The Coward God Used

Welcome and talk about paint wars

My hero Gideon-why I like him

Where was he? How would I describe him

Rehab Story. Explaining feeling dejected and depressed. Inadequate.

That’s why I like Gideon, because he has been beaten up, had his crops stolen, Gideon was a fearful Coward.

12 When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”

God doesn’t see us how we see ourselves

God didn’t look down at Gideon hiding in a winepress or when he doubted and asked for sign after sign, or when he was terrified right before the great battle.

God see’s us for who we can be when he is with us.

We see this concept all throughout scripture, and in the New Testament we see this in the Righteousness of Christ

Something about us fundamentally changes when God is with us. We go from Coward to Warrior

The New International Version Chapter 6

13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

Gideon’s fear is grounded in doubt.

examples of his fear

He looks to the obstacle, and then at his own inadequacies. His focus was on the problems in front of him.

Back into my rehab story

We’ve all had a time like this, where the problem seems so overwhelming in light of our own inadequacies

After months of rehab it came time to start throwing again. Every day failing to make any progress, hurting all the time, failing over and over again.

Can you enter into that space again? Maybe you’re in it right now.

When we look to our past and our problems we get crippled by fear

The New International Version (Chapter 6)

14 The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

3. God’s response to Gideon’s fear is a call to trust

a. God doesn’t even bat an eye, his response is “You are enough”

b. Now we could stop there and feel good about Gideon, Gideon is enough, he goes in this new strength and saves the day. But that’s not what this passage is saying.

c. The strength Gideon possessed was the promise of the Lord’s presence with him. Gideon could exchange his weakness for God’s strength.

Wolf, H. (1992). Judges. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, p. 420). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

d. It wasn’t because of Gideon’s might, it wasn’t about how strong he was, or his great battle plans. It was always about who was sending him

e. God’s presence gives us strength to accomplish our calling.

4. Each of us are called to something. For me, in the middle of my pain and despair God came in and gave me a calling. It wasn’t because I was good enough or strong enough, it was because he was going with me. It’s because he is strong enough, he is powerful enough, if he can defeat hundreds of thousands of Midianites with 300 men armed with jars and torches, he is strong enough to defeat the problems in your life holding you back from stepping into his calling

5. The story ends with Gideon defeating Midian, God saving his people, but it all goes back to that moment. When God asks “Am I not sending you?” He is asking Gideon if he will trust him, and step into what God was calling him to. That’s something he asks all of us. “Will you trust me and take a step of faith towards the plans I have for you?”