Introduction

·        Illustration: A college professor is pulled over for speeding, which the patrolman is willing to forgive until the professor corrects his grammar.

·        We have all developed mechanisms for handling criticism from others.

Our worst critics are usually ourselves.

·        Illustration:  Scholem Alechem said, "A man's worst enemy will never do him the harm he does to himself."

·        We are both blessed and cursed to know who we really are deep down inside.

·        Illustration: John Wooden said, "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

·        Self-criticism is a difficult thing to put in proper perspective.

·        God can use regular, ordinary, and even inadequate people in great ways.

·        The gospel is diametrically opposed to the culture we live in and are influenced by.

God built his church with ordinary people.

·        1 Corinthians 1:26

·        Illustration: The early church is full of ordinary people who reached out to the lowly, including: Jesus, Paul, and Philip.

·        Just like there's no room for prejudice, haughtiness, or snootiness in the church, there is also no room for self-loathing.

      -     Illustration: A quote from Elie Wiesel's The Fifth Son shows God chastising a             rabbi for seeking out sinners when God has already forgotten their sin.

·        God loves to use ordinary to prove how powerful he is.

      -     Illustration: A young girl with a cleft palate is changed forever when her teacher           whispers some encouraging words.

Conclusion

·        God has a burning desire to use us, to heal us, and to accept us into his presence.