This week’s scriptures are: Isaiah 43:1-7, Psalms 29, Acts 8:14-17, Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Please pray with me:
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that the words of this sermon are YOUR words, and not mine. I pray that the message here touches those that need to be touched. I pray that those receiving this sermon remember that all Honor and Glory are yours, Lord, both now and forever. Amen and Amen.
Grace and Peace to you, from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Have you ever known that you were going to get something AWESOME, but didn’t know EXACTLY what it was going to be? You knew it was coming, but didn’t know EXACTLY when it was coming?
Have you ever done good things? God’s work? Only to have people misunderstand what you were doing or why you were doing that? Maybe they misunderstood how you are able to do the things you are doing.
Have you ever felt that you weren’t good enough? Not worthy of an honor or of a job? Maybe not worthy of being used by God?
That’s sorta what happened a long time ago. The children of God knew they were going to get a Messiah, but didn’t know when. They didn’t know who?
There was a man named John. He was going about teaching, preaching and baptizing. Doing God’s will. He was gaining many followers. He was a popular man.
Because he was able to move people by his words, some started wondering if he was the Messiah. Because he was baptizing people, some started wondering if he was the Messiah. Because he had an ever growing following, some started wondering if he was the Messiah.
John told them that there was going to be someone coming who he, John, was not worthy to unstrap His sandals. People still couldn’t understand.
And then, John baptized Christ. Even though John wasn’t worthy of unstrapping Jesus’ sandals, he was important enough for God’s plans.
If it was important that Jesus knowingly, willing be baptized, is it important for us to be baptized? Of course it is. Should we KNOWINGLY, WILINGLY be baptized? Of course we should.
I’m not going to get into the arguments about when to baptize (baby vs any other age) or the method (sprinkle or dunk). I’m just stating that my understanding and belief is that if Christ was baptized, His believers should be baptized.
If John was not worthy of unstrapping Christ’s sandals, how was he able to baptize Christ? Because God can use ANYONE. Even John.
God can use even you and even me. Maybe God has used you when you weren’t looking. Maybe you are an important part of God’s plan. I’d bet on it.
I believe we are all important to God’s work. I even believe that God can and does use non-believers. I know that God uses sinners, because we are all sinners.
Some of the people that have reinforced my beliefs are not the Bible thumpers. Not the ones who can quote the entire Bible from memory.
Many of the people who have reinforced my faith are people I’ve never met. Let me explain.
When I see people struggling with life, and yet they’re smiling and not complaining, I see Christ’s love. We need to be content with what we have and where we are in life.
When I see disaster strike and families lose everything, except each other, I see the love of God. Because God saved what’s important, the family, the people. Material things can be replaced. They may be precious to us, but what’s more important.
When we can walk in the face of loss, the everyday struggles with people, the failing economy, the fight against temptation, and still smile and still give God the glory and praise, THEN, we are being used by God.
I’ve had people come to me and say that something I did meant so much to them. How? All I did was be me. All I did was what I thought was right. I didn’t know I was being used.
Who am I to be used by God? I’m just a sinner. I am not worthy of being used by God. I’m not educated in theology. I’m not the most religious person. Heck, I struggle with my relationship with God, almost daily.
Yet God has used ME. God has allowed me to touch lives. Sometimes I’m not even aware I’m being used. Sometimes God has told me to do something for someone, and I wanted nothing to do with it. But as God used me to help that person, He taught me humility. So God was using me to help them as He was using them to teach me.
So no matter how unworthy we are, God CAN use us. No matter how small our view of our life, our situation, our abilities, we CAN be used.
God used John, a simple man, to reach out to people, to bring them to know God, to baptize the Messiah. How will He use us? Will we be ready to be used? Will we even know that God has used us?
Sometimes we do things because we just FEEL that we should. We don’t know why. We just do it. It may be just saying, “hello” to someone. It may be something as simple as holding the door for a stranger.
We may be changing someone’s entire day or we may be changing their life. The important thing is we are doing God’s will. God’s work. That’s what John did and look at the lives he touched.
My challenge to you this week, is to do God’s work, whatever that may be. Be used by God, however He wants to use you. Allow yourself to accept what God where God has you. Know that even your smallest acts, may be a BIGGEST blessing to someone.
God used John, let Him use us. Just like John, we’re not the Messiah, but we CAN lead others to the real Messiah. Let’s be like John.
Amen.
May the reading of this sermon bless you. May God be with you and you with Him, until we meet again.
Amen.
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