This Sermon is titled: “The Dignity That Follows You Home”
Grace, and peace to you, our FATHER and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today, I invite you to reflect deeply on a word we don’t often hear in church, but one that is profoundly spiritual and richly biblical—dignity.
We know life is not fair. The poorest kind of living, the scraping by, the “I-don’t-know-how-I’ll-make-it” kind of life—it comes with valleys and shadows. Yet, here’s the mystery: even the good life, the blessed life, the well-fed and well-dressed life, doesn’t escape tribulation. No one gets through life unscathed. The rain falls on the just and the unjust alike (Matthew 5:45).
But in the heat of hardship, in the friction of failure, in the blur of broken decisions—what do you hold onto? What’s left when your pride is shattered, your plans unravel, and your name is bruised?
Dignity.
Yes, the wise understand this: when dignity slips away in the heat of the moment or the fog of the night, it’s worth chasing. And more often than not, God is already waiting where your dignity went. HE is calling you to follow it.
Let me ask plainly: Does God give us dignity? Is it good in HIS sight?
The answer is in the beginning. “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…’” (Genesis 1:26). From our first breath, dignity was sewn into the fabric of our being. Not earned, not built, not deserved—given. The image of God—that’s the root of our dignity. We are not accidents. We are not afterthoughts. We are not disposable. Our CREATOR crowned us with glory and honor (Psalm 8:5).
But this world—and let’s be honest, our own choices—can wear that crown thin. The world tempts us to trade dignity for applause, for pleasure, for power. And sometimes, we take the deal.
But listen closely: dignity is not perfection. It is not pride. It is the Holy awareness that you were made by God, for God, and your worth is anchored in HIM. That’s why Jesus—our Savior, our King—could hang on a cross, humiliated by men, and still radiate more dignity than any ruler on a throne. Because dignity doesn’t come from outside approval; it comes from Divine purpose.
So, what are the spiritual benefits of living with dignity?
First, dignity anchors you in identity. When the world tries to rename you—failure, addict, broken, unworthy—dignity reminds you: You are a child of God.
Second, dignity protects your choices. It whispers, “You don’t have to prove your worth by compromising your soul.” It leads you out of temptation. It says, “You are better than this, because God is in you.”
And finally, dignity draws you back when you’ve wandered. Even when you’ve lost your way, the part of you that still remembers who you are will call out, “Go home.” Like the prodigal son, you may return covered in filth, but the Father still sees your worth. He runs to meet you, not because of your condition, but because of your value to Him.
Church, hear this: Dignity is not the reward of the righteous; it is the birthright of the redeemed. And it is the call of every believer to live in a way that reflects the ONE who gave it.
So if today you feel ashamed, worn down, or forgotten—don’t reach for pride, don’t reach for perfection, reach for your dignity. God placed it there. And when you follow it, you follow HIM.
Previously mentioned Scripture.
Matthew 5:45
New International Version
45 “that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
Matthew 5:45
Living Bible
45 “In that way you will be acting as true sons of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust too.”
Genesis 1:26
New International Version
26 “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” ”
Genesis 1:26
Living Bible
26 “Then God said, “Let us make a man—someone like ourselves, to be the master of all life upon the earth and in the skies and in the seas.” ”
Psalm 8:5
New International Version
5 “You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.”
Psalm 8:5
Living Bible
5 “And yet you have made him only a little lower than the angels and placed a crown of glory and honor upon his head.”