Kingless Chaos: When Weakness is Your Strength

INTRODUCTION

[Greeting]

Turn to Judges 6:1-10.

I think many of you will resonate with this. It’s August 7 and the first day of school. You’re walking in the halls saying hi to your friends. You walk into your class find a seat by your friend and the teachers greets everyone, not with good to see you but, take out a sheet of paper because we have a quiz.

If you’re anything like I was, your response is anything but happy. You’re panicking trying to remember if you’re in the right class, trying to remember literally anything you learned last year just so that you can start the year of good. This is the response of someone who is not prepared or maybe you always feel like that when you get a test.

Or maybe you your teacher gives you a unit test and you glance over all the questions just to realizes you know nothing that’s on there and you’re trying to find out how you can get out of this and take it later.

Tonight we meet a guy named Gideon and when God sends an angel to him he is anything but prepared or confident. In fact, he’s hiding in the mountains but what we see God do through him should encourage you as a Christian who may feel ill-equipped to walk out your faith and maybe even scared.

S&R Judges 6:1-10

SERMON

This passage sets us up for the rest of the story of Gideon that spans from chapter 6 to 8. Really what we’ve learned from these 10 verse is the continual cycle of sin from people who are trying to love life on their own terms and do what’s right on their own eyes and ignore God.

Here’s what I want us to see tonight from the life of Gideon - God uses our weakness for His glory when He controls your life.

1. God’s Presence in Weakness (Jdg. 6:11-18)

The first truth I want us to see is how God shows up in our weakness. Look with me at …

Judges 6:15 “And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.””

{State it}

What we see here is that God is present and there with us even when we think He isn’t.

{Explain it}

Judges 6:11-18 introduce to the man that God will call to deliver his people once again named Gideon. Now, what we will see in these verses is the answer to the question, where is God when you need him. Look with me at Judges 6:11–18 “Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”

In this moment, Gideon in hiding in the mountains and trying to keep quiet and not draw attention to himself from the Midians who are they are slaves to and the through an angel, God addresses a man who is anything but a man of valor. Look at Gideon’s response, next.

And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

A couple of things to notice here.

First, notice the rawness of Gideon’s response. He recognizes that the condition that he and his people are in doesn’t give off the vibes of ‘God being with us’ but gives off ‘God has abandoned us’ and he says it.

Second, notice is that Gideon has it all wrong here. Look at verse 13 where Gideon says “the Lord has forsaken us…” the raw truth for Gideon and for us is that God has not forsaken us but we have forsaken God. The very issue that brought the Israelites there in needing Gideon is that their own sin, rebellion, and disobedience has brought them to the condition they find themselves in and yet we see in that even when our sin separates us God is the one still makes the first move and demonstrates that He has not left us and abandoned us but we have walked away and strained the relationships.

It reminds of event likes Summit WKND and our camps that are coming up. We experience the closeness and connection with God but when we get back to life at home with the world fighting for your attention with friends, sports, coaches, chores, and everything us we sometimes come to the place where we think and say “God, I don’t feel close to you or why won’t you speak to me.” It’s important to know that God has not forsaken or left but it’s you and I who leave and wonder off and look back and say why doesn’t feel like God has left.

Gideon has it all wrong his focus wasn't rightly on the sin of His people but on a perceived wrong on God’s part.

The real kicker in verse Judges 6:15 right after the angel tells Gideon that God wants him to speak on God’s behalf. Many people would love to be the person God speaks through but until you have to tell a whole nation they’re living in sin and deal with the social pressures and mockery that comes with it. Look at verse 15 to Gideon’s response “And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.””

Gideon essentially says ‘I’m the weakest of the weakest’. He’s declaring that he doesn't have the qualifications; he’s not important enough, he’s not spiritual enough, and essentially that he’s the wrong man for the job. Really it’s that he’s afraid and scared.

Notice how the angels responds in Judges 6:16 by saying “But I will be with you,…”

{Apply it}

Here’s the reality, the Christian journey is all about doing things that stretch you spiritually; it isn’t about staying comfortable but about stepping into places where you need God.

St Augustine reminds us that..

Faith is to believe what you do not see, or to trust words about a hidden thing which truly exists, though you cannot see it with your eyes.

- Saint Augustine of Hippo

Faith is doing the thing you know to do in light of God’s word when you don’t fully see and trusting that God is already there when you arrive.

Notice, even in Gideon’s story, God doesn’t say: “Gideon, get stronger.” or “Gideon, stop being afraid.” But god reminds him that He will be with him. The goal isn’t you becoming fearless - The goal is you realizing that when you are afraid and fearful, or nervous to live out your faith, God is there with you.

Here’s what I want you to know - If you only follow Jesus when you feel confident you will miss the moments God want to us you the most.

2. God’s Plan in Weakness (Jdg. 7:1-15)

The second truth I want us to see is the plan that God uses in our weakness to demonstrate His power to us and the watching world. God has now sent Gideon on a war campaign against the people who they are enslaved to and we read how God decides to win the war. Look with me at a couple verses that show how God reduced Gideon’s army down to a cry for help! Look in your Bible at vers Judges 7:2–8 “The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’ ” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained. And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.” So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.” And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.” So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. (what they took to war)”

{Illustrate it}

In going to war, we can agree that it should look something like this (show image1, image2, and image3 on the same slide). We shouldn't be able to to see the end of the army. There should be so many that the other army get intimidated before they fight you. Instead, God reduces the army down from over 22,000 men to 300 men who brought food and a trumpet to war.

I saw this picture of a USA women's basketball team getting ready to play an El Salvadorian team in the olympics. Here’s a picture (show image4) You would 1000% expect the USA team to win…and they did 114-19.

In the same way, Gideon and his army would expect to be demolished, which is why Gideon asked for 3 signs and God provided them.

{Apply it}

The messages that God wants us to see is that God will often make you feel outmatched on purpose, so you learn to rely on Him, not yourself. God could have given Gideon more soldiers, better weapons, a stronger strategy, but instead, He took everything away that Gideon would normally trust in.

Some of you are in situations right now where you’re thinking “I’m not enough”, “I don’t know what to say”, or “I don’t have what it takes”. The reality is that’s exactly where God wants you. God’s desire is to demonstrate his power through you as His son or daughter.

That when you share you faith and others ask how do you do that and you’re response is Idk, it was God. When you have a family member who’s not a Christian and you start having gospel conversations and it’s because of God’s Work through you. It when you have a whole team or class and you start living on mission and people start to come to faith because you’re sharing the gospel and now you have a whole team and class that’s on fire for Christ because you simply walked in faith and what started as how can I do this became God did it through me.

Just this week NBA player was cut from a team for calling LGBTQ style of life “unrighteous” (show image5). Look at what he said

"They proclaim Pride Month and the NBA does, too. They show it to the world. They say, 'Come join us for Pride Month to celebrate unrighteousness.' They proclaim it on the billboards. They proclaim it on the streets. Unrighteousness." - Jordan Ivey

Here the pint - God does His best work when you know you don’t have enough.

God didn’t give Gideon what Gideon thought he needed— He gave him Himself. When we have God we have all that we need. Here’s math equation you should learn: God + nothing = everything (show on screen)

3. Gideons Prideful Wrecking (Judges 8:22–28)

The last truth I want us to see is Gideon’s prideful wrecking. Gideon demonstrates how someone who says they want to live for God falls into living and looking like everyone else.

Look at Judges 8:22–24 “Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.” Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.” And Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you: every one of you give me the earrings from his spoil.” (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)”

{State it}

{Explain it}

What we’re seeing here is Gideon say the right thing but does the wrong actions. Verse 23 shows us that Gideon has the right intentions and says that right thing. Gideon declares with his mouth that “the Lord will rule over you”.

He says that truth - only God is able to rule. This is the story of Judges. That God’s people experience chaos because they only do what was right in their own eyes. Essentially they have ruled over themselves and it hasn't gone well.

{Illustrate it}

Has anyone read the book “Lord of the Flies” (show picture of book. image6). The book is about a group of boys stranded on a island without adult supervision and direction and everything becomes chaos. This is true here, too. At your age your life often looks like you saying things like “I want to do this but my parents won’t let me” or things like “I cant believe my parent won’t let me do…”, or even “I’m old enough now to…”

{Explain it}

The book shows us what happens spiritually when we try to rule over our own lives. And thats exactly what we see from Gideon in verse 24.

Gideon said the right thing but what he actually does is make himself a king. This is the epitome of “saying your the king without saying your king”. Gideon avoids giving real credit to God and gives vague mention to Gods rule, he asked for the spoils or loot form the war - something only kings did and his request would have been recieved as an act of submission to him if they gave it, v.29 shows us he had multiple wives, he names his son “Abimelech” which means ‘my father is king’, and more.

{Apply it}

Think of it like this - each time a celebrity wins an aware, what do they say “I want to thank God for this award”, which is the movie they made didn’t honor God at all but made a mockery, or even when a team says the Lord’s prayer with no real intention to live it out. Maybe it’s you, who says your a Christian but your life is everything but following Christ.

One of the 10 commandments in Exodus 20:7 says “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” Gideon and everyone who professes Christ in any way and has no intention of living the life is literally taking the Lord’s name in vein.

The reality is that you can say all the right things about God with your mouth, but if He’s not actually ruling your decisions, your habits, and your life, then you’re still sitting on the throne and that kind of faith won’t lead you to life, it’ll lead you right back into the same chaos God’s trying to rescue you from.

Here’s the point - If God isn’t ruling your life, your words about Him are meaningless.

CONCLUSION

This weekend we celebrate the ultimate form of love that Jesus Christ, the deliverer of sin, has won is salvation for Easter. I think the life of Gideon shows us the gospel in that God sent his son Jesus to die on the cross, not for sinless people, but for weak, sin-ridden, and prideful people Gideon, like me, like you so that we can have eternal life if we’d repent and with our heart and life declare that Jesus Christ is the ruler of our life.

[HBEC]

Tonight, I can see a couple ways for you to respond in your hearts.

1 - You’re the one who says their a Christian but lives a different life. Tonight, in your seat you need to repent truly allow Christ to be Lord of life and you actually follow him. You need people around you that will keep you accountable or else you’ll fall into the same sin-patterns. would you confess that sin to God and maybe to a leader around the room.

2 - You’re here tonight and you’re saying to yourself, I need God to give me strengh to do the hard things that God wants me to do. Find a leader, tell them where you need strength and they will pray for you right here right now. be bold!

3 - You’re here and you’ve never really submitted your life to God in salvation and tonight you feel like you sense God calling you to himself - go find a leader where we can pray with you and coach you!

Stand and Go.