April 23 2017 God Can Use Anybody
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GOD CAN USE ANYBODY!
The Miracle of Mercy – Part 2
Romans 6:13 (LB/TEV)“. . . Give yourselves completely to God – every part of you – because you’ve been brought from death to life, and now you want to be used by God for good, and for his righteous purposes.”
PAUL’S SECRETS OF STAYING USABLE
2 CORINTHIANS 4:1-18
1. Never forget it’s all because of God’s mercy!
2 Corinthians 4:1 “God IN HIS MERCY has given us this ministry and work to do. That’s why we do not become discouraged and never give up!”
MERCY: undeserved forgiveness & unearned kindness
Galatians 1:13+15 (NLT)“You know what I was like . . . how I violently persecuted Christians. I did my best to get rid of them! . . . But then something happened! For it pleased God in his kindness to choose me and all me, even before I was born! What UNDESERVED MERCY!”
Every saint has a past and very sinner has a future!
Ephesians 2:10 (LB) “It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others.”
2. Be real.
2 Corinthians 4:2 (NLT/NCV) “We don’t try to trick anyone, and we don’t twist the word of God. Instead we teach the truth plainly, showing everyone WHO WE REALLY ARE. Then they can know in their hearts what kind of people we are in God’s sight.”
Romans 8:15 (NCV) “The Spirit we received does not make us slaves again to fear; it makes us children of God!”
3. Remember it’s not about me!
2 Corinthians 4:5 (GW) “Our message is not about ourselves. It is about Jesus Christ as the Lord. We are merely your servants for Jesus’ sake.”
2 Corinthians 4:7 (CEV) “We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us.”
4. Use my pain to help others.
2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (CEV) “We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don’t know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again.”
2 Corinthians 4:15 (LB) “All of these sufferings of ours are for your benefit. And the more of you who are won to Christ, the more there are to thank Him for his great mercy, and the more God gets glory!”
2 Corinthians 4:16-17 (NLT) “This is why we never give up! Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever!”
5. Stay focused on eternity.
Memory Verse: 2 Corinthians 4:17 (CEV) “These little troubles are getting us ready for an eternal glory that will make all our troubles seem like nothing.”
2 Corinthians 4:18 (NLT) “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.”
The Key to Staying Focused: Small Groups
Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NLT) “A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. And three people are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”
Matthew 18:20 (NIV) Jesus: “For wherever two or three come together in my name, I will be there with them.” Do you want your life to be used by God? Are you ready to experience the Miracle of Mercy?
