Scripture reading: Judges 6 excerpts – When the Israelites cried out to the Lord because of Midian, he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land. I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.” The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The Lord answered, “I will be with you…”
Sermon:
Wake Up Dreamers, God Wins!
I just finished with Vacation Bible School – craft-station – and what a wonderful week of teaching the kids and especially enjoying their energy and high-spirit-ness! Our theme was Putting on the Armor of God – and yeah how perfect the reinforcement for me for this message that God placed in my heart weeks ago. I am going to talk about people – touched by God – including myself – and I wanted to start with this toy – it is a ladder – Jacob’s Ladder – isn’t it cool that one could teach the bible story using a TOY!
So here is the story of Jacob’s dream: Jacob stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” (Genesis 28 excerpts)
Jacob was able to both understand that God had a heaven full of angels – who also came down to earth – and Jacob was able to understand that God was with him – with them. – same that we heard in our scripture reading of God saying to Gideon “I WILL BE WITH YOU!”
That’s NOT a Dream – but real truth
You may have heard of the Gideons – the current day group who put Gideon bibles into the hotel rooms – well isn’t’ that a perfect place for travelers, often alone, to have that chance to pick up the bible and be with God – and know God IS with them… Gideon was a man who saw God face to face – and unlike the thoughts of those times that you could die when you saw God’s face, but Gideon did NOT die… Gideon was then used by God to take down idols used to worship false gods. Gideon was being used by God to help bring the people back from straying away. – they had been gone pretty far off the deep end and God let them go… Gideon taking down the poles and altars to the false gods got to be known in the land… that Gideon worshiped the God of Moses and Jacob, the Israelites’ God.
Well, this Gideon – God found him working one day – and God told him “I got a job for you!” God told Gideon He wanted him to rescue His people Israel (remember Israel is the other name for Jacob and all his offspring – numerous – people were promised to be saved in that ladder dream) but Gideon said “ARE YOU SURE?” = I’m not what you think I am – I’m small – not really all that…
Gideon said “PARDON ME???” to GOD! Geez – I bet we never say that to God – haha – yeah we do – we say: “Are you sure God?” NOT ONLY DID GIDEON QUESTION GOD – HE TESTED HIM !!!!!! Oh, bet we never do that haha… Guess what – God complied – and convinced Gideon – because He had a BIG job for him.
Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised— look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” And that is what happened – Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.. Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew. POINT PROVEN – GOD IS GOD
NOW – TIME FOR BATTLE – hear how really God IS in charge – if only we would remember that.
Early in the morning, Gideon and all his men camped – the camp of Midian was north of them -. The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into ALL THEIR hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave -.’” So 22,000 men left, while 10,000 remained. [WOW 2/3 gone] But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are STILL too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.
The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.
Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. During that night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. 10 If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.
Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.” His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.”
When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped. He returned to his camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.” Dividing the three hundred men into three companies of 100, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside. “Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’”
Gideon and the 100 men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled. When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled…
WOW !!!!!! Gideon won a battle because God’s Hand was on Him and the whole situation. And God needed them – as Israelites – and have this story passed down generations – to know God did that. We too can trust God and know He has won our war – but must still venture into battle.
That’s REALLY what God used: a dream of a tumbling loaf of bread, an interpretation of the dream, the noise of empty jars broken, the sound of Trumpets, and the LIGHT of the torches… WOW. (and isn’t that cool the symbolic use of bread, those dreams, yes trumpets, and LIGHT which all relate to JESUS, who is the Word. The bread was ordinary bread just as Jesus came as an ordinary man.) Jesus Bread – daily bread – …
Gideon said: but I am the weakest! How many times do we not realize that God’s going to provide the Power behind His Plea for us to do something. Yes God makes a Way. Sometimes he wants us weak so that we depend upon Him. The battle was won before it was begun – sounds like Genesis to Revelation too – the War IS won but we have still battles to be in…
DREAMERS – but real dreams courtesy of God. God uses dreams – uses experiences – uses sounds and clues and especially uses the spirit in us to move us…
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There were dreamers in the bible – and God spoke to them when they were finally quiet – Solomon learned God’s plan in a dream – Joseph before Jesus was born learned by dreams – telling him the real scoop – as well as later to travel to avoid Jesus being killed –
BUT THERE WERE THOSE WHO COULDN’T EVEN DREAM – let alone remember the truth
Jesus as Messiah they didn’t understand God’s plan… Those people in Jesus’s time – the Jews the Samaritans and Pharisees – they studied and studied the law and made up their own laws too and made up their own kings (Samuel warned them but they did) – they basically lost sight of the basic child of God ability to see a Messiah coming – they thought an earthly king was coming – even the romans had heard that and feared an earthly king powered by God to reset things “right” on earth – they couldn’t wrap their heads around a Godly King who WAS God – and IS God – Jesus. Not in their wildest dreams.
In the gospel of Matthew we learn that The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. [another weather discussion like Gideon] Jesus replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away.
[so those signs and those teachings they should have understood]
COULDN’T DREAM THIS AMAZEMENT IN THEIR WILDEST DREAMS – THAT IS ME TOO
Let me tell you a little bit about my journey and how the Holy Spirit was lining up the time and place and the way to bring me to Jesus.
I was 50:50 on Jesus – prophet with a publicist? I think of the pride I had – but also the ignorance – and the lack of time and essentially I was one asking for data like a scientist – how did I really know Jesus was the Son of God – plus I had the indignation of knowing people are self-motivated to twist the bible for their own take – so I was skeptical… Even as a Sunday school teacher – I ran Vacation Bible School – president of United Methodist women – I was not awakened – not 100% believing in Jesus – I didn’t know Him in me.
God started rolling strikes on my disbelief system – most opportunely, He did NOT come to me in dreams but he WOKE me up 2AM – 2:30AM – 5AM – with just enough rest to be fresh and WIDE AWAKE and me saying “WHAT”S UP GOD???” – see I always believed in God – and I believed in the Holy Spirit moving me and us – I just had a blockage of understanding Jesus IN me…
God did NOT send me a dream – He made me start writing – writing and writing – I had to write out my faith – from a diatribe December 10th 2014 – softening writings all thru December and January then I had to even write out the major revelation I had February 1st 2015 – when I finally knew that not only I had changed, but that God HIMSELF did it – and that I was 100% – and there was no turning back…
(Showing the box …) I hid the initial writings in my car in this box – thought I was going mad. Embarrassed no more – I have 3 giant boxes printed – 88 chapters now – nearly 1900 writings.
God found me help – recorded sermons from my now friend pinch-hitting as a sermonist – who simply preached God’s truth – it wasn’t targeted at me at the time – because no one knew my story – but it resonated TO ME…. I reached out to him – because God found the way for us to connect – all Holy Spirit.
Theology Professor and Pastor friends – had writings about the canonization of the new testament – OH – the DATA I needed – so it wasn’t a telephone game of stories – I learned who wrote the chapters and when and why… OH! – I explain it like having Legos in my brain of the data chunks but they weren’t all there – not in place – some in wrong places – and I had to start building….
I was like the DRY SOIL in the parables of the soils – but my faith seeds bouncing off the ground were not all eaten by the birds – I somehow scooped them into my pockets and had them to look at – especially since I taught about Jesus all the time – knew the stories – but did not understand how to sprout them inside – until LIVING WATER activated the whole thing… Jesus came to make me good soil…
The Lord herded me like a cat – more like a pinball in a pinball machine – ding ding ding – bouncing my head.
He walked me right into the arms of Jesus – it was like God said: She’s dead in sin – she’s lost in her doubt – she is lacking knowledge – and Jesus said: “Nah, she’s only sleeping!” just like Jairus’s daughter – he woke me up ever so gently – so surely with the right people around me – so clearly ONLY from Him – the rest of the people around me either didn’t know where my faith was or didn’t ask – I was not a life-crisis that I knew about – not except not knowing Jesus in me… So the Lord rocked my world – and early on with the now nearly 1900 blogs that I have written – expressing faith – one is called STRIKE – God was rolling strikes on my pins of disbelief – I tried putting them back up but God was ready to knock them down on my and show me HE WAS LORD!
WHY is God having me write? I know that I was chosen to be an encourager – I’ve known that for a long time – but now I know where my focus is – God could have me talking and talking – but something about writing it down means that it is there – you profess it and you teach it and you inspire – and you make people say “wow – she must really believe in God – or God really is real – YEAH – and really real also means that at some point someone might come with a blockage like mine and say OH! And perhaps the Lord will also use my writing for post-rapture people – that is why I make sure I print copies – I think it is the only thing that NEEDS to be displayed at my funeral – to say “God made her do that… God blessed her to think of HIM.” I want people to realize God is alive. People don’t have to read them – but I want them to know HE made me write them.
I have been so blessed – one small example I will give you is when my Dad passed away, God was already having me write it out as processing – a month writing of deep but healing processing thru His Word. I know that I was blessed and can share that now with friends who are going thru healing processes. Now I am writing my way thru the Old Testament and it is GREAT – LOVE the stories of Gideon and Jacob and others.
Let me wrap up with going back to the bible to talk about my name in the bible – Deborah – a judge just before Gideon’s time – and God had installed not kings but judges after Moses and before the people begged for kings – kings like Saul, David, Solomon…
Now Judge Deborah is not my namesake – because I was actually, comically, named after Debbie Reynolds, the movie star, because my mom thought it was cute: Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds together at the time… Yeah – but now I HAVE looked up Deborah in the bible – the book of Judges – I couldn’t be more thrilled to be a Deborah – not just in my nickname as a Debbie – which is Hebrew for bee – but because Judge Deborah was the one who told people what God intended and what God was going to do and to keep doing what God needs you to do – keep going out to do the battle – He already won the war.
Excerpts of Judges: Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappid-oth, was leading Israel at that time. She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided. She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor. I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’”
Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.”
“Certainly I will go with you,” said Deborah. “But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.” [So Deborah went with Barak – and the enemy heard of this and they all started gathering their troops]
Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the Lord gone ahead of you?” So Barak went down Mount Tabor, with ten thousand men following him. At Barak’s advance, the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot.
Barak pursued the chariots and army – , and all Sisera’s [the enemy’s] troops fell by the sword; not a man was left. Sisera, meanwhile, fled on foot [to the tent of a particular woman -Jael – went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come, my lord, come right in. Don’t be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket [ – gave him a drink – and then – WOW – picked up a tent peg and a hammer and while he was sleeping she drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died. Just then Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. “Come,” she said, “I will show you the man you’re looking for.”
So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple – dead. (Isn’t the Old Testament interesting!!!) Yes – and just as Deborah Predicted – God won that battle by the hands of another means other than Barak’s methods – it was unexpected – unique… God’s ways are God’s ways – unique Sounds like Jesus’s plan – unique – and ours too ….
Let us pray – Judge Deborah reminds us that God will win our battles HIS WAY – Deborah reminded Barak – God has already won the war – Gideon too learned that God was going to win but still had to finish the job set before him – we still need to get out there to battle – but remember whom we are fighting for -and fighting against – against the forces of evil– that is what we are to do – put on our armor of God and keep fighting to spread the Word to bring the good news of Jesus out there – to have God show us not just tough battles but the opportunities – many many opportunities – may we realized God you are with us – and remember that You have already won This War. AMEN…
Debbie Upper 