Derek Prince - What Are We Worth To God
This is an excerpt from: The Cross At The Center - Part 2
And speaking of this love, Paul goes on in Romans 8 Verses 35-39, The trouble about having preached about Romans is you can't get away from it afterwards. Romans 8:35 and following: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, 'FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE KILLED ALL DAY LONG; WE ARE ACCOUNTED AS SHEEP FOR THE SLAUGHTER.' That's God's people speaking. And yet in spite of that we cannot be separated from the love of Christ.
I want you to know that there are lots of Christians in parts of the earth that are experiencing that right now. And if your salvation can't see you through that, you better check on your spiritual condition. There's no guarantee that within one year we might not find ourselves in that category. Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded [I am convinced] that neither death, nor life, no angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. That's the climax of the Romans pilgrimage. Inseparable, eternal union with Jesus Christ.
And being in His love forever. We've just got time to look at the other aspect of the demonstration that came to us through the cross. The first demonstration is God's love, the second is our value, our worth. Somebody said to me people in this nation have a problem with a low sense of self worth. I don't know whether that's really true or not but I'll say that it's a very common problem throughout the body of Christ. Again, there's only one real basis for knowing your worth, and that's the cross. You see, the value of anything for instance, if I want to sell a house.
Let's say I say my house is worth $120,000. But nobody will pay more than 80,000. So, my house is worth what people will pay for it, $80,000. So, your value is not what you think your value is, your value is what God is willing to pay for it. What did God pay for it? Tell me. The blood of Jesus. Let's look for a moment in Acts 20:28. Acts 20:28. I like this because of one word God. Paul is talking to the elders of the church and he says: Therefore, take heed to yourselves, and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. Note it was the blood of God that purchased the church. The blood of God through Jesus.
And then Peter says in 1 Peter 1:18-19: knowing. The problem is a lot of us don't know. knowing that you are not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. Without blemish means without original sin. Without spot means without personal sin. The perfectly sinless Lamb of God, Jesus. Scripture says, Leviticus 17:11, the life [or the soul] of the flesh is in the blood. And then God says I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls.
So, when Jesus... Isaiah 53:12 says He poured out His life [or His soul] unto death. When Jesus poured out His blood on the cross He gave His life, His soul, as the redemption price for all of humanity. And the scripture says in the book of Psalms God has provided redemption in overflow. The price was more than was needed. Can you see that? One perfect, divine life was worth more than all the lives of all humanity of all ages in history. And that life was paid in full to buy us back out of the hand of the devil. We are redeemed, the Bible says, by the blood of Jesus. And Psalm 107:2 speaks about confession. It says: Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed out of the hand of the enemy.
You see, you don't really have your redemption till you say so. It's saying so that makes it real to you. I am redeemed by the blood of Jesus out of the hand of the devil. Would you like to say that? I am redeemed by the blood of Jesus out of the hand of the devil. Let me give you one final picture which I love. It's Matthew 13:45-46. It's one of the short parables. I know there are lots of ways to interpret this parable and you may have a different way, but just bear with me because this is very real to me. And if I can communicate it, it will bless you. The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, and when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Now, to me that pictures, amongst other things, Jesus the merchant man. And He knew the value, He was not a tourist. He knew what pearls were. He saw one pearl so valuable that He sold all He had to get it. In my simple way I imagine this merchant this is on the human plane coming back to his wife and his wife says, 'Why did you walk home from the office?' He says, 'I sold the car.' 'Sold the car! Whatever for?' 'And not only that, but I've sold the house.' 'You sold the house! We'll have to move to the farm.' 'No, I sold the farm, too. I've sold everything I ever had.' 'You sold everything? Whatever for?' 'Because I found something, so valuable it was worth everything.' 'What was it?'
He opens his palm and says, 'This pearl is worth everything I paid.' What's the pearl? You. One human soul. If nobody else had ever been saved in all history, dear brother and sister, He would have died for you. So, I want you as we close this to think of yourself as the pearl in the hand of the Lord and I want you to hear the Lord saying, 'I gave everything I had to purchase you. That's how much you mean to me. Don't ever let me hear you say again, that you're not worth much. Because in my sight you're worth everything. I gave everything I ever had. You are so beautiful, so perfect. I know the value of things. Everything I sold just didn't add up to what you mean to me. This pearl in my hand.'
Do you believe that? Can you believe that? It will change your life, many of you, if you really can believe it. Your value is what God paid for you. Don't let the world tell you what you're worth because they might say it's not much. But you're worth what God paid for you. Can you say just one thing? Thank you, Lord.