1. The Pattern

I want to look at the life of Gideon to see what we can learn from this story about the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of followers of God in two instances

  1. the lives of the people calling out to God
  2. God answering their cry through the life of a champion.

The Old Testament is a pattern so we can learn from them (1 Corinthians 10: 6)
2. The people
They did evil.  We can decide what evil is and debate what evil is but the focus is that they crowd God out of their thought process and the results are no real compass of what right and wrong really are.
The consequences are an oppression comes upon the people.
3. The Cry
Vs 6 the Israelites began to cry out to the Lord.
This is not just a “We are in trouble so I guess I had better pray”  this is a God orchestrated movement.

  1. People of Israel crying out in Egypt and God heard them. Vs 23
    1. God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
  2. Psalm 22: 1, 2 Despair of Cry
    1. Yet Vs 3 You are Holy, You answered our ancestors when they cried out to you and you saved them.
    2. Vs 24 he has listened to the cries for help

4. The Answer
Vs 8 God sends a prophet with the answer.
2 Chronicles 20: 12, We don’t know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.
Vs 13 As they stood in the presence of God, the answer comes through another prophetic voice.
5. OUR STANDING
Romans 5: 1 therefore.

  1. Abraham is an example of how God brings someone out of paganism and brings him into right standing before God.
  2. Therefore, we have right standing before God
    1. Made right in God’s sight Vs 1
    2. We have peace Vs 1
    3. We are in a place of undeserved privilege Where we stand confidently
    4. We are not crying out from our place of despair and ruin, but in the throne of God in the midst of our trials.
  3. Because of our standing, we can
    1. Look joyfully to sharing in God’s glory Vs 2
    2. Know how much God loves us Vs 5
    3. Have our own hearts filled with love. Vs 5

6. God moves
The answer to their prayer is happening and they don’t even know it.  Gideon does not even know he is an answer to another prayer.
Not a person that God would even choose.
God puts up with our shortcomings.
Vs 19 hurried home and cooked a young goat.
7. Clothed with God
People crying out, and God raising up a champion  response of the enemy?
6: 33 THE ENEMY GREW IN NUMBERS AND BECAME A MIGHTY ALLIANCE.
God clothed himself with Gideon.  Vs 34

  1. A lot of questions in his life
  2. Dealing with fears
  3. Does not feel super strong and powerful as he peels back Gideon’s resources to 300
  4. Just obeys and the current of what God is doing brings an incredible victory

We are standing in God’s presence
Placing an answer to someones prayer in our hearts
Holy Spirit, clothe yourself with us.