This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "Call On The Lord All The Time", Judges 6:11-24, 6/14/2020

   

CALL ON THE LORD ALL THE TIME

Judges 6:11-24

GOD IS ON MY SIDE

11 The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the Lord  appeared to Gideon, he said, "The Lord  is with you, mighty warrior."

A. Angels are messengers of God.

     1. The Bible says be kind to strangers because you never know

          when you are entertaining an angel.

     2. Have you ever had a personal issue or illness and you couldn’t  

         find a solution?

          a. You prayed about it, sought advice from doctors and

              friends and found no solution.

          b. Then out of the blue, someone comes along and offers you a  

              suggestion that worked.

           c. That person was the angel sent by God.

B. Because of their past sins, Israel was oppressed by the Midianites

     For seven years.

     1. They ate their crops and destroyed their livestock.

     2. Israel cried out to the Lord and He heard their prayer.

     3. The Lord may work through people to answer your prayers.

C. God selects people who are faithful, busy, and reliable to

      serve as His leaders.

   1. Those who the Lord pick to lead will be position and backed

        with His power.

    2. Gideon was given the title of the mighty warrior and assured that

        Lord was on his side.

INVESTIGATE THE WORD OF GOD

    V: 13 "But sir," Gideon replied, "if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, 'Did not the Lord  bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the Lord  has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian."

14 The Lord turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?"

15 "But Lord, Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."

A. Many times, God chooses the least likely person to lead.

     1. The race is not always given to the strong and the swift.

          Amos 2:14

        The swift will not escape,

       the strong will not muster their strength,

       and the warrior will not save his life.

  2. You may not be the best or the most talented person, but

       God can use what you have to get His work completed.

B. If you are willing to serve, God will give you the victory

     before the battle starts.

   1. God chose Gideon to save a nation. Not because he was powerful

       or had any greatness, but because he was faithful in his

       service.

   2. You may be the one God chooses for a national assignment.

   3. Notice Gideon was focused on his limitations.

   4. With God, there are no limits.

C. Gideon knew the history of what God had done for Israel.

    1. He wondered why God had not acted sooner.

    2. God chastised Israel for their sins against Him by allowing

       the Midianites to oppressed them.

    3. Sometimes when we are going through trials, we should

        ask the question, what is my part in this?

DEVELOP A LISTENING EAR TO THE LORD’S VOICE

   V:16 The Lord  answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together."

17 Gideon replied, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is you talking to me. 18 Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you."

 And the Lord  said, "I will wait until you return."

A. If we dedicated ourselves to God, He will give us favor over man.

     I. It is ok to ask God for a sign when He instructs you to do

  something well beyond your capabilities.

     2. God will confirm His word to you in some extraordinary way.

     3. However, we must follow His instruction

B. While we are waiting on God, prepare a special offering for Him.

     1. God is pleased with our sacrifice when our hearts are sincere.

     2. We have to be prepared to wait on the Lord

BE OBEDIENT TO GOD’S COMMANDS

V:19 Gideon went in, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.

20 The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth." And Gideon did so. 21 With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the Lord  touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread.

A. God may use what we sacrifice to Him to show us His power and

 presence in our lives.

1. God can multiply our sacrifice and return to us.

       2. In Gideon case, his faith in God was strengthened multifold.

B. God performed a miracle before his eyes.

     1. If you want to see a miracle, look around you and see His

 marvelous works.

     2. God will give you insight into His power if you are willing to

    give Him credit for what you see.

   3. We know the chemical formula of water, H2O.

        But do you know how many molecules it takes to make one drop

        of water?   It is 1.67 sextrillions.

    4. A glass of water is a miracle before your eyes.

    5. It was God who created all the water of the earth.

BUILD AN ALTAR IN YOU LIFE FOR GOD   

V:21 And the Angel of the Lord disappeared. 22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, "Ah, Sovereign Lord ! I have seen the angel of the Lord  face to face!"

23 But the Lord  said to him, "Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die."

24 So Gideon built an altar to the Lord  there and called it The Lord  is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

A. Notice in the entire conversation, Gideon did not realize he

     was talking to an angel.

    1. However, Gideon treated who he thought was a man with respect 

        and kindness.

    2. Gideon stopped the work he was doing to entertain the stranger.

    3. That is a practical lesson to us that God can use anyone He

 chooses to give us a message from Him.

B. If we don’t take time to value the presence of others, we may never

     know why God placed them in our lives.

   1. We can learn something valuable from everyone we meet.

   2. The reason is, God made everyone in His image and likeness.

C. The reason Gideon was fearful after he recognized it was the

      angel of the Lord He was talking with, was because of

     the belief that you would die if you saw the Lord.

    1. Look at what God told Moses:

           Ex 33:20

     But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and

     live."

 2. We have to be careful that we don't take scripture out of its contexts

 or add words that are not there.

 3. Gideon didn’t see the face of the Lord, he saw an angel.

D. God has not given us the spirit of fear, but, power, love, and

sound mind.

1. God will comfort us with His Word when we are fearful.

2. To be comforted by His Word, you have to know and believe

     His Word.

E. When we are fearful, the best place to be is in prayer.

     1. When Gideon heard the Word of the Lord, he built

          an altar to the Lord.

     2. To worship the Lord is to gain His attention and approval.

              

         Ps 22:3-4

      Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;

     you are the praise of Israel.

      4 In you our fathers put their trust;

     they trusted and you delivered them.

THANK GOD FOR BEING ON YOUR SIDE

Rev. M. Mitchell

Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church

5510 West Sam Houston Parkway North

Houston, Texas  77041

For more lesson, follow me on facebook and visit my

Blogs: revmmitchell.com and goodnewrevmitc.blogspot.com