“Bad news” is an inevitable part of our life on this earth but let’s look to see how a King of Judah, named Jehoshaphat, responded to uncertainty and some devastating news. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

TEXT: 2 Chronicles 20:1-24
TITLE: God is Trustworthy: The Prayer of Jehoshaphat
PREACHER: Trey Richardson
BIG IDEA: God is trustworthy, Trust God and Pray

POINTS:
1. When news brings fear (1-4)
2. When Fear brings prayer (5-12)
3. When Prayer brings praise (13-24)

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Through this passage, we want to see that it is possible to live our lives in a world full of uncertainty and not be controlled by the fears that come with it.  We need to know that it is possible to live our lives in 2024 in a way that keeps our thoughts and minds above the fray of fear, regardless of what is going on, and regardless of the news that comes our way. It is possible because of where we place our trust.”

“A great multitude made of three different nations - the Moabites, the Ammonites, and some of the Meunites - were discovered marching toward Judah to destroy it.  How many were coming is unclear, but what is clear is that it is a ‘multitude’ or a ‘great horde’, are terms used to designate a numerically superior army.”

“How did Jehoshaphat respond to the news he received about these three different nations, now combining their armies, coming to destroy Judah? He was facing the genocide of his nation. He was the King and leadership in this was up to him.  His decisions would shape the nation’s success or the nation’s demise.”

“Jehoshaphat was genuinely afraid. There was an overwhelming force that was coming, but what he did in his fear is important to see - Jehoshaphat then took his fear to the Lord in prayer.”

“He decided to seek the Lord. The phrase ‘he set his face’ to seek the Lord indicates his full attention, and commitment was given to seek the Lord. It was a decision to go to God with his need in prayer. His decision to pray was a godly result of his intense feeling of fear. Fear itself will tempt us to recoil into ourselves, running from the source of that fear, trying to figure it out on our own, just talking it out with others, or distracting ourselves with something else. But Jehosaphat’s decision was based on the truth he knew and believed … that God was his and his nation’s only true rescue and refuge.” 

“Jehoshaphat led the nation in prayer. He began with praise for God, acknowledging his authority exercised from heaven, his rule over the kingdoms, and his sovereign power.  In his prayer, he then reviewed his history of how God drove out the nations before them as they occupied the promised land. He calls on God to defend his people again against the invading enemy trying to remove Judah from the land God has given to his people for their possession.”

“Listen to the attitude, his approach to solving this national issue and the way that Jehoshaphat expressed his trust in God. He could have put his eyes in so many different places at this moment, but he didn’t.

• He could have looked to other nations to become his ally, but he didn’t.  

• He could have looked to the invading army’s vast superiority and just surrendered, or negotiated a peace treaty, but he didn’t. 

• He looked to God and kept his eyes on His Lord Jehovah.”

“Remember, we have more reasons to trust God than Jehoshaphat did: We have a nearer God and a better prophet. We do not have to go to a place to meet with God.  He is with us. Yes, we have full access through Christ to God the Father in heaven.”

“Jehoshaphat did not stop when he heard the prophecy and the promise of deliverance, he instructed them to now praise God through singing, praising God for this promised deliverance.  They had not experienced it yet but trusted God with their lives and futures.  Their trust in God that led them to pray now leads them to express the assurance of the coming victory in song!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
1 Corinthians 6:19
Romans 8:34
Romans 8:26–27
John 16:33
Matthew 28:20
2 Corinthians 12:9
Acts 16:25–27
Proverbs 3:5
Colossians 4:2

QUOTES:
Joni Rickson-Tada- “It may only be seven o’clock in the evening when I am put to bed, and I may not go to sleep until eleven.  That leaves me with hours each day to still myself….and pray.  Sometimes I’m amazed that, from my bed, I can help set into motion the cogs and wheels of God’s workings in the life of the world.  Through my prayers, I may change the destiny of a life – or even a nation.  Lying on my bed, I can hasten the day of the Lord’s return.  I don’t move a muscle in those hours, but I help move the hand of God here and abroad.”

Charles Spurgeon - "There is help in God for your present trial, whatever form it assumes. Infinite wisdom understands it, and infinite power can help you through it.”

APPLICATION:
Q. How are we tempted to respond when we hear news that brings genuine fear into our lives? What action does our first decision lead us to take? 
We will not have the calamity that Jehoshaphat experienced, but in 2024 how often will news come your way from a doctor visit, a news item on TV, or from a phone call, or seeing a Facebook post, or from a text message, from Instagram, or even your own thoughts, that brings news that starts a cascading response in your heart of fear or anxiety.
Where does fear lead you?  Let it lead you to seek the Lord, to prayer as Jehoshaphat did.  Let us be like Jehoshaphat, and let fear, lead us to seek the Lord, and encourage those around us to do the same.  Let’s trust God and Pray.

There are many challenges that are before us, let us trust God with them, pray to God through them, and praise God in the midst of them!

Spiritually speaking, that is God’s desire for us: that we would be ALL IN. He saved us to be His own, and He desires that we make Him our all-in-all. This has been the calling of God’s people from the beginning. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 10:1-12:7
TITLE: All In!
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”The Bible is brutally honest. It does not cherry-pick the best examples but gives us warts and all. Nowhere is that more evident than in the Book of Judges. Over and over, we have witnessed an idolatrous Israel. Today is no different. What is different is the degree of Israel’s idolatry.”

“One thing Judges has repeatedly shown us is that idolatry always leads us away from God and into oppression. Pick your idol: Money, looks, lifestyle, position, the praises of people, or the perfect family; it doesn’t matter; the effect of idolatry is always oppression.”

“You may be blind to it, but whatever you want more than you want God will oppress you. Whatever you serve, meaning live for, becomes your master (Matthew 6:24), leaving you empty and dry because it’s not meant to replace God—it’s meant to point you to God!”

“We are all guilty of bombshell religion to some degree—It’s a reality of living in a fallen world. But there are some whose relationship with God is characterized by a break-the-glass-in-case-of-emergency attitude. If that is you, you are not a healthy Christian. You need help, so turn to the Lord in repentance now. God is merciful.”

“They didn’t earn God’s rescue. They didn’t deserve God’s deliverance. The text makes it clear: it’s not their repentance; it’s their misery that moves God to mercy. The God who loves His people with steadfast love hates to see His people in misery.”

“God’s mercy is expressed in Chapter 11, where we are introduced to the next Judge—Jephthah. In 1-3, we get Jephthah’s bio: He is a mighty warrior. He is the son of a prostitute. For this reason, he was disowned and disinherited by his family. As an outcast, he started hanging with the wrong crowd. All this to say, Jephthah is an unlikely candidate to be the deliverer of God’s people. And yet, he went from the banished son to the ruler over all.”

“Jephthah negotiates with history, theology, and precedent. Good diplomacy, right? In 28, the king of the Ammonites didn’t buy it.”

“We know Jephthah will win the battle because 29 says the Spirit was upon Jephthah. That means the Lord’s power was with him to win the fight. And win he does, but his victory is overshadowed by a foolish and unbiblical vow—to offer whatever (whoever) was first to walk out his door and greet him as a burnt sacrifice. To his great dismay, that person was his only child, his daughter. And after a time of mourning by his daughter, Jephthah offered up to the Lord as a burnt sacrifice. Tragic. Hard to imagine. Hard to stomach. How bad can things get in Israel?”

“Some have tried to soften the moment by offering alternative views of how Jephthah fulfilled his vow. But they fail under the scrutiny of the broader context of Scripture and the clarity and purpose of the immediate context. The text is clear: Jephthah offered his daughter as a human sacrifice. How should we think about this? The passage never says God or the writer approves of or endorses this. On the contrary, God strictly forbids human sacrifice.”

“God says you must never worship me this way. So, how could Jephthah do this? Remember Chapter 10. Israel is steeped in pagan worship. It’s the air they breathe; it’s the life they live. This tragic moment illustrates the disintegration of their relationship with God and their assimilation into the world around them.”

“Jephthah’s story ends with another tragedy in 12:1-7, where, like with Gideon, the Ephraimites want to know why Jephthah didn’t include them in his battle, a fight breaks out, and Jephthah kills 42,000 fellow Israelites.”

“…it’s an imperfect salvation that points us forward to the perfect Savior—another man who was also forsaken and rejected by his people. In eternity past, God chose to offer up His only Son a sin for sacrifice. Jesus was all in (Phi 2:8), coming to us, giving His Father total loyalty and obedience by offering himself a once-for-all sacrifice and enduring righteousness for his enemies.”

“Jephthah would do anything for his power and success, but Jesus gave himself up for the eternal good of others. From the right hand of God, Jesus now holds forgiveness and righteousness out without price to all who come to him by grace through faith.”

“Come to Jesus today with your bombshell religion and syncretistic faith. Lay it at his feet. Repent. He is merciful, and His grace is sufficient for you be ALL IN on loving and living for him like you have never loved and lived for him before until he returns for us and we will indeed be ALL IN!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Romans 12:1-2
1 John 2:15-17
Philippians 3:20-21
Isaiah 63:9
Deuteronomy 12:29

QUOTES:
Dale Ralph Davis- “The theology of bombshell religion teaches that—of course—God will help you in your need, that he is—helpfully enough—incredibly naïve and hopelessly soft. He’s like a great warm vending machine in the sky into which you need only drop a token or two of repentance before he spits out the relief you currently crave. Religion is a great game—you only need to know a few rules. And Yahweh is a great God—if you happen to need him and want to use him.”

Robert Chisholm Jr. - “It is shocking to see that even a Yahweh-worshiper has become so paganized in his thinking that he would resort to human sacrifice to assure his success.”

APPLICATION:
What should be our takeaway from this tragic story?
1. We must vigilantly guard against being conformed to the world
Jephthah and Israel were completely conformed to Canaan. They looked more like Canaanites than Israelites. Jephthah knew redemptive history. He understood the theology of God’s sovereignty. Yet, he was living a syncretistic religion— professing Yahweh but living as a pagan—and it is devastating! We need to ask ourselves—where am I living a syncretistic religion? Where do my profession and my living not line up? Where are you blind to your syncretistic religion? TIP: Guarding against being conformed to the world is more about pursuing Christ than is resisting the world.  The more we pursue our glorious Savior the less attractive and satisfying this world becomes.

2. We must continually breathe the air of grace
We try to smuggle character into our relationship with God—If I do _______, you fill in the blank, God will pour out His favor on me more. The books of Job and Galatians remind us we don’t earn God’s blessings with our works. Are called to vigilantly guard against being conformed to the world—Yes! Is holiness our calling in Christ—Yes! Does our obedience matter to God—Yes! But how we live isn’t a bribe for God’s grace—it’s a grateful response to God’s grace, and that transforms our obedience into joyful, God-pleasing, Christ-exalting, Spirit-empowered worship!

Someone once said—We have seen the enemy, and the enemy is us. Welcome to Judges 9. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 9:1-57
TITLE: When Our Greatest Enemy is Us
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA:

POINTS:
1. Abimelech’s Rise
2. Abimelech’s Fall

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Abimelech breaks [the] cycle. Before we hit the repeat button once again, we get a close-up of just how evil Israel had become. Everyone in this story is an Israelite. They had become their own worst enemy.”

“My prayer is this close-up will produce 1) an appropriate fear of the Lord in everyone here 2) a deeper gratitude for God’s saving mercy toward us, and 3) a resolve to pray for the lost.”

“We learned at the end of Chapter 8 that Abimelech was Gideon’s son. He was an Israelite. He was part of God’s people. He wasn’t a judge, but he did hold a position of power—He became a regional king. The man whose name meant, My father is a king, had strong ambitions to be a king himself.”

“The trees went to the bramble—You reign over us. The bramble, a thorny, useless plant known for one thing—pain and destruction (think cactus) accepted the offer to rule over them. But with conditions. First of all, the bramble offered no shade—false promise. Second, the bramble says—Sure, I’ll be your king, but don’t cross me because I will reign down fire on you. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that making the bramble your king is pretty stupid. The bramble has no qualification; it brings no benefit to the trees and doesn’t care about the other trees, just itself.”  

“The point is that the leaders of Shechem have not acted in good faith but have been unfaithful to God by making an evil man like Abimelech king, and they, along with Abimelech, will face God’s judgment.”

“God is only mentioned three times in this story, but every time confirms it is His invisible hand that is behind the scenes, judging evil by using human rebellion against those who rebel.”

“Scripture teaches us that God cannot do evil (James 1:13), and Scripture never charges God with evil. God is infinitely good. The Bible also affirms that God is always in control and always at work, fulfilling His perfect purposes, here’s the mysterious part—even at times, bringing about evil through the voluntary acts of people in a way that never commits an evil act or compromises His holy character. Nowhere is this reality more clear than at the cross, where Jesus was killed by men to fulfill the saving purposes of God (Acts 4:27-28).”

“Abimelech is dead. The leaders of Shechem are dead. God has brought justice on Israel’s evil. Jotham’s fable fulfilled.”

“Hebrews 12 says God will discipline those He loves. Discipline is never pleasant, but it expresses God’s fatherly love for you and His promised faithfulness to draw you back to Himself and bring your life in line with gospel truth. It was a hard lesson, but just as Israel benefited from God’s fiery judgment on the bramble king and his makers, so we benefit from God’s discipline that draws us closer to Him and makes us more like him.”

“History shows the church survives and even thrives under persecution and oppression. What eats the church up is the church. It's our sin. It’s our civil wars. It's not the world’s fault and certainly not some failure on God’s part—it's our own evil.”

“While Abimelech’s story doesn’t make for a pleasant read, it is a gift to us. It teaches us that sin is serious and presuming on the grace of God is dangerous. More than that, it shows us we need God. And He has been faithful in giving Himself to us in His Son Jesus Christ. He disciplines us in this life, but one day, He will judge evil fully and finally one day. And if you believe in Jesus, your judgment has moved from the future to the past.”

“None of us are faithful to God, but He is faithful to us. God is for us. Look to Him today to find mercy and grace in your time of need.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Galatians 6:7
James 4:6

QUOTES:
Barry Webb - “Evil appears to be running rampant in Judges 9, but the truth is that God is directing it to a particular and just outcome. Men who have chosen evil are given evil in full measure as their just punishment.”

Augustine - “Save me from myself, O Lord. I’m my own worst enemy.”

APPLICATION:
Why are we spending time on this story? Why does it matter for our lives today? 
1. Warns us against testing God
Judges 9 is very much about man’s evil and God’s justice. The truth is God is not obligated to show any sinner grace. He owes us nothing but His eternal judgment. Yet, He gave His only Son to save us mercifully. That’s why we call it Amazing Grace! 

Now, in Christ, we exist to live for His glory. And God will stop at nothing to make Himself the center of our affections and the focus of our worship. So when we test God by pushing the envelope of idolatry and disobedience, God will act, not because He is a megalomaniac but because He is holy. 

Q) Is there an area of sin and rebellion you choose to ignore in your life? Don’t test God by choosing evil—Repent today.

2. Comforts us with God’s faithfulness

Guess how Chapter 10 begins—God sends a judge to save Israel. Who is God saving them from? Israel isn’t under oppression from any surrounding nation. Who does God deliver them from—Themselves!

Judges 9 isn’t about the surrounding nations—they aren’t in the story. It’s about God’s people. Their sin. Their idolatry. Their evil. Their unfaithfulness. They need to be saved from themselves. And because God is faithful, He does just that. They don’t deserve it from God. God doesn’t owe to them. God loves them because He loves them, and He promises to be faithful to those whom He loves.

Q. Where are you drifting away from God today? Repent and allow God’s love for you to draw you back to Christ.

Q. Where is God’s Word not informing your values, priorities, and fears? Repent and allow God’s saving grace to once again take center stage in your heart.

The Christian life isn’t complicated, but it is difficult in a world of distractions for hearts prone to wander from God. We live in a world constantly competing for our affection and demanding our loyalties. This makes the risk of spiritual amnesia real. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 8:29-35
TITLE: The Joy of Remembering
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Remembering is Worship—Remembering the Lord, who he is, and all he has done and allowing that to shape our lives is worship. 

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”I would submit that remembering is critical in the Christian life. The Bible repeatedly calls us to remember.”

“In verses 29-32, the sun sets on Gideon’s personal life and ministry. Though he did not finish well, Gideon made his mark in redemptive history as God used him to deliver Israel from the Midianites and usher them into forty years of rest. But in verse 33, we learn what has now become a predictable cycle: Israel plunged headlong back into the idols and ways of the world. And verse 34 tells us why—Israel did not remember their God and all he had done.”

“They didn’t literally forget God. They just didn’t care about God. They had no regard for God. Their experiential and intellectual knowledge of God no longer affected them. It played no part in determining how they thought and lived. God’s character, provision, and promises did not influence them. It didn’t matter to their lives. They refused to honor, trust, and obey the Lord. Simply put—They forgot God.”

“Before we’re too hard on Israel, what about us? How forgetful are you? How forgetful am I? To what degree do you suffer from spiritual amnesia?”

“The truth is, we can read God’s active and living Word, sing theologically rich songs, and sit under sound preaching but have our minds and hearts somewhere else.”

“That is the careless forgetfulness of God, and it is destructive to our walk with Jesus. But it leads to an even more destructive forgetfulness.”

“…our hearts are prone to forget God and pursue the idols of respect, reputation, money, success, power, comfort, and convenience. Oh, church, how we need the Spirit’s help to remember because when we forget God, we forget the very one we need to remember most.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
1 Corinthians 11:24-25
John 14:26
Ephesians 2:11
Judges 2:10
Deuteronomy 4:9

ARTICLE LINK:
Click here to read “Forgetting God” - by Benjamin Shaw

In his article, Benjamin Shaw identifies two types of spiritual forgetfulness. 
1. Careless Forgetfulness - This forgetfulness is fueled by distraction and busyness, leading to a lack of intentionality and focus that fits the moment.
That is the careless forgetfulness of God, and it is destructive to our walk with Jesus. But it leads to an even more destructive forgetfulness. 
2. Deliberate Forgetfulness

APPLICATION:
So, how do we guard against spiritual forgetfulness? Motivated by Christ’s love for us and in the strength he supplies—we Remember.
1. Remember who you are
Ephesians 4:17-24 reminds you that you no longer have to think and live as you did before Christ. Why? Because in Christ you are a new creation created in the righteousness of Christ, forgiven by and justified before God who has filled with His Spirit so you may walk in His ways for His glory!
2. Remember God forgives
The work of Jesus in the gospel paid the debt and broke the power of sin, but the presence of sin remains and will until Christ returns. That means ongoing repentance is part of the believer's life, and John 1:9 reminds us that when we are faithful to confess our sins, the Lord mercifully and freely forgives. 
3. Remember the nature of God’s Word 
2 Timothy 3:16 reminds us that God breathes out all Scripture. The Word is God’s words that are profitable for us in every way, making us competent and equipped for everything God calls us to. And there is great joy for the one who walks according to it.
4. Remember why we gather
Hebrews 10:19-25 reminds us that the gathered church is not to be neglected because it is the fruit of the gospel that every believer needs to strengthen their faith and fuel their perseverance to the end. Church is about remembering and beholding the glory of our Savior!

We are about to witness the deterioration of a leader’s relationship with God. Gideon started well but finished badly. He went from courageously obeying the voice and trusting the promises of the Lord to pursuing his own agenda with no fear of the Lord. As we walk through Gideon’s story, we find two warnings for our lives and ministry. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 8:4-28
TITLE: A Tragic Ending
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

THE TWO WARNINGS:
1. Stay close to Jesus
2. Don’t idolize leaders

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”When Gideon follows them across the Jordan, he leaves the Land. That’s a problem. Midian has retreated. Israel has defeated the Midianites. As the Lord commanded, Gideon killed the enemy and drove the survivors from the Land. Mission accomplished! So, crossing the Jordan and leaving the Land goes beyond what God called him to do.”

“The second clue that something has changed with Gideon is how he treats his own people. …Gideon’s leadership isn’t helping them. He doesn’t give them a word of assurance from the Lord. He doesn’t challenge them to join him in trusting their all-powerful God. He doesn’t encourage them to stand with him for the glory of the Lord. He threatens them.”

“For the first time in Judges, we witness Israelite on-Israelite violence. Their unity is fraying, another sign of the depths of their spiritual decline.”

“It doesn’t say the Lord handed the Midianite kings into Gideon’s hands; it says Gideon captured them. It doesn’t say God threw the entire army into a panic; it says Gideon threw it into a panic. Now, we know this victory belongs to the Lord. The victory always belongs to the Lord. The point of the change in language is to draw attention to the change in Gideon.”

“Gideon’s agenda has changed. The fear and glory of God no longer drive him. His passions drive him. This isn’t God’s agenda; it’s Gideon’s agenda. The moment he crossed over the Jordan, Gideon was more committed to personal vengeance than the Lord’s holy cause.”  

“The men of Israel respond by trying to make Gideon king. You saved us. You defeated mighty armies with few men. You killed kings. Rule over us. Be our king. Establish a dynasty. We want a guy like Gideon ruling over us. We can follow this man! He is worthy!”

“Don’t miss the irony: this was the whole point of dwindling Gideon’s army to 300—7:2 lest the people boast! Again, God is nowhere to be found. This is about Gideon. Instead of a song of great praise like Deborah and Barak, the praises of Gideon are sung. Instead of saying isn’t our God awesome, they say isn’t Gideon awesome!”

“The ephod was holy. It was unique. It was central to Israel’s worship and the high priest's office. It was part of the high priest's mediation between God and His people. And Gideon decides to make his own. He is acting like a high priest. He is authorizing unauthorized worship in an unauthorized place led by an unauthorized man.”

“…in his God-given success and the misguided praises of people, two things happened: Gideon abandoned God’s agenda for his own and lost his fear of the Lord.”

“The road from starting well to finishing badly is subtle. It’s not one sudden giant leap away from Jesus; it’s many tiny steps over time. We become what we are becoming. Gideon’s story reminds us that between our own sinful hearts and the praises of people—it’s hard to finish well.”

“Leadership is God’s idea. We need leaders. Most of us want to be led. Eph 4 makes it clear that leaders are a gift to the church. In his letters, Paul calls us to follow, submit, emulate, pray for, and honor our leaders. But we don’t make them kings. We don’t turn them into personal ephods. We don’t idolize them. In the words of Paul—We follow them as they follow Christ.”

“Gideon’s story reminds us no earthly leader is good enough. There is only one man who started and ended perfectly. There is only one deliverer who always satisfies and never disappoints. There is only man whose life gives glory to God in every way at all times. Only one man has made God’s agenda his agenda without fail—Jesus! We look to Jesus. Gideon is meant to move us to Jesus.”

“Leader, lead with zeal, passion, and excellence. By the grace of God, allow His agenda to be yours. Christian, follow, submit, honor, imitate, and pray for your God-given leaders. Above all, look to the one who never disappoints, who is all your hope and alone gives you eternal purpose—Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lamb of God.” 

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Hebrews 12:2

APPLICATION:
In the strength of the Lord, we must stay close to Christ in our personal lives and our ministries. His agenda through his church must always be our agenda. Leading in the church doesn’t begin with leading others toward Christ; it starts with the leader following Christ—Godly leaders follow before they lead. We don’t build others into ourselves; we push them onward and upward into Christ as we press onward and upward into Christ.

• Am I leading from a heart that is growing in knowing, loving, and boasting in Christ more and more, or am I just getting things done? Ask that of yourself and of those you have the privilege to lead.

When leaders sin, we treat them like we do others—humbly correct and encourage them to repentance. Sometimes, a leader's sin is so egregious we must remove them from leadership. In these situations, we shouldn’t mindlessly look away; we should act according to God’s Word with humility and faith. 

But in those moments, we also don’t allow our leader's failures to shipwreck our faith and taint our perspective of the church. How many people have left the church, even the faith, because they were disappointed by their leaders? 

• I encourage you to talk to a pastor if you struggle with leadership.

At times God will “bare his arm” against pride and humble his people to the degree that we are NOT able to boast of our own strength. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 7:1-8:3
TITLE: Our Weakness and the Glory of God
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: God humbles his people so that we will boast in His strength alone.

POINTS:
1. We cannot boast of our own strength.
2. We should boast of God’s strength alone.

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”At times God will “bare his arm” against pride and humble his people to the degree that we are NOT able to boast of our own strength. We will be reduced by Him so that we can then only boast of God’s strength alone. We will be decreased by Him in order that He will increase. We will be made weak in order that he is known as strong.”

“The people of Israel are now facing this 130,000-strong Midianite army of men with abundant resources. This army is well-fed and equipped! Yet, God has clearly declared that this enemy has been given into Gideon’s hand. The Israelites will defeat this enemy!”

“Verse 2 IS the central verse to everything in our text today! So, HOLD ONTO this KEY verse.”

“Our hearts are the “worship center” of our being. We are going to boast! This is who we are! This is what we do! This is how we were made BUT sin has corrupted us, and we turn away from God and worship… we boast… ultimately in ourselves.”

“The idol of self-exaltation, boasting in oneself over God, is captured in the words from Vs. 2 ‘MY OWN HAND.’ This is their sin. This is our sin. Our things and our accomplishments lead us to boast over God, as we declare ‘My own hand has” done this!’”

“God will remove every single thing that we grasp for in order to boast of our greatness… reasons to marvel at our own power and pat ourselves on the back for it.”

“THE POINT is that God is intentionally and mercifully REDUCING their strength in order that they will glory in His strength.”

“It is here that we have the joy of acknowledging that our weakness has been brought on by our LORD in order that we see our salvation was His alone!  WE COULD NOT DO THIS, but GOD  HAS  DONE  THIS. It is here that his ‘reduction’ of us is gracious and good for us.”

“The gospel of our Lord Jesus converts glory-thieves into glory-givers!”

“Gideon boasts in God alone! The evidence of his readiness to lead this battle is not in the numbers and strength of his army but is found in his WORSHIP of YHWH!”

“Sinners bring nothing to boast about when they are met by the mercy of God in the Gospel, but boast we will… but only in the power and strength of our Savior!”

QUOTES:
Charles H. Spurgeon - “PRIDE is most obnoxious to God. As a sin, his holiness hates it; as a treason, his sovereignty detests it; as a rebellion, the whole of his attributes stand leagued to put it down. God has touched other sins with his finger, but against this vice, he has made bare his arm… Remember, the first transgression had in its essence pride. The ambitious heart of Eve desired to be as God, knowing good and evil, and Adam imagined that he should be lifted up to divine rank if he dared to pluck and eat. The blasting of Paradise, the sterility of the world, the travail of human birth, the sweat of the brow, and the certainty of death, may all be traced to this fruitful mother of mischief, pride… Against all [pride] has he furbished his sword, and prepared his weapons of war. The Lord, even the Lord of hosts hath sworn it, and he will surely stain the pride of all human glory, and tread all boasting as straw is trodden for the dunghill.”

Paul David Tripp - “Sin has made us glory robbers. We do not suffer well because suffering interferes with our glory. We do not find relationships easy because others compete with us for glory. We do not serve well because, in our quest for glory, we want to be served.”

Paul David Tripp - “...But the story of Scripture is the story of the Lord's glory. It calls me to an agenda that is bigger than myself. It offers me something truly worth living for. The Redeemer has come so that glory thieves would joyfully live for the glory of Another. There is no deeper personal joy and satisfaction than to live committed to his glory. It is what we truly need.”

Charles H. Spurgeon - “God has ordained that the only way in which he will save men shall be a way which utterly excludes the possibility of man’s having a single word to say by way of boasting.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Acts 9:15-16
2 Corinthians 12:10

APPLICATION:
Be like Gideon: though now weakened, worship…BOAST in God alone!

Our text this morning, as we continue to learn about this deliverer, Gideon will surprise us as we discover how far we will go when we doubt God and it will surprise us with how God responds. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 6:33-40
TITLE: Do Not Test God
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: Do not test God, but rather, willingly trust Him.

POINTS:
1. Made Ready
2. Willing To Test God
3. The One Who Was Willing To Trust God

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”The darkness of doubt in our relationship with God is a terrible enemy of the soul. Doubt is actually an enemy of God.”

“We will see, that when we will not trust him, in our faithlessness, doubt and hesitancy, we will actually test God, seek to negotiate with God, put God off, challenge him and demand that he prove himself to us!”

“Step by step, God has been preparing His man, Gideon, to lead His people on the offensive to attack and destroy this enemy. The army encamped in on the land is massive, and if God himself does not do something, this will be a suicide mission. Without God, Israel will utterly fail in a devastating defeat.”

“Gideon has been dressed in the overpowering/overwhelming Spirit of YHWH.”

“The situation they are facing is racing through Gideon’s mind. The impending horrific battle looms heavy in the air and in Gideon's heart. Yet, we find Gideon is still plagued by waves of doubt, distrust, and something worse. He was not ready. Gideon was clothed by God, yet… he remains ready to test God.”

“Here we see his worst enemy is not this Midianite army (as awful as they are). “IF…” the words reveal Gideon’s worst enemy is himself… his worst enemy is his heart, it is his will that is opposed to God’s will.”

“We should never test God! Allow me to be more blunt - Do not put a fleece before God! Here is the problem with “putting a fleece before God”: For many, placing a fleece before God has become a way to determine God's will. We are looking for a sign from God that will reveal what He wants us to do. False application of Gideon’s fleece: In the church, it has been believed that what Gideon is doing here with the fleece teaches how to discover what God’s will is.”

“Gideon obeyed God and pulled down the altar to Baal, but his test reveals that he still has the lingering effects of his sin, his worldview, and his beliefs regarding the pagan god. Baal has not been fully dislodged from his heart.”

“Samuel’s shift in the use of God’s name in this scene with Gideon helps see that the LORD remains less in his heart. We realize that Gideon is questioning who God is! He approaches with a pagan challenge seeking to negotiate with and manipulate God - seeking to move God over to His perspective!”

“Well, there is Good News! Gideon’s sinful hesitation and resistance toward God is met by the patience of God - TWICE!”

“Gideon, the deeply flawed deliverer, remains weak and even worse… willing to question the will of God. But, the cross of Jesus will reveal that Jesus is the Deliverer that we so desperately need.”

“JESUS, OUR DELIVERER, KNOWS HIS FATHER. OUR SAVIOR, JESUS, WILLINGLY SUBMITTED TO THE WILL OF THE FATHER. NO BACK PEDDLING, NO NEGOTIATING, NO DEMANDS FOR PROOF.”

QUOTES:
Saint Augustine, in anguish over his sin, spoke of his doubt in God becoming belief - “I was weeping in the most bitter contrition of my heart, when I heard the voice of children from a neighboring house chanting, “Take up and read; take up and read.” I could not remember ever having heard the like, so checking the torrent of my tears, I arose, interpreting it to be no other than a command from God to open the book and read the first chapter I should find. Eagerly then I returned to the place where I had laid the volume of the apostle. I seized, opened, and in silence read that section on which my eyes first fell… No further would I read, nor did I need to. For instantly… it seemed as if a light of serenity infused into my heart and all the darkness of doubt vanished away.”

Daniel L. Block - “At the outset, we should recognize that Gideon’s putting out the fleece does not represent an act of faith by which he seeks knowledge of God’s will. He already knows it—he is to lead the Israelites in throwing off the Midianite hordes (6:14). Instead, the fleece turns out to be an act of unbelief, an effort to get out of doing that will.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Luke 22:42

APPLICATION:
Q - Have you been testing God?

Q - Are you now discovering that the effects of your sin and your worldview still lurk in your heart? Does this often lead you to doubt and fill you with an unwillingness to do God’s will?

Q - In what area am I negotiating with God? “Lord, IF you will___________, then I will___________.”

The cross of our willing Savior, Jesus, is the very place that unwilling sinners must go. There, we repent of our sins and submit our will to His will. There, we find mercy and forgiveness. There, men, women, boys, and girls are born again by the Spirit of God. There, hesitating, unbelieving, and unwilling hearts are humbled and made willing to trust Jesus more and more.

In a few weeks, we will witness God use Gideon and his 300 men to defeat an army of 135,000 strong. But we are not there yet. Today, God continues to prepare Gideon. In the words of the anonymous poem—God is drilling and thrilling, molding and hammering him. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 6:25-32
TITLE: A Divine Mic Drop
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Because God is for us, we have all we need to live for God.

POINTS:
1. What Do You Serve?
2. Who Do You Fear?

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”I believe God wants to break down idols this morning. God wants to relieve us of the fears that keep us from pursuing Him as His loyal subjects.”

“We are all Gideons in need of a greater vision for the sufficiency and faithfulness of God. We need Christ elevated in our minds and hearts. Today, Gideon’s drilling and thrilling, molding and hammering is our drilling and thrilling, molding and hammering, so we will know and believe and trust that: Because God is for us, we have all we need to live for God.”

“It’s been quite a day for Gideon, but as verse 25 indicates—That night the Lord said to him—the day is far from over. Before Gideon goes into battle with Midian, God calls him to battle with Baal in his own backyard.”

“What we see here is nothing short of shocking: Gideon’s dad built a shrine to Baal with an Asherah pole, a wooden pool with Asherah, the goddess of fertility, carved into it. That’s shocking—Gideon’s family dedicated space on their property for idol worship. Throughout Judges, God deals with Israel’s idolatry, but this is the first time we see it.”

“The message is unmistakable: Israel’s root problem was not pagan nations; it was their own idolatrous hearts. Their problem isn’t with Midian; it’s with God. They are forgetting about God. They are refusing to serve God. God has lavished blessings on them. He has been gracious beyond measure to them. His patience has known no bounds with them. Time and again, He has been faithful to them despite their unfaithfulness to Him. God has mercifully made them His people and called them to live as a light and testimony to His power and glory. And yet, they are chasing idols.”

“I’m confident no one here has pagan altars and poles in their backyard. But we all have them erected in our hearts. Politics and popularity, reputation and respect, money, and success, fashion and looks, accomplishment and education, personal comfort and convenience, no matter how public or private, be it traditional, family, or cultural gods, these and more are the 21st century Baals and Asherah’s. What is yours?”

“No one can serve two masters. It can’t be done. God’s nature won’t allow it. God’s glory won’t tolerate it. God will not share your heart. 

• You can’t put your hope in Christ for eternity but your hope in money for this life. 

• You can’t serve God, then put your trust in good health. 

• You can’t say Jesus is my all-in-all, but find satisfaction in stuff. 

• We can’t say Christ is my purpose but find our identity in politics, relationships, and work. 

• You can’t be on mission for God but in love with the world. 

• You can’t say I trust God when things are good but look to the world's ways when times are tough. “

“The fear of man is one of the most common and, I would submit, the ultimate expression of self-worship. It loomed large in Gideon’s heart—people were big, and Yahweh was small.”

“When we address the idols of our heart, whether it’s bringing them into the light where others can see them or it’s the new priorities and passions present in turning to God from our idols, i.e., repentance—what people may think about us, say about us, or do to us can rule our hearts. Gideon’s story reminds us that, like him, we must learn that overcoming the fear of man is critical to trusting God.” 

“Our mission is to unashamedly, unequivocally, and unapologetically share Christ, live for Christ, and, in the words of Jude 3—contend for the faith.”

“In the divine Father’s mercy and love, Joash, this was his pagan shrine, had his eyes opened to the greatness of Yahweh. And he torpedoes the pagan gods by challenging the people to allow them to contend for themselves—(31) If he is a god, let him contend for himself. It’s a divine mic drop. The situation is over. The people have no answer. Their gods are no God at all, just empty and useless idols made of wood and stone by the hands of man.”

“…in time, God’s sufficiency and faithfulness and glory would be revealed in His son Jesus, whose work on the cross would reduce the power and penalty of sin to nothing but rubble.”

QUOTES:
David Jackman - “You cannot have an altar to YAHWEH and an altar to a false God on the same property. The Lord is a jealous God. He will not share His territory or His glory with any other. Syncretism is an impossibility.”

CJ Mahaney - “Fear of man is an excessive, sinful concern with what others think about us. An inordinate desire for human approval or intense fear of being rejected.”

Ed Welch - “However you put it, the fear of man can be summarized this way: We replace God with people. Instead of a biblically guided fear of the Lord, we fear others.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 6:24

God’s inexplicable grace is magnified over and over again as He provides the proof that He is who he says He is and that He will do what He said He would do -  The LORD is a consuming fire. YET - our inexplicable defiance is met by God’s inexplicable grace. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 6:1-24
TITLE: Defiance Meets Grace
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: Our inexplicable defiance is met by God’s inexplicable grace.

POINTS:
1. They were brought very low
2. Their defiance is inexplicable
3. God responds with inexplicable grace

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Israel’s oppression is devastating. At length, Midian and their coalition’s siege is described as relentless. They are on the brink of annihilation! Their frightful isolation and oppressive desolation are described in vivid detail. No relief, day after day, season after season, just when the crops were ripe, just when they had acquired a few livestock, everything taken, the cup was about to touch their lips and the bite about to be taken, like a dark cloud of locus swooping in, their enemies would rush in and devour it all! The toll on them was too much! The progression of consequences of their sin has provoked the just and severe judgment and discipline of God.”

“Things seemingly could not have been worse for the people. And isn’t this the case for those who are running from God and clinging to this world of sin? When we hear a friend or a brother or sister exclaim, I am desperate, but they remain unwilling to cry out to the LORD for help. They say they are desperate but refuse to acknowledge their sin, still wanting the other person to change but will not humble themselves. Maybe the truth of the matter is that they are NOT desperate enough.”

“Here in vs. 1-6, we find the people of God DID become devastatingly desperate enough to cry out to the LORD for help. The LORD hears their cry! BUT, He begins to answer their cry for help in an unexpected way because He desires to teach them and help them see WHY they have been brought low.”

“Israel cries out for deliverance and when the LORD responds He sends in a prophet….Not what they wanted or expected! Oh, but what God has to say to them through this prophet is THE VERY thing… the first thing that they truly need!”

“When an OT prophet of God speaks, we had better listen up and what this prophet had to say was the first thing that these devastated people of God needed to hear! Those words (Vs. 10): ‘But you have not obeyed my voice.’”

“God’s voice, IN THIS CASE, is not simply a call to obedience - it’s the marrying of ‘I have been gracious to you’ to ‘you have not obeyed my voice!’”

“In light of who God is and what He has done for them, their defiance is inexplicable.”

“Immediately following verse 10, we rightly should expect this to be followed by the dreaded words “Woe to you disobedient people!” but instead we get something completely unexpected!”

“THE GREATEST THING THAT this deliverer needed to be assured that YHWH would not burn him alive… that would not consume him on the spot with the fire of The Holy Spirit’s powerful presence! Gideon was rightly terrified for he had caught a glimpse as it were of the Holiness of God and he immediately became aware that he was as good as dead (but not by the hand of Midian) in the presence of the Holy God!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
John 14:25-27

APPLICATION:
 - Have you been brought low… low enough… are you desperate enough to call out to Him for help… for repentance? Will you yet remember the LORD and cry out for help?

- After all that He is and what He has done for you, are you hearing and obeying His voice?

- Do you remember that He was your Deliverer?

Everyone here needs to hear THESE WORDS in verse (23): “Peace be to you! Do not fear! You shall not die!” Are you without Christ? You need Him! Cry out to Jesus and you will hear these words! Christian, you need to be reassured by these words!

Today, we get a surprise. Out of the dark and despairing stories of Judges arises a song of exuberant thanksgiving. It’s a surprise, but it shouldn’t be. God’s people are created, compelled, and commanded to sing. Singing is a mark of belonging to God. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 5:1-31
TITLE: A Song for the Ages
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Knowing our Savior has won the victory, we love God and one another with enthusiastic gratitude.

POINTS:
1. Praise the Lord for His People
2. Praise the Lord for His Power
3. Praise the Lord for His Purposes

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Judges 5 is a song. It’s a song about God’s people, God’s power, and God’s purposes. It’s a heart response to their salvation in the Lord. Three thousand years later, we get to sing this song with them.”

“Let the culture call us extremists. Let the neighbor give us funny looks. Let some around us feel uncomfortable. So what. Our Savior and His people are worthy of our affection and thanksgiving.”

“Last week, we saw that God desires participants, not spectators, in His redemptive purposes. God wants to use us individually and collectively to accomplish His redemptive purposes. Simply put—You matter in God’s mission. This song highlights that truth as Deborah and Barak sing about God’s people as they sing to God. They celebrate how the people willingly offered themselves to God’s purposes, and they praised the Lord specifically for them.”

“The phrase—Bless the Lord, means to magnify God’s greatness, goodness, and glory. That’s important because it acknowledges that God is the source of the people’s faithfulness and courage. …This is important because some people have this unbiblical notion that we can’t celebrate and acknowledge God’s goodness and grace through Christ in one another. Of course we can! We must! Paul celebrated Christ in people every time he penned a letter. And when Deborah and Barak considered the faith-filled courage of God’s people, they celebrated them in a way that praised God.” 

“Deborah and Barak could have sung about the greatness and power of God without ever mentioning anyone else. They would have been right because God is the hero. But as the old hymn goes, God works in mysterious ways, including accomplishing His purposes through weak and inadequate people that He loves. Why? So they get the joy of participating in a heavenly mission, and He receives the glory uniquely.”

“So the implication is serious for us. If God loves to magnify His goodness and greatness through the efforts of His people, then when we refuse to acknowledge and celebrate God’s grace in one another, we refuse to acknowledge and celebrate God in a way He desires.”

“Is there any more significant way I can love you than reminding you in intentional and specific ways of the abundant grace of God I see in your life?”

“We are prone to [explain things like this in natural terms] because we are naturally averse to the supernatural. But that denies the very nature of the Christian life. We are born of the Spirit (John 3:8). We are empowered by the Spirit (Eph 3:16). We do not wrestle with flesh and blood but evil spiritual forces (Eph 6:12). The Christian life is undeniably supernatural. If you struggle with that reality, you won’t thrive as you should spiritually.”

“the imagery here is powerful. God marched up from Sinai to fight for His people. The titles in 5—the One from Sinai and the God of Israel—are this YAHWEH, Israel’s covenant-keeping God. The one who delivered them from Pharaoh and his mighty chariots at the Red Sea, this one has come again to deliver His people from Sisera and his 900 chariots, just as He promised. On that day, God saved His people, and their response was to sing of His greatness in their salvation.”

“While we were still weak (Rom 5:6) and while we were enemies (Rom 5:10), our Redeemer didn’t come through an overwhelming storm, Jesus came down from the throne of God to a hill called Calvary, where he endured the storm of holy wrath, bleeding and dying for our forgiveness that we might live in him. By faith in Jesus, our great warrior, we have complete salvation. We have true rest. We have complete victory because God is our sovereign Redeemer!” 

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
1 Thessalonians 5:14
Hebrews 4:14

APPLICATION:
- What comes to your mind when you think about your church's leaders and willing volunteers?
Make it a goal in 2024 to meaningfully thank and encourage every person serving you in this church.

-Do you find yourself in an impossible situation?
Don’t give up on God. Hold tightly to Jesus. You may say—I’ve believed God for so long, but nothing has changed. The Scriptures speak to you—Keep believing.

For the Christian, this is our song to sing. It’s the gospel song. It’s the only song we have to sing. We sing it together in love, unity, gratitude, and eager expectation for the day our Lord and Savior appears and our heavenly rest begins. 

Are you singing this song with your life? In your relationships? In your hardships? In your sufferings? On your best hair days and your worst hair days? You can and you should. God has saved you. He has made you part of His church. He is with you. He will never leave you. He is working ALL things for your good right now. He is sufficient for your needs. He has promised to come back for you. 

God faithfully accomplishes His redemptive purposes and wants to use you. Are you participating or content sitting in the dugout as a spectator? Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 4:1-1-24
TITLE: Participating In God’s Purposes
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: When we make ourselves available to God, He uses us. 

POINTS:
1. A Familiar Pattern
2. A Crucial Message

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”God’s repetition is our warning. Like Israel, we forget about God.”

“Israel forgot about the goodness, provision, and faithfulness of God. They forgot what God did through Abraham, Moses, and Joshua. They forgot that God led them into the Promised Land so they could be free to thrive and worship Him. Instead, they turned to the cultures around them and said—What you got? What brings you joy? What gives you purpose? We’ll join you. They forgot their purpose. They forgot their mission. They knew of God, but they forgot about God in their hearts.”

“Don’t we do the same thing? We forget what God has done for us in the gospel. We forget who we are in Christ. We forget the pleasures, satisfaction, and joy of living obediently for Jesus. We forget this world is not our home. The heavenly promised Land is our home.”

“Just as Israel fell into idolatry, we are allured by the idols of our age and culture that promise the world to us but, in the end, only oppress. We adopt the world’s values. We embrace the culture’s priorities. Life is about health and wealth. Success and pleasure. Self-indulgence and significance. That’s life in Canaan serving 21st-century baals. The repetition of Judges stops us in our tracks, leads us to repentance, and re-centers us on Christ.”

“Deborah brought the wisdom of God to people. Here, she mediates the Word of God to Barak, your typical judge, a deliverer through might and military activity. Deborah and Barak function as a team.”

“Barak is one of the judges praised for his faith in Hebrews 11. But like the others, his faith wasn’t perfect. He wanted human assurance. He put conditions on God’s command and promise—I will go if Deborah goes with me. Culturally speaking, women didn’t go to the battlefield. War was a man’s work. But Deborah obliged and went with Barak. More importantly, she followed the Lord. She made herself available to God’s purposes.”

“Our hermeneutics, how we interpret Scripture, matters. Just because something is in the Bible doesn’t mean it’s good. The Bible reports facts like David had multiple wives and Jacob deceived his father and stole his brother's birthright. God does not endorse polygamy and deception; they are forbidden in Scripture. Just because we read a report or an activity in the Bible does not mean God is pleased with it.  Yet, in the case of Jael, God is pleased.”

“In this context, Jael has done what Israel has repeatedly failed to do: destroy the enemy of God’s people. In God’s eyes, Jael carried out His holy justice.”

“So, what is the crucial message? The message in Judges is always the faithfulness of God. He is the hero, and Christ is the point. We’ve been talking about that a lot, and we should. Learning to trust in the faithfulness of God is crucial to following Jesus. But trusting in the faithfulness of God isn’t a spectator sport. It’s active.”

“[God] doesn’t need us. He is sufficient in Himself. But He is pleased to use us. And even in our weakness and reluctance, God is mighty enough to accomplish His purposes through us. In this story, God used three people who trusted in His faithfulness by availing themselves to His purposes.”

“God doesn’t raise up a new judge for us—He sent His own Son Jesus, to live and die for our forgiveness and righteousness so that we could live in and for him. In the kingdom of God, the sword has been exchanged for a cross, where the battle was decisively won.” 

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
1 Corinthians 15:54-58

APPLICATION:
Are you available to God?

• Are you available to God when someone sits beside you at the coffee house or airport?

• Are you available to God when your unbelieving co-worker or neighbor is experiencing tragedy in their life?

• When a brother or sister is caught in sin or they need Christ-centered encouragement, are you available to God?

• Are you available to God when a friend distorts the gospel or twists sound doctrine in a conversation?

If not, what hinders you? What holds you back? Fear of the unknown? Too busy with your purposes? Too concerned with your reputation? All the above for me. What hinders you?

In the 22 words of this passage, we find a treasure trove of truth meant to move our hearts and minds to more profound wonder and awe at our God and Savior. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 3:12-30
TITLE:   From An Oxgoad To A Cross
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
1. A Mystery Setting
2. A Mystery Identity
3. A Mystery Deliverance

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Shamgar is a man of mystery. As suddenly as he appears, he disappears. Every judge gets at least two verses, some 3 or 4 chapters. The only other place Shamgar is mentioned in Scripture is in Deborah’s song in Ch. 5. Everything we know about Shamgar is in this one verse. But we also know God doesn’t waste words.”

“Regardless of how much ink and paper he gets, Shamgar matters because, like Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Samson, and others in Judges, God called and chose him to be His people's Savior. In these 22 words, we find a treasure trove of truth meant to move our hearts and minds to more profound wonder and awe at our God and Savior.”

“As the book of Judges progresses, we will see the Philistines were a terror for the Israelites in keeping control of the Promised Land. But for now, Shamgar restored Israel’s peace and rest established with Ehud’s victory in the East. That brief history lesson is meant to take us somewhere. This obscure text is a clear reminder of the beautiful reality at the core of Christian faith and hope—heaven. Heaven is the place of perfect and unbreakable peace and rest for God’s people.”

“God used Shamgar in an emergency to keep the Philistines at bay, thus keeping His people at rest. In this way, Shamgar points us to Christ, in whom you are entirely out of the reach of Satan’s threats of eternal condemnation.”

“[His] description leads us to believe that Shamgar was an outsider. Isn’t that interesting? Israel is so destitute spiritually that she can’t save herself. Whatever Israel had going for them, economy, military might, you name it, they were so given over to idolatry, immorality, and sin that they needed someone else to save them.” 

“God is the hero. Shamgar, a gentile who carried the name of a pagan God, wielding an unconventional weapon to do what Israel could not do for themselves, was used by a faithful and all-powerful God to save His people. Shamgar was an unlikely deliverer sent by God to defeat an undefeatable enemy in the most unlikely manner.”

“Despite Shamgar's heroic feat, he could not ultimately deliver Israel. Samson had to fight the Philistines. Saul had to fight the Philistines. David had to fight the Philistines. Did you catch it says he ALSO saved Israel. So many saviors, but none of them could ultimately deliver Israel from the enemy. Why? Because the greatest enemy is not out there; it’s in here. It’s sin.”

“We may read Shamgar’s story and think it’s pure foolishness—One man killed 600 Philistines with an oxgoad?! But the Bible says the most foolish weapon of all is a cross. A cross where all our sins were nailed, placed upon a divine and sinless Savior, so that all who have faith in him could have total forgiveness of sin, abiding righteousness, and unbreakable peace and rest with God. This is the mystery of mysteries unlocked for us by the Spirit and given to us by divine grace and mercy—From An Oxgoad To A Cross!”

“Shamgar’s story is meant to infuse our hearts and minds with fresh wonder and awe at our Lord and Savior.” 

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
2 Timothy 3:16
Romans 8:1, 33-34
Romans 8:7-8
Luke 2:11

QUOTES:
Barry Webb - “In Shamgar, we catch a glimpse of unbroken rest. He prevented the eighty-year rest that Ehud won for Israel from being disturbed by a Philistine incursion, and like all the deliverances won by Israel’s judges that is a signpost on the way to something greater—a rest in which there will be no need for emergency action to keep the enemy at bay.”

David Jackman - “We are prone to domesticate the awesome power and majestic authority of God to fit into our little minds and pockets. We still want to control the omnipotent, to predict the infinite. We feel more comfortable that way. What we do not realize is this is a quick route to spiritual disaster. Unless we recover a healthy fear and awe of the inscrutable power and sovereignty of God, we shall end up as idolatrous as everyone else.”

APPLICATION:
One day in heaven, not even Satan’s threats will exist. Only unbroken rest and peace forever with God and His people. This is what makes Christianity so hopeful. We have hope in this life, yes, but it’s the glory, majesty, and wonder of life to come in the presence of God and Christ and all His saints that fuels our perseverance in this life. What area of life do you need to apply heaven to?

Here are the questions I want us to ask ourselves: 

• Even though you can’t fully fathom it, are you still amazed that God mercifully chose to save you out of millions lost?

• Even though you don’t always see it, do you still wonder at the infinite power of God at work in your life, generously giving you all you need for life and godliness? 

• Even though you can’t fully grasp it, does it still leave you in awe that as unfaithful as you are to God every day, He remains forever faithful to you? 

In all its mystery, the story of Shamgar goads us to draw near to our Savior in humility and repentance and hope that we can live every day with greater awe and wonder of our one and only Savior—Jesus Christ.   

On this final Sunday of 2023, I want to draw your attention to the zeal of the Lord of hosts. There is a great promise in these words that should create gratitude in our hearts as we look back on 2023 and hopefulness as we step into 2024. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

TEXT: Isaiah 9:7
TITLE: A Promise for 2024
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
1. The Promise That Got Us Here
2. The Promise That Will Move Us Forward

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”This prophetic pronouncement of the birth and work of Jesus Christ was a promise that One would come and establish God’s kingdom in perfect justice and righteousness.”

“In His zeal—a combination of God’s burning jealousy for His own glory and His white-hot affections for His redeemed people—the Lord of hosts will accomplish salvation for sinners through His Son.”

“He has made a way for sinners to be reconciled to God and live in peace with God. The zeal of the Lord of hosts has done this! Fast forward; this promise is the only reason you and I are here. It is the only reason SGC exists. This promise is the only reason you have any hope as you say goodbye to 2023 and hello to 2024. The zeal of the Lord of hosts has brought you here.” 

“Institutions come and go. Governments rise and fall. Cultures flourish and fade. Ideologies surge and subside. But God is building His church (Grudem), the community of all true believers for all time. In Christ, God inaugurated His kingdom, and now He is building His unstoppable church. It is unstoppable because the zeal of the Lord of hosts is doing this.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Galatians 4:4
Matthew 16:18

QUOTES:
Charles Bridges - “How overwhelming is the thought of this affection (zeal) possessing the heart of God—of the deep interest of His infinite mind in the progress of the kingdom of his dear Son—his thoughts engaged in it—his unsearchable plans embracing it, and controlling all the mighty moves of this world to subserve this main design! How solid, therefore, is the rock on which Christian ministry rests as the grand engine for the accomplishment of the purposes and promises of God.”

Kevin DeYoung - In his foreword to the book of the quarter, Christianity & Liberalism, “If there is one recurring theme throughout the book it is that the church of Jesus Christ cannot be sustained—and indeed was never founded—on doctrinal indifferentism. From the very beginning, Machen argues, the Christian movement was not just a way of life, but a way of life founded upon a message. “It was based, not upon mere feeling, not upon a mere program of work, but upon an account of facts. In other words, it was based on doctrine.”

Kevin DeYoung - “It is not enough to say what is true; we must also make clear what is false.”

APPLICATION:
Zeal is a passionate enthusiasm in pursuit of a particular objective. I want to give you three ways your pastors believe our zeal for the Lord should be expressed in 2024 and beyond. 

1. Grow in Sound Doctrine
   The Christian faith is built on truth. Living in a culture that has normalized turning truth into falsehood and falsehood into truth, we must be rooted in truth. We must remember we are not responsible for outcomes and fruitfulness. God calls us to faithfulness and obedience to the old rugged cross and the sound theology of the sacred writings. This is what the church needed in the first century; it’s what she needs today and what she will need tomorrow!

2. Grow in Appropriating and Experiencing the Gospel
   The Christian life is rooted in truth, but that doesn’t mean it is merely propositional; it is experiential. As believers, we are filled with the Holy Spirit, who is continually working in us to feel, think, and live shaped by the truth of Christ. The gospel is not just your “Sunday Best” but your everyday jeans and t-shirt. The gospel is not merely for our salvation; it is for everyday life.

3. Grow in Courageous Love for the Lost
   The truth and experience of the gospel are meant to be given away, not kept inside. The lost should experience our zeal for the Lord. The Great Commission is our divine invitation to join God in what His zeal is and will accomplish.

EVENTS FOR YOUR CALENDAR:
Mark Prater Weekend - February 24th
Trey and Charlotte Richardson Marriage Retreat - Weekend of March 23rd
SGU Class: Doctrine of the Church - May

The promise of heaven begins with Advent and its Unexpected Purpose and Message brings hope, joy, and peace to a life filled with the unexpected. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The Unexpected at Advent
TEXT: Luke 2:14
TITLE: An Unexpected Message
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
1. The Unexpected Purpose of Christmas
2. The Unexpected Promise of Christmas

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Our Advent series has focused on the unexpected: Lowly local shepherds. Gentile magi from afar. A Jewish virgin girl. A blip on the map called Bethlehem. The Unexpected at Advent. The irony is we tend to fear the unexpected. We like our worlds ordered. We find comfort in well-laid plans. No surprises, please. We can even struggle with something good that comes unexpectedly. The Unexpected is unavoidable, and times unimaginably difficult.”

“When the angels celebrate the first Christmas, they don't begin with you and me; they start with God—his glory, not ours. John Piper describes God's glory as—the public display of God's infinite beauty and worth. And that is precisely what the angels are responding to on this first Christmas—the public display of God's endless beauty and worth—IN A MANGER!“

“Above all things, angels were created to continually magnify and declare God's glory. For this, they have a front-row seat in heaven. But they have never seen God's glory displayed in this way. In the Incarnation, God was physically present with man—his grace, love, and power in the flesh. Throughout Scripture, we find angels worshipping, magnifying, and glorifying God. But they never saw His glory like this—Glory in a manger—and they could not contain themselves.”

“We have something in common with the angels: We, too, were created to the praise and glory of God. Our existence is meant to be upward. Our highest motivation in all that we are is God's glory. Our greatest goal in life is God glorified in and through us. Like the angels, we exist for God's glory.”

“But in the Garden, something awful happened—Adam and Eve exchanged the glory of God for the glory of self. Since then, we have been trying to rip glory from God's hands. We tend to forget God's glory. Instead of living upward, we live inward.”

“Peace is the deepest longing of the human spirit. Peace in the home. Peace in my marriage. Peace in our politics. Peace in the world. We long for peace because we were created to live in peace. We tend to think we can fulfill our innate desire for peace. Peace through strength. Peace through tolerance. Peace through pacifism. Peace through understanding. Peace through political revolution. But the peace we were created for is not horizontal; it's vertical.”

“This peace proclaimed by the angels transcends time, human relationships, political hostilities, and life circumstances. This peace is the most basic human need—an inward and eternal peace with God.“

“JUSTIFICATION is the precious doctrine that is at the heart of Christmas. It means God looks upon you just as if you had never sinned but perfectly obeyed. On account of Jesus' righteousness, God declares you righteous in His eyes. That means no sin to judge. Instead, you have eternal peace with God. The death of Jesus has removed the sin that put you in conflict with God, and his righteousness is credited to you, and the result is—Peace with God!“

“This is the Unexpected Promise of Christmas: No matter who you are, where you’ve been, or what you’ve done, in Christ Jesus, all fear of God's holy wrath is gone. This baby boy in a manger is not only the glory of God revealed but the means of the sinner's peace with God accomplished! The good news for lowly shepherds, elite Magi, and US!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Colossians 1:19
Hebrews 1:3
John 1:14
Philippians 4:6-7
Isaiah 26:3

QUOTES:
J.C. Ryle - “Let all true Christians remember that their best things are yet to come. Let us count it no strange thing, if we have sufferings in this present time. It is a season of probation. We are yet at school. We are learning patience, longsuffering, gentleness, and meekness, which we could hardly learn if we had our good things now. But there is an eternal holiday yet to begin. For this let us wait quietly. It will make amends for all.”

Charles Spurgeon - “God is glorified in every dewdrop that twinkles to the morning sun. He is magnified in every flower that blossoms. God is glorified in every bird that warbles on the spray. Do not the fishes in the sea praise him? From the tiny minnow to the huge Leviathan, do not all creatures that swim the water bless and praise his name? Do not the stars exalt him? Do not the lightnings adore him when they flash his brightness in arrows of light piercing the midnight darkness? Do not thunders extol him when they roll like drums in the march of God's armies? Do not all things exalt him, from the least even to the greatest? But sing, sing, oh universe, till thou hast exhausted thyself, thou canst not afford a song so sweet as the song of Incarnation.”

Paul Tripp - “We have a glory problem. All of us are in the midst of a glory war. We all have moments of glory confusion. We all have times when we want the creation more than we want the Creator.”

Raymond Ortlund Jr. - “Why is the world in such a mess? You and I are the problem. Our good intentions are not strong enough to control our evil impulses. We need a Savior to rescue us from ourselves.”

Paul Tripp - If you would for a moment, reflect on your last couple weeks, you will recognize, brothers and sisters, that you and I still have a glory problem. We don't always get glory right. Recognize that we have a peace problem; we don't always care about peace with God. We don't always have peace within. We surely don't always experience peace with one another. And so the work of that grace is as needed by us this morning as it's ever been. The angels announce your hope. The angels announce your redemption. The angels announce to you grace; grace of a life lived, grace of a death offered so that you may live for His glory, and you may experience in all the ways possible, His peace.”

APPLICATION:
As we await our eternal holiday in heaven, may our song be the angel’s song—Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those whom he is pleased!

To my non-Christian friend, Luke wrote these verses and the entire gospel to a man named Theophilus. His reason, according to 1:4: Theophilus would be certain of Jesus. You are here. You have heard the purpose and promise of Christmas. Will you believe? Luke and the rest of the Bible is God's story of saving sinners to himself. And this Christmas, you can become a part of it. Believe in Jesus today.

To my fellow Christian, are you anxious about the future? Are you discouraged about life? Are you angry at God about circumstances? All these sinful attitudes rob you of the full benefit of God’s peace. In their own way, each one is an expression of trying to wrestle God's glory for yourself. The answer: turn your heart back to God and trust Him. 

The Advent of Jesus is the greatest news of all time! A three-message Christmas mini-series may at first seem insufficient to proclaim THE GOOD NEWS of the Advent of the Savior, but it does have the power to grab our attention again and refocus our minds and hearts on truths that have become all too familiar to us. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The Unexpected at Advent
TEXT: Luke 2:1-12
TITLE: Wise Men From Afar
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: The Good News of the Savior and King, Jesus, has come to the unexpected who are far off.

POINTS:
1. They Were Directed by God
2. They Were Used by an Evil King
3. They Worshipped the Savior

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Because of misinterpretation in religion and culture over 2,000 years, these [wise men] can be misunderstood, and the point of them being invited can be completely missed.”

“The ESV Study Bible notes that [the ‘wise men from the east’, literally ‘Magi’] were ‘...priests and experts in mysteries in Persia and Babylon’. The Magi were well-educated counselors, wise men, and they served kings through their knowledge, interpretations, and 'wisdom, speaking into difficult and everyday matters. …The closest thing we have to these guys in the U.S. would be presidential advisors - cabinet members.”

“The Stars belong to God and this star compelling the Magi to the west was HIS DOING. God was directing every single detail and that includes the heavens above and the earth below. His Star is what moved them!”

“While some have described this star as supernova, a comet, or the aligning of planets, Verses 2 and 9 reveal that something more supernatural is occurring - coupled with no one else mentioning it. …God uses Bethlehem’s star as His unique and gracious invitation to the star-led magi.”

“The Magi would have likely been familiar with some of the Old Testament, (the Prophet Daniel in particular) including the promise of the coming Jewish king (See Vs. 2). “His star” that drew their attention westward toward Israel would likely have driven them from studying this star to studying the Israelite Scriptures as they sought to understand what was happening.”

“All of this - the magi and their entourage, the star, and the message they came proclaiming about the birth of a new king - was deeply troubling to Herod. And if Herod was troubled, then all whom he ruthlessly ruled were troubled.”

“Herod ruled through violence and manipulation. He was known for his bloodthirst. Emperor Augustus was quoted as saying, “It is better to be Herod's pig than his son.” As a Jew, Herod refused to kill pigs but killed three of his sons, along with many others, including one of his wives and a number of her family members. AND, like Pharoh of old, under the threat of being replaced by another king, he sets out to find and kill this newborn king.”

“The Gospel reveals that this is the pattern - the Jewish leaders will reject Christ and seek to kill Him but the Gentiles will believe in Christ and be saved according to God’s word!”

“All of this…is completely unexpected! The very ones whom the Messiah came from and came to, they seek to kill him! But, from these unexpected ones who were far away from Him, Jesus would receive extravagant worship… worship fueled by EXCEEDING rejoicing and with GREAT joy!”

“[These Gentile Magi] are on God’s invite list of the birth announcement of The King of the Jews, Jesus, to make it clear that the Savior has come for SINNERS, and this includes sinners LIKE YOU AND ME!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 8:3
Matthew 2:16-17
Matthew 23:37
Ephesians 2:12-13

QUOTES:
 Daniel M. Doriani - “...God… chooses to speak to stargazers through a star. Stars had significance for these men. God descended to the Magi’s level to communicate with them. Stars got their attention, so God used a star.”

APPLICATION POINTS:
- Everything is God’s doing. What is going on in your life? It is God’s “invisible hand” directing and guiding it all!
-Satan is at work right now deceiving whoever will listen and follow him (Ephesians 6:12, John 15:18)

Unbeliever
Whether or not you are aware, you are lost in this world, but the Savior has been born unto you and me!
Q. Are you a sinner? The Good News is that You are invited! There is no place where the Gospel cannot reach. There is no sinner who is too far off that the Gospel cannot reach. COME, BEHOLD THE CHILD, JESUS, THE SAVIOR!

Looking into the unexpected people and events God uses can help us not just guard verses mindlessly walk through this Christmas season, but deepen our awe and appreciation of these historical and objective gospel events. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The Unexpected at Advent
TEXT: Luke 2:8-20
TITLE: Shepherds In The Field
PREACHER: Tim Lambros

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Our Christmas series is titled “The Unexpected at Advent.” Advent means “arrival” and typically Christians take a few weeks each year to celebrate and remember afresh the events of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. I think this sentence captures our  approach this year - It’s a time to reflect on the unexpected nature of Jesus’ humble birth.” 

“What makes this story so stunning is all the unexpected people and events that occur. Let’s explore together the unexpected first recipients of this profound birth  announcement.”

“In one of God’s providential movements of people and nations, Caesar Augustus dictates there will be a census, all of Israel is seriously inconvenienced and once again reminded of Roman rule and oppression. Even if you’re 9 months pregnant, you are required to register in your home town. Yet Augustus and the local governor Quirinius are simply unsuspecting tools in God’s hand. God uses these secular leaders to fulfill yet another OT prophecy. Micah 5:2 states 700 years prior to this day that the One who would rule Israel would come out of  Bethlehem. God is directing people and nations. ” 

“Luke states that in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch  over their flock at night. We can be quite confident these shepherds were not prepared for what was about to happen. For us, 2000 years later, to grasp the depth of  shock and surprise, we must know a few things about shepherds in Christ day.”

“These are unnamed shepherds in the field. We have to be careful in a number of places during the Christmas story because we tend to bring our rendition of who the players are and what the culture was like. 

• Shepherds lived in the fields, could not keep the ceremonial law so they were  treated as unclean  

•They were regarded as liars and thieves and their testimony was inadmissible in a  court of law. 

• Shepherds did not enjoy a very good reputation in their day.”

“The most important announcement in all of history, anticipated for centuries and it comes to these  UNNAMED shepherds working their mundane, dirty, boring job are the recipients! Now listen to the content of the announcement – GOOD NEWS, GREAT JOY ….Not just any news but GOOD news. Not just joy but GREAT joy. Not just for some  people but for ALL the people …”  

“Let’s not be romantic about these manger scenes that populate our homes and public places. The Christ came into this world and lay in a feeding trough.. Jesus is born and is laid in a feeding trough for animals in a barn that stinks of animal smells and sounds. Of all the babies born during the census period, the Shepherds would find Jesus in a barn, looking like every other newborn and drawing no attention  to Himself.”

“God is a speaking God. The revelation of Himself in creation speaks. The revelation of Himself in the OT speaks. But they are like whispers compared to the  Incarnation. This is God shouting! This is the highest revelation of Himself. God sent His Son to take on flesh. We can gaze upon the exact imprint of God. We can see the radiance of the glory of God in that manger! To truly grasp Christmas, we must grasp what a monumental moment this truly is!“ 

“The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity - hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory - because at the Fathers’ will Jesus Christ became poor and was born in a stable so that thirty years later he would hang on a cross.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Galatians 4:4
Hebrews 1:1–3

QUOTES:
Phillip Ryken - “Shepherds were despised. With the exception of lepers they were the lowest class of  men in Israel.”
”The shepherds would not find the child couched in royal splendor, as they might have expected, but lying in poverty. This was the humiliation of the incarnation, that the Son of God humbled Himself to save us.“

J.I. Packer - “It is here, in the thing that happened at the first Christmas that the profoundest and most unfathomable depths of the Christian revelation lie. The Word became flesh. …The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as is this truth of the Incarnation.”

APPLICATION:
1. An unexpected event creates a monumental turning point
To truly grasp the real meaning of Christmas, one must be in awe at God working His redemptive plan. Each time we look at a manger scene, it should move us to awe and humility.
QUESTION – What do you see when you look into the manger?

2. An unexpected audience for profoundly good news  
Why did God appear to these unnamed, lowly shepherds? The answer lies in verse 11.
QUESTION – In what ways does the Incarnation of Jesus Christ help you see your need for a Savior?

All of our sin and the contempt of God is washed away by THE Deliverer, Jesus, in the waters of His forgiveness. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 3:12-30
TITLE: Certain Victory at the River
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: All of our sin and the contempt of God is washed away by THE Deliverer, Jesus, in the waters of His forgiveness. 

POINTS:
1. God’s people turn away from him again
2. God’s utter contempt for His enemy
3. God’s certain victory for the ages

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Here we are again!  The repeating cycle in the Book of Judges turns again as we turn the page on God’s deliverer. After 40 years of rest, Othniel, the paradigm judge, has died, and the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.”

“This is their constant shame. Their apostasy, their rebellion, and their cosmic treason against their Holy God (using the words of R.C. Sproul) will not be tolerated.”

“God sovereignly strengthens Eglon [and the Moabites] for the purpose of afflicting His rebellious people. He will not let them continue to sin in the face of His patience and kindness.His name, His holiness, and His justice are at stake. Therefore, He must move to correct them!”

“The Geography is important! Check out the maps in your Bible. This is happening in a real time in real places. These places are important. Moab is the kingdom located on the South/East coast of the Dead Sea. Eglon moves North, gathering armies from the Ammonites and Amalekites. They continue North around the Dead Sea, turn west and cross the Jordan River, and take possession of  Jericho (“the city of palms”)... rebuilding it to a degree, and, from there, ruthlessly rule the people of Israel.”

“God was still leaning in toward his people, longing for their return. We can see His providential hand on his sinful people has not been removed. He will not let His own go! And now we will see His sovereign hand of strength that was on Moab is now removed. Praise God that he has not let His own go! He raises up his ‘deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjamin-ite, a left-handed man.’”

“God’s Contempt of the Enemy was revealed in the stature and very name of King Eglon. It is here in the story that the satire, mockery, and coarse humor begin to emerge.”

“The laughter, the irony, the coarse humor, and the uncomfortableness are purposeful in revealing God’s utter derision and His mocking laughter that makes it clear that HE will not be mocked by man.” 

“You see, these “fords” (these SHALLOWS) in Verse 28 are strategic in cutting off the enemy’s escape. The enemy will be HALTED at the fords of Jordan, leaving no way of escape for any of them - not one of the 10,000 will escape.”

“Maybe you find yourself in the clutches of fear when you see what’s going on in the world. The wars, the death, the immorality, the terror, the economies. You fear that we will get caught up in the wars. You fear that we will get hit by another terror attack. You fear that you could lose it all and quickly. BUT! God is not a spectator on the world stage. God is Sovereign and Reigning from on high in and through it all.”

“From these same fords of the Jordan River, God’s certain victory reverberates across the ages… across all of Redemptive History. Fast-forward over another millenia through Salvation History and another deliverer will stand in the shallows of the Jordan River - THE Deliverer Jesus will wade into these waters and be baptized! Standing in the fords of the Jordan River would be the very Son of God on whom the Holy Spirit descends.”

“Repentance and faith in the Son of God brings salvation to all who will believe. THIS Advent Season we now head into includes that moment when Final Deliverer, Jesus, was dipped into the fords of the Jordan River! All of our sin and the contempt of God is washed away by THE Deliverer, Jesus, in the waters of His forgiveness.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 2:4
Psalm 139:7
John 1:10-11

APPLICATION:
This must drive us to our knees before our Holy God. 

God will not be mocked, either by His people in their sin and certainly not by the kings of this earth who seek to devour His own.

Unbelievers - God’s contempt of your sin is real, and your very eternal life is at stake. This is just a taste of what will happen in God’s final judgment when He unleashes HIS FULL DERISION! Cry out to God for Salvation!

Christian - let this text arrest your attention! Let it wake you up from your slumber! Are you caught in sin? Cry out to Christ in repentance!

Today, we will see in the text the Grand Pattern of Salvation - that marks all of Redemptive History. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 3:7-11
TITLE: Grace - God's Paradigm of Salvation
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA:  The only hope we have after forgetting our God is that in His mercy, He will not forget us!

POINTS:
1. They forgot Him (Vs. 7-8)
2. He did not forget them (Vs. 9-11)

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”There is a larger repeating cycle (for at least 6 of the judges). Each repeated cycle is broken about 7 basic parts:

• The people sin against the LORD - turning away from Him and turn to idol worship

• The LORD disciplines them by selling them into the hands of their foreign enemies

• The people cry out for deliverance

• A divine word is spoken to the people

• The LORD raises up a judge/deliverer to save His people from the oppression of their enemies

• Peace reigns for a time

The judge dies bringing an end to the cycle and the setting up of the next. In today’s story in 3:7-11, the theological pattern in Chapter 2 now begins to take on flesh, names, places, and times.”

“This forgetting of the LORD is described in Vs. 7 as “evil in His sight” and in Chapter 2:17, likened to an unfaithful woman who has turned away from her faithful husband and ‘sells’ herself to other men. …The biblical language is stark. The imagery is revolting, and when they beheld what was out there, THE LORD becomes to them unattractive, unsatisfying, undesirable… in their minds that have turned to worldliness, their very Creator and Sustainer and Provider and Protector has become to them unnecessary, uncaring, not providing enough for them and weak… THEY FORGOT HIM, their living Holy God, and ran after dead and filthy gods.”

“The text is clear - “forgetting of the LORD” = their serving of the idols, namely the Baals and the Asheroth. The result: God’s Anger. We cannot miss this. In all of history. In all of creation… there is someone that we do not want to anger – the Holy God!”

“We forget Him! But the good news is that His discipline is an act of His remembrance of us! They forgot the LORD their God, but God will now move to deliver them and grant them rest… He has NOT forgotten them!”

“God’s retribution in judgment (for those who are outside of His covenant) is unmitigated by grace. Yet, His judgment for those who are His covenant people is not retribution but, rather, corrective, and it is tempered by grace. THIS is why He will not forget them! They belong to Him, and He keeps them as His own. He will not break His covenant with them.”

“This deliverer is, by and large, a mystery. What does seem clear, though, is that not much is said of this man for the purpose that much will be said of THE DELIVERER. God is the one who is saving!”

“In our text, we see it is God who is at work, and while the King of Double Wickness is God’s ‘agent of discipline,’ Othniel is God's ‘agent of grace!’”

“Recall the cycle/spiral that today’s story follows. Verse 11 includes the death of the first judge/deliverer. The death of Othniel is a clue that the cycle is about to restart… the downward spiral into moral depravity, and this will include both a decline in the people and a decline in the judges. BUT… THIS CYCLE HAS BEEN INTERRUPTED BY THE GLORIOUS GOSPEL. Jesus, the Son of God, comes and does what no other deliver can! And Othniel begins to present a pattern that ultimately points us to the Great Deliverer, Jesus!”

“At the end of Verse 11, we have the death of our 1st deliverer, the death of Othniel… and the death of the judges to come will mark in the cycle the people returning to their sin, BUT the death of THE Great Deliverer, Jesus, will mark the END of their sin. Instead of a judge dying and the people turning away to sin, Jesus takes away their sin upon Himself. God’s anger burns again our Sin Bearer instead of us. He dies AND WE LIVE!”

QUOTES:
C.J. Mahaney - “The epitaph on the gravestone of the people of Israel often read: “They Soon Forgot”

Barry G. Webb - “They are not snatched from God’s hand (no tyrant has the power to do that), but (literally) ‘sold’ by him in a deliberate transaction that he initiates and controls. It is a carefully measured act of discipline, in which the punishment fits the crime. Those who ‘serve’ foreign gods are made to ‘serve’ a foreign ruler (vv. 7,8), and those who do ‘evil’ are handed over to one who is ‘wicked.’”

Dale Ralph Davis - “Our primary problem is that verse 9 moves us only to yawn. After all, we already know the theological truth of verse 9 - we’ve read that sort of thing often before. So we respond with a please, nodding ho-hum. Isn’t God nice? What’s for supper? If we fail to see, to feel, to delight in the miracle of God’s own nature, are we not strangers to rather than partakers  of such unbelievable grace?”

APPLICATION:
Q. Have you forgotten the LORD your God? Are you in bed with other gods?

Q. Has the world become so attractive to you that you are forgetting the beauty and steadfast love of the LORD your God?

We’re not advancing the narrative chronologically today. Instead, our text parallels what we have already seen, focusing on the five-alarm emergency of Israel’s spiritual condition. While finding anything to smile about here is hard, we will find something if we look close enough. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 2:6-3:6
TITLE: My Sin, God’s Mercy, And Everyday Life
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
1. Faith Matters
2. Sin Is Serious
3. God Is Merciful

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”The author begins by providing a contrast. The details of Joshua’s death and burial are essential. In 7, we learn how God’s people thrived spiritually under Joshua’s faithful, God-centered leadership. Then, in 9, the author tells us Joshua was buried in his promised inheritance. The point is that God rewards the faithful.”

“Amid difficulty and crisis, Joshua was faithful to God personally and in his leadership. And God rewarded him. But it’s a new era in Israel. An entire generation did know the Lord and what He had done for them.”

“Not knowing isn’t innocent ignorance or memory loss. They had been taught of God’s love, holiness, and faithfulness. They had been taught about Egypt, the Red Sea, and crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land. They just didn’t care. They had no regard for God. They weren’t atheists—they were agnostic.”

“Our faith matters. The Israelites had all the knowledge in the world about God. But knowledge saves no one. The demons know exactly who God and Christ are—they are still demons. Faith in Jesus is everything. Without it, you have nothing. That’s not to say our hope is in our faith. Our hope is the object of our faith, Jesus—He alone saves. But faith is the God-ordained conduit by which we receive the gospel's life, blessings, and promises.” 

“The author could have simply said—They did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. But he is hammering away at, in a word—Idolatry. …They didn’t combat the culture around them. Instead of evangelizing, they assimilated. Instead of being an influence, they were influenced. Their loyalty was horizontal, not vertical. Now, they don’t look like God’s people. They look like Canaanites.”

“We may not be joining ourselves to sacred prostitutes, but as John Calvin famously put it—Our hearts are idol factories. An idol is whatever you allow to become more significant in your life than God. I need IT for happiness. I want IT for status. I have to have IT for sanity. Whatever IT is, even if IT is something good—family, leisure, marriage, children, convenience, godly reputation, health—if you want IT more than God—that will be evident in your priorities—if you are willing to sin because you don’t get IT or to get IT, IT is an idol. Idolatry is loyalty to self and this world. Idolatry is sin. The sin of idolatry is with us every day!”

“Be assured that the penalty of sin was paid at the cross. Be assured that the power of sin was defeated in the resurrection. But be equally assured that sin is still present and powerfully deceptive. If we ignore it, like Israel, our hearts will be hardened as we spiral downward spiritually.” 

“Was this an overreaction by God? I thought God was always faithful to His people? He is—read verse 15. God’s anger is an expression of His faithfulness. It’s a faithful anger. Israel was not innocent. God is doing exactly what He promised to do so many times in the past. …God’s anger is an expression of His holy love.”

“Astonishing! Discipline—Yes! Abandon—No! God is faithful. He is a covenant-keeping God. And despite Israel’s utter failures, God was merciful. God, who rightly casts Israel down, lifted them up! Through individual stories and as one BIG story, this is how Judges reveals the gospel to us. It points us to one who would do what no earthly judge could do.”

“God disciplines those He loves. He knew what Israel needed. But He was merciful through it all. He sent judges to save them. He was longsuffering with them. He loved them with an undying love to restore them as His covenant people.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Hebrews 3:12-13
Deuteronomy 28:25
Leviticus 26:17

QUOTES:
Dale Ralph Davis - “Love divine is not soft laxity but blazing intolerance and absolute claim. Such is the God of Israel whose jealous love makes him faithful in his anger toward you. Who ever heard of love and fidelity like that?”

Compromise can be good. It can also be bad—really bad. Bad compromise happens when one chooses to live below the standards they know are true for an intended effect. Spiritual compromise is the worst kind of compromise. It’s the Christian’s kryptonite. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 1:19b-2:5
TITLE:   Compromise Kills
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Spiritual compromise jeopardizes the full realization of God’s promises and blessings to us.

POINTS:
1. Israel’s Compromise
2. Our Warning

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”The Bible repeatedly warns us about spiritual compromise, and for good reason: When we compromise our faith, we forfeit experiencing the Lord’s promise and blessing as we should.” 

“Israel’s compromise is front and center in Judges. Today, it is a warning for us as we follow Jesus in a messed-up world.”  

“The author's message is impossible to avoid—they did not drive the enemy out of the Promised Land.”

“Here’s the deal—It’s not up to Israel or us to determine what happened. A question we must learn to ask is—What is God’s view? And that’s precisely what we get next.”

“What God says here, He has repeatedly said in Exodus and Deuteronomy. First, He reminds them how He delivered them from Egypt, expressing His covenant faithfulness. Second, given redemption, He commands and warns them not to covenant with the Canaanites but to drive them out of the land and destroy their pagan liturgy, break down their altars of worship, lest they turn from God to the idols of Canaanites. Israel failed to obey God. We have an explicit example of this at the beginning of our passage—read 1:22-26.” 

“The root of Israel’s problem was not military strategy, physical might, or pragmatic policy. It wasn’t that iron chariots were insurmountable or that God’s power was less effective in the plains than in the hill country. It was spiritual—Spiritual compromise. As we will see in next week’s text, Israel’s spiritual compromise led not only to the accommodation of the Canaanites but an assimilation of the Israelites to the Canaanite's paganism.”

“Israel’s compromise is a warning for us. Like Israel, our compromise is often gradual, subtle, and not always black and white. Joseph acted “kindly” to the man and his family fleeing Bethel. But their kindness was a spiritual compromise in that situation because it disobeyed God.”

“Whether it is inconsistent with His Word or a conscience calibrated by His Word, compromising our faith is simply doing something inconsistent with being faithful to God.”

“As Christians, we want to love others. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. We are all sinners in need of a Savior. But here’s what we must never do: No matter how right, kind, innocent, or socially acceptable something may seem, we must never place our desires, convenience, comfort, or reputation over God’s Word.”

“Christ gave his life for us. By the grace of God, you are what you are in Jesus. Forgiven, righteous, kept, and EMPOWERED to live for Jesus. What God calls you to, He will provide grace to walk in.” 

“Christian or not, never presume on God’s grace. He will not be mocked. The Bible is clear: When we compromise our faith, He will discipline us (Hebrews 12). When we yoke ourselves to unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6), He will oppose us in our pride (James 4). To compromise our faith is to NOT abide in Christ, and when we don’t abide in Christ we miss out on the promised joy that is ours in Christ (John 15).” 

“How is the Spirit convicting you of compromise? No fear or condemnation. Just grateful and sincere repentance followed by joyful gratitude that Jesus cleanses you of all your sins and He never leaves or forsakes you despite your sin.” 

“That’s our prayer through this series. That God, in His kindness, would grant us fresh affections for Christ and a renewed desire to live for Him and him alone, so that we will experience all He has for us to the praise of His glory!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Romans 12:1-2

QUOTES:
Unknown - “The chief danger of the Church today is that it is trying to get on the same side as the world, instead of turning the world upside down.”

Daniel Block - “This reaction on God’s part is neither impulsive nor arbitrary nor capricious; it reflects his own fidelity to past pronouncements.”

Barry Webb - “Doing something that is inconsistent with being faithful to God.”

Randy Smith - “Compromise with the culture is often the result when we lose a reverence and respect for the Lord. It’s the “Jesus won’t mind” attitude. To overcome compromise we need to remove our fear of offending the world and recapture a healthy fear of the Lord that our God expects and demands.”

APPLICATION:
Three things about compromise:

1. Compromise can be subtle; often, you don’t even notice it

2. Compromise happens when we lose focus on our true calling. We don’t drift into holiness; we drift into compromise.

3. Compromise is a hard habit to break

In light of this, here is our application—Prioritize Community Group. 

If you don’t have one—find one. If you have one, but no one in it knows you—start going. We all need help identifying, avoiding, and defeating compromise. You shouldn’t go the Christian life alone because you can’t go it alone because God didn’t intend you go it alone. The answer to compromise is refocusing on Jesus, getting back to the Bible, and renewing our affection for Jesus. That’s what happens in CG.