Soldiers Of Christ

Soldiers of Christ

JCC 08.03.09 am

Judges 2:1-23

Flash-back in history and a looking forward

This is where you were, this is where you’ll be, and here is where you are now

Some say don’t look back, look forward, but we need to be reminded of what God has done to give us hope for the future

History Leading to the Period of the Judges

Judges 2:6-19

1. The death of Joshua

2. A new generation who knew not the Lord

3. Israel forsaking the Lord and following Baal and the Ashtoreths

4. The disobedience of Israel causing their deliverance into the hands of their enemies

5. God raised up judges to help the people

6. Israel’s history under the judges-constant failure through compromise

The Israelites were allowing themselves to be content

They had a false rest

This was interrupted by “the angel of Jehovah.”

Some say it was the same angel who appeared to Joshua as Captain of the host of the Lord because he identified Himself with Jehovah by saying: “I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers.”

God had fulfilled his part of the covenant in bringing blessing and salvation

The people wept

Godly sorrow brings repentance

Sincere sorrow for sin is evidence of a changed life.

Weeping can sometimes be only fruitless sorrow and meaningless religious activity

True repentance comes when we are truly convinced of our awful offense to God in light of His Word

A new generation who didn’t know the Lord Judges 2:6-10

“So the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord which He had done for Israel…When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.”

Why did this generation not know God and his works? In Deuteronomy 31:9-13

The meaning of ‘did not know’ is that the people deliberately refused to acknowledge God’s authority

It is not simply that they were ignorant, but that they were in unbelief

Unbelief is so evident today

Our children sit with no real interest in what’s going on

Why?

Moses tells the people to instruct their children

This message is just as important for us today as it was in Joshua’s day

We read and hear the news headlines what children are doing

We have a generation that does not know God, and who don’t want to know Him

Teach them (we repented the other week of robbing our children the knowledge of God)

Illust

Bedtime stories

Evening, just before bedtime, is crucial. A person reviews in their mind, information learned during the day about five times. However, a person’s mind will review information received just before bedtime about 30 times during his sleep!

Church we must testify to our children and grandchildren

But most of us do tell our children

I’ve told my children, but I think it has to be evidence of God’s power in our lives, not just words

In Judges 2:1 Then the Angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim

Gilgal was where Jericho was

Bochim means ‘weepers’ Known to Canaanites as Luz and to Israel ‘Bethel’

(Refer back to allowing the man to escape when he showed them the way in)

The angel traveled the route himself

God never asks us to go anyway unless He goes before us

I wouldn’t travel here unless God comes with me and He has already prepared the way

He makes the crooked places straight

He builds a highway in the desert

When God asks us to do something, He doesn’t send ‘us’ into battle first

The Lord goes before you

The battle belongs to the Lord

Jesus has gone the way before us no matter where that may be

He was tempted like us, He faced evil head on and showed us how to defeat it

He went on ahead in death to prove it He had defeated it, by raising from the dead

Ps 23 though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil

Death is only a shadow to the Christian

Shadows cannot touch you

It proves light is present

Evil has no light; if Jesus’ presence is there leading the way you may see the enemy bigger than it is

Let’s examine the dialogue between the angel and the people

Angel: Why haven’t you done what I asked?

Israel: We don’t have the military capabilities.

Angel: But didn’t I say I would prove myself if you were willing to trust me? You haven’t driven out the enemy, where are they now?