Gideon's Excuses or My Excuses?
Notes
Transcript
Intro:
Intro:
Intro:
Intro:
So we’ve been talking a lot about witnessing, and boldness right. Well a couple weeks ago we talked about Jonah and how God has a plan for us and how He wants us to serve Him somehow right. We talked last week about how God sees us as extremely valuable and so of course He wants us to serve Him. Every single person in here, He wants to use somehow someway. Whether its being a preacher, or a school teacher, or just a faithful christian businessman. But those things are all future events. God also wants to use you right now. The church’s theme for this year is Faith in Action, having a faith that acts or serves. God wants you to serve Him someway somehow right now, whether its playing an instrument for worship or witnessing to people, what ever it is, God has a desire for you to do something for Him.
Read Judges 6:1-16
Read Judges 6:1-16
Context:
Context:
Moses has died, he elected Joshua to the new leader, Joshua died, but he didn’t elect anyone to take his place. So God chose Judges to temporarily lead the people. The Judges were civil decision makers, governors, or military deliverers. There have been a couple Judges already, Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, and others.
The Jews were so afraid that they were having to live in deep caves and thick forests hiding from the enemy. They had tunnel systems in these caves. Because they were in hiding it forced them to work even harder to do everyday tasks. Gideon is here hiding while threshing wheat to make bread, and the Lord shows up.
Excuse #1: The Lord isn’t with me. (v 13)
Excuse #1: The Lord isn’t with me. (v 13)
a) I would see miracles
— Gideon said I’ve heard of all these miracles that God has done for us, but I haven’t seen any. If the Lord was really with us, then why doesn’t He do miracles for us like everyone says He does
— If the Lord were with me, if He wanted to use me, wouldn’t He prove it? Wouldn’t I see Him do miracles in my life?
If He called me to serve Him, wouldn’t it be super evident? Maybe He would give me an awesome dream where He asks me to serve Him or something?
— The way that God communicates with us is through His Word. When we read His Word, we can expect to hear from Him and feel Him leading our thoughts and desires.
— God chooses how He works miracles into people’s lives, whether its healing cancer or blessing someone financially, but God does not owe us anything. He doesn’t owe us anything. We are blessed to even exist.
— Miracles have happened in your life, whether you recognize them or not. The fact that you were created is a miracle. The fact that Christ came to Earth and died for you is a miracle. The fact that you are saved and will one day go to Heaven is a miracle.
b) I would have a better life
— Gideon said why has all of this befallen us? Why are we in these terrible circumstances and situations? If the Lord was with us, wouldn’t He put us in a better position to live life? If we are His chosen people, then why doesn’t He choose to give us a better life?
— Like we talked about last week, our circumstances shouldn’t determine our contentment. OUR CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULDN’T DETERMINE OUR CONTENTMENT.
Joel Osteen the prosperity preacher, who says God wants you to be healthy and wealthy, has a book called “Your Best Life Now” where it talks about how to name it and claim it and get money and be healthy “your best life now”. You wanna know how to have your best life now? Trust God! Trust Him that He has given you your best life right now, because of what He has done for you.
Look at Joseph for example. He was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused and then thrown into jail, but he trusted God during those circumstances, and God blessed him for it.
Paul was shipwrecked a few times, beaten, whipped, stoned, and martyred, yet he counted it a privilege and trusted God through out all of those circumstances.
If you have shoes on your feet, a roof over your head, and food in your belly then you are richer than 95% of the world.
God has richly blessed you here in this life
c) I wouldn’t still be in bondage
— Gideon said God you brought us out of bondage to the Egyptians to bring us into bondage to the Midianites. Where is the God who brought us out of bondage? Why would you take us out of slavery to put us right back in it?
— In reality, the Jews are the ones who put themselves into bondage, God did not. They sinned against God, so He punished them accordingly. God did a miracle by saving them and bringing them out of slavery, but then they voluntarily run back into sin and then back into slavery.
— It is the same way with us as Christians. Before we got saved, we were slaves to sin. When we got saved, we were miraculously freed from our slavery to sin. So we can walk free, but sin is so enticing, that we run back to it, voluntarily placing ourselves in slavery every time, knowing that “Dad” will bail us out every time.
— And this is the same cycle that the Jews were in during the time period of the Judges.
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
1000 Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching Personal Faith
Leonard Griffith, minister of Deer Park United Church, Toronto, and who was from 1960 to 1966 minister of famed City Temple in London, says that when he was ten years old he went to a summer camp where the chief leader and counselor was a remarkable young man who made a lasting impression on him. Twenty years later, in the city where he was serving as minister, he discovered why the counselor had made such a tremendous impression on hundreds of boys. The man was a committed Christian.
One day he was told that the “Chief” was in the hospital, seriously ill. He went to see him. He was but a shadow of his former self. His teenage children were at the bedside. It was difficult for Mr. Griffith to be his strong self. He muttered some words of comfort. Smilingly, the patient said: “I am not going to get better. I have cancer and I am going to die—perhaps tomorrow.” Then he turned to his children and said, “But we are not afraid. We know that everything will be all right.”
This is the spirit and faith of a Christian.
You have enough faith to trust God for your future in eternity, but you don’t have enough faith to trust God with the present here and now. That is backwards
-----*God has done miracles for you, given the best life to you, and taken the chains of bondage off of you. You must trust Him and ask Him.
Excuse #2: My family is poor. (v 15)
Excuse #2: My family is poor. (v 15)
a) I don’t have the means
— Gideon was poor. He came from a poor family. What made it worse was they were under bondage by the Midianites. He thought he was worthless because he didn’t have and financial worth or monetary worth. But your financial worth, does not determine your spiritual worth. We talked about your value last week and how you are so extremely valuable to God. It doesn’t matter how much money you have or don’t have. Your Father is the King of Kings and Lord of lords, He owns Heaven and sits at the throne. He is the most wealthy person in existence, and your concerned with money? He is your Father and He has infinite amounts of gold, jewels, and treasures, yet He still wants you. You think He cares about money? Do you think He cares about how poor you are?
Jeff Bezos, the owner of Amazon, is one of, if not the richest man in the world. He has 116 Billion dollars. Compared to how much your Father has, it is minute, tiny.
— God, however, does ask for a small tithe of 10% of your money, not because He needs it, but because He wants to see if you are willing to give up money for Him.
For every beast of the forest is mine,
And the cattle upon a thousand hills.
b) I don’t have the tools
— Gideon has tools to thresh some wheat and stomp some grapes, he doesn’t have the tools to be a leader or a preacher. He’s never been any sort of leader before. How could God expect him to lead a nation? A lot of times we think the same way right. I am not qualified to do this God. I don’t know how to serve you, I don’t even know how you want me to serve you. I can’t play an instrument or preach a sermon, there’s nothing I could even do
c) I don’t have the experience
Gideon had never been any sort of leader before, he was safe inside his comfort zone, and did not want to leave his comfort zone. We get like that too. We don’t want to leave our comfort zone, cause when we do, we get uncomfortable. But that is not a bad thing to be uncomfortable. Actually it is in fact a good thing. Whenever we step out of our comfort zone and become uncomfortable, it forces us to rely on God, and we like to stay inside of our comfort zones because there, we don’t have to rely on God in faith. Gideon was so self conscious of doing what God had asked him to do, that he did it at night so that nobody would see him (read verse 27).
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Philippians
A man was in prison and was in need of some money. He wrote his mother and asked her to send five hundred dollars immediately. Soon after, he got a package in the mail. It was a Bible. On the top of the Bible, there was a letter that said, "Son, I love you. Pray and read your Bible." The man was ticked off. He got on the phone and called his mother. "Mama, I appreciate the Bible, but what I need right now is five hundred dollars." She told him over the phone, "Son, pray and read your Bible." He got more ticked off and hung up on his mother. He then wrote a letter. "Mother, I know you believe in God, but that's the problem with you Christians. You are so heavenly minded that you don't know how to function in the real world. When I need five hundred dollars, I don't need a Bible. I need a check for five greenbacks! If I need money, don't send me a Bible and tell me to pray!" He got a letter back that said, "Son, pray and read your Bible." He was so irritated at his mother, that for the six months he was in jail that Bible stayed in the corner. After a long while, he finally got out. His mother was there to meet him. He could hardly speak to her. "Mama, you let me down. I needed you as my mother and you let me down." She said, "What do you mean, son?" "I wrote you. I called you. I begged you for five hundred dollars and every time you gave me this same old line to pray and read my Bible." "Well, son, did you pray and read your Bible?" "Yeah, I prayed and read my Bible, and I'm still as broke now as I was when you told me the first time to pray and read my Bible." "Son, do you have your Bible?" He reached in his bag and he handed her the book. "Son, let me ask you one more time. Did you pray and read your Bible?" "Yes, Mama. I told you I prayed and read my Bible." "Son, you neither prayed nor read your Bible."
The man was ticked off. He got on the phone and called his mother. "Mama, I appreciate the Bible, but what I need right now is five hundred dollars."
She told him over the phone, "Son, pray and read your Bible." He got more ticked off and hung up on his mother.
He then wrote a letter. "Mother, I know you believe in God, but that's the problem with you Christians. You are so heavenly minded that you don't know how to function in the real world. When I need five hundred dollars, I don't need a Bible. I need a check for five greenbacks! If I need money, don't send me a Bible and tell me to pray!"
He got a letter back that said, "Son, pray and read your Bible."
He was so irritated at his mother, that for the six months he was in jail that Bible stayed in the corner.
After a long while, he finally got out. His mother was there to meet him. He could hardly speak to her. "Mama, you let me down. I needed you as my mother and you let me down."
She said, "What do you mean, son?"
"I wrote you. I called you. I begged you for five hundred dollars and every time you gave me this same old line to pray and read my Bible."
"Well, son, did you pray and read your Bible?"
"Yeah, I prayed and read my Bible, and I'm still as broke now as I was when you told me the first time to pray and read my Bible."
"Son, do you have your Bible?"
He reached in his bag and he handed her the book.
"Son, let me ask you one more time. Did you pray and read your Bible?"
"Yes, Mama. I told you I prayed and read my Bible."
"Son, you neither prayed nor read your Bible."
She opened up the Bible and at every major divisional section within the text, there was a hundred-dollar bill taped inside of it. If the boy would have just read his Bible he would have understood that the thing he was looking for was in the text. Because he didn't take seriously the Word of God, what the Word of God had to offer he never received.
---* God will give you the means, the tools, and He will eventually give you the experience. But, you must trust Him and ask Him.
Excuse #3: I’m the worst candidate. (v 15)
Excuse #3: I’m the worst candidate. (v 15)
a) I’m young
— Gideon was a young guy during this time, the Bible doesn’t say exactly how old he was but he was younger. Which shows that he is just another example of how God loves to use young people to accomplish His will. Joseph was a young ruler of Egypt, Esther was a young princess who saved the Jews, Samuel was a young prophet, David was a young man when he killed Goliath, Mary was a young woman when she became the mother of Jesus, Titus and Timothy were young men who became Pastors. God loves to use young people to accomplish His will.
"There's a scarlet thread of redemption that the Lord weaves through our lives," "Just as God has done throughout history, so it is true in our present day.""God takes seemingly impossible or unlikely situations and uses them for good. One such example occurred in the midst of World War II," he said. The Lord raised up a young Japanese American believer in the midst of World War II and used him to spark a revival at Baylor University, a revival that continues to impact lives to this day. Reiji (Ray) Hoshizaki was saved as a young man and became a student at Baylor University, preparing for seminary. While meeting with other students and leaders, Ray sensed it was time to hold revival meetings. In the midst of the war era, naturally people were concerned about the future. Rather than calling in a known evangelist, the consensus was Ray and the other students should start hosting the meetings. What began with a handful of students sparked revival meetings that expanded beyond Baylor University. Extending through Texas and beyond those meetings resulted in many salvations. In 1945, before school began, students prayed together at a retreat for a spiritual revival on Baylor's campus. These prayers were answered and the movement happened across Baylor's campus. Through several student leaders adamant about sharing Christ, several hundred students were gathered and marched from downtown Waco to campus with a sign that read "Youth for Revival.""Soon the student leaders were getting requests to lead revivals elsewhere. The movement swept the South in the 1940s and 1950s."
As Doug shared at the University of Houston's Baptist Student Ministry that night, he reminded the young adults of past revivals.
"God takes seemingly impossible or unlikely situations and uses them for good. One such example occurred in the midst of World War II," he said. The Lord raised up a young Japanese American believer in the midst of World War II and used him to spark a revival at Baylor University, a revival that continues to impact lives to this day.
It was at Oxford University, in the early 1730’s, that John and Charles Wesley, along with two other students, began to meet together three or four evenings a week to pray, fast, study Scripture and discuss their spiritual lives. The group was known on campus as the “Holy Club,” which was hardly meant as a title of respect and admiration. Though ridiculed the community slowly grew, running in size between ten and fifteen students, and was eventually joined by a young student named George Whitfield. While perhaps not making a cataclysmic impact on Oxford, the groups leaders would certainly make one upon England and the U.S, as the Wesley’s and Whitfield became the lightening rods of the First Great Awakening. Wesley would found the Methodist movement (now 20 million members), preach an estimated 46,000 sermons, write over 400 books and pamphlets and see thousands come to Christ.
Reiji (Ray) Hoshizaki was saved as a young man and became a student at Baylor University, preparing for seminary. While meeting with other students and leaders, Ray sensed it was time to hold revival meetings. In the midst of the war era, naturally people were concerned about the future. Rather than calling in a known evangelist, the consensus was Ray and the other students should start hosting the meetings.
What began with a handful of students sparked revival meetings that expanded beyond Baylor University. Extending through Texas and beyond those meetings resulted in many salvations.
While perhaps not making a cataclysmic impact on Oxford, the groups leaders would certainly make one upon England and the U.S, as the Wesley’s and Whitfield became the lightening rods of the First Great Awakening. Wesley would found the Methodist movement (now 20 million members), preach an estimated 46,000 sermons, write over 400 books and pamphlets and see thousands come to Christ.
In 1945, before school began, students prayed together at a retreat for a spiritual revival on Baylor's campus. These prayers were answered and the movement happened across Baylor's campus. Through several student leaders adamant about sharing Christ, several hundred students were gathered and marched from downtown Waco to campus with a sign that read "Youth for Revival."
George Whitfield on the other hand preached a mere 18,000 sermons. But Whitfield was the pioneer of outdoor preaching (it was previously unheard of to give a sermon outside of a church) and being blessed with a megaphone for a voice, he was able to make up the 28,000-sermon surplus of his friend John Wesley, with crowds that swelled as high as 30,000. It is estimated that he preached the gospel to some two million listeners (a number that gains more meaning when you consider a colonial population of one million at the time).
"Soon the student leaders were getting requests to lead revivals elsewhere. The movement swept the South in the 1940s and 1950s."
There are countless other stories of how God loves to use young people
b) I’m weak
Gideon said he was the least of his brothers. He thought that surely one of his older more mature brothers would be a better candidate to serve the Lord. We know that questioning like this is from a lack of faith in God, which of course is sin.
And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
He thought someone who was stronger in their faith and spiritual walk with God would be a better fit for the job, but God loves to use the weak. When you’re weak, you’re forced to rely on God’s strength. If God chose strong people to do everything, then they might fall into pride and begin performing in their own strength for themselves.
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
c) I’m shy
— Someone else with a better personality who is good with people would have been better for this job. Gideon was just a farm boy who keeps to himself, threshing wheat and stompin grapes, God should choose someone who already works with people who isn’t shy.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
*Explain^
Telemachus was a fourth-century Christian.
Courage 112
Charles Colson, in Loving God, tells the story of Telemachus, a fourth-century Christian.
He lived in a remote village, tending his garden and spending much of his time in prayer. One day he thought he heard the voice of God telling him to go to Rome, so he obeyed, setting out on foot. Weary weeks later, he arrived in the city at the time of a great festival. The little monk followed the crowd surging down the streets into the Colosseum. He saw the gladiators stand before the emperor and say, “We who are about to die salute you.” Then he realized these men were going to fight to the death for the entertainment of the crowd. He cried out, “In the name of Christ, stop!”
As the games began, he pushed his way through the crowd, climbed over the wall, and dropped to the floor of the arena. When the crowd saw this tiny figure rushing to the gladiators and saying, “In the name of Christ, stop!” they thought it was part of the show and began laughing.
When they realized it wasn’t, the laughter turned to anger. As he was pleading with the gladiators to stop, one of them plunged a sword into his body. He fell to the sand. The crowd began to stone him. As he was dying, his last words were, “In the name of Christ, stop!”
Then a strange thing happened. The gladiators stood looking at the tiny figure lying there. A hush fell over the Colosseum. Way up in the upper rows, a man stood and made his way to the exit. Others began to follow. In dead silence, everyone left the Colosseum.
The year was 404, and that was the last battle to the death between gladiators in the Roman Colosseum. Never again in the great stadium did men kill each other for the entertainment of the crowd, all because of one tiny voice that could hardly be heard above the tumult. One voice—one life—that spoke the truth in God’s name. He had boldness.
Date used __________ Place ____________________
Larson, C. B. (2002). 750 engaging illustrations for preachers, teachers & writers (pp. 93–94). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
---*God will give you maturity, strength, and boldness. But, you must trust Him and ask Him.
God wants to use you, but you must be willing to trust Him with every aspect of your life and ask Him what He wants from you.
*my testimony of senior year at camp asking God to change my desires into His desires.
All that being said, God is with you, you are rich, and you are the best candidate to serve Jesus.
Ask Him to change your desires to His desires.