People God uses - 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

1 Corinthians 1:26–31 CSB

26 Brothers and sisters, consider your calling: Not many were wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. 27 Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. 28 God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, 29 so that no one may boast in his presence. 30 It is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us—our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption 31 —in order that, as it is written: Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.

Do you ever remember playing sport as a kid - especially in a public area. You got a whole bunch of kids wanting to play and 2 people are picked to be captains. The idea is that you want to pick the strongest team. I always seemed to be be one of the last - “Oh, I’ll take Bruce - he’s the best of the worst!” That is how the world lives.

Sometimes it feels like the reverse of that when it comes to the church. God’s team includes those who are weak. In actual fact it is weakness that God looks for. A prerequisite to coming to the saving knowledge of God as Saviour, is knowing my weakness and poverty.

In fact, Jesus opened the Sermon on the mount with these words...

Matthew 5:3 CSB

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

When the apostle Paul addresses these Christians in Corinth he knows they are weak and ordinary. Sometimes we might struggle, because of our weakness, to know how God could possibly use me.

I want to tell you today, when you are aware of your weakness, you are positioned to be used by God.

The cry of weak people is, “Help!” That cry opens doors.

That has always been God’s plan because God takes our weakness and uses it as an opportunity to bring to bring Himself glory! 

I love looking through the Bible and seeing God using weakness and turning into His glory - so that any boasting is in God.

Moses - stammers and has no confidence

Gideon - he’s weak and his people are small but God calls him a mighty warrior

Mary

Boy with loaves and fishes

Simon Peter - cracks under pressure

Matthew the tax collector

You and me

God uses ordinary people. This is how He does it!

1. God has given you a story

v26 - “Brothers and sisters, consider your calling...”

What is being said? Go back to the time when you heard the call from Jesus to follow Him. He is saying remember where you came from.

1.1. What you were like

Not many (possible some of you were) of you were:

Wise from a human perspective - we didn’t have all the answers.

Powerful - influential, strong.

Noble birth - I don’t know if there are any kings or queens here

What we learn is that there was nothing extraordinary about us. That’s normal for the church. But let’s also understand that sometimes God does break into the lives of the wise and powerful and those of noble birth.

For 7 years I worked in a school called African Leadership Academy. These were some of the brightest and most promising kids on the continent of Africa. But as I went on with them I discovered you can have the promise and potential, but if you are without Christ, you have nothing. You are still poor.

That’s why our story must include this 2nd part -

1.2. What God has done  

It’s a story of grace! He’s saying, being able to consider your calling is a celebration of God’s grace. You were nothing and I found you and called you and saved you.

He called you

Because He chose you

He adopted you - giving you a new identity - Sons of God.

He empowered you - given you His Holy Spirit so you can live in His way.

That’s a Gospel story. This celebrates the beauty and simplicity of the church. We're not this class of people who God looked at and said, "I need him and her!" You see, we're all broken in some way.

We’re not meant to be blandly ordinary!

Your story is what makes the church so beautiful. Out of such ordinary brokenness, God brings beauty and healing and life.

2. God has given you a purpose

1 Corinthians 1:27–28 CSB

27 Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. 28 God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something,

He is talking about God using people like you and me.

2.1. God wants to use you

He wants to use you in ways that are larger than you.

God wants us out of our comfort zones. This is about living by faith. There are times when we have got to trust God.

How do you do that?

2.2. God will empower you to fulfill His purpose

That’s living with a belief in the power of the Gospel v18

Sometimes we are fearful of what to say when we need to defend the faith and share Christ. Listen to Jesus words...

Matthew 10:19–20 CSB

19 But when they hand you over, don’t worry about how or what you are to speak. For you will be given what to say at that hour, 20 because it isn’t you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father is speaking through you.

That’s believing that God’s Spirit empowers you. When you read the NT you realise that when God empowered His people, He puts in them a fresh boldness.

Someone - an ordinary person - believed God and told you about the hope of eternal life that is found in Jesus alone.

That’s a life of faithful obedience that is dependent on God. This is living in such a way that I can’t get to the place and say, “Look what I did!” but say, “It couldn’t be me - Look what God has done!” God’s plan is so that no one may boast in His presence. God reminds us, “It’s not you, but Me at work in you!”

3. God has given you life

1 Corinthians 1:30 CSB

30 It is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us—our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption

This is the testimony of the Gospel in my own life. He made me alive.

Everything you are is because of Him!

He is my wisdom - it’s not about what I think any more. I don’t have to work it out because it has been worked out in Jesus.

He has saved you from the penalty of sin (righteousness), saving you from the power of sin (sanctification), and will save you from the presence of sin (redemption and glorification).

He is the source of your lives - from Him the power flows. He’s saying that all we do is because we worship.

4. God has given you a goal

Our boast is altogether in Him! The goal is to make it all about Him.

Maybe today you are feeling too old, too young, too rich or too poor. Maybe you feel too ordinary. God wants to use you - make yourself available to Him! God is saying, “You are the people I want to use!”

Jeremiah 9:23–24 CSB

23 “ ‘This is what the Lord says: The wise person should not boast in his wisdom; the strong should not boast in his strength; the wealthy should not boast in his wealth. 24 But the one who boasts should boast in this: that he understands and knows me— that I am the Lord, showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things. This is the Lord’s declaration.