Good morning everyone!
I'd like to start off by saying I'm glad you're here – “You Matter To Me.”
If I may, I'd like to continue our discussion on "They Matter."
I'd also like to reiterate, that "You Matter!"
That's why I have decided to entitle this message
"They Matter, You Matter To Me"
And before I begin, I'd just like to say I’m not preaching to put anyone down here today, I’m preaching to lift you up!
Because I love you, I care about you.
Because I pray for you.
Because I am concerned about you, I worry about you.
Yes, YOU!
Why? Because I feel it is important, because God has called me to do it, and because God has laid it heavily upon my heart...
And because God's Word keeps reminding me that
John 3:16
says… God so loved the World…!
Did anyone happen to notice it says "the world"? Not most of the world!
Not a select part of the world, the part where we live, but the whole world, that means "them!"
When a person doesn’t know who they are in Christ, they are going to have some issues
.. But that's a whole other sermon, but we need to begin to figure out who we are in Christ.
Who they are TO Christ?
How is it that any one of God's people, can think God's grace is available to us, but not able to them?
How is it that we think God is able to forgive us, but He’s not able to forgive them?
As if somehow, His hands are tied when it comes to their forgiveness?
It's as if we think we are the only one He died for.
We are the only one that He suffered for.
We are the only one that Calvary was all about.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son..."
John 3:16
They matter to Jesus and so they need to matter to us!
We can’t just call ourselves Christians and not be concerned about the same things that Christ is concerned about.
"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
1 Timothy 2:3-4
It’s not just about you! It's not just about me.. it's about ALL!
They matter to God and they need to matter to us!
It's not enough to just say "they matter."
They need to know that they matter to us!
They need to know that we care about them!
We can’t call ourselves Christians and not be concerned about the over 7 billion people on this planet that He is concerned about.
You see, we live in a world where people are struggling to find themselves.
Who they are.
What their purpose in this crazy life is.
What, if any, is the significance of their life.
And why is it significant.
And to whom is it significant..
That's why Forgiveness is a big deal!
Can all of you say that with me?
Forgiveness is a big deal!!
And you have got to be a bigger person in order to do it!
Small minded people can’t do it because their too small, too petty, too easily offended..
You’ve got to be able to see the bigger picture to forgive someone..
And then, you've got to compare it to the blood of Jesus, which IS THE BIGGER PICTURE!
People are not inanimate objects. They should not be treated as though they're disposable.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it."
Matthew 13:44-46
We need to understand, Jesus is telling us a parable here.
He is teaching us something about the Kingdom of God..
The treasure Jesus is talking about is not money, gold or silver!
The treasure Jesus is talking about is people!
And through this parable He’s showing us what you have to do in order to reach people.
He said this man went and sold all that He had and bought a field.
The man sold everything he had!
That’s how valuable the treasure was to Him!
He understood the value of what he had found.
To this merchant it was worth more than everything else he owned!
Because I am a curious minded person, that's how my brain works.
I wonder how many people walked past that treasure before the man found it?
I think they all saw how valuable it was, but only this man was willing to sacrifice everything he had to own it..
How many people passed you and I by before someone saw our value and introduced us to Jesus Christ?
How many you and I have passed by and not seen their value?
What have we done?
What have we sold?
What have we laid aside to say to one of God's children..
"You matter to me?"
What are we willing to sacrifice, to do, to give up, to lay aside, to reach the people around us with the greatest message the world has ever heard?
Jesus Loves You!
Jesus Cares About You!
You Mean Something To Jesus!
So much so, that He willingly gave up His life for You!
And because you matter to Jesus, you matter to me!
In John 4 we find Jesus risking His reputation and the future of His
ministry to go to Samaria to speak to a woman who had had 5 different
husbands and who was living with a 6th man at the time.
But Jesus goes out of His way, to Samaria, to speak to her.
And not only speaks to her, but ministers to her and talks to her about her life and her relationship with God.
He let’s her know, “You Matter To Me!”
Everyone else walked past her!
Everyone else ignored her!
Do you know what happened to her after Jesus spoke with her? This woman became an evangelist to Samaria – a place where a great revival broke out later in the book of Acts.
And so, who is it that gets to decide who matters? Who has value?
Society?
Social media?
You?
Me?
I know some of us in this world that would like to believe that we are that important, but the truth is we're just not!
God is the only One who gets to decide "who matters" and "who has value", He's says "They Matter."
I don’t know if you’ve noticed it or not, but it’s already beginning to happen.
There are people sitting here right now, who are here because someone did more than invite them.
They encouraged them!
They loved them!
They went out of their way to let them know they have value!
So I want to leave you today, with one final thought...
Aren't you and I exceedingly blessed "we" are included in that word "THEY?"
That our Creator, didn't choose to forgive "them" and NOT "us"?
That our God, our Creator of heaven and earth, said He loved the whole world!
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son..."
John 3:16
#YouMatterIMatterTheyMatter
Brian Monzon Ministries