Taylor's Chapel Baptist Church

Today we have the story… of two trees! The tree of death…and Calvary's tree…the tree of life! For Jesus said, "I've come that you may have life… and that you may have it… more abundantly!" And I want you to see these two trees today… as we study them… in contrast and in comparison.

Now the altar's down. The idol's been challenged. And the very next thing that happens… is that the enemy arrives. Isn't that often… how life feels? You take a step of obedience… and suddenly the pressure increases… and a dozen new problems arise? Let's step into our lesson.

If you have God's Word…turn with me to Mark 10. If you'll remember… last week… we began discussing the account of a young man… who lost his soul! It was a story of a young man… who had so much going for him. But in the end…he lost it all! And as we took a look at this young man last week… we spent time looking at his desire. What was his desire? He had a desire for eternal life. And if you'll remember… we said that outwardly…this was a fine young man! And when Jesus Christ… began reciting… the ten commandments to this young man…what did he say? "Teacher, I have kept all these from my youth." This young man was yearning for the truth! He wanted to know…truly…how to inherit… eternal life! He had a desire… that he knew only Jesus could fulfill! But the thing I want to focus on this morning… is not the desire he had… but I want us to see the decision he made.

Tonight…we pick up where we left off. God is gonna show Gideon… that peace with the LORD… is not permission to make peace with idols. Before Gideon can confront Midian in the valley… he must confront Baal… in his own backyard.

Don't you like stories that have a happy ending? You know what I mean. Stories that end this way: "And they lived happily ever after". Stories like that are wonderful. But then… there are stories that end in tragedy. And this is one of those stories. What we have before us this morning… is the story of a young man… who lost his soul! It's a story of a young man… who had so much going for him… and as many people would say… he blew it! Now… what happened to this young man… is the basis of our message this morning! This morning … we're going to be talking about... "The Suicide of a Soul". And what I want you to see about this young man… is the desire that he had… which was a desire for eternal life.

In tonight's study... God is about to raise up the next deliverer. But here's the strange thing. When we meet him… • He doesn't look like a warrior. • He doesn't look like a hero. • He doesn't even look brave. • He looks… afraid. • He's hiding. • He's trying to thresh wheat… without being seen. And that is where God finds him.

Tonight we begin Judges 6. After everything God had done through Deborah… Barak… Jael… the storm… and the Kishon... after forty years of peace... Israel returned to evil. The tragedy of Judges… isn't that Israel had "too little evidence of God's faithfulness". They had generations of evidence. The tragedy is that… "remembered truth"… wasn't continually shaping their hearts. Peace… exposed… the same old heart! The crisis was gone… but so was the urgency. That's one of the recurring warnings of Judges. Hardship can drive us toward God… while comfort can quietly convince us… that we can manage life without Him. For us as Christians… this is deeply personal. We can seek God intensely in a hospital room… during a financial crisis… or when a family is falling apart. But then slowly loosen our grip… when life becomes normal again. "Be careful that you don't forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery." (Deuteronomy 6:12, HCSB) The danger isn't necessarily forgetting what God has done intellectually. It's living as though… what He has done… no longer matters.

If you have God's Word… turn with me to Matthew 7. And this morning… I want to talk to you… about a question that every single one of us… needs to answer: What are you building your life on? Right here…Jesus tells one of the simplest stories… in the Bible. Now in this story… there are two men… two houses… two foundations… one storm… and two different endings.

We ended last week… talking about the difference between the tribes of Reuben and Meroz… and the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali. When God called Reuben… they seriously thought about going… but they didn't. Meroz had the opportunity to go… and they didn't. But when God called Zebulun and Naphtali… they actually went. And that left us with a question: When God places an opportunity for obedience in front of us… do we merely think about it—or do we act? Zebulun and Naphtali acted… they obeyed. Well tonight… Deborah's gonna to show us somebody who acted. Her name was Jael.

Did you know that sitting in churches all across the country… are some garbage Charlies and some garbage Marys? There are so many Christians… who have all of the wealth of heaven at their disposal… but they're not using it! Did you know that when the Lord saved you… and put His Holy Spirit in you…He wanted you to live a life with authority and victory? Did you know that the Lord Jesus Christ wants you to reign… not someday in the "sweet by and by" …but right now… in the "nasty now and now"?