God Uses the Average Joe

“God Uses the Average Joe”

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How many of you feel like an average Joe, or a plain Jane? Most of us do! I pick on Tess a lot about the

Hallmark channel, she tapes and watches those movies when she is ironing. I have been talked into watching a few of the Hallmark movies with her; a man will do a lot of things for some sugar brother, can I get a witness! One movie I watched with her was “Sara, Plain and tall” what can I tell you about that movie? The lady was PLAIN and Tall. I am not being mean; that is the way she described herself!

There are a lot of us who would describe ourselves that way; average, plain and tall, or short, but ordinary. Now I know you are special to God, and your mama, but there’s nothing that sets you apart from millions of people that are just like you.

· You’ve never won the Heisman trophy.

· You’ve never won America Idol.

· You’ve never starred in a reality show.

· You’ve never ran for political office.

· You’re not a fighter pilot.

You and I are none of the things that make it hard for us to go out in public, nobody ask to take a picture with me when I go to Walmart.

You are just an average person, you love your spouse, work your job, pay your bills, help your kids do homework, visits your aging parent, you watch T,V. you come to church, and try to live a good life. Let me ask you Mr. and Mrs. Average; Can God use you? Does God use average Joe’s, and Plain Jane’s to do His work in the world? Can God use you to accomplish His will? Yes He can!!! God uses average people!! And I am extremely glad He does!! Because I am an ordinary guy, saved by the grace of God, but there is nothing special about me outside of Jesus Christ living in me!

Abraham Lincoln said “God must love ordinary people, He made so many of them”.

I found a verse several years ago that has been a tremendous encouragement to my life.

-For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; That no flesh should glory in his presence.

God uses average Joe’s so when People see the wisdom, righteousness, growth, and blessing on their life they will say that weak, average, unknown guy didn’t do that; God did that; give all the Glory to God!! God gets glory out of using the average person to accomplish great things!

Isaac is an example of that; not that much is said about Isaac in the Bible. Someone describe Isaac as “The son of a famous father; and the father of a famous son”.

The two words that best describe him are ordinary and overshadow. Whenever he is talked about it is in connection with his father or his son. He lived a longer life than his father or his son, but far less is said about him. He is an Average Joe; we are told he was, “A plain man living in tents” ()

Plain means he was; gentle, kind, a quiet kind of guy. We are told when he meet Rebekah he was walking and mediating in the field. He is not the out-front guy, he is behind the scenes, quiet, not a strong leader, not like his dad or his son.

is the only chapter in Genesis that talks about Isaac’s life exclusively, but God used him, he was a key part of God’s plan of redemption. He is recorded by name throughout the N.T. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and he is recorded by name in the Hall of Faith in .

God’s faithfulness to him, motivated him to be faithful to God, and we find him in the Hall of the faithful. Because he was faithful to God he became a living link in the line of the Savior of the world!

I want us to see three facts involved in an average Joe being used by God:

Fact #1:

1. Obedience Leads to Blessing!

V:1-13.

There comes a famine in the Land of Canaan, just like in the days of Abraham. When the famine came on Abraham he went down to Egypt; which is not want God told him to do, or wanted him to do. He made that decision independent of God, he didn’t pray about what God would have him to do, he just did what he thought was good. And it was a bad decision, he almost lost his wife to the Pharaoh, and lost his testimony.

Well Isaac is on the road to Egypt, V:1-“Gerar” is on the road to Egypt, it is a broader city to Egypt, he is about to make the same mistake his daddy made.

But God comes to him and says, V:2-3-Read.

God says my will for you is for you to, V:3-“Sojourn here in this land and I will be with you and will bless you”

Don’t run down to Egypt, which is a type of the world, stay in the place I put you, trust me.

When difficult comes, and our faith is tested one of the things we are tempted to do abandon the place God has us, and run to the world to help us. That is what Abraham did; and that is what Isaac is about to do!

But let me remind you the safest place in the world for the child of God is in the will of God!!

Don’t run to the world; trust God, obey God!!

This was a major test of Isaac’s faith, humanly speaking, to stay in Gerar in time of famine meant death to him and his flocks.

But God told Isaac to stay put, and I will bless you, and keep the promise I gave your father:

· I am going to give you all this Land.

· I am going to multiply your family.

· I am going to bless the world through you.

The blessing of God are based on obedience:

V:5-“Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

God says I will bless you if you obey me; the proof that I will bless you is your father, he obeyed me and I blessed him; and I will do the same for you.

Notice in V:5, the five “my’s” my voice, my charge, my commandments, my statutes, my laws.

God is saying to Isaac, be like your father obey me!

You obey me like that; and I bless you too!!

The key to a life of success, a life of blessing is obedience.

It is in the place of obedience that we experience the presence of God, and the blessings of God!

What greater blessing can we experience than the presence of God!

Isaac was to stay in the geographical location and God would be with him there, and bless him there.

God has a place for you to live, work, play, worship, and glorify Him! For you and me it is the city of Springfield. I love our city!!! I KNOW I am in the place God put me, and God has blessed me and my family here!!

We also need to be in the right Spiritual location in our lives; we are in Christ Jesus, your live is hid with Christ in God. As a Christian you need to be in the right place in your prayer life, devotional life, church life, financial life, witnessing life, marital life, and family life.

We must be in the right place spiritual in these area it we are going to experience the blessings of God on our lives!

Are you living in obedience in these areas of your life? Obedience brings the blessing of God on our lives, and the lives of those who come behind us!!

Isaac and his family enjoyed the blessing of God because Abraham was obedient; Isaac must obey God to continue to experience God’s blessing, and passed them on to the next generation.

Isaac hears the word of God and he obeys,

V:6-“Isaac dwelt in Gerar”

He did what God told him to do, and he is going to experience the presence of God, and the blessing of God because of his obedience.

You see this and you say, way to go Isaac!!

You would think after having God appear to him and tell him he would be with him and bless him in Gerar, he would have courage to be faithful and truthful. But he doesn’t, he lied to the men of Gerar about his wife,V:7-READ. Who does that sound like? Like father, like son.

How cowardly, how selfish, how faithless; Isaac had obeyed God and he stayed in Gerar. But he didn’t really believe in his heart that God was with him. If he had of he wouldn’t have been afraid, and lied about his wife.

It is one thing to be told and affirm theologically that God is with you, Omnipresent; but it another thing to have that truth dominate and control how you live every day. Recognizing God’s presence crushes the temptation to compromise in our lives.

God’s presence puts the fear of man to flight, knowing God is with me, watching me, puts steel in my backbone.

Isaac doesn’t believe God is presence to protect him, therefore he lies!

You don’t read about any blessing on Isaac’s life in V:7-11, because though he is in the right place geographically he is not in the right place spiritual!

There are no blessing from God on our lives when we are living in sin, and unbelief!

God in His grace allows Isaac’s lies to be discovered, V:8-Read. The best thing that can happen to you is to get discover!!

Abimelech the king of the Philistines looks out the window and see “Isaac sporting with Rebekah…”

This does not mean they were playing crockery on the lawn of the philistine white house…

He is having fun with Rebekah in a most unsisterly kind of way. The idea is hugging, caressing, teasing, and grabbing her. The king sees this and says, that is NOT his sister!!! He calls Isaac in and rebukes him for lying. He says to Isaac, your lie could have cause someone to take your wife, and then we would have sinned!! Your lie could have lead someone else to sin.

We need to remember that someone is always “looking out of their window” at you and me.

When you sin, you may be sure that a nonbeliever is watching through some window. When we live in fear instead of faith, we will cause other to stumble.

In . The apostle Paul was burdened over God’s name being blasphemed and his preaching being rejected because of way professing believers where living.

The blessings of God require Obedience to the Word of God! Sin and disobedience robs us of the blessings of God on our life; and hurts our testimony!

As soon as Isaac got right with God and Abimelech look what happened, V:12-13-Read.

Obedience Leads to Blessing! Isaac and his neighbors had access to the same soil, and they depended on the same sunshine and rain, but Isaac's harvests was greater than theirs, and his flocks and herds multiplied more abundantly. The secret? God kept His promise and blessed Isaac in all that he did. There was no explanation for Isaac receiving a hundredfold in the middle of a famine, except God!! God blesses and uses obedient people no matter how average they are; obedience puts us in the position to be blessed by God.

Fact #2:

2. Blessing Leads to Opposition!

V:14-22.

The Philistines saw the blessings on his life,

V:14-“ the philistines envied him”.

When God blesses you Someone who will be jealous.

V:15-“ For all the wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth”.

The jealous lead to opposition and aggression, they filled up the well that belong to Isaac with dirt! The enemy went to the source of the blessing-water in the desert and stopped them up. When you have the hand of God on your life, and your marriage is strong, and your kids are living for Jesus, and you are seeing a spiritual harvest, the enemy of your soul is going to oppose you!! And what he’s going to try to do is stop up the wells that are the source of your spiritual life and blessings!

What does Isaac do when the enemy stopped up the wells?

V:18-“Isaac digged again the wells of water that his father had dug”

And that is what we must do when the enemy stops up the source of spiritual life, refreshment and Joy.

The source of spiritual life, blessings, joy, strength, and refreshing in the desert of this world is:

· The Well of the Joy of Salvation.

You cannot lose your salvation, but you can lose the joy of your salvation; the world, flesh and the Devil wants to stop up the well of the Joy of your salvation!

-“Therefore with joy shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation”.

We need to drop the bucket of our mind into the well of our memory and draw up the Joy of our salvation. Because Jesus went to the Cross and died for your sin you have salvation and eternal life. Remember when it was and how it was when Jesus saved your soul and changed your life! Your sin are forgiven, Jesus is your Lord and Savior, and you are a child of the King!

In , Jesus meet a woman that was lost in sin, looking for fulfillment in bad relationships, and false religion. -“But whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

Salvation is a well of satisfaction, joy, and peace!

When we lose the joy of our salvation, we need to do what King David did!

David confessed his sin in , and asked God to restore unto him the Joy of his salvation.

Dig the dirt of sin out of the well of your heart and experience the joy of your salvation!

· There is the well of the Scripture.

The Bible is a well spring of knowledge, it is the fountain of truth; it is water for our thirst souls.

We are refreshed in its pages, we are washed by the water of the word, .

· There is the well of Prayer.

Prayer is one of the great sources of Spiritual strength and refreshing, to spend time in prayer is life taking a cold drink on a hot day; prayer is like an Oasis in the desert of this world.

It was in prayer that the early church, experienced a refreshing from the presence of the Lord!

· There is the well of the Church.

The fellowship of God’s church is a well of refreshing water in this world. We are told that after Peter and John were let go from the threats of the Sanhedrin they went to their own company, and were refreshed and strengthened.

-“For they have refreshed my spirit and yours: therefore acknowledge ye them that are such.

We don’t need to be looking for something new, what we need is to do is dig again the old wells of spiritual life that God's people have depended on from the beginning—the Word of God, prayer, worship, faith, the power of the Spirit, sacrifice, and service—wells that we've allowed the enemy to fill up. Whenever there's been a revival of spiritual power in the history of the church, it's been because somebody has dug again the old wells so that God's life-giving Spirit can be free to work.

What’s in your spiritual well that need to be cleaned out? Have you allow the philistines/world to fill up the well with dirt, sin; if so, today clean it out!!

Have you filled up the well of you time with God with all kinds of things; and now your no longer drawing from the water of the Word, prayer, fellowship? Clear some of that stuff out of your life, so you can draw spiritual water for your thirsty soul. We need to drink deep from the water of life every day because this world will dry you out!!

The enemy does like you being blessed spiritually; and he will oppose you, and try to fill the sources of your spiritual life with sin and stuff, so you’re not drawing what you need from them! Unless you clean them out, and draw spiritual water from them you will dry up!

LISTEN, the enemy will fight over every spiritual well, V:2-E-sek-contention, V:21-Sit-nah-fighting.

Don’t give the enemy your wells!!

Fact #3:

3. Opposition Leads to Opportunity!

V:23-33.

The Philistines fought, opposed Isaac everywhere he went, so he just kept moving and digging, and re-digging the wells and experience the blessing of God on his life. Everywhere he dug a well he found water; in the desert, in the middle of a famine.

The blessing of God on Isaac, and the way he responded the opposition from the enemy caused them to see that there was something different about him.

They ask themselves; what gives him peace and calm in the midst of trouble?

How does he keep going when we stop up his wells, and steal the ones he digs?

As they looked at his life, and response to the trouble of life they came to the conclusion that God was with him.

V:28-“ And they said, we saw certainly that the Lord was with you… let make a peace pack.

V:29-“You are now the blessed of the Lord”.

His life brought glory to God!! They now know that it was God who help him find water, it was God that multiplied his crops, cattle and servants in the middle of a resection. God did the impossible with average Joe!

And the lost world saw God’s hand on him; and how he responded to opposition and that gave him the opportunity to be a witness of God to 3 Philistine kings!

They share a meal together, and I can’t help but believe him told them how to have peace with God!!

The way we live our life, and the way we responded to those who hate us, persecute us, disagree with us gives us an opportunity to share with them the love and power of the gospel!!

This chapter closes with Mr. Ordinary sitting down with Philistine kings talking about the blessings of God!!

God wants to use you no matter how ordinary you may feel you are!! The way to positon yourself to be used by God is start out with Obedience; obedience Leads to Blessing, Blessing Lead to Opposition; Opposition Leads to Opportunity to share the difference Jesus makes in your life!