JUDGES Half Heated Discipleship
Series: The Flawed and the Flawless
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 5th August 2018
Passage: Judges 1:1-2:5
00:00:00 --> 00:00:07 Now I think certainly our society, but Christians generally have a problem with the book of
00:00:07 --> 00:00:08 Judges.
00:00:09 --> 00:00:16 It is so earthly, so puzzling, so primitive, so violent.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:26 Judges could be described as despicable people doing deplorable things.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:32 That's a summary of the book of Judges, despicable people doing deplorable things.
00:00:33 --> 00:00:41 It records a history of murder, assassination and massacres, of immorality, lawlessness and
00:00:41 --> 00:00:41 unfaithfulness.
00:00:43 --> 00:00:51 And one way to deal with embarrassing books of the Bible is simply to ignore it.
00:00:51 --> 00:00:55 Just, you know, let's just preach on the Gospels or something like that.
00:00:56 --> 00:01:05 But it's difficult to do with Judges because it contains some of the Bible's most recognisable
00:01:05 --> 00:01:08 leaders and most flawed people.
00:01:09 --> 00:01:12 Samson, Gideon, Deborah.
00:01:13 --> 00:01:18 I mean, these are the great Sunday school stories.
00:01:18 --> 00:01:20 They revolve around these characters.
00:01:20 --> 00:01:29 And so with characters who are so colorful and so flawed and so dramatic, it is easy, I think,
00:01:29 --> 00:01:36 to miss the actual intention of the book of Judges and just pluck the characters out and
00:01:36 --> 00:01:38 just do a character study instead.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:40 And totally miss the point of Judges.
00:01:40 --> 00:01:41 Judges.
00:01:41 --> 00:01:49 This book is revelation from God about God.
00:01:50 --> 00:01:51 That's what it is.
00:01:51 --> 00:01:54 And it is pure gospel.
00:01:55 --> 00:01:56 Pure gospel.
00:01:56 --> 00:02:09 Judges is about the God of mercy and long-suffering patience who continually works in and through
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 and for his people.
00:02:11 --> 00:02:19 And what's more, he does it despite the constant resistance of God's people against his purposes.
00:02:19 --> 00:02:30 God relentlessly offers his grace to people who neither deserve it nor seek it and don't even
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 appreciate it when they're being saved by it.
00:02:36 --> 00:02:41 List all the heroes you like in the book of Judges, but there is only one.
00:02:42 --> 00:02:43 And that's God himself.
00:02:44 --> 00:02:47 He is the only hero in this book.
00:02:47 --> 00:02:57 It is God who consistently rescues Israel from the stupidity of their decisions and the mess
00:02:57 --> 00:02:59 that they have created for themselves.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:09 The 12 human judges who we'll start to look at next week, or the saviors in this book, point
00:03:09 --> 00:03:12 us to the great saviour.
00:03:12 --> 00:03:21 Through all of their flaws and their strengths, we see our need for our saviour.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:27 And so we need to read this book with a great deal of humility.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:36 So the first thing we need to do is fit judges in the Bible.
00:03:36 --> 00:03:37 Where does it fit?
00:03:38 --> 00:03:42 Where does it fit in God's unfolding plan of salvation?
00:03:43 --> 00:03:46 God has rescued his people from Egypt.
00:03:47 --> 00:03:50 He's promised them that he's taking them to the promised land.
00:03:50 --> 00:04:00 And the very first verse of this book and the last verse puts it within its historical setting.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:12 It covers the period from the death of Joshua and the end of the exodus from Egypt period
00:04:12 --> 00:04:20 to, at the end of the book, the very last phrase says, very last sentence,
00:04:20 --> 00:04:30 is that in those days there was no king in Israel and everyone did as they saw fit in their own eyes.
00:04:31 --> 00:04:42 And so it's the period between the leadership of Moses and Joshua to David and Solomon.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:50 It's a period of something like 200 to 400 years.
00:04:52 --> 00:04:59 And the question at the very first verse of Judges really is asking the question,
00:04:59 --> 00:05:00 well, who's going to lead us now?
00:05:01 --> 00:05:02 Who's our leader now?
00:05:03 --> 00:05:03 Joshua's dead.
00:05:04 --> 00:05:04 Anyone?
00:05:05 --> 00:05:05 Anyone?
00:05:07 --> 00:05:08 Anyone want to lead?
00:05:08 --> 00:05:08 Anyone?
00:05:12 --> 00:05:13 Anyone?
00:05:16 --> 00:05:27 What we are introduced to in the verses of Judges section by section is 12 judges, 12 rulers.
00:05:28 --> 00:05:31 They are not leaders per se, but rescuers.
00:05:32 --> 00:05:34 They are redeemers and saviors.
00:05:34 --> 00:05:45 They're the people that God raises up to pull his people once again out of oppression and slavery because of their disobedience.
00:05:46 --> 00:05:54 And as we look into the very first verses, there is one vital lesson that we learn.
00:05:54 --> 00:05:59 In all of those verses I just read, there is one vital lesson.
00:06:00 --> 00:06:01 One main point.
00:06:01 --> 00:06:12 It's not so much a list of Palestinian places that aren't on the tourist route nowadays.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:15 There's much more to it than that.
00:06:15 --> 00:06:26 And to understand this lesson that we've just read out, we need to effectively look over our shoulders to understand what Judges 1 is all about.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 We're going to look back.
00:06:30 --> 00:06:34 Which is what, in fact, the very first verse of Judges does for us.
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 It encourages us to look back.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 It says, after the death of Joshua.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:45 Joshua was one of only two men.
00:06:45 --> 00:06:48 One of only two men.
00:06:48 --> 00:06:48 Two men.
00:06:49 --> 00:07:02 In the whole generation that had been rescued from Egypt who had remained faithful in trusting God's promises to bring his people from Egypt into the promised land.
00:07:03 --> 00:07:04 Two men.
00:07:04 --> 00:07:04 That's it.
00:07:04 --> 00:07:18 And the book of Joshua, one book before Judges, charts God's work in and through his people to keep his promises to them, to take them to the promised land.
00:07:18 --> 00:07:27 To bring them into the land, to defeat their enemies and to begin to give them blessing and rest in their new home.
00:07:28 --> 00:07:37 It teaches us that because God always keeps his promises, God's people can bravely obey him and worship him.
00:07:37 --> 00:07:41 And this is the book.
00:07:41 --> 00:07:44 Joshua is the book that provides the background for the book of Judges.
00:07:44 --> 00:07:49 In fact, it is the book that provides the yardstick, if you like.
00:07:49 --> 00:08:00 The measuring tool by which we measure the progress and the success of the taking of the promised land in the book of Judges.
00:08:00 --> 00:08:11 So let's, you've got your Bibles in front of you, but let's turn back to the beginning of Joshua to see what God called his people to do.
00:08:12 --> 00:08:19 What is his specific mission for his people having rescued them out of slavery in Egypt?
00:08:19 --> 00:08:30 So Joshua, this is God speaking to Joshua as he takes up the reins as the leader of God's people after the death of Moses.
00:08:30 --> 00:08:36 So Joshua chapter 1, verse 5 to start with,
00:08:37 --> 00:08:41 As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.
00:08:42 --> 00:08:46 I will never leave you nor forsake you.
00:08:46 --> 00:08:54 Be strong and courageous because you will lead these people to inherit the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them.
00:08:54 --> 00:08:58 Be strong, very courageous.
00:08:58 --> 00:09:04 Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you.
00:09:05 --> 00:09:11 Do not turn from it to the right or to the left that you may be successful wherever you go.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:17 Keep this book of the law always on your lips.
00:09:18 --> 00:09:24 Meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.
00:09:24 --> 00:09:30 Then you will be prosperous and successful.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:32 Have I not commanded you?
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 Be strong and courageous.
00:09:36 --> 00:09:37 Do not be afraid.
00:09:38 --> 00:09:39 Do not be discouraged.
00:09:40 --> 00:09:43 For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
00:09:43 --> 00:10:02 So in verses 7 and 8, God reminds Israel that their military advances into the promised land will be accompanied by a close and humble and obedient walk with God.
00:10:02 --> 00:10:20 Victory and rest in the promised land will come because they are dependent and obedient people of faith in the promises of God.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:25 They will not achieve victory and rest for themselves.
00:10:26 --> 00:10:31 And so the book of Joshua records the beginning of the campaign to take the promised land.
00:10:32 --> 00:10:39 And the purpose for driving out the Canaanites to conquer the promised land, it was not vengeance.
00:10:39 --> 00:10:45 It was not economic gain, but it was spiritual.
00:10:49 --> 00:10:50 It wasn't vengeance.
00:10:53 --> 00:10:57 It wasn't for economic gain, which is why they were not to take any plunder.
00:10:58 --> 00:11:01 They weren't to have any slaves.
00:11:01 --> 00:11:03 They weren't to enslave the people.
00:11:03 --> 00:11:14 They are to be removed so that Israel didn't fall under the influence of their gods.
00:11:17 --> 00:11:21 By the time we get to the end of Joshua's life, there is still so much more to be done.
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 You can see that at the end of the book of Joshua.
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 Much of the land still needs to be settled.
00:11:26 --> 00:11:38 And God's call on his people, both then and now, is to combine a trust in his promises with courage, with bravery, with risk.
00:11:40 --> 00:11:49 True Christian discipleship is risk-taking and it is radical because true disciples rely on God to keep his promises to bless them
00:11:49 --> 00:11:54 and not on their own instincts, not on their own plans, not on their own insurance policies.
00:11:56 --> 00:12:03 And so with the mission and the purpose of God clear for his people,
00:12:04 --> 00:12:12 we are now ready to launch into Judges chapter 1 and see how they go at trusting in the promises of God
00:12:12 --> 00:12:16 to be with them and to give them victory and rest.
00:12:17 --> 00:12:21 And we arrive at verse 3 and Judas failed already.
00:12:21 --> 00:12:26 Who's to go up first?
00:12:26 --> 00:12:27 Judah.
00:12:29 --> 00:12:30 What did Judah do?
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 Turn to the Simeonites.
00:12:33 --> 00:12:35 Hey guys, you guys want to come with us?
00:12:36 --> 00:12:39 It would be a whole lot easier taking the land if we did it together.
00:12:43 --> 00:12:45 Now that makes sense from a military perspective.
00:12:45 --> 00:12:51 But they didn't trust God for the victory.
00:12:52 --> 00:12:58 And yet despite this, verse 4, God graciously grants them victory in spite of their disobedience.
00:13:00 --> 00:13:07 Judah continues to take its inheritance in verses 8 to 11 and then again in verses 17 to 18.
00:13:07 --> 00:13:15 And in between those victories, there's this little story in verses 12 to 16,
00:13:16 --> 00:13:18 which we get a glimpse.
00:13:18 --> 00:13:25 In amongst all of this, there is a glimpse of one faithful, obedient family.
00:13:26 --> 00:13:27 Caleb's family.
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 Surprise, surprise.
00:13:28 --> 00:13:37 And what they do here is they demonstrate the covenant faithfulness and courageous obedience to God
00:13:37 --> 00:13:40 that all Israel should have.
00:13:41 --> 00:13:46 Caleb, Othniel, who will be introduced to soon, and in particular Aksar,
00:13:48 --> 00:13:51 reveal wholehearted discipleship.
00:13:51 --> 00:13:58 They believe in the promises of God and keep grasping for more.
00:14:00 --> 00:14:02 And they are a rebuke.
00:14:02 --> 00:14:04 This woman here is a rebuke.
00:14:04 --> 00:14:07 Caleb's daughter is a rebuke to all of Israel.
00:14:09 --> 00:14:12 Now if the chapter ended in verse 18,
00:14:13 --> 00:14:17 you would kind of go, it's mostly encouraging, kind of.
00:14:17 --> 00:14:22 You know, until you get to verse 19.
00:14:24 --> 00:14:25 The Lord was with the men of Judah,
00:14:26 --> 00:14:30 but they were unable to drive the people from the plains
00:14:30 --> 00:14:33 because they had chariots fitted with iron.
00:14:35 --> 00:14:39 Now if you did not know what God had said to his people through Joshua,
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 the book of Joshua,
00:14:40 --> 00:14:47 there would be plausible reasons why the Israelites didn't succeed in their military campaign.
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 We don't have chariots.
00:14:52 --> 00:14:54 They've got chariots.
00:14:54 --> 00:14:56 We've got guns.
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 They've got tanks.
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 There's a reason for this.
00:14:59 --> 00:15:06 So why not just be sensible about it?
00:15:08 --> 00:15:13 Why not just be sensible about this and compromise and negotiate a treaty?
00:15:16 --> 00:15:19 It was half-hearted obedience.
00:15:20 --> 00:15:23 And unfortunately, it was contagious.
00:15:23 --> 00:15:27 When you read through the rest of chapter 1,
00:15:28 --> 00:15:33 it kind of reads like a collection of press releases from Israel
00:15:33 --> 00:15:36 with their advancement,
00:15:36 --> 00:15:38 each tribe's advancement into the land,
00:15:39 --> 00:15:43 and their own spin on how they're going with it.
00:15:44 --> 00:15:48 Benjamin fails to dislodge the Jebusites in verse 21.
00:15:48 --> 00:15:57 The tribe of Judah makes a covenant with a Canaanite in verses 22 to 26.
00:15:57 --> 00:16:02 Can you see the failures when you read Joshua and what they've done here?
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 Manasseh fails to drive out various inhabitants,
00:16:07 --> 00:16:13 but they become strong enough eventually to exploit them as forced labor.
00:16:13 --> 00:16:16 In verses 27 and 28,
00:16:16 --> 00:16:20 Ephraim allows Canaanites to live among them in verse 29.
00:16:21 --> 00:16:23 Zebulun opts for forced labor in verse 30.
00:16:24 --> 00:16:27 Asher doesn't simply allow the Canaanites to live amongst them.
00:16:28 --> 00:16:32 They choose to live amongst the Canaanites in verses 31 and 32,
00:16:32 --> 00:16:35 as does Naphtali in verse 33.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:40 Dan advances nowhere.
00:16:40 --> 00:16:46 It says they become confined to the hill country in verse 34.
00:16:46 --> 00:16:48 And the slap in the face here,
00:16:48 --> 00:16:51 it says in verses 35 and 36,
00:16:52 --> 00:16:56 that the Amorites have got more tenacity,
00:16:57 --> 00:17:00 more bravery than God's own people.
00:17:00 --> 00:17:12 Chapter 1 gives us the facts.
00:17:14 --> 00:17:16 But at the beginning of chapter 2,
00:17:17 --> 00:17:20 what happens is we get heaven's explanation.
00:17:20 --> 00:17:23 It starts with,
00:17:23 --> 00:17:27 the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochum and said,
00:17:28 --> 00:17:32 that's a really significant point.
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 It's easy to miss.
00:17:34 --> 00:17:36 This is not just another destination issue.
00:17:37 --> 00:17:39 Not just another Palestinian village.
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 Angel happened to be there and thought,
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 oh, I better go over there.
00:17:42 --> 00:17:46 In Joshua chapter 5,
00:17:46 --> 00:17:52 it was at Gilgal that Israel made a covenant with God.
00:17:54 --> 00:18:00 We will remain obedient to you and we will exclude all others.
00:18:01 --> 00:18:04 This was the place where God had forgiven their sin.
00:18:04 --> 00:18:06 He had bound them to himself as his people
00:18:06 --> 00:18:10 and entered into relationship with them by grace.
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 He had motivated,
00:18:12 --> 00:18:12 sorry,
00:18:13 --> 00:18:19 that covenant was motivated only by his own loving kindness towards his people.
00:18:23 --> 00:18:28 And so God's assessment of his people's performance in verse 2
00:18:28 --> 00:18:31 is in fact devastating.
00:18:33 --> 00:18:36 You have disobeyed me.
00:18:36 --> 00:18:43 Now Israel disobeyed God through what they had done.
00:18:44 --> 00:18:49 They in fact made a covenant with the people of Canaan despite being told not to.
00:18:49 --> 00:18:53 They enforced labor when they're told not to.
00:18:53 --> 00:18:56 They cohabited in Canaan when they were told not to.
00:18:56 --> 00:19:05 But Israel also disobeyed God through what they had failed to do.
00:19:06 --> 00:19:11 They failed to break down the altars of their gods.
00:19:11 --> 00:19:22 The purpose of this campaign was to cleanse Canaan of its idols to get rid of every idol god.
00:19:23 --> 00:19:29 Because there is only one god worthy of worship and total allegiance.
00:19:29 --> 00:19:38 And the fact that Israel didn't clear out the idols means that they hadn't rejected God as their god.
00:19:40 --> 00:19:44 But they hadn't fully surrendered to him as their god.
00:19:46 --> 00:19:49 They hadn't rejected him yet.
00:19:49 --> 00:19:54 But they hadn't accepted him either.
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 They hadn't surrendered to him.
00:19:57 --> 00:20:02 One of the big points that we see right through the book of Judges
00:20:02 --> 00:20:08 is that this god wants lordship over every area of life.
00:20:08 --> 00:20:19 Either all of life is given to God in grateful, loving, obedience, or none is.
00:20:20 --> 00:20:22 He doesn't pick and choose.
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 We don't pick and choose.
00:20:23 --> 00:20:26 It's either everything or it's nothing.
00:20:26 --> 00:20:41 In verse 19 of chapter 1, we read that it says there,
00:20:41 --> 00:20:48 the Israelites were unable to drive out the people from the plains because of the iron chariots.
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 That's their take.
00:20:52 --> 00:20:54 That's their take on this issue.
00:20:54 --> 00:20:56 We couldn't do it.
00:20:57 --> 00:20:59 We just could not do it.
00:21:01 --> 00:21:09 God's assessment in chapter 2, verse 2, is not that you could not do it, but that you would not do it.
00:21:10 --> 00:21:12 You chose disobedience.
00:21:17 --> 00:21:22 It's always really, really helpful for us to ask ourselves the question,
00:21:22 --> 00:21:28 where in my life am I saying, I can't do it, God?
00:21:30 --> 00:21:36 But God is saying to us, actually, you won't do it.
00:21:36 --> 00:21:39 It's true to say you won't do it.
00:21:40 --> 00:21:40 It's not that you can't do it.
00:21:41 --> 00:21:43 It's that you won't do it.
00:21:44 --> 00:21:49 Israel thought they had good reasons not to obey, but God called them flimsy excuses.
00:21:50 --> 00:21:53 And God's assessment of Israel is based on his promises.
00:21:53 --> 00:21:55 So here's one promise.
00:21:56 --> 00:21:59 Here's one promise from 1 Corinthians 10, verse 13.
00:22:00 --> 00:22:02 God is faithful.
00:22:03 --> 00:22:07 He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 How about that promise?
00:22:09 --> 00:22:17 God will never put us into a position where we cannot obey him.
00:22:18 --> 00:22:24 He will never, ever, ever put us in a position where we cannot obey him.
00:22:27 --> 00:22:33 There is never, ever an I can't moment in our lives.
00:22:34 --> 00:22:34 Ever.
00:22:34 --> 00:22:42 And this is a very searching and threatening passage to apply to our lives.
00:22:43 --> 00:22:51 Because there may be all sorts of things in our lives that we think that we are unable to do,
00:22:51 --> 00:22:55 but which we actually are refusing to do.
00:22:56 --> 00:22:58 We're refusing to do it.
00:23:00 --> 00:23:02 So here's just a couple.
00:23:02 --> 00:23:05 Ever said,
00:23:06 --> 00:23:09 I just cannot forgive this or that.
00:23:10 --> 00:23:12 I just cannot forgive him or her.
00:23:15 --> 00:23:19 But God commands forgiveness in Matthew 18, 35.
00:23:19 --> 00:23:25 Which means we, in fact, we can, in fact, determine to put aside anger,
00:23:26 --> 00:23:29 to soften our hearts with the knowledge of the gospel of grace
00:23:29 --> 00:23:32 and act as though the wrong had never happened.
00:23:35 --> 00:23:38 When we don't forgive, we choose not to forgive.
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 It's not that we can't.
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 It's that we won't.
00:23:43 --> 00:23:48 When we say we can't, we mean we won't.
00:23:49 --> 00:23:51 We want to hang on to our anger.
00:23:51 --> 00:23:54 We want to hang on to our bitterness and our desire to get even.
00:23:55 --> 00:23:57 All under the excuse of,
00:23:58 --> 00:24:00 oh, you just don't understand how bad I've been treated.
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 What about this one?
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 Ever said,
00:24:09 --> 00:24:11 I can't tell them the truth.
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 It would just destroy them.
00:24:15 --> 00:24:20 God tells us in Ephesians 4, 15 and Ephesians 4, 25
00:24:20 --> 00:24:23 to speak the truth in love.
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 And more often than not,
00:24:26 --> 00:24:29 it is because of our cowardice or our pride
00:24:29 --> 00:24:31 that we say,
00:24:32 --> 00:24:32 I can't.
00:24:33 --> 00:24:35 It's our cowardice or our pride where we say,
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 I can't.
00:24:36 --> 00:24:40 What we really mean is that if I were to tell them the truth,
00:24:40 --> 00:24:42 then they just might not like me anymore.
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 What about this one?
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 Ever said,
00:24:51 --> 00:24:54 I just cannot give
00:24:54 --> 00:24:58 a minimum of a tenth of my income to Christian ministry.
00:24:59 --> 00:24:59 I just can't do that.
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 You don't understand my situation.
00:25:02 --> 00:25:02 I just can't do that.
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 And yet God commands it.
00:25:06 --> 00:25:08 He says, in fact,
00:25:08 --> 00:25:10 that we rob him when we don't.
00:25:11 --> 00:25:14 God is the one who's made clear promises
00:25:14 --> 00:25:20 to give us everything we need.
00:25:20 --> 00:25:25 He cares for us more than the sparrows.
00:25:25 --> 00:25:32 When we say we can't,
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 we mean I won't
00:25:33 --> 00:25:38 because I don't trust that he will.
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 What about this one?
00:25:44 --> 00:25:48 I can't resist doing this thing
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 even though I know it's wrong.
00:25:49 --> 00:25:54 I think we need to understand,
00:25:54 --> 00:25:56 we're going to see it very soon here in a moment
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 in this text,
00:25:57 --> 00:26:00 that sin has addictive power
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 over our lives.
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 It is true
00:26:03 --> 00:26:05 that we may not be able to resist
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 the temptation
00:26:06 --> 00:26:08 through our own sheer willpower,
00:26:08 --> 00:26:11 but then again,
00:26:12 --> 00:26:14 Israel was not meant to take the promised land
00:26:14 --> 00:26:16 under their own sheer willpower.
00:26:18 --> 00:26:20 We can, however, get help.
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 We can admit our problem.
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 We can humble ourselves.
00:26:22 --> 00:26:24 We can cry out to God for mercy
00:26:24 --> 00:26:27 and we can seek transformation through him
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 and become accountable to others.
00:26:29 --> 00:26:31 1 Corinthians 10 tells me
00:26:31 --> 00:26:35 that God always provides a way out.
00:26:37 --> 00:26:39 No sin is inevitable.
00:26:40 --> 00:26:42 No sin is irresistible.
00:26:42 --> 00:26:46 And if we don't resist,
00:26:47 --> 00:26:51 it's likely we would simply rather keep on sinning
00:26:51 --> 00:26:54 and excusing it with a,
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 I can't.
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 When what God says here,
00:27:01 --> 00:27:03 it's actually, I won't.
00:27:04 --> 00:27:06 I refuse.
00:27:06 --> 00:27:12 Now, already
00:27:12 --> 00:27:14 in this book,
00:27:15 --> 00:27:18 we are introduced to one of the major tensions,
00:27:18 --> 00:27:21 one of the major tensions
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 of the book of Judges,
00:27:22 --> 00:27:24 which goes right through.
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 God is holy.
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 God is just.
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 He cannot tolerate
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 or live with
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 or bless
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 evil sin
00:27:32 --> 00:27:34 in any way whatsoever.
00:27:34 --> 00:27:37 And God is also loving
00:27:37 --> 00:27:39 and he is faithful
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 and he cannot tolerate
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 the loss of people
00:27:41 --> 00:27:43 he has committed himself to.
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 So what does he do?
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 What does he do
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 with these sinful people
00:27:50 --> 00:27:52 that he cannot tolerate
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 but he's committed to?
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 And this is a tremendous
00:27:55 --> 00:27:58 and almost seemingly
00:27:58 --> 00:28:00 irresolvable tension
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 in the book of Judges.
00:28:02 --> 00:28:04 Will God finally give up?
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 on his people.
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 Right?
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 I've had enough.
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 Covenant reversal.
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 Rip it up.
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 Done with you.
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 Or will he finally give in
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 to his people?
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 Oh, whatever.
00:28:14 --> 00:28:14 You know,
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 kid nags you.
00:28:15 --> 00:28:17 No, no, no, no, no.
00:28:17 --> 00:28:17 Oh, whatever.
00:28:18 --> 00:28:18 Yes.
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 Is God just going to do that?
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 And the tension here
00:28:24 --> 00:28:26 is only resolved
00:28:26 --> 00:28:28 outside of the book of Judges
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 centuries later.
00:28:29 --> 00:28:32 God takes decisive action
00:28:32 --> 00:28:34 to resolve it in himself.
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 He takes the tension,
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 resolves it in himself
00:28:37 --> 00:28:39 with the crucifixion
00:28:39 --> 00:28:39 of his son,
00:28:39 --> 00:28:41 the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:28:42 --> 00:28:44 Our sin was credited to Jesus.
00:28:45 --> 00:28:47 Jesus takes our sin
00:28:47 --> 00:28:49 so that his righteous life
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 might be credited to us.
00:28:50 --> 00:28:54 God's anger was poured out
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 on Jesus.
00:28:55 --> 00:28:55 Jesus satisfies
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 both justice
00:28:57 --> 00:28:59 because sin was punished
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 and loving faithfulness
00:29:00 --> 00:29:02 since God is now able
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 to live
00:29:02 --> 00:29:04 and accept us
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 on the merits
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 of the Lord Jesus
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 alone.
00:29:07 --> 00:29:10 And so the cross of Christ
00:29:10 --> 00:29:12 is the only way
00:29:12 --> 00:29:14 the tension of Judges
00:29:14 --> 00:29:16 can possibly be resolved.
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 Without the good news
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 of Jesus Christ,
00:29:19 --> 00:29:21 we will always
00:29:21 --> 00:29:23 either be complacent
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 with our sin
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 and take his mercy
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 for granted
00:29:26 --> 00:29:28 or we will live
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 under the burden
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 of guilt,
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 shame and fear
00:29:32 --> 00:29:35 because we don't know
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 that his mercy covers it.
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 We will go
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 on one of those
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 two directions.
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 Either liberalism
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 and license
00:29:43 --> 00:29:43 and go,
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 well, God's in the business
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 of forgiveness.
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 That's his job
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 so keep on sitting
00:29:47 --> 00:29:49 and give him a job to do.
00:29:50 --> 00:29:53 Or burden of guilt
00:29:53 --> 00:29:55 that God could not possibly
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 ever forgive
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 a sinner like me.
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 With the good news
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 of the gospel,
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 we are able to live
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 forgiven,
00:30:04 --> 00:30:06 obedient lives
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 despite also living
00:30:07 --> 00:30:07 sinful,
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 disobedient lives.
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 You see,
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 the cross is where
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 we find the freedom
00:30:12 --> 00:30:14 to accept ourselves
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 without being proud
00:30:15 --> 00:30:18 and to challenge ourselves
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 without being crushed.
00:30:21 --> 00:30:23 God resolves the tension
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 in the death
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 and resurrection
00:30:25 --> 00:30:25 of Jesus
00:30:25 --> 00:30:27 and it is the power
00:30:27 --> 00:30:29 and the motivation
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 to fully commit
00:30:30 --> 00:30:32 ourselves to God.
00:30:32 --> 00:30:32 God.
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 You see,
00:30:35 --> 00:30:35 Israel's failure
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 to obey,
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 our failure
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 to obey
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 is a failure
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 to remember.
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 Our God
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 is the God
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 who rescues.
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 He's the one
00:30:49 --> 00:30:51 who brought them
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 out of slavery,
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 out of Egypt.
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 He is the God
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 who remains faithful
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 to them
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 right through
00:30:59 --> 00:30:59 the wilderness
00:30:59 --> 00:31:02 and he said,
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 I will never
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 break my covenant
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 with you.
00:31:08 --> 00:31:10 And so the core issue
00:31:10 --> 00:31:12 of our won't,
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 of our disobedience
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 is essentially
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 a failure
00:31:16 --> 00:31:17 to remember
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 who he is
00:31:18 --> 00:31:20 and who he has
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 made us
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 to be
00:31:22 --> 00:31:22 in him.
00:31:22 --> 00:31:26 And the reverse
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 is also true.
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 As long as we
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 remember
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 who he is
00:31:31 --> 00:31:31 and what he's
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 done for us
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 in the Lord Jesus,
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 as much as that
00:31:35 --> 00:31:37 becomes the defining
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 vision of our lives,
00:31:39 --> 00:31:40 we will serve him
00:31:40 --> 00:31:42 wholeheartedly,
00:31:42 --> 00:31:42 radically
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 and joyfully.
00:31:47 --> 00:31:48 And Israel
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 failed to do this
00:31:49 --> 00:31:51 and the consequences
00:31:51 --> 00:31:52 were clear
00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 and they were
00:31:53 --> 00:31:53 catastrophic.
00:31:55 --> 00:31:55 The idols
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 of Canaan
00:31:56 --> 00:31:58 would ensnare
00:31:58 --> 00:31:58 them.
00:31:59 --> 00:31:59 Have a look
00:31:59 --> 00:32:00 in chapter 2,
00:32:00 --> 00:32:02 Judges 2 verse 3.
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 This is God's
00:32:04 --> 00:32:04 pronouncement
00:32:04 --> 00:32:05 on his people.
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 I will not
00:32:06 --> 00:32:07 drive them
00:32:07 --> 00:32:09 out before you.
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 They will
00:32:12 --> 00:32:13 become traps
00:32:13 --> 00:32:13 for you
00:32:13 --> 00:32:15 and their gods
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 will become
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 snares to you.
00:32:21 --> 00:32:21 Oh,
00:32:21 --> 00:32:23 what a tragedy.
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 I have
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 rescued you
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 from slavery
00:32:27 --> 00:32:30 and now
00:32:30 --> 00:32:30 you have
00:32:30 --> 00:32:31 chosen
00:32:31 --> 00:32:31 slavery.
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 It's a great
00:32:37 --> 00:32:38 description here
00:32:38 --> 00:32:39 of what idolatry
00:32:39 --> 00:32:39 is and what
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 idolatry does.
00:32:41 --> 00:32:42 Idolatry,
00:32:42 --> 00:32:42 according to the
00:32:42 --> 00:32:43 Bible,
00:32:43 --> 00:32:43 is taking a good
00:32:43 --> 00:32:45 aspect of creation.
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 It could be
00:32:46 --> 00:32:46 marriage,
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 days on the beach,
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48 business,
00:32:48 --> 00:32:48 family,
00:32:48 --> 00:32:49 money,
00:32:49 --> 00:32:50 and turning
00:32:50 --> 00:32:50 it into
00:32:50 --> 00:32:51 the ultimate
00:32:51 --> 00:32:51 source of
00:32:51 --> 00:32:52 our security,
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 our comfort,
00:32:53 --> 00:32:54 our identity,
00:32:54 --> 00:32:55 our power.
00:32:56 --> 00:32:57 And these
00:32:57 --> 00:32:58 idols
00:32:58 --> 00:32:59 are what
00:32:59 --> 00:33:00 are called
00:33:00 --> 00:33:01 thorns.
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 When you
00:33:03 --> 00:33:03 make something
00:33:03 --> 00:33:05 good into
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 the ultimate,
00:33:08 --> 00:33:09 it will
00:33:09 --> 00:33:10 make you
00:33:10 --> 00:33:11 miserable.
00:33:11 --> 00:33:19 it will
00:33:19 --> 00:33:20 make you
00:33:20 --> 00:33:20 miserable.
00:33:21 --> 00:33:21 I've got a
00:33:21 --> 00:33:22 splinter at the
00:33:22 --> 00:33:23 moment in the
00:33:23 --> 00:33:23 bottom of my
00:33:23 --> 00:33:25 foot and I've
00:33:25 --> 00:33:25 been trying to
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 get it out for
00:33:26 --> 00:33:26 some time,
00:33:26 --> 00:33:27 which is very
00:33:27 --> 00:33:27 difficult to do
00:33:27 --> 00:33:28 when it's at the
00:33:28 --> 00:33:28 bottom of your
00:33:28 --> 00:33:29 foot and you
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 can't quite get
00:33:30 --> 00:33:30 there.
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32 And I really
00:33:32 --> 00:33:32 don't want anyone
00:33:32 --> 00:33:33 else to play
00:33:33 --> 00:33:33 with it.
00:33:36 --> 00:33:37 That's what a
00:33:37 --> 00:33:38 thorn does and
00:33:38 --> 00:33:40 every moment I
00:33:40 --> 00:33:40 know it's
00:33:40 --> 00:33:42 there and
00:33:42 --> 00:33:43 it makes life
00:33:43 --> 00:33:43 miserable.
00:33:45 --> 00:33:45 If our
00:33:45 --> 00:33:46 children are
00:33:46 --> 00:33:47 our idols,
00:33:47 --> 00:33:48 when their
00:33:48 --> 00:33:49 lives are
00:33:49 --> 00:33:49 troubled,
00:33:49 --> 00:33:50 we lose our
00:33:50 --> 00:33:50 joy.
00:33:51 --> 00:33:52 And even
00:33:52 --> 00:33:53 when their
00:33:53 --> 00:33:54 lives might
00:33:54 --> 00:33:55 become troubled,
00:33:55 --> 00:33:56 which in fact is
00:33:56 --> 00:33:56 all the time,
00:33:57 --> 00:33:58 we will worry
00:33:58 --> 00:33:59 and we will
00:33:59 --> 00:34:00 lose our
00:34:00 --> 00:34:01 joy.
00:34:02 --> 00:34:03 Idols are
00:34:03 --> 00:34:03 snares,
00:34:03 --> 00:34:04 they trap us,
00:34:04 --> 00:34:05 they blind us,
00:34:05 --> 00:34:06 they enslave us,
00:34:06 --> 00:34:07 and it gets to the
00:34:07 --> 00:34:08 point where we
00:34:08 --> 00:34:09 just have to have
00:34:09 --> 00:34:09 it.
00:34:09 --> 00:34:10 We cannot say
00:34:10 --> 00:34:11 no to it,
00:34:11 --> 00:34:11 become addicted
00:34:11 --> 00:34:12 to it.
00:34:12 --> 00:34:13 And this is why
00:34:13 --> 00:34:14 so many people
00:34:14 --> 00:34:15 work so hard
00:34:15 --> 00:34:16 and they
00:34:16 --> 00:34:17 sacrifice their
00:34:17 --> 00:34:18 family,
00:34:18 --> 00:34:19 their friendships,
00:34:19 --> 00:34:20 their health at
00:34:20 --> 00:34:20 the altar of a
00:34:20 --> 00:34:21 career or give
00:34:21 --> 00:34:22 themselves to
00:34:22 --> 00:34:23 certain relationships
00:34:23 --> 00:34:24 that are so
00:34:24 --> 00:34:24 destructive.
00:34:26 --> 00:34:27 Because a good
00:34:27 --> 00:34:28 thing has become
00:34:28 --> 00:34:29 the ultimate.
00:34:32 --> 00:34:33 The more we
00:34:33 --> 00:34:34 pursue half-hearted
00:34:34 --> 00:34:35 discipleship, the
00:34:35 --> 00:34:36 more ensnared we
00:34:36 --> 00:34:38 become, the more
00:34:38 --> 00:34:39 miserable we
00:34:39 --> 00:34:41 become, the more
00:34:41 --> 00:34:42 unstable we
00:34:42 --> 00:34:43 become.
00:34:43 --> 00:34:43 That's what I
00:34:43 --> 00:34:44 think it means
00:34:44 --> 00:34:45 when James says
00:34:45 --> 00:34:45 a double-minded
00:34:45 --> 00:34:46 person is
00:34:46 --> 00:34:47 unstable in all
00:34:47 --> 00:34:48 that they do.
00:34:48 --> 00:34:48 They've got a
00:34:48 --> 00:34:49 foot in both
00:34:49 --> 00:34:49 camps.
00:34:54 --> 00:34:54 Verses 4 and
00:34:54 --> 00:34:56 5 I think is
00:34:56 --> 00:34:56 helpful.
00:34:57 --> 00:34:58 We see less of
00:34:58 --> 00:35:00 it as judges
00:35:00 --> 00:35:01 progress, but the
00:35:01 --> 00:35:01 people hear the
00:35:01 --> 00:35:02 word of God and
00:35:02 --> 00:35:04 they weep, they
00:35:04 --> 00:35:06 weep and they
00:35:06 --> 00:35:07 offer sacrifices.
00:35:07 --> 00:35:08 There's a picture
00:35:08 --> 00:35:09 here of genuine
00:35:09 --> 00:35:10 repentance.
00:35:12 --> 00:35:12 Tragically,
00:35:14 --> 00:35:14 repentance
00:35:14 --> 00:35:15 decreases as the
00:35:15 --> 00:35:17 storyline progresses.
00:35:17 --> 00:35:18 Heed that as a
00:35:18 --> 00:35:19 warning, friends.
00:35:19 --> 00:35:20 As the storyline
00:35:20 --> 00:35:21 progresses,
00:35:23 --> 00:35:23 repentance
00:35:23 --> 00:35:24 decreases.
00:35:26 --> 00:35:27 Our response to
00:35:27 --> 00:35:28 God's accusing
00:35:28 --> 00:35:29 word here should be
00:35:29 --> 00:35:30 more than wet
00:35:30 --> 00:35:31 eyes.
00:35:31 --> 00:35:33 It is good to
00:35:33 --> 00:35:35 remove to tears,
00:35:35 --> 00:35:36 but it is much
00:35:36 --> 00:35:37 better to be
00:35:37 --> 00:35:38 moved to
00:35:38 --> 00:35:39 repentance.
00:35:40 --> 00:35:41 Judges shows us
00:35:41 --> 00:35:42 that spiritual
00:35:42 --> 00:35:43 decline is
00:35:43 --> 00:35:45 inevitable for
00:35:45 --> 00:35:47 everyone and
00:35:47 --> 00:35:48 spiritual renewal
00:35:48 --> 00:35:49 then becomes the
00:35:49 --> 00:35:51 continual need for
00:35:51 --> 00:35:51 everyone.
00:35:52 --> 00:35:53 Decline is
00:35:53 --> 00:35:54 inevitable, renewal
00:35:54 --> 00:35:56 is a continual need.
00:35:56 --> 00:35:57 God wants to
00:35:57 --> 00:35:58 produce in us
00:35:58 --> 00:35:59 good grief.
00:36:01 --> 00:36:01 Good grief.
00:36:03 --> 00:36:04 Joel 2
00:36:04 --> 00:36:04 verses 12
00:36:04 --> 00:36:05 to 13,
00:36:05 --> 00:36:06 return to me
00:36:06 --> 00:36:06 with all of
00:36:06 --> 00:36:07 your heart,
00:36:08 --> 00:36:09 with fasting
00:36:09 --> 00:36:10 and weeping
00:36:10 --> 00:36:12 and mourning
00:36:12 --> 00:36:13 and tear open
00:36:13 --> 00:36:14 your heart,
00:36:15 --> 00:36:16 not your
00:36:16 --> 00:36:16 garments.
00:36:16 --> 00:36:22 can I
00:36:22 --> 00:36:22 plead with
00:36:22 --> 00:36:23 you to tear
00:36:23 --> 00:36:23 open your
00:36:23 --> 00:36:25 heart in
00:36:25 --> 00:36:25 the coming
00:36:25 --> 00:36:26 weeks as we
00:36:26 --> 00:36:27 study judges,
00:36:28 --> 00:36:29 repent of
00:36:29 --> 00:36:29 half-hearted
00:36:29 --> 00:36:30 discipleship.
00:36:31 --> 00:36:31 To be
00:36:31 --> 00:36:32 disciple of
00:36:32 --> 00:36:33 Jesus means
00:36:33 --> 00:36:33 we are under
00:36:33 --> 00:36:34 his discipline.
00:36:34 --> 00:36:35 Search your
00:36:35 --> 00:36:35 heart and ask
00:36:35 --> 00:36:36 whether he's
00:36:36 --> 00:36:36 committed to
00:36:36 --> 00:36:37 following God
00:36:37 --> 00:36:38 rather than
00:36:38 --> 00:36:39 the idols of
00:36:39 --> 00:36:39 our society
00:36:39 --> 00:36:40 and our
00:36:40 --> 00:36:40 neighbours.
00:36:42 --> 00:36:43 Are there
00:36:43 --> 00:36:44 any sins that
00:36:44 --> 00:36:44 you're particularly
00:36:44 --> 00:36:45 struggling with at
00:36:45 --> 00:36:45 the moment?
00:36:46 --> 00:36:47 How are you
00:36:47 --> 00:36:47 going at the
00:36:47 --> 00:36:48 moment,
00:36:48 --> 00:36:49 avoiding sexual
00:36:49 --> 00:36:49 immorality?
00:36:50 --> 00:36:50 What about
00:36:50 --> 00:36:51 gossip,
00:36:51 --> 00:36:51 slander,
00:36:52 --> 00:36:52 incessant
00:36:52 --> 00:36:53 criticism?
00:36:54 --> 00:36:55 Are your
00:36:55 --> 00:36:56 words building
00:36:56 --> 00:36:56 up?
00:36:56 --> 00:36:56 Are they
00:36:56 --> 00:36:57 tearing down?
00:36:58 --> 00:36:58 Are you
00:36:58 --> 00:36:59 acknowledging
00:36:59 --> 00:36:59 error,
00:37:00 --> 00:37:00 seeking
00:37:00 --> 00:37:01 reconciliation?
00:37:01 --> 00:37:02 Are you
00:37:02 --> 00:37:02 confessing
00:37:02 --> 00:37:03 sin?
00:37:03 --> 00:37:03 Are you
00:37:03 --> 00:37:04 seeing sin
00:37:04 --> 00:37:04 in others
00:37:04 --> 00:37:05 more readily
00:37:05 --> 00:37:06 than you see
00:37:06 --> 00:37:06 it in
00:37:06 --> 00:37:07 yourself?
00:37:07 --> 00:37:07 Do you
00:37:07 --> 00:37:08 get angry
00:37:08 --> 00:37:09 or depressed
00:37:09 --> 00:37:09 when someone
00:37:09 --> 00:37:10 points out a
00:37:10 --> 00:37:11 flaw to you?
00:37:12 --> 00:37:12 Has your
00:37:12 --> 00:37:13 commitment to
00:37:13 --> 00:37:13 church,
00:37:14 --> 00:37:15 to your
00:37:15 --> 00:37:15 church family
00:37:15 --> 00:37:16 wavered so
00:37:16 --> 00:37:17 now it's
00:37:17 --> 00:37:17 three out
00:37:17 --> 00:37:17 of four
00:37:17 --> 00:37:18 or two
00:37:18 --> 00:37:18 out of
00:37:18 --> 00:37:18 four
00:37:18 --> 00:37:19 or one
00:37:19 --> 00:37:19 out of
00:37:19 --> 00:37:19 four?
00:37:23 --> 00:37:24 Have you
00:37:24 --> 00:37:25 just decided
00:37:25 --> 00:37:27 for the
00:37:27 --> 00:37:28 first time
00:37:28 --> 00:37:28 in a while
00:37:28 --> 00:37:30 just not to
00:37:30 --> 00:37:30 join up to a
00:37:30 --> 00:37:31 community group
00:37:31 --> 00:37:32 this time?
00:37:35 --> 00:37:35 What's your
00:37:35 --> 00:37:36 prayer life like
00:37:36 --> 00:37:37 right now?
00:37:38 --> 00:37:39 What have you
00:37:39 --> 00:37:40 been mostly
00:37:40 --> 00:37:41 praying for?
00:37:41 --> 00:37:44 God help me
00:37:44 --> 00:37:44 do this.
00:37:45 --> 00:37:46 God provide
00:37:46 --> 00:37:46 for that.
00:37:47 --> 00:37:47 Do you
00:37:47 --> 00:37:47 have a
00:37:47 --> 00:37:48 global picture
00:37:48 --> 00:37:49 in God's
00:37:49 --> 00:37:50 glory,
00:37:51 --> 00:37:52 surrendering,
00:37:52 --> 00:37:52 confession?
00:37:53 --> 00:37:53 What has God
00:37:53 --> 00:37:54 been teaching
00:37:54 --> 00:37:54 you through
00:37:54 --> 00:37:55 his word
00:37:55 --> 00:37:55 lately?
00:37:55 --> 00:37:56 Have you
00:37:56 --> 00:37:57 felt your
00:37:57 --> 00:37:58 passion stirred
00:37:58 --> 00:37:59 in personal
00:37:59 --> 00:38:00 or corporate
00:38:00 --> 00:38:01 worship lately?
00:38:02 --> 00:38:03 Or is it
00:38:03 --> 00:38:04 just criticism?
00:38:04 --> 00:38:04 criticism?
00:38:04 --> 00:38:11 I don't
00:38:11 --> 00:38:12 give a rip
00:38:12 --> 00:38:12 whether you
00:38:12 --> 00:38:12 can sing
00:38:12 --> 00:38:13 the songs.
00:38:14 --> 00:38:15 Are you
00:38:15 --> 00:38:15 trying?
00:38:23 --> 00:38:24 Have you
00:38:24 --> 00:38:24 been able to
00:38:24 --> 00:38:25 control spending
00:38:25 --> 00:38:26 and your
00:38:26 --> 00:38:27 saving habits?
00:38:27 --> 00:38:27 Have you been
00:38:27 --> 00:38:28 able to control
00:38:28 --> 00:38:28 both your
00:38:28 --> 00:38:29 spending habits
00:38:29 --> 00:38:29 and your
00:38:29 --> 00:38:30 saving habits
00:38:30 --> 00:38:32 so that you
00:38:32 --> 00:38:33 become more
00:38:33 --> 00:38:33 generous?
00:38:33 --> 00:38:34 are there
00:38:34 --> 00:38:35 areas of
00:38:35 --> 00:38:35 your life
00:38:35 --> 00:38:36 where you
00:38:36 --> 00:38:36 have made
00:38:36 --> 00:38:38 big decisions
00:38:38 --> 00:38:39 but haven't
00:38:39 --> 00:38:40 consulted God
00:38:40 --> 00:38:41 or mature
00:38:41 --> 00:38:41 Christians for
00:38:41 --> 00:38:42 wisdom and
00:38:42 --> 00:38:42 God's will?
00:38:43 --> 00:38:44 Are you
00:38:44 --> 00:38:44 making decisions
00:38:44 --> 00:38:46 for relationship
00:38:46 --> 00:38:46 with Jesus
00:38:46 --> 00:38:47 or making
00:38:47 --> 00:38:49 decisions against
00:38:49 --> 00:38:50 relationship with
00:38:50 --> 00:38:51 Jesus?
00:38:52 --> 00:38:54 Maybe you
00:38:54 --> 00:38:55 haven't rejected
00:38:55 --> 00:38:58 him but you
00:38:58 --> 00:38:58 haven't fully
00:38:58 --> 00:38:59 surrendered to
00:38:59 --> 00:39:00 him either.
00:39:01 --> 00:39:02 Tear open
00:39:02 --> 00:39:03 your hearts
00:39:03 --> 00:39:03 to God
00:39:03 --> 00:39:05 with weeping
00:39:05 --> 00:39:05 and mourning
00:39:05 --> 00:39:06 and repentance.
00:39:06 --> 00:39:06 our sins.
00:39:09 --> 00:39:09 Thank you.
00:39:11 --> 00:39:11 Missing
00:39:11 --> 00:39:11 and
00:39:11 --> 00:39:12 glory
00:39:12 --> 00:39:13 and
00:39:13 --> 00:39:13 going
00:39:13 --> 00:39:14 to be
00:39:14 --> 00:39:14 to be
00:39:14 --> 00:39:15 ourselves
00:39:15 --> 00:39:16 unknown AH
00:39:16 --> 00:39:16 here.
00:39:17 --> 00:39:17 If
00:39:17 --> 00:39:18 you're
00:39:18 --> 00:39:18 figuring out
00:39:18 --> 00:39:19 everything