you shall
inherit all nations”. We have to remember that God gave dominion of this earth to
mankind, and God indwells mankind to bring about His will. On the flip side of that,
the devil also uses people to do his biddings, that’s why we are warned that “we
wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high
places” (Ephesians 6:12).
God values us based on His own character, not ours. In God’s eyes, a person’s
value has no relationship to his or her wealth or position on the social ladder
(Psalms 113:7-8) “He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of
the dunghill. That He may set him with princes, even with the princes of His people”.
Many people who have excelled in God’s work began in poverty or humble
beginnings. God supersedes the social order of this world, often choosing His
future leaders and ambassadors from among social outcasts (I Corinthians 1:27-29)
“but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God
has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.
And base things of the world, and things which are despised, has God chosen, yea,
and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are. That no flesh should
glory in His presence”.
Be careful not to treat the unwanted in society as though they have no value; after
all the devil is the accuser of the brethren, and will try to devalue them. The devil
wants people to feel worthless, because as the Bible says “as a man thinks in his
heart, so is he”. The devil cannot defeat mankind, but he tries to get mankind to
think and speak against themselves.
You are to demonstrate by your actions that all people are valuable and useful in
Gods eyes. You never know when that person might be saved, so don’t write them
off, but pray for them.
We have been saved, and have been commissioned by Jesus to “go you therefore,
and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world”
(Matthew 28:19-20).
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: August 13, 2010
Value means, worth; importance; precise significant. To rate at a certain price; to
esteem; to regard.
Our value doesn’t come from us, our value comes from who He has made us. God
places high value on His human creation (Psalms 8:1-9) written by David, says “O
Lord Yahweh our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth! Who have set
Your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings have You
ordained strength because of Your enemies, that You might still the enemy and the
avenger. When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and
the stars, which You have ordained. What is man, that You are mindful of him? and
the son of man, that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than
Elohim, and have crowned him with glory and honor. You made him to have
dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet. All
sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field. The fowl of the air, and the fish of
the sea, and whatsoever passes through the paths of the seas. O Lord Yahweh our
Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth”.
When we look at the vast expanse of creation, we wonder how God could be
concerned for people. Yet God created us only a little lower than Himself. The next
time you question your worth as a person, remember that God considers you highly
valuable. We have great worth because we bear the stamp of the Creator (see
Genesis 1:26-27 for the extent of worth God places on all people); “and God said,
let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness; and let them have dominion over
the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the
earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. So God created
man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female
created He them”. Because God has already declared how valuable we are to Him,
we can be set free from feelings of worthlessness.
Jesus told us that we are more valuable in Matthews 6:25-30 “therefore I say to you;
take no thought for your life; what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor yet for
your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than
raiment? Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor
gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better
than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature? And
why take you thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;
they toll not, neither do they spin. And yet I say to you, that even Solomon in all his
glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of
the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more
clothe you, O you of little faith”?
Jesus explained our value to the Pharisees, when he healed the man with the
withered hand (Matthew 12:9-13) “and when He was departed from there, He went
into their synagogue. And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered.
And they asked Him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days? That they
might accuse Him. and He said to them. What man shall there be among you, that
shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will be not lay hold
on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is
lawful to do well on the Sabbath days”.
Our new birth has caused our value to change; we became the righteousness of
God in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17-21) “therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all
things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and has given
to us the ministry of reconciliation. To say, that God was in Christ, reconciling the
world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them; and has committed to us, the
word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did
beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ’s stead, be you reconciled to God. For
He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him”.
We have been adopted and have become a child of the Most High God (Romans 8:
15-17a) “for you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have
received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba Father. The Spirit Himself
bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. And if children, then
heirs; heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ”.
We have to see ourselves as God sees us (Colossians 2:6-10) “as you have
therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk you in Him. Rooted and built up in
Him, and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding therein with
thanksgiving. Beware less any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit,
after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world; and not after Christ. For
in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And you are complete in Him,
which is the head of al principality and power”.
God paid a high price to redeem us (John 3:16-17) “for God so loved the world, that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the
world; but that the world through Him might be saved”; and again in I Peter 1:18-23
says “forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things,
as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your
fathers. But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb with blemish and without
spot. Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was
manifest in these last times for you. Who by Him do believe in God, that raised Him
up from the dead, and gave Him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit o
unfeigned love of the brethren, see that you love one another with a pure heart
fervently. Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the
word of God, which lives and abides forever”.
Psalms 82 shows us that God wants us to stand up for the helpless; it says “God
stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods. How long will
you judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. Defend the poor
and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy;
rid them out of the hand of the wicked. They know not, neither will they understand;
they walk on in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have
said, You are gods; and all of you are children of the Most High. But you shall die
like men, and fall like one of the princes. Arise, O god, judge the earth, for you shall
inherit all nations”. We have to remember that God gave dominion of this earth to
mankind, and God indwells mankind to bring about His will. On the flip side of that,
the devil also uses people to do his biddings, that’s why we are warned that “we
wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high
places” (Ephesians 6:12).
God values us based on His own character, not ours. In God’s eyes, a person’s
value has no relationship to his or her wealth or position on the social ladder
(Psalms 113:7-8) “He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of
the dunghill. That He may set him with princes, even with the princes of His people”.
Many people who have excelled in God’s work began in poverty or humble
beginnings. God supersedes the social order of this world, often choosing His
future leaders and ambassadors from among social outcasts (I Corinthians 1:27-29)
“but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God
has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.
And base things of the world, and things which are despised, has God chosen, yea,
and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are. That no flesh should
glory in His presence”.
Be careful not to treat the unwanted in society as though they have no value; after
all the devil is the accuser of the brethren, and will try to devalue them. The devil
wants people to feel worthless, because as the Bible says “as a man thinks in his
heart, so is he”. The devil cannot defeat mankind, but he tries to get mankind to
think and speak against themselves.
You are to demonstrate by your actions that all people are valuable and useful in
Gods eyes. You never know when that person might be saved, so don’t write them
off, but pray for them.
We have been saved, and have been commissioned by Jesus to “go you therefore,
and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world”
(Matthew 28:19-20).
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: August 13, 2010
