You Are Worthy?

You are worthy. Have you heard this message? That you are worthy? This is a common message in the Church today. The modern Church is obsessed with how people feel about themselves. It is common for the Church to want to address people's anxiety, to offer them therapy. This is often referred to as Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, that the Church should be concerned with how you feel about yourself, and give you a basic moral code to  be a decent person and be able to live with yourself. Much of the Church is obsessed with getting people to spend a lot of time in their heads thinking about their self-worth. But is this the focus of the apostles? 

Not at all. The Apostles were focused on forgetting themselves and looking to Jesus. Let's look at an example from Revelation 5: 

"5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll

    and to open its seals,

for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God

    from every tribe and language and people and nation,

10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,

    and they shall reign on the earth.”

11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might

and honor and glory and blessing!”

13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped."

Four times the word worthy is used in this passage and it is all directed at Jesus. Who is worthy to open the scroll? No one on earth. Who is worthy to come before the throne? Jesus. Who is worthy to take the scroll? Jesus. Who is worthy to receive power, wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory? Jesus! Who alone is worthy? Jesus. 

Jesus is worthy, because he is the one who is perfect, and the one in whom all sin and evil was defeated. Jesus is worthy, not us. And because he is worthy, all who trust in him are accounted righteous through him. What makes us worthy to receive eternal life? Nothing in ourselves, only being found in Jesus by faith. What should be the basis of our joy? Being loved by the one who makes us clean in his sight, through faith. Our joy should not be found in ourselves, or in others, but in the rock solid foundation of trusting in the only one who is worthy. 

The Apostles were not concerned with finding self-worth. Paul saw himself as the Chief of all sinners. Peter saw himself as a servant of Jesus. John the Baptist said, I must decrease and you must increase, about the Lord. They were focused on finding their joy, value and worth outside of themselves and in Christ. The only place it is secure to find your joy. 

The Church's message should not be telling people that they are worthy. It should be telling people why they are not and why Jesus is. And why God loved us, even though we did not deserve it. Why he made those worthy of judgement and condemnation worthy of salvation through his son. 

It's foolish to look for your worth in yourself, you will only disappoint yourself. You must find it in Christ. If you read God's word looking for affirmation in yourself, you have failed the narcissist test. You need to look to the one whom the Scripture points, in him is fullness of joy. In him is the answer to anxiety. Because in him is love and perfect love drives away fear. Look to Jesus for worth, not yourself.