Opening Illustration: Any one ever lost something that mattered to you? Have my car keys, remote control, cell Phone on pulpit; These are the items that I lose the most around the house.
When my parents were here recently, we searched for the remote control for the better part of Sunday afternoon and Amy found it around 10 PM behind some toys. We were extremely happy about that. I’ve lost my keys too many times to count so a couple years ago, I installed a key hanger near the kitchen…now, I’m in the habit of putting my keys there. The cell phone is a bit easier to find…especially if it has power! One day I found my cell phone in the toilet and Nathan owned up to it!
Anyone of you ever lose something of significance to you? What did you do? Searched, panicked, went all through the house, traced your steps…when you found it, you got happy and told everyone!
Why did you search so hard? The item that was lost was so significant to you.
How much time this week did you spend thinking about how incredibly significant you are to the Living God? People often live with the false belief that God is ever out to get them, angry with them, rejecting them, etc. Believing the lies, it’s easy then to seek out our significance through other avenues. Normally, people base their significance through these 4 ways:
(1) What People Say About You (2) Your Successes (3) Your Looks (4) Your Money
When I base my significance on any of these four ways, I’m setting myself up for a let down. This is not an easy message for me to preach, because I’ve believed the lies most of my lies about where my true worth comes from. God is slowly but surely healing my heart from the lies and setting me free to enjoy the truth of who I am in Him.
This morning, let’s discover three ways to know you are incredibly significant to God.
1. God Has a Passionate Heart For You
Aren’t you thankful today that God has a passionate heart for you? I am so glad Jesus loves a sinner like me. If that were not true, I could not be here. In Luke 15:1-2, the Bible says, “Then all the tax collectors and sinners drew near Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” Having a meal with the outcasts of the day showed that Jesus truly loved messed up people and that He desired them to be in His presence.
Chip Ingram is one of my favorite Bible teachers and he made a comment once that stuck with me. He said, “What you think about God shapes your whole relationship with Him. In addition, what you believe God think about you determines how close you will grow toward Him.”
For instance, you might think God is like an overzealous policeman, always ready to pounce on your mistakes. You may believe God is like a strict school teacher, giving you an F for every day for things done wrong. You may think God is like an angry judge, just waiting to throw the guilty verdict on you. You may sense in your heart that God is like a disappointed parent, always upset because you are failing to make quick progress.
Growing up in church, I almost never felt God was passionate about me. I believed God really had something against me. Perhaps if I could witness better, pray better, live better I could truly belong to Him. I believed the lie that my worth to God was based on my performance. If I lived good through the week, God accepted me. If I messed up, God rejected me. I based my significance in life on my ability to do well in sports, please my parents, live “a good Christian life.” I did not know the passionate love of God toward me.
What is your passion in life? Pastor, I’m passionate about my grandkids. I can’t wait to go see them this summer and go to the beach with them! Pastor, I’m passionate about gardening. It makes me feel so good to get out there in nature and plant flowers, vegetables, tomatoes, etc. Pastor, I’m passionate about exercise. It just doesn’t feel right if I don’t get out and walk, do aerobics daily. Or, I’m passionate about traveling, hunting, facebook, collecting stamps, etc. Probably all of you are passionate about something in life.
My question is, do you ever stop to think about how passionate God is for you? To show how passionate God is about you Jesus told a story. He said, “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”
That is good news this morning for people who struggle believing they matter to God. You matter so much to the Lord that He would passionately seek you out as if you were the only one who mattered to Him.
This week, I spoke with a man who just lives to beat himself up for the wrongs he’s done. I told him God was passionate about him and that he mattered to God. He said, “I don’t see how. I’m not good at anything. I don’t really see how I could be worth anything to God.”
I know how he feels. It’s hard to believe God could love us so much b/c our lives are: far from perfect, battling with addiction, weighed down under pressures and concerns, etc. Yet, the God we serve passionately loves people. The God of heaven will go to any lengths to assure you of His love, care, compassion. Nothing will bring Him more joy than finding you and including you in His family!
Here’s a second reason you are incredibly significant to God.
2. God Never Gives Up On You
Listen to an email I found this week online (not sent to me). One friend says to another, “I don't think God wants me anymore. I've gone too far. How do I get back? I am so lost and dirty and defiled and bad. I can't seem to do anything right.”
What would you say if a friend asked you that? Could you give them hope from the promises of God? Or would you say, “I hope things get better. Keep trying.” To someone who believes God doesn’t love or want them anymore. Someone who believes they are dirty, defiled, bad, and can’t do anything right…God never gives up on you. People may give up on you, you may even give up on yourself, but God never gives up on you.
It says in Luke 15:8-10, “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ 10 Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
What is Jesus saying here? He is saying that you are so incredibly significant to God that He will never give up on you. Now, you may give up on yourself, but God will never give up on you.
Today is a day when many people have given up on life. They’ve given up on God. They’ve given up on their dreams. They’ve given up on their marriages. Given up on their children having a future. Given up on the church being a bright light to a darkened community. Yet, God never gives up on you. You are His number one priority, just as the one lost sheep was to the shepherd and this one lost coin was to the woman, God will not give up until He finds you and has you in His care.
Why do you give up in life? A few reasons why would be because life is difficult. I’ve never seen a day and age when more diet books were out on the market, yet Americans as a whole keep getting bigger and bigger. Why? Because it’s difficult to make the necessary changes to really lose the weight. Most folks give a little effort and then give up.
Another reason people give up is because change is slow. Let’s say you are in a bad habit of spending way too much money on things you don’t really need that much. You are probably not going to change in one night. You got yourself into a bad habit and now it’s going to take some time to change yourself, your mind. Get on a budget. Start giving to the Lord. Pay off those debts. You can do it with God’s help and don’t give up because change is slow.
Another reason people give up is because of continual distractions. Many people went into marriage believing just because they felt in love that was going to take care of everything. Over time, they get distracted, they begin to focus on the others shortcomings, etc. The reason why you enjoyed dating so much is because you were working so hard at loving each other!
I say all that to say this, aren’t you glad God never gives up on you? Aren’t you glad God is patient with you and doesn’t give up the moment you become hard, you are slow to change, and you are difficult to handle. Aren’t you glad God never gives up on lost folks? Sometimes, the church gives up on people too soon, but God doesn’t.
Look at Ezekiel 34:2-4, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ’This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 4You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.”
Look at Ezekiel 34:11. It says “For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.”
God is saying, “Leaders, you may have given up on people. You may have not shown them the love and care that was required of you, but I’m not going to give up on them. I love people who are far away from Me and I’m going to seek them, strengthen them, save them! I will never quit because I love them so much!”
Don’t give up on yourself and don’t give up on that friend who is yet to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior! Don’t think God is finished just because you don’t see visible changes with you eyes right now. Don’t give up on praying and loving them because their heart seems hard. God never gives up on people, but patiently seeks until He finds.
Illus:(Have 9 .50 cent pieces in a jar, one taped to my foot. Have them search with me for about 2 minutes. Rejoice when we find the one lost coin and give the coins to them!)
To people, money may seem to matter most, but people matter most to the Lord. Turn to 1 Peter 1:18-19, “18 Realize that you weren’t set free from the worthless life handed down to you from your ancestors by a payment of silver or gold which can be destroyed. 19 Rather, the payment that freed you was the precious blood of Christ, the lamb with no defects or imperfections.”
As a church one of our main purposes is to tell people they matter so much to God that He sent His one and only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to give His life for them. To tell others that Jesus Christ is the One in whom they can find life, hope, forgiveness, peace, purpose.
As the pastor of CWBC I want every one to know that this is a safe place to learn to walk with the Lord Jesus Christ in new life. You may feel unloved, here you are going to find the love of God working through His people. You may feel rejected, yet in Jesus you are accepted and we accept you, just as Christ accepted us (Romans 15:7). You may be battling with sin, but in Jesus you can find forgiveness of sins. He didn’t come into this world to condemn you and neither do we. This church is not a place for perfect people…it’s a place where broken people learn to find healing salvation in Christ.
A third reason you are incredibly significant to God…
3. God Continually Rejoices Over You
Think of the last time you lost you cars, your wallet, your remote control, perhaps your credit cards. You searched and searched and then you found it. What did you do? How silly would it be to find your missing wallet and then be like, “You crazy wallet! You should have never left my side.” What do you do? You get excited about it. Your like, “Yes, I can go to McDonald’s now and get that Quarter Pounder combo!”
When you lose something that has value to you, there is an ache in your heart, until you can find it again. When you find it, you are overjoyed because what was lost is now found. It’s in the presence of it’s owner and there is sheer joy. That is a little bit about what it is like when God found you! Look at this…
Luke 15:5, “And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing.”
Luke 15:6, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!”
Luke 15:7, “…more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”
Luke 15:9, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!”
Luke 15:10, “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
You and I will never know how much joy it brought to the heart of God when we turned from sin and turned to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. However, if you’ve ever been lost and away from the ones you loved, you know there is nothing worse than being lost, outside, frightened.
Without Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior, people are like the sheep that has gone astray from the Shepherd. They are like the missing coin that was so valuable to its owner.
Sometimes Gods’ people forget how awful it is to be outside the family of God and we take God’s grace, salvation, forgiveness for granted! May you and I never take salvation lightly again because without Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd in our lives we were without hope and without the assurance of everlasting life with our wonderful Lord!
You might be here this morning without an awesome relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only One who can give you real purpose and direction in life. Jesus is the only one who loves you so much He left Heaven’s perfection to come to this sinful earth to rescue sinners like you and me!
There is only one way imperfect people like you and me find life to the full and that is because Jesus gave His life for you. He died on the cross of Calvary for you. He rose again for you. He’s coming soon for you. Isaiah 53:5, But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth."
So many people try to find their significance in what others think of them, in their accomplishments, in their looks, in their money, etc. Jesus is saying today, “You are incredibly significant to me because I love you so much I gave my life for you. I passionately love you. I never give up on you. I continually celebrate when you give your life to me.”
Knowing your incredible significance to God, would you give your life to the One who gave His life for you?
