Untitled Sermon (75)

I. GOD POSITIONS YOU IN THE PLACE OF PERPLEXITY

- BY THIS I MEAN THAT YOUR BELIEF IS ON THE EDGE OF UNBELIEF

Judges 6:11 ESV

Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites.

THE ANGEL OF THE LORD SAT UNDER THE TREE WHILE GIDEON WAS BEATING OUT WHEAT TO HIDE FROM THE MIDIANITES

A. THE LORD IS WATCHING GIDEON

THE ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARS TO GIDEON

WE CALL THIS A THEOPHANY - A PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF THE LORD

· SHOWING US THAT GOD IS CONTROLLING THIS ENTIRE EVENT

· WE CALL THIS THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD

o WE SEE THIS HERE BECAUSE THE LORD WANTS US TO KNOW THAT THERE ARE THINGS HAPPENING BEHIND THE SCENES THAT WE CANNOT SEE AND THERE ARE PURPOSES GREATER THAN THE CIRCUMSTANCES WE ARE IN

B. GIDEON HAS ACCEPTED HIS LIFE OF OPPRESSION

TRYING TO NAVIGATE LIFE – OR “ACCEPTING THAT THE MIDIANITES OPPRESSION OF ISRAEL IS ALL THAT WILL EVER BE

BEATING THE WINEPRESS

C. THEN THE LORD SAYS THAT HE IS CURRENTLY WITH GIDEON (V12)

Judges 6:12 ESV

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

D. NOW GIDEON QUESTIONS THE LORD (V13)

He asked the question that all ask at some point in their life: why are we going through this if the Lord is so good and so strong? Gideon recounts what he has been told about the exodus etc.

II. GOD PREPARES YOU IN THE PERPLEXITY OF HIS POWER

Judges 6:14 ESV

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?”

But what is interesting is the answer the Angel of the Lord gives him. The Angel does not seek to explain or even to give Gideon clarity about his situation. None of that. Instead he does the following:

He tells Gideon to go and deliver his people.: GO IN THIS MIGHT OF YOURS

BUT WHAT DOES THE LORD MEAN? GIDEON RESPONDS

Judges 6:15 ESV

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.”

Judges 6:16 ESV

And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”

A. GOD’S POWER IS WEAKNESS

Only then can they see the deliverance of the Lord.

WHEN WE COME TO SEE AND EMBRACE OUR WEAKNESS DUE TO SITUATIONS THAT EXPOSE OUR NATIVE INABILITIES - THIS MEANS THAT GOD IS UP TO SOMETHING BIG - IF WE WALK IN FAITH.

our deliverance and the answer to their question is in their trust, faith and obedience to the Lord.

THOUGHT: Those believers who question God in certain times should be told that the Lord is using their weakness to show them His strength: AND that they must walk contrary to what they SEE and what they FEEL, trusting the Lord- that HE will be with Gideon and us.

BUT THERE IS MORE!

B. GIDEON’S WEAKNESS IS MAGNIFIED AND MULTIPLIED (7:1-7)

Judges 7:2 ESV

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.’

Judges 7:3 ESV

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.

Judges 7:4 ESV

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.”

Judges 7:5 ESV

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.”

Judges 7:6 ESV

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.

Judges 7:7 ESV

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.”

GOD TELLS GIDEON TWICE: I CANNOT WORK BECAUSE YOU ARE TOO STRONG (V2,4)

PRINCIPLE: EVER DECREASING RESOURCES IS THE ONLY PATHWAY TO EVER INCREASING USEFULNESS

John 3:30 ESV

He must increase, but I must decrease.”

THE LORD WILL ALWAYS BE CHIPPING AWAY AT THOSE THINGS AND PEOPLE YOU TRUST IN MORE THAN HIM.

UNDERSTAND THIS MAJOR POINT:

C. UNTIL YOU ARE AT THE END OF TRUSTING YOUR RESOURCES AND YOURSELF, YOU CANNOT BE USED BY THE LORD

1. We see this with Moses right before the launching of His Exodus ministry (Exodus 3)

2. We see this with Paul (2 Corinthians 12:8-10)

2 Corinthians 12:8 ESV

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.

2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Corinthians 12:10 ESV

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Our weaknesses IS God’s strength because God only works through weakness because strong people are glory thieves!!!

3. We See This On the Cross

a. Moses forshadows Jesus

b. Paul Imitates Jesus

IF YOU HAVE BEEN WEAKNED BY CIRCUMSTANCES, RELATIONSHIPS, LIFE, HEALTH, FINANCES ETC; IF YOU ARE QUESTINING THE LORD’S PRESENCE AND CARE FOR YOU - YOUY ARE AT THE BRINK OF THE EXTRAORDIANRY - IF YOU TRUST IN HIS PROVIDED STRENTGTH_ JESUS CHRIST

WE NEED TO DO FOR PEOPLE WHAT GOD DOES FOR THEM: PUSH THEM TO WEAKNESS