It's Not Me…It's You The Gideons If only I had… If only I could… But I'm just not good at…

It's Not Me…It's You

The Gideons

If only I had…

If only I could…

But I'm just not good at…

Our world:Change your words

Speak empowerment

Become something better

What if you really can't?What if you aren't good at it?

What if you'll never beGood enough?

It's good to grow and becomeTo develop our talents

To see growth in our livesBut…

Your inability and weaknessEmpower you

When you trust and followA Powerful God

The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord,

What they did was evilIn God's sight

Not necessarily anyone else's

But God is the only OneWho matters

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 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

For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them

They would encamp against them and devour the produce of

the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in

Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey

For they would come up with their livestock and their tents…

…they would come like locusts in number- both they and their

camels could not be counted- so that they laid waste the land

as they came in

And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the Lord

Dangerous timesFamine and living in cavesCompletely outmatched

The enemies rule Israel's landUntil Israel calls on the Lord

You can lose what God has givenWhen you stop trusting God

And start trustingSomeone or something else

For what God says he'll provide

When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord on account of the

Midianites, the Lord sent a prophet to the people of Israel

First, He answers with a Prophet

The problem isn't the problemThe problem is the symptom

God must solve illnessOr they won't get well

Your problem May not be the problem

If you're not right with God

Then it's just a symptomPointing to something deeper

And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery

And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from

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

you and gave you their land

I did in you and through youWhat you couldn't do

On your own



God reintroduces himselfBecause fear has caused

His people to forget

The power of their God

And I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell’

But you have not obeyed my voice”

We're not enoughWe're weak, so…

We'd better make offeringsTo their godsSo that we're protected

They focused on their abilityInstead of God's power

And traded in their freedomsFor safety offered by false godsAnd it led to caves and famine

Sin is seeking in other placesWhat God alone provides

And it never works outLong-term

PeaceJoy

Fulfillment and Purpose

Finances and RelationshipsSafety


How has that worked out for you so far?

Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite…

…while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the

winepress to hide it from the Midianites

Birthright as an Israelite

Afraid of enemies that will come Take everything and end him

Because the Israelites Aren't enough

And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor”(Present tense)

What we see in GideonAnd what God sees

Is the difference betweenWho he is and

What God will make him

Encourage on another…

God calls you "saint"

And Gideon said to him, “Please,

sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this

happened to us?

And 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”

Blaming God rather than Repenting of his own sin

And the sin of his people

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?”

You're asking for an answer?Good- you're the answer

Go!

And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel?

Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least

in my father's house”

He's looking at this strengthAnd knows he can't

God calls him mighty warriorBecause God can

If I'm looking at howI'm not looking at Who

And without eyes of faithI'll never do anything of

Significance for the Kingdom



God chooses GideonOver men who are ready:Strong, capable men

Because it's not about the menIt's about God's glory

"I'll never be enough"Great…you're in perfect position

To see God do awesome things Through your life

And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man”

Antidote to Fear?

Who God isWhere God is

And he said to him, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is

you who speak with me"

Food consumed by a rock

Not strength, but weaknessNot faith, but sight

Looking for confirmationOf what's he already been told

We don't put out a fleeceGideon already knows

And is looking for a way out

When we seek wisdom We need to trust without seeing

That night the Lord said to him, “Take your father's bull, and the second bull seven years old, and

pull down the altar of Baal that your father has…

…and cut down the Asherah that is beside it and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order

Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with

the wood of the Asherah that you shall cut down”

People are generally OKWith someone jacking with their

Religion and their worship…

Right?

So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had

told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the

men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night



Vs. 30…Then the men of the town said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die…

…for he has broken down the altar of Baal and cut down the

Asherah beside it”

Were his fears legit?

Should he have done it?

Were his fears legit?

Should he have done it?Did God tell him to do it?

But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him?

Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If

he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has

been broken down”

Therefore on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against him,” because he broke down his altar

His very nameIn use as he lives

Is proof that BaalIs nothing more than a

Paper tiger

War is coming...The enemy combines to come against Israel

Trumpet...Abiezrites, Asher, Zubulun, Naphtali

The men head out toward war Scared to death, but obedient

God is graciousAnd can use people

Who will obeyNot because they have no fear

But even in the midst of it

Anything that causes me to Rely on God

Is a blessing…because I becomeStrong in him through my weaknesses



Gideon has 32,000 menWilling to fight

Which is cool, except…

Gideon has 32,000 menWilling to fight

Which is cool, except…135,000 Warriors

Outnumbered 4-1

The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me’

Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying,

‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return

home and hurry away from Mount Gilead’”

Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained

13-1

And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water,

and I will test them for you there…

…and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go”

And the Lord said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I

will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and

let all the others go every man to his home”

450-1

That same night the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against

the camp, for I have given it into your hand



But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant

Like locusts…

Dream…Gideon is gonna murk us

We're dead men!

300 men…against 135,000It's not fair…for the Midianites

Because God is with the 300

Surround the campBlow trumpets and break jars

The Midianites fleeIsrael is free and they don't lose

Even 1 of the 300 men




You are forgiven in Christ of sinYou are not free from the

Consequences of your choices

Do I believe that what I needIs found in Jesus and following

What he says is right for me?

Where am I weak?

Has it caused me to trust God more?

Will I now?

As a churchThe areas of weakness

Are opportunities to see JesusDo what only Jesus can do

Questions, CommentsDisagreements

Pray

Housekeeping

$200 Tattoo

Theology Class (FB Group)

Documents

It's Not Me…It's You The Gideons If only I had… If only I could… But I'm just not good at…