Little is much when God is in it

 LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 4 JUNE 2023

JUDGES 7 VERSES 1 – 8

We see here in these verses something of the preparation for the battle in Gideon’s heart and mind and the preparation of the people.  In verse 9 we also see the plan for this battle.  Surely that is what God is doing for us today – he is preparing us.  He has a plan and purpose in it all.  On the outward we can see little but remember – little is much when God is in it.  The secret is keeping the Lord before us, keeping our eyes fixed firmly on him.  So much has taken place in Gideon’s life up to now.  He had spent 7 years battling this enemy.  The enemy had brought hunger, starvation, humiliation, oppression.  His own father was an idolatrous man.  He had an image of Baal in his home.  The people around him worshipped false gods.  For 7 years they had been under the oppressive hand of the enemy.  God was working this out.  Now we come to this challenging event.  Preparation was needed for the battle.

 

Gideon regroups the forces.  In verse 1 we see that he had been given a new name.  The day he had torn down the altar to Baal in his father’s house he was given this new name.  In verse 1 we read “and all the people were with him.”  Sometimes we can get to a point where we think no-one is with us.  Elijah felt that.  In verse 3 we read that there were 32,000 people ready to fight.  The people had to be regrouped.  The people were behind him with their allegiance and trust.  Joshua 1 verse 17.  The people in Joshua’s day were looking for a man they knew God was with, who was walking with God.  They had hearkened unto Moses – that was their testimony but now they were prepared to hearken unto Joshua only.  Here in this chapter, there were a people who were ready to stand up and be counted.  They were small in number compared to the enemy, but God was with them.  That is the assurance we have.   In Isaiah 43 we read “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.” (verse 2)  There is a battle to be fought and won.  There is a victory to gain.  The Christian life is not easy.  When we come to trust the Lord as Saviour, we get a great enemy.  When the Lord speaks to us, he shows us our need of salvation.  Without him we would die in our sin and go to hell.  To know eternity will span out before us without any relief.  The day and hour you come to know the Lord you take the greatest friend.  He will be with you throughout life and then in death will take you by the hand and present you to his father in heaven with joy.  Is that what you are looking forward to today?  There is a work to be done.  There is a victory to be gained.  Gideon is encouraging the troops to get behind him and they were ready to follow after Gideon.  He couldn’t look back to the life of Deborah and Barak because now they were in turmoil.  We cannot live in the past.  We cannot live in the blessings of others.  We need that blessing for ourselves.  Gideon now must place his hand into the hand of God.  He was going out against the enemy.  The little things sometimes scare us.  Think of the little boy in the crowd with his lunch. So little but God was in it.  He handed his lunch over to Jesus.  The widow woman with 2 mites, it was all she had but Jesus recognised that.  Remember the widow woman in the book of Kings.  All she had was enough to make one last meal.  When she put it into Elijah’s hands it never failed.  She had sufficient to live on.  Maybe we need to place all into Jesus’ hands today.  Maybe we haven’t given him our all.  The battle is the Lord’s today not ours.  Daniel had to learn to do that when he was put into the lion’s den.  He trusted the Lord to close the lions’ mouths.  Gideon provided the leadership in his own home when he put down the Baal image.  We need to give a similar clear testimony in our homes.  Moses’ father and mother knew the command of the king, but they hid their son for 3 months.  When they could hide him no more, they put him into the river.  They did everything possible for their child.  Are we doing everything possible for the children around us today?  Moses grew up in the lap of luxury in the palace, but his mother was there to teach him the things of God.  Moses made the choice later in his life to walk away from the home of Pharaoh’s daughter and take up the leadership of God’s people.  He was able to make that decision because of God’s word.

 

The recognition of the enemy.  Gideon got into the position of seeing the enemy.  As Christians we should recognise the enemy today.  Paul in Ephesians 6 took great pains to identify the enemy and show some of his tactics.  “We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers in high places.”  Our enemy is invisible, but he is crafty and cunning.  We need to be on our guard.  What do I do when he comes to attack me?  I put on the whole armour of God.  Not just a little part of it but all of it.  Take time to put it on, make sure you are trusting in that armour.  Gideon was looking down on the enemy and there were some 135,000 fighting men gathered against the Israelites.  When Ezra and Nehemiah in their day were building the walls and the temple, the enemy wanted to get in to the very heart of the work.  They came to Ezra and asked to build with him.  He looked at them and said “ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God.” (Ezra 4 verse 3)  Sometimes we have to be careful.  Change was on the way.  God was at work in this story.  God told Gideon that the number he had were too many.  Sometimes when we see a great movement, we think God is at work but perhaps not.  Yes, God is at work behind the scenes.  He was working in Joash’s home to raise up his son Gideon.  Think of the story of David.  Samuel was told to go down to Jesse’s house and he didn’t know which son God had picked out.  Or think of Moses – God was working in that home to bring about a great deliverance from Egypt.  Or think of the story of Mordecai and Esther.  Just when that decree went out that would have destroyed the Jews, God was raising up Esther “for such a time as this”.  In the days of Nehemiah, he was ridiculed and slandered.  The enemy tried to hinder the work and the walls being built.  The enemy sent word asking him to meet with them, but Nehemiah refused.  We have to be careful that we recognise the enemy.  The enemy would love to get into the life of your home, your church and your community.  He will try to bring you down.  Don’t let him in.  Recognise him.  With Jesus we can arise and go forward with God’s help.