God is bigger than you mess ups

JOKE:  The preacher’s Sunday sermon was Forgive Your Enemies. Toward the end of the service, He asked his congregation, “how many of you have forgiven their enemies”?

About half held up their hands. He then repeated his question. As it was past lunchtime, this time about 80 percent held up their hands.

He then repeated his question again. All responded, except one small elderly lady.

“Mrs. Jones?” inquired the preacher, Are you not willing to forgive your enemies?

“I don’t have any.” she replied. smiling sweetly.

“Mrs. Jones, That is very unusual. How old are you?” “Ninety-three,” she replied.

“Oh Mrs. Jones, what a blessing and a lesson to us all you are. Would you please come down in front of this congregation and tell us all how a person can live ninety-three years and not have an enemy in the world.”

The little sweetheart of a lady tottered down the aisle, faced the congregation, and said “I outlived the old hags.”

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GOD IS BIGGER THAN YOIR MESS UPS

Luke 5:1–6 (NIV) – One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. ² He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. ³ He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. ⁴ When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” ⁵ Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” ⁶ When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.

People were listening to the word of God, from the Word of God, as He spoke the Words of God.

I love this portion of Scripture I don’t know if you noticed anything strange here, but I will share it with you in a moment,

Jesus has often did the unorthodox.

He did here, he did it when he needed a donkey to ride into Jerusalem.

Look what he did.

Verse 3 – Luke 5:3 (NIV) – ³ He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

He didn’t sign a rental agreement.  He didn’t really need a boat.  This was God in flesh and can walk on water.  But he just gets into the boat.

When he needed a donkey, he told his disciples to go untie the one you find at the tree and bring him to me.  He didn’t say, go ask if I can borrow it.  He didn’t say here take some money and rent it for a day.  He just said take it.  Now if they ask then tell them I need it, but if they don’t then just bring it to me.

I’m not sure we could do that today.

So back to Peter’s boat.

The Lord of glory came into the boat, because he had to share His message of the crowd.  He had a word; no, He was the Word and He wanted the people to hear what the Word was for them.

Now a point I need you to hear today is that in Luke 5 there was Simon Peter’s boat plus another one.  And God chose Peter’s.  I wonder if Peter would have said no, would Jesus had gone over and sat in the other one?

1 Corinthians 1:27–29 (NIV) – ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him.

But God what?  Chose. . . God what?  Chose

Listen church God calls us, chooses us all we need do is respond with a yes.

But sometimes we don’t feel God will choose us because we don’t have the talents of our brother or sister, we don’t believe God will use us because we messed up.  God can’t use us because we feel like I have nothing to offer.  God can’t use us. . .you fill in the blank.

But here’s the truth church God is longing for you to lend him your boat, so what if it’s not as big as the neighbors.  He is looking for a vessel to co-labor with so that He can get out the message of the Kingdom.  He desires to use whatever you will offer to fulfill His purposes on the earth.

Remember the young boy with the lunch?  God used his lunch and multiplied it to feed a multitude.

Remember the widow who only had enough to feed her and her son one last meal, and the prophet made an unusual request and told her feed me first.  And her obedience caused the food never to run out.

Listen, the enemy loves to fill your mind with all sorts of lies.  Lies telling that you will never measure up.

And then there’s us. . .

So many times, God comes to us and wants to use us and we simply make excuses, we say things like:

• I don’t know enough about the Bible
• I still lose my temper
• I’m not one of those mighty men or women in Scripture
• Use my talents? What talents?
• I’ve messed up too many times

See God uses the ordinary so that He can do extra ordinary things through us, so that the world may know that He is.

Why will God use you, because it brings Him glory.  Because God uses the insecure, the broken.

It is in our weakness that He is made strong.

Moses what’s your excuse?

Exodus 4:10 (NIV) – ¹⁰ Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, 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.”

You’re a little insecure about how you talk?  That’s alright I don’t want you to have confidence in yourself because then you can take the credit when the people are delivered from Egypt.

See church God wants our confidence not in us, but rather in the God that is in us.

You feel insecure?  That’s ok your not alone.  Ask Moses.

God not only uses the insecure, He also uses the unlikely.

Peter was an unlikely candidate.  He would deny the Lord three times (I’m sure Jesus wasn’t caught off guard), He cut off the ear of a soldier when Judas came to betray Jesus with a kiss.

Unlikely Judas was as well.  He was a thief and Jesus put him in charge of the money.

Unlikely. Saul was killing off people that were followers of Jesus, after his encounter he pens over half the New Testament.

Unlikely, look at this. . .

1 Samuel 16:6–12 (NIV) – ⁶ When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” ⁷ 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 people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” ⁸ Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” ⁹ Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” ¹⁰ Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” ¹¹ So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” ¹² So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”

David a kid tending sheep anointed the next king.  Samuel was looking for the most obvious choice and it wasn’t David.  But God had something different planned.  Better planned.

Don’t think David didn’t have issues.  He had an affair, had her husband sent to the front lines so that he would be killed in battle, hid all of that from the people that he was called to lead.

Yet David before he was king goes against a giant of man and because he faithful and trusted in God, God saw him through.

David had some issues, but still God called him a man after His own heart.  Why?  Because he wasn’t afraid to ask forgiveness, admit his mistakes and move on.

Mary the Mother of Jesus a virgin not even married yet to Joseph not the most likely candidate to bring forth a child.  Especially the Son of God,  but God had other plans.

So, God uses the insecure, the unlikely, He also uses the broken.

If there was any of the disciples that thought they were ready to be used, it was Peter.

Look at Peter – Peter’s like Jesus I’ve got your back, you don’t have to worry about me.

Matthew 26:33–35 (NIV) – ³³ Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” ³⁴ “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” ³⁵ But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.

Peter denies him once, denies him twice then someone says to him you, you were with Jesus I saw you with him.

Luke 22:60–62 (NIV) – ⁶⁰ Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. ⁶¹ 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.” ⁶² And he went outside and wept bitterly.

(The Lord looked at him).  How broken he must of felt.

Peter broken goes back to his former job because he feels like his ministry is over.  Isn’t it amazing that we always go back to what is familiar, what produced for you.

Listen I don’t think you can mess up much more than that.

You blew it, you lost your cool, you had a divorce, you battle an addiction, you have financial troubles.  Oh well look at Peter.

So, Jesus dies and after his resurrection who does he call by name?  Peter.

At Pentecost who gets to preach the message?  Peter.

The insecure, unlikely, broken, failed disciple Peter.

You have heard that Goldfish only grow to according to their environment.  Well that is not exactly true.  It is true that they will grow only as large as the environment allows them to, but there are also a couple other things you need to be aware of.

A Goldfish can live for decades if in the right environment.  But if they are not in the right capacity tank the body stops growing, but it’s vital organs don’t so it would be like your heart trying to jump out of your chest, it would be uncomfortable would it not.  So the Goldfish rather than living a long life in the right environment dies early, because it has reached its capacity in the tank.

And the church has had the same thing happen.  We have grown to the level of our complacency.  We have only grown to the level of our comfort.  And God is expanding our environment so that we can grow, but to many of us don’t believe God can use us so we get uncomfortable and bothered by those that have decided that He can use them.  So it feels like your heart is pounding out of your chest it’s because you need to enlarge your capacity in the things of God so that you can grow out to your full destiny.

Matthew 14:25–29 (NIV) – ²⁵ Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. ²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” ²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” ²⁹ “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

Here’s a thought we can take from this text:

You have to step out, to find out.