Pastor Allan Kircher
Sept 8, 2013
Judges 7:1-23
GOD HAS THE BEST PLAN
***Please note: Sermon is condensed. You need to add in between / spaces.
Intro: Read James 4:13-17.
James councils men against/foolishness making plans without consideration/will of God/matter.
• You and I can make any plans we wish to make
• God always has the final say in any matter.
• when we learn His plans for the situation
• then we make our plans based on His plans
• We find out that He had the best plan all along!
• We humans like to make our plans, don’t we?
• We want things to go the way we want them to go.
• Have you ever thought that God might have a better plan?
_______________________________________________
Peter/others/fished all night w/o catching a fish Luke 5
• Jesus told/put/deep water/they would catch fish
• Peter’s plan/forget fishing for/day/go home.
• But, when he obeyed/Lord, he found out/God had the best plan!
______________________________________________
When Jesus told His disciples that He was going to die, Peter rebuked the Lord, Matt. 16:21-23.
• Peter thought he had a good plan
• when Jesus went to the cross and paid sins forever
• Peter found out that God had the best plan.
_______________________________________________
When Goliath saw David coming to meet him for battle
• he/plans/kill David/feed/carcass/scavengers/field, 2 Sam 17
• when/stone sank deep into/forehead/he fell/earth dead
• He found out that God had the best plan!
______________________________________________
When Israel sent spies/Canaan/saw/giants/lived there, Num13
• Made plans/find themselves/new leader/go back/Egypt.
• But, over/next forty years/died one by one/wilderness
• They learned that God has the best plan.
______________________________________________
I could go on giving you example/example/pages/God’s Word,
• This truth/fleshed out well/passage we have read/Judges.
When Gideon/his army/battle, must have had/plan
• Before/battle/joined/victory was won
• They found out that God had the best plan.
I would like for us to consider that thought today:
• God Has The Best Plan
• let’s learn/lesson/God’s plan may not/easiest plan
• not be/most popular plan
• not even seem like/smartest plan
• but God always has the best plan!
____________________________________________
I. THE REALITIES OF GOD’S PLAN
a. v. 2-7 God’s Plan Is A Different Plan
• Gideon planned/march/battle/32,000 soldiers
• But God had a different plan!
• Context/how God whittled down army
• Trembles with fear—20,000 left.
• Still too many!!!!!!!! I will sift them!!!!!
• Lap/tongues—kneel down to drink
• 300 lapped with their hands…..
• Let the others go each to his own place.
_____________________________________________
When we make our plans for our lives, we always try to stack the deck in our favor.
• That is human nature!
• However, God will usually have a different plan for your life than you do!
• David/just a shepherd, but God had a different plan.
___________________________________________
Job/wealthy man/just wanted to worship his God
• Love his family and enjoy his wealth
• But God had a different plan.
Joseph/Mary/young couple/wanted/get married/raise a family
• But God had a different plan.
Saul of Tarsus just wanted to destroy Christianity
• But God had a different plan!
Test/truly consecrated life/willing/submit/plans of God
• Even when His plan contradicts our plan
• Paul Acts 16:6-9.
• Remember, God’s plan is a different plan!)
_______________________________________________
B. v. 9-14 God’s Plan Is a Declared Plan
• Here/Gideon/32,000-man army reduced/300 men.
• ready/attack/force/many times larger than his own, v12
God is not asking/leap/dark, he/asking/clear step of faith.
God knew Gideon’s fears and concerns.
• What Gideon heard from the enemy, v. 13-14.
Comes to you/me/Lord expects/walk/obedience/His will
• He never asks for a blind leap/dark.
• He always asks His children/respond/taking/clear step/faith.
_________________________________________
God uses many means to speak to His children!
He speaks:
• Through His Word, Rom. 10:17
• through the Spirit, Acts 13:2 16:6-8
• Through other believers, Acts 9:17-18
• Even through/circumstances of life Gen. 24:12-16.
The bottom line is this; God will always direct your feet plainly!
He will not leave you in doubt. His plan is a declared plan!
Here’s the key!
• Knowing His plan takes requires prayer/holiness/patience
• But be sure, in His time, He will reveal His plan.
When He does, you see different plan/declared plan/is best plan!
• surest path/knowing His plan is to practice Rom. 12:1-2
____________________________________________
C. v. 15-23 God’s Plan Is a Distinct Plan
• Gideon’s men were to surround the enemy
• 300 hundred against thousands!
• Sound their trumpets, shout/battle/break a little clay pitcher containing an oil lamp.
• God said that this would give them the victory, and it did!
• What a distinct plan!
• No man would ever have come up with a plan like that!
Gideon/men not been willing/follow God’s plan
• Would have missed out/God’s best/their lives!
• So it is with the plans of God.
• Times when/Lord lead you/directions you never imagined.
• He comes up/plans our lives/very distinct!
• When we go His way, we find out He always has/best plan!
______________________________________________
II. THE REQUIREMENTS OF GOD’S PLAN
Person/church going/walk/plan God gives them
• three steps are necessary
A. God’s Plan Requires Surrender
Think about this: Gideon/man/32,000 followers!
• By following God’s plan/he saw his army reduced
• His rank lowered and his pride crushed.
• Reduced/general Gideon/Gideon/barley cake, v. 13.
• He went from being considered a great leader of men to being called a dog biscuit!
• That will do something for your ego!
• What Gideon learned was the fight not about Gideon/army/even/enemy.
• This battle was about the Lord!
Gideon had to come to the place:
• Where he was willing to lay his plans/goals/dreams/will aside so that he might surrender/will of God!
That is what/Lord still requires those who would walk/His perfect will!
• God’s plan is always the best plan!
• You can trust Him to look out for your best interests, Rom. 8:28 Jer. 29:11.
By the way, life is not about our plans or even about us. Life is about the Lord and His perfect will!
_______________________________________________
B. God’s Plan Requires Submission
• For God’s plan to succeed
• Gideon/army had to submit to God’s plan.
• Had watch first 22,000 men/then 9,700 turned/went home taking their weapons and their potential with them.
• Gideon/300 who remained had/walk in obedience to God’s plan for the battle or none of them had a chance of survival!
If you want to see the Lord’s best for your life, then it will require obedience to His plan on your part.
You may not like what Lord is telling you to do, but you do it anyway.
• Obedience is important/Lord, 1 Sam. 15:22!
• It is His command for each of us, Eph. 6:6.
• Obedience to His will proves our love for Him, John 14:15.
____________________________________________
C. God’s Plan Requires Steadfastness
If Gideon/army was to experience/victory, they would have to humble themselves under God’s hand, surrender to His plan, obey His will and proceed in faith!
It took great faith for them to:
• Take 300 to go out against thousands!
• Take no weapons!
• Blow their trumpets, break those pitchers
• shine those lights
But God answered their faith giving them a resounding victory!
If you are going to see God’s best plan for your life, it too is going to require faith!
God is going to ask you to take some steps along the path of life that will be difficult, that you will be unsure of.
• Path to God’s best is always the path of faith!
• God always honors faith because faith always honors Him, Heb. 11:6!
• 3 Hebrews/Daniel - God’s plan seemed bad, but faith secured the victory!)
_____________________________________________
III. THE RESULTS OF GOD’S PLAN
• When God’s people submit to God’s plan
• carry it out for His glory
• there are certain results they can expect!
A. v. 21-22 God’s Enemies Are Vanquished
• Midianites/Amalekites turned/one another/fear/fled the scene.
• Israel saw enemies defeated because Israel followed God’s plan!
• God has a plan for your life.
Don’t you think that His enemy, Satan, may also have a plan for your life?
• The enemy wants you to be defeated, unhappy/miserable!
• But, if you choose to walk in the Lord’s plan
• You can be confident it is the best plan
• That it gives you and Him victory over Satan!
• You don’t have to struggle! Fret! Worry! Doubt~
______________________________________________
B. v. 23 God’s People Are Victorious
Israel enjoyed great victory because they chose the best plan!
By the way, they already had the victory before the battle was ever engaged, v. 7-8!
God’s plan for your life and mine is that we be able to walk in victory, Rom. 8:37; 2 Cor. 2:14; 1 Cor. 15:57.
Victory only truly be our experience when we walk in His plan and not our own!
If you walk in His plan, which is the best plan, you will never walk in defeat!
___________________________________________
Ill. Paul - 2 Cor. 4:7-10; 2 Cor. 12:7-10!
• How could he say what He did?
• He knew that he was walking/will of God
• and that even though it might be hard
• God always has the best plan!
____________________________________________
C. v. 2, 15-23 God’s Name Is Venerated
• Because/victory was won w/o great army
• W/o fierce battle, God got all the glory for the victory!
Neither Gideon nor his army could go home and brag about what they did/field of battle.
• When we turn away from our plan and embrace His
• we are assured/victory
• we are assured that He will receive all the glory
• for all that happens in our lives.
After all, that’s what life as a believer is all about anyway!
• Ill. 1 Cor. 10:31; Matt. 5:16!
• Our lives, our obedience
• ought to point me to Him and not to ourselves!
______________________________________________
Conc:
• Is God messing around with your plans?
• The best thing you could ever do is submit to His plan
• His plan is the best plan!
1. He has the best plan for living - His will, when followed, always produces victory in the life of the believer!
2. He has the best plan for leaving - His plan is for you to receive Jesus as your personal Savior. If you do, then you need never fear the fires of Hell, John 14:6; Acts 4:12!
Do you need to come before Him and talk to Him about His plans for you?
