Luke 15

 Worth in a Capitalist society  Worth as Contributors to society  Worth as Christians based on a “merit system” ◦ 1Corinthians 15:9 “For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”

Colossians 1:9-11 “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.” Philippians 1:27 “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”

 Matthew 10:11 “Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.”  Matthew 10:13 “If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.”  Matthew 10:37-38 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.”

Acts 5:40-42 “and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”  Hebrews 11:30-40 :38 “of whom the world was not worthy”!

 1Timothy 6:1-2 “Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed. And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved. Teach and exhort these things.”

 Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”  Genesis 2:7 “And the L ORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

 Spiritually speaking, Jesus taught of a different birth, John 3:1-5. ◦ John 1:10-13 ◦ Ephesians 5:1-11 ◦ 2Corinthians 6:17-18 “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the L ORD Almighty.”

 The Lost son said once to himself and once to his Father, “I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” It is the blood of Christ that makes us eligible to be sons and daughters.  The blood of Christ enables us to be part of God’s family in a way we never could on our own, but it is not an umbrella that hides unrepented sins from God’s eyes, 1John 1:5- 10

 Our actions cannot affect God’s view of our worth.  However, our attitude, actions and words do carry a value  John the baptist, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:1).

1Timothy 4:12 “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”  Want to better your usefulness in the church and in the world?

 You and I did not choose to be born, neither did we chose to have Jesus die for us, God saw our worth there.  However, you and I can walk, talk, act and love in a worthy manner, the way the Lost son should have acted from the start.

 Norman Borlaug ◦ saved over 2 billion people with his talent  Henry Wallace ◦ Commissioned Norman Borlaug  George Washington Carver ◦ Influenced little Henry Wallace  Moses & Susan ◦ Rescued George Washington Carver

 You were worth creating, you were worth dying for.  God considers you worthy of being one of His children if you are born into His family.  Your worth is tied to the influence you leave, the lessons you can teach, the seeds of the gospel you can plant all around you.

 Devalue yourself in opposition to God’s word and you will meet a judgment worthy of dread. ◦ Hebrews 10:28-30 “Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The L ORD will judge His people.”