The Danger of Success

Thank you for joining us on the CCW podcast.

Make sure you connect with us on social media to stay up to date on ministries and events happening at CCW.

We hope you're encouraged, inspired, and motivated by today's message.

Find out how to connect with us.

Keep listening after the message ends.

Good morning, church family.

I'm gonna take your Bibles this morning and turn to 2 Chronicles.

As you're turning there, as a point of personal privilege, I would like to wish some really important people in my life a very happy anniversary.

Tomorrow, Benji and Sarah celebrate 13 years.

Amen.

He went.

And uh my neighbors, David and Vicky Birdsong, celebrate 40 years being married.

Happy anniversary.

We love all of y'all.

Second Chronicles, I'm just gonna say I echo what Dave said.

That was my whole opening.

When the Lord works that out, that's good.

But really, here's the question: What is the American dream?

What is it?

And I think it's been for hundreds of years, something close to this.

Anyone, anywhere, has the capability with enough hard work to have a family, own a home, have enough cars for your family, and enough economic success to be comfortable and in continual comfort.

Now, what is true success?

What really is it?

I would give you a definition that I sort of put together.

True success is knowing God and trusting his commands that direct our lives so that we're able to experience his presence and bring him glory.

In a verse, Dave gave a good one that I'll reference later, Joshua 1.8, but in Psalms 16, 11 he says, You've made known to me the path of life.

You will fill me with joy in your presence, and in eternal pleasures are at your right hand.

In this life, we'll have the presence of God, and we'll be walking a pathway that is fulfilling the glory of God, and in the next life, eternal pleasures.

I believe that is real success.

I want to say to you, like a big brother checking his little brother today, if you can picture it against the wall, little brother, hear me.

We have a problem with success.

And we're not getting it.

We're chasing after this success and this American culture mindset, and we're not even seeing that it's the problem that's holding us back from what God really wants us to gather.

We're in the wealthiest county in Alabama.

We struggle with success.

And most people think as long as I'm comfortable, it's all just gonna be okay.

And I can't find a scripture one that tells me if you will drive after comfort, you're gonna reach the top.

Pray with me.

Father, we love you.

Thank you, God, for your word.

Thank you, God, for the challenges, the checkups that we need.

And God, as we look to identify ourselves where you've put us and what you've got us to do, I pray that today we would walk out with some clarity in an area that I think many, if not most, are struggling with.

God, help us to look in the mirror this morning, as hard as it might be, to see what's needed.

We love you, Lord, in Jesus' name.

Amen.

The first point this morning is dependence on the divine.

In Genesis 131, creation was finished and it was a pure success.

God said it was very good.

It was better than good, in fact, because creation was perfect.

And in Genesis chapter 3, man, full of all of that we are in humanity, chose instead the route of unsuccess.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

We stopped depending on God, and it was a sinister thing that was administered in the garden called doubt.

And as soon as we took hold of doubt, we began to believe in ourselves over the dependence of God.

And I have a question for you to think on.

It's one thing to depend on God to get you to the rung of the ladder that you're on, but will you still depend on him if he asks you to move?

God asks you to downsize.

If God asks you to stay away from that one tree with that one fruit, well, God, don't you trust us with the things you've given us?

The harsh reality is that many today, I believe, worship the idea of American success.

And they're willing to bypass God Almighty to get to it.

Look at verses 1 through 5 in 2 Chronicles.

It starts off pretty good.

Now all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was 16 years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.

He built Elath and restored it to Judah after the king rested with his fathers.

Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem.

His mother's name was Jequaliah of Jerusalem, and he did what was right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father Amaziah had done.

He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in visions of God, and as long as he sought, I would highlight that line, and as long as he sought, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.

So we see letter A, faithful beginnings.

I've got a timeline of Israel and Judah, and it will show you in that timeline, in color green, the kings that were labeled as the kings that did good, and then in red, the kings that did bad during this timeline.

And Uzziah is actually highlighted in green because for a beginning, for a period, he did a good thing.

And so as you look through that timeline, here is a king, Uzziah, at age 16.

16.

We got any 16-year-olds here today?

We got a few.

At 16, I was a skate and rink referee.

Don't judge me.

I was in charge of 100 mile per hour collisions that could have messed up teenage lives.

And I had a whistle and I took it serious.

I could be found in the snack bar making your icy.

I could also be found at the end of the night operating heavy machinery.

It was a big vacuum cleaner called the Big Suite.

And on roller skates, it was actually pretty fun.

I mean, are you impressed?

At 16.

Imagine your 16-year-old in the seat of President Trump.

Here's Uzziah at age 16.

Something.

But a king.

Well, his father, I want you to look at their names.

Amaziah.

These are some good names.

Amaziah means Yahweh is mighty.

Jequaliah, his mother, means Yahweh is able.

And Uzziah means my strength is Yahweh.

So if you put those things together, my strength is Yahweh who is mighty and able.

That's not a bad name.

Maybe you hear that and you go, well, now I see.

That's why he's king at 16.

Look at his name.

He is able.

Yahweh is able.

Did y'all ever sing He is able when you were growing up, coming up?

Man, I did.

There was a song when I was fifth, sixth grade said, He is able, He is able.

I know that He is able.

I know that my God is able to carry me through.

He uh it went on and on.

He is able, He is able.

He sets the captives free, He makes the lame to walk again and calls the blind to see He is able.

Our God can set a 16-year-old and make one out of 40 highlighted in green in a place.

It says the why.

He sought God during the days of Zechariah.

He sought.

That word sought means Darash, or the word is Darash, and it means to repeatedly beat a path.

Is there anything in y'all's life that you just do over and over and over and over again?

And if you think about it, this happens every day, day after day, day after day.

I was thinking all of the many things that are like that, but I thought about beating a path.

In my house, it is mind-bending that there are five people all with socks.

We all have socks.

I think I have 40 pairs of socks, and it's not enough.

I just got six more the other week, and I was I love, I really do love new socks.

Y'all, when you put on new socks or nothing like that feeling.

Okay, I love new socks.

So as my calculation, I got 46 pairs of socks.

But in the morning, when I'm looking for a sock, are y'all with me?

I beat a path from basket to room to basket, and I'm looking, I don't know how it happens.

It's a mystery.

There's magic that happens in the washer and the dryer, and out of 46, I can't find two.

Continually I'm beating this path.

If I'll wear the halls looking for a sock, how much more should I wear a path to God's presence?

Darash.

It says, as long the deal, as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.

God is not, I'm not here to tell you today.

God, as I started, is against prosperity.

I do believe there is a false prosperity gospel that purports that if you follow God, he wills you prosperity.

I don't believe that.

I don't believe if you pray it and claim it, God wills it to you.

That if you pray it and claim it, I mean bags of money are gonna drop from the heavens.

That's false.

If you speak it like a magic genie, God wills it to happen.

That's not what I believe.

I do believe his button is prayer.

I believe we should pray, and God wills and does not will when he wants to.

But he always does as he wishes.

Romans 8 28 says that we sang about it and we know that God works all things together.

Hear this, for the good.

It's not always for my good, for the good.

God uses tragedy and God uses triumph, and it's all for the glory of God.

So rest easy today.

If you're not on the mountain, it does not mean that you're miles from God.

If you are on the mountain, don't fall prey to the mirage that you've arrived.

As long as Uzziah sought God.

Matthew 6, 33 says, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.

What are you seeking today?

Seek ye first.

Well, we see that's how Uzziah started.

I want you to turn over to verse number six, letter B.

We see some fruitful buildings.

Uzziah continued in that vein.

It says, Now he went out and made war against the Philistines and broke down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabnah, and the wall of Ashdod, and he built cities around Ashdod and among the Philistines.

God helped him against the Philistines, against the Arabians who lived in Gerbaal, and against the Menites.

Also the Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah.

His fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for he became exceedingly strong.

And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, at the valley gate, and at the corner buttress of the wall, then he fortified them.

Also he built towers in the desert, he dug many wells, for he had much livestock, both in the low lands and in the plains.

He also had farmers and vine dressers in the mountains and in caramel, for he loved the soil.

I mean, Uzziah got busy.

He got after it.

God was bringing prosperity, so he was planting and he was farming and he was building and he was breaking down walls.

He was doing a lot of things for prosperity.

The Bible, hear me, has some prescribed ways of prosperity.

And I say this prescribed.

God wills how he wants.

This is prescribed, meaning it is a likely way that this could happen.

It doesn't mean that it's binding.

Y'all with me?

Okay?

I don't want you to leave in here.

So the pastor said, if I just do this, that's all I gotta do.

It is a likely way.

Dave mentioned Joshua 1.8.

Okay?

I believe that is about as binding as it gets.

If you'll meditate on the word of God day and night, thou shalt have success.

Okay?

I taught to teenagers a message a long time ago.

You remember Bay, B A E?

Their girlfriend and boyfriend was Bay.

Y'all remember that?

If you don't remember it, I'm sorry.

But that's what they were calling each other.

This Bay, B-A-E.

Bay meant before anything else.

That's my Bay.

Oh.

I mean, David, Bay is right next to you today.

40 years of Bay before anything else.

Okay?

When I preached it, I said the Bible is Bay, May, and Fei.

Bay before anything else.

May more than anything else, and fei, following anything else.

That's what Joshua 1.8 says.

If we'll just meditate and be in this word and start your day with it, and it says, end your day with it.

Alright?

It says one time in the whole Bible the word success shows up.

That's a pretty good odds that that's gonna get you there.

Okay?

Now, hear me.

I'm not saying that means American success.

We need to think on that.

Proverbs 28, 25, trust trust in God, and there will be uh God will prosper you.

Proverbs 14, 23 says, diligent work leads to prosperity.

Again, not everything's binding.

Proverbs 22, 9, generous people are prosperous in the New Testament.

2 Corinthians 9, 6 and 7.

Listen to this about generosity.

It says, He who sows sparingly reaps sparingly.

Man, that makes sense.

But whoever gives bountifully reaps bountifully.

And a farming idea, if you put out a lot of seed, probably a lot of seed has an opportunity to get rain and flourish.

But in a context of your living your life, it says, be a cheerful giver.

Be a giver.

That's a means to prosperity.

This local New Testament church thrives on the generosity of its people.

We can't minister to our community unless you're generous.

Covenant members give.

There are people who are in your life who are in need of a sower.

So give cheerfully.

Malachi 3 promises a blessing if you give.

Then it says, He'll rebuke the devourer for your sake if you give.

He will keep calamity.

Okay?

I'm not saying something might not happen, but in general, prosperity comes to those who are cheerfully giving.

And Deuteronomy 8.18 says, it is he that gives the ability to get wealth.

It's God.

And so we honor God.

Does this eliminate trial?

No.

But it's a means to fruitfulness.

If you look at what happened with Uzziah, look at what he did.

Just makes sense.

He broke enemy walls.

Is that a fruitful endeavor?

Oh, absolutely.

He built towers, verse 9 and 10.

That word is Ba now, and it means they are a defense.

He wanted to defend his people.

Towers in the desert to protect his land and look over his livestock.

Men could stand at the towers and look at what was going on.

He farmed.

He loved the soil.

This is telling of how he produced.

But this shows Uzziah's means to success.

But his success is always safe.

I want you to look at the second point this morning.

Distinction among the demographics.

He continued after all that building, verse 11 through 15.

Moreover, Uzziah had an army of fighting men who went out to war by companies, according to the number on the roll as prepared by Jael the scribe, and Messiah the officer, under the hands of Hananiah, one of the king's captains.

The total number of chief officers of the mighty men of valor was 2,600.

And under their authority was an army of three hundred and seven, three hundred and seven thousand five hundred that made war with mighty power to help the king against the enemy.

Then Uzziah prepared for them for the entire army.

Listen to what the things he did and created shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and slings to cast stone.

And he made devices in Jerusalem, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners to shoot arrows, large stones.

So his fame spread far and wide, for he was marvelously helped.

Highlight this till he became strong.

Letter A, we see he's fortified for a fight.

Anybody here ever played the board game Risk?

Three of us.

Let's get together.

Okay.

Well, in Risk, this will be teaching for everybody.

In Risk, you have the world to dominate, and you go against other players, just the four of us, and you roll dice and you have troops that are set up uh on borders of other countries.

And at the end of every turn, after you roll dice and you've had your fights, and if you rolled a six and they rolled a five, you get to take out one of their men.

And if you roll a seven, right, you go through this.

When you're done your turn, you can fortify your men.

Meaning you can, if you can, as long as you leave one in one country, you can move all your men that are surrounding that into a country near it.

So you fortify.

Why?

Because there might be enemies that are going to attack over here.

And so you put up a blockade of men.

That's what we see here with Uzziah.

He has troops, he has an army of fighting men, 2,600 chief officers, over a quarter million troops.

Uzziah created and invented.

I mean, this was a young genius.

He was a brilliant strategist.

And on top of that, he was sort of an entrepreneur.

It says he was creating things.

He had one of the largest armies as any of those kings that were listed.

And Judah rose to prominence under his leadership.

They beat the Philistines, the Ammonites, and the Mennites.

This shows his success.

But his success always safe.

Ephesians 6, 10 and 11 for us.

Talk about fortifying for a thing.

The Bible says, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of his might.

Put on the whole armor of God.

I want you to think about this fortification, the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

This whole armor of God is what we're called to do as a Christian.

Put on the truth, put on the belt, put on the shield of faith, put on the helmet of salvation.

Where why what is that picture, this fortification?

Now, I think in a sort of an American way or whatever the time was, Uzziah was seeking and doing some things that were smart and prosperous.

He was trying to fortify so that anybody had a fight.

I've surrounded myself in a really smart way so that we We can continue.

The Bible says in another scripture that we should walk circumspectly, looking for the enemy.

That means we're looking at every gap, at every hole, we're shielding.

And so this is the way that Uzziah was moving forward.

Psalms 18, 2 says, For us, the Lord is my rock and my fortress.

He's my fortress.

He's got me surrounded in.

If I'm focused on him, Uzziah was leading Judah in a way to which in military might, hear me, they might feel comfortable.

Oh man, we got everything we need right here.

I mean, does this not?

We got our walls, we got our military, we got our shields, we're creating.

Don't we feel comfortable?

Remember the American dream?

Letter B.

It says, his fame spread far.

His fame.

And so his fame was far and wide.

We've seen this in other places in Scripture.

Solomon before him was probably the most prestigious and well-known.

A wealthy king, notable.

1 Kings 4 29 said that Solomon's fame spread to every nation.

The story of his successes and the things that he built led him to be one of the people that everyone had known.

But I have a question for you to think on when you hear about Solomon.

Did his fame lead him to good biblical stewardship?

Or did it lead him down a path of self-indulgence?

I have a question that's probably hard to think on.

If you get a work promotion, will you be able to handle it?

What would happen if you were to gain 50% more income next week?

What would happen if you made a video that got a billion likes and all of a sudden you were worldwide known?

What would happen to you?

Most of us feel like, well, I'm gonna be okay.

I'm just me.

Man, I'm telling you.

If you had that much more money, what would happen?

Maybe you've seen these cute pictures.

I've got some of the.

If you won the lottery, you might know it.

Would this happen in your home?

Maybe it would look like this next picture.

I wouldn't tell anyone, but there might be a jet in the hangar.

What about this next one?

I feel like everybody's got this one.

I mean, this is today.

Full tank, lots of groceries.

Could you handle fame spread far?

Look, I'm trying not to knock you at the same time.

Because I feel for them.

You know, like he's suddenly from 16 and he's going, but all of a sudden life has fed him a way of success.

Maybe you've heard the story of Judy Garland from The Wizard of Oz.

At 16, she filmed The Wizard of Oz and Super Stardom took off like a rocket ship.

She was two times nominated for an Academy Award, the first women woman to win a Grammy.

And I have this question: it shows a lot of success.

But was success safe?

In Judy Garland's life, it sent her spiraling.

She became addicted to uppers and downers.

She struggled with alcoholism.

She was plagued by hepatitis.

She began to have nervous breakdowns.

World's success swallowed a 16-year-old, and she could only take it till she was 47.

That was the close of her life.

Success swallowed her.

Church, hear me today.

Fame is a test not for the faint.

Not saying success is bad.

I don't want anybody here to be mediocre in the things you're doing.

I don't want you to be apathetic.

Success is good, but it's a struggle that has to be managed by a heart dedicated to God.

God is not against it, but success can be against you.

Jesus had a response to the fame of his name being spread.

In Luke 4 42, you can find it.

His name was spreading far and wide, and Jesus, you find him in the very next verse, it says, He went away into solitude.

He went and found the Father.

And he meditated day and night.

And then he looked for a new place to minister.

He wanted to get away from the fame that was coming towards him because he was not about that fame.

He was about seeing God's will become done.

What do you do if fame is spread?

Point three this morning.

We see the downward decline.

Verse 16 and 17.

Again, the very last of 15 said, till he became strong.

And then verse 16.

Sobering words.

But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction.

For he transgressed against the Lord his God by entering the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.

So Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him were eighty priests of the Lord, valiant men.

Letter A, we see his fatal strength.

But when he was strong, and his heart was lifted up, Uzziah couldn't handle the success that came.

Morgan said this: prosperity always puts the heart in danger of pride, and pride always goes before destruction.

The word here, when his heart was lifted up, is Gavah, and it means high-hearted.

His heart had been lifted up to his own destruction.

I want you to think about a scripture.

If you've got time, you can turn here.

Matthew chapter 7.

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

It's an important point to be noted.

This is a parable of the man who built on the rock and the man who built on the sand.

Matthew 7, 20, 4 through 27, it says, Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who builds his house on the rock.

And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house, and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

But everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

And the rains descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house, and it fell.

And great was its fall.

You hear what it said there.

God does, He can and does use godly, successful people, but there are godly people who have built their businesses on Scripture and have gone bankrupt.

There are plenty of people who have loved the Lord as much as humanly as possible and seem like they did not flourish.

People who have believed and do everything humanly right that miscarry a baby.

There's people today who have loved God and are in chemotherapy.

There are people who have done all they can to know scripture and love God, and they're in all manner of adversity.

Because the man who builds on the rock and the man who builds on the sand, listen, the man, verse chapter 7 of Matthew says, the man who hears the word and does them, the rains came and the floods came.

The man who hears the words and does not do them, the rains came and the floods came.

One thing we know that is certain, built on the rock, built on the same, the rains came and the floods came.

But in the previous verses, this was God's willing, it says, as long as Uzziah sought the Lord, as long as he sought the Lord, he prospered.

I would infer when it says he became strong, that he no longer sought the Lord.

His fatal strength was believing in his own height.

And he believed, at least for a moment, at least for a day, he believed that he was above the law of God.

Because verse 18, it says that he went into the temple, and Azariah and 80 priests tried to withstand the king.

But Uzziah.

How do we know that this was not okay?

Second Chronicles, if you want to turn back, chapter 23.

Verse 6 says, Let no man come into the house of the Lord except the priests and Levites who serve.

This is the king.

He would have had a copy of the law and he would have understood that.

Look at 2 Chronicles chapter 36.

2 Chronicles 36 · chapter mention

Look at verse 15 and 16.

It says, and the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by his messengers, rising up early and sending them, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place.

But they mocked the messengers of God, despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people.

There was no remedy.

My heading in my Bible there talks about the fall of Jerusalem.

He says they mocked the men of God, and God brought wrath.

They despised God's words and it brought wrath.

You see, Uzziah did not listen to the law of God.

His fatal strength is that he got to a point where he believed in his own success and no longer sought God.

He was successful, but was that success safe?

Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a house built on sand.

Everything that Uzziah had could crumble.

Businessmen, storms and floods are promised.

But are you built on the rock?

Success is on that rock.

He who hears and does the words of God, are you listening to God's words?

Everyone here and being obedient.

He says that wise man will be like a house built on rock.

Because storms are coming.

Winds are coming.

All of that is coming.

What are you built upon?

Are you built on the American dream of success?

Because I'm telling you, tomorrow the American dream can fall.

Is your faith and foundation in this book, in the God of this book, and what he wants for your path in your life?

Man, if your business, listen, you ought to have opening prayer every morning for your business, closing day prayer.

If your business is not about the glory, oh man, one time David Wilson told me, he said, Let me tell you my business plan.

He said, I don't tell everyone this, but I'll tell a pastor.

He said, My business plan, and he's got to write it out in serve pro terminology for others here.

He said, But my business plan is that God would allow me to tithe a million dollars.

He said, That's my whole business plan.

And you want to talk about success.

What is your business plan for your business?

For what you're doing.

Is it built on the rock of God?

Uzziah fell because he believed in his height.

Letter B, we see he's fallen in shame.

Look at verse 18 through 21.

It says, and they withstood the king, Uzziah, and said to him, It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priest, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense.

Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed.

You shall have no honor from the Lord God.

Then Uzziah became furious, and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense while he was angry with the priest, and leprosy broke out on his forehead before the priest in the house of the Lord, beside the incense altar.

And Azariah, chief priest, and all the priests looked at him, and there on his forehead he was leprous.

So they thrust him out of that place.

Indeed, he also hurried to get out, because the Lord had struck him.

The road up is the road that took Uzziah to the bottom.

The Bible says God exalts the humble, but he resists the proud.

It was Uzziah's self-righteous pedestal that took him all the way to his biggest fall.

And man, look at Azariah.

This is the king.

And Azariah, the priest, and all these other priests, they said, You're not consecrated.

You're not in a place of cleanness before God.

You know this law.

And he says, You have trespassed.

And God immediately struck him with leprosy.

Uzziah acted as if he was invincible.

And it shouldn't be lost on anyone today.

That all the ways that God could have punished him, God chose leprosy.

It's interesting.

I want you to take your Bible and turn to Leviticus chapter 13.

Leviticus 13 · chapter mention

All the ways that God could have chosen to punish Uzziah.

Leviticus chapter 13, verse 45 and 46.

Leviticus 13:45

There's two chapters in Leviticus.

I know every year when you read through it, you're looking for how do I become a better Christian when I read the laws of the lepers?

Well, here it is.

It says, Now the leper on whom the sore is, verse 45.

His clothes shall be torn and his head bare, and he shall cover his mustache and cry, unclean, unclean.

He shall be unclean all the days he has the sore, he shall be unclean.

He is unclean.

And hear this.

He shall dwell alone.

His dwelling shall be outside the camp.

All of the ways.

God could have brought punishment on Uzziah for his strength that he gained, for his invincibility, and God made him really visible.

He was invincible to himself, and God made him really visible.

He walked into a place of worship that he was not prepared to be in.

And God said, You'll not walk into a place of worship again.

Says then the leper in whom the plague is, that he shall dwell in isolation and outside of the camp.

He allowed himself to believe in his successes and not keep depending upon the God who creates all of it.

Church, we are a steward of some portion that God has designated.

And some get two, and some get five, and some get ten.

But God designates, and God alone is in control of the health that you have.

Now you make choices, but God is the one that designates your life, and you can fight with that, or you can be relieved by holding on to his hand through it.

C.S.

Lewis said the weight in the weight of glory to participate in God's glory means to have fame with God, meaning approval by God.

It has the sense of being noticed by God.

Man, if there's anything that me and you should want in this life, it's that whatever it is that I'm doing, God gets glory.

And a notice of God, I don't even know what that looks like.

I know there's a verse that says that we can live in a way that it's like incense to God, that God in heavens can look down on his children and go, their life is a work for me today.

So I would say, as we look at success in the American fame spread far.

Man, if God can be more famous because of your life and walk, I want you to turn to 1 Corinthians.

Paul said this about 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 26.

1 Corinthians 1:26

Because we're all about the seven ways and the ten ways and the 14 ways of success and how to have more time, and how to be a better parent, and the how-tos.

Right?

John Maxwell will have a book next week, and we're gonna learn some good things.

But let me tell you what Paul said.

1 Corinthians 1 26.

For you see, you're calling, brethren, that not hear this, this is hard.

Paul, we don't like you saying this.

Not many wise, according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise.

And God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty, and the base things of the world, and the things which are despised.

God has chosen in the things which are not to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence.

But of him you are in Christ Jesus, who become for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.

That as it is written, He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.

For some of you who are smart, you took that verse and said, Oh man, that hurts.

That gives me a lot of encouragement, church.

When I read that verse, I go, Yes.

God can take the weak.

God can take things that aren't much.

And I'm telling you, He is sovereign in my path.

He grabbed me the turtle on the fence post.

If you see it there, you know God had to do something, it didn't get there by itself.

He said, If you're going to boast, boast in God.

God is glorified because he saves men that are base, because he saves men in spite of their worthiness.

We're not worthy to be saved.

He said, My grace is sufficient.

In weakness I am made strong.

I am not worthy, and neither are any here.

But God gets glory when he saves people that are unworthy, and then he uses people.

And the problem there, it started off okay, but Uzziah got too worthy.

He started to believe his own hype.

Fanny Crosby was born into this world blind, and at age six, her father died, her mother had to go.

Often worked to support the family, so Fanny Crosby's grandmother began to take care of her blind granddaughter.

And her grandmother had a strong presence of faith in her life, and she took to the practice of reading long passages of scripture to Fanny.

And it was noted earlier in her life that Fanny Crosby could memorize psalms, she could memorize books in the New Testament, she could memorize amazingly well.

And with this depth of scripture that was buried in her heart, she began to learn and play music and began to write hymns.

Fanny Crosby wrote one of the famed hymns in history called Blessed Assurance.

Jesus is mine.

A blind person pictured, oh, what a foretaste of glory divine.

Perfect submission, all is at rest.

I am my Savior, happy and blessed.

Never saw her whole life.

She wrote the song, Pass Me Not, O gentle Savior, hear my humble cry.

A blind person.

Oh, God's presence is coming.

Oh, let it don't pass me, Lord.

She wrote the song, the hymn redeemed.

How I love to proclaim it.

She wrote, Praise Him, praise Him.

She wrote over 800 hymns.

To give you a modern-day comparison, Chris Tomlin is listed to have written up over 550 songs.

Fanny Crosby wrote over 800 hymns.

Listen to this quote by Fanny Crosby.

She said, It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life.

And I thank him for the dispensation.

If I had a choice, I'd choose to remain blind.

For when I die, the first face I'll ever see will be the face of my blessed Savior.

By the world's standards, by American standards of success, Fanny Crosby was impaired her whole life.

But a blind woman from birth who died a hundred and ten years ago is somehow still impacting my heart today with her words.

She couldn't see, but she sought Jesus with all that she was.

Church, the world would look at her impairment as such a weakness, as such a sad thing.

What a sad life that must be.

Fanny said, Oh, his grace is sufficient.

All that I am is my Lord's.

And she took that, and it was something so special.

The ultimate symbol of weakness, church, and shame, and display of unsuccess was on Calvary's Hill.

The cross of Jesus Christ is the ultimate in weakness and shame.

Yet on that stage, somehow Jesus Christ displayed his strength and God's ultimate glory.

That cross, that symbol of weakness, that symbol of unsuccess, your and my sins were nailed.

Shame was carried on the back of my Savior, and our failures were forgiven.

And today, that same Jesus Christ, who turned every weakness into a victory, wants to take any brokenness in you and turn it into a story, a blessing, a testimony.

He'll turn what's happened in your life and failures into a platform for his good and glory.

The question is, will you surrender?

Will you let go of your control?

I mean, some folks here we're white knuckling the control of our path.

And God has called and He's knocked and He's been a gentleman and He's put things in your pathway over and over, and we just don't want to release control.

We don't want to release our path.

And maybe today is a day where you just say, I want to seek you, God.

If my business is my way to seek you, it's my business.

If it's in my family, if it's in some sport, however I can seek you, God, let me not be like Uzziah's fall, because you said, whenever he sought you, and God, I want to leave here knowing I'm seeking you.

I want to come to you at the cross.

I want to seek you.

We're excited you joined us for today's message.

Our heart is to connect with others in our community, to grow with one another, and build a bigger kingdom.

If you've accepted Jesus today, we want to hear about it.

Take a moment and text CCWConnect to 94,000.

Thank you again for joining us on the CCW podcast.

We hope you'll make plans to join us in person on Sundays.