The Book of Judges #10

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:04.679 To the Lord's word today. Let me pray for his illumination. Father, 2 00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:08.960 we pray now that as we look at your word and as I read it 3 00:00:09.039 --> 00:00:12.199 to your people, that God, you would use it to speak to our 4 00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:16.960 hearts, to challenge us, to teach us, to help us to fall 5 00:00:17.120 --> 00:00:21.199 greater in love with your savior, Jesus Christ, with you, God, 6 00:00:21.320 --> 00:00:25.480 Oh father, and with the Holy Spirit, and that we may learn of 7 00:00:25.600 --> 00:00:29.640 you and that your word may be a light onto our path and a lamp 8 00:00:29.719 --> 00:00:32.960 to our feet. We pray these things, God, as we come to 9 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:38.280 your word in Jesus name. Amen again, if you can just remain standing, 10 00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:40.960 then you will be able to be seated. But we'll look at judges 11 00:00:42.079 --> 00:00:46.679 chapter six. I continue on our way through the book of judges, Judges 12 00:00:47.119 --> 00:00:53.159 Chapter six, and we will begin where I left off last week, especially 13 00:00:53.200 --> 00:00:58.159 if I get to the right book. It will make it easier. We'll 14 00:00:58.240 --> 00:01:03.119 read verses twenty five through forty. Again, I remind you that this is 15 00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:07.680 God's word. That night the Lord said to him, take your father's ball 16 00:01:07.760 --> 00:01:11.200 and the second bull, seven years old, and pulled on the altar of 17 00:01:11.239 --> 00:01:15.760 bow that your father has and cut down the Ashra that's beside it and build 18 00:01:15.799 --> 00:01:18.680 an altar to the Lord, your God, on the top of the stronghold 19 00:01:18.719 --> 00:01:22.959 here, with stones laid into order. Then take the second bull and offered 20 00:01:22.959 --> 00:01:26.599 as a burnt offering with the wood of the Ashtra that you shall cut down. 21 00:01:26.040 --> 00:01:29.879 So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had 22 00:01:29.879 --> 00:01:33.159 told him, but because he was too afraid of his family and the men 23 00:01:33.159 --> 00:01:36.400 of his own town to do it by day, he did it by night. 24 00:01:37.079 --> 00:01:38.879 When the men of the town rose early in the morning behold the altar, 25 00:01:38.920 --> 00:01:42.079 a bow was broken down and the Astra beside it was cut down, 26 00:01:42.519 --> 00:01:47.120 and the second bull was offered on the altar that had been built. And 27 00:01:47.159 --> 00:01:49.519 they said to one another who has done this thing, and after they had 28 00:01:49.519 --> 00:01:53.599 searched and inquired, they said Gideon, the son of Joesh, has done 29 00:01:53.640 --> 00:01:56.640 this thing. Then the men of the town said to Joe Ash, bring 30 00:01:56.640 --> 00:01:59.920 out your son that he may die, for he has broken down the all 31 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:02.640 to a ball and cut down the Astra beside it. But Joey said to 32 00:02:02.680 --> 00:02:07.480 all who stood against him, will you contend for ball or will you save 33 00:02:07.560 --> 00:02:10.560 him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If 34 00:02:10.599 --> 00:02:14.879 he is a God. Let him contend for himself, because his altar has 35 00:02:14.919 --> 00:02:19.120 been broken down. Therefore, in that day Gideon was called Jirou Ball, 36 00:02:19.560 --> 00:02:23.479 that is to say, let boo contend against him, because he broke down 37 00:02:23.560 --> 00:02:27.159 his altar. Now all the Median Knights and emalekites and the people of the 38 00:02:27.199 --> 00:02:30.800 East came together and they crossed the Jordan's and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. 39 00:02:31.280 --> 00:02:36.439 But the spirit of the Lord Clothed Gideon and he sounded the trumpet and 40 00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:40.599 the Beezerite were called out to follow him, and he set messengers throughout all 41 00:02:40.599 --> 00:02:45.560 manisson. They too were called out to follow him, and he sent messengers 42 00:02:45.560 --> 00:02:49.560 to Asher Zebulon and AFTERLA, and they went out to meet them. Then 43 00:02:49.599 --> 00:02:53.240 Gideon said to God, if you will save Israel by my hand, as 44 00:02:53.240 --> 00:02:55.960 you have said, behold, I'm lane of Fleece of woe on the threshing 45 00:02:57.000 --> 00:03:00.439 floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone and it's I and all 46 00:03:00.439 --> 00:03:02.719 the ground, I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, 47 00:03:02.759 --> 00:03:07.719 as you have said. And it was so. When he rose early next 48 00:03:07.719 --> 00:03:10.199 morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrong enough do from the fleece to fill 49 00:03:10.199 --> 00:03:15.199 a bowl with water. Then Gideon said to God, let not your anger 50 00:03:15.360 --> 00:03:19.560 burn against me. Let me speak just once more, please, let me 51 00:03:19.639 --> 00:03:22.759 test just once more with this fleece. Please let it be dry on the 52 00:03:22.800 --> 00:03:25.639 fleece only and on all the ground. Let there be do. And God 53 00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:30.080 did so that night and it was drying the fleece only and on all the 54 00:03:30.120 --> 00:03:32.479 ground there was do. How and the reading of God's word. Please be 55 00:03:32.520 --> 00:03:43.639 seated. So we're picking up the book of judges where I left off last 56 00:03:43.639 --> 00:03:46.400 time, as I mentioned, and Um, I realized as I got into 57 00:03:46.400 --> 00:03:51.000 this text it will been easy for me to preach three messages on this text. 58 00:03:51.879 --> 00:03:53.639 I probably could have preached more, but but I don't. I don't 59 00:03:53.639 --> 00:03:58.120 want to spend all of our time in the next four months on one chapter. 60 00:03:58.240 --> 00:04:02.000 So, Um, I'm condensing into one message this evening. And so 61 00:04:02.039 --> 00:04:06.280 we're gonna begin by looking at versus twenty five through twenty seven. Here and 62 00:04:06.319 --> 00:04:12.159 in Verse Twenty Five, Gideon is commanded by God to strike a blow against 63 00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:16.800 idolatry, and it begins, curiously enough, in his own family, and 64 00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:23.000 his father had erected idols, two false gods. He had erected idols to 65 00:04:23.120 --> 00:04:27.800 Baal and Astra, which were male and female deities of the time, and 66 00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:32.000 in that area. Now Jesus instructed in Matthew Ten thirty seven he said he 67 00:04:32.079 --> 00:04:38.639 that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And 68 00:04:38.759 --> 00:04:42.560 earlier in Chapter Ten of Matthew in verse thirty six, verse before it, 69 00:04:42.600 --> 00:04:47.959 he said a man's foes shall be those of his own household. So it 70 00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:56.240 has always been in the church and even Jesus's own family were against him at 71 00:04:56.360 --> 00:05:00.000 various times, sometimes trying to get him and say that he was insane or 72 00:05:00.040 --> 00:05:03.639 out of his mind. And and so this aspect of family members against family 73 00:05:03.639 --> 00:05:09.319 members has been a very common thing. I remember once when I was in 74 00:05:09.480 --> 00:05:14.480 high school and uh I needed to go to a youth group meeting and my 75 00:05:14.560 --> 00:05:17.360 parents were not believers and and so I told my dad I had to go 76 00:05:17.959 --> 00:05:21.199 and he looked me right in the eye and he said, Kim I want 77 00:05:21.279 --> 00:05:26.160 you to know something. It's okay to be a Christian, but don't be 78 00:05:26.199 --> 00:05:30.519 a fanatic. So well, I disobeyed his console. At least for part 79 00:05:30.519 --> 00:05:33.000 of my life, I've been a fanatic, but I hope in a good 80 00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:36.920 way. But but in Gideon's case it was much more serious than that because 81 00:05:36.920 --> 00:05:43.680 he was going against his father and by doing so he was risking disinheritance and 82 00:05:43.800 --> 00:05:47.839 even death for going against his own father. But back in verse twenty three 83 00:05:47.920 --> 00:05:53.040 got it assured him you are not going to die, so he could know 84 00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:57.199 that he wouldn't. Now this appears to be a different appearance. We had 85 00:05:57.240 --> 00:06:00.560 an appearance of the angel of the Lord earlier in the r this appears to 86 00:06:00.600 --> 00:06:05.759 be a different appearance because this actually happens at night. So some would think 87 00:06:05.759 --> 00:06:10.600 that perhaps this had taken place in a dream. And so this is the 88 00:06:10.680 --> 00:06:16.800 second appearance to Gideon. Matthew Henry Says God's visits if gratefully received. She'll 89 00:06:16.839 --> 00:06:23.839 be graciously repeated. Now there's also a question here that probably it's a little 90 00:06:23.879 --> 00:06:27.639 confusing as you read through this account. This is probably the most confusing part 91 00:06:27.639 --> 00:06:30.759 of the passage. Is How many bulls are there? Is there one bowl 92 00:06:30.839 --> 00:06:33.439 or two? What is this second ball? I I don't I don't get 93 00:06:33.480 --> 00:06:36.759 it. It seems like he's only sacrificing one bull, but we read about 94 00:06:36.759 --> 00:06:41.680 this second ball. Well, most are agreed that there is only one bowl 95 00:06:42.079 --> 00:06:45.240 and it is called the second bowl for whatever reason, could have been the 96 00:06:45.319 --> 00:06:48.079 second bull of the flock or something along that line, I guess what wouldn't 97 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:53.120 call Um the bowl of flock, but Um, sorry, Ted, but 98 00:06:53.879 --> 00:06:58.560 nonetheless we can see uh here. It's just really one bull. Is All 99 00:06:58.639 --> 00:07:01.319 that are happening. And the fact that God commands wanted to be seven years 100 00:07:01.319 --> 00:07:06.920 old perhaps has reference to the fact that Israel has been in servitude, uh, 101 00:07:08.040 --> 00:07:12.360 to Midian for seven years, and perhaps that is why both seven years 102 00:07:12.839 --> 00:07:17.079 is chosen. But just see again how quickly idolatry has made its way into 103 00:07:17.199 --> 00:07:21.120 Israel. This keeps happening again and again, and tell at least the book 104 00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:26.879 of Daniel, when the three Hebrew children make a grandstand against idolatry. It 105 00:07:26.959 --> 00:07:31.160 appears that this was always Israel's besetting sin, and it never took them long 106 00:07:31.560 --> 00:07:38.920 to go after these other gods at all. Calvin famously said that the human 107 00:07:39.040 --> 00:07:44.800 heart is a perpetual idle factory, and we in the reform tradition through the 108 00:07:44.879 --> 00:07:50.720 years have stood steadfastly against all physical icons and images of God in any kind 109 00:07:50.759 --> 00:07:58.000 of way. In the church I pastored in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, after 110 00:07:58.120 --> 00:08:01.839 I had left in the Church cont and you. For a few months after 111 00:08:01.920 --> 00:08:05.959 that there was a man who came to preach for me. He was of 112 00:08:07.040 --> 00:08:13.000 a sister denomination, very close denomination of ours, and also Presbyterian, and 113 00:08:13.639 --> 00:08:18.959 in the midst of his sermon he pulled out a very well known, uh 114 00:08:18.079 --> 00:08:22.959 so called picture of Christ and he said to the people, do you know 115 00:08:24.040 --> 00:08:26.720 who this is? And one of my elders happened to be there in the 116 00:08:26.759 --> 00:08:33.559 service that morning and to his credit, he yelled out Peter. So ever 117 00:08:33.679 --> 00:08:37.480 since then, Um, I've tried to follow that's when I moved to a 118 00:08:37.559 --> 00:08:41.080 church, an evangelical free church, that had stained glass, and in the 119 00:08:41.120 --> 00:08:45.399 glass where these pictures and I said to them, Oh, I see you 120 00:08:45.440 --> 00:08:48.000 have Peter Praying in the garden. That's very, very interesting, and and 121 00:08:48.120 --> 00:08:50.559 all of that. And how do we know? They might look more like 122 00:08:50.600 --> 00:08:54.559 Peter than they look like Jesus. So, uh so, who knows? 123 00:08:54.720 --> 00:08:58.159 But what is more of a danger to us? Of course, his spiritual 124 00:08:58.200 --> 00:09:01.840 idolatry. That's what we're always facing as the children of God, and just 125 00:09:01.919 --> 00:09:05.360 like Israel, we can let that in very easily. But in Verse Twenty 126 00:09:05.399 --> 00:09:09.240 Six, the second part of the command comes forth, not just destroy the 127 00:09:09.320 --> 00:09:13.519 altar. See, that's only half the job. You destroy the altar, 128 00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:18.759 that's great, but then you need to replace it, as o Gideon is 129 00:09:18.799 --> 00:09:24.240 to erect another altar onto the Lord. We always have to be careful of 130 00:09:24.320 --> 00:09:28.600 replacing things, not just tearing things down and getting things out. We see 131 00:09:28.600 --> 00:09:33.679 it Jesus Consul in Matthew Twelve. He said when the unclean spirit has gone 132 00:09:33.679 --> 00:09:39.200 out of the person, it passes to waterless places seeking rest, but finds 133 00:09:39.279 --> 00:09:43.000 none. Then it says, I will return to my house from which I 134 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:48.480 came. And when it comes it finds the house empty, swept and put 135 00:09:48.480 --> 00:09:52.000 in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil 136 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:56.080 than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of 137 00:09:56.120 --> 00:10:01.559 that person is worse than the first. So all so will it be with 138 00:10:01.679 --> 00:10:07.360 this evil generation. The unclean spirit had been cast out but nothing had been 139 00:10:07.399 --> 00:10:11.519 put in its place. So when he comes back, he finds it empty 140 00:10:11.559 --> 00:10:16.960 and returns. Now I'm not going to deal with demon possession here. Tonight 141 00:10:16.039 --> 00:10:20.080 my my son had to preach a passage in his PC, a church out 142 00:10:20.120 --> 00:10:31.639 of Um acts. Uh, you know, I think it's still exists, 143 00:10:33.120 --> 00:10:37.000 but I sure don't know how to deal with it. Um, so that's 144 00:10:37.080 --> 00:10:41.200 my expertise on that particular subject. So I'm waiting for your pastor to come 145 00:10:41.240 --> 00:10:45.120 back to to explain that all to you. Um. So anyway, Gideon, 146 00:10:45.480 --> 00:10:48.879 don't just destroy the false but now put up something that is true. 147 00:10:50.399 --> 00:10:52.879 And this is a very special command of God. So you have to think 148 00:10:52.919 --> 00:10:58.679 about the times. Remember this. This is not really lawful. Okay, 149 00:10:58.759 --> 00:11:01.320 now, of course God's telling him to do it, so it's lawful, 150 00:11:01.600 --> 00:11:05.519 but it's not the way it's been commanded in the law. Gideon is of 151 00:11:05.600 --> 00:11:09.960 the tribe of manners. He's not supposed to be offering sacrifices. That's left 152 00:11:09.000 --> 00:11:13.679 for the Levites, and he's not supposed to offer sacrifices outside of the Tabernacle. 153 00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:18.759 That's where he's supposed to offer that's where the priest are supposed to offer 154 00:11:18.799 --> 00:11:22.679 those sacrifices, um. But he's following the law, he's following God. 155 00:11:22.840 --> 00:11:26.039 God has told him to do this for a special reason. And he does 156 00:11:26.120 --> 00:11:31.360 build the kind of altar that the law commanded. An Altar of stones was 157 00:11:31.399 --> 00:11:35.559 an accepted altar for the people to worship, to worship at, and so 158 00:11:35.600 --> 00:11:39.759 in Verse Twenty Seven. Gideon does this with ten of his servants, but 159 00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:43.879 he does it by night because he's afraid this might remind you of somebody else. 160 00:11:43.919 --> 00:11:48.120 And in the gospel of John, remember, Nicodemus comes to Jesus by 161 00:11:48.240 --> 00:11:52.159 night. It doesn't tell us why he came to Jesus by night, but 162 00:11:52.360 --> 00:11:54.879 John, whenever John Refers to Nicodemus from then and he goes, this is 163 00:11:54.879 --> 00:11:58.559 a guy who came to Jesus at night. Okay, so that's how he 164 00:11:58.600 --> 00:12:03.039 always emphasizes that, and so it doesn't seem to be a very complimentary thing 165 00:12:03.159 --> 00:12:09.480 about that. But again, Gideon is taking a stand, as we spoke 166 00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:13.720 about earlier, against his own family, his own family members. He's he's 167 00:12:13.759 --> 00:12:18.440 destroying their altar and do and doing that. And Uh, you know, 168 00:12:18.639 --> 00:12:24.720 the names are Um at the Bible are really, really interesting Um, because 169 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:28.840 what is Gideon commanded to do? First voices go down and cut down the 170 00:12:28.879 --> 00:12:33.360 altar. And what does Gideon's name mean? A cutter down, someone who 171 00:12:33.399 --> 00:12:37.240 cuts down. And that's what Gideon is called to do. You know, 172 00:12:37.840 --> 00:12:41.320 I'll come back to that by night and a little bit. But let's look 173 00:12:41.360 --> 00:12:45.559 at versus thirty five. The men of the town rising early in the morning, 174 00:12:45.679 --> 00:12:48.399 see that the altar for by all in the Astra have been cut down 175 00:12:48.480 --> 00:12:52.840 and an altar of the Lord put in this place, and they wonder who's 176 00:12:52.879 --> 00:12:56.159 done it. And seems to not take very long at all and they discovered 177 00:12:56.159 --> 00:12:58.279 that it is Gideon who has done it. So the men of the town 178 00:12:58.360 --> 00:13:01.480 come to Gideon, Father Joeash, and they tell him that he should bring 179 00:13:01.480 --> 00:13:07.440 out his son, that he would die for cutting down these altars. And 180 00:13:07.840 --> 00:13:11.039 we have what seems to be a kind of surprising statement from Gideon's father. 181 00:13:11.799 --> 00:13:16.679 After all, it was his altar that Gideon cut down. But instead of 182 00:13:16.679 --> 00:13:20.919 a green that his son should die for this, he says that whosoever should 183 00:13:20.960 --> 00:13:24.519 contend for bow should be put to death. And he makes a very, 184 00:13:24.639 --> 00:13:30.240 very logical proposition. He says, if bail is a god, well then 185 00:13:30.480 --> 00:13:33.480 he should be able to contend for himself. Right, that only makes sense 186 00:13:33.519 --> 00:13:37.080 if he is a God. And as I was thinking about that, it 187 00:13:37.200 --> 00:13:41.759 reminded me very much of Gamliel's counsel in the book of Acts Concerning the apostles 188 00:13:41.759 --> 00:13:45.960 in next five and he said in versus thirty eight and thirty nine. So 189 00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:48.480 in the present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and 190 00:13:48.559 --> 00:13:52.000 let them alone, for this planet of the undertaking is if it's a man, 191 00:13:52.200 --> 00:13:56.360 it'll fail, but if it's of God, you will not be able 192 00:13:56.399 --> 00:14:01.639 to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God. So they took 193 00:14:01.039 --> 00:14:05.960 his advice. And maybe, and I don't know this, but maybe in 194 00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:11.480 that moment, as Josh was standing up for his son, maybe he said, 195 00:14:11.679 --> 00:14:16.120 oh, that's why I named him cutting down. Okay, that makes 196 00:14:16.159 --> 00:14:20.159 sense now. Perhaps he realized that. I don't know. But coincidentally, 197 00:14:20.200 --> 00:14:24.240 in the next verse there's a name change and Gideon himself derobable, which means 198 00:14:24.559 --> 00:14:31.240 uh, let the bow contend against him. And apparently the advice of Gideon's 199 00:14:31.240 --> 00:14:33.159 father's called the mob down and we hear no more of them wanting to put 200 00:14:33.200 --> 00:14:37.879 Gideon to death. Gideon is the one who contended with all and he comes 201 00:14:37.919 --> 00:14:41.360 out the victor. And so now we have the change and all of the 202 00:14:41.399 --> 00:14:46.360 people are now starting to gather, all the armies of Israel gathering to battle 203 00:14:46.399 --> 00:14:50.320 with Gideon. The median nights, first of all, the enemies and media 204 00:14:50.399 --> 00:14:54.360 nights, the AMALEKITES and all of those people of the East gathered together in 205 00:14:54.360 --> 00:15:00.679 the Valley of Jezreel, and that was the same valley earlier where barrack and 206 00:15:00.840 --> 00:15:05.039 the forces of Israel had gone against Sisera and his nine iron chariots, and 207 00:15:05.080 --> 00:15:09.120 so this is the same battlefield at that time. This valley is said to 208 00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:13.759 me, not only back then but even today, the richest agricultural land in 209 00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:18.279 in all of Israel. Okay, uh, so, you know, Israel 210 00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:20.279 has a lot of deserts too, but there are some places where it's very 211 00:15:20.360 --> 00:15:24.960 last and this is one of those lands that they're fighting for, and that 212 00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:28.240 would make sense why they're doing that. And so Um, the tribe to 213 00:15:28.320 --> 00:15:33.919 Manasa, Gideon's tribe, and also the tribes of Asher, Zabulon and Napthali 214 00:15:33.240 --> 00:15:37.480 are all gathered together and in particular the family that Gideon is from, the 215 00:15:37.480 --> 00:15:43.759 epsites are mentioned as well, and so they come together and it comes to 216 00:15:43.879 --> 00:15:50.679 this very interesting phrase in Verse Thirty Four. The King James says the spirit 217 00:15:50.799 --> 00:15:56.840 of the Lord came upon Gideon. The Hebrew word for came upon actually as 218 00:15:56.879 --> 00:16:00.960 the first meaning of wrap, and over the half of the places where this 219 00:16:02.080 --> 00:16:07.840 Hebrew word appears, the King James translated as clothed or some form of clothes. 220 00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:12.519 So the E S V says the spirit of the Lord Clothed Gideon. 221 00:16:14.120 --> 00:16:18.679 The contemporary English version says it took control of Gideon. Another version says it 222 00:16:18.799 --> 00:16:23.320 empowered Gideon. Again, let me returned back to that when we get to 223 00:16:23.399 --> 00:16:27.480 the application shortly here. And so, in versus thirty six and forty, 224 00:16:27.519 --> 00:16:33.279 we have probably the most famous story about Gideon that most everybody knows, Gideon 225 00:16:33.360 --> 00:16:40.000 and his two fleeces. Now, apparently the turning of Israel away from Baal 226 00:16:40.159 --> 00:16:44.279 and Ashtral, the turning of them to Gideon, the massing of the troops 227 00:16:44.320 --> 00:16:48.080 together to Gideon, the accepting him as their leader, is not enough evidence 228 00:16:48.120 --> 00:16:52.919 for Gideon. And so, in versus thirty six and thirty seven, Gideon 229 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:56.559 asked God for a sign to see if God will really do that, will 230 00:16:56.600 --> 00:17:00.240 he willly deliver Israel by his hand? And so he lays we talked about 231 00:17:00.240 --> 00:17:03.559 the threshing floor. I talked about it this morning, and here again he 232 00:17:03.640 --> 00:17:07.559 lays it, a piece of wool on the threshing floor and asked if God 233 00:17:07.759 --> 00:17:12.440 is indeed going to use him to help Israel win the battle, then there 234 00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:18.359 should be dew on the fleece and the ground should be dry. And so 235 00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:22.279 it happens the next morning that indeed, uh, there is enough dew on 236 00:17:22.319 --> 00:17:25.920 the fleece to forget it, to wring it out and have a bowl full 237 00:17:25.960 --> 00:17:27.000 of water. And I doesn't say how big the bowl is, so I 238 00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:30.880 don't know how big it is, but there's enough new in order to do 239 00:17:30.960 --> 00:17:33.160 that. So that's that's a lot of water. But again, in verse 240 00:17:33.160 --> 00:17:36.960 thirty nine, that's still not enough for getting and so he asked for the 241 00:17:37.000 --> 00:17:41.000 reverse the next day, that now the fleece would be dry and the ground 242 00:17:41.200 --> 00:17:48.960 would be wet. And again in verse forty that's exactly what happens. So 243 00:17:48.119 --> 00:17:52.519 is at an instance of lack of faith? Well, I think we can 244 00:17:52.559 --> 00:17:57.359 positively say yes, it is. We already had the assurance of the angel 245 00:17:57.400 --> 00:18:02.559 of the Lord in Verse Fourteen that God was indeed going to be with Gideon 246 00:18:02.599 --> 00:18:07.279 and and send him to defeat the media nights and Gideon had received the assurance 247 00:18:07.319 --> 00:18:11.799 the word of the Lord, and the word of the Lord of God promises, 248 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:14.799 will always do what he sends it to do. The scripture tells us 249 00:18:14.880 --> 00:18:19.319 that. But Gideon still needed more assurance. But having said that, there's 250 00:18:19.359 --> 00:18:23.640 two reasons I think we shouldn't be too hard on Gideon. I find something 251 00:18:23.960 --> 00:18:27.720 I think if I get older I'm a lot more lenient on biblical characters. 252 00:18:29.359 --> 00:18:33.319 When I was young I was pretty pretty judgmental, but I become more lenient 253 00:18:33.039 --> 00:18:38.319 because I realized how much grace I need Um. But so the first reason 254 00:18:38.359 --> 00:18:42.920 why I think we shouldn't be so hard on Gideon is because we're often in 255 00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:48.759 the same place. We have God's word for almost every issue we encounter, 256 00:18:48.279 --> 00:18:52.839 almost every trial we find ourselves and we have a word of God for that 257 00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:57.480 trial. But often that isn't enough for us either. But there's a second 258 00:18:57.519 --> 00:19:00.799 reason, I think, why we shouldn't be too hard on Gideon, and 259 00:19:00.839 --> 00:19:06.839 it's not something found in the text, but it's something not found in the 260 00:19:06.880 --> 00:19:11.599 text. So what is it that's not found in the text? We don't 261 00:19:11.599 --> 00:19:15.440 find God rebuking Gideon for doing this, do we? God doesn't say, 262 00:19:15.440 --> 00:19:18.640 Oh, Gideon, Gideon, how long must I suffer you? I can't 263 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:22.000 believe this, I did this, I did this, I did this. 264 00:19:22.319 --> 00:19:27.319 We find no reproof of God to Gideon. He has no rebuke. So 265 00:19:29.000 --> 00:19:32.519 if God isn't going to rebuke him, I'm not going to rebuke him. 266 00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:37.400 I'll just I'll just leave him there and I will just remained, uh, 267 00:19:37.000 --> 00:19:41.799 mostly silent, not not mostly dead, but mostly silent. So let me 268 00:19:41.839 --> 00:19:45.480 make some applications. So in the text we had a reference to the spirit 269 00:19:45.480 --> 00:19:51.240 of God coming upon clothing or empowering Gideon, and this is one of the 270 00:19:51.319 --> 00:19:55.200 many references to the spirit of God that we have in the Old Testament. 271 00:19:55.400 --> 00:19:59.119 The Holy Spirit isn't something that just appears on the day of Pentecost. In 272 00:19:59.160 --> 00:20:02.400 the Book of Act we've had many, many, many references to the Holy 273 00:20:02.440 --> 00:20:06.119 Spirit and in fact it begins in the very first book, the very first 274 00:20:06.200 --> 00:20:10.720 chapter and the second verse of the Bible. We read about the spirit upon 275 00:20:10.759 --> 00:20:15.079 the waters, and so the Holy Spirit is very active in the Old Testament. 276 00:20:17.079 --> 00:20:19.480 Now, some of you might know that to become a minister in the 277 00:20:19.480 --> 00:20:23.920 O P C you have to be go through a series of tests, and 278 00:20:23.920 --> 00:20:29.559 one of those tests that you have to endure is a theology exam on the 279 00:20:29.559 --> 00:20:34.240 floor where you stand before everybody and then after the person that's UH giving you 280 00:20:34.279 --> 00:20:37.200 the exam is done, then they open it up to the floor and they 281 00:20:37.200 --> 00:20:41.640 could ask any question that they want to ask it at all. So you 282 00:20:41.680 --> 00:20:45.519 have to be prepared for that. Well, before you do that, Um, 283 00:20:45.640 --> 00:20:48.599 the committee, you meet with the committee before that and they ask you, 284 00:20:48.839 --> 00:20:52.279 uh, those kind of questions and they kind of go through and ask 285 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:55.920 you the questions. They want to make sure that you're ready to go to 286 00:20:55.960 --> 00:20:59.200 the floor. They don't want you to go to the floor and embarrass yourself. 287 00:20:59.680 --> 00:21:03.079 So so they go through these questions with you and see how you answer 288 00:21:03.119 --> 00:21:07.960 them. So the next day the chair, the man that was the representative 289 00:21:08.319 --> 00:21:12.359 of that committee, was giving me the exam on the floor of presbytery and 290 00:21:12.519 --> 00:21:15.559 uh, he is the man that's a good friend of mine. He's a 291 00:21:15.680 --> 00:21:19.240 he's now a regional home missionary. And he was asking the question and he 292 00:21:19.319 --> 00:21:22.440 was going through them and I was answering them as I'd answered them in committee. 293 00:21:22.640 --> 00:21:26.079 And then all of a sudden he said, Kim what's the difference between 294 00:21:26.079 --> 00:21:29.799 the work of the Holy Spirit and the Old Testament and work of the spirit 295 00:21:29.839 --> 00:21:33.480 in the New Testament? And I just kind of looked at him and he 296 00:21:33.559 --> 00:21:38.480 said, yeah, this wasn't in the examined committee and uh, I was 297 00:21:38.559 --> 00:21:44.480 sitting there thinking in my mind furiously what I would say at that moment and 298 00:21:44.519 --> 00:21:48.240 tend to take it off guarden. So me being the excellent theologian that I 299 00:21:48.279 --> 00:21:51.519 am, I answered. You know, I'm going to have to do a 300 00:21:51.559 --> 00:21:56.079 little more studying on that particular question. The good news is I passed the 301 00:21:56.119 --> 00:22:00.240 exam. The bad news is I'm still not clear in the answer to that 302 00:22:00.359 --> 00:22:03.079 question. But anyway, that the work. I can say this, the 303 00:22:03.160 --> 00:22:07.160 working the only spirit of the Old Testament was doing the same kinds of things 304 00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:11.079 he does in a new testament, but only among the Israelites. In the 305 00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:15.359 Old Testament not so much into the gentiles, but now he does. Now. 306 00:22:15.519 --> 00:22:18.079 I could say more on that, but that'd be a good question for 307 00:22:18.400 --> 00:22:22.119 again you have to ask your pastor sometimes Um, because maybe he got that 308 00:22:22.200 --> 00:22:26.440 question and nailed it. So the important thing is the spirit of God was 309 00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:32.119 coming upon Gideon, wrapping him uh and shrouding him, empowering him to do 310 00:22:32.200 --> 00:22:34.240 the Work of God, which is the same thing he has to do it 311 00:22:34.319 --> 00:22:38.319 with ministers in the Church today, as we give God's word, if the 312 00:22:38.359 --> 00:22:42.480 spirit of God doesn't empower us, our words are empty and we need that 313 00:22:42.880 --> 00:22:47.960 and we need God's spirit to use our words to be living words. And 314 00:22:47.960 --> 00:22:52.519 and he's still doing the same and UH. And so we we we need 315 00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:56.160 to recognize we need the spirit of God. You know, I need to 316 00:22:56.160 --> 00:23:00.359 say well, and I say this sometimes, have said it here. Well, 317 00:23:00.400 --> 00:23:03.480 you know, I used to be pentecostal. No, I've I'm always 318 00:23:03.519 --> 00:23:07.920 pentecostal. I'm still pentecostal. It's just the way that word has been misused 319 00:23:07.920 --> 00:23:12.559 today is that it's confusing. But as Christians we are pentecostal. We believe 320 00:23:12.599 --> 00:23:15.640 in the work of the spirit. We might not believe it the way certain 321 00:23:15.640 --> 00:23:21.599 people teach it, but we certainly believe the Holy Spirit is an important part 322 00:23:22.200 --> 00:23:27.720 of the godhead and we need him to clothe us. There's a struggle in 323 00:23:27.759 --> 00:23:33.920 this passage between what's wisdom and what's fear. It tells us when Gideon tore 324 00:23:33.920 --> 00:23:37.359 down the altar, he did it by night because of fear. It tells 325 00:23:37.440 --> 00:23:45.240 us fear isn't always a bad thing. Okay, fear can lead us into 326 00:23:45.400 --> 00:23:49.279 a wise course. In sermons on Gideon, and he's often railed against, 327 00:23:49.279 --> 00:23:53.200 as I mentioned before, saying he didn't trust God. He doubts God's word, 328 00:23:53.279 --> 00:23:57.240 he doesn't believe he's the one who can deliver Israel. He doesn't believe 329 00:23:57.640 --> 00:24:00.519 you know what God says and he has there the fleeces and all of this. 330 00:24:02.079 --> 00:24:03.640 And of course there there's some truth to that. But we don't want 331 00:24:03.680 --> 00:24:08.160 to go overboard because, after all, get in is the one who's going 332 00:24:08.200 --> 00:24:15.240 to lead an army of three hundred people against forces much greater than that. 333 00:24:15.079 --> 00:24:21.599 So I don't think again we need to be too hard on him. And 334 00:24:21.640 --> 00:24:25.440 again he did it by night, but he was still found out. I 335 00:24:25.480 --> 00:24:27.279 think he knew he was going to be found out. He didn't think he 336 00:24:27.319 --> 00:24:32.039 was going to slip by nobody would know it was him. And so even 337 00:24:32.079 --> 00:24:33.799 in doing that he just didn't want to be interrupted, you know, when 338 00:24:33.839 --> 00:24:37.119 he was doing that. He didn't want them to come to him then, 339 00:24:37.519 --> 00:24:38.480 and so he wanted to be able to do it at night when he could 340 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:42.480 finish the job without a problem. But he knew, he knew there would 341 00:24:42.480 --> 00:24:45.160 come to him and they were gonna look at him as the person who did 342 00:24:45.200 --> 00:24:52.079 that and Um and so again it doesn't seem like there were a lot of 343 00:24:52.839 --> 00:24:59.039 options for the people of God that for someone that would destroy an idol. 344 00:24:59.359 --> 00:25:02.400 They didn't asked lots or anything like that to see what they should do for 345 00:25:02.519 --> 00:25:06.400 him. And again Gideon didn't sleave, was found. But but again, 346 00:25:07.839 --> 00:25:10.559 sometimes we think, you know, the only way I can follow God, 347 00:25:10.559 --> 00:25:15.039 and this is if I really do the boldest thing possible. And especially when 348 00:25:15.039 --> 00:25:17.799 I was young, that was kind of the way I thought. Is that 349 00:25:17.839 --> 00:25:19.960 if I'm if I'm really gonna Follow God, I gotta do it that really 350 00:25:21.079 --> 00:25:22.680 strong way, you know, the way that really shows I'm a I'm a 351 00:25:22.759 --> 00:25:26.559 person of faith and and take the strong way to in order to do that. 352 00:25:27.640 --> 00:25:30.559 And and if we don't do that and we take an easier course to 353 00:25:30.640 --> 00:25:33.200 do the same thing, we think, well, I'm not trusting God and 354 00:25:33.200 --> 00:25:37.640 and I'm not obeying God and I'm fearful and all that. But you know, 355 00:25:37.680 --> 00:25:42.839 our Lord instructed us that we should be wisest serpents and harmless as doves. 356 00:25:45.599 --> 00:25:49.599 You know, Jesus himself often took the path of least resistance until his 357 00:25:49.799 --> 00:25:56.519 time came. He was very wise when when things were getting hot around Jerusalem, 358 00:25:56.559 --> 00:25:59.480 he stayed away from Jerusalem. You can read this in the Gospel. 359 00:25:59.559 --> 00:26:02.759 You'll see that again and again. His brother said you should go up to 360 00:26:02.799 --> 00:26:04.640 the face, because now I'm not going up. Yet he knew when to 361 00:26:04.640 --> 00:26:07.119 go up. He knew when it would be safer for him to go up. 362 00:26:07.440 --> 00:26:11.119 He knew all of these things, he knew when it was wise, 363 00:26:12.359 --> 00:26:15.079 and he knew when he should stay away from Jerusalem, when he should go 364 00:26:15.079 --> 00:26:21.920 into the outer regions and minister there. The German reformer Johannes Brenn, said 365 00:26:21.960 --> 00:26:26.960 now, this fear was not the fear wooded in Godlessness or unbelief, for 366 00:26:26.039 --> 00:26:30.640 otherwise he would not have obeyed God even at night, but it was a 367 00:26:30.720 --> 00:26:33.720 fear worded in the prudence of faith, for even if you have the commandment 368 00:26:33.759 --> 00:26:38.880 of God and the promise of divine aid, nonetheless the prudence of faith asked 369 00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:45.839 you not attempt anything rashly or hurrow yourself into instantaneous danger without their being any 370 00:26:45.920 --> 00:26:49.839 need. Rather, it asked that you think it is necessary to follow the 371 00:26:49.880 --> 00:26:56.160 divine call fulfill the commandment of God, but that is not necessary for you 372 00:26:56.240 --> 00:27:03.519 to test God. Rather use all justgitimate and ordinary means established by God in 373 00:27:03.599 --> 00:27:08.079 order to avoid dangers while you pursue your calling. Thus, Giddeon acted prudently 374 00:27:08.519 --> 00:27:12.039 that he tore down the altar of bell at night, not during the day, 375 00:27:12.079 --> 00:27:17.480 in order to avoid the hazard to his life. No, you're and 376 00:27:17.559 --> 00:27:21.599 his brands. After his death, the jesuits would demolish his grave, UM 377 00:27:21.640 --> 00:27:26.200 and so. But he was a great Protestant reformer. But I don't know, 378 00:27:26.599 --> 00:27:30.119 um about you. And the reason I bring this up in this message 379 00:27:30.160 --> 00:27:33.599 and the reason I wanted to talk about this from his passage is because it's 380 00:27:33.640 --> 00:27:37.599 something again, that's plagued my life. Through my life, I've done things 381 00:27:37.599 --> 00:27:40.160 in my and certain things in my life, and maybe this is true of 382 00:27:40.240 --> 00:27:44.240 you as well, certain things in my life and I look back on them 383 00:27:44.279 --> 00:27:47.880 and I questioned myself when I say, did I do that out of fear 384 00:27:48.559 --> 00:27:52.480 or do that out of wisdom? And I'm still sometimes tormented by those things 385 00:27:52.519 --> 00:27:56.000 in the middle of the night and I wonder what was I just not believing 386 00:27:56.079 --> 00:27:59.799 God, or why did I do what I did at that time? Even 387 00:28:00.039 --> 00:28:04.000 worked out great, I still wonder about those things. And so I bring 388 00:28:04.039 --> 00:28:07.200 that up because I always think if I'm going through things someone, he was 389 00:28:07.200 --> 00:28:11.839 probably going through that kind of thing as well. So the other question we 390 00:28:11.880 --> 00:28:18.079 have to ask here before I closed, is was Um it was gideon right, 391 00:28:18.240 --> 00:28:22.400 and should we emulate him into putting the fleeces before God? And we 392 00:28:22.440 --> 00:28:26.000 have to ask that question. Should you and I be putting fleeces out? 393 00:28:26.039 --> 00:28:29.000 It's interesting. I got a call from a friend, somebodys I was able 394 00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:30.880 to leave to the Lord on a band trip many years ago. He and 395 00:28:30.880 --> 00:28:33.759 he called me yesterday and he brought up fleeces and I said, well, 396 00:28:33.759 --> 00:28:37.920 I'm I'm preaching on that tomorrow, and he was. He was talking about 397 00:28:37.920 --> 00:28:41.119 how he thought it was good to put out fleeces and I was arguing no, 398 00:28:41.880 --> 00:28:45.759 and that one man said, you know, I put out a fleece 399 00:28:45.799 --> 00:28:48.160 and I got fleeced. Uh that, that's what happens a lot of times. 400 00:28:48.319 --> 00:28:52.200 Now let me say in the New Testament there is no reference anywhere to 401 00:28:52.359 --> 00:28:56.759 Christians putting out fleeces in order to find God's will. The closest thing we 402 00:28:56.839 --> 00:29:00.880 have in the New Testament is the apostles cast. Seen Lots for the Replacement 403 00:29:02.240 --> 00:29:06.759 of Judas as the apostle, but even that is really before pentecost and it's 404 00:29:06.839 --> 00:29:10.440 hard to judge anything because of that. And Uh so, I'm not. 405 00:29:11.359 --> 00:29:15.000 I don't think we can use that. But there's no teaching in the New 406 00:29:15.039 --> 00:29:19.720 Testament anywhere about believers putting out fleeces, and even the fleeces that Christians put 407 00:29:19.759 --> 00:29:26.200 out today oftentimes do not resemble Gideon fleases in the least. Just think about 408 00:29:26.200 --> 00:29:30.480 what Gideon said. Make the fleece dry in the ground wet and vice versa. 409 00:29:32.240 --> 00:29:36.640 That's a pretty amazing fleece. Okay, that that's that's a lot different 410 00:29:36.920 --> 00:29:41.119 from from our fleeces. You know, you know, Lord, if it's 411 00:29:41.160 --> 00:29:44.400 if it's your will that I do this, then don't let it rain this 412 00:29:44.440 --> 00:29:47.759 week in Tucson. That's not much of a fleece. I understand that. 413 00:29:47.839 --> 00:29:51.079 But but back where I come from, that that's a legitimate fleece that you 414 00:29:51.079 --> 00:29:56.559 could do. But it makes no sense whatsoever. Um. But you know 415 00:29:56.319 --> 00:30:00.759 again, maybe you would say something like well, art of it your will, 416 00:30:00.799 --> 00:30:03.319 I buy this new motors, I go, let it be hot in 417 00:30:03.400 --> 00:30:08.119 Tucson tomorrow. And Yeah, all right. So the New Testament says we 418 00:30:08.160 --> 00:30:12.440 are guided by the spirit of the Lord. Everyone who are led by the 419 00:30:12.880 --> 00:30:18.640 by the spirit of God. They are the sons of God. So what 420 00:30:18.720 --> 00:30:22.000 are the two main ways we have of guidance? We have the spirits leading 421 00:30:22.039 --> 00:30:27.039 and guidance and we have God's Providence. One of the clear passages in the 422 00:30:27.079 --> 00:30:30.920 New Testament Guide and Guidances Act Sixteen, and we read this and he went 423 00:30:30.960 --> 00:30:34.519 through the region of Frieda and Galicia. haveing been forbidden by the Holy Spirit 424 00:30:34.920 --> 00:30:37.720 to speak the word in Asia. Now, what the text doesn't tell us 425 00:30:37.799 --> 00:30:42.160 is what does that mean? How is he forbidden by the Holy Spirit to 426 00:30:42.839 --> 00:30:48.640 UH speak the word in Asia? Now, I'm going to give you an 427 00:30:48.640 --> 00:30:52.799 example from my life, and don't make this an exemplarything that you would you 428 00:30:52.839 --> 00:30:55.680 say, Oh, I'm going to do this, but this is something I 429 00:30:55.720 --> 00:30:57.920 did in my life, that happened to me in my life and I treasure 430 00:30:57.920 --> 00:31:03.440 it as a uh as to me, an experience of God's leading. But 431 00:31:03.680 --> 00:31:07.079 Um, you can do with it what you want. After I tell you 432 00:31:07.480 --> 00:31:11.119 I was coming home from golfing with a guy in my church and it was 433 00:31:11.240 --> 00:31:12.960 very early in the morning. We started very early golfing and it was still 434 00:31:14.200 --> 00:31:18.000 it was still about seven o'clock that I was driving home and I was, 435 00:31:19.880 --> 00:31:23.119 well, I guess you'd call it speeding. Um as well, it was. 436 00:31:23.160 --> 00:31:26.680 I was I was going much faster than I should have been going and 437 00:31:26.680 --> 00:31:30.440 the road was the back roads and it was very, very curvy roads, 438 00:31:30.519 --> 00:31:33.599 you know, and and I'm taking his road and I'm going, you know, 439 00:31:33.720 --> 00:31:38.240 probably fifteen, twenty miles over the speed limit as I'm going, and 440 00:31:38.279 --> 00:31:42.640 all of a sudden into my mind came this, not a voice, but 441 00:31:42.720 --> 00:31:45.759 a thought that I had. He said, you know, the way you're 442 00:31:45.839 --> 00:31:48.759 driving here, if you were to hear if the deer were to come out 443 00:31:48.759 --> 00:31:52.640 in the middle of the road, you would be you would be killed there. 444 00:31:52.720 --> 00:31:56.839 But something would happen, you'd smash the cart there totally. And if 445 00:31:56.079 --> 00:32:00.720 and I thought, Oh man, and immediately I let my foot off the 446 00:32:00.720 --> 00:32:05.920 pedal and went down below the speed limit. And I know this, my 447 00:32:06.160 --> 00:32:09.119 team, hard to believe for you, but the next curve I came around, 448 00:32:09.599 --> 00:32:14.039 who do you think was right in the middle of the road? A 449 00:32:14.119 --> 00:32:16.559 big deer was sitting right there. Now you can do with that what you 450 00:32:16.599 --> 00:32:22.599 want, whatever you want to do, but but the Holy Spirit, lets 451 00:32:22.680 --> 00:32:27.079 us know, is various things in various ways. We have a similar statement 452 00:32:27.200 --> 00:32:30.240 verse seven. And when they come to Macia, they attempted to go with 453 00:32:30.359 --> 00:32:34.079 Ania, but the spirit of Jesus did not allow them. Again, how 454 00:32:34.079 --> 00:32:36.559 do we know that? What do they do? How did the spirit of 455 00:32:36.599 --> 00:32:39.920 God not allow him to do it? And then in verse nine we read 456 00:32:39.960 --> 00:32:45.799 And a vision appeared to Paul during the night. A certain man of Macedonia 457 00:32:45.880 --> 00:32:52.200 was standing beseeching them and saying come over to Macedonia and help us. Now 458 00:32:52.480 --> 00:32:55.279 here comes one of my favorite verses in the Bible, Verse Ten. I 459 00:32:55.359 --> 00:32:59.640 love this. Okay, if a vision during the night, a man of 460 00:32:59.720 --> 00:33:04.200 Mass Adonia standing beseeching him, saying come over to Macedonia and help us, 461 00:33:04.920 --> 00:33:09.759 in verse ten says and Um uh, we now I copied the wrong verse 462 00:33:09.799 --> 00:33:15.160 into my notes, but the voice. But basically she said we therefore perceived 463 00:33:15.240 --> 00:33:20.440 that the Lord was telling us to go to Macedonia. Okay, good perception. 464 00:33:20.480 --> 00:33:22.119 That was great. You call even I could have caught onto that one, 465 00:33:22.160 --> 00:33:25.400 I think. But but anyway, I now. I'm not saying we 466 00:33:25.400 --> 00:33:29.920 should look for visions today. I don't believe we should. When I was 467 00:33:29.960 --> 00:33:34.000 in the Prayer Corps Nestivity for a street ministry, there was a guy that 468 00:33:34.119 --> 00:33:35.759 was in there and he told me he said, you know, he said, 469 00:33:36.079 --> 00:33:38.559 every time I fast I get a vision. I thought, wow, 470 00:33:39.480 --> 00:33:44.480 that's pretty cool. I said really, every time you fast you get a 471 00:33:44.559 --> 00:33:45.960 vision. What's it? What's it like? You said, I get a 472 00:33:46.039 --> 00:33:51.799 vision of a hot dog. Okay, so I understand that that when you're 473 00:33:51.799 --> 00:33:55.240 when you're fasting, but the point is that Paul and Silas were being led 474 00:33:55.319 --> 00:34:00.039 by the prompting of the Holy Spirit. The spirit was telling go or don't 475 00:34:00.079 --> 00:34:04.960 go. Stop all of those things. And I could give you many examples 476 00:34:04.960 --> 00:34:07.199 in my life and I'm sure you could give me many examples in your life. 477 00:34:08.639 --> 00:34:13.440 And isn't an interesting and this is my final point, that when then, 478 00:34:13.519 --> 00:34:17.599 God wants to strike a blow against Israel, against idolatry in Israel, 479 00:34:19.400 --> 00:34:23.440 he chooses the son of one who had apparently been an instigator of ball worship 480 00:34:24.239 --> 00:34:30.320 in the in Israel, the one who had erected the altar in the first 481 00:34:30.360 --> 00:34:35.960 place. All of us have different stories of our conversion to Christ. Some 482 00:34:36.079 --> 00:34:39.039 of you here today were perhaps brought up by Christian parents and you grew up 483 00:34:39.079 --> 00:34:44.679 knowing the Lord and they taught you the scriptures and the catechisms and and other 484 00:34:44.760 --> 00:34:46.960 things, and you can and they prayed regularly for and you can thank God 485 00:34:47.000 --> 00:34:51.440 for that upbringing. But others of you were probably like me, as I 486 00:34:51.480 --> 00:34:54.719 mentioned, not brought up in the Christian family at all. I had parents 487 00:34:54.760 --> 00:34:59.679 that were CEOS of the church. You know, Christ Christmas and Easter. 488 00:34:59.800 --> 00:35:04.760 Own Ly had that and most of the time not even that. They rarely 489 00:35:04.920 --> 00:35:08.039 darkened the doors of a church. I can't even remember after my very youngest 490 00:35:08.119 --> 00:35:12.639 years when I was in Christmas programs. I can't even remember my parents ever 491 00:35:12.679 --> 00:35:19.119 going to church. But I had a godly sister was twelve years older than 492 00:35:19.159 --> 00:35:22.840 I am and she took me faithfully to Sunday school and Church week after week 493 00:35:24.000 --> 00:35:30.960 until she abandoned me and got married and went with her husband. But she 494 00:35:31.159 --> 00:35:36.519 arranged for another godly woman in the Church to pick myself and my brother up 495 00:35:36.559 --> 00:35:42.159 and take us to church week after week. And I already mentioned a bit 496 00:35:42.199 --> 00:35:45.159 my father. My father was a professional musician. He was part of a 497 00:35:45.199 --> 00:35:49.400 band that was in their fourth generation. They began in Germany years ago. 498 00:35:49.440 --> 00:35:52.880 Were the only band allowed to play in their part of Germany and it had 499 00:35:52.920 --> 00:35:58.480 passed from generation to generation. Now it was my turn and for my next 500 00:35:58.480 --> 00:36:02.519 for the next generation, there was myself, my my cousin who had mental 501 00:36:02.559 --> 00:36:07.199 and drug problems, and my brother who had mental and drug problems. So 502 00:36:07.320 --> 00:36:12.920 guess who? My Dad pinned his hopes on that I would carry on the 503 00:36:13.039 --> 00:36:16.719 dance band and go on, but God called me to be a minister. 504 00:36:19.400 --> 00:36:23.039 And so some of you can say here. You know, I grew up 505 00:36:23.079 --> 00:36:28.400 pastor in a family that didn't serve God, didn't love God, but somehow 506 00:36:28.440 --> 00:36:31.760 God got a hold of me and you probably, like me, sometimes just 507 00:36:31.800 --> 00:36:37.280 sit back and think, why me, God? Why Me Lord? Like 508 00:36:37.360 --> 00:36:43.320 the like the song says, why me Lord, why didn't you choose me? 509 00:36:44.679 --> 00:36:49.880 I can't understand it, Lord, but the grace and election of God 510 00:36:50.599 --> 00:36:53.320 is something wonderful and you can sit here, some of you tonight, and 511 00:36:53.360 --> 00:36:58.760 think, I don't know why I'm here. I don't. I don't understand 512 00:36:58.760 --> 00:37:01.920 how I got to this play, but God brought me here and I had 513 00:37:01.960 --> 00:37:07.000 nothing in in my growing up or anything to to convince me that that this 514 00:37:07.119 --> 00:37:14.039 was the way to go. But you know, I I turned this way. 515 00:37:14.039 --> 00:37:16.119 And then, even as I serve God, I certainly didn't want to 516 00:37:16.159 --> 00:37:20.400 be a calvinist. You know, uh, that was a bad thing. 517 00:37:20.639 --> 00:37:22.719 I know that one of the men that I looked at has my hero in 518 00:37:22.800 --> 00:37:28.199 the faith, said that John Calvin was responsible for putting more people in Hell 519 00:37:28.480 --> 00:37:32.719 than anybody, everybody else in history. Can you imagine that? That's what 520 00:37:32.840 --> 00:37:38.159 I was following. But there God grabs me and opens my eyes and shows 521 00:37:38.159 --> 00:37:43.639 me his word that I can't fight against anymore. The ways of God have 522 00:37:43.840 --> 00:37:49.679 always been passed finding out, and we can praise God that, whatever the 523 00:37:49.719 --> 00:37:53.599 way you got here, however it is, it was God. He might 524 00:37:53.639 --> 00:37:59.280 have used godly parrots and he might have used someone else outside of your family 525 00:38:00.199 --> 00:38:05.599 or another student you matter, something like that, but it's always been God. 526 00:38:07.400 --> 00:38:10.159 And so, as we serve God, we don't just tear it on 527 00:38:10.239 --> 00:38:15.599 our altars, but we want to replace it with Christ. We want to 528 00:38:15.599 --> 00:38:17.519 give him first. He is the one who died for us, he is 529 00:38:17.559 --> 00:38:21.480 the one who paid the price for our sins, he is the one that 530 00:38:21.559 --> 00:38:27.039 did everything for us, and so again I want to say look to him, 531 00:38:27.280 --> 00:38:31.320 look to him, for he has everything that you need. Trust in 532 00:38:31.480 --> 00:38:36.599 him and believe in him. Let's pray. Father God, we thank you 533 00:38:36.639 --> 00:38:39.840 tonight for your word and we thank you for what it teaches us and we 534 00:38:39.880 --> 00:38:44.800 thank you for your grace. It has been in evidence throughout time, from 535 00:38:44.800 --> 00:38:47.519 the beginning, Lord, through the story of Gideon, and then it reaches 536 00:38:47.599 --> 00:38:52.280 down into our own lives as well, and Lord, we thank you for 537 00:38:52.320 --> 00:38:54.719 that and we praise you, God, for your way of bringing us. 538 00:38:54.760 --> 00:38:59.639 Every one of us that's here tonight can be grateful and thankful to you, 539 00:39:00.280 --> 00:39:02.920 for you have brought us to this place for such a time as this. 540 00:39:04.719 --> 00:39:08.119 And, Lord, we thank you and we praise you for your amazing grace 541 00:39:09.159 --> 00:39:15.119 that has brought us out of darkness in the light. And we asked Lord, 542 00:39:15.760 --> 00:39:19.519 as we've Sung to night and as we've seen Gideon, guide us. 543 00:39:19.639 --> 00:39:23.679 O, Lord, direct us in your path and lead us where you would 544 00:39:23.719 --> 00:39:28.360 have us to go. We prayed in Christ's name. Amen.