Against the Odds

Has anyone here ever seen the movie Moneyball?

If you haven’t see it basically the plot of this movie is based off of a true story of the major League Baseball team the Oakland A’s

And if you know much about the Oakland A’s its that they were a very poor baseball team for the Major Leagues.

Just to give you an idea of how poor they were their pay roll for in 2002 was around 35,000,000. Which sounds pretty nice right?

But here is the issue then their are teams like the yankees where their total pay roll was over 125,000,000.

So the Oakland A’s would raise up a great team just to have their players stollen by teams like the Yankees.

And so the whole movie has this plot where the teams manager is frustrated because they have this barrier that just seems impossible to overcome.

I mean how can a team that pays 35,000,000 compete with a team that pays 125,000,000.

and really the movie starts out and you look at this team and say this is impossible.

This team is doomed. I mean everything is stacked against them.

But you know as I was watching this movie I could not help but think sometimes it feels this way in our lives and in the church.

Where we look at everything going wrong in our life and we say: “how am I going to make it through the week?”

Where we look at where we are and where God has called us and say: “How am I going to get where you want me God?”

Even as a church we do this.

This past week I was looking at our vision, mission and goals that our church adopted this past year as where we believe God is calling us. (I printed some copies and placed them on the Pew’s for you to look at

And I was reading it and our vision, mission and goals are pretty big and ambitious

We want to see 100 lives impacted in the walls of this church in a few years and 200 outside?

Don’t you know their is Covid and that will make it harder to do that?

We want to see a fellowship space created in the next four years?

Don’t you realize that takes money?

We want to see our discipleship programs grow?

Don’t you realize that people are busyier then ever Pastor?

Our Vision is to see Buchanan and surrounding communities become the people God has called them to be?

Have you seen the society we live in? Are you kidding me? The world is divided more then ever,

People do not seem to care about God anymore

In a town of 4000 our community has 4 recreational marajuana shops

It seems like the Church has lost!

And we look at all of these things and go how can God’s will be accomplished when the odds are stacked against us like this?

How is it possible for God’s will for His church and for our lives to be accomplished in the atmosphere we live in today?

And really this question brings us to where we are today which is Judges chapter 7

Because if you have been with us we have been in the book of Judges.

And so far in the area we have been in their is this nation called Israel that has been taken over by the Midianites and they have been like this for 7 years,

But in the middle of this God raises up a wimpy man named Gideon to actually deliver this nation out of the hands of the midianites.

And so if you were with us last week you remember that Gideon finally sounded the trumpet meaning it is war time and that their nation is finally taking a stand

But heres the issue because the odds are against the Israelites

because we are going to learn that the Israelites have 32,000 men that are probably bad warriors and then the Midianites have about 135,000.

and you look at that and would think they are done, but whats amazing by following God they rise against the odds.

And so today we are going to be looking at what God has the people do and we are going to be saying what should we be doing individually and corpratly when it looks like the odds are against us.

So we are starting in just the first two verses and It says this :

Judges 7:1–2 (ESV)

Gideon’s Three Hundred Men

7 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’

I love this because there is this army that is outnumbered about 4 to 1 and God says look Gideon you have to many people

And your probably think what?

They are going to get demolished.

But I love the reasoning here because God tells Gideon if you go into battle with 32,000 you still might be able to say we did it! We beat the Midianites. We delivered ourselves

And God wants them to look at the odds and say there is no way we can do this.

And really this is the first thing I want us to get today, because the first thing we need to do when the odds are stacked against us is let God knock down our pride

Because the truth is we are really prideful people aren't we?

We do one thing well and we think we are the best!

But the issue is what happens when we feed our pride we make our own goals for ourself and we loose sight of God’s

Its almost like if you have ever read the book the “Tortus and the Hair”

Everyone knows how this story goes right?

Because there is this rabbit that is fast (like a rabbit) and a tortus that is slow

And they race eachother

Well the issue is the rabbit is so fast and gets so prideful that instead of staying focused on the goal he gets distacted

At one point he goes shopping, another point he visits friends

And by the end of the story the Tortus beats the rabbit why?

Because the tortus was slow, but he did not have the pride which made it so he did not loose sight of the goal.

Church we need to be that way, where we realize this is where God has called us and we are going to stay humbly focused on His mission.

Well look at the next part of the passage verses 3-7

Judges 7:3–7 ESV

3 Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’ ” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained. 4 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.” 6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. 7 And the Lord said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.”

So God does something really interesting because God goes alright lets get these numbers down and so God tells Gideon to tell the warriors if you are scared go home

And 22,000 men leave

So now their are 10,000 verse 135,000

Then God goes “There are still way to many mem”

And you can picture Gideon saying seriously?

So God tells Gideon to take all the men to the water and God tells Gideon to divide the army into two groups men that drink the water like dogs

Where they get on all fours

And men that drink the water like normal people who cup their hands

And God tells Gideon to get rid of the guys that drink water like dogs

And Gideon probably thought well at least I can get rid of the weird guys that drink water like dogs

Unfortunately it turned out only 300 men drank water normally.

So now Gideon has 300 men left (outnumbered 1 to 450) and he is probably asking God why are you doing this.

Couldn’t we of just kept living life ruled by this nation

But all of that to say while the nation of Israel appears to be at their weakest, it is made clear to them that God is the strongest

because they are at a place where if God doesn’t move they are done for.

Can I ask you a question when was the last time you were in a place where if God didn’t move you are done for?

Because if we are following God I can almost guarantee we will get to a place like that, but what is so powerful is that when we are in that place we can’t rely on our own strength, but it forces us to rely on God’s.

Where we might say say how can God move through a person like me

How can God move through a person who is flawed like me?

But our issue is we place too much on us and not enough on God.

And this is whats amazing because God know’s our flaws and he even accounts and makes provisions for them.

Look at verse 9-11

Judges 7:9–11 (ESV)

9 That same night the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand. 10 But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant. 11 And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp...”

So God says its time to go Gideon, but He also recognizes that Gideon is probably paralyzed with fear and so he says but if you are still afraid go down to the camp.

And when Gideon goes down to the camp he actually hears warriors from the other army talking about how the Isralites are going to destroy them because their God has delivered them.

Even though Gideon had a fear God saw a way to move in the middle of it.

Its kind of like a GPS (and I know I mentioned a bad GPS last week but this week I am talking about a good GPS)

because a good GPS knows the best way to get from point A to point B

But often times the issue is the driver, right?

because we miss turns

But if your GPS is good it will say okay you missed this turn but we are still going to make this work.

And thats what God does, because we might miss turns but God has the whole map and will meet us where we are.

Where we might say we are a mess up

Where we might say I do not have faith to do this

Where we might even be like Gideon and say I am scared

What if I flop?

What if I can’t do it?

But God knows where you are and who you are and he will guide you despite your flaws

And what I love is Gideon hears the men in the army talking about this and in verse 15 it actually says

Judges 7:15 (ESV)

15 As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand.”

Gideon gave credit to God and then he proceeded to follow God

And look what happens because Gideon lays out a really creative plan. Look at verses 16-18. It says

Judges 7:16–18 ESV

16 And he divided the 300 men into three companies and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with torches inside the jars. 17 And he said to them, “Look at me, and do likewise. When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. 18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’ ”

You know Gideon could have just said well God said we are good to go so we do not really need to plan for anything.

But thats not what happens, because Gideon comes up with this amazing plan where he divides the 300 men into 3 groups and he confuses the enemy using trumpets and torches.

And we will be saving some of this for next week, but what happens is this giant army gets so confused by this attack that they start to attack each other and they retreat and loose because of it.

And while this is because of God, Gideon did not just sit their and wait, but he was creative.

And really I think this is something churches need to understand, that when we have these huge obstacles and the odds are against us, (we need to understand that God is the only way we can overcome it),

but we also need to understand that we still have to do something and a lot of times it requires hard work and creativity.

You know it seems like so many churches are not creative, or they choose not to be because they do not want to get outside of their comfort zone.

But here is my issue with that, because if we serve a creative God (who created the world) , then the people who follow Him should be some of the most creative people in the world!

But so often God’s call involves creativity, but we have to be willing to say yes.

You know in that movie I mentioned in the beginning (Moneyball) the Oakland A’s find a creative solution and what they do it they actually hire a guy who is able to analyze every baseball players stats to see who would play well together and who wouldn’t

And the result was they actually end up making it so this poor team breaks the record at the time for winning streaks

You know this morning we are not talking about winning the world series or achieving any of our personal goals

But I know for a fact that there are some of us who may be here today with something that God has called us to do, but the odds are stacked against us.

I was even thinking of our churches goals

How can we do that?

And we are asking God how is it even possible for me to get to the place where you want me.

But its not about you, its about God

What would happen if we started there?

And just took that first step out on the water?

Where we might not know where God is bringing us, but we are willing to say God I trust you this morning.

Will you pray with me?