Sunday, February 2, 2014

Everybody is Somebody to God

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Most of the time my views of self worth are influenced by society and culture - without me even realizing it.  

I read an article of a young lady named Kate who feels the same way.  Kate lives in Florida, and for months her friends has been on her about upgrading her phone to the new iPhone.  Finally she did, and she says that it was the best thing that happened.  She fell in love with the iPhone.  She said that after a week of app-ing and texting like crazy she was hooked.  And then, one day it hit her why people love their smartphones - “it makes them feel important; it makes them feel needed; it makes them feel that they are a supply in demand.”  

This happens to me all the time!  Has it ever happened to you?  Do things ever make you feel important - smartphones, clothes, shoes, hair, relationships, cars, house, career?  If you don’t have the right one…well then you’re a nobody.  And nobody wants to be nobody. Society is really good at picking winners and losers - nobodies and somebodies.  And if we are not careful our views of self worth will be influenced by society and culture - without us even realizing it.

But when we turn to God’s Word, we realize something different…we realize that everybody is somebody to God.  God’s Word helps us find the truth about self worth.  The truth about self worth is that…

It’s already here (Genesis 1:27)

We were created in the image of God.  And that means that every person - man, woman and child (and even unborn child) bears the image of God, and therefore has no more or less of that image than anyone else.  The basic desire for self worth - to be more than we are - is in each of us because we were created to be more.  We were created with self worth.  But sin has tainted that image; it has created a barrier between us and God.  So we search for worth in all the wrong places.

This was the issue the Christians in Corinth faced.  Corinth was a proud Roman city.  A place where is was easy to pick winners and losers - somebodies and nobodies.  Lines were drawn, groups were formed, and labels were assigned.  Paul was teaching them that they were missing the point.  They were searching for self worth in all the wrong places.  They had forgotten that the truth about self worth is that its already here, and can be discovered through a relationship in Jesus.

And can be discovered through a relationship in Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30-31) 

This should not be a surprise.  The logic is sound and consistent throughout Scripture.  
God created humans with ultimate self worth.
Sin has negatively affected all humans.
Therefore, sin must be removed.

Our passage this morning reminds us that through faith in Jesus our sin is dealt with once and for all - and the self worth that we were created with can be discovered through that faith.

Followers