Our Worth Is Not in What We Own — John Piper

God's Authority Beneath the Song

Let's put God's absolute authority underneath that song, like a rock foundation, so that you don't feel that song just as poetic sentiment or musical pleasure alone, but as unshakable reality. And I have in mind not just the thousands of believers in this room, but the hundreds of you who have come by providence that you might believe.

Three Paradoxes of Worth and Satisfaction

I see three paradoxes in what was just sung. Number one, we are unworthy of Christ, and we have great worth because of Christ at the cross. Number two, with all your worth, you are not your own treasure, Christ is at the cross.

Trusting Christ Rather Than Self

Number three, trust that looks away from self to Christ becomes the ultimate satisfaction of the self at the cross. Let's take those one at a time and put God's authority underneath them, and I invite you to hear for your own soul.

Humanity's Unworthiness and Christ's Saving Grace

Number one, we are unworthy of Christ, and we have great worth because of Christ. The final verse went like this, two wonders here that I confess, my worth and my unworthiness, my value fixed, my ransom paid at the cross.

One of the most beautiful sentences in the Bible is that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. What is sin? Sin is a mindset that prefers other things more than God. And therefore, sin exchanges God for created things.

And therefore, sin belittles God, demeans God, is rebellious against God. That's who we are, every one of you. We are that way. There is none righteous, no, not one. Christ died for us, not because we are worthy, but because we are unworthy, and there was no other way for us to be made worthy.

While we were still weak at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous man, yet perhaps for a good man one might dare to die. But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

We are saved by grace. The death of Jesus is not divine compliance with fair trade laws. It wasn't a fair trade. The Son of God died, rebels live. That's not fair. That's grace. And that's how I stand here.

As a result, what happens? Jesus put it like this, are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your father. Fear not, you are of more value than many sparrows because of the cross.

Treasuring Christ Above Personal Worth

That's paradox number one. We're unworthy of the cross because of the cross. We are worthy. Paradox number two, with all your worth, you are not your own treasure. Christ is because of the cross. The refrain of the song goes like this, I rejoice in my Redeemer, greatest treasure, wellspring of my soul.

Why didn't the verse come to a climax like this, I rejoice in my new worth, I am my new treasure, I am the new wellspring of my soul, I am at last somebody. Why didn't the cross result in that kind of song?

It didn't. Why not? Why won't we sing for ages long that I am my treasure? You won't sing that way in heaven. Heaven is not a hall of mirrors where the greatest joy is that we get to like what we see.

You were made for something infinitely better than yourself. Your soul, your worth could never satisfy you, ever. You weren't made to find deepest satisfaction in having worth. Andrew just read Revelation 5, worthy are you, now this is the way they sing in celebration of being redeemed into priests to God, kingdom of God.

You are worthy, O Christ, you are worthy, for you were slain and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God and they shall reign on the earth.

The song that breaks out in heaven forever is not, look, traitors got in, blasphemers are now priests. That's not the song. The song is, worthy are you. You were made to be made priests, to be made a kingdom so that you could enjoy making much of him as Lord.

You will never be worthy enough to be your own treasure. You were made to treasure him above all. You can't be the wellspring of your own soul because of the cross. Last paradox, number three, trust that looks away from self to Christ becomes the ultimate satisfaction of the self because of the cross.

Saving Faith as Satisfaction in Christ Alone

Here's the way the refrain ends, greatest treasure, wellspring of my soul, I will trust in him, no other. My soul is satisfied in him alone. And I ask you now as I draw to a close, do you want that? Do you want to be a Christian?

Do you want to be able to say, my worth is in the costly wounds? Do you want to be able to say, my worth is in the blood that flowed? Do you want to be able to say, my value fixed, my ransom paid at the cross?

How do you become a Christian? How do you become a true Christian? And you know the answer, almost everybody in this country would probably say something like, trust Jesus, what's that mean? What does that mean?

How do you trust a treasure? What does it mean to trust a wellspring? The song tells us, the Bible tells us, my soul is satisfied in him alone. What does alone mean in that song? Really, that doesn't mean you can't tonight enjoy a meal.

It doesn't mean you can't enjoy friends. It means all those gifts, all those gifts of Christ are now means by which you taste Christ, more of Christ. And it means if Christ takes them away, all the friends, all the food and your life, he's enough.

He is all satisfying as your treasure and your wellspring. That's what alone means. He's there in everything, he's there after everything, and he's enough. To trust a treasure is to embrace and rest in him as your satisfaction like that.

It's a gift of grace. I offer him to you. Jesus offers himself to you, and I would like to pray for you. If I could have come to Northern Ireland just to pray what I'm about to pray, it would be enough.

Prayer for Persevering Faith and Treasuring Christ

Let's pray. Father, it is grace that anyone would listen to me now. It will be grace if anyone is leaning and longing into this song, this truth, this word from you, and I ask for the grace of treasuring Christ, that is, saving faith.

I ask, Lord, if there are people right now who are saying, I can't do that, I pray that they would at least pray for the strength to do it. And I ask, Lord, for every believer in this room, that they would so treasure Christ, that Christ would be such a wellspring of joy for their souls through all their troubles, that they would have courage to commend Christ to every person in this nation, indeed, in this island.

And lastly, Lord, I ask that if any is saying, as we all do, I don't know if I can last. I don't know if tonight's sense of calling on my life will last. I'm young or I'm old, and I don't know if I can persevere that far in this new thing you're calling me to do.

I pray, Lord, that as we sing now, you would answer that question. You will hold us fast. That's the only way we'll make it. Lord, draw people now into this song and into yourself forever.