The Right Team, Not The Big Team

INTRODUCTION

Good morning, mighty warriors of God!

Welcome back to Day 3 of our Week of Prayer!

We are in the middle of something POWERFUL this week!

On Day 1, we met Gideon—a young man who was HIDING because he felt small.

But God showed up and called him a MIGHTY WARRIOR!

On Day 2, we watched Gideon tear down the altar to Baal.

Before God could use him in the battle, Gideon had to clean house FIRST!

He had to remove what was standing in the way!

Now today, we get to one of the CRAZIEST parts of the story!

Gideon is finally ready to fight.

He's gathered his army.

He's got 32,000 soldiers ready to go to war!

That sounds pretty good, right?

32,000 people on your team!

But watch what God does next—

God says, "Gideon... you have TOO MANY PEOPLE!"

Wait, WHAT?!

Too MANY?!

Thats Cap

How can you have too many people when you're about to fight a battle?!

Well, warriors, that's what we're going to learn today.

God doesn't need a big crowd

He needs a committed crew!

ILLUSTRATION: THE BASKETBALL TEAM

Let me ask you all a question.

How many of you like basketball?

Okay, good!

Now, let me ask you something.

When you watch an NBA game, how many players are on the court at one time for each team?

That's right—FIVE!

Just five players.

Not ten, not fifteen, not fifty.

FIVE.

Now think about this—

There are MILLIONS of people who love basketball.

There are THOUSANDS of people who play basketball really well.

But when the game is on the line, only FIVE can be on the court.

Why?

Because it's not about having the MOST players

it's about having the RIGHT players!

You could have a hundred players on the bench,

but if they're not working together, you'll lose!

You could have the biggest team in the league,

but if they're scared, you'll lose!

You could have all the talent in the world,

but if they're not committed, you'll lose!

The coach doesn't want the MOST players.

The coach wants the RIGHT players.

Players who are focused.

Players who are committed.

Players who won't quit when the game gets hard!

And guess what?

God is the same way!

God isn't looking for a big crowd.

God is looking for a committed crew!

Now if your bibles have joined you this morning turn with me to Judges chapter 7, starting at verse 1.

Because God is about to do something that makes NO sense to the human mind!

SCRIPTURE READING: JUDGES 7:1-8 (CSB)

Let's read together:

Judges 7:1–8 CSB

Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the troops who were with him, got up early and camped beside the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them, below the hill of Moreh, in the valley. The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many troops for me to hand the Midianites over to them, or else Israel might elevate themselves over me and say, ‘I saved myself.’ Now announce to the troops, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’ ” So twenty-two thousand of the troops turned back, but ten thousand remained. Then the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many troops. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. If I say to you, ‘This one can go with you,’ he can go. But if I say about anyone, ‘This one cannot go with you,’ he cannot go.” So he brought the troops down to the water, and the Lord said to Gideon, “Separate everyone who laps water with his tongue like a dog. Do the same with everyone who kneels to drink.” The number of those who lapped with their hands to their mouths was three hundred men, and all the rest of the troops knelt to drink water. The Lord said to Gideon, “I will deliver you with the three hundred men who lapped and hand the Midianites over to you. But everyone else is to go home.” So Gideon sent all the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred troops, who took the provisions and their rams’ horns. The camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

CONTEXT: THE ENEMY'S ARMY WAS MASSIVE

Now let me give you some background so you can understand how CRAZY this is!

The Midianites, who are Gideon's enemies had a HUGE army.

The Bible says in Judges 6:5 that they came like LOCUSTS

That means they were too many to count!

Some scholars say the Midianite army was about 135,000 soldiers!

That's like filling up a giant football stadium!

And Gideon started with 32,000 men.

Now, 32,000 against 135,000 is ALREADY not good odds!

Gideon was already outnumbered more than 4 to 1!

But then God says, "You have TOO MANY people!"

Can you imagine how Gideon must have felt?

He must have said to himself,

“God, we're ALREADY outnumbered, and You want me to send people HOME?!"

But God knew something Gideon didn't know.

God wasn't worried about the SIZE of the army

He was concerned about the HEART of the army!

POINT 1: THE FIRST TEST—WHO'S AFRAID?

So God tells Gideon to make an announcement.

Verse 3: "Whoever is fearful and trembling may turn back and leave."

God gave the scared people permission to go home!

And watch what happened—

22,000 people LEFT!

22,000 soldiers said, "You know what? I'm out!"

That's more than TWO-THIRDS of the army!

They just walked away!

Now, some of you all might think, "Wow, those people were cowards!"

But hold on

let me be real with you.

It takes courage to admit you're afraid.

And God didn't want people in the battle who were going to panic and run when things got hard!

See, scared soldiers spread fear to everyone around them!

When you're scared and you're on the team, your fear can infect other people!

God was saying, "I don't need people who are just here because they felt pressured to show up."

God wants people who are committed even when they're scared!

There's a difference between being afraid and being controlled by fear.

Gideon was afraid too

remember, he was hiding in a winepress!

But Gideon didn't let his fear stop him from obeying God!

Courage is not the absence of fear

courage is moving forward DESPITE the fear!

So after the first test, Gideon had 10,000 soldiers left.

That's better, right?

Nope!

God says, "There are STILL too many!"

POINT 2: THE SECOND TEST—HOW DO YOU DRINK WATER?

Now God gives Gideon a second test.

And this one is REALLY interesting!

God says, "Bring them down to the water and watch how they drink."

Now picture this—

10,000 soldiers,

tired and thirsty, come to the water.

Some of them got down on their knees, put their faces in the water, and drank slowly.

They were comfortable.

They were relaxed.

They weren't thinking about the enemy at all.

But some of them

only 300

scooped water up with their hands and lapped it quickly, keeping their eyes UP.

They stayed alert.

They stayed ready.

Even when they were drinking, they were watching!

And God said, "THOSE are the ones I want!

The 300 who stayed alert!"

The 300 weren't just thirsty

they were focused!

They weren't just part of the crowd

they were committed to the mission!

See, the way you do the small things shows how you'll do the big things!

If you're careless when things are calm,

you'll be careless when things get crazy!

But if you stay focused when it's easy,

you'll stay focused when it's hard!

God was looking for soldiers who were ALWAYS ready

not just when it was convenient!

POINT 3: WHY 300? SO GOD GETS THE GLORY!

Now, let me tell you WHY God did this.

Look back at verse 2.

God said: "You have too many people for me to hand the Midianites over to you, or else Israel might elevate themselves over me and say, 'My own strength saved me.'"

Did you catch that?

God said, "If I let you win with 32,000 soldiers, you might start bragging!"

"You might say, 'Look what WE did! Look how strong WE are!'"

But God wanted to make sure that when the victory came, NOBODY could take the credit except HIM!

When you win with 300 against 135,000,

you KNOW it wasn't you

it was GOD!

See, God reduced the army so that His power would be on display!

God shrunk the team so that His glory would be MAGNIFIED!

God will sometimes remove things from your life

not to hurt you, but to show you that HE is your source!

When you have less and still win, you know it was the Lord!

When the odds are against you and you still come out on top, you know it was the Lord!

When everybody counted you out but you still made it, you know it was the Lord!

God doesn't need your numbers

He needs your surrender!

God doesn't need your strength

He needs your obedience!

God doesn't need a big crowd

He needs a committed crew!

POINT 4: SDA THEOLOGICAL INSIGHT—THE REMNANT

Now, Warriors, I want you to understand something deep.

This story isn't just about Gideon

it's about US!

As Adventists, we believe in something called the REMNANT.

The remnant is a small group of people who stay faithful to God when everyone else walks away.

Throughout history, God has always had a remnant!

When the whole world was wicked,

God had Noah and his family—just 8 people!

When Israel worshipped the golden calf, God had Moses and the faithful ones!

When Elijah thought he was all alone,

God said, "I have 7,000 who haven't bowed to Baal!"

God has always worked through the FEW who stayed faithful,

not the MANY who followed the crowd!

In the last days, God is going to have a remnant people.

A people who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus!

A people who don't compromise!

A people who don't follow the crowd!

A people who stay committed even when it's not popular!

Gideon's 300 is a picture of God's remnant

a small in number, but MIGHTY in faith!

The question is: Will YOU be part of the committed few?

APPLICATION: ARE YOU PART OF THE CROWD OR TRULY COMMITTED?

Allow me to get personal for a minute.

Warriors, I need to ask you a question.

Are you just part of the CROWD, or are you truly COMMITTED?

See, it's easy to be in the crowd.

The crowd shows up when it's convenient.

The crowd follows when it's popular.

The crowd is there when things are good but disappears when things get hard.

But the committed crew is DIFFERENT!

The committed crew shows up even when they don't feel like it.

The committed crew stays faithful even when their friends don't.

The committed crew keeps their eyes on God even when everyone else is distracted!

Let me ask you some questions:

When it's time to pray, are you part of the crowd or the committed crew?

The crowd only prays when they're in trouble.

The committed crew prays every single day!

When it's time to stand up for what's right, are you part of the crowd or the committed crew?

The crowd stays quiet because they don't want to look different.

The committed crew speaks up because they love God more than they love popularity!

When it's time to worship, are you part of the crowd or the committed crew?

The crowd mumbles the words and thinks about lunch.

The committed crew worships with their whole heart!

God is looking for 300 in this room!

God is looking for young people who won't quit!

God is looking for warriors who will stay alert and stay committed!

THE CALL TO COMMITMENT: AN APPEAL FOR BAPTISM

Now, Warriors, I want to talk to you about something important.

Being part of the 300

being truly committed

requires a DECISION.

You can't just float along and hope you end up on God's team.

You have to CHOOSE.

Joshua said it like this: "Choose this day whom you will serve!"

And one of the most important ways we show our commitment to God is through BAPTISM.

Baptism is when you publicly say, "I'm not just part of the crowd anymore—I'm ALL IN for Jesus!"

Baptism is when you go down in the water and the old you gets buried.

And when you come up out of that water, you're showing the world that you're a NEW creation!

You're part of God's committed crew!

Maybe you've been thinking about baptism.

Maybe you've been sitting on the fence, not sure if you're ready.

Let me tell you something—

God didn't call the 300 because they were perfect

He called them because they were WILLING!

You don't have to have it all figured out.

You don't have to be the smartest or the strongest.

You just have to be COMMITTED.

If there's someone in this room today who wants to say,

"I want to be part of the committed crew. I want to be baptized and give my life fully to Jesus"—

I want you to start thinking about that.

Pray about it.

Talk to your parents,

talk to your teachers.

On Friday, we're going to have a special moment where you can make that decision known.

But today, let God speak to your heart.

He's not looking for perfection

He's looking for commitment!

CHALLENGE: BE ONE OF THE 300

So here's my challenge for you today.

When you leave this room, I want you to make a decision.

I want you to decide to be ONE OF THE 300!

Not part of the 22,000 who left because they were too scared.

Not part of the 9,700 who were there but weren't really paying attention.

But part of the 300 who said, "I'm focused, I'm committed, and I'm ready!"

Being part of the 300 means you pray when nobody's watching!

Being part of the 300 means you read your Bible even when you don't feel like it!

Being part of the 300 means you stand up for what's right even if you stand alone!

Being part of the 300 means you're not in this for the popularity—you're in this for the KING!

God is raising up an army in this generation!

But He's not looking for the biggest army.

He's looking for the most FAITHFUL army!

Will you be one of the 300?

Closing

As we wrap up today,

Somebody in here is ready to make a commitment today!

Somebody in here is tired of being part of the crowd!

Somebody is ready to say, "God, I'm not going to be lukewarm anymore!"

"I'm not going to be half-in and half-out!"

"I'm going to be FULLY committed to You!"

Can I tell you something?

God is not impressed by big numbers!

He's impressed by BIG FAITH!

God is not looking for the most talented!

He's looking for the most SURRENDERED!

When Gideon went to battle with 300 against 135,000—

HE WON!

Because it was never about HIS army

it was about HIS GOD!

And the same God who gave Gideon the victory is YOUR God!

The same God who used 300 to defeat thousands wants to use YOU!

Not because you're the biggest!

Not because you're the strongest!

Not because you're the most popular!

But because you're WILLING!

Because you're COMMITTED!

Because you said YES to Jesus!

You might feel like you're small, but you serve a BIG God!

You might feel outnumbered, but heaven is on YOUR side!

You might feel like you're not enough, but God says YOU ARE CHOSEN!

Stand up, Warriors!

Stand up if you want to be one of the 300!

Stand up if you're tired of following the crowd!

Stand up if you're ready to be COMMITTED!

It's not about the big team

it's about the RIGHT team!

It's not about the numbers

it's about the HEART!

It's not about popularity

it's about being FAITHFUL!

Let us pray...

Father God, thank You for this powerful Word today.

Thank You for showing us that You don't need big crowds

You need committed hearts.

I pray for every young person in this room.

Stir something in their hearts.

Call them out of the crowd and into commitment.

Help them to be like the 300

focused, alert, and faithful.

And Lord, for those who are thinking about baptism,

about giving their lives fully to You,

speak to their hearts this week.

Show them that You're calling them to be part of Your committed crew.

We love You,

we honor You,

and we give You all the glory.

In Jesus' mighty name,

AMEN!

Tomorrow is Day 4

we'll see how God gave Gideon a strategy that made NO sense,

but led to TOTAL victory!

Get ready for "Strange Weapons, Supernatural Victory!"

See you tomorrow, warriors!