Thank you, Gabriel and Joyce, for reading that extra-long passage.
And good morning, everybody.
For those that don't know me, my name is Oscar. I'm one of the elders here at Watermark Community Church.
Again, it's great to be here, worshiping God with you guys this morning, and an extra-special
welcome to some of our guests that are here. Great to have you with us today.
Worshiping in the house of God.
Would you pray with me as we consider God's Word?
Father God, thank you for your Word, which is living, active, sharper than a double-edged sword,
penetrating deep into our hearts.
Father, as we receive your Word today, I pray, God, that it would be your Word that comes through,
and not my words, Lord.
I pray your Holy Spirit would help me to convey your message today, Father, from your Word.
I pray for all of our hearts here, God.
We would be open to receive your Word.
We would see our own sin in our lives,
our own depravity.
But at the same time, we'll see the grace and love of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
Some of you know this about me, but one of my biggest weaknesses,
one of my biggest weaknesses is my truly horrible sense of direction.
I lived in Causeway Bay for four years, but honestly, if you drop me right now in Times Square,
I wouldn't know which direction Wan Chai is.
I think my wife can attest to that.
After we got married, I moved into Celeste's apartment in Pak Fulam,
just close by here to Ebenezer.
And she kept telling me how good the minibus system was from Pak Fulam to Central.
So one day, I hopped on the number 10 bus, hoping to go to my office in Central.
Ten minutes later, I was in Cyberport.
I called Celeste, angrily accusing her of giving me the wrong directions,
to which she said calmly,
Honey, you got on the wrong bus in the wrong direction.
And then I made the exact same mistake about a month later.
And I don't mind sharing this weakness, this struggle I have,
because although it's a bit embarrassing,
it's probably more funny than tragic.
But I can imagine there are people here at Watermark,
myself included,
who have weaknesses,
who have struggles,
that you would probably rather not talk about.
But I think if we're truly honest,
at some level,
all of us hate feeling weak.
We struggle with having uncertain or stressful jobs,
difficult family members,
disobedient children,
because, well,
these struggles make life feel out of control,
and that makes us feel weak.
And we don't like that.
I think if we're honest,
we wish these struggles would go away,
and then life would be easier.
We would rather be self-sufficient and self-reliant
than having to depend on God.
This morning, we're continuing our sermon series
called Christ in the Old Testament,
and today we're looking at the story of Gideon,
and how God uses this weak man,
this unlikely hero,
to make his glory known.
But Gideon had to first come face-to-face
with an impossible battle
before the power of God was shown.
Gideon had to be weak
before God's power was made known.
Now, over the past few weeks,
we've called this sermon series
Christ in the Old Testament,
because the whole Bible,
from Genesis to Revelation,
is one story about the glory of God.
It's one story which points us
to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Two weeks ago,
Kevin shared from Genesis,
where Abraham intercedes with God
on behalf of Sodom.
And in that passage,
Abraham searched for one righteous man,
but no one was righteous.
Only Jesus Christ,
our great high priest,
is righteous.
And last week,
Chris also preached from Genesis
in the passage where Jacob
wrestles with God.
And there, we learn that God
often breaks us
to bless us.
And we were reminded that it was Christ
that was broken on the cross
to bless us
and to save us.
Today, we're looking at
the story of Gideon
in the book of Judges.
Now, a very quick summary
of Judges for everybody here.
Judges records one of the darkest times
in Israel's history,
between 1375 and 1050 B.C.
During this time,
Israel would continually go through
a vicious cycle.
It would follow false gods
of the people around them,
disobey God,
and as a result,
would face immense persecution
from the very people
whose idols they followed.
Israel would then cry out to God
and God would hear her cry
and raise up a judge
who would deliver her.
And there's one recurring phrase
in Judges
which sums up
their state of morality,
which is,
in those days,
Israel had no king
and everyone did what was right
in his own eyes.
Nowhere in the Bible
is the depravity of man
described at such length
and in such explicit detail
than in Judges.
Idolatry,
fornication,
self-promotion,
and murder
are just some of the wickedness
mentioned in this book.
But the stark counterpoint
to Israel's idolatry
in Judges
is God's mercy,
his patience,
his faithfulness,
his grace.
Israel would sin against God,
but God would again and again
forgive and deliver Israel
from her enemies.
In essence,
this is the gospel
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In spite of our sin
and our rebellion,
God gives us his grace.
But today,
as you look at the story
of Gideon,
what we'll see is,
we'll see the oppression
brought about
by Israel's idolatry.
We'll see how God
calls his weak man Gideon
to be a mighty warrior
and deliverer
through God's own strength.
And finally,
we'll see that Gideon,
in fact,
points us
to the true deliverer
and king,
Jesus Christ.
There's a fair bit of content
in this story,
but what I'm going to do
is I'm going to walk through
the story of Gideon
while bringing out
four main takeaways.
There they are.
Ready?
All right.
Ed's ready.
It's good.
Number one.
Judges chapter 6,
verse 1.
The people of Israel
did what was evil
in the sight of the Lord,
and the Lord gave them
into the hand of Midian
seven years.
Now,
what does doing evil
in the sight of the Lord mean?
What was Israel's sin?
Now,
we know during Gideon's time
that Israel had no king,
and everyone did what was right
in his own eyes.
So every man
had his own version
of what morality was.
And when Israel
entered Canaan,
God called them
to take over the land,
but instead,
Canaan came into their hearts.
Israel was drawn in
and tempted by
the worldly ways
of the Canaanite people.
Jumping ahead
to verse 25.
Here,
God instructs Gideon
to tear down
two pagan idols,
the altar to Baal
and the Asherah pole.
A Baal was believed
to be the god
of the harvest,
and Asherah was believed
to be the goddess
of fertility
and love.
And the Canaanite people
would give offerings
to these two gods
hoping to receive
something in return.
They even sacrificed
their own children
to Baal and Asherah.
And Israel was drawn
to this because,
well,
they said to themselves,
we'll worship Yahweh,
the god of our forefathers,
but we'll also worship Baal
because, well,
we're farmers
and we need to have
a good harvest this year.
And while we're at it,
we'll also worship Asherah
because, well,
we need to raise,
we need to have more children
to continue our family line.
They hedged
their religious bets,
so to speak.
Now, you may think,
well,
I don't bow down
to a wooden idol.
None of this applies to me.
But though our modern-day idols
may not be idols of wood,
don't we struggle
with idols of the heart?
For idolatry is
when in our hearts
we place anything
above God.
And I think one of the biggest
idols as parents
is the idol
of our children's success.
I think because,
maybe because of
how competitive
the world is becoming,
we think as parents
we need to exert
an enormous amount
of energy
to maximize
our children's
potential success
when they become adults.
Sometimes when I speak
to parents,
my sense is
they think
if their children
could just have two things,
fluency in Mandarin
and a Harvard degree,
they'll be set up for life.
some can relate to that,
I think.
Idolatry is about
wanting to do things
in our own strength,
about wanting
to be in control
instead of letting God
be in control.
In Gideon's day,
Israel would feed
Baal and Asherah
offerings
to get what they wanted.
And for us,
we pursue
our heart idols
to try to control
our destiny.
So what happened
to Israel
as a result
of her idolatry?
Look at verses
two to five.
The Midianites
did not just rule
Israel politically
like in previous
oppressors
and judges.
It was much worse.
In verse five,
we read that
the Midianites
were like locusts
in number.
Both they
and their camels
could not be counted.
They laid waste
the land
as they came in.
The Midianites
threatened Israel's
very existence
by destroying
their livestock
and their crops.
And so,
the consequence
of idolatry
and sin
is complete
oppression
and fear.
Israel had to
hide from
the Midianites
in dens
in the mountains.
They were constantly
on the move,
afraid,
unsettled.
And ironically,
Israel was being
persecuted
by the very people
whose idols
they took
for their own.
Isn't that how
idolatry works?
Tim Keller
in his book
Counterfeit Gods
describes a woman
who had an unhealthy
desire
desire to give
her kids
the perfect
life.
But this desire
drove her to be
overprotective,
fearful,
and anxious,
and her need
to control
every detail
of her children's
lives hurt her
and those around
her.
It gave her
no joy,
and it resulted
in one child
having developmental
issues,
and the other
child anger
issues.
Her idol
was the thing
that oppressed
her.
Now,
your children
may not have
anger or
developmental issues,
but let me ask
you,
is your desire
to see your
children succeed
above your
desire to know
the nature of
God,
to experience
his joy,
to delight
in him
for who he
is?
The only way
to rid
ourselves
of idol
worship,
of this desire
which will
ultimately
oppress us,
is to recognize
the idolatry
and the sin
submitted to
Christ and
allow him
to destroy
it.
Second
takeaway,
the calling
of a weak,
mighty warrior.
Verse 11,
now the angel
of the Lord
came and sat
under the
terebinth,
which is a
tree,
at Ophrah,
Gideon's
hometown,
which belonged
to Joash
the Abriazrite,
Gideon's
father,
while Gideon
was beating
out wheat
in a wine
press to
hide it
from the
Midianites.
And the
angel of
the Lord
appeared to
him and
said to
him,
the Lord
is with
you,
O mighty
man of
valor.
But God
calls Gideon,
this unlikely
hero,
to be Israel's
deliverer.
Now when I
think of a
hero,
I think of
gladiators,
Russell Crowe,
a courageous
army general,
a born
leader,
thick beard.
At first glance,
Gideon appears to
be the exact
opposite.
He wasn't even
a soldier.
He was a
farmer.
The first mention
of him is him
hiding away from
the Midianites,
threshing wheat
in a wine
press.
And in verse
14,
when the angel
of the Lord
says to
Gideon,
save Israel
from the hand
of Midian,
do not I
send you,
what does
Gideon say?
He says,
how can I
save Israel?
My clan
is the
weakest
in Manasseh,
and I am the
least in my
father's house.
Not exactly
a courageous
response.
But perhaps,
worst of all,
Gideon was
ignorant of
the state of
Israel's heart
and his own
heart.
He says to
the angel of
the Lord,
if the Lord
is with us,
why then has
all this
happened to
us?
Why are we
being persecuted
if God is
with us?
Not when a
bank robber
robs a bank,
gets caught
red-handed,
perpetrating the
crime.
When the police
come to arrest
him, he doesn't
say, why are you
arresting me?
He's caught
red-handed.
But look at
Gideon.
There are two
idols in his
backyard.
He doesn't even
realize his own
idolatry and
sin.
But yet, in
spite of Gideon's
fear, his
weakness, and
ignorance, God
in his mercy and
in his grace
chooses this
unlikely man to
deliver Israel
from her
oppression.
But God
doesn't just
give Gideon
verbal instructions
and then
expects him
to follow
blindly.
In verse 17,
Gideon asks
God for a
sign to
know if he
is a true
God, Yahweh,
that he's
talking to.
But Gideon
prepares the
sacrifice of
meat, bread,
and broth,
brings them
under the
terebinth,
under the
tree, places
them on a
rock, and
the angel of
the Lord
touches the
offering with
the tip of
his staff.
fire burns
up from the
rock, consuming
the offering,
and the angel
of the Lord
disappears,
vanishes,
showing his
power and
true self as
who?
The almighty
God of the
universe.
God was
right there.
God had
revealed a
very, a
part of his
very nature
to Gideon.
And this
marker, this
catalyst, would
serve as a
very important
turning point
in Gideon's
life.
Before this
point, he
was a fearful
farmer,
threshing wheat
in a wine
press, hiding
away.
After seeing a
glimpse of the
glory of God
through the
fire, Gideon
worships God,
and then he
does two things
he never thought
he would do.
First, he
cuts down the
altar of Baal
and the
Asherah pole,
both of which
were in his
father's house.
So he came
directly against
his father and
against the men
of the town who
wanted to kill
him for doing
so.
Second, he
sacrifices his
father's prize
bull.
And remember,
the Midianites
were oppressing
Israel by killing
off their livestock.
So you can
imagine,
a prize bull
would have been
a scarce
resource at
that time.
But in this
way, God
was telling
Gideon,
I know you
don't have many
bulls left.
Bulls are
becoming very
scarce, but
sacrifice this
one for me.
You can trust
me.
When you are
insufficient, I
am more than
sufficient.
So what's the
best way to
build courage
as a Christian?
desire God.
Desire to see
his face.
Desire to
know him
better and
better.
Pray for this
to happen in
your life.
Even God
calls us.
He doesn't
just expect us
to follow
blindly.
He reveals
his glory to
us through the
Holy Spirit,
through his
word,
through the
many men and
women that he
puts in our
lives.
God.
But Gideon
still struggled
with fully
trusting God,
didn't he?
Verse 36,
after God
had revealed
himself to
Gideon,
Gideon asks
for yet
another sign.
He says to
God,
if you indeed
will help me
save Israel,
well, I need
further proof
that you're
sovereign.
He lays
his wool
fleece on
the threshing
floor.
He says to
God,
well, if
there's dew
on the
fleece in
the morning
but the
ground around
the fleece
is dry,
then, well,
I know
you're with
me.
And it
was so.
But apparently
that wasn't
enough for
Gideon.
He tests
God yet
again.
This time
he says
to God,
this time
he asks
for the
fleece to
be dry
and the
ground to
be wet
around the
fleece.
And God
indulges
Gideon yet
again.
What is
going on
here?
Although
Gideon saw
God in
the fire,
although God
had spoken
directly to
Gideon,
Gideon was
just a frail
human being
like you
and I.
And he
still wrestled
with fear
and with
doubt.
And that
is okay.
Because
although
God is
sovereign,
all-powerful,
he's also
incredibly
patient and
long-suffering.
Now get
this.
It's not
in spite
of Gideon's
weakness
that God
uses him.
It's not
in spite
of Gideon's
weakness.
It's actually
because of
Gideon's
weakness
that God
uses him.
It was
because of
Gideon's
weakness
that God's
power and
glory will
be made
known to
Israel and
to the
world in
the battle
against the
Midianites.
See,
in the
upside-down
counterintuitive
nature of
the gospel of
our Lord
Jesus Christ,
it is not
those who are
self-reliant,
self-righteous,
like the Pharisees
who are the
sons and
daughters of
Almighty God.
No.
It is the
broken man
and woman,
the childlike,
the humble,
who says,
God,
I come to
you in
my weakness
with nothing,
but in
you I
have
everything.
Third
takeaway.
How are we
doing so
far?
Are we
good?
Ed's still
good.
Okay,
great.
Third
takeaway,
God's
victory in
our weakness.
And so
Gideon,
with increase
but still
questionable
faith,
rallies his
troops from
other tribes
of Israel
and readies
his men
to attack
the Midianites.
You can
imagine Gideon
getting his
32,000 men
ready,
sharpening
their swords.
Maybe he
gave them
a Mel Gibson
Braveheart-like
pep talk.
But then the
Lord says to
Gideon in
chapter 7
verse 2,
the people,
the people
with you
are too many
for me to
give the
Midianites
into their
hand.
Lest
Israel
boast
over me
saying,
my own
hand
has saved
me.
But God
says,
if any
soldier is
fearful,
let him
go home.
22,000
soldiers
left
then and
there.
Gideon
lost close
to 70%
of his
men right
there.
Let's put
ourselves in
Gideon's
shoes for a
second.
Gideon,
the fearful
farmer who
we found
hiding away,
threshing
wheat in a
wine press,
he probably
thought that
32,000 men
versus 135,000
Midianites was
too difficult
at the start.
But now with
only 10,000 men
left, God
says there are
still too many.
Imagine what
Gideon must have
thought.
With only 10,000
men left, I'm
massively outnumbered.
I need more men,
not fewer men.
But God takes
Gideon and his
men down to the
water for a
drink.
He sifts
Gideon's men
yet again
and in the
process
and afterwards
only 300
men
remained.
Gideon lost
99%
of his men
before the
battle even
began.
He was
outnumbered
450 to
one.
His men
only had
trumpets
and candles.
One trumpet
to 450
swords.
Imagine that.
An impossible
victory.
Gideon must
have thought,
God, I am
completely relying
on you to win
this battle.
If you don't
come through
here, this
won't just be
an embarrassing
defeat.
My men
and I, we're
going to die.
But why does
God do this
to Gideon?
But why does
God do this
to us?
Why does
God put
seemingly
impossible
battles
in our
lives?
I would
argue two
reasons.
First,
this is the
normal Christian
life.
In the book
of Habakkuk,
God tells
the prophet
Habakkuk,
the righteous
shall live
by faith.
The righteous
shall live
by faith.
faith.
I think
most Christians
know that it
is by faith
and not by
works that we
initially come
to receive Jesus
Christ as our
Lord and Savior.
But we also
need to exercise
faith along our
entire journey
as Christ
followers.
We don't just
come to believe
in Christ and
then our entire
lives consist of
strawberries and
cream where we're
just relying on
ourselves.
We have to
learn to lean
on God in
every single
aspect of
our lives.
That is why
Paul says to
pray unceasingly
because if we
really do so,
it means that
we are relying
on God for
everything.
And this leads
me to point
number two.
Point number
two is because
God is merciful.
Now this may
sound strange,
right?
How does
allowing us to
struggle show
God's mercy?
But if we
truly understand
our own
heart condition,
we realize
we really
don't like
having
lean on
God,
do we?
But the
longer we
go on
believing in
our own
self-sufficiency,
the more
removed we
are from
trusting God.
Our idols
become giants
in all that
we care about.
God becomes
very small
and we lose
our understanding
of God.
We lose
sight of the
very nature
of God
as sovereign,
majestic,
powerful.
And so
God in
his mercy
sometimes
puts these
impossible,
difficult battles
in front of
us.
So we
wake up
and realize
that we're
reminded of
who he is
and that
he is in
control.
I've always
loved being
in control.
But for me
personally,
I feel like
my life over
these past
six months
has been
more out
of control
than it's
ever been.
I left
my previous
job a few
months ago
and I'm
starting a
new job.
Actually,
I'm not even
sure when
the new
job is going
to start.
That's how
uncertain it
is.
My wife
Celeste and
I are having
twins,
which we're
very excited
about.
But twins,
that's
uncertain,
right?
Right?
And finally,
just standing
up here in
front of you
all trying
to convey
God's
word.
If you
had asked
me a couple
years ago
if I could
do this,
I would have
said,
no way,
that's
impossible.
I could
barely speak
until I was
five years
old.
But you
know,
in the midst
of all that's
been going
on in my
life,
I've seen
my own
weakness,
how desperate
I need
God.
And you
know,
through this
all,
I've come
to see
God in
a new
way as
being more
wonderful,
more beautiful,
more faithful
than before.
And you
know,
strangely,
it's been
freeing for
me.
And I
believe God
wants all
of us to
come to a
place where
we're broken
and desperate,
on our
knees,
admitting our
weakness to
him,
and where our
maximum weakness
comes face to
face with his
abundant
faithfulness.
I know it's
totally
counterintuitive
because we
all hate
feeling weak,
but if we
really want to
know God,
taste the
sweetness of
who he is,
to feel the
joy that is
in Christ,
I think we
regularly need
to recognize
situations where
we say to
God, like
Gideon did,
God, I
give this to
you.
You don't
come through
here.
I'm
finished.
I'm
done.
I cannot
go on.
Because that
is where
God's power
is revealed.
That is where
we see his
glory, his
awesomeness
at work.
And isn't
this the
gospel of
our Lord
Jesus Christ?
When we
come to
God, we
come to
him in
all our
weakness,
all our
brokenness,
and all
our sin.
we come
to him
with our
hands open,
but nothing
to give him
but our
faith, our
righteousness,
worthless,
our accolades,
our CV,
useless.
And yet, in
our weakness,
if our faith
is in
Christ, we
are fully
accepted by
God.
And so,
for Gideon,
in spite of
being outnumbered
135,000 to
300,
450 to
1, God
delivered the
Midianites
into his
hand that
day.
Gideon's
army didn't
even raise
a sword.
All they
had were
trumpets and
candles.
When they
blew the
300 trumpets,
the passage
says that
the Lord
set every
man's
sword against
his comrade
and against
all the
army.
The Lord
caused the
Midianites to
kill each
other.
God didn't
just pitch
in and
help out.
He wasn't
just a
pinch hitter.
God fought
and he won
the battle
for Gideon.
finally,
fourth
takeaway,
the only
true king.
A friend
gave Celeste
and I
a Bible
comic
when Kiva,
our daughter,
was,
well,
right after
our daughter
was recently
born.
So I opened
up this Bible
comic recently
to look at
the story of
Gideon.
Chapter 6
was there
talking about
God calling
Gideon.
Chapter 7
was there
talking about
God delivering
the Midianites
into his
hand.
Chapter 8,
totally
missing.
Nothing
on chapter 8.
In a way,
I don't blame
the author
or the editor.
Chapter 8
is the dark,
ugly ending
to Gideon's
life and
can show us
what happens
if we forget
to trust God.
and we only
trust ourselves.
What happens
in chapter 8?
After winning
the battle
against the
Midianites,
Gideon continues
his pursuit
of two
Midianite kings.
And along
the way,
he comes
across two
Israelite towns
of Sukkoth
and Penuel.
And he asks
the men
of both towns
to feed
his own
300 men
as they're
hungry after
the last
battle.
But both
Penuel
and Sukkoth
reject his
request.
And so,
after Gideon
captures the
two Midianite kings,
he returns
to Penuel
and to Sukkoth
and he murders
all the elders
of Sukkoth
and he murders
all the men
of Penuel.
He kills
his own
Israelite
brothers.
And later on,
Gideon asks
the people
of Israel
to donate
part of the
spoils
towards making
an idol
which he
places
in his
own
hometown
of
Ophrah,
the exact
place where
God told
him to tear
down the
pagan idols
of Baal
and Asherah.
And finally,
when the people
of Israel
ask Gideon
and his sons
to be their
kings,
Gideon
initially says,
I will not
rule over you,
nor will my
sons rule
over you.
The Lord
will rule
over you.
But what
does Gideon
do?
He does
the exact
opposite.
He acts
like a king.
He takes
many wives.
He has a
concubine.
He has 70
sons.
And he names
one of his
sons Abimelech,
which means
my father
is king.
What is
going on
here?
This story
is not
ending like
it's supposed
to.
But notice
in chapter
8.
In chapter
8,
Gideon
no longer
has any
communication
with God.
He no
longer relies
on God
for God's
deliverance
and power.
His own
hunger for
power
consumes him
and becomes
his idol.
And what
is the
result of
idolatry?
Oppression.
Chapter
8,
verse 27
says,
on the
idol that
Gideon
put up in
his hometown,
it says,
Israel
whored
after
there
and it
became
a snare
to Gideon
and to
his family.
After
Gideon
died,
his son
Abimelech
murdered
all but
one
of Gideon's
70 sons.
Tragic.
And Israel
continued
this cycle,
this downward
cycle.
Israel
wanted
Gideon
to be
her king.
But the
truth is,
Gideon
was no
king.
Gideon
needed a
king himself.
Gideon
needed a
king to
deliver
him.
Gideon
would not
have been
the perfect
king,
but there
is no
king on
earth,
past or
present or
future,
who is
perfect.
the whole
Old
Testament
was crying
out for
a righteous
king.
But as we
learned two
weeks ago,
no king
is righteous.
Not in the
Bible,
not in our
modern day.
There is no
king on this
earth who is
comparable to
the king of
kings,
our Lord
Jesus Christ.
Gideon came
from humble
beginnings as a
farmer.
He was weak.
God called
him a
mighty
warrior.
But look
at Christ.
Christ had
all the
glory of
heaven
surrounding
him.
But in
humility,
he took
the form
of a
man.
He was
born in
a lowly
manger in
Bethlehem.
He rode
into the
city of
Jerusalem on
a donkey,
not a
white army
horse.
After
defeating the
Midianites,
Gideon
elevated himself
to a
king-like
position.
But Jesus
Christ never
elevated himself.
Paul writes
in Philippians,
I love this
passage,
Paul writes
that although
Christ was
God,
he did not
consider equality
with God
something to be
grasped,
but emptied
himself by
taking the
form of a
servant.
Being found
in human
form,
he humbled
himself by
becoming obedient
to the point
of death,
even death
on a
cross.
Christ
humbled
himself
for us.
In order for
Gideon to win
the battle
against the
Amalekites
and Midianites,
much blood
had to be
shed.
Many
Midianites
and Amalekites
had to die
in order for
Israel to be
delivered that
day.
And for
all of us
today,
because of
our desire
to be our
own kings
in our
kingdom,
to be in
control of
our destiny,
to follow
our idols
of our
children's
success,
of money,
of power,
of relationships,
we sin
against God
and we
become God's
enemy.
And because
of that,
we
have to
shed our
blood.
But instead
of raising
his sword
against us,
Jesus Christ
shed his
blood
for us.
On the
cross,
Christ suffered
torturous
pain.
He bled
from his
hands and
feet.
His body
was beaten
and bloodied,
bruised.
He was whipped.
But worst
of all,
he was separated
from his
Father in
heaven.
But Christ
did this
for us.
When we
should have
died for
our
idolatry,
Christ
died
for us.
And that
is why the
gospel
is the
good news.
Christ,
who had
no sin,
became sin
for us
for that we
might become
the righteousness
of God.
Friends,
today,
please believe
that if
your life
is hidden
with Christ,
if your
faith is
in him,
you have
been delivered
from the
oppressive
nature of
idolatry.
No more
guilt nor
shame.
And we
do nothing
to receive
this.
It is
God's
grace
and our
weakness
his strength.
life.
When we
face the
impossible
battles
of life,
we can
get on
our knees
and we
can rejoice
because when
we are
weak,
God is
strong.
When the
odds are
stacked
against us,
that's
when God's
glory
shines.
Look at
Gideon.
Then,
look at
David and
Goliath.
Look at
Daniel and
the lion's
den.
look at
Abraham,
Moses,
Joseph,
Elijah,
and Paul.
And then
more importantly,
look at
the incomparable
Jesus Christ,
our Lord.
On the
cross,
he became
weak and
frail.
He became
sin for
us.
But Christ
rose again
in power
and is now
seated at the
right hand
of the
majesty of
the Father
in heaven
with all
authority
power
and dominion
over heaven
and over
earth.
When we
are insufficient,
Jesus Christ
is more
than sufficient.
Praise be
to Jesus,
our Lord,
our God,
our King.
Would you
join me
in prayer?
Father God,
thank you
for your
word,
Lord.
Thank you
for this
passage,
living and
active and
powerful.
Pray God
as we
take this
word into
our hearts,
Lord.
I pray,
Lord,
that it
would fall
upon
fertile soil,
Lord,
that as we
look into
our own
hearts,
look into
our lives,
and we
see our
own weaknesses,
we see the
areas that we
struggle,
Lord,
we wrestle
with,
that we
really want
to just
take control
ourselves.
Father,
I pray that
you would
help us
to see,
Lord,
that in
our own
weakness,
when we
can't take
care of
our own
business,
Lord,
if we give
it to you,
Father,
you are
there.
That is
where your
power is
revealed.
That is
where your
glory shines.
I pray,
God,
that we would
see this
this morning,
Lord.
We would
accept this,
Father.
that this
would be
a reality
into our
lives.
Thank you,
Jesus.
In your name
we pray.
Amen.