Title To win (Judges 07:15-22)
Content 1. God wants all believers to win. Therefore, we must all win.
2. If a believer fails in his religious life or life, he must know that it is never God's will.
3. But victory is never easy. In this world, the forces of evil are in control of the air, so unless you win the spiritual warfare, you cannot win the battles of life.
4. A man named Gideon was a famous judge of Israel. He won the spiritual warfare. And he faithfully and successfully performed the duties assigned to him as a judge. We can learn the secret of victory through him.
I. Relying only on God (15-18).
A. I was sure of God's help.
1. The whole process of Gideon's work for the glory of God is a series of mysteries. First, he blamed God for the suffering of the nation, including himself. In other words, the people who believed in God had the very natural idea that they should be the heads of the world.
2. But there were few who thought like Gideon in those days. Everyone was just living and working for themselves. God highly valued Gideon's sense of justice.
3. And God called Gideon. Even now, the kingdom of heaven needs workers. God calls interested workers like Gideon.
4. God showed Gideon certain miracles beyond any doubt. He has given us the faith that we can be sure to depend on God alone. Likewise, God gives these sure signs to those who believe.
B. Thoroughly prepared.
1. He divided an army of 300 men into three groups of 100 men each. Their weapons consisted of a signal trumpet and an empty urn. And the torch was hidden in an empty jar.
2. However, the opponents to fight were armed with the latest weapons. They were all elite troops. There were also a lot of troops.
3. Against this, Gideon's warriors were armed with extraordinary weapons. Trumpets, empty jars, and torches were all their weapons.
4. It was already a war beyond common sense. Gideon secretly scouted the enemy camp, where he listened to the soldiers of the enemy camp. What they said was that they knew their defeat in advance through a dream. In other words, God broke the military morale of Midian through psychological warfare.
5. There are countless mysterious things in the world. But people do not want to believe in the spiritual truth. Because everyone became slaves of the devil. However, the saints are those who believe in the spiritual truth. 6. Our battle is not a battle between flesh and blood. It is a fight against the forces of evil that have seized power in the air. Which weapon is most effective in fighting the forces of evil? It is neither a cannon nor a nuclear bomb. There is only one weapon.
7. It is the power of the Holy Spirit. The trumpet is the power of the gospel. The power to believe in the name of Jesus. This is the authority of “in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, I command” that Peter and John used to raise the lame. The power of the gospel to save and convert sinners defeats the forces of evil.
8. Hidden the torch in the empty jar. made it invisible The empty jar is the human body. Our bodies are nothing more than empty jars made of clay. The question is what's in it. God told him to hide the torch in it. The torch is the power of the Holy Spirit.
9. Saints are the soldiers of heaven. Jesus' soldier The saints need spiritual weapons. We must only be armed with the power of the Holy Spirit. You must repent of your sins and be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Those who have received the Holy Spirit are sanctified. do not covet their own interests.
II. Must cooperate (19-22).
A. They attacked from their assigned positions.
1. Believers and saints are all one body. Christians are one body. You and I are joined to form the body of Christ. So don't let me live alone. I'm not good enough When you live well, I feel comfortable, and when the other person succeeds, I succeed too.
2. The army, which was divided into three, moved in harmony according to Gideon's signal from each assigned position. It was clear teamwork. Gideon's army, which carried out a surprise attack in a situation that seemed to be surrounded by the enemy, and the army of Midian, already weakened psychologically through last night's dream, were no longer opponents of battle.
3. However, if Gideon's soldiers ignored Gideon's words and acted with their own heroism, they would not have been victorious.
4. They blew their trumpet and broke the jar they were holding. And lit a torch. He had a torch in his left hand and a trumpet in his right.
B. We are soldiers of the cross.
1. We are soldiers of the cross who must conquer this world like Gideon's soldiers. The soldiers of the cross are not chaos. So Gideon selected only 300 of the 32,000 people.
2. What to equip Gideon's soldiers with torches, trumpets, and empty jars. Our bodies are full of uncleanness, greed, and sexual immorality. full of all kinds of sins. All of them must be empty. So it must be an empty jar. must repent Remarks We must consecrate our hearts to the Lord.
3. When we empty our defiled hearts, the Lord hides the torch of the baptism and fullness of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. The torch must be hidden. It was not given to brag. You have to hide it until you get into the enemy camp. And when the signal falls, you have to break the jar of the body. It means to throw away the human thoughts and arm yourself with the thoughts of God.
4. We have a jar to break. You have to let go of the human way of thinking. You have to let go of negative thoughts. You must kill the lusts of the flesh. The lust of the eyes must also be killed. We need to change the negative language. And the trumpet of the gospel must be blown.
5. We must gather our strength. The devil tries to separate us. But we must join forces. Division is not the work of the Holy Spirit. We must be able to sacrifice our own interests for the glory of God. 6. For the Lord! For Gideon's sake! Gideon is above God
is one group To help and follow a leader dedicated to God is to follow God. You have to follow what he needs and what he wants. Whatever he asks, he must do it “for the sake of the Lord.”
conclusion
1. We must win. The failure of saints in the world is evidence that something is wrong. Israel's fall under the Midianites was the price of their rebellion against God.
2. Our victory is possible only with God's first attention. There is no other way.
3. Empty the jars full of all kinds of things. Let's expel sin Let's get rid of atheism. And let's clean it so that the Holy Spirit works. Only repentance is possible.
4. Let's raise the trumpet of the gospel. Let's get rid of all negative language. Let's stop criticizing Let's get rid of criticism. Let's take the lead in saving lives with the mouth that killed lives.
5. Let's follow Gideon evenly. The way to live is to follow Gideon's instructions. “For the sake of the Lord and for Gideon,” let us obey his words and blow the trumpet of the gospel. And let's break the jar. 6. Breaking the jar is self-sacrifice. Miracles don't happen without killing me. Only by breaking the jar can the torch shine. Only when you kill the blood of the flesh, the Holy Spirit who dwells in you works greatly. kill the blood let go of stubbornness let go of greed ‘For Jehovah! For Gideon’s sake!’ Make your servant rejoice.