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.

There are many facets to our life as a church! Our hope is that these posts will enable you to plan, pray, and ultimately rejoice in what the Lord is doing at Sovereign Grace Church. Here are a few updates for you to do just that! 

Gifts of the Spirit weekend with mark prater

Join us as we allow the Scriptures to inform us about the gifts God gives his people through the Spirit!

Friday, Feb. 23rd, from 7PM-9PM & Saturday, Feb. 24, from 9AM-2PM

To sign up or find out more about this exciting event, please CLICK HERE.

march membership class

The next Membership Class will be after the Sunday morning services on the first four Sundays in March (March 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th). Lunch and childcare will be provided.

To sign up for this class, please CLICK HERE.

Marriage workshop with Trey & Charlotte Richardson

Another exciting weekend seminar coming up: a Marriage Workshop with Trey & Charlotte Richardson on March 22nd & 23rd!

Trey serves as a pastor at our sister church, Center Church, in Gilbert, AZ. His primary responsibilities have most recently been counseling and overseeing men’s and women’s ministries at Center Church.

Registration details will be sent out soon!

Good Friday Service & Easter Sunday Service

Good Friday and Easter Sunday are right around the corner! Join us for the Good Friday Service on the evening of Friday, March 29th, and the Easter Sunday Service on Sunday, March 31st. This is a great opportunity to invite friends and family!

More details to come.

Ministry Team Leaders Night

We are so grateful for all of the Ministry Team Leaders in our church! Please be praying for the leaders as they gather on Sunday, April 7th, for fellowship and leadership training.

sgu spring 2024 unit

Our next Sovereign Grace University (SGU) class will be in May!

SGU is a discipleship class focused on theology and this spring we will be going over THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH. Registration and more details to come.

Check out previous class materials and lectures HERE!

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

“It is finished.” 

Over 2,000 years ago our Savior spoke those precious words as He died on a cross (John 19:30). Today, we rejoice in His victory over sin and death and we live in the goodness of that promise: “It is finished.” As we journey toward heaven, this truth brings us unfathomable hope and assurance. 

Join us this Sunday as we sing a new song that celebrates this amazing truth.

Below is a link to listen and learn so you can join in on the celebration of our great Savior this Sunday!

Title: It Was Finished Upon That Cross
Link to Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUGQNYm44hk

Lyrics to Verse 1
How I love the voice of Jesus
On the cross of Calvary
He declares His work is finished
He has spoken this hope to me
Though the sun had ceased its shining
Though the war appeared as lost
Christ had triumphed over evil
It was finished upon that cross

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. 

It is our joy and privilege to be part of the family of churches in Sovereign Grace. Together as churches, it is our mission to advance the gospel of Jesus throughout various parts of the world. It is also our joy to pray for the needs that our family of churches has.

Recently, Mark Prater, Executive Director of Sovereign Grace Churches, provided a list of prayer requests for our churches in this First Quarter of 2024. 

Quoting the Gospel of John (ESV) and then remarking, Mark wrote:

Jesus says, ‘I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.’ [John 15:5] We will bear much fruit for Christ by abiding in Jesus dependently, for apart from Him, we can do nothing. One of the ways we abide in Jesus dependently is to bring our needs to Him in prayer. Jesus says in John 15:7, ‘If you abide in me, and my words abode in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.’ Abiding dependently means asking Jesus consistently in prayer for His help and provision so that we can bear much fruit for Him. O. Hallesby, in his book on prayer, writes, ‘Helplessness becomes prayer the moment that you go to Jesus and speak candidly and confidently with him about your needs.’ …we are helpless because apart from Christ, we can do nothing. But when we speak candidly and confidently with Jesus about our needs, He will hear our prayers providing what we need to bear fruit for Him and His glory.

Let us together “go to Jesus and speak candidly and confidently with him” about these needs in our churches. And our churches bear much fruit in our gospel mission.

prayer requests

• Pray that God would give the members and pastors of Sovereign Grace churches a renewed desire and opportunities to share the gospel with unbelievers in our communities and workplaces.

• Pray for the Ark Church in Dnipro, Ukraine, asking God to protect them, and to use them to meet practical needs, and offer gospel hope to people impacted by the war.

• Pray for the U.S. National Church Planters Assessment that will be held in Southern California on January 18-20, 2024, asking God to give wisdom to Greg Dirnberger as he leads this event and to the assessment team (Greg and Laurie Dirnberger, John and Nancy LoMness and Christopher and Stephanie Warren) in assessing future church planters in Sovereign Grace.

• Please pray for Josh Kruger, Jr., and his family as they relocate from the U.S. in January back to Namibia to prepare to plant a Sovereign Grace church in Windhoek, the capital city of Namibia. Please pray that God would assemble a strong church planting team and provide all they need including a meeting place for the church.

• Pray for Bob Kauflin, Jefferey, Jo, Dave Taylor, and the Sovereign Grace Music team as they lead 2 events in Manila, Philippines, in March. On March 15, 2024, they will lead a “Gathering Around The Gospel With Sovereign Grace Music” event, and on March 16, 2024, a Sovereign Grace Music Asia-Pacific Musicians Conference. Pray that God would use both of these events to strengthen pastors and members of churches in the Asia-Pacific in the gospel and equip musicians and worship leaders to serve their church.

• Pray for the Sovereign Grace Leadership Team as they lead a retreat, February 5-7, 2024, that will include our U.S. Regional Leaders asking God to envision, strengthen, and equip our leaders to serve our churches in the States.

• Pray for Ed O’Mara as he leads the second Sovereign Grace Churches Europe Pastors Retreat, March 12-15, 2024, in Milan, Italy. Pray that God would continue to knit the pastors in Europe together relationally and equip them theologically as they look to build Sovereign Grace Europe in the years to come.

• Pray for the 10 students currently in our Ethiopia Pastors College (Trinity Fellowship Pastors College) in Addis Ababa, asking God to equip them for pastoral ministry. Pray also for Josh Pannell, Dean of the Trinity Fellowship PC, asking God to give him grace in leading this second class of students.

• Pray that God would continue to provide financially for Sovereign Grace Churches so that we can fund the gospel opportunities He is giving us throughout the world.

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?