Judges Chapter 6 Verses 19 – 20

• All that work. All that anticipation and excitement of preparing the best thing possible, the best offering possible…just to be poured out? Are you ready for that? That’s ministry! And here is the crazy side of it…that’s exactly why we do it! Or why we should do it! The end game is this…to be poured out.
• The results of ministry…they are all up to the Lord. Where so many have gone astray and gone wrong is that they set a vision for the future and then they plan and execute and achieve that vision at great cost! You’re like, wait a minute, that sounds right…yea, in business! But ministry is no business…but that’s unfortunately what so many have made it today…
• Here’s the vision. To be poured out for God’s glory! We make plans and we set out with HUGE ideas and projects and formulas and mental blueprints and fantastic energy and passion and momentum, YES, but know this…we will move at any time…any time God redirects, we redirect and we keep ministry…ministry. The worship and honor of God Most High filled with the praise and exaltation of Jesus Christ for His sacrificing of Himself for our freedom and in all we do…to make Him famous and to bring folks into a proper understanding of the Word of God.
• Paul wrote in Philippians 2:17, “Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all!” Here’s where we get it twisted! Seeking after God and offering our lives to God for what we can get…obeying the words of scripture for what we can get…loving our wives as Christ loves the church as we’re commanded in Ephesians 5 so that they will love us back…
• Romans 12 says, “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Repay no one evil for evil and do not avenge yourselves and do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” But what if they aren’t nice to you EVEN AFTER you choose the high road? What if it doesn’t work!? That’s not the point! The secret is…it always works because it always honors God!
• We have a major issue in the church! We have a major issue in this church!   Folks are disgruntled when their labor of love gets poured out! Listen man, that’s what it’s for and until you repent of the flesh, you’re always going to be disgruntled and eventually you’re going to stop serving the Lord…because in your mind, “why do it anyway…it’s just all wasted!” But the truth is Gideon’s is not and neither is yours…to Gideon it was his sign to move forward! How many signs have you had to move forward in your walk with God and yet you’re looking for something else…???

Judges Chapter 6 Verses 21

• No thank you. No well done. No accolade. No carnal reward. He simply received the offering. That is what I am looking for man when I set out to serve Him. For God to be honored. For what He did for me on that cross to be somehow someway recognized in gratitude in what I am doing…this is what ministry unto the Lord is and that ministry, no matter the result…is sweet.
• One last thing…they meet under the Terebinth tree. All this happens there….why? The Terebinth is a specific tree and grows in a specific way. This tree develops a very deep and extensive root system and because of that it remains green even in years of drought. If it’s ever cut down, guess what it does, it sprouts again right from the stump. And they grow to be ginormous and they last! These trees become well known landmarks in many instances and even are used as memorials to the dead because the people know no matter the circumstance, the year, the decade, there it will be, green and growing…that is the same as a correctly prepared and functioning ministry…that is the same as a real follower of Jesus Christ man…
• Motivation is naught but worship…and therefore, roots grow deep…branches grow green and while the drought kills off almost everything…times of drought do not harm the Terebinth because it is well prepared and therefore well equipped! Such an awesome verse set practically for the ministry and for true Christianity!

Judges Chapter 6 Verses 22 – 27

• Now I love this because what we are seeing is an entire nation has turned against God and set up abominations and yet God is concerned with Gideon! And He says, “You, you tear down the false altar of your house…

Judges Chapter 6 Verses 28 - 30

• See how far they have gone? They are going to put to death one of their own for righteousness…!

Judges Chapter 6 Verses 31

• Check that out! How applicable is that today? If Baal is a god, let him plead for himself! Awesome!

Judges Chapter 6 Verses 32 – 40

• Verse 36 really ruins it for me…Gideon should have just gone…and maybe you’ve heard Christians talk about putting out a “fleece” before the Lord and that comes directly from this passage. But there are problems with what Gideon is doing. First this really has nothing to do with fighting the Midianites. Gideon probably didn’t see that he was doing this but he was actually dictating his terms to God. We see God showing displeasure with such requests elsewhere in the Bible. Like with John the Baptist’s father in Luke Chapter 1.
• Second, Gideon did not keep his word. Back in verse 17 Gideon already asked for a sign and said that would be enough for him and yet we see him here delay a second and third time testing God. So a few problems for sure with this kind of faith by sight type of testing but you know what, weak faith is better than what? It’s better than no faith!
• Gideon, as we will see next week, will be tested himself and quite victorious…enough to earn a spot in the Hall of Faith! (Hebrews Chapter 11)