Responding to The Call Putting Trust Into Action Part 1

Responding to the Call Putting Trust to Action Sermon by Pastor Rich Miller 12/27/2019 (Sermon Title Slide) Introduction: As we rapidly approach the end of another year and begin to start a new one many people take this season to reflect on new goals. We have all heard of the New Year’s resolutions which frankly almost no one really sticks with but spiritually speaking it is important from time to time to pray and seek the Lord’s plan and purpose for your life. (Slide A) Some of you may not realize this but everyone is called by God to do something for the Kingdom. (Next Slide) In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus gives all of us as Christians the great commission when He states: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the ages.” No matter what direction our life, spiritual walk or ministry take, this commandment from God gives clear meaning and purpose to all of our lives. (Slide B) With the Great Commission being established as the purpose or the what that we are supposed to be doing, many people will struggle or have struggled with exactly how they contribute to this assignment. And while my message today is not going to be on Spiritual Giftings, though we will be doing a series on that in the future, I do feel that it is important to quickly see what the Bible says about different gifts or tools if you will that the Holy Spirit gives us to use for the Kingdom before we move on to today’s text. (Next Slide) The Apostle Paul teaches us about the five-fold ministry in Ephesians 4:11 11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. (Next Slide) Again Paul writes this time about Spiritual Gifts in: 1 Corinthians 12:3-11  3 So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit. 4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. 7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice[b]; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.[c] 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages,[d] while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. (Slide C) While we can clearly observe that the Spirit gives many gifts to us as believers, it can be a challenge at times for some of us to know our giftings while for others it will seem to be obvious. (Slide D) There are processes for determining these gifting which again we will study in a future date but the common denominator in being used for the Lord comes down simply to our Faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, being grounded in the Scriptures and not making up our own doctrines, being sensitive to and being filled with and led by the Holy Spirit and also what we will be speaking about in this particular series which is our responsiveness to the call God places on our lives. Someone can have great potential, or a powerful anointing placed on them but if they are not faithful or obedient to put that call into action then they will be of limited use for the Kingdom. However, if someone acts when they hear the call of the Lord then they will be of great use for the Kingdom. Today we will begin to study Gideon and how he reacted when the Lord placed a call on his life to rescue the Israelites from the hands of the Midianities. We will see through this series that the confidence to operate in our callings often comes in stages as we see the Lord act through us and for us. (Next Slide) Scripture Reference Judges 6:11-32 (NLT) 1 Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. 12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” 13 “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.” 14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” 15 “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” 16 The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.” 17 Gideon replied, “If you are truly going to help me, show me a sign to prove that it is really the Lord speaking to me. 18 Don’t go away until I come back and bring my offering to you.” He answered, “I will stay here until you return.” 19 Gideon hurried home. He cooked a young goat, and with a basket* of flour he baked some bread without yeast. Then, carrying the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, he brought them out and presented them to the angel, who was under the great tree. 20 The angel of God said to him, “Place the meat and the unleavened bread on this rock and pour the broth over it.” And Gideon did as he was told. 21 Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and bread with the tip of the staff in his hand, and fire flamed up from the rock and consumed all he had brought. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. 22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he cried out, “Oh, Sovereign Lord, I’m doomed! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” 23 “It is all right,” the Lord replied. “Do not be afraid. You will not die.” 24 And Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and named it Yahweh-Shalom (which means “the Lord is peace”). The altar remains in Ophrah in the land of the clan of Abiezer to this day. (Slide E) The Lord Calls Us and Gives Us a New Name Verse 12 begins with the Lord appearing to Gideon and calling him Mighty Hero and confirming the Lord is with him. When the Lord calls, He will give us a new name to operate in. Some people will say things like “I don’t care about titles” or “I don’t need training” but the idea is that we do not want to have titles or training for prideful reasons like the scribes and the Pharisees did in the time of Jesus but rather our titles or training reflect the new identity that we are given through Christ and that is something of value. Much in the same way we refer to ourselves at Christians upon salvation, that title is now part of our new identity in Christ. That is important because if we are going to operate effectively when the Lord calls, we have to identify ourselves in that role to do our very best. Again, this is not for pride or to be puffed up but to know that the Lord has given us an important work to do and to keep us humble to know who we are working for and to give us the confidence to do that work. For example, I am a sinner saved by Grace just the same as all believers but when someone calls me Pastor it is not to inflate my ego it a recognition of the work the Lord has given me to do. When I hear that I am instantly humbled and reminded of the awesome responsibility and honor I have been given to help equip others for their work in the kingdom and to help them draw closer to the Lord. The same can be said for anyone who either serves in the church or attends the church. We are all an equal part of something bigger than ourselves which glorifies God and blesses others. (Slide F) We question why based on circumstances: Verse 13 picks up with Gideon respectfully asking the Lord if He is with them then why have all these bad things happened to them. Gideon goes on to ask where are the miracles that they have been told about and that himself and the other Israelites feel abandoned. Have any of you been there as well? Wanting to trust God when He calls you to do something but then looking around at your situation or the situation He is calling you to and feeling like if God loves me then where is He and why has He let these things happen to me. Most of us have experienced that at some point in our walk but the truth is that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and our joy teaches us to be faithful despite the circumstances whether good, bad or indifferent. When we question the Lord’s goodness it stems from pain and a lack of faith that things will get better. (Slide G) The Lord does not owe us an explanation but will refocus us to keep moving forward Verse 14 reminds us that the Lord does not owe us an explanation to our laments, and many times will not give closure but redirect us to focus on the task at hand. The Lord directly tells Gideon to move forward with the strength he has and do what He told him to do. In your walk with the Lord there will be times when you have emotional break downs or moment when you won’t feel the Lord but don’t stay in the place but rather regroup and keep moving forward using what we do have even if its little. (Slide H) Know your worth through Christ Jesus Verse 15 states that Gideon once again is looking at his circumstances and concluding that he is not the one to help lead the Israelites to victory. Gideon states that he is the least of the least. He is from the weakest clan in the whole tribe and even further he is the least in his whole family. What Gideon is saying here is basically that he is of little value or feel like he really has nothing to offer. Statements like these are lies from the devil because all humans have value. We are made in the image of God and the Lord loves us so much that He suffered and died so that all of us may live and have a relationship with Him. Through our faith in Jesus nothing is impossible! (Slide I) Trust the Lord and His faithfulness The Bible teaches us that the Lord will never leave us or forsake us amen! The Lord tells Gideon in verse 16 that He will be with him and that the Lord Almighty will fight for him. If you are ever in a place where you honestly don’t worthy or if you ever feel like you cannot do what God has called you to do on your own or perhaps that you don’t really have much to offer at all then let your confidence rest in the Lord. For as it is written in our weakness, He is made strong. The Lord knows your situations and background before He ever calls you and all He is asking for is your faith that when you can’t get it done that He will be there fighting for you and helping you that we cannot brag on our own abilities but rather that God be glorified. (Slide J) It is ok to ask for a sign Verse 17 teaches us that it is appropriate and ok to ask God to give you a sign as confirmation. While the best-case scenario is that you are spiritually sensitive to the Holy Spirit and know the Lords voice there may be times especially in matters of great importance that you want to ask Jesus to give you a sign as confirmation. I have done this myself personally and many times I have seen a sign. Other times I did not and had to trust the Lord and the leading of the Holy Spirit. In either scenario when I obeyed God things always worked out for the best even if it didn’t seem like it at the time. We can see in verse 21 that the Lord was gracious to Gideon and did in fact give him a sign when he touched the meal with the tip of his staff and fire flamed up from the rock and consumed all that Gideon had brought. (Slide K) Acknowledge the Lord’s Voice and Worship Him In verse 22 Gideon finally comes to the realization that it was in fact the Lord who had been speaking with him, calling him to rescue Israel. Upon this realization Gideon prays for mercy and builds and altar to the Lord naming it Yahweh-Shalom which means the Lord is peace. When God has been calling you to do something for him and you final get to the point where it clicks and you stop buying into the lies of the enemy that you are not good enough or that you don’t have the resources you need and you start using what you do have and trusting the Lord to provide the rest, at that point and at all points in between for that matter give special worship to Jesus. Thank Him for never giving up on you and for being patient and peaceful during your journey to Him. Make a mental or physical altar to celebrate and glorify God and as a reminder that you do not forget that the Lord is the one who has given a special plan and purpose for your life and it is Him that will bless you and guide you and equip you to be His hands and feet to others. (Sermon Title Slide) Closing Just like Gideon, the Lord has a special plan and purpose for your life. If you pray to Him and seek Him then not only will He reveal that to you but also, He will equip and provide what you need to do the work He calls you to do. We are all human and have to deal with emotions, situations and at times trying to determine how we best fit into the Great Commission of leading others to Christ. However, if you trust Jesus and have the faith to step out into your calling then He will make a way where there seems to be no way. God loves you and so do I. Have a great week!