DISCOVERING YOUR FULL POTENTIAL
JUDGE 6:1-16
It amazing to see how God can transform a fearful man into a mighty warrior. If Samson is man of extra-ordinary strengths and power, Gedeon is an exact opposite. He is the man hiding on the back stage, afraid of the lime light and prefer the low profile attitude to avoid trouble. But God has a different plan. This time he want to use an ordinary man to do an extra ordinary task. Today, let us put ourselves in shoes of Gedeon as he experience the transforming power of God in his life.
Reading:
Jdg 6:1 Once again the people of Israel sinned against the LORD, so he let the people of Midian rule them for seven years.
Jdg 6:2 The Midianites were stronger than Israel, and the people of Israel hid from them in caves and other safe places in the hills.
Jdg 6:7 Then the people of Israel cried out to the LORD for help against the Midianites,
Jdg 6:11 Then the LORD’s angel came to the village of Ophrah and sat under the oak tree that belonged to Joash, a man of the clan of Abiezer. His son Gideon was threshing some wheat secretly in a wine press, so that the Midianites would not see him.
Jdg 6:12 The LORD’s angel appeared to him there and said, "The LORD is with you, brave and mighty man!"
Jdg 6:13 Gideon said to him, "If I may ask, sir, why has all this happened to us if the LORD is with us? What happened to all the wonderful things that our fathers told us the LORD used to do---how he brought them out of Egypt? The LORD has abandoned us and left us to the mercy of the Midianites."
Jdg 6:14 Then the LORD ordered him, "Go with all your great strength and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I myself am sending you."
Jdg 6:15 Gideon replied, "But Lord, how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least important member of my family."
Jdg 6:16 The LORD answered, "You can do it because I will help you. You will crush the Midianites as easily as if they were only one man."
We can learn five lessons how Gedeon discover his full potentials and become the person God want him to be - a mighty warrior for God.
I. BELIEVE GOD’S WORD AND PROMISES (6:16) Exhortation
Gideon’s Unbelief:
a)He is hiding in fear
Jdg 6:11 Gideon was threshing some wheat secretly in a wine press, so that the Midianites would not see him.
b)He asked God why v13
Jdg 6:13 Gideon said to him,..."why has all this happened to us if the LORD is with us? ...The LORD has abandoned us and left us to the mercy of the Midianites."
c)He asked God how v15
Jdg 6:15 Gideon replied, "But Lord, how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least important member of my family."
God’s Promises:
a)He was told of what he could become with God.
Jdg 6:12 The angel of the LORD appeared to him and told him, "The LORD is with you, you valiant warrior!"
b)He was cloth with divine authority
Jdg 6:14 The LORD turned toward Gideon and said, "Then use your great power and go save the Israelites from the Midianites. I am sending you to save them."
c)He was assured of God’s mighty presence
Jdg 6:16 The LORD answered Gideon and said, "I will be with you, so you can defeat the Midianites as easily as if they were only one man."
d) He was assured of his calling by supernatural signs
Jdg 6:36 Then Gideon said to God, "You say that you have decided to use me to rescue Israel.
Jdg 6:37 Well, I am putting some wool on the ground where we thresh the wheat. If in the morning there is dew only on the wool but not on the ground, then I will know that you are going to use me to rescue Israel."
Jdg 6:38 That is exactly what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the wool and wrung enough dew out of it to fill a bowl with water.
Jdg 6:39 Then Gideon said to God, "Don’t be angry with me; let me speak just once more. Please let me make one more test with the wool. This time let the wool be dry, and the ground be wet."
Jdg 6:40 That night God did that very thing. The next morning the wool was dry, but the ground was wet with dew.
e)He was exhorted by God through the words of his enemies
Jdg 7:9 That night the LORD commanded Gideon, "Get up and attack the camp; I am giving you victory over it.
Jdg 7:10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah.
Jdg 7:11 You will hear what they are saying, and then you will have the courage to attack." So Gideon and his servant Purah went down to the edge of the enemy camp.
Jdg 7:12 The Midianites, the Amalekites, and the desert tribesmen were spread out in the valley like a swarm of locusts, and they had as many camels as there are grains of sand on the seashore.
Jdg 7:13 When Gideon arrived, he heard a man telling a friend about a dream. He was saying, "I dreamed that a loaf of barley bread rolled into our camp and hit a tent. The tent collapsed and lay flat on the ground."
Jdg 7:14 His friend replied, "It’s the sword of the Israelite, Gideon son of Joash! It can’t mean anything else! God has given him victory over Midian and our whole army!"
Jdg 7:15 When Gideon heard about the man’s dream and what it meant, he fell to his knees and worshiped the LORD. Then he went back to the Israelite camp and said, "Get up! The LORD is giving you victory over the Midianite army!"
Rom 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
II. BUILD THE ALTAR OF UNCOMPROMISING WORSHIP (6:26) Identification
Jdg 6:25 That same night the LORD said to Gideon, "Take a bull from your father’s herd, a bull that is seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar dedicated to the god Baal and cut down the pole dedicated to the goddess Asherah that is next to it.
Jdg 6:26 Then, in the proper way, build an altar to the LORD your God on top of this fortified place. Take this second bull and sacrifice it as a burnt offering on the wood from the Asherah pole that you have cut down."
Jdg 6:27 Gideon took ten of his servants and did what the LORD had told him to do. However, he didn’t do anything during the day. He was too afraid of his father’s family and the men of the city, so he did it at night.
• No compromise – he destroy baal
• Let the people know who you are and what you believe. Ex. Daniel and friend
God will never use a secret saint to win great battle. We must come out in the open and take our stand regardless of the cost.
We can get the next 3 principles from the following verses.
Jdg 7:20 Then all three groups of Gideon’s men blew their trumpets and smashed their jars. The men held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands. As they blew their trumpets, they shouted, "A sword for the LORD and a sword for Gideon!"
Jdg 7:21 Gideon’s men stayed where they were. But inside the camp, the men of Midian began shouting and running away.
Jdg 7:22 When Gideon’s 300 men blew their trumpets, the LORD caused the men of Midian to kill each other with their swords.
III. BREAK THE VESSEL OF OLD NATURES (7:20) Transformation
God break us through problems to shape us and increase our faith on Him for unless we are broken, the light of Jesus will never shine on our lives
IV. BURN THE LAMP OF GOD’S TESTIMONY (7:20) Demonstration
Ex: Attracting fish through the powerful light
As the lamp needs the oil to keep it burning, we need the spiritual oil which is the anointing power of the Holy Spirit to maintain the light of Jesus in our lives.
V. BLOW THE TRUMPET OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST (7:20) Proclamation
• Declare and claim: Remind God about His promise
• Speak about it: Convince yourself
• Let the people hear: Share your faith
• Let the enemies hear: Let them be defeated
Good news is a terrifying sound for the enemy but a sound of gladness and freedom for God’s people
If you have been blessed, encouraged or inspired by this sermon then it’s your turn to be an encouragement too. You can do it by sending email to this contributor at spy2rb@yahoo.com or post comment on the discussion box below.
