Who Me?

Build Connection

When I was in college, I was sitting at a table in the cafeteria when there was a good looking girl looking my way. As I peaked her way every once in a while, I noticed she seemed to be looking at me. Then she waved her had indicating she wanted me to come to her.

I mouthed the words, “Who me?” Then she waved her hands again indicating she wanted me to move her way. I looked behind me to see if there was someone else who she might be talking to but didn’t see anyone looking her way.

As I was about to get up and walk her way a man behind me walked past me and said, “hey, haven’t seen you in a long time, how are you doing.

Create Tension

I didn’t consider myself to be the most impressive person on campus, so the idea of me asking “Who me?” When signaled by a good looking girl seemed almost impossible.

As unlikely as that seemed to me, there are people who feel this way when God says to them, “Come here, I want to use you.” But that is just what God does.

It doesn’t matter who you are, what you have done, where you came from or what talents you have or don’t have, God wants to use you. This morning I want to look at a couple stories that help us see what kind of people God wants to use and what it takes to be used.

Provide Solution

We are in a series called New Year, Same God and looking at how God is the same today as he was yesterday and the years before even as we are walking into a new year.

Last week we looked at “why me” and how the things we go through are for a reason. Today we will look at “who me?” And see who God can use!

Judges 6:11–18 NLT

Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.” Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”

To truly understand the significance of this calling of Gideon we need to understand the situation.

The Israelites have traveled through the wilderness after escaping Egypt by crossing the Red Sea under Moses’ leadership. Under Joshua they traveled into the Promised land and took possession of it. Now in the land they have been growing through a cycle of faithfulness and unfaithfulness.

While faithful God blesses them, in their blessings they grow complacent in their relationship with God. This stagnant attitude led to discontent and a desire to find satisfaction from another source, other gods, idols. Because of their idolatry God allowed their enemies to come in and steal, kill, and destroy their lives and livelihood. This brings a desperate situation in which they cry out to God for help. Then he saves them.

Who God uses to rescue his people is often not who we would choose to use.

God uses unlikely people and unusual situations to accomplish his will!

Gideon is one of those unlikely people.

The Israelites were being terrorized by the Midianites, coming in and stealing everything they had.

Judges 6:1-10

The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years. The Midianites were so cruel that the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, marauders from Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east would attack Israel, camping in the land and destroying crops as far away as Gaza. They left the Israelites with nothing to eat, taking all the sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys. These enemy hordes, coming with their livestock and tents, were as thick as locusts; they arrived on droves of camels too numerous to count. And they stayed until the land was stripped bare. So Israel was reduced to starvation by the Midianites. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help. When they cried out to the Lord because of Midian, the Lord sent a prophet to the Israelites. He said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of slavery in Egypt. I rescued you from the Egyptians and from all who oppressed you. I drove out your enemies and gave you their land. I told you, ‘I am the Lord your God. You must not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you now live.’ But you have not listened to me.”

The Israelites were in a terrible situation, they cried out for help and God was asking a man to lead them into victory, but that man questioned, “Who Me?”

Judges 6:15 ““But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!””

God says, Gideon I want you, and Gideon says, “Who Me?”

The Bible is full of people who people who asked, “Who Me?”

King Saul before he became King of Israel

Moses, the greatest OT figure even asked Who Me

Exodus 3:11 “But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?””

The Same God that moved on Moses and Gideon in the OT also moved on a man in the NT, and his response was the same, “Who Me?”

Acts 9:10–15

Now there was a believer* in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord!” he replied. The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.” “But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers* in Jerusalem! And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.” But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.”

Ananias had a reason to be concerned, the man he was to go to was the famous Saul who did terrible things to the believers…

It wasn’t what Ananias was asked to do that made such an impact on eternity, but that what we read right after this passage, vs 17 tells us that…”So Ananias went and found Saul.”

Exodus 4:20 “So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and headed back to the land of Egypt. In his hand he carried the staff of God.”

Judges 6:27 “So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord had commanded. But he did it at night because he was afraid of the other members of his father’s household and the people of the town.”

Most of the people God called did not feel qualified to do what he was asking them to do.

We need to understand something

The only qualification you need when God calls you to do something is that God has told you to do it!

How can we pray that God would move in someone else’s life when we won’t let him do what he wants in us?

God didn’t save you just so you could go to heaven!

Most of us will never have to face death and choose Jesus, But all of us will have to face life and make a choice, will you choose Jesus?

Will you choose obedience,

will you choose self-sacrifice,

will you choose a heavenly reward

Here is the amazing thing about choosing Jesus in life, it brings a joy. Not just joy but as

1 Peter 1:8 “You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.”

Don’t Blame God for your lack of Joy when he has already gave you the instructions to have it but you refuse to follow them!

Encourage Change

Play Worship video ask seek pray.

what is God calling you to do? Are you willing to give God it all?