Romans 12:2 ”Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Colossians 3:1-3 “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
Ephesians 4:22-24 “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Silent Prayer
I want to talk about the renewing of your mind from perhaps a different angle this morning. I want us to consider how when we come to Christ we can think differently about ourselves and the role we are to play throughout our life.
What we think about ourselves.
What do you think about yourself? Do you like what you see in the mirror? Do you see yourself as capable? Competent? A winner?
Will Rogers told a story about talking to a young lady who told him that she thought she had an inferiority complex. He said, no ma’am, you are inferior! She said, I want a second opinion. He said, okay, you’re ugly too! What people say to us can be devastating. Self- confidence is an interesting thing. It’s a powerful thing. (http://www.sermonsearch.com/sermon-outlines/21197/love-yourself-youre-special-16-of-26/)
I don’t think I have ever addressed the issue of self-esteem or self-worth in a message or in any Bible study before, but this week I felt compelled to make sure you all knew today that God sees you as valuable. In fact, He calls you “priceless.” Don’t look to anyone but God to ask what you are worth!
You are absolutely a masterpiece. In fact, Scripture tells us in Ephesians 2:10 that we are God’s “workmanship” or God’s “masterpieces” here on earth. Psalm 139 tells us that none of us was the consequence of some random accident or afterthought. We did not evolve from apes! Each one of us was fashioned by the very hands of God. You are beautiful. You are marvelous. You are special. You are unique, a one-of-a kind, authentic masterpiece. Aren’t you glad you came to church today?
Genesis 1:27 tells us each one of us was made in the image of God. That is powerful! We were made to reflect God in the world! God has tremendous confidence in our ability to show people what He is like!
You are a precious person to God. Isaiah 43:4 “Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.”
Did you hear that? The God of the Universe is willing to fight for you, to stand up for you, and to do what it takes to make sure you win!
You are so precious that it took something precious to redeem you, to buy you out of the life of sin we are all born into: 1 Peter 1:18-19 “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”
Precious person, you were bought with precious blood! You might not be feeling so precious this morning. You might not be feeling extremely treasured this morning, that’s why your mind needs a makeover. You can’t go off of your feelings. You can’t base your self-worth on what your emotional self has to say or on how you feel based on what other people say. To degrade yourself or downgrade yourself is to degrade and downgrade God’s handiwork and effort! So don’t put yourself down and distance yourself whenever possible from people who put you down.
How many of you think a $20.00 bill is valuable? I still happen to think that is a lot of money. It doesn’t matter if I crease it, wad it up, or even if I step on it. It still has the same value regardless of the condition, right? Some of you have been creased and folded this morning. You are a bit doubled over in your emotional life. Life has been hard on some of you, and you may feel like you have been wadded up and discarded; like no one cares. Some of you have wrongfully been stepped on by selfish, sinful people or extremely difficult circumstances. Listen, I have come with good news this morning. None of that has altered your value to God! You may be beaten up and battered and scarred by the trials of life, but you are still priceless to God!
And I know some here this morning think poorly of themselves because of choices they have made and things they have done which have left them with regret and the feeling of wasted time and opportunity. Listen, none of that changes the way God looks at you or the desire He has to be in relationship with you. He sent Jesus FOR YOU, and He has never once said, “What was I thinking?” or “Why did I waste my Son for him or her?” Not once. He has just as much love for you today as He did when you were born into the world!
The things people say to you or do to you whether good or bad don’t increase your value or diminish your value. You are and have always been “priceless” to God. Let me tell you what determines something’s value. There are two things:
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What someone is willing to pay for something determines its value. When someone really wants something they will pay top dollar for it. They will sacrifice for it. They will go out of their way for it. They will bid higher than anyone else. God has determined that you are worth dying for. He sent Jesus all the way from the splendor of heaven to redeem you, to purchase you with His own blood.
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Who owned something in the past will also determine its value. If you can prove you have a picture that hung in Marilyn Monroe’s house or Ronald Reagan’s house or was the childhood toy of Mickey Mantle or Michael Jordan, you have an item of true value. It isn’t necessarily the object that is valuable in and of itself, but the owner, the person who originally owned the object, depending on who they were, that’s what made it valuable. Listen, you originated in the heart of God and were fashioned by the hands of God, and He has owned you not once but now twice as He has bought you back from slavery to sin. I’ll tell you once again how much that means you are worth! It means you are PRICELESS.
Not only does God want you to think rightly about yourself, but He wants you to think rightly about your role in life.
You matter. Your life is valuable. Your contribution is valuable. You are the only one who can do what God has created you to do. Your life makes a difference. How you choose to live from this day on is critical. God has gifted you to make an impact. You have a destiny to fulfill. God has a plan for your life (Jeremiah 29:11-13). Parents, God has chosen you to mold and shape your children’s minds and hearts. You are the front line for their development. Brothers and sisters, God has chosen you to live together, to influence and support one another. Be the best sister or brother you can be. Grandparents, you have more influence now than ever. Speak life into your grandchildren. Help them to feel special. Each one of us has a mark to make in our families and in the world around us.
Satan wants you to think that your choices don’t matter, that what you do doesn’t hurt anyone else, that you are insignificant and therefore inconsequential. That is NOT what Scripture says. Let’s revisit Ephesians 2:10 again. You and I are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do. God’s design for us to that we live up to our potential!
There is a role for us to play, and we have special gifts and abilities given to us by God to enable us to play those roles. Listen to 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 from the Message translation. 7 Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! 8 The variety is wonderful: wise counsel clear understanding
9 simple trust healing the sick 10 miraculous acts proclamation distinguishing between spirits tongues interpretation of tongues. 11 All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when.
That’s just a partial list of the kinds of gifts God gives to us. If I asked you what one thing you possess that is unique to you that enables you to show people who God is, what would you say it is? Part of living abundant life or a full life is finding out how we are wired and living our lives authentically to play our part using our gifts and talents. Satan wants you to think you have no special gifts and talents because he doesn’t want you contributing to anything that could show someone who God is. God, on the other hand, says we are to “shine like stars in the universe!” (Philippians 2:15) We are supposed to stand out so we can show people who God is!
I think this concept is getting harder to embrace as our world moves farther and farther from Christian principles. The world is getting darker, it seems, and perhaps our little light doesn’t seem it can do much to dispel the darkness. We are just one candle. We live in just one place. We are just one person. That’s what Satan wants you to think. You are just one voice! No one will hear you. It’s a lie! Take that thought captive and make it obey Christ. (II Cor. 10:5)
Listen, God is not intimidated by the darkness. Jesus, the Light of the World, was the “Light that shone in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it!” (John 1:5) Jesus is still shining through every life that is submitted to Him.
When you see injustice, and you can right the wrong, stand out and create some light.
When you see someone who is burdened, and you can lighten their load, stand out and create some light.
When you know someone is afraid or alone, and you can provide support or friendship, stand out and create some light.
When you know someone is in a pit, and you can lend a hand to pull them out, stand out and create some light.
When you know someone is grieving, and you can acknowledge their sorrow and pray for their comfort, stand out and create some light.
When you know someone is hungry and you can feed them, stand out and create some light.
When you know someone is cold and you can clothes them, stand out and create some light.
When you know someone is without Christ, and you can share Him with them, stand out and create some light.
Don’t minimize your role. Your encouragement and support or kindness and compassion could mean the difference between life and death for someone. Just this week, someone told me that years ago someone had the kind of impact on their life that kept them from committing suicide. Don’t tell me one person can’t make an amazing difference!
We must re-orient our minds to the reality as spiritual beings that we aren’t here to merely live our own lives, but that we are to live our lives for God in order that others can live better lives by experiencing God through us. It’s a whole different mindset. When we get up in the mornings we need to consider not just what we “have to do for the day,” but we need to be mindful that God has a plan for each day He gives us. We need to ask for His power, discernment, and guidance to help us be alert to His plans for our day. The “new mercies” He gives each day aren’t just for us to keep to ourselves. It is for us to distribute to those around us. None of us yet has seen our total potential. None of us yet has seen the biggest and best God wants to produce in and through our lives.
We need to remove the word “just” from our vocabulary if we use it to describe ourselves. We are not “just a mom” or “just a teenager” or “just a retired person” or “just an employee.” We are people through whom God can do mighty exploits and miracles! Yes, we are ordinary, but God infuses His power and life and strength and creativity through us, and we become conduits for the miracles of God!
You see, God doesn’t see people as “just” shepherds or fisherman or doctors or students or bank tellers or welders. He sees potential. He sees a network of power. He sees lights in the darkness that have power and authority to take entire cities, states, and countries in the name of the Lord.
The Israelites had territory to conquer. It was a constant battle. We are no different. God wants us to conquer as we move about throughout each and every day. He wants us to view ourselves as people on a mission. Too many of God’s people have left the mission and have gone into hiding because they don’t believe they can make a difference or that what they can contribute will matter. We need to have the mindset of Joshua in chapter 1:3 that God will give us everywhere we set our feet!
Turn to Judges chapter 6. Gideon was the kind of person who didn’t think his life or contribution could matter. His people were being oppressed by the Midianites. The Midianites were destroying the Israelites’ crops and cattle. Israel was really suffering and was greatly discouraged. Gideon felt so personally defeated that instead of trying to make a difference he was hiding out in a winepress. He had hidden a few stalks of wheat from the Midianites and was threshing them when an angel of the Lord showed up in Judges 6:12.
Judges 6:12-24 12 When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” “Mighty Warrior?” Gideon sure didn’t think so. Warriors didn’t go into hiding. Was this some kind of joke?
13 “But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.” 14 The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” 15 “But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
Gideon didn’t see himself the way God saw him. He focused on his limitations and weaknesses and that wrong thinking defined him and caused him to hide rather than to shine. After some negotiating with the Angel of the Lord, Gideon did go on to deliver the Israelites from Midianite oppression. Scripture tells us that is why he was born! That is why God made him. Gideon was God’s answer for the Israelites during a time of great oppression. But to get him to do what he had been born to do, God had to call him out of hiding and perform some miracles to confirm to Gideon that he could do what was being asked.
What about you? Are you hiding from your role this morning? Instead of believing you are a Warrior have you become a “Worrier” or a “Doubter” or “Afraid?”
Colossians 3:1-3 “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
Earthly thinking would tell you if you don’t finish first, you are nothing. Earthly thinking would tell you success is measured by your bank account. Earthly thinking would tell you that where you start and what happens to you in life will determine where you end up. Earthly thinking would tell you if you are in the minority you best keep quiet. Earthly thinking would tell you if you aren’t in the “in crowd” you don’t belong. Earthly thinking would tell you the giants are too big and you are too small.
Colossians 3:1-3 tells us our minds are to be where Christ is, seated in victory and power, where there is no limitation! I happen to think that if we aren’t conquering something we are probably being conquered by something. That is not how God wants us to live.
Last week I suggested we all need heart transplants. God had told Israel He would put a new heart and spirit in them and that the same was true for us. I believe we need a head transplant this morning. We need the “mind of Christ.” We need the mind that embraces our value and worth and knows that we have a destiny to fulfill. Jesus came to earth knowing He was a world changer! That is the mindset we can possess when we see ourselves as precious people bought with a precious price who have a powerful mission to accomplish.
You could be at the right time at the right place to make a difference in someone’s life or circumstance, but if you don’t have the right mindset, you won’t act to do so. The cost may seem too great. The fear of the crowd in the heat of the moment may overwhelm you. Your heart may trump what your head says you should do.
Earthly thinking will tell you all of the reasons why you shouldn’t get involved, why you shouldn’t try to help, why you would be better off to mind your own business. The spiritual mind, the mind of Christ says, “God has so much confidence in you that He has brought you to this opportunity to make a difference in this person’s life. Now go for it!”
Christy Pittman was a single mother of a two year old when she found herself homeless. A dear woman who had been praying for her for years took her and her child in. She gave them a home and introduced Christy to Jesus. She modeled what being a follower of Christ looked like in everyday life for 2 years! Her generosity changed the direction of Christy’s life. Christy is now Rev. Christy Pittman, a Church of God ministry, and dear friend of mine.
Someone’s life is waiting to be touched by yours. Jesus believes in you. He desires to use you. Will you let Him give you thoughts of confidence? Thoughts that will enable you to conquer? Will you reach through whatever discouragement, disillusionment and pain you might be facing and make that difference to someone in need? Will you live your life with the mindset that every day is a day on mission to rescue someone, lift someone, care for someone, give to someone and thereby doing, to introduce someone to Jesus?
Oh that as God transforms our hearts that our heads will follow that our hands and feet may then do His work.
Pastor Melissa
