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The Conditions for Witnessing “Back to the Basics Series” Trinity Bible Church 9/16/06
Introduction: What’s the “ideal” witnessing conditions? *When I was in Vail, CO., picked up hitchhiker and soon found out he was visiting from Australia. After sharing the gospel with him he exclaimed he had never heard this good news before! He wanted to pray then and there to give his life to Jesus. This is ripe fruit, perfect conditions for witnessing! Another time I was on a MTC bus during the Christmas season. As I struck up a conversation with the young man next to me I was inwardly praying for a way to introduce the gospel to him. Then I noticed an overhead sign, “Jesus is the reason for the season”. I asked him if he believed that and commenced to share the good news with him. He wanted to have this relationship with God through Jesus Christ so I prayed with him, right there in the bus, out loud! Talk about “idea” conditions for witnessing. But have you noticed lately it hasn’t been so easy? It seems the best I can do is leave a church business card with a tip at a restaurant. Not the picture of boldness is it? This summer, during the series “9 Marks”, we covered three important themes as a foundation for this subject. “Biblical Understanding of – The Gospel, Conversion, and Evangelism” Today we’re not going to go over that material again but it may be good for you to read the three chapters in the book again or access our web page and read the sermons. My goal today is not to give you more of the same information but to motivate you to do what you already want to do, witness with authority and joy. I. The Condition of the People. Judg 6:1 Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years. NKJV A. Spiritually: they are sinners. 1. Gideon – As one reads the entire story, it doesn’t look like Gideon understood much of why God was not blessing as He had in the past, but the Bible writers didn’t want us to miss it. Right at the beginning of this long section dedicated to Gideon and what he did, we see the people are sinning and God is letting them reap the wages of sin. 2. Today - If you talk w/people from “successful” churches, how do they talk of the human condition around us? Most of them will say we are all sinners, but they say it in a generic sense. Much of what you will hear from their sermons and books are words like; “Potential” or “Purpose” or “Possibilities” or “Abilities”. Now I’m just like most folks and want to hear some encouragement now and then, but these ministries are telling us that humans are basically good and with God’s help they can become better. If there are problems, it because of other’s sins, not your own! Truth is, we all have sinned against God, we as individuals and we as a nation. One pastor did a sermon recently titled “How much does your sin cost me?” He used the text from Joshua how one man coveting and stealing gold and clothing cost the entire army a defeat. Another pastor using that same theme talked about a statistic, he said: Alcohol abuse costs citizens of the United States more than $147 billion annually. We might even consider costs to the home in broken marriages and parent-less children. And then there’s the taxpayer’s cost of police and other law enforcement personnel just because some would steal, vandalize, abuse, and just plain break the law. We have illegal drugs, sexual exploitation of youth, gambling, and all manner of sins. And many wonder why God doesn’t bless us? We are a nation of sinners. What we need today is not to honor ourselves and look for a pat on the back for being a godly nation, but we need to repent! B. Physically. They were in trouble. Judg 6:2-5 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens, the caves, and the strongholds which are in the mountains. 3 So it was, whenever Israel had sown, Midianites would come up; also Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. 4 Then they would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey. 5 For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were without number; and they would enter the land to destroy it. NKJV 1. Then. Vs. 1 tells us the why, vss. 2-5 tell us the what. People were oppressed; financially, relationally, every which way they were in trouble! 2. Today. Do you know someone in dire straights? If you asked them why - what would they tell you? If they were honest they would say it is the consequences of bad decisions. If they knew how to answer it in a Biblical way they would tell you they had sinned and were reaping what they had sown. *Karen, after her brother died of a heart attack: “Jim did what men in our family ought not to do, he drank and smoked.” C. Prayerfully (Spiritually, physically). Judg 6:6 So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. NKJV 1. Then. The people of the land responded the right way! 2. Now. Could it be, even if it doesn’t look like it, people around you are feeling their misery and are praying? II. The Condition of the Situation: Judg 6:7-10 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried out to the LORD because of the Midianites, 8 that the LORD sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage; 9 and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 Also I said to you, "I am the LORD your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell." But you have not obeyed My voice.'" NKJV A. What God Sees. God wanted them to understand why things are so bad. Not “the devil is bringing all this upon us” or “my parent/ my pastor(s) are to blame”. No, if they were to ask, “Why all this trouble?”. God told them why; it was becaue they forgot Him and His ways. They pursued personal pleasures rather than to please God. In His mercy God saw two things (and He sees the same in your life today”.) 1. How miserably oppressed they were. 2. How weak they were to be able to deliver themselves. They could do nothing about it without His help. (Sound familiar?) God saw how oppressed we were in sin. He knew we were helpless to deliver ourselves so His own arm brought salvation. Christ went to the cross to do for us what we could not do, pay for our sins. Bless His holy name. B. What Men See. Judg 6:11-13 Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!" 13 Gideon said to Him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites." NKJV 1. The power of God. Look how Gideon responds to the angel - if the LORD is with us, why…? Have you noticed that too? Any discussion about spiritual things and people quickly reference their knowledge of God’s power? 2. The blame of God. It’s as if Gideon was saying, “If I was God, I wouldn’t allow the enemies of Israel to be doing all this”. Isn’t that the kind of talk you hear? “If God is so loving, why doesn’t he do something about cancer, or war, or starvation?” It’s as if they would say, “If I was God, I would!” (*See note in Reformation Study Bible on vs 13) C. What God does. Judg 6:14-16 Then the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?" 15 So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." 16 And the LORD said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man." NKJV What does God do when He sees His people suffering and hears them crying out to Him for help? He sends someone. III. The Condition of the Sent. A. From a Small Family. Judg 6:15 So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." NKJV 1. Warfare. Warfare in that day was a type of business. Soldiers would kill enemies and take their possessions and bring back the “spoils of war”. But to be successful, one needed a sizable band of comrades, and to really be a powerful force, one needed to belong to a large tribe that would support the war effort. One needed connections and Gideon didn’t have them. 2. Do you know what we are being told in the church growth world? To be a “successful” church you need marketing, advertisements, programs and events. All this takes money and paid and/or volunteer staff to do. Guess what, God must have another plan for you here at Trinity Bible Church because to be “successful” you need all this and you don’t have them! B. They Had a Glorious Past. God had done many might works in the past, but that was then and this is now. We have read the book of Acts and church history and long for the same outpouring of the Holy Spirit, haven’t we? C. He Lived a Cowardly Life. Where was Gideon when approached by the angel? He was in a silo type structure, hiding from the enemy. He was doing what they all were doing – surviving! What’s the topic today? Witnessing! When you feel impressed to talk to someone about the Lord, what happens to you? Most tell me about high blood pressure, sweaty palms, shortness of breath, almost hyperventilating! What is happening? If I was going to set up a door-to-door witnessing campaign into the five communities surrounding our church, how would you feel? Would you be afraid to do it, would you be considered ashamed of our Lord? Are we no better that Peter and by our actions denying we know Him? Do you see your own smallness as Gideon could? Maybe we need to rehearse our purpose statement. My Goal: To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. My Mission: To help others discover and fulfill the will of God for their life. My Purpose: To be effectively reaching up, reaching in and reaching out. · Reaching up in Biblical worship of God and joyfully serving Him. · Reaching in to disciple and care for the members of our church. · Reaching out by ministering to our community and beyond with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. *In the last month one of our church members has been experiencing some unusually blessed witnessing opportunities. He said he used to only get people mad at him, now some are actually listening! There’s a new wind blowing. D. What Is Needed? 1. What is not needed. Gideon didn’t need connections, people and money. God used him and 300 others to destroy an army of 100’s of thousands. Did you know that about 80% of all churches in America have a Sunday morning attendance of less than 100 people? And did you know that when these people sing and worship and pray in faith, that God is pleased? And did you know that any sincere, seeking sinner can find forgiveness in many of those churches? 2. What is needed? Faith! God told Gideon two things and He tells His sent ones today the same two things. “I have sent you” and “I will be with you”. (Vs. 14 & 16). Do those two words sound familiar? Do you see them in your commission? John 20:21-22 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Matt 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. NKJV Conclusion: God’s power was seen that day when Gideon and his army defeated the enemy. How did it happen? 1. Conflict was all around; their sins had brought on them all their troubles. 2. People were praying, and God heard their prayers and sent someone to help them. 3. God was glorified in the results of Gideon’s faithfulness. I’m going to pray for you this morning. If I’m right, you want to witness more than you do. Maybe today, through receiving prayer, you will be strengthened in your call. |