Lifted, Sifted, Gifted

LIFTED, SIFTED, GIFTED

Judges 6:11-16,25-34; 7:2,7,19-21

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: GIVING IN THE OFFERING

1. Timmy didn’t want to put his money in the offering plate on Sunday morning. The plate passed down the pew and at last came to Timmy. He held his $5 bill over the plate but couldn’t let go.

2. So his mother got creative. She put on a horrified face and, pointing at the money, said with a subdued scream, “Quick! Drop it in the plate. It’s tainted!” Horrified, the little boy obeyed.

3. After the plate had disappeared and a minute or two elapsed, the boy whispered, “But, mom, why was the money tainted? Did it have some horrible germ or virus on it?”

4. “Oh, no dear,” she replied. “It wasn’t dirty; it just ‘taint yours,’ and it ‘taint mine,” she replied. “It’s God’s!”

B. “THE MORE THE BETTER”

1. Most of the time we think that “more is better.” Like if you ladies can get two pairs of shoes for the price of one, that’s good; or if we guys can buy two Texan’s jerseys for the price of one, that’s good.

2. But sometimes more isn’t better; like sacrificing quality for quantity. Having more people in church is good, unless it’s because the gospel’s watered down, or sin isn’t mentioned, or personal accountability is omitted -- then more isn’t good.

3. We’ll see in today’s Scripture, that the Bible teaches that in God’s work, less may be better!

C. TEXT Judges 6:11-16,25-34; 7:2,7,19-21

11 The angel of the Lord came…where…Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” 13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about?” 14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” 15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” 16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.” 25 That same night the Lord said to him… “Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. 26 Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God….30 The people of the town demanded of Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.” 31 But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause? Are you trying to save him?...If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.” 32 So…they gave him the name Jerub-Baal that day, saying, “Let Baal contend with him.” 34 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the [Israelites] to follow him.

7: 2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would [say]…‘My own strength has saved me.’” 7 The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” 19 Gideon and the 3 hundred men with him…20 blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.

D. THESIS

1. This morning we’re looking at a man who’d lost sight of God and what he could do but rediscovered that God can do great things through the least people.

2. Gideon had to go through three stages of preparation before he was ready to storm the enemies’ camp: He had to be a. LIFTED, b. SIFTED, c. then GIFTED! First, we need to be…

I. LIFTED – TO SEE OUR POTENTIAL

The first task the Lord had to accomplish was to LIFT up Gideon’s faith, which had cratered.

A. GIDEON’S POOR PERCEPTION OF GOD

1. It had been a bunch of bad years for the Israelites. They’d been invaded, defeated, and oppressed by their enemies because of their sins.

2. Gideon's first response to God was, “But Sir, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” (13). When we have trials, the enemy always tries to make us question God’s goodness, or make us think that God’s abandoned us.