Sermon Tone Analysis
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Tonight we piggy back off last week’s message regarding… you guessed it… ATTITUDE.
Last week we talked about our attitude toward others… how we treat others… how we respond to others in good and difficult situations.
We talked about slowing down… being quick to listen and slow to becoming angry.
We also talked about the power of forgiveness.
But… before we talked about those two points, we asked this question: How important is our attitude toward others to God?
It is VERY important.
Then we presented verses similar to this one.
This one was spoken by Jesus and He identified this instruction as the second greatest command.
This sounds pretty good, right?
Jesus desires for us to love others as we love ourselves.
AND… if we do this wholeheartedly, we will naturally live out the instructions of the Lord regarding our treatment of others.
But there is one part of this command I want to get real with tonight.
This command is truth and is to be carried out… but it also brings up something to be considered: How can a person love others as they love themselves… if that person does not love who or what they are?
Tonight, we are talking about our attitude regarding ourselves - how we view and feel about who we are.
Right out of the box, I want you to hear this truth.
Psalm 139:13-18
What this passage says about you is AMAZING!
God created you in the most loving and caring way.
Nothing about you is an accident.
Nothing about you is worthless or less-than.
Nothing about you is a surprise to God.
But here’s the deal: too often we settled for a less-than perspective rather than a more than reality.
How does this happen?
It happens when we begin to listen to the wrong voices.
It begins when we experience things that are out of our control and allow those experiences to define us.
It begins when we settle for sin instead of living for the Lord.
When Jesus gave us the second greatest command, He gave this command within the context of having a relationship with Him.
Remember something very important… this is the SECOND greatest command.
Can someone tell me what command number one is?
Command number 1 serves as the foundation for command number 2. In other words, we are going to struggle with command number 2… if command number 1 is absent in our lives.
We can only know who God created us to be… within a relationship with the One who created us to be!
The problem is… people are trying to find a love for themselves outside of having fellowship with God.
Where is it… that people try to find their satisfaction in their identity?
From acceptance of their peers - People tend to watch, observe, and crave the characteristics in others that make them “acceptable”
Cars, money, talent, looks, etc.
This is a comparison game.
This is envy and… jealousy at work - two things God commanded us to stay away from.
There is a saying out there that goes like this: Show me a person’s five closest friends, and I will tell you who that person is… or who they want to be.
We tend to conform to the “crowd” because we want to be accepted within the crowd.
Another source of “satisfaction” comes from following trends or cultural norms that society seems to condone or even celebrate.
We see the special treatment and… we want to be on the receiving end of it.
We see the “popularity” and tolerance of whatever and might get stuck in thinking, “If that’s what it takes to get noticed, then I’m all in.”
Problem is, trends and cultural norms change… their is no long-term satisfaction here - it is only an empty pursuit of trying to feel better on the inside.
The world… our culture… comparison games… are the worst possible places to look for satisfaction regarding your identity.
Such will tell you who they want you to be… regardless of who you truly are.
Our relationship with God breaks us free of trying to conform to what the world would say about us… and moves us to receive the words that God has spoken over us.
Loving God first… leads us to loving ourselves second.
Now, this isn’t a boastful or arrogant love for ourselves… but it is confident and assured attitude toward our identity in the Lord - fearfully and wonderfully made.
It is choosing to see ourselves… as God sees us - not as the world would define us.
The world tends to define a person based off what they do.
God defines you based off who you are - and there’s a big difference there.
So here is the big question: Why should we ignore what the world says… and embrace what the Word says?
Why should we trust by faith over what we might feel?
Your feelings can be completely misleading.
They are easily influenced and manipulated.
Sometimes, our own feelings can become our worst enemy!
But in light of answering the question I just presented, I want to show you a couple of quick things regarding how God sees you.
Highly Valued in the Eyes of God
Okay, it’s pop quiz time.
In the economic world… how is the value of something determined?
What makes something “valuable?”
There are a couple of things to consider:
How many of these items are readily available to purchase?
For instance, I’m a car guy, and some of the most “valuable” cars on the market come with a high price tag because only a handful of them were made!
Perhaps the value is somewhat determined by the research and development that went into making that product.
Ever notice when something brand new comes out that it is set at a high cost?
When DVD players first hit the market, they went for $300-$500.
Now, you can go online and pick one up for $25.
These are all factors that might play into the value of something, but there is one key way of knowing what the value of something is - VALUE IS DETERMINED BY THE PRICE SOMEONE IS WILLING TO PAY FOR IT.
A while back, this happened.
(SLIDE WITH GRILLED CHEESE).
A woman made a grilled cheese sandwich for her 10 year old daughter.
The girl took a bite out of the sandwich before mom realized the existence of an “image” of Mary was in the sandwich.
She sold this on eBay for $28,000.
Today, if you happen to be the highest bidder, you can own this (SLIDE OF CHIP).
It is a Doritos chip in the shape of the Pope’s hat.
It can be all yours for the low low bid of $500!
Any takers???
We laugh at things like this but let’s bring it in for a moment… we want to feel… valued.
We want to feel like we are noticeable.
We want acceptance and to fit in.
That feeling comes from who God created us to be.
God created us for relationship.
He created us for fellowship.
This can be traced all the way back to Genesis.
The number one relationship He created us for was between us and Him.
That is why when sin entered the picture and severed that relationship… humankind has been desperately trying to find connection again.
Here’s the cool part - our fellowship with God could only be restored when the price for our sins was paid in full.
Nothing on earth was sufficient.
So God did what only God could do - He paid the price IN FULL through His Son Jesus.
That’s how much God values you!
That’s how precious you are to Him! God was willing to give Jesus so that our sin debt could be satisfied and our relationship with Him could be restored!
It is the greatest demonstration of love this world has ever seen!
God gave out of His love FOR YOU.
He has given us all the opportunity to be made new through Jesus.
Sin will corrupt, pervert, and distort the plan God has for you.
Sin will distract, deter, and disrupt your feelings of self worth and identity - who God created you to be.
God has opened the door that we might know Him again… and know who He created us to be - in His image.
A Forever Part of His Family
And I want you to understand something very important.
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