John 3:9-15 lifted up for all

John 3:9-15 lifted up for all

Today is Palm Sunday, a day when Jesus is welcomed by the people as a Hero. Waving palm branches and shouting Hosanna in the highest. Heroism usually happens in a moment. A cop or a fireman respond to a call and then comes a moment of choice, draw your weapon or run in the building. A soldier in a fire fight, runs in for a buddy or dives on a bomb. While they know the choice may come they don’t know for sure it will come. And they don’t have time to think about who they are saving and why. But Jesus did have the time. He had the time, knew the hearts of the people, and from that perspective Jesus walks His entire life on the road to the cross.

1. Lifted Up
a. The strange conversation only understood at the end of the book
b. Numbers 21:5-9
c. Jesus lifted up for all to see
d. Jesus knew, walked His whole life knowing

2. Jesus still needs to be lifted up
a. I never talk to Jen because I don’t want to talk religion.
b. every day you lift up your picture of Jesus
c. tongue wagging and finger pointing
d. faith as a backpack
e. church as a small town board meeting

3. A New Picture of Jesus
a. faith as Chocolate cake
b. Church as a campfire
c. God’s Word as a cup of hot coffee in a living room of friends

Jesus walked every day of His life deliberately toward the Cross. That is heroic. We need to walk deliberately each day holding up our picture of Jesus. Who He is and What He is about. Every day we lift up our picture of Jesus, we only get to choose what that picture looks like.

Judges 6:36-40 “How Many Signs Do You Need?”

Judges 6:36-40 “How Many Signs Do You Need?”

Last week we learned how Gideon wanted God to do great things in Israel and deliver them as God had done in the past. Gideon is told that God would use him to deliver his people. Gideon destroyed the false gods on his father’s land.

We often have God’s Spirit speak to our heart. It can be a light happy or excited message to go speak to someone. Sometimes when God speaks it is a heaviness, a burden, impressing upon us the need to pray for someone or help someone, or speak up for God. But like Gideon we just want more before we act.

1.       Gideon ask for signs
a. the fleece is wet and the ground dry I will know.
b. they wring out a bowl full of water.
c. the fleece is dry and the ground is wet.
d. God made it happen.

2.       God is not done showing off for Gideon
a. Gideon has an army of 32,000 men
b. God says send the fearful home and 22,000 men leave.
c. God says those who kneel down to drink send home, 700 men leave.
d. Gideon asked for two signs from God and God cuts his army twice.

3.       God wants to do great things through us
a. bring people to Him
b. deliver people from things that oppress them
c. God lays it on our heart to go and win the battles of our time
d. we do not need 1,000’s or even 100’s to go with us
e. we just need to be willing and go.
f. It is time to stop praying for signs and time to start fighting for victory.
g. fight for your family, children, parents, friends, neighbor, your communities.

There came a time when God said Gideon we have spent enough time praying and talking it’s now time to fight the battle and win. In our lives it’s time to stop praying and talking, it’s time for doing. It is time to follow that voice peaking to your heart, take up the Spirit’s power and win the battle.

Judges 3:25-27 “tear it down”

Judges 3:25-27 “tear it down”

Gideon is the reluctant judge.  Gideon is at the winepress beating the wheat, hiding from the Midianites, Israel’s enemy. When Gideon meets the angel of God he ask the question everyone ask. God if you are with us then where are your mighty works of deliverance? We may ask the same question. God where is your healing? Where is your protection? God where is a revival for our church, our home, our life? Lord my enemies oppress me at work or school, where are you to part Mora Lake and drown them all?

This question has many answers but in this case it is part of the reoccurring theme of Judges, “because you have not obeyed God. God tells Gideon that Israel has gone after other God’s. One of the answers to where is God and His power in our life, our church, our communities, may be found in this section of Judges.

1.       Alters of worship to false god’s
a. Israel has broken the first two commandments Ex 20:1-6
b. Gideon’s own father has an alter to Baal and an idol to Asherah
c. false god’s in the church
d. the god of compliancy
e. the god of political correctness
f. The god of money
g. The god of personal sin

2.       Tear them down
a. if we want to see God work in power we must tear them down
b. Gideon is told to tear down the alter to Baal and cut down the Asherah poll
c. Gideon is afraid so he does it at night
d. identify alters and idols through prayer and observation
e. What idols and alters are in your life?
f. confront them and tear them down, remove them from your life.
g. Psalm 139:23&24

3.       Build an alter to the Lord
a. another key to God working in power in our lives is sacrifice
b. Gideon is instructed to build a new alter to the Lord
c. Gideon is told to offer a sacrifice to the true God
d.  Judges 6:34 The Spirit of God clothed Gideon
e. Romans 12:1&2 our life a sacrifice (our wants and desires)
f. John14:15-17 Obedience brings the Spirit’s power

What are your excuses for not living radically for God? What do you keep finding interfering with your walk with God? These are some of your alters and idols. Has God pointed out an alter or idol in your life? There is only one way to deal with it, tear it down. Offer your life as a sacrifice to God and you will be clothed with the Holy Spirit and open the way for God to work in power in your life.