JUDGES Ruler and Rescuer
Series: The Flawed and the Flawless
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 26th August 2018
Passage: Judges 4:1-24
00:00:00 --> 00:00:05 Human beings have a timeless and universal fascination with superheroes.
00:00:06 --> 00:00:11 They've been the stuff of every culture from time immemorial.
00:00:11 --> 00:00:16 From Gilgamesh, the ancient Sumerian king,
00:00:16 --> 00:00:22 whose epic search for immortality is perhaps the oldest written story on earth.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:26 To Achilles, the great hero of the Trojan Wars.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:31 To the warriors and nation founders of ancient and modern history.
00:00:31 --> 00:00:34 To Olympians of every age and nation.
00:00:34 --> 00:00:38 To the supermen and the Wonder Woman and all the marvel characters.
00:00:39 --> 00:00:43 Whether they're supermen and women who are real or imaginary.
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 Contemporary warfare, sports, entertainment.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 They are with us everywhere.
00:00:48 --> 00:00:50 There's a particular fascination with them.
00:00:50 --> 00:00:54 As I mentioned there in terms of marvel characters at the moment.
00:00:54 --> 00:00:56 You know, popular movies.
00:00:56 --> 00:00:59 We cannot get enough of superheroes.
00:01:00 --> 00:01:05 We even have to manufacture our own through TV shows like Australian Idol.
00:01:06 --> 00:01:13 And what these superheroes tend to do for us is they release us from the boredom of our ordinary lives.
00:01:14 --> 00:01:15 They excite us.
00:01:15 --> 00:01:16 They inspire us.
00:01:16 --> 00:01:19 They even scandal us with their falls from grace.
00:01:19 --> 00:01:20 They fascinate us.
00:01:20 --> 00:01:29 They give us relief by making our own faults and failings seem so small and excusable compared to their enormous ones.
00:01:30 --> 00:01:31 And the Bible has its heroes too.
00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 We're introduced to three of them in this text in front of us.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:42 But in turn, each one of these heroes points us to a greater hero.
00:01:42 --> 00:01:47 And in fact, the only true hero of the book of Judges.
00:01:47 --> 00:01:49 And that is God himself.
00:01:49 --> 00:01:56 And so, as I said at the beginning, we're exploring Judges 4 and 5 tonight.
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 These chapters are an awesome read.
00:01:59 --> 00:02:00 They are really interesting.
00:02:02 --> 00:02:09 But both chapters 4 and 5 describe the same events, but coming at it from different angles, if you like.
00:02:10 --> 00:02:16 Chapter 4, which is what I just read, looks at the events from the perspective of a historian.
00:02:17 --> 00:02:18 It's a narrative, a historical narrative.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:27 Chapter 5 describes the same events that we've just read, but from the perspective of the poet or the theologian.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 So, there's three things that I want us to see.
00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 We're going to look at very briefly tonight.
00:02:33 --> 00:02:37 First of all, we're going to look at chapter 4 and be introduced to the ruler and the rescuers.
00:02:37 --> 00:02:42 Then in chapter 5, we're going to see who the true ruler rescuer is.
00:02:42 --> 00:02:49 And then the third point is what it means to live by faith in this ruler rescuer.
00:02:50 --> 00:02:52 Okay, so chapter 4, let's have a quick squiz at that.
00:02:53 --> 00:02:54 Get your Bibles open.
00:02:55 --> 00:03:01 At the beginning of chapter 4, we see the cycle that we were introduced to last week by Takeshi.
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 It starts all over again, very simply.
00:03:04 --> 00:03:12 Again, the Israelites need evil in the eyes of the Lord now that Ehud was dead.
00:03:12 --> 00:03:19 So, one judge is dead and again, God's people commit evil in the eyes of the Lord.
00:03:20 --> 00:03:26 And their sin leads them to be oppressed by Jabin, king of Canaan.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:36 Now, ironically, this king would not even exist had Israel obeyed God back in chapter 1,
00:03:36 --> 00:03:39 when he said, go in and take the promised land and destroy him.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:42 This guy wouldn't even be there, but now he's oppressing God's people.
00:03:44 --> 00:03:51 And Jabin's main agent of oppression is this Sisera, his commander, his general.
00:03:52 --> 00:04:01 We're told in verse 3 that Sisera has 900 chariots fitted with iron at his disposal.
00:04:01 --> 00:04:06 And these things are the smart bombs and the drones of their time.
00:04:06 --> 00:04:10 This is military technology at its height.
00:04:11 --> 00:04:16 And we are told here that Sisera cruelly oppressed the Israelites for 20 years.
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 This is the worst oppression that they have yet to face.
00:04:19 --> 00:04:28 And at the end of chapter 5, we get a measure of this man and how he treated people.
00:04:29 --> 00:04:34 In chapter 5, verses 28 and 29, Deborah, who will be introduced into a moment,
00:04:35 --> 00:04:43 pictures Sisera's mother and his mother's ladies-in-waiting,
00:04:43 --> 00:04:48 looking out for him to return victorious from his battle with the Israelites.
00:04:50 --> 00:04:55 And we learn from the discussion that they're having with each other while they're waiting for him to come back,
00:04:56 --> 00:05:03 that what Sisera likes to do is to steal women, rape them, and enslave them as his sex slaves.
00:05:03 --> 00:05:14 And they assume that he's taking his time coming back from the battle with Israel
00:05:14 --> 00:05:20 because he's in the process of taking more sex slaves for himself.
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 He's in the business of raping women right now.
00:05:23 --> 00:05:24 That's why he's taking his time.
00:05:28 --> 00:05:31 It was so common knowledge, even his mother knows about it.
00:05:31 --> 00:05:34 Don't worry, he'll be home for dinner once he's done with the women.
00:05:37 --> 00:05:38 He was a cruel oppressor.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:46 And so it says Israel again cried out to the Lord for help, and God raises up Deborah.
00:05:46 --> 00:05:48 Now, Deborah is different from the other judges.
00:05:48 --> 00:05:49 First of all, she's a woman.
00:05:49 --> 00:05:51 She's the only woman judge.
00:05:52 --> 00:05:57 And secondly, she's described as a prophet in verse 4.
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 Not a judge, but as a prophet.
00:05:59 --> 00:06:03 And as such, she preaches and teaches the word of God.
00:06:04 --> 00:06:08 And she does it in verse 6 when she says to Barak,
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 the Lord, the God of Israel, commands you.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:17 That's her speaking prophecy over Barak's life.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:22 Verses 4 and 5 says that she was leading Israel and holding court.
00:06:22 --> 00:06:25 That is, Deborah was not a military leader.
00:06:25 --> 00:06:33 She was more like a modern-day judicial official.
00:06:34 --> 00:06:37 Verse 5 says the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided.
00:06:38 --> 00:06:39 Kind of like a Judge Judy kind of thing.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:43 She was recognized as a wise counselor, as a judge.
00:06:43 --> 00:06:46 I'm not making that comparison with Judge Judy, by the way.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:54 People came to her to settle all sorts of social and legal and relational cases.
00:06:55 --> 00:07:01 Deborah led the people of Israel from wisdom and for character rather than just pure military might.
00:07:02 --> 00:07:08 She was also, interesting, the only judge who led beyond the battlefield.
00:07:08 --> 00:07:15 She didn't just lead them to release them from the oppressor, but she led Israel as a nation from beyond the battlefield.
00:07:16 --> 00:07:19 She is the savior who rules.
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 She's more than just a rescuer.
00:07:23 --> 00:07:24 She's a ruler.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:28 In fact, they look to her to reshape society.
00:07:28 --> 00:07:41 And in that sense, Deborah is the one judge of all the judges who is the greatest pointer to the monarchy period,
00:07:42 --> 00:07:46 which comes straight after this book and which this book is leading to.
00:07:47 --> 00:07:50 She is the greatest pointer to that.
00:07:50 --> 00:07:56 She's the greatest pointer also in this book to the long-awaited Christ.
00:07:56 --> 00:08:00 You see, the Christ of whom Isaiah 9 says,
00:08:02 --> 00:08:09 he will bear the government on his shoulders and he's called wonderful counselor, prince of peace,
00:08:10 --> 00:08:14 establishing and upholding his kingdom with justice and righteousness.
00:08:15 --> 00:08:22 So right here in the heart of this book of battles and slayings,
00:08:22 --> 00:08:26 we see a, it's a subtle point, but it's a significant point.
00:08:28 --> 00:08:31 God's people don't just need a mighty rescuer.
00:08:31 --> 00:08:33 They don't just need a savior.
00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 They need a ruler.
00:08:35 --> 00:08:36 They need a king.
00:08:39 --> 00:08:44 This is something that Israel will get to the point where they cry out for,
00:08:44 --> 00:08:48 but it's also a significant point for us to grapple with now.
00:08:50 --> 00:08:55 All of these judges ultimately find their fulfillment in the person of Jesus.
00:08:56 --> 00:08:59 He is the Christ who Isaiah is referring to.
00:09:00 --> 00:09:06 So what happens when the modern day person wants to treat Jesus as rescuer but not ruler?
00:09:06 --> 00:09:09 And there are people who want to do that.
00:09:11 --> 00:09:16 What happens when you treat Jesus just as your rescuer but not as your ruler,
00:09:16 --> 00:09:18 just as your savior but not your king?
00:09:20 --> 00:09:21 The result is liberalism.
00:09:22 --> 00:09:23 It's called cheap grace.
00:09:24 --> 00:09:25 It's license.
00:09:25 --> 00:09:31 That is, the gospel of salvation in Jesus is just purely about the management of my sin.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:32 It's about dealing with my sin.
00:09:32 --> 00:09:33 It's not about anything else.
00:09:34 --> 00:09:34 Just sin.
00:09:34 --> 00:09:40 The gospel is about having my sins forgiven so that I can go to heaven.
00:09:40 --> 00:09:41 It's not about relationship with God.
00:09:41 --> 00:09:45 It's just primarily my sins forgiven so that I get to go to heaven.
00:09:45 --> 00:09:48 So I don't get to suffer consequences for my sin.
00:09:48 --> 00:09:51 And so the thinking is, providing I've asked Jesus to forgive me,
00:09:51 --> 00:09:53 I've asked him into my heart and he's forgiven me.
00:09:53 --> 00:09:55 I get to go to heaven.
00:09:55 --> 00:10:00 It doesn't really matter how I live because he's in the business of forgiving me.
00:10:00 --> 00:10:00 So he's going to do that.
00:10:00 --> 00:10:05 I've got this get out of jail free or get out of hell free card.
00:10:05 --> 00:10:12 And I don't need to do anything about spiritual disciplines or radical generosity or anything like that.
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 Because Jesus is my savior.
00:10:15 --> 00:10:29 On the other hand, if we treat Jesus as my lord, my ruler, and not my savior and my rescuer, the result is the opposite.
00:10:29 --> 00:10:30 It's legalism.
00:10:30 --> 00:10:33 It's a life obeying the rules.
00:10:34 --> 00:10:34 Obeying the rules.
00:10:34 --> 00:10:42 Not totally confident whether I've actually got out of jail for free at all because I'm not sure where I stand.
00:10:42 --> 00:10:43 I just hope I've done enough.
00:10:43 --> 00:10:58 And if I think, convince myself that I have done enough, then the result is self-righteousness and pride and arrogance and judgmentalism and a religious spirit upon everyone else who does not live up to my standard.
00:10:58 --> 00:11:04 And you can sit on this side and use all the language of Zion.
00:11:04 --> 00:11:07 You can lose all the language of righteousness.
00:11:10 --> 00:11:13 And you'll not have a life or a heart of righteousness.
00:11:15 --> 00:11:18 Jesus must be both liberator and lord.
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 He must be rescuer and ruler.
00:11:21 --> 00:11:36 What's interesting in this text is that Deborah is not the one who, in God's strength, rescues Israel by defeating its oppressor.
00:11:37 --> 00:11:43 She's the ruler, but we have two other rescuers here.
00:11:43 --> 00:11:47 And so she sends Barak in chapter 4, verse 6.
00:11:47 --> 00:11:51 He will lead the battle against God's enemies.
00:11:53 --> 00:11:56 And Barak's name means lightning.
00:11:57 --> 00:11:59 I mean, that's awesome, isn't it?
00:11:59 --> 00:12:00 That's the guy you want to pick.
00:12:01 --> 00:12:04 The guy with the name lightning or crusher or something like that.
00:12:05 --> 00:12:06 So here we have Captain Lightning.
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 He's the hero of the story.
00:12:09 --> 00:12:13 Although he doesn't seem to fit when you read verse 8.
00:12:13 --> 00:12:17 Barak said to Deborah, if you go with me, I will go.
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 But if you don't go with me, I won't go.
00:12:20 --> 00:12:22 So maybe Captain Lightning's not quite appropriate.
00:12:23 --> 00:12:27 Captain Sissy Pants or something like that might be more appropriate for him.
00:12:28 --> 00:12:33 He refuses to go into battle unless Deborah comes with him.
00:12:33 --> 00:12:40 Now, he appears at this point to have a timid lack of faith.
00:12:41 --> 00:12:44 And maybe there is an element of wavering there for him.
00:12:45 --> 00:12:50 But he seems to simply refuse to trust and obey the word that came from God.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:56 And in fact, when you read verse 9, it appears to confirm that conclusion.
00:12:57 --> 00:12:58 Deborah says to him,
00:12:58 --> 00:13:12 Barak then summons the troops.
00:13:13 --> 00:13:15 He prepares to fight.
00:13:17 --> 00:13:19 But only because Deborah is with him.
00:13:19 --> 00:13:22 And it's not until verse 14,
00:13:23 --> 00:13:28 after Sisera has gathered his awesome war machine down by the river
00:13:28 --> 00:13:31 and Deborah has told Barak to go,
00:13:32 --> 00:13:35 that Barak charges down Mount Tabor with his men.
00:13:37 --> 00:13:41 The honour for the victory is still withheld from Barak, however,
00:13:42 --> 00:13:46 because of his lack of obedient, radical faith in verse 8.
00:13:46 --> 00:13:53 That's the pessimistic way to read this text.
00:13:54 --> 00:14:01 There is a number of commentators land on it that way.
00:14:03 --> 00:14:06 I think there is a more optimistic way to read it.
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07 And it's my preference.
00:14:08 --> 00:14:10 And the Hebrew language defends it.
00:14:11 --> 00:14:14 And that is to read verse 9 like this.
00:14:14 --> 00:14:18 On the expedition you are undertaking,
00:14:18 --> 00:14:22 the honour will not be yours.
00:14:24 --> 00:14:27 Now with this reading, reading it that way,
00:14:27 --> 00:14:30 Deborah is not rebuking Barak for being weak,
00:14:31 --> 00:14:33 but simply telling him,
00:14:34 --> 00:14:37 you are about to charge down a hillside
00:14:37 --> 00:14:43 into the teeth of 900 iron chariots
00:14:43 --> 00:14:46 and you're not going to get the honour for it.
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 You okay with that?
00:14:52 --> 00:14:55 It's a prophetic statement of fact,
00:14:55 --> 00:14:58 not a critique of his faith.
00:14:58 --> 00:15:04 And there's a reason I read it like that
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06 when we get to Hebrews 11.
00:15:07 --> 00:15:12 This reading paints Barak as in fact a hero of faith.
00:15:12 --> 00:15:14 He wants to take Deborah with him,
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 not because he's a coward,
00:15:18 --> 00:15:20 not because he's unfaithful,
00:15:20 --> 00:15:25 but out of recognition that Deborah is the leader of God's people
00:15:25 --> 00:15:29 and she leads through wisdom by speaking the word of God.
00:15:30 --> 00:15:36 The command from Deborah to Barak came from God
00:15:36 --> 00:15:39 and he wants to make sure
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 that he's got the word of God with him
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 right there, right then
00:15:43 --> 00:15:45 to go when he's told to go.
00:15:45 --> 00:15:49 He wants to make sure
00:15:49 --> 00:15:51 that he's got a godly woman there
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 who speaks the word of God.
00:15:55 --> 00:15:57 And we see that in verse 14.
00:15:57 --> 00:16:00 As soon as Deborah tells Barak to attack,
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 he does it immediately.
00:16:02 --> 00:16:05 He displays tremendous faith.
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 But more importantly,
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 he displays real faith
00:16:09 --> 00:16:11 in obeying the word of God at that moment.
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 He wanted Deborah there
00:16:13 --> 00:16:15 so he could hear from God.
00:16:19 --> 00:16:22 And what makes this story so incredible
00:16:22 --> 00:16:25 is that Barak charges down this hillside
00:16:25 --> 00:16:28 into the battle against all odds,
00:16:28 --> 00:16:30 knowing that he ain't going to get the glory for it.
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 He's been told that in advance.
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 You ain't going to get the glory for this.
00:16:33 --> 00:16:36 There is no Victoria Cross for you.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:38 There's no Congressional Medal of Honor.
00:16:38 --> 00:16:40 You're not going to be knighted.
00:16:40 --> 00:16:42 You're not going to be promoted to General Lightning.
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 It's not happening.
00:16:43 --> 00:16:45 No glory for you.
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 Would you do that?
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 I mean, how many of us even
00:16:54 --> 00:16:57 live the Christian life
00:16:57 --> 00:16:59 without the applause of other people?
00:16:59 --> 00:17:01 It's so much easier to serve
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 and to give and to sacrifice
00:17:02 --> 00:17:04 when other people are noticing.
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 And it's so embarrassing
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 when we've got to point it out to them
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 in subtle ways.
00:17:08 --> 00:17:14 He obeys God and leads his men
00:17:14 --> 00:17:16 knowing that the victory will be given to another.
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 And when it's all over,
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 it's done and dusted,
00:17:20 --> 00:17:23 Barak goes back to his job
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 and Deborah will still rule.
00:17:24 --> 00:17:34 This is humility on display.
00:17:34 --> 00:17:38 And in his humble faith,
00:17:38 --> 00:17:40 Barak, the deliverer of Israel,
00:17:41 --> 00:17:44 really does point us to the great deliverer,
00:17:44 --> 00:17:46 who, though in very nature God,
00:17:47 --> 00:17:49 and therefore the rightful ruler of all things,
00:17:50 --> 00:17:52 still did not consider equality with God
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 something to be grasped,
00:17:53 --> 00:17:55 something to be used for his own purpose,
00:17:55 --> 00:17:57 for a display of his own glory,
00:17:58 --> 00:18:00 but made himself nothing,
00:18:01 --> 00:18:03 humbled himself and became obedient to death,
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05 even death on a cross.
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 And so Barak descends the mountain,
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 Sisera flees,
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 all that needs to happen now
00:18:14 --> 00:18:16 is for Barak to catch up with him
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 and to claim victory,
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 and by the time he does,
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 Sisera will be dead.
00:18:22 --> 00:18:27 There is this deliciously inexplicable break
00:18:27 --> 00:18:29 in the narrative of Barak's victory
00:18:29 --> 00:18:31 over Sisera in verse 11.
00:18:31 --> 00:18:34 The battle's about to happen,
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 and then all of a sudden,
00:18:35 --> 00:18:39 the writer mentions that Heber, the Kenite,
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 had left the other Kenites,
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 the descendants of Hobab,
00:18:42 --> 00:18:42 Moses' brother,
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 and Pishni's tent by the great tree
00:18:44 --> 00:18:46 of Zanonim near Kadesh.
00:18:49 --> 00:18:51 Who cares about his camping trip?
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 What's that there for?
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 You read the narrative and you go,
00:18:56 --> 00:18:58 why do we care about this guy?
00:18:59 --> 00:19:01 Heber, he's on holidays.
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 He's pitched his tent.
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 You wonder, what's it there for?
00:19:05 --> 00:19:07 It's like cutting for a commercial break
00:19:07 --> 00:19:09 right when they're about to announce
00:19:09 --> 00:19:14 the winner of Australian Idol
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 or Bachelorette
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 or whatever the shows are
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 that you watch nowadays.
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 I don't.
00:19:21 --> 00:19:23 That's a judgment there I'm just making.
00:19:23 --> 00:19:31 But Heber's wife is integral in this story.
00:19:32 --> 00:19:35 That's why the little pitch in the tent thing there
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 gets in the way.
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 She's integral.
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 Her name is Jael.
00:19:40 --> 00:19:42 And in verse 17,
00:19:42 --> 00:19:45 we are told that the fleeing Sisera
00:19:45 --> 00:19:47 reaches this tent which has been pitched,
00:19:47 --> 00:19:49 the tent of Jael
00:19:49 --> 00:19:52 and her name means safety.
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 What a name.
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 How ironic.
00:19:58 --> 00:19:58 Safety.
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 And Jael welcomes him in,
00:20:01 --> 00:20:01 gives him a drink,
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 lets him take a nap.
00:20:02 --> 00:20:04 Then we read in verse 21,
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 Jael, Heber's wife,
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 picked up a tent peg
00:20:08 --> 00:20:10 and a hammer
00:20:10 --> 00:20:12 and went quietly to him
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 while he lay fast asleep
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 because he's exhausted
00:20:14 --> 00:20:18 and she drove the tent peg
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 through his temple
00:20:19 --> 00:20:21 into the ground
00:20:21 --> 00:20:23 and he died.
00:20:25 --> 00:20:27 I'm pretty sure that little bit
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 and he died
00:20:28 --> 00:20:30 is superfluous to the whole,
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 you don't need to add that.
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 I'm just assuming he's dead.
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 You know,
00:20:34 --> 00:20:37 just want to make sure he died.
00:20:37 --> 00:20:37 You know, he's dead.
00:20:38 --> 00:20:42 This is humiliating death
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 for Sisera the great general
00:20:43 --> 00:20:48 because setting up
00:20:48 --> 00:20:50 and taking down tents
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 in their culture
00:20:51 --> 00:20:53 was considered the work of women.
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 Now, when I go camping,
00:20:55 --> 00:20:57 I do it because I like doing it
00:20:57 --> 00:20:57 and that doesn't do it.
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 Just want to make that clear,
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 I do it, right?
00:20:59 --> 00:20:59 Not now.
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 In their culture,
00:21:01 --> 00:21:03 it was considered women's work
00:21:03 --> 00:21:05 and the tent peg,
00:21:05 --> 00:21:07 which is not the little things
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 you get from BCF.
00:21:08 --> 00:21:08 This is like,
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 boom, tent peg.
00:21:11 --> 00:21:13 This is household appliances
00:21:13 --> 00:21:13 for a woman.
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 So for Sisera,
00:21:15 --> 00:21:17 this is death by toaster
00:21:17 --> 00:21:19 is what this is.
00:21:19 --> 00:21:19 Death by,
00:21:19 --> 00:21:21 or North Shore version,
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 Thermomix.
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 Death by Thermomix
00:21:23 --> 00:21:25 for Sisera, right?
00:21:25 --> 00:21:28 This is a smashing salvation.
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 Pardon the pun.
00:21:29 --> 00:21:31 I'm on a roll.
00:21:35 --> 00:21:37 So this is humiliating.
00:21:38 --> 00:21:40 This is a humiliating death
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 for this guy.
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 But these verses do raise
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 a dilemma for us.
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 You know,
00:21:48 --> 00:21:51 how does bang, bang, bang
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 through a bloke's head
00:21:52 --> 00:21:56 square with Jesus
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 in Luke 6
00:21:57 --> 00:21:59 when he says,
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 love your enemies?
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 How do you know?
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 Did she not wear her
00:22:03 --> 00:22:05 what would Jesus do
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 ban that day?
00:22:06 --> 00:22:06 Like,
00:22:06 --> 00:22:08 how do you square that?
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 Driving a tent peg
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 through a temple
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 seems at odd
00:22:12 --> 00:22:12 with that.
00:22:13 --> 00:22:13 Command to love,
00:22:14 --> 00:22:14 bless,
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 pray for your enemies.
00:22:16 --> 00:22:16 Now,
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 sometimes
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 when the Bible
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 has stories like this,
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 we resolve the dilemma
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 by remembering
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 that we need
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 to make a distinction
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 between what the Bible
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 reports
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 and what it supports.
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 What it reports
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 and what it supports.
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 For instance,
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 David had many wives.
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 Report.
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 It doesn't support
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 us having many wives.
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 And so one thing
00:22:42 --> 00:22:42 it reports
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 and over here
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 it supports
00:22:44 --> 00:22:44 and celebrates.
00:22:46 --> 00:22:48 The problem for us
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 in this instance
00:22:49 --> 00:22:52 is that jail's actions
00:22:52 --> 00:22:54 are celebrated
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 in chapter 5.
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 And so what her actions
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 are doing
00:23:05 --> 00:23:08 in all the gruesomeness
00:23:08 --> 00:23:08 of it,
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 they are celebrating
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 the salvation
00:23:13 --> 00:23:15 of God's people
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 through a horrible
00:23:16 --> 00:23:18 and humiliating death.
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 That's what's happening.
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 God's triumph
00:23:23 --> 00:23:23 over evil
00:23:23 --> 00:23:25 and the fact
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 that one day
00:23:26 --> 00:23:26 all people
00:23:26 --> 00:23:28 will stand before him
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 and be held accountable
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 for their actions
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 are in fact
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 aspects
00:23:32 --> 00:23:34 of the gospel message
00:23:34 --> 00:23:36 which we should welcome
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 and we should rejoice over.
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 As hard as it is,
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 as difficult as it is
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 for us to grapple with
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 and the consequences
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 of what that means,
00:23:44 --> 00:23:47 we should welcome
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 and we should rejoice over.
00:23:48 --> 00:23:48 However,
00:23:49 --> 00:23:49 the Christian
00:23:49 --> 00:23:51 should tremble
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 as they do so
00:23:52 --> 00:23:54 knowing that they
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 will stand there too
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 with Jesus
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 alone as their advocate.
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 And Jesus
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 is their advocate
00:24:00 --> 00:24:02 because he's the one
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 who allowed
00:24:03 --> 00:24:05 tent pegs
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 to be driven
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 into his hands
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 and his feet
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 for our salvation.
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 His gruesome
00:24:11 --> 00:24:13 and humiliating
00:24:13 --> 00:24:13 death
00:24:13 --> 00:24:15 was for our freedom,
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 for our salvation.
00:24:18 --> 00:24:21 Revelation chapter 11
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 verses 15 to 18
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 is quite clear
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 that Jesus
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 should be praised
00:24:25 --> 00:24:27 for his victory
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 over sin
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 and Satan
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 and for his final
00:24:29 --> 00:24:31 and eternal judgment
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 and crushing
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 of all his enemies.
00:24:34 --> 00:24:34 It says,
00:24:35 --> 00:24:35 all the heavens
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 will declare
00:24:36 --> 00:24:38 the praiseworthiness
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 of this Jesus
00:24:39 --> 00:24:41 who defeats
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 all of his enemies
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 forever.
00:24:43 --> 00:24:47 and we can know
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 for sure
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 that God
00:24:47 --> 00:24:49 will bring justice
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 because we have
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 seen sin
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 rightly judged
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 at the cross.
00:24:54 --> 00:24:54 The cross
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 of Christ
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 is not only
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 the place
00:24:57 --> 00:24:59 where we are
00:24:59 --> 00:24:59 made right
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 with God,
00:25:00 --> 00:25:02 it is the proof
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 that God
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 does in fact
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 judge
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 and punish
00:25:06 --> 00:25:06 sin.
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 The resurrection
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 tells us
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 that there will be
00:25:10 --> 00:25:12 a future judgment
00:25:12 --> 00:25:14 as well
00:25:14 --> 00:25:16 for those
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 whose sin
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 has not been punished
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 by the Lord Jesus
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 with his death.
00:25:21 --> 00:25:21 That is,
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 for those
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 who decide
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 to carry
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 their sin
00:25:25 --> 00:25:25 themselves
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 rather than
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 hand it to Jesus.
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 Acts 17
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 31
00:25:31 --> 00:25:31 says that
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 the resurrection
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 is proof
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 that Jesus
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 will judge
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 and he
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 will punish
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 sin
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 forever.
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 Having said
00:25:42 --> 00:25:42 that,
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 the death
00:25:44 --> 00:25:44 and resurrection
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 of Jesus
00:25:45 --> 00:25:45 fundamentally
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 does change
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 our attitude
00:25:47 --> 00:25:47 towards our
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 enemies.
00:25:50 --> 00:25:50 It is
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 absolutely
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 right
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 that we
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 want to see
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 justice done.
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 Absolutely
00:25:55 --> 00:25:55 right.
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 And frankly,
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 if you're a Christian,
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 you plead
00:26:01 --> 00:26:01 for that.
00:26:02 --> 00:26:02 You
00:26:02 --> 00:26:04 plead to God
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 to bring
00:26:05 --> 00:26:05 justice
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 to this
00:26:06 --> 00:26:06 world.
00:26:07 --> 00:26:07 You
00:26:07 --> 00:26:09 pray
00:26:09 --> 00:26:09 for him
00:26:09 --> 00:26:11 for the
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 oppressed
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 in this
00:26:13 --> 00:26:13 world
00:26:13 --> 00:26:13 to be
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 released.
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 For those
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 who are
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 suffering
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 in the
00:26:17 --> 00:26:17 face
00:26:17 --> 00:26:17 of
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 injustice
00:26:18 --> 00:26:18 around
00:26:18 --> 00:26:18 this
00:26:18 --> 00:26:18 world
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 right
00:26:19 --> 00:26:19 now,
00:26:20 --> 00:26:20 for God
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 to intervene
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 and to bring
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 justice.
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 You plead
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 for God
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 for that
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 to happen.
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 For those
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 enslaved
00:26:26 --> 00:26:26 to be
00:26:26 --> 00:26:26 set
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 free.
00:26:31 --> 00:26:31 But you
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 plead for it
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 knowing that
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 it will be
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 done.
00:26:34 --> 00:26:38 but not
00:26:38 --> 00:26:38 by us.
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 Not
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 by us.
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 The coming
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 judgment
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 sets us
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 free from
00:26:45 --> 00:26:45 seeking
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 justice
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 done in
00:26:47 --> 00:26:47 this life
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 at our
00:26:48 --> 00:26:48 hand.
00:26:50 --> 00:26:50 There
00:26:50 --> 00:26:50 will be
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 vindication
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 of those
00:26:52 --> 00:26:52 who are
00:26:52 --> 00:26:52 active
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 rightly
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 and
00:26:54 --> 00:26:54 punishment
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 for all
00:26:55 --> 00:26:55 wrongdoing
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 beyond this
00:26:56 --> 00:26:56 life.
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 We can
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 yearn for
00:26:58 --> 00:26:58 justice
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 and we
00:26:59 --> 00:26:59 should
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 yearn for
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 justice
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 while at
00:27:01 --> 00:27:01 the same
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 time
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 still pray
00:27:03 --> 00:27:03 for and
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 bless our
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 enemies.
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 Because of
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 the cross
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 we can
00:27:09 --> 00:27:09 have the
00:27:09 --> 00:27:09 attitude
00:27:09 --> 00:27:11 of Jesus
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 who on
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 the cross
00:27:13 --> 00:27:13 as he
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 looked at
00:27:14 --> 00:27:14 those who
00:27:14 --> 00:27:16 were nailing
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 him down
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 killing
00:27:18 --> 00:27:18 him
00:27:18 --> 00:27:20 said
00:27:20 --> 00:27:20 father
00:27:20 --> 00:27:22 forgive
00:27:22 --> 00:27:22 them.
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 The cross
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 enables us to
00:27:26 --> 00:27:26 do that
00:27:26 --> 00:27:26 with our
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 enemies.
00:27:27 --> 00:27:34 As you
00:27:34 --> 00:27:34 move into
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 chapter 5
00:27:35 --> 00:27:35 we see
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 who the
00:27:36 --> 00:27:36 true
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 ruler and
00:27:37 --> 00:27:37 rescuer
00:27:37 --> 00:27:37 is.
00:27:39 --> 00:27:39 Sisera's
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 death is
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 the most
00:27:41 --> 00:27:41 devastating
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 humiliating
00:27:42 --> 00:27:42 defeat
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 possible.
00:27:44 --> 00:27:44 It is
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 at the
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 hand of
00:27:46 --> 00:27:46 a woman
00:27:46 --> 00:27:48 in their
00:27:48 --> 00:27:48 culture
00:27:48 --> 00:27:50 devastating
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 and humiliating.
00:27:53 --> 00:27:53 And
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 Deborah's
00:27:54 --> 00:27:54 prophecy
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 back in
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 verse 9
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 of chapter
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 4 was
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 true.
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 The honour
00:27:57 --> 00:27:57 was not
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 Barak's
00:27:58 --> 00:28:00 but it
00:28:00 --> 00:28:00 wasn't
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 Deborah's
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 either.
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 Humanly
00:28:04 --> 00:28:04 speaking the
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 honour was
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 if you like
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 shared amongst
00:28:07 --> 00:28:07 three people.
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 And yet
00:28:10 --> 00:28:10 when you
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 move into
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 chapter 5
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 we notice
00:28:13 --> 00:28:13 that the
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 honour goes
00:28:14 --> 00:28:14 to no
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 human at
00:28:15 --> 00:28:15 all.
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 Chapter 5
00:28:17 --> 00:28:17 what it
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 does is
00:28:18 --> 00:28:18 it looks
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 beneath the
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 surface of
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 the events
00:28:21 --> 00:28:21 of chapter
00:28:21 --> 00:28:23 4 and
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 reveals the
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 gods behind
00:28:25 --> 00:28:25 everything
00:28:25 --> 00:28:25 anyway.
00:28:26 --> 00:28:28 God
00:28:28 --> 00:28:28 receives the
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 praise for
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 the victory
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 here as
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 Deborah and
00:28:32 --> 00:28:34 Barak sing
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 the praises
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 of God
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 who's
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 defeated
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 their enemy.
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 God
00:28:40 --> 00:28:50 will
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 sing.
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 When we
00:28:52 --> 00:28:52 got these
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 words up
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 here
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 one of the
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 glorious things
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 we get to do
00:28:56 --> 00:28:56 in corporal
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 worship
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 is sing
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 the praises
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 of God
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 to lift up
00:29:01 --> 00:29:01 our voices
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 and our
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 hearts
00:29:02 --> 00:29:04 and declare
00:29:04 --> 00:29:08 that he
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 is worthy.
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 Sing.
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 The younger
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 generation have
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 to hear us
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 sing.
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 That's what
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 Deborah and
00:29:23 --> 00:29:23 Barak are doing
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 here in
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 chapter 5.
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 It is just
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 singing because
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 of the victory
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 that's been won.
00:29:29 --> 00:29:31 It says here
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 as Israel's men
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 were on a
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 march,
00:29:33 --> 00:29:33 God was on
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 the march.
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 God showed
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 his power
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 through the
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 rain in
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 verse 4
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 as his
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 people advanced
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 down the
00:29:40 --> 00:29:40 mountain,
00:29:40 --> 00:29:40 the one
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 for whom
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 all mountains
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 shake and
00:29:43 --> 00:29:43 tremble,
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 goes to
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 war in
00:29:45 --> 00:29:45 verse 5.
00:29:46 --> 00:29:46 The point of
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 verses 6
00:29:47 --> 00:29:49 and 8 is
00:29:49 --> 00:29:49 that he is
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 the only true
00:29:50 --> 00:29:50 God.
00:29:51 --> 00:29:51 Israel fell
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 under oppression
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 because they
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 abandoned God
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 and they served
00:29:55 --> 00:29:55 idols and
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 because of that
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 all of their
00:29:57 --> 00:29:57 society fell
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 into decay.
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 Deborah was
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 their hope
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 as the
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 restorer of
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 the society
00:30:04 --> 00:30:06 but verses
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 10 to 12
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 revealed that
00:30:08 --> 00:30:08 it was actually
00:30:08 --> 00:30:10 God's actions
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 that gave them
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 hope.
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 Then in
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 verses 19
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 to 22
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 Deborah and
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 Barak
00:30:15 --> 00:30:17 return and
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 confirm again
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 that this was
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 God's victory.
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 The God
00:30:22 --> 00:30:22 who rules
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 nature,
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 even the
00:30:24 --> 00:30:24 stars,
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 was fighting
00:30:25 --> 00:30:25 for them
00:30:25 --> 00:30:27 verse 21
00:30:27 --> 00:30:29 reveals how
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 Sisera's
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 mighty chariots
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 were defeated
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 in the end.
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 The God
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 who made
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 the clouds
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 pour down
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 water in
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 verse 4
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 caused the
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 river to
00:30:41 --> 00:30:41 flood
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 sweeping
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 away
00:30:43 --> 00:30:45 the chariots
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 of Sisera
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 as Barak
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 advanced.
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 Sisera's
00:30:52 --> 00:30:52 not an
00:30:52 --> 00:30:52 idiot.
00:30:54 --> 00:30:54 He would
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 never have
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 arranged
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 his
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 chariots
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 for battle
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 next to
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 a river
00:31:00 --> 00:31:00 if he
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 was expecting
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 it to
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 rain.
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 And this
00:31:04 --> 00:31:04 is the
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 dry season
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 when this
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 happened.
00:31:09 --> 00:31:10 But God
00:31:10 --> 00:31:11 in verse 6
00:31:11 --> 00:31:11 through Deborah
00:31:11 --> 00:31:13 told Israel
00:31:13 --> 00:31:15 exactly where
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 to fight
00:31:16 --> 00:31:17 and exactly
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 when to
00:31:18 --> 00:31:18 fight.
00:31:18 --> 00:31:21 God
00:31:21 --> 00:31:21 brought the
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 rain
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 and God
00:31:23 --> 00:31:25 brought the
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 rain
00:31:26 --> 00:31:26 and God
00:31:26 --> 00:31:26 the
00:31:26 --> 00:31:26 lesson for
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 God's
00:31:27 --> 00:31:27 people here
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 is that
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 he wins
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 and so
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 blessing is
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 found in
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 and with
00:31:33 --> 00:31:33 him.
00:31:33 --> 00:31:33 Blessing
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 comes when
00:31:34 --> 00:31:34 we put
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 ourselves in
00:31:35 --> 00:31:35 his service
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 whatever the
00:31:36 --> 00:31:37 odds,
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 whatever the
00:31:38 --> 00:31:38 likely cost
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 it is for
00:31:39 --> 00:31:39 us.
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 On the
00:31:40 --> 00:31:41 other hand
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 according to
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 verse 23
00:31:43 --> 00:31:44 there is a
00:31:44 --> 00:31:46 curse for
00:31:46 --> 00:31:46 those who
00:31:46 --> 00:31:47 do exactly
00:31:47 --> 00:31:47 the opposite
00:31:47 --> 00:31:47 and those
00:31:47 --> 00:31:48 who stay
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 at home.
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 It is not
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 that God
00:31:51 --> 00:31:51 needs our
00:31:51 --> 00:31:52 help but
00:31:52 --> 00:31:52 that he
00:31:52 --> 00:31:54 allows us
00:31:54 --> 00:31:54 to be
00:31:54 --> 00:31:55 involved in
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 his victory.
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 Even
00:31:59 --> 00:32:00 Jael here
00:32:00 --> 00:32:01 despite being
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 a Kenite
00:32:02 --> 00:32:02 and an
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 enemy of
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 God took
00:32:04 --> 00:32:05 her place
00:32:05 --> 00:32:05 in the
00:32:05 --> 00:32:07 story and
00:32:07 --> 00:32:07 killed the
00:32:07 --> 00:32:07 enemy of
00:32:07 --> 00:32:08 God.
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 It's an
00:32:11 --> 00:32:11 incredible
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 narrative.
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 And it's
00:32:14 --> 00:32:14 just so
00:32:14 --> 00:32:15 wonderful and
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 ironic and
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 beautiful how
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 the narrative
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 of these
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 chapters are
00:32:20 --> 00:32:21 framed around
00:32:21 --> 00:32:21 the actions
00:32:21 --> 00:32:22 of two
00:32:22 --> 00:32:22 women.
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 Deborah
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 leads Israel
00:32:27 --> 00:32:28 against
00:32:28 --> 00:32:28 Sisera's
00:32:28 --> 00:32:29 oppression
00:32:29 --> 00:32:31 seen most
00:32:31 --> 00:32:32 horribly the
00:32:32 --> 00:32:33 way he treats
00:32:33 --> 00:32:35 women and
00:32:35 --> 00:32:36 then Jael is
00:32:36 --> 00:32:36 the means by
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 which his
00:32:37 --> 00:32:38 reign of
00:32:38 --> 00:32:39 rape and
00:32:39 --> 00:32:41 terror come
00:32:41 --> 00:32:41 to an end.
00:32:43 --> 00:32:44 two women
00:32:44 --> 00:32:44 bring him
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 down.
00:32:49 --> 00:32:50 However,
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 neither of
00:32:53 --> 00:32:53 them are
00:32:53 --> 00:32:53 mentioned in
00:32:53 --> 00:32:54 the Bible
00:32:54 --> 00:32:54 again.
00:32:56 --> 00:32:56 Neither of
00:32:56 --> 00:32:56 them.
00:33:01 --> 00:33:02 Judges 4
00:33:02 --> 00:33:04 tends to
00:33:04 --> 00:33:04 play down
00:33:04 --> 00:33:05 the hero
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 status of
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 Barak.
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 Barak.
00:33:07 --> 00:33:08 On the
00:33:08 --> 00:33:08 other hand,
00:33:08 --> 00:33:09 Samuel,
00:33:10 --> 00:33:10 the great
00:33:10 --> 00:33:11 prophet of
00:33:11 --> 00:33:12 Israel,
00:33:15 --> 00:33:15 mentions
00:33:15 --> 00:33:16 Barak in
00:33:16 --> 00:33:16 his farewell
00:33:16 --> 00:33:17 address to
00:33:17 --> 00:33:17 the nation
00:33:17 --> 00:33:18 of Israel
00:33:18 --> 00:33:18 in 1
00:33:18 --> 00:33:19 Samuel
00:33:19 --> 00:33:20 chapter 12
00:33:20 --> 00:33:21 and he's
00:33:21 --> 00:33:22 described there
00:33:22 --> 00:33:23 as a
00:33:23 --> 00:33:23 deliverer
00:33:23 --> 00:33:25 of Israel.
00:33:28 --> 00:33:28 And
00:33:28 --> 00:33:29 Barak is
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 also mentioned
00:33:30 --> 00:33:30 as one of
00:33:30 --> 00:33:31 the greats
00:33:31 --> 00:33:31 of the
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32 faith in
00:33:32 --> 00:33:33 Hebrews 11
00:33:33 --> 00:33:34 32 to
00:33:34 --> 00:33:36 34 where
00:33:36 --> 00:33:36 it says,
00:33:36 --> 00:33:36 and what
00:33:36 --> 00:33:37 more shall
00:33:37 --> 00:33:38 I say?
00:33:39 --> 00:33:39 I do not
00:33:39 --> 00:33:40 have time to
00:33:40 --> 00:33:41 tell about
00:33:41 --> 00:33:41 Gideon,
00:33:42 --> 00:33:43 Barak,
00:33:44 --> 00:33:44 Samson,
00:33:45 --> 00:33:45 Jephna,
00:33:45 --> 00:33:46 about David
00:33:46 --> 00:33:46 and Samuel
00:33:46 --> 00:33:47 and the
00:33:47 --> 00:33:48 prophets who
00:33:48 --> 00:33:49 through faith
00:33:49 --> 00:33:49 conquered
00:33:49 --> 00:33:50 kingdoms,
00:33:50 --> 00:33:50 administered
00:33:50 --> 00:33:51 justice and
00:33:51 --> 00:33:52 gained what
00:33:52 --> 00:33:53 was promised,
00:33:53 --> 00:33:53 who shut
00:33:53 --> 00:33:54 the mouths
00:33:54 --> 00:33:54 of lions,
00:33:54 --> 00:33:55 quenched
00:33:55 --> 00:33:55 the fury
00:33:55 --> 00:33:55 of the
00:33:55 --> 00:33:56 flames and
00:33:56 --> 00:33:56 escaped the
00:33:56 --> 00:33:56 edge of
00:33:56 --> 00:33:57 the sword,
00:33:57 --> 00:33:57 whose
00:33:57 --> 00:33:58 weakness
00:33:58 --> 00:33:58 was turned
00:33:58 --> 00:33:59 to strength
00:33:59 --> 00:34:00 and who
00:34:00 --> 00:34:00 became
00:34:00 --> 00:34:01 powerful in
00:34:01 --> 00:34:02 battle and
00:34:02 --> 00:34:02 routed
00:34:02 --> 00:34:03 foreign
00:34:03 --> 00:34:04 armies.
00:34:05 --> 00:34:07 Barak did
00:34:07 --> 00:34:07 what he
00:34:07 --> 00:34:08 did according
00:34:08 --> 00:34:09 to verse
00:34:09 --> 00:34:09 33 of
00:34:09 --> 00:34:10 Hebrews 11
00:34:10 --> 00:34:11 through
00:34:11 --> 00:34:13 faith.
00:34:16 --> 00:34:16 When the
00:34:16 --> 00:34:17 command from
00:34:17 --> 00:34:19 God came
00:34:19 --> 00:34:20 to go
00:34:20 --> 00:34:21 via Deborah,
00:34:22 --> 00:34:23 he didn't
00:34:23 --> 00:34:23 hesitate.
00:34:24 --> 00:34:25 Down the
00:34:25 --> 00:34:25 mountain he
00:34:25 --> 00:34:26 went with
00:34:26 --> 00:34:28 10 men
00:34:28 --> 00:34:29 following him.
00:34:29 --> 00:34:29 It was
00:34:29 --> 00:34:30 inspirational
00:34:30 --> 00:34:31 leadership.
00:34:32 --> 00:34:33 An iron
00:34:33 --> 00:34:34 chariot could
00:34:34 --> 00:34:35 cut through
00:34:35 --> 00:34:36 a foot
00:34:36 --> 00:34:38 soldier like
00:34:38 --> 00:34:38 a hot
00:34:38 --> 00:34:38 knife through
00:34:38 --> 00:34:39 butter.
00:34:40 --> 00:34:41 And 900
00:34:41 --> 00:34:43 chariots would
00:34:43 --> 00:34:45 defeat 10
00:34:45 --> 00:34:46 foot soldiers
00:34:46 --> 00:34:47 in open
00:34:47 --> 00:34:49 plain every
00:34:49 --> 00:34:49 day of the
00:34:49 --> 00:34:49 week.
00:34:49 --> 00:34:55 And the
00:34:55 --> 00:34:56 biggest challenge
00:34:56 --> 00:34:57 for Barak
00:34:57 --> 00:34:58 came when
00:34:58 --> 00:34:59 he hit the
00:34:59 --> 00:34:59 valley floor
00:34:59 --> 00:35:00 at the
00:35:00 --> 00:35:00 bottom of
00:35:00 --> 00:35:00 the mountain.
00:35:02 --> 00:35:02 When he
00:35:02 --> 00:35:02 hit the
00:35:02 --> 00:35:03 bottom of
00:35:03 --> 00:35:03 the mountain,
00:35:05 --> 00:35:05 it was at
00:35:05 --> 00:35:06 that point he
00:35:06 --> 00:35:06 had to
00:35:06 --> 00:35:07 break cover
00:35:07 --> 00:35:08 and he
00:35:08 --> 00:35:08 had to
00:35:08 --> 00:35:10 advance for
00:35:10 --> 00:35:11 20 kilometers
00:35:11 --> 00:35:13 across open
00:35:13 --> 00:35:14 ground
00:35:14 --> 00:35:18 before he
00:35:18 --> 00:35:18 hit the
00:35:18 --> 00:35:19 river
00:35:19 --> 00:35:19 Kishon
00:35:19 --> 00:35:21 and to
00:35:21 --> 00:35:21 front
00:35:21 --> 00:35:22 Sisera's
00:35:22 --> 00:35:23 formidable
00:35:23 --> 00:35:23 chariots in
00:35:23 --> 00:35:25 open country.
00:35:25 --> 00:35:27 Sisera had
00:35:27 --> 00:35:28 plenty of
00:35:28 --> 00:35:28 time to
00:35:28 --> 00:35:29 marshal.
00:35:29 --> 00:35:30 They would
00:35:30 --> 00:35:30 have been
00:35:30 --> 00:35:30 destroyed
00:35:30 --> 00:35:31 before they
00:35:31 --> 00:35:31 even got
00:35:31 --> 00:35:32 to the
00:35:32 --> 00:35:32 river.
00:35:33 --> 00:35:34 That took
00:35:34 --> 00:35:35 nerves of
00:35:35 --> 00:35:36 steel.
00:35:37 --> 00:35:38 And most
00:35:38 --> 00:35:38 of all,
00:35:38 --> 00:35:38 it took
00:35:38 --> 00:35:39 faith.
00:35:39 --> 00:35:41 An unwavering
00:35:41 --> 00:35:41 trust in the
00:35:41 --> 00:35:42 God who had
00:35:42 --> 00:35:42 promised them
00:35:42 --> 00:35:43 today's the day
00:35:43 --> 00:35:43 going to be
00:35:43 --> 00:35:44 victory.
00:35:44 --> 00:35:45 You go now
00:35:45 --> 00:35:46 and you get
00:35:46 --> 00:35:46 victory.
00:35:49 --> 00:35:50 Barak's forces
00:35:50 --> 00:35:51 were no match
00:35:51 --> 00:35:51 for Sisera's
00:35:51 --> 00:35:52 chariots,
00:35:52 --> 00:35:53 but Sisera's
00:35:53 --> 00:35:53 chariots were
00:35:53 --> 00:35:54 no match for
00:35:54 --> 00:35:54 God.
00:35:54 --> 00:35:57 This is
00:35:57 --> 00:35:58 Barak at
00:35:58 --> 00:35:58 his best,
00:35:58 --> 00:35:59 the man of
00:35:59 --> 00:35:59 faith,
00:35:59 --> 00:36:00 the faith that
00:36:00 --> 00:36:00 acts,
00:36:00 --> 00:36:01 the faith that
00:36:01 --> 00:36:02 stakes everything
00:36:02 --> 00:36:03 on God.
00:36:03 --> 00:36:04 And that's why
00:36:04 --> 00:36:04 Barak is
00:36:04 --> 00:36:05 mentioned in
00:36:05 --> 00:36:06 Hebrews 11.
00:36:07 --> 00:36:07 He did not
00:36:07 --> 00:36:08 grab victory
00:36:08 --> 00:36:09 because of his
00:36:09 --> 00:36:09 training,
00:36:10 --> 00:36:10 because of his
00:36:10 --> 00:36:11 strategy,
00:36:11 --> 00:36:11 because of his
00:36:11 --> 00:36:12 raw strength.
00:36:13 --> 00:36:13 His victory
00:36:13 --> 00:36:14 was a gift.
00:36:15 --> 00:36:16 Now this guy
00:36:16 --> 00:36:17 is by no means
00:36:17 --> 00:36:18 the greatest
00:36:18 --> 00:36:18 of biblical
00:36:18 --> 00:36:18 heroes.
00:36:19 --> 00:36:19 Even Hebrews
00:36:19 --> 00:36:20 11 gives
00:36:20 --> 00:36:21 way much more
00:36:21 --> 00:36:22 time and space
00:36:22 --> 00:36:24 to Abraham
00:36:24 --> 00:36:24 and Moses.
00:36:26 --> 00:36:26 This man was
00:36:26 --> 00:36:27 no superhero.
00:36:29 --> 00:36:30 Among human
00:36:30 --> 00:36:31 beings, there
00:36:31 --> 00:36:33 is only one
00:36:33 --> 00:36:35 whose faith
00:36:35 --> 00:36:36 in God was
00:36:36 --> 00:36:37 perfect.
00:36:38 --> 00:36:38 And Hebrews
00:36:38 --> 00:36:39 12,
00:36:40 --> 00:36:41 verse 2,
00:36:42 --> 00:36:42 calls us to
00:36:42 --> 00:36:43 fix our eyes
00:36:43 --> 00:36:44 on Jesus,
00:36:46 --> 00:36:47 the pioneer
00:36:47 --> 00:36:48 and the
00:36:48 --> 00:36:49 perfecter of
00:36:49 --> 00:36:50 our faith.
00:36:50 --> 00:36:50 faith.
00:36:51 --> 00:36:51 That is,
00:36:51 --> 00:36:52 Jesus is the
00:36:52 --> 00:36:53 perfect example
00:36:53 --> 00:36:54 of faith.
00:36:54 --> 00:36:55 He is the
00:36:55 --> 00:36:55 one who had
00:36:55 --> 00:36:57 complete confidence
00:36:57 --> 00:36:58 in the word
00:36:58 --> 00:36:59 of God.
00:37:00 --> 00:37:01 Complete
00:37:01 --> 00:37:02 confidence
00:37:02 --> 00:37:04 that his
00:37:04 --> 00:37:05 death via
00:37:05 --> 00:37:06 the cross
00:37:06 --> 00:37:08 would result
00:37:08 --> 00:37:09 in victory.
00:37:11 --> 00:37:12 This confidence
00:37:12 --> 00:37:13 translated into
00:37:13 --> 00:37:14 actions.
00:37:15 --> 00:37:15 It says he
00:37:15 --> 00:37:16 endured the
00:37:16 --> 00:37:17 cross.
00:37:17 --> 00:37:18 And further,
00:37:18 --> 00:37:18 his faith was
00:37:18 --> 00:37:19 based on what
00:37:19 --> 00:37:20 lay ahead.
00:37:20 --> 00:37:21 For the joy
00:37:21 --> 00:37:21 set before
00:37:21 --> 00:37:22 him, he
00:37:22 --> 00:37:23 endured the
00:37:23 --> 00:37:24 cross.
00:37:24 --> 00:37:25 Jesus is
00:37:25 --> 00:37:27 the perfect
00:37:27 --> 00:37:27 example of
00:37:27 --> 00:37:28 faith.
00:37:28 --> 00:37:28 He is the
00:37:28 --> 00:37:29 author of
00:37:29 --> 00:37:29 faith.
00:37:29 --> 00:37:29 That simply
00:37:29 --> 00:37:30 means that
00:37:30 --> 00:37:31 Jesus is the
00:37:31 --> 00:37:31 one who wrote
00:37:31 --> 00:37:32 the script on
00:37:32 --> 00:37:33 what it means
00:37:33 --> 00:37:34 to be a
00:37:34 --> 00:37:34 person of
00:37:34 --> 00:37:35 faith in
00:37:35 --> 00:37:35 the word
00:37:35 --> 00:37:36 of God.
00:37:39 --> 00:37:39 Or what it
00:37:39 --> 00:37:40 means to live
00:37:40 --> 00:37:41 a life of
00:37:41 --> 00:37:42 dependence and
00:37:42 --> 00:37:43 obedience.
00:37:45 --> 00:37:46 He is also
00:37:46 --> 00:37:47 the perfecter
00:37:47 --> 00:37:47 of our
00:37:47 --> 00:37:48 faith.
00:37:49 --> 00:37:49 Because he
00:37:49 --> 00:37:50 knew that
00:37:50 --> 00:37:50 you and I
00:37:50 --> 00:37:51 and Barak
00:37:51 --> 00:37:51 and Deborah
00:37:51 --> 00:37:52 could not
00:37:52 --> 00:37:53 do it.
00:37:55 --> 00:37:56 He needed to
00:37:56 --> 00:37:57 fulfill it for
00:37:57 --> 00:37:57 us.
00:37:58 --> 00:37:58 And so he
00:37:58 --> 00:37:59 perfected it
00:37:59 --> 00:38:00 for us.
00:38:02 --> 00:38:02 Totally
00:38:02 --> 00:38:03 obeyed his
00:38:03 --> 00:38:04 father even
00:38:04 --> 00:38:05 to death,
00:38:05 --> 00:38:05 even death
00:38:05 --> 00:38:06 on a cross.
00:38:09 --> 00:38:10 And so
00:38:10 --> 00:38:11 Hebrews tells
00:38:11 --> 00:38:11 us you keep
00:38:11 --> 00:38:12 your eyes fixed
00:38:12 --> 00:38:13 on Jesus.
00:38:14 --> 00:38:15 You keep your
00:38:15 --> 00:38:16 eyes fixed on
00:38:16 --> 00:38:16 him.
00:38:19 --> 00:38:19 We are
00:38:19 --> 00:38:20 called to
00:38:20 --> 00:38:20 look to
00:38:20 --> 00:38:21 him for
00:38:21 --> 00:38:21 our hope.
00:38:21 --> 00:38:22 Verse 3
00:38:22 --> 00:38:22 says,
00:38:22 --> 00:38:23 consider him
00:38:23 --> 00:38:24 who endured
00:38:24 --> 00:38:25 such opposition
00:38:25 --> 00:38:26 from sinners
00:38:26 --> 00:38:27 so that you
00:38:27 --> 00:38:27 will not grow
00:38:27 --> 00:38:28 weary and
00:38:28 --> 00:38:29 lose heart.
00:38:31 --> 00:38:32 What was the
00:38:32 --> 00:38:33 problem of the
00:38:33 --> 00:38:33 people of
00:38:33 --> 00:38:34 Israel in the
00:38:34 --> 00:38:34 time of
00:38:34 --> 00:38:35 judges?
00:38:35 --> 00:38:35 They
00:38:35 --> 00:38:36 consistently
00:38:36 --> 00:38:37 grew weary,
00:38:37 --> 00:38:38 they consistently
00:38:38 --> 00:38:38 lost heart,
00:38:39 --> 00:38:40 they consistently
00:38:40 --> 00:38:40 gave themselves
00:38:40 --> 00:38:42 over to the
00:38:42 --> 00:38:42 worship of
00:38:42 --> 00:38:43 idols.
00:38:43 --> 00:38:44 And this
00:38:44 --> 00:38:44 passage says,
00:38:44 --> 00:38:45 you keep
00:38:45 --> 00:38:45 your eyes
00:38:45 --> 00:38:45 fixed on
00:38:45 --> 00:38:46 Jesus so
00:38:46 --> 00:38:46 that you
00:38:46 --> 00:38:46 don't do
00:38:46 --> 00:38:47 that.
00:38:51 --> 00:38:51 He is the
00:38:51 --> 00:38:52 one who
00:38:52 --> 00:38:53 motivates us,
00:38:53 --> 00:38:54 who inspires
00:38:54 --> 00:38:54 us, he's the
00:38:54 --> 00:38:55 one who can
00:38:55 --> 00:38:56 help us to
00:38:56 --> 00:38:57 overcome our
00:38:57 --> 00:38:58 weariness and
00:38:58 --> 00:38:59 our half-heartedness
00:38:59 --> 00:38:59 and our
00:38:59 --> 00:39:00 worship of
00:39:00 --> 00:39:01 idols.
00:39:01 --> 00:39:02 The main
00:39:02 --> 00:39:03 point of
00:39:03 --> 00:39:04 Hebrews 12,
00:39:04 --> 00:39:05 and I would
00:39:05 --> 00:39:06 argue that
00:39:06 --> 00:39:08 it's possibly
00:39:08 --> 00:39:11 the application
00:39:11 --> 00:39:11 for the
00:39:11 --> 00:39:12 entire book
00:39:12 --> 00:39:13 of Hebrews
00:39:13 --> 00:39:14 is in
00:39:14 --> 00:39:15 verse 1
00:39:15 --> 00:39:16 of chapter
00:39:16 --> 00:39:17 12, and
00:39:17 --> 00:39:18 it's one
00:39:18 --> 00:39:18 three-letter
00:39:18 --> 00:39:20 word right
00:39:20 --> 00:39:21 there, and
00:39:21 --> 00:39:21 it's the
00:39:21 --> 00:39:22 word run.
00:39:23 --> 00:39:23 That's the
00:39:23 --> 00:39:25 application, in
00:39:25 --> 00:39:25 my view, of
00:39:25 --> 00:39:26 all of
00:39:26 --> 00:39:26 Hebrews.
00:39:27 --> 00:39:28 You fix
00:39:28 --> 00:39:28 your eyes on
00:39:28 --> 00:39:29 Jesus and
00:39:29 --> 00:39:30 you run the
00:39:30 --> 00:39:30 race of
00:39:30 --> 00:39:31 perseverance.
00:39:31 --> 00:39:32 I think that
00:39:32 --> 00:39:32 everything else
00:39:32 --> 00:39:33 supports it,
00:39:34 --> 00:39:34 explains it,
00:39:34 --> 00:39:35 gives motivation
00:39:35 --> 00:39:35 for it.
00:39:36 --> 00:39:36 Run the race
00:39:36 --> 00:39:37 of faith in
00:39:37 --> 00:39:38 Jesus.
00:39:38 --> 00:39:39 Run the race
00:39:39 --> 00:39:39 of set before
00:39:39 --> 00:39:40 you.
00:39:41 --> 00:39:41 Endure,
00:39:42 --> 00:39:42 persevere,
00:39:43 --> 00:39:44 run, fight,
00:39:44 --> 00:39:45 be alert, be
00:39:45 --> 00:39:45 strengthened,
00:39:45 --> 00:39:46 don't drift,
00:39:46 --> 00:39:47 don't neglect,
00:39:47 --> 00:39:47 don't be
00:39:47 --> 00:39:48 sluggish, don't
00:39:48 --> 00:39:48 stroll, don't
00:39:48 --> 00:39:50 meander, don't
00:39:50 --> 00:39:51 wander aimlessly,
00:39:51 --> 00:39:52 don't take your
00:39:52 --> 00:39:54 eternal security
00:39:54 --> 00:39:55 for granted.
00:39:55 --> 00:39:56 Run the race
00:39:56 --> 00:39:57 of perseverance.
00:39:58 --> 00:39:59 Don't wander
00:39:59 --> 00:40:00 around half-hearted,
00:40:01 --> 00:40:03 flying over here,
00:40:03 --> 00:40:04 worshipping this
00:40:04 --> 00:40:05 idol and worshipping
00:40:05 --> 00:40:06 this idol of the
00:40:06 --> 00:40:06 heart.
00:40:06 --> 00:40:07 It says he makes
00:40:07 --> 00:40:08 it really clearly.
00:40:09 --> 00:40:09 Fix your eyes on
00:40:09 --> 00:40:10 Jesus, run the
00:40:10 --> 00:40:11 race and get rid
00:40:11 --> 00:40:12 of the sin that
00:40:12 --> 00:40:13 trips you up.
00:40:14 --> 00:40:15 Deal with your
00:40:15 --> 00:40:16 idols is what it
00:40:16 --> 00:40:16 says.
00:40:17 --> 00:40:18 Deal with the
00:40:18 --> 00:40:19 idols of the
00:40:19 --> 00:40:20 heart and not
00:40:20 --> 00:40:20 just the idols of
00:40:20 --> 00:40:21 your heart which
00:40:21 --> 00:40:22 are clearly sin,
00:40:22 --> 00:40:23 it says get rid
00:40:23 --> 00:40:24 of everything that
00:40:24 --> 00:40:25 will slow you
00:40:25 --> 00:40:25 down.
00:40:25 --> 00:40:27 Don't ask of your
00:40:27 --> 00:40:27 entertainment,
00:40:27 --> 00:40:28 don't ask of your
00:40:28 --> 00:40:31 downtime, don't ask
00:40:31 --> 00:40:31 of your work,
00:40:31 --> 00:40:32 don't ask of,
00:40:32 --> 00:40:34 is it sin?
00:40:34 --> 00:40:35 Ask the question,
00:40:35 --> 00:40:36 is this going to
00:40:36 --> 00:40:37 slow me?
00:40:37 --> 00:40:39 Is it going to
00:40:39 --> 00:40:40 hold me back?
00:40:41 --> 00:40:42 Is it going to
00:40:42 --> 00:40:43 put Jesus in a
00:40:43 --> 00:40:44 second place in
00:40:44 --> 00:40:44 any way?
00:40:45 --> 00:40:45 Don't ask,
00:40:45 --> 00:40:46 is it sin?
00:40:46 --> 00:40:47 Ask, is it going
00:40:47 --> 00:40:48 to slow me from
00:40:48 --> 00:40:49 running the race of
00:40:49 --> 00:40:50 perseverance of
00:40:50 --> 00:40:50 obedience to
00:40:50 --> 00:40:50 Christ?
00:40:56 --> 00:40:57 This passage is
00:40:57 --> 00:40:58 saying risk
00:40:58 --> 00:41:00 everything for
00:41:00 --> 00:41:00 Christ.
00:41:00 --> 00:41:05 if there's one
00:41:05 --> 00:41:05 thing that I want
00:41:05 --> 00:41:06 to do in my time
00:41:06 --> 00:41:07 at St. Paul's and
00:41:07 --> 00:41:07 have been trying to
00:41:07 --> 00:41:08 do with us at
00:41:08 --> 00:41:10 St. Paul's is to
00:41:10 --> 00:41:10 build a church
00:41:10 --> 00:41:11 culture that risks
00:41:11 --> 00:41:12 everything for the
00:41:12 --> 00:41:13 glory of God.
00:41:14 --> 00:41:15 We will stop doing
00:41:15 --> 00:41:16 things and we will
00:41:16 --> 00:41:17 start doing things
00:41:17 --> 00:41:17 and we will
00:41:17 --> 00:41:18 consistently call for
00:41:18 --> 00:41:19 sacrifice.
00:41:23 --> 00:41:25 Because Jesus is
00:41:25 --> 00:41:26 the author and the
00:41:26 --> 00:41:27 perfecter of our
00:41:27 --> 00:41:27 faith.
00:41:27 --> 00:41:30 So what about
00:41:30 --> 00:41:30 you?
00:41:32 --> 00:41:33 What's he calling
00:41:33 --> 00:41:33 you to?
00:41:34 --> 00:41:35 It's, you know, I
00:41:35 --> 00:41:35 mean, let's put this
00:41:35 --> 00:41:36 in perspective.
00:41:37 --> 00:41:38 He's not asking you
00:41:38 --> 00:41:39 to run down a
00:41:39 --> 00:41:40 hill into chariots
00:41:40 --> 00:41:42 when he's saying
00:41:42 --> 00:41:43 take the risk and
00:41:43 --> 00:41:44 join a community
00:41:44 --> 00:41:44 group.
00:41:45 --> 00:41:46 Is he?
00:41:47 --> 00:41:47 Take the risk of
00:41:47 --> 00:41:48 relationship with
00:41:48 --> 00:41:49 people and join a
00:41:49 --> 00:41:49 community group.
00:41:49 --> 00:41:50 He's not asking you
00:41:50 --> 00:41:52 to charge at 900
00:41:52 --> 00:41:53 iron chariots when
00:41:53 --> 00:41:55 he says, you know,
00:41:55 --> 00:41:56 come to church
00:41:56 --> 00:41:57 every week and
00:41:57 --> 00:41:58 encourage your
00:41:58 --> 00:41:59 brothers and sisters
00:41:59 --> 00:42:00 and sing my
00:42:00 --> 00:42:01 glorious name.
00:42:02 --> 00:42:03 That's not a,
00:42:04 --> 00:42:05 but it's a risk,
00:42:05 --> 00:42:05 isn't it?
00:42:07 --> 00:42:07 When he's
00:42:07 --> 00:42:08 calling you to be
00:42:08 --> 00:42:09 radically generous,
00:42:09 --> 00:42:10 he's not asking you
00:42:10 --> 00:42:11 to run down a hill
00:42:11 --> 00:42:12 into 900 chariots.
00:42:12 --> 00:42:13 He's asking you to
00:42:13 --> 00:42:14 bring a friend to
00:42:14 --> 00:42:15 Christ when he's
00:42:15 --> 00:42:16 asking you to
00:42:16 --> 00:42:17 surrender the
00:42:17 --> 00:42:18 idols.
00:42:18 --> 00:42:19 He's not asking
00:42:19 --> 00:42:20 you to run down
00:42:20 --> 00:42:22 at 900 chariots,
00:42:22 --> 00:42:22 but he is calling
00:42:22 --> 00:42:23 you to risk.
00:42:23 --> 00:42:26 Are you hearing
00:42:26 --> 00:42:26 him?
00:42:27 --> 00:42:28 Are you obeying
00:42:28 --> 00:42:28 him?
00:42:31 --> 00:42:33 Run as if you
00:42:33 --> 00:42:34 are in a race
00:42:34 --> 00:42:35 with a finishing
00:42:35 --> 00:42:36 line and
00:42:36 --> 00:42:37 everything is
00:42:37 --> 00:42:38 hanging on that
00:42:38 --> 00:42:39 finish line.
00:42:40 --> 00:42:41 Everything.
00:42:43 --> 00:42:44 Fight the fight
00:42:44 --> 00:42:45 of faith on the
00:42:45 --> 00:42:47 basis of Christ's
00:42:47 --> 00:42:48 spectacular death
00:42:48 --> 00:42:49 and resurrection
00:42:49 --> 00:42:51 and show your
00:42:51 --> 00:42:52 faith the way
00:42:52 --> 00:42:53 the Barak,
00:42:54 --> 00:42:55 Deborah,
00:42:56 --> 00:42:56 Jael,
00:42:57 --> 00:42:58 and the saints
00:42:58 --> 00:42:59 of Hebrews 11
00:42:59 --> 00:42:59 did,
00:43:00 --> 00:43:01 not by
00:43:01 --> 00:43:03 coasting through
00:43:03 --> 00:43:04 life,
00:43:05 --> 00:43:07 but by doing
00:43:07 --> 00:43:08 what God
00:43:08 --> 00:43:08 called them to
00:43:08 --> 00:43:10 do and doing
00:43:10 --> 00:43:10 it immediately,
00:43:11 --> 00:43:12 even at great
00:43:12 --> 00:43:13 personal cost.
00:43:13 --> 00:43:13 Thank you.
00:43:13 --> 00:43:13 Thank you.