Sermon: "Our Weakness, His Strength" - Pastor Brian Fuller

Hi, and welcome to the Sermon Podcast of First Baptist

Church Woodlawn in Woodlawn, Illinois. I'm Senior Pastor Brian Fuller,

and it is our desire to impact the world with

the Gospel of Jesus. We do so through small group ministry,

personal testimony, as well as corporate gatherings. You can find

us on Facebook, YouTube, and our website FBC Woodlawn dot org.

Join us now as we hear from God's word today,

we're gonna talk about Gideon, the call of Gideon, and

I probably spent a couple of weeks talking about this

guy because his call, his call of God on his

life is a common story in how God calls people,

not only in the Old Testament New Testament, but in

our lives today. It's it's very common. So I hope

this will be an encouragement to you today. And I've

entitled this message today our Weakness His Strength. And we're

going to be looking at Judges Chapter six, verses eleven

through sixteen. Judges six eleven through sixteen. So hear the

word of the Lord this morning. Now, the Angel of

the Lord came and sat under the terebinth that's an

oak tree at Ophra, which belonged to joe Ash the Abzrite.

While his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the

wine press to hide it from the Midianites. And the

Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him,

the Lord is with you, O mighty man of Valor.

And Gideon said to him, please, sir, If the Lord

is with us, why then has all this happened to us?

Where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted

to us, saying, did not the Lord bring us up

from Egypt? But now the Lord has forsaken us and

given us into the hand of Midian. I was fourteen,

and the Lord turned to him and said, go in

this might of yours and save Israel from the hand

of Midian. Do not I send you? And he said

to him, please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold,

my clan is the weakest in Manassa, and I am

the least in my father's house. And the Lord said

to him, but I will be with you, and you

shall strike the Midianites as one man. So, dear Lord, today,

as we open your word, I prayed, dear God that

you would speak through me the words that you would

have us to hear. And I do pray Lord that

there would be open ears, open eyes today to see

to receive the word that you have in Jesus name. Amen.

The Old Testament Book of Judges tells us about the

downfall and into disobedience and rebellion against God of the

children of Israel, and their need for judges to lead

them and to convict them of their godless activity. And

if you look at Judges chapter two, verses sixteen and seventeen,

it says this, then the Lord raised up judges who

saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them.

Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they

hoard after other gods and bowed down to them. They

soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers

had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord,

and they did not do so. In chapter three and

verse seven says this, and the people of Israel did

what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They

forgot the Lord their god, and served the Bales and

the Asheroth. Bail and Asheroth were the god and goddess

of the Canaanites. So fast forward to the chapter six

of Judges, and in the very first verse of Judges six,

it echoes what has already been written several times throughout

for the people of Israel. Says, the people of Israel

did what was evil in the sight of the Lord,

and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian

seven years and then verse two says, and the hand

of Midian overpowered Israel. And because of Midian, the people

of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in

the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. So they're

rebellion people of Israel. Their rebellion continued, and God allowed

them to be overpowered by their enemy, by the Midi Nites.

And God's great love for us. I hope that there's

anything that I convey to you week after week. And

sometimes sometimes the Gospel is a hard message to hear.

I understand that, but there's always the underlying the foundation

of God's great love for us. That's what Ephesian says.

Because of God's great love for us, Jesus died for

us while we were still dead in our sin. And

God's great love for us does not mean that he

will continue to tolerate ongoing disobedience and rebellion. He will

eventually give us over to our rebellion and disobedience so

that we will see the error of poor choices, and

that we would repent with hopes that repentance will get

us back on a straight path.

Right.

Unfortunately, for Israel, this cycle of disobedience seemed endless, and

it could be that way for people today as well.

We see something similar in the New Testament church in

corinth Within within the church there was there was godly,

godless i should say, there was godless activity going on.

And finally, Paul tells the church leadership in First Corinthians

five five, he says, you are to deliver this man

to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that

his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. Uh.

That's a hard word to hear. That's that's that's tough

church discipline that you don't see too too often today.

But there are circumstances within churches that some people just

have to be handed over so that they can be

chastised and changed. That's that's the goal. That's the goal

of of correction and discipline, right. The goal is is

that repentance would come. That's why we discipline our own children,

is that there would be correction. So next up for

the people of Israel was the calling of Gideon. Gideon

is a is a name, it's a character, if you

will in scripture that we've heard our entire lives. Gideon's

International the Bible Organization gets their name from from Gideon,

and his methods of warfare against the enemies of God

proved very effective in victory. Ultimately, his leadership brought forty

years of peace to Israel, and he is he's known

as one of the all time heroes of our faith.

But it certainly didn't start that way with Gideon, if

you know, if you know the story of how it began,

and as is so often the case, God shows the

weak and be unqualified to accomplish his will. And I'm

sure and I hope that each of us this morning

will see ourselves in this account of Gideon. So where

does where does the Angel Love the Lord find Gideon? Well,

he was beating out wheat in a wine press to

hide it from the Midianites. Scripture also says that he

was hiding in a cave in the mountains. He was

afraid that the Emidianites would would harm them and take

their possessions. So not quite the picture of a national hero,

but rather a weak and unqualified coward, but again very

typical of those whom God calls to accomplish his purpose.

When God calls Gideon, Gideon is is poor, He's persecuted,

and he's powerless. It was a time of poverty in Israel,

and Gideon was poor. Scripture says he was using a

wine press to thresh wheat, which is an indication that

there was very little wheat to process at the time,

and he was processing it by hand instead of using

multiple oxen to drive the stone rollers that would cut

the grain. He was persecuted and afraid because of their

disobedience and rebellion against God, God allowed the US government

to overpower them and steal their possessions. Wait did I

read that wrong? Oh?

I think I did? I think?

I did? God allow the Midianites to overpower them and

steal their possessions? And the fact that he was hiding

in caves from the Midianites shows that he and his

people were afraid and defeated, and that describes a lot

of people today, A lot of people today are having

hard times. A lot of people struggling today, A lot

of people live in rebellion today against God, and our

government and our society want to dictate how we should

live and how we should believe according to their godless ideals.

And Christians everywhere are living a powerless existence, and so

many easily fall prey to the schemes of the devil.

So where are God's heroes today? You're listening right up here?

Where are God's heroes today? And I will say that

you don't have to look very far or look very

hard to find him, because many of those whom God

calls to greater acts of faith and obedience are struggling

in their life to make ends meet. They're trusting God

just to make it to the next paycheck. And sometimes

they're overcome with worry. And there are some who hesitate

to step out into the deeper spiritual waters. Why for

fear of failure, for fear of persecution or lack of

preparation and qualification. And there are some who just live

a defeated life without a purpose. Some just content to

blend in and warm a pew that hurts pastor so

have I identified yet for some for some of you,

I believe in this place today, I believe that God

is preparing an encounter with Him that will call you

out of your worry, that will call you out of

your fear of failure, and away from your spiritual laziness

and contentment and defeated attitude, to a life of greater

faith and dependence on Him, and to a calling that

you don't think you're ready for. Gideon didn't think he

was ready, didn't think he was qualified. Moses didn't think

he was ready or qualified. Noah didn't, Joseph didn't, Abraham didn't,

Joshua didn't. Rayhab was a prostitute. God used her, Samson, David, Jeremiah, Jonah.

Each one with his or her own failures and dysfunction,

called and used by God for something much greater, and

many times, many times against their will, begging God to

use someone else. Does that sound like you? Two verse

eleven again. Now, the Angel of the Lord came and

sat under the terebinth that Oprah, which belonged to joe

Ash the abesrit Well, his son Gideon was beating out

wheat in the wine press to hide it from the

Midianites and the Angel of the Lord appeared to him

and said to him, the Lord is with you, O

mighty man of valor. It's important to note here that

God calls Gideon not according to how Gideon views himself

or how the circumstances dictate his existence, but how God

views him, according to his ordained purpose for him. That's

the way God sees all of us, not as a worrier,

not a failure or a procrastinator. I'm the best at procrastinating.

Do you think you're better than me. Let's go at it.

I'll procrastinate better than all y'all. But we were bought

with a price. We are His child, We are called,

and we are set apart to accomplish greater things for

his glory. Verse twelve says and the Angel of the

Lord appeared to him and said to him, the Lord

is with you, a mighty man of valor. Do you

think at Gideon felt like a mighty man of valor?

Sitting here this morning, do you feel like a man

or a woman a valor? Well, if you are in Christ,

having surrendered to his call to salvation in his eyes

through the blood of Jesus, you are worthy. You are

capable of great things in his eyes. And that does

not depend on how you feel. It's the truth of

God's word in you. According to Philippians four thirteen, one

of the most quoted taken out of context scriptures in

all the Bible, I can do all things through Him

who strengthens me. But this is the correct meaning of

that passage. What God calls you to do, he will

equip and strengthen you to fulfill it. Don't be quoting

Philippians four point thirteen and go out here and jump

off the roof and think that you can do all

things through Christ who strengthens you. But whatever God calls

you to do, he is faithful. He will strengthen you.

He will equip you to do it.

But if you are here this morning and you are

not yet in Christ, still lost in your sin and

rebellion against God, then hear these words. You are not

seen by God in Christ, but He sees you in

sin and separated from Him. But let me tell you

ears on, let me tell you the Gospel is near you.

Romans ten eight and nine says, But what does it say.

The Word is near you in your mouth and in

your heart. That is the word of faith, that we

proclaim because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus

is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised

him from the dead, you will be saved. And you

are here this morning, Thank God that you're here. And

God is opening your ears to hear. He's opening the

eyes of your understanding to see his truth and your

need for repentance to call on his name to save you.

Because there is no calling to greater things unless first

you deal with the sickness of sin in your life.

Because Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil,

to destroy the curse of sin. Jesus came to set

people free from the sickness and penalty of sin through

his death, burial, and resurrection.

And he calls the lost.

To repent of sin and to call on his name

today that you might be saved, that you would be

set apart for that which He has called you is.

Gideon saw himself as weak and helpless, but God, God

saw a mighty man of valor. Gideon saw himself as

the least in his father's house, but God saw him

as one who would charge head on into the face

of the enemy. And after Gideon came up with some

excuses in verse thirteen. Verse fourteen says, and the Lord

turned to him and said, go in this might of yours.

God just ignored the excuses, the excuses of weakness. I'm unqualified.

There's nothing that I have that will do anything to

save Israel. The Lord turned and said, go in this

might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian.

Do not I call you, child of God?

This morning? He is saying, do not I call you

verse fifteen. And Gideon said to him, Please, Lord, how

can I save Israel? Behold, my plan is the weakest

in Manassa, and I am the least in my father's

house verse sixteen and the Lord said to him, but

I will be with you, and you shall strike the

Midians as one man.

Wow.

So this morning, this morning, here in this room, wherever

you are, I want you to hear the voice of

the Lord ask you this morning, are you my child? Yes?

I am. Do you believe that I saved you and

called you out of darkness and into my light? Yes

I do. Do you know that I love you and

that I will never.

Leave you or forsake you? Yes I do.

Then go forward in this might into the calling that

I have given you, knowing that I will always be

with you. Do not I send you some of you

here today, in this place, or facing a calling that

you have avoided or hesitated to answer because of fear

or doubt, or whatever other excuses that you've come up with.

Your struggle is not uncommon. The greatest heroes of Scripture

started as faithless failures, some of them even heathens. And

the only difference in is that their story is documented

in the Bible, and yours and mine are not.

God knows where you are, He sees you.

That's a good thing, even if you're hiding in a

cave trying to avoid him. He's He's looking for mighty

men and women of valor today that will meet the

enemy head on. And whether you want to believe it

or not, it is your time to step forward and

say here I am, Lord, Use me how you see fit.

Next week we're gonna look at We're gonna look at

Gideon's victory in battle. But first, first he had to

submit to God's call on his life.

So my question is will you.

Will you submit to God's call in your life? Let's

pray Heavenly Father once again, we are humbled by your word.

We are humbled, Lord, that you have such great love

for us that you would call us. You would call

us in the midst of our struggles, you would call

us in the midst of the darkest days of our life.

You would call us and set us apart, and you

would say, Oh, mighty man of valor, that's how I

see you. You see us how we don't see ourselves. Lord,

You see us through You see us through the righteousness

of Jesus. You see us how you know we can

be and will be. So Lord, we need to see

in faith. Oh dear Lord, there's so many, so many

that are that holds so tightly to the back of

the pew, worrying about being persecuted or failing. And the

Bible is full of your servants who were filled with fear, worry, persecuted,

Yet in their obedience they stepped forward. And God, you

did wonderful You did great and powerful things in them

and through them to bring glory to your name. So Lord,

I'm praying, I'm asking Lord that those here today that

are hearing, that they would also see and understand that

it's time. It's time to submit to the call of God.

And say here I am Lord in Jesus' name. Thank

you for tuning in to today's broadcast. We hope you

are encouraged and challenged by the preaching of God's word.

You can reach us by phone at six one eight

three nine zero ten forty six, contact us via Facebook

or our website FBC Woodlawn dot org. It's our prayer

that you answer the call of God on your life

to follow him and share your faith story with others.

Goodbye for now, and God bless you.