Good morning and happy Sabbath.
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It's worship time
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at the Thompsonville
Seventh-day Adventist Church,
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the little church by
the side of the road.
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And I'm gonna ask to
stand if we just now as we sing
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what is going to
be our theme song
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for these very special meetings.
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It Took a Miracle,
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it's found as 111 in
your church hymn note.
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Shall we sing
together, It Took a Miracle?
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My Father is omnipotent
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And that you can't deny
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A God of might and miracles
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'Tis written in the sky
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It took a miracle
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To put the stars in place
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It took a miracle
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To hang the world in space
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But when He saved my soul
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Cleansed and made me whole
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It took a miracle
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Of love and grace
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Though here His
glory has been shown
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We still can't fully see
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The wonders of
His might His throne
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'Twill take eternity
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It took a miracle
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It took a miracle
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To put the stars in place
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It took a miracle
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To hang the world in space
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But when He saved my soul
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Cleansed and made me whole
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It took a miracle
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Of love and grace!
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Now that first
stanza singing together.
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The Bible tells us of His power
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And wisdom all way through
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And every little bird and flower
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Are testimonies too
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It took a miracle
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To put the stars in place
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It took a miracle
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To hang the world in space
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But when He saved my soul
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Cleansed and made me whole
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It took a miracle
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Of love and grace
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Amen, well done.
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Please be seated and
thank you so very much.
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Praise team.
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Again we want to
take this opportunity
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to welcome you to
a very special series
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of meetings that we have dubbed,
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where are all His miracles
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and during the
next several evening
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we are gonna be
talking about, the who?
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The what? The where? The when?
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The why of
miracles and affirming
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that the God who worked
miracle back in Bible days
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is still the same working
miracle working God today.
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That there are
miracles in our lives,
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miracles all around us,
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indeed this very
ministry is a miracle
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from the hand of God,
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and we're going
to reaffirm that fact
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during the next
several meetings.
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Our kick off
speaker is of course
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our Pastor John Lomacang,
but we've got a line up
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of very special
anointed men and women
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and pastor will you a little bit
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more about that
in just a little bit.
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Who will be
preaching the word of God
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and letting us to know
once again reaffirming for us
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that we are in a
miracle working time,
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serving a miracle working God.
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Dare I say, we
ain't seen nothing yet,
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because God has got
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some wonderful
things in store for us,
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and we are going to
be experiencing them
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not only during these
meetings but throughout our days
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until Jesus comes to
take us from labor to reward.
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And we have the promise that,
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that day is not
far in the future.
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Let's bow our heads for prayer.
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Heavenly Father, we
love You and praise You
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and thank You for Your
presence and Your power.
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We thank Thee that our
end is but Your beginning,
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that You're
indeed a God of miracles,
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giving our hearts to
the Lord is a miracle.
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Waking up this day to
praise You is a miracle,
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but more than that,
there are miracles that
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we have yet to see as
You close up this work
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and prepare for the
second coming of Jesus Christ.
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And so, Father, we
ask that Your presence
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and power may be felt in
this place on this occasion,
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that has we worshiped
You, You may expect our worship
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and in exchange for
our prayer and praise,
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please Lord give us
Your presence and blessing.
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We love You, we
praise You and we thank You
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for the millions
around the world,
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who joined us this
day, in praising Your name.
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We thank you in
Jesus' name. Amen and amen.
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Our scripture
reading is coming to us
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from Elder Greg
Morikone, an Elder here
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at the Thompsonville
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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Good morning. Good morning.
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Happy Sabbath to you.
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Our scripture
reading this morning
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is coming from Judges.
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Judges 6:11-14 and
kind of shame on me,
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I don't read from
Judges that often.
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When pastor gave this text
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as scripture
reading, it's a great text,
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it's actually
the call of Gideon,
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so Judges 6:11-14 and
I'm going to be reading
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from the New King
James version of the Bible.
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"Now the Angel of the Lord came
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and sat under the terebinth tree
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which was in Ophrah,
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which belonged to
Joash and Abiezrite,
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while his son Gideon
threshed wheat in the winepress,
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in order to hide it
from the Midianites.
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And the Angel of the
Lord appeared to him,
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and said to him,
'The Lord is with you,
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you mighty man of valor!'
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Gideon said to Him, 'O my lord,
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if the Lord is with us,
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why then has all
this happened to us?
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And where are all His miracles
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which our fathers
told us about, saying,
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did not the Lord
bring us up from Egypt?
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But now the Lord has forsaken us
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and delivered us into
the hands of the Midianites.'
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Then the Lord
turned to him and said,
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'Go in this might of
yours, and you shall save Israel
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from the band of the Midianites.
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Have not I sent you?'" Amen.
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Amen. Thank you
so very much, Greg.
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As we have mentioned,
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this is gonna be a
powerful series of meetings
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and we want you to plan to
be with us throughout them all.
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Our speaker of
course is no stranger to us,
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he is the pastor of this church,
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Pastor John Lomacang.
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And he will lead off
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as we talk about
miracles on this day,
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and so after the
meditation number
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the next voice you will
hear will be that of our pastor,
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our friend Pastor John Lomacang.
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But before that,
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I get the opportunity to
sing with the Shelton family.
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It is my
privilege to sing with them.
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This is the song that actually
got me my job here at 3ABN.
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And that is the long story that
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we don't have time
to go into just now.
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But it's a very beautiful song,
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I know the Plans and
truly God knows the plans
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that He has for each of us.
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They are plans to prosper us,
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plans for success,
plans for salvation
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and if we will but
cooperate with Him,
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we know that the
victory has already been won.
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I know with missing wholeness
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The darkness closes in
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You turn and you weary
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As you look at where you've been
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You can't see Me on the present
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When you're looking at the past
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You thought things
would turn out differently
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Then you hear God say at last
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I know the plans I have for you
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And they are
plans to prosper you
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To give you hope and a future
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Lead you on life's journey
00:10:25.41\00:10:29.04
Call on Me and I
will see you through
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I know the plans I have for you
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The rock sink
cliffs may leave some scars
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You thought too deep to heal
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You're desperate
and you're broken
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And life seems all too real
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The road may take you on a path
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That changes all your plans
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Now that's when God takes over
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And says leave it in My hand
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I know the plans I have for you
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And they are
plans to prosper you
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To give you hope and a future
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Lead you on life's journey
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Call on Me and I
will see you through
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I know the plans I have for you
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And though your
dreams may have died
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You're hurting inside
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God has something better for you
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And He knows the
plans He has for you
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And they are
plans to prosper you
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To give you hope and a future
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Lead you on life's journey
00:12:22.34\00:12:25.97
Call on Him and He
will see you through
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God knows the
plans He has for you
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Amen. Amen.
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Amen, that
message is always true.
00:13:03.81\00:13:07.13
God knows the plans,
He has for each of us.
00:13:07.16\00:13:11.19
We like to once again welcome
those who are joining us,
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either satellite,
computer, local television,
00:13:14.23\00:13:16.90
over the radio, the internet
00:13:16.93\00:13:19.15
and we want to
welcome you once again
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to the series entitled
'Where Are All His Miracles.'
00:13:20.53\00:13:23.38
Now before I even
open the word of God
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and go before the
Lord, I always ask the Lord
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to do something
in me and through me,
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what I cannot do for myself,
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so I would like to
invite you to bow your heads
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and pray with me this morning.
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Heavenly Father,
thank You for the fact that
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the greatest miracle
is a transformed life.
00:13:38.28\00:13:43.43
We pray today as we
consider this message
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that calls us to
ask the age old question
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that we will find that no
matter what the question is,
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the answer is still Jesus.
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So guide us as we
walk through Your word
00:13:56.11\00:13:59.15
in Jesus' name we pray.
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Amen.
00:14:01.40\00:14:03.12
If you have your
Bibles with you today,
00:14:03.15\00:14:04.76
those of you who are joining us,
00:14:04.79\00:14:06.67
we would like to encourage you
to turn to the Book of Judges.
00:14:06.70\00:14:09.55
There is
something about that name
00:14:09.58\00:14:10.77
that kind of frightens you.
00:14:10.80\00:14:12.85
Judges, if you
had a speeding ticket
00:14:12.88\00:14:15.44
before you don't
want to hear judges.
00:14:15.47\00:14:18.74
If you've ever
done something wrong
00:14:18.77\00:14:21.07
that you know was wrong,
00:14:21.10\00:14:23.38
you don't want to
appear before the judges.
00:14:23.41\00:14:26.20
Thus the Book
of Judges is a book
00:14:26.23\00:14:28.70
exactly with that theme in mind.
00:14:28.73\00:14:31.67
Israel arrived at the
place where God needed
00:14:31.70\00:14:36.14
to step in as their judge
and get them back on track.
00:14:36.17\00:14:39.88
I'm so glad this morning to know
00:14:39.91\00:14:41.71
that whenever we are off track,
00:14:41.74\00:14:43.81
God knows how to
get us back on track.
00:14:43.84\00:14:46.82
He calls us, not
as vengeful a Judge,
00:14:46.85\00:14:50.25
but as a loving
Judge leading us back.
00:14:50.28\00:14:53.08
And we have arrived at the time,
00:14:53.11\00:14:56.77
when we can do
just about anything.
00:14:56.80\00:14:59.70
I mean the world
00:14:59.73\00:15:00.76
is electronically
stitched together.
00:15:00.79\00:15:03.90
We can create pretty
much anything we desire,
00:15:03.93\00:15:07.16
but I say today
there is still one thing
00:15:07.19\00:15:08.85
that we are not able to
do, thus we look at the life
00:15:08.88\00:15:12.54
of a young simple man
by the name of Gideon,
00:15:12.57\00:15:15.84
and the Bible
makes it very clear
00:15:15.87\00:15:18.45
that the Lord
intended to lead his children
00:15:18.48\00:15:21.85
to the place of lasting success.
00:15:21.88\00:15:25.72
What I want you
to know today is that
00:15:25.75\00:15:26.90
God does not intend to
leave us where He finds us.
00:15:26.93\00:15:30.12
God always
intends for His people
00:15:30.15\00:15:32.45
to have lasting success.
00:15:32.48\00:15:33.80
Can you say amen to that?
00:15:33.83\00:15:35.49
God finds us in the
strangest places like
00:15:35.52\00:15:38.32
he found me in New
York, and led me to Florida.
00:15:38.35\00:15:42.02
Found me again in Florida,
00:15:42.05\00:15:43.75
led me to
California with my wife,
00:15:43.78\00:15:46.12
found us in
California, led us to Missouri,
00:15:46.15\00:15:49.81
found us Missouri and God forbid
00:15:49.84\00:15:51.45
He led us to Thompsonville.
00:15:51.48\00:15:53.82
And I make a request to God,
00:15:53.85\00:15:55.04
I hope the next
place I move is heaven.
00:15:55.07\00:15:56.82
What do you say?
00:15:56.85\00:15:58.21
But God finds
the strangest of us
00:15:58.24\00:16:01.57
in the most unlikely places
and turn our lives upside down,
00:16:01.60\00:16:05.49
thus is the story of Gideon.
00:16:05.52\00:16:08.96
God called Moses and Aaron,
00:16:08.99\00:16:11.02
to begin the
journey, God called Joshua
00:16:11.05\00:16:14.49
to carry the
journey the rest of the way,
00:16:14.52\00:16:17.23
but from the very beginning
of the journey to the very end,
00:16:17.26\00:16:19.85
it was God all along.
00:16:19.88\00:16:22.04
It was God that freed
00:16:22.07\00:16:23.48
the children of
Israel from Egypt.
00:16:23.51\00:16:25.76
It was God that kept
them in the wilderness.
00:16:25.79\00:16:28.31
It was God that protected them
00:16:28.34\00:16:30.36
from the serpents and scorpions.
00:16:30.39\00:16:32.65
It was God that kept
them through the cold nights.
00:16:32.68\00:16:37.10
It was God that kept
them through the hot days.
00:16:37.13\00:16:40.44
And, brothers and sisters,
whether you know it or not,
00:16:40.47\00:16:42.46
it's always about God.
00:16:42.49\00:16:43.65
Can you say amen?
00:16:43.68\00:16:45.16
As He was with
them, He is with us today.
00:16:45.19\00:16:50.11
But when Moses was
called to lay down his mantle,
00:16:50.14\00:16:52.85
God called the man
by the name of Joshua
00:16:52.88\00:16:55.71
to carry the children of
Israel into the Promised Land.
00:16:55.74\00:16:58.94
And they finally made it.
00:16:58.97\00:17:00.64
Not by their plans,
00:17:00.67\00:17:02.26
but as the songs
says by God's plans.
00:17:02.29\00:17:06.13
And they were there abiding
00:17:06.16\00:17:07.47
in the land of
Canaan for some seven years.
00:17:07.50\00:17:11.00
But the plan
that God had for them
00:17:11.03\00:17:13.74
had not yet been completed
00:17:13.77\00:17:15.63
because Israel became satisfied
and decided, hear me carefully
00:17:15.66\00:17:21.30
that the command of God
was no longer necessary.
00:17:21.33\00:17:26.15
Judges 1:28 says it this
way and I'm reading this text
00:17:26.18\00:17:30.19
from the New
International version
00:17:30.22\00:17:31.73
because it makes it very clear.
00:17:31.76\00:17:34.21
"When Israel became strong,
00:17:34.24\00:17:38.60
they pressed the
Canaanites into forced labor
00:17:38.63\00:17:42.31
but never drove
them out completely."
00:17:42.34\00:17:47.08
Now, I've been following
the Lord for a number of years
00:17:47.11\00:17:49.86
and I want you to know
as many of you know that
00:17:49.89\00:17:52.81
following God is not
easy, can I get a witness?
00:17:52.84\00:17:56.13
Following God's plan is
not the easiest thing to do,
00:17:56.16\00:17:59.81
but I do believe
with all my heart that
00:17:59.84\00:18:01.34
when the Lord
says that He's come
00:18:01.37\00:18:02.67
that we might have life
and have it more abundantly,
00:18:02.70\00:18:05.16
I'm convinced that
life can only be abundant
00:18:05.19\00:18:10.05
if that life is
lived by the plan of God.
00:18:10.08\00:18:14.35
I believe that God can do
more than I can ever imagine,
00:18:14.38\00:18:18.17
if I simply
trust the plan of God.
00:18:18.20\00:18:21.43
It was not God's plan for Israel
00:18:21.46\00:18:25.88
to inhabit Canaan
with the Midianites,
00:18:25.91\00:18:28.84
and the
Amalekites, and the Jebusites,
00:18:28.87\00:18:31.86
and the Hittites,
but Israel success
00:18:31.89\00:18:35.10
and this is a dangerous
point and I walk with God,
00:18:35.13\00:18:37.54
Israel success
dismissed God's requirements.
00:18:37.57\00:18:41.94
I want to say today no
matter how successful you get,
00:18:41.97\00:18:44.50
we should never get to the point
00:18:44.53\00:18:46.29
where our success
dismisses God's requirements.
00:18:46.32\00:18:50.51
Israel became
content and their contentment
00:18:50.54\00:18:55.02
with the
Midianites, and the Amalekites,
00:18:55.05\00:18:57.87
and the
Jebusites, and the Hittites
00:18:57.90\00:19:00.48
began to break down
their resistance to evil
00:19:00.51\00:19:03.60
and just in a matter of time
00:19:03.63\00:19:05.50
the things that God never
intended for them to desire,
00:19:05.53\00:19:09.53
became the very
things that they desired
00:19:09.56\00:19:11.99
and they concluded that
Midian they could stay with us,
00:19:12.02\00:19:16.45
the Amalekites
can exist with us,
00:19:16.48\00:19:18.97
the Hittites can exist with us,
00:19:19.00\00:19:20.95
this land is large enough
for everyone with brethren,
00:19:20.98\00:19:24.88
it is not God's
intention for heaven
00:19:24.91\00:19:28.50
to be shared with God's enemies.
00:19:28.53\00:19:30.60
Can you say amen?
00:19:30.63\00:19:31.88
Well, I wanted you to get that,
00:19:31.91\00:19:33.00
I know you got that,
but follow me carefully.
00:19:33.03\00:19:35.39
When I get to heaven I
want heaven to be heaven,
00:19:35.42\00:19:37.58
what about you?
00:19:37.61\00:19:38.87
And heaven is going to be heaven
00:19:38.90\00:19:40.26
not because we are there,
00:19:40.29\00:19:42.37
but because God's
enemies are not there.
00:19:42.40\00:19:45.95
When I get to heaven,
I'm not gonna be looking
00:19:45.98\00:19:48.09
over my back, anybody else?
00:19:48.12\00:19:49.32
When I get to heaven,
00:19:49.35\00:19:50.38
I'm going to
trust God day and night
00:19:50.41\00:19:51.65
and the doors of my
house won't be locked,
00:19:51.68\00:19:55.54
the gates to the New
Jerusalem won't be shut,
00:19:55.57\00:19:58.07
because heaven is heaven,
00:19:58.10\00:20:00.39
because God's
enemies will not be there.
00:20:00.42\00:20:04.09
Thus was the desire
for the children of Israel
00:20:04.12\00:20:07.04
in the land of Canaan.
00:20:07.07\00:20:09.26
God never intended for
them to exist side by side
00:20:09.29\00:20:13.03
with those that will turn
their affections away from God,
00:20:13.06\00:20:16.58
but they became content.
00:20:16.61\00:20:18.48
And Deuteronomy 11:22, 25
outlines God's plans for them,
00:20:18.51\00:20:23.72
"For the Lord says,
00:20:23.75\00:20:25.53
For if you carefully
keep all these commandments
00:20:25.56\00:20:28.20
which I command you,
00:20:28.23\00:20:29.84
then the Lord will drive out
00:20:29.87\00:20:31.68
all these
nations from before you,
00:20:31.71\00:20:34.99
and you will dispossess greater
00:20:35.02\00:20:37.24
and mightier
nations than yourselves."
00:20:37.27\00:20:39.77
Now you know what,
brethren, Israel had no weapons,
00:20:39.80\00:20:42.95
God is always our
weapon, can you say amen?
00:20:42.98\00:20:45.32
Israel had no
tanks, they had no jets,
00:20:45.35\00:20:48.16
they had no
armament, but they had prayer,
00:20:48.19\00:20:51.51
they had the promises of God
and today our weapon is prayer.
00:20:51.54\00:20:57.52
Amen.
00:20:57.55\00:20:58.58
But you missed an opportunity,
00:20:58.61\00:21:00.26
our weapon is prayer,
our weapon is trusting God.
00:21:00.29\00:21:04.05
When the enemy comes in
the Bible says like a flood,
00:21:04.08\00:21:07.27
God will lift up a
standard against them,
00:21:07.30\00:21:10.33
and I said just to you today,
00:21:10.36\00:21:12.17
the best standard
that can be lifted up
00:21:12.20\00:21:14.30
against the attack of the enemy
00:21:14.33\00:21:15.91
is the promises
of the word of God.
00:21:15.94\00:21:17.69
Amen.
00:21:17.72\00:21:18.94
So God gave them a weapon,
00:21:18.97\00:21:20.83
when difficult
times came they prayed.
00:21:20.86\00:21:23.00
And you know what?
00:21:23.03\00:21:24.12
I believe that
Israel prayed more
00:21:24.15\00:21:25.79
when they were in their journey
00:21:25.82\00:21:27.36
then when they got
to their destination,
00:21:27.39\00:21:29.40
but God continues.
00:21:29.43\00:21:30.89
He says not only will
you dispossess greater
00:21:30.92\00:21:33.42
and mightier
nations than yourself,
00:21:33.45\00:21:35.27
but this is amazing,
00:21:35.30\00:21:37.10
He says "Every
place on which the sole
00:21:37.13\00:21:39.71
of your foot
treads shall be yours."
00:21:39.74\00:21:42.39
Can you imagine if
you got a fax from God
00:21:42.42\00:21:44.53
and He says wherever
you walk Johnny, it's yours.
00:21:44.56\00:21:48.26
Did you get that?
00:21:48.29\00:21:49.71
Wherever your feet
touch God will give it to you.
00:21:49.74\00:21:52.82
God promised
there were ever the feet
00:21:52.85\00:21:56.26
of the children
of Israel would step,
00:21:56.29\00:21:58.89
God will give it to
them and then He says
00:21:58.92\00:22:01.34
"No man shall be able
to stand against you."
00:22:01.37\00:22:05.05
Praise God for that.
00:22:05.08\00:22:06.69
When God is on our side,
00:22:06.72\00:22:08.54
no matter who
stands against you,
00:22:08.57\00:22:10.27
God has always the majority.
00:22:10.30\00:22:12.14
When we stand with
God, we need not fear men
00:22:12.17\00:22:15.17
because God's promises are true,
00:22:15.20\00:22:18.09
but Israel chose
to do it their way.
00:22:18.12\00:22:21.80
So they abandoned God's way.
00:22:21.83\00:22:24.01
God called them to battle
but they chose ease instead.
00:22:24.04\00:22:29.33
Brethren, whether
we realize it or not,
00:22:29.36\00:22:31.46
we are in greater
danger after a battle
00:22:31.49\00:22:35.88
than we are during a battle.
00:22:35.91\00:22:38.27
We are in greater danger
00:22:38.30\00:22:39.68
after we lay down
our weapons of prayer
00:22:39.71\00:22:42.46
than we are
during times of prayer
00:22:42.49\00:22:44.90
that's why God knows
00:22:44.93\00:22:46.72
it's good sometimes
for the people of God
00:22:46.75\00:22:49.44
to go through
trails, can you say amen?
00:22:49.47\00:22:51.46
My wife and I
look back at our trails
00:22:51.49\00:22:53.15
and we realize that
we were close to God
00:22:53.18\00:22:56.21
during our trails than we
were when the trails passed.
00:22:56.24\00:23:00.35
When Israel stop
fighting in prayer,
00:23:00.38\00:23:03.26
they started
failing and thus we read
00:23:03.29\00:23:05.47
the commentary in Judges 6:1.
00:23:05.50\00:23:09.24
Bible says, "And
the children of Israel
00:23:09.27\00:23:13.56
did evil in the
sight of the Lord.
00:23:13.59\00:23:15.88
So the Lord delivered them
00:23:15.91\00:23:18.38
into the hand of
Midian for seven years.
00:23:18.41\00:23:21.61
And the hand of Midian
prevailed against Israel.
00:23:21.64\00:23:24.93
Because of the Midianites,
the children of Israel
00:23:24.96\00:23:27.56
made for themselves
the dens, and caves,
00:23:27.59\00:23:30.05
and the strongholds
which are in the mountains."
00:23:30.08\00:23:33.67
Israel had
enemies on every side.
00:23:33.70\00:23:38.04
You ever feel like that?
00:23:38.07\00:23:40.76
You don't have to respond to me.
00:23:40.79\00:23:42.21
You could just shake your head,
00:23:42.24\00:23:43.28
yeah, I feel
like that sometimes.
00:23:43.31\00:23:45.13
Sometimes that feels like
we've got enemies on every side
00:23:45.16\00:23:48.78
but, brethren, it is
not the enemies around us,
00:23:48.81\00:23:51.97
but the God who stands with us,
00:23:52.00\00:23:53.91
that's our
faith and our courage.
00:23:53.94\00:23:56.40
Midian did
everything to irritate Israel.
00:23:56.43\00:23:59.39
Midian tried their
best to stamp Israel out.
00:23:59.42\00:24:03.39
Midian would destroy everything
that Israel would plant.
00:24:03.92\00:24:07.26
They would come and
steal their livestock
00:24:07.29\00:24:09.24
and everything that Israel build
00:24:09.27\00:24:11.09
they would break it down,
00:24:11.12\00:24:13.70
and the reason why
they did not experience,
00:24:13.73\00:24:16.61
the reason why the
people of God did not experience
00:24:16.64\00:24:19.65
the magnitude of God's blessings
00:24:19.68\00:24:22.43
is because they
did not go all the way.
00:24:22.46\00:24:27.67
I believe that if we
go all the way with Jesus,
00:24:27.70\00:24:30.13
the blessings would be powerful,
00:24:30.16\00:24:31.66
can you say amen?
00:24:31.69\00:24:33.10
If you stop
short like an Olympian
00:24:33.13\00:24:35.70
running a 100 yard dash,
00:24:35.73\00:24:37.66
one stride away from
the gold medal he stops,
00:24:37.69\00:24:41.31
and never knows
was it's like to win.
00:24:41.34\00:24:43.32
Brothers and sisters,
00:24:43.35\00:24:44.47
we are at the hour that
we got to keep on running.
00:24:44.50\00:24:46.57
What do you say?
00:24:46.60\00:24:48.65
God brought them out
of Egypt, from slavery,
00:24:48.68\00:24:51.35
God kept them safe
and provided their needs.
00:24:51.38\00:24:54.48
God promised them victory
00:24:54.51\00:24:57.33
over all the
inhabitants of Canaan
00:24:57.36\00:24:59.75
and today God
promises us the same thing.
00:24:59.78\00:25:03.08
Whatever your trail, you
can find victory in Christ.
00:25:03.11\00:25:05.56
Whatever the obstacle,
00:25:05.59\00:25:06.65
you can overcome
it in Christ, amen.
00:25:06.68\00:25:09.08
He promised them the same
thing He promises us today,
00:25:09.11\00:25:12.78
but the commentary is clear,
look at verse 10 of Judges 6.
00:25:12.81\00:25:17.91
"Also I said to you,
'I am the Lord your God,
00:25:17.94\00:25:22.73
do not fear the
gods of the Amorites,
00:25:22.76\00:25:24.67
in whose land you dwell.'
00:25:24.70\00:25:26.63
'' But here is the commentary,
00:25:26.66\00:25:28.03
"But you have
not obeyed My voice."
00:25:28.06\00:25:31.90
The brethren, He
is the first miracle.
00:25:31.93\00:25:36.94
God is faithful
all the time. Amen.
00:25:36.97\00:25:42.94
The first miracle is
God is faithful all the time
00:25:42.97\00:25:47.27
and at times even though
we may not know where God is,
00:25:47.30\00:25:51.16
God always knows where we are?
00:25:51.19\00:25:53.21
What do you say?
00:25:53.24\00:25:54.81
You see brethren, at one
of Israel's lowest points,
00:25:54.84\00:25:57.76
God was preparing them
00:25:57.79\00:25:59.67
for one of their
highest successes
00:25:59.70\00:26:02.23
and God is not an on time
God, somebody used to says
00:26:02.26\00:26:05.86
God is never late,
He is always on time.
00:26:05.89\00:26:08.46
Let me change that,
00:26:08.49\00:26:09.61
God is not on, on time
God, God is a never absent God.
00:26:09.64\00:26:14.66
Did you get that?
00:26:14.69\00:26:15.83
He doesn't show
up, He never leaves.
00:26:15.86\00:26:18.40
He never leaves us,
He never forsakes us
00:26:18.43\00:26:21.18
because we don't see God,
00:26:21.21\00:26:23.76
do not assume
that God is not there.
00:26:23.79\00:26:26.92
And God shows
up in Gideon's life
00:26:26.95\00:26:29.46
at one of the strangest
and most ridiculous times
00:26:29.49\00:26:33.38
that he would
want God to find him.
00:26:33.41\00:26:35.41
Look at verse 11.
00:26:35.44\00:26:38.61
Sometimes we get
all on our trails
00:26:38.64\00:26:40.34
and our tribulations
and we do ridiculous things.
00:26:40.37\00:26:42.90
Gideon knows
what we're all about.
00:26:42.93\00:26:45.58
"Now the Angel of
the Lord came and sat
00:26:45.61\00:26:47.94
under the terebinth
tree," that's the oak tree
00:26:47.97\00:26:50.56
"which was in Ophrah,
00:26:50.59\00:26:52.68
which belonged to
Joash the Abiezrite,
00:26:52.71\00:26:56.29
while the son of Gideon
00:26:56.32\00:26:58.40
threshed wheat in the winepress,
00:26:58.43\00:27:00.83
in order to hide it
from the Midianites."
00:27:00.86\00:27:04.87
You got to get the picture here.
00:27:04.90\00:27:08.25
I looked, and then I thought
to myself, how ridiculous.
00:27:08.28\00:27:10.91
You know, sometimes
00:27:10.94\00:27:12.12
we are so
fearful of our enemies,
00:27:12.15\00:27:14.00
we decide to try to
hide from our enemies
00:27:14.03\00:27:16.84
and think that God
can't find us either.
00:27:16.87\00:27:21.34
That's why when difficulty comes
00:27:21.37\00:27:22.73
and people stay home, I
know they're trying to hide
00:27:22.76\00:27:25.15
either from their
enemies or from their fears.
00:27:25.18\00:27:28.20
So here is Gideon
now in a winepress,
00:27:28.23\00:27:31.23
which is used to
make grape juice,
00:27:31.26\00:27:34.39
but Gideon is so
fearful of his enemies,
00:27:34.42\00:27:36.25
thinking that they
gonna take away his wheat,
00:27:36.28\00:27:38.06
that Gideon puts
wheat in the winepress
00:27:38.09\00:27:40.82
and-- you got to get this,
00:27:40.85\00:27:42.28
there is a wall
around the winepress
00:27:42.31\00:27:43.91
and Gideon has his back bent
00:27:43.94\00:27:46.48
and he is in the winepress
trampling out the wheat,
00:27:46.51\00:27:49.12
hoping the
Midianites don't see that
00:27:49.15\00:27:50.81
because every
time they see something
00:27:50.84\00:27:53.05
they take from the Israelites
00:27:53.08\00:27:54.90
what God intends to be a
blessing to the Israelites.
00:27:54.93\00:27:58.02
So Gideon is
hiding and all of a sudden
00:27:58.05\00:28:00.13
the Lord shows up.
00:28:00.16\00:28:04.93
Kind of like He does a
lot of times in our home,
00:28:04.96\00:28:07.68
when we're having
our own kitty party.
00:28:07.71\00:28:09.48
Aren't you glad
that God shows up?
00:28:09.51\00:28:11.42
Because God wants to remind
us as was the case with Israel,
00:28:11.45\00:28:15.55
you see the outlook
for Israel was nothing
00:28:15.58\00:28:18.23
but rain in the forecast,
00:28:18.26\00:28:20.36
and the stock market for
Israel was anything but stable,
00:28:20.39\00:28:23.83
however that God
of Israel is anything
00:28:23.86\00:28:28.09
but unreliable,
can you say amen?
00:28:28.12\00:28:30.33
So God shows up
00:28:30.36\00:28:31.64
and He chooses the
most unlikely, Cheri.
00:28:31.67\00:28:34.41
He chooses the most unlikely
to do the most unimaginable.
00:28:34.44\00:28:38.85
That's a good God.
00:28:38.88\00:28:40.12
He looks at those who
think they had nothing to give
00:28:40.15\00:28:43.61
and proves that it
is not your abilities
00:28:43.64\00:28:46.58
but God's abilities
that makes the difference.
00:28:46.61\00:28:49.44
Amen.
00:28:49.47\00:28:51.40
God always sees in us the best,
when we can't see anything.
00:28:51.43\00:28:55.49
Look at verse 12 and 13.
00:28:55.52\00:28:57.83
Gideon in the
winepress having a conversation
00:28:57.86\00:29:01.06
with the angel of the Lord.
00:29:01.09\00:29:03.15
"And the Angel of
the Lord appeared to him,
00:29:03.18\00:29:05.16
and said to him,
'The Lord is with you,
00:29:05.19\00:29:07.85
you mighty man of valor!'
00:29:07.88\00:29:09.36
" He was not a
mighty man of valor.
00:29:09.39\00:29:11.21
He was the
weakling filled with fear.
00:29:11.24\00:29:13.51
Now, brethren, I'm so glad that
00:29:13.54\00:29:15.02
when we are
weakling filled with fear,
00:29:15.05\00:29:17.40
God can call us a
mighty man of valor.
00:29:17.43\00:29:19.96
Amen.
00:29:19.99\00:29:21.02
That's who you are in
Christ, not in and of ourselves,
00:29:21.05\00:29:24.67
we are more than
conquerors through Him
00:29:24.70\00:29:28.34
who loved us, amen.
00:29:28.37\00:29:31.23
So He comes and calls
him a mighty man of valor.
00:29:31.26\00:29:33.77
And I must say,
Gideon must have said
00:29:33.80\00:29:35.86
a mighty man of what?
00:29:35.89\00:29:40.23
I'm hiding out
from the Midianites,
00:29:40.26\00:29:41.73
can't you see
what they are doing?
00:29:41.76\00:29:42.87
A mighty man of
valor me and God continues,
00:29:42.90\00:29:46.18
so "Gideon said to Him,
00:29:46.21\00:29:47.71
'O my lord, if
the Lord is with us,
00:29:47.74\00:29:51.15
why then has all
this happened to us?
00:29:51.18\00:29:54.02
And--" here is the statement
00:29:54.05\00:29:56.25
for the entire series
"Where are all His miracles
00:29:56.28\00:30:03.73
'Did not the Lord
bring us up from Egypt?'
00:30:03.76\00:30:06.71
But now the Lord has
forsaken us and delivered us
00:30:06.74\00:30:10.61
into the hands
of the Midianites."
00:30:10.64\00:30:13.18
Brethren God never forsakes us,
00:30:13.21\00:30:17.14
but sometimes where we are
00:30:17.17\00:30:19.23
is a direct result of
the choices we've made.
00:30:19.26\00:30:24.02
Not what God imposes on
us but the choices we make.
00:30:24.05\00:30:28.06
So God calls
Gideon to challenge Him.
00:30:28.09\00:30:30.95
God calls
Gideon to do something,
00:30:30.98\00:30:32.54
while Gideon is busy
doing something else.
00:30:32.57\00:30:34.78
I like that God
always calls busy folk.
00:30:34.81\00:30:37.46
Some of the most productive
individuals are busy people,
00:30:37.49\00:30:40.56
busy doing the Father's will
and God gives them more to do.
00:30:40.59\00:30:43.50
So God calls Gideon
00:30:43.53\00:30:44.92
and look what He
says in verse 15.
00:30:44.95\00:30:47.84
God says you gonna save
Israel, but Gideon comes back,
00:30:47.87\00:30:50.60
"O my Lord, how
can I save Israel?
00:30:50.63\00:30:53.99
Indeed my clan or my group
is the weakest in Manasseh,
00:30:54.02\00:30:59.53
and I am the least
in my father's house."
00:30:59.56\00:31:04.57
God accomplishes the
most, hear me carefully.
00:31:04.60\00:31:08.76
God accomplishes
the most when we realize
00:31:08.79\00:31:13.63
that we have the
least to offer Him.
00:31:13.66\00:31:17.36
When our cups are almost empty,
00:31:17.39\00:31:19.73
then God can fill it up
with His Holy Spirit, amen.
00:31:19.76\00:31:23.49
God does not have short arms.
00:31:23.52\00:31:27.66
And God's ears are not
filled with wax, Isaiah 59:1.
00:31:27.69\00:31:32.57
So God can reach farther
down than we can ever imagine,
00:31:32.60\00:31:36.09
God reaches down
to the gutter most
00:31:36.12\00:31:38.54
and saves us to
the uttermost, amen.
00:31:38.57\00:31:40.78
So God looks at
this unimaginable,
00:31:40.81\00:31:43.51
unqualified,
unproductive, can I say it?
00:31:43.54\00:31:48.37
A peon of society and now comes
00:31:48.40\00:31:52.13
and to turn his
life upside down.
00:31:52.16\00:31:54.87
But before God calls
us to do great things,
00:31:54.90\00:31:57.33
God often calls us,
to remove from our lives
00:31:57.36\00:32:02.37
the things that rob
God of His true worship.
00:32:02.40\00:32:07.22
Before God
calls us to greatness,
00:32:07.25\00:32:09.52
God first calls us to stand firm
00:32:09.55\00:32:12.86
in the face of opposition.
00:32:12.89\00:32:16.00
Before God uses us
for anything great,
00:32:16.03\00:32:18.28
sometimes, God calls
us to put Him to the test,
00:32:18.31\00:32:23.62
which brings us to
miracle number two.
00:32:23.65\00:32:26.12
God is not only
faithful on the time,
00:32:26.15\00:32:28.33
all the time, God is
reliable all the time, amen.
00:32:28.36\00:32:32.65
You know, brethren,
00:32:32.68\00:32:34.05
there are lot of people
that are filled with fear
00:32:34.08\00:32:35.40
but I say to
this, feed your faith
00:32:35.43\00:32:38.85
and your fear
will starve to death.
00:32:38.88\00:32:43.21
Amen. We fear men so much.
00:32:43.24\00:32:46.60
We fear circumstances so much
because we trust God so little.
00:32:46.63\00:32:52.14
I mean, how could
you not trust somebody
00:32:52.17\00:32:53.44
who can make worlds.
00:32:53.47\00:32:56.05
I'm not talking
about your bank account.
00:32:56.08\00:32:57.27
Your bank account is
no problem for God, amen.
00:32:57.30\00:32:59.83
Your health is no
challenge for God.
00:32:59.86\00:33:01.79
God took a break
from making worlds
00:33:01.82\00:33:05.60
and came down here
to hang out with us
00:33:05.63\00:33:08.32
for three and half years, amen.
00:33:08.35\00:33:09.81
Amen.
00:33:09.84\00:33:10.97
So if somebody can make a world
00:33:11.00\00:33:12.43
can God deal with our little
itty-bitty everyday problems.
00:33:12.46\00:33:15.88
Yes, He can.
00:33:15.91\00:33:18.86
Gideon was about to find out,
00:33:18.89\00:33:21.07
but Gideon not knowing
whether God was serious yet,
00:33:21.10\00:33:24.81
ask God for a sign,
00:33:24.84\00:33:25.97
it's all right to
ask God for a sign,
00:33:26.00\00:33:27.63
as long as that
sign is not self serving,
00:33:27.66\00:33:30.61
so God, allowed
Gideon to put out the fleece.
00:33:30.64\00:33:33.95
You know the story.
00:33:33.98\00:33:35.01
He said Lord make the floor dry
00:33:35.04\00:33:36.88
and the fleece wet, and God did.
00:33:36.91\00:33:38.54
But then he said, Lord,
00:33:38.57\00:33:39.66
make the fleece
dry and the floor wet.
00:33:39.69\00:33:41.63
Now, let me say something.
00:33:41.66\00:33:42.69
If God can build the worlds,
00:33:42.72\00:33:44.20
can He not make the
floor dry and the fleece wet?
00:33:44.23\00:33:46.60
And the fleece
wet and the floor dry?
00:33:46.63\00:33:48.15
Amen.
00:33:48.18\00:33:50.60
This was not Gideon testing God,
00:33:50.63\00:33:53.60
this was Gideon
trying to figure out
00:33:53.63\00:33:55.32
whether God
really wanted to use him.
00:33:55.35\00:33:58.77
God, are you
serious about using me?
00:33:58.80\00:34:00.12
I don't have any qualification,
00:34:00.15\00:34:01.47
I'm uneducated, I
don't know how to preach,
00:34:01.50\00:34:03.45
how to sing, how to do anything?
00:34:03.48\00:34:05.08
But if you
follow the scriptures,
00:34:05.11\00:34:06.26
you'll discover
that God chooses people
00:34:06.29\00:34:08.69
who know they
can't do something.
00:34:08.72\00:34:10.52
Yes. Amen.
00:34:10.55\00:34:11.61
Because then God
can do something.
00:34:11.64\00:34:13.72
Moses needed
Aaron to speak for him,
00:34:13.75\00:34:15.50
until he found
courage to speak for himself.
00:34:15.53\00:34:19.42
Jeremiah was
fearful of the people,
00:34:19.45\00:34:20.94
God said don't
worry about the people
00:34:20.97\00:34:22.09
I make your
heart, your head hard.
00:34:22.12\00:34:24.85
Isaiah, the Lord who am I?
00:34:24.88\00:34:28.75
Peter, a man of profane lips.
00:34:28.78\00:34:32.18
Isaiah, a man of unclean lips,
00:34:32.21\00:34:34.16
God reaches down and
he finds the best of us
00:34:34.19\00:34:37.77
among the worst of us.
00:34:37.80\00:34:40.09
So here he is.
00:34:40.12\00:34:42.14
I believe the
reason why there are not
00:34:42.17\00:34:43.41
more blessed people is
because they are not willing
00:34:43.44\00:34:46.31
to step up to God's challenge.
00:34:46.34\00:34:48.48
You know, when
God says prove in--
00:34:48.51\00:34:50.05
prove me now here
if God is serious.
00:34:50.08\00:34:53.34
Prove me now here
what the Lord says,
00:34:53.37\00:34:55.31
if I will not open to
you, the windows of heaven,
00:34:55.34\00:35:00.04
the windows of what?
00:35:00.07\00:35:01.74
Have you ever
seen heaven's windows?
00:35:01.77\00:35:03.93
I suspect you, they
are bigger than ours, amen.
00:35:03.96\00:35:06.85
And he says and pour
you out such a blessing
00:35:06.88\00:35:10.46
that there shall not be room
00:35:10.49\00:35:11.64
enough to
receive of the brethren,
00:35:11.67\00:35:14.12
God does not
just open up windows
00:35:14.15\00:35:16.10
and pour blessings out.
00:35:16.13\00:35:17.83
Sometimes, God makes us a window
00:35:17.86\00:35:22.33
and pours blessing through us.
00:35:22.36\00:35:25.93
Don't look for the window,
sometimes you are the window.
00:35:25.96\00:35:29.23
God was about to
make Gideon a window.
00:35:29.26\00:35:33.55
So here's what
the situation was?
00:35:33.58\00:35:35.77
Gideon got all excited
00:35:35.80\00:35:37.76
ran back to the
camp of Israel and said,
00:35:37.79\00:35:39.65
let's get our army together
and he's mustered up 32,000 men
00:35:39.68\00:35:43.71
and just as he's all excited,
00:35:43.74\00:35:45.68
the first thing
that God says is, Gideon,
00:35:45.71\00:35:49.54
the people you
have are too many.
00:35:49.57\00:35:53.42
I mean, Lord, have you seen
00:35:53.45\00:35:54.51
the Amalekites and the Jebusites
00:35:54.54\00:35:56.18
and the Hittites
and the Amorites,
00:35:56.21\00:35:57.68
they are like
the sands of the sea
00:35:57.71\00:35:59.05
and Lord 32,000 is too much?
00:35:59.08\00:36:01.10
Gideon, you got too
many. Surprise number one.
00:36:01.13\00:36:05.36
Sometimes God ask us
to give Him what we have
00:36:05.39\00:36:09.92
so that He can give
us what we don't have.
00:36:09.95\00:36:14.38
Faith, God doesn't need numbers,
00:36:14.41\00:36:17.07
He needs faith, He
needs people that trust Him,
00:36:17.10\00:36:20.76
He needs people that knows
00:36:20.79\00:36:22.15
if God just call
Gideon to go out and fight,
00:36:22.18\00:36:25.13
you know what, if
you swung a sword,
00:36:25.16\00:36:27.16
if you had an Eveready energize
00:36:27.19\00:36:30.06
a bunny battery in your back,
00:36:30.09\00:36:32.08
you couldn't swing
a sword fast enough
00:36:32.11\00:36:34.18
to kill of a million men.
00:36:34.21\00:36:37.23
It's in times like that,
00:36:37.26\00:36:39.37
that God fights
your battles for you.
00:36:39.40\00:36:43.26
So God makes it
clear, surprise number one,
00:36:43.29\00:36:46.73
very plain Judges 7:3.
00:36:46.76\00:36:49.42
I'm gonna narrow it down
into vernacular of today.
00:36:49.45\00:36:53.52
Gideon says to the people,
if you're afraid go home.
00:36:53.55\00:36:57.45
Now I don't
think Gideon expected
00:36:57.48\00:36:58.75
22,000 men to
leave, but they did.
00:36:58.78\00:37:02.48
And he said,
Lord, there's only 20,
00:37:02.51\00:37:06.32
22,000 men left,
it's only 10,000 left.
00:37:06.35\00:37:09.86
What are we going to do now?
00:37:09.89\00:37:12.96
How do you expect us to
win with just 10,000 men?
00:37:12.99\00:37:17.67
God says I don't,
you still have too many.
00:37:17.70\00:37:22.40
So he says, narrow it down,
the people are still too many?
00:37:22.43\00:37:25.57
And you want a
definition for miracle,
00:37:25.60\00:37:27.12
you may want to write this down,
00:37:27.15\00:37:28.18
if you haven't
recorded, press this,
00:37:28.21\00:37:30.10
this is really what I feel
the definition of a miracle is.
00:37:30.13\00:37:34.30
God does not do for us,
what will be credited to us?
00:37:34.33\00:37:41.12
That's a miracle.
You can't get the credit.
00:37:41.15\00:37:44.42
If your bank account is broken,
all your friends have left
00:37:44.45\00:37:46.72
and there's money in your bank,
00:37:46.75\00:37:47.78
they didn't do
it, God did it, amen.
00:37:47.81\00:37:50.29
God does not do for us,
what will be credited to us.
00:37:50.32\00:37:55.91
And, brethren,
even though sometimes
00:37:55.94\00:37:57.22
it's hard to believe
God, you will discover
00:37:57.25\00:38:00.02
it's even harder
not to believe God.
00:38:00.05\00:38:04.81
And all of a sudden
the inevitable happens.
00:38:04.84\00:38:07.28
Gideon ends up, got to get,
00:38:07.31\00:38:09.22
Gideon ends up where God knew
00:38:09.25\00:38:12.61
that he would have to be
for God to do God's thing.
00:38:12.64\00:38:17.03
Not 32,000, not 22,000,
00:38:17.06\00:38:20.35
not 10,000 but
300 motley crewmen
00:38:20.38\00:38:25.54
God was going to deliver Israel.
00:38:25.57\00:38:27.70
Now, brethren, I
don't know about you
00:38:27.73\00:38:29.47
but I'll be-- I'll be concerned
00:38:29.50\00:38:30.87
if we sent our church
to Iraq to win the war.
00:38:30.90\00:38:34.85
Amen.
00:38:34.88\00:38:35.91
President Bush have got a plan.
00:38:38.04\00:38:40.87
Well, what is
that, John Lomacang?
00:38:40.90\00:38:43.58
Our church would
like to volunteer
00:38:43.61\00:38:44.99
to go to the Middle
East and find Osama Bin Laden
00:38:45.02\00:38:47.95
and settle this thing.
00:38:47.98\00:38:50.39
Go right ahead.
00:38:50.42\00:38:52.24
Do you need some
weapons? No, we've got them all.
00:38:52.27\00:38:54.49
Where are they?
00:38:54.52\00:38:55.55
It's prayer. Amen.
00:38:55.58\00:38:59.10
You see this is the
reality of the situation.
00:38:59.13\00:39:00.16
God was sending them
not with the armory of men,
00:39:00.19\00:39:04.16
but with the power
of the Almighty God.
00:39:04.19\00:39:06.66
Amen.
00:39:06.69\00:39:09.11
So sometimes when
we are, where we are?
00:39:09.14\00:39:12.77
We wonder how we got
there, but I want to say this.
00:39:12.80\00:39:15.08
When we get to the place
00:39:15.11\00:39:17.70
where it looks like
God has broken us down,
00:39:17.73\00:39:20.52
we are finally at the
place where God can build us up.
00:39:20.55\00:39:25.85
God's got to break some
of us down to build us up
00:39:25.88\00:39:27.88
because you know why?
00:39:27.91\00:39:28.96
In this age there are
too many self made men.
00:39:28.99\00:39:33.44
Men that don't trust God.
00:39:33.47\00:39:35.08
Men that have all these letters
00:39:35.11\00:39:36.35
before their name
and after their name.
00:39:36.38\00:39:38.04
Some people, the
letters they have
00:39:38.07\00:39:39.21
before their name are
longer than their name.
00:39:39.24\00:39:43.95
So God sometimes pick
people that only know to fish
00:39:43.98\00:39:47.81
or build houses or
curse at each other.
00:39:47.84\00:39:53.15
And he fills
them with His spirit
00:39:53.18\00:39:54.61
and turns the
world upside down, amen.
00:39:54.64\00:39:57.11
And so Gideon ask the
Lord, verse 7 of Judges 7,
00:39:57.14\00:40:01.11
"Then the Lord said to Gideon,
'By the three hundred men
00:40:01.14\00:40:04.03
that lapped up the
water I will save you,
00:40:04.06\00:40:06.79
and deliver the
Midianites into your hand.
00:40:06.82\00:40:08.76
Let all the other people
go, every one to his place.'
00:40:08.79\00:40:12.89
"How do you think Gideon felt?
00:40:12.92\00:40:16.26
I mean, brethren, I
don't know about you,
00:40:16.29\00:40:17.33
but I'd feel really badly
because Gideon is standing
00:40:17.36\00:40:20.55
on a mountainside looking down
00:40:20.58\00:40:22.60
into the camp of the Midians
and the Bible says in verse 12,
00:40:22.63\00:40:26.69
"The Midianites and Amalekites,
and all the people of the East,
00:40:26.72\00:40:30.03
were lying in the
valley as numerous as locusts,
00:40:30.06\00:40:35.33
and all their
camels were without number,
00:40:35.36\00:40:37.82
as the sand by the
seashore in multitude."
00:40:37.85\00:40:41.79
How do you think he felt?
00:40:41.82\00:40:45.03
There are
sometimes when you question
00:40:45.06\00:40:46.47
whether or not
God has lost His mind.
00:40:46.50\00:40:48.20
Amen.
00:40:48.23\00:40:49.76
I'm saying that sacredly
because God doesn't called us
00:40:49.79\00:40:54.16
to a reasonable relationship
we can explain everything,
00:40:54.19\00:40:58.31
when you can explain
it, it's all about God.
00:40:58.34\00:41:01.33
So there he is standing
and I want to say to you today,
00:41:01.36\00:41:03.72
one of the greatest
hindrances to God's blessings.
00:41:03.75\00:41:06.74
Hear me
carefully is how we feel?
00:41:06.77\00:41:12.07
How we feel?
00:41:12.10\00:41:14.07
You know, the sin of
this age is we rely on
00:41:14.10\00:41:18.86
and we protect our feelings
more than we rely on our faith.
00:41:18.89\00:41:24.29
My feelings got hurt.
Oh, well, I feel bad for you.
00:41:24.32\00:41:28.76
Gideon's feelings got hurt too,
00:41:28.79\00:41:30.63
but God does not work
with us based on our feeling,
00:41:30.66\00:41:34.94
He calls us to
trust Him by faith, amen.
00:41:34.97\00:41:38.79
Feelings are unreliable.
00:41:38.82\00:41:40.45
If Gideon acted
out on how he felt,
00:41:40.48\00:41:42.77
he would have gone home too.
00:41:42.80\00:41:44.32
He said, Lord, I know that
there is some problem here.
00:41:44.35\00:41:46.96
You made a serious mistake,
00:41:46.99\00:41:48.48
so I'm gonna take my 300
men and go back home with them.
00:41:48.51\00:41:52.24
But he had enough
sense to trust God
00:41:52.27\00:41:54.86
and not to deal
with God on how he felt.
00:41:54.89\00:41:58.92
That's why, brethren,
00:41:58.95\00:42:00.41
when you look
down at your situation
00:42:00.44\00:42:02.84
rather than look
up at the Savior,
00:42:02.87\00:42:04.79
your feelings
will attack your faith.
00:42:04.82\00:42:09.06
Don't look at your
situations, look at the Lord.
00:42:09.09\00:42:12.24
Don't look at the
problem, look at the Lord.
00:42:12.27\00:42:13.52
He's looking
down into the valley,
00:42:13.55\00:42:15.32
when God says-- as David said,
00:42:15.35\00:42:17.18
I will lift up my
eyes on to the hill
00:42:17.21\00:42:19.48
from whence comes my--
don't look down, look up.
00:42:19.51\00:42:23.64
Are you a buzzard or an eagle?
00:42:23.67\00:42:26.62
I'm an eagle, anybody else?
00:42:26.65\00:42:27.77
Amen. By God's grace.
00:42:27.80\00:42:30.67
So there he is,
00:42:30.70\00:42:32.99
Gideon now has less than 1%
of his initial army with him.
00:42:33.02\00:42:39.39
But he has the entire
host of heaven with him.
00:42:39.42\00:42:41.57
Amen.
00:42:41.60\00:42:43.66
So don't look at the numbers,
don't look at what you can see,
00:42:43.69\00:42:47.45
we walk by faith not by sight.
00:42:47.48\00:42:51.74
Miracle number three,
God is not a percentage God.
00:42:51.77\00:42:57.12
God is totally God.
00:42:57.15\00:43:02.29
God doesn't become a
God better on the weekend
00:43:02.32\00:43:04.61
than He is at other times,
00:43:04.64\00:43:07.24
God is always the
same come on when?
00:43:07.27\00:43:10.82
Yesterday, today and forever.
00:43:10.85\00:43:15.61
So here they are,
Gideon all the sudden realizes
00:43:15.64\00:43:20.96
that it's not his
content but is God's intent
00:43:20.99\00:43:24.97
that makes the
difference in this situation.
00:43:25.00\00:43:26.83
Not what he can do,
but what God can do.
00:43:26.86\00:43:29.51
God broke him down, so
here he is with his 300 men
00:43:29.54\00:43:32.56
and God says, now line them up,
00:43:32.59\00:43:34.58
a 100 on that
side, a 100 on that side,
00:43:34.61\00:43:40.09
a 100 on that side and
leave the other side open
00:43:40.12\00:43:44.66
because the Midianites
are gonna need that to escape.
00:43:44.69\00:43:51.69
Don't close them in,
00:43:51.72\00:43:52.79
they got to
figure out where to run.
00:43:52.82\00:43:55.40
See, God doesn't
surround your enemies completely
00:43:55.43\00:43:58.07
because He's got to give
them some place to run, amen.
00:43:58.10\00:44:04.02
So Gideon, I'm sure they
ask, you have any bullets?
00:44:04.05\00:44:08.11
No, we don't need any bullets,
00:44:08.14\00:44:09.18
we just gonna
carry the empty guns.
00:44:09.21\00:44:13.86
Where are the tanks, Gideon?
00:44:13.89\00:44:15.07
We left them home
today, God is with us.
00:44:15.10\00:44:19.31
So how we gonna
fight? We gonna pray.
00:44:19.34\00:44:24.92
So he goes out and I'm sure
00:44:24.95\00:44:26.78
it must have been a
cold day, you know why?
00:44:26.81\00:44:28.79
Because every time you have
to battle against the enemy,
00:44:28.82\00:44:31.58
it just happens
to be a cold day.
00:44:31.61\00:44:34.69
It just happens to be raining,
00:44:34.72\00:44:35.91
the sky just seem
to swallow up the sun.
00:44:35.94\00:44:38.40
There he is
standing on this battle plane
00:44:38.43\00:44:41.42
with a battle plan
00:44:41.45\00:44:42.89
and only 300 men
surround the enemy.
00:44:42.92\00:44:46.49
And so God gives
Gideon the command
00:44:46.52\00:44:50.75
and He says now
here's what we gonna do.
00:44:50.78\00:44:55.04
We've got a trumpet,
00:44:55.07\00:44:57.39
we've got an empty
pitcher and we've got a torch.
00:44:57.42\00:45:01.81
You see, brothers and
sisters, God uses simple things
00:45:01.84\00:45:08.44
to accomplish
spectacular victories.
00:45:08.47\00:45:13.15
I did research and I found out
00:45:13.18\00:45:14.33
what kind of
pitcher did they have?
00:45:14.36\00:45:15.68
You know what God
told them to take?
00:45:15.71\00:45:17.18
He said go into your
kitchen and find any pot
00:45:17.21\00:45:19.34
and pan that you can find,
it was made out of pottery.
00:45:19.37\00:45:22.95
If that's your soup
bowl, bring your soup bowl,
00:45:22.98\00:45:25.05
bring your favorite
dish that you cook in,
00:45:25.08\00:45:27.58
bring your favorite salad bowl
00:45:27.61\00:45:29.11
and carry it
with you to the field,
00:45:29.14\00:45:30.57
and here they are,
you got to see this,
00:45:30.60\00:45:32.36
they got a torch
to find their way,
00:45:32.39\00:45:35.13
they've got a trumpet,
they don't know what yet for?
00:45:35.16\00:45:38.14
And they got
their favorite soup dish
00:45:38.17\00:45:39.90
made out of pottery
00:45:39.93\00:45:40.98
and they are carrying
that to the battlefield.
00:45:41.01\00:45:44.75
And they get to the battlefield,
00:45:44.78\00:45:46.28
and Gideon says,
okay, I will tell you what?
00:45:46.31\00:45:48.05
When I blow the trumpets,
you break your pitchers.
00:45:48.08\00:45:55.56
And they're
thinking to themselves
00:45:55.59\00:45:57.80
are these pitchers
made of C4 explosives
00:45:57.83\00:46:00.17
or something that
we don't know about?
00:46:00.20\00:46:02.78
Is there
something in these pitchers
00:46:02.81\00:46:03.84
that you haven't told us about?
00:46:03.87\00:46:05.31
No, that's just a regular
soup bowl that you eat from.
00:46:05.34\00:46:07.46
When I blow the trumpet
just-- just get really angry
00:46:07.49\00:46:10.39
and just slam that
pitchers to ground, all right.
00:46:10.42\00:46:13.05
And I can see them
looking at each other.
00:46:13.08\00:46:14.65
Well, Gideon, I
don't know if he--
00:46:14.68\00:46:15.93
I don't know if he
really did hear from God?
00:46:15.96\00:46:17.50
Is this some kind
of plan of suicide?
00:46:17.53\00:46:19.56
So they're standing
there by faith, trusting God.
00:46:19.59\00:46:24.03
And the trumpet blows
and the record is clear,
00:46:24.06\00:46:27.06
verse 20 and 21,
00:46:27.09\00:46:30.33
"Then the three
companies blew the trumpets
00:46:30.36\00:46:35.25
and broke the pitchers,
00:46:35.28\00:46:38.19
they held the
torches in their left hands
00:46:38.22\00:46:42.26
and the trumpets in
their right hands for blowing,
00:46:42.29\00:46:46.12
and they cried,"
say it with me church
00:46:46.15\00:46:49.61
"'The sword of the
Lord and of Gideon!'
00:46:49.64\00:46:53.18
And every man stood in his place
00:46:53.21\00:46:55.56
all around the camp,
00:46:55.59\00:46:58.03
and the whole army ran
and cried out and fled."
00:46:58.06\00:47:03.93
Can somebody say, amen?
00:47:03.96\00:47:05.80
This was not a revisit,
God wins the first time around.
00:47:05.83\00:47:08.72
Amen.
00:47:08.75\00:47:10.74
God didn't have to say Gideon,
00:47:10.77\00:47:11.81
you didn't do it
right, you didn't do it right,
00:47:11.84\00:47:13.20
just let's go
back and try it again.
00:47:13.23\00:47:16.63
When God puts a plan together,
it works the first time.
00:47:16.66\00:47:22.15
And it doesn't make sense,
00:47:22.18\00:47:24.60
you know, that's
true, didn't make sense.
00:47:24.63\00:47:26.80
Sometimes God
ask us to do things
00:47:26.83\00:47:28.29
that don't make sense.
00:47:28.32\00:47:30.46
But that's the difference
between humanity and divinity.
00:47:30.49\00:47:32.81
Divinity doesn't
have to make sense.
00:47:32.84\00:47:34.14
I mean how can you make
00:47:34.17\00:47:35.20
sense out of calling
animals into existence?
00:47:35.23\00:47:39.88
When I get to
heaven, I'm gonna say God
00:47:39.91\00:47:41.41
how did You--
how did You do that?
00:47:41.44\00:47:44.29
He spake and it was done.
00:47:44.32\00:47:46.82
All God has to do for success
to be our experience is speak
00:47:46.85\00:47:52.12
and we believe it and it's done.
00:47:52.15\00:47:53.51
Amen.
00:47:53.54\00:47:54.95
But, brethren, this is
a story of great miracles,
00:47:54.98\00:47:57.34
you know, how it ended?
00:47:57.37\00:47:58.66
They won the
battle and then further
00:47:58.69\00:48:01.74
down in the story you discover
00:48:01.77\00:48:03.23
that all those men that
were not part of the army
00:48:03.26\00:48:06.26
when the
Midianites began to escape,
00:48:06.29\00:48:08.54
all those men that were fearful,
00:48:08.57\00:48:11.09
now joined the 300 faithful men
00:48:11.12\00:48:14.71
and made sure that finally
they will do what God said.
00:48:14.74\00:48:19.67
You see brethren, I believe that
00:48:19.70\00:48:20.84
when the minority begins
00:48:20.87\00:48:23.89
and sees in their lives
the power of God moving,
00:48:23.92\00:48:27.65
the majority cannot help,
00:48:27.68\00:48:29.65
but join with those
who knows how to trust God.
00:48:29.68\00:48:33.21
So never wait for the multitude,
00:48:33.24\00:48:34.82
start where you are.
00:48:34.85\00:48:36.03
If it's one, start with one.
If it's two, start with two.
00:48:36.06\00:48:38.74
And all those who see the
success of God in your life
00:48:38.77\00:48:41.43
will want to have
the same experience.
00:48:41.46\00:48:43.99
Amen.
00:48:44.02\00:48:45.51
So what's the story all about?
00:48:45.54\00:48:47.49
You see, Gideon, this
is where we all come in.
00:48:47.52\00:48:52.61
Gideon held no offence,
00:48:52.64\00:48:57.91
Gideon was not a
priest, Gideon was not a king,
00:48:57.94\00:49:04.39
Gideon was not a ruler,
he wasn't even a Levite,
00:49:04.42\00:49:08.46
he wasn't even
an army commander,
00:49:08.49\00:49:12.65
Gideon had no special talent.
00:49:12.68\00:49:17.19
Gideon had no visible gift.
00:49:17.22\00:49:23.97
God chose the
least of the least.
00:49:24.00\00:49:31.66
You missed the
chance to say amen,
00:49:31.69\00:49:33.87
because I know
that's how I got here.
00:49:33.90\00:49:37.23
I said to somebody,
00:49:37.26\00:49:38.34
you know, how I know
the Lord is coming soon?
00:49:38.37\00:49:39.78
Because even now I'm preaching.
00:49:39.81\00:49:42.96
When God's got to
reach that far down brethren,
00:49:42.99\00:49:46.14
when God's got to
reach that far down
00:49:46.17\00:49:48.38
to use those who
have apparently nothing
00:49:48.41\00:49:51.66
and make them and
create them for His glory,
00:49:51.69\00:49:54.28
you know, that God is
doing what only God can do.
00:49:54.31\00:49:57.42
God picked the least.
00:49:57.45\00:50:00.24
And you know why
God chose Gideon?
00:50:00.27\00:50:02.66
God chose Gideon, Kim,
00:50:02.69\00:50:05.46
because Gideon would
not have even chosen Gideon.
00:50:05.49\00:50:10.12
God chose Gideon because Gideon
00:50:10.15\00:50:12.51
would not have chosen Gideon.
00:50:12.54\00:50:15.52
And my favorite writer
outside of the Bible writers,
00:50:15.55\00:50:17.56
Ellen White says in
Patriarchs and Prophets,
00:50:17.59\00:50:20.51
page 553,
00:50:20.54\00:50:23.27
"The Lord can
work most effectively
00:50:23.30\00:50:27.66
through those
who are most sensible
00:50:27.69\00:50:30.78
to their own insufficiencies,
00:50:30.81\00:50:34.10
and who will rely
upon Him as their leader
00:50:34.13\00:50:37.50
and their source of strength.
00:50:37.53\00:50:38.82
Amen.
00:50:38.85\00:50:40.14
He will make
them-- I like this strong
00:50:40.17\00:50:43.59
by uniting their
weakness to His might,
00:50:43.62\00:50:47.09
and He will them
wise by connecting
00:50:47.12\00:50:50.04
their ignorance
with His wisdom."
00:50:50.07\00:50:52.84
God chose a man who had nothing,
00:50:52.87\00:50:56.28
and brought about
success for Israel.
00:50:56.31\00:50:58.91
So as I close my
brethren, it's really clear.
00:50:58.94\00:51:01.90
You see when we realize
that we are not all that,
00:51:01.93\00:51:05.17
then we'll realize
that God is all that, amen.
00:51:05.20\00:51:08.34
When we understand
that we are not able,
00:51:08.37\00:51:10.41
we will discover
that God is able.
00:51:10.44\00:51:12.75
When we conclude
that we can't do it,
00:51:12.78\00:51:16.37
we'll see that God can do it.
00:51:16.40\00:51:17.91
I know what that's like,
you know what that's like?
00:51:17.94\00:51:21.76
When we decide that
we are not qualified,
00:51:21.79\00:51:26.21
God qualifies us.
00:51:26.24\00:51:29.60
I don't need a doctorate degree,
00:51:29.63\00:51:31.45
I just need a BA born again.
00:51:31.48\00:51:33.22
Amen. Amen.
00:51:33.25\00:51:34.53
That's all I have, a
BA, I got a BA from J.C.
00:51:34.56\00:51:39.98
Jesus Christ cause
me to be born again.
00:51:43.75\00:51:48.06
When I get to heaven,
00:51:48.09\00:51:49.64
I'm not getting there on
my merits but His merits.
00:51:49.67\00:51:54.57
The last miracle is this.
00:51:54.60\00:51:57.47
And I know, you know,
I know you gonna get it
00:51:57.50\00:51:58.92
'cause you guys are very sharp.
00:51:58.95\00:52:00.85
But for those who
are not gonna get it,
00:52:00.88\00:52:01.97
let me just say it this way.
00:52:02.00\00:52:04.26
God can make
diamonds out of coal.
00:52:04.29\00:52:09.17
Amen.
00:52:09.20\00:52:12.63
A coal is one of
the softest things
00:52:12.66\00:52:14.36
until God gets a hold
of it and it becomes tough.
00:52:14.39\00:52:18.29
Did you hear what I said?
00:52:18.32\00:52:19.50
Everything
bounces off of it now.
00:52:19.53\00:52:21.36
It is so strong after
God puts it under pressure
00:52:21.39\00:52:24.29
that it becomes the standard
by which glass is examined.
00:52:24.32\00:52:29.55
Brethren, you may good
but if you not a diamond,
00:52:29.58\00:52:31.35
you are just a coal that
needs to be under pressure.
00:52:31.38\00:52:35.37
The miracle of this
story is not what God did.
00:52:35.40\00:52:41.36
The miracle of this story
is through whom God did it,
00:52:41.39\00:52:47.59
the most unlikely of men.
00:52:47.62\00:52:50.39
You see, brethren,
00:52:50.42\00:52:52.16
an upright man can
never be a downright failure.
00:52:52.19\00:52:57.97
In the hands of God,
we are all His miracles.
00:52:58.00\00:53:03.71
I discover that's
all I'm, a miracle.
00:53:03.74\00:53:06.59
So the question that we ask
00:53:06.62\00:53:08.03
in the beginning
beg for an answer.
00:53:08.06\00:53:12.10
Where are all His miracles?
00:53:12.13\00:53:14.81
They are sitting
right here today.
00:53:14.84\00:53:15.88
Amen.
00:53:15.91\00:53:17.88
They are watching this program
by satellite or by television.
00:53:17.91\00:53:21.05
They are listening to
this message somewhere.
00:53:21.08\00:53:24.78
Where are all His miracles?
00:53:24.81\00:53:26.59
It's not what God
wants do on the outside,
00:53:26.62\00:53:29.02
but is what God
wants to do on the inside.
00:53:29.05\00:53:32.36
The Psalm writer
really nailed it down
00:53:32.39\00:53:34.52
when he said, it took a miracle
00:53:34.55\00:53:38.04
hang the stars in space.
00:53:38.07\00:53:41.97
It took a miracle to
set the worlds in place.
00:53:42.00\00:53:46.37
But, brethren, He
is a real miracle.
00:53:46.40\00:53:48.31
When He saved my
soul and your soul,
00:53:48.34\00:53:51.88
and my carcass and your carcass,
00:53:51.91\00:53:53.82
come on and say amen.
00:53:53.85\00:53:55.20
When God got our back
00:53:55.23\00:53:57.67
that took a
miracle of love and grace.
00:53:57.70\00:54:00.48
I don't need a
miracle, I'm a miracle.
00:54:00.51\00:54:02.95
Come on say amen. All
the miracles say amen.
00:54:02.98\00:54:05.49
God doesn't want to
do things for us only,
00:54:05.52\00:54:09.34
He wants to do things
in us, and through us.
00:54:09.37\00:54:13.45
So my name for all intends
and purposes could be Gideon,
00:54:13.48\00:54:16.63
the least of the least
00:54:16.66\00:54:19.12
qualified by the
best of the best.
00:54:19.15\00:54:22.57
Where are all His miracles?
00:54:22.60\00:54:24.25
Is where ever you are,
when God is in your life?
00:54:24.28\00:54:28.10
I want to pray today
00:54:28.13\00:54:29.17
that there's
somebody watching this program
00:54:29.20\00:54:30.38
they thinks that God
can't do anything through them,
00:54:30.41\00:54:32.58
O, brethren, you don't
forget 4 o'clock come back
00:54:32.61\00:54:34.52
and you'll see what God can do.
00:54:34.55\00:54:36.52
God can do
anything through anybody.
00:54:36.55\00:54:39.00
And always retain
the glory for Himself.
00:54:39.03\00:54:43.15
I want to pray right now
because somebody needs miracle,
00:54:43.18\00:54:46.03
its' not money, it's
not a job, it's not a car,
00:54:46.06\00:54:49.49
it's not a house,
it's a change life.
00:54:49.52\00:54:52.57
When you've got that miracle,
00:54:52.60\00:54:54.31
everything else
will come in God's time
00:54:54.34\00:54:56.59
and in Gods' way.
00:54:56.62\00:54:57.67
Let us pray.
00:54:57.70\00:54:59.44
Our gracious, Father, in heaven,
00:54:59.47\00:55:00.52
we are so thankful that today,
00:55:00.55\00:55:04.26
today You are still
a miracle working God,
00:55:04.29\00:55:10.97
You go into the
hovels, into the closets,
00:55:11.00\00:55:15.37
you go down the
putrefying streets
00:55:15.40\00:55:17.70
of the cities of our world,
00:55:17.73\00:55:20.12
you go to the
hovels and the hotels,
00:55:20.15\00:55:23.65
you got to the houses
of ill repute to the clubs,
00:55:23.68\00:55:27.42
you go to the broken
homes, you go to the prisons,
00:55:27.45\00:55:31.53
you go to the
transients on the street
00:55:31.56\00:55:33.52
to the men and women
who feels their lives
00:55:33.55\00:55:36.09
have amounted to
absolutely nothing
00:55:36.12\00:55:37.93
and you reach down, Lord,
00:55:37.96\00:55:39.65
and you turn that
peace of coal into a diamond.
00:55:39.68\00:55:43.64
Father today there's
somebody that needs to know
00:55:43.67\00:55:47.90
that the God who reigns on high
00:55:47.93\00:55:50.46
has not diminished His
power to save and change lives.
00:55:50.49\00:55:54.23
So today, heavenly
Father, we pray that through us,
00:55:54.26\00:55:58.20
the world will
see another Gideon,
00:55:58.23\00:56:00.58
simply one who trust God,
00:56:00.61\00:56:02.52
simply one who
takes God at His word,
00:56:02.55\00:56:04.55
simply one who
says God can do it
00:56:04.58\00:56:06.88
because He said He
can and I believe Him,
00:56:06.91\00:56:10.70
and I want to put
my life in His hand
00:56:10.73\00:56:12.95
and I want to be
changed by His grace.
00:56:12.98\00:56:14.91
So change us heavenly Father,
00:56:14.94\00:56:16.77
and may You and You
alone receive the honor
00:56:16.80\00:56:19.64
and the power and the
glory, in Jesus' name we pray
00:56:19.67\00:56:23.63
and all of God's
miracle said, amen.
00:56:23.66\00:56:27.72
And amen.
Friends, may God bless you.
00:56:27.75\00:56:31.00
God is still in the
business of taking us
00:56:31.03\00:56:33.17
from where we are to
where He wants us to be.
00:56:33.20\00:56:37.11
If there's somebody
that don't know about
00:56:37.14\00:56:38.59
that miracle
working power of God.
00:56:38.62\00:56:41.15
We want to challenge
you to get on your knees
00:56:41.18\00:56:43.39
and pray and ask the Lord.
00:56:43.42\00:56:44.95
See Father begin
to transform my life,
00:56:44.98\00:56:47.52
begin to change
me, begin to make me
00:56:47.55\00:56:49.80
all that You
intended for me who would be
00:56:49.83\00:56:52.31
and Father give me enough faith
00:56:52.34\00:56:54.36
not to do it my way,
but to do it your way.
00:56:54.39\00:56:57.48
Friends, instead of asking
the question the answer is yes.
00:56:57.51\00:57:01.00
You can be God's miracle.
00:57:01.03\00:57:03.28