Sermon Tone Analysis

*Tom Myers*

*Principles for Conquest*

*Judges 7:1-23*

 

Three things are necessary if we would know victory.

*FIRST -- God at times will test our faith** (**Judges 7:1**–8**)*

 

*A.

The first Testing (vv.

**1–3**).*

Faith is like a toothbrush:  Everybody should have one and use it regularly, but it isn't safe to use somebody else’s.

*            1  Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him, rose early and camped beside the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.*

*/            /**2  The Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, ‘My own power has delivered me.’*

*3     “Now therefore come, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.’

” So 22,000 people returned, but 10,000 remained.*

Gideon has an army of 32,000 and he says, "Please get quiet.

I have an announcement to make.

The Midianites are just on the other side of the hill.

And there are 135,000 (Judges 8:12) of them and only 32,000 of us.

They are mean, vicious and cruel.

They are numbered like the sand of the sea.

And they are getting ready to attack us.

Now if you are afraid, and you want to go home, you may leave now."

And after a great stampede, Gideon brushes the dust off, he looks around and 22,000 soldiers have left.

His army that was 32,000 is now only 10,000 and do you know what?

God is not one bit concerned.

There is no panic in heaven.

Why did God want to get rid of over half of Gideon's army?

I'll tell you why.

Fear is contagious.

Fear spreads like lightening.

Fear infects others with fear.

We have seen that happen before.

Remember when the 12 spies were sent out to spy out the Promised Land?

The report of the 10 spies caused the whole congregation of Israel heart to faint.

*Deuteronomy 20:8*

*Then the officers shall speak further to the people and say, ‘Who is the man that is afraid and fainthearted?

Let him depart and return to his house, so that he might not make his brothers’ hearts melt like his heart."*

*Numbers 13:32-14:1*

*            So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of /great /size.*

*            **33 “There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”*

*                14:1        Then all the congregations *

*                lifted up their voices and cried,      *

*                and the people wept that night.*

Fear will fit you for failing, but it will never fit you for fighting.

Let me tell you what fear is:  fear is over estimating the strength of the enemy.

I know that we have an enemy.

He is a real enemy.

He is a cruel enemy.

He is an enemy that rules over a vast kingdom of darkness.

But I want to tell you something.

Listen to me, the Bible says,

*1 John 4:4*

*Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

* 

 

            A little boy came to his daddy one day and he said, "Daddy, how big is the devil??

And the dad said, "Well son, I don't know."

And the little boy said, "Is he bigger than I am?"

And his father said, "Yes, son he's much bigger than you?"

And the little boy became frightened.

Then he looked at his big, tall, muscular dad.

And with a smile on his face asked, "Daddy, is the devil bigger than you?"

And his father said, "Yes, son, the devil is much bigger than me."

And the little boy became frightened and he began to tremble.

And with trembling lips the little boy asked, "Daddy, is the devil bigger than Jesus?"

And his daddy said, "No son, Jesus is bigger and stronger and more powerful than the devil every day."

And a great big smile came across the boys face.

*1 John 4:4*

*Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

*            

     

            I want you to know that if you have a spirit of fear, that God did not put it there.

If you live in fear, I want you to know that God is not the author of fear.

Do you know what the devil likes to do?

The devil likes to encamp around God's children and paralyze them with fear.

There are some of you who could play an instrument with the praise team, but the icy fingers of fear have frozen you.

There are some of you that can teach, but fear paralyzes you.

There are some of you who ought to witness, but you don't witness, because fear numbs you and stuns you.

Fear has stopped the army of God to many times.

I want to share with you; it is not a sin to have fear.

You see fear, is just another word for respect.

It's when you over respect the devil that you are useless to God. 

 

Habbakuk 3:16-19.

Do you think Gideon is absent of fear?

Judges 7:9-11

 

*B.

The second testing (vv.

**4–8**).*

*   **4              Then the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water and I will test them for you there.

Therefore it shall be that he of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”*

*            **5  So he brought the people down to the water.

And the Lord said to Gideon, “You shall separate everyone who laps the water with his tongue as a dog laps, as well as everyone who kneels to drink.”*

*            **6  Now the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 men; but all the rest of the people kneeled to drink water.*

*            **7  The Lord said to Gideon, “I will deliver you with the 300 men who lapped and will give the Midianites into your hands; so let all the /other /people go, each man to his home.”*

*            **8  So the 300 men took the peoples provisions and their trumpets into their hands.

And Gideon sent all the /other /men of Israel, each to his tent, but retained the 300 men; and the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

*

 

            All 10,000 soldiers drank from the stream,

9,700 of soldiers got down on their hand and feet put their noses and mouths into the water.

300 of the soldiers cupped the water in their hands and drank from the water.

What is this all about?

It is very simple.

When you drink from a stream by cupping your hands it allows you to keep a watchful eye for the enemy.

Now listen to me carefully.

The first group of soldiers left because they over estimated the strength of the enemy.

The second group of soldiers of were dismissed because they underestimated the strength of the enemy.

It is just as dangers to underestimate the strength of the devil as it is to overestimate the strength of the devil.

Some people act so flippant about the devil.