Handout for Sermon: How Flawed Are You?                                                                                                                                           December 4th, 2022, Manchester, TN. 9:30 am service

INTRODUCTION: When you look in the mirror what do you see? Look deeper… what do you see and know about yourself that goes beyond the surface level of who you are? All people are flawed to some degree. Some are more flawed and broken than others but in our lesson today I want us to realize that no matter how flawed and broken you are right now, God is calling you!

“God uses broken people like you and me to rescue broken people like you and me!” This statement made a tremendous impact on me as a person and even on my life as a Christian. I turned to Jesus because I was broken because of my sin! That is a fact I must never forget, it is a fact YOU must never forget. God wants to use YOU even if you are “broken” or “flawed.”

2 Peter 1:8-11 “he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble.”

Hard to believe any Christian would “forget” they were cleansed from their old sins isn’t it?

LESSON:

1.We Must First See Ourselves for Who We Truly Are.                                                                                                                            Each of us, Christian or non-Christian, must never ever forget who they truly are in comparison to God.

Scripture: Romans 3:23, Romans 3:10, Romans 7:24, Psalm 22

We need God because of who and what we are! Who and what we have done! We need God to helps us fix, repair and change us. We need God to make us useful and beautiful!  This is God’s desire for you and your life!

Scripture: Psalm 51:7, Isaiah 1:16, Luke 11:39, Matthew 23:26, 2 Corinthians 7:1, James 4:8

God helps us to see ourselves for who we are. God then appeals to our mind and heart to become a different person.  God has always desired “good” for His creation.

2.Make Up Your Mind to Clean Yourself Up.                                                                                                                              Sometimes we don’t realize how filthy we are. We need to see what it means to be clean. We need to be exposed to cleanliness. Once we see it and learn about it-we must desire it, we must desire to be clean! Once again, God is there to help us in this goal.  So how do we clean ourselves up?

First you must identify you are “unclean.” Secondly, you must be willing to give up the “old unclean” you and want to change. Thirdly, set your mind doing whatever it takes to cleanse yourself. Fourthly, recognized the beauty of Jesus Christ. Fifthly, put on the beauty of Jesus Christ.

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:22-24, Ephesians 4:31-32, Colossian 3:9-10, Romans 6:6, James 1:22, 1 Peter 2:1-3, 5

3.You Need to “Put On” Jesus Christ Every Day. If you are not constantly putting on Jesus Christ on a daily basis you will loose your “beauty!” Physically, over time we loose our beauty. 2 Corinthians 4:16 “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.”

Scripture: Romans 6:4 & 6, Romans 12:14, Galatians 3:27-28, 2 Corinthians 7:

4.Making Yourself Beautiful with Divine Nature. The New Testament speaks of our becoming more and more like Christ. We are to grow up into the “full stature” of Jesus Christ, Ephesians 4:13-14 and 2 Peter 1:3-4 “has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness….the through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in this world.”

It starts with being born again. John 3:3-5, 1 Peter 1:3 & 23, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 3:26-28
Understand our purpose and our mission. Matthew 22:37, Matthew 5:14-16, Matthew 6:22, Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 13:47
Live lives that bring honor and glory to God, not self! Psalm 96:3, Ephesians 3:10-12
Stay connected to Jesus. John 14:6, Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 2:8-9, Philippians 4:12 & 19, 1 John 4:4
Have the mind and heart of Jesus in you. Philippians 2:5-8, Ezekiel 36:26

CONCLUSION   The Joy of Becoming Beautiful.

Scripture: Psalm 34:4-5, Isaiah 62:3, 1 Samuel 16:7, 1 Corinthians 3:16, Colossians 3:12, 1 Peter 3:4, Ecclesiastes 3:11

No matter how broken you may be…with God, with the Spirit, with Jesus Christ YOU can be mended and whole!