Judges
Awestruck
November 26, 2023 • Pastor Chad Thompson • Judges 17, Isaiah 6:1–8
Bottom line: The Christian life is lame when God is not King! In the time of the Judges, the nation of Israel struggled with idolatry. That struggle is as real for us today as it was for Israel then. The first commandment is: Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. It reveals the biggest struggle of our lives, i.e. the struggle to keep God first in our lives, to live in a way that God is truly God of our lives. The second commandment is: thou shalt not make any graven image. It reveals our struggle to worship God as He truly is. We don't have to fashion a physical image in order to worship a god who is the work of our hands. We can reshape and revise who God is in our minds and hearts. We can bring God downward in holiness and man-ward in appearance (i.e. character, behavior, etc.). When we revise and reshape God, we practice idolatry, and our Christian experience becomes lame. Being awestruck with God is the result of recognizing God as our uncontrollable, holy King.
Repent And Fight Another Day
November 19, 2023 • Pastor Chad Thompson • Judges 16:21–31
Bottom line: Rock bottom doesn't have to be our final defeat; it can be the place from which we repent and fight another day victoriously. At rock bottom Samson humbled his heart in repentance and sought God's help by faith to restore his strength. Samson's greatest victory was on the other side of his rock bottom experience. Samson repented to fight another day. By faith he won the victory. Samson's experience is an encouragement to us to not give up or give in to the apparent defeat of hitting rock bottom. Instead, let's do what Samson did - repent and fight another day victoriously.
Samson's Kryptonite
November 12, 2023 • Pastor Chad Thompson • Judges 16:19–21
Bottom line: A compromised calling + a corrupted character = a collision course with a sinful disaster. Samson is the picture of a believer who gets on a collision course with a sinful destruction. Samson compromised his calling by not living a life separated from sin and to God. He regularly chose to sin sexually, pridefully, disrespectfully, selfishly, etc. Samson literally became imprisoned in Gaza because he first became a prisoner of sin. The lesson we learn from Samson is that sin will not only eventually bring destruction, but it will predictably bring destruction. The course of sin in our lives is enticement, control, and betrayal. Sin will do to us metaphorically what actually happened to Samson. Sin will blind us, bind us, and make our lives grind.
The Promised Birth Of An Army Of One
November 5, 2023 • Pastor Chad Thompson • Judges 13:1–5, Judges 13:24–25
Bottom Line – God will do more through you because of your faithfulness than He will do through you in spite of your unfaithfulness. Samson's birth (i.e. the birth of an army of one) was promised. He would be a child with great potential and a champion with great power. Samson was a man who was blessed by God with supernatural power. And there were times in his life where he exercised faith to use his strength to do amazing feats. Yet, when we study Samson's life we see that although he did exercise episodes of faith, he did not exercise faithfulness. He became so unfaithful to God that God's presence and power left Samson and he didn't even know it. Did God use Samson? Yes. In spite of his unfaithfulness God did use him. But how much more would God have done through Samson if he had been faithful to God?
A Story Of Redemption
October 29, 2023 • Tyler Evatt • Ruth
The story of Ruth and her redemption by a kinsman redeemer (Boaz) takes place during the time of the Judges. The book of Ruth is a wonderful story of love and redemption. It teaches us how the gospel is open to every person. And Boaz, the kinsman redeemer, points us to Jesus who is the ultimate redeemer of lost mankind.
I Am Samson
October 22, 2023 • Curtis Epnett • Judges 13:1–5
Bottom line: Samson was strengthened by God even though he was sinful because he was willing to be faithful. I am Samson. I am like Samson. I am no superhero. I can be used of God. I have a story like Samson. God brought me into this world on purpose with a purpose. I have the same source of strength like Samson. God's Holy Spirit strengthens me to serve His calling. I, too often, have sin like Samson. When I yield to my fleshly desires, I will be led to sin. And yet God will use me and strengthen me (a weak sinner) if I will be willing to be faithful.
Don't Make Promises You'd Rather Not Keep
October 15, 2023 • Pastor Chad Thompson • Judges 11:29–40
Bottom line: We don't need an "if...then..." bargain with God. We need an "if not" clause in our statement of faith. Jephthah sought to bargain with God to get a guaranteed victory over the Ammonites. He had faith that God had the power to deliver the Ammonites, but he didn't have confidence in what he and his army could do, so he rashly made a vow that in the end he wished he didn't have to keep, but he did. Instead of bargaining with God, Jephthah needed to expand his faith in God. He needed a faith that went beyond believing in the power of God, to a faith that believed in the purpose of God, i.e. trusting not only in what God could do but what God would do through him and his army. We can learn some important lessons from Jephthah's vow. 1) Don't bargain with God. 2) If we make a promise or commitment to God, fulfill it. 3) Expand our faith to believe in God's power, purpose, and promise. When we do, we sense God's peace and presence with us in the "foxhole" moments of life.
Falling Before The Finish
October 8, 2023 • Pastor Chad Thompson • Judges 8:18–35
Bottom line: When we fail to finish the right fight, we fall before we cross the finish line. Gideon finished the fight against Midian, however he did not finish the fight for Israel. While he delivered Israel from Midianite oppression, he did not restore Israel to serving and worshipping Jehovah as God and King. He failed to finish the fight not only for Israel but also for himself. He ultimately got sacked by the very blessing of victory. He lost his humility, his heart-honesty, and his hallelujah. He stumbled and fell before he finished. And in the end, the people who received great blessing through his service to God forget both Gideon and God.
Finish The Fight
October 1, 2023 • Pastor Chad Thompson • Judges 8:1–23
Bottom line: The faith-filled and faithful fight to finish the fight. We have to have faith to fight. We have to have faithfulness to finish it. Gideon was a man of both faith and faithfulness. He overcame several obstacles placed in his way that could have caused him to quit before he truly finished the fight. However, he would not be satisfied with a partial victory. He finished the fight to obtain the victory. The victory wasn't just delivering Israel from Midianite oppression. The real victory was leading Israel to return to worship God and recognize Him as their King.
Faith's Reward
September 24, 2023 • Pastor Chad Thompson • Judges 7:7–25
Bottom line: God rewards faith with victory. God tested Gideon's faith when He asked Gideon to thin out the ranks of his army. Gideon dismissed 31,700 soldiers of his 32,000 man army. Gideon reduced his army by faith to just 300 men. After testing Gideon's faith, God then sought to encourage and honor his faith so that ultimately He could reward Gideon's faith with victory. He encouraged Gideon's faith by once again promising him victory. However, this time the promise is in the past tense. The victory is as good as done. He also encouraged Gideon's faith by allowing him to see (hear) a preview of the victory by overhearing the interpretation of a dream. God then honored Gideon's faith because Gideon was faithful. He and his men did what God called them to do (blow, break, shine, and shout) and then they stood in their place. God fought the battle, and Gideon's army experienced the victory.
The Willing & Faithful
September 17, 2023 • Curtis Epnett • Judges 7:1–8
Bottom line: Are you willing to be a part of the faithful? God selected a small group of men to be used in Gideon's army. They had to be willing and faithful. He chose those who weren't afraid of the commitment, the call, or the challenge. And He chose those who had the right focus. They focused on the war not the water, their waiting not their wallowing, and the wins instead of their wants. God doesn't need a lot, or any for that matter, to accomplish His work, but He will use those who are willing and faithful. Will you choose to be a part of the willing a faithful?
Gideon's Fleece And Faith
September 10, 2023 • Pastor Chad Thompson • Judges 6:33—7:7
Bottom line: Our willingness to do the will of God is key to God assuring us of His will and confirming our faith to accomplish His will. Gideon is a man who needs assurance that he is doing God's will and reassuring that God will do what God has said He will do. Gideon puts God to the test with his "putting out the fleece." And graciously, God condescends to Gideon and does as Gideon requests. God gives Gideon the assurance he asks for. While Gideon wobbles in his faith, he does have one thing going for him - he is willing. After Gideon has put God to the test, God puts Gideon to the test. He tests Gideon's faith and then confirms that Gideon is the man for the job that God has called him to, i.e. to save Israel from the hand of Midian.
The Worshipping Warrior
September 3, 2023 • Pastor Chad Thompson • Judges 6:17–32
Bottom line: Victory in spiritual warfare is impossible without genuine worship of God. Following God's calling of Gideon to deliver the nation from Midian's control, Gideon wants to know that he is truly being called and commissioned by God. Before Gideon goes to war, he worships God with a sacrifice. In the text (Judges 6:17-32) we see the topic of worship over and over. Gideon offers an offering (sacrifice) to God. Gideon builds an altar to the Lord and names it Jehovah-Shalom. Gideon destroys the altar of Baal. Gideon builds a new altar to God and sacrifices a bull to God. In these four movements of worship we see several principles or lessons that we can learn from Gideon: 1) Worshipping God precedes warring with the enemy 2) The peace of God is preparation for the conflict 3) The public battle is preceded by personal victory 4) God proves us to be faithful and proves His own faithfulness to us Deliverance from the troubles of our own making is impossible until we destroy the altars of false worship that led us to the trouble in the first place.
God Unexpectedly Call Unlikely Leaders
August 27, 2023 • Pastor Chad Thompson • Judges 6:1–16
Bottom line: God unexpectedly calls unlikely leaders to accomplish "unbelievable" things for Him and with Him. Gideon is an unlikely choice to lead the military into action. When we meet him in the story of Judges, he is hiding in a winepress threshing wheat. He seems anything but courageous. However, God sees something in Gideon that Gideon doesn't even see in himself - a mighty man of valor. Gideon doesn't know it when he meets God, but God will use Gideon to deliver Israel from the oppression of Midian. God will give Gideon his divine authority and divine accompaniment. And with God's power and presence, Gideon will deliver Israel. One of the most important lessons we can learn from Gideon's story is that God can use anyone. And that means God can use us. Let's lean into God's authority and presence and watch Him do great things through us.
The Impact Of Godly Influece
August 20, 2023 • Pastor Chad Thompson • Judges 4:1–5, Judges 5:7
Bottom line: When we stand up in faith and act with faithfulness toward God, we can be used of Him to impact our culture with godly influence. Deborah was a woman of great influence. As a Judge, she had matriarchal influence, religious influence, civil influence, and military influence. She exercised her influence in a godly way because she had confidence in God's Word, God's will, God's way, and showed courage in meeting the enemy (Jabin's army) and partnering with Barak. She impacted her entire nation with her influence. She rallied her general and army to be used of God to deliver the nation from Jabin's oppression.