April 23 2017 God Can Use Anybody

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?

September 8 2013 The Art Of Confrontation

Memory Verse: “Wounds made by a friend are intended to help, but an enemy’s kisses are too much to bear.” – Proverbs 27:6

Confrontation: A meeting between two friends for the purpose of restoring godliness.

THE ART OF CONFRONTATION: NATHAN AND DAVID - 2 Samuel 12:1-14

1. FOLLOW GOD’S LEADERSHIP CAREFULLY

Verse 1 “So the LORD sent Nathan….”

2. REQUEST A PRIVATE MEETING

Verse 1, “So the Lord sent Nathan, the prophet, to tell David.” Matthew 18:15-23.

3. PREPARE TO TACTFULLY  SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS.

Verse 1-4 “So the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story. There were two men in a certain town. One was rich and one was poor. The rich man owned many sheep and cattle. The poor man owned nothing but the little lamb that he had worked hard to buy. This poor man, he raised this little lamb and it grew up with his children, ate from the man’s own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter. But one day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing a lamb from his own flock for food, he took the poor man’s lamb and killed it and served it to his guests.”

4. STATE THE TRUTH COMPASSIONATELY AND  TRUST THE SPIRIT.

Verse 5-13a David was furious. “As surely as the Lord lives, he vowed, any many man who would do such a thing deserves to die. He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole, and for having no pity.” “Then Nathan said to David, you are that man. The Lord, the God of Israel said, ‘I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you his house and his wives and the kingdom of Israel and Judah. If that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. Why then have you despised the Word of the Lord and done this horrible deed. For you have murdered Uriah and stolen his wife. From this time on, the sword will be a constant threat to your family because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own. Because of what you have done, I, the Lord, will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man and he will go to bed with them in public view. You did it secretly, but I will do this to you openly in the sight of allIsrael.” “Then David confessed to Nathan. I have sinned against the Lord,”

5. OFFER  GRACE AND SUPPORT

Verse 13b “Nathan replied, ‘Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you and you won’t die for this sin. But you have given the enemies of the Lord great opportunity to despise and blaspheme Him, so your child will die.’ God’s preferred way of restoring Godliness in your life is to do it one on one, you and God.

Hebrews 12:5-6. “My dear children, don’t shrug of God’s discipline. But don’t be crushed by it either. It is the child that He loves that He disciplines. The child He embraces, He also corrects.”