Intro:

Night time is way different in my house from say two years ago. Night time is different from three years ago and five years ago, wow! Sleep was easy then. Now, I notice every noise. I think about every noise. In seminary and college I would stay up late to work. It was no problem because I knew when I went to bed I could sleep. If it was two hours I knew that I could sleep soundly. Now, this is not the case. Now, I may head to bed at 1:00 A.M. and I lay down and start to go to sleep and then I hear footsteps. I look over and there is Mercedes, “Daddy, can I sleep in your room?”

Let’s travel back 2200 years and talk about another man and his night, just one particular night. This man was Eli and he was a judge and a priest.

Twas the night of Samuel’s calling and all through the Temple not a creature was making noise except Samuel.

Read with me 1 Samuel 3:

The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.

² One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. ³ The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was.⁴ Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.” ⁵ And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

⁶ Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

⁸ A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. ⁹ So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰ The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

¹¹ And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. ¹² At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. ¹³ For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God,^[a] and he failed to restrain them.¹⁴ Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’”

¹⁵ Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, ¹⁶ but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.”

Samuel answered, “Here I am.”

¹⁷ “What was it he said to you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you.” ¹⁸ So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”

¹⁹ The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. ²⁰ And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord. ²¹ The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.

1. Let’s talk about Samuel.
   1. It seems that in 1 Samuel 3 Eli and Samuel are laying down for the night.
   2. Samuel would sleep in a room near the Ark of God.
   3. It wasn’t that late yet because the lamps of God were still lit.
   4. In Exodus chapter 27:20-21 God had told them to bring clear oil to keep the lamps burning. The candlestick which was 7 branched was filled with just enough oil to burn through one night.
   5. The Lord gave the Israelites the instructions to make this candlestick in Exodus 25:31-39. Anyways, they were still lit and now God tried to communicate to Samuel.
   6. In 1 Samuel 1 his mother would come to the temple to pray. Hannah was a Godly woman. She couldn’t have children but she wanted to badly.
   7. She came to the House of God every year and would sacrifice and pray for a son. She was praying and wept bitterly. She made a vow to God that if He gave her a son she would give him to the Lord all the days of His life.
   8. Eli saw her praying and her lips were moving but she wasn’t talking. Eli thought she was drunk and rebuked her. It was then that she explained her great distress. She went home and God gave her a son. This son is now Samuel. Hannah weaned him and then dedicated him to the Lord’s service. (That is all from 1 Samuel 1)
   9. Now Samuel was ministering to the Lord with Eli.
   10. He is only 12 years old. Eli was approaching his 98^th year and his son’s are not godly men. (1 Samuel 2:22; 4:15)
   11. Verse 1 says that word from the Lord was rare at that time and so were visions.
   12. Think about this, this is critical. God had not communicated to the people.
   13. But on this night something miraculous happened.
   14. Eli and Samuel are both in bed.
   15. Samuel heard a voice calling his name. “Samuel!” thought it was Eli.
   16. Eli hears Samuel’s feet walking towards his room. Eli wonders what is going on.
   17. Samuel asked what Eli needed.
   18. I am sure that Samuel is used to helping Eli in the night.
   19. Eli told him, “I didn’t call.”
   20. It seems that Eli had no idea what this was. Again, remember the word from the Lord was rare in those days.
   21. Maybe Eli thought he might be dreaming.
   22. But Samuel heard it again. Again, Eli hears Sam’s feet entering to his room.
   23. Neither of them knew it yet but it was the Lord.
   24. The Lord said: “Samuel!!!”
   25. Eli told him to go lie down.
   26. Samuel didn’t know the Lord yet and God’s word was not revealed to him yet.(1 Samuel 3:7) That is why he didn’t know it was from God.
   27. The Lord called him again. Again, Eli heard his feet coming to his room. But this time Eli knew it was the Lord. Eli instructed Samuel to say, “Speak Lord for thy servant is listening.” Samuel went back to bed and this time the Lord actually came to Him. Samuel could actually tell that His presence was there. In fact verse 10 it says the Lord came and “stood” and called…” The Lord said, “SAMUEL!!! SAMUEL!!!” Samuel responded speak, for Your servant is listening.” The Lord told Samuel some awesome things that night. Then the Lord begins to powerfully use Samuel.
2. We must minister as Samuel ministers
3. Josephus says the boy was probably around 12 years old and he was serving the Lord through Eli. (Also, see Luke 2:42 and Jesus at the temple at 12)
4. His mom dedicated him to God. (1 Sa. 1:28)
5. Each time Samuel heard his name he jumped up to see what was needed. Are we that ready to serve?
6. Are we willing to be dedicated to God? Are we willing to dedicate our children? Are we willing to serve as Samuel served?
7. Samuel, being a servant and being dedicated to God was able to hear God. There was not a distraction.
8. What is distracting you from hearing God? Are you in the Word? Are you connected to the Body of Christ?

(The next point is because Samuel didn’t have any distractions He head God’s supernatural calling.)

1. We must be encouraged by Samuel’s calling
2. Samuel was called 4 times
3. The word for “call in verse 4” then in verse 10: on the fourth time God stood beside him.

God speaks through His Spirit in:

In His Word

Through the church

Conclusion:

On July 4 we did things backwards. I told you how Mercedes wakes us up. She comes in our room in the night and tries to sleep next to me. On July 4 I woke her up at about 9:15, so she had been asleep a little while. Then I said we are going to go see fireworks. It took her a minute to wake up and then we walked down the road to see the fireworks. Mercedes asked many questions. “I want to see purple,” she said. Then, “Is the sky going to burn down? Are the houses going to be okay?” But what was profound was the comment, “Everyone has a name.” I asked, “Every what has a name?” She said, “My teacher [Chrissy Rigney] told us that every star has a name.”

Wow! My thanks to Chrissy on that one. But that was Mercedes being aware of God’s presence. Mercedes at a young age is aware of God. We must be aware of God. Samuel was aware of God’s presence.

We must be like Samuel. Samuel was a minister already at age twelve. We must be encouraged that God spoke to Samuel. God will speak to us through His Spirit, by His word and His church.

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

Pray

Introduction:

I’ve heard of people saying, “I would not believe in a god who…”  then they say something, such as … “would allow suffering.”

First of all, we, as in humanity, cause most of the suffering, but we don’t have a choice who God is. We aren’t His judge. He doesn’t report to us for roll call every morning. The whole statement is humorous, “I can’t believe in a god who doesn’t fit my standard.” Do we realize that our standard changes over time anyways?

Ravi Zacharias was asked on a doctrinal questionnaire: “God is perfect, briefly explain.” Really, how does one explain that attribute of God briefly? He wrote:

“He is the only entity in existence whose reason for existence is in Himself.  Every other entity exists for God.”

Wow, that statement still gets me. God exists for Himself, every other entity exists for Him.

We exist for God and so God is God, we have no choice who He is as He is self existent and we exists for Him. Thankfully, we find out about Him in His Word. God has revealed Himself to us. (Deut. 29:29; 2 Tim. 3:16-17)

As I look at Samson I see that God used Samson. Samson trusted God, Samson, did have faith, seemingly selfish faith, but God worked in his life. Samson existed for God. But I do as well.

Let’s talk about Samson, first let’s read Heb. 11:32:

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets…

Look at Judges 14:4: (I’ll explain it in a minute)

 (His parents did not know that this was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)

See Samson’s prayer in Judges 16:28:

Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.”

My theme is:

By Faith, Samson, Trusted the Lord and the Lord worked through him. (Hebrews 11:32; Judges 13-16 especially 14:4)

Theme: God carries out His plan. God was in control, even in Samson’s freewill.

Application: Surrender to God daily, you have no choice who God is.

We cannot talk about Samson until I summarize his messed up life:

1. First: Through chapter 15 are Samson’s Ten Feats of Strength and Heroism Part 1:

Three mentions of the “Spirit of the Lord”

1. The killing of the lion: 14:5–9“The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him” (14:6).
2. The killing of 30 Philistines: 14:19“The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him” (14:19).
3. The burning of the fields: 15:4–6
4. Another slaughter of the Philistines: 15:7–8
5. Escape from ropes and killing of 1,000 Philistines: 15:14–17“The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him” (15:14).

Part 2: No mention of the “Spirit of the Lord”

6. The Gaza-gate incident: 16:3
7. Escape from the bowstrings: 16:9
8. Escape from the new ropes: 16:12
9. Escape from the loom: 16:14
10. Final destruction of 3,000 Philistines: 16:28–30 Judg 14:1

Judges 13-16 in a nutshell:

1. In Judges 13:1-25 we have the birth of Samson.
   1. In verse 1 we once again have the common phrase in the book of Judges: Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.
   2. Verse 2: Samson’s father: “Manoah’s” wife was barren.
      1. Moody Bible Commentary: Manoah’s wife was barren, but Ps 113:9 cites the classic image of God blessing “barren women” who became “joyful mothers.” This miraculous conception and birth echos Isaac and prefigures the Messiah, with the point that life always comes from the Lord.
   3. I notice another account where God intervenes with a woman a couple who is barren (1 Samuel 1-2; Luke 1)
   4. The rest of chapter 13 an angel of the Lord visits Samson’s mother and father and declares the baby to come.
2. Chapter 14:1-15:20 is Samson and the Philistines part 1.
   1. Samson marries a woman of the Philistines. Apparently, he did not care about the whole idea of not marrying someone who is a foreigner. Exodus 34:16 instructs against marrying foreign women (also Deut 7:3). Of course in the New Testament 2 Cor. 6:14 instructs not to be unequally yoked. My social Psychology professor said: “opposites attack and birds of a feather flock together.”
   2. ESV study note says that usually in that day the marriages were arranged, but in this case Samson demands the wife that he wishes. (14:3) However, verse 4 says that in this case the Lord was going to use this for good.
      1. Notice that. God is in control.
      2. We do have freewill, but isn’t it cool that God is in control even in our freewill?

• Is it awesome that you cannot mess up God’s plan?

1. Is it awesome that our God can never fail?
2. Is it awesome that God is powerful?
3. God is a strong God.

• Our God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing that our God can’t do. The mountains are big, the valleys are big, the stars are His handiwork to. Our God is so big, so strong and so mighty there’s nothing that our God can’t do.
• Do you believe that? Do you really believe that?

1. Sometimes we have that in our head, but do we have that in our heart? It has to go from our head to our heart.
2. How did Samson have faith? I believe when he fought the Philistines in battle in the core of his being he had no doubt, none at all, that God would give him strength.
3. Listen to how God works in his mess.

1. The marriage is a mess but Samson retaliates with the Philistines. At his wedding feast he tells the Philistines a riddle and they cannot solve it. He had made an arrangement that if they solve the riddle he will give them 30 linen garments and 30 changes of clothes, but if he solves the riddle they must give him 30 linen garments and 30 changes of clothes. So, the Philistines enlist his wife to trick him. He eventually gives the answer and they win the riddle. Samson retaliates by killing 30 Philistines. He killed 30 Philistines to get the 30 linen garments and changes of clothes.
2. He is the only man who crashed his own wedding party.
3. In Chapter 15 Samson finds out that his wife was given to his best man. Samson, in anger caught 30 foxes, or they might have been jackals, he ties their tales together, puts a torch between each pair of tales and lets them go in the standing grain. He also set fire to the stacked grain, standing grain and olive orchards.
4. The Philistines are now mad so they attack the people of Judah. So, Samson allowed 3000 men of Judah to tie him and take him to the Philistines. In 15:14-17: The Philistines come out and he kills 1000 of them with the jawbone of a donkey.
5. In chapter 16:1-3 he goes in to a prostitute. The Gazites were told that Samson was here. So he arose at midnight and took hold of the doors of the city, picked them up on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill which is in front of Hebron. This is about 40 miles. He might have carried them the distance or towards that distance.
6. Notice that Samson is a mess, he has broken all but one of the Nazerite vows. He does not appear to be following God. Is he going to mess up God’s plan?
7. Delilah enters the picture in verse 5 and she is paid to seduce him to discover his strength.
8. In 16:7-9 she uses seven fresh bow strings.
9. In 16:11 they use new ropes. This is how the people of Judah captured him in chapter 15 but he broke free and killed 1,000 Philistines with a donkey’s jawbone.
10. 16:13-14: seven locks of his head made tight with a pin.
11. In 16:16-22 he tells her that a razor had never touched his head. At the end of verse 20 the Bible says that he did not know that the Lord had left him.
    1. Isn’t that a telling statement?
    2. Aren’t you glad that you don’t have to worry about that.

• You see in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit would come upon a person for a task or tasks. In the New Testament we have the Holy Spirit for life. (John 14-17; Acts 1:8)

1. The Holy Spirit left Samson and now he will get captured. So, who allowed Samson to do everything? God did.
2. The main character in this passage seems to be Samson, but the main character is really God.

1. 16:21-22: the Philistines capture him, gauge gouge out his eyes and he was to grind at the mill in prison.
2. 16:23-31: his hair grows back, the Philistines make a mockery out of him, he prays: “SovereignLord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.”
3. Whose strength enables him to finish what he started? God’s strength. Samson was trusting the Lord so that he could finish well.
4. Samson says to the young man who was leading him around that he wants to feel the pillars. He gets in between and pushes them apart. He kills 3,000 that day.
5. We have archaeological evidence of a temple that was destroyed with pillars fairly close together.
6. Any man or woman could take a vow to become a Nazirite, to separate himself or herself to God (see Numbers 6). It was to be voluntary (Num. 6:2), for a limited time (Num. 6:5, 8, 13, 20), and involved three provisions: (1) abstinence from wine, strong drink, or anything associated with the vine (Num. 6:3–4); (2) no cutting of the hair (Num. 6:5); and (3) no contact with the dead (Num. 6:6–8). If a person became unclean, there were elaborate cleansing rituals (Num. 6:9–21). Three things are unusual concerning Samson and this vow. First, he did not take it voluntarily; it was his lot from the womb (Judg. 13:5, 7). Second, it was not limited in time; it was to last to the day of his death (vv. 5, 7; cf. 1 Sam. 1:11; Luke 1:15 for similar situations). Third, he broke every one of its stipulations: his head was sheared (Judg. 16:17, 19); he associated with the dead (14:6–9; 15:15); and he undoubtedly drank at his wedding feast (14:10–20; see note on 14:10). Judges 13:5[1]
7. He judges Israel for 20 years. (16:31)

• Was Samson a puppet in God’s hands? Are we puppets?
  1. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQC5bQKPj6o
  2. Listen, we don’t have strings, see consider this: without the possibility of sin we would be puppet’s on a string. But we have the possibility of sin which equals freewill.
  3. We all have freewill so in that sense, Samson was not a puppet. He could do what he wanted.
  4. We are not puppet’s either, but God will not sacrifice His plan because of our freewill. Isn’t that cool? God is so great that He can manage both, my free will with His plan.
  5. God’s will comes through in our freewill.
  6. As I look at this I see that most everything Samson did was just wrong Biblically, but God intended to use his failures for God’s perfection.

So, where are you at?

Are you surrendered to God? He will use you no matter what, I believe that.

By Faith, Samson, Trusted the Lord and the Lord worked through him. (Hebrews 11:32; Judges 13-16 especially 14:4)

Theme: God carries out His plan. God was in control, even in Samson’s freewill.

Application: Surrender to God daily, you have no choice who God is.

Of God Ravi Zacharias sad:

“He is the only entity in existence whose reason for existence is in Himself.  Every other entity exists for God.”

What does it mean to recognize this?

The most important thing is falling at Jesus’ feet and saying, My Lord and My God. (John 20:28)

The best response is Luke 9:23:

Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Is it in your heart that God is all powerful Lord?

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

Pray

[1] ESV Study Bible page 461

Opening:

I love football. I always have. I used to be a Brown’s fan, mistake. You know how many times my brother would call me and say, “I am so confident that the Browns are going to be great next year, they got this new quarterback.  I am so confident the Browns are going to be great this next year they have this new defensive coordinator.   I am so confident that the Browns are going to be great this next year they have this new head coach.” The Browns have had 19 quarterbacks since 1999.

Do you know how many super bowls they have been to?

Do you know how many winning seasons they have had?

This shows me that we cannot put our trust in the___________________(intentional pause) quarterback, can we? You thought I was going to say we cannot put our trust in the Browns, ha, ha…

Our faith cannot be in the quarterback, at least for the Browns. They have tried so many times.

Okay, let me go another route. When players are inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame there is a bronze bust made of them. Do you know how long those are supposed to last?

Someone guess, how long?

I tried to get one for the weekend to show, but they would not let me.

40,000 years. If someone is a really good quarterback such as Otto Graham or Ben Roethlisberger and they are in the Hall of Fame there is a bronze bust made that is supposed to last 40,000 years. That is longer than it has been since the Browns have won a super bowl.

So, can I put my faith in a bronze bust? What do you think? Someone answer yes or no???

Why? Someone say something? 40,000 years and this means I was a good athlete… What do you think?

We are going to look at Gideon and I want to show you that God worked through Gideon. The Lord was with Gideon. This is why he is listed in Hebrews 11:32.

Listen to the theme and application:

The Lord was with Gideon and the Lord IS with us.

Gideon was weak but the Lord is strong.

Let’s read Hebrews 11:32:

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets…

Now turn to Judges 6:11-12:

The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. ¹² When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

Now let’s talk about this. My point is that the Lord was with Gideon and the Lord is with us.

1. First let me summarize what God did through Gideon
   1. God calls Gideon at this time. In the next verse (24), Gideon tests the Lord, this is not recommended. Gideon had weak faith and he admits that.
   2. In chapter 6:25-34 Gideon destroys an alter to Baal.
   3. In 6:36-40: Gideon tests the Lord once again.
   4. Then we come to chapter 7:
   5. There was a threat in the Midianite army and they had an army of 135,000 men:
   6. Gideon starts out with thirty-two thousand, not impossible odds, but thirty-two thousand against a hundred and thirty-five thousand, not real good odds.
   7. God pares down Gideon’s men from 32,000 to 300
   8. Those are not good odds against a hundred and thirty-five thousand.
   9. Now, of course, all military strategy is out the window, at this point, because there is no military strategy by which the three hundred men can defeat a hundred and thirty-five thousand soldiers.
   10. Gideon is now at the mercy of God. God has pared down his men to only three hundred so God is going to have to indicate what the strategy is as to how these three hundred men are going to defeat a hundred and thirty-five thousand Medianites.
   11. God gives him strange instruction in the seventh chapter of Judges. (Judges 7)
   12. He tells him to get pitchers,
       1. Pitchers used to pour water,
       2. trumpets and torches, usually these trumpets which are shofars would only be used by the commander, but in this case everyone had one.
   13. Gideon is to go find the Medianite army. Now in history, no one has fought a battle with torches, pitchers and trumpets.
   14. You might have a torch if you want to protect yourself at night, but that’s not how you fight a battle. It is in an absurd battle strategy, humanly speaking.
   15. Gideon didn’t argue because his faith was so strong and he understood the odds and he understood the potential for death was a hundred percent on a human level.
   16. They split into three groups. Gideon took his hundred and a couple of other hundreds. They got in the circles of the hills where the Medianites were and they lit their torches. And at the appropriate time of the announcement, they smashed the pitchers which made noise and revealed the torches and the trumpets began to blow and the Medianites went into panic, probably assuming that for every torch there was an entire division of troops when it was just one guy with a pitcher and a torch and a trumpet.
   17. The Medianites panicked. The Medianites rolled out of their bunks, or off their pads on the ground, and massacred each other. In an absolute slaughter, thinking they were fighting these massive hoards of Jewish troops who had descended upon them.
   18. It would be pretty hard to believe God in that setting unless you had a supernatural faith in a supernatural God.[1]
   19. That is chapter seven. If you read chapter 8 Gideon began to rely on himself and ends up a mess. In fact, if you read chapter 9 Gideon has a legacy as a terrible father.
   20. But in this case, Gideon trusts the Lord. Look at the verse again: Judges 6:12: When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
   21. Mighty warrior! In chapter 7 Gideon wins the battle with 300 men and the men did not have to lift a sword. It was the Lord who fought the battle.
   22. This whole account through chapter seven shows that it is not about us. God was showing that our trust must be in Him.
2. We are not alone, the Lord is with us as well.
   1. Turn to Matthew 1:23: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”).
   2. Now, turn to Matthew 3:11: John the Baptist is talking and he says: “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
   3. The Lord is with us today through the Holy Spirit.
   4. The Lord is with us today through the church.
   5. The Lord is with us today through His Word, the Bible.
   6. Trust Him.
   7. Reed Lessing tells the story of a Native American ritual for training young braves:

      “On the night of a boy’s thirteenth birthday, he was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. Until then he had never been away from the security of his family and tribe. But on this night he was blindfolded and taken miles away. When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of thick woods. By himself. All night long. Terrifying! How out of his element the young brave must have felt. How very un-BRAVE, in fact.

      Every time a twig snapped, he probably visualized a wild animal ready to pounce. Every time an animal howled, he imagined a wolf leaping out of the darkness. Every time the wind blew, he wondered what more sinister sound it masked. No doubt it was a terrifying night for many.

      After what must have seemed like an eternity, the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of the path. Then, to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was the boy’s father. He had been there all night long. It is a lesson in bravery … in independence. But it is an important lesson in DEPENDENCE as well. Tribe and family matter. You aren’t alone, even when you are most lonely.“

   8. Sometimes we cannot see God or feel that He is with us, but He is.
   9. In 2 Cor. 12:7-10: Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh,a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

• Let’s apply this, where is our trust?
  1. Is our trust in our bank account? Notice that God did not have Gideon raise funds to win the battle.
  2. Is our trust in a large group of friends? Notice that the army came down from 32,000 to 300 and God won the battle.
  3. Is our trust in our house? Is our trust in our possessions?
  4. These things don’t work, our trust must be in God.
  5. God is with us and when we are weak He is strong.

Close:

I have a refrigerator box up here and I want to see if you can see me if I get into it.

[get in the box]

Sometimes we are get in these boxes in life. Sometimes we do things that make us get into the boxes and sometimes things just happen.

Sometimes we mess up and we are “boxed in.” Sometimes we have unfortunate circumstances happen to us.

Sometimes we have an affair and we are stuck in the affair, we are boxed in.

Sometimes we start looking at pornography and we can’t break the addiction.

Other times we get into addictive habits of spending and our budget is a mess and that harms relationships as well.

Maybe we didn’t choose the situation we are in. Maybe we are a caregiver and we are absolutely overwhelmed. We cannot care for our self because we are always caring for someone else.

Maybe we are trying to recover from a job loss or the death of a loved one.

We are boxed in and we cannot get out of the box.

We try pushing but it doesn’t work. Maybe one of the Browns Quarterbacks will help, or maybe the bronze bust of a hall of fame recipient. I don’t think so. Maybe money will get me out of the situation, but not all of them. We try praying harder… I am a firm believer in prayer, but I think God has another solution.

[at that point a few of our church people come up and cut me out of the box]

God is present in His church.

God may want you to accept help from a pastor, a counselor, a Christian friend.

God was present with Gideon. God is present in you and in us.

Trust God.

Pray

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

Pray

[1] http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/90-389/a-conquering-courageous-faith-part-2