Why Should God Use Me? | Judges 6:1-35. | Paster Barnabas Schwanke

Описание: Theme: Revival in a Dark Land
Title: Why Should God Use Me?
Bible Verse: Judges 6:1-35
Speaker: Pastor Barnabas Schwanke
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WHY SHOULD GOD USE ME? | GIDEON SERMON FROM JUDGES 6:1-35

Why should God use me? This Gideon sermon from Judges 6:1-35 reveals how God delights to use ordinary, fearful, and hesitant people who worship Him, obey Him, and submit to His Spirit. If you've ever felt unqualified or too ordinary to be used by God, Gideon's story will encourage your heart.

God does not need mighty people—He makes people mighty when they obey His call.

THE SETTING: ISRAEL IN DARKNESS

Israel had fallen into idolatry and oppression. For seven years, the Midianites ravaged the land like locusts, driving God's people into caves. Fear was normal. Despair was everyday life.

Yet in this darkness, God chose an unlikely hero—a man hiding in a winepress, threshing wheat in fear. Gideon thought he was invisible. God said he was invaluable.

THREE ENCOUNTERS THAT TRANSFORM

1. GIDEON ENCOUNTERS GOD'S PRESENCE AND HE WORSHIPS (JUDGES 6:1-24)
God's angel calls Gideon a "mighty man of valor" while he's hiding in fear. God does not speak to what we are—He speaks to what we will become.

God calls us saints not because we're perfect, but because we belong to Him
If God gives us His presence, He doesn't owe us the details
True worship begins when we encounter God's holiness

Gideon asks, "If the LORD be with us, why has all this happened?" God never answers the "why." Instead, He gives the essential truth: "I am with thee."

Sometimes God gives us understanding before He gives us relief. Gideon builds an altar and calls it "Jehovah-shalom"—The LORD is peace.

2. GIDEON CONFRONTS IDOLATRY AND HE OBEYS (JUDGES 6:25-32)
That same night, God commands Gideon to tear down his father's altar to Baal. Before Gideon can fight Midian, he must fight idolatry at home. Before God uses us publicly, He must rule us privately.

You cannot have an altar for God and an altar for Baal on the same property
Faith is not the absence of fear—faith is obedience in the presence of fear
Sometimes your obedience will convict those who should have led you

Gideon obeys by night because he's afraid, and God doesn't rebuke him. The city becomes enraged, but Gideon's father defends his son. Gideon receives a new identity: Jerubbaal—"Let Baal fight him."

3. GIDEON IS EMPOWERED BY THE SPIRIT AND HE SUBMITS (JUDGES 6:33-35)
When the Midianites gather for battle, "The Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon." Literally, the Spirit clothed Himself with Gideon.

This is not Gideon rising to greatness—it's God rising in Gideon
The Spirit provides the power; the believer provides the surrender
God is not looking for the strong—He's looking for the surrendered

Gideon, once hiding in a winepress, now summons the tribes of Israel to battle. He has no army skill, no pedigree—but he has the presence of God and the clothing of the Spirit.

THE PATTERN GOD STILL USES TODAY

In 1855, an eighteen-year-old shoe salesman tried to join a Boston church. The deacons refused him, calling him spiritually dull and unlikely to be useful. That young man was D.L. Moody, the evangelist who shook two continents with the Gospel.

God chooses the least likely, the most ordinary, the fearful—the people no one else would pick. What made the difference in Gideon? The presence of God, the Word of God, the call of God, the Spirit of God, and the obedience of a trembling man.

God is not looking for the impressive. He's looking for the obedient. God is not looking for the fearless. He's looking for the faithful.

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#GideonSermon #GodUsesOrdinaryPeople #BiblicalCourage #Judges6 #ChristianFaith
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YOUTUBE TAGS FOR GIDEON SERMON:
Why should God use me
Gideon sermon
Judges 6 explained
God uses ordinary people
Biblical underdog story
Revival preaching
Old Testament sermon
Christian courage teaching
Faithway Baptist sermons
How God chooses people

VIDEO TAGS: Gideon sermon, Why should God use me, Judges 6, God uses ordinary people, Biblical courage, Revival preaching, Christian faith