God calls us who we are to be before we are who we are to be!
Judges 6:11-24
God called the believers at Corinth saints, and they were not living like saints.
God calls us Christians when we are not like Christ.
God calls us a new creation when we are not yet living like we are.
Well, why does God call us something that we are not? Well, God is determined and believes that we are going to cooperate with his will of making us like Christ in this life.
Gideon is the 5th judge, whom the Lord calls to deliver Israel from the oppression of the Midianites.
God calls Gideon a brave warrior, while he is not, but God knows what he is going to become.
We can not be who God called us to be without divine intervention.
God’s intervention into our lives takes place when we worship him
When we worship God, He fills us with Himself, and the Holy Ghost makes Himself at home in us.
All fear is gone; now he knows God is with him and God is for Him.
He is no longer a coward; now he is courageous
The same night God changed him, he tore down the altar of Baal and cut down the grove that was by it
And built an altar unto the LORD upon the top of this rock and took the wood of the grove and burnt the sacrifice unto the Lord
All the Midianites and Amalekites and children of the east gathered together and made camp in the valley of Jezreel.
But the spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, and Abiezer was gathered after him
Gideon sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also were gathered after him, and he sent messengers unto Asher and unto Zebulun and unto Naphtali, and they came up to meet them
The sign: behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the floor, and if the dew be on the fleece only and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then I shall know that thou will save Israel by mine hand as thou saidst.
And it was so, for Gideon rose early in the morning and wrung the dew out of the fleece, which filled a bowl full of water.
Gideon said Lord, don’t get mad at me, but do it again this way this time: let the fleece be wet and the ground dry!
Gideon rose early in the morning and gathered his army of 32000 to go and fight the 135000 Midianites
God says Hold up Gideon, you've got too many people for me to give you the victory. I don’t want Israel to think they saved themselves.
Go tell your army that is waiting at Mt Gilead, whosoever is fearful and afraid, go home, and 22000 left the battlefield, and now Gideon has 10000 men to fight 135000 Midianites.
God says you still have too many people going down to the river, and I will test them there.
Those who got down on their knees to drink send them home.
God says I am going to take 300 men and defeat 135000 Midianites
They surrounded the camp, blew the trumpet, and broke the pitchers that were in their hands.
The LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow, and 120000 were killed
God calls us Christians when we are not like Christ.
God calls us a new creation when we are not yet living like we are.
Well, why does God call us something that we are not? Well, God is determined and believes that we are going to cooperate with his will of making us like Christ in this life.
Gideon is the 5th judge, whom the Lord calls to deliver Israel from the oppression of the Midianites.
God calls Gideon a brave warrior, while he is not, but God knows what he is going to become.
- God calls Gideon, whom he made him to be - vs. 11-12.
- Gideon is allowing his circumstances to define him - vs. 13-15
- God encourages him to trust God to do what he said he would do - vs. 16
- Gideon worships God and miracles happen - vs. 18-21
- Gideon is transformed into the mighty warrior God called him to be - vs. 22-25
We can not be who God called us to be without divine intervention.
God’s intervention into our lives takes place when we worship him
When we worship God, He fills us with Himself, and the Holy Ghost makes Himself at home in us.
- God calls Gideon, whom he made him to be - vs. 11-12
“And there came an angel of the LORD and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.”
- Gideon is not living up to who God called him to be.
- God called him to be the spiritual leader of Israel.
- God called him to be a military leader.
- God called him to deliver Israel from the oppression of the Midianites.
- Gideon is hiding under an oak tree from the Midianites.
- Gideon is threshing wheat by the winepress to hide from the Midianites.
- Gideon is a coward, whose fear has killed his faith
- Gideon is the fifth judge God has called to lead his people.
- Fear and faith cannot live in the same body.
“And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him and said unto him, the LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor”- vs. 12
- God calls Gideon someone he’s not right now
- Gideon is allowing his circumstances to define him- vs. 13-15
“And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? And where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of saying, did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? But now the LORD hath forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”
- Gideon's situation has strangled his faith.
- Fear has blinded his faith so that he can not see God in his situation.
- If you cannot see God, it is impossible to become like Christ.
- Gideon’s faith is failing; he doesn’t think God is with them, he doubts the testimony of his ancestors, and he says the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.
- It’s all God’s fault; he blames God for his situation.
- God knows who he is, even though he doesn’t know.
“And the LORD looked upon him and said go in this thy might and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?" - vs. 14
- Gideons is looking at himself rather than at God Almighty - vs.15
- God encourages him to trust God to do what he said he would do - vs.16
“And the Lord said unto him, surely I will be with thee and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.”
- To become like Christ requires trusting God.
- Fear affects our belief in what God says.
- God's promises are guaranteed by God, who never fails.
- God said to Abraham Is there anything too hard for God.
- I will be with you; God’s presence.
- God’s power to defeat the Midianites' army of 135,000 men
- As one man signifies a swift and complete victory, in contrast to Israel’s previous struggles. One man empowered by God.
- If we are going to become who God calls us to be, we must believe and trust that God is faithful to His promise.
- Gideon needed confirmation that God is talking to him; he requested a sign - vs. 17
- Gideon worships God and miracles happen - vs. 18-21
“Depart not hence, I pray thee until I come unto thee and bring forth my present and set it before thee and he said, I will tarry until thou come again.”
- Worship is where God manifests Himself, not to show out but to show Himself.
- To become like Christ, we need to see God and worship is where he reveals Himself.
- Gideon knows worship requires giving to God, so he goes and gets an offering.
- God gives Gideons the sign he needs to believe:
“And there arose up fire out of the rock and consumed the flesh and unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.”
- Moses called Him the ROCK of ages.
- Hebrews calls Him a consuming fire.
- Worship changes everything for Gideon.
- Gideon is transformed into the mighty warrior God called him to be - vs 22-25
“And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! For because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.”
- In worship, there is a shifting of his faith.
- The angel is not an angel; it’s the preincarnate Christ.
- It’s a theophany, he sees God face to face
- Gideon sure enough worships God now like never before!
- Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD and called it Jehovah-Shalom (the LORD is peace)
- Gideon is no longer the same; God has changed his whole life.
- Gideon is now the mighty warrior God called him.
All fear is gone; now he knows God is with him and God is for Him.
He is no longer a coward; now he is courageous
The same night God changed him, he tore down the altar of Baal and cut down the grove that was by it
And built an altar unto the LORD upon the top of this rock and took the wood of the grove and burnt the sacrifice unto the Lord
All the Midianites and Amalekites and children of the east gathered together and made camp in the valley of Jezreel.
But the spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, and Abiezer was gathered after him
Gideon sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also were gathered after him, and he sent messengers unto Asher and unto Zebulun and unto Naphtali, and they came up to meet them
The sign: behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the floor, and if the dew be on the fleece only and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then I shall know that thou will save Israel by mine hand as thou saidst.
And it was so, for Gideon rose early in the morning and wrung the dew out of the fleece, which filled a bowl full of water.
Gideon said Lord, don’t get mad at me, but do it again this way this time: let the fleece be wet and the ground dry!
Gideon rose early in the morning and gathered his army of 32000 to go and fight the 135000 Midianites
God says Hold up Gideon, you've got too many people for me to give you the victory. I don’t want Israel to think they saved themselves.
Go tell your army that is waiting at Mt Gilead, whosoever is fearful and afraid, go home, and 22000 left the battlefield, and now Gideon has 10000 men to fight 135000 Midianites.
God says you still have too many people going down to the river, and I will test them there.
- The Lord said to Gideon Every man that lapped the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, set them to the side.
- Likewise, everyone who boweth down upon his knees to drink.
Those who got down on their knees to drink send them home.
God says I am going to take 300 men and defeat 135000 Midianites
Their weapons are not guns, knives, or bows and arrows.7:16, “And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man’s hand with empty pitchers and lamps within the pitchers.”
- Trumpet in every man’s hand
- Empty pitchers
- Candles within the pitchers
They surrounded the camp, blew the trumpet, and broke the pitchers that were in their hands.
The LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow, and 120000 were killed
