Gideon And Purah

I. EXORDIUM:

Are you clinging to your own good works?

No. Only to JESUS.

II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:

Believers/unbelievers

III. OBJECTIVES:

To show that GOD doesn't want hypocrites in the church, but GOD will continue to give them to their own depraved mind believing a lie rather than GOD.

Romans 1:28 (Amplified Bible)

And so, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God or approve of Him or consider Him worth the knowing, God gave them over to a base and condemned mind to do things not proper or decent but loathsome,

IV. TEXT:

Judges 7:11 (Amplified Bible)

And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp. Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outposts of the camp of the armed men.

V. THESIS:

Praise, worship, glorify, adore, bless, honor, acknowledge and thank You very much LORD JESUS for You have given us the LORD JESUS CHRIST, the Only Way that can be saved.

VI. TITLE:

Gideon and Purah

Subtitle: Gideon and his hypocritical deeds

VII. EXPLICATION:

A. Author: unknown, tradition attributes authorship to Samuel

B. Date written: 1086 - 1035 B.C.

C. Purpose: To review Israel's history following the conquest and prior to the Monarchy.

D. To whom written: Israel

E. Main theme: History of Israel during the time of the fifteen judges.

F. Keyword: apostasy

G. Key verse: Judges 17:6 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

VIII. MAIN BODY:

Judges 7:11 (Amplified Bible)

And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp. Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outposts of the camp of the armed men.

Judges 7:11 (King James Version)

And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host.

A. Hear the WORD OF GOD and make it the reason for your strength.

"And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp."

Gideon is still a believer after all of these because he opted for signs not WORDS OF GOD. Signs are for unbelievers.

1 Corinthians 14:22 (Amplified Bible)

Thus [unknown] tongues are meant for a [supernatural] sign, not for believers but for unbelievers [on the point of believing], while prophecy (inspired preaching and teaching, interpreting the divine will and purpose) is not for unbelievers [on the point of believing] but for believers.

Since he is like this, he wanted something to appeal to the five senses, signs can be seen and heard, now GOD pushed him to hearing physically because he is inclined not to believe the WORD OF GOD but instead to believe a sign and to hear with physical ears what people have to say. Are you ever near with people always interested in what people have to say? What they say is important? How they look on us is important? How they perceive us is always important. We have to look good in people's eyes. These people are hypocrites, do what they say but don't do what they do.

Matthew 15:2-3 (Amplified Bible)

Why do Your disciples transgress and violate the rules handed down by the elders of the past? For they do not practice [ceremonially] washing their hands before they eat.

He replied to them, And why also do you transgress and violate the commandment of God for the sake of the rules handed down to you by your forefathers (the elders)?

Stay away from hypocrites you won't learn anything from them, for they are full of themselves. Stay within GOD's Presence. These hypocrites are always full of rules, don't touch this, don't touch that, but are void of GOD's Power.

2 Timothy 3:7 (Amplified Bible)

[These weak women will listen to anybody who will teach them]; they are forever inquiring and getting information, but are never able to arrive at a recognition and knowledge of the Truth.

This is also true for some men that I have conversed with, they always inquire as if they are interested to do, they always get their information that they want, but are not able to apply it in their lives. Pity is one thing that you can offer them, because you can't help people that don't want to help themselves.

James 1:22 (Amplified Bible)

But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth].

We increase faith by hearing and hearing GOD'S WORDS and these type of people don't ever go to worship in a bible-based church, why? Because they don't want to apply the truth they got, all they wanted are theoretical knowledge not experiential knowledge.