Transcription
What's going on, family? My name is Vernon Gordon. I get the privilege of serving as the lead pastor of the Life Church. We're one church in many locations, and we're so grateful that you would take time to listen to this sermon. We pray it blesses you. And if it does, share it with somebody else. And if you desire to be a part of what God is doing through the life of this church, you can give using the information below. I promise you this. Everything you sow, we promise to steward well so that lives can continue to be changed for the glory of God.
Well, you're about to jump into a sermon in a series we're in called Hidden Figures where we're uncovering the powerful contribution of women in the Bible. From the beginning to the back of the Bible, you see women show up who lead, who show up for Jesus, and show up to take the movement of the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth. Hey, I can't wait to take you into this next journey. Join us as we step into Hidden Figures.
>> Hey, let's jump to the book of Judges. Really excited about part two of this series. And just to give you a foreshadow, y'all, you are in for a treat throughout the rest of this series. Uh, we're going to be hearing from amazing women throughout this congregation, from multiple backgrounds who are going to bring forth the word. And I'm excited today to share about one that I believe is going to inspire us all. Judges chapter 4. Going to read a considerable amount of verses today. Uh, it is my prayer that you don't fall asleep. And so that I can help you, I'm going to try to read fast. Amen.
>> After Ehud's death, the Israelites again did evil in the Lord's sight. So the Lord turned them over to King Jabin of Hazor, a Canaanite king. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim. Sisera, who had 900 iron chariots, ruthlessly oppressed the Israelites for 20 years. Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help. Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet who was judging Israel at the time. She would sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim. And the Israelites would go to her for judgment. One day she sent for Barak, son of Abinoam, who lived in Kedesh in the land of Naphtali. Some of y'all would have never looked at those words. Y'all just would have Y'all know how y'all do. Y'all be like, "There. I got my phonics written out though. I said, I'm not going to embarrass myself in front of them today." She said to him, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, commands you. Call out 10,000 warriors from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun of Mount Tabor, and I will call out Sisera, commander of Jabin's army, along with his chariots and warriors to the Kishon River. There I will give you victory over him. There I will give you victory over him." Barak told her, "I will go, but only if you go with me." "Very well," she replied, "I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture, for the Lord's victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman." So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. At Kedesh, Barak called together the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, and 10,000 warriors went up with him. And Deborah also went with him. Then Deborah said to Barak, "Get ready. This is the day the Lord will give you victory over Sisera, for the Lord is marching ahead of you." So Barak led his 10,000 warriors down the slopes of Mount Tabor into battle.
Just want to read two more verses, 23 and 24. I just want to tell you how this ends. I want to tell you how this ends. Let me take you to the end of the story. Verse 23. So on that day, Israel saw God defeat Jabin, the Canaanite king. And from that time on, Israel became stronger and stronger. Somebody say stronger and stronger >> against King Jabin until they finally destroyed him.
I want to preach from this thought today. If you're a notetaker, I pray that you are. I want to preach from the thought: the problem solver. Would you look at somebody next to you? Say, "Hey friend, >> I'm a problem solver." >> That was the wrong person. Come on, find somebody cuter than you. Look at them in the eyes. Say, "Hey, you." >> Hey, you. >> I'm a problem solver. >> I'm a problem solver. >> Lord, I pray now that they not hear my voice or see my face, but only hear and see the voice and face of you that lives in me. I decrease as you increase. Have your way. It's in the name of Jesus we pray. And everybody said together, amen. The problem solver.
A family. I I believe that one of the fundamental theological responsibilities of the church and any of us who have the privilege of preaching the gospel is to highlight biblical responses to life's problems. I believe that when we read the Bible integrally, uh, we run into every turn the the opportunity to see how God desires for us to respond when problems emerge. Because here's one thing that we all have in common. I need you to hear me loud and clear. We all will encounter problems. >> I don't care how much you love God. I don't care how long you do church. I don't care how smart you are. I don't care how many degrees you got. We all will experience >> problems. I I I don't Nobody's going to be honest today, but if I can just get a few honest people in the room to just lift your hand quickly if you've been here before. Some of us will encounter people problems. Come on. Where my people problem? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Some of us will encounter physical problems. Come on here. I know that testimony. Some of us will encounter perception problems. We didn't see a season clearly. Some of us will experience planning problems. We thought life was going to go one way >> and it went another. >> I know I'm not gonna get no amens here. Some of us will encounter patience problems. >> Come on. More hands should have went up right there. Some of y'all can't sit through an hour of traffic, let alone when God slows you down in a season. We all will encounter problem. Problems are inevitable. And here's what I need you to understand today. Spiritual formation in many ways is about getting the tools to respond to problems in a way that don't compromise your kingdom character. >> Because the challenge is not if you're going to encounter problems. The question is what kind of person are you going to be when the problem shows up? >> Come on. You love God. You love God. It's just that when your problems show up, a different version of you shows up. And I need you to understand that when we read through scripture, sometimes what God is showing us through prescription and sometimes through principle is how to respond to life's greatest problems. And here's what I've come to find. Most people use the Bible to build beliefs, but never to build their behaviors. >> I'm going say it again cuz y'all didn't like it. Most people >> love the Bible to build their beliefs. BUT WHEN'S THE LAST TIME it changed your behavior? >> Okay, let me make it plain. You sing songs like "Rain Came" with I was just singing. Look, >> but then when the storm showed up in your life, YOU FELL APART >> BECAUSE IT SOUNDED GOOD TO SING ON SUNDAY, but it couldn't have a behavior shift on Monday. And I need somebody to understand today that what the Bible is intended to do is prepare you for storms you ain't even seen yet. That that that is not just something to read for consumption, but you read it for transformation, that it shifts something in you, that it changes the way you talk, that it changes the way you live, that it changes the way here it is you respond >> when problems present themselves. And in many ways, biblical stewardship is the greatest life hack to some of life's biggest problems.
What I've come to find, what I've come to find, maybe you have as well, is that is that we uh grew up when we go to school, we went to school, we grew up having to deal with different types of problems. And growing up, this is my my own opinion. I don't want to look at no educators when I say this cuz I feel like they going to be upset when it so I'm not going to make no eye contact with no educators. Let me just identify where they at in the room. Uh, growing up is recognizing that there was a lot of stuff I learned in school that I wouldn't need after school. Making no eye contact with no educators cuz y'all ain't going to like this. I mean, can we just be honest for a second? I still don't know what a hypotenuse is. Hypotenuse. Still don't remember. If I'm being honest, I'm being honest. I took trigonometry, sine, cosine, tangent. Still don't know what it mean. Got my degree though. Some of y'all like trigonometry. I ain't even take that class. I just trick.
Recently, my wife and I were out of town. We were at a good friend's church, a Forest City church in South Carolina. And and we were at a conference, and I was flying back early for church, and my wife was staying for this women's conference on that Sunday. And uh, and she she said right before I got on the plane, she said, "Babe, I do want to remind you." She said, "The Jackson has a science project due on Monday, and it is a significant part of his grade." And she knew that from that moment forward, I was scared out of my mouth cuz why would you do THAT TO ME? WHY WOULD YOU PUT ME IN this position? Y'all, we doing this science project, y'all. The science project was about the layers of the ocean floor. Y'all, I promise you, I ain't never learned this stuff in my life. The continental rise. The continental shelf, the abyssal plain. What is this? AND ALL OF US PROBABLY learned it at some point, but you learned some things in school that you didn't need after school. You know what my advice to my son was? I told him, I said, "Just son, just don't go down there. When you get to the beach, don't go down there far." Tell you one thing though, we got a 94 on that project though. What's up, though? Thank you. Thank you. I'm not available to help anybody else's children. Thank you.
Here's what I'm trying to tell you. I'm trying to tell you that there's some things that we learned that we didn't need. But can I tell you one thing I think we did learn that we do need? Word problems. >> You remember word problems? Word problems. You get a little math problem and then attach some names to it. They be like, "John has 12 apples. >> John gave you four apples. How many apples do you have left?" I was like, "See, that makes sense to me." Cuz I still use word problems today. Cousin Nini need $20. >> Cousin Nini don't got no job. I need TO FIGURE OUT IF I GIVE Cousin Nini $20, when am I going to get, you know, still we still doing her problems today. And I was uh I was helping my kids now. My daughter's in middle school and and so now I'm at the stage where I'm trying TO HELP THEM WITH PROBLEMS THAT I DON'T REMEMBER HOW TO SOLVE. >> Set it up, sir. And and I I begin to go to AI because you know, Chat GPT helped me out. And I said, I said, "Come on here. I said, how do you effectively solve word problems?" They said three things. Help me out, Minister J. It said this. Said, "Read carefully. Focus on the key question." This is the part. "And eliminate irrelevant information." >> I'm going to say it again. It said, "If you really want to solve the problem well, read carefully, focus on the key question, and eliminate irrelevant information." In other words, some of us are still in the same problem because we're looking at the wrong thing. But I need somebody to recognize that when you get a relationship with God, he not only helps you solve the problem, he helps you see the problem. AND SOME OF US ARE STILL IN THE same season because WE DIDN'T SEE THE PROBLEM, RIGHT? >> You you thought you were having a people problem and really you having a discipline problem. >> You thought you had a promise problem and really you have a patience problem. Yes. >> You You thought you had Okay, y'all not going to like this. You thought you had a relationship problem. >> Really, you have an insecurity problem. >> I'm preaching better than they saying amen on the right. I'm going to talk to the left. >> And if you're not careful in your life, you will spend a season of cycles >> saying, "Why am I still in the same problem?" And God said, "It's because the first thing you have to do, son, the first thing you have to do, daughter, is you got to see the problem, right? To solve the problem, >> right?"
And this is why I love what we learn from Deborah. >> Deborah. Deborah in the text comes up in Judges chapter 4. And if you don't know the backstory of Deborah, I'm going to get to her in just a moment. But it's important that we first understand what the book of Judges is all about. Because if we don't understand the book of Judges, we can't fully appreciate Deborah's role and influence in the community of Israel. The book of Judges, it it takes place in chapter 4 here. And uh, and they've been in 20 years of inequity and bondage for 20 years. By the time we get to chapter 4, they've been in this place. And it's important to understand that that the book of Judges highlights to us the many leaders who came along to help govern and guide the people of Israel while they were in a season not in promise but in wilderness. And and judges serve in many different ways. They served as military leaders in a time of crisis. >> But not only did they serve as military leaders, the judges were there for about 350 years to serve as a source of wisdom and judgment. Now, when you hear the word judgment, I don't want you to hear about it the way we use it culturally today. What it meant to judge was when problems emerged in the community, they would bring them to the judge of the time to share wisdom about how to navigate the next step. >> So, when we see judges emerge like Gideon and the others, they are helping to guide their community in wisdom and in the ways of God. And this happened for about 350 years until we get to Saul. I remember Saul. Saul was the one they decided they wanted to be king. They they said, "We're tired of judges. We want a king like everybody else." But for 350 years prior to Saul, we see judges after judges leading the community. And this is important because Deborah is tied for the second longest leading judge in scripture. >> She led for 40 years. And following her leadership, they experienced 40 years of peace. Don't miss this. Deborah is tied for the second longest leadership life cycle in the community of Israel. God's people. 40 years of leadership followed by 40 years of peace. And this is God's people. Okay. In other words, let me pause and parenthetically note to those who would ask me the question, "Well, Bernard, why is it that you believe women can preach? And why is it that women lead here? And why is it that you believe that God poured out his spirit on all flesh, sons and daughters?" Well, I just believe that if God used Deborah to lead for 40 years, and it was the longest tenure of leadership, if God trusted a woman WITH HIS PEOPLE, WHY shouldn't we trust a woman to lead us? Y'all quiet in here today? And I'm here to tell you, if you want to know what type of church we are, we are a church THAT BELIEVES THAT GOD STILL USES WOMEN TODAY. That I find it affirming and that the scripture reveals to us that God entrusts women from the beginning of the Bible to the back of the Bible. All throughout scripture, he entrusts them with the responsibility to lead. And here is Deborah leading her community, judging her community. She is one who is being used by God. This gives us a greater appreciation for who Deborah is.
Let me walk you through the text. The text tells us that Deborah is several things. Number one, it starts off by telling us she's a wife. That's what the text says, right? Tells us that Deborah is a wife. But not only is she a wife, the Bible tells us Deborah is a prophet. She carries a prophetic gift, a prophetic grace. This means she speaks truth to power. This means she carries a grace on her life to be a proclaimer of God's heart. But not only that, she's a judge. We just talked about that. A judge is one who carried wisdom and and they helped resolve issues in the community and provide guidance to the community of Israel in a time absent of leadership. But then it also reveals to us later on in the text that she is a military leader. That when we read the text, what's so interesting is that not only does she initiate this battle, but she is the one who built the strategy for it. >> Don't miss it. Deborah initiates them going into battle and she builds the strategy for their victory. Here's what she teaches us. Are you ready? Ready. Wife, prophet, judge, military leader. Don't miss it. Wife, prophet, judge, military. Let me see if I can remember. Y'all ready? Let's do it together. Wife, >> prophet, judge, military. Here's what she reveals to us. The greatest threat to your beliefs are not the people you face, but the boxes you build. >> It's not your beliefs that are killing you. It's not people that are stopping you from becoming all that God called you to be. It's the boxes that we build in our world and in our minds and in our hearts that are preventing. And this is why boxes are dangerous. Don't miss this. Because they limit you to a previous season's obedience. >> They limit you to a previous yes to God. And then you start telling God no. Because your vision of you isn't bigger than his vision of you. And so you CREATE BOUNDARIES AND BOXES WHEN YOU SHOULD SAY, "NO, GOD. Whatever you call me to be, and whoever you called me to become, I can do that." And I love what Deborah shows us. She shows us that I don't have to get rid of one to become the next. That you can be a wife and a builder. Y'all quiet. That you can be an entrepreneur and an influencer. Come on here. That you can be a teacher and you can be all that God called you >> be. >> Temper, wife, judge, prophet, military leader.
But then we see something else in Judges chapter 5. Judges chapter 5. In the song of Deborah, it says this in verse 7. "There were few people left in the villages of Israel until Deborah arose. Don't miss this. As a mother for Israel." >> Yeah. >> This is important. She arose as a mother of Israel. So she is wife, prophet, judge, military leader, and mother. Don't miss this. She had many roles but one mantle. Ah >> teach that >> and her designation as mother of Israel is not simply descriptive but prescriptive. It is an indication of her covering and her function in the community of Israel. That while she didn't birth the entire tribe, she took on a mantle of mothering so that she could cover them and equip them and bring them into their future. I'm here to tell somebody today that some of you having birth children, BUT GOD IS CALLING you to carry a greater mantle. >> That that that there is a mothering mantle that Deborah carried. She looks at her people and 20 years of bondage, 20 years of living beneath their standard, 20 years of being in inequity, and she says, "I am called to bring them out."
It's important because because I grew up in one of them homes. I don't know if anybody like me. I grew up in one of them homes. Um, I I grew up in one of them homes. My mom always hit the first service. I ain't made no eye contact with her. I I got triggered looking over here again and she ain't even here no more. My God. I I grew up in one of them homes where my mama would say things like that used to irritate me. She used to say this. She used to say this. She used to say, "As for me, >> didn't that irritate you?" >> I used to BE LIKE, "MOM, EVERYBODY GOING TO THE PARTY. >> I ain't everybody, mama." She would say, "As for me, >> and my house, we will serve the Lord." I'd be like, "I'd be like, "Ma, everybody stays out past 10:00." >> My mom would say, "You can try to come here past 10 if you want to." I had a friend, true story, come home with me from college, freshman year. Freshman year. Mario came home with me from college freshman year. And uh, and he stayed in my house and and his house at his house, his parents let him kind of, you know, set his own curfew. And he said, "I'mma stay with you when you come to my house." I said, "Let me tell you something. My house not like your house. I need you to understand our houses don't don't work the same." And so, so he came and he was like, "Man, your mom going to be fine." I said, "You you ain't met my mama." And so, so we were there. We were there and and this is what happened, y'all. Uh uh we decided to stay out a little past 10. >> And when we got back to the house, that door was locked. And there ensued a conversation through the door. where my mother explained to us what honoring her house >> looked like.
Can I just give you one more? I know nobody's going to be able to agree with this one. There's only a few of y'all. This real. Everybody ain't been here before. Some Some of y'all been here, but everybody ain't been here before. But but one time I remember y'all this safe space, right? This safe this safe. >> Can I tell y'all the truth? >> I'mma lose two members when I say this. Y'all sure? Can I tell y'all the truth? I remember when I about 9 years old, y'all, I cussed. I cussed. I did. I cussed. And um I cussed in my neighborhood and um my mama found out. My mama found out cuz I grew up in one of them neighborhoods where they told on you. And um we still need them type of neighborhoods that exist again. We'll talk about it later. And uh said a little curse word. And my mama, I ain't gonna tell you which one. Y'all nosy. And um my mama my mama took me in the bathroom. >> She grabbed a bar of soap >> and she began rubbing it on my tongue. See, y'all don't know nothing about this. I told the woman at the first service, I said, "I don't even think this legal no more." And she washed my mouth out with soap. He said, "Because as for me and this house, there will be a purity of your tongue. There will be a way you live. There'll be a way you honor. There'll be a way you grow up. There'll be a type of man you become." And I'm just trying to look for about 50 people in the room today and a hundred online that say, "I'M NOT GOING TO ALLOW MY GENERATION to live beneath his standard. I'M GOING TO STOP ALLOWING MY CHILDREN TO LIVE. I KNOW WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE DOES, BUT AS FOR ME IN THIS HOUSE, I KNOW WHAT CULTURE SAYS. AS FOR THIS HOUSE, I KNOW WHAT THEY DO AT OTHER places, but as for me and this house, we break generational curses. As for me and this house, we get out of financial bondage. Y'all quiet here today. AS FOR ME AND THIS HOUSE, WE WILL WALK IN DEBT FREEDOM. I WISH I HAD A FEW PROPHETS in the room that would say, "IT STOPPED WITH ME. AS for me and this house, we will be a generation that goes forward and we will not stay here any more."
And this is who Deborah is. The prophet, the leader, the strategist says, "I believe that we can be better. We can be more." And she calls her community higher. And she shows us four things that we desire in principle to solve problems. And every problem that shows up in our life, we can look at Deborah's life and see in principle a way to respond. Here's number one. The first thing she shows us is that the problem needs God's presence. >> Don't miss this. And if you desire to be the problem solver that God has called you to be, the problem that you are navigating needs God's presence. Notice verse six. This is so important. The Bible says she tells Barak, "The Lord commanded us to go and he's marching ahead of us." But I love what verse six says. It says, "The Lord God of Israel." Now, now in modern reading and in Western culture, we underappreciate these five words being put and constructed in this order. But it's important that we understand that every time we engage the Bible, we're in a cross-cultural, cross-generational experience. Are y'all with me? And so when we read the scripture, the the the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic. And when we read the original writing and you see those five words together, "The Lord God of Israel," it was not a casual construction of words. It actually was intended to signify Yahweh, the covenant nature of God. >> And anytime they put these five words together, it was intended to do two things. Emphasize God's sovereignty, but also don't miss this. Distinguish him from the other pagan gods in the surrounding nation. >> This is important. In other words, what it reveals to us in principle is that IT IS VERY POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO BE FOLLOWING A VOICE and not his voice. >> That's right. >> That it is very possible for you to be following something that you have made a god in your life. >> THAT IS NOT YAHWEH, THE GOD THAT NEEDS to lead your life. >> And and we don't use this language anymore, but some of us need to be really careful. In our culture >> that we be mindful and discerning about what am I actually following into battle? >> Because some of us got into some fights that God never told us to go into. >> You put God in it, but God said, "I ain't never..." >> You said, "The Lord is going with us." The Lord said, "I ain't never tell you I was going there." >> No, no, no. Baby, your feelings took you into that battle. No, no, no. The spirit of revenge >> took you into that battle. I I didn't tell you to get in the comments and have a battle. Y'all quiet. I didn't tell you to respond. I you what took you to that battle? >> And so when he says the Lord, when she says the Lord, God of Israel, she is making a distinction that I have spent time with the Lord. And the presence of God goes before us into this battle. And this is important. Don't don't miss this. Write this down. And it is spiritually immature to try and get out of seasons you never invited God into. >> It is spiritually immature to try and get out of seasons you never first invited God into. And so you're trying TO SOLVE A PROBLEM YOU NEVER saw correctly. Because you thought, "God, you must want me to leave this job." And God said, "No, I want you to stay because I'm teaching you discipline." >> Y'all like, "Oh, I don't want I don't want this word." Mother's Day, Vernon. Really? >> Because the presence of God doesn't only lead you to your preferences. >> Sometimes you follow God and it feels like pain. >> Sometimes you follow God and it feels like a fight. We see this over and over again in scripture. Joshua was following God and then as soon as he got into the promised land, the first thing he had to do was fight a battle called Jericho. Sometimes you're following God and you're still fighting stuff. But I'm here to tell you today that putting God in front is still the best place you could be. >> Presence of God. Presence of God.
Here's my concern for our culture, though. My concern I want to spend a little bit more time on this point than the others because my concern for modern Christianity is that we've fallen in love with the presence of God as a commodity >> but not a tool of true transformation. >> In a world we CAN WATCH AN HOUR WORTH OF YOUTUBE WORSHIP. >> We make the presence of God the thing that make us feel good but not the thing that actually forms us. And if you're not careful, you treat the presence of God as an appetizer and not the entree. >> Dangerous. >> You're like, "Yeah, God God is God is good. I love him on Sunday." >> Can I Can I mess with some of y'all theology? Are you ready for this? Sunday is the appetite. >> That's right. >> This is not how you get full. You really want to get full. >> That's right. >> You come on Sunday and you get a text to read and then you spend the rest of the week reading Judges chapter 5. Come on here. Judges chapter 7, Judges chapter 9. You don't just hear a scripture on Sunday. You said, "I'm reading on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, th you want to really get full off the presence of God. SPEND MORE TIME WITH HIM than one day a week. Show me a relationship where you invest one day a week and you grow." But we treated Sunday like it's the the whole whole meal. I I was talking to somebody the other day and I was like, "Appetizers and entrees are interesting thing for me cuz I like food." Any foodies out here? Where y'all at? Come on here. Um, and uh, we're just going to do a little quiz real quick. We're going to do a little I need y'all to help me out. We do a little quiz real quick. Okay, little quiz. Tap me neighbor. Say, "Little quiz." Little quiz. Little quiz real quick. Real quick. Uh, I want you to tell me, is this an appetizer or an entree? Put that up on the screen. Is this an appetizer or an entree? Uh, what is this, y'all? Appetizer, right? Now, some of y'all don't know how to make these. We going to talk about that another day, though. >> An appetizer. >> Okay. Okay. Go to this next one. What's this next one? Let me see this next one. What is this, y'all? Is this an appetizer or entree? >> It's an entree. It's an entree. It's an entree. Okay. Let's go to this next one. Let me see this one. A trick one. It's a trick one right here. Watch it. Cuz you know, you know, balling on a budget, they be like, "Can I just get the wings, please?" They be like, "You want something else?" Like, "No, that's it for me tonight. That and a water shake." But for the purpose of the day, we going to say appetizer. Go next one. Next one. Next one real quick. Come on. Come on. Let me see the next one real quick. Come on. What's this? It's an appetizer. It's an appetizer. Don't get full off of that. Come on. Next one. Next one. Let me see real quick. Let me see. What's this one? >> Come on. Good little salmon. Come on here. Huh? Last one. Last one. I got to move. Last one. I got to move. What's this, y'all? >> It's an entree. It's an entree. In other words, we understand the difference. And the difference is important. Watch this. Cuz one is designed to hold you over. >> The other is designed to fill you up. And some of y'all been living with a hold over faith. But I came to let somebody know what you've been really looking for in your problem is the presence of God. You've been needing to sit with him longer than Sunday. And when you get into the presence OF GOD, THAT PROBLEM YOU THOUGHT WAS BIG, YOU GOING TO RECOGNIZE IS SMALL COMPARED TO YOUR GOD. I NEED 50 PEOPLE TO KNOW THEY GOT YAHWEH ON THEIR SIDE. I NEED 50 PEOPLE TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE GOD OF HEAVEN and the God of earth is fighting on your behalf. And when the presence of God shows up in your life, you'll get full >> and it'll give you faith >> to show up. But you got to stop living a hold over faith. >> That's right. Spiritual maturity is seeking God long enough to know where his presence is actually leading. >> That's what Deborah does. Bible says she spends time with God. The Lord reveals to her going into battle.
But then this is the second thing, real quick. We going to move these next real quick. Real quick. You ready? Here's the second thing though. She shows us if we're going to be problem solvers, the second thing we need is a plan. >> Yeah. >> I'm going to say this point real fast. You ain't going to like it, but you need it. You ready? Notice the details. She tells Barak, she says, "Call out 10,000 warriors from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun of Mount Tabor." In other words, she said, "Just go get anybody. Get folk who can fight." >> See, that's the problem with some of us. >> You call somebody, you just call the wrong person. >> You call people who going to just whine with you. I know nobody going to say amen right there. >> But every now and then, you need somebody to say, "Hey, I'm done crying with you. Let's get ready to get out of this. Come on. Where my fighters at? Where my friends who like, "I'm ready to pull up. What we talking about?" Some of y'all like physically and spiritually. What kind do you need? I do both. Hand. I'm a both hand Christian. Which? Okay. Okay. Then she says, "I will call out Sisera to the Kishon River. There I will give you victory over them. There I will give you victory over them. There." Verse 7 says, "I will give you victory over them." Then he says, "You got to go with me." And they establish a plan for victory. Why is this important? Because God doesn't just give promises, he gives plans. >> Joshua is about to go into battle. Jericho, he gives Joshua a land. Gideon goes into battle. He says, "I want you to take jars. I want you to take torches. I want you to smash them. I want you to scream." He gives Gideon a plan. New Testament Jesus, the disciples come to him one day and they say, "Hey, Jesus, we got to pay our taxes." Jesus says, "Okay, let me tell you what you're going to do. You're going to go down to the water. You're going to fish. When you fish, there's going to be the fish you catch. The first fish you catch, I want you to open up his mouth. When you open up his mouth, there's going to be a coin. I want you to take the coin, give to Caesar what's rendered unto Caesar." He gives them a, >> And this is so vitally important because there's always a "there" in the plan that God gives you. Verse seven, "There I will give you victory." "There I will give you victory." And many of us want this, but we never arrived there. >> You never followed the plan. >> God told you to post every day for a month. >> Wow. >> You never followed the plan. >> God told you in faith to start the business. You're like, "But I don't got all the resources. I don't know what I'm going to do." And God said, "I'll handle all of that. >> You just get there. I'll do this." >> God told you. God told you. God told you to say, "Hey, I want you to homeschool that baby." >> Come on. That's right. >> See, I ain't get no amens right there. Boy, on Mother's Day, it was quiet. I'm going to get off of that real fast. I don't know what God told you to do. I'm simply telling you that God doesn't just give promises. He gives plans. What is the plan that God has given you in your heart so that you can walk in the victory?
Here's the third thing. You got to understand this. You're not going to like this. Tap your leg. Say, "You're not going to like this one. You're not going to like this one. You're not going to like this one. You're not going to like this one." Here's number three. The problem needs people. >> I ain't going to stay here long at all because, you know, I know some of y'all got some food on the crockpot and it's Mother's Day and you're getting some crabs. So, let me just get to the big idea. Deborah does not do battle alone. >> That's right. >> She does battle in community. >> And this is why I think one of the greatest attacks on modern Christianity is pride and isolation. >> Because here's what culture teaches us. That we believe we can produce in personality what God tells us to produce in partnership. >> So you collect degrees and and you you study communication and and you post a video with just the right lighting and and you do all the right things in personality. But all throughout the Bible, we see God call people into divine partnership. And the prayer that some of us need to have is not just, "Lord, are you calling me to be the one to lead people out?" but, "Who are you calling me to partner with to bring it to pass?" What is the divine partnership that God is calling you to? And I love what happens. I love what happens. Deborah gets the call of God. She calls Barak. Partnership. I love what Barak says back to her. He says, "I'll go if you go. I don't want to do this alone either." >> They understand the value of doing it together. None of them let their pride get in the way of their potential. >> Here's what I want you to see. We must first be delivered from pride before we can be delivered from bondage. >> A lot of us are still stuck in the same problem because your pride has to die before partnership can emerge. Because for some of you, God has already put the person you need next to you. But if God was to rebuild them right now, you'd put up a wall and resent them anyway. >> You'd resist what God sent and try to do it on your own. And God is bringing down the wall of pride and isolation so that you can walk into the future. I love what Harry Truman says. He said, "It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." >> That's attention. Some of us are like, "But but who going to get the credit?" Love what the text says. In this text, it says, "A woman is going to get the credit." And in this day and time, this is paramount. This would have been unheard of. It it would have been unfathomable that a woman led them into battle and was responsible for the victory. >> And Barak at that moment could have said, "No, I ain't going if I'm not going to get the credit." He understands that God is calling him into a divine partnership that he needs people and she needs people in order for them to deliver a generation.
Here's the last thing and I'm done. I'm just if we are going to be the problem solvers that God has called us to be, what Deborah teaches us in principle is that the problem don't this needs patience. Patience. No, we won't like this word in our culture today. And I think one of the great dangers of sometimes being a preacher of the gospel is we have the ability to stop the text wherever we want. >> And so we could have just shouted, "The Lord is marching ahead of me." We we could have we could have shouted at verse 23. "So on that day, Israel saw God defeat Jab." le out. But when you read verse 24, it reveals something very significant that I think many of us feel more often than we care to admit in the body of Christ. It reveals to us that on that day they won a battle, but they still hadn't won the war. Let's look at verse 24. It said, "And from that time on, Israel became stronger and stronger against David until somebody say until." They finally destroyed him. For some of you, this is the season you found yourself in. You've been navigating a problem and a tension and a pain point and and something in your life and you're like, "Man, I I I know that I'm doing all the right things. I know I'm praying, and I know I'm in the presence of God, and I know I'm following God, and I mean, I know that I'm I'm I'm I'm putting a plan to work. Why does it still feel like I'm fighting?" Because sometimes God does it overnight and sometimes God does it over time. Bible says they won a battle that day, but they still were fighting that stronger and stronger, stronger and strong until they finally defeated him. Here's what I've come to find. Most people think they are losing because we have taught the church to celebrate suddenly, not steadily. >> We only get excited over suddenly. When a lot of us leave here dealing with steadily. >> But can I encourage you today? I want to encourage you that even if it feels like you're still in a fight that you started some time ago, that the Bible says that while they were in the battle, they got stronger and stronger and stronger and stronger. And I know you don't see it today, but the problem is creating a version of you that's going to be stronger on the other side. So I dare you to give God a 30-second praise for the version of you that's going to show up on the other side of this fight. They said, "This time I was insecure on the front side, but on the back side I know who I am. I was depressed on the back side, but on the other side I'mma be confident. I was anxious on the front side, but on the back side I'mma KNOW WHO I I'M GETTING STRONGER and stronger and STRONGER AND STRONGER." To that mother who's been praying for your children and you said, "Is it working?" I'm here TO TELL YOU TODAY, THE BATTLE MAY NOT BE WON TODAY, but keep praying, keep believing, keep sowing, keep coming to God. It's going to happen. And they kept fighting until >> And some of us have given up too soon. >> Because we believe that our until would never come. I'm here to tell you today that the problem you see today, there's an until in your story as well. >> So, can I encourage you? Let us all learn from Deborah what it means to follow the presence of God, to recognize that our problems need people. They need plans. Sometimes we also need patience where God is at work even when we can't see it. And everything changes when a mothering figure named Deborah says, "Enough is enough. The problem ends with me."
Would you stand on your feet all across this room? I believe today that God is calling us to be the problem solvers of our communities, problem solvers of our city, problem solvers of our school systems, problem solvers of our industry, problem solvers of the challenges of the modern church. Whatever God has burdened your heart, you are the one God is calling you. And don't you dare let the boxes that people put on you. Keep you from becoming all that God has called you to.
Close your eyes for a moment. I just want to pray for us. Father, I thank you now for the sons and daughters you have in this room. Every background, every generation, every ethnicity, every economic class, we all have a problem we are called to solve. I pray now, God, that you would awaken in us a holy burden, a divine problem-solving passion that we won't just watch a generation fall away, but we'll go after it. We won't just watch our family fall away. We just won't watch our children fall away. We just won't watch our churches crumble. We will say, "I am called to help solve problems."
And now God, maybe there's one who wants to accept you as their Lord and Savior. Maybe they came here today invited by a friend, a cousin, a coworker. They don't know much about you, but they know that they feel the presence of the Lord. And they say, "I don't want to leave here the way I came. I want to give my life to Jesus." And I want you to know something loud and clear that God doesn't care about what you did last year, last month, last night, right now. God loves you. The Bible tells us that he gave his only son to die for your sins and he rose for your freedom. All you have to do, the Bible tells us in the book of Romans, confess with your mouth, believe in your heart, and you can be saved. So we pray this prayer all together. And if you want to receive Jesus, simply have to just pray this prayer with us believing that the Lord Jesus died for your sins, rose for your freedom on the third day, and is inviting you into a life-giving relationship with the Father. So repeating after me, here's how we pray. We say, "Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus, >> thank you >> for dying for my sins. >> Thank you. >> Thank you >> for rising for my freedom. >> From this day forward, I give you my life. I am saved. In Jesus name, amen."
Come on, would you give the Lord a big hand clap of praise all over this room?