Fearless for Christ!

INTRO:

“Keep your fears to yourself; share your courage with others.” - Robert Louis Stevenson

In nature the African impala can jump fifteen feet straight up, and thirty feet in distance to avoid predators.

· However, the Minneapolis zoo keeps them behind walls only three feet high.

· How can this be?

· Well, you see, from a very young age the impala’s are trained to believe that they can’t jump over the wall and among the means of teaching this is to keep the animals from seeing where they would land on the other side.

· If the impala can’t see its landing spot, it won’t jump.

Many of us, as Christians, have never seen the landing spot for this jump I have been asking us to make.

· The jump? It’s out into this world for the purpose of meeting the needs of people and our community

· It’s one of Satan’s most diabolical tricks, to tell you that you can’t do it.

· You are too afraid to step out for the purpose of winning people to Christ, and serving the world in love in Jesus’ name.

But, here’s the thing: You have the ability to do just that.

You have the strength, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to do things things for God you never thought you could do!

· Fear is not something that we should give in to.

· Remember...

2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV

7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

· God has not given us a spirit of fear, and yet, so many people today live paralyzed by fear.

Last week I began reiterating the vision that I believe God has for Landmark, that of being externally focused.

· I know that when I start talking about people doing more ministry on an individual basis it strikes fear into the hearts of the common Christian.

- I remind you that statistics say that only 2% of Christians EVER share their faith.

· Well, I hope that in becoming more outwardly focused, meaning we develop relationships with strangers, those in need, and especially those who are lost, we can allay some fears.

· I’m not saying I want you to start preaching on the corner.

· But, still, fear becomes common when a church and a people who have long ignored the mission contemplate getting back to it.

So this week I want to talk to you about how God takes those who fear and makes them fearless…without fear.

· Wouldn’t it be great to live life as a fearless evangelist for Christ?

· As we seek to become the church and the people God wants us to be, God wants us to know we should have no fear.

In Judges 6 and 7 we see how God delivers someone from their fear to a very strong point of faith.

Today, we are going to examine the story of a guy named Gideon.

· This is not the same Gideon who stayed in the hotel before you.

· This is the guy in the Old Testament that was scared to death of a group of people known as the Midianites.

· Let’s pick up the story in...

Judges 6:1–2 NIV

1 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. 2 Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds.

Let me give you just some history that will help you understand these two verses.

· Two hundred years before this, Israel had defeated the Midianites, and after that, Israel got cocky and they started to think, “Hey, we’re good in ourselves,” and because they stopped depending on God, God actually removed His blessing, and Israel stopped increasing in number.

· On the other hand, though, the Midianites, if you read their story, they were multiplying like bunny rabbits.

· In fact, they became so populated that the Bible says they were like swarms of locusts.

· Now, imagine their sense of revenge and their desire to get Israel back, it was growing and growing and growing and growing.

In the meantime, the Midianites, according to most historians, were the first people to domesticate the camel.

· Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Well, what they did is, they were now able to travel and use the camel as a weapon of warfare so they could get places faster and healthier than others could.

· Two hundred years they are plotting revenge, when all of a sudden, they’re so big, the Midianites started to attack Israel.

· They were not attacking just to take over. They were attacking to destroy.

You can read in verses 3-6 in Judges 6, and you can see what they were doing.

· They killed people!

· They tried to destroy their livestock.

· They would ruin their crops.

· They’re goal was destruction.

· Israel was now living in poverty.

· They were scared to death, and they were hiding, because the enemy was so great.

That’s when God sent an angel of the Lord to a guy who was very, very afraid.

· His name was Gideon.

Judges 6:11 NIV

11 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.

· Now, what does that mean?

· Well, he was basically doing his job threshing wheat, but he was hiding in a winepress, or in a kind of a cave area, because he was so afraid that the enemy would attack him and kill him.

· Verse 12 says...

Judges 6:12 NIV

12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

· He called him a mighty warrior!

This reminds me of the movie Shrek when the princess called Donkey Shrek’s noble steed.

It’s reminiscent because neither Donkey nor Gideon seemed to be what they were labeled in the stories.

But, the difference is Donkey was proud to called this, and when the Angel of the lord called Gideon a “mighty warrior” he was terrified.

o This is just almost hilarious, because here you’ve got a guy whose knees are knocking.

o “Don’t get me. Don’t find me. I’m afraid of the bad guys,”

o And, the angel of the Lord says, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

God saw something in Gideon that Gideon didn’t see in himself.

· The same is true for you.

· As God looks into your life, God will see more inside of you than you see in yourself.

· The Lord is with you. God is with you. God is for you. If God is for you, who can be against you?

The Lord spoke to him and called him something that he didn’t feel at all of himself.

· God said, “You are a mighty warrior.”

· Now, as soon as God stirs in you, and you start to sense God wants to do something great, “God created me for a divine purpose. God wants me to make His name great. God wants me to do something …” as soon as that happens, almost every single time, if you are like me, your insecurities will rise to the top.

· All of the reasons why you are not the right person will rise to the top, and we see two very distinct insecurities rise to the top of Gideon’s life.

1. God speaks to him, and all of a sudden we see Gideon was afraid that God wasn’t going to be faithful.

o Gideon was afraid that God’s word was not going to be true.

Judges 6:13 NIV

13 “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.”

o If God is with us, then why is everything going south?

o Now, what’s interesting is Gideon should have known, because God had already sent a prophet to tell them basically, “Israel, it is because you haven’t been paying attention to me.”

o But, Gideon’s question is very revealing.

o He is wondering about the character and the faithfulness of God, which so many of us, if we were honest, we’d say we do the same thing.

“God, if Your word is really true, how come I have such a hard time believing it? God, when I pray, if You are supposed to answer the prayers, how come it seems like whatever I pray for doesn’t happen? In fact, often the opposite happens. God, how come it seems like the good people experience pain and the bad people get ahead? God, if You are really there, why? Why? Why is all of this happening? Why does it seem like, instead of moving forward, we’re always moving backwards? God, why?”

Gideon, like so many of us, started to question the faithfulness of God.

2. His second great insecurity is this; Gideon was also afraid that he wasn’t good enough.

o I don’t know about you, but man, I can relate to this.

o Watch what Gideon says.

Judges 6:15 NIV

15 “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.”

o Do you ever feel like that?

“God, I am not the person to go out and start serving people and my community because I can’t do it!”

“God, I’m the wrong dude, okay? In case You didn’t notice, I’m scared, and I’m insecure, and I don’t feel like I’m good enough.”

o Maybe you can relate.

o You sense that God is calling you to do something, and all of a sudden, you present all the reasons as to why you are the wrong person.

“God, I’m the wrong one for this job!”

o Fear keeps us from doing the things God wants us to do!

What has fear kept you from doing that God is calling you to do?

o What has fear, an ungodly fear, kept you from doing that God is calling you to do?

For many of you, God may call you to..

· …share your faith with somebody, but you are afraid

· …ministry.

o God is calling you to take a step up in the church, to be the church, to stop just going to church, but toBE the church!

o …to lead in the church, or lead better in the church.

· And in the back of your mind, you’re thinking, “But I’m not spiritual enough, and what if I mess up?”

And others of you, God may be stirring within you an idea, and it is a good business idea and you want to launch out and start the business, but in the back of your mind you’re going, “What if I mess it up? What if this isn’t God? What if He doesn’t come through? What if I get out there and I am incapable?”

· Others of you, God has burned a vision in your heart for a relationship, and you want to go and initiate a relationship, but in the back of your mind, you are afraid and you don’t think you can stomach another rejection again as long as you live, so you are paralyzed, alone, afraid, wanting to reach out, but afraid to do it.

· Some of you, and this will speak right to you, you are on a spiritual line and you know it’s time to step across and give everything to Jesus.

God says, “I am with you,” and there is a mighty warrior inside of you.

· And when you start to hesitate, say…

o But, God, is that true?

o Can I trust You?

o But, God, am I good enough?”

· When that happens, remember what God did in Gideon!

· God took Gideon, an unsure, insecure, and fearful person to do the impossible.

· God loves to do this kind of thing with His creation.

· God loves to take unlikely, unsure, insecure, and fearful people, and do what only He can do.

· Some of you right now, you are facing an impossible situation.

· All logic says this deal is not going to work out.

· Let God do in you what He does so well, what He did for Gideon.

CLOSE: Two Gideon Truths

1. Understand, with God, His strength through your weakness is exactly enough.

Judges 6:14 NIV

14 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?”

· If God is calling you, don’t you think He will equip you?

· God told Gideon, “I called you, I will keep you!”

· If you are hesitant to go when God calls just remember, He called you…

· He thinks you’re the one.

· He sees it in you!

· You are a mighty warrior!

Our weakness is a great conduit for God’s strength!

· Where are you weak right now?

· It’s a perfect place for God to show up and do a work in you.

Look at verse 16...

Judges 6:16 NIV

16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

Gideon is still freaking out.

· The LORD told, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, and we’ll do it together."

· When you believe that God is with you, the deal is done.

· There’s no reason to worry or to stay awake all night long freaking out, can’t sleep, going over things in your mind, going over them over and over again.

· When God is with you, it’s settled!

· No reason to be afraid!

· No reason to be freaked out all the time!

· When God is with you, it’s done!

When we go from belief in that to having conviction that that is true we will begin to accomplish whatever god asks of us.

· But, Gideon, like so many of us, was struggling with this belief, and so he says basically, “Okay, God, I think You want to deliver. Am I hearing you right, God? What You want to do is, You want to use me to lead Israel to defeat all of these bad guys.”

· God says, “Yes, very good.” And he said, “Okay. Now I just want to make sure You are in on this. God, if this is You, what I am going to need you to do is give me a sign.”

· Have any of you ever done this before? “God, I need a sign.”

· So, Gideon asked for an impossible sign, twice.

Gideon starts to believe, but God isn’t through teaching Gideon about our weaknesses and His strengths.

· With an army of about 32,000 men Gideon was probably thinking this was a “good start” but…

· History tells us that at this time there were probably about 150,000 men in the Midianite army.

· They were also buddies with the Amalekites, who would team up along with other people from the East, so it’s safe to say there were some 200,000 or more people who would be engaged in battle against an army of 32,000.

God, though, would whittle Israel down to just 300 men!

· Then, Israel would know that it was God who defeated the Midianites and not the Israelites themselves.

2. The second Gideon truth is that with God, the way forward is often backwards.

· God does a slingshot effect here.

· A slingshot must go backwards before it can go forward with force enough to accomplish the job.

God wants to take you backwards, sometimes, before He can release you to accomplish His plan for your life.

· God sees something in you that no one else sees.

· He is with you, a mighty warrior, and as soon as you sense that, all of your insecurities may arise.

· But, in your life, God wants to do for you what He did for Gideon.

· Take you from a place of fear to a place of fearlessness.

And all of this not because God wants you to be successful in the world’s eyes, but to be so in the His eyes.

What is God calling you to do that you think, either God can’t do it (you’re not trusting him), or that YOU can’t do it (you’re not trusting God called the right person)?

Church, God is calling us to get on mission and change the world around us!

An let me assure you, He is trustworthy in His promises, and He is correct in His callings.

Are you going to remain in fear all of your Christian walk, or are you going to let God make you fearless in His calling on your life?

Please let God do the latter.

Let God make you fearless in Christ!

Let us pray...