In My Worthiness

Some people feel worthless. It’s usually because someone close to them, a “friend,” sibling, parent, teacher, boss, made them feel that way, and they succumb to the lie. When reinforced over time, a sense of worthlessness infects a person’s identity and purpose, negatively affecting their overall well-being and leading them to think they aren’t even loved. No one should feel this way. No one should think they are worthless. As image bearers of God, every human being has inherent worth, and those who tear down the people around them, bringing on this feeling of worthlessness, are answerable to God for what they’ve done to tear at the soul of a fellow image-bearer. No one is worthless.

That said, everyone is unworthy. That’s a different matter altogether. We have worth and value because we were created in God’s image, but we’re unworthy of a relationship with God and of  being a part of his kingdom because our sin has separated us from him. Our worth, as image bearers, is always there. Our worthiness, as sinners, is not. So, how do we become worthy of God? It doesn’t come by anything we do. It has to be something God does. In fact, God demonstrated his love for us (because we have worth) by sending his Son to die for us; and he did so while we were still sinners and therefore unworthy (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). In other words, we are made worthy of God by what Jesus did. He covered our unworthiness. That incredible truth is what we’ll see in 2 Thessalonians 1:5-12 this Sunday; that God, in his divine grace, has made you and me worthy of his kingdom.

Sermon Notes

DIVINE GRACE
In My Worthiness
Pastor Todd Dugard
2 Thessalonians 1:5–12
June 2, 2019

My worthiness does not depend on me but on Christ, so I must...

• Rejoice in his righteousness (v. 5a)

• Rely on his justice (v. 5b–9)

• Rest in his promise (v. 10)

• Receive his power to change (v. 11)

• Revel in his glory and grace (v. 12)