(Clip) God Uses The Available
Chuck Smith teaches that God uses ordinary, available people to accomplish His purposes, confounding the wise through simple faith and obedience.
This sermon reflects on the speaker's journey of preparation by God from childhood, influenced by their mother's vow to the Lord. It emphasizes lessons of faith, obedience, trust, and humility learned through lean years and experiences of failure, leading to a realization that God's work is a mystery beyond human understanding. The speaker acknowledges being used by God despite not fitting the traditional scholarly image, highlighting how God uses simplicity to reveal profound truths and confound human wisdom.
Full Transcript
You know, I don't know, except that He seemed to be preparing me from early childhood. And maybe it goes back to my mother and her vow to the Lord. Give me, you know, through this son, I will fulfill my vow to you.
And the early preparation and filling my mind and heart with the Word of God. And then in the teaching me lessons of faith through those lean years where we just received so little salary. Being obedient.
Being, yes. And teaching me to trust in Him. Teaching me then, and I look at the experience of Corona the first time I was there.
And the failure. And that was an important lesson. So that when He finally got me to the place where He could then do what He was wanting to do, I wasn't going to take glory or try and take the credit for what He did.
I'm sure that God wants to work. But I think that so many times people have been destroyed because when they, God begins to use them, they begin to try and figure out why God used me. And I think it's a mystery.
I look at it and I wonder why did God use me? He uses the simple things He said to confound the wise. And so He, you know, I'm not a great, I love the Word of God. I love to study the Word of God, but I'm not what you would call a great scholar of the Word of God.
But yet He uses me. And probably because I'm not really what you would classify as a theologian. They usually are teaching in seminaries and not everybody can understand them.
But because I'm just a down-to-earth person, I can share the truths of God in an understandable, simple way, because that's the only way I can understand them myself. And so He uses that, you know, and those that are truly wise and all, they come and they can understand the success and all, because the things that they usually attribute success to are not here. And He's just using simple things to confound the wise.
Sermon Outline
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I
- Early preparation through childhood and family influence
- Importance of faith during lean years
- Learning obedience and trust in God
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II
- Experiencing failure as a lesson
- Avoiding pride when God uses you
- Understanding that God's ways are mysterious
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III
- God uses simple, available people
- Not relying on scholarly wisdom
- Sharing God's truth in an understandable way
Key Quotes
“He uses the simple things He said to confound the wise.” — Chuck Smith
“When He finally got me to the place where He could then do what He was wanting to do, I wasn't going to take glory or try and take the credit for what He did.” — Chuck Smith
“I'm not a great scholar of the Word of God, but yet He uses me.” — Chuck Smith
Application Points
- Trust God in your current circumstances, even when they seem difficult or lean.
- Remain humble and give God the glory when He uses you for His purposes.
- Focus on simple, faithful obedience rather than relying on intellectual ability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does God use ordinary people?
God uses ordinary people to demonstrate His power and confound the wisdom of the world.
How should one respond when God uses them?
One should remain humble and give God the glory rather than taking credit.
What role does failure play in God's preparation?
Failure teaches important lessons and prepares a person for God's work.
Is theological scholarship necessary to serve God?
No, God often uses simple, down-to-earth people to communicate His truths effectively.