This sermon by Joshua Daniel emphasizes how God chooses the weak, foolish, and despised things of the world to confound the wise and mighty. It highlights the transformational power of God in turning failures into victories, using examples like Peter and the early church. The message encourages humility, trusting in God's plan, and finding strength in weakness, echoing the theme of God's preference for the base things of the world.

Welcome to the Lord's Challenge with Joshua Daniel. The Layman's Evangelical Fellowship International is a ministry reaching people from all walks of life since 1935. After a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ at the age of 16, Joshua Daniel has been declaring the marvelous deliverance from sin, which is freely given to all those who turn to the loving Savior. Wherever this message has gone out, broken relationships have been restored, sickness healed, ill-gotten money returned, and thieves turned into givers. We now invite you to watch and receive the invaluable blessing that God has for you. First Corinthians, first chapter. First Corinthians, first chapter. But God has chosen, 27th verse, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. And base things of the world and things which are despised has God chosen. Yea, and things which are not, that simply don't appear to exist, they're a pile of beans, a hill of beans. They're not, they're fit for nothing. To bring to naught things that appear formidable, that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence. How amazing. So what we are having today, you know, when I look at the whole course of history, and I see the early church prevailing. What was the early church? Peter, a fisherman, who meets the Lord Jesus with an empty net, says, oh, I labored all night, caught nothing. On the basis of such an achievement, does anybody get selected in an interview? No. He would be shown the door. Oh, so that's all your expertise, my man. You can labor all night and catch nothing, and you're perfectly worthless for this job, which requires high performance. Out you go. But Mark you, my dear friends, you, you see a Peter spearheading this opposition to Rome? Huh. When I think of make sure, you know, when the Jews went and said, the latter mistake would be worse than the first. So we want a watch. Yeah, we have given you a watch. There are soldiers there watching the grave. Make sure of it. So they took the seal and sealed the grave. My dear friends, just think of a situation of which seems like abject failure. The matter is finished. The grave is sealed. There's nothing more to be expected. We thought he is the Messiah. Now just to take a bunch of people who have that kind of feeling and mindset and say, hey, no, the Lord is risen. The resurrection power is released. No, not even Rome with all its power can stand against the truth. See to turn a situation that seems so dismal and dark into a glorious victory. Now that is what we should expect from the Lord. That's history. Whether you like it or not, that is history. A small bunch of fellows who are persecuted and be like beaten up puppies, you know, becoming invincible soldiers of the cross. Overcoming. Yes, that is the cross. That is the resurrection. God hath not chosen the wise things, the great things, the glittering things, but he has chosen the foolish things of this world. What a marvelous scripture. Giving hope to the poorest. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. And base things of the world. Now I am surprised at the use of the word base. What do you mean by the word base? Base things which are despised. Yes, we despise some of the base things. That fellow is good for nothing. You know his record. You know what he has been up to. Hey, he is base. Good for nothing. God has chosen the base things of the world. Yes, he is the recreator. That's the cross. Hope for the weakest. Light in the bleakest situation. That is the cross. That's the resurrection. That's at the heart of our trust and belief. My Lord is risen. There's hope for me. My record is quite base. My dear friends, what a record I was beginning to run up. What a record. A dirty base record. God has chosen the base things of the world. In fact, in 2 Corinthians 10, the 10th chapter, Paul describes himself as base. You think? No. 2 Corinthians 10 and the first verse. Now I, Paul, myself, beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you. I don't know why he describes himself as being base. You know, folks, and in the verse, for his letters say they are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible. You know, if you see a man, I saw a man, you know, in an airport. The poor fellow had to be ducking under the signboards. And he got into the same plane as myself. I said, you must watch your head. Yes, I must not damage the plane, he said. How tall are you? Oh, seven six. You know, when you meet with such a man, you're an imposing figure. I said, were you a basketball player also? Oh, yes, I did play basketball, he said. However, you see, folks, we want an imposing figure. We want somebody who looks really smart. But what does, how does St. Paul describe himself? His bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible. That's how he describes himself. So in presence I am base among you. But who was the strength of his life? You're the strength of my heart, says David. You're the strength of my heart. Today, while we see so much research about the heart condition and health issues. To be able to say you're the strength of my heart. God has chosen the best things of this world. My, how amazing. And the things which are despised. I have seen it in my life, you know. The worst characters, John Bunyan, for instance. I didn't see John Bunyan, of course. John Bunyan, he was in Bedford prison for 12 years. 12 years for addressing meetings like this. John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, which until a few years ago, at least, had a circulation only next to the Bible. Such a high circulation is supposed to be the forerunner of the English novel. In literature, Bunyan has a special place in literature. Almost an ignorant thinker, that was his profession. Mending old vessels. So you would say, here is a despised man and he gets into the mainstream and becomes recognized in the history of literature. And those that are despised. Oh yes, I have continually seen people. I knew a man who could not even talk his native language properly. His native language, he couldn't talk. And this fellow came under the hand of God and God transformed him and began to use him. And then his wife began to play up and began to go away to another man. And it looked as though this man's whole ministry was finished. You know what he said? I am going to pray for my wife till she straightens out, till she repents. And I am going to hold my peace until then. And he did so. And his wife was transformed. Irretrievable situation it looked like. Today, people think, oh, any little problem, any little trouble, they don't have any faith. I can handle this. I can pray for my spouse. I can pray for my family. No, they don't seem to have that faith. What a sad thing. But God chooses the people that are despised. Now I see one grave hindrance. As soon as people get converted, or they come under the gospel in other countries as well, they feel they need to first attend to, all right, inward purity is often reflected in your cleanliness outside. I believe in hygiene. I believe in cleanliness. But if you want me to make a Christian, a tailor-made Christian, I say, oh no, a tailor can't make a Christian. But it is all about that. Big education, big jobs, big money, that's all. What nonsense is this? God has chosen the foolish things, the despised things. And after all the education and all the learning, do they achieve anything of eternal consequence? Nothing. Nothing. You know, one of those poems which I like is, The wretch consented all in self. Dying shall forfeit all renown, And go down unwept, unsung. You know, it looks like, okay, I'm going to make myself comfortable. I'm going to make myself big. Now listen, there is a big contrast. I am not asking you to be lazy. I am not teaching you to be lacking in industry. And diligence and discipline. No, not one bit. But I'm showing you from the Word of God, the world of difference, being lifted by God, being endued with a new spirit from Christ, or trying to just work your way up, you know, like a monkey on a tree. Work your way up. There is enough of that today. But I believe God chooses the weak things of this world, the foolish things of this world, the despised things of this world, to bring to naught the things that are mighty and great. I would rather be in the hands of God, humbling myself. Yes, my friends, I delight to humble myself, humbling myself, that God may work these things out. And let the same mind which was in Christ Jesus be in you. That mind that humbles itself. Let us pray. Loving Father, that you should be mindful of people like us, ordinary people. Oh, there are so many brilliant people, Lord. People with such wonderful brains. Oh, a fellow like me is a kindergarten boy. Oh, my Father, but how is it that you say that you choose the foolish things of this world, the weak things, the things which are base and despised? We see it in the Scripture. We see it in history, how the resurrection power takes over and begins to motivate, to discipline, to purify how our thoughts, our thinking, our whole frame of mind, our makeup, so that we fit into the plans of God. Oh, Father, we want those enduring, eternal plans to be fulfilled in our lives. We don't want to be like a whiff of chaff. With one little breath, poof, it's blown off all our dreams and all our efforts. No, no, no. We want the builder and the maker to be God, the Almighty, the eternal Savior, that there will be something coming out of each one of our lives that will endure through eternity. We ask this in Jesus' holy name. Amen. So they pushed back from the table to listen to his words, the secret plan before he had to go. It's not complicated, don't need a lot of fruits. This is all you need to know, to know, loving each other, making music when it ends, loving each other and the story ends. We tend to make it harder, build steeples out of stones, fill books with explanations off the way. But if we stop and listen and break a little bread, then we would be faster safe. Loving each other, making music with my friends, loving each other and the story ends. Loving each other, making music with my friends, loving each other and the story ends. And the story ends. This program is brought to you by the Layman's Evangelical Fellowship International, an interdenominational missionary and prayer group working for revival around the globe. We invite every lay person to become God's ally in changing his or her corner of the world. Please write, and if you have a prayer request or concern you would like to share, please do let us know. You can email us at post at lefi.org or visit our website at lefi.org. Our mailing address is LEFI P.O. Box 1072 Armidale WA 6992. Until we meet again next week, may God bless you.