YOU MATTER TO GOD

You Matter To God

Text: Eph 1:3-6

3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4) just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5) having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6) to the praise of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

Introduction: Have you experience loneliness in your life? I’m not referring to being lonely but when you feel like you are all alone. No one understand you. Momma don’t understand. Daddy don’t understand. Sister, brother, doctor, lawyer, in fact a hold litany of folks don’t understand. To add to the anxiety that you are already experiencing nobody seem to care. It is not that folks don’t care but they themselves have their own issues trying to navigate this thing we called life. If that be you my brother or sister I want you to know today that YOU MATTER TO GOD. Psalm 139:15-16 declare to us that the eyes of God were fixed on us not only when we were in the earliest stages of being formed in our mother’s womb, but before we were conceived. God knew us when we were nothing more than mere substance or His thought. He was so involved in our development that He took note as our arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, and toes were being formed. In fact, this verse states He even knew us before any limb was developed. Long before we were conceived, God already knew of us and by faith He could see us being conceived, formed, and born into this world. Because YOU MATTER TO GOD when Jesus Christ wrote His last will and testament for His church, He made it possible for us to share His spiritual riches.Unlike us rather than spending it all He gave it all for you and me. It was His death and resurrection that position us as co-heirs with Him in all things. He wrote us into His last will and testament, then He died so that His will would be enforced. Then He rose again so that He might become our Heavenly Advocate to make sure that the terms of His will would be carried out. You do know that “ It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even now at the right hand of God, who also make intercession for us( Rom 8:34b).” YOU MATTER TO GOD. We have been bless with “ every spiritual blessing” which would suggest to us that we have every spiritual gift necessary to live a spiritual life. We just need to activate these gifts by faith. The place of these blessing is also significant “ in the heavenly places.” These blessings are spiritual not material, heavenly not earthly, eternal not temporal. “ while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2nd Cor 4:18). I know the desire we have for temporal things but they should not be your life’s focus. I like to suggest to us this morning that the pathway to the temporal is by the spiritual. That is what it means to “ seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Success in this life begins and end with being submitted to the Spirit and the Will of God. As His co-heirs we operate in two different atmospheres. We operate in the human and the divine, the visible and the invisible. We are motivated by what we can see and what we can’t see. It is those things that we cannot see that provide the power and direction for our earthly journey which lead us to God’s Promise. “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man, The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1st Cor 2:9) Of all the wonders that God has created, nothing compares to what He has in stores for those who love Him. It’s is above anything we can imagine or even verbalize. It will leave us speechless. Have you ever been so bless by God that you could not find the words to express how you feel? His future promise is much more greater than that. Our text before us expresses just how much YOU MATTER TO GOD!!!

YOU MATTER BECAUSE YOU WERE HIS CHOICE (vs4)

The text said “ He chose us in Him.” You are saved today because salvation was God’s will. Salvation began with God and not with us. Scripture makes it plain that we did not choose Him he chose us. John 15:16a) “You did not choose Me, but I chose you.” We were lost in our own sin and left to our own way and in our sinful state we did not seek God. As it is written: There is none righteous, no, not one; 11) There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God (Rom 3:10-11). Thank God that we matter so much to Him, He would not allow us to remain that way. God in His love He sought us. It was God that took the initiative. “ for the Son of Man come to seek and to save that which was lost.”( Luke 19:10) It is worth noting when the choice was made. It was made before God spoke those words “Let there be.” Your eternal destiny was determined before anything was made. It has little to do with how special you may think you are but everything to do with who He is. Grace was a part of God’s plan from day one. Even though God chose us through Grace based on His Will we have to make the choice to believe. With the privilege of Grace comes great responsibility “to whom much is given, from him much is required.” We are to be holy and without blame and this can only be possible because He chose us in Christ and not ourselves. It has never been about who you are but always about who He is. I thank God this day that He sees me through the lenses of Christ. None of us could survive God’s gaze if he look directly at us. You do know that He can’t look at sin. When I think about all of my flaws and shortcomings, all the times I’m disobedient and come up short, I begin to appreciate Grace more and more. Just a side note here the path to holiness becomes a little clearer when we stop looking to blame one another. Real Christian should not play the blame game because it will take us away from forgiveness. How can we be blameless and blamer at the same time? We must forgive if we want to be forgiven and that’s Bible according to Jesus in Matt 6:15) “ But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” The next thing to take note of

YOU MATTER SO MUCH TO GOD THAT HE ADOPTED YOU(vs5)

“Having predestined us to adoption.” Predestination is a term that is only applied to God’s people. Nowhere does the Bible teach predestination to hell. The events connected with the crucifixion were predestined. I am the living bread which came down from heaven . If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” Your adoption was predestined, our conforming to Christ predestined “ For who He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son” and your future has been predestined “ In Him we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.” Adoption is the act by which God gives us standing in His family. Since you have standing you can claim the benefit of your inheritance today. You don’t have to wait to claim your benefits. You can enjoy them right now. The future aspect of adoption will be greater because at the time of Jesus return we will receive a glorified body. It is at that time your private adoption becomes public. The world can’t see it now but they will see it then. Finally my brothers and sisters YOU MATTER SO MUCH TO GOD THAT HE HAS ACCEPTED YOU.

We cannot make ourselves acceptable to God but He, by His Grace, makes us accepted in Christ. This is our eternal position which will never change. Because of God’s grace in Christ, we are now accepted by Him. God’s acceptance stand in contrast to man acceptance. We spend our lives trying too be accepted by others. But if truth be told some folks will and some folks wants. This is the reality of this world. Here is my opinion on that matter today. It’s hard for flawed folks to accept other flawed folks. Most of the folks I know are Christian and the one thing I know with a certainty, all of them self included have issues and my prayer today is GOD HELP US TO BE MORE ACCEPTING OF ONE ANOTHER. There are no perfect Christian only a perfect Christ. We need to focus on the person not his or her flaws.I know your flaws were forgiven this week. God the Father loves His Son; and because YOU MATTER TO HIM, you to are the object of His love. Since salvation is of God’s Grace we ought to praise Him for it. In fact I like to suggest to us that the reason we were chosen was to give Him praise. 1) Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament! 2) Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! 3) Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! 4) Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! 5) Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals! 6) Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.This is why we praise Him. One Friday mercy was put on trail. He was marched from judgement hall to judgement hall. He was despised and rejected by men. He borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Mercy was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. They took our mercy and nail it to a cross. Mercy hung there until it was finish. It was done but it was not over. They buried Mercy in a borrowed tomb. It remained there all night Friday. It was still there on Saturday but early on Sunday morning that all sufficient Grace awaken. Grace that helps us to overcome and makes us more than conquerors. Grace that allows us to do all things through Him that loves us. Grace that carries us through life’s storms and stills the waters. That Grace that makes a way when there was no way. That Grace that have all power in His hands. Grace that moves us from sinner to saint. Grace that changes this corruptible body into the incorruptible one. Grace that transforms this mortal body into immortality. That Grace that gives us life and that life more abundantly. If it had not been for Grace that is on your side. Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wreck like me. I once was lost but now I’m found, blind but now I see. Was Grace that taught my heart to fear and Grace, my fear relieved, How precious did that Grace appear, The hour I first believed. Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come. T’was Grace that brought us safe thus far and Grace will lead us home.