What's Your Net Worth?
Of course, you probably started thinking about your monetary value, your assets – any property you may have, houses and cars, perhaps other valuable items like stocks and bonds, or antiques. But I am not referring to any kind of worldly wealth, but actually thinking about spiritual matters.
In your walk with the Lord, what's your net worth? What value do you place on your net?
Matthew 4:18-22 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
Luke 5:2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
In the above passages, we saw how Simon Peter and Andrew, James and John, put tremendous value upon their physical net – the net they used to catch their fish. You see, they were fishermen, and they lived or died by what they could bring in through their nets. Their net worth depended upon the worth of their net. Because of the value of their nets, these fishermen used them and mended them as often as they needed to. They washed their nets and took care of them.
However, the Lord Jesus Christ called them into a new line of work – work in service to Him. Now their physical nets were no longer of the same value to them. They left these nets and followed their Saviour.
As Jesus spoke to those early disciples, even so He speaks to us today:
Matthew 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Have you received His free gift of salvation? Have you received the Saviour? Now you have a new occupation – serving the Lord.
Let's be honest here: what's your net worth? Have you neglected it? Have you despised the value of your spiritual net? Perhaps you have let sin contaminate your life and cool your fervour for the souls around you. If so, you now need to repent and repair those areas of your life, you now need the precious blood of Christ to wash you (and spiritually-speaking, your net) from your sins. You cannot catch the souls of men with the truth of the Gospel if your net (your life, and walk with the Lord) is tattered and in need of mending. The fish will swim away and be lost forever – unless you allow the Holy Spirit to quicken your heart and create anew that desire to reach others with the message of salvation.
What's your net worth to you?
On the theme of fishing, I want to ask you about a few more items in your sea chest:
How much is your Pearl of Great Price worth?
Matthew 13:45-46 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
I believe the primary interpretation of this parable is the Lord Jesus Christ leaving all of Heaven's glory, giving all He had, to find that one pearl of great price (the church) and purchase it – but I would like to present this application:
Many people will give all they have for worldly wealth or treasures, but what would you give all for? If you have trusted in the Lord for salvation, He is yours – the only thing you had to give up to receive Him was your sins. He paid the complete price for your pardon and all you could do was receive it (the free gift of eternal life), and receive Him.
Now, my question is, how much is Jesus worth to you? Would you give the whole world, all you have, to cling to that Pearl of Great Price? Or is fellowship with the Lord something you don't value as highly as you once did? Our relationship with our Saviour is eternal, but our fellowship can be broken. Have you left your First Love? Is your love for Jesus so great that when sin hinders you, you desire to give it up and hold onto the Saviour – or have you become so worldly and compromising that you consider your pleasures of more value than your Beloved who gave all for you?
1 Peter 2:7a Unto you therefore which believe he is precious.
How much is your anchor worth?
An anchor is what holds a ship in place in the midst of a storm on the raging sea.
Webster's 1828 Dictionary gives this as one of its definitions of anchor:
In a figurative sense, that which gives stability or security; that on which we place dependence for safety.
Hebrews 6:18-20 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
How much is your anchor worth? How much do you value the promises of God, the hope that He has given you through His Word to keep you sure and steadfast in your trials?
2 Peter 1:3-4 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
It is the anchor of God's Word that will hold you securely in place in the midst of life's storms, by anchoring your soul in Heaven, where your Saviour is.
How much is your net worth? Does your service to the Lord reflect that?
How much is your Pearl worth to you? Is your devotion to your Saviour evident to those around you?
How much is your anchor worth? Is it apparent in the way you cling to and and meditate upon God's Word?
The next time someone asks you, "What's your net worth?", what will your answer be?
In your walk with the Lord, what's your net worth? What value do you place on your net?
Matthew 4:18-22 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
Luke 5:2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
In the above passages, we saw how Simon Peter and Andrew, James and John, put tremendous value upon their physical net – the net they used to catch their fish. You see, they were fishermen, and they lived or died by what they could bring in through their nets. Their net worth depended upon the worth of their net. Because of the value of their nets, these fishermen used them and mended them as often as they needed to. They washed their nets and took care of them.
However, the Lord Jesus Christ called them into a new line of work – work in service to Him. Now their physical nets were no longer of the same value to them. They left these nets and followed their Saviour.
As Jesus spoke to those early disciples, even so He speaks to us today:
Matthew 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Have you received His free gift of salvation? Have you received the Saviour? Now you have a new occupation – serving the Lord.
Let's be honest here: what's your net worth? Have you neglected it? Have you despised the value of your spiritual net? Perhaps you have let sin contaminate your life and cool your fervour for the souls around you. If so, you now need to repent and repair those areas of your life, you now need the precious blood of Christ to wash you (and spiritually-speaking, your net) from your sins. You cannot catch the souls of men with the truth of the Gospel if your net (your life, and walk with the Lord) is tattered and in need of mending. The fish will swim away and be lost forever – unless you allow the Holy Spirit to quicken your heart and create anew that desire to reach others with the message of salvation.
What's your net worth to you?
On the theme of fishing, I want to ask you about a few more items in your sea chest:
How much is your Pearl of Great Price worth?
Matthew 13:45-46 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
I believe the primary interpretation of this parable is the Lord Jesus Christ leaving all of Heaven's glory, giving all He had, to find that one pearl of great price (the church) and purchase it – but I would like to present this application:
Many people will give all they have for worldly wealth or treasures, but what would you give all for? If you have trusted in the Lord for salvation, He is yours – the only thing you had to give up to receive Him was your sins. He paid the complete price for your pardon and all you could do was receive it (the free gift of eternal life), and receive Him.
Now, my question is, how much is Jesus worth to you? Would you give the whole world, all you have, to cling to that Pearl of Great Price? Or is fellowship with the Lord something you don't value as highly as you once did? Our relationship with our Saviour is eternal, but our fellowship can be broken. Have you left your First Love? Is your love for Jesus so great that when sin hinders you, you desire to give it up and hold onto the Saviour – or have you become so worldly and compromising that you consider your pleasures of more value than your Beloved who gave all for you?
1 Peter 2:7a Unto you therefore which believe he is precious.
How much is your anchor worth?
An anchor is what holds a ship in place in the midst of a storm on the raging sea.
Webster's 1828 Dictionary gives this as one of its definitions of anchor:
In a figurative sense, that which gives stability or security; that on which we place dependence for safety.
Hebrews 6:18-20 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
How much is your anchor worth? How much do you value the promises of God, the hope that He has given you through His Word to keep you sure and steadfast in your trials?
2 Peter 1:3-4 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
It is the anchor of God's Word that will hold you securely in place in the midst of life's storms, by anchoring your soul in Heaven, where your Saviour is.
How much is your net worth? Does your service to the Lord reflect that?
How much is your Pearl worth to you? Is your devotion to your Saviour evident to those around you?
How much is your anchor worth? Is it apparent in the way you cling to and and meditate upon God's Word?
The next time someone asks you, "What's your net worth?", what will your answer be?
May 3rd/07
Jerry Bouey
Jerry Bouey
5 comments:
I sure don't have much on this earth...but thank God I have a Heavenly treasure that is much more valuable to me and in looking at its worth...it is priceless!!!
Oh Brother Jerry, this was one of your best! I know that the worth of my net, my Pearl and my anchor are not where they should be. This really got me to thinking. I may shift - but my God NEVER shifts!
Praise God, however, that my anchor grips the Solid Rock!!!
Dear Bro. Bouey,
I enjoyed your studies & Hope that I may use some of them for sermon outlines.
Thanks
Perry
Pastor Davenport Baptist
Davenport, Washington
Brother Perry, you are certainly welcome to use any of my points in a sermon outline. God bless.
Wonderful post. It will come to mind when the conversation turns to 'net worth'. Great witnessing tool, I'm sure.
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