1 00:00:14,099 --> 00:00:17,339 Welcome to the Lansdale Life Church podcast. 2 00:00:18,359 --> 00:00:24,100 If you're seeking a closer relationship with Jesus Christ, this podcast is for you. 3 00:00:24,700 --> 00:00:27,019 Thank you for joining us today. 4 00:00:34,900 --> 00:00:36,840 So we're going to be in Judges 8 tonight. 5 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:44,799 Very excited for it. It's, you know, kind of more of a warning chapter than it is like an encouraging 6 00:00:44,799 --> 00:00:49,460 chapter. But, you know, even warnings can be encouraging, especially in the Word of God. 7 00:00:50,179 --> 00:00:56,340 So I'm excited to go through it. The title is Finishing Strong. Finishing Strong. 8 00:00:57,299 --> 00:01:03,460 And while I was sitting there a couple hours ago thinking, I'm like, I need a good example of 9 00:01:03,460 --> 00:01:07,920 either finishing strong or not finishing strong. Like, is there a good example in my life where 10 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:12,439 I started something, didn't finish it? And as I'm staring down at the ground contemplating if I 11 00:01:12,439 --> 00:01:19,040 have anything, I look at my floor and I started flooring my house. I'm putting new flooring down 12 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:25,939 two months ago. And in three days, I finished the entire downstairs and I'm like, okay, now all 13 00:01:25,939 --> 00:01:33,700 I have to do is put the cap on the step and put the cord around and baseboards down. 14 00:01:34,319 --> 00:01:37,879 That's the easiest part. I'm like, okay, I'm going to take a little break and I'll come back 15 00:01:37,879 --> 00:01:42,459 to this. I haven't finished it. It's been two months. So every time people come over, 16 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:47,620 we had a birthday party for Beau, just turned five. And as everyone comes in, 17 00:01:47,620 --> 00:01:51,200 I'm so embarrassed because two months ago, they saw it like this. Two months later, 18 00:01:51,319 --> 00:01:57,459 it's still unfinished. You can see the gaps and all that. So the floor looks good. Just don't look 19 00:01:57,459 --> 00:02:02,900 at the edges. But yeah, so I think, I mean, how many times in life though do we start something 20 00:02:02,900 --> 00:02:08,560 and we don't finish? Like all the New Year's resolutions, all the gym memberships that, you 21 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:15,080 know, they probably have like 10x the number of people signed up compared to who was coming in, 22 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:20,439 right? So it's like all these things that we start and we don't finish, you know, 23 00:02:20,539 --> 00:02:25,060 even we might start strong like the flooring and then it just falls apart. I didn't finish it. 24 00:02:25,479 --> 00:02:30,180 But it's okay in things that don't matter. So, you know, not finish strong. But in the things 25 00:02:30,180 --> 00:02:35,479 that do matter, we really, really need to finish strong. So obviously the things of God, 26 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:40,900 the most important are faith. Let us finish strong. Amen. Can I get an amen here? And 27 00:02:40,900 --> 00:02:48,699 the thing that I think of is that the Bible, like we don't give a ton of, I guess, weight to even 28 00:02:48,699 --> 00:02:55,439 just holding to the faith, right? We don't really view that as, I guess, a success or a victory to 29 00:02:55,439 --> 00:03:01,439 continue to believe. But I just want to share a couple verses. The whole Bible, especially in 30 00:03:01,439 --> 00:03:07,240 the New Testament, talks about faith and how important it is to continue believing, continue 31 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:13,159 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 32 00:03:13,659 --> 00:03:18,219 And all through the epistles it talks about, just keep believing. Hold fast to the truth. 33 00:03:18,580 --> 00:03:23,539 Don't be corrupted by this world. Don't be pushed to and fro by false teachers. Like, 34 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:28,060 hold fast to the truth that's been delivered to you by God, the Word of God, 35 00:03:28,319 --> 00:03:33,740 right here. And even all the way into Revelation, chapter 3, 10, Jesus himself says, 36 00:03:33,740 --> 00:03:40,120 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have so that no one will take your crown. 37 00:03:40,879 --> 00:03:45,500 So holding fast to the faith is finishing strong. You don't have to be perfect, 38 00:03:45,500 --> 00:03:52,340 but believing to the end and allowing him to change you and sanctify you is a victory. And 39 00:03:52,340 --> 00:03:57,099 that is something we should all hope for in our lives. So can everyone give themselves a round 40 00:03:57,099 --> 00:04:04,699 of applause because you're here and you're still believing. So I just want to see who's been 41 00:04:05,500 --> 00:04:12,199 in the faith and believing in God for more than five years. Yeah. How about more than 10 years? 42 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:20,519 Yeah. All right. Uh, 15. Wow. Okay, guys. Well, this is the Wednesday night crew. So 43 00:04:20,519 --> 00:04:27,079 20. Do we have 20? Yeah. All right. 30. That's where I cut off right there. 44 00:04:28,199 --> 00:04:32,819 40. I'm not going to give away anyone's age. We'll stop there, but that's a big deal. 45 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:41,680 So that's amazing. Um, 40. 80. Yeah. All right. 80 years walking with God. So that is a victory 46 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:47,420 right there. That is a big deal. We're in a world that desperately, and the enemy desperately wants 47 00:04:47,420 --> 00:04:54,040 to take our faith so he can take our crown. So we don't enter into heaven with the Lord. 48 00:04:54,040 --> 00:05:00,300 His, the enemy's goal is not to like, he wants to steal, kill and destroy, but he doesn't only 49 00:05:00,300 --> 00:05:06,480 want to just destroy your life. He can soothe you into disbelief through sin and you can look like 50 00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:13,279 you haven't made. But if you lose your faith, you lost everything. Right? So it is a big deal. Here's 51 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:20,319 my wife. I don't know what I'm saying next. I'm confused. I'm lost. I'm nervous. So yeah. 52 00:05:20,319 --> 00:05:28,319 So let us, um, before we jump into the, the word here, let's pray. And also I want to just give a 53 00:05:28,319 --> 00:05:34,339 little bit of a recap on Gideon as well. So heavenly father, thank you so much, um, for the 54 00:05:34,339 --> 00:05:38,519 work that you've done in our church and in our lives, Lord, to bring us to this place. God, 55 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:42,980 I pray that you would speak through your word. We know you will. God, we're confident that your 56 00:05:42,980 --> 00:05:47,339 word always speaks. So we thank you that you're here tonight and you will speak. And I pray that 57 00:05:47,339 --> 00:05:53,259 you would encourage us to continue this race, God, running with endurance, the race set out for us 58 00:05:53,259 --> 00:06:00,639 by you. And we love you so much in Jesus name. Amen. So Gideon, everybody who's been here like 59 00:06:00,639 --> 00:06:05,540 the last two weeks. Yeah. Okay. I won't go too in depth because it might be, you know, too much of 60 00:06:05,540 --> 00:06:12,920 a recap, but Gideon, I mean, he was a nobody and became a somebody like the biggest, you know, 61 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:18,560 person in Israel at the time. When the angel of the Lord came to him, he's like the angel of the 62 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:26,519 Lord who is pre-incarnate Jesus says like, Hey, mighty Gideon. He calls him by this amazing title. 63 00:06:27,139 --> 00:06:32,899 And Gideon's like, I don't know who you're talking about because I am youngest in my tribe or the 64 00:06:32,899 --> 00:06:38,579 weakest tribe. So everything, his stat, his status in society is like bottom of the barrel. 65 00:06:38,579 --> 00:06:44,800 And even Israel at that time was weak. It was oppressed by the Midianites who would come in 66 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:50,300 and says as vast as the locust was their armies and horses and all. So they would come in during 67 00:06:50,300 --> 00:06:55,899 like the harvest time into their fields, set up shop and eat everything. And there was nothing 68 00:06:55,899 --> 00:06:59,540 left. There wasn't even enough, like for the people, but not even for the animals, they're 69 00:06:59,540 --> 00:07:05,360 dying off. So they're oppressed. So he's an oppressed nation and he's the weakest in that 70 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:10,540 oppressed nation. And the Lord is speaking truth over him, telling him that he's mighty. I mean, 71 00:07:10,899 --> 00:07:14,959 that's amazing. That's pretty amazing. Aren't you glad that God sees things in you that you don't 72 00:07:14,959 --> 00:07:21,060 see in yourself, that he sees what he can do in you before it's even a reality yet. He can see 73 00:07:21,060 --> 00:07:27,500 what he can turn you into. And that happens when you submit to God and he submitted to God. He did. 74 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:31,100 He had a little bit of a rough beginning, you know, he didn't start off super strong. 75 00:07:31,660 --> 00:07:37,420 He asked for signs. He was afraid, but God was so kind every step of the way. He provided signs 76 00:07:37,420 --> 00:07:43,720 to encourage him. He did all these things and was patient with him, even when Gideon was afraid. 77 00:07:44,319 --> 00:07:50,639 All the way to the point that he gives him this amazing prophecy through the enemy. Do you 78 00:07:50,639 --> 00:07:56,279 guys remember this? It's the, let's, oh, this is Corinthians. What am I doing here? 79 00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:00,440 In Judges 7, let's read it. 80 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:12,379 Here we go. In Judges 7, he's still afraid and he's down to the 300 people. Remember this? 81 00:08:14,839 --> 00:08:17,960 And so the Lord says to him 82 00:08:20,659 --> 00:08:23,620 in verse 8, 10, 83 00:08:24,459 --> 00:08:32,039 If you are afraid to go down to the camp, bring Peruah your servant with you, and you shall 84 00:08:32,039 --> 00:08:37,379 hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp, 85 00:08:37,740 --> 00:08:42,379 against the enemy. And then he went down with Peruah his servant to the outposts of the armed 86 00:08:42,379 --> 00:08:47,080 men who were in the camp. Now the Midianites and the Malachites and all the people of the 87 00:08:47,080 --> 00:08:52,240 valley as numerous as locusts and their camels without number as the sand by the seashore is 88 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:59,559 a multitude. So this is 300 people versus that, nations and nations of armies. And when Gideon 89 00:08:59,559 --> 00:09:04,259 had come down, there was a man, he was just outside the guy's tent, there was a man telling 90 00:09:04,259 --> 00:09:11,220 a dream to his companion, a very random bizarre dream. He said, I had a dream. To my surprise, 91 00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:16,279 a big loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and it came to a tent and struck 92 00:09:16,279 --> 00:09:21,139 it so that it fell and overturned and the tent collapsed. Like if I told Maria that dream, 93 00:09:21,220 --> 00:09:27,980 she'd be like, okay, a barley bread rolled and knocked over your tent. And the Lord spoke 94 00:09:27,980 --> 00:09:33,419 the interpretation of the dream to the enemy right then. And his companion answered and said, 95 00:09:33,919 --> 00:09:39,419 this is nothing else but the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash, a man of Israel. Into his 96 00:09:39,419 --> 00:09:45,820 hand, God has delivered Midian and the whole camp. Gideon isn't known by anybody. Nobody 97 00:09:45,820 --> 00:09:52,299 knows his family. And in that moment, the Lord opens this guy's mouth just to encourage Gideon 98 00:09:52,299 --> 00:09:58,419 that, hey, God is going to bring a victory in this battle. How amazing is that? God still 99 00:09:58,419 --> 00:10:04,360 knew he was afraid and gave him this miracle to make him strong. So he's a nobody, but he 100 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:09,720 became somebody and he had this magnificent victory. The Lord confused the armies and they 101 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:13,980 fought each other and killed each other off. And then he rallied all of the Israelites to 102 00:10:13,980 --> 00:10:18,720 go and chase them all the way out of their villages and all the way even further into 103 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:25,639 their own territory, wiping them out. This is amazing. You would think after this story 104 00:10:25,639 --> 00:10:30,200 of where he came from, from nothing to somebody, you would think, okay, he's the type of person 105 00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:36,100 that will hold fast to his faith. He's the type of guy that will continue and lead the 106 00:10:36,100 --> 00:10:40,940 people of Israel to follow the Lord. Because, I mean, he saw the victory and the power of 107 00:10:41,049 --> 00:10:48,570 God. Why would he go any other way? Unfortunately, chapter eight tells us what happens. He doesn't 108 00:10:48,570 --> 00:10:55,029 do it. He leaves the Lord. And there's some things that happen in this chapter which 109 00:10:55,029 --> 00:11:02,330 give some inclination as to why. So let's start in chapter eight, verse one of Judges. 110 00:11:03,830 --> 00:11:09,070 Now the men of Ephraim said to him, why have you done this to us by not calling us when you 111 00:11:09,070 --> 00:11:14,990 went to fight the Midianites? And they reprimanded him sharply. So just to give a little bit of 112 00:11:14,990 --> 00:11:20,669 backstory, he called some of the tribes, when he came with the 300 to go fight Midian, he just 113 00:11:20,669 --> 00:11:27,950 called some of the tribes, Gideon did. And then Ephraim, which is the strongest tribe and the 114 00:11:27,950 --> 00:11:33,009 most powerful at that time, was offended that he didn't call them at the very beginning. They 115 00:11:33,009 --> 00:11:38,230 wanted to be there at the start of this magnificent battle that was won and delivered by 116 00:11:38,230 --> 00:11:44,669 God. Right off the bat, wouldn't they just be happy that the enemy ran away? And then 117 00:11:44,669 --> 00:11:48,250 they called them for the victory. Like, hey, come and fight because we know you're strong. Come 118 00:11:48,250 --> 00:11:53,909 and help us. You got called. You got brought into the battle. Why are you upset? Right here, 119 00:11:54,110 --> 00:11:59,409 this is such an example of pride. They wanted to be there at the beginning so they could claim 120 00:11:59,409 --> 00:12:05,850 some credit for themselves. The strongest tribe ran the Midianites out. All the headlines you 121 00:12:05,850 --> 00:12:12,210 would see in Israel at that time. But if you remember last chapter, God whittled the people 122 00:12:12,210 --> 00:12:18,049 down to 300 for the exact reason that they would not take credit for themselves, that 123 00:12:18,049 --> 00:12:23,409 they would give all glory to the Lord. I think purposefully they were not invited, that God 124 00:12:23,409 --> 00:12:27,529 orchestrated so Ephraim was not invited so they could not claim credit, and they weren't 125 00:12:27,529 --> 00:12:31,049 invited, and now look, they're revealing their cards, they're showing exactly who 126 00:12:31,049 --> 00:12:37,750 they are. They're credit seekers. So he said to them, this is Gideon, what have I done now 127 00:12:37,750 --> 00:12:42,490 in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of 128 00:12:42,490 --> 00:12:47,590 Abbezer, which is his hometown? God has delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Orib, 129 00:12:47,750 --> 00:12:53,409 and Zeb. And what was I able to do in comparison with you? Then their anger toward him subsided 130 00:12:53,409 --> 00:12:58,889 when he said that. So he's not actually talking about grapes here. He's saying, 131 00:12:58,889 --> 00:13:04,110 look at what you did after you joined the battle. So much better than what I did at the start of the 132 00:13:04,110 --> 00:13:11,690 battle. So here Gideon starts off strong. Still, he's still strong. He's an example of a good leader. 133 00:13:11,809 --> 00:13:16,370 We're going to see some good things he does at the beginning of chapter 8, which makes the end 134 00:13:16,370 --> 00:13:23,950 of chapter 8 look so confusing. Because not only is he full of faith, not only is he strong in 135 00:13:23,950 --> 00:13:28,289 the might of the Lord and leading the people, he's even bringing unity. Like in the midst of 136 00:13:28,289 --> 00:13:34,129 a battle, he's getting reprimanded in front of everyone. He doesn't just jump to accusations and 137 00:13:34,129 --> 00:13:39,590 say, OK, stop following the enemy. Let's go after the Ephraimites for calling me out. He doesn't do 138 00:13:39,590 --> 00:13:45,169 that. He brings unity. He's humble. He says, you're doing a better job than I am. Thank you for 139 00:13:45,169 --> 00:13:51,730 coming. Thank you for helping us. He brings unity. And this next verse, you see, even asks for 140 00:13:51,730 --> 00:13:57,210 help from other people. In verse 4, when Gideon came to the Jordan, he and the 300 men 141 00:13:57,210 --> 00:14:03,850 who were with him crossed over exhausted and still in pursuit. Then he said to the men of Sucketh, 142 00:14:03,970 --> 00:14:09,850 which sounds like an awful town to live in, the men of Sucketh, please give loaves of bread to the 143 00:14:09,850 --> 00:14:14,690 people who follow me, for they are exhausted. And I am pursuing Ziba and Zolmuna, the kings of 144 00:14:14,690 --> 00:14:21,250 Midian. And the leaders of Sucketh said, are the hands of Ziba and Zolmuna now in your hand that 145 00:14:21,250 --> 00:14:26,549 we should give you bread to your army? So Gideon said, for this cause, when the Lord 146 00:14:26,549 --> 00:14:30,830 has delivered them into our hands, I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness 147 00:14:30,830 --> 00:14:34,889 and with briars. He's going to whip them with, I don't know how he thought of this punishment. 148 00:14:35,330 --> 00:14:39,929 It might have been something he did back then. But because they didn't help, he asked for help. 149 00:14:40,009 --> 00:14:44,110 He's vulnerable. He's coming to people that weren't even Israelites and saying, 150 00:14:44,269 --> 00:14:49,309 can you just help us? He doesn't have an ounce of pride. But in that moment, it was a very 151 00:14:49,309 --> 00:14:53,830 bad thing to do, to not help the armies of God. So he says there's going to be consequences. 152 00:14:54,610 --> 00:15:01,190 And he continues to the next one. Verse eight, then he went up from there to Penuel 153 00:15:01,190 --> 00:15:05,850 and spoke to them in the same way. And then when the men of Penuel answered him as the men of 154 00:15:05,850 --> 00:15:11,470 Sucketh had answered. So he also spoke to the men of Penuel saying, when I come back in peace, 155 00:15:11,529 --> 00:15:16,669 I will tear down this tower. Again, they're not helping and he's giving consequences. 156 00:15:17,250 --> 00:15:23,549 Now Ziba and Zulmuna were at Karkor and their armies were with them, about 15,000, 157 00:15:23,629 --> 00:15:29,389 all who were left of all the army of the people of the east for 120,000 men who drew the sword 158 00:15:29,389 --> 00:15:38,470 had fallen. So 135,000 people down to 15,000. And that was most of which were most likely wiped 159 00:15:38,470 --> 00:15:44,549 out by each other by the confusion the Lord put upon them. And Gideon went up the road to those 160 00:15:44,549 --> 00:15:49,710 who dwell in the tents of the east. And he attacked the army while the camp felt secure. 161 00:15:50,289 --> 00:15:54,649 And Ziba and Zulmuna fled and he pursued them. And he took two kings of Midian, Ziba Zulmuna, 162 00:15:54,870 --> 00:15:59,009 and routed the whole army. Then Gideon, the son of Joash returned from battle 163 00:15:59,490 --> 00:16:06,350 from the ascent of Harries. And he caught a young man of the men of Sucketh and interrogated 164 00:16:06,350 --> 00:16:12,590 him. And he wrote down for him the leaders of Sucketh and his elders, 77 men. And notice, 165 00:16:12,590 --> 00:16:17,029 he goes after the leadership of the village. He doesn't just go after everyone in the village, 166 00:16:17,190 --> 00:16:23,570 the people responsible. And he came to the men and said, here are Ziba and Zulmuna, 167 00:16:23,710 --> 00:16:28,210 the ones that they said, you didn't beat them yet. Well, he just did. Of whom you ridiculed 168 00:16:28,210 --> 00:16:32,590 me, saying, are you, are the hands of Ziba and Zulmuna now in your hand that we should 169 00:16:32,590 --> 00:16:42,570 give bread to your weary men? And he took the elders of the city and thorns of the 170 00:16:42,570 --> 00:16:49,110 lesson. And he does the same to the tower, to the next village of Penuel with the tower. 171 00:16:49,529 --> 00:16:53,909 And he brings a harsher judgment, the death penalty on some of them. And we don't know the 172 00:16:53,909 --> 00:16:59,190 full story of why he was more harsh with them. But maybe they, some believe maybe they joined 173 00:16:59,190 --> 00:17:06,109 the battle to help the Midianites. So one, he asks for help. So he brings unity. He asks for 174 00:17:06,109 --> 00:17:13,369 help. But he also follows through with what he says. When people come against the army of God, 175 00:17:14,710 --> 00:17:18,970 he tells them there's a consequence. I'm giving you an out. If you want to help us now with bread, 176 00:17:19,350 --> 00:17:24,029 okay, then, you know, this punishment, well, we won't do it. But if you don't give us the bread, 177 00:17:24,089 --> 00:17:27,109 then there's going to be a punishment. It's not going to be on everyone. It's going to be just 178 00:17:27,109 --> 00:17:31,150 and fair. It's going to be on the people who made this decision. So he follows through in 179 00:17:31,150 --> 00:17:41,710 what he says. And let's jump down to verse 19. So these are the, with the kings of Midian that he 180 00:17:41,710 --> 00:17:48,029 captured. He says, 18. He said to them, What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor? 181 00:17:48,529 --> 00:17:54,549 So they answered, As you are, so were they. Each one resembled the son of a king. And he said, 182 00:17:54,609 --> 00:17:58,990 They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had let them live, 183 00:17:58,990 --> 00:18:03,549 I would not kill you. And he said to Jethor his firstborn, rise and kill them. 184 00:18:03,650 --> 00:18:07,670 But the youth would not draw a sword before he was afraid because he was still a youth. 185 00:18:08,230 --> 00:18:12,950 And the king said, Rise yourself and kill us. For as a man is, so is his strength. 186 00:18:13,190 --> 00:18:17,269 So Gideon arose and killed them and took the crescent ornaments that were on the camel's 187 00:18:17,269 --> 00:18:24,289 necks. So prior chapter with Deborah, when they came against this town, these kings killed his 188 00:18:24,289 --> 00:18:32,670 brothers. He brought justice for his family. So he brings unity within the people of God. 189 00:18:33,250 --> 00:18:37,730 He asked for help. He's not prideful. He asked for help. He follows through in what he says, 190 00:18:37,849 --> 00:18:41,630 and he brings justice where justices do. That sounds like a good leader to me, right? 191 00:18:42,250 --> 00:18:51,170 Everything is in his favor. And even in verse 22, the people said, rule over us. The Israelites 192 00:18:51,170 --> 00:18:56,470 were saying rule over us, both you and your son and your grandson also, for you have delivered us 193 00:18:56,470 --> 00:19:01,190 from the hand of Midian. But Gideon said to them, I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule 194 00:19:01,190 --> 00:19:07,490 over you. The Lord shall rule over you. They wanted a king. He said, I'm not your king. He's 195 00:19:07,490 --> 00:19:14,650 your king. This guy's the best, right? He's awesome. Like everything he's doing is just like 196 00:19:14,650 --> 00:19:20,230 seems inspired by God and seems fair and seems just and he seems strong. 197 00:19:21,150 --> 00:19:27,470 Everything is lining up for him to have a successful judgeship here in Israel. 198 00:19:28,750 --> 00:19:34,569 But that sentence continued. We said, no, the Lord is your king. He says, 199 00:19:35,369 --> 00:19:41,009 but, you know, I would like to make a request of you. This is where it all changes. I would like 200 00:19:41,009 --> 00:19:45,049 to make a request of you that each of you would just give me the earrings from his plunder, 201 00:19:45,470 --> 00:19:49,869 for they had gold earrings because they're Ishmaelites. So they all wore earrings. So if 202 00:19:49,869 --> 00:19:54,009 you think about hundreds of thousands of people and every single one is wearing gold earrings, 203 00:19:54,069 --> 00:19:58,210 this could amount to a lot of gold. So they answered, we will gladly give them to you. 204 00:19:58,569 --> 00:20:03,230 And they spread out a garment and each man threw into it the earrings from the plunder. 205 00:20:03,809 --> 00:20:09,250 Now the weight of the gold earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold 206 00:20:09,250 --> 00:20:12,309 besides the crescent ornaments and all the other amazing stuff. 207 00:20:13,529 --> 00:20:19,690 So I did the math. So that many shekels of gold, depending on the time period, 208 00:20:19,829 --> 00:20:25,049 could have been up to 75 pounds of gold. That sounds like a lot, right? I mean, 209 00:20:25,369 --> 00:20:29,109 it's worthy more than I expected. So I'll look this up like, okay, 210 00:20:30,210 --> 00:20:40,170 one troy ounce of gold is $4,000, $4.1,000. So that means it's $60,000, $60,260 per pound. 211 00:20:41,190 --> 00:20:45,089 We're looking at 75 pounds. This is about four and a half million dollars. 212 00:20:46,049 --> 00:20:53,049 It's not just a small request. This is the riches, like probably a majority, I would expect, 213 00:20:53,390 --> 00:20:57,029 of the gold because people weren't walking around with golden swords and golden shields. 214 00:20:57,029 --> 00:20:59,829 It was small pieces of gold. So it was probably a majority of the gold. 215 00:21:00,450 --> 00:21:05,670 Four and a half million dollars. One small request. Give me all the wealth, right? 216 00:21:06,609 --> 00:21:13,930 This is where everything falls apart. We know the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil 217 00:21:14,549 --> 00:21:19,289 right off the bat. This doesn't sound bad, but it really falls apart. 218 00:21:20,650 --> 00:21:26,869 So, Gideon made it, verse 27, into an ephod and set it up in the city of Ophrah, 219 00:21:27,589 --> 00:21:32,690 and all Israel played the harlot with it there. It became a snare to Gideon into his house. 220 00:21:33,210 --> 00:21:38,170 Thus, Midian was subdued before the children of Israel so that they lifted their heads no more, 221 00:21:38,349 --> 00:21:41,170 and the country was quiet for 40 years in the days of Gideon. 222 00:21:43,569 --> 00:21:50,470 This super wealthy man created something, which might not have been totally bad in itself. 223 00:21:50,630 --> 00:21:57,329 An ephod, if you don't know, is like this kind of like vest thing, and it was worn by the priests. 224 00:21:58,230 --> 00:22:02,170 So why would he be making this garment that only priests should wear? 225 00:22:03,470 --> 00:22:09,490 There's some speculation here. It might not have been worn. 75 pounds is a lot of weight. 226 00:22:09,490 --> 00:22:12,569 It might have been set up maybe at good intentions. Maybe he was like, 227 00:22:12,609 --> 00:22:18,210 I want to commemorate this battle. I want to set something up that can remind the people of 228 00:22:18,210 --> 00:22:25,769 the holiness of God and how great he was when he won this victory for us. We don't know. 229 00:22:26,289 --> 00:22:32,710 We really don't know what it is, but there's a lot of speculation that possibly this was a 230 00:22:32,710 --> 00:22:38,009 rivalry with Ephraim, that same tribe that came to him and said, oh, you didn't call us out. 231 00:22:38,429 --> 00:22:42,730 Why didn't you call us? And he responded good then, but maybe it kept him up late at night. 232 00:22:43,150 --> 00:22:46,750 Maybe he started thinking on it more and more as he came to power and had all his money, 233 00:22:46,970 --> 00:22:52,529 and he got angry with them. And the reason they think that is because in Ephraim was Shiloh. 234 00:22:52,589 --> 00:22:56,990 This is where the tabernacle was. This is where everybody went to worship to the big time, 235 00:22:57,269 --> 00:23:03,170 like city, where both the most powerful tribe was and the place of worship was. 236 00:23:03,589 --> 00:23:07,589 So maybe he thought, maybe I'll set up something that looks like a place of worship too. 237 00:23:08,009 --> 00:23:12,809 Because they made me look bad, and who's to say they should be the place to worship? 238 00:23:12,990 --> 00:23:18,009 Let me set up my own thing. So there's a good chance. It was rivalry. It was envy. 239 00:23:18,529 --> 00:23:25,470 It was jealousy. It was pride. He created this thing to set it up, maybe to make a name for 240 00:23:25,470 --> 00:23:31,730 himself. Look at that, 75 pounds of gold, four and a half million dollars. Gideon's the best 241 00:23:32,369 --> 00:23:38,890 in his own hometown, and all of Israel played the harlot there. That means that they worshiped it. 242 00:23:39,750 --> 00:23:43,690 And I don't know if Gideon meant to worship it at first, but it says it was a snare. 243 00:23:44,910 --> 00:23:51,289 The people of Israel had such a hard time with an invisible God, and they wanted to 244 00:23:51,289 --> 00:23:57,829 attribute everything that he did and who he was to an image. So they felt like it was tangible. 245 00:23:57,829 --> 00:24:01,750 That's why when they came out of Egypt and they were in the wilderness, 246 00:24:03,230 --> 00:24:06,890 Moses was up on the top of the mountain for way too long, and they thought he was dead. 247 00:24:07,490 --> 00:24:13,349 So they said, let's make a golden calf. And then they declared, this is the God who brought you 248 00:24:13,349 --> 00:24:20,190 out of Egypt. The power and everything that was done for you was actually this image now. 249 00:24:20,789 --> 00:24:26,049 And I think that's probably what happened here. Because they weren't communicating with God. 250 00:24:26,049 --> 00:24:29,990 They weren't close to God. Their hearts didn't belong to him. So they wanted something tangible 251 00:24:29,990 --> 00:24:36,009 they could cling to and worship. And that brings me to the next point, that had they 252 00:24:36,009 --> 00:24:41,369 knew the Word of God, had they held on to it, they would know that it was a really bad thing 253 00:24:41,369 --> 00:24:46,049 to make a graven image. They would know that it was a really bad thing to take something only 254 00:24:46,049 --> 00:24:50,849 meant for the priest and take it somewhere else, the ephod. It was meant to be on the 255 00:24:50,849 --> 00:24:56,769 holy priest who was leading the worship service towards God. Now the object became the thing 256 00:24:56,769 --> 00:25:03,190 they worshiped. And when we separate ourselves from the truth of the Word, everything bad happens. 257 00:25:04,990 --> 00:25:10,470 Spurgeon says, he did not set up an idol, speaking of Gideon, but he made an ephod, 258 00:25:10,730 --> 00:25:15,309 an imitation of that wonderful vestment worn by the high priest. Perhaps he made it of solid 259 00:25:15,309 --> 00:25:19,369 gold, not to be worn, but to be looked at, simply to remind the people of the worship of 260 00:25:19,369 --> 00:25:25,170 God and not to be worshiped itself. But dear friends, you see here that if we go an inch 261 00:25:25,170 --> 00:25:33,829 beyond God's word, we always get into mischief. We just barely go past it or erase a little bit. 262 00:25:35,430 --> 00:25:41,630 All kinds of evil breaks out. And we see that today, right? Deconstructionism. 263 00:25:42,630 --> 00:25:46,829 What's at the heart of that? People want to believe what they want to believe 264 00:25:46,829 --> 00:25:54,109 so they go beyond or behind the Word of God and they erase parts of it. They immediately 265 00:25:55,190 --> 00:26:00,250 say they're Christians, but they don't believe what our word says, the Word of God that was 266 00:26:00,250 --> 00:26:04,650 delivered to us. And you'll start to hear things like, I'm a red-letter Christian. Has 267 00:26:04,650 --> 00:26:09,650 anyone heard that before? What a good-sounding thing, right? Red letters. That's Jesus. 268 00:26:10,009 --> 00:26:15,190 Of course we love the red letters of the Gospels. But people will say, I'm a 269 00:26:15,190 --> 00:26:22,609 red-letter Christian so they can ignore all the black letters. And there's a lot more 270 00:26:22,609 --> 00:26:27,849 black letters and things spoken to than read. And Jesus spoke a lot in parables 271 00:26:29,130 --> 00:26:34,349 for a reason that those who didn't have ears to hear wouldn't hear, and if they didn't desire 272 00:26:34,349 --> 00:26:39,529 to see, they wouldn't see. So they can twist the red letters and talk about all the things 273 00:26:39,529 --> 00:26:47,269 it doesn't say so they can do what they want to do. And I had, just a few months ago, I was on a 274 00:26:47,269 --> 00:26:55,650 work trip, a guy I like from work. We were talking at dinner and he was talking really 275 00:26:55,650 --> 00:27:00,809 vaguely about a lot of things. And I was like, it almost sounds like he's kind of like a Christian. 276 00:27:01,730 --> 00:27:06,950 And he shared things and then he asked me a question. I was like, yeah, I had a rough 277 00:27:06,950 --> 00:27:12,569 time in life at one point and, you know, I believe in Jesus Christ and he set me free of it. 278 00:27:13,089 --> 00:27:16,849 And I shared. I was just blatant. And he was like, oh, now we have a lot to talk about. 279 00:27:17,309 --> 00:27:21,890 He's like, so am I. I'm a Christian too. And then he started to go into all the things he 280 00:27:21,890 --> 00:27:27,950 doesn't believe that it directly says right here. And he immediately, the word of God 281 00:27:28,570 --> 00:27:33,630 isn't inerrant. It's not fully true. There's a lot of man's influence. Oh, you can't believe 282 00:27:33,630 --> 00:27:40,490 Paul, like Paul wasn't sent from God. He says so many hateful things. And immediately 283 00:27:41,990 --> 00:27:47,089 Paul's teaching is pleading with people to be set free by following the one true God and 284 00:27:47,089 --> 00:27:51,750 rejecting their old lives of sin becomes like this mean thing that he's just trying to control 285 00:27:51,750 --> 00:27:59,029 people. And it wasn't God because this guy's a red letter Christian. Well, that's why I love 286 00:27:59,029 --> 00:28:03,710 and acts when Jesus appeared. It says he opened the word to them and we don't get to see all the 287 00:28:03,710 --> 00:28:08,170 things he taught. And then he had 40 days where he taught the apostles who then wrote these 288 00:28:08,170 --> 00:28:13,710 epistles and delivered it to us. Could you imagine a 40 day advanced Bible college with Jesus Christ 289 00:28:13,710 --> 00:28:18,990 himself? And these are the people who wrote the epistles that they're saying is not inspired. 290 00:28:19,349 --> 00:28:27,509 They got it directly from God. And Paul too, he saw Jesus face to face in a vision and he went 291 00:28:27,509 --> 00:28:33,809 away. And how long was it dad? Did you remember how long he was away? Three years and was taught 292 00:28:33,809 --> 00:28:38,250 directly by the Spirit of God, directly by God himself. I would trust that guy. 293 00:28:39,670 --> 00:28:45,769 So we depart from the word of God, idol worship and every kind of evil thing happens. 294 00:28:49,089 --> 00:28:55,849 Now another interesting thing here is that, and I guess we'll read 29 because that's where 295 00:28:55,849 --> 00:29:02,630 it jumps in at. Verse 29, then Jerabell, who is Gideon, if you guys remember, that's what they 296 00:29:02,630 --> 00:29:09,609 called him because he destroyed the image of Baal and the place of worship. So they named him 297 00:29:09,609 --> 00:29:16,029 Jerabell to say, let Baal plead against him. If Baal is real, then Baal can go after Gideon. 298 00:29:16,410 --> 00:29:22,269 So that's what they called him. So Gideon had 70 sons who were his own offspring for he had 299 00:29:22,269 --> 00:29:27,410 many wives. And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son whose name they called Abimelech. 300 00:29:27,910 --> 00:29:32,150 And Gideon, the son of Joash, died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash's father 301 00:29:32,150 --> 00:29:38,950 and Ophrah of the Abiserites. So it was as soon as Gideon was dead that the children of Israel 302 00:29:38,950 --> 00:29:43,950 again played the harlot with the Bails and made Baal beareth their God. Thus the children of 303 00:29:43,950 --> 00:29:48,390 Israel did not remember the Lord their God who had delivered them from the hands of all their 304 00:29:48,390 --> 00:29:54,230 enemies. Nor did they show kindness to the house of Jerabell, Gideon, in accordance with the good 305 00:29:54,230 --> 00:30:01,490 he had done for Israel. He said he didn't want to be a king, but then his action spoke otherwise. 306 00:30:02,130 --> 00:30:09,170 Four and a half million dollars of gold, many many wives, his son Abimelech, guess what that means? 307 00:30:09,950 --> 00:30:15,569 My dad's a king. I don't want to be a king, but my son's name is my dad's a king. 308 00:30:17,150 --> 00:30:22,130 He finished pretty poorly. And you'll see in the next chapter the fruit of all that. 309 00:30:22,670 --> 00:30:28,490 After he dies, you know, Israel goes back to the evil they did. And Abimelech, my dad is a king, 310 00:30:28,690 --> 00:30:37,529 that guy, wants to be king. And he kills the 70 sons, his 70 brothers, so none of them would 311 00:30:37,529 --> 00:30:45,069 challenge him. All but one, Jotham, lives because he was in hiding. And God brings justice 312 00:30:45,069 --> 00:30:52,970 against Abimelech. But when you depart from God and you start worshiping yourself and the things you 313 00:30:52,970 --> 00:31:02,230 made, everything falls apart. First John 2, I believe, sums up exactly what happened with Gideon. 314 00:31:02,950 --> 00:31:09,269 First John 2 says, do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, 315 00:31:09,269 --> 00:31:14,990 the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, 316 00:31:15,490 --> 00:31:20,230 the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. 317 00:31:20,849 --> 00:31:25,490 And the world is passing away in the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever. 318 00:31:28,470 --> 00:31:32,529 The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, 319 00:31:33,349 --> 00:31:38,250 these things, so the lust of the flesh is basically your cravings, what you want, 320 00:31:38,589 --> 00:31:44,430 just what you desperately want. So that becomes all types of addictions with substances and food 321 00:31:44,430 --> 00:31:54,450 and sex and all that stuff. Any fleshly impulse. The lust of the eyes is just covetousness. 322 00:31:54,609 --> 00:31:59,569 I just want this. I want luxury and riches. I want what that person has, never satisfied. 323 00:32:00,190 --> 00:32:06,190 And the pride of life is the ambition, the thirst and desire for honor and applause. 324 00:32:07,289 --> 00:32:12,910 That's why I see Gideon. He started so meek and humble, always needing God's re-encouragement, 325 00:32:13,390 --> 00:32:18,450 and then when he rose to power, there was no more enemy. There was no reason for him to 326 00:32:18,450 --> 00:32:29,549 need to trust God anymore. And what happened? He gave into the lust of the eyes, the lust of 327 00:32:30,170 --> 00:32:36,990 he says, pick up your cross and follow me. To pick up your cross is to die to yourself, 328 00:32:37,230 --> 00:32:40,549 die to your old ways. It is literally to put to death these three things. 329 00:32:41,869 --> 00:32:47,309 Everything that you crave and want that is not good is just feeding the natural, 330 00:32:47,349 --> 00:32:53,150 instinct, impulse of sin. This desire to always have more and you're never satisfied 331 00:32:53,670 --> 00:32:59,390 and want to be something, be recognized and get the applause. All the stuff that makes us 332 00:32:59,390 --> 00:33:06,430 fall away from the faith. Jesus has a simple antidote and that is one, to believe in him, 333 00:33:06,730 --> 00:33:12,309 trust in him, be crucified with Christ, and then it is the active thing of picking up your cross 334 00:33:12,309 --> 00:33:19,109 and following him. It is to put to death these things and to be like him. We could pick up our 335 00:33:19,109 --> 00:33:25,150 cross because he picked up his cross. Amen. We can't do that apart from him. Anyone try to do 336 00:33:25,289 --> 00:33:28,950 things in your own strength to like give up something or stop doing something or start 337 00:33:28,950 --> 00:33:34,809 doing something. It is completely impossible without the Holy Spirit enabling you to do it. 338 00:33:35,430 --> 00:33:41,490 And that comes from just surrendering to him, surrendering it to him. We need to be like him. 339 00:33:43,309 --> 00:33:47,750 So Gideon didn't want to be a king but then he truly did and then we see the exact opposite, 340 00:33:47,910 --> 00:33:53,170 the true king, Jesus. And you know what's crazy? Jesus who came and lived the exact 341 00:33:53,170 --> 00:34:00,470 opposite life of Gideon is the same, like I said, it is believed by most theologians and 342 00:34:00,470 --> 00:34:05,349 scholars to be the angel of the Lord, the same one who appeared to Gideon. And he lived the 343 00:34:05,349 --> 00:34:09,510 exact opposite life. He came not for fame and recognition and wealth and all these things that 344 00:34:09,510 --> 00:34:15,989 you would think a king would do. He came seeking to do the will of the Father and that meant 345 00:34:15,989 --> 00:34:22,989 coming into creation, becoming flesh, born of Mary, and he lived in a nowhere town that was 346 00:34:22,989 --> 00:34:28,429 not a good part of town of Nazareth and he worked a simple little job as a carpenter. 347 00:34:30,349 --> 00:34:35,250 And this is the king of the universe. He didn't come to take, he came to give, 348 00:34:36,030 --> 00:34:44,090 to give his life as a sacrifice for sin. This is an example for us and I love as we see in the 349 00:34:44,090 --> 00:34:49,190 garden when he is at the end, when he's going to lay his life down, what does he say? 350 00:34:49,750 --> 00:34:55,349 Not my will, but yours be done. He says to the Father, not my will but yours be done. 351 00:34:55,670 --> 00:35:01,030 That is the example for us. That is picking up your cross and following him. Not my will, 352 00:35:01,110 --> 00:35:08,269 but yours be done. I heard a pastor on YouTube, anybody know Nicholas V Ministries? I think that's 353 00:35:08,269 --> 00:35:15,489 what his name is. He's a guy who was born without arms and legs. Anyone see him? Yeah. And he's 354 00:35:15,489 --> 00:35:19,909 amazing. They said all these things he would never be able to do and he said they said I'd 355 00:35:19,909 --> 00:35:23,989 never be able to walk. This guy has no arms or legs and he's walking across the stage talking 356 00:35:24,710 --> 00:35:30,889 and he's married and he has kids and he has a thriving ministry and he swims with no arms 357 00:35:30,889 --> 00:35:35,369 or legs. And I saw the way I found him, I actually heard him before, I forgot who it was, 358 00:35:35,429 --> 00:35:40,010 but the way I found him was I saw him laying on the ground, this guy with no arms or legs, 359 00:35:40,010 --> 00:35:43,650 and he turns around and puts his head on his Bible and stands up straight and he says, 360 00:35:43,650 --> 00:35:47,610 this is how I begin my every day, every morning or something. I'm like, that's amazing. What? 361 00:35:47,929 --> 00:35:53,250 Who is this crazy guy? So sure enough, I heard him say, he says to his wife every day, 362 00:35:53,750 --> 00:35:59,269 what do you want me to stop doing? What do you want me to start doing? And what do you want 363 00:35:59,269 --> 00:36:03,250 me to keep doing? We do this in the business world too. It's called start, stop, continue. 364 00:36:04,130 --> 00:36:06,809 It's really powerful. So like you can ask someone you love or anybody, 365 00:36:07,349 --> 00:36:11,309 what am I doing right now that you want me to stop doing? And you're going to get some 366 00:36:11,309 --> 00:36:16,510 answers that will probably offend you. What do you want me to start doing that I'm not doing? 367 00:36:17,150 --> 00:36:21,869 Probably get offended again. I think my wife would say, I want you to take out the trash 368 00:36:21,869 --> 00:36:27,449 and not forget to bring the cans back down. I leave the cans up there for an extra day or two 369 00:36:27,449 --> 00:36:32,309 and people start throwing dog poop in it. So that, I'm getting better at it because it makes 370 00:36:32,309 --> 00:36:37,989 me so angry that I have dog poop in the bottom of my can. So, but then, and then 371 00:36:37,989 --> 00:36:42,369 what am I currently doing that you want me to keep doing? And he said he asks his wife that, 372 00:36:42,449 --> 00:36:46,789 you know, every morning, but he says he also started asking God that. 373 00:36:48,329 --> 00:36:53,670 What am I not doing that you want me to start doing? What am I doing that you want me to stop 374 00:36:53,670 --> 00:36:59,269 doing? And what do you want me to continue to do? Could you imagine if we started every single 375 00:36:59,269 --> 00:37:05,489 day like that? I think that is a very, very powerful and practical way to implement picking 376 00:37:05,489 --> 00:37:12,570 up your cross and following him. To really, truly desire his will and what that looks like 377 00:37:13,170 --> 00:37:18,570 in my life and in my heart. And that is just a look of just, that is a heart of being abandoned 378 00:37:18,570 --> 00:37:23,929 and just totally open to him. Everything is open to him. Stop doing that. Got it. Start 379 00:37:23,929 --> 00:37:29,349 doing this. Okay, I'm doing a good job here, Lord. Continue to strengthen me in it. It's your, 380 00:37:29,670 --> 00:37:33,250 it's for your glory and it's your Holy Spirit that is empowering me to do this. 381 00:37:34,949 --> 00:37:40,650 That is how we can finish strong. I want to start doing that. That's what I'll start doing. 382 00:37:40,769 --> 00:37:48,769 Anybody want to start doing that with me? So Hebrews 12. Therefore we also, since we are 383 00:37:48,769 --> 00:37:54,869 surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so 384 00:37:54,869 --> 00:38:01,309 easily ensnares us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Looking unto who? 385 00:38:02,469 --> 00:38:09,489 Unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured 386 00:38:09,489 --> 00:38:15,610 the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 387 00:38:16,809 --> 00:38:22,409 Let us lay it all aside. Everything that is trying to make us fall before we get to the 388 00:38:22,409 --> 00:38:29,090 end of the race. Let us lay it aside and look to Jesus. And the thing that I love so much 389 00:38:29,090 --> 00:38:35,389 about this chapter in Romans is right before it, there's an amazing example of someone who 390 00:38:35,389 --> 00:38:46,150 didn't start good but finished strong. Anybody remember Rahab? She lived in the town of Jericho 391 00:38:47,050 --> 00:38:53,489 and she was a prostitute who was a Gentile who was part of the people that were going to be 392 00:38:53,489 --> 00:39:00,570 wiped out. It's a rough beginning. But through faith she saw that the God of Israel was real 393 00:39:01,650 --> 00:39:07,710 and somehow the Holy Spirit illuminated her eyes to the truth and knew that she could find mercy 394 00:39:07,710 --> 00:39:17,469 in his eyes. So she helped Israel. She helped the spies. And in that chapter of 11 it talks 395 00:39:17,469 --> 00:39:23,809 exactly about it. By faith Rahab got the spies out of there and she was counted among the righteous. 396 00:39:25,289 --> 00:39:30,210 And not only that is she in the hall of faith, but she's also in the lineage of Jesus Christ. 397 00:39:31,630 --> 00:39:38,030 That's finishing strong. Bad beginning, great ending. So I want to encourage you guys, 398 00:39:39,010 --> 00:39:43,869 if you haven't started strong or maybe you started strong and now you're just in a rough spot, 399 00:39:43,869 --> 00:39:49,889 we all have ups and downs. Just remember he is the author and the finisher of our faith. 400 00:39:50,789 --> 00:39:55,869 Finish strong. Today, every day is a new day. Forgetting what is behind, clinging to, 401 00:39:56,070 --> 00:40:01,710 and looking to what is ahead. Most importantly, looking to a person and his name is Jesus. 402 00:40:02,250 --> 00:40:07,730 You look to him because if he's authored your story, he knows your days and your future, 403 00:40:07,769 --> 00:40:13,130 and he knows how to bring about the successful life that he has called you to live in him. 404 00:40:13,769 --> 00:40:20,150 Amen. So carrying your cross, it's not an easy thing. It's a thrilling, invigorating, 405 00:40:20,230 --> 00:40:25,150 awesome thing that does the best thing he can possibly do in you. So let's keep our eyes on him. 406 00:40:26,469 --> 00:40:29,610 So Heavenly Father, we just thank you so much for your word. We thank you for 407 00:40:31,849 --> 00:40:37,130 your blessings in our lives, God. I thank you for this church, and I just want to praise you and 408 00:40:37,130 --> 00:40:42,150 thank you for all these people here, Lord, that are in the race with you, God, that are running 409 00:40:42,150 --> 00:40:48,230 with endurance what you've called them to. And I pray for encouragement. I pray for joy. I pray 410 00:40:48,230 --> 00:40:54,750 for peace, Lord. I pray for confidence to make the tough decisions, to lay aside any weight or 411 00:40:54,750 --> 00:41:00,849 any sin that is holding them back, Lord, and just run with full abandonment and confidence in 412 00:41:00,849 --> 00:41:05,510 you, Lord, that they would fix, that we all, Lord, would fix our eyes on you because you know 413 00:41:05,510 --> 00:41:11,010 what to do. You know how to sanctify us. You know the good works that you've planned for us. 414 00:41:11,010 --> 00:41:14,769 So we thank you for your work and our hearts. In Jesus' name, amen. 415 00:41:17,570 --> 00:41:22,110 So, hey, I brought up those three questions. Those are good three questions I think we could do 416 00:41:22,110 --> 00:41:27,710 in discussion time. What if we got a little vulnerable and said, what are some things we 417 00:41:27,710 --> 00:41:33,690 want to start doing, we want to stop doing, and we want to continue doing? Yeah? Cool? All right. 418 00:41:37,530 --> 00:41:44,409 Thanks for joining us at Lansdale Life Church as we praise God and discuss His Word. Don't forget to 419 00:41:44,409 --> 00:41:52,230 join us for Worship Lives Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. Eastern on YouTube. Be blessed and have a great day!