Revival Starts With You

Judges 6:1–6 ESV

1 The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years. 2 And the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. 3 For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. 4 They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey. 5 For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come like locusts in number—both they and their camels could not be counted—so that they laid waste the land as they came in. 6 And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the Lord.

Let’s pray.

Don’t you imagine Israel was sick to death of the Midianites?

The first 6 verses of Judges 6 are a tale of misery and woe. A stronger enemy has totally demoralized the people of God. The text says the Midianites

overpowered Israel

chased the Israelites into becoming cave-dwellers

devoured the crops the Israelites planted

took the sheep and animals the Israelites raised

laid waste to the land like locusts

And I ask the rhetorical question again: Don’t you imagine Israel was sick to death of the Midianites? It’s rhetorical because the text answers the question … verse 6 is one of the lowlights of Israel’s emotional and spiritual history.

Judges 6:6 ESV

6 And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the Lord.

Those words resonate with me and I suspect with many of you, because like the outnumbered and overwhelmed people of Israel, in the United States today … we too, have been brought very low.

As a people, we are divided and depressed.

As a people, we are too often angry and unkind.

As a people, we call good evil, and evil good … in no small measure because we no longer know the difference.

We are unnerved about the economy, frightened about the pandemic and worried about the political situation.

We are ashamed of discrimination and upset with the violence.

And our national mood reflects that! We are on the whole,

more cynical, less trusting,

more critical, less forgiving,

more depressed, less hopeful

and more isolated and less accepting … than any of us ever remember.

As I read Judges 6-8, I could not help but begin to name these conditions … the Midianites of our age. And we have been brought very low.

But verse 6 has a second phrase that I can’t pass over, because it is the key to hope and optimism. Without question, our nation is at a low point, just as Israel was. But it is also true, that like Israel … we have an emergency escape route.

Judges 6:6 ESV

6 And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the Lord.

The people cried out for help to the Lord.

As we began this journey through Judges several weeks ago I warned you that we would encounter that phrase several times. In Chapter 6, it is the concluding sentence in the set-up for the story of Gideon, who is the unlikeliest of heroes. Gideon describes himself in this manner:

Judges 6:15 ESV

15 And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”

My family is the weakest in the smallest tribe of Israel, and among my family members … I’m the smallest. Gideon has good reasons why he is not the right person for God to start a movement with, but God is not swayed. The verse on which this story hinges, in my mind, is Judges 6:14

Judges 6:14 ESV

14 And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?”

I want to share some encouragement with you this morning and I want to extend a challenge to you. .. and both flow from this verse. The encouragement is this:

God’s power is greater than your problem.

We cannot give in to the temptation to be brought very low, just because the world is looking like a 3 alarm dumpster fire! Like Peter on the Sea of Galilee, we need to keep our eyes off the winds and waves, and keep them on Jesus.

You need a fresh encounter with God.

Gideon has an awakening when the angel of the Lord comes and speaks with him. Compare verses 12 and 15 — when Gideon addresses the supernatural being in front of him, he makes a change from calling Him ‘lord - master’ in verse 12 to ‘Lord God’ in verse 15.

Like Gideon, yo need to fresh encounter with God that opens your eyes to His reality!

You need to see yourself as God sees you.

Perfectionism caused by trying to prove your worth.

Inferiority brought on by comparison that is heightened by social media.

A lack of confidence stemming from past mistakes or failures.

An inability to receive grace and accept that the past does not define you.

There are so many reasons and so many ways and so many lies that satan whispers in our ears that cause us to doubt ourselves, underestimate ourselves and otherwise believe ourselves to be unworthy and unqualified for the great things of God.

This story confronts that lie in an almost satirical way! While Gideon is threshing wheat by hand - in a winepress - which just goes to show how little a harvest he had … the angel of the Lord addresses him:

Judges 6:12 ESV

12 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”

In his own eyes and probably in the eyes of others, Gideon was as far from a “mighty man of valor” as anyone in Israel … but

God saw him not for who he was, but for who he could become!

You need to listen to God’s voice.

Social media will not build you up.

Pop culture will not strengthen your character.

The devil will not tell you the truth.

Like the Casting Crowns song from several years ago, you need to listen to the voice of truth, because it tells a different story! You probably are going to have to reorder some things in your life - watch less TV, spend less time on your phone, spend more time with the people and doing the things that allow you to hear from God.

When the world closes in, open up in worship!

How do you elevate the eyes of your heart from the troubles that plague you to the God who saves you? You worship!

How do you lighten the load from the stresses that slow you to remember the Savior that shares your load? You worship!

Remember it’s God past that defines your future.

Gideon knows that God has provided deliverance for Israel before, but Gideon assumes that his personal trials negate God’s powerful testimony.

Judges 6:13 ESV

13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

Gideon falls into thinking that what’s happened to HIM is predictive of what will happen tomorrow! The angel of the Lord reminds him that what God has done in the past is what’s possible for tomorrow! Part of how we worship is by declaring the great victories that God has won!

Let em give you an example of this from Scripture. Turn in your Bibles to Psalm 136. One of the great corporate worship hymns in the entire Psalms.

Notice how this moves from a repetitive refrain of praise in verse 1

Psalm 136:1 ESV

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

through a historical survey of God’s wondrous works: from all the elements of creation to the plagues of Egypt to the parting of the Red Sea to wilderness wandering and military conquests … the writer just keeps listing the ways that God has moved in the past … until the climatic conclusion of worship in verses 23-26:

Psalm 136:23–26 ESV

23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures forever; 24 and rescued us from our foes, for his steadfast love endures forever; 25 he who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures forever. 26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.

You need to spend some time remembering. And then praising God for how He’s worked in your life in the past. If you are letting masks and 6 foot separations keep you from worshiping - wherever you are right now - then shame on you! I’m not talking about whether you are here or at home … I’m talking about whether you are bringing an attitude of worship .. to worship!

We have to stop approaching worship with the idea of what we can get out of it, and enter into worship with the sole objective being to adorn God with our lavish praise! Remembering His goodness, praising His goodness, inviting His goodness to be made known!

Ask God to show up!

You can read your Bible, listen to Christian music, say words of prayer, take bread and wine and even be in fellowship with other Christians … and none of that have any significant spiritual impact on your life. If you do do those things disconnected from God’s presence!

Gideon recognizes that he is in holy company, so he determines to create space for God to reveal Himself.

Judges 6:17–18 ESV

17 And he said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. 18 Please do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you.” And he said, “I will stay till you return.”

Like Jacob at Peniel when he wrestled with God and begged for a blessing … Gideon latches on to the possibility of God in his presence, and begs God to reveal Himself. He begs for the chance to worship God with an offering!

Listen church - that’s where revival starts! Where you and I beg God for the chance to worship Him! Where you and I leap at the opportunity for God to show up and show out in our midst!

When was the last time that you begged God to show up?

To reveal Himself as you worshipped Him?

Whether you believe it but have neglected to act upon that belief, or whether you are having trouble believing it … the way to living in the reality that God’s power is greater than your problems is through a fresh encounter of worship!

Be the change you want to see.

Revival begins with you. We all want to see the world be a better place. We all want to see right triumph over wrong and good knock out evil … the bigger question is: where do you fit in? You can grumble and complain and gripe about the world going to heck in handbasket … or you can be the change you want to see. Revival begins with you!

God wants to do mighty and great things in your life. And through your life. God wants to begin a movement of His Spirit that declares freedom for captives and justice for the oppressed and healing for the sick and forgiveness for the sinner … and He wants you to declare that the day of deliverance is at hand! This is not the time to sit back and hope things change … this is the time to adjust our attitudes, reorder our priorities and recommit to being the change we want to see in the world.

Maybe not like a street preacher, crying out for sinners to repent … but like Jesus did. .. allowing the kingdom of God to break into everyday life so that people can see glimpses of God in the way you talk and live and get along with others.

The best part of the Gideon story to me, is verse 14 :

Judges 6:14 ESV

14 And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?”

Use what you have for God’s glory.

Be the kingdom of God where you are! Be the presence of Christ in the life you live. Revival begins with you! We are called to grow in faith and become like Jesus, but as disciples-in-progress we are not supposed to wait to enter the spiritual fray! We are called to use what we have, in this moment, for the glory of God. To allow the kingdom to be revealed and proclaimed right where we are.

2 Corinthians 2:15–17 ESV

15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

You don’t have to be a preacher, be a peacemaker.

Refuse to be an instigator of hostility. Go out of your way to avoid starting conflict by calling people names, or talking about them in ways that demean them or diminish their personhood. Blessed are the peacemakers for theirs is the kingdom of God.

You don’t have to greet everyone with a holy kiss, but you do have to be kind.

A good man who is mean to the waitress, isn’t a good man.

A godly person who says the truth unkindly, isn’t a godly person!

Kindness is not just a bonus nicety … that’s we how we approach it lately, as if it’s an option. Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit!

You don’t have to agree with someone to accept them.

Since when did Christianity assume total conformity? We are called to unity, but somehow we have backslidden into the idea that when someone doesn’t agree with us, they are dead to us!

You don’t have to be an entertainer, just be an encourager!

It doesn’t matter if you sing or not, or preach or not, or teach Sunday School or not. What matters is, are you willing to devote yourself to building others up?

You don’t have to be great, just gracious.

People are persuaded to consider the claims of Jesus by conviction, not condemnation. You will never, ever win anyone to Christ by winning an argument.

Be the best listener instead of the loudest voice in a conversation.

Ask yourself: would Jesus say what I just said, the way I just said it? If the answer is ‘probably not’ … apologize. And if you haven’t said it yet … don’t! And remember, Jesus’ harshest words were reserved for the most religious people!

What’s the point? It doesn’t take special skills, or years of training, or an anyone’s permission to love other people.

Love is our secret weapon to start a revival! Go on a mission this week to love people! Use what you have - that’s Jesus’ life and power - to love people! To think and will and act and speak in others’ best interests! It’s the one and only thing Jesus told us to do!

John 13:34–35 ESV

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Use what you have in God’s power.

God told Gideon to go in the might that he had - to use what he already possessed - because God would empower Gideon’s efforts. Don’t I send you? God asked.

God’s promise is that if He assigns us a task, He will accompany us in completing that task.

I believe the church is on earth today because through us, God wants to reveal His love and grace, in the face of satan’s storm of sin and unrighteousness. The message of His love and grace was written and carried by His Son Jesus when He lived among us without sin, died on across for us, and then rose from the dead to make that life-power over sin and satan available to us.

Jesus promised that on the way of life, as were sharing His love and teachings with others, He would be with us.

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

That is both the mission of revival and the power of revival right in those words of Jesus. The mission that needs reviving is making disciples. As we are going - as we are living life everyday - make disciples. We want the world to be a different place but we are neglecting to prioritize or participate in HOW the world becomes a different place! We will not change the world through an election, or a Supreme Court ruling … the world will only be changed by the gospel. When people are introduced to Jesus by other people who are living in dynamic relationship with Jesus ! And if we commit to reviving THAT mission, Jesus has promised that He will accompany us in completing that task!

God’s promise is that if we are obedient to Him, He will empower us.

We want the presence and power of God… but Jesus said that power is available as we enter into the mission of the kingdom. God offers us His power, for His purpose! And that purpose is to enter obediently into the mission Jesus gave us. told His disciples just before He returned to the Father, and Luke recorded for our instruction:

Acts 1:8 ESV

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Gideon is going to get a lesson in trusting God. He began thinking that he had 32,000 soldiers but ends up with only 300 after the Lord sifts them. And Gideon has to decide whether he will trust and obey God.

Judges 7:8–9 ESV

8 So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley. 9 That same night the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand.

Conclusion:

Yo too have to decide whether you are going to trust and obey God.

Will you use what you have, in the power God offers to be a catalyst for revival?