NOBODY’S PERFECT (SERIES) GIDEON AND HIS FLEECE JUDGES 6,7

REVIEW ABRAHAM JOSEPH JACOB MOSES JOSHUA GIDEON

ALL WE NEED IS GOD AND FAITH IN GOD! “God said to Gideon, “Go and surely I will be with you!” (Judges 6:16) THE PROBLEM: WHAT IF YOU DON’T HAVE ENOUGH FAITH IN GOD?

GIDEON’S PROBLEM “I don’t know who you are….” “I don’t know where you’ve been…” “I haven’t seen any miracles lately….” “You have abandoned us…” “If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all the miracles we heard about…? (Judges 6:13)

GIDEON’S DESIRE “I’VE GOT TO BE SURE!” (36)“Then Gideon said to God, “If You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken, (37) behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken. (38) And it was so. When he arose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece, he drained the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water.” (Judges 6:36-38)

GIDEON’S DOUBT “I’M STILL NOT SURE!” (39) “Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let your anger burn against me that I may speak once more; please let me make a test once more with the fleece, let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground.” (40) And God did so that night; for it was dry only on the fleece, and dew was on all the ground. (Judges 6:39,40)

WHAT IS A FLEECE? A FLEECE IS A PRE-DETERMINED SIGN THAT YOU USE IN ORDER TO DETERMINE GOD’S WILL IN A GIVEN SITUATION.

SOME CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT A FLEECE CONSIDERATION #1 THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE NEW TESTAMENT WHEN IT COMES TO ASKING FOR SIGNS!

OLD TESTAMENT: – EMPHASIS ON SIGNS AND MIRACLES AND EVIDENCE – “SHOW ME AND THEN I’LL BEELIEVE IT NEW TESTAMENT: EMPHASIS ON FAITH AND THE WORD OF GOD “BELIEVE, AND THEN I’LL SHOW YOU!”

CONSIDERATION #2: Note that Gideon did not ask for a sign to know God’s will – but rather he wanted to CONFIRM God’s will – He wanted to be sure!

Consideration # 3: Note that when Gideon asked for a sign, He asked for God to perform a miraculous sign - something that was SUPERNATURAL - not something that was NATURAL!

SOME CAUTIONS ABOUT A FLEECE 1. ASKING FOR A FLEECE CAN LEAD TO UNCERTAINTY AND CONFUSION 2.ASKING FOR A FLEECE CAN BE OUR WAY OF MANIPULATING GOD TO GET WHAT WE WANT 3.ASKING FOR A FLEECE CAN BE AN ATTEMPT TO TRANSFER RESPONSIBILTY FOR OUR DECISIONS FROM US TO GOD

HOW CAN WE KNOW AND CONFIRM GOD’S WILL IN OUR LIVES TODAY? 1. BY READING, STUDYING, AND MEDITATING ON THE WORD OF GOD! “THY WORD IS A LAMP TO MY FEET AND A LIGHT TO MY PATH.” (PSALM 119:105)

HOW CAN WE KNOW AND CONFIRM GOD’S WILL IN OUR LIVES TODAY? 2. BY RELYING ON THE PEACE THAT GOD GIVES US WITHIN! “AND LET THE PEACE OF GOD RULE IN YOUR HEARTS…AND BE THANKFUL” (COL. 3:15) “AND THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH TRANSCENDS ALL UNDERSTANDING SHALL GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND YOUR MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS.” (PHIL. 4:7)

HOW CAN WE KNOW AND CONFIRM GOD’S WILL IN OUR LIVES TODAY? 3. BY WAY OF THE PERSUASION AND GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO LIVES WITHIN US! “TRUST IN THE LORD, AND DO GOOD…DELIGHT YOURSELF IN THE LORD, AND HE WILL GIVE YOU THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART.” (PSALM 37:4,5) “BUT WHEN HE, THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH, COMES, HE WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL THE TRUTH…” (JOHN 16:13)

HOW CAN WE KNOW AND CONFIRM GOD’S WILL IN OUR LIVES TODAY? 4. BY OBSERVING THE PROVIDENTIAL(SOVEREIGN) WORKS OF GOD AS THEY RELATE TO OUR CIRCUMSTANCES “…YOU MEANT IT FOR EVIL, BUT GOD MEANT IT FOR GOOD.” (GENESIS 50:20)

HOW CAN WE KNOW AND CONFIRM GOD’S WILL FOR OUR LIVES TODAY? 5. BY LISTENING TO THE WISDOM AND THE COUNSEL OF OTHER GODLY PEOPLE “WHERE THERE IS NO GUIDANCE, THE PEOPLE FALL, BUT IN ABUNDACE OF COUNSELORS THERE IS VICTORY.” (PROVERBS 11:14)

HOW CAN WE KNOW AND CONFIRM GOD’S WILL FOR OUR LIVES TODAY? 6.BY HUMBLING OURSELVES AND SURRENDERING OUR LIVES TO GOD AND BEING SUBMISSIVE AND OBEDIENT TO HIS WORD. “…THEREFORE IT SAYS, ‘GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.’ SUBMIT THEREFORE TO GOD.” (JAMES 4:6,7)

HOW CAN WE KNOW AND CONFIRM GOD’S WILL FOR OUR LIVES TODAY? 7. BY COMMUNICATING WITH GOD THROUGH PRAYER AND STAYING IN FELLOWSHIP AND COMMUNION WITH HIM. “CALL UNTO ME AND I WILL ANSWER YOU AND SHOW YOU GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW.” (JEREMIAH 33:3) “AND WHATEVER YO ASK IN MY NAME, THAT WILL I DO…IF YOU ASK ANYTHING IN MY NAME, I WILL DO IT.” (JOHN 14:13,14)

TRUTH FOR OUR LIVES TODAY 1. YOU CAN TRUST GOD WITH YOUR LIFE – PERIOD!! HE HAS PROVEN HIMSELF!

TRUTH FOR OUR LIVES TODAY GOD BUILDS FAITH IN OUR LIVES BY THE THINGS HE ALLOWS US TO GO THROUGH IN LIFE.

TRUTH FOR OUR LIVES TODAY IF YOU ARE FACING ONE OF LIFE’S CHALLENGES TODAY, TRUST GOD BY TAKING A STEP OF OBEDIENCE WITH HIM. (WHAT IS HE ASKING YOU TO DO THAT YOU HAVE BEEN AFRAID TO DO?)