Dr. Brent Belford speaks from 1 Corinthians 1 on how God uses weak people for His gospel and His glory. He looks at what God does with weak people and why God does it the way He does. He encourages the students to consider their calling and gives examples from Scripture of weak and unlikely people that God used for His gospel.

Scripture Texts

1 Corinthians 1:26-31; 1 Corinthians 2:1-4; 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Main Points or Ideas

What God Does with Weak People (verses 26-28)

• Paul calls the Corinthians to consider the nature of their own calling—to look at themselves honestly
• Seven descriptions of the Corinthian believers: not many wise according to worldly standards, not many mighty, not many noble, God chose the foolish, the weak, the low and despised, and "things that are not" (worse than the have-nots—they're the "are nots" or "were nots")
• They were so little valued that they barely counted as individuals—they existed but were regarded as if they did not exist
• God delights to use weak people

Paul's Personal Testimony of Weakness

• Paul's preaching in Corinth: "I was with you in weakness, fear, and much trembling" (1 Corinthians 2:3)
• He did not use lofty speech or wisdom
• Some Corinthians said his "bodily presence is weak and his speech is of no account" (2 Corinthians 10:10)
• Second-century description: Paul was short, bald, with crooked legs, a unibrow, and a hooked nose—not a picture of strength

David's Selection as King

• God rejected Saul and chose David, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse
• Samuel looked at David's older brothers first, thinking they would be chosen based on appearance
• God said: "Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7)
• God selected and empowered the least obvious choice

Encouragement for the Weak

• God does not need gifted, noble, powerful, or intelligent people
• He needs weak people, lowly people, willing people, surrendered people that He can empower for His glory
• God chose the foolish to shame the wise, the weak to shame the strong, and the nothings to nullify the things that are

Why God Does It This Way (verses 29-31)

To Silence Human Beings (verse 29)

• "So that no human being might boast in the presence of God"
• God's ultimate purpose in using weak vessels is that all flesh would be silenced before Him
• If anything good comes from a misfit, everyone will know the power belongs to God, not the person
• Personal testimony: At age 17, the speaker surrendered to pastoral ministry at camp, but the next day his youth pastor predicted he would be a used car salesman (not a pastor like his two friends)—yet God had a different plan so that if good things happened, everyone would know the power was God's

So That Silenced People Might Boast in Jesus (verses 30-31)

• "Because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption"
• God opened our eyes to see the wisdom and power of the cross
• Through Christ we receive gifts of righteousness, sanctification (holiness), and redemption (freedom from slavery to sin)
• God does this "so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord'" (quoting Jeremiah 9)
• Illustration: A 90-pound man holding an elephant gun—no one asks how he did it; the strength lies entirely in the weapon
• The strength lies entirely in the gospel of Jesus Christ, not in the messenger

Conclusion

God doesn't need the naturally strong because the power of God is in the gospel of His Son Jesus. Believers should commit to do whatever God asks in their weakness so they can make much of Jesus, knowing that weak people with a powerful gospel bring glory to God alone.