 |
| Rev. Brent Russett |
Pastor of
Sunnyside Wesleyan Church in Ottawa:
http://www.sunnysidechurchottawa.com/ _______________________________________________________
PODCAST LINK to CFRA broadcast - Sunday, July 17th, 2016:
Gideon
Good morning. And
welcome to good news in the morning. My
name is Brent Russett. I am the Senior Pastor at Sunnyside Wesleyan Church here
in Ottawa. I have been pastoring there for 26 years. One of the things I love
to do is show how God’s word that was written a long time ago, connects with
our world right now
I am
glad you have turned your radio on this morning. Starting your day with God’s
word, is a really good place to start. Of course if you are not a morning
person, and you want to re-listen, or get the manuscript for this program, you
can find us on the internet at Goodnewsinthemorning.ca
. There you can keep up to date with what is happening around Good News
Christian Ministries.
I
want to say a special welcome to our international listeners, who listen via
the internet. We are glad that you have found us, and that you are finding this
ministry an encouragement.
**
This morning I
want to tell you part of Gideon’s story which is found in Judges chapter 6.
Judges, is the seventh book in the Bible.
The story of
Gideon starts out messy, and it doesn’t end all that great either. But we live
in a messy world. The story reflects many of our lives.
As we get to the
story of Gideon in the sixth chapter of Gideon, the Israelites have already
been through three cycles of: turning away from God, being oppressed by an
enemy, crying out to God, God sending a deliver. The story of Gideon starts a fourth such
cycle.
I find that
depressing and encouraging all at the same time. As I look back on my history I
see the same cycle. There have been times when I have been close to God. It
seemed like every time I would open the Bible God would speak to me. The power
of the Spirit was evident and miracles were expected. Then either something
happens, or more often there is a gradual cooling. Then the weeds of life grow
up and ensnare me. Those weeds can be stress, or unconstructive habits, or bad
attitudes. But over time if feels like life slides into the pit. Something
happens that wakes me up to look around, and I say this is not where I should
be. This is not where is not where I want to be. Then is a crying out to God.
And God delivers. Maybe not right away, but God delivers.
I don’t believe
that life has to be this way. But I have experienced it that way. Maybe you
have too .
When we catch up
with the Nation of Israel in Judges chapter 6, they are at the bottom of the
cycle.
1 & Again the Israelites did evil in the
eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the
Midianites.
2
Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared
shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds.
It tells us how
they were so oppressive.
3
Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites
and other eastern peoples invaded the country.
4 They
camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a
living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys.
5 They
came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was
impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage
it.
The enemy was
wrecking the country. They would steal or destroy the crops. They would kill
the cattle and sheep and donkey. They left nothing. They ravaged the land.
But note the
first response of the Israelites. Vs 2. They prepared shelters for themselves
in the mountain clefts, caves and strongholds.
That is so much
like us. In the face of the things in life that oppress us, we try to hunker
down. We look for the mountain clefts, to build a shelter in. Our shelters just
look different. We build shelters in front of the television the numb our minds
and emotions. We build shelters in the refrigerator, and take refuge in a sea
of potato chips. We try to loose ourselves in the maze of extreme sports, or in
the crowds of going out with friends or hobbies. We can build a shelter in our
office at work, and live off the success there.
These are some of the more socially acceptable ways of building
shelters.
But we can also
try to reinforce ourselves with alcohol or drugs. We can try to loose ourselves
in sex or pornography. We can look for the thrill in gambling. There are all
kinds of shelters that we can build in our world.
The Israelites we
oppressed. Their response was to hide and build strongholds. But finally it got
so bad 6 Midian so impoverished the
Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help.
The Human
response was to build shelters. The Godly response was to cry to the Lord.
There is a time when we become so impoverished that we finally turn. It would
be better to turn sooner than later. My question to you is: What is your
Midianite? Is it depression? Is it super stress at work? Is it a bad marriage?
Is it a bad relationship with somebody significant in your life? Is it your
singleness? Is it your financial issues? Is it your family? Is it a boss? Is it
an addiction? Is it an unhealthy habit?
Verse 7
7 & When the Israelites cried to
the LORD because of Midian,
8 he
sent them a prophet,
Finally they got
to the point where they cried out to the Lord. When we come to the end of our
own devices – that is what we need to do.
Music
Cry out to Jesus – Third Day – 4:50
Verse 7
7 & When the Israelites cried to
the LORD because of Midian,
8 he
sent them a prophet
What, I wanted an
Army. I wanted a legion of Angels to come and smash those Midianites. When I
cry to the Lord I want him to come in power and deliverance. Instead, he sends
a prophet.
The prophet
basically says, This is what God says, I
told you not to turn to other god’s but you have not listened to me. They wanted an army, they got truth.
But that is God’s
way. You see, truth is the basis of repentance. And repentance is the basis of
the power of God coming into a situation.
That is true with
us. The basis is the work of God happening in our lives is truth and
repentance. Now that is often a hard concept for us to deal with because we
like to blame. It’s not my fault that I’m in this situation. It’s the bosses.
It’s the circumstances.
Here
is a list of statements made by motorists who were trying to explain why they
had been involved in accidents:
-A pedestrian hit me and went under my car.
-Coming home I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I
don't have.
- The pedestrian had no idea
which direction to run, so I ran over him.
- The indirect cause of the accident was a
little guy in a small car with a big mouth.
We like to blame.
And maybe it is 90% the other person’s fault and 10% our fault. But until we
deal with our 10% we shut out the power of God working in the situation. In
fact, it is usually not what other people do to us that puts us in bondage. It
is our response to our circumstance that usually is the most damaging to us.
***
If
you have never come to Jesus and said, Come into my life, forgive me of my sin,
I want to follow you – that is the first step in unleashing His power in your
life. When you pray a prayer like that, trusting that God will do what he said
he would do – that step of acceptance and repentance brings you into the family
of God
*******
We have been
introduced to the situation. The Midianites are running all over the land and
the Israelites are oppressed. God has sent truth. And Now we are introduced to
Gideon.
As we meet him,
Gideon is threshing wheat in a wine-press, as a way of hiding it from the
Midianites. Usually when you thresh wheat you do it on the top of a hill, so
the wind can blow away the chaff. Chaff is like the husk around the kernels.
But even on top of a hill threshing is a dirty job. But Gideon is doing it in
an enclosed wine-press. The air would be grey with dust particles. His clothes
would be covered with dirt. His face would be streaked with the black dust
attaching itself to his sweat and then his sweat running down his face. He is
trying to keep himself from coughing.
And then an angel
shows up to this guy who is hiding, who is coughing and says - Verse 12 The
Lord is with you, mighty warrior. I am sure the Gideon feels like anything
but a Mighty Warrior. I am sure he feels helpless in the face the of the
invading hoards. I am sure that he feels impotent in the face of the 132000
person army that camped a little ways away. And yet the angel of the Lord calls
him a Mighty Warrior.
People, there is your perspective and there is
God’s perspective. There is your perspective on the Midianites in your life
and God’s perspective. There is your perspective on the kind of strength you
have and there is God’s perspective. And almost without fail, when you are
going through the dark times of the soul, God’s perspective on you is loftier
than your perspective on you.
In fact God would
turn to you this morning and call you by name and say you mighty warrior. I am
sure a lot of you would say, but you don’t know how I blew it last week. You
don’t know how much I have failed. You don’t know how my life seems to have
been swarmed. But that is your perspective. God’s has a different perspective.
He see the full armour of God he has given you. He see the power of the Spirit
that lives inside you. He sees the potential of the promises that he has put in
your hand. And he says to you, The Lord is with you, you mighty Warrior.
13 "But sir," Gideon replied, "if
the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders
that our fathers told us about when they said, `Did not the LORD bring us up
out of Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of
Midian."
The Angel had
just said to him “The Lord is with you”. And Gideon responds by saying the Lord
has abandoned us. Gideon was judging God on the basis of his feelings and the
circumstances he could see. But the Lord knows different. Never judge God
from your limited experience.
You will notice
that the Lord’s reply in verse 14 doesn’t try to argue with Gideon. His
assurance comes in the form of a command and a question. . "Go in the
strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending
you?"
God will not argue with your lack of faith. He issues a command and asks a question. He will say take this step of
faith, and ask will you trust me?
The command he
gives to Gideon is to go in the strength he has. That is often the command that
God will give to you.
God doesn’t ask
you to do what you can’t. He asks you to use what you have for him right now.
God is not looking for super human effort. He is looking for obedience.
But Gideon is not
convinced. He sees the army of 132000 and asks, (Verse 15) How can I save
Israel? He goes on to say he comes from
a weak clan, and the weakest family. In other words, I’m not leadership
material.
The
point though is not who you are. The point is who you are with God. Jud 6:16 The LORD answered, "I will be with
you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together."
People, when it
comes to the Midianites in your life. It is not about the size of your problem,
it’s about the size of your God. It’s not about the past record of failure.
It’s about the promise of God for the future. It’s not about how weak you feel.
It is about who you are with God. And as is rightly said, “God plus one is a
majority.”
Note the flow of
the story. The Israelites tried their own ways to deal with the Midianites, and
they built strongholds. Finally they got so desperate they cried to the Lord.
When they did God sent a prophet to speak truth which became the basis for
repentance. Then God sent an angel to speak his perspective. Now we move into
the next part of the story. Learning to hear the voice of God.
Jud 6:17 Gideon replied, "If now I have found
favour in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.
I love that line.
The Lord shows up in person and gives instruction, and Gideon says give me a
sign that it is you who is speaking. Isn’t that just like us. We think we know
what God is saying but we are unwilling to trust what we feel.
The first sign
that God was speaking was persistence. Jud
6:18 Please do not go away until I come
back and bring my offering and set it before you." And the LORD said,
"I will wait until you return."
When God speaks
it is his habit to be persistent. Gideon was worried that when he left the room
the Lord would disappear, and he would be left alone. So He asks for the sign
of persistence.
When you feel
like God is asking you to step out in faith. This is usually an worthwhile sign
for you to look for. If that persistence in the voice of God is there, it is a
good sign that this is the voice of God and you need to respond.
Gideon went away and came back and the Lord was still there. Gideon
brought the Lord bread and meat. Now remember the country is in the middle of
famine. It cost Gideon something to bring this meat and bread to the Lord.
Moving out in faith usually does cost something.
If you think you
are going to move against the Midianites of your life without cost, then you
need to rethink. It will cost. Not as much as the Midianites are costing you,
but it will cost you.
Gideon brought
his offering before the Lord and 20
The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened
bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth." And Gideon did
so.
21 With
the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the LORD touched the
meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat
and the bread. And the angel of the LORD disappeared.
The second sign
that it was the voice of God was that the offering was received. The rock
caught fire. It consumed the sacrifice. The third sign was that the angel
disappeared.
People when you
start following the voice of God, when you start stepping out in faith, strange
things start to happen. Start expecting the unexpected. Things that the rest of
the world would call coincidences start to pile up. God is at work. Take steps
of faith and see what God will do.
Jud 6:22
When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed,
"Ah, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to
face!"
When Gideon
finally figured out that this was the angel of the Lord. He started to get
scared. When you start knowing that you are dealing with God there is a
knowledge of the sacred that comes over you . You are not playing at life
anymore, you are living in the presence of the living God. Gideon was starting
to figure he was toast.
This the fear of
the Lord. It is something that is lacking in our day. But it is needed to move
forward. But as soon as Gideon starts to realize what is going on the Lord
speaks to him again.
Jud 6:23 But the LORD said to him, "Peace! Do not
be afraid. You are not going to die."
Notice now that
the angel had disappeared, but he still heard the voice of God. If you take
steps of faith when you hear the voice of God that is persistent, God will be
able to speak to you more subtly. The Lord’s message is peace.
So Gideon built
an altar. The altar proclaimed the “The Lord is peace”. The text says, the
altar stands to this day. It was a substantial altar. Gideon was always going to remember what God
had said to him.
So you want to
take on the Midianites in your life. We have just finished the introduction to
the story of Gideon. But here you have the Israelites giving up on their own
methods of dealing with the enemy, and crying to the Lord. The Lord sends the
truth that is needed for repentance. And then He sends the perspective that is
needed to start moving towards victory.
He starts to
teach Gideon to hear the voice of God: First, persistence, then through the
unexpected. And then more subtly.
I believe that
God wants to teach us to move against the Midianites in our lives. I invite you
back next week when we are going to look at how to start to make moves against
the enemy.
Let me pray:
Lord,
thank you so much for how you meet with people in different ways.
Lord,
Gideon didn’t have perspective; he thought he couldn’t see you at work in his
situation at all. And, yet, you called him a mighty warrior.
I
pray, Lord, that you would allow faith to arrive in people who are listening
today; that you would speak into their lives and call them out for who they
really are.
Lord,
I pray that they would hear your voice and follow after you and that they would
have faith to believe you, in spite of the enemy that is overwhelming in their
life.
Lord,
I pray that you would bring them across the right people and the right places,
that they would be allowed to live well for you.
I
pray all these things in your name. AMEN.
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May you know Jesus Christ personally and profoundly. May the Holy Spirit reside deep within your
heart. And may the heavenly Father
surround you with His constant and abiding and accompanying love
MUSIC
– The Battle belongs to the Lord 3:06 Petra
By Rev. Brent Russett
Pastor of Sunnyside Wesleyan Church in
Ottawa:
_______________________________________________________
PODCAST LINK to the CFRA broadcast:
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