“God’s love does not seek
value; it creates it. It is not because we have value that we are loved; it is because
we are loved that we have value.”
For God SO Loved the World!
Psalm
139:13-16 God fearfully and wonderfully
made us. We are HIS workmanship
Ever
been to an ART Gallery?
· There are beautiful
Artworks that are world famous
· There are ABSTRACT pieces
that truly… the beauty is in the eye of the beholder!
Illiust:
Paint & Sip Parties
· YOU are creating a portrait
that you take great pride in!
· It is your Masterpiece!
Ephesians
2:10 says this….
“For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we
can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (New English Version)
There is an old expression… “God Don’t
Make No junk!”
To many time in
our lives… we try to “FIX” what we feel is messed up in our lives. We think its
our responsibility to create VALUE so we then can be accepted and loved.
We go through life
trying to please others… so we will GAIN or ADD TO our own value. BUT Here is
where we have it all wrong.
The truth is that
MY VALUE was placed in me by GOD. It was a part of my creation and it was
validated at The Cross when Jesus paid for my sin and washed me in the Blood of
the Lamb.
1 Samuel 16:6-13
6 When they arrived,
Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely
the Lord’s anointed stands
here before the Lord.”
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do
not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the
things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
8 Then Jesse called
Abinadab and had him pass in front of
Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this
one either.” 9 Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel
said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 Jesse had seven of
his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 So he asked Jesse,
“Are these all the sons you have?”
“There is still the
youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said, “Send
for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”
12 So he sent for him and had
him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and
handsome features.
Then the Lord said, “Rise and
anoint him; this is the one.”
13 So Samuel took the
horn of oil and anointed him in the presence
of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon
David. Samuel then went to Ramah.
So Why do we still
go on trying to “fit the mold” of what others want or try to get us to conform
to?
Why will we find
ourselves DOING all these GOOD things that we have talked about the last couple
of weeks… loving and serving and reaching others for Christ… and still feel
like we have to do more to “measure up”?
People all the
time tell me how they feel judged by other people. If they are not good enough,
if they don’t behave or act a certain expected way then they are judged as “not
measuring up”… if they screw up and make mistakes… especially when they are “doozies”
then people feel like others “write them off” because again… they don’t “measure
up”.
It transfers over
to our Spiritual Lives too… we may not realize it, but we work really hard
trying please God… so that He will be pleased with us. We have made God into
this entity that is sitting up in heaven with a big stick or a notebook… who is
taking notes of everything we do and then who is ready to DROP THE HAMMER just
cause we don’t “measure” up. So… to avoid that… we just DO MORE!
Lets go back into
Scripture and look at our Value:
1)
“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created
him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). Your value begins with the fact that you are made by the hand
of the Creator in His very image.
2) “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15). Even if you are forsaken by family and friends, you are always cherished in the heart of God.
3) “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). God’s thoughts toward you are wonderful, and He has great plans for your life!
2) “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15). Even if you are forsaken by family and friends, you are always cherished in the heart of God.
3) “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). God’s thoughts toward you are wonderful, and He has great plans for your life!
4)
“Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with
lovingkindness I have drawn you” (Jeremiah 31:3). His love for you is relentless, immeasurable, and infinite.
5) “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The Creator of life loves you so intensely that He allowed His own Son to die in your place before you ever repented.
6) “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold … but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18, 19). God was willing to pay the highest price in the universe to redeem you—the blood of His dear Son.
7) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). If you belong to Jesus, you have a brand new, sparkling-clean life in Him.
8) “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1). God actually considers you His very own precious child.
9) “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 … that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4–7). Your heavenly Father has planned a magnificent, never-ending future for you.
10) “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20). God has given you a high calling as an ambassador to share His great love with others.
5) “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The Creator of life loves you so intensely that He allowed His own Son to die in your place before you ever repented.
6) “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold … but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18, 19). God was willing to pay the highest price in the universe to redeem you—the blood of His dear Son.
7) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). If you belong to Jesus, you have a brand new, sparkling-clean life in Him.
8) “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1). God actually considers you His very own precious child.
9) “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 … that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4–7). Your heavenly Father has planned a magnificent, never-ending future for you.
10) “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20). God has given you a high calling as an ambassador to share His great love with others.
1 John 4:19 We love because He first LOVED US.
Crazy Love is
about realizing HOW MUCH you are LOVED BY GOD….
Falling in LOVE
and LOVING Him Back
And… ABOUT
ALLOWING THE LOVE THAT’S IN YOU TO FLOW OUT OF YOU INTO A WORLD THAT NEEDS HIS “love
sweet love”.
How does that song
go… “What the World Needs Now.. is LOVE SWEET LOVE… That’s the only thing… that
there’s just too little of… “
