# God uses ordinary people

Key Passage: 2 Chronicles 22:10-12
Date: June 7, 2024

Turn your Bibles, if you would, to Second Chronicles, chapter 22 of God’s Word—Second Chronicles 22. I’ve been so busy. I would like to be short tonight, I’ll put it that way. But we’re going to read just a brief portion of the story. We’ll pray, and I’ll try to tell you this story very quickly, just the highlights of it, and then try to draw just a couple of things out of it. I hope it would be an encouragement to you tonight.

By the way, I’m excited about Brother Josh Smith preaching for us on Wednesday night. That will be a blessing, exciting to see God working in his life over the past year, year and a half they’ve been with us. Praise the Lord for it; that’s a blessing. Excited about it, looking forward to it.

Second Chronicles 22, just a couple of verses. We’ll start in verse number 10. Second Chronicles 22 and verse number 10. If you’re there, would you please stand out of respect to the Word of God? Second Chronicles 22 and verse number 10 of God’s Word. Are you there tonight? Amen? Good, good.

But when Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal seed of the house of Judah. But Jehosheba, the daughter of the king, took Joash, the son of Ahaziah. She stole him from among the king’s sons that were slain and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest—for she was the sister of Ahaziah—she hid him from Athaliah so that she slew him not. And he was hidden with her in the house of God six years. And Athaliah reigned over the land.

Would you pray with me? God would encourage us tonight. “God Uses Ordinary People”—that’ll just be the title of it. God uses ordinary people. For the internet, that’ll be the title. Let’s pray, would you please, that God encourages our hearts tonight?

Thank you so much for standing. You may be seated.

It’s a horrible time for Judah, a very wicked time, with very sinful leadership in Judah at that time. By the way, it reminds you a little bit of America today, a very sinful time. The wicked King Ahaziah was killed by Jehu, him and his brothers. Now, Jehu was really pouring out the wrath of God and bringing down the judgment of God on them. Athaliah was the mother of the king. She was a very, very wicked lady; she was Ahab and Jezebel’s daughter.

In some ways, when you speak of Jezebel, she’s kind of the icon of wicked ladies. I think Athaliah has her beat, to be honest with you. I really do. She was raised by Ahab and Jezebel—just a very, very wicked, amazing woman. But I’ll tell you what she did: when she saw her son was killed, she didn’t mourn or anything. She thought, “Well, this is my chance to the throne.” Son just killed. And here’s the amazing thing: she goes and kills her grandsons—the royal seed we just read about.

I’m not sure everything that entails, and I don’t know how many there were, but it was her grandsons. They were next in line for the throne, and she was trying to wipe them out. Can you imagine a lady going and killing her own? Just a very wicked, sinful lady. And it worked for a while. She became basically the king for six years in Judah—a very, very sad, sad time.

But when she did that, Jehoash—she was called Jehoash, and then also Joash in another place; that’s a little bit easier for me—she sees what Athaliah is doing. Now, whether Athaliah did it with her own hands, a knife or whatnot, we don’t know. They’re all being killed. And she runs in there—the aunt. She runs in there. Jehoash is the baby; he’s just a baby. She runs in there amidst all this blood while they’re being killed. It almost seems like maybe they killed all of them, but perhaps they could not kill him as a baby. He’s in there crying, left to die. I’m not sure exactly how it happened, but we know she runs in there and grabs her baby nephew, Joash. She takes him out and runs. Now, she’s married to the high priest Jehoiada, and he’s a high priest over the house of God. So she runs with this baby over to the house of God, gets his nurse, and they hide this baby in the house of God for six years—the baby and its nurse.

By the way, what a good place for a child to grow up: in the house of God. Boy, America would be a different place if we had children growing up at church in our day and time. That’s the way every home and every family ought to grow up—with those children being raised in the house of God. And that’s what happened. So this little boy, now he’s still very young.

But in the seventh year of Athaliah’s reign, Jehoiada, the husband of Jehosheba, raises a revolt against Athaliah. She’s killed, and then they set this boy, Joash, up as king.

By the way, he was a great king for years and years, as long as Jehoiada had such a great influence over him. As long as he was living, man, he was just a great king. And so much good came out of this little lady’s one act of saving this baby. Of course, they had a good king for years and years and years.

And then the big thing—now think about this—that was the line and lineage of David. Of course, Jesus Christ is supposed to be in the line and lineage of David. Now, really, in her doing this, just this act of going in there and saving this baby, she brought so much relief and help to the nation of Judah for years and years and years, gave them a great king. But not only that, she changed the course of eternity. Can you imagine if the line or lineage of David was killed? The Bible would not have been prophesied. Jesus would not have been rightfully the Messiah. I’m saying from that line, that lineage, came Jesus Christ. So I’m saying she changed eternity. From that small act, just an ordinary lady, an aunt, going and saving her nephew.

And Jesus Christ would not be rightfully seated on the throne one day in the millennial reign. He would not be able to fulfill all the prophecies. Satan would be all over that for him. And this is this little lady doing what God had called her to do. But can I say this: God uses ordinary people. As far as I know, she’s not really mentioned anywhere else. Her husband is mentioned often, and he influenced the king, the little boy, in a great way. But she’s not mentioned. But this ordinary lady did what God called her to do.

God used her in such a great way. That’s the history of Christianity—just ordinary people like you, working regular jobs. We all have flaws. We all have some past regrets. But just those ordinary people doing what God called them to do, just in that moment, and God uses this little lady to change the course of history. That’s the history of Christianity. I mean, people like you, faithful to Sunday school, Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night; faithful to pass out a tract; faithful to forgive; faithful to be obedient; faithful to give. God uses people like that in such great ways.

I think about Aquila and Priscilla, that couple. It just seemed like Paul needed a couple. He mentions them often. A husband and wife team just seemed like Paul needed at a special time in his life, and they helped Paul. I think there was such a home life, if you will, when Paul didn’t have a home life, and maybe they encouraged him like nobody else could. But I’m just saying ordinary people doing what they can, and they helped the man of God, and God used them in such a great, great way.

I think about the story many of you have heard. I’m not going to tell you anything you don’t know tonight. But I think about the story of a 17-year-old boy. God was working in his heart. He had been seeking the Lord and wanting to know the way to heaven, the way to the Lord, and how to get to know Him—just a 17-year-old young man. It was a Sunday, and he was looking for a church to go to. It was a snowstorm.

He was walking along, and he said in that little alleyway there was an old Methodist church. Now, the old Methodists are different than the Methodists nowadays. He said those old Methodists would sing so loud it would give you a headache. But he heard those old Methodists down that little alleyway singing. He thought, “Well, I’m going to go there. I want to go to church.” He was looking for God. That little 17-year-old boy went to that church. He didn’t know that just a handful of people were there because of the snowstorm. The preacher couldn’t come because the bridge or the road he had to cross was snowed out. So a deacon said, “Well, I don’t know how to preach.” But he said, “I’ll stand and do the best I can.” Just an ordinary man doing the best he could. He preached in just a simple way what that 17-year-old young man needed to hear: just so simple, “Look and live. Look to Jesus and live.” He kept saying, “Look, look, look.” And boy, something just died on that boy’s heart—the heart of Charles Haddon Spurgeon. That 17-year-old boy got to say, “Well, just an ordinary man doing what God had called him to do the best he could right there.” That’s the Prince of Preachers, Charles Haddon Spurgeon. They really, in some ways, couldn’t build an auditorium that God wouldn’t use them to fill for so many years. But just an ordinary man.

I’m just saying God uses ordinary people just like you. I remember a time I was out of the ministry for a while. We felt like the Lord had called us just to leave the ministry quietly. We thought we’d get back into the ministry in six months, but it was four years out of ministry. I remember working at Union Tank Car. It was just a huge place where they made railroad tank cars in East Chicago, just a huge place and a dirty, filthy place. You didn’t want to go to the locker room, you understand what I mean? You didn’t want to go there. I remember going and welding there. You can have some wonderful prayer meetings underneath the welding hood, you know. But I remember just praying, “God, have you put me on the shelf? Is it all over?” And the tears would come down and fall on that lens of that welding hood, and you’re trying to see a little bit, at least to weld halfway decently. God seemed to say, “Won’t you do something where you’re at?” I said, “Lord, when you get back in the ministry and all that,” and God said, “You have a ministry right now, right all around you.” The Lord said, “Won’t you start a Bible study right where you’re at?”

There had been a Bible study there years before. So we started a Bible study and tried to get some of the remnants. In that little locker room, we’d have big days. We’d give out cassette tapes to people that came and all kinds of things. We had some interesting Bible studies in that locker room, I promise you. We had some interesting people turning up. We just used the locker room. So if somebody’s locker was in the middle of the Bible study, they’d come in there and go, you know. You just kept going, you just kept preaching. God bless that. People got saved. And our very first—the very first Sunday of this church right here—the Saturday night before, I can’t remember how they did all that. I guess somehow we knew, but they had sent me to the Pizza Hut in La Verne. There used to be a little siege of the thing years ago in La Verne there, and seven of those men and one of their sons was in that little Pizza Hut in La Verne, all the way from East Chicago, and they were there from the Bible study. They were at the beginning days. If you ever see beginning pictures of that little daycare, you’ll find some big old burly guys. Some of those guys got their lives changed in that Bible study. They came down to the first Sunday of our church.

And I’m just saying, just an ordinary person, wherever God has you, doing what you can—those are people God uses. Can I say this? God doesn’t need any big shots. He just needs ordinary people doing what God called them to do. It’s just an aunt. This aunt just said, “Well, I think I ought to go save—maybe there’s a chance I can go save my baby nephew, Joash.” And God used her to change eternity. Just ordinary people doing what they can. Can I say this? God uses people doing what they can for God wherever they’re at, just wherever they’re at.

I don’t know exactly how. Maybe her father was king up north in Israel; maybe that gave her a little access to the palace. I’m not sure. Maybe because her husband was a high priest. But God had her strategically placed where she could get into the palace, and God had her right there. Can I say this? God has you strategically in your neighborhood. God has you strategically at your school. God has you strategically in your neighborhood. They used the guy, Michael and Jonathan and Destiny—all of them were part of it—but they brought some visitors Wednesday night, and that’s the boy that got saved and the girl that got saved. Two of them got saved Wednesday night. God used them; God had them right in their neighborhood. And God has you right where you’re at for a reason. God had this lady right in just the right spot, the right time. And God has you in the right spot, the right time to use you. God likes to use you right where you’re at, friend.

I think of the little servant girl. You remember Naaman. He was a general of Syria—a four-star general, if you will. Nobody could get in there and tell him about Jehovah, the God of Israel. But God sent that little maid, just a little servant girl. That little servant girl had such a good testimony, and she was living for Jehovah. The general had leprosy. “What am I going to do?” And this little servant girl said, “Well, Jehovah and the men back in Israel that know Jehovah could do something about that.” I imagine some people said, “That little girl doesn’t know what in the world she’s talking about. That’s a fairy tale.” But that little girl had such a testimony that the general said, “I see something different in that little girl. She’s not like the rest. She knows of God somewhere. I see her praying to Him. She doesn’t use foul language. She’s not all about herself, but she’s just a godly, sweet little girl. I think there’s something about that girl. I think I’ll listen to her.” You know the story of Naaman coming over and dipping seven times in the Jordan River. You sang about it in Sunday school. The last time he came up, man, he was clean. I believe he got saved. He wanted to worship Jehovah. I believe he got saved. Why? Because of that little servant girl. God uses little servants of His all over. That’s how God works. He strategically placed you right where you’re at in unique ways and unique opportunities. God likes to use you just to make a difference.

You say, “Well, I don’t have the best background.” Well, Ruth didn’t either. She was a Moabitess. She wasn’t from Israel; she wasn’t prestigious. She was from a bad nation for the most part. And yet God said that later there’s got a heart to follow Jehovah. She learned about Jehovah from her mother-in-law. She said, “No, your God, He’s my God now.” She said, “I don’t know, okay, she can leave, but I’m going to leave.” She said, “I want to follow your God, and your people are going to be my people.” You know the story. God put Ruth in the line and lineage of Jesus Christ, too. I’m just saying ordinary people, wherever they’re at. She was in Moab. God had her there right when it was with Naomi and her family; the boys were going to come over there. God had her there, and God’s got you where you’re at for a reason. Every one of you is uniquely put right to the spot you’re at.

I think of a lady. I don’t think many of you know her name. You’ll know the man I’m talking about. How many of you know Lee Robertson? You know Lee Robertson started Tennessee Temple. All those years, God used them in such a great way. My dad went to Tennessee Temple. Brother Dylan went to Tennessee Temple. You see older preachers around from place to place—men of God—and often those older guys went to Tennessee Temple back in the district. Just a great place. God used them in such a great, great way. But there was a little Sunday school teacher years before in Kentucky, Daisy Halls. And she didn’t have an education, and nobody knows about her, but she had a little Sunday school class of boys. I don’t know; it’s probably not the best setup, especially not in the early end time back there. She was just doing what she could, wherever she was at. And Daisy Hall, a little Sunday school teacher, taught a boys’ Sunday school class, and God used her to lead Lee Robertson to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And I’m just saying ordinary people just doing their part wherever they’re at, wherever God has them. Don’t fight for position or where everybody else is somebody. Don’t worry about all that. God has a spot for you. You just say, “Hey, that’s where God has me. I’m going to do what I can for God right where He has me.” God uses those that are doing His will in the place He’s called them. Those are the ones that God uses, just wherever they’re at. God’s got them there just at a special time.

You think about it—just Jehosheba being there. She was right in the right place. Maybe that day she just happened to be visiting in the palace. I’m not sure how it all happened. She was in the right place at the right time; she was following God’s will for her life, and God used her in a great way. I’ve said it already, but praise the Lord, you’re worn out, you’ve had a busy weekend, and yet you’re in church on Sunday night. Those people are right where they ought to be: Sunday school, Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night—involved. That crazy preacher has got more activities; I felt like a yo-yo, turning up and down all the time. How can we keep up with all this? But you try; you’re involved; you’re trying to do everything. Nobody can do it all, but we’re just trying. That person is just right where God wants them to be.

I wonder about that man that had the upper room. Jesus sent the apostles, “Hey, there will be a man there.” Everybody knows about the upper room. I wonder about that man that God used, that owned that upper room. Had it set, had it studied out, had it ready to go—just following God, following His will. What about Esther? “For such a time as this,” God had her at that place at that time to go talk to the king. God’s got you where He’s got you. It’s not a coincidence; it’s not a mistake. What about Simon when Jesus was carrying that cross and going to do the greatest thing that’s ever been done—to make the sacrifice for all those in the past, you today, and all those? He’s making the perfect sacrifice for all mankind, and He’s doing the greatest act that’s ever been done. Jesus carrying the cross, and yet Simon was in the right spot at the right time, and he was able to help Jesus carry the cross.

That’s the story of Christianity—just ordinary people doing what God’s called them to do, where God has them, and God, in unique ways and unique times, uses them in great, great ways. This aunt—this is it. God uses her to change history.

Many of you heard this story, I’m sure. It’s a more familiar story, but Ed Kimball, just an ordinary Sunday school teacher. He was a shoe salesman, had a little store. Excuse me, I’m sorry, he was not—his—the young man went and stayed, I believe, with his uncle at the shoe store, and he was working for his uncle. Yet he went to church, and Ed Kimball was a Sunday school teacher. Ed Kimball was a diligent, hardworking Sunday school teacher who went and visited the boys that came to his class. He said, “Well, that boy’s working for his uncle over there at the shoe store, and I’ll go visit him over there.” Ed Kimball went over there and visited that boy at the shoe store and told that little boy about Jesus Christ as a young man. That young man had some rough things going on, and he needed some love and encouragement. He needed to hear about Jesus. That young man bowed his head and asked Jesus Christ to be his Savior. A Sunday school teacher, Ed Kimball—that young man was D.L. Moody.

Yeah, I’m saying that’s the story of Christianity. And here’s going to be the wonderful thing about heaven one day: In heaven one day, God’s going to call all those ordinary people that are in the shadows, and for the most part, humanity doesn’t know about. But God knows about them. And God’s going to call them out of the shadows, and He’s going to give them their reward. He’s going to say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” God uses ordinary people in great ways.

Original File: God Uses Ordinary People - Pastor Paul Chisgar Wednesday 101721