The Choice of the Twelve Apostles

The point: Be rebuked by Christ's prayerfulness and our own carnal self-confidence and prayerlessness.

An old saint's phrase, 'shoot up a volley to the Lord in the midst of a pressured situation,' is quoted to distinguish between spontaneous prayer and concentrated seasons of waiting upon God, emphasizing the latter's importance for significant decisions.

He needed not that any should testify of man, for he knew what was in man, and yet there's an all-night vigil of prayer before he enters upon this selection of those upon whose shoulders will rest this awesome responsibility of becoming foundation blocks in his own church. Now granted, there are times when our Lord Jesus, as we, must shoot up, as one dear old saint said, a volley to the Lord in the midst. Now granted, there are times when our Lord Jesus, as we, must shoot up, as one dear old saint said, a volley to the Lord in the midst. of a pressured situation.

17:21 - 17:53 Read in full sermon

The point: Rejoice that God chooses 'nobodies' and do not swell with pride, but recognize that your inclusion in God's people is to make it evident that no flesh should glory before Him.

Fox's description of God's chosen ones as a 'five-ranked army of descending human weakness' (foolish, weak, base, despised, things that are not) is quoted to illustrate God's method of conquering the world through the humble and insignificant, reflecting the character of the apostles.

Fox takes these designations, the foolish, the weak, the base, the despised, the things that are not, and he calls them God's five-ranked army of descending human weakness. You start with the what? The foolish, and you end up with the ciphers, the things that are nothing. Five-ranked army of descending human weakness, and he says with them He'll conquer the world.

43:44 - 44:14 Read in full sermon

The point: Rejoice that God chooses 'nobodies' and do not swell with pride, but recognize that your inclusion in God's people is to make it evident that no flesh should glory before Him.

A.B. Bruce's description of the apostles as an 'insignificant company indeed, a band of poor, illiterate, Galilean provincials' is quoted to underscore their humble origins and lack of worldly influence, reinforcing the idea that God chooses nobodies.

And so it is evident, here in the choice of Christ, that the very pattern of God's work throughout the history of the church is reflected. God chose a bunch of nobodies. A.B. Bruce in his classic work, The Training of the Twelve, has picked up this thread of thought, and he says this, Such were the men that Jesus chose to be with Him while He was on this earth, to carry on His work after He left it. Such were the men whom the church celebrates as the glorious company of the apostles. The praise is merited, but the glory of the twelve was not of this world. In a worldly point of view, they were...

44:14 - 45:10 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that the vast diversity within the church, when functioning as a body of spiritual leaders, is evidence that only grace could hold them together, and beware of churches comprised only of those from the same cul…

The analogy of a diverse group of people in a church not tearing each other's hair out is used to illustrate that true unity amidst diversity is a testament to God's grace, not merely shared culture or genes.

And the Bible does not throw a cloak of silence over some of the elements that had to be dealt with by our Lord. But surely it points to the direction or in the direction that ought greatly to encourage us that when the Lord has called us together from such a vast diversity of natural temperament and background and formative influences to make us His church, His dwelling place, what's the end He has in view? To cause people to stand back in amazement and say if that crowd goes through one week without tearing each other's hair and cutting each other's throats, it must be grace that's doing som...

48:46 - 49:54 Read in full sermon

The point: Learn to be content with your appointed sphere of usefulness and rejoice if your brethren outstrip you in usefulness and prominence, because your great concern is that Christ be glorified.

The analogy of a minister turning green with jealousy when hearing about another's blessing is used to highlight the tragic reality of ministerial envy and the importance of rejoicing in Christ's glory above personal prominence.

You want to see somebody turn green before your very eyes? Just start talking to one minister about the blessing of God upon the labors of another. And there seem to be so few who have a heart at rest in what God made them to be that they can rejoice if their brethren outstrip them in usefulness and prominence. Because their great concern is that Christ be glorified.

50:42 - 51:09 Read in full sermon