Lord Is Peace | Joy Teh

You're listening to a message to go from as church. We hope this message

will light up your day today. I will be looking into the Book of

Judges now I came up. Yeah, I was reading this passage not too

long ago with my children, actually, because I tried to be as parents

try to do devotion with our children, instilling in them that love for God's

word. Since they are young, and hopefully prayerfully they will follow it.

Yes, as they grow, Yes, they must follow must Okay, no

other choice. Okay, I'm just joking her, I'm not joking. No

the choice, So follow Jesus right, Yes, okay, So when you

have a chance to say, no, the choice, not the choice when

they are big, yes, they have to make the right choice. But

we pray that they will choose Jesus right. Amen. Okay, So we're

reading this story and the story of Guideon and how the Lord revealed himself to

Guideon as the Lord is peace. Right. Now, we have all heard

the name of God that was called Jehovah shalom before, and I think this

word shalom has been used very very what's the word commonly, not in a

bad way, good way, but say people will greet each other, even

Sharlom, and I think that's where. But this is where God revealed himself

to Guideon as the God of peace. All right, Okay, so I

have always found it quite I wonder, I don't know whether about you when

I read, I wonder why this name and not other names. So usually

in the Bible, God review himself. He's correcter who he really is in

his name. That's especially in the Old Testament, all right, because unlike

now when we have the Holy Spirit and we can read and speaks to us,

in those days, God revealed himself speak. He spoke to the people

via his prophets, right and at different times when the people built an altar

to God, and they will name the place one. So everything has a

name as a significance to it, all right. So okay, so let's

read this story, and I want to draw from different things that I've learned,

also from from how Guideon and the situation of how the people of Issuel

were in at that time and how they sought the Lord, and how God

revealed himself to them, and all right, so let's go straight into it.

So, judges, I will give us a context of how and how

the people are there at the time, and what is happening at that time?

Okay, Okay, So Judges chapter two, verses seven to twelve.

Let's go chapter two, verse seven to give us a picture of what's happening.

So the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua. Okay.

So before the books of the Book of Judges is the book of Joshua.

And at that time people all serve the Lord, and all the days of

the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the

Lord which he had done for Israel. Now Joshua, the son of None,

the servant of the Lord, died when he was one hundred and ten

years old, and they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timna

Harris in the mountains of Ephram on the north side of Mount Okay. When

all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, meaning after this generation died,

and another generation arose after them, who did not know the Lord nor

the work which he had done for Issuel, then the children of Issue did

evil in the sight of the Lord and served the bails. And they forsook

the Lord God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land

of Egypt, and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people

who were all around them, and they bowed down to them, and they

provoked the Lord to anger. So just a bit of a background. And

if you read in the Book of Joshua, okay, Joshua led the people

after Moses right into the promised land, and they were conquering the land that

God has given to them, right, okay, So they had victory and

they lived in obedience to God. So but after Joshua that josh didn't manage

to cover all the land. There were still some parts that were not conquered.

And hence, in the time of the Judges, they were supposed to

continue, but instead they allowed they did not. They did not get rid

of the people of the land, and hence when God said you have too,

but they did not. Then they start living together with the people,

the original people there, and they started to follow the ways of life that

the people lived in, which are pagan and worship. They are idols.

Okay, okay, So this is where the people are at. In the

Book of Judges. There was no king at the time, and later we

read in chapter twenty one, Verse twenty five of Judges essays, in those

days Judges twenty five, there were no king in Israel, and everyone did

what was right in his own eyes. Means what everyone just did whatever they

want, okay, okay. So basically the Book of Judges, sadly is

in stark contrast to the Book of Joshua. All right, So Joshua the

people was obedient, but when they come to the Judges time they were in

seven cycles of disobedience. So what happened is every time when they disobey God,

they worship Eithers and they forsook the Lord. Right, God will allow

the enemies to oppress them, all right, and then they will cry out

to God, and then God will deliver them to the judges, and then

after that they will have peace for a certain number of years. And then

after that they start to sing again and worship Eithers again, and then they

cry out to God again, and then God will send another judge again,

and then Judge will lead them in battle and then defeat the enemy, and

then they will have peace for a while, and then after that they start

again. So if you read the Book of Judges, you will see that

there are seven distinct cycles. Now, so right in judges six and seven

is where it is in the maybe the third or four cycle. Yeah,

we've seen this judge call um Gideon. Okay, okay, so now let's

go into judges six, all right, versus one to ten, and there

are paused for a while to explain some other things. So then the children

of Angel, so this is chapter six, verse one, okayed evil in

the sight of the Lord. Just before this was the prophetess Debra. If

you all hurt, yes, and barak how they led the people into victory?

Okay, all right? Then there were peace for forty years. So

after the peace of forty years, the children of Issie in chapter six did

evil again in the side of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into

the hand of the Median. Every time, the enemy might be a different

enemy. Okay, this time it was the Median knights, okay. And

the Median Knights were known to be very cruel people, and we can see

later on. And for seven years they oppressed the people of Issuel. So

then the hand of Median preveiled against Issiel in verse two. Because of the

Median Knights, the children of Issiel made for themselves the dens, the caves,

and the strongholds which are in the mountains. So basically, they were

so bad that they sent all the people of Issue into hiding. So all

the moment they see the Median knights coming, the people of Issiel were going

hide. Okay. So it was verse three. Whenever Israel had sown,

meaning they planted their cross, media knights will come up against them, okay,

and the Amalekites and the people of the East will also come up against

them. They puck ut, then they would encamp against them. So they

come in intent. So these media knights are desert travelers, right, So

they come in tents and camels, and they will destroy the produce of the

earth, destroy, meaning they will harpuskan miss the uk and small bar and

left it bare and empty. Okay, okay, for our foreigners here,

they will just eat everything that is available, all right, okay, and

destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustainance

for Issua, meaning left them starving, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey.

For they will come up with their livestock in their tents, coming in as

numerous as locusts. Both they and their camels will without number, and they

will enter the land to destroy it. Then the istra Nites are left with

nothing. Okay, So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the media knights,

and the children of Israel cry out to the Lord. So they were left

with nothing. Meaning they plan, plan, plan, they have they so

so so, but they cannot harvest. The moment the crops are ready for

harvest, the minutes will come and take everything away from the Israelites. So

they will cry out to the Lord. In verse seven right verse eight that

the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Issiel, and this prophet is

not Gideon. Right said to them, tast says the Lord, God of

Israel. I brought you up from Egypt, brought you out of the house

of bondage. And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and

out of the hand of all who oppress you, and drove them out before

you, and gave you the land. Also I said to you, I

am the Lord your God. Do not fear the gods of the amal rights

in whose land you dwell by. You have not obeyed my voice. So

before God send Gideon. God sent a prophet to already tell them. The

reason why you're in this mess, Issuel, Lights, is because you have

forsaken me, you have worshiped with the other gods. Okay, So this

is the background in chapter six, before God called Gideon and before God revealed

himself to Gideon. So the million lights were I mentioned desert dwelling people.

Okay, all right. So basically all the live stock, all the crops,

everything that produce of, all the hard work of the people of Issiel

were all stolen. Okay. And that's how sin does it in our lives,

isn't it? Okay? And that's what the devil does with our life.

He comes to still to kill and to destroy. Does this sounds familiar?

Okay? So sin robs us of what we work hard to gain.

Correct. There are many accomplished men who lose everything in life because they won't

stop their sin. So if we allow it, it can rob us,

all right. So all its loss in order to gain what it's like nothing.

So basically all the hard work that the issue lights put in is like

nothing because the enemy is robbing them. Okay. So now God spoke to

the prophet as I mentioned, reminding Israel. Actually, so why when God

chose to use prophet, why why the prophets of chung Hey? When do

you realize chungheym is long winded? Luck? Okay, when the prophet spoke

right, he didn't straight away say that I am the Lord God because you

did not obey me. That's why he will say like, I'm the girl

who brought you out of Egypt. I'm the girl who brought you out of

slavery. God. Why why do you think God went to the history and

come back one around again? He was trying to remind the people of Israel

or what He has done for them. And if God can deliver them out

of the hands of the Egyptian and brought them out of slavery from Egypt,

why can't God deliver them from the media knights? Now? So the problem

that God is trying to tell them, it's not me. Try and tell

God's trying to tell them the problems. Not me. I am able,

but it's you who is not working according to my ways. So right,

God's ways? Okay? So, so Israel thought that the problem was the

media knights, but the real problem was them. Moving on now, verse

eleven to verse twenty four, let's read now the Angel of the Lord came

and sat under the Terriban tree which was in Operah. Are we going to

scripture this morning, church? Yes? Very good. Now so this now,

this angel is in the New King James version is in the Big A.

Okay. So basically is I'll explain later, is God revealing himself in

the form of a man to Gidon? Okay? So now the Angel of

the Lord came and sat under the tree which belonged to joe Esh the abside.

Basically, this is Gideon's father, which while his son Gidon trashed with

in the wine press in order to hide from the Median nights. And the

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

the Lord is with you, you, mighty man of well. Okay.

Guidon said to him, oh, my Lord, if the Lord is with

us, whine then has all this happened to us? And where are all

his miracles which our fathers told us about? Saying did not the Lord bring

us from Egypt? But now the Lord has forsaken can Us and delivered us

into the hands of the Midden Knights. Didnt sound quite right? Okay?

Okay? Then the Lord turned to him and say, go in this might

of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Meiden Knights.

Have I not sent you, then, so he said to him.

Giden said to the Lord, Oh, my Lord, how can I save

Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest, and manassay, and I'm

the list in my father's house. Sounds like earth, isn't it okay?

And the Lord said to him, surely I will be with you, and

you shall defeat the Midian knights as one man. Then he said to him,

if now I would find I found favor in your side, then show

me a sign that it is you who'll talk with me. Do not depart

from here. I pray until I come to you and bring up my offering,

and said it before you. And he said, I will wait until

you come back. So Giden went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened

bread from an efat of flower. The meat he put in the basket,

and he put the broth in the pot. And he brought them in out

to him under the terrible tree, and presented them. The Angel of the

God said to him, take the meat and the eleven bread and lay them

on this rock and pour up the broth, and he did so. Then

the Injury of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in

his hand and touched the meat and the unleven bread, and fire rose out

of the rock and consumed the meat and the eleven bread, and they injured.

The Lord departed out of his sight janjang h now verse twenty two.

Then Gidon perceived that he now only didn't realize that he was the Angel of

the Lord, meaning God. So Gideon said, oh, Lord, God,

for I've seen the Angel of the Lord face to face. Then the

Lord says, and this not only got appear again. Okay. Then the

Lord said to him, peace be with you. Do not fear you will

you shall not die. Okay. So Gidon built an altar there to the

Lord and called it the Lord is Peace. To this day it is still

in offerer of the adversizes. Okay. So as we read all these,

just to give us a context. First, now, when we say the

Injury of the Lord, he's we are. We are referring to God in

the Old Testament revealing himself to someone in a form of a man. That's

why Gideon couldn't recognize so it's just like how the Angel of God appeared to

Joshua before they took Jerich. He took Jericho. Same the Angel of God

came now to Gideon. Whow, I'm like, God, why Giddon?

Wee not me? I don't wear You're off here with that? Right?

Okay? If it's you living in that time? Will God? Okay to

me? Why do you choose Giddon? God? Because I got my questions

out? Okay, okay. Anyway, so God appeared to Gideon, And

what was Gidon doing at the time, trushing wheat in a wine press?

Xtival, could you help me? I found some pictures here? Okay,

Now when you trust wheat? Right, it's supposed to be out in the

open space one okay, so that the wind can blow the chaff away.

So it's a supposed to be hidden. So they're supposed this is the wine

press. Wine pet is supposed to be hidden. One mean is a bit

lower in the ground, I think, so okay. The next picture.

So when they they're supposed a wine press, meaning is a place where they

are, they will use their lids to step on the grapes. Okay,

all right, the picture just now you trash. He was trashing wheat in

a wine press. So you're supposed to trash wheat in the other picture,

for example, it's an open air. It is in an open space,

and where they are wind Okay. So because he was hiding, Okay,

Gideon was afraid. He was afraid of the enemy, and hands he hid.

Now, if we read earlier of how the Median Nights, I would

say bullied the people of Issuel, isn't it. It's like a big bully.

Okay. They came, they took everything that was not theirs and they

left issue lights mean nothing. Okay, So they are big bully and they

came, but that was what God allowed because of the sin of issue.

Okay, remember that now, Okay, hands, but there are still a

bully. La. So when they came, so and the people were all

hiding in caves and in dense, I was I'm wondering Guidon was found in

his house trashing wheat in a wine press. What els it speaks to us?

I feel Guidon was a man who, yes, he knew the condition

of where the people of Israel world and what they were they were being oppressed.

But did he give up and sit down and do nothing. He was

still trashing weat okay. He was still doing what he could in the circumstances

that he was in, Okay, And it wasn't a very brave thing because

he was afraid. He was afraid that if he were to do it out

there, it will be taken away from him once the moment they see the

wheat and all, it will be taken away. Okay. So he was

hiding, all right, and he was afraid. And I believe that maybe

as I was preparing this, and I was praying as well, I also

felt that maybe there's just one of us who needs to hear this, maybe

some of us or one of us we know we are hiding, all right.

And even when Guidon was hiding, God knew exactly where he was.

God knew where what he was doing. And yes, he was trying to

also carry on with life. I feel or I carry on with life.

But at the same time, he, in a way, it looked to

me he accepted that, yeah, it's good like that, LA. I

cannot do outside, so I had to do inside. LA. He in

a way he settled for what m what the situation is at that time.

But whether he was satisfied with it. I felt that from his response to

the Lord. Although he didn't know it was God speaking to him, he

was just another man. He said that, how can you say that I

am the Lord is with me and I'm a mighty man or Velor. All

right, So that was what God first spoke to Gidon. Now, Guiden's

response to me was not really in accordance to what God was speaking to him.

So God first said to him, the Lord is with you, you

mighty men or Velor. I ask you a question. Is there anything that

Giden did? It was mighty. He was hiding trashing wheat in the wine

press. And later when you read the story right, if you read some

more right, he quite quite because wrong wrong Bassa. He was quite like

scared, lack right, not he will go in the night. He obeyed

the Lord, but he did it quietly. He was just a bit more

afraid. Okay, okay, So but God, God said, you mighty

men of Vela. Right, so God recognizes ingidient, something that Guideon does

not see in himself. Okay, God sees our potential. He saw Guideon's

potential. And later when you read it was Guidon who brought the victory for

the people of issue from the from me the Median knights, and remember they

will oppressed for how many years? Aday seven years? After seven years,

you'll be oppressed by the same thing. How do you feel after them?

Nemalah? He said that la correct, not we settled. So as he's

there trying to hide from the bed the knights partly, maybe he's not happy,

but it's an amala what to do? Correct? Okay? But God

saw God saw his potential, and God sees our potential. He sees us

for what we can become, even as he works in our lives. Amen.

Amen. So it is so it's a very strange greeting. Yeah,

that m that the Lord came to guideon because Guidon straight away answered back,

no, I don't feel that you're with God is with us, because if

God is with us, then why is all these things happening to us?

Sounds familiar? Okay, I think all of us will be being that shoes

before. So we don't feel that God is with us because of the circumstances

that we are in, all right, And he just he was just like

a man carrying on with his ordinary life. But God sees us for who

we can become a man. And he is in the business of thinking the

nobody's because if you read the story of Guidon, Guiden really didn't stand out

like there was nothing too special about Guidon. He was just like any one

of us, right, doing the best that he could, okay, and

sometimes a little bit accepting the situation, you know, and hiding and being

afraid. Okay. So he's in the business of taking the nobodies and transforming

them in his presence. Amen. So he begins with us and where we

are okay, beat in the wine press where Guidon was right or doing some

mundane job, because I think for seven years, I don't think he didn't

feel very special doing the same thing over and over again. Correct. And

he knows our weaknesses. He knew Guidon was afraid. Later on, if

you read carefully, right, God knew the Guidon was afraid, and he

gives chance to him. So kind of God, I'll tell you, Okay.

So and our end. God wants to use us still, even in

our weakness. Amen. So as long as we give it to him,

we offer our lives to him, God will take it and God can transform

us. Amen. So God, Guidon heard about the Great works of God

in the past, but sometimes he wondered why is it not happening in his

day? So, of course at that time it seems that he thinks the

problem is God. Yeah, that's so he said, God didn't do it

for us. God didn't do it for us. Okay, okay, But

yet Giden was not satisfied with his current situation. Okay. So my question

to all of us today, are we bordered about the condition that we live

in today? Or are we satisfied meaning imagine in the spiritual manner? Because

now today and this someone is bullying you. You tell me, okay,

okay, but I'm just saying that are but we are being bullied by the

devil people, okay, or the words the lies of the enemy that he

lies to us, that we're not good enough, we're not beautiful en now

or whatever. You know. Yesterday we had a good, awesome teens Thanksgiving

night last night, and we hear from the mouth of our teens that of

different things that they have shared, of how God has spoke to them about

the identity. Praise God, that we are not to hear that they the

butterflies right some terms yesterday they will use there the different things that the world

will tell us, right, but it's what God's words says about us.

Amen Amen. So question, are we bordered about the condition we are in?

If we are living alive, then we know that we are not hitting

the mark. We know that we are like a guideon or like the Asian

lives at that time. We our lives are being robbed. We are being

robbed of what God has promised us. All right, maybe there's sinning our

lives. Yes, that we got to deal with it. But are we

satisfied or are we not? We need to be bordered a right church.

We need to be bordered and not being settled and okay with the enemy oppressing

us, robbing us, which what God has blessed us. Amen Amen.

So it is hard to see that Guiden had any might, but God said

to him, go in the might that you have. God saw the might

that Guiden had, although he feels that I got noma at all, Okay,

noma all right. So yet the Angel of the God of the Lord

didn't mock Guidon, but he said, go in your mind. So Guiden

might had the might to go forth in, but he could not see himself

as doing great things for God, hallelujah, and surely I will be with

you. So God promised Gideon that he will be with Gideon. So God's

assurance to Guidon was not built was not just to build his or Guidion's self

confidence, but to assure him that God is really going to be with him.

So Gideon did not need more self confidence. I don't think we all

need self confidence. We need God confidence. Amen. Amen. All right.

So it's important to know that God has sent us. I have a

slide for that just but it is even greater to know that He is with

us. Amen. Church. So it's one thing to know. Again,

I repeat, it's great to know God sent us, right, But isn't

it awesome to know that God is with us when he sends us? Amen.

So this is the same assurance that God gave to Moses. God promised

Moses that not only I've sent you, I'm going to be with you.

Do you know in mat you twenty eight if you're going to do our mission's

conference, right, that is the worst that we're going to talk about met

you to the Great Commission. What did Jesus say before he ascended to heaven,

Lo, I will be with you always, even to the end of

age. So God is asking us to go and make disciples of all nations.

But he promised us he will leave us and forsake us. Is it

he will let you go by yourself? Is it? No? He promised

us, as I said, go and make disciples in all nations. I

will be with you even to the ends of the age. Amen. Church,

Yeah, turn to your neighbors that God will be with me. God

is with me. Hallelujah. All right. So now why did God revealed

himself Peace be with you? All right? Peace be with you. Do

not feel to anything that the peace be with you sounds familiar. That is

Jesus speaking to Gidon. And later on did Jesus say that to your disciples?

What's the first thing Jesus said when Jesus appeared to his disciples after his

resurrection, Peace be with you. Do not be afraid, right, do

not fear you shall not die back. He told Gida you want to die,

be be in his heart. And Giddon was fearing death at okay,

So God so right to it, and God said You're not gonna die,

don't worry, okay, okay. So then Gidon built the altar to the

Lord correct. But by then Guidon recognized that it was God who spoke to

him, and that moment onwards, even in his fear, gidn't obeyed the

Lord right, and because he knew that God was with him a man.

Now, what do you think? What do you think happened next Church?

After God said that peace be with you? It sounds like, oh,

okay, going sleep now, meaning it is peaceful now, it is settled

now God. Okay, yeah, I mean there will be sometimes that God

allow that meaning because they don't worry scouting for you okay, okay, yeah.

But for Guidion, it didn't end there. No, it was just

a start. It was a start of what war class I'm saying Church is

the start of war because God is calling Guidion to lead the people of Issul

from a way out on the hands of the Median knights. So the lod

came to give us peace. The God game to give to pronounce peace upon

Gideon is so that he may send him out for war. And that's what

God does to us, and why he reveals that I'm peace is so that

we know that God is going to be with us for what is going to

be ahead of us iment so Judges six twenty five, twenty seven. Now

it came to pass. Now this is what I want to show you.

What is the next thing? After God revealed his name to Guidon that the

Lord is peace. This is what the Lord asked him to do. So

it came to pass that same night, the Lord said to him. So

the Lord appeared to him, disappeared and appeared again, And then that night

God spoke to him again. Take your father's young bull, the second bull

of seven years old, and tear down the altar of bill that your father

has. Meaning in Guidon's house there was an altar or bill, and cut

down the wooden image. The wooden image here is the pole of Ashira,

which is another goddess. So two idols, okay, okay, and build

an altar to the Lord your God, on top of this rock in the

proper arrangement, And take the second bull and offer a burned sacrifice with the

wood of the image. Wis you shall cut down? Cut down the idol

would take the wood as the wood for the fire. So Guidon took ten

men from among his servants and did as the Lord has said to him.

But because he feared his father's household. As I told you, he's afraid

and the men of the city too too much to do it by day.

He did it by mind, so he quietly went to do it, okay,

right. So at that time Bail was worshiped right along with Yahwei.

Means they worshiped God, but they also worshiped Bail and Ashira. Okay.

So the first task after the Lord pronounced that I am the God of peace,

I am peace, God, say the Lord is peace. God gave

instructions to Gideon. And first thing that I drew from this chapter and chapter

seven and chapter seven is, first of all is to put our house in

order to make right what's not right. Now you see from Guidon's household there

was already an altar and an idol. So God first dealt with his own

heart and his own house. All right, So God gives us peace,

not the life they sleep right, okay, but to deal with our own

hearts and our own lives to get our house for us. Now our house

is usually our hearts, right our hearts in order to make right what is

not right. So Guiden had to first tear down the altar a bill and

cut away the Ashirah pole that is beside the altar, and he is speaking

to us that I am God a peace to give us courage and strength to

clean up our own mass first, because if we are going to take our

enemy down, we've got to clean out our mass first, Okay. Because

the problem with Israel why they have isn't the enemy, is because they allowed

it, right, So sometimes we allowed it in our lives, and that's

why we're in this mess and we are being bullied by the enemy. So

we got to clear it up first. Then God will give us a victory

of our enemies. Amen. So before Guiden could fight the Biden Knights,

he needed to deal with his own his own rebellion of his father's house all

right, and disobedience before he can be used by God to save the nation

of Israel. So God wants to use us to set others free. Church,

do you know that? Yeah, there are people who need to know

the Lord right. So before we can go into all the world and make

disciples of all nations, come on, God said, I'm the lad Peace,

Peace be with you. What Jesus said the first thing he told us,

and go and I will be with you. So God wants us to

use us to set others free, but we need to ourselves be free first.

Amen. Amen. And the other thing that God also have asked Giden

to do, as I drew up from this chapter and chapter seven, is

to go to battle. But when if you read the story of Guiden,

you will know the famous story right from how many TuS since thirty two thousand

soldiers reduced to three hundred men on it. So it's Guidon and three hundred

men, this one in Childance Church and the Bible. Child Bible also got

about okay. So um, okay. So it's to go into battle against

our enemies, not with our own mind, but by holy by totally trusting

in the Lord. So I believe God because I ask God, why God

is peace? I don't want I mean, I'm trying to understand. Lord,

why do you review this part of you to guideon? And why why?

Okay? So this is what I called all right? So the Lord

is peace to go into battle not relying on his own strength and the strength

of his army, but by holy trusting in the Lord. Because if your

heart has no peace that the God has spoken, then I'm with you.

You'll not go and you know how many number of enemy was the Median Knights

one hundred and thirty five thousand, one hundred and thirty five thousand compared to

thirty two thousand. Is already like, what's the mess teacher thing? How

many ratio thirty two thousand versus hundred twenty five thousand. Now God is saying

it's too many people, Guidon. So Giden get it the people of Israel,

and he get it. Tooty two tho, God say too many?

They they are like what doty two thousand verses on hundred and thirty five,

God, you met and you want to do me? Okay, No too

many? So then okay, the story is such, okay, okay.

So in the end, reduced to only three hundred men, then God say,

okay, I'm satisfied. I only want to use that three hundred men.

Why because God wants to show off. Amen, Amen, hallelujah.

So let's read Judges seven, okay before before we move on the last part.

Judges seven, verses one and two. Then j Jerubell, which is

Guidon okay and all the people. So another name for Gida is jobella.

Guess for you to know. So Guidon and all the people who were with

him rose early and encamped beside the war well of Harold, so that the

camp of the Median Knights was on the north side of them, by the

heel of More in the valley. So from there they can see all the

Median Knights there, and that's how they know how many the Median Knights there

they are facing. And I told you earlier the millionaires are very coorel people,

okay. So and the Lord say to Guidon, the people who are

with you are too many for me for me, For God no to give

the Median Knights into their hands. Why less Asia claim glory for itself against

me, saying my own hand has saved me. God knows our hearts,

isn't it So God knows the deceitfulness of our hearts, and we claim glory

for ourselves when it's the Lord's a kkkk So as I want told you the

story already, yeah, from then reduced all the way. So why so

the first step when God told Guidon is to say, okay, tell the

thirty two thousand those of you who are afraid go home, never mind,

no need to fight against battle. And you know what twenty two Gidion was

shot also left ten Thousandly, why why they were really afraid? And they

didn't. They didn't, and they emitted it because they saw the vast numbers

of Median knights who will not be afraid, isn't it? So they went

home. Okay, never mind. So the ten thousand ones are the brave

ones. But even that God said to many, okay, okay, the

one, I'll save it for another day. You can read it on your

own. So finally, okay, it was only with three hundred. Why

because God wants to pull a point to Gideon. Okay. So now is

to live by what we read in Zachariah chapter four, verse six, because

we can put the verse out all right. So if we really believe in

the principle of trusting not in our own mind, but wholly trusting in the

Lord, it is according to what the verse says. Okay, not by

might nor by power, but by my spirit. Amen. And only then

when you have no one else to rely on, or when your number exceedingly

contrast the number that you're facing, right, Okay, God, you have

to do it for me, correct, right? Uh? Okay? And

also Sum's twenty verse severns it says that some trust in chariots and sum in

horses, but we will remember the name of our God. So I believe

at that time Gideon's heart was like God, three hundred men that silah,

okay, okay. So by the three hundred men who who leapt right?

Basically is there's a test that God asked Gideon to do. They let the

what do you want to remember? Not? Okay? So God said that

I will save you a Guideon and the people of Angel and deliver the Midian

Knights into your hand. So God assured Guideon that victory was certain even though

there was only three hundred men. And that's why God ask peace be with

you. Now I can understand, okay, why God is saying I am

the God of peace. Okay. So the asiel Nite army was less than

one percent. Only of the Midian Knight soldiers like one too, about four

hundred okay. So Guideon could only trust in God because there was nothing else

to trust. So God brought Guidon to the point to trust the Lord Soul

Church. And even as we draw closer to the end, what does the

Bible? What else does the Bible say? So the Bible shows us in

the Old Testament, that God reveals himself as a God of peace in this

time when he wants to use us first of all to deal with things that

we need to make right in our lives, and to lead us into battle

to get rid of the enemy who is oppressing us and robbing from us.

Amen. And do not by doing that. It's not relying on our own

strength, but by holy trusting in the Lord. Amen. Amen. So

this is what also the Bible says about the peace that God offers us.

There is no real peace. So I might be speaking to some of us

today and maybe some of us here. We do not have a relationship yet

with God, and we do not understand what he means to have peace from

God and with God. So there's no real peace apart from God. In

Isaiah fifty seven, verses twenty and twenty one, but the wicked are like

the troubled sea when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mind and Diod.

There is no peace, says the Lord, says my God for the

wicked, all right, No wicked people who, in the context of the

Bible, those who do not follow God. So the wicked have no peace

because they will not trust Jehovah Shalom, the God of peace. So when

troubles come, meaning for them, they trust in themselves. They are God.

They are they are God. Right when troubles come, they have only

themselves to rely on, and there's no peace there. So real, true

peace only comes from God. Amen. Amen. God does not promise us

freedom from trouble when he say peace be with us, right, and Jesus

said peace be with us. He didn't say that, oh, miss from

to their onwards, You'll never feel trouble again, you will never be trouble

again. No, But he does promise us that his peace will give us

the ability to deal with the troubles that we experience. Amen. Like how

guidian with the peace that he has received and the word the revelation of who

God is to him when God appeared to him, that revelation was the was

that revelation that he stood on to face to clear up the mess in his

own household and to bring the people into victory, commad. So he gives

us the ability to deal with the troubles that we experienced. In John sixteen,

verse thirty three, it says Jesus said, these things I've spoken to

you that in me, in Jesus, you may have peace. Hallelujah,

hallelujah. Church, in me me Jesus, in the world you will have.

So is it surprising things for all of us know Jesus already said that

you will not maybe have you maybe have You will have tribulation, but be

of good cheer. Everyone's to come to your neighbor, be of good cheer

the other neighbor. Be of good cheer. Because why I, as in

Jesus, have overcome the world. Hallelujah. That should put a smile on

all our faces today. Amen, Amen, that God Jesus has overcome the

world. Yeah, and in this world, yes, we will have tribulation,

but be of good cheer, good cheer. Jesus has overcome the world.

So Jesus is victorious over sin and the troubles that sin calls us.

So it's a sin that caused the trouble for the Israelites. But Jesus has

worn the victory over sin. And if we place our hand in his,

and I'm speaking to someone today, if we place our hands in his to

his strength, we can overcome and experience the peace that he offers. Member

the peace of God comes when Jesus comes. Amen. Amen. So Jesus

is victorious over sin, and only in Jesus we can find that victory over

the sin that cause us trouble and that robs away the peace in our lives.

Amen, hallelujah. And thirdly, I have four points for us here.

The third point, the peace that Jesus gives frees us from fear and

worry. And sometimes we find us find ourselves in a cycle or worry and

fear, and it's normal, normal in a sense that it is a very

normal human response. Okay, okay, earthly human body response, right,

fleshy response. But the peace that Jesus gives frees us from dead. In

John fourteen twenty seven, it says, peace, I live with you.

You all know the worse. Jesus said, my peace I give to you.

Not as the world gaves. Do I give to you, And if

you do, you have no experience this peace that Jesus has given to us.

Today is your day to respond to the Lord and to say God,

I want this peace that you have given to us. Let not your heart

be troubled. And even for those of us believers here, this is one

of my favorite verse because it speaks directly to my arm like that. Okay.

So even for us believer us, here are your heart's troubled this morning.

And sometimes only God sees the troubles in our hearts. I think we

all trouble one. Okay, okay, we got no trouble one right,

But God say, let not your heart be trouble. Neither let it be

afraid, meaning you can let it or not let it. You can let

it be troubled or not let it be troubled. You can let it be

afraid or not let it be afraid. So Jesus is telling you, if

you can, if you feel like it, let not your be high trouble.

No, he didn't say that. Let not let not. Let not

turn to your neighbor on the left, Let not let not turn to your

other neighbor. Let not. That means choose not, don't allow it to

happen. Don't allow your heart. Speak to your heart, don't be afraid,

don't be troubled. Jesus is with us. Amen, God has given

us peace. Isaiah twenty sixth verse three. You will keep him in perfect

peace. Whose mind is stayed on you, meaning your mind can stay on

God because he trusts in you. Amen. So when we're trust in God,

we choose to put our minds on the Lord. Stay on God,

people, stay on the Lord, and God will keep us in perfect peace.

Psalm's hundred and nineteen, verse one hundred and sixty five. While only

salms we can find all this hundred over verses some like yes, great peace,

great peace, and no, not a little bit peace. There have

those who love your law and nothing causes them to stumble. Nothing. Church,

nothing say to your neighbor nothing, nothing, the other neighbor nothing,

nothing, nothing means nothing. Hallelujah. So you want to be perfect,

You want to have perfect peace, love the law of God. And what

God is saying to us today. Amen. And the last one Jesus Ah.

And this is to me, It sums it all. Jesus and his

salvation is the source of our peace. Okay, all right? So Romans

Chapter five, Verse one, having been justified by faith, we have peace

with God true our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. So today you and I

we have peace with God through our Lord Esus Christ for what he has done

on the cross. First, so knowing that our sins have been forgiven and

that we are covered by the righteousness of Jesus. Now us know something.

We are all most of us are believers here and we have heard this and

it's as all. It is like nothing to us. But you know what,

this is the very core of our Christian faith. Amen. This is

our belief, This is our care, and this is the salvation of God

that God has done for us. Amen. So knowing that our sins sometimes

we live our lives like we've forgotten that our sins have been forgiven, and

that we are covered by the righteousness of Jesus. That is the greatest blessing

of the peace that Jesus gives. Amen. The true the Gospel of Jesus.

God removes every barrier to a genuine relationship with Him. Amen. And

he gives life to the spiritually date. And all of us were one spiritually

date. But now we are being reconciled, reconciled to God. Amen.

Hallelujah, So that what we can have peace with God. Amen. Amen.

So salvation changes us into His very image and likeness. Case over the

Word of God says, work out your salvation, because it's every day that

we live in that salvation that God has called us. We work out that

called salvation that God has called us. And by forgiving the death of sin,

God has forgiven us that hindered our relationship with him. He now brings

peace with us and himself. Amen, hallelujah. So Church, whatever that

you're facing in life right now, and just like Guidon, he was in

the midst of it, Tahan, I don't know for how many years,

seven years Ingidient's example. God says to you and I, just like he

said to Guidon, peace be with you. Do not fear. He is

Jehovah shalom, and the Lord is our peace. And to be all,

sometimes we don't fully understand. It's hard to understand sometimes just with the human

minds. Right, God is peace. Okay, we cannot fully understand this

peace that God is talking about. But you know what, you can experience

it. So that's the amazing thing and the difference with all the other community

claim as a religion. You know, that's the difference that it is something

you and I experience and you can close your eyes and you know that you

have peace in your hearts because of the love of God and what God has

done for us. Amen. Amen, and our close with this verse Lilippins

four six to seven. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by

prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known to God,

and the peace of God we surpass us all understanding. Will God your

hearts and minds, True Christ Jesus Amen. We hope you've been blessed by

this message. For more information on our church, please visit X Church the

RG. We are also active on Facebook and Instagram. We're believing that this

week is going to be a good week ahead for you. God bless