God’s great grace, His magnificent mercy, and His powerful peace are yours, from God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In Christ Jesus:

Tell me…HOW MUCH ARE YOU WORTH?

No……really! How much are you worth?

Now, don’t panic…

This isn’t a Stewardship sermon asking you to give more.

This isn’t a plea for money to meet our budget needs.

This isn’t a preacher prying into your personal life.

I’m not talking about disclosing your financial statements.

I’m not asking you to list your monetary assets.

I’m not requesting a breakdown of your property holdings.

Those things just tell me HOW MUCH YOU HAVE.

They don’t tell me how much YOU THINK YOU ARE WORTH!

So…how much are you worth?

That’s not as frivolous a question as it may sound on this Sunday morning because there are a lot of people walking around today who do not feel like they are worth very much, at all. DO YOU?

And it’s not difficult to see why so many people feel worthless.

We are identified more by our numbers than by our names.

We are considered valuable--- or not---depending on our credit line
rather than on our character.

We are becoming more and more a nameless, faceless society

And, as a result, we are suffering in this country because of it.

For example:

In the U.S. suicide is the third leading cause of death

for 15-to-24-year-olds, and the sixth leading cause of death

for 5-to-14-year-olds. Each year, thousands of teenagers commit suicide in our country.

The experts tell us that teenagers and young people feel no sense of worth when they focus on their failures and disappointments and all the negative things in their lives. Depressed thinking can convince someone there is nothing to live for.

And not just teenagers and young people. One expert in this field claims that 80 percent of the population of the United States admits to having had suicidal thoughts, and much of it due to the fact that many people are walking around today without a sense of worth!

Many of the crimes committed against other people in today’s society result from feelings of no self-worth.

Low self esteem leads to anger,

which, in turn, leads to acting out physically against someone,

which, in turn, leads to spousal abuse, child-abuse, road rage, assault, and even murder.

Too many people are walking around out there in the world today without a sense of worth.

And right now, because of what is happening in your life…

Some of you, maybe…don’t feel very worthy this morning.

Some of you, maybe…don’t feel very worthwhile this morning!

Even the most devout Christian can reach that point in life

when everything seems to go wrong in life and when all hope seems to go out of life.

Some of you are feeling that way today---even right now--- because you’re alone in life, or so it seem. You’ve lost a spouse, or close friend or, someone special to you, to death recently. All hope seems to be gone in your emotional life. And your life seems worthless.

Some of you are feeling that way today---even right now--- because you’ve lost your youth, your vigor, your health and you just feel plain old.

All hope seems to be gone in your physical life. And your life seems worthless.

Some of you are feeling that way today---even right now---because you’ve lost touch with God and your sense of worth standing before Him has gone way down. All hope seems to be gone in your spiritual life. And your life seems worthless.

Well,

I’m here this morning to tell you---if you need telling---that it doesn’t need to be that way.

I’m here this morning to remind you---if you need reminding--- that it doesn’t have to be that way. And

I’m here this morning to inform you—if you need informing---that it shouldn’t be that way.

I’m here to tell you that things can change for you and turn around for you----beginning right now.

Because you are worthy and you are worthwhile, in spite of
how you feel or

the way people react to you or

the manner in which they treat you.

You are worth much to the most important Being there is…to Almighty God…and I want you to never, ever forget it.

How do I know that?

Why do I say that?

Where does it state that?

In God’s Holy Word, that’s where! Listen again to the Second Reading for today from Romans 5:6-11:

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God's judgment. For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of His Son while we were still His enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by His life. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God--all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God.

Imagine! You and me, the friends of God.

You and me, who stood before the Almighty and Holy God and told him only minutes ago, that we were miserable people, who sinned against Him in our thoughts, by our words, and through our actions; we are now the friends of God!

You and me, who dared to stand here and tell God that we did not love Him as we should, and did things against Him, of which we are ashamed; we are now the friends of God!

You and me, who told God, in no uncertain words, that we deserved nothing from Him except His present and eternal punishment and damnation; we are now the friends of God!

How did we get to be that?

Our Holy and Almighty God, in His infinite mercy and grace decided not to let us die in our sin, but instead sent Jesus Christ, His only son,

to forgive us,

to change us,

to turn us around--- from being the enemies of God to being the friends of God.

And God’s Word reminds us that Christ came at just the right time--when we were utterly helpless, and died for us sinners.

It further reminds us that “no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Jesus Christ came to this world and robed Himself in our flesh to make us
friends with God.
Jesus Christ came to this world and took on our flesh and blood and bones. Jesus Christ came to this word to experience the things that we experience.

He knows what it’s like to:
Hunger and thirst
Laugh and cry
Cry and be rejected
Feel pain
Have sickness in His body

Lose a loved one to death.

We have God Who is touch with our feelings and emotions.
He knows just where you are today.
He knows just what you are feeling today.
He knows just what road you are walking down today.

That is why we can go boldly to the throne of grace and find mercy in the time of need. He didn’t come to damn sinners; He came to save sinners. He came to save us.

And God’s Word says that

He came looking for you to save you.

He has come to save you today.

He has come to change your life right now.

It doesn’t matter how far you are away from God, He is able to save your soul. For He came to destroy the works of Satan.

Satan came and he brought:
Death,
Destruction,
Sickness,

Poverty,

Famine,
Hurt,
Hatred,
Strife,

Loneliness,
Rejection,
Depression,
Doubt.

All those things bring on feelings of worthlessness.

But Jesus came to destroy the works of Satan.

Satan brought death, but Jesus brought life.

Satan brought pain, but Jesus brought comfort.
Satan brought sickness, but Jesus brought healing.
Satan brought doubt, but Jesus brought faith.
Satan brought hatred, but Jesus brought love.
Satan brought loneliness, but Jesus brought peace
Satan brought tears, but Jesus brought joy.

Satan brought doubt, but Jesus brought faith.

All those things bring on feelings of worthiness! .

Isn’t that wonderful?
Isn’t that beautiful??
Isn’t that amazing?

God knows you and me inside out.

He knows what makes us tick.

He knows what we feel.

He knows what we dream about and what we hope for.

That being the case, I want to talk to each and everyone of you here this morning! If anyone of you are feeling worthless this morning, or less than totally worthwhile, I want to talk to you.

To you kids among us, who feel worthless because you are only kids and nobody pays any attention to you…I want to talk to you.

To you teenagers who are feeling worthless this morning because you are always being put down by your peers or your parents, I want to talk to you!

To you young adults who are feeling worthless this morning because a relationship has gone sour, your marriage is on the rock, or your career is going nowhere fast…I want to talk to you.

To you older people who are feeling worthless this morning because you are alone in life, your body has grown old, you have lost a spouse or friends to death recently, and you think that you have nothing left to live for…I want to talk to you!

I want you all to look up there for all the proof you will ever need of your worth. Focus your eyes there, for a minute, as a reminder of how much God loves you and the value He places on you. Look up there and see the most outrageous act that could be offered by God for us to believe that.

Outrageous!

It is outrageous that Almighty God

would become one of us,

would suffer the humiliation of being nailed to a tree for us…

would die for us…in our place.

But He did! And that is final proof of your worth to Him.

And even though, at times, we stand before ourAlmighty and Holy God and tell Him that we were miserable people who sin against Him in our thoughts, by our words, and through our actions, we are now the friends of God!

Even though we dare to stand here and tell God that we do not love Him as we should, and do things against Him, of which we are ashamed, we are now the friends of God!

Even though we tell God, in no uncertain words, that we deserve nothing from Him except His present and eternal punishment and damnation; we are now the friends of God!

Just think!

We came to God this morning as His enemies, and we leave this morning as His friends.

We came to God this morning as sinners, and we leave as saints.

We came to God this morning, dirty, and we leave washed clean in the blood of the Lamb.

We came to God this morning, broken, and we leave whole.

We came to God this morning, worthless, and deserving only Hell, and we leave worthy and possessing heaven.

How much are you worth? You look up there and tell me now.
And then tell yourself.

You are worth everything to Him.

He was born for you!
He lived for you!
He died for you!
He rose again and is coming back for you!

How much are you worth. You are worth everything to Almighty God!

Never forget it.

Amen.