As a word of testimony, last week I brought out these Biographies and said to you, “What a lot of people really want most of all, is to sit down and be heard, and then to listen to your story, your life, your experiences.  They want to know that you've experienced things like they've experienced things, and that you believe every word you say.”

Just this past Friday, I was in Broome County Jail like always talking to the Juvees… and I had two brand new guys who came in less than a month ago.  I asked them about their spiritual experiences and one of them says, “never really went to church, I went when they had this basketball thing, and before we started playing they would talk to us… It was so fake, I could tell that it was not something that I wanted, or could believe in.”

Sometimes, when this happens, I can only refer back to a story about my life to start the conversation over, a story that shows what a genuine person looks like, and how God motivated them...

For example: There was this old Italian gentleman who lived alone in New Jersey. He wanted to plant his annual tomato garden, but it was very difficult work, as the ground was hard. His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament:

Dear Vincent,
I am feeling pretty sad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. I know if you were here my troubles would be over. I know you would be happy to dig the plot for me, like in the old days.
Love, Papa

A few days later he received a letter from his son.

Dear Papa,  
DO NOT dig up that garden!  That's where the bodies are buried.
Love,  Vinnie
At 4 a.m. The next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left.  That same day the old man received another letter from his son.  

Dear Papa,
Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now.  That's the best I could do under the circumstances.
Love you, Vinnie.

If Vinny was part of this church, I would encourage him… Vinnie! That was awesome man!  Thank you for being obedient to God.

You may think… I don’t know Jesse, that was a pretty weird way of going about it, I am not sure God would be impressed.

Well... I think God has a sense of humor, in fact I think that God is probably smiling from ear to ear on this story because the HEART of Vinnie was from the kind of stuff that God values.

I am sure he brought a lot of encouragement to his Grandpa, and today I want to stay on that note of encouragement.

So, turn back with me to Judges chapter 6.

Last week we looked at the first part of the biography of Gideon, and I challenged you to really consider the man of Gideon.  To really think about his life, and to try to put yourself into the story as we were discussing it.

For the past few weeks in this sermon series,  I have challenged you to consider what God’s will for your life is, what God’s purpose for your life is, what your beliefs are, and to define your values and what you value about this church.

Part of all of that... was this board, but - did you by chance notice how some of these words about our values appear to be very similar?  

There is Christian love, fellowship, unity, relationships, forgiving spirit, and so forth.  

There is this hidden quality behind all of this that says we need to Love each other… do you see that?

How do we express love to each other?  Talking, listening, sharing our story (biography), being humble, and honest, and so on.  

I like this one on the board that says, “sticking it out together.”

It reminds me of quote which says,

“Encouragement is like a peanut butter sandwich - the more you spread it around, the better things stick together.”

Friends, we all need that foundational level of encouragement from somebody. Don’t you agree?  

That encouraging word where someone comes up to you and says, “I really think you did a fine job on such and such…”

We all need that, it helps to build our confidence and gives us the strength and motivation to fulfill our calling.

I heard a story about this great painter Benjamin West who, when he was a young boy, decided to paint a picture of his sister while his mother was not at home.  He got out the bottles of ink and started, but soon he had an awful mess.

His mother eventually returned and of course saw the mess.  Instead of scolding him, she picked up the portrait and declared, “What a beautiful picture of your sister!”  Then she kissed him.

Later in his life he said, “With that kiss I became a painter.”

This morning I would like for you to see the little “push” or nudge, the “kiss” if you will that God gave to Gideon that gave him the encouragement, the confidence, to step out and be part of God’s great plan.

So how did God encourage Gideon?

#1 - I would like for us to consider that Gideon was encouraged by the prophet “because the prophet believed in him.”

Let me draw your attention to where we left off, verses 11 -12, which reads:

“11 The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.

12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

Mighty Warrior…

Have you ever done that to your child?  

Hey champ, I believe in you! You are so special, I am so proud of you!

Sure, we can relate… but for those of us who know the whole story about Gideon, we are tempted to think that the Prophet... is being… perhaps “sarcastic” here.

After all, when I think about a mighty warrior, I attach the idea of being a mighty warrior to an action.  I think of a tall man with excessive muscles on every part of his body pounding on all the foes that try to subdue him.

OR I picture the confidence of a cowboy meeting in the street at high noon (whistle) taunting his enemy “to make my day.” Right?

But beginning in verse 2 we saw that all of the Israelites were hiding in the clefts of the rocks.

And they were not hiding like a lion hides.  They were not hiding because they were going to pounce, but rather hiding to get out of the way from the oppressor.  

Picture if you will the school yard bully.  If you were the bully, people avoided you.  They would hide behind lockers, or dodge into a classroom.

Why? Because you are eating everybody’s lunch.  

And here was Gideon, hiding his lunch in a wine press.

11 The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.

And so if Gideon was hiding in the winepress, we can assume that he must also have been hiding in the mountains for shelter.

In fact hiding must have been the new normal...

So then, why does God call Gideon a “mighty warrior” when he does not have the marks of a man of action?  Is God being sarcastic?

I’d like to suggest that Gideon had at the core of his being, secured the most important mark as a warrior, faithfulness, to be obedient and to do what was honorable.

Now we could move forward in our story and decide if Gideon was faithful and obedient to his call as a warrior.  And we would see that he was.

But I truly believe, that God had already saw in Gideon’s heart the kind of fertile soil that is required to do God’s work.  God perceived that Gideon was the man for the job because of his Heart.

Let me show you by way of another example: 1 Samuel 16

16 “The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

So this is the story when God chooses another King for Israel and look at the mistake Samuel makes in verse 6.

 6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Ah, there it is.  There is the difference in what I see, compared to what God sees.

In Gideon I see a man who does not look like a mighty man of valour, but God did.  He looked into his heart and saw what He desired.

Now we know that David was a warrior, taking on Goliath one on one, so what exactly was it about Gideon’s heart that was like David’s heart?

I think the quality of their hearts were very similar, for example:

The United States Marine Corps has a Motto. Do you know what it is?

"Semper Fidelis" - it means "Always Faithful".  Marines have proven themselves to have lived up to this motto by the sheer fact that there has never been a mutiny, or even the thought of one, among U.S. Marines.

I would like to suggest that Gideon and David were Marines,  “Always Faithful” towards their God.  

Now, you may disagree with me, you may say “That’s just a big assumption on your part.” And I would agree with you, I can only assume that because we do not have a negative report of Gideon to this point that he was faithful.  

We don’t have a Bible verse that says specifically that Gideon sinned along with the nation.  But we do have the prophet’s testimony who said “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

So, I do believe that Gideon, like David, had the “stuff,” down deep in his heart that was needed in order to be called a mighty warrior.

Let me ask you by way of application, how do you want to enter in to God’s presence?

You may say, well not as Mighty Warrior… lol, OK

How about Mathew 25:19

19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”

Friends our master has been away a long time.  For Gideon, God was gone for at least 7 years… Someday God will return and examine our hearts likewise...

What will He see here in this Biography? Will there be any fruit?

My prayer is that I’ll hear those words, Well done faithful servant? Amen?

Secondly, The prophet encourages Gideon to fulfill his “purpose” as a mighty warrior.

13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go” in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

Church, I would like to encourage us all, that we need to be more like this Prophet.  

We need to see individuals who have the “stuff” down deep inside them that is important to God, and speak directly to them about fulfilling God’s purpose in their life.

Turn with me to 2 Timothy 2

“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. 3 Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.”

Here, the apostle Paul is encouraging Timothy to do this.

If there is someone who you know is reliable and qualified to teach others, please speak that into their lives.  Do not look over this point!

People need this kind of encouragement from those they care about.

How many lives in this room have been changed by someone, like a teacher, or a coach, or even just a friend who had the willingness or obedience to say...

“You have a real heart for people, or a real talent, have you ever considered….. This?

Has anyone here ever been changed by someone speaking purpose into your life like that?

We should be actively engaging and encouraging people to use their gifts and talents for God’s purposes.

If we aren’t encouraging, do you think they will find someone else who is?

I was reading an article recently by someone named Sam Eaton, who wrote about why millennials are dropping out of churches, and he brought up two interesting points about this generation:

Number 1: “We want to be mentored not preach at:  preaching does not reach our generation like our parents and grandparents.  We have millions of podcasts and YouTube videos of Pastors the world over at our fingertips.  For that reason the currency of good preaching is at its lowest value in history.  

Millennials crave relationship, to have someone walking beside them through the muck.  We are the generation with the highest ever percentage of fatherless homes.  We're looking for mentors who are authentically invested in our lives and our future.  

If we don't have real people who actually care about us, why not just listen to a sermon from the couch with the Ecstasy of donuts and sweatpants?”

Let me interrupt the author there for a second and reflect on this church’s values:  

What do I see?

Fellowship, Relationships, Friendships, Welcoming, Edify, Discipleship

Now please don’t walk me out today, I think preaching is important.  But I also think that these other things are equally important.

You will hear me preach for 30 minutes… but you may spend hours encouraging one another.  

We need to speak life into the people we value….  

The article goes on to say, “Secondly we want to feel valued,  churches tend to rely heavily on their young adults to serve.  “Your single, what else do you have to do?”

in fact we're tapped insistently to help out.  And, at its worst extreme, spiritually manipulated with it cringe-worthy words, “you're letting your church down.”  

Millennials are told by this world from the second we wake up to the second we take a sleeping pill that we aren't good enough.

We desperately need the church to tell us we are enough, exactly the way we are.  No conditions or expectations.  

We need a church that sees us and believes in us, that cheers us on and encourages us to chase our big crazy dreams.” End Quote

When I think about some of those points on that article, I think we should be doing a couple of things better.  Probably number one is listening better, and number two, going out of our way to thank the people who are giving so much of their life to the church.

I think as parents and grandparents we want the absolute best for our kids.  

But how are we doing at cheering them on and convincing them that they are loved, and that they are valued?

My point in all of that was to reinforce that the Prophet was both giving value to Gideon as a Mighty Warrior, and at the same time, encouraging him to do what he is called to do...

Let me conclude with the most important encouragement Gideon received, and the most valuable encouragement we can receive,

that is the encouragement found in Verse 16 of Judges 6...

16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you,”

I will be with you…

How many people find encouragement in knowing that God is with you ALWAYS?

Can I see your hands?

When we think about what Gideon was up against, we have to admire his willingness, his obedience, his faith... to stand on the edge of a sea of deadly men…at scream at them!

You have to admire that.  

How could he do such a thing?

He did it because he had the faith that God would be with him, and fighting alongside him.

Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you;
   do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
   I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

We received a similar commission as Gideon, and we were given the same encouragement:

Mathew 28:18 “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore “go” and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

As Gideon stood, so we stand.  We stand at the edge of a sea of men out numbered maybe a million to one.  But we have been commissioned by God to wake them up.

How long have we been standing there?  Looking out into the sea of men... we do not see weapons of war.  No arrows, no swords, no deadly weapons that will cut your flesh,  Instead we see weapons of words, hatred, ridicule, slander, gossip, and all of the other weapons used by Satan’s army to make you cower at the line.

Every moment we waste at the line of battle, Satan is expanding his troops through lies and deception.

Every second we don’t cross that battle line - not between flesh and blood, but for the spiritual battle in the hearts of men, we are losing ground.

What are we waiting for? Don’t we believe?

Why aren’t we drawing the sword of the spirit?  Why aren’t we blowing the trumpet? Why aren’t we screaming at the top of our lungs and engaging the Holy Spirit in war?

Some of you have read the book of Revelation.  Some day a different trump will sound.  When that trumpet sounds our mission and our purpose in this life is over, and all of the lives that we could have recruited to join the ranks of God’s army, will now find themselves on the wrong side of war.

The prophet took the time to Encourage Gideon, to call purpose into his life, and he remained at his side when he was called into battle.

Some folks don’t receive this kind of encouragement.  Some folks are walking a pretty long and hard road.  

What can we do better, to be more like the Prophet?  

What can we do better to be more like Christ?

Let’s Pray

“Praise to you God our Father, you are the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from you.” 2 Corinthians 1:3