* The Israelites had just experienced 45 years of peace and prosperity, but they were ungrateful.
* This opened up the door for them to worship different gods.
* When my kids are ungrateful it really bothers me.
* Considering all that parents do, kids should be crazy grateful!
* Warren Wiersbe - “The essence of idolatry is enjoying God’s gifts but not being grateful to the Giver…..Thanksgiving glorifies God and is a strong defense against selfishness and idolatry.”
* Gratitude is all about focus.
* The more I focus on my wife, the more I realize all that she does, the more grateful I feel for her, the more I love her and want to serve her.
* If I don’t focus on her I take her for granted, living thanklessly, and ultimately growing apart.
* We all need to learn to be proactively thankful.
* This means we take the time to think about God - who He is and what He’s done for us.
* If we don’t we will drift and another god will replace Him.
Judges 10:6-8 (4/20/17)
Root of Idolatry
April 20, 2017 • Benham Brothers
Judges 1 (4/12/18)
April 12, 2018 • Benham Brothers
* The Israelites had ownership of the land but they did not possess it. * They had the power and the authority, but they refused to walk in authority and use their power. * They “could” not take the land because they “would” not. * Why? * 1) They were slothful and cowardly. * 2) They were covetous - they wanted the Canaanites’ labour and money would do them more good than harm. * 3) They pitied those who would lead them astray - they didn’t have the proper view toward the dangers of idolatry. * 4) They didn’t truly believe they could defeat them.
Judges 1:19 (4/13/17)
April 13, 2017 • Benham Brothers
* Luke 9:1 - God has given us two things: * Power - the “ability” to do something. * Authority - the “right” to do something. * As Christians we have BOTH! * ** Side note - Judas had authority as well. * In Judges 1:19 we see that the Israelites owned all the land, but they didn’t possess all of it, so they couldn’t enjoy it. * They “failed” to drive them out because they “refused” to do it. * The Israelites had the authority and power to possess the entire land, but they didn’t. * Judges 1:27-36 - all of these tribes went from defeat to defeat. * We walk in defeat when we cease to walk in faith. * Judges 2:1-3 - the reason they couldn’t drive out the inhabitants - they hadn’t done their part by staying set apart from the people. * If we do our part God will do His part.
Judges 3:1 (4/12/18)
April 12, 2018 • Benham Brothers
* God turned the Israelites failure of driving out the Canaanites into something that could be positive. * For the Israelites who didn’t know how to fight it would teach them how to be warriors. * This is a picture of what we are to do with sin - drive it out! * This will require a FIGHT. * The Israelites had to learn to be militant and so do we.