1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:03,800 Well, good morning again. Today we'll be reading out of 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:08,119 the book of Judges, specifically chapter 2, so feel free to turn 3 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:12,280 there already. We recently started a new sermon 4 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:14,120 series through the book of Judges. 5 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:18,080 Pastor Jake started the series with an overview of the book and 6 00:00:18,080 --> 00:00:21,920 he talked about this idea of connection and how because of 7 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:24,840 Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis, that connection between 8 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:29,960 God and man became broken and through rebellion against God. 9 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:32,720 And ever since then there has been a disconnection. 10 00:00:33,160 --> 00:00:36,600 A disconnection that people in every span of life up to and 11 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:38,960 including us, are trying to reconnect. 12 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:43,040 That we as humans, we feel this disconnection and we know that 13 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:45,920 we're not whole. And so we try to find 14 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:48,960 connection, but often we try to find it in the wrong things. 15 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:53,480 Pastor Jake mentioned this idea that nature hates a vacuum and 16 00:00:53,480 --> 00:00:56,200 how we try to fill the emptiness with anything that brings us 17 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:58,640 comfort. And last week in Judges chapter 18 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:03,440 one, we saw a glimpse of that. Judges wasn't or isn't written 19 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:05,519 chronologically, which means that some of the events in 20 00:01:05,519 --> 00:01:08,840 chapter 1 don't necessarily happen before the events that we 21 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:12,080 will read today in chapter 2. But the main patterns of this 22 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:15,080 book become seen. There's this consistent cycle 23 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:18,240 through the book of Judges. Israel sins and rebels against 24 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:20,120 God. They become enslaved and 25 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:22,560 oppressed. They cry out to God, and God 26 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:24,160 raises up someone to deliver them. 27 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:27,480 And then there is peace until they sin again. 28 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:30,880 And although the sin is quite drastic in nature, it's a pretty 29 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:34,320 common cycle for us too. And that's important to remember 30 00:01:34,320 --> 00:01:37,720 when reading a book like Judges. Even though it's a history book, 31 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:41,280 and even though it happened a long time ago, human nature has 32 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:44,880 not changed that much. Judges recounts the events of 33 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:47,920 the Israelites in the time way before Christ, but their 34 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:51,640 attitudes, intentions and actions can be very similar to 35 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:54,240 ours today. And so the book shows the real 36 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:58,360 flaws and imperfections of human leaders and the ever increasing 37 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:02,360 need for a true savior. So we'll begin reading in Judges 38 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:08,320 chapter 2, verses 6 through 15. When Judges when Joshua 39 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:11,039 dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his 40 00:02:11,039 --> 00:02:13,480 inheritance to take possession of the land. 41 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:16,360 And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all 42 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:19,480 the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen 43 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:21,720 all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel. 44 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:24,880 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the 45 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:28,240 age of 110 years, and they buried him within the boundaries 46 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:31,680 of of his inheritance. And Timothy Harris in the Hill 47 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:34,680 Country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gayash. 48 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:38,160 And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers, 49 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:41,240 and there arose another generation after them who did 50 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:44,360 not know the Lord or the work that He had done for Israel. 51 00:02:44,920 --> 00:02:47,240 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of 52 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:50,040 the Lord, and they served the Baal's, and they abandoned the 53 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:52,280 Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the 54 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:55,120 land of Egypt. They went after other gods from 55 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:58,200 among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed 56 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:00,200 down to them. And they provoked the Lord to 57 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:02,160 anger. They abandoned the Lord and 58 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:03,880 served the Baal's in the Ashtaroth. 59 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:07,200 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel and he 60 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:10,560 gave them over to plunderers who plundered them and he sold them 61 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:12,920 into the land of their surrounding enemies so that they 62 00:03:12,920 --> 00:03:15,120 could no longer withstand their enemies. 63 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:18,200 Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against 64 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:22,120 them, as the Lord had warned and as the Lord had sworn to them, 65 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:24,960 and they were in terrible distress. 66 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:28,600 Before we continue, let's go to let's go in prayer. 67 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:32,880 Lord, we, we thank you for this word to us. 68 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:35,600 As we look into the book of Judges, I pray that you give us 69 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:39,360 eyes to see how the events that unfold due to the attitudes of 70 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:41,680 these people are relevant to us today. 71 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:44,320 Lord, we know that nothing written in the Bible is there by 72 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:47,880 accident, but it is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for 73 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:49,800 correction, for training and righteousness. 74 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:53,640 And Lord, I pray that we will be open to hearing from you and to 75 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:56,480 obey you fully. It's in Jesus name that we ask, 76 00:03:56,680 --> 00:04:01,040 Amen. If I were to ask you what chore 77 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:04,160 do you hate doing the most, what would your answer be? 78 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:06,880 As adults, we don't really do chores. 79 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:08,800 It's more just life at this point. 80 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:13,440 But maybe a better question to ask is what chores do your kids 81 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:15,760 hate to do? Well, I'm a step ahead of you 82 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:18,160 because I asked them. Well, at least I asked the ones 83 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:19,600 that were at Junior Youth on Wednesday. 84 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:23,720 So I asked them what chore do you hate to do the most? 85 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:27,160 And here's a list of chores that some of them listed as the worst 86 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:30,360 chores to do. Stacking firewood and bringing 87 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:34,720 it inside, making the bed, cleaning up toys, cleaning up my 88 00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:38,520 sister's mess, taking out the trash, mopping, vacuuming. 89 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:41,200 And the number one answer from all the youth, over half of them 90 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:44,640 answered this was some form of doing the dishes. 91 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:47,600 I won't say who said what, but if you have kids in junior 92 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:50,440 youth, I'm sure you can probably guess which ones were your came 93 00:04:50,440 --> 00:04:53,120 from your kids. And if not, I'm pretty sure 94 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:54,760 those answers would be similar as well. 95 00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:59,080 But having to do chores or really any kind of tedious labor 96 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:03,520 is rarely fun in the moment. It's normally a have to and not 97 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:06,400 AI get to. For me personally, I love being 98 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:09,480 clean and organized, but I don't necessarily like doing the work 99 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:12,080 or the time that it takes to do the work to get there. 100 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:15,360 I like the end product, but I don't necessarily like the work 101 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:18,760 required to accomplish it. And speaking on this subject, 102 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:22,120 I've heard someone say don't forget to remember. 103 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:23,920 And what he meant by that was don't. 104 00:05:24,280 --> 00:05:27,040 Don't forget to remember the feeling when you climb into a 105 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:30,640 nice made bed after a long day. Don't forget the feeling of 106 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:33,400 coming home after a long day out and your home is nice and tidy 107 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:35,120 because you cleaned it before you left. 108 00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:38,080 Don't forget to remember how good it feels to have saved 109 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:40,120 money because you followed a budget. 110 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:44,240 Essentially, don't forget to remember the past experiences 111 00:05:44,240 --> 00:05:46,920 and feelings when you do something in the present. 112 00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:50,400 In the book of Judges, we'll see the Israelites had this problem. 113 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:54,040 They continually forgot the God who saved them and had brought 114 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:56,320 them this far. And they turned and they bowed 115 00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:59,400 down to other gods. And this morning we sang about 116 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:02,000 the goodness of God. And it's so fitting for this 117 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:04,880 passage today. The Israelites had been witness 118 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:07,800 to the goodness of God, and yet they forgot about him. 119 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:11,240 We too are witnesses to the goodness of God, whether we 120 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:13,840 recognize that or not. Granted, it's sometimes 121 00:06:13,840 --> 00:06:16,880 difficult and it's hard for us to see, but we must remember 122 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:21,240 that our circumstances don't change God's character, and so 123 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:25,160 because God is good, we should remember His works and obey Him. 124 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:29,520 The Bible tells us that God is faithful, but there are times in 125 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:32,160 our lives where it seems hard to reconcile that. 126 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:35,320 But looking through this portion of Judges, we will be reminded 127 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:37,840 that we should remember God though we don't see him. 128 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:40,920 We should remember God though we are stubborn, and we should 129 00:06:40,920 --> 00:06:43,040 remember God though we go through testing. 130 00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:46,720 Like I mentioned, the whole book of Judges is a steady and 131 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:50,160 incremental decrease in morality and obedience to God. 132 00:06:50,520 --> 00:06:53,600 In a sense, it makes for a good sermon series because each week 133 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:56,440 we could say you think that was bad, come back next week. 134 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:01,080 But there's a noticeable decline in the quality of Judges or the 135 00:07:01,360 --> 00:07:05,080 OR the leaders of Israel. So when we read things like they 136 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:07,600 there came another generation after them that did not know the 137 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:09,520 Lord or the works that he had done for them. 138 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:11,960 It makes a lot more sense how something like that could have 139 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:13,920 happened. You might think, how could the 140 00:07:13,920 --> 00:07:16,520 next generation not know the Lord or the work he had done for 141 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:18,440 them? But just looking at the process 142 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:21,720 of events and the book of Judges shows one example of how that's 143 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:25,200 possible. It's small steps away from God, 144 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:28,320 to the point where when you try to look back, you don't even 145 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:30,400 know where you are or how you got there. 146 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:34,240 You're so far off from the actual aim, and in this case, so 147 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:36,800 far away from God's commands that you don't know them 148 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:39,600 anymore. You need something or someone to 149 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:42,280 point you back to what it is you're supposed to be following. 150 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:45,040 And in this case, that was the role that the judges were 151 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:47,680 supposed to play. They were the deliverers that 152 00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:51,040 God used to save the Israelites. And I say that intentionally 153 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:53,320 because it wasn't the judges that did it. 154 00:07:53,320 --> 00:07:56,320 They were deeply flawed and sinful people, but it shows the 155 00:07:56,320 --> 00:08:00,040 strength and sovereignty of God that He can use the free will 156 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:03,400 and free choices of men to still accomplish His plans. 157 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:06,880 God was not condoning or endorsing the lifestyle and 158 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:09,800 actions of the judges, but He used them because there was an 159 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:13,200 absence of good leaders, because of deep rooted sin. 160 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:16,560 There was a leadership void and it was filled with less than 161 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:19,040 ideal leaders. And along with the Israelites, 162 00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:21,960 they forgot about God being the one in control and took matters 163 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:25,000 into their own hands. They forgot God because they 164 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:27,560 could not see Him. And so the lesson that we should 165 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:32,200 take from that is remember God. Though we don't see him, we can 166 00:08:32,200 --> 00:08:35,039 see from the example of the Israelites that forgetting God 167 00:08:35,039 --> 00:08:38,120 leaves you blind, Not in a literal, literal sense of having 168 00:08:38,120 --> 00:08:42,039 no vision, but in that you no longer see the goodness of God. 169 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:45,000 In verse 6, we read that the people went to take possession 170 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:48,880 of their inherited land already. That's a promise kept by God, 171 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:50,640 that He would give them that land. 172 00:08:50,960 --> 00:08:53,720 It says that the people serve the Lord all the days of Joshua, 173 00:08:53,920 --> 00:08:56,960 who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for 174 00:08:56,960 --> 00:08:59,200 Israel. These people had witnessed the 175 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:02,640 walk through the Jordan River. They watch Jericho fall and as 176 00:09:02,640 --> 00:09:05,240 we just mentioned, they inherited this land that was 177 00:09:05,240 --> 00:09:07,920 promised to them. So these people knew God. 178 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:11,000 But as we go on to read after Joshua dies, there comes a 179 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:14,520 people that didn't know God. And this is really a set up for 180 00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:17,240 the greater book of Judges. The second-half of verse 10 as 181 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:19,840 we read it says there arose another generation after them 182 00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:23,120 who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for 183 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:25,520 Israel. What happened to the nation of 184 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:28,280 Israel that they would forget the God that led them to this 185 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:30,720 point? They were blind to their own 186 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:33,560 situation. We aren't told exactly why or 187 00:09:33,560 --> 00:09:35,760 what the reason was for forgetting, but we can. 188 00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:38,920 We can safely assume that people stop telling stories. 189 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:42,160 They stop sharing the goodness of God with those around them, 190 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:45,280 and more importantly, they stop sharing it to the generation 191 00:09:45,280 --> 00:09:47,720 that had not seen the events leading up to this point. 192 00:09:48,280 --> 00:09:51,200 In other words, they stop discipling one another and 193 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:53,360 properly raising the next generation. 194 00:09:53,920 --> 00:09:56,560 Maybe they assume the next generation would just catch on 195 00:09:56,560 --> 00:09:59,840 or figure it out by themselves. But what we can see from that is 196 00:09:59,840 --> 00:10:04,240 that faith is not by osmosis. Osmosis is this term described 197 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:07,080 used to describe when water moves from an area where there's 198 00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:09,200 more water to an area where there's less water. 199 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:13,240 If you think of a plant in the ground, the water in the soil 200 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:16,160 moves through the thin walls of the plant cells into the plant 201 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:19,680 to strengthen the plant, and that process is called osmosis. 202 00:10:19,920 --> 00:10:23,040 But faith is not like that. Would you be better off to be 203 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:25,040 surrounded by people that are all in the faith? 204 00:10:25,160 --> 00:10:28,000 100%. But will you absorb their faith 205 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:30,120 by simply being around them? No. 206 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:33,000 An obvious example of this is raising children. 207 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:36,200 You can be raised in a quote UN quote Christian home, but just 208 00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:38,560 because your parents are Christian doesn't mean that 209 00:10:38,560 --> 00:10:40,280 it'll be automatically transferred to you. 210 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:43,920 Someone has to tell you about the faith to lead and guide you 211 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:46,480 in the way to go. And that's where it seems like 212 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:49,320 the Israelites failed. They did not properly lead and 213 00:10:49,320 --> 00:10:52,800 guide the next generation and it resulted in a nation that was 214 00:10:52,800 --> 00:10:56,640 blind to the goodness of God. We also see that forgetting God 215 00:10:56,640 --> 00:11:00,720 leaves you alone, and verses 11 to 14 it tells of how the people 216 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:02,400 did evil in the sight of the Lord. 217 00:11:02,560 --> 00:11:05,240 They forgot the Lord. It says they abandoned the Lord, 218 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:08,240 the very same God that their fathers had served and the same 219 00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:10,480 God that led them out of slavery in Egypt. 220 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:14,000 So they forgot or they abandoned the Lord and they were left to 221 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:17,720 their own devices. In verse 12, it says that they 222 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:20,720 went after other gods. They bowed down to the gods of 223 00:11:20,720 --> 00:11:23,760 those around them instead of remembering the Lord they were. 224 00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:27,520 They weren't simply not worshiping God, but they started 225 00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:31,200 worshiping other gods, which points out that when we are left 226 00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:34,200 alone without the Spirit's guidance, we will not worship 227 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:37,120 God and instead we will worship something else. 228 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:40,520 It has been said that there is no such thing as worshiping as 229 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:43,240 not worshiping, rather everybody worships. 230 00:11:43,240 --> 00:11:47,720 The only choice we get is what the Israelites chose to not 231 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:50,640 worship the one true God and instead they worship the gods of 232 00:11:50,640 --> 00:11:53,560 the people around them. In our lives we might not 233 00:11:53,560 --> 00:11:56,880 worship the Bales and the Ashtaroth, but if we forget God, 234 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:00,320 we will turn to the worship the gods of those around us as well. 235 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:04,840 Money, success, power, those are idols that are very much alive 236 00:12:04,840 --> 00:12:07,920 right now. But as the Israelites also found 237 00:12:07,920 --> 00:12:10,320 out, forgetting God leaves you in distress. 238 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:13,480 Verse 15 says that the hand of the Lord was against them for 239 00:12:13,480 --> 00:12:17,680 harm, as the Lord had warned, as the Lord had sworn to them, and 240 00:12:17,680 --> 00:12:21,880 they were in terrible distress. The Israelites have been given 241 00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:24,360 over to the surrounding enemies, and now they're feeling the 242 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:26,520 hurt. The Lord had warned them, but 243 00:12:26,520 --> 00:12:29,640 they still disobeyed. And God has a righteous anger 244 00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:33,640 because of their actions, and He lets them feel the consequences 245 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:36,320 of their actions. He lets them experience life 246 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:38,600 without Him, just as they had been living. 247 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:41,600 It all began with the Israelites forgetting God. 248 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:44,800 The previous generation did a poor job of passing down their 249 00:12:44,800 --> 00:12:47,520 knowledge and faith, and the current generation did a poor 250 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:50,840 job of seeking after Him. They became content with living 251 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:53,600 with the people. They became content with serving 252 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:56,560 their gods. Slowly or little by little, they 253 00:12:56,560 --> 00:12:59,480 took steps away from the one true God, and they forgot 254 00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:02,680 entirely who He was or what He had done for them. 255 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:05,400 They needed someone to guide them back. 256 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:09,200 Some years ago I went ice fishing out of Kingsville and by 257 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:12,600 the time we were ready to head back it had gotten dark and very 258 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:14,760 foggy out. So much so that you couldn't see 259 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:16,800 the shore. And it's pretty common for that 260 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:19,080 to happen. You go so far out and you don't 261 00:13:19,080 --> 00:13:21,160 notice the disappearing shoreline because you're not 262 00:13:21,160 --> 00:13:23,120 worried about it. You're worried about having fun 263 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:25,720 and catching fish. But when it's time to pack up 264 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:28,560 and go home and it's nice and cold and your hands are frozen 265 00:13:28,560 --> 00:13:32,240 beyond use, then the knowing where the shoreline is becomes 266 00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:34,920 pretty important. On the way back I was carrying 267 00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:37,600 buckets and was walking with all my gear and exhausted from the 268 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:40,640 long walk, but because of the heavy fog, I had no idea how 269 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:43,960 much farther we had to walk. But after a bit more walking, I 270 00:13:43,960 --> 00:13:47,280 finally saw that green light of the lighthouse shining through 271 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:49,280 the fog and I was very glad to see it. 272 00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:52,880 I now knew the direction, what direction to go, and I knew that 273 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:55,960 we were getting close. The light was a guide for us and 274 00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:59,360 it LED us to where we needed to go, which in my case was to the 275 00:13:59,360 --> 00:14:01,040 car with the heaters on full blast. 276 00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:04,680 But connecting that back to the book of Judges, the leaders were 277 00:14:04,680 --> 00:14:07,200 supposed to be the guides to lead the people where they were 278 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:09,600 supposed to go. They should have told the next 279 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:12,720 generation about God and help them remember God's goodness. 280 00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:15,360 But instead of going in the direction of the light, they 281 00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:18,960 disregarded it and they went their own way and because and 282 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:21,680 because of that, they got so far away that they could no longer 283 00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:24,520 see it. The next generation did not know 284 00:14:24,520 --> 00:14:26,880 God because they had not been led to know Him. 285 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:29,080 And that should be a reminder for us as well. 286 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:32,680 For one thing, it should remind us to lead our children and 287 00:14:32,680 --> 00:14:35,240 those in our circles of influence to follow the true 288 00:14:35,240 --> 00:14:38,120 God, to help remind them of the goodness of God. 289 00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:41,680 And we won't do a good job of that unless we know the true 290 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:43,640 God. And so it's important that we're 291 00:14:43,640 --> 00:14:46,800 consistently in God's Word, learning and being taught by the 292 00:14:46,800 --> 00:14:50,640 Spirit, to then go and teach others to not let our faith die 293 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:52,760 with us, but to share it for all to hear. 294 00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:56,040 As Jesus says in his Sermon on the Mount, let your light shine 295 00:14:56,040 --> 00:14:59,320 before others so that they may see your good works and give 296 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:01,080 glory to your Father who is in heaven. 297 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:05,080 And two, we need to know God to be able to recognize when 298 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:07,280 someone teaches something contrary to him. 299 00:15:07,920 --> 00:15:10,720 If you hear me say something up here, you shouldn't necessarily 300 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:13,080 take my word for it. Not that I want to lie or 301 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:16,320 mislead anyone, but Joel's word is not the final authority on 302 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:19,040 theology. God's word is the final 303 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:22,400 authority, and so that must be our guiding light as Christians. 304 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:25,320 When we know God's word, we will recognize things that are 305 00:15:25,320 --> 00:15:28,000 contrary to it. We will remember the true 306 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:31,120 character of God, and by doing so, we will be able to stay 307 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:35,320 clear of misguided leaders. So not only should we remember 308 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:38,480 God when we don't see him, but we should also remember God, 309 00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:41,440 though we are stubborn. Let's continue reading Judges 310 00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:46,840 chapter 2, verses 16 to 23. Then the Lord raised up judges 311 00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:49,320 who saved them out of the hands of those who plundered them. 312 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:52,240 Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they hoard after 313 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:54,040 other gods and bowed down to them. 314 00:15:54,480 --> 00:15:57,080 They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had 315 00:15:57,080 --> 00:15:59,920 walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and 316 00:15:59,920 --> 00:16:02,360 did not do so. Whenever the Lord raised up 317 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:05,120 judges for them, the Lord was with the Judge, and He saved 318 00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:06,480 them from the hand of their enemies. 319 00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:09,880 All the days of the Judge for the Lord was moved to pity by 320 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:12,640 their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed 321 00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:15,920 them. But whenever the judge died, 322 00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:18,640 they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, 323 00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:22,000 going after other gods serving them and bowing down to them. 324 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:25,840 They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn 325 00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:28,160 ways. And so the anger of the Lord was 326 00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:31,040 kindled against Israel. And he said, because this people 327 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:33,760 have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers 328 00:16:34,080 --> 00:16:37,680 and have not obeyed my voice, I will no longer drive out before 329 00:16:37,680 --> 00:16:40,640 them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died in 330 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:44,000 order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to 331 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:47,040 walk in the way of the Lord as their fathers did or not. 332 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:50,680 So the Lord left those nations, not driving them out quickly, 333 00:16:50,880 --> 00:16:53,040 and He did not give them into the hand of Joshua. 334 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:56,960 This passage in chapter 2, again, it's not in chronological 335 00:16:56,960 --> 00:17:00,440 order, but instead it's an explanation and summary of the 336 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:03,040 book of Judges. From this portion portion of the 337 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:06,800 passage, we can see that God is good in His compassion and in 338 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:09,160 His anger. When the Israelites forgot, 339 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:13,079 forgot God and served other gods of the people around them, they 340 00:17:13,079 --> 00:17:15,839 rejected God. They forgot His goodness, and 341 00:17:15,839 --> 00:17:19,200 they abandoned him. But God did not abandon them. 342 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:21,280 He did. He let them feel what it was 343 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:23,040 like to live without His protection. 344 00:17:23,280 --> 00:17:25,760 But we see God's character displayed and that He didn't 345 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:28,920 want to leave them there. He shows His compassion for the 346 00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:31,320 rebellious people. And in the last part of verse 347 00:17:31,320 --> 00:17:34,240 18, it says that the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning. 348 00:17:34,520 --> 00:17:36,520 So he raises up judges for the people. 349 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:40,280 These judges, they're not courtroom judges as we might be 350 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:43,920 accustomed to, but instead these judges were warriors and tribal 351 00:17:43,920 --> 00:17:45,880 leaders and commanders of armies. 352 00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:48,320 They were deliverers for the people. 353 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:51,200 They were also supposed to serve as a religious role, as 354 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:54,280 preachers of God's Word and a legal role of settling disputes 355 00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:56,880 in the time of peace. Yet, as we will come to see in 356 00:17:56,880 --> 00:18:00,400 the next few weeks, all these judges were still flawed human 357 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:02,640 beings. None of them did it perfectly, 358 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:06,480 or in some cases, even good. But it points to a couple of 359 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:08,840 things. One is that God can use anyone 360 00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:10,760 he chooses to accomplish His will. 361 00:18:11,080 --> 00:18:13,480 In verse 18, it says the Lord was with the judge that he 362 00:18:13,480 --> 00:18:15,440 raised up. That doesn't mean that God 363 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:18,400 condoned everything the judges did, but rather that it was God 364 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:21,480 who saved the Israelites from their oppressors and not by the 365 00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:24,960 strength of the judge alone. And two, it foreshadows or 366 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:28,800 points to the need for a true savior, a role that only Jesus 367 00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:31,360 could fill. The Israelites certainly didn't 368 00:18:31,360 --> 00:18:34,640 deserve the goodness of God after their actions, but still, 369 00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:38,040 God is compassionate and He raises up deliverers for them. 370 00:18:38,560 --> 00:18:41,080 Just like the Israelites. We don't deserve the grace of 371 00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:45,560 God either, but God sent a deliverer through His Son Jesus. 372 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:49,040 We are a stubborn people too, and we want to pursue our own 373 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:50,960 ways, and we rebel against God as well. 374 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:53,840 But God was good to the Israelites when they didn't 375 00:18:53,840 --> 00:18:56,600 deserve it. God and God is good to us too. 376 00:18:56,840 --> 00:19:00,120 He's patient with us, He convicts us through His Spirit, 377 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:03,520 and He desires for all to have a relationship with Him. 378 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:08,640 First Timothy 24 says that God desires all people to be saved 379 00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:10,320 and come to a knowledge of the truth. 380 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:14,600 But we also see in this passage the anger of God. 381 00:19:14,920 --> 00:19:17,880 It's not a sinful anger, but rather it's a righteous anger. 382 00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:21,400 God is good in His compassion, but He is also good in His 383 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:24,280 anger. In verse 19, it says that after 384 00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:27,240 the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than they 385 00:19:27,240 --> 00:19:29,720 were before. They didn't drop any of their 386 00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:32,200 stubborn ways. They acted right when there was 387 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:35,040 a judge watching over them, but as soon as the leader was no 388 00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:38,520 longer there, they rebelled. They didn't keep their focus on 389 00:19:38,520 --> 00:19:41,320 what was true. They chose to forget the peace 390 00:19:41,320 --> 00:19:44,280 that they had with the judge and purposely neglected and 391 00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:47,120 abandoned God. It wasn't an accident. 392 00:19:47,160 --> 00:19:49,720 It was a deliberate turning away from God. 393 00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:53,160 Because of their actions, God let's the warring nations that 394 00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:56,720 live among them stay and it says that it was to test Israel by 395 00:19:56,720 --> 00:19:58,160 them. The nation of Israel had 396 00:19:58,160 --> 00:20:01,160 rejected God and as had been warned to them, they would now 397 00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:04,320 face the consequences. Joshua before his death he warns 398 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:08,000 the people and Joshua 2420 it says if you forsake the Lord and 399 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:11,920 serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do harm and do you harm 400 00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:14,760 and consume you after having done you good. 401 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:19,240 This wasn't a random act by God or an impulsive act of anger. 402 00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:22,440 This was a fulfillment of a promise. 403 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:26,400 The Israelites had the chance to serve him, but they rejected it. 404 00:20:27,120 --> 00:20:29,120 Even the Canaanites, who the Israelites were supposed to 405 00:20:29,120 --> 00:20:31,720 fight against, they were not all doomed to destruction. 406 00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:34,320 We can read the stories of Rahab, who helped the Israelites 407 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:37,480 spies in Jericho, and the Gibeonites, who, although they 408 00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:39,920 misled the Israelites, would come to recognize the Lord's 409 00:20:39,920 --> 00:20:41,680 authority over the gods of Canaan. 410 00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:44,600 But As for the Israelites, whenever the next judge would 411 00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:47,680 die, they would choose to look away from God and forget Him. 412 00:20:48,280 --> 00:20:51,000 It's similar to the event of Peter walking on water. 413 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:54,440 In the New Testament and Matthew 14, we read of Peter and the 414 00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:56,560 disciples. They were in a boat when Jesus 415 00:20:56,560 --> 00:20:59,760 appears to them in the water, Peter being the more impulsive 416 00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:02,320 one in the group. He says, Lord, if it is you, 417 00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:04,320 command me to come to you on the water. 418 00:21:04,640 --> 00:21:07,760 But it says, when he saw the wind, he was afraid and 419 00:21:07,760 --> 00:21:11,200 beginning to sink. He cried out, Lord save me. 420 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:15,120 Peter did well to look to Jesus, but when he turned aside and he 421 00:21:15,120 --> 00:21:18,080 looked to the things around him, he became compromised. 422 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:21,840 He took his focus off Jesus and he forgot that it was Jesus who 423 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:23,400 was allowing him to walk on water. 424 00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:25,920 And it was only through faith in him that he wasn't sinking. 425 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:29,400 Like Peter, and like the Israelites, we do well to keep 426 00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:32,360 our focus on Christ. We may act right in front of our 427 00:21:32,360 --> 00:21:35,760 families, in front of those that we know from church, but what do 428 00:21:35,760 --> 00:21:39,040 we do when they're not around? Do we go back to our stubborn 429 00:21:39,040 --> 00:21:42,520 ways into the gods of this age? The Israelites did not learn 430 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:45,240 this lesson the first time, and because of their continual 431 00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:48,160 rejecting of God, they find themselves in trouble many 432 00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:50,840 times. It is a reminder to us to not 433 00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:54,640 let our stubborn nature lead us to where we don't want to be, to 434 00:21:54,640 --> 00:21:58,320 keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, and to remember God though we 435 00:21:58,320 --> 00:22:01,440 are stubborn. Lastly, we should also remember 436 00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:03,240 God. Though we go through testing. 437 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:07,360 God uses tests to teach His people, to turn His people to 438 00:22:07,360 --> 00:22:12,520 Him and to deliver His people. Let's pick up in Judges 3 verses 439 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:15,840 one through 2 it says Now these are the nations that the Lord 440 00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:19,440 left to test Israel by them. That is all in Israel who had 441 00:22:19,440 --> 00:22:21,400 not experienced all the wars in Canaan. 442 00:22:21,880 --> 00:22:24,560 It was only an order that the generations of the people of 443 00:22:24,560 --> 00:22:28,560 Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known 444 00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:31,960 it before. As we read in chapter 2, God was 445 00:22:31,960 --> 00:22:34,680 going to test Israel through these other nations. 446 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:37,720 And we read in chapter 3, verse 2 that it was so that the 447 00:22:37,720 --> 00:22:42,720 generations of Israel might know war and to teach war to those 448 00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:45,600 who had not known it before. And this lays out the 449 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:47,640 explanation for these remaining nations. 450 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:50,400 God uses tests to teach His people. 451 00:22:50,880 --> 00:22:53,800 This was another kindness shown by God to the people. 452 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:56,400 They had forgotten about Him. Remember, we read about the 453 00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:57,920 generation that did not know Him. 454 00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:01,880 God was therefore going to help prepare this generation as they 455 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:03,840 needed. By teaching them war. 456 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:06,880 They would come to a better understanding of who God was and 457 00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:10,040 in turn come to know Him as a true deliverer. 458 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:13,760 They would need to rely on God if they were to win these wars, 459 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:17,360 and this testing would also become fruitful in years to 460 00:23:17,360 --> 00:23:19,360 come. If they were to stay in this 461 00:23:19,360 --> 00:23:21,400 land, it would not come without its battles. 462 00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:25,480 Centuries later in the time of Jeremiah, Jeremiah is lamenting 463 00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:28,520 to God about why the wicked prosper and why the faithful 464 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:30,640 suffer. And God responds to Jeremiah 465 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:33,880 with a couple questions. Says if you have raced with men 466 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:37,560 on foot and they have wearied you, how will you compete with 467 00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:40,200 horses? And if in a safe land you are so 468 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:43,240 trusting, what will you do in the thicket of the Jordan? 469 00:23:43,760 --> 00:23:47,080 Another way of saying this is how will you learn to run if you 470 00:23:47,080 --> 00:23:50,400 don't learn to walk? God uses tests to teach His 471 00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:52,840 people because He is a good father. 472 00:23:53,160 --> 00:23:55,920 He prepares His children for what they need to know. 473 00:23:56,520 --> 00:23:59,120 God also uses tests to turn His people toward Him. 474 00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:01,880 Verse 4 reads that they were for testing. 475 00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:04,800 They were for the testing of Israel to know whether Israel 476 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:07,720 would obey the commandments of the Lord, which He had commanded 477 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:09,600 their fathers by the hand of Moses. 478 00:24:10,120 --> 00:24:12,800 God had laid out a plan and He made a covenant with His people 479 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:16,640 through Moses and was reiterated by Joshua, but the people have 480 00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:19,600 forgotten the covenant and they chose to rebel against God and 481 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:22,400 go after the idols. This testing that would come 482 00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:24,680 through the nations that's mentioned that are mentioned in 483 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:28,440 verse 3 was to determine if Israel would turn back to God. 484 00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:32,240 God wasn't forcing them to turn back, but He was drawing them to 485 00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:34,880 Himself. God could have easily removed 486 00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:37,360 all the nations that surrounded Israel by Himself. 487 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:41,080 He didn't need the partnership of the people, but simply 488 00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:43,680 removing the other enemy nations wasn't the point. 489 00:24:44,120 --> 00:24:46,840 God wanted the Israelites to do the work, not because he 490 00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:50,040 couldn't, but because doing the work was what would turn Israel 491 00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:53,640 as a nation back to God. You could say that it's the same 492 00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:56,600 reason the trainer at the gym doesn't lift the weights for 493 00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:58,120 you. Yes, the goal is to get the 494 00:24:58,120 --> 00:25:00,480 weight off the ground, but if they did it for you, you 495 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:02,520 wouldn't learn anything. You wouldn't grow. 496 00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:08,000 And God ultimately uses tests to deliver his people in steps. 497 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:12,400 The first judge of Israel off. Neil reading chapter 3 verses 7 498 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:14,600 to 9. And the people of Israel did 499 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:16,440 what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 500 00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:19,120 They forgot the Lord their God and serve the Baal's and 501 00:25:19,120 --> 00:25:21,480 Ashroth. Therefore the anger of the Lord 502 00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:24,480 was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the land of 503 00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:26,760 Cushion Rasha Theam, king of Mesopotamia. 504 00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:30,120 And the people of Israel served cushion Rasha Theam 8 years. 505 00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:33,000 But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord 506 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:35,760 raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel who saved them 507 00:25:36,160 --> 00:25:38,360 off. Neil, the son of Ken as Caleb's 508 00:25:38,360 --> 00:25:42,000 younger brother. The people are of Israel are 509 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:44,560 back to serving idols and of those living around them. 510 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:47,960 And it says they forgot God. They get enslaved by the hands 511 00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:51,240 of a foreign king, and for eight years they must serve him. 512 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:55,560 But then God, being rich in his goodness, raises up a deliverer, 513 00:25:55,760 --> 00:25:58,280 Othneil, who would become the first judge of Israel. 514 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:02,560 And we can find in Joshua 15 and Judges one that Othneil was the 515 00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:06,920 nephew of Caleb, and in fact he had already proven himself as a 516 00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:09,840 warrior prior to fighting the king of Mesopotamia. 517 00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:14,080 Othneil had been tested and proved himself as a worthy 518 00:26:14,080 --> 00:26:16,720 warrior. Then in verse 10 it says the 519 00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:19,800 Spirit of the Lord was upon him and he judged Israel. 520 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:22,920 He went out to war and the Lord gave cushion Rashteum, king of 521 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:26,560 Mesopotamia into his hand, and his hand prevailed over cushion 522 00:26:26,560 --> 00:26:30,120 Rashteum. The Spirit of God was with 523 00:26:30,200 --> 00:26:33,000 Othneil. Othneil had been tested and he 524 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:36,120 was a warrior, but it was ultimately God who secured the 525 00:26:36,120 --> 00:26:39,520 victory for Israel. God was faithful in his testing 526 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:41,960 and in His deliverance of Israel. 527 00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:47,120 Finally, verse 11 reads, So the land had rest for 40 years and 528 00:26:47,120 --> 00:26:50,000 they lived happily ever after? Not really. 529 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:54,080 Then Othneil son of Canaz died. Those last few words they 530 00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:57,200 foreshadow that things will not stay at rest for the nation of 531 00:26:57,200 --> 00:26:59,240 Israel. And although we can see that 532 00:26:59,240 --> 00:27:02,920 Othneil was an almost ideal deliverer, the people will again 533 00:27:02,920 --> 00:27:06,680 go back to doing evil. It wasn't a lack of deliverers. 534 00:27:06,760 --> 00:27:08,840 It wasn't. It was a lack of faithfulness to 535 00:27:08,840 --> 00:27:13,240 God, a lack of remembering who God was and what he had done for 536 00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:15,920 them. This is one of the many cycles 537 00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:19,080 of sin, desperation, deliverance, and peace that will 538 00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:22,280 come, that we will come to see. But during all those times, we 539 00:27:22,280 --> 00:27:25,280 will see that God is good. Even through the testing that 540 00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:27,880 comes to Israel, God remains good. 541 00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:31,440 His loving character does not change, and it doesn't change in 542 00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:34,560 our day either. Hebrews 13/8 says that Jesus 543 00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:38,120 Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 544 00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:41,800 When we go through testing, we can remember that God is still 545 00:27:41,800 --> 00:27:45,600 in control. God is not a cruel lawgiver. 546 00:27:45,840 --> 00:27:48,480 When a teacher gives their students a test in school, are 547 00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:50,200 they being cruel to their students? 548 00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:54,000 No, contrary to what the student might think, the test isn't to 549 00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:57,800 harm them, but to make sure the student knows what they ought to 550 00:27:57,800 --> 00:27:59,440 know. And I don't want to. 551 00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:02,320 I don't want to drive on the bridge that's been designed by 552 00:28:02,320 --> 00:28:04,200 an engineer that's never been tested. 553 00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:06,920 I don't want to have surgery performed on me by a Doctor 554 00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:10,280 Who's never been tested. We want those around us to be 555 00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:12,600 tested and to know what they're doing. 556 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:16,560 God uses a similar. God uses tests in a similar way 557 00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:19,880 and manner. He wants us to know Him. 558 00:28:20,680 --> 00:28:23,280 I want to clarify that not every bad thing that happens in our 559 00:28:23,280 --> 00:28:27,280 life is a test from God. The world is a sinful place and 560 00:28:27,280 --> 00:28:29,560 we don't always know why certain things happen. 561 00:28:30,040 --> 00:28:33,120 It would be irresponsible and dangerous to tell people that 562 00:28:33,120 --> 00:28:35,800 you're being tested by God every time something happens in their 563 00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:38,280 life. But when we go through life and 564 00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:42,560 we face hardships, it is good to ponder, is God preparing me for 565 00:28:42,560 --> 00:28:45,200 something? It's important to remember God 566 00:28:45,360 --> 00:28:47,040 though. We go through testing because it 567 00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:51,720 helps us align ourselves to Him. God is all powerful. 568 00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:55,440 He could fix our life, our finances, our church, but He 569 00:28:55,440 --> 00:28:58,680 doesn't, at least not on this side of eternity, and not in the 570 00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:01,520 way that we might want. But remembering the character of 571 00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:04,960 God while we go through those difficult experiences helps us 572 00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:08,800 to understand and know Him more. And when we know Him more, we 573 00:29:08,800 --> 00:29:11,400 will love Him more and we will want to obey Him more. 574 00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:14,880 And that is the point. The work of defeating sin has 575 00:29:14,880 --> 00:29:17,360 already been accomplished by Jesus on the cross. 576 00:29:17,720 --> 00:29:20,880 God claimed victory over sin and death, and if we are followers 577 00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:22,760 of Him, we are heirs to that Kingdom. 578 00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:26,760 When we go through testing, then we can remember that God has 579 00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:30,920 already won. In September of 2001, as you 580 00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:33,520 probably all know, there was an attack on the Twin Towers in New 581 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:35,600 York. For those of you old enough to 582 00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:37,840 remember it, I'm sure you'll recall where you were on that 583 00:29:37,840 --> 00:29:39,480 day. And for many of you too, 584 00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:41,840 including myself, you may have been either very young or not 585 00:29:41,840 --> 00:29:44,760 born yet when this attack happened, but it was an event 586 00:29:44,760 --> 00:29:48,200 that changed the world forever. I was just a young boy, so I 587 00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:50,480 don't have any first hand experiences of the event, but 588 00:29:50,720 --> 00:29:54,200 from what I have read and heard, it was a very stressful, intense 589 00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:56,240 time in America and the whole world. 590 00:29:56,760 --> 00:29:59,520 I found a research study conducted by Barna Research that 591 00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:01,320 was done shortly after these attacks. 592 00:30:01,920 --> 00:30:04,320 According to their research, there was a nationwide increase 593 00:30:04,320 --> 00:30:07,400 of church attendance by as much as 25%. 594 00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:12,000 Immediately after, 911 people were flocking into the churches 595 00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:14,400 in droves. One large church in New York 596 00:30:14,400 --> 00:30:17,480 City, pastored by Tim Keller, saw their average attendance go 597 00:30:17,480 --> 00:30:21,440 from 2800 to 5400, and apparently it stayed full and 598 00:30:21,440 --> 00:30:24,320 continued to grow. But unlike that particular 599 00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:28,280 church, in the vast majority of cases there was a brief surge in 600 00:30:28,280 --> 00:30:31,800 attendance followed by a sharp and sudden decline shortly 601 00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:34,160 after. According to the study, the 602 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:36,920 average attendance of most churches went back down to pre 603 00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:39,160 attack levels in just a few weeks. 604 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:42,800 There was no lasting impact for many people that decided to 605 00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:44,600 visit church after those attacks. 606 00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:48,120 They did not stay at church or continue in any faith walk. 607 00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:52,000 In fact, the only pattern that continued was the slow and slip 608 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:55,480 steady decline of those who deemed themselves religious. 609 00:30:56,160 --> 00:30:59,880 It shows a trait of human nature that when we that people want to 610 00:30:59,880 --> 00:31:03,640 seek comfort in times of crisis, people want to have community 611 00:31:03,840 --> 00:31:05,720 and people to go through those hard times with. 612 00:31:06,280 --> 00:31:08,920 But then after the crisis or after the trauma, people will 613 00:31:08,920 --> 00:31:11,880 quickly go back to their old habits and their old way of 614 00:31:11,880 --> 00:31:14,440 life. And I say people, but I could be 615 00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:17,520 saying we because isn't that true for ourselves too? 616 00:31:17,960 --> 00:31:20,480 From the time of the Israelites to the time of the attacks and 617 00:31:20,480 --> 00:31:24,000 to the present day, there's been so much change in the world, but 618 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:26,360 human nature really hasn't changed that much. 619 00:31:26,800 --> 00:31:29,960 The Israelites did not cry out to God until they were harshly 620 00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:33,520 oppressed because of their sin, and God raised up for delivers 621 00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:36,920 delivers for them. But after a brief time of rest, 622 00:31:37,080 --> 00:31:39,720 they soon forgot about God and the things that he had done. 623 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:45,360 I think, like the Israelites, we too are are guilty of forgetting 624 00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:48,880 the goodness of God. When we look at the example of 625 00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:51,480 the brief rise in church attendance after a national 626 00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:56,160 tragedy, we must ask why, or maybe more importantly, what 627 00:31:56,160 --> 00:31:59,320 should be done differently? The people that briefly went to 628 00:31:59,320 --> 00:32:02,720 church after the tragedy, they wanted to have some comfort, and 629 00:32:02,720 --> 00:32:05,280 you can't blame them for that. And it's great to think that 630 00:32:05,280 --> 00:32:08,720 people think of the church when they're in times of need, but 631 00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:11,560 going to the church is not. Going to church is not simply a 632 00:32:11,560 --> 00:32:14,600 means to an end. Many of these new churchgoers 633 00:32:14,600 --> 00:32:17,400 assume that they would go into a building and find comfort just 634 00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:19,920 from being there. And perhaps they did find some, 635 00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:23,400 but it quickly wore off. When things didn't continue to 636 00:32:23,400 --> 00:32:27,200 feel or to go as they imagined it would, they left and they 637 00:32:27,200 --> 00:32:31,520 went on to the next thing. Going to church can feel good 638 00:32:31,680 --> 00:32:34,040 for a little while, but eventually that feeling will 639 00:32:34,040 --> 00:32:36,200 wear off. And now you're left with the 640 00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:38,160 choice. Will I continue going? 641 00:32:38,440 --> 00:32:41,400 Is this worth it? At that point, it's a good idea 642 00:32:41,400 --> 00:32:45,760 to remember the goodness of God, to remember His promises, 643 00:32:46,160 --> 00:32:49,120 Promises like He will be with His people, that there is rest 644 00:32:49,120 --> 00:32:51,520 for the weary, that He will supply our needs. 645 00:32:51,520 --> 00:32:53,400 That He will give wisdom to those that ask. 646 00:32:53,640 --> 00:32:55,480 That he will give peace and strength. 647 00:32:55,480 --> 00:32:57,680 That he works all things together for the good of those 648 00:32:57,680 --> 00:32:59,880 who love Him and are called according to His purpose. 649 00:33:00,160 --> 00:33:04,280 And most importantly, that if we confess our sins, He is faithful 650 00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:08,000 just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all 651 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:10,520 unrighteousness. And that whoever believes in 652 00:33:10,600 --> 00:33:15,440 Jesus will have eternal life. Don't forget those promises. 653 00:33:16,240 --> 00:33:19,440 There's an old hymn called Standing on the Promises. 654 00:33:19,720 --> 00:33:21,280 Part of that song reads like this. 655 00:33:21,640 --> 00:33:24,080 Standing on the promises that cannot fail. 656 00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:28,000 When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail by the living 657 00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:32,360 word of God, I shall prevail. Standing on the promises of God. 658 00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:35,840 Standing on the promises I cannot fall, Listening every 659 00:33:35,840 --> 00:33:39,680 moment to the spirits call, resting in my Savior as my All 660 00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:42,760 in all. Standing on the promises of God. 661 00:33:43,320 --> 00:33:46,800 That hymn is a great reminder to us to not forget the promises of 662 00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:51,240 God, but to stand on them, to hold fast to them, to remember 663 00:33:51,240 --> 00:33:53,960 them. Maybe you're not a Christian and 664 00:33:53,960 --> 00:33:57,200 you don't know those promises. All those promises that I just 665 00:33:57,200 --> 00:33:59,560 listed, those are for you as well. 666 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:03,360 God wants you to draw near to Him and experience those. 667 00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:07,360 They're not limited to a select few, but available for all who 668 00:34:07,360 --> 00:34:10,560 put their trust in Him. And if you've never experienced 669 00:34:10,560 --> 00:34:13,280 what that's like to trust in God, go to someone who is a 670 00:34:13,280 --> 00:34:17,800 Christian who you trust and ask why are you a Christian and ask 671 00:34:17,800 --> 00:34:19,960 them to tell you about the God that they serve. 672 00:34:20,560 --> 00:34:23,400 And to everyone here that does follow Christ, Are you ready to 673 00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:26,880 answer that question? Do you remember the goodness of 674 00:34:26,880 --> 00:34:30,440 God that you can share what He has done to those that need to 675 00:34:30,440 --> 00:34:33,520 know? And the Bible says for the Son 676 00:34:33,520 --> 00:34:36,120 of man came to seek and save the lost. 677 00:34:36,719 --> 00:34:40,719 God sent his only Son to die for our sins and to forever set us 678 00:34:40,719 --> 00:34:44,800 free from the bondage of death, to give us life abundantly. 679 00:34:45,120 --> 00:34:49,280 That is the goodness of God. That is something worth 680 00:34:49,360 --> 00:34:56,280 remembering. Let's pray, Heavenly Father, you 681 00:34:56,280 --> 00:34:59,080 are a good Father. You have granted to us all 682 00:34:59,080 --> 00:35:01,400 things that pertain to life and godliness. 683 00:35:01,960 --> 00:35:04,840 You've given us your Son that through him we have life 684 00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:07,240 everlasting and forgiveness of sin. 685 00:35:07,800 --> 00:35:11,280 You've given us your Spirit to convict us of our sin and draw 686 00:35:11,280 --> 00:35:14,520 us closer to You. And you desire for all people to 687 00:35:14,520 --> 00:35:17,440 be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. 688 00:35:17,880 --> 00:35:21,120 Lord, I pray that we will remember those promises, that 689 00:35:21,120 --> 00:35:25,080 you help us and remind us that You are always with us, that we 690 00:35:25,080 --> 00:35:28,040 won't forget about you and we don't see you or when we are 691 00:35:28,040 --> 00:35:31,360 stubborn or when we go through times of testing, but that we 692 00:35:31,360 --> 00:35:35,160 hold fast to your promises. Lord, help us remember. 693 00:35:35,520 --> 00:35:37,960 It's in Jesus name we pray. Amen.