Can God Really Use Your Life?

CAN GOD REALLY USE YOUR LIFE?

Acts 9:1-6 (keep your bibles open here)

9 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. 3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

Acts 9:10-16

10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. 11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, 12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. 13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: 14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. 15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.

Every time I read this story, I stand amazed at the great grace of God.

I see the Lord take this man Saul, save him by grace, and transform him into the great Apostle to the Gentiles ….and I realize that there is hope for people like you and me to be used of the Lord.

The truth is, Saul was a very unlikely candidate for the service of the Lord.

He was a man who was hated by Christians. He did everything in his power to destroy the name of the Lord Jesus.

Yet, God reached down in grace and took this man from where he was and used him to change the world.

You may feel you are not worthy to be used of the Lord in His work, But

Jesus can and will use you if you will make yourself available.

Over the past few weeks ¾ of CCM have responded saying you know you are not where God wants you to be. Many responded saying you have dethroned God in some area of your life.

So here is the all-important question… "Can God really use my life?"

I would like to answer that question today by taking a few minutes to look at the life of the great Apostle Paul and by showing you the obstacles that seemed to be in the way of his service.

Obstacles incidentally which God had no problem in overcoming by His power and grace.

YOUR PAST CONDITION IS NO OBSTACLE

According to Paul's own testimony, he was guilty of doing every thing in his power to put Christianity to death

In Acts 7:58, the Bible indicates that Saul whose name as you know was changed by the Lord to Paul gave his approval to the murder of Stephen

In fact he held the very clothes of those who stoned the preaching deacon to death. ….Paul was a wicked man, but this proved to be no obstacle to the grace and saving power of the Lord.

When Paul received Jesus into his heart, he was changed forever by the grace of God!

And Jesus is still the same…he can save a murderer….he can change the heart of a person that hates Christianity….

Let me tell every person under the sound of my voice today that your past is

no obstacle to your future in the Lord's work!

Regardless of what you did before you received Jesus as your Savior, it doesn’t matter any longer….When He saved your soul, He washed your past away forever!

It is just as though you got a brand new start at that precise moment. In fact, the Bible refers to that event as a "new birth", John 3:3; 7.