I. EXORDIUM:
Are you full of faith? Are you doubtful?
II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:
Believers
III. OBJECTIVES:
To show faith in it's real sense.
IV. TEXT:
Judges 6:22 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he cried out, “Oh, Sovereign Lord, I’m doomed! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”
V. THESIS:
Faith believes, doesn't work with five senses.
VI. TITLE:
Faithless Gideon
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:
A. He questioned the angel with doubt
1. His lifestyle of questions: but he answered them with doubt as well, that the LORD GOD abandoned them over to the hands of their enemies. He never even let the angel answer one of them. He never allowed his faith to GOD take over and believe the angel's words instead of his fears.
Judges 6:13 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
“Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”
1 John 4:18 (New King James Version)
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
B. He questioned GOD
Questioning the angel is like questioning GOD because the angel is only a messenger, the messenger is not important but who sent the message. It's questioning and doubting the very presence of GOD. He was like testing GOD. For example, you approach your grade school teacher and then give her a test to prove that she is really your teacher.
Isaiah 7:11-12 (New King James Version)
"Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above."
But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!"
Matthew 4:7 (Amplified Bible)
Jesus said to him, On the other hand, it is written also, You shall not tempt, test thoroughly, or try exceedingly the Lord your God.
Acts 15:10 (Amplified Bible)
Now then, why do you try to test God by putting a yoke on the necks of the disciples, such as neither our forefathers nor we [ourselves] were able to endure?
Because GOD is the tester of our hearts not the other way around. You approach GOD and act like god before Him, that would end you in no good situations. That's why Gideon's future is not a good one.
Psalms 26:2 (Amplified Bible)
Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; test my heart and my mind.
Deuteronomy 8:2 (New International Version)
Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.
C. He declared that GOD already had left them to their enemies
"But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites."
His thoughts of GOD are negative, I remember the servant given with one talent, thinking every negative thought about his master that made him afraid not to work for him.
Matthew 25:24-25 (New International Version)
"Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'
D. He questioned GOD about the How's
"Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’?"
Luke 1:18 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”
Remember Zechariah the father of John, the Baptist, instead of believing every angel's words, he doubted him and asked him about the how's. If it's a miracle, it can't be answered with logic. He tried logical thinking to accept a miracle, that won't work. Faith is not living by sight. If we choose to believe, then we have to forget about what we see and hear. Faith won't work if we still use our five senses. Faith is our sixth sense that is always contrary to the five senses.
2 Corinthians 5:7 (New International Version)
We live by faith, not by sight.
E. He asked for signs
Judges 6:36-40 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
Then Gideon said to God, “If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised,
prove it to me in this way. I will put a wool fleece on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised.”
And that is just what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out a whole bowlful of water.
Then Gideon said to God, “Please don’t be angry with me, but let me make one more request. Let me use the fleece for one more test. This time let the fleece remain dry while the ground around it is wet with dew.”
So that night God did as Gideon asked. The fleece was dry in the morning, but the ground was covered with dew.
Mark 8:12 (Amplified Bible)
And He groaned and sighed deeply in His spirit and said, Why does this generation demand a sign? Positively I say to you, no sign shall be given this generation.
Signs are for unbelievers. But for us who are of faith, we no longer need convincing, for we approach GOD by faith knowing it pleases Him.
1 Corinthians 14:22 (New King James Version)
Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe.
Hebrews 11:6 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
F. For Gideon, to see is to believe.
Judges 6:22 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he cried out, “Oh, Sovereign Lord, I’m doomed! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”
He never have faith to start with. It's an evil generation that asks for a sign. Because you come to GOD and tell Him to convince you more of His Presence, is that about it? Try approaching the president with that attitude. You go to the white house and then approach the president and tell him, I'm not sure if you're really are the president of the United States, can you perform some actions that proves you are really the president and you end up in jail. That kind of an attitude won't please GOD, but it irritates Him.
Matthew 12:39 (Amplified Bible)
But He replied to them, An evil and adulterous generation (a generation morally unfaithful to God) seeks and demands a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
Luke 11:29 (New King James Version)
And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, "This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
G. Instead of responding in love, he responded in fear
Judges 6:22 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he cried out, “Oh, Sovereign Lord, I’m doomed! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”
1. Gideon's future
Judges 8:29-31 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
Then Gideon son of Joash returned home.
He had seventy sons born to him, for he had many wives.
He also had a concubine in Shechem, who gave birth to a son, whom he named Abimelech.
He does not have perfect love in his heart, that's why his heart is filled with fear. He can only respond in fear and not in love.
IX. CONCLUSION:
Never doubt GOD and you will have a good future. Learn to trust GOD with no questions or signs.
Jeremiah 29:11 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
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