LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH
SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 30 APRIL 2023
JUDGES 6 VERSES 11 – 23
At this time there was no
king in Israel. The people had become lax
in their attitude and had a coldness to the things of God. God allowed the enemy to come in. The people started to cry out to God again. Notice the words in verse 7 “and it came to
pass”. The Children of Israel got so fed
up with the way they were living, under the hand of the oppressive Midianites
that they lifted up their eyes to God. It
is a reminder of how important the prayer meeting is in our church
meetings. When they cried God sent a
prophet – verse 11 and then he sent the angel of deliverance.
The busyness of
Gideon. This was a dark time in Israel’s
history. Gideon was living in a home
where his father served the gods of Baal – there was even an idol in that home
(verse 25). Gideon had no time for the
worship of Baal. Notice that Gideon says
of himself “I am the least in my father’s house” (verse 15) implying that he
did not believe in worshipping Baal and his family looked down on him as a
result. What a reminder of the stand we
need to take for God in our homes today.
God’s eye was on the nation of Israel, and he could hear their cries even
though this nation had turned their back on God (verse 7). Remember when Moses was called by God to go
back to Egypt, God said “And the
LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their
taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;” (Exodus 3 verse 7) God prepares you and I for the task he has
for his glory and honour. Think of Cornelius
in Acts of the Apostles. He was crying
out to God when the angel came and told him “Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before
God. And now send men
to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter.” (Acts 10 verses 4 and 5) Maybe there is someone crying out to God today
and God has been speaking to your heart to respond. Gideon was busy – verse 11 – threshing wheat
by the winepress. This man was doing
something under the shadow of darkness.
He was gathering in enough sheaves into a secluded place to be able to work. He was taking the wheat out of the hands of
the enemy. Usually the threshing was
done on a hill so that the wind would winnow the wheat. Gideon had to do it quietly, secretly with small
portions at a time. “The thief cometh
not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might
have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10 verse
10) Gideon was so busy gathering in that
wheat so that the enemy would not get it.
We are battling against Satan our enemy today. Are we doing all we can today to prevent the
enemy gaining a foothold? God expects us
to sow little seeds here and there. God
comes to you in your busyness. Remember
Amos – he was following after the herds when God called him. Moses was leading the sheep out in the desert
when God spoke from the burning bush.
David was a shepherd boy when God called him to be King of Israel. Abraham’s servant went looking for a wife for
Isaac when the very woman God had planned came out to meet him. “I being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.”
(Genesis 24 verse 27) Saul met Samuel
and became the first king of Israel but how did Samuel find him? All because the donkeys had escaped. Keep your ear open to God. Gideon had gone out on this particular night
to gather in some wheat. God came to
right where he was. Commentators say
that this angel was in fact Christ pre incarnate. God was in Gideon’s midst that night. Remember the 2 on the road to Emmaus. There were down in spirit, but Jesus drew
alongside them. In the gospels we read
of a woman bound for years. Sabbath
after sabbath she came and listened to the word of God. One day Jesus came to where she was. He released her from her bondage. Her wait was worth it all. In Acts 12 Peter was arrested and put into
prison. It was probably a dark place to
be in. It was damp and cold. There were soldiers standing guard on the
cell. There was no way of escape. But in that city, there was a prayer meeting
going on in a house. As they prayed God came
into that dungeon. Peter’s chains fell
off, the door to the cell and the prison house opened and Peter walked
out. God is working even today. Gideon had a certain amount of fear. Isaiah 43 verse 2 “When thou passest through
the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not
overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned;
neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”
The barriers Gideon
faced – verse 13 “And Gideon said unto
him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and
where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the
LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered
us into the hands of the Midianites.” Remember Moses – he questioned his speech and
ability to speak to Pharaoh. Jeremiah claimed
he was only a child when God called him.
“But the LORD said
to me, "Do not say, `I am only a child. ' You must go to everyone I send
you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with
you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.” God is with us. He will not forsake us nor let us down.
The benefits that
Gideon received – verse 16 – “The Lord answered,
"I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving
none alive." Remember Samuel in the
temple. All he did was open and close
the doors each day and attended to the needs of Eli. God would raise him up to be the greatest
prophet in Israel. Moses was 80 years of
age when God spoke to him at the burning bush.
Caleb asked for his own land at 84 years of age. God would be with Gideon. He was with the Children of Israel throughout
their wilderness wanderings. He
said to Moses “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest [by bringing
you and the people into the promised land].” And
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