Deborah

Dark Horses

Deborah

This morning we are going to start a new series called, “Dark Horses.”

What’s the definition of a Dark Horse?

a usually little known contender (as a racehorse) that makes an unexpectedly good showing 2. an entrant in a contest that is judged unlikely to succeed.

A Dark Horse is basically something that you don’t have high expectations for and they do something very well.

I think that line “unlikely to succeed” says it all.

An example can be a team or person winning a game/tournament that nobody expected.

So we’re going to look at some people in the Bible that did some great things.

Many of them did things nobody, including themselves, thought they could do.

Today we are going to talk about Deborah.

Has anyone heard of Deborah in the bible?

Deborah was a judge

A judge is "a ruler or a military leader as well as someone who presided over legal hearings.”

Before they had kings the Israelites were led by judges.

Deborah was the only woman judge.

She was also a prophetess.

Let’s take a look at part of her story in Judges chapter 4.

NIV “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, now that Ehud was dead.2 So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commander of his army, was based in Harosheth Haggoyim.3 Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help. 4 Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time.5 She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided. 6 She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor. 7 I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’” 8 Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.” 9 “Certainly I will go with you,” said Deborah. “But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.”

So the Israelites turn away from God AGAIN and the Lord had them taken into the hands of Jabin for 20 years.

So the Lord tells Deborah that it’s go time!!

But the important part is that she tells Barak to lead a group of men to Mount Tabor where she will lead the enemy into his hands, and what was his response?

I’ll go if you go! So Deborah says she will but because of that you will not receive the honor that you would if you went on your own.

What I want to talk about today is how God gives us all gifts and talents but we have to choose to use them.

Jesus told a parable about talents and how we should use them.

For sake of time I’m going to give you a quick summary of what Jesus said.

He talks about a master who gave 5 bags of silver to one servant, 2 to another and 1 to the last servant.

In this parable He makes an interesting statement.

He says, “dividing it in proportion to their abilities.”

So the master leaves and the servant with 5 bags double it, the same as the one with 2 bags.

The servant with 1 decided to dig a hole and hide his bag.

So when the master comes home and asks to see what they did with their talents (money) he had the same response for the first two.

“... “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

But listen to what he said to the other one.

“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.

So what happened here?

The first two servants used their talents and ultimately were rewarded for what they did.

The third servant did not use his talents and let fear stop him and was punished for it.

He missed out on the blessing that the master WANTED to give him.

This is what happened to Barak.

Deborah tells him that HE’S supposed to lead this army into victory.

But for whatever reason he’s too scared to lead by himself so he asks Deborah to go with him.

Being this was such a big task to take on he probably felt that having Deborah (the judge and prophetess) by his side would help motivate the troops.

But that isn’t what God wanted him to do.

And because he didn’t LEAD the way God wanted him to lead and instead chose to basically FOLLOW Deborah, his blessing and honor that was MEANT for him was given to someone else.

We have to understand that God is building His kingdom.

And every one of us has a part to play in building that kingdom.

God has given each of us gifts and talents to help build his kingdom.

But you can choose to use that gift or bury it.

But if you choose to bury it, God will find someone else who will use it and YOU will miss out on the blessing God wants to give YOU.

NIV “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

Notice how it says with “WHATEVER” gifts you have.

Whether you have a lot of gifts or only one or two you need to be using them!

Everyone has their own gifts and we should not compare our gifts to others.

NKJV “Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called.”

No talent is greater than another.

Example of a basketball and a cell phone!

It’s easy for someone like me to look at someone like Adam Richter and think I want those gifts.

He can preach, sing, can do media stuff, is creative…

But God is saying that yes I gave him all those gifts, but it’s his responsibility to use them for my glory.

Just like it’s your responsibility to use your one or two gifts I’ve given you for my glory.

But if you notice, the reward was the same for the first two servants.

Notice how the second servant didn’t compare his gifts to the first servant.

He could have been upset that the first servant got twice as much as he did.

Whatever talent God has given you we are to use it to the best of our abilities!

God can do ALOT with a little.

Look at what David did to defeat Goliath.

Some gifts are “center stage” and some are “back stage.”

It’s just like a play. You see the main actors on stage and they tend to get a lot of the credit but if there was no stage crew they wouldn’t be able to do their part.

People think because I’m a Pastor that my reward in heaven is going to be greater than theirs.

My reward is no different than yours if you do what God called you to do.

Look at NIV “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”

Some of those things we don’t look at as gifts.

Serving is a gift?

Churches would crumble if they didn’t have people with the gift of serving.

I think about what going on at the church that we’re going in to.

People have been SERVING and helping paint and make that place look amazing.

Encouraging is a gift?

Encouragers help keep people going.

Encouragers have a way of motivating people and letting them know how valuable they are that encourages them to keep fighting.

Whether your gift is center stage or back stage, it’s your job to use it the best you can for God’ glory.

When God calls you to do something, do it.

Don’t let fear stop you from what God wants to do through you.

Remember, God might not have even given you your gifts yet. So don’t be discouraged.

Maybe Barak didn’t think he had the gift to lead those men by himself?

Because he didn’t trust God that He would give him that gift he missed out.

Call band up.

And we also have to realize that we can keep someone from using their gifts and robbing them of a blessing.

Maybe you’re in leadership and you feel like you have to do all the work.

So you don’t delegate things to someone who may be more gifted than you in a an area because either you’re insecure it will make you look bad or you just feel like you have to do everything.

I’ve seen heard of leaders in ministry not put people in a position to succeed because they thought it would make them look bad.

Or leaders just feel the pressure of I HAVE TO DO IT ALL.

So they don’t even give people a chance to use and develop their gifts.

I’ve learned over the years that a good leader is not someone who does everything. A good leader is someone who puts people in position to use their gifts that God has given them!

The point is church that I don’t care how old you are.

God has gifted you with certain abilities.

It is your JOB as a believer to find those gifts and use them.

Don’t bury that talent and miss out on the amazing blessings God wants to give you.

And if you really don’t know what your gifts are.

Ask someone close to you.

They may point out something that you never thought of as a “gift”.

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