.
If you would all please find your seats and we'll begin with our Sunday night service.
Once you find your seats and turn in your hymnals, let's go to hymn number 143.
We'll begin tonight with hymn number 143.
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine, number 143.
Once you find your place, we'll start on that first verse.
We'll begin tonight with hymn number 143.
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine, number 143.
Let's sing it out nice and loud all together on this first verse.
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine,
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine,
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, lost in His blood,
This is my story, this is my song,
Raising my Savior all the day long,
This is my story, this is my song,
Raising my Savior all the day long,
The Word is a mission, perfectly mine,
Visions of rapture, numbers on my side,
Angels descending, rain from above,
Echoes of mercy, whispers above,
This is my story, this is my song,
Raising my Savior all the day long,
This is my story, this is my song,
Raising my Savior all the day long,
The Word is a mission, perfectly mine,
I am my Savior and I am blessed,
Watching Him waving, looking at love,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His blood,
This is my story, this is my song,
Raising my Savior all the day long,
This is my story, this is my song,
Raising my Savior all the day long,
The only way this is going to work is if you watch me, alright?
So on that chorus, this is my story,
This is my story, this is my song,
Raising my Savior all the day long,
This is my story, this is my song,
Raising my Savior all the day long,
Man, nearly passed out there.
But that's Brother Kevin Rowe.
Father in Heaven, thank you for the opportunity for us to be here tonight in church.
I pray that you'll fill us all with your spirit as we sing praises to you.
And please bless the preaching to follow.
It's in Christ's name I pray. Amen.
Amen. Up to hip number 303.
My faith looks up to thee.
Hip number 103.
Three hundred and three, my faith looks up to thee.
Three, zero, three, let's sing it.
All this verse first, all together now.
My faith looks up to thee,
Thou, Lamb of Calvary,
Savior divine,
How here he while I pray,
Take all my guilt away,
O, then become this day,
Behold, divine.
May thy rich praise impart,
Strength to my fainting heart,
My zeal in strife,
As thou hast died for me,
O, may my love to thee,
Go forth and change us,
Be a living part.
While my start pays my strength,
Then grace around me spread,
Be thou my God.
In darkness turned to day,
My sorrows tears away,
Lord, let me ever stray from thee aside.
When as my strength's a dream,
When death's bones so extreme,
Shall o'er be grown,
Blessed Savior then in love,
Fear and distrust removed,
O, bear me safe above,
A ransom's soul.
All right, this time we'll go through our announcements.
If you need a bulletin, go ahead and slip up your hand.
One of the gentlemen will bring you one.
As always, we have our service times every Sunday
at 10 30 a.m. again at 6 p.m.
Make sure I got that right. I get confused being in Tucson.
Yes, 6 p.m. up here.
Wednesdays at 7 p.m. we'll be in Ezekiel chapter 13.
We've got the church-wide soul-winning listed below that,
as well as the salvation baptisms.
Happy birthday to everybody celebrating a birthday in the month of November,
and also happy wedding anniversary as well to those celebrating in the month of November.
Don't forget the church picnic is coming up on Saturday, November 20th at noon,
so typically that was something we did later in the afternoon, but we're moving that ahead.
Make sure you go to that exact address that's there,
or you're going to end up somewhere near the zoo.
If you just put it into Google, put in 1000 North College Avenue.
If you can, please bring a dish to pass on the back.
Continue to pray for Brother Raymond as he's recovering from malaria.
Last I heard, the last report I got was last night, or yesterday sometime,
and it sounds like he's on the mend, but that he is,
he had to get a blood transfusion, I guess.
So, this is actually all turning out for the best,
because at the beginning we were all very concerned,
because they didn't even know what he had.
They couldn't diagnose it.
Malaria is like 20,000 people or something like that,
get that in the U.S. every year,
so it's a very rare thing to get,
but praise God the area will identify it,
and he's on the road to recovery,
but do continue to pray for him.
Pray for Pastor as well, he's got,
he doesn't have malaria, thank God, but he is sick,
so do pray for him that he recovers.
And then don't forget, we'll be taking a group photo
for the yearbook immediately after the morning service next Sunday,
so if you could come out and get us a good shot,
we're going to do that next Sunday.
And then there's some details there about the zip line tour.
Mrs. Anderson I know isn't feeling well either right now,
so if you want to participate in this,
you're going to probably have to reach out to her via Facebook
or however else you can get ahold of her,
or you can come to us here and we can try to work that out.
But those details are there,
don't forget the other upcoming events,
we've got the Spanish night,
and all small town soul winning has been postponed,
obviously because of Raymond's the one heading that up,
so we're going to postpone that until he's back on his feet,
and that's going to do it for announcements,
so go ahead and count up the soul winning
going back to Thursday the 4th,
got two there, anybody else on Thursday?
And what about Friday?
One there, one there.
Anything else for Friday, got you two?
Okay, Saturday, anything for Saturday?
And today we'll start with the van?
Six for the van, anything else outside the van?
Two there, three there, anything else for today?
Okay, I see that hand, see that hand,
any other hand, there's another one, see?
Alright, that will do it for announcements,
so go ahead and sing one more song
before we get into the preaching tonight.
Alright, you should find the insert of Rejoice in the Lord.
If you don't have one, please raise your hand.
God never moves without purpose or plan.
Let's sing it out on this first verse together.
God never moves without purpose or plan
When trying, servant, and molding of man
Give thanks to the Lord, though your testing seems long
In darkness he giveth a song
Oh rejoice in the Lord, he makes no mistake
In the wake, the end of each path that I take
For when I am tried and purified
I shall come forth as gold
I could not see through the shadows ahead
So I looked at the cross of my Savior's dead
I bowed to the will of the Master that day
Then peace came and tears fled away
Oh rejoice in the Lord, he makes no mistake
We know with the end of each path that I take
For when I am tried and purified
I shall come forth as gold
Now I can see testing comes from above
God strengthens his children and purges them of love
My Father knows best and I trust in his care
Through purging or fruit I will bear
Oh rejoice in the Lord, he makes no mistake
We know with the end of each path that I take
For when I am tried and purified
I shall come forth as gold
Amen and your hymnals now, please turn to hymn number 468
Any other words for this? Isn't he wonderful, hymn number 468?
Or song number 468?
We'll sing it twice, isn't he wonderful?
468
Isn't he wonderful, wonderful, wonderful
Isn't Jesus my Lord, wonderful
I shall sing his ever-ending story in the Word
Isn't Jesus my Lord, wonderful
Isn't he wonderful, wonderful, wonderful
Isn't Jesus my Lord, wonderful
I shall sing his ever-ending story in the Word
Isn't Jesus my Lord, wonderful
Alright this time we'll go ahead and pass the offering plate
As the plate goes around you can follow along with brother Daniel as he reads from Judges chapter 3, Judges chapter number 3 tonight
Judges chapter 3 the Bible reads
Now these are the nations which the Lord left to prove Israel by them even as many of Israel had as had not known all the wars of Canaan
Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know to teach them war at the least such as before knew nothing thereof
Namely five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites that dwelt in Mount Lebanon from Mount Baal-Erman unto the entering in of Hamath
And they were to prove Israel by them to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the Lord which he commanded their fathers by the hands of Moses
And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites and Amorites and Perizzites and Hivites and Jebusites
And they took their daughters to be their wives and gave their daughters to their sons and served their gods
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and forgot the Lord their God and served Balaam in the groves
Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel and he sold them into the hands of Chushan Rishatham, king of Mesopotamia
And the children of Israel served Chushan Rishatham eight years
And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel who delivered them
Even Othniel, the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother
And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he judged Israel and went out to war
And the Lord delivered Chushan Rishatham, king of Mesopotamia, into his hands
And his hand prevailed against Chushan Rishatham
And the land had rest forty years, and Othniel, the son of Kenaz, died
And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord
And the Lord strengthened Eglon, the king of Moab, against Israel
Because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord
And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek
And went and smote Israel and possessed the city of palm trees
So the children of Israel served Eglon, the king of Moab, eighteen years
But when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised them up a deliverer
Ehud, the son of Gerah, a Benjamite, a man left-handed
And by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon, the king of Moab
But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length
And he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh
And he brought the present unto Eglon, king of Moab
And Eglon was a very fat man
And when he had made an end to Ah for the present
He sent away the people that bear the present
But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal
And said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king
Who said, Keep silence
And all that stood by him went out from him
And Ehud came unto him
And he was sitting in a summer parlor
Which he had for himself alone
And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee
And he arose out of his seat
And Ehud put forth his left hand
And took the dagger from his right thigh
And thrust it into his belly
And went in after the blade
And the fat closed upon the blade
So that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly
And the dirt came out
Then Ehud went forth through the porch
And shut the doors of the parlor upon him
And locked them
When he was gone out his servants came
And when they saw that behold the doors of the parlor were locked
They said, Surely he covereth his feet in his summer chamber
And they tarried till they were ashamed
And behold, he opened not the doors of the parlor
Therefore they took a key and opened them
And behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth
And Ehud escaped while they tarried
And he passed beyond the quarries and escaped unto Seirath
And it came to pass when he was come
That he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Viphraim
And the children of Israel went down with him from the mount
And he before them
And he said unto them, Follow after me
For the Lord hath delivered your enemies
The Moabites into your hand
And they went down after him
And took the fords of Jordan toward Moab
And suffered not a man to pass over
And they slew of Moab at that time
About ten thousand men, all lusty
And all men of valor
And their escape not a man
For the Lord hath delivered Israel
And the land had rest four score years
And after him was Shamgar, the son of Anath
Which slew of the Philistines six hundred men
With an ox goad
And he also delivered Israel
Father in heaven, I pray that you please bless
Brother Corbin as he preaches your word
And help us, your children, obey your word
In Jesus' name I pray, Amen
Amen, so in Judges chapter 3 there
We've got this cool story there
Beginning of verse 12 about Ehud
Which is a place during a time when
You know Israel's first getting into
The system of the judges and
There's a lot of forsaking of the Lord
Going on and God's constantly having to
Bring up another deliverer to
Bring Israel back and to the Lord
To keep them from continuing to backslide
And one of the judges that I want to look at
Is of course here Ehud in verse 12 it says
And the children of Israel did evil again
In the sight of the Lord
And the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab
Against Israel because they had done evil
And they gathered unto him the children of
Amun and Amalek and went and smote Israel
And possessed the city of palm trees
So the children of Israel served Eglon
The king of Moab eighteen years
But the children of Israel cried unto the Lord
And the Lord raised them up a deliverer
Ehud the son of Gerah a Benjamite
A man left handed and by him
The children of Israel sent a present unto
Eglon the king of Moab
And the thing I want to kind of point out here
About Ehud is the fact that the Bible
Is real clear to tell us
Which hand was dominant
It says there that he was a man left handed
And of course this plays into the story
There's a real specific reason why
The Bible is pointing this out
But it's interesting that the Bible
Often points this out that
You know when we are dealing with
Left handed individuals okay
I won't turn you to all the passages
But we'll just remember 1 Chronicles chapter 12
When we had those that came to David
And Ziklag
There was those that came to him
And they could do what?
They were armed with bows and could use
They were shooting arrows out of a bow
Even of Saul's brethren of Benjamin
So this was something that they were
Really skilled at
They were so good with these weapons
That they could use not only the right hand
But also the left okay
And then again in Judges if you were to go
To chapter 20 we won't
But if you remember again the tribe of Benjamin
There were 700 chosen men left handed
Everyone could sling stones at inherent breath
And not miss
So the Bible is pointing out
These left handed individuals
Of Benjamin
It's always these people from the tribe of Benjamin
That are left handed
You know and before I get into this
I just want to make a disclaimer
I'm not trying to make any left handed
People feel awkward tonight okay
I don't think you're a freak or anything like that
Alright you couldn't help it
If you're left handed
But you know I briefly looked at some statistics
About being left handed
And it's actually pretty interesting
How rare it is to be left handed
I think the one I looked at
Is the science here
But you know just from what I saw on Google
For whatever that's worth
You know even a person who has two left handed
Parents only has like 24 percent chance
Of being left handed
So that's pretty interesting you know
Even if both your parents are left handed
You would think oh you're definitely
Going to have a left handed child
No there's actually only 25 percent chance
That that child that two left handed parents
Will have will turn out left handed
Not that there's anything wrong
With turning out left handed okay
You know they have to reach around
When they write and everything like that
It's a difficulty but it's something
That we take note of isn't it
So that makes you a little different
Not necessarily in a bad way
You know but it is something that we take note of
And I think the Bible's kind of pointing this out to us
So that we can understand a principle here
And that is that you know if we have some kind of a
You know not necessarily a flaw
But maybe there's just something about us
That other people perceive about us
Or maybe it's just something an opinion
That we have about ourselves
That we think well God can't use me
For this reason right
And Ehud here he was a man left handed
He was a little different than everybody else
But God was still able to use him
In a mighty way
And again I'm not saying if you're left handed
You know you're probably doubting
Whether or not God can use you
I'm using this to kind of extrapolate
And say hey you know being left handed
Is kind of different
And sometimes we think that we're so different
Or that we have some maybe even a perceived flaw
That we think well God can't use me
For the truth
God can use us in spite of ourselves
And we see here how God was able to use
A man who was a little different
Right and able to accomplish something
Great for God
So if you would go over to 1 Corinthians chapter 12
1 Corinthians chapter 12
Keep something in Judges 3 we're going to come back
But go over to 1 Corinthians chapter number 12
1 Corinthians chapter number 12
So Ehud he's a left handed man
Right and people would think you know
What's the significance of that
Well I think the Bible's showing us
That God can still use us
And we should never dismiss people
And say well you know God can't use this person
Because they're this or because they're that
You know God can never you know
So and so can never be a preacher
Because they're just too much this way
You know or that person could never win souls
Because they have this flaw
Or they have that flaw
Or you know that wife that mother
She'll never raise godly children
Because she has some kind of a background
Or you know she has some kind of flaw
We should never think like this
Because there are people in some way
That God can't use us God can still use us
He can use a man left handed
That's the title of the sermon a man left handed
Well you're there in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 20
It says in verse 20
But now there are many members yet but one body
And the eye cannot say unto the hand
I have no need of thee
Nor again the head to the feet
I have no need of you
Nay much more those members of the body
Which seem to be more feeble are necessary
And those members of the body
Upon these we bestow more abundant honor
Now he's saying there in verse 23
Those members which we think to be less honorable
He says upon these we bestow more honor
More abundant honor
You know we kind of this reminds me of
You know a lady she might have a blemish or something
Not that it ever happens here
But you know what do they do
They bestow more abundant honor upon that
They take a little more time in the mirror
To do whatever they do to cover that up
And you know we do things like that
We think there's some part of our body
Or something about our physicality
That is coming up short
We might take the time to address that in some way
You know I think about for myself
Like if you have back pains
You know I'm kind of confessing a fault here
And I'm sure other people can relate to this
If you have back pain
I got a name in there that's good
You know it might be because of the fact
That you have a weak core right
So you know I know it's true
All right I know it's hard to believe
That we should bestow more abundant honor on
Right so we should never look at a part of the body
And of course this is being in the context of the church
And say well that person you know
They can't do anything for God
We should actually bestow more abundant honor on them
The Bible says
Just like we would our body
He says verse 24
For our comely parts have no need
But God hath tempered together the body
Tempered the body together
Having given more abundant honor to that part
Which lacked
Now if you would go over to 2 Corinthians chapter 12
And say well that thing about you
That is a little different
That might be the exact thing that God uses
To work in your life and the lives of others
You know and when I was
You know thinking about the sermon
I was just thinking about how sometimes
You know specifically when it comes to
Like people who are going to be preachers one day
Right like some people might say
You know that that person I don't think
They would make a good preacher because
Of some attribute they have
When in fact that attribute that they have
Could be what appeals to other people
Or might appeal to
You know this is something I thought about
You know quite a bit and been reminded
About quite a bit
Is the fact that you know different preachers
Are going to appeal to different people
We don't want to have preachers
That are all the same
We don't want to have guys that all preach the same
Have the same demeanor
So on and so forth
Or have the same attitude or whatever
It's good to have a variety of people
When it comes to preachers
Because you know some people might be
Preachers are preaching the same message
They both got the King James Bible
They're both preaching the right salvation
They're both preaching the same doctrine
You know that's why God sometimes
Even gives these people different attributes
That's why we have differing personalities
And things like that
So we should never write people off like that
And we can apply that to soul winning too
You know that's a fact
There's some people that you're going to go knock
On their door and they're not going to give you
The time of day
But then some you know so and so
Is something you know more subtle
I don't know exactly what it's going to be
But they'll listen to that person
You know I find that a lot when ladies go soul winning
It seems like ladies tend to do better
Than the men when they go out soul winning
Because they're probably a little bit less
Curt at the door
They're a little more gentler
You know they're a little bit easier to look at
When you have to talk to somebody that long
This is a fact
This is something I've noticed
You know that when people certain people go out
They might have success
So we should never pick people apart
Over some perceived flaw
You know of course I'm using EHUD
Using a little liberty there
In that passage to say
Well you know he's left handed
And everyone knows how those left handed people are
They can't do anything for God
We don't want to have that type of attitude
To say well this person
God can't use them the same way that they could use this person
Because there's just something about them that's different
We should never have that attitude
In fact it's the things that we would think
Are a drawback to us that God would actually use
And if you look at 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 9
He said
And he said unto me my grace is sufficient for thee
For my strength is made perfect in weakness
He said my strength is made perfect in weakness
You know when we have some kind of flaw
When we have something that's maybe not just so
Maybe something that's maybe even a little bit of a detriment to us
You know that helps keep people humble
You know sometimes when people get a little too puffed up
Or they think they've got it all together
They're not going to be able to use that person
Because God resists the proud but gives grace unto the humble the Bible says
So we need to have people who are willing to look beyond their faults
Look beyond their shortcomings
And let God use them
Because that's the type of people that God wants to use
People that are going to not think highly of themselves
And that's why God often I think will give us
Something that might be what others would consider
A flaw or something that's not perfect in some way
Now if you would go back to Judges chapter 3
Judges chapter 3 you know the Bible says in Proverbs 18
A man's gift maketh room for him and bringeth him before great men
You know and that this proverb applies to Ehud in several different ways
You know he had this gift one for making knives
We'll see that right that's a skill that he had
But you know his gift or maybe what made him different
Was the fact that it was left-handed and what did it do
It brought him before a great man
You know you could say in what sense was he great
You know he was physically great right
He certainly wasn't great in the godly way
He was a very wicked man
But he was a man of power and stature and position
And the gift that Ehud brought him before this man
You know and when God gives us gifts
And God gives us maybe something that makes us a little different
Or maybe we have a different personality
We're not like somebody else
That might be the thing that God designs to use in our lives
To bring us before great men
Maybe to bring before us you know before a great quantity of people
To think of it in terms of quantity
You know God might use our preaching, our soul winning
To you know reach many people
You know because of some gift or something that makes us a little different
Now you're there in Judges chapter 3 continuing on the story of Ehud
Look at verse 17 it says
He brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab
And Eglon was a very fat man
And when he had made an end
Excuse me when he had made an end to offer
The present he sent away the people that bear the present
But he himself turned again from the quarries which were our Gilgal
Excuse me let me get a drink of water
This is water and you're right this is mine?
Okay good
I don't want to get taken out
So what's going on in the story is that you know
They bring this gift right
And then they go away and then
Ehud dismisses everybody when they get to these quarries
And he goes back right
And it says in verse 20
Ehud came unto him and he was sitting in a summer parlor
Which he had for himself alone and Ehud said
I have a message from God unto thee
And he arose out of his seat
And Ehud put forth his hand
And took excuse me put forth his left hand
And took the dagger from his right thigh
And thrust it into his belly
So you can see how God is using this particular gift
To deliver this you know message
And by the way that was the message from God
He said well what was his message? No that was it
You know God is angry with the wicked
And destroys the wicked the wicked shall perish
That's God's message to him you know
Hey you know what here's your message
You're dead right
But notice how God used him right
When he went to kill him he reaches with his left hand
And he takes it from what his right thigh
Okay
And you got to kind of think this story through a little bit
Like how did he get you know how did he get this close to the king with the weapon
Well it was because of the fact that he was a man left-handed
It was his gift it was what made him different
That brought him before a great man
Okay
So you got to imagine that when they're bringing people into the king
They would probably kind of pat you down
Or they would look to see if you had some kind of a dagger or a sword
And where would that typically be on an individual
You know seventy-five percent of the population or whatever
You know in China or actually in India one of the most populous places on the planet
Only three and a half percent of the population is left-handed
Right so imagine you know that's it kind of gives you perspective
You know when you so they're typically these guards you know
They wouldn't make very good Secret Service apparently
Because they're just assuming everyone's right-handed
And they're just looking say well he doesn't have a gun or you know he doesn't have a dagger
Or a sword I guess in this case on his left hip so he's good
You know they didn't bother even to pat that side down
And that's what allowed Ehud to slip through these guards
And get close to the king and what did he end up doing
He ends up killing him
Right but notice when he killed him you know what was the result of that
And he delivered Israel
I mean he delivered God's people from bondage
He brought righteousness back and they had peace for decades in the land
And it was all because of the fact that he was different
He wasn't like everybody else
He had something that even maybe some people would perceive as a flaw
And say well that makes you a little different to be left-handed
And that's the thrust of this message is that we should never count ourselves out
We should never count other people out
Just because their personality is a little different
Just because there's something about them that we think is a little off
That might be the exact thing that God is going to use to reach somebody
And do a great work for God
And the Bible says you know we could think of other examples
You know think about Moses right
And then we could say well maybe he was just making excuses
When God called him to go deliver Israel
And he said what I'm of a slow speech and a slow tongue
Now maybe he was trying to pull a fast one on God I don't know
Or maybe he really did you know was of slow speech and of a slow tongue
And God still used him in a mighty way right
And why was that because Moses didn't think highly of himself
He's thinking you know who am I to go and deliver God's people
You know I think of King David you know all the great works that he did
And even at the height of his power he's you know he says
You know who am I and what is my house that that was brought me hitherto
You know David was just a shepherd boy
Remember when they found him he was the youngest right
And he's just he's he's a shepherd out in the sheep cult
They didn't when Samuel came to town to to to find out which one of
You know of the of his brothers were going to be the next king
They didn't even bother calling David
They're just like he's of course it's not David
You know and we we romanticize you know you know a lot of
You know like agricultural work today like we think oh it'd be so cool to be a shepherd
No it wouldn't you know that's a really hard job
Right and typically that job was reserved for people that you wouldn't want around a lot
Right because they're I mean they're out keeping the sheep the whole time
Like you know let the younger one go do that let him go pay his dues
You know get him away from us that's kind of what they thought of David
Right and and because of that you know David who was ostracized by other people
Was thought you know not to have anything to offer by other people
Was actually you know one of the greatest kings that God has ever used to lead his people
Now the Bible says in 2 Corinthians I'll just read to you
But if you would go to Colossians chapter 1, Colossians chapter 1
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4 that we have this treasure in what? In earthen vessels
That the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us
When he's talking about an earthen vessel he's talking about like a clay vessel or maybe a wooden vessel
You know not a vessel of gold or silver or something that's very attractive
You might use to you know put up as a conversation piece in your living room or something that's going to be some kind of an heirloom
You know an earthen vessel is just something that is just made for its functionality
You know just you know a vessel that you could take to the well and dip down in there
And if the cord breaks and it falls in the well you're kind of like bummer I got to make another one
You know it's not great-grandma's you know you know French vase or whatever
You know it's not it's not anything glazed or anything like that
It's just an earthen vessel right and the Bible's saying that we have this treasure in earthen vessel
You know we have the Holy Spirit we have the ministry that God has given to us in an earthen vessel
You know and these vessels that we have these bodies you know our personalities all that you know they can be flawed
Maybe they're not perfect maybe not the most attractive thing maybe they're not the the best of the best
But you know what it's the treasure that's within the vessel that matters the most
And we have this treasure in earthen vessel and why is that?
It's that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us
So I mean a lot of times when you see somebody who just seems like they have it all together
They're a great speaker you know you just you think of well of course they're they're this powerful preacher
Of course they're this great soul winner they're just a very outgoing person
They're very you know charismatic right they're a very enthusiastic person
They're an extrovert right we think well of course they're they're good at that
I mean just just look at their personality look what they're like of course they're going to be good in this area
And I'm not you know I'm saying if you're if you're that way that there's something wrong
You know those people can still are still humble people obviously if they're being used of God
But look when you have somebody who's not that way who's more introverted
You know maybe somebody who's not the best speaker maybe somebody who's a little bit more shy isn't as outgoing
And they and God uses them you know we tend to say wow God God is at work here
You know the excellency truly is of God the excellency and the power is of God and not of them
And of course in both instances it's that way but sometimes we fail to recognize that
Sometimes we fail to see it that way we just think well yeah they're they're a great order
They're some great speaker they're some great soul winner because of the way that they are
But you know really in either case what's really going on there is that it's the it's the treasure that's in that vessel
It's the the excellency of the power of God that's at work there
Now if you look there and well I'll get to Colossians 1
So we see first of all with Ehud the fact that you know he was used of God despite the fact that he had something a little bit different about him
Right maybe he wasn't the ideal you know person for the job maybe he wasn't going to be the the perfect preacher or what everybody thought he should be or what anything like that
And God could use him right but is that enough to get you used by God just to be different
Just to be you know so to speak left-handed right no of course not
There's still you know a matter of you have to be willing and you have to be prepared to be used by God
So you know though you oddballs out there don't just think all right well anytime now God's just gonna use me because I'm so weird right or I'm so different
Okay, you know who you are all right
No, you still have to be prepared you know and and and whether you're odd or not God isn't going to use you know
Somebody that isn't prepared to be used by God because I'll remind us you don't have to go back just yet to
Judges chapter 3, but remember before he had even went to go see Eglon
It says in verse 16 that he sat down and did what made him a dagger
You know and that's something that takes skill and time and preparation
You know that's you know I've never made of knife
I've seen people do it on YouTube. I know people that make knives
You know there's a lot that goes into making a knife
You know you got to find the steel you got to make some kind of a kiln you got to heat it up
You got a bang on that thing you got a
Sharpen it you got I don't know everything that goes into it, but there's a lot of work that goes into making a knife
There's a lot of preparation right when he had decided you know that God was going to use him when God decided
I'm gonna use he had you know
He found a guy that had some skill a guy that was willing to sit down and get prepared and sharpen a knife
You know if we want to be used by God we have to do the same thing you know
We have the Word of God the sword of the Spirit right you know we got to sharpen this thing in our hands
You want to be used by God as a soul winner. You know it's not just enough to be a little little different
You know you still have to be prepared
It's not enough just to have humility you still have to have this thing sharpened
And there's a process there
You know if you go out soul winning with people and you take notes on how people do things
And and you mark the scriptures and you learn how to do it you memorize the scriptures
You used and you know the biggest hurdle is just starting to talk
Just getting out there and just opening your mouth to make known the mystery of the gospel
That's usually the biggest hurdle that people have to get over
But the more you do that the more prepared you become the sharper that that blade gets and the more God can use you
So there's still you know this matter of having to be somebody who's prepared
He had still had to sit down and make him a dagger
You know and that's what we see in the scripture
You're in Colossians chapter 1 look at verse 9 it says for this cause we also since the day we have heard of it
Do not cease to pray for you and to desire they may be filled with the knowledge of his will and all wisdom and spiritual and understanding
So Paul here is praying for the Colossians and he wants these people to be used of God
He wants them to work for God so but what does he pray for them? God just use them
God just use them in spite of themselves you know use them they're humble people
God I pray just mightily use the Colossian people
What was his prayer? His prayer is that they would be filled with the knowledge of his will
He wanted them to have knowledge and understanding
That you might walk worthy of the Lord and pleasing being fruitful in every good work
You know that's a good prayer for people look we want people to go out and be fruitful soul winners
We want them to be fruitful in their personal lives
We want them to be fruitful in their families all of that right that's a good prayer
But also fruitful in every good work and what increasing in the knowledge of God
We can't just have this desire to be used of God and not have the knowledge
Ehud couldn't just show up you know without a knife you know that wouldn't have done him any good
Hey I have a message from you from God O king well what's your message?
Actually it's left hand right? Don't sin you know whatever you know he just makes up something something
You know he had to sit down and get that message ready he had to make that knife in order to be used of God
Now if you would go over to second Samuel chapter 18 second Samuel chapter number 18
God you know Paul prayed that the Colossians would be used and that they would increase the knowledge of God
To be strengthened with all might according to his glorious power right
But there you know it's not just this supernatural you know mystical thing that takes place
You know God uses people God empowers people that have knowledge people that study the word of God
Get into the word of God and that's why Paul told Timothy you know Paul wanted Timothy to be used of God
I mean first and second Timothy is just Paul imploring Timothy to continue in the faith
You know to fight the good fight of faith to make full proof of his ministry to watch in all things right
To do the work of evangelists but also there was the part where he told him you know study to show thyself a proven to God
A workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth
You know he told him to give attendance to reading to exhortation to doctrine right
He wanted to be used of God but he also said in order to be used by God you have to have the knowledge
Right just like Ehud had to sit down and make that knife in order to be used by God
Now another example of this that I want to look at before we close tonight about you know the type of people that God uses
Right God used Ehud right and even though some people might have looked at him like well he's left-handed
God can't use a left-handed guy now I don't know if anybody said that or not
No I don't know if anybody said that or not but I'm just kind of using that as an illustration right
That he was a little different or something a little you know off with him
But God still used him in spite of you know his oddity or whatever you want to call it
Another example of this would be the would be Cushai
You're there in 2 Samuel chapter 18 of course this is during the rebellion of Absalom
And we're coming Absalom has just been killed by Joab and the ten young men that slew him
When he was hanging in the tree and they passed his body in a great pit
And it says in 2 Samuel chapter 18 now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar
Which is in the king's dale for he said I have no son to keep my name in remembrance
And he called the name of the pillar after his own name and it is called into this day Absalom's place
So this is Absalom's death
So verse 19 then said Ahimeaz the son of Zadok let me now run and bear the king tidings
How that the Lord hath avenged him of his enemies
So you have this guy who's saying look I want to bring the one that brings the message
You know we'll see here why he wants to bring the message and really the reason why is because he's in it for the glory
I mean he wants to run I don't know what the big deal is about that
But you know he's real good at it we'll see you in a minute right
But he wants to bring this message to the king he wants to be the one to come and kind of get that moment of glory
Right because King David is a man of prominence right
He's lifted up he's got power everyone knows who he is so he kind of wants to be the one that told David about that victory that he had
And it's interesting you know he's insisting here and if he says there he says you know let me bear tidings right
And then look at verse 20 and Joab said unto him thou shalt not bear tidings this day
But thou shalt bear tidings another day but this day shalt thou bear no tidings
So you know he's telling him no in three different ways right because the king's son is dead
And I think Joab kind of knew something about this guy Ahimeas and that's probably why he didn't send him
Because it's not that Joab doesn't want to get the message to the king
He wants the message because right after he gets done telling Ahimeas no you're not going to bear messages
You're going to do it another day but today you're not going to do it
Then said Joab verse 21 to Cushai go and tell the king without a sin
So it's not he's got this Ahimeas he's like hey he's volunteering he's like hey I'm going to do it I'll go I'll go bear the message
And Joab says no not today another day but not this day then he just turns to Cushai hey go tell the king
And imagine being Ahimeas he's like didn't you hear what I said you know I'd be willing to go and do this
But it seems like Joab kind of knew something about this guy that's kind of what I think
Then said Ahimeas the son of Zadok yet again to Joab but where howsoever let me I pray thee also run after Cushai
So this guy's just not giving up right even after Joab's told him no three times he sent another guy
And Ahimeas is still saying well no you got to let me do it he's insisting right
You know and this is something that we need to take note of people that insist on doing something that they've been told they can't do
Typically are not good people
People that want to bear a message that it's not theirs to bear you know and specifically you know I would apply this to people who are disqualified from the ministry
And yet still insist on bringing that message
Where people are told hey you know what you're not cut out for the ministry you're not going to go into the ministry you're not going to be able to do anything
And then they find some little you know loophole somewhere else you know they they go to a college they get online and get some kind of a box-top degree
Right and now they're a pastor even though they don't have kids or they're divorced or they disqualified themselves in some other way
They just insist on being the one that bears the message right
Now I'm not saying that all those people are bad people because even Ahimeas when he gets there David said oh he's a good man
And they recognize his running that he was a man of reputation and David said he's a good man right
So maybe you know I think sometimes people they insist on being in these positions just because they want the glory
Or you know but a lot of times it is because they have you know wicked purposes
They want to like you know they're in it for the money they're in it for the prestige or whatever
But usually that's a red sign of some a red flag of something
When somebody's insisting no let me no let me because Ahimeas just doesn't give it up
Ahimeas said the son of Zadok said yet again to Joab well howsoever let me I pray this is verse 22
Also run after Cushai and Joab said wherefore wilt thou run my son seeing thou hast no tidings ready
He's like look the messages are there's no new message to tell him
But howsoever he said let me run so this guy is just persisting here right
And finally Joab it just seems like he throws it he said on him run right
He just gets so annoyed with this guy he's like you know what I'll let David deal with you
You're just so obnoxious I'd rather just have you out of my my hair right now
Says you know what just run then but notice when Ahimeas runs what happens it says but that verse 23
Towards the end there then Ahimeas ran by the way of the plane and overran Cushai
Now think about the lead that Ahimeas has on Cushai at this point of story
Right he's been told to go and then Ahimeas has to sit there and make his case to Joab
Let me run no no really let me run no hey let me run all right fine run
I mean I don't know how long that all transpired but I'd have to imagine Cushai had a pretty good lead on this guy
And Ahimeas still manages to overtake him and beat him right
So you have to ask yourself why didn't Joab choose the faster run
I mean isn't this kind of an important message that he's sending
I mean the king's son is dead the battle's over they weren't sure whether or not they were going to even live to see the end of the day
And God has given them this victory over the enemy
And he's choosing the slower guy to deliver the message
You know well sometimes you know there's a reason to choose the guy who maybe is not the best runner
But he has some other attributes that are good that Ahimeas does not have
And we'll see what those are here in a minute
And of course you know the story it says in verse 25
And David sat between the two gates and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate of the wall and lifted up his eyes and looked and to hold the man running alone
The watchman cried and told the king and he said
If he be alone there's tidings in his mouth and he came apace and drew near
And the watchman saw another man running and the watchman called under the porter and said behold another man running alone
And the king said he also bringeth tidings
And the watchman said me thinketh the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimeas the son of Zadok
And the king said he is a good man and cometh with good tidings
Now notice when Ahimeas gets there now we can kind of get to get a sense of why maybe Joab didn't use him
Why maybe the slower guy the guy who wasn't as fast a runner was the right guy to send
Because notice when Ahimeas gets there the message that he delivers
Ahimeas called and said unto the king all is well
Now think about that statement is all well?
Because you have to remember in the story earlier on David said hey deal gently with my son
And it says that all the captains heard it
Ahimeas knew that's what everyone knew he was not to kill Joab or excuse me to kill Absalom
Absalom was killed because you know David doesn't want Absalom killed
You know right or wrong okay that's not really the point of the sermon
But when Ahimeas shows up his first words are all is well
You know this is the positive only preacher
The guy doesn't want to come up and say hey you know what your son's dead
Everybody disobeyed you
You know that's a hard message to deliver
I don't know why he's so eager to go and tell King David a guy of great power
Who specifically said don't kill my son
Why would you want to bring that message to that guy?
That's a hard message to bring
You don't even know how David's going to react
But he shows up and says all is well right
And he fall down to the earth upon his face before the king and said
Blessed be the Lord thy God which hath delivered thee up and delivered up the men that lifted up their hands against them Willard my king
And David's like yeah yeah verse 29
And the king said is the young man Absalom safe?
And again we get another glimpse as to why Ahimeas was not the guy for the job
Although he was a faster runner
Boy that guy could run
He really had that going for him
He had some good attributes
He believed and thought he was a good man
But you know what he was?
Unfaithful to the message
You know it's not necessarily about how well that message is delivered
It's about whether or not you're faithful to the message God has given
And he's not faithful
Because when he shows up
You know he shows up and he says hey is Absalom safe?
And Ahimeas answered and said wouldn't you have sent the king's servant
And me thy servant I saw a great tomet but I knew not what it was
Everyone knows that he knows that Absalom's dead
Everyone knows this that's why they're sending messengers
I don't know
He's real quick to show up and say all is well
Everything's fine
It's your best life now God's not mad at you
Right?
But he doesn't want to show up and deliver the hard message
Hey Absalom's dead
You know he doesn't want to deliver that hard message
He doesn't want to deliver that hard message
That's why this guy's not the right guy for the job
So that's what I'm trying to get at this evening
Is that you know when we see people who maybe don't have the best qualities in some area
Or think aren't ideal the way that we think they should be
That doesn't mean that God can't use them
Because we don't always know what's in people's hearts
You know you might see a guy who's just polished
Who's got it all together
Who just seems like yeah this guy should be some great preacher somewhere
But you don't know what's in his heart
God knows what's in his heart
And maybe that guy will turn out to be you know wicked
And bring a false message or won't be faithful to the word in some way
But you know that's not the case with Cushai
That was the guy although the slower guy
He was faithful to message verse 30
And the king said unto him turn aside and stand here
And he turned aside stood still verse 31
And behold Cushai came and Cushai said
Tidings my lord the king
Now notice how he shows up
He just says tidings
He doesn't say I got good news
He says I got bad news he says I got some news
Right and then we'll see why Cushai
It wasn't just that he was faithful to message
It's also in the way he delivered the message that counts
And Cushai he said and behold Cushai came
And Cushai said tidings verse 31
My lord the king for the lord hath avenged thee this day
Of all them that rose up against thee
And the king said unto Cushai is the young man Absalom safe
And Cushai said answer oh Absalom yeah he's dead
Oh yeah you should have seen it king
Joab ran him through with three darts
And then the ten young men that were with him
They hacked him to pieces you know they just
They cut him up it was great
And the whole time I mean think about the death of Absalom
It's one of the most gruesome deaths in the Bible
He's literally hanging from his hair in an oak tree
I mean that alone is painful enough
And he's hanging there long enough for a guy to see him
And go tell Joab what happened
And for Joab to show up
You know it wasn't like he was just there for a few minutes
I mean he's suspended in air
By his hair in an oak tree
And then Joab shows up and does he cut him down?
He runs him through with three darts
But the Bible says it was the ten men
That were with Joab that slew him
And it says it threw him through the heart
Now I think that just means it was in that general vicinity
You know the heart of the man like the core
Right because heart and core are words that are synonymous
And he throws three darts through him
So the guy's hanging from his hair writhing in agony
With three darts in him and then he's hacked to pieces
Right now could have Cushai come and told him about it
So I got him, Tidings is the king
How's Joab or how's Absalom doing?
What of my son?
Well he should have seen his gruesome death
And then we just threw him a pit and threw a bunch of rocks on him
Right
Now look some guys they might be faithful to the message
But you know what they lack tact
They lack tact
And how to deliver a good message
Or a hard message rather in a good way
They think oh I'm going to be a preacher
I'm going to be a preacher
I'm going to get up there and I'm just going to rip everybody's face
Every sermon I preach is just going to be this ripping face sermon
People are just going to squirm throughout the whole auditorium
Palms are going to be sweating
Stomach's going to be turning
People are going to be afraid to come hear me preach
Because I'm going to be so hardcore in the pulpit
You know what I learned real quick
When I started preaching full time
Delivering hard messages is not fun
It's not fun to get up to tell people hey you need to change
It's not fun to get up and have to rebuke people
It's not fun to get up having to correct people
And tell them they're in sin
And then they need a change
It's not easy
And I didn't get up and say oh this is fun
You know
This is what made Cushai the right guy to send
Was he the fastest?
No but you know what he was faithful to the message
Because he says here
And the king said to Cushai verse 32
Is the young man Absalom safe and Cushai answered
Notice the tact here
He said my lord the king and all that rises up thee to do thee hurt
Be as that young man is
And he's basically telling him in a very gentle way
You know what your son's dead
Because he knows that's not what the king wants to hear
And he's bringing a hard message
And not only being faithful to it
But he's also delivering it in such a way
That has some tact to it
Because look no matter what he says
You read the next verse David's weeping
Does it really matter if he said it
You know in a crass way
Or delivered it nicely
He's gonna react either way
So why not use a little tact
Why not deliver that message a little bit more gently
Look and I'm not against a hard message
People sometimes you gotta get up and you gotta rip face
I understand that
You gotta tell it like it is
And people's feelings are a secondary concern
But that's not every sermon
That's not every message
Some message it's just more important they deliver it faithfully
And that you just deliver it in the right way
So that people will actually receive it
Now he wasn't the fastest guy
And you know EHud was a man that was left handed
He wasn't a normal person
I'm so sorry to you left handed people you know
You know I'd ask for a raise of hands
But I don't know
I might be afraid of a mob afterwards or something
I guess I'll find out afterwards right
But you know there's something different about these guys
Maybe they weren't the perfect people for the job
But it was you know what they
The qualities that they did possess that mattered
You know EHud his left hand being left handed
Is what you know allowed him to sneak through the guards
And get to the king
And deliver that message to the king right
And you know Kushai not the fastest guy right
But also still somebody that God could use
Because of the fact that he was faithful
And he wasn't insisting was he
He was just there
You know God you know what God's really looking for people
From people is just that they're available
They're just available they're there
Kushai was just there with Joab
He wasn't like hey let me raise my hand
He was just there with Joab
He wasn't like hey let me run
He was just there
He was the one that was chosen to deliver the message to the king
You know that's the thing that God needs the most in people
Is for you to just be available
And people think well you know I can't be used of God
Until I've got this in line
I've got this in order
And I'm this and that
And I'm just perfect in every way
You know what God's never going to use you then
Because you're never going to be perfect
We're always going to have this treasure in earth and vessels
We're always going to be flawed
But if we would just make ourselves available
To the excellency of the power of God
God would use us
You say well I'm going to go soul winning one day
When I know how to answer a Mormon and a JW
I know I'm going to go out there and I know how to answer
You know a Catholic and I know how to give the gospel
To every single false religion out there
You're never going to give the gospel there
Because you're going to spend all your time
Just trying to figure all that out
And then you're going to get in front of one of those people
And they're going to throw something else that you didn't see coming
You're like oh I've got to go back and read some more
Another six months and I'll be back and try the soul winning thing again
Because you know what there's some practical advice on that
You know it's the same gospel for everybody
Salvation by grace through faith
Well I'm Catholic I'm this I'm that
Okay well what do you think it takes to get to heaven
Be a good person
That's what they all say
They all say some version of well you've got to be a good person
And I'm all for being a good person
None good no not one that's what the Bible says
The Bible says that we've all sinned and come short of the glory of God
And that salvation is by grace through faith
It's not about how good we are it's about how good Christ is for us
That's the message that we preach
So what does it matter who you're preaching that to
But you can't just have this attitude of well you know I'll get around to it when I'm better
Because we're never going to be good enough
And you know some of those shortcomings that we think we have
Some of those things that make us different
That might be the exact thing that God's going to use to reach somebody
And what God really wants more than your ability and I'm not downplaying ability
The Bible says you know especially for preachers he has to be apt to teach
You know we have to have some level of ability
You know to teach and to express the word of God I understand that
But more than ability you know what God's interested in availability
Availability
You know and it just seems like today lately there's a real lack of availability
You know and I don't mean to get on you guys too much up here
You know I'm going to run away to Tucson when I'm done
But you know people ask me it's like hey who's the next guy to go out and start church
It's like I don't know who's available
You know and maybe there's just nobody that has that desire
But you know if there's somebody that has the desire
And is thinking well I'm just not good enough or I you know I have to get this straight or that straight
It's like no what you need to be is just available
And let God work out the rest
You know and we could look to other examples of this
And you know you could think about Timothy or excuse me Paul right
Paul who was you know before a blasphemer and a persecutor an injurious right
I mean he was hauling away Christians and to jail where they were being like executed
You think God's not going to use that guy look how wicked he is
You know you're like well God can't use me you know I have this wicked past
And look I understand when it comes to the pastorate yeah you can disqualify yourself
You know if you're divorced you know you're disqualified I get that
You can still move on and be used of God in a mighty way
You can still serve God even as a divorced person
You know you confess and forsake that sin
And you know you just you know what the pastorate's just not it
I get that
But when we say that about Paul well his past was just so wicked God would never use him
I mean Paul's saying look I was a blasphemer I was a persecutor
injurious
He said but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief
He said that he was set forth as an example to them which should thereafter believe to life everlasting
He said look God used me in spite of myself as an example to other people
That's why I never buy this excuse of well you know I would serve God but I have this you know this checkered past or whatever
It's like well is it anywhere near as bad as Paul?
Well you know I stole a car when I was a teenager or something
I used to be a drunk
And I went to jail or I was in prison for a while or
You know they have some some thing in their past I think well God's just not gonna use me
You know but that's not true
God can use you Paul's an example of that
God will use people who are available people who are faithful to the message and know how to deliver it
That's who God's gonna use whether it's behind a pulpit at somebody's door preaching the gospel
speaking to your children at home you ladies teaching the Bible to them
You know God can use all of us in some way despite things that we might think are a shortcoming in our lives
But you know what we have to have is the preparation you have to be available and you have to be prepared
And that's why Timothy you know was told that you know to give attendance to reading you know and to study
And that's why God has given us the Bible the Word of God
The Bible says that all scripture is given by inspiration of God is profitable for doctrine for proof for correction for instruction and righteousness
That the man of God may be perfect and perfect just means complete thoroughly furnished into all good works
Look if you're saved and you have the Holy Spirit you have that treasure in an earthen vessel and you have this book you have everything you need to be used by God
To whatever degree you're willing to be used
All you have to do is be available. Let's go ahead and pray
Dear Lord again, thank you for the fact that you use us in spite of ourselves
Lord I pray that you would help us to always understand it never to sell ourselves short never to sell you short
Lord for the fact that Lord you're just looking for people that want to serve you
And Lord that if we would just surrender to that and Lord if we would be willing to just believe that by faith and step out by faith Lord you would use us
And Lord help us to be people that are faithful available and Lord we give you all the glory for it in Jesus name Amen
Alright we'll sing one more song before we go
Amen let's sing hymn number 325 in your song books number 325 trust and obey hymn number 325
Number 325 when we walk with the Lord in the light of his word trust and obey number 325 let's sing it on this verse
When we walk with the Lord in the light of his word what a glory he sheds on our way
While we do his good will he abides with us still and with all who will trust and obey
Trust and obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus
But we trust and obey not a shadow can rise not a cloud in the skies but it's something we trust and obey
Not a doubt or a tear not a sigh or a tear can abide while we trust and obey
Trust and obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus
But to trust and obey not a burden we bear not a sorrow we share but our toiling of which we repay
Not a grief or a loss not a frown or a cross but it's blessing we trust and obey
Trust and obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus
But to trust and obey but we never can prove the good light of his love until all on the altar we lay
For the favor he shows and the joy he bestows are for them who will trust and obey
Trust and obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus
But to trust and obey many fellowships we we close in at his feet or go on by his side in the way
Trust and obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus
But to trust and obey
For there's no other way to be happy in Jesus