Judges 4:17-24 “A Moment of Courage”

Judges 4:17-24 “A Moment of Courage”

Often one brave moment can change everything. The moment you asked a girl out or to marry you. The moment you ventured into the water over your head, jumped out of an airplane, or walked in for a job interview. Moments you cannot step back from. Israel’s fight with King Jabin of Hazor hung on such a moment. Yes, there was some preparation, a set up, but it still came to a moment of courage.

1.       Deborah the judge
a. Deborah is the judge who God gave a prophecy of victory to.
b. Barak was to lead Israel to fight and win
c. Barak wants Deborah to go, as a result the victory will be given…

2.       The moment of courage
a. Barak’s army defeats the army of Sisera, King Jabin’s general.
b. Sisera leaves his chariot and runs away.
c. He comes to Jael’s tent and thinks he will find safety.
d. Jael has been setting him up from the moment she saw him.
e. When she picks up the tent peg and hammer she cannot go back.
f. what if………

3.       We face divine moments
a. The moment we gave our life to Jesus
b. each week we encounter divine moments
c. we get a feeling we should say something or do something.
d. a challenge to step from the safety of our comfort zone.
This is the Holy Spirit speaking to you, guiding you.
e. our faith hangs in the balance.  Matthew 10:32
f. someone’s eternity may hang in the balance.
g. what will we say? What will we do?
h. It may be just to walk across a room and say hello

This week you will face divine moments. Moments that demand courage, that demand faith. Moments that you cannot step back from. Will you take a step of faith, or will you play it safe? Find that courage to act on the Holy Spirit’s leading and you will not only change your life, you may just change someone else’s life for eternity. It just takes a moment of courage.

Believe For Them Judges 4:4-10

Believe For Them Judges 4:4-10

Deborah There are a couple of unique things about her time as a judge so I will two Sunday’s on her. First is that she is a woman of God being used in a male dominated world. Her saving of Israel is one of the longer parts of Judges.

Today I want to look at her work with Barak. She summons Barak to her then gives him a Prophesy from the Lord. “Go to battle with Jabin’s army and his general Sisera has been given into your hand.”

1.      To believe for him.
a. Barak lacks confidence
b. confidence that God can will win the victory.
c. Confidence that God will win it through him.
d. He needs Deborah to go with Him.
e. He looks to Deborah’s faith in God. She must believe for him.

2.      People who needed others to support them
a. Gideon has a fleece
b. Moses had Aaron
c. Balaam had a donkey
d. Paul had Barnabas

3.      People toady need someone to believe in them.
a. Ezekiel 22:30 (no one found to stand in the gap)
b. People do not know of God
c. lost without a shepherd

d. they need you to believe for them
e. they need you to believe in them
f. Isa 6:8 “here I am, send me.”

Like Barak needed Deborah to believe for him and go with him, people today need you to believe for them, go to battle for them. They need to walk in your faith for a while until they have their own. Will you stand with them? Will you go with them, until the battle is won? Many lives will be changed when you dare to believe for them.

Someone sent to save Judges 3:31

Someone sent to save Judges 3:31

The cycle of. We saw how the people reject God and go after the local gods, the intermarry, and they compromise. God brings and oppressors to punish them, The people then cry out to God and God sends a deliverer. God slays the oppressor.  Today we will look at God sending the deliverer.

When the people cry out to God, He answers and send a deliverer to free the people. We have read of Othniel, and Ehud. We know of Deborah, Gideon, and Samson. Today we look at Shamgar. We know very little about Shamgar. We know he kills 900 Philistines and does it with a farm tool.

1.     God sends a deliverer

a.     Some are well known while others are not.

b.     Shamgar seems like an honorable mention.

c.      There is no mention of the people getting behind him.

d.     The people normally come out and fight for their country

e.     Some are brave, some are not.

f.       But all are sent by God.

2.     Judges through history

a.     Samuel, David, Elijah, and Elisha.

b.     Luther, Calvin, Knox, Wesley and many others

c.      Jesus

3.     The deliverer

a.     Sent by God

b.     Your deliverer

c.      Who are you sent to deliver

Are you being oppressed? Are you calling out to God? Look for the deliver God has sent. A teacher, a doctor, a nurse, a friend. Fight the battle with them, believe in them.

Become the deliverer for others, see them, hear them, pray for them, fight for them.

Judges 3:15-23 “God Slays the Oppressor”

Judges 3:15-23 “God Slays the Oppressor”

 

We have looked at the reoccurring situations of Israel neglecting and turning from their relationship with God, God sending an oppressor to punish them and the Israelites crying out to God for help. Now we look at another thing that reoccurs in the book of Judges, God slays the oppressor. Though God uses nations to oppress Israel to bring her back to Him, He still keeps His promise to Abraham “³  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:3

God has given your enemies into your hand.
1. 3:10 the king of Mesopotamia
2. 3:28 the Moabites
3. 3:31 Philistines
4. 4:7 the Canaanites

A Land of oppressors
1. Of nations
2. Money
a. desire for more
b. the lack of
c. retirement savings and the stock market
3. Health
a. striving after perfect health
b. eating disorder
c. Joints wearing out
d. our mind wearing out
e. Cancers
f. other illnesses
4. Other oppressors

God will slay the oppressors
1. Zec 4:6 Not by Might not by power
2. Eph 2:8 For it is by grace
3. You can’t do this on your own
a. positive thinking
b. perfect planning
c. buy your way out
4 Romans 8:31-39

What oppresses you today? What overwhelms you to the point of breaking? What holds you back from being the person who follows God without reservation? When we cry out to God, He not only hears our cries, He will slay the oppressor and make us free. As we will see it may not look the way we expect. It may come as a left handed guy with a short sward. But God will slay the oppressor when we call out to Him.