The Men God Chooses and Uses, Part 2

Lord Jesus, you are so wonderful to us, so good. As the psalmist said, thou are good and do us good. And we thank you, Lord, for your great goodness. We thank you, Lord, that we can gather together today to worship and to praise your name. We're grateful, Lord, that you've allowed us one more day to honor you here on this earth. And maybe you'll give us tomorrow and the following week, who we don't know, but you know. And we pray, Lord, that however long it is you allow us to live on this earth, we would always praise and glorify your great and mighty name.

That we would not lose perspective as to who we are and what we're about. That, Lord, you'd be the sole focus of our attention. And may what we learn today help us to understand that even more we pray in Jesus' name, amen. Turn with me in your Bible, if you would, to Luke chapter 6.

Luke chapter 6, and we're going to continue our study on the apostles that we began last Sunday morning. And you're going to see, as I told you during our prayer time today, yourself in each of these apostles. You're going to better understand yourself by studying these men. And you'll better understand your God as you see what God did in the lives of these men. You see, it's important to know that we talked about this last week, that Christ chose these men at a time in which hostility was at its height.

Hostility against our Lord, as the Pharisees and the religious establishment were against him. They sought to kill him. So he sought some solitude and went off to a mountain to pray that he might choose for himself 12 certain men. And there's a certain phrase I'm going to ask you to remember throughout our study, and that is this, that whomever God chooses, he uses. God will use you in a great and mighty way if you've been chosen by him. The unique thing about that is that, you know, we can't qualify to be chosen by God.

We live in a world where you have to qualify for everything. You got to qualify for a loan. You got to qualify to get into school. You got to qualify for this or qualify for that. You know, but you got to qualify for something. But in God's economy, you can't qualify because you can never meet the standards. The standards of God are perfection. Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. It's perfect. Well, we can't do that. Be holy as your Father in heaven is holy. Well, we can't do that either.

So we can't meet the qualifications. God knows that. And so what did he do? He had to find the best way that we could be forgiven. And not only forgiven, but saved that we might serve him. So there's saving grace that's manifested in God's choosing you. There's sanctifying grace that he might set you apart for his holy purposes. And then there's serving grace that you might learn to serve him as he needs to be served. And only God can do that. And that's what God did in the lives of these men. Men who who had no, virtually no talent outside of fishing.

They could fish. They were fishermen. But they were not naturally gifted men. They didn't have a lot of talent. They didn't have this great intellect about them. They had not received the higher education of their day. They were just normal, ordinary kinds of men. People just like you and me. And God would use the unworthy. He would use the uneducated. He would use the unqualified to turn the world upside down. These became the heroes of Christianity. Heroes because God has etched their names on the foundation stones in the new city, the city of Jerusalem.

And we will see that one day when we are in heaven and able to go in and out of that city at will, looking at the names of those 12 apostles. And so we need to study them. Need to understand more about them. And these sermons are going to become very encouraging for you. Why? Because you ever get defeated or discouraged? You feel like you failed the Lord or failed in some capacity in your life? These men were miserable failures. They were constantly being defeated and discouraged. And yet God will use them in a marvelous way.

You see, if you think that you are worthy to be used by God, you will never be used by God. If you think that you're qualified to be used by God, you won't be used by God. See, God can only use those who surrender themselves to Him, who humbly come to Him and realize their inadequacies, realize their insufficiencies, and throw themselves upon God to receive mercy from Him. God says in Isaiah 66 verse number two, to this man will I look, to him who is broken and of a contrite heart and who trembles at my word.

That's the kind of man God's looking for. He's not looking for the arrogant. He's not looking for the qualified. He's not looking for the intellectual. He's looking for the man who humbly bows before Him in submission and trembles at His word. And then God will use that man. God will use that woman in a great and mighty way. And that's what God wants to do in your life. And that's how God used these twelve men. Think about it. We told you last week about what they did. They established the foundation of the church according to Ephesians chapter two, verse number 20.

The church is built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And they were the ones who established that foundation. They were the first spiritual leaders of a new Israel and the church.

That's why there were twelve of them. Why? Because they would represent the twelve tribes of Israel. And God was going to inaugurate a new Israel because the leadership of the old Israel had led them so far away from Him. He needed to have men who would lead people to Him. And number two, we saw last week where these men explained truth through divine revelation, Ephesians chapter three, verse number five.

They unfolded the mystery of Christ. Because of these men, we are able to see those things once hidden in the Old Testament now revealed in the New Testament because these men, used of God, explained to us that true revelation. These men were the ones who engineered the doctrine of the early church. Acts chapter two, verse number 42, says that the early church was committed, committed to the apostles' teaching. They were devoted to that teaching. These men were the ones who engineered the doctrines of the church.

These men were the ones who edified the church according to Ephesians chapter four, verses 11 and 12. That it's these apostles and these prophets who build the church, who mend the church, who fit the church together because they knew the Word and the God of the Word. It was these men who exemplified true godliness and virtue. They are called in Ephesians 3, 5, holy apostles. So these men exemplified the kind of character, the kind of virtue that we need to see in our lives. And these men were the ones who evidenced miraculous power.

Read the book of Acts, read second Corinthians chapter 12, that the miraculous powers that these men had confirmed their message, that it truly was from God and God alone.

But before all that happened, before they were used mightily of God, God had to do a great and mighty work in their lives. And I want you to be able to understand what God had to do in these men to make them into the kind of men He wants them to be. And you're going to see in the lives of these 12 apostles things that are evidenced in our lives every single day. And Christ had to overcome them. And so what does He do? He lays them out in Scripture for us to see. So we, in the midst of our discouragement, when we find ourselves failing when it comes to temptation and falling into sin, we can go back and see what God did with these men, how God raised them up, how God used them in a great and mighty way, and thus find great encouragement from the Scriptures as we see how God has worked.

And so I want to show you some of the inadequacies of these men. I want to show you some of the ways in which they failed and what God did to overcome that failure in their lives, to show us how it is God wants to overcome these same kind of failures in our lives. It's a great practical lesson on how it is God wants to use you. Remember, if God chose you, He will use you. God always uses those in whom He chooses. And so if you've been chosen by God, He wants to use you just like He used these 12 apostles.

Okay? So we're going to look at these men and we're going to look at them individually. But before we do, let me show you some of the ways in which they fell far short of what God wanted them to be.

The first thing I want you to understand about them is that they really truly lacked spiritual understanding.

You would think that these men, above all other men, would have strong knowledge of God, but they didn't. They lacked in spiritual understanding. They had a hard time understanding, listen carefully, the parables of our Lord. They had a hard time understanding the precepts of our Lord. They had a hard time understanding the prophecies surrounding our Lord. And they had a very difficult time understanding the purpose for which God chose them. How about you? You ever have a hard time understanding what God has said in His word?

These men did. They lacked understanding. You ever have a hard time understanding the prophecies of God? These men did. You ever have a hard time understanding the purpose for which God has chosen you? So do these men. Let's look at some of them together.

Let's begin by coming to grips with what it is they did not understand. Turn to Matthew 16 with me for a moment. Matthew Chapter 16. I'm sorry, that's Matthew Chapter 15. Matthew Chapter 15. Then we'll go to Matthew 16. Matthew Chapter 15. These men had a hard time grasping the parables of our Lord. Remember in Matthew Chapter 13, Christ gave the kingdom parables. He began talking to His men in parables to help them understand. He was going to hide things from the religious establishment by speaking in parables.

He revealed to His men the truth of His word as He spoke these parables. Well, in Matthew Chapter 15, Christ is outraged at the tradition of the Pharisees. He tells them that they have fulfilled the words of Isaiah the prophet. He called them hypocrites in verse number seven. You hypocrites rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you saying this people honors me with their lips but their heart is far away from me. But in vain do they worship me teaching his doctrines the precepts of men. And after he called the multitude to him he said to them hear and understand not what enters into the mouth defiles the man but what proceeds out of the mouth this defiles the man.

Then the disciples came and said to him do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement? Lord don't you know that you offended the religious leaders of our day? Don't you know that they were caused to stumble because of what you said? And Jesus didn't say wow man I am so sorry that I did that. Maybe I didn't say it right. Or maybe they misunderstood what I said. Maybe what I meant to say was this and they didn't get that. Maybe I should reiterate what I said because I didn't want to offend them.

That's not what Jesus said. In fact listen to what he says. He says every plant which my heavenly father did not plant shall be rooted up. Let them alone they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man both will fall into a pit. Instead of apologizing for offending the Pharisees Christ says they're just blind men.

Blind leading the blind. If you follow the blind you're going to go where they go into the pit. Verse 15 and Peter answered and said to him explain the parable to us. He said are you still lacking in understanding also? You see they didn't grasp what Jesus was teaching. And Christ says do you still lack understanding?

Do you have a hard time getting a hold of what I'm trying to tell you? You need to get it. He goes on to say this. Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is eliminated? But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses, slanders. These are the things which defile the man. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.

He was trying to explain to the men that what the problem with man is is not what is on the outside but what is on the inside. The heart's condition. And so he would constantly have to admonish his own men. Do you still lack understanding? Over in Matthew chapter 16 that infamous dialogue between Peter and the Lord. When our Lord, when Peter just made that that great confession thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Then Christ begins to explain to his men how he must suffer and how he must die.

And Peter takes him aside and says Lord these things shall not be. Listen to this. He says these words. Verse 21. From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things. Some of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised up on the third day.

And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him saying God forbid it Lord. Thus or this shall never happen to you. But he turned and said to Peter get behind me Satan. You are a stumbling block to me. For you are not setting your mind on God's interests but man's. So not only did they have a hard time understanding the parables of Christ. They had a hard time understanding the prophecies of Christ. Christ begins to tell them I'm going to go to Jerusalem. I'm going to die. Why? Because all this was prophesied in the Old Testament.

And Peter says wait a minute. That's not going to happen to you Lord. You're the Messiah. You're the blessed Son of God. That's not going to happen to you. And Christ rebuked him because of his lack of spiritual understanding. Turn with me over to Luke chapter 19.

Luke chapter 19. I'm sorry that's Luke 18. Luke 18 verse number 31. And he took the twelve aside and said to them behold we are going up to Jerusalem and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished for he will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon and after they have scourged him they will kill him and the third day he will rise again.

Verse 34. And they understood none of these things and this saying was hidden from them and they did not comprehend the things that were said. Christ says as was prophesied by the prophets of old this is what's going to happen to the Son of Man.

They did not understand what was to take place with the Messiah. And these things then became hidden from them not because God did not want to reveal them to them. It's because of their hard heart and because of the blindness of their hearts that they would not see. They did not want to understand the truth because the truth went against what they thought was real about their Messiah and they didn't want to experience the truth of a dead Messiah. And so they would not could not understand these things.

Turn over to John 21 for a moment. John chapter 21. Even in John chapter 13. Remember that night before the crucifixion the disciples had sat down and and had a meal and we'll talk more about that in a moment but but these men had come together and they were arguing about who was the greatest in the kingdom and Christ would would take a slave's apron and begin to wash the disciples feet. Remember that that story? And he went around and Peter said oh Lord you don't have to wash my feet and Christ says Peter if I don't wash your feet you have no part with me.

And Peter wanted to say Lord then give me a bath. Throw the whole water on me. Cleanse me. And you see Peter did not understand the cleansing work of the Messiah. He did not come to grips with why Messiah came and yet he was with them for those three years listening and watching because he lacked the spiritual understanding. He could not grasp what it was Messiah came to do and Christ would constantly reiterate to them why he came what he came to do for them but they still had a hard time digesting the truth.

In John 21 at the end of the ministry Christ had already died Christ had risen again from the dead and what happened? They went back to fishing. John 21 after these things Jesus manifested himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias and he manifested himself in this way. There were together Simon Peter and Thomas called Didymus and Nathaniel of Cana in Galilee and the sons of Zebedee and two others of his disciples. So you have Peter and six other disciples. Verse three Simon Peter said to them I'm going fishing.

They said to him we will also come with you. This is after the resurrection. They know Christ has risen from the dead. Christ has already appeared to them and Peter says I'm going to go back to the old life. I'm going back to fish and the other disciples the six others with them said we're going to go back with you too. We're going to go back and fish again. Why? Because they did not understand not only the parables of Christ not only the prophecies of Christ not only the precepts of Christ but their purpose for serving Christ.

A lot of times we fall in that same category. We want to go back to the way things used to be and stop progressing to forget about why it is God chose us and what it is God wants to do through us and say you know I'm going back to fish again. I'm going back the way things were. You know back when I was a fisherman nobody threatened my life. Nobody threatened to kill me back when I was a fisherman. I'm going to go back and do that old lifestyle thing again and if you read through John 21 Christ appears to his men on the shore and tells them to throw their net on the other side because they had fished all night caught nothing and Christ says yeah children why don't you throw your nets on the other side of the boat and sure enough they caught a whole bunch of fish just like in Luke chapter 5 and John said to Peter that's the Lord and Peter was about a hundred yards away from the shore and he dove into the water swam to the shore had breakfast with the Messiah.

It's at that time the Messiah says to him Peter let me ask you a question do you really love me? That whole conversation at the end of the ministry of our Lord between he and Peter about Peter's commitment to his Christ to serve him and Christ says to him Peter you got to feed my sheep you got to feed my lambs and Peter knew that the Lord understood his heart.

Lord you know all things you know that I love you and Christ says that you need to serve me Peter you got to fulfill your purpose Peter you got to tend to my lambs you got to feed my sheep Peter and then Christ begins to prophesy how it is Peter is going to die how he's going to have to stretch forth his hands and he was going to die a martyr's death and Peter asked that infamous question well what about John what are you going to do with him and Christ says you know Peter forget about John what if he lives till I come again forget about that you Peter you follow me you serve me.

Isn't it true that a lot of times in our own lives we wonder well Lord what about that individual aren't they going to serve you aren't they going to follow you and Christ says you know what don't worry about them you follow me a lot of times as wives we sit in the pew and say boy I wish my I hope my husband's hearing this I hope he's getting a getting a really a firm grasp on the text so he'll serve the Lord and he'll he'll honor me at home and and he'll he'll be the kind of father to our children that I wanted to be and the Lord is saying to you wife you mother you serve me you follow me what is it to you if he lives till I come again what is it to you if he never serves me you follow me you serve me you honor me you love me and so through all their lack of understanding how did Christ deal with that he kept teaching them he kept teaching them he kept teaching them a lot of times they would say yes Lord we understand but time would reveal that they didn't understand you know that with your children you sit down with them say okay kids you got this oh yeah we got it dad we yeah we got it we're ready to go and they don't do it right see something done again say okay this is what you're supposed to do you got it oh yeah we got it and they go off and do it wrong they do it wrong again that was the disciples yeah we got it but they would do it wrong so Jesus would constantly teach them listen to this Acts chapter 1 verse 3 to these he also presented himself alive after his suffering by many convincing proofs appearing to them over a period of 40 days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God listen after the resurrection before the ascension there was a period of 40 days in which Christ met with his men he instructed them about things concerning the kingdom of God because why they would preach about the coming kingdom of God they would preach about the king who ruled in his kingdom so he had to sit him down and for 40 days he would teach them things concerning the kingdom of God because they still did not understand and even after those 40 days of him teaching about the kingdom of God listen to the question they ask they say in verse 6 and so when they had come together they were asking him saying lord is at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel now you have to understand the motive behind the question lord they just spent 40 days with our lord our glorified lord it's after the resurrection before the ascension he's talking to them about things pertaining to the kingdom of God and so they're wondering now lord is is this now the time the kingdom will be restored to Israel why would they ask that question because remember Christ already told them we talked about last week he had promised that the apostles would sit on thrones in the kingdom and they would judge Israel during the kingdom so you got to understand that even after the resurrection of Christ before his ascension these men were still thinking about themselves because lord if you're going to restore the kingdom now guess what we get to rule with you and we get to sit on 12 thrones and this is going to be exciting because we're going to have power and Christ says to them these words it is not for you to know times or epics which the father has fixed in his own authority but you shall receive power when the holy spirit has come upon you and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and even to the remotest part of the earth Christ says this you need to stop being concerned about ruling with me in eternity and be consumed with revealing me to humanity that's what you need to be consumed with why because in spite of their lack of understanding they lacked humility they were arrogant men and that was even seen in the question they asked because they were always concerned about themselves they lacked spiritual understanding that was number one inadequacy number two inadequacies that they were arrogant jealous envious men we have anybody in the congregation like that today don't raise your hand because you'd all have to raise your hand right i'm raising my hand because i'm envious i'm jealous and i'm arrogant i'm not afraid to admit that that's just the honest truth folks and as i read about these men i think that's me i'm just like that look at mark 9 with me for a moment mark chapter 9 verse 30 and from there they went out and began to go through galilee and he was unwilling for anyone to know about it for he was teaching his disciples and telling them the son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men and they will kill him and when he has been killed he will rise three days later but they did not understand this statement and they were afraid to ask him now why were they afraid to ask him about what it is he just said about his death and resurrection why what would keep them from asking him lord tell us about that tell us more about that help us to understand what it is about why it is you're going to die they were afraid to ask him they didn't understand it's because they did not want to understand they did not want to be told the truth why read on and when they came to capernaum and when he was in the house he began to question them what were you discussing on the way but they kept silent for on the way they discussed with one another which of them was the greatest see that they you know in in in in mark 9 they're they're on the mount of transfiguration which i believe was mount herman in the northern part of galilee well you got to journey quite a ways to get down to capernaum so the time they get to capernaum christ says by the way uh what were you guys discussing on our journey down from the northern part of galilee um what was your topic of conversation no one said anything they kept silent why because they had discussed among themselves who was the greatest this was the major topic of discussion among the men they wanted to know if they were the greatest and so they wouldn't answer the lord why because he's talking about suffering he's talking about dying and they're thinking well we don't want to know about that we just want to know about greatness that's us they were always consumed with them they were envious jealous prideful arrogant men and it wasn't because they were finely tuned educated talented great men it's just that's the nature of man to think of himself it's the nature of man to try to figure out how great am i and so they begin to argue among themselves who was the greatest in verse 35 and sitting down he called the twelve and said to them if anyone wants to be first he shall be last of all and servant of all he knew what they were discussing he knew their thoughts and taking a child he set him before them and taking him into his arms he said to them whoever receives one child like this in my name receives me and whoever receives me does not receive me but him who sent me see that was their main topic of the conversation look at matthew chapter 20 matthew 20 christ speaking again about his death and every time it seems that he speaks about his death and suffering the men don't want to hear about it they just want to hear about who's the greatest verse 20 then the mother of the sons of zebedee came to him that is jesus with her sons bowing down making a request of him and said and he said to her what do you wish she said to him command that in your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on your right and one on your left james and john were no dummies they got their mom involved now james and john were mama's boys and they wanted to get their mom involved see because there had been this ongoing discussion about who was the greatest so james and john had this great idea let's ask mom to get involved in the discussion and she can go and ask jesus if we can have the chief seats in the kingdom so mom goes and she says i am so proud of my boys james and john sons of thunder these these guys are just such marvelous boys i i would like lord for you to put one on the right and one on the left in your kingdom these boys are so marvelous and i know lord that throughout your ministry you've seen how marvelous they are so i would ask that you put one on your right and one on your left and so it says jesus answered and said you do not know what you are asking for are you able to drink the cup that i am about to drink they said to him we are able then he said to them my cup you shall drink but to sit on my right and on my left this is not mine to give but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my father are you able to eat are you able to drink the cup in which i drink from it speaks of the wrath it speaks of the suffering of the messiah and they pipe up and say of course we can oh we can suffer like you suffer we're sons of thunder come on jesus arrogance christ says oh you will believe me you will because james you're going to die a martyr and john you're going to be exiled to patmas to be isolated from everybody but instead of my right into my left that's not mine to give you but i guarantee you this you will suffer for my sake read on and hearing this the 10 became indignant with the two brothers indignant they were furious why because their mother was unavailable to ask the question they hadn't thought of bringing mom into the scenario they were indignant because they did not ask the question they were just as prideful and arrogant as those two men were and they were mad because they didn't have the opportunity that james and john had that's why they were furious because on the eve of the crucifixion on john 13 when christ washed disciples feet the impetus behind that is because luke account tells us that on the night before our lord died they had the same discussion about who was the greatest in the kingdom you see they couldn't get it out of their minds that's all that consumed them i'm the best i'm number one i will sit on the right hand of god i am the greatest and the others will buy them say no you're not on this way and judas would say you know what guys i'm the one with the money i'm the one everybody trusts think about it that way if everybody trusts me i must be the most trustworthy person therefore i will be on his right in the kingdom and peter would say are you kidding me i'm the leader of all you guys and if i'm the leader i've got preeminence they would have this ongoing argument throughout their ministry together trying to keep it from jesus but they could not and that's what caused jesus to get up and put on a slave's apron and wash his disciples feet because they had not learned the lesson of humility you know that's us we haven't learned that lesson yet we're always thinking about ourselves oh we might not be thinking about who's the greatest in the kingdom we might be thinking about who's the greatest in the church or who's the greatest in the family my family we might not manifest it by an open argument but we manifest it by being upset when we're not the center of attention when people aren't focusing in on me and people aren't mentioning my name and my name is not the object of the conversation in a good way and we manifest our arrogance our pride our lack of humility because we are in the background christ says these words in matthew 20 you know that the rulers of the gentiles lorded over them and their great men exercise authority over them there's not so among you whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your slave your slave and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave just as a son of man does not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many how did christ overcome their lack of humility he overcame their lack of spiritual understanding with instruction he overcomes their lack of humility and he overcomes their lack of humility with illustration he illustrated himself as the ultimate servant i've come to serve and he would manifest that to them throughout his ministry he illustrated himself as the ultimate servant and that's why i told you during our prayer time you know we have to maintain perspective as to our identity we are servants of the living god he was the ultimate servant he came to serve his father who was in heaven and to serve his fellow man and that's a lesson isn't that true that most of us have yet to understand amidst all of our arrogance amidst all of our jealousy amidst a spirit that is so envious of others we forget that god looks to the broken and contrite and these men had a hard time grasping that but peter he would learn his lesson he would say over in first peter five humble yourselves under the mighty hand of god peter learned to humble himself peter was an arrogant man he was filled with himself but he learned humility because of the demonstration that's why over in uh in first peter chapter five peter says these words he says humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of god and he that he may exalt you at the proper time in verse five he says you younger men likewise be subject to your elders and all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another for god is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble the phrase clothe yourself with humility is a phrase that means to tie in a knot a slave's apron that you tie in a knot peter is reminiscent of john 13 when christ would tie a slave's apron around his waist he says you younger men clothe yourself with humility god he opposes the proud he resists the proud but he gives grace to the humble the humble receives grace see don't you see yourselves in these men already we lack understanding we don't get what god says and so how do we how do we combat that we keep instructing instructing we keep teaching we keep preaching why so you come to grips with the truth that's what christ did with his men he kept teaching them the parables he kept teaching them about the prophecy he kept going back over and over again it's what the prophets of old said about the messiah and how he must suffer and how he must die he kept instructing them concerning their purpose their purpose for living god chose them that he might use them well if you're going to be used by god if you're going to be his apostle if you're going to be as the one who sent you you must be a servant of all and so they had to learn that he kept instructing them about that and outside of that instruction came the great illustration of humility now you think about that in your life think about that as as a father as a mother and you're trying to teach your children the children that god has given you to disciple to to nurture and to raise to be christ-like and they don't get the truths of scripture what do you do you keep instructing them in the ways of god and illustrating before them the humble spirit that god wants you to model before them that's what god wants and as you look at these men and realize their inadequacies you begin to realize what god did in their lives to transform them from where they were to be those great heroes of the faith that lived for their god you see you need to walk with god every day right every day learning from him coming to grips with who he is that you might be able to impart that to somebody else and these inadequacies just like you and me can be overcome as we understand what jesus did with his men and my prayer for you and for me is that we would have the grace of god to be able to overcome those inadequacies in our lives that lack of humility that lack of spiritual understanding that we might serve the true and living god what else do they lack where else were they inadequate what else were they unable to do because of their sinful hearts well we'll talk about those next week and you'll be able to see and understand more of who they are who you are and what it is god wants to do in your life let's pray together father god we thank you for today what a joy it is to know that in in spite of all all of our inadequacies you have a great plan you have a plan to teach us and to instruct us in the way that we should go that we might live for you and your glory i pray lord for every man and woman in this room today that they would understand that they have been chosen by god to be used by god and maybe somebody's here today and they don't understand that they don't understand what it means to to be a believer in the lord jesus christ and to follow you may this be the day of their salvation they might come to grips with the reality of saving grace sanctifying grace serving grace they might give honor and praise to god in jesus name amen