Scandal & Surprise - No One Is Disqualified From Being Used By God

Matthew 1:1-17

Your blemishes and failures do not disqualify you from being used by God.

Soul Food

Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar….

……Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.
– Matthew 1:2,3,5,6

Soul Search

• Do you ever think that in order for God to use you, you have to be perfect?
  Do you know why you think that?
  Are you able to verbalize why you think that?

• Have you ever ruled yourself out from serving in some way because you didn’t think you were good enough?
  Are you able and willing to share some specifics?

• Is there any sin or points of failure in your life that you need to ask God to forgive you for so that you can move forward in service to Him?
  This doesn’t mean you’re perfect and it doesn’t guarantee that you won’t fail in the future, but it will put you back in service to God.

Soul Moves

• Believe that God receives you and has you part of His family even though you’re not perfect.

• Pray and ask God to help you appropriate His grace and mercy to your life so that you know that in spite of your imperfections He can and will use you to serve Him and others.

• King David failed God with some big mistakes and sins.
  Despite this, God called David “a man after my own heart.” (I Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22).
  You, too, can be a person after God’s own heart.
  Repent of your sins and confess your failures to God, asking for His forgiveness through Jesus, and determine to serve God faithfully as you go forward.