Pastor Joe Sugrue - Grace and Truth Podcast

Title: Judges 7. Gideon, part 25: Why we ultimately do. Don't lose opportunities due to carelessness.

Announcements:

On Sunday, we asked the question, "Why do we love and serve and help and give and sacrifice?"

By going to the source of love, we asked another question, "Why does God do it?" And the answer was simple since the Bible makes it very clear: He does it because it is His essence to do so. He is good and always a doer of good, which according to Him is grace, mercy, sacrifice, patience, kindness, faithfulness, goodness; all in all love. God is love.

God is: ­______ . Here is a sampling from the scriptures.

Deu 4:24

For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God....

for full notes: http://www.cgtruth.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=1533

Title: Judges 7. Gideon, part 24: Why we ultimately do. Don't lose opportunities due to carelessness.

Announcements:

Jdg 7:5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, "You shall separate everyone who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, as well as everyone who kneels to drink."

Jdg 7:6 Now the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 men; but all the rest of the people kneeled to drink water.

Those who lifted the water to their mouths with their hands represented the good soldiers who, upon reaching a brook before the battle, did not allow themselves time to fall down and satisfy their thirst in the most convenient manner. These good soldiers simply knelt, took up some water with their...

for full notes: http://www.cgtruth.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=1532

Title: Judges 7. Gideon, part 23: Removing the careless. Spirituality and alertness in God's work.

Announcements:

Spirituality is not overt, but in the soul. It is a transaction between God and the human heart. Only such a heart will see God's will for works.

Eph 2:10

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

If God prepared them beforehand then no man knows them, only God does. We must be spiritual in order to commune with God so that He will supernaturally communicate them to us. Of course, none of the works that God has for us are in the manner of sin or include sin, therefore, we at least know His...

for full notes: http://www.cgtruth.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=1531

Title: Judges 7. Gideon, part 22: Removing the careless. Spirituality and alertness in God's work.

Announcements:

As the book of Judges challenges us in the area of application of truth and performing the work of God that He has willed for us to perform, we pause so as to give the proper caution that must be exercised when a Christian sets out to perform any work. Many Christians have set themselves to the task of work in ignorance and in the wrong power and wrong motivation.

Gideon is given a humanly impossible task to perform. He cannot do it by means of his own strength or intellect. 20,000 of his men were sent home because they were afraid and another 9,700 because they were careless.

for full notes: http://www.cgtruth.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=1530

Title: Judges 7. Gideon, part 21: Reducing the army. Fear and carelessness cannot perform in God's war.

Announcements:

Gideon is one in a long line of Judges as Elijah is one in a long line of prophets as Paul and the apostles are ones in a long line of Christians. What remains on earth consistently to the end is the work of God, which He allows to be picked up by one generation after the next. We each have a plan to live and no matter what we do, the work of God will go on without us by those who come after us. Our privilege is to be a part of that work and as spiritual creatures in Christ, we will do it, if we follow Him in faith and fellowship with Him in faith.

Jdg 7:1 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him, rose early and camped beside the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was on...

for full notes: http://www.cgtruth.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=1529

Title: Judges 7. Gideon, part 20: Reducing the army. Fear and carelessness cannot perform in God's war.

Announcements:

The reduction of the army.

Thirty-two thousand came out but not all of them came out with faith in Jehovah, in fact, most of them lack faith and courage after the many years of idolatry, which made their spirits selfish and weak, and the seven years of fierce oppression, which left them timid and afraid. Maybe some came out because others were coming out and so came out of peer pressure. Maybe some came out in sincerity, but could not find their own faith in Jehovah. Most of them are afraid and another great many of them are immature.

Jdg 7:1 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him, rose early and camped beside the spring of Harod; and the...

for full notes: http://www.cgtruth.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=1528

Title: Judges 6. Gideon, part 19: At the moment of stepping into the unknown faith comes into conflict with flesh.

Announcements:

Jdg 6:33 Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the sons of the east assembled themselves; and they crossed over and camped in the valley of Jezreel.

Jdg 6:34 So the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called together to follow him.

Jdg 6:35 And he sent messengers throughout Manasseh, and they also were called together to follow him; and he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet them.

Gideon blows the shofar as a symbolic call to arms. It's not as if the whole country can hear it. Empowered by the Holy Spirit...

for full notes: http://www.cgtruth.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=1527

Title: Judges 6. Gideon, part 18: God uses "clothed" with the Spirit to reveal the invincibility of the faithful to do His will.

Announcements:

Gideon is empowered by the Holy Spirit to do His will. The Holy Spirit clothes him like a suit of armor in order to accomplish his mission and Gideon knows and feels himself to be invincible.

The Spirit clothes us or fills us so that we are invincible in doing God's will.

Christ uses similar imagery to describe the Spirit's power upon us when He told the disciples to remain in Jerusalem until they were clothed with the Spirit as He had promised.

By the power of the Spirit we are invincible and invulnerable. Clothed with...

for full notes: http://www.cgtruth.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=1526

Title: Judges 6. Gideon, part 17: God uses "clothed" with the Spirit to reveal the invincibility of the faithful to do His will.

Announcements:

Gideon is empowered by the Holy Spirit to do His will. The Holy Spirit clothes him like a suit of armor and Gideon knows and feels himself to be invincible.

The Spirit clothes us or fills us so that we are invincible in doing God's will.

Jdg 6:33 Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the sons of the east assembled themselves; and they crossed over and camped in the valley of Jezreel.

Jdg 6:34 So the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet [shofar], and the Abiezrites [eh-bye-ezrite] were called together to follow him....

for full notes: http://www.cgtruth.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=1525

Title: Judges 6. Gideon, part 16: Gideon's father is saved, but Gideon is still weak in faith.

Announcements:

Gideon's faith to execute God's command to destroy the altar of Baal and the pole of Asherah brought God's light to this little village.

Most all the people wanted the perpetrator's blood, but the light of Jehovah got to Gideon's father.

Jdg 6:28 When the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was torn down, and the Asherah which was beside it was cut down, and the second bull [prized bull] was offered on the altar which had been built.

Baal altar at Megiddo approx. 2000 BC

for full notes: http://www.cgtruth.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=1524