Sermon Notes

“And the Soul Felt Its Worth”

By Brother Kenneth Ray

December 19^th, 2010

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This is the time of year when most of us recall the story of Christ; we think about the baby in the manger.  As Christians we recount the story of an angel that came and brought a message to a woman, and her subtle reply.  But that was the will of God for His handmaid.  We also remember a man named Joseph, and the shepherds, and the wise men travelling from the East.  Unfortunately, for most people, this is the ONLY time of year that they remember this.

There is a song that we sing this time of year, “O, Holy Night.”  One of the lines is, “’Til He appeared, and the soul felt its worth.”  Do you know what you’re made of? Dirt.  The Bible says that God formed man from the dust of the earth (not women though, women are special), but man didn’t live until God breathed the breath of life in him (Genesis 2:7).  We are formed in God’s image (Genesis 1:27).

 John 4:24        God is a Spirit…

             God puts things together for a reason.  Sometimes you may think that you’re just dirt, but you are so much more than that.  The person sitting next to you may not value you, but God does.  God stays the same, and you are precious to Him.

 Luke 2:10-14   …on earth, peace, good will toward men.

             God looks down from Heaven at us with good will towards us.  He may not approve of all that we do, but He loves us.  This may not be something that we make the connection with at Christmas, but the story of Salvation begins for us, or at least starts on earth, on Christmas Day.  The gift that God gave to the whole world is the gift God still gives to the world. 

 John 3:16        For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son…

             It used to be that every man did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25).  God looked beyond that and saw His creation; His love.  He loves our souls.  Do you feel bad because you get the same gift every year?  Well, this is for you then:  He brings the gift of salvation every year. 

            My Aunt won a flat-screen TV in a grocery store promotion.  I know that God’s gift is not a TV set, but could anyone handle a gift of joy? Peace of mind? Hope (she’s Joy’s cousin, by the way)? Charity?  That doesn’t ever get trumped.  He sees what we need, and He gives it to us.  If you can see yourself having those things, then Jesus can see you having them, too.  Some of you may be saying, “I don’t feel the joy.”  That doesn’t mean that it’s not there.  Put down whatever it is that you’re holding on to so that you can feel it. 

            Do you want to celebrate Santa Claus?  I’m not here to make comparisons.  Today’s message is about the gift that God has for you.  There’s only one thing that He’s coming back for:  He’s looking for me, and He’s looking for you. 

            Home has gotten to be a bad word lately.  There’s home improvement, home loans, just a lot of things that people don’t want to hear about lately.  But God doesn’t have a home problem up there.  He doesn’t have a problem with real estate.  The problem is filling those homes.  We need to realize just how wonderful we are to Him.  Granted, we make mistakes, but His mercy is greater.  My God can make the crooked straight (Isaiah 40:4).

            You know, you don’t have to wait until New Year’s to make a resolution, you can get things right today.  There’s no need to wait until January to make promises that you won’t keep.  Place yourself in God’s presence.  He wants you to feel the value of your soul.  Remember the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)?  The Prodigal Son didn’t feel his own value, so he went out searching for it, and didn’t find it.  When he returned, his father ran out to meet him, and the son felt his value, then.  Let me evaluate that:  reconnect with your Heavenly Father; God loves you enough to take you back.  Every long trip starts with a single step.  He wants to feel your hurt.  He wants to dry your tears.  He wants to see you smile.  He wants to know your joys.  Come and dine (Revelations 3:20).  God doesn’t make appointments; He doesn’t need to.  If you want to talk to me, you may need to make an appointment; I can only deal with one person at a time.  God’s not like that though; He can deal with every individual one-on-one all at the same time.  God has time for you any time.

            Maybe now you can start doing things because you want to, and not because you’re afraid of what will happen if you don’t.  Draw close to God, not out of guilt but because we need Him.  You ladies wouldn’t give up your purse; I sure wouldn’t give up my wallet without a fight.  There are too many things in there that we need.  We need God; that’s why we do the things that we do.  You need to understand that, in God’s eyes, you’re special, you really are.  He wants you to have gifts every day of your life.

            God can’t always get through to everybody; sometimes He needs some helpers.  He has equipped you to help spread the Gospel, and to encourage others.  Our family needs Jesus; we can’t be the body of Christ (Romans 12:4-5) without Christ.  Bring Christ-likeness to people; let it flow, let it expand.  Do it because it’s what matters to you.

                             Sermon notes by Pete Shepherd