Good morning,
Who does God use? The answer may surprise us.
This week we will look at a number of people and their status in life.
God chose the “…the foolish things of the world…”, “…the weak things of the world…”, and “…base things of the world…”. Not exactly who we would choose to develop a ministry to reach the world for Christ. From the outset God was looking for individuals who were teachable. Some were more teachable than others, but all were willing to be taught and used by God to do His will.
WHO DOES GOD USE?
“For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:27 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;28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:” (1 Corinthians 1:26-28)
INTRODUCTION
OLD TESTAMENT
Abel: keeper of the sheep (Genesis 4:2)
“And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.”
Enoch: walked with God (Genesis 5:24)
“And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.”
Noah: found grace in the eyes of the Lord/just and perfect man (Genesis 6:8-9)
“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”
Abram: cattleman (Genesis 13:2)
“And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.”
Joseph: shepherd/dreamer (Genesis 37:2, 5)
“These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.”
“And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.”
Moses: son of Pharaoh’s daughter (Exodus 2:10)
“And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.”
Rahab: harlot (Joshua 2:1)
“And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there.”
Deborah: prophetess/judge of Israel (Judges 4:2)
“And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.”
Barak: military leader (Judges 4:6)
“And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?
Gideon: threshed wheat by the winepress (Judges 6:11)
“And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.”
Jephthah: mighty man of valor, son of a harlot, deliverer of Israel (Judges 11:1)
“Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of a harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.”
Samson: Nazarite, deliverer of Israel (Judges 13:5)
“For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”
David: shepherd, harp player, king (1 Samuel 16:11, 16-18, 2 Samuel 2:4)
“And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.”
“Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.17 And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.18 Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him.”
“And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, That the men of Jabeshgilead were they that buried Saul.”
Esther: orphan Jewish girl (Esther 2:7)
“And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.”
These Old Testament individuals came from humble back rounds, wicked lifestyles, or circumstances that limited what it seemed possible for them to. Then God got a hold of their lives and transformed them into individuals worthy to proclaim God, His word, do His work, and ultimately to honor and glorify God.
NEW TESTAMENT
Paul: persecuted the believers in Christ (Acts 8:3)
“As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.”
Peter: fisherman (Matthew 4:18)
“And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.”
Matthew: tax collector (Mathew 9:9)
“And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.”
Little children: kingdom of God (Luke 18:15-17)
“And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.”
God chose to use a man who tried to destroy God’s people, an ignorant fisherman, a hated tax collector, and children to display His transforming power. The change was so complete they turned their world upside down for Christ. Thousands were saved because these men allowed Christ to teach them, encourage them, and ultimately indwell them with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit moved mightily in these men to change individuals, communities, and countries, and bring them to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Will we allow God to do that in us and through us?
Characteristics of people who God uses
Knew God
Faith in God
Righteous
Walked with God
Out of their weakness, God made them strong
Good testimony
Persevered
Did not quit
These people were common folk, who did uncommon tasks for God.
CHALLENGE TO SERVE
God does not want your ability, He wants your availability.
Who can God use?
YOU!
Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com
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