It’s a Wonderful Life Sermon Series

It’s a Wonderful Life Because You Matter

Story of youth group

Dancing as a Child And Some of us don’t even get that…

Spoiler Alert: It’s a wonderful life when George tries to commit suicide he is assigned an angel, Clarence, and they visit different spot of his life to remind him of how many lives he has impacted…and he come to his brothers grave, but the interesting thing in real life he had saved his brother and not only that his brother fought in the war and saved many people, even got a congressional medal of honor. And that is where we find ourselves today. It's A Wonderful Life - "Each man's life touches so many other lives" - YouTube

Most chilling line “everybody died on that transport because Harry wasn’t there to save them because you weren’t there to save Harry”

I downloaded this clip and got stuck in the comments, you ever do that. The comments are way more entertaining than the clip itself…”I’m just here for the comments”

“One mans actions can touch so many lives without him knowing it, that’s way it is of paramount importance to consider our actions both great and small, because we truly never know how far they will go.”

“For anyone who has ever questioned their own existence and reason for living, it's a powerful realization for George. Amazing movie. Been crying through it my entire life.”

But this one guy Victor wrote…

“It's a wonder, one could actually save a life of another person just by being alive themself; this portion of the film change my view of life totally when I seen it 22 years ago; my prayer life grew and I perceive life awhile in totally different way,, I am 59,, I was 27 years old when I seen this film from the 40's. amazing….became my favorite!”

Strange isn’t it? Each mans life touches so many other lives. And when he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he. –Clarence the Angel

I think this scene hits a chord in all of us because we live in a world that hypes up certain people, places, and things that matter. And everything else takes second place.

Ex. Travis Kelcie and Taylor Swift “that relationship matters”

Ex. Drew Brees verses Derick Carr “there is a quarterback that matters”

Ex. This mommy blogger who says cool things “her voice matters”

Ex. The viral ticktok or Instagram influencer “their reach matters”

Ex. Youth and looks “they matter”

Ex. These certain areas of the world matter “and if you live in Houma “the east side”

Ex. And if you have things like Lexus “those things matter so you matter”

My girls play basketball “loosely” “cutest benchwarmers ever” for Bayou Blue Middle and we were playing a certain private school in the area and it was so interesting because there was a real distinction in the crowd of those who “matter” and those “who don’t.”

And on top of that then the enemy comes in…

And speaks lies cause he is the father of lies…

You are not doing enough.

You are not prepared.

Nobody cares.

They Hate You.

You never fit in.

You are not talented.

You have messed up too much.

You don’t have any friends.

You are just an aggravation.

No one would notice if you are gone.

It might even be better!

And so this morning the message is simple, but I pray profound.

I don’t think it is heard enough.

It might be taught but definitely not practiced.

It’s a wonderful life and “You Matter”

You Matter

You Matter Because You are Made in the Image of God

“Imago Dei” comes from the Latin version of the Bible, translated to English as the “image of God.” (same slide) This phrase originates in Genesis 1:27 wherein “God created man in his own image…” This biblical passage does not imply that God is in in human form, but that humans are in the image of God in their moral, spiritual, and intellectual essence.

Thus humans reflect God’s divine nature in their ability to achieve the unique characteristics with which they have been endowed. Humas are created with unique abilities, absent in all other creatures of the earth, that mirror the divine nature of God.]

Even things not made in the image of God matter, in fact Jesus says

Matthew 6:26 “Consider the birds of the air, how they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of much great value than they are?

Because the breath of God is in our lungs

We have value. The creator created us in His image.

We bear his identity. (Ex. Like when someone says oh you look just like someone…)

You Matter Because He Knows You

In Psalm 139, David's praying to God and he says, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” This speaks of the care and attention with which God has made us. By now, God has made billions of human beings, but we're not mass-produced. We're not churned out in a mechanistic way.

It's actually worth saying something of God's unique creative capabilities in how each of us has been made. We should not take our existence for granted. We should not take one another's existence for granted. The human body is not just a human body. It is an extraordinary work of art by the God of all creation. It's a unique work of art. However we might be tempted to see ourselves, God actually sees us in a very different kind of way.

139 O LORD, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. 5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” 12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.[a] Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.

19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! 20 They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain.[b] 21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? 22 I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts![c] 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting

You Matter because He loves you PERSONALY.

And here we go, of course God love me, does he like me, I don’t know.

For God so loved the world. He loves the world.

If you grew up in church “Jesus loves the little children of the world”

But the world is big, since all of eternity, there has been a lot of people, and I’m so small.

We feel so tiny and insignificant. I know God loves people, does He Love Me?

(Ex. Years ago having a youth pastor speak to our group on how much God loves them)

The God who created the universe, the most powerful being ever, loves you personally. Try to wrap your mind around that. He loves you — not just people in general, but you as a person. He cares about your life and wants to be part of it.

Here are a few verses to get you started: · John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” · Romans 5:8: “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

· I will be glad and rejoice in Your unfailing love, for You have seen my troubles, and You care about the anguish of my soul. (Psalm 31:7) · Psalm 36:7: “How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.” · Jeremiah 31:3: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”

· And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. (Ephesians 3:18-19) · Romans 8:37-39 “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I don’t know where you are this morning…

I don’t know where your security level is…

But I do know this, that often we don’t here this enough, so I want to remind you.

You matter.

Your life matters.

Your reach matters.

Your touch matters.

The little things that no one notices, they matter to God.

The touches that make you, you, He loves them.

He loves your form and shape.

He created you wonderfully and fearfully

You have and will have a legacy of reach, even when you don’t see it.

You are an image bearer.

God knows you.

And HE LOVES you.

The unique you of who you are.

You don’t need to perform.

You don’t need to clean up first.

You don’t have to get it all together.

This morning you can walk confidently in His love for you the individual.

And this morning like the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 3 want to proclaim this verse over you.

And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. (Ephesians 3:18-19)