Finding Your True Worth

Welcome back to Advent week 3! Advent is about looking forward to and preparing for Jesus’ return. During this series we’re looking at some of the universal longings that we all share that will be met with Christ’s return. This morning looking at our longing to feel valued, that we matter. I think that’s a pretty universal desire.

Let me open with some questions to get us thinking about our value...

Who determines your value? I know we know that “God” is the right answer, but I’ll contend that rarely is it primarily God whom we derive value from. A lot of things actually affect our sense of self-worth:

Critical words from others? How many ppl still remember harsh/demeaning words spoken to them as a child that get replayed in your mind?

The way others treat you? When ppl treat you as value-less, you begin to see yourself that way.

Circumstances? Hard times cause us to question if people/God care what we’re going through.

How do we try and affirm our own value?

What we do/good works/performance (athletics, career, etc)

Praise from others

Contribution to society. But what happens when we can no longer contribute due to age or infirmity?

Who we associate with/name dropping. Exclusive clubs article…”11 Most Exclusive Private Clubs in the World That Confirm You're Somebody” Interesting that the rich and famous still need to have their sense of value stroked.

For me: I hate being asked how many people attend my church!

Have you ever noticed that human affirmation is never enough?

No matter how much you get it never seems to be enough.

It’s fleeting.

“One ‘Aw, shucks’ knocks out 100 ‘atta-boys’”

As we prepare for the return of Jesus, we long to know that we are valuable. But we have to be careful where we derive our value from. What we’ll see this morning is that God calls you valuable, and the proof is in what he was willing to pay for you.

Pray…

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We’re looking at Isaiah 52:1-12 this morning. Helpful to give context. The northern tribes of Israel had already been taken into exile by the Assyrians 150 years previously. Now the southern tribes have been conquered and exiled to Babylon. They’ve been in bondage there for 70 years. But the Babylon was conquered by the Medes and then the Persians. The new Persian king Cyrus has just decreed that the Jews can return to their homeland. That sets the background for what we’re about to look at.

Isaiah 52:1–2 “Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion! Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for the uncircumcised and the unclean shall enter you no more. Shake yourself from the dust, rise up, O captive Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter Zion!”

These are ppl who felt basically worthless. They’ve been captive in a foreign land. They thought God had forgotten them or was finished with them. But then this good news rings out to “Awake!” The language used here is of a wedding - put on your beautiful garments. God has not forgotten you, and no longer will you be despised by others.

As a ppl they may not see themselves as valuable, but God still sees them as his treasured possession. This is the first lesson for us: You must learn to see yourself as God sees you. Not as others see you. Not based on how others have made you feel. God wants to loosen from your neck the weight of other’s devaluing.

How does God see you? In his instructions to husbands about how to love their wives, he said it should be the way Christ has loved his church: Ephesians 5:25–27 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind—yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish.”

If you are in Christ, notice what he’s done for you: He has given himself for you. He has made you holy. He sees you, not as you are this moment, but as you will be - in splendor, without spot or blemish. Jesus sees you as radiant. How do you recapture your true sense of worth? You must learn to see yourself as God sees you.

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Isaiah 52:3–6 “For thus says the Lord: You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money. For thus says the Lord God: Long ago, my people went down into Egypt to reside there as aliens; the Assyrian, too, has oppressed them without cause. Now therefore what am I doing here, says the Lord, seeing that my people are taken away without cause? Their rulers howl, says the Lord, and continually, all day long, my name is despised. Therefore my people shall know my name; therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here am I.”

“Sold for nothing” means they had been treated by their oppressors as worthless. Not worth basic human dignity. This had been their family history - devalued by the Egyptians, then the Assyrians, and finally Babylon. But notice that in despising God’s ppl, they are really despising God. The language here is that God is rising up to defend the value of his people. They will know without doubt that they are still precious in his sight.

The next lesson for us is to see that The Lord values what others treat as worthless. The amazing thing about Christianity is that, while it had some superstars, for the most part it was the religion of the poor, uneducated, and slaves. The apostle Paul reminds the Corinthians of this fact: 1 Corinthians 1:26–28 “Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are,”

The amazing thing about God’s economy is that the things the world so highly values has very little value in God’s sight, while the things - and people - the world looks down on God sees as supremely valuable. When you begin to question if you have worth, remember the Lord values what others treat as worthless.

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Isaiah 52:7–10 “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy; for in plain sight they see the return of the Lord to Zion. Break forth together into singing, you ruins of Jerusalem; for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.”

Isaiah breaks into a song of praise for what God is doing for his ppl. It is a clear sign that it is their God who reigns, not the kings of the world. The invitation is to join in the song, to rejoice with the choir that God has finally come to comfort his ppl. Here we get to the ultimate proof that God places ultimate value upon his ppl: he has redeemed them.

If we ever use that word today it’s usually in terms of using a coupon to save some money. But redemption was a common thing in ancient times. Ppl who had been sold into bondage could be bought back out of bondage - redeemed - by someone else - usually a close family member. Redemption is the price paid for freedom; the Lord has paid the price for the release of his ppl.

Here’s another lesson: Your value is determined by the price someone is willing to pay for you. The extent to which someone will go on your behalf really sets your worth. Many of us have been blessed with parents, family members, friends who will go to great extremes on our behalf. That shows we have immense value in their eyes. Yet any of those ppl can let us down. But look at what the apostle Peter says: 1 Peter 1:18–19 “You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.”

The word for “ransomed” is to same word for “redeemed”. Here is your true valuation: your redemption was with something far more precious than the most valuable things on earth. It was with the very life of Jesus. This was the price God was willing to pay for you. This is the final statement on whether or not you have value. Not your career or good works or praise from others. God has set your value by the price he was willing to pay for you. Any time you look at a cross you can say “That’s how valuable I am”.

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How do we respond to this?

Isaiah 52:11–12 “Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of it, purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the Lord. For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.”

This passage began with the call to “Awake, awake” to the reality of God’s steadfast love and care. God sees you as valuable. It ends with a call to “Depart, depart”. In light of what God has done, go out from where you are.

What’s the application for us? As I’ve shared every week, Galatians 4:4 “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son...” In light of what God has done for you in Christ - in sending him to die in your place for your sins to redeem you from the curse of sin and death - in light of this it’s time to break free of the bondage of other ppl’s evaluation of you. No one but God gets to decide your worth - and he has made his judgment exceedingly clear. He sent Jesus to be your Savior.

Have you ever come to know God’s love for you and the great value he places on you? If you’ve never given your life to him, would you do it today?

You may already know Jesus as Lord but you still struggle with feelings of inadequacy and low self-image. Would you take a bold step today to decide that what God says about you is greater that what you or anyone else says about you?

I was reminded this week in reading a commentary on Acts that we are a missionary church. We’re called the spread the love and light of God to others. Who do you know that needs to be encouraged by this message of God’s value?

The world, the devil, and your own mind will continue to attack your sense of self-worth. Who will you listen to? God wants you to look at the cross and remember just how truly valuable you are to him.

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Ministry...

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Communion

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What an amazing time of worship we’ve had today. I’m glad you’ve been a part of it. If you’ve been blessed today, why not invite a friend to join you next week. We have some invite packs on the back table.

*** Announcement reminders ***

Dismissal prayer

Now as we prepare to take this time of worship into the week ahead, the Lord who loves you says to you:

Isaiah 41:10 NRSV

do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

GO BE THE CHURCH!!