Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. The word vocation is derived from a voice calling out.
That's why our vocation is our calling. We run the race of life best if we're following the call of God on our lives. Today we meet a man named Gideon who felt the call of God in a unique way.
Stay with us. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, during the time of Israel's judges, several significant characters appeared. Not the least among them was a man named Gideon.
And you know, Dave, whenever we think of Gideon, we immediately think of Gideon's fleece. A very interesting story, but there's something else that comes to my mind. And that is, I remember when he was speaking to the Lord, he said, where are the miracles that we have heard about? And you know, as we look at our society today, there are many people who are going through trials and they look at the Bible, which has many accounts of miracles, and they say, where are the miracles?
And what God does is he uses Gideon to bring about a miracle. So to all those who are out there today, you're struggling, you're wondering where God is, well, God may actually use you in someone else's life in a remarkable way. And we here at Running to Win rejoice in the wonderful opportunity that we have to share the good news of the gospel of Christ around the world. But we could not do it without people like you. We appreciate so much those who pray for us. And if you make a contribution to Running to Win during the month of August, your gift is doubled. I hope that you have a pen or pencil handy, because here's what you can do for info. Go to rtwoffer.com.
That's rtwoffer.com or pick up the phone and call us at 1-888-218-9337. Thank you in advance for holding our hands and let's move forward believing God for miracles. So often we hear a phrase like this. We hear that God called me into some kind of ministry. What does that mean when people are called? There's the general call of salvation, but then there is that leading of God to specific vocations, specific vocations that have great spiritual interconnectedness. Well, today we're going to find out.
We may not answer all of your questions, but I think we'll answer some of them. The context actually has to do with the fact that Israel is in bondage to some people called the Midianites. And the story is in the sixth chapter of the book of Judges, the seventh book of the Old Testament, the book of Judges, chapter six. And I hope that you brought your Bibles. You know, if you're here today and you didn't bring your Bible, would you please, would you please slap your wrist and tell yourself that that will never happen again?
Because in looking at the scripture, we can see here what God is about. I'm not going to read the whole passage, but chapter six, verse one. And again, the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord. And for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. There we go again. This is the fourth cycle of disobedience, and God is going to bail them out one more time.
And that's the context. And if you were to read the next verses, as I hope you do maybe sometime this afternoon, what you'll discover is a marvelous description of what this servitude really meant. You know, we always talk about the fact that they were in bondage to this group or that group, that tribe or that clan. And here you have it. What happened is the Israelites would plant their crops and then the Midianites would come every fall and strip the crops bare.
That's the way in which the Midianites plundered these poor people. And so in the midst of this, God sent a prophet first of all, and they didn't listen to the prophet, but then God called a man whose name is Gideon. We probably know something about him, but this story is going to open up for us all kinds of ideas regarding how God may be leading us and what the implications are for our personal lives.
I promise you this can be life transforming if you stay with me till the end. What can we say about this call? First of all, it was unexpected. I'm picking it up at chapter six of the book of Judges, verse 11. The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah, not Oprah, that's something else, but this is Ophrah that belonged to Joash, the Abizarite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a wine press to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, the Lord is with you, mighty warrior. How unexpected can you get that God is going to call Gideon? Now, if you were to ask who is going to be our deliverer, Gideon probably would not have been on your list.
Let me give you some reasons. First of all, here he is, he's a farmer. All that he's trying to do is to keep his grain from the marauding Midianites and he wants to thresh some for his family before they get to it. So he's not a Levite, he's not a priest. He doesn't have any kind of special lineage that would qualify him to be God's man for a specific task and he's just minding his own business and suddenly the angel of the Lord comes to him. Who is this angel of the Lord? Listen carefully, in the Bible, you have references to an angel of the Lord, that could be Gabriel or Michael or some angel, but when it says the angel of the Lord came to him, that is Christ. If we had time today, I could show that to you because the angel of the Lord is presented in the Bible as being Jehovah and yet distinct from Jehovah.
The only person that is God and yet different from the Father is Jesus. This is Jesus coming to Gideon and that's going to be important also for some of you who wonder whether or not God can intervene in your lives because you are here today with a hungry heart and you wonder where to turn. And so the angel comes while he is threshing, he is only a farmer and his family.
You would never think that a man of God would come out of this family because his father had a huge altar to the God Baal in his backyard and that's going to be part of the story too as we shall see in just a moment when we put this together. So here you have a man who is going through these ordinary experiences of life and unexpectedly God comes and said, Gideon, you're my man. God's call is often unexpected. It's often very encouraging for me as it is for you to hear people say something like this, five years ago I wouldn't have dreamed that I'd have anything to do with the children's ministry but here I am. Or five years ago I didn't think to myself that I would ever teach a Sunday school class but God has worked in my life and I began to see here that he has something for me and unexpectedly I'm given the opportunity and with the opportunity comes ability if I work at it so that God can use me.
It comes as a marvelous surprise, doesn't it? And you know what God loves to do is to choose someone that you would never think would be used mightily in ministry and then really use them for his honor and glory. When God wanted to have the church go back and recover the gospel, he didn't have someone do it in the universities of Paris or Rome or London but in the little town of Wittenberg that had maybe 1,500 people in those days and it is from there that the Reformation proceeded. When God wanted to touch two continents for God he used Dwight L. Moody, the man after whom our church is named, and here was a man who had very little education. It is said you know that DL Moody was able to pronounce the word Mesopotamia in one syllable and people criticized his English because his grammar was atrocious and when they did he said you know pray for me that I might be able to learn English grammar much better but people came and listened to him and multitudes were converted.
That was a God thing. God says I'm going to choose the most unlikely person in Chicago and God did and blessed him. Do you know that a professor at one of our major seminaries in the United States once made this remark. He said it is impossible for us as professors in seminary to predict whom God will mightily use. You know here's a guy in the class you know straight A's knows all the Greek and all the Hebrew and is so sharp years later you don't even hear of where he is and there's somebody else just kind of barely getting by. He's having all kinds of problems.
He's working at it. You think well he's not going to go very far and yet God puts his hand upon people. God loves to do the unexpected and listen to me carefully there are people who are listening to this message today and God has his hand on your life and he wants to expand your horizons and some of you I believe as a result of this message are going to be called into vocations and new avenues of service that you didn't think you would do but God has his hand on your life so listen carefully. It was an unexpected call.
It was an encouraging call. What does the angel say? He says the Lord is with you mighty man of valor. That's actually in the last part of verse 12. The Lord is with you mighty warrior my translation says. Now that wasn't true of Gideon at that point.
He had not fought any battles that we know of. God loves to speak about things as if they are. He talks about the future.
He sees what is going to be done in a person's life rather than what's happening now. For example Old Testament God said to Abraham. Now I need to tell you that Abraham was renamed Abraham. First of all his name was Abram. So God comes to Abram and said I'm going to rename you and I'm going to call you Abraham which is in Hebrew the father of a multitude. How many children did he have at that time? The answer is none. Can you imagine him at a watering hole and somebody says what is your name? And he says I'm Abraham father of a multitude. Great how many kids do you have?
None. God was talking about the future. He said to Simon Peter. He said your name is Simon. That's just an ordinary common name but you are going to be called Peter and he's doing a play on words there. You are going to be the rock and Peter turns out to be a rock. God says to you and to me today this is what you are but I foresee already what I'm going to make of you.
This was a very encouraging call. Now Gideon has some problems because he has a negative personality. Always looking on the dark side of things. He's the kind of person who always sees that the cup is half empty rather than half full and you'll notice that he turns to the Lord and says in verse 13 if the Lord is with us why has all this happened to us? Now I need to tell you that at this point he does not know that this angel is divine.
He thinks he's talking to an ordinary man. He says 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 you up out of Egypt but now the Lord has abandoned us and put us into the hands of Midian. He said you know it's fine for you to say oh God is with you but where is God? Where are the miracles? What is it that he's done?
Can we point to something? We know that in the past he did all these wonderful things but where is he now at this moment? That's what Gideon is thinking. Well you'll notice what the angel of the Lord has said to him.
Verse 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? Key word there is the little word sent. God says I'm sending you. Now do you see that Gideon he's going to have a lot of doubts because he doesn't know yet that this man is divine but he's saying that the angel is saying I will send you. The most important thing is that you be sent.
There was a man who came up to his pastor one time and said did you just went or was you sent? That's a very good question because when you're sent that means that along with the sending comes the ability. As parents we know that when we want our children to buy something at the store we don't just say go to the store and buy something.
You and I know and could I say that this is still true even after they become a little older? You have to give them the money that they will spend. If they're sent you give them the resources to get what you want. When God sends he says along with the sending comes the ability if you're faithful.
So God says you are being sent and then he has another objection. Gideon has an inferiority complex. Now I'm sure you heard about the man who went to his psychiatrist and said I have an inferiority complex.
The psychiatrist did some research on him and said in your case it is not a personality disorder. You actually are inferior. You'll notice verse 15 Gideon asked how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh and I am the least in my family. I am the youngest.
How are you going to use me? It's amazing how in the Bible God often chose the youngest of the family. David for example was the youngest. Gideon was the youngest of the family and God says look he says I have an answer for that too.
The Lord answered I will be with you verse 16 and you will strike down all the Midianites together. The issue is not your family line. The issue is not whether or not you were born in a Christian family. Gideon wasn't born in a family that loved God but God says I'm calling you and I'm going to be with you. Resources will come if you open your life to God for ministry.
Resources will come with the call. Well it was an unexpected call. It was an encouraging call and then the call was confirmed in verse 17 and following.
Now I need to just tell you this story because it would take a little too long to read it but here's what happened. Gideon said I need a sign he said that in verse 17. He said because I don't know whether or not you're speaking on behalf of God. Remember at this point he does not know that he's talking to the Lord or even an angel. He just thinks that this is some remarkable man who happens to come and watch him. So he said I need a sign to know that you're from God.
He said you stay here and the man said I'm going to stay as long as you want me to. Gideon goes and prepares a meal. I mean we're talking about taking a young goat and fixing the whole thing to eat. He takes 35 pounds of flour and makes unleavened bread.
I think that'd be quite a loaf personally. And then he takes some broth and he gives it to the man and he says eat this. And what the man does is say follow my instructions and so Gideon does what the guy wants and they put this on a rock and then the angel touches it with his staff and immediately a fire flares up and everything is consumed and the angel disappears. Gideon believes that he has seen God which is true that he has and he expects to die because in those days it was believed that if you ever saw God you're dead. Well this was a manifestation of God.
Nobody can see God directly and so the Lord came back to him and said peace do not be afraid you're not going to die. So Gideon builds an altar onto the Lord. Do you think Gideon should know by now that this was a God thing?
I think so. But later on in the next message in this series we're going to talk about his fleece. You know Gideon is known for that fleece that he put out and whether or not it was wet or whether or not it was going to be dry and many people think that that they should use fleeces today and I'm going to discuss that in the next message because that's a very important thing and oftentimes misunderstood. I've known young women who have said you know if he calls me before 10 o'clock in the evening I'll assume that he's God's man I should marry. Bad idea.
Bad idea. But yet there are all these fleeces out there to somehow find a sign. So Gideon's got this thing a little bit of insecurity anyway so he wants to find a sign. Now this time God gave him something remarkable but if you want me to tell you what I think of the fleece idea you're going to have to come back next time. Now when Gideon began to have doubts now he could always point to two things. First of all he could point to the flames, the very charcoal on that rock that said yes I know that this is of God and then he also built this peace altar and so he says I've got two things.
I've got the objectivity of my experience as well as the subjectivity. What do we have today? We don't see angels.
I've never seen one. We don't see people coming to us and disappearing except in our dreams. I bet that happened a couple of times. Sometimes maybe in those dreams I disappear for all I know. I have to tell you this I dreamt the weirdest dream last night that I think I've dreamt in years.
There's no way that I could possibly tell you about it. The things that my mind puts together in the most crazy absurd ways staggers me when I wake up in the morning. Well what have we got? Well we have the objectivity of God's Word. We know there that God has certain qualifications for leadership. We also have subjectivity, the peace of God, but I believe that if we were to skip to the New Testament another important element to confirm the coal is the body of Jesus Christ.
The fact of what others think so important because you know there are some people who are called to preach but apparently nobody is called to listen you know. And there are some people who may think that they have a specific call but it's the body that says yes and that's part of our responsibility as a pastoral staff to get to know our sheep and to say you know I think that you have upon your life God's call and what you have to do is to perceive it and to pursue it because because we help one another in understanding this. So his call, Gideon's call, was confirmed.
But oh the last characteristic is was this call challenging or what? I have to summarize. God says Gideon I want you to go and to tear down the altar that is in your father Joash's backyard.
Now can you imagine what that means? An altar, this was an altar to Baal. If it's like the one that's been uncovered by archaeologists in Hazor it would be about 24 feet by 24 feet.
In fact I remember seeing it a number of years ago. Maybe it's an altar that big because Gideon got 10 servants and two oxen to help him tear it down and he did it in the night because he knew that if he did it during the day he would be stopped and maybe stoned and so he takes down the altar. I say this with sensitivity but when God calls you sometimes it is against the objections of your parents. Well the next morning the townspeople are so mad. They came early in the morning.
Why? Because you know they had their devotions at the altar of Baal. Beat some people I know who belong to Christ. And verse 28 in the morning when the men of the town got up there was Baal's altar demolished. And verse 30 the men of the town demanded Joash bring out your son he must die because he has broken down Baal's altar and cut down the asherah the pole beside it. And his father had kind of a change of heart maybe because of shame whatever and he said no he said I'll tell you what and this is really this is really pretty good theology I think and kind of smart. He said look he said don't kill him. He says if Baal is a real god let Baal judge Gideon.
That was a good idea. Of course you and I know that behind Baal oftentimes were demonic spirits. As people bowed down to idols Paul tells us that it wasn't simply an idol.
Behind the idol there were evil spirits withdrawing the hearts of the people. Did you know that God really does want our hearts? The other day I was speaking to a woman and I asked her about her spiritual life and she said well I don't go to church anymore and I don't do this anymore and I said well let's not talk about what you do or you don't do let's talk about your heart. So my friend today I want to talk about your heart.
The Bible tells us very clearly that God rejoices in those who are generous that the Lord loves cheerful givers. This would be a great time for you to consider making a gift to the ministry of running to win because during the month of August your gift will be doubled. Here's what you can do to get some info. Hope that you have a pen or pencil handy. Sometimes if you're like me you want to write something down and you're not quite ready but here we go rtwoffer.com and you join the running to win family. That's rtwoffer.com of course rtwoffer is all one word. rtwoffer.com or pick up the phone even right now and call us at 1-888-218-9337.
That's 1-888-218-9337. You can write to us at running to win 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard Chicago Illinois 60614. Running to win is all about helping you find God's roadmap for your race of life. Pastor Erwin Lutzer with part one of when God comes calling the story of Gideon and the fourth of twelve messages on the topic we've been down this road before taken from the book of Judges. Next time more on how God called an unlikely man for a divine mission. Thanks for listening. For Pastor Erwin Lutzer this is Dave McAllister. Running to win is sponsored by the Moody Church.
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