Harvest Pointe Christian Church, Milford Ohio is a non-denominational Christian Church (Church of Christ) on the Eastside of Cincinnati OH

Fear of not Mattering | Series: Fearless | 09-20-09

Fear of Not Mattering
Series:  Fearless
Matthew 10:29-31

  I. You matter in this world.

 II. You matter to other people.

III. You matter to God.
        A. You are created in God's image.
        B. You are the most valuable of all creation.
        C. You rule over the earth.
        D. You are cared for.
        E. You have a destiny.
        F. You have infinite value.

Full Text 

 

We are in a series entitled, "Fearless".  Some fear is good and natural.  It is God given.  It protects us from doing something stupid and helps us excel.  But too much fear can be bad for us both physically and emotionally.  So the whole impact of this series is not that you lose all fear, but rather that you fear less.  That you trust more and fear less.  That faith becomes a normal response.

Today's topic is the FEAR OF NOT MATTERING.

Have you ever been made to feel like you are insignificant?  Like you just don't matter?

I used to drive an old Chevette.  That little car had way over a 100,000 miles on her and still ran like a top.  We also had an old LTD that was on its last legs.  It had several things going bad on it but the worst was the transmission.  There was a reason Ford quit making it after only 6 months of production.  It was very expensive to repair and no one would guarantee a repair after it rolled out of the garage.

Our boys were growing so we decided to buy a mini-van.  We almost had enough saved up to pay cash.  I went into a local Ford dealer and the salesman refused to show me a new mini-van.  He kept telling me where the used ones were and that I could go walk through them.  He wasn't even going to bother to show me any!  When I rolled in, he was just standing in the doorway doing nothing.  I wasn't even worth a walk through the lot.

Finally, as he stared at my old Chevette he came right out and said, "I can tell you can't afford a mini-van."

It was like I was a bother to him and not worth the time.  To him, I did not matter.  I was insignificant.

And when we bought our new Plymouth Grand Voyager, I seriously considered going back and showing him what we could afford.  But Marsha wouldn't let me.

But, don't you just hate it when someone treats you like you're a nobody?  It is a terrible insult and you want to fight back and prove you do matter.

People can also get beaten down by life or by people and feel like they just don't matter.  It can cause depression.

After Job lost his children, his health, and his wealth, his friend, Eliphaz came to visit.

In Chapter 4:20 Eliphaz said that we humans,
"…live in houses of clay,
whose foundations are in the dust,
who are crushed more readily than a moth! 
 Between dawn and dusk they are broken to pieces;
unnoticed, they perish forever."

"Unnoticed…, they perish forever."

I have met people who fear that when their house of clay is broken to pieces, that when they die, they will be forgotten.  That they will leave behind nothing that will say their life mattered.  That there was significance to their life.  They feel worthless and purposeless.

So, some try to leave a legacy.  They try to set a record.  They try to build a monument.  They try to do something great or heroic.  They want a lot of kids.  Anything that will remind people that they once walked this earth.

King Solomon, in the Bible felt this way once.  At one point, King Solomon tried building monuments to himself.
He nearly bankrupted the nation.  People often fear that they do not matter.

So today, I want you to know that you do matter.  You are a significant part of the world.

In fact, that is our 1st point this morning.
I. You matter in this world.

There is no such thing as an insignificant job.  Throughout much of history, when an army captured or conquered they took the possessions they found as their plunder.  It was their pay check.

Often, when the army was going into battle, someone had to stay behind to protect the supplies and horses, or whatever.  To some people, to guard the supplies was an insignificant job.  They didn't think those men deserved any pay.

But what would have happened if the enemy had sent some men in from behind and stolen all their supplies.  No food, water, horses, or ammunition.  It could possibly place them in a deadly situation.  Guarding the supplies while the other guys were fighting was a VERY significant job.

After one battle, some of King David's men did not want to share the plunder with those who had guarded the supplies.  So King David made a law for Israel that stood for generations.

I Samuel 30:24-25.  '"24…The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.' 25 David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this."

Every job is important.  You have significance.

Horseshoes are put on horses to protect their hooves and give them better traction.  The shoes are held on by nails.  If a nail comes loose, the shoe can come off the horse.  That can even be dangerous if the horse is running when it happens.  You try to run while wearing only one shoe.

There is an old poem that goes,
For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

That which may seem so insignificant to some people is often very significant.  You matter.

When you go into Applebees to support our youth, which part of the process of getting your food is insignificant?

Are the farmers who plowed and planted a bunch of nobodies?  Or are they an important part of getting that food to you?

Are the people who picked the food a bunch of nobodies?  Or are they an important part of getting that food to you?

Are the truckers who hauled the food to the processing plant a bunch of nobodies?  Or are they an important part of getting that food to you?

Are the flunkies who unloaded the trucks a bunch of nobodies?  Or are they an important part of getting that food to you?

And what about the people who prepared the food and the truckers who again hauled it and the person who took your order and the person who cooked your order and the person who brought you your food and the people who cleaned up your mess and hauled away your garbage, and on and on.  Are they all a bunch of nobodies?  Or are they an important part of getting that food to you?  Without any one of those jobs being done, you would go hungry.  Each person doing each job matters.  They are important.

And you are important.  You matter.  Whether you heal people or fix cars;  whether you are in sales or purchasing;  whether you design or you manufacture things;  whether you are a stay at home mom or you travel around the globe, you are important.  You matter.  You have significance!  Be proud of what you do and how you do it.  Don't ever let anyone look down on what you do.

It is like in the Church.  Paul wrote that we are all like different parts of the body.  Each has a different function.  But that is the way God designed us.  It is why we are effective together.  You have significance.  You matter in this world.

II. You matter to other people.

There are people who honestly care about you.  They may not always show it.  Sometimes they may give you a hard time.  But they would miss you badly if you were to leave or grieve deeply if you were to die.

In I Kings 3 we read an interesting account.  They didn't have cribs for babies 3,000 years ago so babies slept beside their mother.  Sometimes a mother would roll over while she was sleeping and suffocate her baby.

Well, 2 prostitutes each had a little baby boy.  In the middle of the night the one rolled over onto her baby and smothered him.  She realized what she had done and switched babies while the other woman was asleep.  A mother knows her baby so when day light came, instantly the women were arguing.

Some how they got an audience with King Solomon.  Solomon listened to them argue and then ordered that the baby be cut in half and each woman be given a half.  The woman whose baby had died said, "Go ahead!"  But the real mother of the baby said, "Give her the baby!  Don't kill him!" 

Solomon instantly recognized the love of a mother and gave the child to her.  The real mother was willing to sacrifice raising her child to save his life.  He mattered to his mother.  He could not work and earn money.  He could not say nice things to his mom.  But he mattered to her.  And you matter to other people.

So often people get depressed or move away from home and they think that they are all alone and that no one cares.  But there are people who do care.

If you look around at all the people you meet each day you will be amazed at how many there are.  Is there someone you say hi to in the check out lane each week?  Do you know the waitress at Frisch's or Skyline?  Do you have a neighbor you have helped out?  Do you ever talk to anyone at Church?  You meet a lot of people along the way and whether you realize it or not, you matter to them.

How many times have you watched the news and they interviewed someone who lived close to someone who was murdered or in a bad accident or something.  And they normally say something like, he always waved or smiled when he went by.  He was so nice!

If you pay attention to what they are saying, they are telling you that even though they didn't actually speak, they liked the person and cared about them and now there is an empty space in their lives.  You matter to other people.

When you are down and people become a nuisance trying to help you, it is because they care.  We humans can be so illogical.  When someone is complaining that nobody cares, I feel like shaking them and saying, "Are you saying I'm a nobody?  Do you think I would be here listening to you if I didn't care?  Do you think I like talking to someone who is as responsive as a brick wall?  The only reason anyone will listen to you or be with you when you are down is because they care.  You matter to other people.

But most importantly,
III. You matter to God.
A. You are created in God's image.

Genesis 1:27 tells us "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him;  male and female he created them."

How can anyone be made in God's image and not have significance?  In fact, you are to bear the image of God for all eternity.

I John 3:2.  "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when [Jesus] appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is."

We will be like Jesus!  Won't that be awesome!  I wonder if we will be able to calm storms and walk on water?  I wonder if we will be able to appear in locked rooms and heal people on some new world?  Whatever, you will be like Jesus!  You have significance.  You matter to God because you are in God's image.

You also matter because
B. You are the most valuable of all creation.

Genesis 2:7.  "The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."

That term, "living being", is sometimes translated "living soul". Sorry folks.  You are not just another animal.  You are a living soul.  God did not breathe into the nostrils of the animals so they could become living souls.  You are special.  You matter to God.  And that's what makes you the most valuable of all creation.

Jesus recognized this.

For instance, in Matthew 10:29-31 Jesus said,
"29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

You are worth more than MANY sparrows!  You are the most valuable of all creation!  There is no bird, animal, fish, or insect worth as much as you.

The Sabbath Day, which is Saturday, is the day the Jews worship.  God wanted them to focus on worshipping Him, so they were not to do any unnecessary work.  Some of the Jews had written all kinds of rules and regulations about what was work and what wasn't.

Jesus' enemies were looking for a way to trap Him.  They wanted to use the rules they had made up to make Jesus out to be a law-breaker who rejected God's will.  So, on a Saturday, the Sabbath, Jesus went into a Jewish Church building called a synagogue.

There was a man with a shriveled hand there.  Jesus' enemies had watched Him heal many people.  They knew Jesus loved people so much He wouldn't be able to resist helping someone.  So when Jesus came in, they asked Him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"

We find Jesus' response in Matthew 12:11-12.  "11He said to them, 'If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.'"  And then Jesus healed the man's hand.

You are worth far more than a sheep.  You are the most valuable of all creation!  You matter.

And because of your high position over creation,
C. You rule over the earth.

In Genesis 1:28 we read, "God blessed [Adam and Eve] and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.'"

We are to subdue and rule over the earth.  That means we have a responsibility to take care of the earth.  From the beginning of creation God meant for us to go green!

In Psalm 8:4-8 the question is asked,
"4 What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? 5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas."

You have been crowned with glory and honor.  Take care of your trust, the earth.  You matter greatly to God.

And because you matter greatly to God, 4thly,
D You are cared for.

In Matthew 6:26 Jesus said, "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

Remember, you are worth more than many birds.  If God takes care of the birds, surely He will take care of you.  You may be down to your last penny.  You may be eating the last of your peanut butter.  But God is still watching over you and making certain your needs are met.

I Peter 5:7 tells us to "Cast all your anxiety on [God] [Why?] because he cares for you."

You matter to God.  He cares about what happens to you.  He cares about how you are feeling.  God cares for you.

And because He cares for you,
E. You have a destiny.

Who you are and what you do matters to God.  You are part of His plan for the universe.  Let's take a look at an awesome passage of Scripture.

Psalm 139:13-16
"13 For you created my inmost being; 
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;  your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Picture yourself being formed in your mother's womb.  Carefully.  Purposefully.  God gives you a personality.  He gives you special abilities.

Verse 15.  15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

God gave you a destiny.  He has a plan for your life.  You matter.  You have significance.  You have purpose.

In Ephesians 2:10 the Apostle Paul wrote, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

You are God's workmanship.  He created you special.  He created you to do good works.  It was all part of His plan.  You matter.

Which brings us to our final point. 
You matter so much that
F. You have infinite value.

How much do you matter?

Jesus said in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave [What?] his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

God sent His only Son to die for you.  That's how much you matter.  It cost God dearly.  That is how much you are worth. 

God is intelligent and wise.  He's not going to spend too much on what He buys.  He's a savvy shopper!
Would you spend $10 on a loaf of bread?
Would you spend $100 on a CD?
Would you spend $5,000 for a seat to watch the Bengals?

The point is, God would not have given His Son if you aren't worth it!  You are of infinite value!

The Apostle Peter reminds us in I Peter 1:18-19, "18For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect."

Bill Gates began Microsoft and completely revolutionized the personal computer.  Not only is he brilliant, but he is also one of the wealthiest men in the world.  Pretty valuable guy, right?
But who is more valuable? A man who can create a program or One who can create a universe?

Lebron James is an awesome basketball player.  He is so good that he skipped college and went straight into the NBA.  He led Cleveland to their first NBA finals in franchise history.  Before he even played in his 1st NBA game, Nike signed him to a $90 million dollar contract.  Pretty valuable guy, right?
But who is more valuable?  A man who can generate a lot of excitement or One who can change a life forever?

George Lucas created Star Wars and Indiana Jones.  Not only is he a brilliant writer, producer, and director, but he also developed many of the special effects we enjoy today in our movies.  He is a multi-billionaire.  Pretty valuable guy, right?
But who is more valuable?  A man who can create the illusion of life, or One who gives life?

Think about the unbelievable worth of Jesus.  Sinless.  Loving.  Powerful.  And God thinks you are worth the price of the death of His Only Begotten Son.  You matter in a big way.  You don't have to be afraid of mattering.  You have significance and purpose in Jesus Christ.

John writes in the Revelation 1:4-6, "4Grace and peace to you … from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.  To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father-to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen."

You are a kingdom of priests serving God.  But only if Jesus' blood has freed you from your sins.

If you need the blood of Jesus to free you from your sin,
come forward when we sing and we'll help you every step of the way.

Or if you are already a baptized believer and would like to place your membership with us, come forward as we stand and sing.