Title:

God can use us powerfully!

Introduction
Good morning Trackers!
(PS) Today, I want to talk about how our great God can use us powerfully.
Yes, He can use all of us powerfully - regardless of who we are. Turn to your neighbor and
say, He can use me powerfully! J He can use us despite our imperfections, inadequacies,
our weaknesses or cracks in our lives.

The title of my devotion is God can use us powerfully!
Trackers, let me ask you a simple question. If musical instruments could talk, what would
they say is their deepest desire? *Get response* Yes, its to be played! To have beautiful
music played through them by a musician. Just recently, after many years of not tuning my
piano, I finally engaged someone to tune it. After it was done, I couldnt wait to lay hands on
the piano and play on it! *Play video*
The same is true for us humans. Whether we realize it or not, we have a deep desire to be
used by God. Just like that musical instrument to have God, our musician, play through us
the beautiful music of His symphony of unconditional love, undeserved grace, eternal truth
& indescribable joy.
We desire this and so does God!
But have you ever felt that God could not use you because you have particular flaws or
shortcomings?
Do you ever look at yourself & consciously think, God could never play His music through
me I have broken strings, a rotting shell, punctured drums, and rusty keys.

Transitional Statement
Honestly, sometimes I do think of myself that way, as a piano with rusty keys.
In my growing up years, I remembered vividly how some of my cousins & friends would
make fun of my name, calling me Pomelo. I was pretty much a shy & timid girl, a crybaby
as some of my friends & family would term.
Although I knew they didnt mean it, deep down, I was actually hurting.
My identity wasnt in God but it was based on a friends affection, a teachers affirmation or
my parents approval.
If any of them failed to give me the stamp of approval that I craved, I saw myself as
someone weak or even worthless. I always compared myself with others (looks, studies...)
However, Gods power radically transformed me. He has transformed me from a quiet &
shy crybaby back then, to where I am now, having the confidence to stand here to preach.
Truly, this is a testimony in itself. (My parents can testify to it J)
I thank God for reminding me through His Word that I am just but a jar of Clay, we all are!
We are broken vessels God can use, each unique in our own ways.

(IQ) To see how God can use us powerfully despite our imperfections, let us now turn to
2 Corinthians 4:7-9.

Let us read this passage together: *make sure everyone is ready*
(2 Corinthians 4:7-9) NIV
7
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from
God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but
not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

In 2 Corinthians 4:7-9, the apostle Paul sums up our existence on Earth. In realistic terms, he
basically tells us that were in a pressure cooker (like what P Titus referred us to when we
first started track 35 days ago). The challenges of life comes our way, whereby we share the
same struggles that the world has. However, we can thank God that we, batch 45 trackers
are OVERCOMERS. Paul says that in this way, we are hard pressed on all sides, but not
crushed. We will overcome whatever comes our way!
Let me share how God can use all of us powerfully despite our imperfections
Point 1:
Firstly, for God to use us powerfully, we need to recognize that we are Clay Jars.
In V7, the NLT version says, We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we
ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that
our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
Fragile clay jars (Earthen Pots) were common in Pauls day. Thus, they provided an apt
metaphor for illustrating the fragility of human messengers in contrast to the valuable
treasure of the message of salvation.
The light of the gospel is the treasure that even Satan cannot take away. Clay jars leak,
they chip & they are not very attractive. By design, they are simply functional. Their
plain appearance doesnt detract from their contents.
In the biblical context, the Corinthian church wasnt very impressed with Paul as a
speaker, or as a person. They didnt like what they saw when they looked at Paul as the
clay jar it wasnt a very impressive picture:
They saw that Paul had ministry issues
They saw that he was a poor public speaker
They saw that he was constantly harassed and persecuted
They saw very little that is remarkable about him
They thought that he surely ought to look more important if he really was a messenger
with a message from the living God. If the messenger wasnt very attractive, what did
that say about the message that he would carry?
So, how was Pauls response to his critics? Think for a moment with me. The clay jar is
chosen precisely for its ordinariness precisely to not get in the way of the message.
Its to remind us that we are not the main focus of attention. But God is. The treasure is
whats important, not the container.

Often, we are discouraged by our imperfections. Feeling inadequate, we feel ineffective.

This verse teaches us that our imperfect humanity is no hindrance to Gods holy
purpose. Like what P.Johathan said, we are all DYSFUNCTIONAL, made perfect in Him.
I could identify with this very well. I remembered how when I first entered university, it
wasn't off to a good start as I continually questioned God what was His purpose in
placing me in SIM. I did get to study business which was what I wanted to do, but the
university was not my first choice. I struggled in the initial phase. Seeing most of my
friends going to universities of their choice, I started to compare myself with them, and
that was where the devil started to plant negative thoughts in me, saying that "I'm not
good enough". I shrugged off those thoughts and continued my life as a Year 1 student.
I continued serving Him in various ministries such as Campus Crusade & later on in my
Campus cell group #SIMphonic. Studies-wise, being a Polytechnic graduate, I wasn't
used to writing long essays and so I struggled with my modules. The dreadful moment of
my uni life came when I received my Year 1 results. That night when I saw my results
(the worst in my entire academic life), not telling anyone, I silently cried myself to sleep.
In that moment of desperation, God met me. As I laid there crying in bed, there came a
big warm embrace, which I knew was from my loving Father.
Following that God-encounter, I decided to take that step of Faith to surrender all my
failures & inadequacies unto the One who has promised me that 'He will catch me when
I fall'. It wasn't easy as I had to extend an extra year but God showed me the impossible
by empowering me to lead #SIMphonic for the past 2 years (something which I never
imagined myself doing as I was always the 'follower'). God gave me added strength &
wisdom to conquer my final exams too. I received my final results recently and I truly
thank God for helping me obtain a 2nd class Honours! Truly, He is a God who makes all
things possible.
Some of you might identify with me in different ways. Today, I want to encourage all of
you to surrender all your Im not good enough mentality to God because we are just
Clay Jars, used by God to show His Treasure in earthen vessels.
Furthermore, treasures come from the most unlikely places. Even though clay jars arent
worth much by some criteria even though all of us, as fragile, fallible human beings,
may feel handicapped at times - in all kinds of ways (mentally, spiritually, relationally,
physically, emotionally) we are still the work of the Potter. We are image-bearers of a
good God who delights in His creation. Our responsibility then is to let people see God
through our lives, shining His light wherever we go. After all, we are just but a jar of Clay.
(Transitional statement to Point 2)
I just shared that God can use us powerfully if we recognise that we are Clay Jars.
God can also use us powerfully, if we recognise we are Down but not Out.
That brings me to the 2nd point of my message

Point 2:
Secondly, for God to use us powerfully, we need to recognize that we are Down but not
Out.
In V8-9, the NIV version says, We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not
destroyed.
The Apostle Paul proceeds to show that as Christians, we are not only a common Clay
Jar, but one that is battered as well. He mentions instances in his own life which were
impossible situations for men. In these two verses, four sets of words are used to
describe the battering of the clay vessel on one hand, and the miraculous deliverance by
the power of God on the other hand.
"Hard pressed," perplexed," "persecuted," and "struck down" all refer to the battering
which a Christian undergoes as a messenger of the gospel.
Can you identify with any of these words?
Think about the last time you felt so depressed and discouraged that you didn't know
which way to turn? ("Hard pressed, perplexed")
What about the time you tried to share your faith with that stranger @NEX who
rejected/mocked you? ("Persecuted, struck down")
These words - "But not crushed," "but not in despair," "but not abandoned," and "but
not destroyed" all refer to the deliverance which God is able to bring to any
"impossible" situation.
We can all recall those times when God stepped into our difficult situations and helped
"saved the day." Remember the time when God showed you the right scriptures that
spoke so specifically & "coincidentally" in your time of need?
Has there been a traumatic situation in your life through which you sensed the presence
of Christ with you in a new way?
Has there ever been a situation in which all natural means were at an end, and to your
amazement, you saw the power of God at work in an unbelievable way?
I believe sometimes God would intentionally permit the clay pots to be battered so that
He can exhibit His supernatural power in those situations.
In other words, it doesnt matter who you are - how spiritually mature, immature you
are, you are going to experience problems & pressures in life. Paul is saying that were
pressed on every side, the pressure of the world seems to be on this but were not
crushed! Why is that?
Well, Ive brought with me this morning 2 cans of coke. Let me use this to illustrate what
Im talking about. This particular can of real thing, the Coca Cola, its closed its
unopened and its still full. It still has something on the inside. And so, no matter how
hard I crush this can of coke, nothing happens to it. I understand if you apply the right
kind of pressure, sometimes it might crush but look I cant crush it with my bare hands,
can you? (Let someone try)

On the other hand, this is a can of coke, thats already been opened. Its got nothing on
the inside. And I can easily crush it. Immediately, it becomes crushed.
So what youre seeing trackers, what Im saying is that the 2nd can of coke which Ive just
showed you - which has got nothing on the inside, it was opened up to the world, all the
things that the world has to offer & as a result of that, because of the pressures of this
life, we get crushed.
But the 1st can, that was closed, the can that has something down on the inside, the
Word of God says in 1 John 4:4, Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the
world. So, because of He who is in us, the light that's on the inside, we can defeat all
those pressures, all those troubles that might be weighing us down. So that in Him, we
know that we have the Victory! We know that only He can fill us up!
How does this speak to us today?
Do we recognise that we are weak, we are frail, we are lame and yet, we are chosen
& loved by our Father? 1 Corinthians 1:28 says, God chose what is low and despised in
the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human
being might boast in the presence of God.
For some of you, you might feel like the 2nd can of coke, empty on the inside, doubting
whether God can get you out of your challenges where you felt hard pressed on every
side, perplexed, persecuted & struck down
The Spirit of God is telling you today that you will not be crushed, you will not be in
despair; you have not been abandoned and you would not be destroyed.
God is saying to you: In your weakness, I am made strong.

Conclusion
So, in summary, there are two truths:
1) We are just Clay Jars God and his light & truth are the point, not us. We are the
dearly loved work of the Potter. The work of God in the life of Jesus is revealed in and
thorough us. As we avail ourselves to serve Him, God has seen fit for us to be one of the
ways that His light shines out of the darkness.
2) We are Down but not out (still standing strong!) When opposition, slander, or
disappointment threatens to rob us of the victory, remember that no one can destroy
what God has accomplished through you.

Both are true. Both tell an important part of the story of the powerful work of God through
Jars of Clay like you and like me. So the question is, will you trust the One whose treasure is
in Jars of Clay? Let me close with this video..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzVT0kfkCGo

Altar Call
Will you be like one of these clay jars? I believe the Spirit of God has ministered to us today.
Right now, may I invite you to bow your heads and close your eyes as I pray for you? There
are 2 groups of people that I want to pray for today.
Firstly, I want to pray for those who wants to acknowledge that they are just Clay Jars.
Today, as you hear me share, you want God to be the Potter of your life, moulding you to be
the man or woman He has called you to be. Even in AlphaTrack, some of you may feel
handicapped, in all kinds of ways (mentally, spiritually, relationally, physically,
emotionally) but have you recognized that you are still the work of the Potter? We are
image-bearers of a good God who delights in His creation. Our responsibility then is to let
people see God through our broken lives, to shine His light wherever we go, in Punggol, in
Singapore, in all parts of the world. If that is you, you want God your Potter, to use you
powerfully as a Clay Jar, I want you to raise your hand to God, its not to me but its a
commitment between you and God. Thank you for that hand.
Secondly, I want to pray for those who want to Stand Strong in God regardless of what life
throws at you. As I shared the illustration of the 2 cans of coke, some of you identify with
the 2nd can of coke, where at times, even through serving in AlphaTrack, you feel drained &
weighed down by lifes struggles. Today, as you hear me share, you want to be like Paul,
carrying out your ministry, looking to God for strength. Depending not on yourself, but on
God. Just like the 1st can, that was closed, the can, which represents your life, one that has
Jesus on the inside. Ask yourself honestly today, have you been so caught up in the doing
rather than in the being? God says to you today, Greater is He who is in you than he who is
in the world. Do you want to commit to stand strong in God regardless of what life throws
at you, regardless of how tiring it may get, regardless of the persecutions you might face? If
that is you, I want you to raise your hand to God. Thank you for that hand.

Let us stand. As the worship leader ministers through this song, I want to invite those of you
who have lifted up their hands to respond by coming to the front. Make this song your
commitment today.
Take me, Mold me, Use me, Fill me ... I give my life to the Potters Hand
Call me, Guide me, Lead me, Walk beside me I give my life to the Potters Hand
Thank You Lord that we have this treasure in Clay Jars to show that this great power is from
You and not from ourselves. Use us Lord, as your instrument of blessing to those around us,
impacting lives wherever we go. Help us to delight in weaknesses, in hardships, in
persecutions, in difficulties. For when we are weak, then You are made strong. Stretch us
Lord to our potential, use us powerfully as #alphatrackbatch45, to fulfill Your Great
Commission.
In Jesus Name we pray, AMEN J