You are Stronger than you look

Judges 6:11–16 NIV

The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” “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.” 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?” “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

Intro

God uses Unlikely People. He uses the weak things of the world to confound the wise

1 Corinthians 1:27 NIV

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

You see you and I naturally expect that we need to be perfect to serve him. But this isn’t the case. God routinely uses the weak and imperfect to to work through because that causes His Glory to shine all the more

Next time you feel to weak to be used by God remember God chooses you because you are weak. If you thought you were strong you wouldn’t be any good to the kingdom.

The Lord is With you, Mighty Warrior

So Gideon is in whole hiding food from the Midianites, like a coward.

He should have been working to have plan to attack them, but instead he fearfully shrunk back into himself and went into survival mode. WHen you and I are living in survival mode we will never be of any use to the kingdom of God.

Yet here is God showing up and seeing in Gideon that which he was unable to see in himself. God was able to draw out the hero in Gideon. That inner warrior, that longed to fight, God began speaking to that man.

You see Gideon was a coward he spent how many wasting away in fear, then God shows up and speaks to the inner. Come out mighty Warrior. Come forth.

Church it is time we rise. Come forth mighty warriors.

Prepare to lay down your lives for the Gospel. It’s Time the warriors stood up and fought for the Kingdom

Go In Strength you have.

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?”

Excuse me! says Gideon, If God is for us why has all this happened? Where are the signs of old?

Sound familiar? If God is with me, why is this taking place? Ever asked that?

God calls Gideon a mighty warrior and he gets upset. Where is God? GOd should have fixed this.

Gideon blames God for God not moving.

But the problem wasn’t Gods, it was Israels, they had been disobedient and cowardly.

The problem with America today is not God. It is the american church lack of commitment and faithfulness to the Gospel.

Rise church, God is with you!

So God hears Gideon whine like a baby, and He says, Go in the strength you have, the lord is with you

He doesn’t say God to the gym until your perfect, Go the way you are and let God use you.

The Lord with you! Yes, You!

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.”

Notice Gideon begins, to list out all of his many failures and many strikes against him. Trying to convince God that He has the wrong guy.

God’s answer is simply this, I will be with you! And I will strike down all the Midianites.

Closing (What can I do?)

It is not about you! It is not about me! It is about glorifying Christ!

You see God is not asking you to do what you cannot do. Rather, He is calling you to do what you can only do through Him!

In this church we can no longer say cannot. All things are possible through Christ!

Some of you are thinking, I am of no use, what can I do for the kingdom?

YOur heart gets excited about the kingdom and the church, but then insecurities and cowardice begin to rise! They try to snuf out the work of God in your and in this church. Hear me today, mighty warrior, Rise, God is with you!

This is our moment. The next 6 months will determine the trajectory of this church. Will God be able to use you and I or will we hold to our pride and cowardice?

Pray for the cowardice

Pray for the bride

Call them into next week

Share this message with anyone who is loosely connected to RC3

Its time to leave our pride and our fear behind! So that the truth of Christ can Shine and shine brightly.