Breaking The Cycle
The Story Chapter 8
HEY – so how, is losing that hour of sleep working for everyone this morning…? Feeling awake? Feeling ‘bright eyed and bushy tailed?’
“excited and attentive… to be wide awake, not tired.”
Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed comes direct and intact from the classic Fox Hunt. A fox with dull or cloudy eyes or a limp, listless ungroomed tail is one in poor health and will not provide a good active challenging chase over a long course.
NOW – I gotta to tell that I really love it when we fall back and in October and we get that extra hour of sleep… BUT – this loosing an hour of sleep, not so much. Yeah, I’m not feeling all that ‘bright eyed and bushy tailed… (like this fox that is ready to pounce on the little mouse)… IN FACT - I feel more like this kind of fox…
BUT HEY – it could be worse, we could have lost 2 hours…
QUESTION – when I say the word ‘Judge’… what words, thoughts or images into your mind?
GO AHEAD – and share your answers with the person next to you…
NOW – I think of words like… power, authority, punishment, pronouncing a sentence, sending to jail… black robes and banging gavels.
AND THESE are some of the images that come into my mind
(NOTE - I PUT IMAGES OF EACH OF THESE ON THE SCREEN)
Anyone know who that is? Judge Wapner
How about this one?
Judge Judy…
And this one?
Judge Mathis
And these 9 black robed people?
And of course this judge always comes to my mind…
Judge Dredd
Anyone know when the original JudgE Dredd (the ‘Sly Stalone One’) came out?
(1995)
AGAIN – when I think of a judge I think of someone in the position of authority who has the power to punish… wearing a robe and wielding a gavel… AND - for the most part a judge is not a guy I want to be standing in front of…
I MEAN – when I think of a Judge, I get the same feeling I get when I see those blue lights flashing behind me, when my wife (Laurie) is pulled over for speeding… no just kidding. Usually she doesn’t pull over, she just tries to out run them.
MAPLE GROVE…
THIS MORNING – we continue our journey in The Story…
TODAY – we are in Chapter 8… ‘A Few God Men… And Women”…
IN – a conversation that I am calling… ‘Breaking The Cycle.’
NOW - Chapter 8 of ‘The Story’ is about a period in the history of God’s people called, ‘Judges…’
AND LISTEN – the judges that we will encounter in this chapter are not like the (black rope wearing – gaveling waving guys) we mentioned earlier… NO - their job description and attire is a little different… THOUGH – they still had power and authority… THEIR – primary role was to… to tell the truth, call out right and wrong… AND – to lead God’s people out of trouble… YOU SEE – these judges didn’t come to put people into captivity, but to release them. THEY – came not to pronounce a sentence but to announce God’s deliverance and their attire was battle armor and they wielded a sword not a gavel.
The book of Judges covers a period of about 330 years… and during that time God raised up (He called, commissioned and empowered) 12 people to judge and lead God’s people. 11 guys and one a lady… (Deborah) who was a prophet and a judge.
NOW – ‘The Period of Judges’ takes place right after the book of Joshua.
AND LISTEN – as the book of Joshua ends (The Period of Conquest) things are looking pretty good for God’s people… IT - looks as if, THEY - have everything they need to become the people God called them to be…
UNDERSTAND – God’s has really set His people up for success…. HE – has totally stacked the deck in their favor… HE has placed an oversized ball on the tee, handed them an oversized bat and told them to swing away.
I MEAN – just consider all of things they are going in their way…
FINALLY – after 700 years… (from the time the promise was made to Abraham in Genesis chapter 12)
They are in their own Land… (a land flowing with milk and honey)
AS – we saw last week, Joshua led the people in a great military victory where they conquered the land… And the land was divided among the 12 tribes of Israel.
(I PUT A MAP ON THE SCREEN)
God’s Presence dwells with them in the tabernacle (to guide and direct them)
The sacrificial system makes forgiveness possible
God’s law instructs them how to love (Him and each other)
God’s promise still stands
See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess…
- Dt 30:15,16
God’s people made a powerful public commitment
After Joshua’s challenging farewell speech…
Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! 17 It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God. - Joshua 24:16-18
YEAH – like I said, it looks like God’s people are on a roll and that they have everything they need to succeed in this new land…
HOWEVER…
IF – you read chapter 8 of ‘The Story’ this week (and who did their homework?)… OR IF - you are familiar with the book of Judges you know that this chapter, that this period in the history…
Turns out to be an extremely dark and sad time for God’s people. A time marked more by defeat than by victory.
NOW – as title of chapter 8 of ‘The Story’ indicates… there are a still a few good men and a few good women during this 330 year period of history… NEVERTHELESS - the bulk of those years are dominated by… (violence, sexual immorality, idolatry, pride, fear, sin and evil).
Chapter 8 of The Story opens up with the following words… page ____
NOW - it’s basically a preview of what is going to happen during this period of history…
After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to their own inheritance. 7 The people served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the LORD had done for Israel.
Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 9 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel.
11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them.
They aroused the LORD’s anger 13 because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14 In his anger against Israel the LORD gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.
Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the LORD was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.
Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the LORD’s commands.
18 Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the LORD relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them.
But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.
Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22 I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the LORD and walk in it as their ancestors did.”
– Judges 2:6-22
SEE - I told you it wasn’t pretty…
HEY – did you notice the destructive cycle that God’s people appear to be stuck in during the period of Judges?
(NOTE – I PUT AN IMAGE OF THIS CYCLE OF SIN IN JUDGES ON THE SCREEN)
Israel serves The Lord
They experience a time of peace, rest and of God’s blessing…
Israel Falls Into Sin & Idolatry
NOW – their number one sin in the book of Judges… THE SIN – that was the root of their other sins was the sin of idolatry. UNDERSTAND – as you read the OT you will see that IDOLATRY is not just ‘an’ issue for God’s people, but that it is ‘THE’ issue for God’s people.
THE SIN – from which all others were born and flowed.
THE SIN - of breaking the very first commandment.
You shall have no other God’s before me… - Ex 20:3
God wasn’t saying ‘before me’ as in ‘ahead of me.’ A better understanding of the Hebrew word translated ‘before me’ is ‘in my presence.’
God declines to sit atop an organizational flowchart. He is the organization. He is not interested in being president of the board. He is the board. And life does not work until everyone else sitting around the table in the boardroom of your heart is fired.
He is God, and there are no other applicants for that position. There are no partial gods, no honorary gods, no assistants to the regional gods.
God is saying this not because He is insecure but because it’s the way of truth in the universe, which is His creation. Only one God owns it and operates it. Only one God designed it, and only one God knows how it works. He is the only God who can help us, direct us, satisfy us, save us. – Kyle Idleman (gods @ war)
AGAIN THE CYCLE…
Israel serves the Lord… falls into Idolatry… God removes His protection – and they become enslaved.
Israel cries out to the Lord because of their suffering, enslavement and oppression. AND LISTEN – sometimes as with us their cries were fueled more by a desire for relief then an expression of genuine repentance..
God raises up a judge (12 of them)
Israel is delivered…
Israel serves the Lord… experiences peace and rest for a number of years…
AND THEN – God’s people hit the repeat button… again and again – 12 times in 330 years
OKAY – here is the first example of this cycle…
The people served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the LORD had done for Israel… 3:7
The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.
8 The anger of the LORD burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim, to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years. 9
But when they cried out to the LORD,
He raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, who saved them. 10 The Spirit of the LORD came on him, so that he became Israel’s judge and went to war. The LORD gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. 11 So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.
Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and because they did this evil the LORD gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. – Judges 3:7-12
NOW – as we have seen in each chapter of The Story… there is so much more that we could talk about than we actually have time for each week… CHAPTER 8 - is no exception.
Wow! There are so many wild and exciting things that I wish I had the time talk about…
• Like a guy named Shamgar who killed 600 enemy soldiers with an ox goad
• Or a left handed judge named Ehud who killed a very fat king in his own chamber and escaped by climbing through a toilet.
BOTTOM LINE - Chapter 8 of The Story is a very important chapter in God’s Story…
The book of Judges (though it is probably not the most read book in the bible) is an extremely important book.
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
Romans 15:4
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. – 2 Timothy 3:16,17
Tim/Laurie – the Holy Spirit inspired and God-breathed these words for a reason… AND - our time remaining I want to talk about two of those reasons. UNDERSTAND – 3000+ years ago these words were written down because they…
#1 deal with some timeless and extremely relevant issues, AND…
#2 because what they reveal about God.
Prayer
Relevant Issues
The Failure To Pass On The Torch Of Faith
The people served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the LORD had done for Israel… - Judges 2:7
So far so good, right? NOT – bad start in this new land (@ least on the surface)
BUT JUST – a few verses later we read…
After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. – Judges 2:10
QUESTION – why did this new generation not know the Lord or about all the things that He had done for Israel?
BECAUSE – the dads, the moms… that generation who served the Lord, failed to pass on the torch of FAITH to their kids… THEY FAILED – to model, equip and teach the next generation about the extreme value and importance of knowing and following The LORD.
I MEAN – then what was the point of serving The Lord all of those years… IF – they did not pass it on?
UNDERSTAND – it makes no sense for us to busy ourselves in The Lord’s work – to love and serve HIM… and then fail to bring our kids along for the experience.
YET – that is exactly what God’s people did during the period of Judges… AND LISTEN – this is a huge part of why things went sooo bad for God’s people during the 330 years of history called ‘The Judges.’
After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. – Judges 2:10
AND – the very next verse…
Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. – Judges 2:11
UNDERSTAND – passing on the torch of FAITH… is a relevant issue.
MAPLE GROVE… the truth is that Christianity is always just one generation way away from extinction…
AND LISTEN - it has always been that way with God’s people and following The LORD… THAT - is why God spoke these words to His People through Moses shortly before entering the land of promise.
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.
7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. – Dt 6:4-9
Moms, dads, adults… God is counting on us (you and me) to
#1 - tell His Story to our kids…
AND #2 – live out that story in our everyday lives…
QUESTION – what good would it do for our kids to gain the world (to be rich, famous, educated, successful – to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company)… IF – they don’t really know, love and serve the Lord.
HEY…
IF – you ever wanted to know why we put such an emphasis on children’s and student ministry around… THIS - is why!
AND – this is why Paul said the following about those who would lead the Lord’s church…
An elder must live a blameless life. He must be faithful to his wife, and his children must be believers who don’t have a reputation for being wild or rebellious. – Titus 1:6
The Problem Of Compromise
NOW - we said last week when we studied Chapter Seven of the Story…
THAT – God commanded His people to completely drive out and destroy the pagan nations that were living in the land…(and we said that one reason for this was so that the worship of the One True God could be established in the land)… WELL… God’s people did not do that.
The tribe of Benjamin, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live in Jerusalem among the people of Benjamin.
– Judges 1:21
So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, 6 and they intermarried with them. Israelite sons married their daughters, and Israelite daughters were given in marriage to their sons. And the Israelites served their gods… Judges 3:6
AND – the very next verse…
The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.
UNDERSTAND - The environment we place ourselves in matters!
The Cost Of Doing Our Own Thing
In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. – Judges 21:25
BECAUSE – they had no King, no standard…
EVERYONE - everyone did whatever they wanted.
EVERYONE – did their own thing.
IF – it felt good they did it…
WOW – doesn’t that pretty much sum up our modern culture? A culture where right and wrong… is simply a matter of personal preference.
QUESTION – do you think this philosophy ever leaks into the church…?
SADLY – we know that it does…
MAPLE GROVE… news flash!
WE – have a king…
AND – it is not me…
AND it is not you…. AND – there is always a cost to doing our own thing.
OKAY… the next point in your notes…
God Reveals
REMEMBER – one of the purposes of Scripture is to reveal stuff about God… SO – just what does chapter 8 of The Story reveal about God?
His Hatred Of Sin And Disobedience
Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. They forsook the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them.
They aroused the LORD’s anger… In his anger against Israel the LORD gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist… Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the LORD was against them to defeat them – Judges 2:11-15
QUESTION – does the statement that ‘God hates sin and disobedience’ surprise anyone in this room? NO – I didn’t think so…
I MEAN – we all know this. We get it.
BUT – here’s the question… why is this knowledge not more motivating to us/me? WHY - doesn’t God’s hatred of sin… AND - the punishment e receive because of it… MOVE US - to sin less, and obey more?
I THINK – part of the reason is because, many times in the NT era the punishment is delayed or not obvious…
LET ME - try to illustrate this…
DOES – anyone recognize what this is?
It’s a picture red light camera.
Have you ever met one? I have twice.
Once in Florida… AND – once at Hwy 29 and Rio Road…
I was running late… the traffic was clear… and when I saw the light turn red… I choose to hit the gas pedal instead of the break pedal.
AND – do you know what…? I knew I did it. I knew that it was wrong. BUT AFTER – I glanced in my mirror to make sure that no blue lights were flashing behind me… I was pretty okay with my decision and never even gave it a second thought…
UNTIL – I got a ticket in the mail…
AND THE TICKET – had a link I could go to on the website and watch my sin in real time… When I watched it, I was like… “wow, that was not even close…”
BOTTOM LINE – even though, we may have not yet received a ticket in the mail…
We can be certain that God still hates our sin and our disobedience.
His Unlimited Patience
NOW – I don’t know about you…
BUT – as I read Chapter 8 of The Story this week… AND – as I reflected on all we have seen go down with God and His people so far…
I am totally blown away by God’s patience…
I MEAN – if it were me… I would have been done with these people a month out of Egypt…
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. – 1 Timothy 1:15-17
What He Can Do With Faith
Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” - Matthew 17:20
A powerful example of what God can do with even ‘mustard seed size faith’ is what God did in life of one of His judges named Gideon…
You should check out His story this week
God takes his mustard seed size faith and uses him to defeat an enemy of 200,000+ with just 300 guys.
How He Responds To Repentance
But when they cried out to the LORD, He raised up for them a deliverer… - Judges 3:9
HOW - does God respond to repentance?
WITH – deliverance… forgiveness and restoration!
Every Time!
AND – let me tell you in the book of Judges they are really pushing that 7x70 envelope.
When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the LORD your God disperses you among the nations, 2 and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 3 then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. 4 Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back.
– Dt 30:1-4
You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
You do not want a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. – Psalm 51:16,17
LISTEN - our lower story rebellion against God is always met with His upper story invitation to return to Him…
Chapter 8 of The Story is huge!
Relevant Issues
• Passing the torch of faith
• The danger of comparison
• The cost of doing our own thing
Powerful God Reveals
• He hates sin and disobedience
• He has unlimited patience
• What he can do with even a small amount of faith
• How he responds to repentance
AND LISTEN – another reason chapter 8 of The Story is so huge BECAUSE – it gives us (I know it has given me the desire and motivation to break the cycle of sin in my life).
