Sermon The Book of Judges Overview

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[2] The title of the sermon today is “An Overview of the Book of Judges.”

Transition From The Book Of Joshua To The Book Of Judges

• Right there at the beginning of the Book of Judges, we get a transition from the Book of Joshua
• This is what begins to happen directly after the death of Joshua
• This is a book filled with some VERY, VERY interesting stories that will not put you to sleep
• Even after reading this book many, many times YOUR EYES will still get very wide
• “WOW, DID THE BIBLE JUST SAY THAT!!!”
• Chapter 1 is just setting the stage for the entire book so there’s not as much action there

Quick overview of what happened in the Book of Joshua

• The children of Israel are coming into the promised land
• They had been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years
• Once they get to the promised land, guess what? It’s not empty just for them.
• It’s filled with all of these other nations. And they’re vile and wicked nations filled with evil.

God tells them to DRIVE OUT and DESTROY these other nations.

• Why? Because they worshipped false gods and did evil, nasty, and very corrupt things.
• God tells them to get rid of those people out of the promised land.
• Then, they would inherit the promised land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

Failures Of The Children Of Israel

Judges Chapter 1

• Talks about the FAILURES of the children of Israel
• They did not drive out the people like He asks them to do
• And look, He was with them and was helping them to do it
• And they didn’t do it
• The Tribe of Judah had to get the Tribe of Simeon to help them EVEN AFTER the Lord told Judah to do it
• So they didn’t obey the Lord very well at all
• They drove some people out but failed to drive all of them out of the land as God commanded
• They didn’t have the FAITH they needed to drive those people out COMPLETELY
• And remember, God is with them and helping them BUT they wouldn’t OBEY HIM
• Instead, they allowed those evil people to live with them and charged them tax money AS AN EXAMPLE
• And look, don’t feel bad for those evil people that God wanted out
• They were sick and nasty people. They hated God.
• So in Chapter 1, you’ll see that God’s people aren’t OBEYING HIM and doing what He asks COMPLETELY.

[3] Judges 1:21 And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.

• So, some of the time they drove out the inhabitants and other times they did not
• As you continue through Chapter 1, it seems to get a little worse and worse
• They continue to allow people to dwell with them and not drive them out as God commanded
• So, what’s the result of God’s Chosen People NOT doing what He asks them to do?
• Chapter 2 tells us

[4] Judges 2:1-3 And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. 2 And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? 3 Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.

• God says, “I will NEVER break my covenant with you.”
• A covenant is a 2-way contract. God is saying He will not break His side.
• But guess what? The terms of the contract says that they MUST OBEY HIM!
• And they aren’t obeying him. They’ve broken their side of the contract. It’s null and void now.
• God tells them they SHALL THROW DOWN THEIR ALTARS; the altars of the false god of those people.
• God says, “You haven’t obeyed me! Why have you not obeyed me?”
• Because of this, God says He will not drive them out. They will be as thorns in your sides. Not good.
• So now, they won’t be able to drive them out because God says so. He gave them the chance.
• And now that’s over and done with.

We can learn a GREAT LESSON FROM THIS:

• They thought they could somewhat do what God asked but not completely
• Don’t we do the same thing today?
• We think we can do a little bit of what God asks but not everything.
• The result for us will be the same as what happened here.
• God says, “They will be as thorns in your sides.”
• So hey, let’s learn this lesson and do what God asks us to do.
• Well, how do we know what to do? We MUST learn the Bible.

Why Are Lessons From The Old Testament Not Being Taught In Churches?

Why are all these lessons from the Bible not taught in Churches? We aren’t doing what God asks us to do.

• There are millions upon millions of lessons in this Bible and Churches aren’t teaching them
• We’re trying to change that trend here and reverse the heading of this area
• This is our home, and we’re allowing it to go the way of these false gods and false people
• Do you see that today? It’s not going to be a good place for our children.
• It’s not what God wants, and it’s not what I want, and it’s not what you want for our children.
• If we listen to God and do what He says, things will turn out AMAZING for us.
• He always wants what’s best for us. That’s why He tells us to do what He says. He’s trying to help us.

If you let a little bit of sin in, it will take over and it will multiply.

• That’s what the children of Israel did right here in the Book of Judges.
• Use drugs as an example; A lot of people will just start out with the mildest drugs and then it gets worse
• Or alcohol is another example; it starts out with just one.
• All sin starts out very mild and then it gets worse over time if you don’t reverse it.
• The children of Israel let a little bit of sin into their life and it multiplies we’ll see throughout this Book.
• They weren’t able to TAKE THE PROMISED LAND because of this sin.
• If you want to have a great life today, don’t let the sin into your life. This is VERY IMPORTANT.
• Stop it all costs. For example: anything that makes you think “WELL, IT’S NOT THAT BAD.”
• That’s what you need to get out of your life. Because that’s how it creeps into your life.
• Been there. Done that.

So you have all these little pockets of evil people spread throughout the promised land

• These people are troubling them over the next several hundreds of years
• And then they allow that little bit of trouble to influence them
• That evil it starts to spread throughout the land

[5] Judges 2:10-11 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. 11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:

• This is EXACTLY what is happening in our land today
• New generations have arisen they DO NOT KNOW the Lord God Almighty or ANY OF HIS WORKS
• They don’t even realize that He’s given them the life that they have on this Earth
• We MUST get God back into our lives and WE MUST teach the next generation
• If we don’t, you already see what happens. And it’s not going to get better unless they know God.

The only way to make things better is through people accepting Jesus Christ as their ONLY SAVIOR.

• And if we don’t get that back, what happens?
• Verse 11 right there tells us. “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim.”
• Baalim represents a FALSE GOD.

For example, any church that teaches a different GOD than the one right here in this Bible is serving a false god with no power.

• If you want to find a “Christian Church” that follows a false god, it’s very easy to find them.
• Ask them how to be saved as this is THE entire definition of “Christian.”
• In other words, you aren’t “Christian” unless you’ve accepted the TRUE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.
• Ask them. “How do I know for sure that I’m going to heaven.”
• If they say, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ WITH no if’s, and’s, or but’s” then you have a TRUE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

False Church = Adding Requirements To Salvation

If they add anything else to “BELIEVING ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST” then you have a false church.

• It’s that simple. And you don’t want to be a part of a church that adds works to salvation.
• For example, if they say you must believe but you also MUST be baptized, you must repent of your sin, you must do good works, then it’s a false church.
• Every verse and every word within the Bible is THE TRUTH!

[6] John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

• That’s Jesus talking right there in the Book of John
• If anyone adds anything else to that verse, they’re calling Jesus a liar right there.
• Do you see that?
• Don’t support a false church. Don’t listen to their teaching. They will corrupt God’s words.

If they can’t get the Gospel right, they aren’t a Christian church. It’s the simplest part of the Bible.

• Why is the simplest? Because God wants us to be saved. He did all the work. He made it easy for us.
• All we have to do is CHANGE OUR MIND and believe. That’s it. Once you do, you’re saved forevermore.
• Why am I telling you to watch out for the so-called “Christian Churches?”
• Let’s go back to Judges Chapter 2 where we left off in verse 12.

[7] Judges 2:12-15 And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. 13 And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. 14 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. 15 Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.

• So these people were doing good in the Book of Joshua.
• They were prosperous and living well. Life was good.
• Does that sound like this country? We’re safe and sound here and we don’t have it tough here.
• Yeah, it’s getting worse because we’ve gotten comfortable.
• And that’s what happened in the Book of Judges.

We Need To Always Rely On God

When they were in the wilderness and had no food, they relied on God. They needed Him.

• Then, once they had it good they forgot about Him. They said, “Hey God, we don’t need you any more.”
• Look, we don’t want to do that. We will not forget about God here.
• If you forget about God because you have it good and you’re comfortable, you’ll allow more sin into your life.
• More sin makes God angry. God gets angry. And it’s a righteous anger.

[8] Judges 2:16-19 Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. 17 And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so. 18 And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. 19 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.

• So here’s a pattern here. And it repeats throughout the Book of Judges.
• If they have a man there to judge them who is WITH GOD, they do better.
• When it gets better, then they go back to wickedness again.
• God then brings in other nations to punish them. God uses the other nations to punish His people.
• They are oppressed, taxed, and made to live under the other rulers who worship false gods.

When it gets bad again, they would CRY OUT TO GOD and ask Him for help.

• God would then send them another Judge. That is what the Book of Judges is about.
• That Judge would get them back on track to God and serving God again.
• And that pattern repeats again and again throughout this Book.
• Does that sound like a pattern we’ve followed in our life before? Oh yeah, I have.
• When things were going good, I didn’t need God. I didn’t need to read my Bible. I’m doing good.
• I don’t need you, God.
• That’s what I was like before I really got into God’s word and started learning who He is.

When things were bad, I needed God.

• When the doctors thought our firstborn baby had something pretty bad wrong with her, I cried to God.
• I’ll always remember that day. I sure needed Him then.
• But when things were good, nah, I don’t need you God.
• That’s how we are, but we better STOP that and stay with God.
• That’s what we learn here in this Book of Judges.

Would I be here right now if that wouldn’t have happened? Probably not.

• I would have continued in my wicked ways because things were good.
• I thank God that He woke me up. I didn’t wake myself up. God woke me up.
• And God will wake you up too by giving you problems. He will make you weak so you can see His strength.
• But hey, He doesn’t want it to get to that point. He wants us to wake up BEFORE He has to do that.

God Will Get Your Attention

God is getting our attention! Callie was perfectly 100% healthy BUT I tell you what. That woke me up.

• Don’t make God wake you up. Get back to God right now. Get to reading and studying what He wants.
• Being here right now is a good way to start.
• Because, look, WE WILL STUDY THE BIBLE here and WE WILL UNDERSTAND WHAT GOD WANTS.
• It’s not about me, it’s not about you, it’s about God and what He wants.
• And you can know 100% that what He wants is BEST FOR YOU. So give up and give into Him.
• Doing that will ALWAYS turn out better for you.

Do you remember 9/11? Surely you do unless you were too young to remember.

• Churches set records for attendance all over this country after that happened.
• People didn’t know what was happening. It was scary. When people are in trouble, who do they seek?
• That’s right, GOD ALMIGHTY! Then they want to believe in God BECAUSE they need some help.
• I’ve done the same thing, and I’m pretty sure you have too.
• But once people knew what actually happened during 9/11 and everything was fine, that record Church attendance dropped back down
• No one needed God any more. Back to the same old ways.

Judges Chapter 1 and 2 are an introduction to the Judges.

• In Chapter 3, we start to see what the different Judges do.
• The first judge we see in Chapter 3, and I want to read that passage to you.

[9] Judges 3:7-11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves. 8 Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushan-rishathaim eight years. 9 And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. 10 And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the LORD delivered Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushan-rishathaim. 11 And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

• So the first judge we see right here is Othniel the son of Kenaz.
• Now, let’s just be 100% truthful here. Have you heard any Church teach about Othniel the son of Kenaz?
• I haven’t. My whole life. I don’t remember Othniel ever being taught.
• He’s the first judge in the book of Judges. So Othniel is their leader. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him.
• He leads them out to war and they win. And guess what? The land has REST for forty years.

Peace When You Do What God Asks

Peace for 40 years because they did what God asked through this judge Othniel.

• And Othniel was the son of Caleb’s younger brother, Kenaz. Caleb was from the TRIBE OF JUDAH.
• Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. That first judge comes from that same line.
• In this passage, they served this king of Mesopotamia for 8 years.
• They cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up this JUDGE Othniel, and they defeated those people.
• Peace for 40 years. But what do you think happens next? Remember the pattern we talked about.

[10] Judges 3:12 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.

• That’s right, they did evil AGAIN in the sight of the Lord.
• He strengthened the king of Moab against them. Why? Because they did evil?
• God strengthens and God weakens. Which one do you want?
• What happens to the children of Israel? Let’s see in verse 14.

[11] Judges 3:14 So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

• So again, they serve someone else for 18 years this time.
• They get tired of it again and what do you think they do next?
• They again, CRY OUT TO THE LORD.
• Do you see the pattern here?

[12] Judges 3:15 But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.

• So Ehud the son of Gera a Benjamite is the next Judge.
• He’s left handed and this is important because he uses his left hand to kill the King of Moab
• Eglon is the King of Moab at this time and Ehud tricks him and ends up killing him with a dagger

[13] Judges 3:21 And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly:

• And look, this is just an overview of the Book of Judges.
• You could read the Book of Judges in about an hour and 45 minutes.
• Sit down one night or one morning and read through the entire book. It’s a great, great Book to read.
• After Ehud killed the King of Moab, let’s see what happens in verse 28.

[14] Judges 3:28-30 And he said unto them, Follow after me: for the LORD hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over. 29 And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valour; and there escaped not a man. 30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.

• Ehud is their leader. This JUDGE leads them again to victory over their enemies.
• And remember God is raising up this judge AFTER they cry out to Him for help.
• And the land had rest FOUR SCORE YEARS.
• As you read the King James Bible, you’ll notice a SCORE is used often. ONE SCORE is 20.
• FOURSCORE is 4×20 or 80 years. So right there, the Bible says they then had REST for 80 years.
• To close out Chapter 3, look at the last verse there.

[15] Judges 3:31 And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.

• So this gives us the name of the 3^rd Judge, Shamgar.
• So we’ve had Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar to this point.
• The same things happen each time so you can see this pattern.
• So let’s look to Chapter 4. What do you think will happen? Same thing. And I want to show you this.

[16] Judges 4:1-3 And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead. 2 And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. 3 And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.

• So they start doing evil again once Ehud is dead.
• The Lord sells them into the hand of the Jabin the King of Canaan
• He oppresses them for 20 years.
• This is where the Book of Judges takes a great twist. And this might surprise you with the rest of the Bible.
• Some people will use this next passage to twist God’s words.
• This is a VERY important passage to understand especially in today’s world.

[17] Judges 4:3-4 And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel. 4 And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.

• But people will use this passage to say it’s okay to have women leading the churches and women preaching in the churches.
• This verse isn’t talking about leading a New Testament Church. Is it? No, it’s not.
• Deborah is in power here as a JUDGE because the people aren’t doing what’s right. Same thing with the other Judges in this Book.
• Here’s an AMAZING tip for studying the Bible that you need to understand:
• Don’t go by what people did in the Bible. If we did that, for example, I’d have 10 wives and 50 children.
• Don’t go by what people do in the Bible. Don’t follow man and what he does and says.

Don’t Go By What People Did In The Bible

Instead, go by what God says in the Bible.

• The Bible NUMBER 1) gives us stories about what people do and NUMBER 2) tells us what GOD SAYS.
• People in the Bible do a lot of bad things against God. Do they not?
• King David had multiple wives. He stole Bathsheba and had her husband Uriah murdered.
• Is that okay for us to do the same thing? We’re talking about King David who wrote so much of the Bible.
• Do we do what he did? No. You don’t do what I do. You don’t do what any man does.
• You do what God says. His words are the TRUTH.
• Does God ever say for a man to have more than one wife? No, He doesn’t. But guess what? Man does so in the Bible. Is it right? No, it’s not. It’s not following what God commanded us to do.

[18] Genesis 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

• This means, “Hey, get away from your father and mother now as they don’t have any say or control any more. AND CLEAVE unto your wife. The husband and wife shall be ONE FLESH.”
• That doesn’t say go find a second wife or a third wife or fourth. That says ONE FLESH.
• God NEVER changed that commandment. It still stands today. How do we know?
• Because Jesus REPEATS it again in the New Testament.

[19] Matthew 19:4-6 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

• Did King David follow that commandment? Nope, sure didn’t.
• Did King Solomon follow that commandment? Not even close. Hear this today.

[20] 1 Kings 11:3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.

• King Solomon went the wrong way and those wives influenced him to false gods.
• And what happened? The peace that they were living in was removed by God.
• Same thing in the Book of Judges.
• What people are doing doesn’t make it right in the Bible. What God says is the right thing to do.
• We don’t say, “Well, King Solomon did it so it’s okay.”
• In other words, Deborah is ruling in Judges here for a reason. God put her there as the JUDGE.

Why Did God Choose Deborah Deborah As A Judge?

Why did God put her there as a JUDGE? It’s part of the punishment for the people doing wrong.

• So don’t take this the wrong way. Deborah was ruling because she was the best and God chose her.
• I didn’t say Deborah was a bad ruler, but God chose men to rule and lead.
• Women aren’t meant to rule over the Church AT ALL.
• God says so. I didn’t make up the rule. I just want to follow God’s rules and ALL OF THEM.
• I don’t pick and choose what I want to do. I want to do what God says to do.
• And I know that’s why you’re here too.
• If we teach the truth in the Bible, then we’re teaching you what God wants so He doesn’t have to punish us.
• I want you to please pay great attention to this passage in the Book of Isaiah.

[21] Isaiah 3:9-12 The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves. 10 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. 11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him. 12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

• When Deborah is ruling over them and judging them, it isn’t the IDEAL SITUATION.
• Part of the JUDGMENT of God when a nation becomes wicked is to have WOMEN ruling over them.
• Children too. And we see that in the Bible in Kings and Chronicles when children are the rulers.
• If you know the Bible, you’ll know that the Bible teaches that women should not rule over men.
• When they do rule, the people are being punished by God. He brings that punishment or judgement.

[22] 1 Timothy 2:11-14 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

• Look, the Bible doesn’t say the man is BETTER than the woman.
• Men aren’t better than women. Men and women are equal. The Bible NEVER says they aren’t.
• BOTH MEN AND WOMEN are equal in value, equal in dignity, and equal in rewards in heaven.
• They are equal BUT they are clearly different. Are they not CLEARLY different?
• Just like God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit: they are equal as God but they are different.
• They all SUBMIT to God the Father. But Jesus isn’t any less equal as God. He is GOD. He proved that.
• The husband and the wife are equal as HUMANS to God but the husband is the leader.
• Why is that? Because we are built differently. God designed us, and He made us that way for a reason.

His design is for the men to LEAD. Now men, are you leading? If not, the woman will take over.

• And guess what? She’ll do the best she can and she might do a great job BUT you’re supposed to be doing that job.
• And it’s a TOUGH JOB. And it was MADE for YOU TO DO.
• It’s easier to just sit back and let someone else be the leader. Oh yeah, it’s much easier.

Men Need To Step Up And Lead As God Intended

Being the leader is not easy. But God gave YOU that job. You can do what He says, OR NOT.

• In general, men are stronger than women because of the way God made us.
• Are all men stronger than all women? No, they sure aren’t.
• Some men sit around and do nothing while women are out there working hard. They’ll be stronger.
• Men are faster than women in general. Physically we are different. Mentally we think different.
• Do men do all things better than women? Oh no, NOT EVEN CLOSE!!!
• Women are AMAZING at things that men stink at.

Women do much better at many things than men. All the evidence that the Bible is true is there.

• Women have to go through things that men don’t go through. Those things affect decision making.
• You don’t want VERY IMPORTANT decisions being made during those times. AS AN EXAMPLE.
• Certain machines serve SPECIFIC PURPOSES just like men and women serve a purpose.
• You can put your clothes to be washed in the refrigerator. You can put them in there.
• It’s not going to wash your clothes, though.
• You can put your food in the washer and its’ not going to keep your food cool.
• You can use a chainsaw to dig a hole. And you can use a shovel to cut down a tree.
• It’s not going to work very well.
• A refrigerator isn’t better than a washer. A shovel isn’t better than a chainsaw.
• All of those pieces of equipment serve a function and were designed a specific way.
• A man isn’t better than a woman. We have our functions and our jobs to do.

The feminist movement today is telling women to be like men.

• Why do women want to be like men?
• In my house, I will be the leader because God told me to be the leader. I do what God says.
• Don’t listen to the world. Don’t let the world tell you what you should be.
• Women don’t want to stay home with their children any more. Why? Because of the world.
• And what happens to the children? They go to other people who don’t care about them.
• Or, at least they don’t care as much as the mother.

The MOST IMPORTANT JOB of ANY is taking care of your children.

• You might not get a paycheck for it, but actually get more because God will take care of you.
• If you follow God’s plan for your life, God will reward you and make sure you always have everything you need.
• Your husband might get a raise when both of you are following God’s plan.
• The Bible is VERY CLEAR that the wife is to submit to the husband.

Is God doing that to bring females down? Is God doing that to be mean to females?

• Am I saying this today because I hate females? No. I love them with everything I have.
• God is telling us HIS WAYS because when we follow them, it turns out ALWAYS for the best.
• Have faith in what He says, and He will do what He says. We MUST follow what He says.
• This is no gray area in the Bible.

[23] Ephesians 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

• People will look at that verse and say, “What??? You believe that, Josh???”
• Preachers have asked me that before. “You don’t really think that’s what that means?”
• Oh yes, I do. I believe everything this book says.
• Men and women, if you follow the Bible YOUR LIFE will be amazing.

There’s Nothing Wrong With Being A Stay At Home Mom

What’s wrong with staying at home and taking care of the children and the home?

• It needs to be done. Women aren’t in bondage when they stay at home!!!
• I have to wear a name badge around, get my lunch bag searched by police going into work and out of work, do things that make no sense because the boss wants it, wear specific clothes, and on and on.
• Does my wife have to wear a name badge? She can wear whatever she wants at home.
• She can do whatever she wants. It’s freedom.

She gets to be with the children and show them the ways of God all day long.

• Why in the world would women want to go into bondage?
• That’s what a job is. That’s what going into work is. It’s not fun.
• That’s the curse God gave to men for eating of that tree. You don’t want that curse too!!!
• Do you see this? The world is making everything worse for women. Women are choosing far worse.

Godly men who follow the Bible want what’s best for women. We’re not trying to HOLD THEM DOWN.

• Men who don’t follow the Bible don’t want what’s best for women. They just act like they do.
• Do you see that today? I hope so because it really needs to change.
• And we need the GODLY women to STAND UP TOO and fight back. We need to get the truth out.

We need GODLY WOMEN raising our children at home today. That’s part of what changes the next generation.

• When will we get back to that? Until then, we’ll continue moving away from God.
• We’ll head towards that time when we CRY OUT for God to help us!!!
• Don’t get mad at a PREACHER who follows the WORD OF GOD!!!
• Let’s get back to Judges Chapter 4 verse 6.

[24] Judges 4:6 And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?

• Deborah is trying to wake this man up!!! This man’s name is Barak.
• He was probably supposed to be the judge. She says, “Hey wake up!!! God commanded you. Go do it.”
• If you’re a wife today and you’re husband isn’t leading, tell him to WAKE UP. God said to LEAD our HOME!
• Do you want a good life for you and your family? God said for the husband to lead. Take the lead.
• Barak didn’t want to take the lead. He even had Deborah lead with him out to the battle.
• He wouldn’t go without her into battle. They win the battle. God gave them that victory that day.
• Israel has freedom once again.

A Song Of Triumph In Judges Chapter 5

Chapter 5 is a SONG of TRIUMPH and how they won that battle.

• Again, God gave them this victory and the last words in Chapter 5 say:
• “And the land had rest forty years.” So every time this happens, Israel is the underdog.
• The other side ALWAYS is stronger with more people and more weapons.
• But with God on your side, you are stronger. Doesn’t matter whose on the other side. God is stronger.
• So they have rest again for 40 years. But then look at the start of Judges Chapter 6.

[25] Judges 6:1 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.

• So let me tell you the story of Gideon which starts here in this chapter.
• He’s born into this time where they’ve had peace for 40 years and are now serving Midian for 7 years.
• Gideon is a young man in this Scripture here.
• So Midian is taxing them, taking what they’re growing, and oppressing them.
• Gideon is growing wheat on the farm and hiding some of it away so they don’t take it all.

[26] Judges 6:12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

• And I want you to see how Gideon responds here BECAUSE this is what the world says today.
• Hear this response from Gideon. It makes you laugh a little.

[27] Judges 6:13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.

• The angel of the Lord then explains it to him. He says, “You’re families are worshipping other gods.”
• Your own father has an idol in his house that he worships.
• And look, don’t think this MUST be some golden calf or something like that. It might be football.
• It might be gambling. It’s anything that you above God Himself. It might be your children.

Do you choose anything over the one true God? If you do, that’s a false god.

• If something is more important to you than God, it’s worshipping that over God. It could be your job. Money. Food. Anything like that. It could be a religion.
• The angel tells Gideon that you first have to get rid of the idol in your father’s house.
• Then God will help you. Gideon says, “Okay, I’ll do it.” He goes by night and destroys that altar.
• When everyone wakes up in the morning, that altar to Baal is destroyed.

Worship Anything Other Than God = Satan Worship

Look, if you worship anything other than the ONE TRUE GOD, it’s worshipping Satan himself. It is.

• They want to know who destroyed their altar. “Whoever did this shall die!!!”
• “IT WAS GIDEON!!!” someone yells out.
• Joash, Gideon’s Father, stood up for him. He said, “Hey, if Baal is real then let Baal do something about it.”
• Gideon passes that test from God and now he’s going to lead the people.
• He has 32,000 people in his army and he’s going up against MUCH, MUCH more than that.
• They have camels and Gideon’s army has little to nothing.

[28] Judges 7:2 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.

• God says the opposite. He says, “Hey, you have too many people. I don’t need that many people.”
• When you’re going up against a huge army and you already have a rather small army, you don’t want lose more of them.
• But God says, “This is too many people in MY ARMY.”
• And many of them are afraid already because they’re outnumbered.

[29] Judges 7:3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.

• Out of 32,000 people all but 10,000 remained there to fight
• Already outnumbered and they lose OVER 2/3 of their ARMY
• If you’re scared, get out of here God says. And they did.
• 10,000 left but guess what? God says this is still way too many. We don’t need this many people.
• Do you see how God doesn’t want you fighting for Him if you’re scared?
• God already had this rule in Deuteronomy. Hear this.

[30] Deuteronomy 20:1 When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

• So he tells them not to fear when you go up against a people that is more than you
• He says, “The LORD THY GOD is with you.”

[31] Deuteronomy 20:2-4 And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, 3 And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; 4 For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

• He tells them over and over again to not be afraid.
• And God tells the men over and over again, if you’re afraid GO HOME.
• Don’t bring your fear to my battle. He says, “Go home.”

[32] Deuteronomy 20:8 And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.

• In other words, He says your fear is going to cause fear in your brother’s heart
• God says, “No, go home.” No fear in my army God says.
• In Judges Chapter 7, that’s what they did. They went home.
• But they have too many people still. God tells them to go down to the water and drink.
• Those who lap the water out of their hands will be taken into battle. Everyone else will go home.
• Do you know how many men took the water into their hands to drink of it? 300 men. That’s it.

[33] Judges 7:7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.

• God gives them a plan. Break into 3 groups of 100 men each.
• Take a pitcher in one hand with a lantern inside the pitcher. Have a trumpet in the other hand.
• Surround the camp of the Midianites. Gideon will give the signal.

[34] Judges 7:18-20 When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. 19 So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.

• So they followed this plan from God. So it sounds like HUGE armies are coming at them from all sides.
• And let’s see what happens here.

[35] Judges 7:21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.

• The Midianites went into confusion and panic. It’s the middle of the night.
• They think these HUGE armies are after them.
• The Midianites are losing so ALL THE CHILDREN of ISRAEL want in on it too.
• They join in and help. The children of Israel win again. Here’s a few things we can learn from this story.

Let’s get rid of the FEAR. We might be VERY SMALL in number, but with God, we are powerful.

• We have God here. He is with us. How do we fight the battle today?
• It’s not a physical war right now as that’s obvious.
• We’re not fighting the enemy with swords, guns, and weapons.
• Our weapon is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is THE WEAPON. The word of God.
• When people accept that Gospel, God has the POWER to change them. Then they join God’s side.
• They join our side with GOD.

Let’s Start To Win Some Small Battles One Person At A Time

If we can win some battles around here; if people see we’re starting to win; they’ll join us.

• Are you one of the people who will have no fear?
• Or, are you one that will return home and wait until we’re winning. We’re not quitting here.
• Because, look: we aren’t winning right now.
• This entire area has been without God for too long.
• The churches DO NOT know the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
• That’s the proof that God isn’t with those people. We need to get God back into those people.
• The Gospel needs to come back to this generation.

So all of this is only through Judges Chapter 7.

• The book follows this same pattern over and over and we learn a lot from it.
• But God repeats the same thing over and over again in different ways.
• Remember that when you’re reading this book.
• The Israelites do evil in the sight of the Lord, they call out for help, God delivers them.
• They have peace. Then they start doing evil again.

Right now in this land, we’ve had our peace and we still have the peace.

• But look, it’s starting to turn around.
• The country is not going in the right direction. We’re getting further and further from God.
• What happened to “IN GOD WE TRUST???” Where did that go? It’s not here any more.
• Our children in this country are now growing up and doing EVIL IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD.
• God will bring judgement on this country. And He’s doing that. And He will do it.

What about the churches around here?

• They aren’t churches. They are all about entertainment. What can you do for me, church?
• Do you have smoke, flashing lights, the greatest singers, and the worldly music?
• I want a free fitness center, a gym, free child care so I CAN GO DO WHATEVER I WANT!!!
• It’s not a church. It’s an entertainment center.

“We don’t read much of the Bible here because it’s just tedious and boring.”

• They might not say it directly, but listen to a sermon. Here’s what you hear:
• God loves you no matter what. His love is unconditional. Make sure you tithe. Give us your money.
• See you next week. It’s all a lie. Pick and choose all the positive parts of the Bible.
• You never learn anything else. You learn the same lies over and over again.

It’s all about YOUR ENTERTAINMENT and how you feel. The Bible isn’t about feelings.

• Those churches aren’t worshipping God. They have false gods and most them are SELF GODS!
• It’s all about me, me, me, and me.
• Church is about GOD!!! If you ever hear a Pastor say: “Well, I like this translation better because it says what I want it to say.” Hey, that’s a HUGE warning right there.
• They pick and choose corrupted bible versions that say what they want it to say.

Churches have DUMBED down the Bible and say, “Well, you can understand this one better.”

• No, how about we do it the other way around.
• We study it, we work on it, and we GAIN the intelligence, knowledge, and wisdom from God.
• That’s what God says to do. For example, the Bible says that Samson lost both eyes in this book of Judges.
• Well, you get Sunday School teachers that say: “Well, he couldn’t have done what he did without any eyes so I think he just lost one eye.” Well guess what? It doesn’t matter what you think.
• Let’s see what the Bible says because GOD’s words are TRUE WORDS.

[36] Judges 16:21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.

• It says Samson lost both his eyes. PLURAL.

[37] Judges 16:28 And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.

• It says, “FOR MY TWO EYES.”
• But yet, Sunday School teachers think it’s okay to teach our children that it was just one eye.
• They say: “He couldn’t have did what he did with both eyes gone.”
• It’s not okay to change the word of God because you don’t understand it.
• It just means you need to search and study more so you understand it.

Don’t Change God’s Word Because You Can’t Understand It

Nobody gets to change God’s words because it doesn’t make sense to them.

• Well guess what? That’s what churches are doing all around us.
• Instead of changing it, study it. “Well, I don’t have time to study it.”
• Then you shouldn’t be teaching it. And guess what? You do have time to study it.
• What you REALLY mean is you don’t have time to put God first.
• If you put God first, then you wouldn’t have time to do other things.
• Then TV would probably get cut out. Or, going out to eat all the time. Or going to movies.

If God’s word got first priority, then you never run out of time for Him.

• Do you see that? God gets the first portion of your time. There’s always time for God.
• “Well, I don’t have time to go to church.” Again, that’s just saying God isn’t a priority in your life.
• And that’s how the children of Israel were in this Book of Judges.
• And what happened to them? God gave them over to different rulers. Their life got worse and worse.
• Then they CRIED OUT and asked Him for help.
• Let’s not get to that point.

Churches don’t teach the Bible.

• Some people will say: “Well, they read verses out of the Bible.” Yeah, they do.
• They pick and choose verses from different Bible versions that say what they want them to say.
• They pick and choose anything that fits THEIR OWN PERSONAL AGENDA.
• If we need more money, we’ll pick and choose all the verses about not worrying and just give us all your money.
• In reality, the church preaching that is a hypocrite. They’re the ones worrying about the money.
• You know? The ones who are supposed to be relying on God. The church?

You’ll never hear a church teach about Othniel or Ehud or Deborah or Barack.

• But you’ll hear the tithing verses over and over and over again. Do you not? I sure did.
• You won’t even hear the most basic teaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You won’t. I never did.
• But you’ll hear about God’s unconditional love. Unconditional love from God DOESN’T EXIST!!!
• So when a church teaches that, you can know they are a false church with a false god.

Everyone Knows Batman, Superman, And Spiderman

The people in churches don’t know the stories of the Bible, but they know Superman, Batman, Robinhood, Anna, Elsa, Trolls, and all the action heroes and Disney heroes.

• Well, guess what? There’s much better stories within this Bible. And they are TRUE STORIES. 100% TRUE.
• In other words, our generation has forgotten the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY. Just like the book of Judges.

Most churches spoonfeed you about 1% of the Bible. That’s it.

• You never learn anything at these churches. Never. Hey, I’ve been there all my life.
• I know what they teach. You’re missing out on 99% of the ENTIRE BIBLE.
• We’re going to change that here.
• We might be small, but God’s going to be with us and He’ll show His power.
• I hope you join us in that fight. Take the Book of Judges and read it when you get home.

Instead of hitting that TV remote. Get your Bible out. And start reading. Don’t stop.

• 1 hour 45 minutes and you can finish the Book of Judges. There’s some GREAT STUFF in there.
• You won’t be disappointed. CRY OUT TO GOD and ask Him to help you in your faith.
• Get on your knees and ask Him to forgive you.
• Tell Him you’re sorry for putting Him at a lower priority in your life.
• Let’s turn that around here. Let’s get this going in the right direction.

Let’s pray.