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.

At Sovereign Grace Church, community groups are a place where we help one another identify with Christ and apply God’s Word at the heart level in every area of life. We believe the biblical fellowship that takes place in Community Groups is vital for every Christian because interpersonal relationships built on and bonded with the gospel of Jesus Christ are the backbone of our life together. For this reason, we encourage every member to be actively involved in a Community Group.

 So naturally, it is a joy for us to introduce our newest Community Group leaders to you: Triston and Michelle Hooks!

“We have been married for 10 years and have two amazing girls, Clara (9) and Praise (6). We moved to Tucson recently for work and are happy to call it home. God was faithful to lead us to Sovereign Grace where we have grown under the teaching of the Word and the love and grace displayed in the fellowship of its members. We have received much joy and kindness from joining a community group at SG and now we are excited to serve and lead a CG group!”

- Triston & Michelle

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.

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!