"I Doubt God Can Use Me" Series

Weekly World News headlines:

• “Batboy sighted in NYC subway.”

• “People as small as ants alive.”

• “Elvis is alive!”

We doubt the truthfulness of those stories (for good reason). But sometimes we doubt things that are true: “God can use me.”

We may believe God can use people (example: Billy Graham), but sometimes we doubt that God can use us. We come up with many reasons why God couldn’t use us.

• “I’m not talented.”

• “I’m a new Christian.”

• “I don’t know enough about the Bible.”

• “I’m not outgoing.”

• “I’m too young.”

• “I’m too old.”

“I believe God can use him/her, but I don’t believe He can use me.”

If you doubt God can use you, read Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT).

What are we? “God’s masterpiece.” What are we created to do? “The good things he planned for us long ago.”

“Masterpiece”= poiema (poy’-ay-may); a product with a designated purpose, workmanship.

Who does God most often use?

1. God uses the INSECURE.

“Moses said to the LORD, ‘O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.’ The LORD said to him, ‘Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say’” (Exodus 4:10-12).

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

2. God uses the UNLIKELY.

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart’” (1 Samuel 16:6-7).”

Samuel had made this mistake before: “…as [Saul] stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. Samuel said to all the people, ‘Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people” (1 Samuel 10:23-24).

“So he asked Jesse, ‘Are these all the sons you have?’ ‘There is still the youngest,’ Jesse answered, ‘but he is tending the sheep’” (1 Samuel 16:11). Even David’s father didn’t believe he was qualified to be king.

Jesus was an unlikely Messiah:

• “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (John 1:10-11).

• “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:2-3).

• “‘Here is your king,’ Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, ‘Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!’ (John 19:14-15).

3. God uses FAILURES.

“Peter replied, ‘Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!’ Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:60-62).

“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…. Those who accepted the message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day” (Acts 2:38, 41). How could Peter preach about forgiveness so passionately? Because he had been forgiven.

Big Idea: You have to STEP OUT to FIND OUT.

“‘Lord, if it’s you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’ ‘Come,’ he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus” (Matthew 14:28-29).

Personal Application

When you’re about to step out, a voice will say, “You’re not good enough, etc.” At that moment you will know that you are the exact person God can use.

Are you willing to take a spiritual risk? Are you willing to leave your comfort zone? Are you willing to be stretched by God?

Ask God to give you:

• Eyes to see what you didn’t see yesterday (the needs of others)

• Hands to do what needs to be done

• Ears to hear what is not being said (encouragement)