0:06 Worship team, thank you for serving as balm to our souls tonight. I I don't know about you, I could have kept going. I was being ministered to deeply. Do you have your Bibles tonight? Good.
0:22 Meet me in Judges chapter six, and let's seek the source of all balm of healing in the written word of God. Let's pray again. Lord, we know that you're the author of this book, and you're not a dead author. You're alive and well. And Lord, not only do you write this book, but you provide the guidance to interpret it.
0:56 And Lord, we pray that as the author, you would sit by our side. And by the spirit, you would anoint us as first John tells us, to teach us. To teach us exactly what you want us to know from the scripture. And Lord, we don't just ask for the anointing that we've received as salvation to be taught by the spirit. We pray for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, to take these revelations and to drive them deep into our souls, that we would taste and see that you are good, That we would be, like Queen Sheba who, was astounded by the wisdom of Solomon, but we see a greater wisdom in Christ.
1:34 Give us that astonishment in light of your revelation. We pray these things in Jesus name. Amen. Judges chapter six. Here we are, a new generation of Israelites, but a familiar formula throughout the past generations.
1:53 We have now pressed the reset button in this new chapter with the same cycle that is going to continue throughout this book, at least for a good portion of it. Same cycle, different oppressor, different redeemer, at least on a human level. And we know here from verse one, who this oppressor is and what is actually being done by them. Look at verse one with me. The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years.
2:28 And the hand of Midian over powered Israel, and because of Midian, the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds. For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites, and the Amalekites, and the people of the East would come up against them. They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel, no sheep or ox or donkey. For they would come up with their livestock and their tents. They would come like locusts in number.
3:00 Both they and their camels could not be counted, so that they laid waste the land as they came in. And look at this, and Israel, verse six, was brought very low because of Midian, and the people of the Lord, or Israel rather, cried out for help to the Lord. Here's where this is, unique. Although this is the same cycle, as we just read, they've been brought to a new level of loneliness. This is a darkness, this is a desperation that they have not known up to this point.
3:33 When we read about the Canaanites, remember with Deborah and Barak, what did we learn? We learned that the people outside of the city walls had to come into those fortified walls, so that they could be protected. But this is a different thing. Now, we don't have just the people trying to hide behind walls, they're now being driven to make caves and dens into the mountains. And they're living there, and they're working there, so to speak, and they're hiding their resources there with with with the the hopes that nobody would find out that this is where they have their source of survival.
4:01 So these Midianites would come, and this was their strategy. They had an economic strategy of abuse. They would come when it was the time of harvest, specifically with their allies, and then they would ransack. They would come and devour. They would destroy and take all profit, leaving nothing for them to even survive on, never mind commerce.
4:19 That was their goal. That was their intention. And we are told here by the Holy Spirit that not just economically, but on the soul level, they are brought to a new level of desperation. And it's a very clear picture of sin, is it not? The Midianites here at least, sin seeks to do nothing but devour, destroy, consume any fruit or harvest you have in life.
4:48 You know what's amazing about this lesson just from reading those verses? We learn one thing at least. There is absolutely no way that a person can have good and habitual sin, cohesics in their life. You will either destroy the sin, or that sin will destroy not just some, but every blessing that you may have, or that is remaining. See, what people try to do is what they're trying to do here.
5:18 For seven years, instead of crying out to the Lord, they came up with their own strategy. And here's their strategy, like what many people do. They see that they're oppressed, and they see that the Midianites are there, but instead of seeking deliverance, instead of repenting, they're trying to hold on to whatever good is left while still holding on to their sin. And many people try to do that. Many people try to move God's law pertaining to sin with their own wisdom, and say, okay, whatever it takes, I'm gonna hold on to whatever I can hold on to, my relationships, my church life, my ministry.
5:53 At the same time, hold on to my preferred iniquity. And here's the thing, that is just as pathetic as trying to build a harvest, grow crops, have some financial stability with the Midianites as your neighbors. It's just as pathetic. It's just as sad, and it will never succeed. You and I will never succeed.
6:17 People try this. I'm telling you, they try this. I wanna hold on to something that I really want in my life, though it's contrary to the will of God, but I still want the will of God, and I still want the blessings. Everything about the physical reality for Israel was a direct source of God's blessing. Whenever there was a famine, whenever there was a drought, whenever there was an enemy to come in, that was his discipline.
6:36 But see this? I mean the lengths that people are willing to go to. Let me go to the mountains and make caves and dens instead of just getting on my knees and saying, God, you're right and I'm wrong. Many professing Christians live this way as well, and it explains in parts some of their misery. But what do we read a familiar scene.
6:55 Right? We're familiar with this pattern. Seven years of oppression, and then what what comes after the oppression? Petition. Petition.
7:03 Okay, Lord. We need you now. It's been seven years and just holding on to stuff isn't really working. So Lord, we've seen you. We've read about this.
7:14 You can come now. Now you can come. And we know the pattern that follows that. Right? Here's the oppression, here's the petition, and then what comes next?
7:22 The deliverance. And now, as you and I are reading verse six, we're going, okay. Who is the new hero in the book of Judges? Who's gonna come up next? What kind of ability is he gonna have?
7:31 Is it gonna be a woman? Is it gonna be a man? What kind of What what's coming up next? And here's where in this chapter, the narrative takes a little detour, go somewhere else before we come back to that common formula that we're used to. Because instead of God raising up a deliverer, and as we're reading this, we're anticipating that, God instead, sends somebody else.
7:53 And we read about it in verse seven. When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord on account of the Midianites, the Lord didn't send a hero, he sent an unnamed prophet. Sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And what happens after this? No miraculous conquest, no strategy, no nothing of the sort.
8:19 God raises up an unnamed prophet to preach a sermon. And so somebody comes on the scene, and he confronts them and rebukes them, and we wonder why. And as you read it, you're familiar with these truths. He speak on behalf of God and saying, you know, I led you from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery. I delivered you and it's all about what God has done in the past.
8:45 And then, what's happening here is this prophet is reminding them of the reason why they're in this situation in the first place. And how does he end? But you have not obeyed my voice. That's the end of verse 10. And makes you wonder.
9:01 Right? Why not just we know who's coming up. We know this chapter. We've heard sermons about it, we've had Sunday school with him. Gideon.
9:06 Why isn't Gideon coming up next? Why this interference? The people cried out to the Lord, did they not? Here's a here's a question for us to answer, and it's it's for you to answer. Does this tell us something of the nature of their crying out to the Lord?
9:23 It should. Question, what does this tell us about the motive of their true apparent repentance? Anybody have an idea? Partial? Absolutely.
9:43 It is partial. Did you have something else or no? Absolutely. Their crying out to the Lord was about what? Was about the consequences of their sin and not for deliverance from the sin itself.
10:00 See, what are they crying out to God for? They're asking God to remove the issues that have been caused from their lifestyle, and not from their lifestyle itself. And so, you know what God is doing in his wisdom? As they're crying out, Lord, we need you. Come deliver us.
10:13 We've made a mistake again. God sees past the tears. He sees past the prayers. He looks into the heart and he says, You need to realize what you really need deliverance from and it's not the Midianites, it's you. And so he sends a prophet to preach a message, because sometimes the best answer to what we are going through is to hear the word of God to give us direction.
10:40 And not some magic wand to just be placed over our lives so everything disappears. And here's what God is trying to do. Instead of me just coming and giving you what you want, you being delivered and experiencing another forty years of freedom only for you to return to your own vomit, Let me give you a permanent solution, so that we don't have to repeat this cycle in the book of Judges. You're the problem. You're the problem.
11:04 Your heart is the problem. The Midianites are not your issue. The are the consequences of your choices, and this is why it's so important because oftentimes, we think we know how God should help us. And oftentimes, this is the case. There's genuinely for God to come and interfere, intervene, but sometimes, sometimes the very solution to our issues in this world is ourselves.
11:34 I love that story with Jacob, when he finds out that Esau is coming his way, and he finds out that there's hundreds of men. And the last time that Jacob heard about his brother Esau was from his mother who said, Listen, honey. You need to go to your uncles, and I will fetch for you when your brother and his anger subsides. And for all those years, with his uncle, we read of no messenger being sent from his mother saying, hey, you can come now. Esau, calm down.
12:02 So all he knows is that it's been years of years of years of anger being piled up in this man's heart and he's about to encounter him face to face. And that story goes like this, when he finds out that he's about to bump into him, he seeks the Lord and he says, oh God, deliver me from my brother's hand. Read it in Genesis 32. God, you need to make this happen. You need to change the situation.
12:24 And as you're reading it, you're anticipating that God is gonna come and make something happen so that they don't bump into each other. And what do you read in that famous chapter? After he prays that prayer, Jacob is left alone when he pushes all the distractions away, and guess who shows up? A man. The angel of the Lord.
12:42 And he wrestles with Jacob. Because Jacob's answer to the problem with Esau was not Esau, it was Jacob. So God dealt with the man, who is the reason why Esau was the way he was, and he literally shatters his hip so that he walks differently. He humbles him. He changes his identity.
13:05 So that Jacob would face Esau differently, not God removing the confrontation altogether. And when we seek God because we have issues with other people in life, or we have issues in ministry, whatever it may be, and God can do something about exterior attacks or threats. But oh, God is so wise, sometimes he knows, oftentimes, all the time he knows that you're the perspective that needs to change. You're the person that needs to see things differently and react to things differently. And so he'll deal with you.
13:38 He'll deal with me. And so here, he comes to give clarification. You want a permanent solution or we're gonna have to go through this in another chapter? You know, you learn something else about the nature of God. What do we learn about this here?
13:52 Because up to this point, what have we seen? The people cry out, it didn't matter how many years you're on bondage. Eight years, eighteen years, twenty five years. The moment you saw God, what did God do? He answered.
14:04 He brought a deliverer. No hesitation. You know what we see here? We don't see immediate deliverance. Do you know why?
14:16 Does anybody have an idea why? Is that how it works with God? Cycle in and out whenever you want? Yeah. That is one aspect.
14:31 Absolutely. But let's move our eyes away from the Israelites and let's look at the nature of God. What does it say about God? I'll tell you what it says. His patience is wearing thin.
14:45 His patience is wearing thin. And God up to this point is making it clear, there's only so many reverts back into sin before I let you experience the full effects of your decisions. See, this is where they were going wrong. God, through this prophet being sent, was hinting to his people that there was not some automatic assurance and response to their appeal to him. I know that might shock us, but when a man or a woman continues to willfully go back at the very same thing that they know that they are called out of, there comes a point where God will deal with it differently instead of cleaning up the mess every single time you ask him to.
15:33 Because what we learned from here is that the repentance is not genuine. God is exposing their heart motive here. And so what is he trying to teach them? He's saying, listen, you can't just seek me whenever you want, when you wanna live in habitual sin, and call on me to change everything in a moment. That's what we're seeing here.
15:53 That might make us feel uncomfortable, but it's true. I don't want to tell you something that will make you feel good, and then you take that truth and live in some certain way, only to get a different response from God. You know what the issue is here? The Israelites saw sin differently than how God wanted them to see sin. There are people in Christendom, there are people in the church that interpret the seriousness of sin differently.
16:19 Let me give you a very simple illustration. Some people see sin like a, let's say like a drink, and it's an unhealthy drink. It's filled with chemicals, it's filled with amounts of sugar that should be the amount that you should have in a week's time in one drink, whatever you wanna call it. Soda, this or that, it doesn't matter. And what they see is that, they understand that this is unhealthy and and understand that even if they drink it, that it might make them feel uneasy, uncomfortable, maybe make their stomach wheezy, but they'll drink it anyway.
16:50 They enjoy it. They enjoy the flavor, they enjoy the the things that it does to them for the moment, the energy maybe it gives them. But they also know that if they continue to drink this long term, or they drink copious amounts of it, it will do long term damage, and and probably bring disease in their life, and all these things in their health system. But they'll drink it anyway, in moderation, here and there. And that's how some people view sin.
17:14 They know it's bad, but they try to calculate it. They they try to balance it out in their lives. They say, maybe I'll have a little bit here and I'll pause a little bit and I'll go back to it then. I won't overindulge because I don't wanna harm myself. I don't wanna harm others.
17:26 So, I'm just gonna I'm just gonna measure. Then there are other believers who don't see sin that way. They see sin as pure poison. And they would never even dare to entertain to even drink a sip of it, because they know what one sip of it can do. Which one are you?
17:48 Is it some sugary drink to you? That you know you shouldn't be doing, but you do it anyway just to get some little flavor in your life? Or do you see it as deadly as liquid poison? If you see it for what it is, if you really understand the dangers of it, you will have a greater reluctance, and you have less temptation to invite it into your life. In this case, they saw it that way.
18:15 They drank the sin, they drank the sin, and when their tummy hurt, oh God, come and give me a little bit of medicine, so that this can all go away. And that's not how God wants us to view sin. And so what do we read here? That is as disturbing as this scene is. There's a source of comfort here as well.
18:31 There's so much just from this prophet showing up. Here's another lesson. When you and I read this, what do we see? We see that God grants them clarification for their suffering. God gives them insight.
18:44 God highlights the reason why they are enduring such a trial. And in part, we have to be very careful with what I'm about to say right here. So we have to listen very carefully. There are many reasons why the wicked suffer and even the righteous suffer. But, what we want to also include in our theology of suffering, or pain, is that in the realm of the kingdom of God, there is such thing as discipline from God.
19:12 And sometimes, discipline includes suffering. I'm not talking about spiritual suffering, I'm talking about physical suffering. Pain. And here's proof of that. This is for the wicked, and you can say for the righteous as well.
19:29 I would encourage you to turn there because when I read this, I thought to myself, Lord, you speak in so many ways, and that's exactly what Elihu says in Job 33. Look at this in Job 33. I encourage you to mark it, see the depth of God's wisdom in this scripture. Look at verse 19 of Job chapter 33 and look what the scripture says in light of suffering at least in one way. Job 33 verse 19, man is also rebuked with pain on his bed and with continual strife in his bones.
20:05 Now notice, there's a connection between rebuke and physical suffering. Let's go to the next verse. So that his life loathes bread. Now listen to this. We're talking about a severe suffering.
20:18 We're talking about even a disease here. A sickness so serious that you don't even have an appetite. And his appetite, the choice is food. His flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen, and his bones that were not seen stick out. This is intense here.
20:36 We're not talking about a mild cold. Now look at this. His soul draws near the pit, and his life to those who bring death. Now let's stop there. God will literally bring you to the gates of death itself, where you are one step away of slipping into eternity.
20:58 And you think to yourself, perhaps, how cruel for God to do such a thing, When we don't understand that this is all redemptive. Because if we go to verse 26, it's a long passage. You can read it on your own. But after that explanation of suffering, and what God is willing to bring a man to, it says, then man, that man, prays to God, and he accepts him. He sees his face with a shout of joy, and he restores to man what?
21:26 What was lost. He restores what? His righteousness, implying that it was forsaken, implying that it was turned away from. And what is all of this for? Why is God willing to afflict the man?
21:40 So that he can return to the will of God. Now look at this. You come down to verse 29 and look what the scripture says in light of this context. Behold, what does that say? Hey, pay attention.
21:52 Get this. God does all these things twice, three times with a man. Verse 30. To bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be lighted with the light of life. Yeah.
22:11 God will do that with a person. I've talked to enough young people who had near death experiences and unfortunately, they went back into the world once they got shocked a little bit. So God will do it two, three times even. If God does it more than once in your life, guess what? He is just as much graces.
22:26 He is so much loving in those acts. And so here, we see that this is discipline. God sending the Midianites, God allowing the suppression to bring them very low was for one reason, to bring them back to the light of life. That's what his desire was. And you know what?
22:42 In part, we have to be careful of attributing every suffering in our lives or others as an active discipline from God. That is a dangerous way of interpreting suffering. Nonetheless, there is a pattern in the scriptures. There is some kind of a nudge that if we are not confident where we are in the will of God, if we are not confident in obedience to the word of God and there is unusual suffering, God in light of this and many other examples is willing to show us, this is my discipline. This is my discipline.
23:16 God is not wanting to discipline you, and unveil that as an active discipline, confusing you in that affliction. God is trying to trumpet and get your attention, and when he gets your attention for you to turn back to him, he will make it clear if it is an active discipline. Here's an example. We can go to second Samuel 21. Look at this example.
23:35 There's many examples. Remember in the book of Joshua with Joshua when they fell before Ai, and then Joshua comes before the Ark of the Covenant says, Lord, what is going on? And God says, get up, there's sin in the camp. Get up, there's sin in the camp. Now look what happens here with David.
23:52 Now there was a famine in the days of David, in second Samuel 21 verse one, for three years. Year after year. So one year passed by and David says, okay, maybe it's just an, you know, who knows what that is. Second year goes by, then the third year goes by, goes there's something off about this. And David sought the face of the Lord.
24:11 If David had not sought the face of the Lord after three years, God would continue with the famine. David sought the face of the Lord and the Lord said, here's God bringing insight. There's blood guilt on Saul on this house because he put the Gibeonites to death. So there's this unusual trial and affliction and David even himself knew this does not seem natural. He seeks God, and God says, I'm disciplining you as a nation and you as a leader because something has happened has not been dealt with.
24:44 So God does have that instrument as a father toward us, his children. You might be thinking, this is all old testament, please bring new testament. I encourage you to read first Corinthians 11, about approaching the table of the Lord without honor and without reverence, and seeing that Paul says, some of you are sick, some of you are asleep, some of you are weak, because you've come to the table in an unworthy manner. God does it to get our attention, and that's what he's doing here, and it's a gracious thing for him to do. Let's come back to judges chapter six.
25:17 So, the last thing the prophet says is, you have not obeyed my voice. And now we're anticipating what? An answer. And guess what we get? No answer.
25:26 We come to verse 11, no repentance, no sign of conviction, no change at all. And what are we introduced with? Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash. So we're thinking, what's going on here? What is God doing?
25:45 God is about to recruit a new rescuer. Now hold on for a moment. God sent a prophet with the hopes that they would repent and truly seek him. We see no sign of repentance, and what God is actually doing is just going back to his original program, and we have to ask ourselves this healthy question, why? Why would God do this?
26:05 Does anybody have an idea why? Why would God do this? Why would God do this? Or what do we learn from God from this? The abundance of his grace.
26:24 The abundance of his grace. You got it. Because just as much God is able to lead men to repentance through his discipline, his grace is just as powerful to lead men to repentance, and that's exactly what he's implementing. He is going to manifest a fresh dose of his grace with the hopes that it would humble his people. Despite their lack of response, God still wants to deliver them.
26:53 And so the angel of the Lord shows up, and here's a wonderful question for us as a reminder for our doctrine. Who's the angel of the Lord? The person of Jesus Christ pre incarnate in human form. How can you prove from this context alone without flipping a page that the angel of the Lord is in fact God himself? If you know it, just point it out.
27:20 How do you know the angel of the Lord is God? We said we all agree that he was God. Say that again. The Lord is with you. Yes.
27:29 It's even more specific that than that. Yeah. You wanna read it? And the Lord turned to him. Right?
27:41 Now go down to verse 16. What do we see here? And the Lord said to him. Yes. You guys got it.
27:52 The angel of the Lord speaks originally, and then we are told that it was the Lord himself speaking. He turned to him physically, and then he communicated him, and the Holy Spirit saying, hey, hey, hey, this is the Lord himself commissioning this man that we are about to be introduced to. And who is this man? He was the son of Joash, the Abie Azarite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, the Lord is with you, almighty man of valor.
28:27 You read that quickly and you might think God is being sarcastic. Definition of valor? What does that mean? Warrior? Yeah.
28:43 It's more specific. That's a character trait. Say that again. Bravery. Bravery.
28:50 To possess a great courage in the face of danger. And so the Lord shows up to Gibeon, and you think this man is like sharpening his sword, beating his armor, probably exercising, training his own platoon of men. No. He's in a wine press, threshing out wheat. And wine presses in those days, they would be pits in the ground and different sizes, but here's one thing, you don't thresh wheat in a wine press.
29:21 You do that in the open field. You take it, the chaff, you throw it in the air, and the wind blows it so that you can separate the substance that you want from the substance that you don't want. You don't do this kind of a work in a wine press. And so he's trying to attempt to do his work, hiding himself from the sight of the enemy. Coward.
29:42 Fearful. And the Lord shows us as almighty man of valor. And you wonder if Gideon here took a look behind and see if he was talking to somebody else. God's not being sarcastic. God is showing us here that he sees something in us.
30:07 He has an estimation of our value and worth that you are not aware of and that others are not aware of. God was telling Gideon who he really was and who he was going to become. God sees you and I way differently than you see yourself and how others see, including the most spiritual people in your life. And it would do a great service to us if we would seek God to know what he thinks about us, and what he has in mind for us, instead of trying to chase how other people can interpret what kind of value we bring to the kingdom of God. You would do yourself a great service.
30:51 We would do ourselves a great service if we would just spend our energy asking the Lord and coming to his word and receiving exactly what he wants to tell us. And this is an important point for this man because he needed it. He needed it desperately. And God comes to encourage him. In the eyes of the reader, I mean, I read verse 11, I don't see a mighty man of valor.
31:14 I see a guy probably on the bottom of my list that I'm gonna choose to be the deliverer for this nation. But then we read something. Gideon responds to the first part of his request. And Gideon said to him, please sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all the wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us saying, did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?
31:38 The angel of the Lord says, the Lord is with you, oh mighty man of valor. He dismisses the mighty man of valor till later. He first wants to ask, are you sure about that? Are you sure that the Lord is really with us? Because I'm looking around and I see everything but.
31:52 You're telling me that God is with us. Explain the Midianites. Explain why I'm in this wine press. Explain why we're hiding in caves and in debts. Can you please explain that to us?
32:01 And here's where Gideon, not just in his failure of character being so fearful, in his failure in understanding the character and the nature of God. What's wrong with this whole thing that Gideon is explaining to the Lord? What part of it is not right? Why is the Lord forsaking us? Gideon.
32:23 Hello? Who forsook who first? You and your people forsook God, and then he forsook you. This is what I love about this part of this story. Because Gideon misinterprets God.
32:37 Let me put it this way. Gideon's understanding of God's work and character is not perfect, yet God still wants to work with him. God still willing to recruit him. God's still willing to take him in and launch him out. Why?
32:51 Because he was perfect? Because he had it all together? God doesn't recruit you and I because we have it all together. God doesn't recruit you and I because we're perfect. God recruits you if you're willing to allow him to perfect you though.
33:06 Big difference. Big difference. No matter what state you're in, here is the requirement for God's recruitment in your life. Lord, I am farther than I want to be. And my understanding of you is not perfect.
33:20 My character, there's a lot of weaknesses, but mold me and shape me and you have yourself a calling for your life. God finds this man I mean, this is an insult to the Lord, especially after he sends a prophet to the nation to explain why they are in this situation. And right after the sermon, you have get in the the audacity to say, where's God in all of this? God totally patient, willing to work with this fallen man. Because God doesn't call us when we have it all together.
33:52 He calls us when we're willing to let him put us together. And then, he goes with this back and forth, but we see with so many servants of God, I'm the weakest, I'm from this clan, I'm not able, and God deals with him so patiently. And from verse 17 down to verse 23, Gideon is beginning to get the impression that this man is not an ordinary person. He's beginning to get the impression, listen, this this man is not an angel, he's not a prophet, there's something different about him, and so to clarify and to receive assurance that he's really being called by God, he says, can you can you give me a sign, please? Can you give me some kind of manifestation that you really are who I think you are?
34:36 Moses, go for it. And so he goes and he prepares a sacrifice, he comes back and the Lord gives them orders and he says, put it on the rock and do it this way. He does it, and what do we read? He extends his staff, he touches the sacrifice, it comes up in flames, and when the flames come up, the angel of the Lord disappears. And that was enough for this man to realize, look here in verse 22.
34:59 Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. And Gideon said, alas, oh Lord God, for now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face. Gideon understood that in the old testament, it was told that if you saw God face to face, you will not live, you will die. And so with this fear and this request, and with this expression of dread, the Lord speaks out of who knows where and tells him, peace be to you. Do not fear, you shall not die.
35:35 Gideon is so moved. Gideon is so overcome by the assurance of God's promise for his life that he does something quite amazing. He takes stones. He makes an altar and he calls this altar what? Verse 24.
35:50 The Lord is peace. The Lord is peace as a memorial for himself and for his people. That is the revelation that Gideon got from God. This God, he's peace. This God is after peace.
36:14 This God wants peace. This God alone provides true peace. The Lord it doesn't say the Lord gives peace. It says the Lord is peace. And what is he understanding in this moment?
36:29 The well of soul abiding, unshakable, springs of peace come from when you understand that God is for your life and not for your destruction. And when you come into right relationship with him, and you establish that covenant, there is a level of trust in this life that no amount of money, or no amount of networks, or no title of power can even come close to. Because this piece is not just a positional piece that you know when you die and you stand before those gates and that throne, you have eternal life. That piece is so so much more powerful than what's to come. There's a daily piece.
37:13 There is a moment by moment piece. Oh God, that we would know it. And here's the piece. What is there to fear today or tomorrow when you have the God who is in charge of today and tomorrow on your side? What is there to fear?
37:31 He's in charge of everything when you're in covenant with him. When you make him Lord, what you're saying is, this is my life. You're in charge of it, and he's a much better manager than you and I with our existence. Here's proof of that. Look how Paul ends his letter to the second Thessalonians.
37:50 Second Thessalonians chapter three verse 16. What are we told? The same thing that Gideon received at this moment. Verse 16, please. Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way.
38:10 The Lord be with you all. Read that carefully. Now may the Lord of peace, who? Himself. It comes from him.
38:21 It flows from him. He's the source. May he himself give you a peace. When? When?
38:30 At all times. How? In every way. So there is a shield of peace that you and I know in every season of every moment. I want that.
38:41 I want that. And for Paul to pray, it means it's accessible and it's available. So I want it. I wanna know what it's like to sail through this life and not be worried for a moment. Because he says in every moment Is this unrealistic prayers?
38:54 Paul being exaggerating? Is he What is he doing here? Giving false hope? I want that. I hope you do too.
39:04 And if he's able to give it, then I wanna receive it. Gideon received it. Gideon understood it. Paul understood it. It's for you and I.
39:13 We come back to judges chapter six, what happens? He receives his revelation, the Lord is peace. He understands who God is and what he offers. And you think Gideon is ready now to go and deliver the people and the nation of Israel. Look at verse 25.
39:30 That night, that very same night, he received that revelation. The Lord said to him, take your father's bull and the second bull, seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has and cut down the Astra that is beside it. And build an altar to the Lord your God on top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order. Then take the second bowl and offered as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you shall cut down. Gideon, mighty man of valor, you're gonna take out the Midianites with one blow.
40:05 It's not gonna be a long conquest. We're gonna deal with this very quickly. But here's the lesson. Gideon, before I can use you to deliver a nation, you need to get your house in order. And before God can use you, promote you, expand the breadth of your influence, here's a principle throughout the scriptures.
40:26 Wherever you are right now, in this moment, what home you're in, what church you're a part of, what school you're enrolled in, in that capacity, how you serve God is very important to God. It's very important to God. You know, you meet a lot of people who are who tell themselves, and a lot of people who first get saved feel this, oh God, if you would just send me to the mission field, I would preach to every single one of those people. Oh God, if you just send me to this place. Oh God, if you just give me the mic.
40:56 If you just give me the platform. I'll know your word. I'll study your word. I'll preach your word, and God says, just do it at home first. Just do it where you're at with the people around you first.
41:09 And so Gideon had to learn that lesson, and so he obeys. Look at verse 27. So Gideon took 10 men of his servants and did as the Lord had told him, but because look at this. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night. So the Lord says, Gideon, I need you to get rid of some idols.
41:34 Go. Yes, Lord. I'm gonna do it at night. I'm gonna get 10 guys to come with me. And he had fear.
41:45 Question. Was this legitimate obedience or not? Do we play who says yes, who say no? Or should we just skip that part? That game has worked I think once in the past five years.
42:03 Is it legitimate obedience or not? You say yes. Isaac, you have to explain yourself. I agree with you. You know what this teaches me?
42:17 Teaches us? Sometimes your emotions are not aligned with your understanding of the will of God, and you have to push through anyway and still obey God. Especially in moments of courage, and when you have to stand up for the Lord in a way that might put your reputation or life at risk, do not anticipate that your emotions will always be set in place to motivate you to that act of obedience. Here's proof. Some of you've known the feelings of what it's like to be in a classroom, and you know you have to put up your hand and say something in defense of the gospel, and you feel your stomach turning as you prepare to do it.
42:53 No? Your group of friends mocking God, talking about things that they shouldn't as professing Christians, and you're there biting your tongue and wondering, should I say something or should I ignore it? Right? Is it possible to come to a place where we don't know fear and we don't fear man? Absolutely.
43:10 But there are moments that we are unaware of that catch us by surprise, that cause us to do what? Feel these hurdles come before us, mental hurdles, emotional hurdles, and then we have to ask ourselves, am I gonna allow this to hinder me from obeying, or am I gonna push through and obey God? And there are moments where you will have those emotional hijacks to your knowledge of the will of God, and you have to prevail. You have to prevail. I don't see God rebuking the man.
43:42 Is it the best picture of courage and obedience? No. But it's still obedience. Keep that in mind, the next time you feel those things, and don't put yourself through a guilt trip because you feel you're still flesh. And as you grow in obedience, you will grow in strength and you will grow in a less of a fear of people's faces and words.
44:01 But here's Gideon, this man who is just being recruited by God. And you know what I see from the angel of the Lord? You know what I see from Jesus Christ in the story? A patience. A wonderful, glorious patience with us.
44:17 And so he obeys. Look at verse 28. Let's see what happens with Gideon. Was his fear legitimate? When the men of the town rose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the asher beside it was cut down, and the second bowl was offered on the altar that had been built.
44:35 What a sight to wake up to as you're preparing to worship Baal and Asherah, and all you see is your altar broken down. You see the wood that was cut up, that was a former idol, now used to burn a sacrifice. Don't you love God's humor? There's a bunch of trees there, but why don't you take that ash rip hole and cut it up, and let's make a sacrifice out of it. Just add a little sting to those idol lovers.
44:59 What happens? And they said to one another, who has done this thing? Hey. Who has done this thing? And after they had searched and inquired, they said, Gideon, the son of Joash has done this thing.
45:13 Then the men of the town said to Joash, bring out your son. Joash seemed like to be an important person for it to be continually referenced to us that he was the son of Joash. Bring out your son that he may die for he has broken the altar of Baal and cut down the ashra beside it. Seems like Gideon had a legitimate fear. He obeyed, and I'm sure what he thought would happen, happened.
45:40 He was ready now to perhaps meet his maker before he even fulfilled the call that the same maker called him to. But you know what I love about this? His faithfulness produced a result that perhaps he did not anticipate. Because he anticipated a death sentence, but I'm sure he did not anticipate what was gonna happen when these men called Joash for their son, his son. What happens?
46:08 We see here in verse 31, but Joash said to all who stood against him, will you contend for Baal or will you save him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, if he is a god, let him contend for himself because his altar has been broken down. This is the man who built the thing in front of his house. This is the man who perhaps promoted idolatry or partnership of worship between Yahweh and Baal and Asherah.
46:39 Who is this guy? Now this is why it's significant. We have to read slowly. What was Gideon afraid of when he received these instructions? Let's go back.
46:47 Let's see what he was afraid of. We are told here, in verse 27, Gideon took 10 men of his servants and did as the Lord had told him, but because he was too afraid of who? His family. His family first and the men of the town. Was he right about the men of the town?
47:07 Sure. Was he perhaps right about his family? Perhaps. Did he anticipate what his family was gonna do? I'm sure he didn't.
47:14 The men of the town came up and says, you're dead meat. And Gideon's probably there saying a little prayer underneath his breath. He said, well, it was nice knowing the call of God while it lasted. And he says, sure enough, my dad who has this idol, I broke his altar, I broke his pole. Surely, he's gonna come out, he's gonna be the first one to perhaps stow me.
47:32 And all for a sudden, Joash steps in front of Gideon, looks at the crowd and says, if your God is a real God, why are you in defense of him? Let him defend himself. Maybe Gideon looked up and says, who is this man? When you choose to live a consecrated life for the Lord, I'm sure you anticipate that there's gonna be some resistance from those closest to you like Gideon in his neighborhood. But don't fail to understand that your consecration to the Lord can perhaps produce fruit that you did not anticipate as well.
48:07 Because this infuriated others, but it also enlightened others. When he made that decision, that radical zeal of his for God, it did two things. It made those who didn't want God to be even more angry at God and those who chose to serve the true and living God, but it also opened the eyes of others of the futility and the emptiness of their ways. Had not Gideon made this decision, he would not have seen his father respond in this manner. And what happens?
48:42 Look at verse 34. Therefore, on that day, Gideon was called Jerubal. That is to say, let Baal contend against them. The man received the new nickname. From that moment on, it's not Gideon.
48:53 It's Jerubal. Everybody says, Baal is gonna come after this guy eventually. Watch what's gonna happen. Divine retribution, it's coming for you, Gideon. So what?
49:03 So what? Wasn't it worth it to see your father's eyes opened? Wasn't it worth it to see the household change? You know what you have with many professing Christians? They're more worried about the nicknames that they're gonna get for living so hard for the Lord, instead of the potential enlightenment and revelation that others will get when you live an inspiring life for Christ.
49:26 Be worried about the latter more than the former, and God will do mighty things through your life. Oh, they're gonna call me Jesus freak, and they're gonna think I'm this and that. They're gonna think I'm legalistic. Let them. Live radically for Christ and see who will be touched by your service to the Lord, as this man's father was.
49:48 Goes to show that it's not all about father inspiring son. You can be a son inspiring your father. What happens after this? I love this. He fulfills that mini mission, let's do this.
50:03 Let's see Israel come back to God. And he calls those that he knows he's supposed to call, and look what happens in verse 34. But the spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon. The spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abi Azerites were called out to follow him. Don't you love that?
50:23 The Abi Azerites were where he was from. That was his hometown. So eventually, up to this point, he didn't just have his dad turned to him, he had some other people from his own family, from his own people follow him. But here's what I love. Gideon did not receive the clothing of the spirit until he dealt with idols.
50:45 The spirit of the Lord didn't clothe Gideon before the mission. The spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon after the mission. After he had showed God that he was not gonna be like the rest of the nation to worship Yahweh and worship Baal, God says, ah, now I can clothe you and empower you for greater service. Do you want God's power on your life? Real power?
51:09 Real grace? Real enablement? Rid yourself of idols. And grieve not the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit will blanket himself on your life in a special way.
51:23 When everything, number one, from your personal life and your home life has been cleansed for the glory of God. People wonder why their spiritual life is so weak and powerless. It's because you have different altars in your closet. Holy Spirit will not empower those who do not see that he is worthy of full devotion first. People don't like this talk, but it's true.
51:49 Salvation is free but a spirit empowered life will cost you everything. So if you're content to live your weak life without seeing the grace and the power of God through you as a vessel, Keep doing what you're doing. But until you're willing to make a wrap Until you're willing to say, let them call me what to call me. Jerubal, weirdo, Jesus freak. Let them say, I want the spirit of God on my life.
52:17 Until you get to that point like Gideon did, you will know superficiality. You will know religion void of the power of God. But the clothing of the spirit of God, it's worth anything. It's available to anybody. Gideon with the power of God on him because you can't serve God without the power of God effectively.
52:51 Doesn't matter how many books you read, doesn't matter how smart you are, doesn't matter what your charismatic personality is like. This is needed. The disciples need in the book of acts, Gideon need to hear in judges six, we need it in 2020. So he sends out messengers throughout all Manasseh and he names specific tribes that he wants them to come to join him, and we're gonna come in a couple of weeks perhaps to see why these tribes and what happened to those who weren't invited, specifically one says, hey, why didn't you invite us? Look what happens, as he sends out those messages, perhaps taking time to receive the soldiers that would come and join him for battle, Gideon does something else.
53:25 Gideon is about to do something that you perhaps have heard in counseling from a friend when you were in dire need to get an answer from God, and perhaps you have heard the phrase, put out a fleece. Heard of it? Just me. Wow. Yes?
53:42 No? Okay. The yes game work. This is two. Put out a fleece.
53:52 Meaning what? In your request for God to give you an answer, ask him for a sign. Isn't that what he does? Let's read it. Then Gideon said to God, if you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, behold, I'm laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor.
54:07 If there is dew on the fleece alone and it is dry in all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand as you said. And it was so. Now listen to this. Gideon said, if you do this, I will know. God did it.
54:22 But verse 38 says, it was so, when he rose early next morning and squeeze the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. It should go on now to chapter seven, but it doesn't. Then Gideon said to God, then now your anger burn against me. Let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece.
54:42 Please let it be. Sounds very desperate. Please. Let it be dry in the fleece only, and on all the ground, let there be dew. And look how patient God is.
54:50 And God did so that night, and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground, there was dew. Danger that this is a prescriptive text to how to get answers from God. Perhaps in the simplicity of the newness of your faith or perhaps in just a desire, a desperate desire, this has been implemented by some. And there's there's no need to be condemned by it. I'm not here to make fun of anybody, but it looks like different ways.
55:24 Some perhaps got a real fleece and did this, or some say, Lord, if she's really the one, here's a cup of water. By the morning, I want it half empty. Lord, if this job is really for me, I wanna walk into that restaurant. I wanna see the waiter wearing a shirt with the the school name on it. Lord, if it's really from you.
55:46 A lot of disappointed Christians out there. Is this a way to receive instruction and guidance from God? Let me make one remark. Is this the first time that Gideon asked for a sign? When was the first time he asked for a sign?
56:05 Yeah. Let's go back earlier, what did he say? Verse 17, and he said to him, if now I found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. Here's a truth about seeking signs. Those who usually seek for signs are not satisfied even when they receive signs.
56:29 Those who are dependent upon God miraculously providing answers to them, often depend on continual signs for greater confidence. Because the issue is not with God's promises and the clarity and the assurance of his word. The issue with this, our interpretation of God's trustworthiness. People who seek signs are not satisfied with one sign. Oftentimes, they need more, they need more, they need more, and they're not willing to just deal with God's word as it is.
57:03 Gideon already received the confirmation, it's me. I'm calling you. The spirit of God even clothed Gideon. And yet at this point, about to now enter into battle, receiving that rush of doubt again says, oh, God Almighty, please, I need another sign. God says, okay, I'll give you After that, this is the third sign.
57:26 If you keep seeking for signs, even if you get an idea, you will keep needing signs. Is this how God gives guidance though? We've dealt with that, but is this how God gives guidance? In the old testament, absolutely. And it was even a rare occasion then, that God would provide some supernatural, just like this, some supernatural manifestation of a direction in which to go to.
57:53 A confirmation to be at ease, so that they can perform God's will. And you see these different scenes and scenarios of it throughout the Old Testament. You even see it in the book of Acts. When as we've even studied, the men gathered together in the upper room and says, we need a replacement for Judas. So what did they do?
58:10 They casted lots to see who would replace this man and it fell upon one. Once the day of Pentecost came, you never read of a Christian in the New Testament asking God for a sign. You don't read of one instance where somebody asked God for a fleece. Does anybody know why? The indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
58:43 The indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And read the book of acts carefully. You see, obviously in the scriptures telling us that the word of God is complete enough to make you complete as a man and a woman of God, but the indwelling Holy Spirit guiding the church. Is it wrong to ask God for something concerning clarification? Absolutely not.
59:09 But instead of asking for an external manifestation, internally ask God, the Holy Spirit to be your guide. And when you do it, I'm a firm believer of this because I believe it's biblical. He can supernaturally do it. He can supernaturally do it. He can do it circumstantially.
59:27 He can do it providentially. It's amazing how the Holy Spirit is able to communicate. I'm very very very careful when it comes to saying God is I don't You know, people ask, how do I know if God is speaking to me? Can I just make this simple statement without obstructing that question? God can speak and if he really wants to say something, he won't make it confused when he says it.
59:57 That little truth will set you free from a life of frustration, thinking that God muffles in your conscience and is expecting you to interpret it and get the the frequency right. I don't know if God is speaking to me. Well, take comfort with this. God knows how to speak, and when he speaks, he'll speak clearly. Be set free from a life of confusion.
1:00:23 And that's how often the prayers are, Lord, I see your word, I get counsel. The same Holy Spirit that can speak to me is the same Holy Spirit says get counsel from many advisors. But Lord, if you really don't want me to go in this direction, I trust that you're able to communicate so loud that I won't confuse your voice. So if it's muffled, it's probably your own voice. But if God really wants to give direction, scripture says he's not a god of confusion.
1:00:58 And not just in how we order the church services, that that's the context for such a verse, but even in the way he communicates to his people. So in the old testament, yes. So don't ask God to fill the glass of water. Seek God in prayer. Fast.
1:01:16 Talk to people who are spirit filled. And watch how God can. Don't get me wrong here. Can God do miraculous things? Sure.
1:01:23 But when we ask for external things, when we ask for visible things, often times, we will not be satisfied with those, and we can even be let into more confusion from those. There needs to be something greater, and the Holy Spirit is greater. He lives in you, he lives in me. See, with Gideon, the Holy Spirit clothed them. In the new covenant, he lives in you.
1:01:47 He lives in you. One preacher gave this illustration. Think of a cup with a lid on it. In the old testament, the water would come over the cup and would bless others. And the new covenant that lid is taken off and the holy spirit now comes in you and indwells you.
1:02:06 And people are still blessed but you are filled with his substance. That's your inheritance in Jesus Christ. And so Gideon asked for these signs. God is extremely gracious with the lack of revelation that Gideon had. You have full revelation.
1:02:19 You have a covenant that grants you an inheritance of the third person that God had to live in you. What's gonna happen to Gideon? Oh, there's a wonderful lesson about how God doesn't need much to do great things. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for such an incredible story in your word.
1:02:52 And Lord, we declare from this truth that you are peace. You've given us peace. Lord, we wanna rejoice in your peace. Lord, thank you that you see every person in here with a description that perhaps would cause us to even doubt it. And Lord, we just ask you help us see ourselves as you see us and that we can see others the way you see them.
1:03:23 Lord, thank you that you have given us so much more than Gideon had. Help us not believe that Gideon was at an advantage more than us. We pray, Lord, that we would know the fullness of the indwelling of the spirit of God. That you would protect us from making mistakes of attributing things to you that are not of you, but Lord to walk so sensitively to the Holy Spirit and to be so filled with the word of God, which is spirit and life. That, Lord, we would know what you want us to know.
1:03:53 And, God, we just rejoice tonight, and we bless you for the encouragement from your word today. We thank you for Gideon's story. We believe it's just beginning and that there's much more. But for now, we say thank you. In Jesus' name, we pray.
