Shalom

Manuscript Template

Title:  Shalom

Focus Statement:  

Function Statement:  

Tweetable Phrase:  

Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of a Person.

Main Text:  Judges 6-8

Supporting Text:  Exodus 33:18-23

Redemptive Closure (point to Jesus):  Isaiah 9:6 / John 14:27 / Philippians 4:7 / 2 Thessalonians 3:16 / Ephesians 2:14 / Colossians 3:15

Benediction:  Numbers 6:24-26

WELCOME

Good morning!!! My name is Ryan Hanson, and I have the honor of serving here at The Light KC as the lead pastor. I’m so glad you’re here with us.

‌Welcome to those joining us online. We hope you're doing well and hope to see you in person in the coming weeks.

And a special welcome to those joining us for the first time. We’re so glad you chose to be here.

ME/INTRO - Tension

I have told this story before in pieces, but I don’t think all put together.

The 5 years before I came down to KS were extremely rough for me.

Job The 10 years before I came down here I was VOLUNTOLD into being the sales leader for a HVAC company. From day 1 of that “PROMOTION” (sarcastically said) I was working 80 hours per week to keep up. The previous sales team had all quit in a dramatic disagreement with leadership. I was told to take the reigns, build a new team, create the tools to run the team (as the previous team left nothing behind), and still hit sales goals. Life was more than crazy. But 5 years into that whirlwind of an experience COVID hit and the company that had once prided itself on an ACB Culture (associates first, customers second, then business) decided to double down on a BBB Culture full of yelling, fists slamming on desks, and edicts instead of collaboration. My team of 6 was responsible for selling enough product to keep 150 people employed and tons of pressure fell on me every month to hit numbers.

Family On another front, my family had always been very close. We all lived within 20 minutes of each other, we went to my parent’s house for Sunday dinner every week. Everyone, for the most part, got along. BUT we did not survive COVID well. People fell on opposite sides of the “safety” debate and when a few failed to live up to their commitments to wear a mask for 2 weeks before the EASTER dinner I always hosted, I disinvited them (as we had agreed to). This led to some not talking to me for 2 years, and others still not talking to me to this day.

Calling At the same time, Andrea and I had felt a very strong sense that God wanted me to go into full time ministry, but no door was being opened. I would put out a resume here and there as we saw openings at churches. In my mind, I was hirable. I had my MDIV. I had 20 years experience in ministry ranging from kids to students to adult to community engagement to preaching. I had done everything except worship (which I’m sure everyone was happy I never tried). I would interview, get to the final group of candidates, and then be told they chose someone else. All the rejection started to really wear on me.

Needless to say, for the 5 years before I came to Kansas, I HAD NO PEACE

Yet, I think PEACE is something we all desperately want in our lives.

I know I did, and I searched for it in all kinds of ways.

Some of us search for PEACE in potentially good ways

Exercise: I turned to exercise. As life got more stressful I needed something I could control to balance out everything else in my life I could not control. EXERCISE was the outlet I chose. Andrea and I had been serving with World Vision doing races, fundraising for charity. But if I was honest I never trained. I would do group stuff on Saturdays, do nothing during the week, and suffer through the race. But when the stress in my life increased, I started training A LOT I would sign up for longer and longer races (1/2 marathon -> 1/2 IM Triathlon -> Marathon -> Full IM Triathlon -> Ultra Marathons) and work out every weekday for at least an hour and multiple hours each Saturday and Sunday. I needed something I could control to give me a sense of PEACE in my life.

I didn’t, but some people turn to Therapy / Counseling, or Creative Outlets (it is amazing how many adult coloring books there are, knitting, crochet, cross stitch, or painting events there are that are advertised as stress relieving)

Luckily I didn’t fall into this trap, but some people seek PEACE in not so healthy ways

Mindless Activities (TV / Reading / etc.) - although in moderation there is nothing wrong with these

Workaholism: I may have been close to this, but worked very hard to keep firm guardrails on my time to make sure I didn’t neglect the family

Medication: Some turn to medications (and some need them)

Addictions: Some numb the pain of life through addictive behaviors

When our lives are without PEACE it is natural to try to seek it out any place we think we can find it

WE - Tension

How at PEACE are you right now with your life?

What areas of your life are creating stress?

What coping activities have you engaged in to deal with that stress?

How successful have you been?

I know when I was at peak stress, I was barely surviving; I never even approached thriving.

I was treading water, struggling to stay afloat, and fighting for every breath.

The disappointing fact is that no matter what coping activity I entered into, nothing delivered.

They would dull the pain for a moment, but never provide a lasting solution.

As with all self-help advice, nothing I did to find PEACE delivered on the promises that it made.

Anyone feel that way right now?

Today we’re going to look at the story of Gideon to see what God has to teach us about finding PEACE in our lives, and why one of the names God has chosen to be known by is Jehovah Shalom - The LORD is my PEACE

If you missed the previous messages, please feel free go to our website, TheLightKC.org, to catch up.

As we begin, please turn with me to [Judges 6: Sanctuary Bible Page # 194]

We’ll have the scripture on the screen, but if you have a Bible with you, or Bible app on your phone, I’d encourage you to turn to the passage and follow along. There is nothing that replaces having God’s word in your hand.

AND... if you don’t have a Bible, we have Bibles under the seats. If you don’t have a bible and would like one, please come see me after the service and I’ll get you one you can keep.

Let's dive in.

GOD - Text

Judges 6:1–6 NIV

The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help.

At the beginning of Gideon’s story we find Israel at a bit of a low point in their history.

They are worshipping foreign Gods.

They are being raided yearly by Midian, having their crops and animals stolen

The Midian raids were described as being like swarms of Locusts, coming in, destroying everything, and leaving nothing behind

For 7-years, God allowed Israel to have NO PEACE

AND...it boggles my mind that Israel endured these raids for 7 years before turning to God for help.

BUT...how many of us do the same thing?

How many of us are either in a situation right now, or have been in a situation where we feel the world is against us?

When we try everything and can’t seem to make any progress?

Where we feel nothing but stress, pain, and fear of what’s coming next?

Just like Israel, why do we wait so long to turn to God for help when we have NO PEACE in our lives?

Well...God answers their cry though an unlikely man.

Judges 6:11 NIV

The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.

I think the fact that Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress is significant.

For context, this is what a first century press looks like. They are underground, enclosed, and don’t have a lot of room in them. There would be an area where the grapes were pre-crushed by people stomping on them, and then they would be pressed with either weights or a screw system. Here are a few pictures.

[Image: Wine Press]

[Image: Olive Press]

Now, for context this is the typical process for processing wheat.

Flailing: Striking bundles of wheat with a flail - a heavy wooden stick

[Image: flailing]

Beating: Banging sheaves against a hard surface to knock the seeds loose

[Image: beating]

Crushing: Letting large animals (oxen or donkeys) walk on the stalks to crush them and release the grain

[Image: crushing]

Threshing: Dragging a weighted wooden board over the wheat to tear the grain from the stalks

[Image: threshing]

Winnowing: The grain is mixed with straw and chaff, so the mixture is tossed into the air in the wind. The chaff and dust are blown away leaving the heavier wheat grains

[Image: winnowing]

If you notice processing wheat is a hugely messy process that is almost always done outside. You need large areas, require animals to crush the stalks, and you need wind to separate the straw and chaff from the grain.

Imagine trying to process wheat in a wine or olive press. There is no room for flailing, beating, crushing, or threshing. And there is no wind for winnowing.

To me this shows how scared Gideon was of the Midianites that he would suffering through processing grain in a space that is no at all suited for the job.

But, that is where we find Gideon. In an underground winepress, scared, processing wheat.

And that is where Gideon is met by an Angel of the LORD.

Judges 6:12–15 NIV

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

Understand...Gideon’s name means “great warrior”

Gideon was living as a coward, but even so, God called him a “mighty warrior.”

We tend to look backwards at our lives and define ourselves by the worst things that has happened to us, living in the past and robbing ourselves of JOY and PEACE in our PRESENT and FUTURE.

God looks forward and sees what we can become, calling us to live up to the potential He has given us.

Where are you allowing your past to define you, stealing your PEACE?

How do you think God sees you right now?

What is God calling you to become?

In the next section of story, Judges 6:16-21, Gideon can’t believe that God wants to use him, so he asks for proof. He provides an offering of meat and bread. The Angel of the LORD touches it with the tip of his staff and fire consumed it.

Even though the Angel passed Gideon’s test, Gideon becomes really scared.

Judges 6:22–23 NIV

22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” 23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.”

Gideon has good reason to be scared.

Exodus 33:18–20 NIV

Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

Yet...God did not take Gideon’s life.

And in response to God’s mercy, we learn of another name that God chooses to be known by.

Judges 6:24 NIV

24 So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Jehovah Shalom

The LORD is my Peace

Peace / Wholeness

The word Shalom doesn’t just mean PEACE.

It can probably best be described a WHOLENESS.

And the first things God asks Gideon to do, is remove the things from his life that are keeping him from being WHOLE / AT PEACE

Judges 6:25–27 NIV

That same night the Lord said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.” So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.

It’s easy to miss when you’re just reading the story, but Gideon’s family worshipped Baal and Asherah, the fertility God’s of the Canaanites.

Gideon’s family didn’t even have an altar to the LORD, the God of the Israelites. He obviously knew of God, because he was scared when he saw the angel of the LORD’s face, but as he said, he felt God has abandoned him and turned to the Canaanite god’s.

Up until Gideon’s interaction with the Angel of the LORD in the winepress, we can only assume that Gideon was perfectly fine / content worshipping these false God’s.

Just like Gideon, we often search for PEACE / WHOLENESS in all the wrong places; pleasure, physical exercise, meditation, creative outlets, nothing (TV, sleep, etc), medication, addictions? 

Yet these do not provide the lasting peace that we’re searching for. 

Only God can do that. 

Like Gideon we have to get rid of everything that keeps us from God, the only one who can give us PEACE / WHOLENESS.

So I ask you...

What IDOLS is God calling you to remove (tear down) from your life, so you can fully turn to Him?

What changes do you need to make to your life to better align your life to God’s purpose for you?

Through the rest of the story, God called Gideon to lead the Israelites into battle to defeat the Midianites and Amalekites.

But...instead of raising an army and fighting as most nations did, God had another plan.

Judges 7:1–8 NIV

Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’ ” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others. Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley.

God took the Israelite army of 32,000 and reduced its numbers down to 300 men to fight the Midian army of 135,000 men.

The truth here is that with God, numbers don’t matter.

The bible is full of stories where God does amazing things with very little.

God is the only being who can create from nothing.

And He is still doing that now.

No matter how bleak life seems, no matter how little hope we have of things getting better, God can turn things around.

God defeated 135,000 soldiers with only 300 men.

God can overcome any challenge you’re facing in your life as well.

If we turn to God, remove the things from our lives that distract us from God’s will for our lives, follow God’s leading, we can have the PEACE / WHOLENESS that defies understanding because we know that God always does what He says.

And that is exactly what God gave Gideon and Israel.

Judges 8:28 NIV

Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon’s lifetime, the land had peace forty years.

YOU - Takeaway

I think there is a lot of Gideon in all of us.

Scared

Seeking PEACE in places where we have no chance of finding it

Questioning if God can and will really give us the PEACE we’re looking for

But Gideon obeyed, trusted, and Isreal found PEACE

And God wants you to have that unshakable, lasting PEACE in your life as well

But how do we find it?

WE / JESUS - Redemptive Close - Call to Action

The main thing we can learn from Gideon is...

Peace is not the absence of problems; peace is the presence of a person (JESUS).

PEACE is the bestowal of WHOLENESS and blessing we can only get through a relationship with JESUS, who restores and reconciles us and the rest of creation back to God.

Because Jesus is the only source of TRUE PEACE / WHOLENESS

Isaiah 9:6 NIV

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

And as the PRINCE of PEACE, Jesus wants nothing more than to give that PEACE to us.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 NIV

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

This isn’t the temporary PEACE we can get through coping skills, Jesus wants to give us a lasting PEACE.

As Paul write in Philippians 4:7

Philippians 4:7 NIV

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

This is a PEACE that we can have during the highs of life as well as during the deepest of lows.

We just have to allow Jesus into our lives, believe that everything He says in the gospels (and throughout the Bible) is true.

That He loves us

That He created us for a purpose

That God wants to prosper us

That even in the deepest / darkest valley, God is using that temporary bad in our life for our good

That no matter how high the odds are stacked against us, when we’re living within God’s will, nothing can stand in our way

All we have to do is listen to Paul is Colossians 3:15

Colossians 3:15 NIV

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

I came down here to Kansas because I gave up trying to do things on my own.

I went to Wesleyan.org and clicked “apply all”.

Actually there wasn’t an apply all button, so I just applied to every lead / executive / teaching pastor position on the web site.

I handed over my fear, my doubt, and control over to God.

I prayed that He would sort out the mess of applications I created and show us where we were supposed to go.

For 3 months I had 3-4 interviews per week.

And God kept brining The Light KC back into the conversation.

Kansas is not where I would have ever dreamed of living.

Being from Michigan, the best thing I knew about Kansas was that it must have been a nice place because even after Dorothy got swept away in a tornado and experienced all that she did, she could think of nothing other than going back.

BUT...I have never known more peace than I have felt since moving down here.

Submitting to God’s will, handing over control, giving up ownership of the results, just obediently following God’s leading...has been the absolute best place for me.

And I believe that is what God wants for all of us.

So I want to end with a quote

DL Moody

A great many people are trying to make peace, but that has already been done. God has not left it for us to do; all we have to do is enter into it.

So as we enter into this final song, what choice will you make

Keep trying to find peace through your own efforts, hobbies, addictions?

Or...Give up trying to find peace in all the wrong places, but instead fully trusting that Jesus, the Prince of Peace, Jehovah Shalom, wants what’s best for you, and will work all things (even the bad) for your good?

We can temporarily dull the pain of life, or we can find true / lasting PEACE.

The choice is yours.

PRAYER 

Will you join me in prayer...

SONG 

As we enter into our final song, I want to open the steps up front as an altar to anyone who needs God this week. The steps are open for you to pray to the God who is with you, who loves you, you wants to give you His peace.

‌

You may feel a hand on your shoulder as I or one of the elders join you in prayer.

BENEDICTION 

Numbers 6:24–26 NIV

“ ‘ “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” ’

This week...

Let’s stop trying to deal with the stress and the chaos of our lives on our own.

Let’s stop putting our faith in the IDOLS of behaviors that only numb the pain of life temporarily.

Let’s turn to the only one who can truly provide us the PEACE and WHOLENESS we seek, Jesus, Jehovah Shalom.

Let’s follow Gideon’s lead and live fully within the WILL OF GOD for our lives, no matter how little sense it makes to us.

Let’s be a people that obey God’s leading, trust God will work all things or our good, and rest in a PEACE that surpasses all understanding.

Let’s be a people that look forward, seeing ourselves as God created us to be, not by the worst moments in our past.

Let’s be a people defined by the PEACE that we have through our Faith in Jesus, no matter the details of our current life situation.

Quick reminder...

Digging Deeper Bible Study - Wednesday at 6:30 PM - Programming for all ages

Marriage Group - Wednesday at 6:30 PM

If you’re new, please fill out the card in the seat back and stop by our info desk, or see me. We’d love to say “hi” and get you know you a bit better.

If you’d like to get more information about taking your next step of faith, fill out the card in the seat back and give it to me or turn it in to the info desk.

I hope you have a great week.

Go in peace.

You are dismissed.

DISCIPLESHIP QUESTIONS (download into APP)

In what ways can we identify the 'idols' in our lives that keep us from experiencing God's peace?

How has your understanding of peace shifted after reflecting on the difference between temporary coping mechanisms and the peace offered by Jesus?

What is one step you can take this week to remove distractions that keep you from pursuing a deeper relationship with God?

How do you perceive God's call on your life in light of the story of Gideon, and what might He be asking you to do?

Reflect on a time when you struggled with peace in your life. How did you ultimately find peace through your faith?

What are some things in your life that you feel are preventing you from feeling at peace?

How can you incorporate prayer or quiet time into your daily routine to help foster a sense of peace?

What actions can you take to turn away from distractions and idols in your life that offer only temporary relief?

How might you encourage a friend who is struggling to find peace in their life, based on what you’ve learned from Gideon’s story?

In what ways can you show trust in God during stressful situations in your life?