Deeside Christian Fellowship 17 May 1998

Theme: Fear turned to Faith

 

Reading
Judges 6: 1-16

Children’s Talk

1.      Introduction

Talk about camping. Show children various items of camping gear and ask them what they are used for: e.g. tent peg, tent pole, mallet, groundsheet, stove, pan-holder.

2.      Story: Toby goes camping

Dad tells family to pack for camping trip. Everyone is excited. They travel for two days. They camp in a wheat field, squashing down the crop to make room. They help themselves to whatever they want - cereals, milk, fruit, and even a cow for a barbecue. A field catches fire, and donkeys get driven over a cliff, but this is all just great fun. The family returns home after two weeks, laden with cereal, vegetables, fruit and meat. Toby wants to know who it all belongs to, and why they don’t do anything about it. It’s quite allright, says Dad, the people here are weak and fearful. They grow the food for us because they’re frightened of us.

3.      Lesson

Do you ever get afraid? Fear can stop us doing sensible things and make us do silly things. Did you know that the Bible says fear can be driven out? What is it that drives fear out? Perfect love (1 John 4:18). God’s love for us and in us. If you really know how much God loves you then you won’t be afraid, even though there are frightening things happening. Story of how I throw the spider out. Prayer for those who are afraid.

Second Talk

4.      The Cave Mentality

The Israelites were frightened of the Midianites. They were God’s people, living in God’s land and meant to be enjoying all it provided. But instead they ran and hid in caves and holes in the ground. Gideon was braver than most; he harvested some wheat before the Midianites could get it, but even he was so fearful that he tried to thresh it in secret inside a winepress - that sounds as as foolish as sunbathing inside a tent! Why were they so intimidated? They had turned away from God, lost confidence in him, forgotten his purpose for them, and doubted that he would help them. And what’s more, they had turned to other false gods for help.

5.      The Cave Mentality Affects us too

The community about us is God’s. He is the Lord and King. Why then are we so fearful to live as though he were king? Satan intimidates us, and so we hide in caves. When others mock God, or deny that he exists; when others sneer at Christians and think church-going and praying are weird; when others think nothing of using bad language, saying wrong things, and doing bad things against what God has said; what do we do? Are we bold to tell them what is true and right; are we quick to tell them of Jesus’ love for them; are we ready to warn them of the consequences of wrong-doing? Do we live openly as if God were king? Well, for some of us not very much. We often keep our head down and do and say nothing. And so we let Satan have his way. Oh yes, like Gideon, we can be brave. We come out to show we are Christians and speak of Christ’s love, but we do it inside the winepress - inside the church building. Outside church - at school or work - it can be another matter. Here is a question for you. In the school dining room, or a restaurant or cafe, how intimidated do you feel about giving thanks to God for food openly and publicly?

What is the reason for this? Well often it can be that, like Gideon’s people, we lose confidence in God, forget his purpose for us and the world, and doub that he will help us. And then what is important to the world around us begins to occupy our behaviour too, instead of what is important to God.

6.      God wants to and will deliver us

Judges 6:12-16. The Lord is quite clear about this. The Lord is with us, we are mighty in his strength; we already have that strength, he is sending us, and he will be with us. Even though we may be the least and weakest in the eyes of others, he will be with us and we will succeed. Are you willing to receive that? Gideon was, and the story continues to tell us that God’s Spirit came upon him, and he was able to set the land free.

Do you know what strikes me most about Gideon’s story? Gideon said, “where are all God’s wonders that our fathers told us about?” He thought those days were in the past, but in fact he was living in those days! The opportunity to work hand-in-hand with God was his. We are like that. We fail to realise that we are living in the days when God will do great things through a people who learn to trust him and obey him. Every generation has to learn this for itself. Our trouble so often is that we leave it until an angel challenges us before we take it seriously.

Do you believe that Jesus is God’s Son, that he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords? Do you believe that he has defeated Satan and overcome sin and death? Do you believe that he is with you always? Are you prepared to live and speak and act in a way that shows what you believe, so that God’s kingdom will overthrow the evil one’s power in our community and nation?