Who Me? Are You Kidding?

WHY STAY HERE? WHO ME?

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, HEAR THE MESSAGE OF DELIVERANCE...

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

What a start? Bad news?

At the start of the 1954 baseball season in Cincinnati, Ohio: the Cincinnati Reds played

the Milwaukee Braves. This was the first game for two rookies. The Reds won the game,

9-8 as the one Rookie Jim Greengrass hit 4 doubles in his first ever big league game.

The other ROOKIE batted 5 times, with 0 hits, 0 for 5? Terrible, terrible start?

You have heard of this man that started 0-5? His first start was terrible?

He played left field that game for the Milwaukee Braves: HANK AARON!

He is now in the hall of fame. Keep on keeping on!

I. WHERE ARE YOU GOD? THE DAY HAS BEEN DARK ---

GOD ARISES AND VICTORY COMES!

A. Israel had been BACK SLIDDEN and God raised up a JUDGE-LEADER by the name

of BARAK.

B. BARAK was assured God would move, BUT HE HAD BIG DOUBT AND FEAR.

Israel has had a mighty REVIVAL under the leadership of a WOMAN PROPHETESS...

Judges 4:4 And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.

C. There was an TERRIBLE ENEMY: SISERA --- Seems Sisera could whip Israel.

God used TWO WOMEN:

1. DEBORAH

2. JAEL...

D. REVIVAL AND MIRACLES FOLLOW...

Then the people soon forget, IN A BACKSLIDDEN STATE ISRAEL FALLS INTO A VERY

DARK DAY WHEN MIDIA'S MEAN, EVIL CONTROL OPRESSES GOD'S PEOPLE.

II. WHERE ARE YOU GOD? 7 YEARS OF DARKNESS AND OPPRESSION...

GOD, IF YOU ARE WITH US, WHY? WHY? WHY, THIS TERRIBLE TIME.

A. SEVEN LONG YEARS WITHOUT GOD. Seven long years of hopelessness.

Judges 6:1 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered

them into the hand of Midian seven years.

B. GOD KNOWS WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH ---

GOD BRINGS A MESSAGE OF HOPE.

Judges 6:8 That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them,

Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of

the house of bondage; 9 And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the

hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land;

10 And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose

land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.

C. GOD HAS A MESSAGE, WILL WE RECEIVE IT?

WILL WE QUESTION AND DOUBT --- WILL THE MESSAGE BE SMOTHERED IN REALITY

AND DOOM AND GLOOM?

Judges 6:13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is

all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did

not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered

us into the hands of the Midianites.

Judges 6:13 (MSG) Gideon replied, "With me, my master? If God is with us, why has all this

happened to us? Where are all the miracle-wonders our parents and grandparents told us about,

telling us, 'Didn't God deliver us from Egypt?' The fact is, God has nothing to do with us—

he has turned us over to Midian."

III. WHO ME? THIS IS A JOKE ---

GOD WANTS TO USE YOU, NOW ---

A. Seven years we have been in this mess?

Listen to my EXCUSES?

B. If not you? Then who?

If not here? Then where?

If not now? Then when?

Judges 6:12 (KJV) And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD

is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

Judges 6:12 (MSG) The angel of God appeared to him and said, "God is with you, O mighty warrior!"

Judges 6:12 (NLT) The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is

with you!”

C. GOD IS CALLING YOU RIGHT NOW TO ARISE AND STAND IN THE GAP FOR THIS

MESS --- YOU --- LITTLE, NOBODY YOU!

IV. GIVE ME ONE MORE NIGHT WITH THE FROGS? I CAN'T DO THIS?

LET ME CRY BABY, CRY. I CAN CRY IF I WANT TO---

WE ARE EXPERT CRIERS? I HAVE LAID DOWN MY JOY?

HOW CAN WE SING IN THE MIST OF ARE ALL TROUBLES?

Psalm 137:1 (KJV) By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we

remembered Zion. 2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.

3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us