Sermon Tone Analysis

Bochim – Weepers, (BOH kim) (A message to the professing Christian; revival, not salvation; Apalache 4/4/22)

INTRODUCTION:

A world, or let’s say a community cannot be revived until the local church is revived, and the local church cannot be revived until the individual is revived.

Which brings us to YOU.

Revival takes effort, it takes work, but not on the part of GOD for it is a small thing for God to revive a man.

No, the effort is on your part.

You must seek the face of God, you must show God a broken and contrite heart, even a broken spirit, for these HE will not despise.

[from Psalm 51].

I want to remind you some foundational Scripture before we get started on the message.

(Our roots are in the OT; M. Bridges, Isaiah / B. Adkins, Jonah, now me in Judges)

As a point of fact!

– 2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

(That just means I’ll be using some OT Scriptures)

Next, turn to Leviticus 1 (READ 1:1-4, expound on details, emphasize acceptance).

I want you to see and to understand the importance God places on detail, and the importance the people put on being accepted by GOD.

The Burn offering (acceptance) was followed by a grain offering (offering myself), which was followed by a Peace Offering, an offering of thanks to God for accepting me.

What are your sacrifices to God? Do you have any?

We’ll possibly talk more about this later.

Let me ask, have you ever disappointed one, or both of your parents?

I mean to the point of it hurting you.

The Word of God says, “I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts.”

Isaiah 65:2.

READ - Judges 2:1-5 – PRAY right here

Judges 2:1-5 (then read the highlighted verses from 10 to 23).

What do we see?

Weeping!

· Weeping over sin.

· Weeping over disobedience

· Weeping over disappointing God (think Leviticus and the peace offering)

· Weeping over the loss of a close and personal relationship with God

God redeemed Israel from Egypt and He required obedience in return.

He said, “I made you to go out of Egypt, and brought you unto the land…” The Bible say we were created in the image of God for God’s glory.

HE called you OUT OF an evil life and INTO an abundant life.

Galatians 1:3-4 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: God delivered then, and HE still delivers today.

BUT note verse 15!

Judges 2:15 Whithersoever they went out, – the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, – as the LORD had said,– and as the LORD had sworn unto them: – and they were greatly distressed.

How would you like to live under that sort of self-induced oppression, Knowing that the hand of the LORD was ever against you?

There may well be some here today that feel as if the Hand of the Lord is against them.

BUT THE HAND OF GOD IS NOT EVER AGINST US, IS IT? PRAISE GOD – HALELUJAH no it is not.

The wrath of God has been satisfied through the sacrifice of HIS own Son on the cross at Calvary.

Yes, the wrath of God has been satisfied through His Son Jesus Christ, 1 John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

God’s wrath has been satisfied.

So Yes, praise God we live in the age of Grace.

Paul wrote, “What then?

shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace?

God forbid.”

Romans 6:15.

What of this Grace Paul is speaking about?

A.W. Tozer once said, We [The Church] have come to our present low state as the result of an almost fanatical emphasis on grace to the total exclusion of obedience, self-discipline, patience, personal holiness, cross carrying, discipleship and other such precious doctrines of the New Testament.

(Tozer, A. W. (2011).

The Crucified Life).

While I don’t feel that the Grace of GOD can necessarily be over emphasized, I do feel Tozer may be correct in saying there is a “total exclusion of obedience, self-discipline, patience, personal holiness, cross carrying, discipleship and other such precious doctrines of the New Testament” being taught in many churches today.

I’m certain that I don’t have time to cover all of these, obedience, self-discipline, personal holiness, cross carrying, discipleship and so on.

So let me address obedience and we’ll see how the others filter in through that.

(Turning the page back – going back over the Scripture)

THE SIMPLE MESSAGE: “Wherever HE is the presence of God is felt” (Handfuls on purpose, pg109).

Well, the Spirit of God is in this house tonight – let’s make sure we avail ourselves to HIS touch.

Judges 2:1-5

V.1 – The angel of the LORD = Jesus?

If not Jesus, certainly GOD, OR ‘the angel of His Presence’, or as some Jews would suggest, Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron.

The significance of it is greatest when we acknowledge that it is GOD that is speaking.

· Exodus 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush:

· “I will never break my covenant with you” doesn’t mean you will always be blessed.

There is a time when GOD chastens His own.

o Paul wrote - But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. 1 Corinthians 11:32.

God is simply judging the children of Israel – He is not condemning them.

o Hebrews chapter 12 speaks of the chastening of the Lord.

V.2 – “but ye have not obeyed my voice” – Remember 2 Timothy 3:16?

YOU and I have not obeyed…

· “why have ye done this?” God is asking, not me, and HE is asking YOU – why have you not obeyed?

· Self-love, that’s why we disobey

V.3 – “their gods shall be a snare unto you”

· God doesn’t need a snare, the snare belongs to the devil – 1 Timothy 3:7 & 2 timothy 2:26 if you want to verify that

o … lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

o And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

V.4 – “the people lifted up their voice, and wept” – if it were not God speaking, they wouldn’t be weeping.

· They weren’t crying because God was mad at them or even that they had lost favor with God.

They were:

· Weeping over sin.

· Weeping over disobedience

· Weeping over disappointing God (think Leviticus and the peace offering)

V.5 – “they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the LORD.”

· Bochim, a place of weeping.

· They were Weeping over the loss of a close and personal relationship with God.

· Is there a Bochim in your life; a place where you can go to weep before God?

The local church altar is a good place to begin.

· and they sacrificed there unto the LORD – let’s talk about those sacrifices.

At minimum, a Burnt Offering, a Grain Offering, and a Peace Offering would have been offered.

o Burnt Offering – seeking acceptance of GOD.

(244x)

o Grain Offering – a means of offering one-self to God

o Peace Offering – thanking God for accepting them and restoring their joy.

(84x)

· Is there evidence of a sacrifice in your life?

Paul makes his own suggestion in Romans 12:1

o Aaron and his son spent 7 days consecrating themselves unto God.

Have you ever considered giving yourself wholly, fully, completely unto God for 7 days that you might be completely consecrated unto HIM? 7 Days of prayer.

7 days of deep Bible study.

7 days of worshipping God.

7 days of being alone with God, shut off from the world.