feast: God's Pearls
Our Worth to God
Ted E. Bowling
Given 22-Oct-24; Sermon #FT24-06B; 38 minutes
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I want to begin this sermon today with a question: What is your worth to God? When you look in the mirror and when you are on your knees before God examining your heart, what do you see? And I have another question: When God looks at you, what does He see?
These are two very important questions, especially the first. The first I am going to address because how we view ourselves is so important in reference to God and how you live your lives. Why? Because it can affect your sense of self-worth, self-esteem, self-respect. It can affect yourself in reference to God in your daily decisions and how you live your lives. And then it can affect your level of joy and happiness. It can actually affect your personal fulfillment.
Now, it is true that God does not want us to have a high opinion of ourselves. I am not talking about pride today. He does want us to be clothed in humility, but we do need to understand how important our lives are to God and your incredible human potential.
In the course of many conversations I have had over the years, it is clear that many struggle with this question of their worth to God. And I know that I have as well; is not uncommon. And when you struggle with self-worth and value, it is a terrible feeling because when we struggle with self-worth, it will produce insecurity, feelings of rejection, and loneliness. Why does this happen?
Well, one big reason is the world that we live in because the sense of worth to the world is totally different than God's. We have been nurtured in a world from childhood by our families, friends, growing up in this world's culture, and this culture has a great influence on us in our lives. I think more than we even realize, especially how we judge our worth as a person.
What does the world do? Well, they value talent, beauty, money, success. And if you do not achieve these things, they will make you feel worthless. Also, self-esteem affects—they judge us by our appearance, our possessions, and then also our accomplishments. Whether high or low, this kind of self-esteem is prideful because it is totally focused on the self and it does not add to the value of life. In fact, it minimizes your potential for growth and influence for where it is important.
This is probably one of the greatest lies that Satan the Devil has put in the minds of God's people, that we have no value. Even if we know better, if our minds (as Bill talked about), tell us better, sometimes our hearts say otherwise. Even when others tell us how important we are, we still may continue to measure ourselves by the world's measuring stick. The world does not understand that we are measuring ourselves by a totally different measuring rod because they do not understand, they cannot comprehend God. They do not see God.
Please turn to I John chapter 2, verse 15.
I John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
This is a very strong warning from John that we must be on guard against the dangers and the temptations of this world because this is a system that promotes fulfillment and worth strictly by material things and the gratification of the flesh. So just as it is important for us to separate ourselves from the physical things of the world, it is even more important that we separate ourselves from the way we think of ourselves and how we judge ourselves in reference to God and what our value truly is to Him.
Brethren, this is a race of endurance and we must work not to allow our confidence in God and our value, our spiritual worth, to be shaken.
Hebrews 10:35-39 Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. [confidence here means cheerful courage, boldness, assurance] For you have the need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: "For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him." But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe in the saving of the soul.
Again, this world would happily strip you of your confidence. They would happily bring you down. They want you to be depressed. They do want to distract you from the special gift that God has given you. Paul says here, "Be courageous. We have so much to have confidence in so do not let your trust be tested. Stay focused, be bold, be brave." In fact, these words are from different translations of the word confidence; to have boldness, to have that trust in God.
Now remember, God is doing amazing things in your lives. Please turn to Exodus chapter 19. Let us go back to the beginning, see where it all starts, especially with the nation of Israel. We will see how God kept His promise to Abraham and how He chose Israel to be His people. I am going to read just a few verses regarding this.
Exodus 19:5 "Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine."
It is interesting. God says all of the earth is Mine. Everything He created, everything physically living. But of all those things that He has created, He has chosen Israel to be His people. You know, it is important to note that Israel was not a mighty people. They had no spiritual distinction or reputation. Again, it was God keeping His promise to Abraham and He chose them for His special treasure.
Let us read one more verse. Turn to Deuteronomy 7, verse 6, which is very encouraging.
Deuteronomy 7:6 "For you are holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth."
God is holy, and the people He chooses for Himself must also be holy. This is a principle that has continued through the New Covenant. He has chosen them to demonstrate His love. He has chosen to make His covenant with them under which, though, we must keep His commandments, obey His laws. And in return, He will bless and protect His prized possession.
Question number two, as I said, when God looks at you, what does He see? Well, please turn to I Peter chapter 2, verse 9.
I Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation [we are talking about you now, that you are a chosen generation], a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
When I read these words, I have to say, is this really me? Can I really be a part of that? And the answer is yes. And you are a chosen people. You are His special people like no other people on the face of the earth. It is nothing that you did. He called you and you are now a part of a very special Family. By the way, He does not say that if you are good enough, it does not say that this is possible for you to be, or someday these things may happen to you. He is speaking in the present.
I Peter 2:10 Who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
This is such honor because before we were called, all of us were stumbling, without understanding, and really without a proper way in life. But as representatives of God's people, His chosen people, His own special people, He does expect us to live His life, live the way He lives. He expects us to live with honor and that we acknowledge the special gift of life and live a life of integrity, a higher standard, so people will see that quality in you. That was His goal for Israel. He wanted the world to see His people. They did not fulfill that. Today, He is doing that through us.
So is anyone questioning their worth to God right now? Are you questioning how important you are to God?
Let us keep going. Turn to Malachi chapter 3, verses 16 and 17. Malachi writes of God's special treasure.
Malachi 3:16-17 Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name. "They shall be Mine," says the Lord of Hosts, "on the day that I will make them My jewels."
That is a different word. Now, this word jewels. There are other passages, other versions that will say My special possession, My peculiar treasure, or My jewels. You ever thought of yourself as a jewel? You are a jewel. That is exactly what God thinks of you.
Now, if you are struggling to believe that, I would like for you to turn to Matthew chapter 13, because here is a wonderful parable by Jesus Christ that says exactly that, showing us how valued you are to God. Now, I would like to say that from a very young age, my mom taught me the Scriptures, taught me the stories in the Bible. And I will admit this parable, the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price was one of my favorites. This is a parable that I learned in the traditional manner of most churches. Let us just go ahead and read it first. It is only two verses.
Matthew 13:45-46 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who when he found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it."
Again, I had always believed the common explanation for this parable, that the merchant was you and me. And that as sinners, we were seeking God's truth and the reward of the Kingdom of Heaven. And not until I came into Church the Great God in the 1990s and heard a sermon by John Ritenbaugh, that I realized my perception of this parable was wrong. And it became clear to me that the interpretation that I was examining this was wrong because it was out of alignment with the Scriptures.
First of all, as sinners, what do we have to bargain with to buy anything? Mankind has no innate, inherent, or natural worth. In fact, Job makes it very clear that we have no bargaining power when he said in Job 25:6, "How much less man, who is a maggot, and a son of man, who is a worm?" Well, I think we see here that man is poor, feeble, and powerless. In comparison to God, we are just a crawling worm. In fact, some translations will say "insects." And then Isaiah 64:6 says, "But we are all like unclean things, all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags." Again, we have no buying power.
And also there are a few verses I want to read that shows we do not know what to look for or search for.
Romans 3:10 As is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands."
John 6:44 "No man can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day."
John 15:16 "You did not choose Me, but I chose you."
And then one last scripture I want to read because, again, you cannot buy heaven, the Kingdom of God.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
So we can see here clearly through the Scriptures that it is impossible that the merchant could be you or me. But clearly that the merchant here is Jesus Christ who is seeking the pearl of great price. It is Christ who seeks the sinner. And with this understanding, I hope that this parable becomes even more important and encouraging as we look at ourselves and perceive ourselves in reference to God. Because now you can really see even clearer how Jesus Christ pictures you.
Jesus Christ is the merchant who went and sold all that He had to buy that pearl, which is you. What is more valuable than the life of the Son of Man? What was the price that Jesus paid? Well, we all know He paid with His life and He paid it for us—His pearls.
Do you see how special you are? It is staggering! The church is one pearl, one body composed of so many brought together throughout time because He is seeking us, putting us together for His Bride.
So I hope you can see how special, inspiring, and encouraging this parable is. And again, for me personally, it has always been a parable that I love, but I love it even more now.
And brethren, I want to say it is no coincidence. It is no coincidence that Jesus Christ used a pearl in this parable. Why? Pearls are a very unique gem. Number one, they are known for their purity. It is a jewel that comes complete, radiant, created by God through nature. And human hands cannot increase its beauty. A fine pearl needs no polishing, no cutting by men. And interestingly, pearls are the only gemstone that is made solely by living animals.
Pearls are formed mainly by oysters and they are formed in a very unique way. What happens is a pearl is formed when an irritant or a grain of sand, maybe even the egg of a parasite invades the inside of the oyster, and for the oyster to protect itself, it secretes nacre or more commonly known as mother of pearl. And the oyster begins to layer that irritant and he will keep layering it because it is in pain and it is protecting itself. And this is a very, very slow process. It will take anywhere from two years to four years for a pearl to be formed. Because of the particle being continually coated with the mother of pearl, it becomes a complete and new creation. It might have been a grain of sand. It might have been a parasite to begin with, but by the end of that time, it becomes something that is so valuable and beautiful and highly valued.
Our development is very much like the pearl. Just as the oyster coats the irritant with a mother of pearl, we, when we begin, are an irritant in God's creation with our carnal nature and our sins. And as Job said, maggots or worms.
I Corinthians 1:26-28 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are.
We see God's pattern here. Remember back with Israel, there was nothing special about them. And for you and me, it says we are the foolish, the weak, the base, and the despised. That is how we started. Again, that is how the world convinces us that we are worthless. But that changes. Again, this pattern goes back all the way to Israel. Again, there was nothing special about them. But He chose them, and because He chose them as a nation, they become special.
It is because of God's love for us and His sacrifice that we are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ through His death, which begins a gradual and slow change in us. You know, it takes time to become a thing of beauty to God. It does not happen overnight. But He is clothing us with His righteousness by which He bought us. You are a new creation just like that speck, that parasite, does end up in the oyster. What you were is not what you are today.
II Corinthians 5:17-18 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
II Corinthians 5:20-21 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Again, this is a process that takes a lifetime of refinement, a lifetime of honing, and of endurance for us to resist sin, purifying and perfecting our character and bringing us ever closer to Him through His righteousness. And I am very, very thankful that He is patient and longsuffering, because I know that I test Him.
But as we get closer to God, the more our point of view will separate from that of the world. We will no longer look at life the same way that we did because we now have a perspective of life from God's perspective—a whole new approach to life. Yes, we will make mistakes. There will be times that you fall short but never question your sense of worthiness to God. He loves you. His love for us has never changed.
Romans 3:23 says we will fall short, we will make mistakes. Think of your child when they make mistakes, because they do as they are being raised. As they make mistakes, does your value, your love for them change in anyway at all? No, it does not. All it does is makes us want to work harder with them, to help them to overcome the weaknesses that they have because we love them so much. How much more does our God love us and feel about us? Again, we struggle. Do not question your worth to God. He loves you.
I would like to read from an article, which I dearly love, written by Pat Higgins. It is titled, "Every Word." I recommend you all read it. It is in the Forerunner, a Prophecy Watch from September 22, 2015. And I am going to read a little bit from it. I may not read it perfectly verbatim. I am not always great at that, but I will do my best.
As believers, we have been personally called by God, which is a great honor. However, are we aware that God loves no one in the universe more than us? Not one, including Jesus Christ! By what authority is that claim made? How about Jesus Christ Himself? [Pat directs us to John 17:23 where it says] He asked God to reveal to the world that You have sent Me and that You have loved them as You have loved Me. That word "as" is everything here. Understanding the full impact of this verse hinges on that little two-letter word "as." One definition is, to the same extent or degree, equally. Equally means no more or no less. This definition makes Jesus' request staggering in its implications. It means that we can truthfully say that there is not a being in the universe, including Jesus Christ, whom God loves more than us. Every individual whom God has called can say the very same thing. God loves us all at the same incredible, beyond our comprehension level. This verse also says Christ's unbelievable love for us as well.
Thank you, Pat.
Jesus' prayer that day shows us the depth of the love that both the Father and the Son has for us. How do you put a measure of value on that?
Please turn to I John 3, verses 1 through 3. (And thank you Clyde for this verse. I was excited when you read this the other morning.)
I John 3:1-3 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God [presently, present]; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
Do you remember the pearl? It is known for its purity. In fact, in many cultures around the world that is how it is known. It is something that is extremely pure. Ephesians 2, verses 4 through 10 summarizes this lesson about the Pearl of Great Price perfectly. It says,
Ephesians 2:4-10 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not for yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
It is amazing, is it not? You are the workmanship of God created in Jesus Christ. Do you realize that? Like Clyde said, it is hard to imagine. But can you perceive yourself loved like this?
Now, it is easy for us to be in this mindset while we are here. But when we leave the Feast and go home and get back into our regular routines, we must remember that we are going back into Satan's world and that we must remember the way the world judges value and that it is not the way God judges value. Never let these words be far from your mind that you are special. You are a treasure. You are a pearl.
Again, the world's values are totally carnal, based on appearance, beauty, possessions, money, success. Be alert not to allow yourselves to fall into that gap, that hole, because Satan wants us to think that way. We must guard against it with all that we have. Because if we remember who we are—again, we are nothing special—but it will help us to walk through this life with a proper confidence and faith in our God. It will help us not to step aside, make mistakes, and it will help us not to look at ourselves the wrong way. It is so easy how we do that. Emotions get to us.
You know, it should never be far from our thoughts that the only reason that we are so valuable is because of the life given for us. He that knew no sin willingly died for all mankind. Your worth, your righteousness, is only because of God's grace, nothing else. But it is something.
Brethren, the world may not honor you, they might not know you. They may not consider your worth in any way. But the day is coming when Jesus Christ will return and then our God will reveal His church for what they are: glorious, a wonderful creation of our Great God; a priceless pearl, arrayed in radiant splendor, in the purity of His righteousness.
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Sermon Topics
The Gospel
