Sermon Tone Analysis

FAITH FLEX

The question I want to ask you this morning is what is your position of faith?

If you will reflect on much of your life - to include maybe what’s happening right now, you may find that you can relate to Gideon.

Gideon was in his home town hiding from the Midianites and thrashing wheat - and we know of course that wheat is used for making bread.

Bread that was obviously hard to come by because the Midianites were continuously destroying Israel’s crops and razing their farmlands.

Midian did this to maintain their dominance over a subjugated Israel.

Gideon was struggling to maintain life amidst turmoil in a world that continuously experienced out fear and defeat.

For seven years, Israel lived like this and Gideon’s response now is in cowardice and hiding while he quietly seeks out his bread.

We often don’t realize until its too late when fear overtakes our lives; before we know it a significant amount of time has passed - like Israel’s seven years - and we’ve relegated to hiding, seeking our basic necessities of life to simply hold it together in fear and isolation.

We’re overtaken by shame and guilt, so we want no one to see us where we are, and want to no one to find out who we really are.

We isolate ourselves so we can console ourselves and allow our secret sins - which we promise we have control of - these secret sins to become heavier and heavier, even addictive; and we tell no one.

I know I had to be delivered from such a mess.

I had to be rescued from myself.

I had to find release from a life of control, manipulation and deceit.

No one would have assumed that “Ryan the Church boy, the preacher’s kid, the nice guy, the goodie goodie, the one who’s got it altogether” would have anxiety and timidity issues.

That’s how people viewed me, but they didn’t know who I was in private, when I was alone, the things I would seek out on the Internet to try to regain some sense of control on life.

I would regularly lie to people and say that I was fine, that life was grand and I would say God is Great and everyone around was convinced I was perfect.

I had so much doubt - was I really saved?

Especially knowing what I knew about my sinful private life.

My faith in God was continuously shaken on my OWN desire to control situations for an outcome I desired and never asked God about.

I kept questioning God’s power in my own life - why did I keep struggling with so much that I could never tell anyone about - why could He just save me from all of that mess that I kept returning to over and over again.

I can see here Gideon was ate up about similar questions:

Why is all this happening?

Why is my life in such chaos?

Why am I not seeing everything my grandparents and parents testified about in their lives?

Where are the miracles, where are the wonders?

Didn’t God save me?

Why am I continually struggling with my past?

God, where are You?!

God is God, even in my circumstance

Notice how God approaches Gideon.

And let’s remember Who “the angel of the LORD” is - it’s JESUS.

Jesus confronts Gideon and calls Gideon by a different name: Valiant Warrior.

And responds to Gideon not by answering Gideon’s questions - as if God has to justify Himself in any situation.

Instead, God empowers Gideon, the Valiant Warrior for taking a message to Israel.

He said “Go in the strength you have and deliver Israel from the grasp of Midian.

I am sending you!”

God had a message for Israel, and He chose Gideon to deliver that message.

God’s selection was not based on strength, capability, having it all together, resourcefulness, nor wealth.

God chose Gideon because He needed to show Gideon and the nation of Israel His might and strength to save them from themselves.

You will find that most often God chooses your lowest point to reveal Himself the most - that is until you have the faith and maturity to rely on Him freely.

Your strength is not enough, and it’s not supposed to be

Gideon replies, of course, with his “I can’t becauses”.

I can’t because “My family is the weakest in the region - we don’t have the influence”

I can’t because “Even in my own family, no one hears me”

I can’t because “I’m the weakest person of the weakest family”

How quick are we to tell God we an’t.

You father’s in the house have heard this a lot from you kids.

Whenever something may be mildly difficult, like taking a deep breath.

All of a sudden its physically impossible and all the Laws of Nature, the Laws of Physics, a millennia of Human History ends because your son somehow forgets and cannot, for the very life of him, he cannot take a deep breath.

And in like manner, somehow I CANNOT maintain any decency as a human being towards my now but not previously unable son.

Usually eyes big, slightly red and veiny and a singular blood vessel protruding from the forehead.

But thankfully Jesus here, who is one with the Father, and does in a loving way what an ever-loving Father does:

And He says, “but I’ll be with you”

BUT I’LL BE WITH YOU.

-JESUS

One of the amazing and beautiful things about our God is that He is not affected by our circumstance.

He is not limited based on our limitations.

He is not bound by our fears.

He is not bound by what the enemy is trying to do in our lives.

He is not bound by our lack of finances, our lack of resources, our lack or inability to perceive a better world, our lack our inability to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

He exists outside our time and space which all fit within the span of His hand.

So when God tells you He’s got something for you, and it seems daunting and overwhelming.

He’s also telling you, “but I’ll be with you”.

This means that whatever God has planned for you and called you to do, He is with you and for you accomplishing His will.

This means He is your insurance package, this means He is your assurance package.

This means that you have top cover and overwatch.

This means God has prepared the way forward in your life if you’d just walk in it!

But ol’ Gideon here - he’s not paying attention.

Because his eyes haven’t been opened yet.

His vision is still clouded with circumstance seasoned with worry.

Gideon responds like we do.

“God, will you show me a sign?!”

The Word of God is sitting with Gideon under the oak tree there.

He has already given Gideon a word.

He’s already told Gideon that He’ll be with Him, ensuring the way forward.

And Gideon is asking - but how will I know?

God, are you for real?

Like, for real for real?

God, you want me to do what?

You want me to do this?

Why you playin, God?

You want me to do it like this?

You want me to give this?

With a cheerful heart, God?

Or the other way: you want me to stop doing what, God?

I don’t know if I’m hearing this right.

We obviously have a misunderstanding God.

You’ve been there.

We’ve all been there.

And yet how does God respond one.

more.

time.?

I’m here.

I’ll wait.

Put me to the test.

I’m still here.

I’m still waiting for you.

I’m waiting for your heart.

I’m waiting for you to resign to your self.