What Am I Worth to Jesus?

April 9th 2023

Series:Easter 2023

Sermon Title: What Am I Worth to Jesus?

Topic: Easter

Key Passages: John 3:16, Matthew 27: 1-2, 22, 26-44, Luke 23:34, Romans 3:23-34

Sermon Blurb: Every human responds differently to Jesus. Jesus, however, treats everyone equally. Jesus extends his love and forgiveness to anyone who would believe in Him. You are worth everything to Jesus.

Sermon:

HAPPY EASTER FAMILY CHURCH!!!

That’s right… Easter is here…. the grave is empty…. JESUS IS RISEN!!!

Find 2 people next to you and tell them “Good Morning… Jesus is RISEN!!!!”

PAUSE

Today, we celebrate the greatest news ever!

We celebrate Jesus!

God is NOT DEAD!

He is Risen!!!

Jesus is alive!!

On Easter we recognize Jesus’ death AND HIS RESURRECTION…

We are celebrating the greatest victory ever won.

Jesus Christ was victorious over death, hell, and the grave to provide mankind the opportunity to be redeemed from their sin and restored back to God!

And that truth is worth celebrating!!!

Can we clap and shout for our Risen King Jesus!!!!

Come on church!

LONG PAUSE

If you’re newer to Family Church, we are so glad you’re here on this Easter Sunday… this Resurrection Weekend!

I really believe today could be a beginning point for some of you and a reset for many others!

Today we’re going to be looking at Easter from a particular angle.

PAUSE

Last weekend, we asked a question, “What is Jesus’ worth to me?”

And we looked at responses from 3 people who knew Jesus and were with Jesus in the final days before Jesus went to the cross to die for our sins.

Their responses are ones we still see today…

To some, Jesus is worth everything.

To others, Jesus is worth nothing.

And to some others, Jesus is valuable ONLY when they need something from God.

PAUSE

What is Jesus worth to you?

Is Jesus worth everything to you?

OR… is Jesus ONLY worth living for when you want something from God

OR is Jesus only a part of your life when the people your around love Jesus?

OR… maybe you would be honest today and say that Jesus is NOT worth anything to you?

Maybe you are only here today because your mom or your spouse made you come to church on Easter…

And you could care less about this whole Jesus stuff.

And if that’s you, I am so glad you are here.

It isn’t by accident or chance that you are here today.

I want you to understand that God loves you, God sees you, and Jesus wants a personal relationship with you.

PAUSE

Today we are going to flip the script from last week…..

Last week we asked, “What is Jesus' worth to me?”

Today, we’re going to flip that question.

The question we’re going to answer today is this,

What am I worth to Jesus?

Repeat

And let me tell you right now what I hope you all walk away with today.....

I hope we all leave today KNOWING you are worth EVERYTHING to Jesus!!!!!!

That it does NOT matter how much messed up stuff you have done.

That it does NOT matter how many times you have messed up.

Jesus will always forgive you if you ask Him to.

Because you and I are worth EVERYTHING to Jesus

AND

ANYONE can receive God’s grace and love.

PAUSE

In fact, I want you to write this point down in your notes:

________ is worth everything to God.

Repeat

In that blank write your name....because you are worth everything to God....

We see this clearly in a very well-known passage of the Bible.

Put John 3:16 up on the screens and let’s actually read this verse out loud together.

Read it out loud together…

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Do you see it church?

Do you see the everything and anyone in this passage?

God loves you so much that He gave His ONE AND ONLY SON JESUS for us!

God gave EVERYTHING!

And it says, WHOEVER believes, that means ANYONE who believes, they WILL get this free gift called eternal life!!

So, if you’re filling you notes in, jot this down:

God FREELY gives and forgives.

Repeat

PAUSE

At the very core of Who God is, you will find unending love that extends to you!

God wants to give you mercy and love.

God wants to forgive your sins.

God wants to give your life clear purpose and help you.

God wants to flood your life with His peace and joy... and so much more!

And that is great news whether you are already a Christian or not yet a Christian.

Because God is FULL of love and FULL of mercy…

He is ready and willing to extend both the moment we ask for it.

PAUSE

The Bible tells us that God IS love...

Love is not only something God possesses,

Love isn’t a just virtue that God gives,

Love IS the very essence of God!!

Love IS Who God is!

And God’s love is consistent, constant, and above all His love is unconditional.

You don’t earn it,

You don’t achieve it,

We certainly don’t deserve it…

In fact, that’s the beauty of God’s love... despite our mess, despite the sin we so easily commit, God’s love is still extended toward us!

God freely gives and forgives... because God IS Love!

PAUSE

Not only that, but God’s love is continuous and perpetual!

It is a well that never runs dry!

It isn’t like love from a brother or friend that is conditional on how you treat them and their limited ability to love….

And because God IS love, the crazy thing is that it doesn’t matter if we respond to His love or not…

God still loves us!

PAUSE

And all this reminds me of that legendary movie with Will Ferrell…..

Called….

Let me let you ponder that one for a second…

Will Ferrell….

He had made a lot of questionable movies….

Which one could be worked into a sermon….

This could get interesting….if your like me and have watched too many of his movies…

In one of his movies…..he is working at the toy store and the boss tells him to quit smiling and start working…..

Anyone know the movie now?

Any of you want to admit you have a boss that is a Debbie downer?

Maybe don’t raise your hand if you boss goes here though…

Or maybe do….so then I can call them out…

You can roll that dice and we can see how it goes!

Okay, for those who maybe didn't see the movie or can’t recall the moment... let’s watch this clip to help jog your memory. SHOW BUDDY CLIP [KS1] [KS2]

You can’t get Buddy the Elf to stop smiling, can you?

Because CHEER was not something Buddy the Elf had, but it was a central part of WHO Buddy was.

No one would’ve experienced Buddy the Elf without gaining a dosage of happiness and cheer!

Listen……..

God doesn’t simply have love...

God IS LOVE.

You cannot experience God without experiencing love.

Just like Buddy the Elf….

Okay, probably a silly analogy...but I think you get the point! LOL

LONG PAUSE

The typical problem we face is NOT that people ignore God's love.

The problem is that often people separate God's love from His other attributes.

Let me say that again.

The normal problem we face is not that people ignore God's love, but people separate His love from His other attributes.

I honestly think that most people are okay with a God who loves, who shows mercy, who is gentle and kind.

To say, “God is love” or “God loves people”, these are not difficult statements for people to affirm.

But we have to consider all the angles of His perfect character and attributes.

God is LOVE...

...BUT He is also holy,

...and just,

...and wise,

...and eternal,

...and beyond our full comprehension,

...and everything He does has a pure purpose.

PAUSE

This is where a lot of people get stuck... or even fall off the faith boat all together.

A lot of people over-emphasize and under-emphasize.

A lot of people over-emphasize God’s love while under-emphasizing other attributes.

This leads them to misunderstand God.

OR some, just simply refuse to accept these other attributes of God all together and claim that love is the highest and therefore, only, virtue that matters.

PAUSE

Let me give some real-life examples of how this happens to people...

A person you dearly love gets a terminal illness.

This person was a God-fearing, kind, generous, loving person.

And you wonder how a loving God could allow something like that to happen?

OR, something bad happens to your spouse or your kid.

Now you’re questioning God.

You’re doubting His love and wisdom.

How could God be so cruel?

I thought God was loving?

OR, you look at what’s going on in the world.

War, hatred, violence, racism, cheating, theft, anarchy...

And you think, “If God is love, how could He watch while people are tearing each other apart.”

OR, maybe it was your parents.

If God is so loving and good, and my parents were both Christians, why did they get divorced?

PAUSE

Let me give one more example.

Maybe you have witnessed the hypocrisy of Christians.

These ‘so-called’ Jesus-followers who don’t live out what they claim to believe.

They say they love people and yet they demonstrate something different.

And you don’t think they reflect God because if they did, and if God is love, then how is that being reflected through these people who supposedly love God.

PAUSE

You see, I get it!

It’s really hard to sort it all out.

It’s difficult to understand people at times...

It’s even more difficult to understand God.

PAUSE

So, what do we do?

Where do we go for answers and solutions?

Do we turn from God when things are going bad?

Do we doubt God when things aren’t understandable?

Do we become jaded because our idea of God isn’t what we want or thought?

Do we reject the Bible teachings because things aren’t going the way we want?

PAUSE

As a pastor, I get asked difficult questions at times.

Questions about real life struggles and situations.

Questions about God.

Questions that, quite frankly, I don’t have all the answers to.

BUT...one thing I know, I want to offer you today.

Despite your failures,

mistakes,

addictions,

hurts,

or hangups

...you need to know that...

You are worth everything to God!

You are worth everything to God!

PAUSE

The Bible provides a super-clear picture of God.

It shows us the balance of His nature and attributes.

And the best place to see God is to look at Jesus.

To see the answer to our question, “What Am I worth to Jesus?” we just need to look at Jesus’ actions.

So, let’s look at how Jesus demonstrated the love of God.

Let’s see how Jesus presented Himself in congruence with the nature of God.

PAUSE

Turn in your Bible to Matthew 27

Last week, we saw in chapter 26 where Mary worshipped Jesus, Peter denied Jesus, and Judas betrayed Jesus.

What we will read in these next few moments, is the horrific mistreatment of Jesus from others...

BUT what I really want you to glean is the way Jesus responded to all of it.

The way Jesus responds to you and me.

PAUSE

We’re going to move through this passage and I hope you will see what you are worth to Jesus.

So, follow along on the screen, in your notes, or your Bible...

After being betrayed and denied by His closest followers, look at what happens to Jesus...

Matthew 27: 1-2, 22, 26-44 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. 2 They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.

So, they falsely accused and wrongly judged Jesus.

Drop down to verse 22...

22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!”

Drop down to verse 26....

26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged and handed over to be crucified.

So, they traded Jesus for a criminal and then they mercilessly beat Jesus.

Let’s keep reading, verse 27...

27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,

29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.

30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

They degraded Jesus, the continued assaulting Jesus, and making a public mockery of Jesus.

Let’s keep reading... verse 32...

32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).

34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is Jesus, the king of the Jews.

They crucified Jesus which means:

They stripped Jesus naked.

They hammered 8-inch nails into his wrists.

They hammered 8-inch nails into his ankles.

They hoisted Jesus into the air.

Jesus hung in agony on the cross.

Then they continued humiliating and taunting Jesus.

Let’s keep reading....verse 41...

41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42“He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.

43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

They continued to mock and accuse Jesus.

PAUSE

Are you beginning to see it?

Do you see how much Jesus suffered?

Can you imagine how hard, how horrific, that was for Jesus?

Jesus was betrayed by one friend.

Jesus was denied by another.

Jesus was falsely accused.

Jesus was wrongly judged.

Jesus was traded for a criminal.

Jesus was beaten to a pulp.

Jesus was harassed.

Jesus was insulted.

Jesus was assaulted.

Jesus had spikes slammed into His body.

Jesus was hung on a cross.

Jesus was left to suffer and die.

And Jesus...

While hanging in agony.....

LONG PAUSE

And what happens as Jesus is suffering is remarkable.

It is hard to believe.

It is completely unexpected.

Jesus...

After enduring these things cries out to God, His Father and says,

Luke 23:34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

How?

Why?

Jesus, after suffering all of that... He forgives them?

Who does that?

I’ll tell you Who, a God of perfect love, does that.

A God Who says, “I will do anything to reach you.”

A God Who exceeds our wildest imaginations and breaks the barriers of our limited ability to fathom.

You see, you are worth everything to Jesus.

You don’t have to know everything ABOUT God... but you need to know that you are worth everything TO God!

PAUSE

Why did Jesus come to earth?

Why did Jesus choose to suffer and die?

What was He doing?

Romans 3:23-24 says “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

All have sinned.

All.

You, me, all of us.

Sin separates us from God and the reality is that every single human is stained by sin.

BUT here’s the GREAT NEWS!!!!

Although we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… continuing in the same passage and it says,

24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Just like ALL have sinned...

We ALL have the opportunity to be redeemed and justified through Jesus.

PAUSE

You see, that’s the beauty of the Gospel of Jesus.

That’s why it is so important to understand God’s love.

Why we spent so much time on this message today.

That’s the reason we celebrate Easter and Jesus’ resurrection!

It is Good News!

News that Jesus came and died for your sins and mine.

We can be made right and holy in God’s sight because God’s love demonstrated through Jesus’ work on the cross.

The just died for the unjust.

Jesus died for sinners.

Jesus died for you and me.

You are worth everything to Jesus!

PAUSE

I want you to write this final point down:

God proved his love for me at the cross and I am forgiven of ALL my sin when I believe.

Repeat

Because Jesus came and died for your sins, you can be made right with your holy God... and all you have to do is believe it and receive it.

WORSHIP TEAM SPECIAL SONG – I WONDER

PRAYER