Your Immeasurable Worth

I. Why Fast?

Billy Wilson in his book, Fasting Forward, suggests six reasons or purposes in fasting.

A. Repentance – Jonah preaching to the city of Nineveh and as a result they fasted and repented before God.

B. Readiness – Anna, the 84 year old prophetess, who served God in the temple with fastings and prayers.

C. Revelation – Saul who was converted on the road to Damascus.

D. Release – An impotent church; the story of the father with a demon-possessed son;

E. Restoration -- (Joel 2:15) Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; (NKJV)

F. Reward -- (Hebrews 11:6) But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (NKJV)

This morning I want to share with you some thoughts on "Your Immeasurable Worth. I think that I can prove from Scripture and from the life of the greatest man who ever walked the face of this earth, that no sacrifice is too great if it results in the redemption of one fallen man or woman. If our fasting, prayer and seeking God results in one life being changed for all eternity it is well worth the sacrifice.

Gordon MacDonald is the author of a book entitled, The Life God Blesses. The book talks about the soul and in particular it details the storms of life that threaten the soul. In the preface MacDonald defines the soul. I want to share with you a few of his thoughts:

I believe that the soul comes into being at conception. It is not the result of a physical transaction, but it is an event instigated by God.... God breathes the life of the soul into us.

I believe that the soul, once created, will never die or lose its identity. I believe that the soul was meant to be the source of life-giving energy, guidance, conviction, connection with the Creator. I believe that the soul has a certain bottomless-ness to it. That it is a place within a person that is similar to... outer space. Unfortunately, that limitless inner space has been spoiled or polluted by evil. It needs cleansing, redirecting, "rebooting" if it will accomplish anything like the original intention.

I believe that the soul was meant to be a dwelling place for God. As a Christ-follower, I believe that Jesus died to redeem the soul, and that the effect of this redemptive process is to raise life to a higher plane.

Some 150 years ago, Charles Finney, no doubt one of the greatest evangelists who ever lived, preached two Sunday night messages back to back on the worth of the human soul. In the second of the two sermons, he made the following observation:

"But how shall I speak of the worth of the soul? There is no question, on which I ever attempt to speak, which makes me feel so much at a loss, and that not because there is nothing to say, but because there is so much to say; not because the subject is void of interest, but because it is in itself so surpassingly great, so infinite, that I always approach it with the fear of belittling it, rather than at all giving or having anything like an adequate conception of it.

Indeed the text which I have read (For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36 KJV) is one that I always feel that I dare not preach upon. I never did preach upon it in all my life; because, as I have said, it always seemed to me that all I could say would only belittle the subject, so far does the value of the soul surpass all human conception."

As we enter this season of fasting and prayer I want us to understand just how valuable each of us are to God and therefore should be to each other.

II. AS A RULE WE TEND NOT TO BE SOUL-CONSCIOUS

I believe that I can prove my point. Be honest now, when you meet a person, how do you assess the worth of that individual:

· Do you look at the clothes that he or she is wearing?

· The car that they are driving?

· Their status or lack of status, in the community?

· The jewelry that they are wearing or lack thereof?

· The house that they live in?

· Their position in a church?

• Or their soul?

I doubt that very many of you gave "the soul" as your answer.

The Bible confirms this: (1 Samuel 16:7) But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (NKJV)

The word "heart" here does not refer to the ticker that beats inside our chest; rather it alludes to the most important part of a person, that is, to man's innermost being. We could call this part our soul & spirit.

The New Testament adds this in (James 2:1-2) My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, (NKJV)

(James 2:3-4) and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool," have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? (NKJV)

In both of these passages we see the human tendency to judge people by the externals while ignoring the inner worth or value of the person.

Notice with me some of the terms that we use to divide ourselves from one another:

· Young people are either jocks or preps, skaters or hip.

· Christians are either Catholic or Protestants and then if you’re Protestant you are either Pentecostal or non-pentecostal.

· Politically we are either Republican or Democrat or Independent.

· Then too, we are single or married, Young or old, black, brown, yellow, white, or red.

· We are either public school, Christian school, or home school,

· A Carolina, Duke, Wake-Forest or some other school fan.

John Ortberg writes: "By definition, every society includes people who connect, who belong to one another. Yet every society includes people who feel left out, who don't get chosen at recess, whose invitations to dance get turned down, who get blackballed and cold shouldered and voted off the island. We exclude others because of pride or fear or ignorance or the desire to feel superior."

Whenever we pick and choose, whenever we divide up into our little cliques, we tend to state, as if by some great unwritten law, that my group is better than your group, my people are better than your people, in short, I am better than you. The point is, when we fail to be soul conscious, when we fail to judge by the heart, we open ourselves up to pride, to factions, and numerous other errors.

Jesus, our Lord asks: (Mark 8:36-37) "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? "Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (NKJV)

Here the Lord places His value on the human soul. In short, your soul, my soul, everyone's soul is worth more than all the world - in the eyes of Almighty God.

III. WHAT MAKES THE SOUL INFINITELY VALUABLE?

A. GOD'S STAMP IS UPON THE SOUL

(Genesis 1:27) So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (NKJV)

In God's eyes, we are each gifted with a touch of Himself. Each one of us carries within ourselves the eternal, holy breath of God, the Creator. We are not merely flesh and blood. We are all image-bearers of the Living God.

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7 KJV)

Genesis 2:7 (The Message) adds, "GOD formed Man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive-a living soul!" Although man's physical body was made from the dust of the ground, our soul is God-breathed. It is a product of divine CPR! This soul, therefore, is not of this world and will one day leave this earthly tent and return to the God who made it.

· Why do we hate abortion?

· Why do we abhor prejudice between races?

· Why do we love our enemies?

· Why do we refuse to make fun of the less fortunate; the sick and the needy?

· Why do we give to missions and the cause of reaching a lost world for Jesus Christ? Because we hold to the immeasurable worth of each and every human soul.

The souls of the unborn, the elderly, the widowed, the mentally handicapped, the unattractive, and the physically challenged -- from conception to the grave - all have the stamp of God upon them!

Christian author and radio commentator Chuck Colson says, “Being made in the Image of God means that we find our ultimate identity and worth in reflecting our Creator. Therefore, men, women and children created in the Image of God should be respected, regardless of their mental capacity, physical ability, faith (or absence of faith) or social position. The earthly container that temporarily holds this priceless, sacred soul is the human body. Therefore, the human body is sacred and should be held in honor and respect; not violated, abused or harmed.”

It is the soul of man, again the portion of us made in the Image of God that allows us to be in relationship with God. It is the human soul -not our money, not our status, not our automobiles, not our worldly stuff -- that will survive the fires of judgment day.

B. THE EXAMPLE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS

Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them." So He spoke this parable to them, saying: (Luke 15:1-3 NKJV)

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? "And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. (Luke 15:4-5 NKJV)

"And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:6-7 NKJV)

"Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? "And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!'

"Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (Luke 15:8-10 NKJV)

Here we see three distinct groups:

· The Scribes,

· The Pharisees,

· The sinners and tax collectors.

Each had their own little rank in society. At the top of the pecking order were the Scribes and the Pharisees. It was their practice to write off as worthless any so-called sinner who happened to have the misfortune of getting in their way. Sinners were seen worthless and unworthy beings.

Jesus decided to deal with this sinful arrogance by sharing with these self-righteous religious leaders two parables. A parable, you may recall, is an earthly story that carries a heavenly meaning.

The two stories were intended to teach the Scribes and Pharisees as well as each one of us here today the value of each and every sinner as well as the energy that should be expended in an effort to find them.

• The man left his flock of 99, when out in the night, out into the elements, in order to regain the one straying sheep.

• The woman lit a lamp, scoured her house, and searched diligently, until she found the one coin that was lost.

When the shepherd found the lost animal, he rejoiced and threw a party. When the woman found her coin, she threw quite a shin-dig herself. In like fashion, the Lord rejoices and throws a party over ONE single solitary soul who comes to find grace!

Jesus summarized His feelings quite succinctly when he said, "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Did you ever stop to think of what this means to you personally?

· It means that the angels rejoiced when you repented and came to faith!

· It means that you are known in heaven.

· It means that you are not only known; you are highly valued.

· There is no rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who earns a million dollars.

· There is no rejoicing over one sinner who gets that big promotion.

· There is no rejoicing over one sinner who wins the lottery.

· There is no rejoicing over one sinner who wins the Super Bowl.

· There is no rejoicing over one sinner who becomes President of the United States. But there IS rejoicing when a sinner repents and is born again.

If the angels in heaven--and indeed the Son of God himself--value each and every sinner who repents and comes to faith, how could any of us think any differently?

Back now to Luke 15: Please remember how the Scribes and Pharisees felt about the "tax collectors and sinners." They had no time or space for them in their lives. Then too, they were upset with Jesus because He dared "dirty himself" with such refuse: "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."

These religious leaders excluded people due to their ethnicity (Gentiles), gender (women), physical problems (lepers), or practicing what were called "despised trades" (the rabbis' list included tax collectors, dung collectors, and pigeon keepers). The outcasts were considered defiled, and to associate with them would defile the righteous. These Scribes and Pharisees believed that the essence of spiritual maturity lay in excluding people.

And yet, if the truth be known, Jesus seemed most drawn to the very people that these others excluded. He ministered to...

· The poor lepers,

· The blind beggars,

· The morally challenged,

· A less than ethical tax collector,

· The demon possessed,

· A Roman soldier,

· A Samaritan with running sores, and another Samaritan woman with serial husbands, It is no wonder that Jesus gained the reputation of being a "friend of sinners" for that is exactly what He was.

Jesus, who was sinless and innocent, did not condone sin. But that is not even the issue. The issue is, in spite of His own personal holiness, Jesus associated with the outcasts; he spoke with them, touched them, ate with them, loved them. No one was so far down the social ladder that He couldn't or wouldn't reach down and lift them up. No sinner, no soul was without value to Him.

Once Mother Teresa was teaching a young member of her community who came from a well-to-do family how to care for the poor and dying on the streets of Calcutta. She said that when you see people on the streets, filled with disease, disfigured by sores, covered with maggots, touch them very gently with great love and delicate care, the way a priest handles the elements of holy mass, for Jesus is there in the distressing disguise.

As the German Theologian Helmut Thielicke wrote: "Jesus gained the power to love harlots, bullies, and ruffians ... he was able to do this only because he saw through the filth and crust of degeneration, because his eye caught the divine original which is hidden in every way -- in every man!

When Jesus loved a guilt-laden person and helped him, he saw in him an earring child of God. He saw in him a human being whom his Father loved and grieved over because he was going wrong. He saw him as God originally designed and meant him to be, and therefore he saw through the surface layer of grime and dirt to the real man underneath. Jesus did not identify the person with his sin, but rather saw in the person something alien, something that really did not belong to him, something that merely chained and mastered him and from which he would free him and bring him back to his real seal. Jesus was able to love men because he loved them right though the layer of mud.

C. JESUS DIED FOR SOULS

(Romans 5:8) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (NKJV)

1 Corinthians 6:20 (Weymonth's translation) therefore notes, "...for you have been redeemed at infinite cost." Why were we redeemed at infinite cost? I submit to you that God saw infinite worth in each and every human soul!

God did not affix a DOLLAR VALUE on you or me. Buying us with cash or some precious commodity would have been too easy. You see, "The Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof."

· He owns the cattle on a thousand hills.

· He has gold enough to pave the very streets of heaven with the stuff. He has pearls so large that He is able to make gates out of the things.

· He has so many diamonds, rubies and other precious gems that He uses them like concrete. They are simply foundation stones in glory.

· He owns furs, mansions, and millions and millions of acres of timber and billions and billions of barrels of oil and gas reserves.

God is not at a loss when it comes to money. But no amount of money would be sufficient to purchase you and me back from death and sin. Again, the Scriptures are plain. To buy us from off the auction block of Satan's slavery, God would have to give up His Son to death by crucifixion. That was the value that He Himself set for every man, woman, boy and girl.

Now, I must remind you again, HE SET THE PRICE. If any bargaining was done, it was simply between Father, Son and Holy Ghost. That was it. Why then did He make our redemption so terribly expensive? HE WAS SIMPLY ESTABLISHING THE WORTH OF A HUMAN SOUL.

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26 KJV)

Would you sell your soul if in return you could gain the whole world? If your answer was yes, the Lord says that you would be selling out much to cheap. He owns the world -- billions of them. He could have given up a world or two for you, but no. You were worth more than any old world. Christ died to redeem your soul.

I hope by now it has become obvious that there is no amount of money in the world that is worth comparing to even one human being. Not all the gold, silver, platinum and all the precious gems combined could begin to compare with a single human soul in real value.

Our dear Lord Jesus died not just for all sinners (the masses), he shed his blood for each sinner (individual). If our Lord loved each sinner that much, how dare we value any one any less? Any one soul is well worth a consecrated season of prayer and fasting January 1-21.