
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been CALLED according to his purpose.
Question: What is the one thing in your life you are the most RELIANT on?
The TRUTH about the CALLED
1)
on God because you are not strong enough
Judges 13:5 - Samson was anointed as a Judge of Israel. God was anointed leader in whom God would select to rescue the people from their enemies.
5 You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”
Judges 16:4-6 - Samson Strength didn’t make him invincible to weakness
4 Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. 5 The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.” 6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.”
John 5:19 - Jesus was Reliant on God the Father
Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
John 19:18 - Criminal on the cross denied Jesus because he didn’t need God in his life
There they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on each side, with Jesus in the middle.
Remember:
We may depend on our strength, success, but we are never strong enough without God’s help.
The TRUTH about the CALLED
2)
God’s voice will turn your situation around
Judges 6:12-16 Gideons famous words, believing he was too weak for God to use him… I am the least? Until he heard God’s voice!
2 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” 13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” 15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” 16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”
John 6:63 - God’s words are LIFE to us.
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”
Hebrews 3:7 - We have to hear God’s voice every DAY
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice.”
John 5:25 - SALVATION comes to use by hearing God’s words
“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.”
Remember:
Gideons miracle and supernatural power came by hearing God’s voice for him.
The TRUTH about the CALLED
3)
in the power of God to overcome your challenges
Judges 7:22 Gideon was faced with a HUGE challenge but would downsize his army down to 300 people and defeat the greatest army of 32,000 men.
22 When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords.
Gideons bet his future on God’s strength.
The Bet was against Gideon
Gideon’s army was 107 against 1 man. The odds were 1/107. And Gideon didn’t even have to do anything but blow a trumpet and let God do his work.
Psalm 20:7 - David realized his success came from God’s strength not his own.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
Zechariah 4:6 - As God’s people who were exiled in Babylon, God did a miracle by allowing them to return to Jerusalem by King Cyrus of Persia. God delivered this key message to them.
Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts
Remember:
Place all your bets on God, because he will help you overcome every challenge.
The TRUTH about the CALLED
4) Your
are never to great for God’s promises
What time in your life was your biggest failure?
Judges 16:27-30 - Samson Failed, but God still fulfilled his promise of him being a Deliver for Israel. In Samsons weakest moment, God gave him the strength he needed.
27 Now the house was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000 men and women, who looked on while Samson entertained. 28 Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29 And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. 30 And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life.
Matt 19:23-24 - Strong people can miss heaven
23Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
Ephesians 2:8 - The greatest promise is SALVATION. Where does salvation come from? It’s a gift from God.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.
2 Corinthians 12:9-11 - Paul said this about God’s strength
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Remember:
You can’t fail when you rely on God in your life.
CHALLENGE
What is the one thing in your life you are the most RELIANT on?
Challenge = Be reliant on God in everything you do!
A person who is RELIANT on God will become resilient in every situation.
NEXT STEPS
Step 1) BELONG: Make Connections on Sundays
Step 2) BELIEVE: Follow Jesus & Get Baptized
Step 3) BECOME: Get Trained & Join a Small Group
Step 4) BUILD - Serve & Save the Lost
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BIBLE STUDY QUESTIONS
1) Share prayer requests and answered prayers with one another and pray for one another.
2) What was the one big thing that blessed you in last Sunday’s worship service? What did the Holy Spirit speak to your heart about through the sermon?
3) What is the one thing in your life you are the most RELIANT on?
4) Discuss the Life of Samson & Gideon (Read Judges 16 & Judges 7)
5) How can you RELY more on God in your life?