Human beings have a timeless and universal fascination with superheroes.
They've been the stuff of every culture from time immemorial.
From Gilgamesh, the ancient Sumerian king,
whose epic search for immortality is perhaps the oldest written story on earth.
To Achilles, the great hero of the Trojan Wars.
To the warriors and nation founders of ancient and modern history.
To Olympians of every age and nation.
To the supermen and the Wonder Woman and all the marvel characters.
Whether they're supermen and women who are real or imaginary.
Contemporary warfare, sports, entertainment.
They are with us everywhere.
There's a particular fascination with them.
As I mentioned there in terms of marvel characters at the moment.
You know, popular movies.
We cannot get enough of superheroes.
We even have to manufacture our own through TV shows like Australian Idol.
And what these superheroes tend to do for us is they release us from the boredom of our ordinary lives.
They excite us.
They inspire us.
They even scandal us with their falls from grace.
They fascinate us.
They give us relief by making our own faults and failings seem so small and excusable compared to their enormous ones.
And the Bible has its heroes too.
We're introduced to three of them in this text in front of us.
But in turn, each one of these heroes points us to a greater hero.
And in fact, the only true hero of the book of Judges.
And that is God himself.
And so, as I said at the beginning, we're exploring Judges 4 and 5 tonight.
These chapters are an awesome read.
They are really interesting.
But both chapters 4 and 5 describe the same events, but coming at it from different angles, if you like.
Chapter 4, which is what I just read, looks at the events from the perspective of a historian.
It's a narrative, a historical narrative.
Chapter 5 describes the same events that we've just read, but from the perspective of the poet or the theologian.
So, there's three things that I want us to see.
We're going to look at very briefly tonight.
First of all, we're going to look at chapter 4 and be introduced to the ruler and the rescuers.
Then in chapter 5, we're going to see who the true ruler rescuer is.
And then the third point is what it means to live by faith in this ruler rescuer.
Okay, so chapter 4, let's have a quick squiz at that.
Get your Bibles open.
At the beginning of chapter 4, we see the cycle that we were introduced to last week by Takeshi.
It starts all over again, very simply.
Again, the Israelites need evil in the eyes of the Lord now that Ehud was dead.
So, one judge is dead and again, God's people commit evil in the eyes of the Lord.
And their sin leads them to be oppressed by Jabin, king of Canaan.
Now, ironically, this king would not even exist had Israel obeyed God back in chapter 1,
when he said, go in and take the promised land and destroy him.
This guy wouldn't even be there, but now he's oppressing God's people.
And Jabin's main agent of oppression is this Sisera, his commander, his general.
We're told in verse 3 that Sisera has 900 chariots fitted with iron at his disposal.
And these things are the smart bombs and the drones of their time.
This is military technology at its height.
And we are told here that Sisera cruelly oppressed the Israelites for 20 years.
This is the worst oppression that they have yet to face.
And at the end of chapter 5, we get a measure of this man and how he treated people.
In chapter 5, verses 28 and 29, Deborah, who will be introduced into a moment,
pictures Sisera's mother and his mother's ladies-in-waiting,
looking out for him to return victorious from his battle with the Israelites.
And we learn from the discussion that they're having with each other while they're waiting for him to come back,
that what Sisera likes to do is to steal women, rape them, and enslave them as his sex slaves.
And they assume that he's taking his time coming back from the battle with Israel
because he's in the process of taking more sex slaves for himself.
He's in the business of raping women right now.
That's why he's taking his time.
It was so common knowledge, even his mother knows about it.
Don't worry, he'll be home for dinner once he's done with the women.
He was a cruel oppressor.
And so it says Israel again cried out to the Lord for help, and God raises up Deborah.
Now, Deborah is different from the other judges.
First of all, she's a woman.
She's the only woman judge.
And secondly, she's described as a prophet in verse 4.
Not a judge, but as a prophet.
And as such, she preaches and teaches the word of God.
And she does it in verse 6 when she says to Barak,
the Lord, the God of Israel, commands you.
That's her speaking prophecy over Barak's life.
Verses 4 and 5 says that she was leading Israel and holding court.
That is, Deborah was not a military leader.
She was more like a modern-day judicial official.
Verse 5 says the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided.
Kind of like a Judge Judy kind of thing.
She was recognized as a wise counselor, as a judge.
I'm not making that comparison with Judge Judy, by the way.
People came to her to settle all sorts of social and legal and relational cases.
Deborah led the people of Israel from wisdom and for character rather than just pure military might.
She was also, interesting, the only judge who led beyond the battlefield.
She didn't just lead them to release them from the oppressor, but she led Israel as a nation from beyond the battlefield.
She is the savior who rules.
She's more than just a rescuer.
She's a ruler.
In fact, they look to her to reshape society.
And in that sense, Deborah is the one judge of all the judges who is the greatest pointer to the monarchy period,
which comes straight after this book and which this book is leading to.
She is the greatest pointer to that.
She's the greatest pointer also in this book to the long-awaited Christ.
You see, the Christ of whom Isaiah 9 says,
he will bear the government on his shoulders and he's called wonderful counselor, prince of peace,
establishing and upholding his kingdom with justice and righteousness.
So right here in the heart of this book of battles and slayings,
we see a, it's a subtle point, but it's a significant point.
God's people don't just need a mighty rescuer.
They don't just need a savior.
They need a ruler.
They need a king.
This is something that Israel will get to the point where they cry out for,
but it's also a significant point for us to grapple with now.
All of these judges ultimately find their fulfillment in the person of Jesus.
He is the Christ who Isaiah is referring to.
So what happens when the modern day person wants to treat Jesus as rescuer but not ruler?
And there are people who want to do that.
What happens when you treat Jesus just as your rescuer but not as your ruler,
just as your savior but not your king?
The result is liberalism.
It's called cheap grace.
It's license.
That is, the gospel of salvation in Jesus is just purely about the management of my sin.
It's about dealing with my sin.
It's not about anything else.
Just sin.
The gospel is about having my sins forgiven so that I can go to heaven.
It's not about relationship with God.
It's just primarily my sins forgiven so that I get to go to heaven.
So I don't get to suffer consequences for my sin.
And so the thinking is, providing I've asked Jesus to forgive me,
I've asked him into my heart and he's forgiven me.
I get to go to heaven.
It doesn't really matter how I live because he's in the business of forgiving me.
So he's going to do that.
I've got this get out of jail free or get out of hell free card.
And I don't need to do anything about spiritual disciplines or radical generosity or anything like that.
Because Jesus is my savior.
On the other hand, if we treat Jesus as my lord, my ruler, and not my savior and my rescuer, the result is the opposite.
It's legalism.
It's a life obeying the rules.
Obeying the rules.
Not totally confident whether I've actually got out of jail for free at all because I'm not sure where I stand.
I just hope I've done enough.
And if I think, convince myself that I have done enough, then the result is self-righteousness and pride and arrogance and judgmentalism and a religious spirit upon everyone else who does not live up to my standard.
And you can sit on this side and use all the language of Zion.
You can lose all the language of righteousness.
And you'll not have a life or a heart of righteousness.
Jesus must be both liberator and lord.
He must be rescuer and ruler.
What's interesting in this text is that Deborah is not the one who, in God's strength, rescues Israel by defeating its oppressor.
She's the ruler, but we have two other rescuers here.
And so she sends Barak in chapter 4, verse 6.
He will lead the battle against God's enemies.
And Barak's name means lightning.
I mean, that's awesome, isn't it?
That's the guy you want to pick.
The guy with the name lightning or crusher or something like that.
So here we have Captain Lightning.
He's the hero of the story.
Although he doesn't seem to fit when you read verse 8.
Barak said to Deborah, if you go with me, I will go.
But if you don't go with me, I won't go.
So maybe Captain Lightning's not quite appropriate.
Captain Sissy Pants or something like that might be more appropriate for him.
He refuses to go into battle unless Deborah comes with him.
Now, he appears at this point to have a timid lack of faith.
And maybe there is an element of wavering there for him.
But he seems to simply refuse to trust and obey the word that came from God.
And in fact, when you read verse 9, it appears to confirm that conclusion.
Deborah says to him,
Barak then summons the troops.
He prepares to fight.
But only because Deborah is with him.
And it's not until verse 14,
after Sisera has gathered his awesome war machine down by the river
and Deborah has told Barak to go,
that Barak charges down Mount Tabor with his men.
The honour for the victory is still withheld from Barak, however,
because of his lack of obedient, radical faith in verse 8.
That's the pessimistic way to read this text.
There is a number of commentators land on it that way.
I think there is a more optimistic way to read it.
And it's my preference.
And the Hebrew language defends it.
And that is to read verse 9 like this.
On the expedition you are undertaking,
the honour will not be yours.
Now with this reading, reading it that way,
Deborah is not rebuking Barak for being weak,
but simply telling him,
you are about to charge down a hillside
into the teeth of 900 iron chariots
and you're not going to get the honour for it.
You okay with that?
It's a prophetic statement of fact,
not a critique of his faith.
And there's a reason I read it like that
when we get to Hebrews 11.
This reading paints Barak as in fact a hero of faith.
He wants to take Deborah with him,
not because he's a coward,
not because he's unfaithful,
but out of recognition that Deborah is the leader of God's people
and she leads through wisdom by speaking the word of God.
The command from Deborah to Barak came from God
and he wants to make sure
that he's got the word of God with him
right there, right then
to go when he's told to go.
He wants to make sure
that he's got a godly woman there
who speaks the word of God.
And we see that in verse 14.
As soon as Deborah tells Barak to attack,
he does it immediately.
He displays tremendous faith.
But more importantly,
he displays real faith
in obeying the word of God at that moment.
He wanted Deborah there
so he could hear from God.
And what makes this story so incredible
is that Barak charges down this hillside
into the battle against all odds,
knowing that he ain't going to get the glory for it.
He's been told that in advance.
You ain't going to get the glory for this.
There is no Victoria Cross for you.
There's no Congressional Medal of Honor.
You're not going to be knighted.
You're not going to be promoted to General Lightning.
It's not happening.
No glory for you.
Would you do that?
I mean, how many of us even
live the Christian life
without the applause of other people?
It's so much easier to serve
and to give and to sacrifice
when other people are noticing.
And it's so embarrassing
when we've got to point it out to them
in subtle ways.
He obeys God and leads his men
knowing that the victory will be given to another.
And when it's all over,
it's done and dusted,
Barak goes back to his job
and Deborah will still rule.
This is humility on display.
And in his humble faith,
Barak, the deliverer of Israel,
really does point us to the great deliverer,
who, though in very nature God,
and therefore the rightful ruler of all things,
still did not consider equality with God
something to be grasped,
something to be used for his own purpose,
for a display of his own glory,
but made himself nothing,
humbled himself and became obedient to death,
even death on a cross.
And so Barak descends the mountain,
Sisera flees,
all that needs to happen now
is for Barak to catch up with him
and to claim victory,
and by the time he does,
Sisera will be dead.
There is this deliciously inexplicable break
in the narrative of Barak's victory
over Sisera in verse 11.
The battle's about to happen,
and then all of a sudden,
the writer mentions that Heber, the Kenite,
had left the other Kenites,
the descendants of Hobab,
Moses' brother,
and Pishni's tent by the great tree
of Zanonim near Kadesh.
Who cares about his camping trip?
What's that there for?
You read the narrative and you go,
why do we care about this guy?
Heber, he's on holidays.
He's pitched his tent.
You wonder, what's it there for?
It's like cutting for a commercial break
right when they're about to announce
the winner of Australian Idol
or Bachelorette
or whatever the shows are
that you watch nowadays.
I don't.
That's a judgment there I'm just making.
But Heber's wife is integral in this story.
That's why the little pitch in the tent thing there
gets in the way.
She's integral.
Her name is Jael.
And in verse 17,
we are told that the fleeing Sisera
reaches this tent which has been pitched,
the tent of Jael
and her name means safety.
What a name.
How ironic.
Safety.
And Jael welcomes him in,
gives him a drink,
lets him take a nap.
Then we read in verse 21,
Jael, Heber's wife,
picked up a tent peg
and a hammer
and went quietly to him
while he lay fast asleep
because he's exhausted
and she drove the tent peg
through his temple
into the ground
and he died.
I'm pretty sure that little bit
and he died
is superfluous to the whole,
you don't need to add that.
I'm just assuming he's dead.
You know,
just want to make sure he died.
You know, he's dead.
This is humiliating death
for Sisera the great general
because setting up
and taking down tents
in their culture
was considered the work of women.
Now, when I go camping,
I do it because I like doing it
and that doesn't do it.
Just want to make that clear,
I do it, right?
Not now.
In their culture,
it was considered women's work
and the tent peg,
which is not the little things
you get from BCF.
This is like,
boom, tent peg.
This is household appliances
for a woman.
So for Sisera,
this is death by toaster
is what this is.
Death by,
or North Shore version,
Thermomix.
Death by Thermomix
for Sisera, right?
This is a smashing salvation.
Pardon the pun.
I'm on a roll.
So this is humiliating.
This is a humiliating death
for this guy.
But these verses do raise
a dilemma for us.
You know,
how does bang, bang, bang
through a bloke's head
square with Jesus
in Luke 6
when he says,
love your enemies?
How do you know?
Did she not wear her
what would Jesus do
ban that day?
Like,
how do you square that?
Driving a tent peg
through a temple
seems at odd
with that.
Command to love,
bless,
pray for your enemies.
Now,
sometimes
when the Bible
has stories like this,
we resolve the dilemma
by remembering
that we need
to make a distinction
between what the Bible
reports
and what it supports.
What it reports
and what it supports.
For instance,
David had many wives.
Report.
It doesn't support
us having many wives.
And so one thing
it reports
and over here
it supports
and celebrates.
The problem for us
in this instance
is that jail's actions
are celebrated
in chapter 5.
And so what her actions
are doing
in all the gruesomeness
of it,
they are celebrating
the salvation
of God's people
through a horrible
and humiliating death.
That's what's happening.
God's triumph
over evil
and the fact
that one day
all people
will stand before him
and be held accountable
for their actions
are in fact
aspects
of the gospel message
which we should welcome
and we should rejoice over.
As hard as it is,
as difficult as it is
for us to grapple with
and the consequences
of what that means,
we should welcome
and we should rejoice over.
However,
the Christian
should tremble
as they do so
knowing that they
will stand there too
with Jesus
alone as their advocate.
And Jesus
is their advocate
because he's the one
who allowed
tent pegs
to be driven
into his hands
and his feet
for our salvation.
His gruesome
and humiliating
death
was for our freedom,
for our salvation.
Revelation chapter 11
verses 15 to 18
is quite clear
that Jesus
should be praised
for his victory
over sin
and Satan
and for his final
and eternal judgment
and crushing
of all his enemies.
It says,
all the heavens
will declare
the praiseworthiness
of this Jesus
who defeats
all of his enemies
forever.
and we can know
for sure
that God
will bring justice
because we have
seen sin
rightly judged
at the cross.
The cross
of Christ
is not only
the place
where we are
made right
with God,
it is the proof
that God
does in fact
judge
and punish
sin.
The resurrection
tells us
that there will be
a future judgment
as well
for those
whose sin
has not been punished
by the Lord Jesus
with his death.
That is,
for those
who decide
to carry
their sin
themselves
rather than
hand it to Jesus.
Acts 17
31
says that
the resurrection
is proof
that Jesus
will judge
and he
will punish
sin
forever.
Having said
that,
the death
and resurrection
of Jesus
fundamentally
does change
our attitude
towards our
enemies.
It is
absolutely
right
that we
want to see
justice done.
Absolutely
right.
And frankly,
if you're a Christian,
you plead
for that.
You
plead to God
to bring
justice
to this
world.
You
pray
for him
for the
oppressed
in this
world
to be
released.
For those
who are
suffering
in the
face
of
injustice
around
this
world
right
now,
for God
to intervene
and to bring
justice.
You plead
for God
for that
to happen.
For those
enslaved
to be
set
free.
But you
plead for it
knowing that
it will be
done.
but not
by us.
Not
by us.
The coming
judgment
sets us
free from
seeking
justice
done in
this life
at our
hand.
There
will be
vindication
of those
who are
active
rightly
and
punishment
for all
wrongdoing
beyond this
life.
We can
yearn for
justice
and we
should
yearn for
justice
while at
the same
time
still pray
for and
bless our
enemies.
Because of
the cross
we can
have the
attitude
of Jesus
who on
the cross
as he
looked at
those who
were nailing
him down
killing
him
said
father
forgive
them.
The cross
enables us to
do that
with our
enemies.
As you
move into
chapter 5
we see
who the
true
ruler and
rescuer
is.
Sisera's
death is
the most
devastating
humiliating
defeat
possible.
It is
at the
hand of
a woman
in their
culture
devastating
and humiliating.
And
Deborah's
prophecy
back in
verse 9
of chapter
4 was
true.
The honour
was not
Barak's
but it
wasn't
Deborah's
either.
Humanly
speaking the
honour was
if you like
shared amongst
three people.
And yet
when you
move into
chapter 5
we notice
that the
honour goes
to no
human at
all.
Chapter 5
what it
does is
it looks
beneath the
surface of
the events
of chapter
4 and
reveals the
gods behind
everything
anyway.
God
receives the
praise for
the victory
here as
Deborah and
Barak sing
the praises
of God
who's
defeated
their enemy.
God
will
sing.
When we
got these
words up
here
one of the
glorious things
we get to do
in corporal
worship
is sing
the praises
of God
to lift up
our voices
and our
hearts
and declare
that he
is worthy.
Sing.
The younger
generation have
to hear us
sing.
That's what
Deborah and
Barak are doing
here in
chapter 5.
It is just
singing because
of the victory
that's been won.
It says here
as Israel's men
were on a
march,
God was on
the march.
God showed
his power
through the
rain in
verse 4
as his
people advanced
down the
mountain,
the one
for whom
all mountains
shake and
tremble,
goes to
war in
verse 5.
The point of
verses 6
and 8 is
that he is
the only true
God.
Israel fell
under oppression
because they
abandoned God
and they served
idols and
because of that
all of their
society fell
into decay.
Deborah was
their hope
as the
restorer of
the society
but verses
10 to 12
revealed that
it was actually
God's actions
that gave them
hope.
Then in
verses 19
to 22
Deborah and
Barak
return and
confirm again
that this was
God's victory.
The God
who rules
nature,
even the
stars,
was fighting
for them
verse 21
reveals how
Sisera's
mighty chariots
were defeated
in the end.
The God
who made
the clouds
pour down
water in
verse 4
caused the
river to
flood
sweeping
away
the chariots
of Sisera
as Barak
advanced.
Sisera's
not an
idiot.
He would
never have
arranged
his
chariots
for battle
next to
a river
if he
was expecting
it to
rain.
And this
is the
dry season
when this
happened.
But God
in verse 6
through Deborah
told Israel
exactly where
to fight
and exactly
when to
fight.
God
brought the
rain
and God
brought the
rain
and God
the
lesson for
God's
people here
is that
he wins
and so
blessing is
found in
and with
him.
Blessing
comes when
we put
ourselves in
his service
whatever the
odds,
whatever the
likely cost
it is for
us.
On the
other hand
according to
verse 23
there is a
curse for
those who
do exactly
the opposite
and those
who stay
at home.
It is not
that God
needs our
help but
that he
allows us
to be
involved in
his victory.
Even
Jael here
despite being
a Kenite
and an
enemy of
God took
her place
in the
story and
killed the
enemy of
God.
It's an
incredible
narrative.
And it's
just so
wonderful and
ironic and
beautiful how
the narrative
of these
chapters are
framed around
the actions
of two
women.
Deborah
leads Israel
against
Sisera's
oppression
seen most
horribly the
way he treats
women and
then Jael is
the means by
which his
reign of
rape and
terror come
to an end.
two women
bring him
down.
However,
neither of
them are
mentioned in
the Bible
again.
Neither of
them.
Judges 4
tends to
play down
the hero
status of
Barak.
On the
other hand,
Samuel,
the great
prophet of
Israel,
mentions
Barak in
his farewell
address to
the nation
of Israel
in 1
Samuel
chapter 12
and he's
described there
as a
deliverer
of Israel.
And
Barak is
also mentioned
as one of
the greats
of the
faith in
Hebrews 11
32 to
34 where
it says,
and what
more shall
I say?
I do not
have time to
tell about
Gideon,
Barak,
Samson,
Jephna,
about David
and Samuel
and the
prophets who
through faith
conquered
kingdoms,
administered
justice and
gained what
was promised,
who shut
the mouths
of lions,
quenched
the fury
of the
flames and
escaped the
edge of
the sword,
whose
weakness
was turned
to strength
and who
became
powerful in
battle and
routed
foreign
armies.
Barak did
what he
did according
to verse
33 of
Hebrews 11
through
faith.
When the
command from
God came
to go
via Deborah,
he didn't
hesitate.
Down the
mountain he
went with
10,000 men
following him.
It was
inspirational
leadership.
An iron
chariot could
cut through
a foot
soldier like
a hot
knife through
butter.
And 900
chariots would
defeat 10,000
foot soldiers
in open
plain every
day of the
week.
And the
biggest challenge
for Barak
came when
he hit the
valley floor
at the
bottom of
the mountain.
When he
hit the
bottom of
the mountain,
it was at
that point he
had to
break cover
and he
had to
advance for
20 kilometers
across open
ground
before he
hit the
river
Kishon
and to
front
Sisera's
formidable
chariots in
open country.
Sisera had
plenty of
time to
marshal.
They would
have been
destroyed
before they
even got
to the
river.
That took
nerves of
steel.
And most
of all,
it took
faith.
An unwavering
trust in the
God who had
promised them
today's the day
going to be
victory.
You go now
and you get
victory.
Barak's forces
were no match
for Sisera's
chariots,
but Sisera's
chariots were
no match for
God.
This is
Barak at
his best,
the man of
faith,
the faith that
acts,
the faith that
stakes everything
on God.
And that's why
Barak is
mentioned in
Hebrews 11.
He did not
grab victory
because of his
training,
because of his
strategy,
because of his
raw strength.
His victory
was a gift.
Now this guy
is by no means
the greatest
of biblical
heroes.
Even Hebrews
11 gives
way much more
time and space
to Abraham
and Moses.
This man was
no superhero.
Among human
beings, there
is only one
whose faith
in God was
perfect.
And Hebrews
12,
verse 2,
calls us to
fix our eyes
on Jesus,
the pioneer
and the
perfecter of
our faith.
faith.
That is,
Jesus is the
perfect example
of faith.
He is the
one who had
complete confidence
in the word
of God.
Complete
confidence
that his
death via
the cross
would result
in victory.
This confidence
translated into
actions.
It says he
endured the
cross.
And further,
his faith was
based on what
lay ahead.
For the joy
set before
him, he
endured the
cross.
Jesus is
the perfect
example of
faith.
He is the
author of
faith.
That simply
means that
Jesus is the
one who wrote
the script on
what it means
to be a
person of
faith in
the word
of God.
Or what it
means to live
a life of
dependence and
obedience.
He is also
the perfecter
of our
faith.
Because he
knew that
you and I
and Barak
and Deborah
could not
do it.
He needed to
fulfill it for
us.
And so he
perfected it
for us.
Totally
obeyed his
father even
to death,
even death
on a cross.
And so
Hebrews tells
us you keep
your eyes fixed
on Jesus.
You keep your
eyes fixed on
him.
We are
called to
look to
him for
our hope.
Verse 3
says,
consider him
who endured
such opposition
from sinners
so that you
will not grow
weary and
lose heart.
What was the
problem of the
people of
Israel in the
time of
judges?
They
consistently
grew weary,
they consistently
lost heart,
they consistently
gave themselves
over to the
worship of
idols.
And this
passage says,
you keep
your eyes
fixed on
Jesus so
that you
don't do
that.
He is the
one who
motivates us,
who inspires
us, he's the
one who can
help us to
overcome our
weariness and
our half-heartedness
and our
worship of
idols.
The main
point of
Hebrews 12,
and I would
argue that
it's possibly
the application
for the
entire book
of Hebrews
is in
verse 1
of chapter
12, and
it's one
three-letter
word right
there, and
it's the
word run.
That's the
application, in
my view, of
all of
Hebrews.
You fix
your eyes on
Jesus and
you run the
race of
perseverance.
I think that
everything else
supports it,
explains it,
gives motivation
for it.
Run the race
of faith in
Jesus.
Run the race
of set before
you.
Endure,
persevere,
run, fight,
be alert, be
strengthened,
don't drift,
don't neglect,
don't be
sluggish, don't
stroll, don't
meander, don't
wander aimlessly,
don't take your
eternal security
for granted.
Run the race
of perseverance.
Don't wander
around half-hearted,
flying over here,
worshipping this
idol and worshipping
this idol of the
heart.
It says he makes
it really clearly.
Fix your eyes on
Jesus, run the
race and get rid
of the sin that
trips you up.
Deal with your
idols is what it
says.
Deal with the
idols of the
heart and not
just the idols of
your heart which
are clearly sin,
it says get rid
of everything that
will slow you
down.
Don't ask of your
entertainment,
don't ask of your
downtime, don't ask
of your work,
don't ask of,
is it sin?
Ask the question,
is this going to
slow me?
Is it going to
hold me back?
Is it going to
put Jesus in a
second place in
any way?
Don't ask,
is it sin?
Ask, is it going
to slow me from
running the race of
perseverance of
obedience to
Christ?
This passage is
saying risk
everything for
Christ.
if there's one
thing that I want
to do in my time
at St. Paul's and
have been trying to
do with us at
St. Paul's is to
build a church
culture that risks
everything for the
glory of God.
We will stop doing
things and we will
start doing things
and we will
consistently call for
sacrifice.
Because Jesus is
the author and the
perfecter of our
faith.
So what about
you?
What's he calling
you to?
It's, you know, I
mean, let's put this
in perspective.
He's not asking you
to run down a
hill into chariots
when he's saying
take the risk and
join a community
group.
Is he?
Take the risk of
relationship with
people and join a
community group.
He's not asking you
to charge at 900
iron chariots when
he says, you know,
come to church
every week and
encourage your
brothers and sisters
and sing my
glorious name.
That's not a,
but it's a risk,
isn't it?
When he's
calling you to be
radically generous,
he's not asking you
to run down a hill
into 900 chariots.
He's asking you to
bring a friend to
Christ when he's
asking you to
surrender the
idols.
He's not asking
you to run down
at 900 chariots,
but he is calling
you to risk.
Are you hearing
him?
Are you obeying
him?
Run as if you
are in a race
with a finishing
line and
everything is
hanging on that
finish line.
Everything.
Fight the fight
of faith on the
basis of Christ's
spectacular death
and resurrection
and show your
faith the way
the Barak,
Deborah,
Jael,
and the saints
of Hebrews 11
did,
not by
coasting through
life,
but by doing
what God
called them to
do and doing
it immediately,
even at great
personal cost.
Thank you.