Summary:
What do people traditionally attribute value to? What about the Christians in TJC? Many attribute value to material possessions. What do people associate value to?

1. Food and clothing
2. Status, recognition, knowledge

There was a student who said to his teacher, “You are teaching useless things!” The teacher heard that, thought for a while and responded, “You should not be saying such things about yourself.”

On one hand, the student was trying to insult the teacher because the student found no value in the things taught. This teacher on the other hand was of course genuinely teaching the student a lesson. In a twist, he replied, “You shouldn’t be saying these things about yourself!” Is the ‘useless thing’ the student or the content taught?

In the eyes of the teacher, the teacher obviously knew that what he is teaching is of value and the student is also not useless. But for this student to be truly of value, he needs to be taught even more. In a way, perhaps he thought that this student was feeling discouraged. Whichever way, people see value in different things because we have different perspectives.

During this period of the pandemic, we saw how at the earlier stage people were hoarding toilet paper and no one knew why. On the internet were many speculations why. Some looked into history and say that in the crises in the past, people stocked up toilet paper and hence there was a view that prices of toilet paper will go up and therefore there is value in hoarding toilet paper. Though, some use ‘toilet paper’ in a derogatory way as something invaluable but funnily it became something so valuable this pandemic.

There was another joke that arose. We always deem oil as valuable and if you have oil, you are a rich nation. Many countries spend a lot of money to try to discover oil because they think that when they do so, the nation will become rich. Oftentimes, we see people in oil-rich nations live a wealthy life, but did you know that at one point of time recently, toilet paper had more value than oil? That is when people realise why some hoard toilet paper; because they know that the prices of oil will crash to negative. Indeed, at one point, people had to lose money when they held onto oil because its value went down to negative. We may not be able to understand that and it is not the speaker’s intention to give a lesson on commodity prices but instead is trying to say that the value of things can change just so rapidly. In some countries, there is this thing called “Negative Interest Rate”; when you have no cash balance in the bank, not only do you have no interest but you also have to pay the bank. What has happened to oil can happen to many commodities, even to our cash balances. What is the concept of value? What truly has value?

It is time for us to re-assess. If we have oil, there’s value? If we have gold, there’s value? If we have cash balances, there’s value? Some reckon: “Cash is king, hold cash!”, “Gold is king, hold gold!” Is that true value? Turn to Philippians 3:7-8;

7 ‘But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ

These were the words of Paul when he was reflecting what was truly valuable. Many times, value in itself is something relative; at one point toilet paper was worth more than oil. Here, Paul said, “In the past, there were things I counted as gain but now they are counted as loss for Christ. I could all things loss for the excellence of Christ Jesus.” The last part of v8 says that he counts all these as rubbish so that he may gain Christ. We can see how Paul recalibrated his understanding for value. What was valuable to him in the past is now of no value. What did he see as the true value that he has gained? The knowledge of Christ. As we come to worship today, we will discuss how on we can re-assess the values in our lives.

What do people traditionally attribute value to? It is important for us to calibrate it accurately because whatever we attribute value to will be how we direct our entire lives. Those will be the things we worry about, pursue, and occupy our hearts. These will be the things we inculcate in our children, the things we push to our children. Turn to Luke 12:34;

‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’

These were the words of Jesus.

What do people traditionally attribute value to? What about the Christians in TJC? Let’s talk about the traditional assets of value. Many attribute value to material possessions. What do people associate value to?

1. Food and clothing

Read Luke 12:15;

‘And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

People who are covetous are those who cannot be satisfied; they want more and more; they want things that aren’t theirs. There is no gratefulness, contentment and satisfaction in what they have and they’re constantly reaching out for things they do not yet have and perhaps even deserve. Jesus tells us to take heed and beware of covetousness. Jesus here says that one’s life is not in the abundance of things one possesses. While one may attribute value to material possessions, Jesus tells us here clearly that this is not what life is about; one’s life does not consist in the abundance of things he possesses. Do we live our lives according to these teachings of the Lord? Before this verse, v13-14 talks about a person in the crowd who came to Jesus;

13 ‘Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?”

Very interestingly, this man came to Jesus not to be taught the truth, but rather asked Him to get his brother to give him what he wants. What was of value to this person? It was not who Jesus really was, not the truth that Jesus preached, not the salvation that Jesus brought, but rather, “Since You seem to be so respected, why not You tell my brother? You’re a teacher, please tell my brother [to give me the inheritance].” Here we can see that as far as this person was concerned, there was no value in the relationships he had. There was no value in what his father had inculcated, there was only value in wealth. Hence, Jesus said, “One’s life does not consist of things in the abundance of things he possesses.” As Christians, we should never ever end up in the state where our minds are all about material possessions; where fighting for inheritance is more important than salvation and relationships. Do we see value in the wealth we accumulate, do we see them as our only source of assurance?

In this passage, Jesus spoke a parable in v16-21;

16 ‘Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”’

This parable is very clear in itself. This rich fool thought that his material possessions were of great value to his soul. He could even tell his soul, “Soul, relax! Take your ease, eat, drink and be merry!” It is a wrong attribution to value. Turn to 1 Timothy 6:17;

‘Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. ‘

Sometimes as we are going through a situation, we think that to accumulate is good, just in case. Of course, saving is a good virtue; save, don’t waste, but don’t be too extravagant. But here talks about a man being too overwhelmed by accumulating his wealth and he takes so much assurance from it; that is the wrong association of value. Hence, from the verse we read in 1 Timothy, the Bible tells us to not be haughty just because we’re rich; don’t rely on uncertain riches because this value may not be there tomorrow. The speaker hopes that none of us have gotten badly burnt in the stock market recently. Even professional traders get burnt because a lot of it doesn’t quite make sense. The speaker’s encouragement is to not set our mind on these things.

Some of us may say, “Now already so tough, where got the chance to accumulate wealth? I’m just worried about my job! I’m worried about just getting by and putting food on the table, it’s not about accumulation.” Fair point. But even if this has overwhelmed us, we turn back to Luke 12:23;

‘Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. ‘

Jesus Christ says that life is more than food and clothing. Previously Jesus Christ said that life does not consist in the abidance of things one possesses but now He says that life is more than food and clothing. What is He saying? It’s not that we do not need food and clothing because these are basic necessities. Is there value? Of course, there is some value to that because these are things we need. What is of no value? The endless worry. This is why in v22;

‘Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. ‘

This is not only theoretical. Some of us may say, “You don’t understand, my income is not like before.” Yes, it’s tough, but Jesus was not just speaking in theory. Read v24;

‘Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? ‘

That is the point. It’s not that we don’t need food and clothing, not that these basics have no value, but it’s the excessive worry that has no value — that is something we can overcome. Simply look at the birds. Have we really seen a bird drop from the sky due to hunger? The speaker hasn’t. The point is, Jesus is also saying, “Remember one thing. You are much more valuable than these birds! If you know that value, do you think that the Lord will not find a way out for you?” That is why in v25, He says;

‘And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

Isn’t this true? If you keep worrying, will your baby grow bigger? Is it true that the more you worry, the taller your son will grow? V26;

‘If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? ‘

The paint is, worrying is of no value. V27-30;

27 ‘Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? 29 “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. ‘

V31;

‘But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.’

In the same record in Matthew 6, the Lord said to seek His kingdom and righteousness and all these things will be added unto us. The value lies not in worrying and not being anxious, the value lies in us being single-minded in seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Turn to Psalm 37:25;

‘I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.’

These are very assuring words but the question is if we have the faith to receive.

“I am young but now I am old”.
This is not theory but a testimony. Through the psalmist’s life, he had never seen the righteous forsaken, he had never seen the descendants of the righteous begging for bread. Yes, we need food and clothing, but worrying adds no value. Value is in the trust and faith in seeking the kingdom and righteous — this is value that will not be forsaken.

2. Status, recognition, knowledge

Turn to Matthew 23:6-7;

6 ‘They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ ‘

The Bible tells us here that the Pharisees sought status; they love the best seats and being called in the marketplace as Rabbi. This is what they sought because they see a lot of value in this; the statuses they hold, the recognition they receive, the knowledge they perceive to have. This is why the way they conducted their lives were very different. On the outside, they may look religious and respectable but it didn’t stack up to anything deep inside. We turn to Matthew 21:45-46;

45 ‘Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.’

Here says that when the chief priests heard the parable, they perceived that Jesus was speaking about them. They weren’t happy and sought to lay hands on them. We read Matthew 15:12;

‘Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”’

The disciples told Jesus that the Pharisees were offended by His words. In many respects, Jesus pointed out the errors and hypocrisies of the pharisees. Hence, they were offended because Jesus really gave them no face. As a result, they suffered from a bruised ego. Their reaction was to plot against Jesus. Wherein lies the value? They associated a lot of value to statuses, titles, and physical recognitions they achieve. They did not attribute the value of what Jesus was saying to them. This is something for us to think about. What about us today?

Let us look at the example of Paul. Turn to Philippians 3:4-8;

4 ‘though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ ‘

This was Paul. He was also a Pharisee who achieved status, recognition and knowledge in the flesh. Hence he said in the latter part of v4;

If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:

But that was not what Paul associated value to and that is why in v7-8;

7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ ‘

Nicodemus was the same; he was also a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night because he recognised that Jesus Christ was someone different. Jesus told him the truth, “Unless one is born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Then he continued the conversation with God and ultimately accepted Christ. Wherein lies the value?

Today, we may also pursue worldly recognitions. If God has blessed us with the ability, then go get our diplomas, degrees, masters, doctorates! But let us not be in the state where we think that these in themselves are of huge value, or that we should set our entire lives around them and boast about it. “Just because I’m a PhD, I’m more valuable than a Masters,” or “Just because I have a degree, I have less value than others.” If we think like that, we have attributed the wrong concept of value. Paul had these, but they were rubbish to him. As far as we are concerned, let us not be superior just because we have. Likewise, let us not feel inferior just because we do not have.

The biblical characters who had some achievements in the secular sense - Daniel, Joseph - did not politic their way up. They did not strive in any way to get up there. They stepped on nobody to get up there, it was God who placed them there. When God placed them there, there was a very clear role God wanted them to play, and they played the role faithfully. So, the value is not in the title and status in itself. Our value is in the fact that we are children of God. This is what we need to understand when we attribute values. As we raise our children, inculcate the right values in them. For all the children listening to this sermon, do not tell your parents that Dn Shee said that we don’t have to study so hard. Do the best that God has given you and use it to serve the Lord — that is where value is. Value is not the status in itself and we need not get offended when people do not recognise it.

What truly is our value?
We turn to 1 Corinthians 6:20;

‘For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.’

You and I are of value. Why? Because we were bought at a price. What price? Read 1 Peter 1:18-19;

18 ‘knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

We were bought at a price. Not with silver or gold but with something more precious: the blood of Christ. God came as a man to die on the cross for us. Is that worth a million dollars? Is that a billion dollars? More than that, it is infinite. For an infinite man to become a finite man is infinite in the sacrifice itself. For Him who is life to die is an infinite sacrifice. You and I are of huge value because of the sacrifice of the Lord for us! That is true value and something we have to learn and recognise. This is why it is so important for us to pursue and preserve our salvation at all costs to hold fast our statuses as children of God. It does not matter if you’re a king or beggar, a fool or hunger, well or sick, tall or short, good looking or not, it all doesn’t matter. What matters is this: I have been bought with a price. Not with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

May the Lord help us.