The Faith Of Gideon Expository Sermon Religion Essay

In Hebrews Chapter 11, there you see in poetry 32, the writer includes Gideon in his authoritative catalogue of OT great and worthy heroes of religion.

Gideon is the 5th justice of Israel who ruled for 40 old ages. He is without uncertainty counted as one of the outstanding heroes of religion in Israel ‘s early history.

Yet as we look at the life of Gideon foremost mentioned in in Judges Chapter 6, he did non get down off with one who is full of religion. Faith did non come of course to Gideon. In fact, we see much of his disbelief. It was merely when he went through some religious transmutation that he became heroic in his religion in God.

Application: Is it non so for many of us? Do we non demo the deficiency of religion in God when we are first asked to make something for Him? Do we non ever shy away from trying some service for God because we feel unequal and thought that God can non utilize us?

But as God transforms us, like what He did to Gideon, we will so get down to set more trust in Him and to make what He has called us to make.

Make you retrieve how you reacted to God ‘s call to function Him in some ministry? Have you been called to learn SS, fall in the choir, fall in the Exco, etc. ? Did you accept the call readily? Or did you travel through much battle, exhibiting deficiency of religion in God, and hence you put so many inquiries across to God. And non certain if God will utilize you. And so you keep on debating with God.

Well, this is natural. In fact, in may be good, to recognize your insufficiency before the Lord. Lest God transforms me, otherwise I will non be able to make it on my ain. So you struggle with God.

Gideon went through much battle when God called him. In Judges Chapter 6 poetries 11 & A ; 12 we see the angel of the Lord looking to Gideon and naming him to lift and go the Jesus of his state from the Midianites.

The kids of Israel feared the might of the Midianites who prevailed against them because of their wickedness of noncompliance ( v. 1-2 ) . They were so afraid that they had to conceal themselves in lairs, caves and strong holds in the mountains to protect their ain lives ( v. 2 ) . And in poetries 3-6, we are told that when Israel had sown, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the kids of the E came up as grasshoppers for battalion, and consumed the addition of the Earth, go forthing no nutriment for Israel, nor for sheep nor ox nor buttocks, so that Israel was so “ greatly impoverished. ”

In poetries 7-10, Israel cried unto the Lord for rescue. The Lord heard them and sent a prophesier to call on the carpet them of their wickedness of noncompliance and to do them to atone. After directing the prophesier to learn the kids of Israel a lesson, the loving and gracious God following sent an angel to name a Jesus to present Israel.

The call came to Gideon who was to be the Jesus of Israel ( v. 12 ) . And notice how God called Gideon. When the Lord calls, He assures His presence, His might and His heroism ( strength and ability ) are with Gideon.

Notice besides that Gideon is therefore far unknown. He was a hapless husbandman ‘s youngest boy, purportedly working with his male parent in the farm ( v. 15 ) – an ordinary and vague personality. AND God called him for a particular service.

Application: You do n’t hold to be person who is already great for God to name you to function Him in some country of service. In fact many times in the Bible, we see that God calls the weak and utilize the little and small. It is so that His might and His heroism might be manifested through the failings of His retainers.

Did non the Lord call hapless fishermen to be His adherents to learn and proclaim His message of love for world?

Did non the Lord usage five loaves and two little fishes from a small male child to feed more than 5000 people?

BUT, expression at Gideon ‘s immediate response in verse 13! Note his complaintaˆ¦Oh! aˆ¦why? aˆ¦where? aˆ¦butaˆ¦ Alternatively of faulting the wickedness of noncompliance and defiance against the Lord on the portion of Israel, Gideon was oppugning why God allowed Israel to be suffer under the menaces of the Midianites.

Application: Have we non asked Gideon ‘s inquiries, particularly during those times when we are broken hearted and bewildered ( confused, can non understand what ‘s traveling on, can non make up one’s mind what to make ) . “ God, you said you are with me ever and will present me, but look at what is go oning to me – hurt, ill, hapless. ” Alternatively of seeing our ain mistakes, are we in the wont of faulting God for all the things that go incorrectly in our lives?

How did the Lord God respond to Gideon? Verse 14. Strong words, but reassuring. Gideon was to travel in his might. And what was his might? It is the confidence that “ Jehovah is with him ” ( v. 12 ) , and besides in the apprehension that it is Jehovah Himself had sent him: “ have non I sent thee? ” ( v. 14 ) .

Never mind all the accusals Gideon had made against the Lord, but God is still gracious to guarantee Him His presence with Gideon as He sent him to be the Jesus of Israel from the Midianites.

But this was still non adequate confidence for Gideon. In verse 15, he complained once more because he realised that he could non run off from God. The Lord was relentless in naming him. He gave more alibis.

Application: Does it sound familiar to us? Moses did the same thing, giving alibis. And we excessively. All because of deficiency of religion and trust in the Almighy.

Like Gideon, we look inwards to ourselves, our diabilities, inadequeacies, failings ; alternatively of looking up to who God is! – the 1 who has called, the 1 who has sent us, and the 1 who will fit us.

Expression at how the Lord answer to Gideon ‘s complain and alibis in verse 16. Yet, once more, this was non plenty for Gideon. And he once more tried to happen a manner of flight. “ If aˆ¦then show me a mark. ” ( v. 17 ) .

Application: Do we see a character full of unbelief? Gideon ‘s vocab is so full of unbelief, disbelieving surprise, uncertainness, look of hopelessness, ailments, irony, and sign-seeking attitude demoing deficiency of religion. Is this portion of our vocab every bit good, when the Lord direct us to make something?

Gideon ‘s unbelief arose from and consisted in his looking at fortunes alternatively of looking to God. Gideon ‘s eyes were earthbound and inward alternatively of heavenward and unto the Lord.

Yes, looking at fortunes alternatively of looking to God is the certain cause of unbelief. There are other authoritative cases of this in the Scriptures.

Think of Peter walking on H2O to Jesus. Equally long as he keeps his oculus on Jesus he treads the moving ridges ; but every bit shortly as he begins to look around at the rambunctious surges, his religion prostrations, uncertainties seize him, he begins to drop, and calls out, “ Lord, salvage me! ”

Think of those 12 work forces of Israel who were sent to descry on the land of Canaan. Ten of them declared that Israel is utterly incapable of busying the land ; while the other two impulse to instantly travel in. The difference – the 10 had their eyes on circumstance, whereas the other two had their eyes toward God. The 10 put the troubles between them and God and as a consequence God looked really little. The other two put God between them and their troubles, and the troubles seemed as but the chance for God to expose His glorious power. Person said, those 10 pessimists saw four “ G ‘s. ” Grapes, great metropoliss, giants, grasshoppers. But they forgot to see the biggest G which Joshua and Caleb could see, God.

Dear friends, Is it ever the same with us? We look at fortunes alternatively of looking to God and this breeds unbelief, and unbelief begets weakness and hopelessness. Let us concentrate on Him instead than on our jobs, and larn to set full trust in Him.

Therefore far we have seen that Gideon was so full of unbelief when he was foremost called by the Lord to be the Jesus of Israel from the Midianties. But look now at his transforming experience.

Gideon in his argument with God challenged the Lord to demo him a mark ( v. 17 ) . And the Lord God gracefully acceded to his petition. And after holding seen the mark of a marvelous fire interrupting out of the stone to devour the unraised bars which had been laid at that place, Gideon was rather positive ( vv. 17-22 ) . And he built an communion table unto the life and true God and called it Jehovah-shalom ( v. 24 ) .

In the OT, there is critical significance about the communion table. It is the topographic point where God and work forces meet. There at the communion table the human psyche interacts with God. When Gideon built the communion table to Jehovah, it showed that he was in Communion with the Lord. It means that he had made a clean interruption with the yesteryear, and became a believer of the one true God.

The cogent evidence of Gideon ‘s transition from his disbelief to swearing in the Lord was seen in that he named the communion table Jehovah-shalom. The word “ shalom ” is the Hebrew word for peace. He called the communion table “ Jehovah is my peace. ” For the first clip in the life of this immature Hebrew male child, came a sense of peace. And this is what happens when a evildoer is genuinely converted to the Lord. His bosom is filled with fantastic peace.

Application: Do you hold this peace? This peace is a peace that know that all our wickednesss are forgiven by the virtuousness of Christ ‘s expiating decease by the sheddind of His cherished blood on the cross. Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? If you are washed, you have become reconciled to God, and the life Saviour day-to-day supports you, and there is a heavenly place expecting for you in infinity.

If you do non yet have this peace, you must come to the communion table which God had built at Calvary when the Lord Jesus was sacrificed for our wickednesss. He died and rose once more to salvage you and me from our wickednesss. That is the communion table where a sanctum, loving God gives us the forgiveness, peace, power and promise which we evildoers need.

The following measure of Gideon ‘s religious transmutation was his consecration. He offered himself to the will of God on that communion table which he built. He did non merely run into the Lord at the communion table, but he besides yielded himself to the Lord.

God tested his consecration as we see in vv. 25-26. It was a trial of Gideon ‘s religion and obeisance unto the Lord. He was commanded to throw down the communion table of Baal – false God which the people had been led off from the life and true God to idolize. Therefore for Gideon to throw down the communion table of Baal and to raise on to Jehovah in its topographic point, and with a sacifice made upon it, was to genuinely stand house for his religion. It means ask foring decease for Gideon. Did he obey?

Verse 27 Tells us what he did. He passed the trial of his religion in God. He was even prepared to decease for his new found religion in God by his action to destruct the communion table of Baal. And so problem came for Gideon in poetry 28. Thingss were non good for Gideon. But merely so a most singular surprise came. Look at verse 31. Gideon ‘s male parent stood up and addressed the angry crowd. ( see verse 31 ) . It was a challenge for the graven image believers. The fantastic thing was that Gideon ‘s male parent stood by him in his religion in the true and living God.

Application: Beloved friends, would you stand house for your religion in God, if you are put to the trial? Sometimes we are afraid of what our parents, foremans, friends will state if we stand house for our religion. But to our surprise they may even commend us for our soundness in our base. Have you been tested for your religion? Did you stand tauten? Or will you stand house? ( Testimony of a sister who went in front to be baptised and ready to be thrown out of the house, but to her surprise, the male parent gave her an angpow ) .

And so we see the most singular transmutation that took topographic point in Gideon in poetry 34. He was controlled by the Spirit of God when the Spirit came upon him. It is like God dressing him with God ‘s armor to be ready to contend the Midianites which God had called Gideon to make.

Application: Note that when God calls, He provides what that we need to make His work for Him. He wants you to contend against the Satan, He besides provides His armor for you to set on. He sends us to distribute the Gospel, but He assures that He is with us ever.

So we see that Gideon was converted to the true God, consecrated to the will of God, and so controlled by the Spirit of God to go the Jesus of the people of Israel. The people recognised all these and flocked to him when he blew the cornet ( v. 34 ) . And the narrative that follows in the following few chapters Tells of Gideon ‘s fantastic triumph over Midian, and liberating Israel from her enemy. God gave him triumph over the enemy as he fought, swearing in God Almighty.

What a transmutation has taken topographic point in Gideon ‘s life – from a bosom of unbelief to a bosom converted to God, consecrated unto God ‘s will and a life controlled by the Spirit of God. And he gained a topographic point in the Hall of Great Faith in the book of Hebrews.

Decision

Let us larn from the religion of Gideon. Let us non look at the fortunes around us, otherwise our religion in God will hesitate. But allow us set our focal point on Lord, to the full swearing in Him entirely, allow us be ready to stand house in our religion and give our life to Him, to His will. And He will dress us with His Holy Spirit to make things, in religion, for Him which He has directed us to make. May God assist us.