More Precious Than Gold

What is a human life actually worth? How much value do we place on ourselves and the people around us — and how much does God place on us? In this message, Andrew Kitaka makes the case that our value was never up for us to decide: it was set by the price God was willing to pay. And that price makes us more valuable than gold. Preached at RCCG Victory House, Chicago.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Uh it's a pleasure for me. Um I do not take this honor lightly. Um it's a pleasure for me to stand before you. Um great thanks goes to uh Pastor E for entrusting me to deliver the word, uh the leadership of Victory House. I love you guys. Ah I love you guys to God, it is a great honor for me. Isaiah forty-nine and verse three, Isaiah forty-nine and verse three. Thank you, man of God, Isaiah forty-nine and verse three. This is what he said to me. You are my servant, Andrew, in whom I will display my splendor, or in whom I will be glorified. So, Father, take glory from my life today, in Jesus' mighty name, in it together. That's what we have been learning. Thank you, Pastor Tofe and Pastor Toyosi, for how far you have brought us and what God put on your hearts for us. I believe I have a word in it together. If you were to title my sermon today, it would be more precious than gold, more precious than gold, and already I can hear in your heart you're wondering, what does this have to do with the church? And I believe that as we go through the scriptures, God is going to help us understand Colossians 1, verse 9 and 10. The Bible says, For this cause, we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to desire that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will through all wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives. Verse 10, please, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God. I pray that you may be filled with the spirit of wisdom, or that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, and then he goes on to say that you may walk worthy, or that you may live a life worthy of the Lord. Uh, the past couple of days, um, if you have been joining, uh pre-prayer altar plus. This is not prayer altar plus, there's pre-prayer altar plus. If you don't know what that is, um, talk to a neighbor. If they don't, until you find somebody that knows what that is. Uh, during pre-prayer altar plus, uh, Pastor E has been uh sharing something. He said something uh uh starting a couple uh a couple of days ago. He says that how you see life is how you do life, and I have I was already in uh preparation for this uh message, but when he said that, something went up on the inside of me, and it became I I couldn't get away from the fact that um it is impossible for us to live to a level that we are not aware of it is impossible for us to live to a level that we are not aware of, we cannot expect from people what they do not know about, and that's why in Colossians the prayer is that first you will know, or first you will grow in knowledge, and then you will live a life that is worthy. So, how can we be the church if we do not know who we are as the church? And I'm thankful to uh Pastor Toffwe and Pastor Um Toyossi who have kind of um led us along this line. I want us to talk about value. Value. What is value? I researched it by Googling. I didn't do my own studies, was just Google. Get me the uh definition of value. This is what um it says value is the regard that something is held to deserve, the regard that something is held to deserve, it is the importance, the worth, or the usefulness of something. Now, I want to underline the usefulness of something, not because that is where I really want to go, but it's because that's where a lot of us put our value definition. The value of something is how much that thing is worth. So when we talk about the church, we want to talk about how valuable is the church, how much is the church worth because we cannot live until we know, we cannot live to the degree that we have to until we know what we are worth. When I was thinking about worth, it came to my heart that two people can value the same thing differently. Look at this book. I don't know if I bought it in dollar store, I probably did, and if that if I did, it probably was one dollar when I bought it. Uh, but let's say I bought it from like a regular um, and maybe it was five dollars. So if somebody looks at this book, they're going to probably say um it's worth five dollars. Somebody else is going to look at this book, and you know what, maybe it's even worth less than five dollars because I've used up pretty much um half of it, maybe more, but somebody else can look at this book and say, um, probably worth a hundred dollars, and then somebody else, me, can look at this book and say, Um, there's no amount of money that you can give me for this book. Well, at least not until I take all the knots out because I I believe God that there are books in this book. Come on, glory. I titled this book My Compound Effect, and the value of compounding is multiplication, right? It's really the motto of the church. You win one, one wins another, and that other one wins another. This is my compound effect. God gives me a word, I note it down, I give it to you. Maybe you note it down, and you give it to somebody else, maybe they note it down. And uh by God's grace, I've had this book since I was looking back. The first time I wrote in it, it was uh August 17th, 2015. Anyway, I digress. Um, two people can look at the same thing and value it differently, but when we think about that concept, we know that value, the value of that thing ends up becoming the highest bidders. Um, what the highest bidder qualifies it to be. For somebody that says that this book is five dollars, they won't get it. For somebody that says that this book is a hundred dollars, they won't get it. For somebody that says that this book is worth more than that, they may get it. If you go to a you're buying a car or you're buying a pair of shoes uh and you have a hundred dollars, you want to buy a pair of shoes, um, you go, you ask, I want to pay a hundred dollars, uh, give me those shoes. But then I come and I say, No, I'm gonna give you two hundred dollars, give me the same shoes. If you were a shopkeeper or if you were this the person in the store, who would you give the shoes to? The two hundred dollars, right? So the value of the shoes showed up or rose up from um a hundred to two hundred dollars in an instant. Hallelujah. I'm a product management professional, and uh, there's the concept of value-based pricing. They say when you're starting a business or when you're selling a service or when you're selling a product, don't just look at what the thing does. Look at your customer and understand the value that they are deriving from your product, and then charge or set your price based on that value. Let's read Revelation 5, 1 through 10, and we're going to read the whole thing. So, if you do not like the book of Revelation, I gotta tell you something. At the start of that book, it says that there is a blessing on everyone that reads that book. So, as we read this book, we are receiving a blessing. Amen. So, let's read Revelation 5 from verse 1 to 10, and it's a long read, so I'm going to read it really quick. The Bible says that then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides, sealed with seven seals. Let's go. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll. But no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. And I wept. I cried, I wept because there was no one who was found worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, Do not weep, do not cry. See, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals. I had just one amen, but if you knew what that meant, maybe there would have been more amens. Then I saw a lamb looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which were the seven spirits of God sent out into the earth. He went and took the scroll and from the from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. Verse 8. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they were be where they were holding golden bows of essence, which are the prayers of God's people. Verse 9 and 10. Please put a focus on these ones. And they sang a new song saying, You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. Not just from the United States, not just from Uganda, not just from Nigeria, but from every nation, from every rest, from every people group. And the Bible says that it is with the blood sacrifice of Jesus that we were both for God. I want you to ask yourself a question because perhaps up to this point you have thought about yourself, you have thought about your worth as being limited to the house you live in, the car that you drive, the church that you go to, the place that you work, the school that you went to. Maybe it is the person that you married. I want you to revisit that thought and ask yourself, what am I worth? What is my worth? Because as great as these things that we have are, if you don't have that job anymore, then what are you worth? God forbid, but if you do not have that marriage anymore, then what are you worth? I want to paint a picture for you. What are you worth? And you see, the challenge of living best on the things that have been added to you, or the challenge of valuing yourself best on the things that have been added to you is that you start seeing everybody else through those lens. Now, because you did not go, or because you went to Harvard, and the person you're talking to did not go to Harvard, uh, for some reason you think that uh you are more important than they are. I love my dad. Um and he knows this, and he will watch this and he will know that he knows this. But my mom, a single mother raising three boys, sent us to the best schools. There's a school in Uganda called Namiliango College. There's a sudden swag of people that go to that school. Uh, there's a when they look at you and they say, or and they know that you went to Namiliango College, they there is a certain swag, or there's a sudden perception that they give you. But no, I do not take my worth in going to that school because I went to that school and then I got expelled, and then I went to a school that wasn't as good or as big as Namiliano called it. Yeah, church people too. I I wasn't born in church. Some of you are like, ah, you, yes, yes, yes. Thank you, Jesus. It is the blood, the blood, the blood, the blood. So the challenge with valuing ourselves based on the things that have been added to us is that we look at people in those same lands and we despise and disregard and um esteem others, but the Bible says that it is the blood, and people can put whatever value, don't go trying to correct people, people can put whatever value that they think uh on is on you. It's not your job to correct people, but as long as you do not value yourself based on what people think of you, and remember that it is the highest bidder that determines your value. And first Peter uh verse 1 and verse 18, uh, chapter 1 and verse 18. And I don't know how much more time I have, uh, but I know I still have a lot of messages. Um, and my phones are off. All my phones are off. So uh, Pastor, please let me know when I'm getting close to like five, ten minutes. Let me know. Anyway, so 1 Peter 1 and verse uh 18, it says, For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way that of life that was handed down from your ancestors' ancestors. Verse 19 says, But with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect, I was redeemed by the blood of the lamb, and don't let that get lost on you because the Bible we have heard Pastor He says this often, uh, but we we know that the Bible says that the life is in the blood. So I have been redeemed. So if I have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, or if I have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, that means that my life or my person is as worth as The blood of Jesus. And if my life and my person is worth the blood of Jesus, then the life is in the blood. So the blood of Jesus is the life of Jesus, which is the life of God. So I do not look at myself as though I am just Andrew. I look at myself as though that I am the very life of God because I have been bought by the blood. And it's it's not just me, it is you too. Look at your neighbor. Look at your neighbor. That neighbor, that person sitting next to you, light skinned, dark-skinned, whatever they may be, has also been bought by the blood. And so when you look at them, they also are valued as the life of God. If you knew what that meant, you would treat them as oh come on now. See, sometimes because we do not know, because I do not know what you're worth, I can treat you anyhow. But if I know, if we if if if if I brought you a ball of the blood of Jesus, you know, let's say if I brought you the person or the life of Jesus, many of us would be treating that as the most important thing that we have encountered because it really is the most important thing that we have encountered. But if that is the case, then why when I look at my neighbor, do I not regard that person as the most important person that I have come across? Why do not I look at my life at myself as the most important person that I have come across? We have devalued life, we have devalued ourselves, we have devalued others. We live in the city of Chicago and this is changing. But a lot of what is known about Chicago is that there is a lot of killings. A man can take another man's life because they honked unnecessarily during traffic. Is that the value that we are placing on life? Is that the value that we are placing on people? If we start seeing one another as we really are, we won't have squabbles in church. Maybe it doesn't happen here in Victory House. Yeah, hallelujah! And we're glad we are reading the Bade of Satan. If we start seeing ourselves as we really are, we won't have squabbles in church, we won't have um one against another, church against church, denomination against denomination. Hallelujah. The blood was spilled for you and for me. It was spilled for white, for black, and for every shade of brown. That is my value. We were not redeemed by perishable things, things that perish, gold that perishes, silver that perishes. We were redeemed by the blood of Jesus once and for all. It was the only thing that was able to redeem the Son of Man, the sons of men, and it's valuable because that is God Himself. I'm looking at you because I need to be told, ah guys, cut it down, cut it down. Baby, just ring that alarm. So now that I know what you are really worth, now that I know that you're worth you are as expensive as the very life of God, I commit myself to treat you that way. I commit myself to love you in that manner. I do not treat you best on what you have done, best on what you do, best on what you will do. No, I value you for you as the blood of Jesus, as the very life of God. Now, that is going to help us as the church love one another because, and see, the importance of love and the importance of seeing ourselves as we really are is because that is the witness for those that are outside. We are this seemingly exclusive group that is really inclusive, but when people look at us and we are fighting and we are squabbling and we are hating one another, and in fact, let's talk about hair for a second, somebody may not be able to shoot another down, but Jesus brought the definition of murder down to the level of hate. So if you hate somebody, if you grievously dislike somebody, it is tandem out, it's the same thing as killing them. Our weakness as the church is love. We are in it together, you mean now? Let me as I've I think I should start wrapping up. I feel like I should start. Can I go a little bit longer? Can I just finish my glory to God? How do we value God? You to me are more precious than gold, me to you is more precious than gold. Why? Because we were bought by something that is more precious than gold. So our value is the life of God. But how do we, how do you value God? How do you value the things of God? I'm gonna give you a few scriptures and I want you to take them home and read them. Remember, value is about what you are willing to pay for something. God was willing to give up his only begotten Son, his most prized be for us. How much are we willing to pay for God or for the things of God? Second Corinthians 11, just write down the scriptures, 2 Corinthians 11, 23 to 27, John 5 and verse 11. The Bible says in uh Galatians 2 and verse 20, it says, I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live now in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. So I do not live, I do not live by my own convenience. And and as the Lord was giving me this, my heart was being pricked. My heart, so this is not just uh something that is for you. No, it's I that God has already preached this to me. As my heart was being pricked. I do not live my life by convenience, no, I live for Christ. Jesus said in Luke 22 and verse 42, saying, Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me, yet not my will, but always yours be done. It is not about my convenience. Life is not about enjoyment. Every little money I get, my enjoyment. Don't worry about my future. I like to enjoy. Um, I believe that God has given us all things freely so we can enjoy them. But life is not defined by enjoyment. Life sometimes it's about doing things that are not convenient, David, and seven minutes and I'm closing. Seven minutes and I'm closing. I won't start to close in seven minutes, but I will close in seven minutes. All right, David and the building of the temple, first chronicles 29, 3 uh to 6. I'm gonna read just verse 3 and verse 6. The Bible says, and now, because of my devotion to the temple of God, I am giving all of my own private treasures of gold and silver to help in the construction. This is in addition to the building materials I have already collected for his holy temple. Verse 6 says, Then the family leaders, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the generals and captains of the army, the king's administrative officers, all gave willingly. Hallelujah! They all gave willingly. More precious to him than gold, and I know we are going through, and uh I will be honest with you. I haven't spoken with Pastor E about this, no, but we are thinking about making some changes um in the church, or some the construction has even uh been underway. I believe that we can give because we value the things of God better. Remember, and I'm glad that uh uh minister Ademel used that uh uh verse of scripture. It is not about what everybody else is doing, it is about what you do willingly, and I'm not talking about money, I'm not talking about just money. When you think about church and building of the church, and we are in it together, it is about you finding what you are meant to do, what you are supposed to do in the church to see it thrive, but you do that willingly, not because uh of compulsion, you do it willingly, you do it as you have decided in your heart. I have three more minutes. How valuable is God to us? Do we value gold more than God? Or is God more precious to us than gold? This may mean that you don't do the whole 40 hours at work. This may mean that you stay up and you don't sleep the entire eight hours or nine hours because you are doing something that is going to build the kingdom, you are doing something that is going to build the church, you are responsible for your part. I am responsible for my part. If every one of us doing what we are supposed to do willingly, I need to underline that because when we do not do things willingly, we are doing things so that they can see that we are doing things, and oftentimes, if you do things so that they can see that you're doing things, there will come a day when they will not see that you're doing things, and you will have to read the Bait of Satan willingly. How do we value God? How do we value God? May God help us to esteem Him and esteem His things higher, and I I can't but end on a warning note the price has already been paid for you. First Samuel two and verse thirty. The Bible says, Therefore, the Lord the God of Israel says, I promised that your branch of the tribe of Levi would always be my priests, but I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me. This is how rank is determined. We are all the same value, but there are different ranks in the kingdom, the blood has been shed for every one of us, but there are different ranks in the kingdom, the blood has been shed for those inside the church, those the blood has been shed for those that are outside the church, but they are different ranks among people. Why? Because there are some that look at God and look at his things and they esteem, they think it is a big deal, they regard God and God's assignment as a big deal, and God says that those who do that I will regard as a big deal. That's how rank is determined in the kingdom. We talk about replacement, and it's not about victory house, it's about the church. My desire is that you are so committed to the church. There are people that are not committed to victory house, but they are committed to the church, they are committed to the church because perhaps they go to another church. So we I want to lay that out. He says, Judas thought that the alabaster perfume was more valuable than Jesus. Judas said that it is a west. When the perfume was poured on Jesus, Judas said that it is a west, and then he turned around and sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. In Acts 1 and verse 17 and verse 20, he said something, he said that Judas was one of us, he shared in this ministry, just like God's blood has been shed for all of us, but it's only the ones that are that receive that gift, only the ones that esteem God that benefit, and the Bible says of Judas that he shall be replaced. I want you to take a moment, think what can I do for the church, what can I do for the cause of God? What can I do for God? Determine in your heart, write it down, pray about it, and then willingly choose to do it. Let's pray, Father. In the name of Jesus, we thank you. The entrance of your word gives light, and we can see light in other people's light. Concerning the going forth of your word today, we ask that the hearts of men will be lighted. We ask that you will we commit that word to the Spirit of God, that you will cause us to remember, and that you will, through the word that has entered in our hearts, give us the strength. We take and we receive strength to do as your word says. Above all, let your name be glorified in Jesus' mighty name.