How Much Are You Worth?
A person's worth is determined by their relationship with Jesus Christ, not by their material wealth or accomplishments.
Major Ian Thomas emphasizes that true worth is not measured by worldly standards or material possessions, but by one's relationship with Christ. He explains that redemption and sanctification cannot be achieved through personal effort but are gifts from God, given through faith in Jesus. The measure of a person's worth is determined by how fully they live for Christ rather than for themselves, highlighting that everything else is of no value. Thomas challenges listeners to reconsider their worth in light of their identity in Christ, urging them to recognize that true value comes from living a life dedicated to God.
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You cannot accomplish your own redemption, and you cannot accomplish your own sanctification! It is "according as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue" (11 Peter 1:3): faith takes what God gives, and God gives what man needs! All that he needs!
All that God gives, which is all that you need, He gives to you in Christ, "That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption" (I Corinthians 1:29 and 30).
The degree to which by a deliberate, voluntary attitude of faith you are reckoning yourself to be dead "with Christ" to all that you are "in Adam" and alive to God in all that you are "in Christ" is the degree to which the redemptive purpose of God has been wrought out in your life and this is the only valid estimate of your worth! Everything else is a dead loss! "Consequently, from now on we estimate and regard no one from a (purely) human point of view in terms of natural standards of value" (11 Corinthians 5:16, Amplified New Testament).
Pointing to an affluent looking gentleman coming into the church, I might say to you (if I were mischievous enough), "How much is he worth?" and maybe you would reply, "If he's worth a dollar, he's worth a million!" and I would say to you, "I did not ask how much money he had in the bank! I simply asked you how much he was worth!"
A man could have all the money in all the banks in all the world, and be worth nothing so far as God is concerned, if he were still living "to and for himself"! The measure of a man's worth is the measure in which he no longer lives "to and for himself," but "to and for Jesus Christ." No more and no less!
How much are you worth?
From: The Mystery of Godliness
Sermon Outline
- I. The Limitations of Human Effort
- A. The impossibility of self-redemption and self-sanctification
- B. The need for divine power and intervention
- II. The Sufficiency of God's Gift
- A. All things necessary for life and godliness are given through Christ
- B. Faith receives what God gives, and God gives what man needs
- III. The Measure of a Man's Worth
- A. Worth is determined by living 'to and for Jesus Christ'
- B. Self-centered living is worthless in God's sight
Key Quotes
“You cannot accomplish your own redemption, and you cannot accomplish your own sanctification!” — Major Ian Thomas
“The degree to which by a deliberate, voluntary attitude of faith you are reckoning yourself to be dead 'with Christ' to all that you are 'in Adam' and alive to God in all that you are 'in Christ' is the degree to which the redemptive purpose of God has been wrought out in your life and this is the only valid estimate of your worth!” — Major Ian Thomas
“A man could have all the money in all the banks in all the world, and be worth nothing so far as God is concerned, if he were still living 'to and for himself'!” — Major Ian Thomas
Application Points
- You can increase your worth to God by intentionally living for Him and prioritizing His will and purposes.
- Self-centered living is a dead loss, but living for Jesus Christ brings true fulfillment and worth.
- Your worth is not determined by your past mistakes or failures, but by your current relationship with God through Christ.