Not qualified, Not a Problem

Courage in the Call: Answering God's Commission

Bible Passage: Jdg 6:11–27

Summary: This passage recounts Gideon's initial encounter with God, where he is called to deliver Israel from oppression. Despite his fears and doubts, Gideon ultimately responds to God's prompting with faith and courage, illustrating the theme of divine calling in the face of personal inadequacy.

Application: This message encourages Christians to embrace their calling to evangelism, reminding them that God equips those whom He calls. Just as Gideon faced insecurities yet chose to act, so too can believers find the strength to share the gospel amidst their fears and self-doubt.

Teaching: The sermon will teach that God often calls individuals who feel least qualified. It underscores the importance of developing courage to respond to God's voice, trust in His promises, and act in obedience, even when the task seems daunting or the individual feels unprepared.

How this passage could point to Christ: Gideon's story foreshadows Christ, who was called to deliver God's people from the ultimate oppression of sin. Just as God empowered Gideon, Christ empowers His followers through the Holy Spirit to fulfill the great commission, demonstrating that our strength lies not in ourselves but in Him.

Big Idea: God calls us to courageous obedience; when we respond faithfully, He accomplishes His work through us, regardless of our fears.

Recommended Study: As you prepare this sermon, consider exploring the historical context of Israel's oppression and how it relates to contemporary struggles. Using Logos, investigate the original Hebrew text for insight into Gideon’s hesitations and God’s assurances. Look into commentaries that highlight how Gideon's call parallels New Testament calls to discipleship, helping to draw connections between the Old and New Covenant commissions.

Questions:

Have you ever been given a job that you felt you weren’t ready for?

Maybe you didn’t feel qualified, or that you didn’t have enough experience?

You felt the job could be better handled by someone else?

The boss thew you in the deep end, and it was a case of sink or swim?

I think we have all have had these experiences at school, at work, even at home with the honey do list, or dealing with the kids, or grand kiddo’s.

Just about every day we face multiple challenges, some are easy, others require a quick look on YouTube for advice on how to get the task done. YouTube has helped me figure out how to do all sorts of things, especially when it comes to fixing something on my car.

Today’s question is this:

Have you ever been told to do something by the Angel of the Lord?

Probably not! There are many instances in the Bible when the Lord called on men to do a task that probably wouldn’t have been the first choice by man's standards . Noah had never built a boat before, Jonah was rebellious and thought he could run away, David was just a kid with a sling shot.

Hebrews 11:32–34

32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

English Standard Version

Today we will look at someone who did get a call from the angel of the Lord, out of the book of Judges , Gideon.

Opening Prayer

God rarely picks people who are extremely qualified to do His work. Rather, He often chooses those who, from the world’s perspective, are weak and less than qualified, yet have deep hunger to know Him.

Charles Stanley

The book of Judges takes place in the timer period after the death of Joshua and all of the elders who lived and saw all the works that were done by the Lord during the time of the Exodus and the rise of the Monarchy of Samuel. There is a reoccurring theme throughout this book and it is this.

English Standard Version Chapter 2

Israel’s Unfaithfulness

11 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals. 12 And they abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the LORD to anger. 13 They abandoned the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. 14 So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. 15 Whenever they marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them for harm, as the LORD had warned, and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.

And ends with this Jdg 21:25

Judges 21:25 ESV

25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Judges takes place after after

1. Found but Fearful

Judges 6:11–16 ESV

11 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. 12 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 13 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.” 14 And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” 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.” 16 And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”

Maybe start by highlighting how Gideon was found in a place of fear and doubt, yet God addressed him as a 'mighty warrior.' This demonstrates that God sees us not only as we are, but as we will be through His power and purpose. It's an encouragement that God calls us based on His view of our potential, not our current state. Just as Gideon needed to hear God's assurance repeatedly, you could suggest that believers also need to immerse themselves in God’s promises to gain the courage necessary for their divine calling.

2. Seeking Signs of Assurance

Judges 6:17–21 ESV

17 And he said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. 18 Please do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you.” And he said, “I will stay till you return.” 19 So Gideon went into his house and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the terebinth and presented them. 20 And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour the broth over them.” And he did so. 21 Then the angel of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes. And fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight.

You could explain how Gideon sought confirmation through offering a sacrifice, paralleling our need for assurance in areas of doubt and cultural pressures. Emphasize that God meets us where we are, even when we request signs or confirmation before taking bold steps in His calling. Encouraging the congregation, you might compare Gideon's humble request to our requests for God's guidance and assurance when sharing our faith, reminding us that God is patient and willing to reveal His faithfulness as we seek Him.

3. Building Bold Beginnings

Judges 6:22–27 ESV

22 Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. And Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.” 23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.” 24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites. 25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it 26 and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order. Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you shall cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night.

Perhaps discuss Gideon's response of building an altar after realizing he had encountered God. This act of worship and obedience set the stage for his mission. Suggest to the congregation that establishing places of spiritual significance—like personal worship or acts of faith—can be foundational as we answer God's call. You could draw connections to how Jesus Himself worshipped before His ministry tasks and encourage believers to see each step of obedience as a building block in fulfilling their God-given mission.

God has qualified us through the finished work of Christ.

John F. MacArthur