Prepared For The Lord's Battle

I invite you to turn to Judges chapter 6. As you know, we've been considering the book of Judges, the major Judges, in our evening services. This morning we continue with kind of a sub-series on Gideon. We read together chapter 6, beginning at verse 33 through chapter 7, verse 14. We recall that the angel of the Lord had found Gideon beating wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites who were oppressing the Israelites for seven years. And Gideon is not really sure that the Lord has been with them all this time. And God gives Gideon a task to perform as we saw last week to tear down Baal's altar because the cult to Baal had to be destroyed, worship of the idol had to be destroyed before the true worship of God could be restored. And we saw, too, how Gideon did that. He obeyed God, but he did it more out of fear for his family and the townspeople than he did out of a true trust for the Lord. And now we continue on after his townsmen wanted to put him to death. We begin at verse 33 as we hear the Word of God. Now all the Midianites, Amalekites, and other eastern peoples joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the valley of Jezreel. Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abias' rights to follow him. He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, so that they too went up to meet them. Gideon said to God, If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have promised, look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said. And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day. He squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew, a bowl full of water. Then Gideon said to God, Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew. That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry. All the ground was covered with dew. Early in the morning, Jerob Baal, that is Gideon, and all his men camped at the spring of Harad. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. The Lord said to Gideon, You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. in order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, announce now to the people, anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead. So 22,000 men left, while 10,000 remained. But the Lord said to Gideon, There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, This one shall go with you, he shall go. But if I say, This one shall not go with you, he shall not go. So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, Separate those who lapped the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink. Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. The Lord said to Gideon, With the three hundred men that lapped, I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place. So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents, but kept the three hundred who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others. Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. During that night the Lord said to Gideon, Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it in your hands. If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Pyrrha. And listen to what they are saying. Afterward you will be encouraged to attack the camp. So he and Pyrrha, his servant, went down to the outpost of the camp. The Midianites, the Amalekites, and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore. Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. I had a dream, he was saying. A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed. His friend responded, This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon, son of Joash the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into His hands. Beloved of the Lord, we've been looking at Reformation God's way through His servant Gideon. Remember, as we have said before, that God's way includes calling and equipping His reformational leaders. And it also includes the fact that God gives His leaders tasks to perform and he expects his orders to be carried out not only in a letter-perfect way, but also in a heart-perfect way. Now again, we're not talking about perfectionism here, but we're talking about carrying out God's orders, being obedient to God from true faith and trust. However, we saw with Gideon last week that even when we're less than heart-perfect, God in His grace uses our inadequacies and our failures to accomplish His will. Now, when we talk about reformation in the church, whether we're talking about the Old Testament church, Israel, like we have been, or whether we're talking about the New Testament church that we are a part of, we're talking about bringing the feet of those that have left the way leading to Christ, or the feet of those that have never been on the way leading to Christ, bringing those feet back onto, or placing those feet for the first time onto that way leading to Christ. Reforming away from the way of sin and error toward the way of salvation. Reforming away from the worship of Baal or any other idol to the worship of the one true God. This morning in our story of Gideon the judge, the momentum changes now. God's Word shifts. It goes from talking about calling and equipping, as we have been, to all of a sudden talking about battle, about fighting, about warfare. The stage, you see, is being set now for delivering God's people from the hands of their oppressors. And the battle that is coming up is not Gideon's battle, but it's the Lord's battle. And in that connection, then, we find the stage being prepared for the Lord's battle. And throughout this text, then the Lord makes it clear that he conducts this battle with his power, for his honor, and in his own way. Verse 34 begins, Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon. Now that certainly is refreshing news, isn't it? Because last week we saw that Gideon failed in his first assignment because he was not heart perfect in his obedience to the Lord. Again, he obeyed God. He tore down Baal's altar like God had commanded and built a new one of the proper kind. But because he was afraid, the Bible says, of his family and the men of the town, he did it at night. He didn't stand up openly and boldly for the Word of God. But now in spite of that, here we see that the Lord didn't give up on him. Remember, the Lord didn't choose Gideon because he was already a repentant fellow or a brave leader or a fearless warrior. Instead, God chose him because he wanted to, so that his strength would be seen through Gideon. And by the grace of God, Gideon would become a repentant fellow, a brave leader, and a fearless warrior. But how do you become those things? It's only through the strength and power of the Holy Spirit, with His power. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon. Now in the original language, it literally says that the Spirit clothed Gideon. He was clothed with the Spirit. Boys and girls, we might say that the Spirit was Gideon's battle uniform. Paul says in Ephesians 6, Put on the whole or the full armor of God. Literally, clothe yourself with complete, full clothing. Gideon was ready for battle. Not in his own strength, but with the Spirit's strength. And by the anointing of the Spirit, God raises Gideon up as a Messiah, as a Savior for his people, pointing, as we have said all along in connection with all the judges, pointing to the eternal Savior, Jesus Christ. And this anointing with the Spirit also points forward to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the church at Pentecost. The Spirit, Holy Spirit, who transforms the hearts and lives of His people. Again, beloved, we see here this is not Gideon's battle. But it's the Lord's battle. It's the Spirit's warfare that's about to take place. Gideon, Gideon's only a vessel. That's it. And that's clear from verse 36 where Gideon says to God, If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised. Here Gideon acknowledges that God is at work. That's where the focus is, not on the activity of Gideon, but it's on the activity of God. We've said that before too, that the focus was not on Noah, what Noah was doing with the ark, but on what God was doing through Noah and the ark. The focus was on what God was doing through David with Goliath. The focus was on what God was doing through Samson with that donkey, Joabon. The focus is on what God is doing here. That's where our focus must be as well. And since the beginning of the adventures of Gideon, It's clear that God is at work. He always takes the initiative. He always takes the first step. In chapter 6, verse 7, we read, it was the Lord who sent Israel a prophet. In verse 11, the angel of the Lord appeared or came to where Gideon was. In verse 12, the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon. In verse 16, the Lord answered, I will be with you. Verses 25 and 26, the Lord told Gideon to break down Baal's altar and build a proper one. Gideon didn't take that initiative and think to do that on his own. And here in verse 34, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon. This so far has all been, from the beginning, Reformation, God's way. Gideon is clothed with the Spirit. We could say he's possessed by the Spirit of the Lord. And that Spirit is now about to teach him a valuable lesson about spiritual warfare. And that lesson is about the power of faith. In verses 34 and 35, Gideon sounds the trumpet, he starts to put together an army, and the first to follow him were the Abiyah's rites, his family, his fellow townsmen, his neighbors. Again, refreshing news, because last week we saw that they wanted to kill him for destroying Baal's altar. They saw him as nothing more than a sacrilegious delinquent who deserved to die, because he destroyed something precious to them, something religious and precious to them. But now, by the grace of God, they see Gideon as God's appointed reformational leader. So Gideon gathers his army. But now what? They didn't have any battle plans. They didn't have any detailed maps of the enemy's territory. They didn't know where they were going to strike first. They didn't know where they should deploy the troops. You see, congregation, these are all things that we worry about in our human battles. We think about World War II and D-Day. Everything had to be in place. The strategy of attack had to be perfect. Or we think of Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi conflict over the past year. We had to know exactly where we were going to strike, especially to try to keep from taking too much civilian life. You see, we worry about how the job is going to get done. How are we going to do it? But in the Lord's army, the question is not how are we going to get the job done, but why are we doing it? What's the reason? Reformation, you see, is planned in terms of principles. And here the principle was that God's people and the land that He had given to them had been invaded by the enemy. By Baal. By the Midianites. Not just a physical invasion, but a spiritual invasion. An invasion that continues to attack the church throughout the ages, even today. As so many try to bring in that which is false. Try to contradict the truth. Try to cause us to waver in what we know the Bible says. So again, here's Gideon, possessed by the Spirit with his army. Now what? What is the next move? Well, you see, he hadn't thought that far yet, but God had. And now his lesson in the power of faith is coming. You see, in Hebrews 11, we read that Gideon is considered a hero of faith. But in our passage, especially verses 36 and following, our hero is showing signs of faithlessness. Now again, we know that God had been strengthening Gideon's faith from the time the angel of the Lord appeared up to this time, yet the flesh was still weak. Everything is happening so fast. God said that He would be with Gideon, but could this be true? You see, Gideon most likely could say with the man that came to Jesus to ask for healing for his son, Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief. After all, at least we could see Baal. We can't see Jehovah. What if Baal really was a god? We've already torn down his altar. So he can't help us. Is this really the Lord's battle? What Gideon needed, you see, was to be sure that this was the Lord's battle. And he needed to be assured that he was the Lord's chosen instrument. Again, he said, if you will save or deliver Israel by my hand, as you have promised. You said it. Will you really do it? Gideon knows his weakness, so he asks for a sign. Again, a familiar story I trust, at least to most of us. The first time Gideon puts out the fleece overnight, he asks God to make the fleece wet and the ground around it dry. God did as Gideon asked, but this wasn't quite enough, no doubt, because, you see, fleece attracts even the smallest amount of moisture, so it may have been possible through the normal forces of nature for the fleece at least to be damp a little bit and the ground dry. Yet this should have been enough for Gideon because we're told that he wrung out a bowl full of water. It was saturated, not just a little bit damp. And that alone should have told Gideon that this was much more than the normal force of nature. But Gideon, somewhat embarrassed, asked God for one more sign. Reverse the process. You see, this time make the ground wet and the fleece dry. That's harder. That's more difficult. Make the ground wet and the fleece dry. Not surprising to us, is it, that God did it. And through all of this, he had patience with Gideon. The same patience that he had with Abraham when Abraham was trying to keep God from destroying Sodom and Gomorrah. But this second sign, the fleece sign, the dry fleece and the wet ground actually went against nature. Gideon no doubt had been trained by his father in the worship of Baal and taught that Baal is the controlling force of nature. But God had patience with Gideon and revealed to him through this sign that God, not Baal, is the Creator. And He, not Baal, alone controls nature. And it is by His power, not Baal's power, that this battle will be won. Gideon needed that guarantee that the Creator stood behind him, with him, went before him. He needed a confirmation of the word that the Lord had spoken to him of what the Lord was going to do. And he got it. So then what's the point of all this? You see, beloved, the power here does not lay in the faith of Gideon. Not at all. But the power is in the victory over Gideon's doubt. God conquered Gideon's doubt just as he conquers the doubt of his people in times of sickness and death and throughout the troubles of life by giving his assurance of salvation. By giving his assurance and comfort that indeed I will be with you. I am with you. Is Gideon really a hero of faith? Yes, he is. As we will see next week, the Lord willing, he routed his enemies by faith, but not through the power of his faith, but through the content or the object of his faith. That is, through the God in whom his faith was placed. It wasn't the power of Gideon's faith that got him through, but the object of his faith, namely God. Very simply, beloved, the power of your faith lies not in your faith, but in the object of your faith. Faith is useless without the true object. Remember that. The next time you're tempted to say, if only I had more faith. That's all I need. I just need a little bit more faith. Jesus said, if you have the faith of a mustard seed, you can move mountains. Boys and girls, Gideon is a hero. A hero of faith. A God-made hero of faith. There are many heroes around us. Some that we would call somewhat legitimate heroes. One who would jump into a fire to rescue someone. risk his own life. Yet there are many man-made heroes, like the TV cartoons, those with superhuman powers. They're false. They're not true. They're not good. If you want to see a real hero, look to Gideon, a God-made hero, and look to all those listed in that beautiful Hebrews chapter 11. Gideon needed a miraculous sign from God to make him sure that God would do what he said he would do, but we don't, beloved. We don't. Our so-called fleeces, you see, are not like Gideon's fleece. His fleece was asking God to confirm what God said that God would do. To confirm what God said that God would do. But our fleeces are often for selfish purposes. We use them like a magic eight ball for something that we want to do. Should I do this? Oh, most definitely yes. Oh, maybe it's a good idea. Well, I'm not sure. Most definitely not. As one of you gave me a good illustration this past week, for example, I must be meant to buy that new car because my credit was approved. Dangerous. I must be meant to move, to relocate, because everything has gone smoothly so far. Everything has fallen into place. It doesn't necessarily mean that one should move. You see, we try to manipulate God into somehow showing us if we should or should not do something. But beloved, the Bible, the Word of God is our fleece. The answers are there if we only take the time to look and to read. Should I date this person? Well, let's see what God's Word says. Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. To start, that's where it begins. Should I cheat on my taxes just a little bit? Everybody's doing it. It probably won't get caught. But the Bible says, you shall not steal. Should I take that job promotion in a location where there is no true Bible-believing, Christ-centered church and there is no Christian school for my children? Well, the Bible says, worship God in spirit and in truth. and to submit yourself to the oversight of the elders as well, to raise our children in the fear of the Lord. Should I volunteer more to help out with the needs, for example, of Calvin Christian School? Much volunteer work needs to be done. Or homeless shelters, or the crisis pregnancy center. God commands us to serve Him and to be of service to others. See, often we will not find specific answers to our specific questions, but we can say that God calls us to use what we call sanctified common sense, directed by the Word of God. But when it comes to what God has said, we don't have to wonder about God's Word by laying our fleece out before Him. Why? Because of Jesus Christ. He has already proven that God will do what He says. We don't need any more signs than what Jesus gave us to confirm God's power over false gods or to confirm whether He means what He says. We have all the confirmation we need in the Bible that God will do what He says He will do. But knowing our weakness, our Lord did leave us with two most wonderful signs. We call them sacraments. Holy baptism. and the Lord's Supper. These continue to remind us of God's covenant promises and His covenant faithfulness to those elect in Christ Jesus. They continue to remind us of that blessedness of salvation, full and free for eternity. One other symbol, it's not a sacrament, but it's a symbol that we do consider. We look to the cross, the empty cross, and that too reminds us of God's covenant faithfulness and His power over sin and death in the grave as well. It reminds us of the gift of salvation. The Lord's battle will be fought with His power and it will be fought also for His honor. You see, this battle is not for Israel's honor but for the Lord's. First of all, we need to look at the sides. Who is this battle between? We have Gideon on the one side, also known as Jerob Baal, along with his army. And then we have the Midianites. So it appears to be a battle between men, right? It appears to be a military conflict. But is it? No. It's a religious battle, a spiritual conflict. You see, Gideon called Jerob Baal, which we're told in verse 32 means let Baal contend with him. Gideon has really thrown Baal a challenge by destroying Baal's altar. If you are a god, O Baal, then come out of hiding. Come and prove yourself. Come out and fight. And now Gideon himself, possessed by the Spirit, is possessed by the Spirit, so the fight is not between Gideon and the Midianites, but it's between Jehovah and Baal. You see, the Israelites had forsaken God and adopted the worship of Baal, or again, syncretism, blended the worship of Jehovah and Baal. And because of this, God sent His divine judgment, which in this case was the Midianites. The foreign oppression came because of the acceptance of foreign gods. So if the foreign gods are dealt with by God's justice, then by God's mercy, the foreign oppression will also go away. And therefore, beloved, the question here is not who's going to live off the land, the Midianites or the Israelites, but the real question is, who will be God? Who is God? You see, we're talking about the authority of God's name and we're talking about His place among His people, something that Gideon would also be taught about, the authority of God's name and His place among His people. Let's look at the armies. Here's Gideon's army, 32,000 men. Not bad, is it? It's a pretty good size against the Midianites and their allies, which, if you were to look ahead at chapter 8, verse 10, says 135,000 men. The odds are four to one, boys and girls. One Israelite versus four enemies. We know that one against four is rarely, if ever, a fair fight. But God said that he would be with them. Now, if it were up to us, we'd tell Gideon to get back on that old trumpet and keep blowing that thing until he had plenty more with him. Keep going. There's plenty out there. Keep blowing that trumpet. But God says, nope, uh-uh. Too many. He tells Gideon to tell those who are afraid to go home. And this is in accordance with the law that we find in Deuteronomy 20, verse 8, which says, Is any man afraid or faint-hearted? Let him go home so that his brothers will not become disheartened too. That was the normal procedure. Let those who are afraid to go home so they will not bring down the morale of the others. But Gideon, no doubt, did not expect the outcome. 22,000 leave. That's two-thirds of what little he had. And now the odds are 14 to 1. One Israelite against 14 enemies. This is no laughing matter. This is serious stuff. But the Lord says, nope. Still too many. So now Gideon has to take them down to the stream and watch them take a drink of water. And those who bring the water up in their hand and lap it out of their hand like a dog go with Gideon. And those who kneel down and put their mouths in the stream go home. We're not going to take the time to analyze the significance of the two different ways of drinking because I don't think there is a significance beyond the fact that this is simply the way that God chose to decide the makeup of Gideon's final army. We know the outcome. Gideon is left with not 3,000, but with 300 men. That's it. 300 men versus thousands of men. 450 against one. I don't know how many people are here this morning. In the offertory, I'm trying to count a few rows and get an idea, but I suspect between 200 and 250. We're talking 450 against one. We don't have to look far for God's reason for cutting Gideon's army down to size. Chapter 7, verse 2 says, The Lord said to Gideon, You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. And listen, In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, and then announces to the people, anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her. Again, 300 versus 135,000. It's so ridiculous, isn't it? There's no comparison here at all. But this is God's strategy of weakness. In order to show His power and that it might be for His honor. The battle is not between Israel and the Midianites. It's not about who has more muscle or who has more bravery. But it's between God and Baal. Isn't it interesting, though, how God helps Gideon overcome his doubt through the fleece signs. And then he turns around and takes away whatever military strength Gideon had. He first builds up Gideon's faith and then he tests it. This isn't your battle, Gideon. It's mine. Do you trust me? Do you trust me? And that's the question, beloved, each and every one of us must answer when we face the difficulties and the trials of life. Do you trust me? My heart was warm to hear Ryan and Kelly Zatlin, ninth grader and seventh grader, when I spoke with them about their dad the other night, to hear them say, we trust in the Lord, that He will do what's right, That His way is perfect. Reformation, God's way. Beloved, that battle is still the same today. That spiritual battle is still going on today. We're in the middle of it. Sure, it's a painful lesson to learn that God doesn't really need me to fight for Him. As far as the outcome is concerned, I could just as well stay home from the battle. God can do it all without me. He doesn't need me. He doesn't need you. He didn't need Martin Luther or John Calvin or the Apostle Paul or even Gideon to fight and win his battles. It's God's battle. He is perfectly capable of defending himself and defending his honor. God's strategy of weakness really goes against the grain of the way we think, doesn't it? Because we are so quick to find our strength and our comfort in numbers. And the strategy of weakness is completely opposite of our military thinking today. When is the last time that a five-star general told two-thirds of his troops to go home because he had too many? Army success. We all know that army success depends upon having a larger number of troops than the enemy. That's common sense. As well as having the most sophisticated and advanced equipment and technology. And the same is true in the church, isn't it? Today we set goals for the church for growth in numbers. So often when someone asks me today or would ask me in my previous charge, about the church I was serving, the first question would invariably be, so how big is the church? How many families do you have? How many members? For some reason, you see, we think that the larger the membership, the more power we have, and that a bigger church will result in more life in the church. Sadly, that's not always true. Jesus said, wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there will I be also. Our strength doesn't depend on numbers. It comes from the Spirit of God. It's not wrong. It's not wrong to set goals of membership numbers. But our first goal, beloved, must be spiritual growth. That should be the first question any of us would ever ask another pastor or any of us are asked about our home church. What is the spiritual condition in your church? Is the congregation growing in the Lord? Does the congregation desire to grow in the Lord? Does the congregation pray throughout the week for the preaching of the Word of God? Does the congregation pray throughout the week to be receptive to the preaching? Do you pray for me and Pastor Donovan and every other faithful minister of the Word of God as they are laboring throughout the week to study God's Word, to preach on the Lord's Day. Are you praying every day? As well, then, are you also praying along with that that God would prepare your heart for the Lord's Day to be receptive of that preaching? See, now we're getting back to being heart-perfect, remember? God will preserve and increase his church either with us or without us. He doesn't need us, but he has called us to be his reformational leaders and he will use the faithful. Here the Lord prepares Gideon for the Lord's battle, conducted with the Lord's power and for the Lord's honor. And there's one more. It's conducted in his own way, in the Lord's own way. Reformation, God's way. No doubt Gideon was surprised to see how few the Lord was allowing him to have. Shocked, maybe. In fact, he might have been worried and nervous. And the 300 men, what in the world is going to happen? You see, this was still a huge, a massive undertaking. And who wouldn't of us? Who wouldn't be somewhat fearful? But actually, God told him in chapter 7, verse 7, exactly what would happen. The Lord said to Gideon, With the 300 men that lapped, I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. We can close the book, can't we? That's God speaking. He never lies. So it must be the truth. The text never tells us that Gideon argued about God with only having 300 men. In fact, it appears Gideon didn't say anything at all. But knowing his fear, God voluntarily puts the finishing touches on preparing Gideon for the Lord's battle. God invites Gideon to take a sneak preview, to have a sneak preview of the outcome. Verses 9 and 10 of chapter 7. During that night, the Lord said to Gideon, Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant, Pura. And that's what he does. He sneaks into the Midianite camp with his servant, Pura, who must have been some sort of a moral support for Gideon. I don't want to go alone. Please come with me. They hear the dream. The interpretation seems to be clear. The bread represents Israel, a farming people. And the tent represents the Midianites, nomads, tent people. The bread rolls down the hill and completely collapses the tent. And the friend in the tent says, in verse 14, This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon, son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands. Think about that. Think about who said that. This was revelation from God through the mouth of Gideon's enemy. Confirming what God said, for I have given. That's all it took. Gideon was satisfied, he was convinced, and he knew for sure that the battle is the Lord's. Now we'll have to wait until next week to find out how he proceeded. The congregation God gives assurance of victory to the faithful. He gives it to His church today just as He did with Gideon. He gives us a preview through His Word, doesn't He? It's more than a preview. It's the entire production. We have God's history of revelation and redemption before our very eyes. It's called the Bible. And the Bible reveals to us that although the battle still rages, as Peter says, Satan is still out there prowling around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Yet, Jesus Christ has won the war. Even when, humanly speaking, the odds looked against him. Gideon at least had 300 with him. Our Lord Jesus Christ faced the cross alone. And for those who are elect in Christ, we have the assurance of victory. Not just the possibility, beloved, but the assurance of full victory. In the strength of the Holy Spirit, we must grab on to the promise of the Word of God like Gideon finally did by God's grace. And when the thought of Reformation gets us down and causes us to doubt and scares us because those who are against us look so big, Satan's persecutions continue to come as those arrows shooting one after the other, yet we must hold fast to the truth of God's Word. We must hold fast to our confession. Today, in addition to struggling against the world, the church struggles against New Age religions and self-discovered religions that say that man is really his own God. And of course, these are the types of religions that the wicked human heart can really grab onto, sink their teeth into, because it puts man in control. It doesn't tell us that we're totally helpless. Again, I can't help but think of all we've learned about the Muslims in the past year. Especially those soldiers who are told that if they give their life, if they sacrifice their life in battle of all the good things that Allah promises them, including a number of virgins to greet them when they get to the other side. Such a lie. Yet often in the church we wonder what we can do in God's reformational battle. Do we have enough people to make an impact? After all, the church is so small compared to the world. Do we have enough people to change the laws of our land? Our Lord calls His children to be His reformational leaders and He prepares us for His battle. God poured out His Holy Spirit on Pentecost and now His people are clothed with the Holy Spirit and His strength. And the way that the Lord prepares us for His battle is that He prepares us to be faithful. To be faithful to our God and to the way that leads to Christ. He strengthens the faith of His own through His means of grace, the preaching of the Word and the sacraments. And again, He gives us the assurance of victory with everlasting life, full and free. Beloved, in reality, we are not being summoned to battle, if you think about it, because actually the Lord alone fights His battles. We witness that in the victory of Jesus Christ. The war has been won. But we are being summoned to go out and get the fruits of His victory. Go ye into all the world and bring in the harvest. Nobody said it would be easy. Nobody said that Satan would not try to stop us. But that's what we are called to do. God prepares us to stand up for the honor of His name. To proclaim that the battle has been fought and Jesus Christ is victorious. To declare that by God's grace and God's grace alone we have been given the gift of salvation. And to openly announce to all the world, beloved, that our God reigns. That is the message that we are to preach from the pulpits and throughout our lives. Whether as a student or a garbage collector or a mechanic or a salesman or a secretary or a housewife, the number one goal of whatever we do is to proclaim that message that Jesus Christ is victorious. That we have salvation. That our God reigns. Is God preparing you for the Lord's battle? If you can't tell, or if you are unsure, then you need to hear this message that the faithful are called to proclaim. Remember, most of Gideon's army was sent home because they were afraid. They didn't have faith. They didn't believe. They were sent away so they would not bring down the morale of the rest. Those who are faithless, those who are filled with unbelief will be separated from God's army, the church. Because whomever is not for him is against him and will be cast away. But for those, beloved, who repent of their sins for Jesus' sake and trust in the Lord with all their heart, our assurance is that in Christ Jesus we are more than conquerors. Again, not that we might be a conqueror. Not that we've won by just a little bit. but overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. He gives us courage. He gives us strength. He gives us victory. And He prepares us for the Lord's battle. Amen, shall we pray. Father, we do confess that so often we are weak, but we praise You that You alone are strong and that our strength comes from You. You do not leave us without. You are our refuge and our strength and ever-present help in time of trouble. And Father, we thank you and praise you that we live alone from your strength and your strength alone. Grant us that strength day by day. Lead us by the power of your Spirit that we might stand firm for you as soldiers of the cross of Jesus. In his name alone we pray these things. Amen. For more information, visit www.fema.org