05 October 2008 8AM
Apostle Andre Pelser
1 Cor 1:21-31
1 Cor 4:10-13, 20

Isn't is amazing, and isn't it true that God chooses the least amongst men to be the preacher, and to be His messenger. The weakest, and the one that no one will choose, the one being criticized and mocked, is the one that God chooses to do His work.

Foolish means: moron. God choses a moron (in the eyes of the world) to do His work.
The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. The reason why God uses foolish things, is because the foolishness of God is wise than men, and the weak things of God are stronger than men.
Be prepared to be a fool for Christ's sake, so that others may become wise.
Looking at a few examples:
With Moses, God used a rod.
How many of us would use a stick to deliver 3 million people? He puts in the Nile, and it turns to blood. He puts it in the dust, and plagues spring up. He stretches it out over the Red Sea, and it opens up even with dry ground. He stretches it out over the Red Sea again, and it closes and drowns all the Egyptians. He strikes the rock, and water gushes out enough for 3 million people.

This rod was with him as a young ruler in Egypt on which they carved all their achievements. So for 40 years, while he was watching his sheep, he would look at all his achievements that were carved on his rod. When God told him to throw it away from him, it turned into a serpent. God then told him to pick it up by the tail, which is not very wise because it can turn around and bite you, but he obeyed the foolishness of God. Now all Moses' achievements were at the bottom, and he could  not look at the things he had accomplished. It was the rod of God. His rod became the rod of God when it was reversed.
God used this foolish thing to deliver Israel from the hand of Pharaoh.

With Joshua, God told them that they would conquer the first city in the promised land by marching around it in silence for 6 days, and on the 7th day, marching around 7 times and shouting with a great shout.
Because Israel was taught that God's ways are higher than their ways, and the foolishness of God was wiser than men, that the weakness of God was greater than the strength of men, they could obey a foolish command. God uses the shout to set people free. When the Israelites shouted the last time they walk around, the sonic power of that shout and with God in it, made the walls sink into the ground so that each soldier could just step forward and walk into the city. It was a miraculous victory, but a very foolish thing.

The difference is that this foolish thing comes from God. It's not just foolish. We are not just fools, we are fools for Christ. We are foolish enough to obey what He tells us to do. It might not make sense to other people, but God's foolishness is wiser than men.

With Gideon, God used the Medianites.
Everything that the Israelites produces, the Medianites stole. God told him to gather an army. He gathers 10 000 men, but eventually eliminates them down to 300 men that could fight. It was foolishness, but God gave him strategy. Giving each man a ram's horn, and a pitcher and having them shout “the sword of the Lord and the sword of Gideon”. They then surround the camp the Medianites, break their pitchers, blow their ram's horn and give their shouts. It caused such confusion in the enemy camp that they turned on each other, and killed each other.
It is very foolish how God accomplishes things for us and through us. Instead of listening to God, and obeying Him, we want to reason things out with our peanut brains, the way it suits us, and we don't have victory because we cannot come against the enemy with something that we have thought out. It has got to be God saying “if you do this, I'll do the rest”; “if you will do the foolish thing, I'll do the supernatural”; “if you are willing do be the least, I'll be the most”.

With Samson, God used a jawbone of a donkey.
He killed one thousand Philistines with it. We think that the characters in movies are heroes when they kill seven people. How can one man kill one thousand? How tired was he afterwards? It takes a lot of effort to kill one person; how much effort did it take for him to kill one thousand?
We can't seem to see this picture. It's foolish. Our minds cannot even conceive it.

Jesus' mother tells Him at the wedding feast, that there is no more wine. She goes to the servants and tells them to do whatever He tells them to do, even if it is foolish. So He looks around and sees 6 water pots that was used for ritual cleansing before people eat. He told the servants to fill the water pots with water. Then He told them to draw water from the pots and give it to master of the feast. The master of the feast determines what happens with the wine, food and celebration. So the servants obeyed and took water the master of the feast. If it still was water, he would've fired them all, because they were playing a joke on him. But, when he drank it, it turned into the best wine. To make good wine, one has to ferment the juice for a long time, then put it into wine vats for 5 – 6 years. Jesus turned the water into the best wine in a few seconds. The master of the feast was surprised at the quality of the wine, asking why the best wine was kept till last.

Jesus fed five thousand people with five little loaves of bread and two fish. That is foolish. The disciples probably thought that He was out of His mind. He asked the people to sit in groups of fifty, and then He prayed. After that He broke the bread and gave it to the disciples and told them to feed the people. Multiplication took place in their hands, not in Jesus' hands. He just broke it and gave it to them to distribute. It was absolutely foolish.

Well, the Gospel is just as foolish. No matter what sin you have committed, and no matter how big a sinner you are, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, confess your sins, be baptized, and you shall the receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and you'll be saved. It's that simple. It's very foolish, yes. God uses the foolish things.

Laying hands on the sick is very foolish. What is your hand going to do to heal that sick person?
When you prophecy to someone, you often wonder why you said what you said. There is always a battle in your mind. You believe, but your mind battles to. 

God wants to use the foolish things to astound the wise. You might think that you are foolish, and you might think that you are despised, people might not think that you are worth it, but you qualify for the use of God. The little that you have is enough for God, if you will put it at His disposal. See what God will accomplish with that foolish offer.

Obeying God is foolish sometimes. Going to bible school while others protest and tell you that you are wasting you time, is foolish. But when the storms of life come, you will have a foundation that those people don't have, and you will be able to stand against it. God's foolishness is wiser than man. God's weakness is stronger than man.

Offer your weakness to God. He will prove His strength in your weakness, and His wisdom in your foolishness.
What a wonderful exchange! Your foolishness for His wisdom. Your weakness for His great strength.