The Value Of A Person
Glory be to the Lord on this day for His grace and mercy to us!
Today we hear of God’s great love for us in that those who are the least have been blessed with great honor! Using the image of the human body, Paul continues to speak of where true honor lies among God’s people, and it is not where most people think!
Paul says,
Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 1 Corinthians 12:25-26
In our world today it is a given that the person in charge is the most important and therefore the one who is to receive the greatest honor. The CEO of the company, or the owner of the business, the elected official, or the person with the most schooling. There have been policemen who have taken power trips and many doctors have developed a “god complex.” All this is to say that the world idolizes the person in the position!
Jesus did the exact opposite! He placed value on those the world said were of no value. In a society which said small children were of no value, what do we see in Jesus?
People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” After taking them in his arms, he laid his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:13-16
Where women were looked down upon as being worthless, Jesus repeatedly sought them out and placed great value on them. Mary Magdalene, the woman caught in adultery, the woman with the flow of blood, and specifically in John 4, the woman of Samaria whom Jesus met at the well, which was a divine appointment! The woman who anointed Jesus prior to His death was blessed to hear that the generations to come would never fail to hear of her act of love for Jesus.
Jesus even treated those who were sick and diseased in a way which was the exact opposite of the way the majority of the people of His day treated them. We see this with Jesus touching the leper, placing mud on the eyes of the blind man, and so many more who came to Jesus and found in Him the love and acceptance God gives to all people.
The Church is to be different. We are not to follow the world’s way of treating people, but rather we are to be the ones who see the value in each and every person. The idea of elevating the person with power, position, or money above others is not to be part of who we are as the people of God.
Those who are considered to have less honor by the world are to be given the greatest honor! Why was this important to Paul? He says, so that there would be no division in the body. The end goal of this is that we are enabled to truly care for and love one another. This is how Paul says it, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
We have all seen the “more important” people receive greater attention and the “less important” people be ignored. Paul is attempting to help us understand that because we are brothers and sisters in Christ, we all stand equal together. God is the Father of us all and we are all of equal value in His eyes.
The world says that some are more important than others. God says each one is so precious to Him that Jesus shed His blood for all of us. There was no distinction made between who was more worthy or less worthy. We were all unworthy! All of us were deserving of rejection and hell. Jesus willingly went to the cross for all of us because we all stand before God the same! Sinners, everyone! Saints, redeemed by His shed blood!
Because there is no distinction, we are to place value on the relationship we have with each other, and this extends to everyone in the church. This relationship is to be to the extent that if one rejoices, we all rejoice and if one suffers, we all suffer. In other words, we walk the same road and share life together. Isn't that what a family is supposed to do?
The challenge we face as people who live in this world is to truly begin to see people as God does. It's not about the paycheck, the car a person drives, or even the clothes they wear. Be they young or old, male or female, healthy or sick, God sees a child He created, one whom He loves. May we, God's people in the world today, learn from Him how to assign true value to a person and then love them fully as He does.
In Christ,
Pastor Russ
Today we hear of God’s great love for us in that those who are the least have been blessed with great honor! Using the image of the human body, Paul continues to speak of where true honor lies among God’s people, and it is not where most people think!
Paul says,
Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 1 Corinthians 12:25-26
In our world today it is a given that the person in charge is the most important and therefore the one who is to receive the greatest honor. The CEO of the company, or the owner of the business, the elected official, or the person with the most schooling. There have been policemen who have taken power trips and many doctors have developed a “god complex.” All this is to say that the world idolizes the person in the position!
Jesus did the exact opposite! He placed value on those the world said were of no value. In a society which said small children were of no value, what do we see in Jesus?
People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” After taking them in his arms, he laid his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:13-16
Where women were looked down upon as being worthless, Jesus repeatedly sought them out and placed great value on them. Mary Magdalene, the woman caught in adultery, the woman with the flow of blood, and specifically in John 4, the woman of Samaria whom Jesus met at the well, which was a divine appointment! The woman who anointed Jesus prior to His death was blessed to hear that the generations to come would never fail to hear of her act of love for Jesus.
Jesus even treated those who were sick and diseased in a way which was the exact opposite of the way the majority of the people of His day treated them. We see this with Jesus touching the leper, placing mud on the eyes of the blind man, and so many more who came to Jesus and found in Him the love and acceptance God gives to all people.
The Church is to be different. We are not to follow the world’s way of treating people, but rather we are to be the ones who see the value in each and every person. The idea of elevating the person with power, position, or money above others is not to be part of who we are as the people of God.
Those who are considered to have less honor by the world are to be given the greatest honor! Why was this important to Paul? He says, so that there would be no division in the body. The end goal of this is that we are enabled to truly care for and love one another. This is how Paul says it, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
We have all seen the “more important” people receive greater attention and the “less important” people be ignored. Paul is attempting to help us understand that because we are brothers and sisters in Christ, we all stand equal together. God is the Father of us all and we are all of equal value in His eyes.
The world says that some are more important than others. God says each one is so precious to Him that Jesus shed His blood for all of us. There was no distinction made between who was more worthy or less worthy. We were all unworthy! All of us were deserving of rejection and hell. Jesus willingly went to the cross for all of us because we all stand before God the same! Sinners, everyone! Saints, redeemed by His shed blood!
Because there is no distinction, we are to place value on the relationship we have with each other, and this extends to everyone in the church. This relationship is to be to the extent that if one rejoices, we all rejoice and if one suffers, we all suffer. In other words, we walk the same road and share life together. Isn't that what a family is supposed to do?
The challenge we face as people who live in this world is to truly begin to see people as God does. It's not about the paycheck, the car a person drives, or even the clothes they wear. Be they young or old, male or female, healthy or sick, God sees a child He created, one whom He loves. May we, God's people in the world today, learn from Him how to assign true value to a person and then love them fully as He does.
In Christ,
Pastor Russ
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If only the sermon taught were true. Actions speak louder than words