JUDGES The Mighty Weak Warrior
Series: The Flawed And The Flawless
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 2nd September 2018
Passage: Judges 6:1-40
00:00:00 --> 00:00:05 Again, the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
00:00:06 --> 00:00:15 Again, it's this ongoing repetitive thing like a parent to a child.
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 How many times do I need to tell you?
00:00:18 --> 00:00:19 There are three places for clothes.
00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 Not in every room of the house, just three places.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:24 That's all they need to be.
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 How many times do I need to say this?
00:00:26 --> 00:00:30 My tools go back where you found them.
00:00:31 --> 00:00:32 How many times do I need to tell you?
00:00:32 --> 00:00:33 Not all over the backyard.
00:00:34 --> 00:00:36 Your scooters go here.
00:00:37 --> 00:00:40 How many times have I got to tell you this?
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 It's a repetitive behavior.
00:00:43 --> 00:00:52 It's the familiar beginning of another judge's cycle as God's people fail to wholeheartedly serve their Lord and they keep forgetting Him.
00:00:52 --> 00:00:58 They have failed to remember who the Lord is, what He had done for them.
00:00:58 --> 00:01:06 They turned instead to the idols, which is what it means here to do evil in the eyes of the Lord.
00:01:07 --> 00:01:16 This time, for their rebellion, God gave Israel into the hands of the Midianites for seven years.
00:01:16 --> 00:01:19 And this is the worst oppression yet.
00:01:20 --> 00:01:20 Have a look at it.
00:01:20 --> 00:01:34 Israelites, we are told, are forced to leave their homes and to live in the harsh and inaccessible mountain ranges.
00:01:34 --> 00:01:52 That's because whenever the Israelites would plant their crops, Midian and his mates would invade the land, ruin the produce, take the produce for themselves and consistently pillage and plunder the land.
00:01:52 --> 00:01:58 They would allow their livestock to walk through the crops that they had harvested themselves.
00:01:59 --> 00:02:03 They took Israel's sheep and their cattle and their donkeys.
00:02:03 --> 00:02:10 That's equivalent to not just stealing the mechanic's job.
00:02:10 --> 00:02:15 They also took his tools as well so that he couldn't work again.
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 And so Israel is poor.
00:02:19 --> 00:02:21 They are hungry and they are tired.
00:02:21 --> 00:02:22 They are oppressed.
00:02:22 --> 00:02:29 They are doing this constant run from their farmlands up into the hills to escape.
00:02:29 --> 00:02:36 And that's why Gideon in this moment is threshing wheat in a wine press.
00:02:38 --> 00:02:41 Because the Midianites wouldn't expect that.
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 He's hiding from them.
00:02:44 --> 00:02:51 And they cry out to God in verse 6 for help.
00:02:52 --> 00:02:56 And in verse 8 it says God sends them a prophet.
00:02:57 --> 00:03:02 Now that seems like a ludicrous response, solution from God.
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 Imagine you're on the side of the road.
00:03:04 --> 00:03:05 You're broken down.
00:03:05 --> 00:03:06 Your car's broken down.
00:03:06 --> 00:03:07 You're on the freeway somewhere.
00:03:07 --> 00:03:12 You call the NRMA and the NRMA sends out to you a philosopher.
00:03:12 --> 00:03:12 A philosopher.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:15 Not helpful.
00:03:16 --> 00:03:17 I need a mechanic.
00:03:20 --> 00:03:24 And we have to marvel at what appears to be, at least at times,
00:03:25 --> 00:03:29 the inappropriate answers that God gives to our urgent needs.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:37 We want escape from a circumstance while God wants to interpret the circumstances for us.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:44 Sometimes we need understanding, clarity.
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 More than we need relief.
00:03:48 --> 00:03:53 Sometimes God must give us insight before he grants us safety.
00:03:53 --> 00:03:58 Before they can appreciate the rescue that will come to them,
00:03:59 --> 00:04:04 these people need to understand why they need rescuing in the first place.
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 Israel wants to get out of the bind.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 God wants them to see their idolatry.
00:04:12 --> 00:04:14 The prophet comes.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:19 And the prophet comes and helps them understand why they're in the trouble they're in.
00:04:20 --> 00:04:28 What that means is that the crying out to God that we see in verses 6 and 7
00:04:28 --> 00:04:31 is not a sign of genuine repentance.
00:04:31 --> 00:04:38 And the history of Israel tells us this as well.
00:04:40 --> 00:04:44 Their sorrow was skin deep.
00:04:44 --> 00:04:49 And so what God does, he sends his prophet along and reminds them of two things.
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 He reminds them about what he has done.
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 Have a look at verses 8 to 10 there in Judges 6.
00:04:55 --> 00:05:23 That's what God's done.
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 What has Israel done?
00:05:26 --> 00:05:27 Verse 10.
00:05:28 --> 00:05:32 But you have not listened to me.
00:05:33 --> 00:05:37 And so God sends his prophet to convict sin.
00:05:39 --> 00:05:44 Convict his people of sin before he sends the judge to rescue them from oppression.
00:05:44 --> 00:05:54 And so Israel, from what we can tell here, is regretful but not repentant.
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 And there's a clear distinction between the two.
00:05:59 --> 00:06:04 If you look at 2 Corinthians 7 verse 10, it says,
00:06:04 --> 00:06:12 Godly sorrow brings repentance and it leads to salvation and it leaves no regrets.
00:06:13 --> 00:06:16 But worldly sorrow brings death.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:24 Both are characterized by very deep sorrow and distress.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:27 But they're very different.
00:06:27 --> 00:06:33 Regret doesn't produce any real change.
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 Repentance does.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:43 And the difference is that regret is sorrow over the consequence of the sin,
00:06:43 --> 00:06:47 not over the sin itself.
00:06:47 --> 00:06:57 If there was no consequences, then there would be no sorrow over sin.
00:06:59 --> 00:07:04 There is no sorrow over the sin for what it is in itself,
00:07:04 --> 00:07:08 for how it grieves God and how it violates our relationship with him.
00:07:08 --> 00:07:13 And when the consequences go away, the behavior just comes back.
00:07:13 --> 00:07:20 And this kind of sorrow stays regretful,
00:07:20 --> 00:07:24 whereas repentance removes regret.
00:07:25 --> 00:07:31 Real repentance focuses itself on the only real permanent result of sin,
00:07:32 --> 00:07:37 and that is damage to our relationship with our God, with our Heavenly Father.
00:07:39 --> 00:07:40 That's repentance.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:48 Repentance makes us able to accept the failure and to move past it
00:07:48 --> 00:07:50 because we realize that God has forgiven us
00:07:50 --> 00:07:54 and we haven't actually lost him in the end.
00:07:56 --> 00:08:00 Real repentance means we get God.
00:08:02 --> 00:08:03 We get God.
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 And we don't end up hating ourselves.
00:08:08 --> 00:08:15 When someone is inconsolable about a failure,
00:08:16 --> 00:08:22 it means that they've made something other than God their real hope.
00:08:23 --> 00:08:26 When you're inconsolable about a failure,
00:08:26 --> 00:08:30 it means that something apart from God is your real hope.
00:08:30 --> 00:08:37 And that thing is what judges would call an idol.
00:08:38 --> 00:08:42 And its loss is therefore impossible to heal
00:08:42 --> 00:08:48 unless its idol status is removed.
00:08:48 --> 00:08:54 That is, regret is about me.
00:08:55 --> 00:08:56 How I'm being hurt.
00:08:56 --> 00:08:57 How I'm being ruined.
00:08:58 --> 00:08:59 About how my heart is breaking.
00:09:01 --> 00:09:03 Repentance is, on the other hand, is about God.
00:09:04 --> 00:09:06 It's about how we have grieved God.
00:09:06 --> 00:09:12 It's about how his nature as our creator and as a redeemer is being trampled on.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:16 About how his saving actions are being trivialized in our life.
00:09:19 --> 00:09:25 It's been made clear to us in Judges that the Israelites are idolaters.
00:09:25 --> 00:09:30 And God's response to the crying out to him
00:09:30 --> 00:09:35 shows that they are regretful for what they've lost.
00:09:37 --> 00:09:38 And they want it back.
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 We want the Midianites gone.
00:09:41 --> 00:09:42 We want our land back.
00:09:42 --> 00:09:44 We want life to be back the way it was.
00:09:45 --> 00:09:48 Like a married person who has committed adultery
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 wants the anger of their spouse to disappear.
00:09:50 --> 00:09:56 They want things to go back the way they were before they were caught out.
00:09:56 --> 00:09:58 And they even say things like,
00:09:58 --> 00:10:00 tell me what I need to do here to make this right.
00:10:04 --> 00:10:08 Or like the child who has been punished for whatever.
00:10:08 --> 00:10:09 You take the iPad away.
00:10:09 --> 00:10:13 And what they want to do is make up for it so they get the iPad back.
00:10:14 --> 00:10:15 That's what they want.
00:10:15 --> 00:10:16 They want it back.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:20 They're regretful about consequences.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:26 They're expressing regret, not repentance.
00:10:27 --> 00:10:30 And so God's aim here in sending his prophet
00:10:30 --> 00:10:34 is to move them beyond regret to repentance.
00:10:36 --> 00:10:38 And I think we should take the time to let us,
00:10:39 --> 00:10:40 let God teach us the same lesson.
00:10:42 --> 00:10:45 Do a check on what it is that you are sorry about.
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 Do a check on what are your regrets.
00:10:48 --> 00:10:54 Are you sorry for the consequence of sin in your life or for the sin itself?
00:10:56 --> 00:11:02 Is it the loss of the pleasure of an idol that an idol offered?
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 Or the damage to our relationship with God?
00:11:05 --> 00:11:11 Unfortunately, when you look at the text here,
00:11:11 --> 00:11:15 there's no sign of Israel repenting at all.
00:11:15 --> 00:11:21 And just at that moment, you would expect God's word of accusation
00:11:21 --> 00:11:26 to move to a pronouncement of judgment.
00:11:26 --> 00:11:31 But just when you would expect that to happen, God turns the table.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:36 Instead of judgment, what he does is the very next thing he does is he prepares to save.
00:11:37 --> 00:11:41 Instead, what we do here is we read the commissioning of the new judge.
00:11:42 --> 00:11:43 No repentance.
00:11:44 --> 00:11:45 The commissioning of a new judge.
00:11:45 --> 00:11:45 Verse 11.
00:11:45 --> 00:11:52 The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abizarite,
00:11:53 --> 00:11:58 where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress to keep it from the Midianites.
00:12:00 --> 00:12:04 Even though the people, there's no indication of repentance,
00:12:05 --> 00:12:07 God still sends his rescuer.
00:12:07 --> 00:12:11 He doesn't wait for the repentance before he begins to save.
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 And this is the glorious news of the Christian faith,
00:12:16 --> 00:12:22 which distinguishes the Christian faith from every other philosophical system and religion in the world.
00:12:24 --> 00:12:27 Romans 5.8 summarizes it.
00:12:27 --> 00:12:32 Why we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
00:12:32 --> 00:12:38 God doesn't wait for us to pull our socks up before he rescued us.
00:12:40 --> 00:12:43 Doesn't wait for us to achieve before he affirms us.
00:12:48 --> 00:12:52 God does not begin to save us because we repent.
00:12:53 --> 00:12:57 We repent because he has begun his saving work in us
00:12:57 --> 00:13:00 through the external finished work of Jesus on the cross
00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 and the internal work of the Holy Spirit
00:13:02 --> 00:13:08 to move us to see and savor the work of Christ on the cross for what it is,
00:13:08 --> 00:13:12 the saving act of God on our behalf.
00:13:13 --> 00:13:20 What that means is that God is significantly more holy and more gracious than we are.
00:13:20 --> 00:13:30 He responds to a cry for help by sending a prophet to tell them about their sin
00:13:30 --> 00:13:32 and explain why they're in the mess they're in.
00:13:32 --> 00:13:38 But he still recruits and prepares his rescuer,
00:13:38 --> 00:13:41 even though there's no evidence of change whatsoever.
00:13:41 --> 00:13:51 This is a much more gracious response than we would give to someone who continued to hurt us
00:13:51 --> 00:13:53 and show no sign of stopping.
00:13:55 --> 00:13:58 My goodness, it's even a much more gracious response than I give to my children.
00:13:59 --> 00:14:01 Don't celebrate me on Father's Day, for goodness sake.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:10 And yet, in all of this, God does not compromise in his holiness or his grace.
00:14:10 --> 00:14:13 The only way we can hold these things together
00:14:13 --> 00:14:17 and appreciate God's, both his perfect holiness, his perfect standards,
00:14:18 --> 00:14:20 and his endless compassion and mercy and grace
00:14:20 --> 00:14:26 is to grasp more and more deeply the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:14:26 --> 00:14:32 The cross is where God's holiness, his perfect standards,
00:14:32 --> 00:14:36 and his endless compassion meet together.
00:14:38 --> 00:14:41 And so, right at the beginning of Judges 6, in the new cycle,
00:14:42 --> 00:14:49 we see this cycle repeated again of sin and grace on repeat,
00:14:49 --> 00:14:52 sin and grace on repeat, sin and grace, sin and grace.
00:14:52 --> 00:15:00 The second thing we see is that this grace of God is a grace that calls us to himself.
00:15:01 --> 00:15:06 The angel of the Lord opening light to Gideon in verse 12
00:15:06 --> 00:15:09 is that the Lord is with you.
00:15:10 --> 00:15:14 Gideon, on the other hand, is like, pardon me?
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 What?
00:15:16 --> 00:15:16 What?
00:15:16 --> 00:15:23 Gideon argues, how can God be with us?
00:15:23 --> 00:15:26 Because he's put us into the hand of the Midianites
00:15:26 --> 00:15:32 instead of rescuing them like he did with their ancestors out of Egypt.
00:15:35 --> 00:15:37 Gideon seems to be implying here
00:15:37 --> 00:15:44 that what Israel needs is another Egypt-style rescuer.
00:15:44 --> 00:15:50 What Israel needs in this moment is another Moses.
00:15:52 --> 00:15:55 God says, Gideon, that's you.
00:15:57 --> 00:15:59 You are the salvation I am sending.
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 You are the mighty warrior.
00:16:02 --> 00:16:02 Verse 12.
00:16:05 --> 00:16:08 Now, we make the mistake here that Gideon does as well.
00:16:08 --> 00:16:14 We tend to see any of our troubles as evidence that God has left us
00:16:14 --> 00:16:18 instead of asking how God is working in and through it for our good.
00:16:19 --> 00:16:23 And that is the promise of the New Testament in Romans 8, 28.
00:16:24 --> 00:16:27 And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him,
00:16:27 --> 00:16:29 who have been called according to his purpose.
00:16:29 --> 00:16:34 And we also tend to do what Gideon does here
00:16:34 --> 00:16:39 and wait for God to do something to us and for us.
00:16:40 --> 00:16:42 We wonder why God hasn't removed a problem
00:16:42 --> 00:16:47 rather than asking him to make us a person who's able to handle the problem.
00:16:47 --> 00:16:55 God tells Gideon that you, Gideon, are going to be the solution.
00:16:55 --> 00:16:58 You are going to be sent as the rescuer.
00:16:58 --> 00:17:01 He's the one who God will use to solve this problem.
00:17:02 --> 00:17:05 He is the Moses-like figure.
00:17:07 --> 00:17:13 And this provokes Gideon's second disagreement with the angel of the Lord.
00:17:13 --> 00:17:18 In fact, he reacts here in exactly the same way that Moses did
00:17:18 --> 00:17:20 at the burning bush in Exodus chapter 3.
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 Have a look at verse 15.
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 Pardon me, Lord?
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 Me?
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 I'm the solution?
00:17:33 --> 00:17:36 And Gideon says, how can I save Israel?
00:17:37 --> 00:17:42 My clan is the weakest in Manasseh and I'm the least in my family.
00:17:43 --> 00:17:48 Gideon is economically and socially the poorest member of the weakest clan
00:17:48 --> 00:17:52 of a non-prominent Israelite tribe.
00:17:52 --> 00:17:55 How on earth can I save Israel?
00:17:55 --> 00:17:57 How can I be a saviour?
00:17:57 --> 00:18:00 God, when we're picking teams for basketball,
00:18:01 --> 00:18:03 I'm the last guy picked.
00:18:05 --> 00:18:07 How can you use me?
00:18:07 --> 00:18:14 And on the surface, you'd have to agree with him.
00:18:15 --> 00:18:19 We know the angel of the Lord calls him a mighty warrior in verse 12,
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 but is that right?
00:18:20 --> 00:18:25 I mean, potentially the angel of the Lord here is mocking Gideon,
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 but apparently he's not.
00:18:27 --> 00:18:30 Gideon is crouching in a winepress in fear of the Midianites.
00:18:30 --> 00:18:33 He's not doing what you'd imagine with a wheat crop
00:18:33 --> 00:18:37 and threshing the wheat at the threshing floor.
00:18:37 --> 00:18:39 He's taking it to the winepress
00:18:39 --> 00:18:42 because it's not the season for grapes,
00:18:42 --> 00:18:45 so they won't expect to find it here.
00:18:48 --> 00:18:52 It's like hiding the chocolate from the kids under the soap.
00:18:52 --> 00:18:54 They won't look for it there.
00:18:54 --> 00:18:58 They just won't find it there.
00:19:01 --> 00:19:06 We do need to take seriously both God's power and his word here.
00:19:06 --> 00:19:08 If the angel of the Lord said to Gideon,
00:19:08 --> 00:19:10 you are a mighty warrior, then he is.
00:19:11 --> 00:19:16 And verse 14 indicates that Gideon will use his own abilities,
00:19:17 --> 00:19:20 but those abilities won't be enough.
00:19:20 --> 00:19:26 Those abilities need to be combined with the promise of God
00:19:26 --> 00:19:29 because their abilities, their strength, Gideon's strength is not enough.
00:19:30 --> 00:19:36 Verses 14 and 16 says that they must be combined with the promise of God.
00:19:37 --> 00:19:40 Everything that Gideon needs for this task
00:19:40 --> 00:19:44 is supplied in a very brief statement in verse 16.
00:19:45 --> 00:19:49 I will be with you.
00:19:50 --> 00:19:53 There's his strength right there.
00:19:55 --> 00:19:59 The promises that God is sending him and will be with him
00:19:59 --> 00:20:02 is everything he needs.
00:20:04 --> 00:20:08 Basically, God has nothing else, nothing more to offer him.
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 There's nothing more coming up here.
00:20:10 --> 00:20:12 And he can go through an enormous amount
00:20:12 --> 00:20:18 just with that promise alone that I will be with you.
00:20:18 --> 00:20:23 And it's enough.
00:20:25 --> 00:20:28 That promise doesn't provide him with the details,
00:20:28 --> 00:20:30 but it provides him with the essentials.
00:20:30 --> 00:20:34 Nothing about the when, the how, the why,
00:20:35 --> 00:20:37 just simply the who.
00:20:38 --> 00:20:38 Me.
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 I will be with you.
00:20:39 --> 00:20:48 So why should he believe the angel of the Lord?
00:20:48 --> 00:20:52 And what we see in the rest of this text is that
00:20:52 --> 00:20:56 Gideon needs the assurance of the word of the Lord here.
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 He's heard the word of the Lord.
00:20:59 --> 00:21:04 He needs confidence that this word is true and it's right.
00:21:04 --> 00:21:09 And so in verse 17, he replies,
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 if now I have found favor in your eyes,
00:21:11 --> 00:21:15 give me a sign that this really is you talking to me.
00:21:16 --> 00:21:19 He wants to know for sure that this is God's word he's hearing.
00:21:20 --> 00:21:22 He's looking for assurance of God's promises,
00:21:22 --> 00:21:24 but when the assurance comes,
00:21:24 --> 00:21:26 it terrifies him rather than comforts him.
00:21:29 --> 00:21:32 Gideon's reaction to the angel of the Lord
00:21:32 --> 00:21:35 following the miracle in verse 21 is the key.
00:21:37 --> 00:21:40 He now knows who it is that he's been talking to.
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 Verse 22.
00:21:41 --> 00:21:46 Alas, sovereign Lord,
00:21:46 --> 00:21:50 I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.
00:21:54 --> 00:21:57 What Gideon realizes here is that
00:21:57 --> 00:22:02 he has seen the word angel in the original language
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 meaning messenger.
00:22:03 --> 00:22:05 I've seen the messenger of the Lord face to face.
00:22:05 --> 00:22:13 In fact, commentators would tell you this.
00:22:14 --> 00:22:16 There are a number of factors here in this story itself
00:22:16 --> 00:22:19 and in the rest of Judges
00:22:19 --> 00:22:21 and in various parts of the Old Testament
00:22:21 --> 00:22:24 that would indicate that Gideon came face to face
00:22:24 --> 00:22:26 with the son of God himself,
00:22:27 --> 00:22:29 as Daniel did in Daniel chapter seven.
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 That's who he's speaking to.
00:22:31 --> 00:22:34 And he finally realizes that's who he's speaking to.
00:22:35 --> 00:22:38 And he's terrified.
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 He's terrified.
00:22:41 --> 00:22:43 And we struggle with this in our modern world
00:22:43 --> 00:22:45 because we think a gentle Jesus, meek and mild.
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 We struggle with his response.
00:22:49 --> 00:22:51 We have no sense of the terror
00:22:51 --> 00:22:53 and the awesomeness of God.
00:22:53 --> 00:22:57 We tend to think that intimacy with God
00:22:57 --> 00:23:00 is an inalienable right of ours
00:23:00 --> 00:23:03 rather than an indescribable gift.
00:23:03 --> 00:23:09 But friends, there is nothing amazing about God's grace
00:23:09 --> 00:23:12 as long as there is nothing fearful about his holiness.
00:23:13 --> 00:23:16 There is nothing amazing about God's grace
00:23:16 --> 00:23:19 while ever we think there is nothing fearful
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 about his holiness.
00:23:22 --> 00:23:26 Verse 23, God reassures him that he's not going to die.
00:23:26 --> 00:23:30 Gideon knows that according to Exodus 33 verse 20,
00:23:30 --> 00:23:34 no one can look at the holy God face to face and live.
00:23:38 --> 00:23:40 And yet he's still alive.
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 And so he knows in that moment
00:23:42 --> 00:23:45 that this God has provided grace for him
00:23:45 --> 00:23:50 so that he can be at peace with him.
00:23:51 --> 00:23:53 It is only God who can speak peace to the trembling.
00:23:54 --> 00:23:58 And Gideon's response is one of enormous gratitude.
00:24:00 --> 00:24:03 God's grace to him overwhelms him with gratitude.
00:24:03 --> 00:24:06 In verse 24, he builds an altar to the Lord
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 and calls it,
00:24:07 --> 00:24:10 the Lord is peace.
00:24:12 --> 00:24:14 The Lord has made it possible
00:24:14 --> 00:24:17 for me to be at peace with him.
00:24:21 --> 00:24:23 And so we see sin and grace on repeat
00:24:23 --> 00:24:27 and Gideon has been called by the grace of God.
00:24:27 --> 00:24:30 And this grace is a grace that commits us
00:24:30 --> 00:24:34 and commits him to live a life of obedience to him.
00:24:35 --> 00:24:37 His grace calls us to commitment.
00:24:37 --> 00:24:40 Now that he has built an altar
00:24:40 --> 00:24:44 to the true living and saving God,
00:24:45 --> 00:24:49 what's the very next thing that Gideon has to do?
00:24:51 --> 00:24:53 Tear down the one that he's been used
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 to serving the false God.
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 These two altars,
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 the altar that he's just built,
00:24:59 --> 00:25:02 the Lord is peace by his grace to me.
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 And the altar to Baal,
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 they cannot coexist.
00:25:05 --> 00:25:09 You cannot serve the true and living God
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 and a false God,
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 an idol at the same time.
00:25:12 --> 00:25:14 Gideon, you must destroy that other idol.
00:25:16 --> 00:25:19 The demand is placed on Gideon here
00:25:19 --> 00:25:22 is a paradigm for all the people of Israel.
00:25:22 --> 00:25:26 It is for the follower of Jesus too.
00:25:27 --> 00:25:29 When the rich young ruler came up to Jesus
00:25:29 --> 00:25:31 and asked him the famous question,
00:25:31 --> 00:25:34 Jesus, what must I do to inherit eternal life?
00:25:35 --> 00:25:37 Jesus didn't hand him a card,
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 asking him to tick the box that says,
00:25:40 --> 00:25:40 I follow you.
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 I choose to follow you, Jesus.
00:25:43 --> 00:25:45 Didn't ask him to raise a hand
00:25:45 --> 00:25:47 and pray a prayer of commitment.
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 Instead, what Jesus does
00:25:51 --> 00:25:53 to the rich young ruler at that moment
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 is he exposes
00:25:54 --> 00:25:58 this apparent moral man's
00:25:58 --> 00:26:01 breaking of the first commandment
00:26:01 --> 00:26:04 and called him to smash his idol.
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 Smash your idol,
00:26:08 --> 00:26:10 then come follow me.
00:26:13 --> 00:26:15 There can be no dual commitment,
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 no double-mindedness.
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 Not for Gideon,
00:26:18 --> 00:26:18 not for Israel,
00:26:18 --> 00:26:20 not for the rich young ruler in Luke 18
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 and not for us.
00:26:21 --> 00:26:24 If God is to be their saviour,
00:26:24 --> 00:26:26 then Baal must go.
00:26:26 --> 00:26:28 And Baal may be tolerant,
00:26:29 --> 00:26:31 but this God is jealous.
00:26:33 --> 00:26:35 Baal may be tolerant,
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 but this God is jealous.
00:26:38 --> 00:26:40 There can be no limping
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 between two opinions.
00:26:43 --> 00:26:45 We cannot serve two masters.
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 The particular altar
00:26:48 --> 00:26:50 that Gideon is called to smash
00:26:50 --> 00:26:53 belongs to his father.
00:26:55 --> 00:26:57 Have a look, verse 25.
00:26:58 --> 00:26:58 That same night,
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 the Lord said to him,
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 take the second bull
00:27:00 --> 00:27:02 from your father's herd,
00:27:02 --> 00:27:04 the one seven years old,
00:27:05 --> 00:27:07 tear down your father's altar to Baal
00:27:07 --> 00:27:09 and cut down the Asherah pole beside it,
00:27:09 --> 00:27:11 then build a proper kind of altar
00:27:11 --> 00:27:13 to the Lord your God
00:27:13 --> 00:27:15 on the top of this height.
00:27:17 --> 00:27:19 Now, it's no surprise here
00:27:19 --> 00:27:21 that Gideon's dad has an altar
00:27:21 --> 00:27:24 and a pole for the worship
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 of the Canaanite idols,
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 the Canaanite gods.
00:27:26 --> 00:27:28 The Israelites,
00:27:28 --> 00:27:30 as I've said a number of times
00:27:30 --> 00:27:30 through this series,
00:27:30 --> 00:27:32 they didn't abandon,
00:27:32 --> 00:27:34 they didn't abandon the worship of God
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 for idols.
00:27:35 --> 00:27:37 They combined the worship of God
00:27:37 --> 00:27:39 with idols.
00:27:39 --> 00:27:42 And Gideon is essentially being told here
00:27:42 --> 00:27:45 to make the God,
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 the true and living God
00:27:46 --> 00:27:48 who has, by his grace,
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 called you into relationship
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 and peace with him,
00:27:51 --> 00:27:53 to make him Lord
00:27:53 --> 00:27:56 of every area of your life.
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 And Gideon
00:28:02 --> 00:28:05 begins to do
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 what the Lord told him to do.
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 Although,
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 in verse 27,
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 he does it
00:28:12 --> 00:28:14 in the middle of the night
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 out of fear
00:28:15 --> 00:28:17 with a bunch of his helpers.
00:28:17 --> 00:28:22 But he still did it.
00:28:24 --> 00:28:26 There's an element of weakness
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 here in Gideon.
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 He's God's weak,
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 mighty warrior.
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 He still did it.
00:28:36 --> 00:28:38 Obedience to God's call here
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 was essential.
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 Heroics was optional.
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 Obedience is essential.
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 Heroics is optional.
00:28:47 --> 00:28:49 And the reaction
00:28:49 --> 00:28:52 is swift.
00:28:53 --> 00:28:53 Next morning,
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 it would appear
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 that one of the guys
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 who helped Gideon
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 kind of caved.
00:29:01 --> 00:29:01 Not me,
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 it was him.
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 Gideon did it.
00:29:04 --> 00:29:04 And you would think
00:29:04 --> 00:29:06 from verses 28 to 30
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 that Gideon is not long
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 for this world.
00:29:09 --> 00:29:09 Thankfully,
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 Gideon's dad
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 steps in
00:29:11 --> 00:29:14 with a really wise suggestion.
00:29:14 --> 00:29:14 Good on him,
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 Father's Day.
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 and suggests
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 that Baal,
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 if this Baal
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 is divine,
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 then he can pretty much
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 take care of himself.
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 We don't need to help him.
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 And his words
00:29:27 --> 00:29:29 are in effect
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 a challenge
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 to Israel.
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 Israel
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 either continue
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 to prop up
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 Baal
00:29:35 --> 00:29:38 or worship
00:29:38 --> 00:29:38 the altar
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 of the true
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 and living God.
00:29:41 --> 00:29:41 Worship at the altar
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 of the true
00:29:42 --> 00:29:42 and living God
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 or continue
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 to prop up Baal
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 who cannot
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 help you
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 at all.
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 And the townspeople
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 at this point
00:29:50 --> 00:29:50 give Gideon
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 a nickname.
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 Verse 32,
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 let Baal
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 contend
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 with him.
00:29:59 --> 00:29:59 Jerobo
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 Baal
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 Baal
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 Baal
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 something.
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 That's his nickname.
00:30:04 --> 00:30:04 Great nickname.
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 I'm not sure,
00:30:06 --> 00:30:06 you know,
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 growing up,
00:30:07 --> 00:30:07 this is an Australian
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 thing,
00:30:08 --> 00:30:08 nicknames.
00:30:09 --> 00:30:09 I think I've told you
00:30:09 --> 00:30:09 before,
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 my nickname
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 when I was growing up
00:30:11 --> 00:30:11 was Fox
00:30:11 --> 00:30:13 because my hair
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 was like red
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 and so,
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 you know,
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 Bunsen Burner,
00:30:16 --> 00:30:16 Match,
00:30:17 --> 00:30:17 Fox,
00:30:18 --> 00:30:18 all kinds
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 of different things.
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 I also had a nickname
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 a little bit
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 older in life
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 called Showbag,
00:30:23 --> 00:30:25 which if you've ever
00:30:25 --> 00:30:25 been to the Sydney
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 Royal Show,
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 you can buy a showbag
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 for not much money,
00:30:29 --> 00:30:29 actually more expensive
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 nowadays,
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 but it's full of rubbish
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 and so that might be
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 a pointer as to why
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 they called me Showbag.
00:30:37 --> 00:30:37 And,
00:30:37 --> 00:30:39 but nicknames
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 carried something,
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 carried something.
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 There was a guy,
00:30:43 --> 00:30:45 I remember years ago,
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 an electrical contractor
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 many,
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 many years ago
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 when I worked
00:30:48 --> 00:30:48 in the National Parks,
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 we used to call him
00:30:50 --> 00:30:50 Alternator
00:30:50 --> 00:30:52 because he charged
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 while he was idle
00:30:53 --> 00:30:56 and Pothole,
00:30:56 --> 00:30:56 another guy
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 used to work with,
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 we used to call him
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 Pothole
00:30:58 --> 00:30:58 because he always
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 got in the road
00:30:59 --> 00:31:01 nicknames
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 mean something
00:31:02 --> 00:31:04 and the nickname
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 here
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 means something
00:31:06 --> 00:31:08 quite significant
00:31:08 --> 00:31:11 for Israel.
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 It sums up
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 the struggle
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 of the whole
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 book of Judges.
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 It is the battle
00:31:18 --> 00:31:19 between the real
00:31:19 --> 00:31:21 God of Israel
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 and the idols
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 of Canaan
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 for the hearts
00:31:24 --> 00:31:24 of God's people.
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 That's the battle.
00:31:27 --> 00:31:29 contending
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 with Baal
00:31:30 --> 00:31:33 for the hearts
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 of God's people.
00:31:35 --> 00:31:35 And Gideon
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 has made his choice.
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 He is God's
00:31:38 --> 00:31:40 mighty warrior
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 or more appropriately
00:31:40 --> 00:31:41 as I said,
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 God's weak,
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 mighty warrior.
00:31:43 --> 00:31:44 The power
00:31:44 --> 00:31:44 of the Spirit
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 of God
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 on his life
00:31:46 --> 00:31:47 is combined
00:31:47 --> 00:31:49 with his real
00:31:49 --> 00:31:49 genuine
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 human weakness.
00:31:50 --> 00:31:54 Gideon desires
00:31:54 --> 00:31:55 to wholly
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 trust in God
00:31:56 --> 00:31:58 but he
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 constantly
00:31:59 --> 00:31:59 needs
00:31:59 --> 00:32:00 assurance
00:32:00 --> 00:32:02 that this is
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 God speaking
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 to him.
00:32:04 --> 00:32:05 These are God's
00:32:05 --> 00:32:05 promises
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 are true.
00:32:08 --> 00:32:09 And that's what we
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 get at the end
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 of chapter 6
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 with this fleece
00:32:12 --> 00:32:12 thing.
00:32:14 --> 00:32:15 Verses 36
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 to 40
00:32:16 --> 00:32:18 is demonstrating
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 that he
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 is still
00:32:20 --> 00:32:20 unsure
00:32:20 --> 00:32:21 of God's
00:32:21 --> 00:32:21 calling
00:32:21 --> 00:32:22 and God's
00:32:22 --> 00:32:22 promises
00:32:22 --> 00:32:23 on his life.
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 He wants
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 to be sure
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 that this
00:32:27 --> 00:32:28 is God
00:32:28 --> 00:32:29 speaking to
00:32:29 --> 00:32:29 him.
00:32:30 --> 00:32:30 That this
00:32:30 --> 00:32:31 God
00:32:31 --> 00:32:32 is true.
00:32:33 --> 00:32:34 What is the
00:32:34 --> 00:32:34 character and
00:32:34 --> 00:32:35 nature of this
00:32:35 --> 00:32:35 God?
00:32:36 --> 00:32:36 And so
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 he is hesitant
00:32:37 --> 00:32:38 but he's not
00:32:38 --> 00:32:39 unbelieving.
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 It's not an
00:32:41 --> 00:32:42 absence of faith
00:32:42 --> 00:32:43 here for Gideon.
00:32:43 --> 00:32:45 it's the caution
00:32:45 --> 00:32:45 of faith
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 that we see
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 here with
00:32:47 --> 00:32:47 Gideon.
00:32:49 --> 00:32:49 And he sets
00:32:49 --> 00:32:50 out this fleece
00:32:50 --> 00:32:51 and asks God
00:32:51 --> 00:32:52 to confirm
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 his plans
00:32:53 --> 00:32:55 by making
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 the fleece
00:32:56 --> 00:32:57 wet
00:32:57 --> 00:32:58 but the
00:32:58 --> 00:32:58 dry
00:32:58 --> 00:32:59 the ground
00:32:59 --> 00:32:59 dry
00:32:59 --> 00:33:00 around it.
00:33:01 --> 00:33:02 And God
00:33:02 --> 00:33:02 does it.
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 And then he
00:33:03 --> 00:33:03 asks God
00:33:03 --> 00:33:04 to you know
00:33:04 --> 00:33:05 just one more
00:33:05 --> 00:33:05 time God
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 you know
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 a little bit
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 of patience
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 with me here
00:33:07 --> 00:33:09 to re-confirm
00:33:09 --> 00:33:10 it by
00:33:10 --> 00:33:10 reversing the
00:33:10 --> 00:33:11 instructions
00:33:11 --> 00:33:12 make the
00:33:12 --> 00:33:13 fleece
00:33:13 --> 00:33:14 dry
00:33:14 --> 00:33:14 and the
00:33:14 --> 00:33:15 ground
00:33:15 --> 00:33:15 wet
00:33:15 --> 00:33:16 and God
00:33:16 --> 00:33:17 does it
00:33:17 --> 00:33:17 both times.
00:33:19 --> 00:33:20 Now over
00:33:20 --> 00:33:20 the years
00:33:20 --> 00:33:21 there have
00:33:21 --> 00:33:22 been many
00:33:22 --> 00:33:23 many
00:33:23 --> 00:33:24 Christians
00:33:24 --> 00:33:24 who have
00:33:24 --> 00:33:25 imitated
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 Gideon's
00:33:26 --> 00:33:27 actions
00:33:27 --> 00:33:27 here
00:33:27 --> 00:33:29 as a
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 sign of
00:33:30 --> 00:33:31 a way
00:33:31 --> 00:33:31 of
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32 God
00:33:32 --> 00:33:32 guiding
00:33:32 --> 00:33:33 them.
00:33:34 --> 00:33:34 That's
00:33:34 --> 00:33:35 not what's
00:33:35 --> 00:33:35 happening
00:33:35 --> 00:33:36 here.
00:33:37 --> 00:33:38 They say
00:33:38 --> 00:33:39 things like
00:33:39 --> 00:33:39 God if you
00:33:39 --> 00:33:40 want me to
00:33:40 --> 00:33:40 buy that
00:33:40 --> 00:33:41 new car
00:33:41 --> 00:33:41 then make
00:33:41 --> 00:33:42 my car
00:33:42 --> 00:33:42 break down
00:33:42 --> 00:33:42 today.
00:33:43 --> 00:33:44 And if my
00:33:44 --> 00:33:44 car breaks
00:33:44 --> 00:33:44 down
00:33:44 --> 00:33:44 today
00:33:44 --> 00:33:45 then I
00:33:45 --> 00:33:45 know you
00:33:45 --> 00:33:45 want me
00:33:45 --> 00:33:45 to buy
00:33:45 --> 00:33:46 that new
00:33:46 --> 00:33:46 car.
00:33:46 --> 00:33:47 Or God
00:33:47 --> 00:33:47 if you
00:33:47 --> 00:33:47 want me to
00:33:47 --> 00:33:47 take that
00:33:47 --> 00:33:48 job make
00:33:48 --> 00:33:48 sure I
00:33:48 --> 00:33:48 get a
00:33:48 --> 00:33:49 call from
00:33:49 --> 00:33:51 the company
00:33:51 --> 00:33:51 today and
00:33:51 --> 00:33:51 then I'll
00:33:51 --> 00:33:52 know for
00:33:52 --> 00:33:52 sure that
00:33:52 --> 00:33:52 you want
00:33:52 --> 00:33:52 me to
00:33:52 --> 00:33:53 take it.
00:33:53 --> 00:33:53 It's
00:33:53 --> 00:33:53 your sign
00:33:53 --> 00:33:54 of guiding
00:33:54 --> 00:33:54 me at
00:33:54 --> 00:33:54 this point.
00:33:55 --> 00:33:56 That's not
00:33:56 --> 00:33:56 what Gideon's
00:33:56 --> 00:33:57 doing here.
00:33:58 --> 00:33:58 He isn't
00:33:58 --> 00:33:59 asking for
00:33:59 --> 00:34:00 guidance from
00:34:00 --> 00:34:01 God.
00:34:02 --> 00:34:03 Gideon is
00:34:03 --> 00:34:04 specifically
00:34:04 --> 00:34:06 asking God
00:34:06 --> 00:34:06 to show
00:34:06 --> 00:34:08 him that
00:34:08 --> 00:34:08 he was
00:34:08 --> 00:34:09 not one
00:34:09 --> 00:34:10 of the
00:34:10 --> 00:34:11 forces of
00:34:11 --> 00:34:12 nature of
00:34:12 --> 00:34:12 the Canaanite
00:34:12 --> 00:34:13 gods.
00:34:15 --> 00:34:16 But was
00:34:16 --> 00:34:17 in fact
00:34:17 --> 00:34:19 the sovereign
00:34:19 --> 00:34:20 God over
00:34:20 --> 00:34:21 all the
00:34:21 --> 00:34:21 forces of
00:34:21 --> 00:34:22 nature and
00:34:22 --> 00:34:23 therefore the
00:34:23 --> 00:34:24 gods of
00:34:24 --> 00:34:25 Canaan.
00:34:26 --> 00:34:27 But he was
00:34:27 --> 00:34:28 doing something
00:34:28 --> 00:34:29 slightly more
00:34:29 --> 00:34:29 significant than
00:34:29 --> 00:34:30 that.
00:34:31 --> 00:34:32 He was
00:34:32 --> 00:34:33 checking that
00:34:33 --> 00:34:34 the God who
00:34:34 --> 00:34:35 he saw face
00:34:35 --> 00:34:37 to face and
00:34:37 --> 00:34:37 the God who
00:34:37 --> 00:34:38 he has
00:34:38 --> 00:34:39 been asked
00:34:39 --> 00:34:40 to and
00:34:40 --> 00:34:40 commissioned
00:34:40 --> 00:34:42 to to
00:34:42 --> 00:34:42 rescue his
00:34:42 --> 00:34:44 people from
00:34:44 --> 00:34:45 slavery from
00:34:45 --> 00:34:46 the Midianites
00:34:46 --> 00:34:48 is the same
00:34:48 --> 00:34:50 God who
00:34:50 --> 00:34:50 rescued his
00:34:50 --> 00:34:51 people Israel
00:34:51 --> 00:34:53 through Moses
00:34:53 --> 00:34:54 out of Egypt.
00:34:56 --> 00:34:58 And he did
00:34:58 --> 00:35:00 it with a
00:35:00 --> 00:35:01 powerful
00:35:01 --> 00:35:03 sovereign
00:35:03 --> 00:35:05 display of
00:35:05 --> 00:35:07 sovereignty
00:35:07 --> 00:35:09 over the
00:35:09 --> 00:35:09 Egyptian
00:35:09 --> 00:35:10 gods of
00:35:10 --> 00:35:11 nature
00:35:11 --> 00:35:14 through
00:35:14 --> 00:35:15 ten
00:35:15 --> 00:35:15 plagues.
00:35:20 --> 00:35:20 Remember
00:35:20 --> 00:35:21 right at the
00:35:21 --> 00:35:21 very beginning
00:35:21 --> 00:35:23 I'm the
00:35:23 --> 00:35:23 God who
00:35:23 --> 00:35:23 called you
00:35:23 --> 00:35:24 out of
00:35:24 --> 00:35:24 Egypt.
00:35:25 --> 00:35:26 Gideon
00:35:26 --> 00:35:26 here is
00:35:26 --> 00:35:27 confirming that
00:35:27 --> 00:35:27 the God
00:35:27 --> 00:35:28 who sat
00:35:28 --> 00:35:28 with me
00:35:28 --> 00:35:28 and has
00:35:28 --> 00:35:28 called me
00:35:28 --> 00:35:29 to rescue
00:35:29 --> 00:35:29 Israel is
00:35:29 --> 00:35:29 the same
00:35:29 --> 00:35:30 God who
00:35:30 --> 00:35:30 did that
00:35:30 --> 00:35:30 back then.
00:35:32 --> 00:35:32 The God
00:35:32 --> 00:35:33 who displayed,
00:35:34 --> 00:35:34 who crushed
00:35:34 --> 00:35:35 the Egyptian
00:35:35 --> 00:35:36 gods,
00:35:36 --> 00:35:37 which each
00:35:37 --> 00:35:37 one of the
00:35:37 --> 00:35:38 plagues
00:35:38 --> 00:35:38 represented,
00:35:39 --> 00:35:40 a crushing
00:35:40 --> 00:35:40 of the
00:35:40 --> 00:35:40 Egyptian
00:35:40 --> 00:35:40 gods.
00:35:41 --> 00:35:41 They were
00:35:41 --> 00:35:41 not random
00:35:41 --> 00:35:42 acts.
00:35:42 --> 00:35:42 These were
00:35:42 --> 00:35:44 ten key
00:35:44 --> 00:35:44 gods the
00:35:44 --> 00:35:45 Egyptians
00:35:45 --> 00:35:46 worshipped
00:35:46 --> 00:35:47 and God
00:35:47 --> 00:35:48 sovereignly
00:35:48 --> 00:35:49 smashed each
00:35:49 --> 00:35:49 one of them.
00:35:49 --> 00:35:49 And he
00:35:49 --> 00:35:49 says,
00:35:50 --> 00:35:51 can you do
00:35:51 --> 00:35:52 that here
00:35:52 --> 00:35:53 for me?
00:35:53 --> 00:35:54 Can you
00:35:54 --> 00:35:54 show me
00:35:54 --> 00:35:55 that you
00:35:55 --> 00:35:55 are sovereign
00:35:55 --> 00:35:56 over the
00:35:56 --> 00:35:57 Canaanite
00:35:57 --> 00:35:57 gods of
00:35:57 --> 00:35:58 nature?
00:35:58 --> 00:35:58 Just one
00:35:58 --> 00:35:59 more time,
00:35:59 --> 00:35:59 just to
00:35:59 --> 00:36:00 confirm that
00:36:00 --> 00:36:00 you're the
00:36:00 --> 00:36:01 same God
00:36:01 --> 00:36:01 who rescued
00:36:01 --> 00:36:02 your people
00:36:02 --> 00:36:02 before.
00:36:07 --> 00:36:08 Gideon was
00:36:08 --> 00:36:08 not looking
00:36:08 --> 00:36:09 for signs
00:36:09 --> 00:36:09 here to
00:36:09 --> 00:36:09 help him
00:36:09 --> 00:36:10 make a
00:36:10 --> 00:36:10 decision.
00:36:11 --> 00:36:12 He was
00:36:12 --> 00:36:12 seeking to
00:36:12 --> 00:36:14 understand the
00:36:14 --> 00:36:15 nature of
00:36:15 --> 00:36:15 the God
00:36:15 --> 00:36:15 who was
00:36:15 --> 00:36:16 speaking to
00:36:16 --> 00:36:16 him.
00:36:17 --> 00:36:17 He was
00:36:17 --> 00:36:17 looking to
00:36:17 --> 00:36:18 get a
00:36:18 --> 00:36:18 big picture,
00:36:18 --> 00:36:19 a massive
00:36:19 --> 00:36:19 picture of
00:36:19 --> 00:36:20 who this
00:36:20 --> 00:36:21 God is.
00:36:23 --> 00:36:24 Is this
00:36:24 --> 00:36:24 the God
00:36:24 --> 00:36:26 who I've
00:36:26 --> 00:36:26 heard about
00:36:26 --> 00:36:27 from my
00:36:27 --> 00:36:27 father?
00:36:27 --> 00:36:32 the God
00:36:32 --> 00:36:32 who saves?
00:36:35 --> 00:36:36 The God
00:36:36 --> 00:36:37 who was
00:36:37 --> 00:36:37 mightily
00:36:37 --> 00:36:38 sovereign
00:36:38 --> 00:36:38 over the
00:36:38 --> 00:36:38 gods of
00:36:38 --> 00:36:39 Egypt?
00:36:42 --> 00:36:43 If it
00:36:43 --> 00:36:43 is,
00:36:43 --> 00:36:43 can you
00:36:43 --> 00:36:44 please
00:36:44 --> 00:36:45 reaffirm
00:36:45 --> 00:36:45 that for
00:36:45 --> 00:36:45 me?
00:36:50 --> 00:36:50 Now,
00:36:50 --> 00:36:51 Gideon
00:36:51 --> 00:36:51 did not
00:36:51 --> 00:36:51 have the
00:36:51 --> 00:36:52 Bible
00:36:52 --> 00:36:52 like we
00:36:52 --> 00:36:52 have it.
00:36:54 --> 00:36:54 Living
00:36:54 --> 00:36:55 where we
00:36:55 --> 00:36:55 do in
00:36:55 --> 00:36:56 history,
00:36:56 --> 00:36:56 we have
00:36:56 --> 00:36:56 this
00:36:56 --> 00:36:57 advantage
00:36:57 --> 00:36:58 over
00:36:58 --> 00:36:58 Gideon.
00:36:59 --> 00:37:00 We can
00:37:00 --> 00:37:00 know
00:37:00 --> 00:37:00 Jesus
00:37:00 --> 00:37:01 Christ,
00:37:03 --> 00:37:03 the
00:37:03 --> 00:37:04 incarnate
00:37:04 --> 00:37:04 Son of
00:37:04 --> 00:37:05 God,
00:37:05 --> 00:37:06 who came
00:37:06 --> 00:37:06 into this
00:37:06 --> 00:37:07 world,
00:37:07 --> 00:37:07 who broke
00:37:07 --> 00:37:08 into
00:37:08 --> 00:37:08 history,
00:37:08 --> 00:37:09 who controlled
00:37:09 --> 00:37:09 the wind
00:37:09 --> 00:37:10 and the
00:37:10 --> 00:37:11 waves
00:37:11 --> 00:37:12 and the
00:37:12 --> 00:37:12 demons
00:37:12 --> 00:37:13 and healed
00:37:13 --> 00:37:13 the sick
00:37:13 --> 00:37:14 and set
00:37:14 --> 00:37:14 the oppressed
00:37:14 --> 00:37:15 free.
00:37:15 --> 00:37:16 He showed
00:37:16 --> 00:37:17 sovereignty
00:37:17 --> 00:37:18 over all
00:37:18 --> 00:37:18 things.
00:37:20 --> 00:37:20 He is the
00:37:20 --> 00:37:21 God who
00:37:21 --> 00:37:21 is sovereign.
00:37:22 --> 00:37:23 And
00:37:23 --> 00:37:23 Jesus,
00:37:24 --> 00:37:25 we have in
00:37:25 --> 00:37:25 his word
00:37:25 --> 00:37:26 the Jesus
00:37:26 --> 00:37:27 who revealed
00:37:27 --> 00:37:27 the nature
00:37:27 --> 00:37:28 of God
00:37:28 --> 00:37:28 to all
00:37:28 --> 00:37:28 of
00:37:28 --> 00:37:29 humanity.
00:37:29 --> 00:37:29 This
00:37:29 --> 00:37:30 is the
00:37:30 --> 00:37:30 Jesus
00:37:30 --> 00:37:31 who calls
00:37:31 --> 00:37:31 us by
00:37:31 --> 00:37:32 his grace
00:37:32 --> 00:37:33 and who
00:37:33 --> 00:37:33 promises to
00:37:33 --> 00:37:34 give his
00:37:34 --> 00:37:35 spirit and
00:37:35 --> 00:37:35 the Jesus
00:37:35 --> 00:37:36 who promised
00:37:36 --> 00:37:36 to never
00:37:36 --> 00:37:37 leave us,
00:37:37 --> 00:37:38 never forsake
00:37:38 --> 00:37:38 us.
00:37:40 --> 00:37:40 The Jesus
00:37:40 --> 00:37:40 said,
00:37:41 --> 00:37:41 even in
00:37:41 --> 00:37:42 spite of
00:37:42 --> 00:37:42 your
00:37:42 --> 00:37:43 sinfulness,
00:37:43 --> 00:37:44 in spite of
00:37:44 --> 00:37:45 your weakness,
00:37:45 --> 00:37:47 I will be
00:37:47 --> 00:37:47 with you.
00:37:47 --> 00:37:48 I will never
00:37:48 --> 00:37:48 abandon you.
00:37:48 --> 00:37:53 this is the
00:37:53 --> 00:37:54 Jesus who
00:37:54 --> 00:37:55 offers us
00:37:55 --> 00:37:55 peace with
00:37:55 --> 00:37:56 God,
00:37:56 --> 00:37:57 who calls
00:37:57 --> 00:37:57 us to
00:37:57 --> 00:37:58 follow him
00:37:58 --> 00:38:00 and calls
00:38:00 --> 00:38:01 us to tear
00:38:01 --> 00:38:01 down the
00:38:01 --> 00:38:01 idols of
00:38:01 --> 00:38:02 our heart
00:38:02 --> 00:38:04 and align
00:38:04 --> 00:38:04 ourselves
00:38:04 --> 00:38:04 with him
00:38:04 --> 00:38:05 alone.
00:38:07 --> 00:38:08 And this
00:38:08 --> 00:38:09 same Jesus
00:38:09 --> 00:38:10 reveals himself
00:38:10 --> 00:38:11 today in
00:38:11 --> 00:38:11 his word,
00:38:11 --> 00:38:12 the Bible.
00:38:13 --> 00:38:13 We don't
00:38:13 --> 00:38:14 need a
00:38:14 --> 00:38:15 fleece,
00:38:15 --> 00:38:16 we need
00:38:16 --> 00:38:16 the word
00:38:16 --> 00:38:17 of God.
00:38:18 --> 00:38:19 Hebrews
00:38:19 --> 00:38:19 1,
00:38:20 --> 00:38:21 verse 1
00:38:21 --> 00:38:21 says,
00:38:21 --> 00:38:22 in the past
00:38:22 --> 00:38:22 God spoke
00:38:22 --> 00:38:23 to our
00:38:23 --> 00:38:23 ancestors
00:38:23 --> 00:38:23 through the
00:38:23 --> 00:38:24 prophets
00:38:24 --> 00:38:24 at many
00:38:24 --> 00:38:25 times and
00:38:25 --> 00:38:25 in various
00:38:25 --> 00:38:25 ways,
00:38:26 --> 00:38:26 but in
00:38:26 --> 00:38:27 these last
00:38:27 --> 00:38:27 days he
00:38:27 --> 00:38:28 has spoken
00:38:28 --> 00:38:28 to us
00:38:28 --> 00:38:30 by his
00:38:30 --> 00:38:31 son,
00:38:31 --> 00:38:31 whom he
00:38:31 --> 00:38:32 appointed
00:38:32 --> 00:38:32 heir of
00:38:32 --> 00:38:33 all things
00:38:33 --> 00:38:33 and through
00:38:33 --> 00:38:34 whom he
00:38:34 --> 00:38:34 also made
00:38:34 --> 00:38:35 the universe.
00:38:36 --> 00:38:36 The God,
00:38:36 --> 00:38:37 the son,
00:38:37 --> 00:38:37 is the
00:38:37 --> 00:38:38 radiance of
00:38:38 --> 00:38:39 God's glory
00:38:39 --> 00:38:40 and the
00:38:40 --> 00:38:40 exact
00:38:40 --> 00:38:41 representation
00:38:41 --> 00:38:41 of his
00:38:41 --> 00:38:42 being,
00:38:42 --> 00:38:42 sustaining
00:38:42 --> 00:38:43 all things
00:38:43 --> 00:38:44 by his
00:38:44 --> 00:38:44 powerful word.
00:38:45 --> 00:38:45 And after
00:38:45 --> 00:38:45 he provided
00:38:45 --> 00:38:46 purification
00:38:46 --> 00:38:47 for sins,
00:38:47 --> 00:38:47 he sat
00:38:47 --> 00:38:47 down at
00:38:47 --> 00:38:48 the right
00:38:48 --> 00:38:48 hand of
00:38:48 --> 00:38:49 the majesty
00:38:49 --> 00:38:50 in heaven.
00:38:52 --> 00:38:52 Gideon's
00:38:52 --> 00:38:54 request was
00:38:54 --> 00:38:55 for help
00:38:55 --> 00:38:56 in his
00:38:56 --> 00:38:56 weakness to
00:38:56 --> 00:38:57 build up
00:38:57 --> 00:38:58 his faith
00:38:58 --> 00:38:58 in God.
00:39:00 --> 00:39:01 God in
00:39:01 --> 00:39:01 his grace
00:39:01 --> 00:39:02 responded to
00:39:02 --> 00:39:03 him twice.
00:39:04 --> 00:39:04 Twice.
00:39:07 --> 00:39:07 You see,
00:39:07 --> 00:39:07 this God
00:39:07 --> 00:39:08 is not ashamed
00:39:08 --> 00:39:09 to stoop
00:39:09 --> 00:39:10 down and
00:39:10 --> 00:39:11 reassure us
00:39:11 --> 00:39:11 in our
00:39:11 --> 00:39:12 weakness and
00:39:12 --> 00:39:13 fears as
00:39:13 --> 00:39:13 we seek to
00:39:13 --> 00:39:14 faithfully
00:39:14 --> 00:39:14 follow him.
00:39:14 --> 00:39:17 He is
00:39:17 --> 00:39:17 patient with
00:39:17 --> 00:39:17 our
00:39:17 --> 00:39:18 weakness.
00:39:18 --> 00:39:19 He doesn't
00:39:19 --> 00:39:20 even mind
00:39:20 --> 00:39:20 humbling
00:39:20 --> 00:39:21 himself,
00:39:21 --> 00:39:23 even to
00:39:23 --> 00:39:24 the cross,
00:39:25 --> 00:39:25 in order to
00:39:25 --> 00:39:26 bolster our
00:39:26 --> 00:39:27 fragile faith
00:39:27 --> 00:39:28 and our
00:39:28 --> 00:39:29 wavering grip
00:39:29 --> 00:39:29 on his
00:39:29 --> 00:39:30 word.
00:39:31 --> 00:39:32 He knows
00:39:32 --> 00:39:32 our faith
00:39:32 --> 00:39:33 in him is
00:39:33 --> 00:39:34 feeble and
00:39:34 --> 00:39:35 it is weak.
00:39:35 --> 00:39:36 Our obedience
00:39:36 --> 00:39:37 to him is
00:39:37 --> 00:39:38 often in the
00:39:38 --> 00:39:38 dark.
00:39:39 --> 00:39:39 It is often
00:39:39 --> 00:39:40 half-hearted.
00:39:40 --> 00:39:41 It is
00:39:41 --> 00:39:42 often fearful.
00:39:44 --> 00:39:44 And when we
00:39:44 --> 00:39:45 make the same
00:39:45 --> 00:39:46 request of
00:39:46 --> 00:39:47 him, he
00:39:47 --> 00:39:48 graciously
00:39:48 --> 00:39:49 responds.
00:39:50 --> 00:39:51 And when we
00:39:51 --> 00:39:52 like Gideon
00:39:52 --> 00:39:52 find ourselves
00:39:52 --> 00:39:53 doubting God's
00:39:53 --> 00:39:54 promises or
00:39:54 --> 00:39:55 God's presence,
00:39:56 --> 00:39:57 we can ask
00:39:57 --> 00:39:58 him again and
00:39:58 --> 00:39:58 again and
00:39:58 --> 00:39:59 again to
00:39:59 --> 00:40:01 point us to
00:40:01 --> 00:40:02 the majesty
00:40:02 --> 00:40:02 of the
00:40:02 --> 00:40:03 son.
00:40:03 --> 00:40:06 And he
00:40:06 --> 00:40:07 points us to
00:40:07 --> 00:40:08 the fullest
00:40:08 --> 00:40:09 final revelation
00:40:09 --> 00:40:10 of his nature
00:40:10 --> 00:40:10 and his
00:40:10 --> 00:40:10 character and
00:40:10 --> 00:40:11 his purposes
00:40:11 --> 00:40:11 in the
00:40:11 --> 00:40:12 Lord Jesus.
00:40:12 --> 00:40:13 Again and
00:40:13 --> 00:40:14 again and
00:40:14 --> 00:40:15 again to
00:40:15 --> 00:40:16 see God for
00:40:16 --> 00:40:16 who he is is
00:40:16 --> 00:40:17 what Gideon
00:40:17 --> 00:40:18 needed and
00:40:18 --> 00:40:18 what Gideon
00:40:18 --> 00:40:19 received and
00:40:19 --> 00:40:20 he will do
00:40:20 --> 00:40:21 the same for
00:40:21 --> 00:40:21 us.
00:40:23 --> 00:40:23 In fact,
00:40:24 --> 00:40:24 he is so
00:40:24 --> 00:40:25 eager to do
00:40:25 --> 00:40:26 it for us
00:40:26 --> 00:40:27 that he has
00:40:27 --> 00:40:28 provided
00:40:28 --> 00:40:30 multiple means
00:40:30 --> 00:40:31 for our
00:40:31 --> 00:40:32 strengthening in
00:40:32 --> 00:40:33 our weakness.
00:40:34 --> 00:40:34 We have
00:40:34 --> 00:40:35 his word.
00:40:37 --> 00:40:37 It's where we
00:40:37 --> 00:40:38 find God
00:40:38 --> 00:40:39 revealing himself
00:40:39 --> 00:40:39 to us.
00:40:40 --> 00:40:41 And so as
00:40:41 --> 00:40:41 we have a
00:40:41 --> 00:40:42 core value
00:40:42 --> 00:40:42 of this
00:40:42 --> 00:40:42 church,
00:40:42 --> 00:40:43 saturate
00:40:43 --> 00:40:44 yourself in
00:40:44 --> 00:40:45 God's word,
00:40:45 --> 00:40:45 the Bible.
00:40:46 --> 00:40:47 If you do
00:40:47 --> 00:40:48 not have your
00:40:48 --> 00:40:48 face planted
00:40:48 --> 00:40:49 in the
00:40:49 --> 00:40:49 scriptures,
00:40:50 --> 00:40:50 your faith
00:40:50 --> 00:40:51 will be
00:40:51 --> 00:40:51 feeble,
00:40:52 --> 00:40:52 it will be
00:40:52 --> 00:40:53 weak and
00:40:53 --> 00:40:54 don't guarantee
00:40:54 --> 00:40:55 at all that
00:40:55 --> 00:40:55 it will
00:40:55 --> 00:40:55 survive.
00:40:57 --> 00:40:58 The word
00:40:58 --> 00:41:00 is essential.
00:41:02 --> 00:41:04 So to
00:41:04 --> 00:41:05 Timothy 3,
00:41:05 --> 00:41:06 have confidence
00:41:06 --> 00:41:07 in God's
00:41:07 --> 00:41:07 word.
00:41:07 --> 00:41:07 Everything
00:41:07 --> 00:41:08 you need
00:41:08 --> 00:41:09 for life
00:41:09 --> 00:41:09 and for
00:41:09 --> 00:41:10 salvation
00:41:10 --> 00:41:11 is found
00:41:11 --> 00:41:11 in the
00:41:11 --> 00:41:12 word.
00:41:13 --> 00:41:14 But
00:41:14 --> 00:41:16 instead of
00:41:16 --> 00:41:17 a fleece,
00:41:18 --> 00:41:19 we also
00:41:19 --> 00:41:19 have the
00:41:19 --> 00:41:20 Lord's
00:41:20 --> 00:41:20 Supper.
00:41:22 --> 00:41:22 In
00:41:22 --> 00:41:23 communion,
00:41:23 --> 00:41:24 we are
00:41:24 --> 00:41:25 reminded of
00:41:25 --> 00:41:26 the nature
00:41:26 --> 00:41:27 and the
00:41:27 --> 00:41:27 character of
00:41:27 --> 00:41:28 God,
00:41:28 --> 00:41:28 the God
00:41:28 --> 00:41:29 of grace.
00:41:29 --> 00:41:34 Come to
00:41:34 --> 00:41:35 commence
00:41:35 --> 00:41:38 the
00:41:38 --> 00:41:38 word
00:41:38 --> 00:41:39 chapter
00:41:39 --> 00:41:40 is
00:41:40 --> 00:41:41 having
00:41:41 --> 00:41:42 been
00:41:42 --> 00:41:43 a
00:41:43 --> 00:41:44 mythical
00:41:44 --> 00:41:45 manada
00:41:45 --> 00:41:45 in
00:41:45 --> 00:41:46 song
00:41:46 --> 00:41:47 with
00:41:47 --> 00:41:48 Juli
00:41:48 --> 00:41:49 ĺż«
00:41:49 --> 00:41:50 div
00:41:50 --> 00:41:51 are
00:41:51 --> 00:41:51 right.
00:41:52 --> 00:41:54 It can be
00:41:54 --> 00:41:55 a
00:41:55 --> 00:41:56 cant
00:41:56 --> 00:41:56 going
00:41:56 --> 00:41:56 and
00:41:56 --> 00:41:57 trip
00:41:57 --> 00:41:57 this
00:41:57 --> 00:41:58 is
00:41:58 --> 00:41:58 kn