Jeff Schreve - The Goodness of God

June 1, 2025 | S25:E21

From His Heart is the teaching ministry of Dr. Jeff Schreve. We exist to speak real truth, real love and real hope from the loving heart of God to a lost and hurting world.

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From His Heart: Jeff Schreve | Jeff Schreve - The Goodness of God | June 1, 2025

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♪♪♪
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Pastor jeff schreve: hey, when you think about god, what comes
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Into your mind?
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Is it negative or is it positive?
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Do you see god as he really is, a holy god who's compassionate
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And gracious and patient and encouraging?
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Have you tasted the goodness of the one true god revealed
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In scripture?
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We're gonna be in judges chapter 6 today where we'll discover the
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Goodness of god as he deals with gideon, the scared deliverer.
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♪♪♪
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Jeff: have you seen that the lord truly is good and great and
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Awesome and beyond anything that our minds--the--more wonderful
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Than our minds can comprehend.
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Now, we're in a series on the book of judges, and today we're
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Gonna look at the judge who gets the most ink, the most time and
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Space, and that's the judge gideon.
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He's an unlikely hero, but he's the guy that god chose.
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And from god's dealings with gideon, we see into the goodness
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Of god, and we're gonna look at four facets of god's awesome,
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Wonderful nature and character as seen in the way he deals
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With gideon.
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It says in verse 6--or chapter 6, "then the sons of israel did
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What was evil in the sight of the lord; and the lord gave them
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Into the hands of midian seven years.
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The power of midian prevailed against israel.
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Because of midian the sons of israel made for themselves the
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Dens which were in the mountains and on the caves and on
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The strongholds.
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For it was when israel had sown, that the midianites would come
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Up with the amalekites and the sons of the east and go
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Against them.
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So they would camp against them and destroy the produce of the
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Earth as far as gaza, and leave no sustenance in israel as well
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As no sheep, ox, or donkey."
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They were stealing all their food.
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They were stealing their lunch every day, so to speak.
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It says in verse 5, "for they would come up with their
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Livestock and their tents, they would come in like locusts for
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Number, both they and their camels were innumerable; and
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They came into the land to devastate it.
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So israel was brought very low because of midian, and the sons
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Of israel cried to the lord.
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Now it came about when the sons of israel cried to the lord on
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Account of midian, that the lord sent a prophet to the sons of
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Israel, and he said to them, 'thus says the lord, the god of
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Israel, 'it is--it was i who brought you up from egypt and
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Brought you out from the house of slavery.
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I delivered you from the hands of the egyptians and from the
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Hands of all your oppressors, and dispossessed them before you
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And gave you their land, and i said to you, 'i am the lord your
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God; you shall not fear the gods of the amorites in whose land
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You live.
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But you have not obeyed me.'''"
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That's the background
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To get into the situation and the story of gideon.
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So think about this question, taste and see that the lord is
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Good, have you tasted the goodness of the one true god
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That's revealed in scripture?
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Four attributes and facets of his goodness.
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Facet number one, god is a compassionate god.
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God is a compassionate god, and god, as we're going to see, had
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Compassion on his disobedient people yet again.
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When the lord revealed himself to moses in exodus chapter 34,
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You remember moses said, "lord, if i have found favor in your
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Sight, show me your glory," and the lord did.
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In exodus 34, he passed by moses, and he proclaimed his
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Glory, his name, and he says, "the lord, the lord god,
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Compassionate and gracious," that's the very first thing god
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Says about himself, "i am compassionate," and god is a god
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Of compassion.
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Now, as we read in the book of judges, had you been god, had i
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Been god, this wouldn't be the fourth go round of them
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Forsaking me.
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I'd just said, "i'm done with you people, you're destroyed."
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That's what you would have done, that's what i would have done,
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That's what we would have done, but god is not like us, god is a
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God of compassion.
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Says in james chapter 5 verse 11, "you have heard of the
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Endurance of job and have seen the outcome of the lord's
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Dealings, that the lord is full of compassion and is merciful."
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He feels for you and me in our difficulties and in our
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Distresses, and he felt for the people, even though it was
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Self-inflicted, why are they being subjugated by midian for
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Seven years?
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Because they forsook the lord and they began to worship
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The baals.
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And when they forsook the lord and adopted the--and compromised
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With the canaanites and with the gods of the land and the people
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Of the land, well, what came with that was servitude, those
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Guys then took over and the pagans took over.
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And it was all their own doing, and yet god had compassion for
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His disobedient people.
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And he feels for you in your difficulties, and he responds to
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You when you cry out to him.
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The sons of israel cried out to god,
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The people of israel cried out to god
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Because things were so bad.
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Israel was brought so very low and they cried out to god, and
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God heard their cries.
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God hears when you and i cry to him, and god responds to us.
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You know, the bible says in psalm 46 verse 1, "god is our
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Refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
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He's abundantly available for help when we're in trouble, and
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He tells us in 1 peter 5:7, "cast all your cares upon
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Him," why?
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"because he cares for you."
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Literally, it matters to him, the great god of the universe,
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It matters to him concerning you, god is a compassionate god.
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Second facet of god's great nature and character, god is a
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Patient god, he is patient.
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So the lord sends a prophet to tell them, "this is why you're
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In the mess you're in," but then
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He sends himself and he comes,
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And he's going to visit a person named gideon, who is threshing
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Wheat in a wine press.
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Verse 11: "then the angel of the lord came," the angel of the
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Lord is always a reference not to any old angel but to a
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Pre-incarnate appearance of the lord jesus christ.
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"then the angel of the lord came and sat under the oak that was
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In ophrah, which belonged to joash the abiezrite as his son
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Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save
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It from the midianites.
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Then the angel of the lord appeared to him and said to
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Him," verse 12, "'the lord is with you, o valiant warrior.'
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Then gideon said to him, 'o my lord, if the lord is with us,
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Why then has all this happened to us?
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And where are all his miracles which our fathers told us about,
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Saying, 'did not the lord bring us up from egypt?'
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But now the lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand
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Of midian.'
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The lord looked at him and said, 'go in this your strength and
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Deliver israel from the hand of midian.
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Have i not sent you?'
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And he said to him, 'o lord, how shall i deliver israel?
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Behold, my family is the least in manasseh, and i am the
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Youngest in my father's house.'
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But the lord said to him, 'surely i will be with you, and
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You shall defeat midian as one man.'"
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Now, god is a patient god.
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Not only is he compassionate, but he's patient.
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And when he comes to you--this should have been the most
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Awesome moment in gideon's life, "the god of the universe has
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Come to me, and he said that i'm going to deliver israel from the
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Hand of midian," but gideon doesn't feel awe, he
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Feels angst.
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He feels like, "no way can i do this," and when he responds to
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The lord, it's so negative, he is so depressed, "we have been
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Abandoned by god."
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"the lord is with you."
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"well, if the lord's with us, then why is everything
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So terrible?
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The lord is not with us, the lord has abandoned us to the
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Hand of midian."
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Now, the lord is patient with gideon, and that's good news
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Because he's patient with you and me too.
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Now, notice how he deals with gideon.
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See, the lord is patient when you are depressed
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And despondent.
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Gideon, depressed, he's despondent, he's dejected,
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He's forlorn.
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I mean, "god has abandoned us,
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And this has been seven years
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Under the thumb of midian.
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Seven years they're stealing our lunch and our dinner, and we
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Barely have enough to eat and we're devastated, and i don't
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Know how much longer this can go on, lord, before we starve
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To death."
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He's very, very despondent at this time, and he asked the lord
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These questions.
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The lord doesn't answer his objections at all, the lord
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Calls him to action.
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You know what, he could have said, "well, you know, the lord
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Has abandoned us," and the lord could have said, "yeah, okay,
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Well, forget it, i'm gonna find somebody else.
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I'm not gonna deal with you, gideon, you're just
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Mr. negative," but he doesn't do that, he keeps on with him,
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"hey, i'm gonna call you, and you are going to defeat midian
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As one man."
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God is patient even when you're depressed, but not only is he
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Patient with us when we're depressed and despondent, god is
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Patient when you are afraid.
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And one of the things as you read about gideon, you find out
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That he was afraid.
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On more than one occasion, it talks about his fear.
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And so gideon's afraid and when the lord says, "i'm gonna use
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You to deliver it," "well, how is that gonna happen?
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I mean, my family is the least in all of manasseh, and i'm the
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Least in my family, i'm the runt of the litter.
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I'm not a deliverer, i can't do it."
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He was afraid.
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Now, god is gonna use gideon to defeat the midianites and the
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Amalekites that were with them, and he gives him an assignment
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Before that.
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He says, "okay, here's your first assignment, gideon,
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Because you have to learn to walk before you can run, so we
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Need to get a warm up."
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So god gives him this assignment, he said, "you need
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To go and pull down your father's altar that he has to
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Baal, and cut down the asherah pole," which is the female
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Consort of baal, and so they'd have the altar of baal and the
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Asherah pole.
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And it was a fertility cult and so they said, well, they're
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Getting together and if we get together in a sexual immorality
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Associated with the worship of baal.
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And god says, "tear all that down."
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"and that's your dad's, you go tear it down," and the bible
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Says that gideon did it.
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He took ten of his servants and he did it, but he did it at
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Night because he was afraid.
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But here's the point, he did it.
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And so god is patient with us when we are depressed, when
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We're hopeless, when we're feeling sad.
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He's patient with us when we're afraid, and god is patient with
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Us even when we're doubting.
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And we see in the life of gideon, he had some doubts.
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And so the first doubt he had was right here when the lord
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Said, "i'm gonna defeat--i'll be with you, you'll defeat midian
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As if they're just one man."
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Verse 17: "so gideon said to him, 'if now i have found favor
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In your sight, then show me a sign,'" give me some proof,
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"'that it is you who speak with me.
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Please do not depart from here, until i come back to you, and
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Bring out my offering and lay it before you.'
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And the lord said, 'i will remain until you come.'"
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"i will wait," and so gideon prepares this meal for the angel
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Of the lord.
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It would have taken him at least an hour, if not more, to prepare
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This meal, and he comes back to the lord and the lord waited for
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Him, and the lord gave him this sign.
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And the very famous story in gideon chapter--or in judges
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Chapter 6 is when gideon--the lord tells him, "okay, now go
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And defeat midian," and then gideon says, "lord, let me put
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Out the fleece," and remember the, "if the fleece is wet and
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The ground is dry, then i'll know it is you who are speaking
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To me and you're calling me to battle."
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And the lord does it, the fleece is wet and the ground is dry,
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And so the lord responds to that request from gideon, and then
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Gideon says, "lord, don't be angry, but can we try this one
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More time, how about now that the fleece would be dry, but the
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Ground would be wet?"
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And god says, okay, and god did that for gideon.
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He was struggling with doubt, he was struggling with fear, he was
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Struggling with despondency, and god was patient with him.
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Hey, do you have some doubts in your heart?
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Do you have some fears in your heart?
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It's okay, just bring those to the lord.
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Psalm 62 verse 8, "trust in him at all times, o people; pour out
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Your heart before him; god is a refuge for us."
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So we see of the goodness of god, his compassion, god is a
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Compassionate god.
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His patience, god is a patient god.
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Thirdly, god is an encouraging god,
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He gives encouragement to us.
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Now, did you catch what the lord said to gideon in verse 12, when
00:14:55.954 --> 00:15:00.858
He comes and appears to gideon as he's beating wheat in a hole,
00:15:00.858 --> 00:15:05.730
In the wine press, so the midianites wouldn't see it, so
00:15:05.730 --> 00:15:08.566
The midianites wouldn't steal his lunch yet again?
00:15:08.566 --> 00:15:11.803
And he's afraid, and the lord comes and says, "hail, o mighty
00:15:11.803 --> 00:15:17.408
Man of valor," when gideon has to be looking around like, "you
00:15:17.408 --> 00:15:22.547
See somebody i don't see?
00:15:22.547 --> 00:15:23.881
I mean, i'm not a mighty man of valor, i'm chicken little.
00:15:23.881 --> 00:15:27.752
I mean, i--i'm the runt of the litter, i'm scared of my
00:15:27.752 --> 00:15:30.755
Own shadow.
00:15:30.755 --> 00:15:32.156
I'm like the cowardly lion in "the wizard of oz," i'm not a
00:15:32.156 --> 00:15:35.893
Mighty man of valor."
00:15:35.893 --> 00:15:39.530
But god was encouraging him.
00:15:39.530 --> 00:15:44.435
See, god sees what you can be, not what you are.
00:15:44.435 --> 00:15:50.208
Now, god knows what you are right now,
00:15:50.208 --> 00:15:52.944
But god sees what you can be
00:15:52.944 --> 00:15:54.979
If you will trust him.
00:15:54.979 --> 00:15:56.948
So here is this guy threshing wheat in the wine press and now
00:15:56.948 --> 00:16:01.652
All of a sudden he's called a valiant warrior, and then he
00:16:01.652 --> 00:16:04.155
Took a step of faith and now he's called baal fighter, and
00:16:04.155 --> 00:16:07.558
Now he's ready to go to the battle.
00:16:07.558 --> 00:16:11.362
Hey, god is a god of encouragement, and god gives a
00:16:11.362 --> 00:16:15.133
Word of assurance when you need it the most, that's god.
00:16:15.133 --> 00:16:21.305
When you need it the most, god gives you this word
00:16:21.305 --> 00:16:24.242
Of assurance.
00:16:24.242 --> 00:16:26.477
So gideon gets through the fleece deal, the lord shows him.
00:16:26.477 --> 00:16:32.383
And gideon has 32,000 men with him, and they're going up
00:16:32.383 --> 00:16:37.755
Against the midianites and the amalekites and they have
00:16:37.755 --> 00:16:40.525
135,000 men.
00:16:40.525 --> 00:16:43.361
And before he can cry out to the lord and ask for more men, the
00:16:43.361 --> 00:16:46.531
Lord says to him, "gideon, you have too many."
00:16:46.531 --> 00:16:49.067
"i have too many?"
00:16:49.067 --> 00:16:50.568
"yeah," he goes, "i'm not gonna give the midianites into your
00:16:50.568 --> 00:16:53.204
Hand because you have too many, and then you guys would say,
00:16:53.204 --> 00:16:55.506
'well, look at how great we are, we're mighty warriors, we're the
00:16:55.506 --> 00:16:58.509
Spartan 300, you know, that kind of thing,'" and so he said, "i'm
00:16:58.509 --> 00:17:01.512
Not gonna do it."
00:17:01.512 --> 00:17:02.980
He said, "so here's what, we gotta thin down the herd.
00:17:02.980 --> 00:17:06.350
This is what you need to do, you say to the men, 'you're 32,000,
00:17:06.350 --> 00:17:10.555
If anybody is afraid, you can leave."'
00:17:10.555 --> 00:17:14.959
So gideon got up and said, "okay, guys, if any of you are
00:17:14.959 --> 00:17:17.895
Afraid, you can leave," and there was a stampede of 22,000
00:17:17.895 --> 00:17:22.500
Guys that said, "i am out of here.
00:17:22.500 --> 00:17:25.403
We're outnumbered 4.2 to 1, i am out."
00:17:25.403 --> 00:17:29.073
So he had 10,000 left and before he can say to the lord, "lord, i
00:17:29.073 --> 00:17:33.678
Need some help here," the lord said, "you got too many guys, we
00:17:33.678 --> 00:17:37.315
Gotta thin this out," and now they're outnumbered 450 to 1 and
00:17:37.315 --> 00:17:45.389
God says, "now we're ready."
00:17:45.389 --> 00:17:47.525
But here is gideon, he deals with fear, and so now he's super
00:17:47.525 --> 00:17:52.697
Afraid because the lord has just taken away almost all his guys,
00:17:52.697 --> 00:17:57.168
He's just got 300, and so this is what the lord says--i just
00:17:57.168 --> 00:18:01.772
Love it because god gives the word of assurance when you need
00:18:01.772 --> 00:18:04.375
It the most--"so the 300 men took the people's provisions and
00:18:04.375 --> 00:18:08.379
Their trumpets in their hands.
00:18:08.379 --> 00:18:09.814
And gideon sent all the other men of israel, each to his tent,
00:18:09.814 --> 00:18:12.884
But retained the 300 men; and the camp of midian was below him
00:18:12.884 --> 00:18:16.487
In the valley.
00:18:16.487 --> 00:18:17.855
Now the same night it came about that the lord said to him,
00:18:17.855 --> 00:18:20.191
'arise, go down against the camp, for i have given it into
00:18:20.191 --> 00:18:23.728
Your hands.
00:18:23.728 --> 00:18:25.062
But if you are afraid,'" gideon says, "yeah, i'm afraid."
00:18:25.062 --> 00:18:28.900
"'if you're afraid to go down, go with purah your servant down
00:18:28.900 --> 00:18:33.504
To the camp, and you will hear what they say; and afterward
00:18:33.504 --> 00:18:36.974
Your hands will be strengthened that you may go down against
00:18:36.974 --> 00:18:40.011
The camp.'
00:18:40.011 --> 00:18:41.345
So he went with purah his servant down to the outposts of
00:18:41.345 --> 00:18:44.148
The army that was in the camp.
00:18:44.148 --> 00:18:46.751
Now the midianites and the amalekites and all the sons of
00:18:46.751 --> 00:18:49.487
The east were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts;
00:18:49.487 --> 00:18:53.357
And their camels were without number, as numerous as the sand
00:18:53.357 --> 00:18:56.861
On the seashore."
00:18:56.861 --> 00:18:58.196
He's got 300 guys.
00:18:58.196 --> 00:19:00.064
"when gideon came, behold, a man was relating a dream to
00:19:00.064 --> 00:19:03.201
His friend.
00:19:03.201 --> 00:19:04.535
And he said, 'behold, i had a dream; a loaf of barley bread,'"
00:19:04.535 --> 00:19:08.606
Which is just cheap coarse bread, "'a loaf of barley bread
00:19:08.606 --> 00:19:12.677
Was tumbling into the camp of midian, and it came to the tent
00:19:12.677 --> 00:19:16.380
And struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down so
00:19:16.380 --> 00:19:19.850
That the tent lay flat.'
00:19:19.850 --> 00:19:21.419
And his friend said, 'this is nothing less than the sword of
00:19:21.419 --> 00:19:25.223
Gideon, the son of joash, a man of israel; god has given midian
00:19:25.223 --> 00:19:30.428
And all the camp into his hand.'
00:19:30.428 --> 00:19:33.264
And when gideon heard the account of the dream and its
00:19:33.264 --> 00:19:36.300
Interpretation, he bowed in worship.
00:19:36.300 --> 00:19:40.871
He returned to the camp of israel and said, 'arise, for the
00:19:40.871 --> 00:19:43.874
Lord has given the camp of midian into your hands.'"
00:19:43.874 --> 00:19:48.613
God gave him that word of assurance because he needed to
00:19:48.613 --> 00:19:51.582
Encourage him, he needed to strengthen him, and so god is an
00:19:51.582 --> 00:19:56.187
Encouraging god.
00:19:56.187 --> 00:19:58.522
And lastly, god is an empowering, enabling god, a god
00:19:58.522 --> 00:20:04.228
Who fills us with his strength, who god--a god who fills us with
00:20:04.228 --> 00:20:08.766
His ability.
00:20:08.766 --> 00:20:10.101
So you ask yourself the question, okay, how does gideon
00:20:10.101 --> 00:20:12.236
Win with 300 guys against 135,000, against camels that you
00:20:12.236 --> 00:20:17.608
Can't even count, they're like locusts just covering the earth
00:20:17.608 --> 00:20:21.212
There, and they're going up against gideon's 300, how in the
00:20:21.212 --> 00:20:24.615
World could he win?
00:20:24.615 --> 00:20:28.185
Judges chapter 6 verse 34, "so the spirit of the lord came
00:20:28.185 --> 00:20:35.926
Upon gideon."
00:20:35.926 --> 00:20:38.562
Literally, the spirit of the lord clothed himself with
00:20:38.562 --> 00:20:42.033
Gideon, that's how he did it.
00:20:42.033 --> 00:20:44.735
And that's what god wants to do in your life, he wants to wear
00:20:44.735 --> 00:20:48.272
You like a suit of clothes.
00:20:48.272 --> 00:20:50.441
Listen, you don't have what it takes, and that's okay because i
00:20:50.441 --> 00:20:55.179
Don't have what it takes either, but the lord has what it takes,
00:20:55.179 --> 00:20:58.816
He does, he has what it takes.
00:20:58.816 --> 00:21:00.818
And you know what god had gideon and his 300 do?
00:21:00.818 --> 00:21:04.488
This is just like the lord, because his ways are not
00:21:04.488 --> 00:21:06.424
Our ways.
00:21:06.424 --> 00:21:07.758
He said, "and then this is what you guys are gonna have in your
00:21:07.758 --> 00:21:10.361
Hands, you're gonna have a torch and you're gonna have a clay
00:21:10.361 --> 00:21:14.732
Pitcher over the torch, and you're gonna have a trumpet.
00:21:14.732 --> 00:21:18.235
And we're going--300 guys, we're gonna have three companies of
00:21:18.235 --> 00:21:21.839
100, and we're gonna gather around the midianites and the
00:21:21.839 --> 00:21:27.545
Amalekites, and when i give the word, you're gonna blow the
00:21:27.545 --> 00:21:32.183
Trumpet and you're gonna say, 'the sword of the lord and of
00:21:32.183 --> 00:21:36.921
Gideon,' and you're gonna break the clay pot and you're gonna
00:21:36.921 --> 00:21:40.224
Lift up the torch and blow the trumpet."
00:21:40.224 --> 00:21:44.095
And that's what they did, and god brought about the victory as
00:21:44.095 --> 00:21:51.035
They did that.
00:21:51.035 --> 00:21:53.237
Chapter 7 verse 16: "he divided the 300 men into three
00:21:53.237 --> 00:21:58.642
Companies, and he put trumpets and empty pitchers into the
00:21:58.642 --> 00:22:01.011
Hands of all of them, with torches inside the pitchers.
00:22:01.011 --> 00:22:04.148
And he said to them, 'look at me and do likewise.
00:22:04.148 --> 00:22:06.183
And behold, when i come to the outskirts of the camp, do as
00:22:06.183 --> 00:22:08.686
I do.
00:22:08.686 --> 00:22:10.020
When i and all who are with me blow the trumpets, then you also
00:22:10.020 --> 00:22:13.824
Blow the trumpets all around the camp and say, 'for the lord and
00:22:13.824 --> 00:22:16.827
For gideon!''
00:22:16.827 --> 00:22:18.195
So gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the
00:22:18.195 --> 00:22:20.598
Outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch,"
00:22:20.598 --> 00:22:23.768
Everybody would be asleep, "when they had just posted the watch;
00:22:23.768 --> 00:22:27.338
And then they blew the trumpets and smashed the pitchers that
00:22:27.338 --> 00:22:29.507
Were in their hands.
00:22:29.507 --> 00:22:30.841
And when the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the
00:22:30.841 --> 00:22:33.077
Pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands and the
00:22:33.077 --> 00:22:36.280
Trumpets in their right hands for blowing, and cried out, 'a
00:22:36.280 --> 00:22:39.116
Sword for the lord and for gideon!'
00:22:39.116 --> 00:22:41.519
Each stood in his place around the camp; and all the army ran,
00:22:41.519 --> 00:22:45.623
Crying out as they fled.
00:22:45.623 --> 00:22:48.192
When they blew 300 trumpets, the lord set the sword of one
00:22:48.192 --> 00:22:51.729
Against another even throughout the whole army; and the army
00:22:51.729 --> 00:22:55.032
Fled as far as beth-shittah toward zererah."
00:22:55.032 --> 00:23:01.071
There was a great victory that day and listen, it came
00:23:01.071 --> 00:23:05.576
About--the key to victory--when they broke the pitchers and the
00:23:05.576 --> 00:23:11.015
Light began to shine.
00:23:11.015 --> 00:23:12.349
And they blew the trumpet and they shouted the battle cry,
00:23:12.349 --> 00:23:16.587
"the sword of the lord and of gideon," and it freaked those
00:23:16.587 --> 00:23:20.591
People out, god put panic into the hearts of the enemies, and
00:23:20.591 --> 00:23:23.994
They started killing each other, and they ran, and gideon and his
00:23:23.994 --> 00:23:27.698
Armies were able to chase them down and slaughter them and
00:23:27.698 --> 00:23:31.735
Bring about a great victory.
00:23:31.735 --> 00:23:33.537
Listen, you wanna have victory in your life, i wanna have
00:23:33.537 --> 00:23:36.507
Victory in my life, what's the key?
00:23:36.507 --> 00:23:38.442
The key is brokenness and surrender, that's the key
00:23:38.442 --> 00:23:41.712
To victory.
00:23:41.712 --> 00:23:43.514
You're never gonna have victory unless you're broken before
00:23:43.514 --> 00:23:46.250
The lord.
00:23:46.250 --> 00:23:47.585
You're never gonna have victory unless you surrender to
00:23:47.585 --> 00:23:49.687
The lord.
00:23:49.687 --> 00:23:51.055
You're never gonna have victory unless the spirit of the lord
00:23:51.055 --> 00:23:52.957
Clothes himself with you, because you don't have what it
00:23:52.957 --> 00:23:56.160
Takes, and i don't have what it takes.
00:23:56.160 --> 00:23:58.662
Listen, you can never be too small for god to use, but you
00:23:58.662 --> 00:24:02.166
Can be too big for god to use.
00:24:02.166 --> 00:24:04.969
And god chose gideon, the smallest family in manasseh, the
00:24:04.969 --> 00:24:09.373
Runt of the family, the least of all, because god loves to take
00:24:09.373 --> 00:24:14.378
The ordinary and do extraordinary things through
00:24:14.378 --> 00:24:17.081
The ordinary.
00:24:17.081 --> 00:24:18.482
He loves to take the least and do greatest things through the
00:24:18.482 --> 00:24:22.386
Least, so that all the glory goes to god.
00:24:22.386 --> 00:24:25.322
He loves to take the weak things to confound the strong, he loves
00:24:25.322 --> 00:24:28.492
To take the foolish to confound the wise, the things that are
00:24:28.492 --> 00:24:32.096
Not so that he confounds the things that are, so that all the
00:24:32.096 --> 00:24:35.065
Praise, all the glory, all the boasting goes to god, he alone
00:24:35.065 --> 00:24:40.104
Is worthy.
00:24:40.104 --> 00:24:41.472
Jeff: the book of judges is a sobering reminder of what
00:24:45.342 --> 00:24:48.946
Happens when people reject god's truth in favor of their
00:24:48.946 --> 00:24:52.650
Own desires.
00:24:52.650 --> 00:24:54.051
Now, during the time of the judges, there was no king in
00:24:54.051 --> 00:24:56.720
Israel, each man did what was right in his own eyes.
00:24:56.720 --> 00:25:00.891
In this book, we see a continuing cycle of sin and
00:25:00.891 --> 00:25:04.862
Subjugation and suffering that brought desperate cries for
00:25:04.862 --> 00:25:09.533
Mercy and deliverance.
00:25:09.533 --> 00:25:11.235
Now, in response, god raised up judges to save his people.
00:25:11.235 --> 00:25:15.539
These judges were flawed, yet they were willing leaders who
00:25:15.539 --> 00:25:19.343
Were used to call god's people back to faithfulness.
00:25:19.343 --> 00:25:22.880
In my new ten-message series, "before there were kings: the
00:25:22.880 --> 00:25:26.517
Cost of compromise," i'll unpack the important lessons from
00:25:26.517 --> 00:25:30.354
Judges, warnings about apathy, and the dangers of compromise,
00:25:30.354 --> 00:25:35.159
And the hope of redemption.
00:25:35.159 --> 00:25:37.761
You can get your copy in the format of your choice when you
00:25:37.761 --> 00:25:40.664
Call or go online today with a gift of any amount.
00:25:40.664 --> 00:25:44.335
The truth of judges is clear, when you and i stray from god's
00:25:44.335 --> 00:25:48.539
Way, life unravels, but when we turn back to him, he is always
00:25:48.539 --> 00:25:53.711
Faithful to redeem us and restore us.
00:25:53.711 --> 00:25:56.547
I hope you get your copy today.
00:25:56.547 --> 00:25:59.950
Male announcer: to get this new extensive study of the book of
00:26:00.017 --> 00:26:02.586
Judges and support the outreach of "from his heart," you can get
00:26:02.586 --> 00:26:06.490
"before there were kings: the cost of compromise" by calling
00:26:06.490 --> 00:26:09.994
877-777-6171, or simply go online to fromhisheart.org.
00:26:09.994 --> 00:26:18.268
It's available in multiple formats.
00:26:18.268 --> 00:26:21.005
Thank you for supporting this ministry to share christ with
00:26:21.005 --> 00:26:23.874
The world.
00:26:23.874 --> 00:26:25.309
Jeff: my friend, we've come to the most important question of
00:26:25.309 --> 00:26:28.145
All, have you turned from sin and given your heart and life
00:26:28.145 --> 00:26:32.349
To jesus?
00:26:32.349 --> 00:26:33.684
If not, today is the day for you, just pray this prayer from
00:26:33.684 --> 00:26:37.488
Your heart, lord jesus, i need you.
00:26:37.488 --> 00:26:41.025
I know that i'm a sinner and i can't save myself, but jesus,
00:26:41.025 --> 00:26:45.396
I believe that you are god in the flesh, i believe you died on
00:26:45.396 --> 00:26:48.632
The cross for my sins and rose again from the dead.
00:26:48.632 --> 00:26:51.635
And right now, jesus, i turn from my sin, i ask you to
00:26:51.635 --> 00:26:55.839
Forgive me and save me and make me the person you want me to be.
00:26:55.839 --> 00:27:00.277
I surrender my all to you.
00:27:00.277 --> 00:27:02.946
Now, if you pray this kind of prayer and mean it, the lord
00:27:02.946 --> 00:27:06.750
Will come into your life and change you forever.
00:27:06.750 --> 00:27:10.254
I would love to hear from you,
00:27:10.254 --> 00:27:11.588
Please contact me and share
00:27:11.588 --> 00:27:13.090
With me so we can pray for you.
00:27:13.090 --> 00:27:15.292
You really are important to god,
00:27:15.292 --> 00:27:16.860
And you're important to us
00:27:16.860 --> 00:27:18.495
And we're here for you.
00:27:18.495 --> 00:27:20.631
Cc by aberdeen captioning 1-800-688-6621 aberdeen.io
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Jeff Schreve - The Goodness of God

June 1, 2025 | S25:E21

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