The People God Chooses
THE PEOPLE GOD CHOOSES
AND USES
I COR. 1:26
See if God can use you. Survey. How many people when were in school were All-American? All State? Have a doctorate degree? P.h.d. M.D.? Ladies been Miss America or Miss Alabama or Miss Universe? President of high school or college class? Were voted most likely to succeed? Listed in who’s who? If you lifted hand for any of these God can use you but He’ll have to work harder to do it. God can but not His ideal plan. Plan is to take ordinary people and does extraordinary things through them to get glory for Himself.
GOD’S SIMPLE PEOPLE. Verse 27. Foolish means moron
The non-intellectuals. Those who were not the head of the class, don’t have a high I.Q., not phi beta kapa, God chooses the non-intellectuals to confound the intellectual top waters. Weak means those who are physically weak. Base means ignoble. Of low degree or without the proper predegree. Not a blue blood or from the wrong side of the track. Despised means those that are looked down upon from the world with ridicule and scorn. Things which are not. Not that they hate me but they don’t even know that I’m here. Didn’t even make who’s not. Never preach a sermon, sing a solo, never get name in bulletin, don’t even get to lead in silent prayer in the nursery. They are the ones that nobody notices. Now, these are the people that God’s chooses and uses.
Does not say not any mighty or noble. Thank God for the doctors that love Jesus. Thank God for the millionaires that love Jesus. Thank God for the All Americans that love Jesus. The Apostle Paul was one of these. Mighty. But before God could use him he said I count all these things but dung. Laid them in the dust before the Lord. Not putting a prieum on laziness or half heartedness. It doesn’t take much of a man to be a Christian it just takes all there is of him. Same thing intellectually. Study to show ourselves approved unto God. ( preacher and a fox hunter, hide myself in thy study) )Singer and don’t have the ability sing the sweetest sound for Jesus.
God doesn’t just say well I have to use these, not He chooses these. He is looking for them. GOD’S SPECIAL POWER. Verse 30. I am in Christ and Christ is in me and He is my wisdom. My righteousness. All I need. I may be ordinary but He is extraordinary. I learned many years after I had been in the ministry, its quite simple but very important. Learned that God didn’t want me to do anything for Him. He wanted to do something through me. More than tricks with words. Fundamental and basic truth need to get into your heart. In just my little old weak way. Philippians 2:13 “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” Not inhibited but inhabited.
Foolish things. Billy Sunday? Acrobatics on the platform. Break a chair across to get attention. Back flip to illustrate repentance. Don’t expect out of me. Strange things. God couldn’t use that. Over a million souls to Christ. Well, half million. Sometimes man been to seminary and all the polish and not used as Sunday and perplexed. Dr. Sounding brass and Prof. tinkling cymbal. Why? Sunday known as God’s joke on the ministry. God choose Him. (cigar like Charles Spurgeon, only way be like Spurgeon. Spurgeon’s brand and repented and quit.) God can take what world say is foolish and use.
Weak things. (Week of champions. Paul Anderson strongest in world. No. Ever a 97 lb weakling? Yes when I was 4 years old. Time of testimony. Man in wheel chair talked about his faith. Saw the joy and reality of his faith. That is real and if God can do that for him, he can for me.) God used a paraplegic in wheel chair.
Base things. Without pedigree. Gideon. Hail mighty man of valor. Was a chicken with a capital C. Afraid, fear and angel of the Lord. Chosen you. Be my general. Poorest family and I the least in the household. Of all the tribes, mine is the worse and of all the members of my family. Runt of the litter. God would even let him have a big army. God took a nobody general and a nothing army and who got the glory? God. Judges 6:11 “Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites.” Judges 6:34 “But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him.” ( coat wore Gideon like I’m wearing this coat.)
Despised. Looked down upon. David. Teenager boy against a mighty giant. 1 Samuel 17:44-47 And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” {45} Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. {46} “This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. {47} “Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.” If both had giants and did battle what that show? Just another super bowl. Who is the strongest? Suppose a Jr high school and plays the 49er’s and they say we are coming in the name of the Lord. What think people think then? Must be a God around here. To God be the glory.
Things that are not. God knows about them. (Sunday school teacher laid a trembling hand upon a shoe clerk. Refused church membership. D. L. Moody. Hundreds of thousands kids came to know Jesus. F. B. Mier Very erudite. Mistake. Heart on fire for God but untrained. Mier thought when be over. Death bed story. Tea with ladies. Wonderful set soul afire for souls. I learned the language of the soul. Mier came to college. Tell God not willing. Willing to be made willing. Willbur Chapman lot ability. Evangelist, Billy Sunday as helper. Sermon notes. 1924 came to Charlotte. Out revival a prayer meeting send a revival that not only will shake city but the world for Christ. In answer God sent Mordici Ham to Charlotte. In revival tall lanky teen ager got saved. Name Billy Graham. Circled world with gospel and amazing chain of events and started with a Sunday School teacher. Little nobodies. Kimbell. God know him. Not a cup of water given and forgotten.
GOD’S SOVERGNITY. Why? Verse 29. No peacocks in heaven, can’t strut to the cross. Bring back the glory. Highest place is the center of the will of God. If want to be used of God then you can. availability Inhabit my humanity. God has been looking for somebody just like you. Don’t insult the grace of God by saying that God can’t use you. He made you. And God’s people said? amen.