When the Good Goes Bad, Part 2

Today on Summit life with JD Greer the human heart has to be change your heart to be changed would be that we need a Savior who can deliver us not only from a course around us. We need a Savior who can deliver us from a course within us.

We don't see the Savior to fix her situation.

We need a Savior who can fix our eyes on the back for another on Summit life with pastor JD Greer of the Summit church in Raleigh, North Carolina. As always, I'm your host Molly benefits you question do you think you have a tendency to take a bit too much credit for your success while overlooking God's blessing in your life.

Even with the best of intentions. The human heart always defaults towards pride, beginning in Judges chapter 8 we see how Gideon's victory as a warrior began to inflate his ego rather than giving glory to God.

He chose to act like a king who deserves special treatment. If you missed the beginning of the sermon.

I just wanted to remind you that you can always hear previous broadcasts at our website. JD Greer.com yesterday titled today's message when good goes bad. So let's get started.

You love you.

Last week you left him on a high. Gideon had just pulled off what is arguably the most incredible upset military history.

Gideon has assumed that it was his strength that accomplish this is heart is turned inward and it is going to spoil verse 22 than the men of Israel, said Gideon rule over us because you have saved us the hand of Midian, but Gideon said back to bed. I will not deliver you. The Lord will rule over you was actually a great response on Gideon's part because God told Israel that Israel was not to have a king because God would be there to jump down to verse 30 now Gideon had 70 signs per Gideon had many wives verse 31 and his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son. Gideon called his name Abimelech. Now Abimelech in Hebrew literally means my dad is the king what sounds like Gideon thinks of himself as king. After all, go back to verse 24 Gideon said to them, every one of you give me the earrings from his foil. Now Gideon is collecting taxes. That's also pretty king like verse 27 Gideon made and he fought out of it and put it in a city and all Israel poured after Advair to become ensnared Gideon into his family. Gideon may not be trying to deny God altogether. But Gideon has put himself in the place of God, and Gideon has taken onto himself. Some things that belong only to God is now directing people's attention away from God. You see, when Jillian was small and weak.

He was depended on God it was when he got strong but he forgot automated about himself where your strengths don't bemoan your weaknesses be where your strengths be where your prosperity because that is the thing that will your heart away from God.

I do not want to be Gideon where all got give me great success in the BN I lose everything that is precious to me. Which leads me to part two here Abimelech the tumbleweed after Gideon's death.

Abimelech says I want to be king like my dad was without the name of someone have the name Abimelech goes out chapter 9 and he hires a bunch of worthless vagabonds to be his posse in ambush and kill all 69 of Gideon's other sons except for one and Joe the move escapes by hiding in a closet and Abimelech says well I guess I have to be king now since my dad has no other sons left leaders of Israel, who know all of this along with it ground Abimelech at Shechem King will choke on the one brother who escape comes out of hiding when Abimelech is away on a trip and he gets in front of Israel's leaders and he tells them a parable about a bunch of trees in a forest who are going to choose for themselves.

One tree to be king. So first he says they go to the olive tree and they said would you be the king over us because you're awesome. Daltrey says now I don't really want to bother without it is a map and making too much money making others, olive oil, and so I don't want to get involved in all the politics and so then they go to the fig tree image of victory would you be working for Chris is now the whole big thing just exploded and I got I give myself of that, and every tree eventually go to grapevine rebounds.

Not much of a tree, but on the WB are king gave us is nominal is also wanting to be working to follow the go to out tumbleweed and they say the tumbleweed will you be our king.

The tumbleweed says sure but first thing you gotta do is I need you to cut down all the other trees and burning the ground and so they do that in the tumbleweed becomes their king and then joked and says to the leaders of Shechem. This is just what you've done an anointing Abimelech to be your leader and show them says this is going to come back on you.

Sure enough, that's what happens. Abimelech turns out to be a terrible leader. No surprise there. Eventually all those leaders in Shechem that anointed Abimelech realize what a scumbag he is and they revolt against him. So Abimelech and his army attacks them, and so the people there in Shechem flee to the city tower.

Abimelech takes ironically enough bunch of tumbleweeds and he packs around the base of the tower lights on fire so that it burns a thousand people alive in the tower. Then he goes on to the next city and he drives all the people of that city back in the bear tower, but as he is about to light that tower on fire. A woman in the top floor takes a moderately sized millstone and she drops it out of the top window and it lands on Abimelech's head and as he's lying. They are barely conscious, with his head all mangled. He says to one of his servants quick kill me with your sword so that I don't go down the book of Judges as yet another guy who got killed by a woman with a kitchen utensil and his servant obliges him to take the sword kills him, and he dies map number 56 does God return the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father and killing his 70 brothers upon his head, literally verse 57 and God also made all the evil of the minute Shechem return on their heads, and upon them came the curse of Joseph and the son of Jared Bayle which was the other names Gideon what is this teaching us what is this generation of judges tediously give you three briefings here in one the story teaches you the God's judgment is slow and sometimes subtle, but it is always sure. Now I told you a few weeks ago that that in this life.

We may not see everyone writing. Millstones don't get dropped on the head of every bad person that we know.

But every once in a while Scripture records stories like this one to show you that what is not happening here on earth will indeed happen in eternity. And the more important point.

Listen, is this you must not let the slowness of God's judgment, you must not let his apparent absence wool you into complacency because the apostle Peter says that throughout human history, mankind has repeatedly made the mistake of assuming the God's patience is long-suffering and his subtlety and judgment equate with his absence. In the example of Peter uses is Noah.

Did you know that between the time God said to become a flood in the time. Again, there was nearly 100 years and then Peter says a Noah's generation. They assume that that hundred euro gap meant that Noah was a fool and that God had not really spoken to some of the flood came upon them when they weren't even expected it, and they miss use that time, they thought that the Lord was slow concerning his promise second Peter chapter 3 for the Lord is not slow concerning his promise, Peter said one day with him is like a thousand years from the reason he did it. Peter said, is because the Lord is not willing that any should perish but that also come to repentance given them that hundred year space to allow them to repent and they confused though this sign of God's patience with the fact that he wasn't there. Another cool thing that that Genesis shows you know there's one other prophecy about the flood. The people always overlook Methuselah you know that a Methuselah means in Hebrew when he dies it will come if you add up the years Methuselah died the year.

The flood came, he was 969 years old.

The longest man Scripture records living as a sign that God's patience is what holds history together and you must never confuse his space that he's given you to repentance as the fact that he is not there. You see, Peter says this is what you do with the coming of Christ is been 2000 years and you say well I got time out of way to next week, next week will be just like this week. Tomorrow will be just like today. Next year will be just like this year.

I'll get to this later. And Peter says don't be a fool. Gotta simply done this to give you a space to repent. But in the moment.

You don't realize it's happening.

The flood comes coming of Christ comes. Your death calms and you will of abuse will God intended for patients toward you. When I lived in Southeast Asia.

I am live in the place where the tsunami came through 2004 and killed him hundred 80,000 people. I was gone before it came, but went back in 2000 for just three weeks after the tsunami had come to visit that area and I talked to a guy that I knew there he told me the most remarkable stories that I was on the beach.

I spent the night on the beach with eight friends of mine. We were doing on a camp out the night that the tsunami came again.

Think about 8 o'clock that morning and he said that we spent the night there on the beach and he said something focus on the morning none of us knew what was looking back now realize it was the earthquake is about.

We got ourselves up and walked out side and we sold the most unusual thing the water you see the pictures and receded back several hundred yards, he said we never said anything like that, he said. And so my eight friends thought it was the strangest thing so they just went walking out on the ocean bed to see what was going on is that I felt like something was not right. So I got on my motorcycle. I drove back to my parents house because I wanted to check on them because last we heard from any of those eight friends.

He said I sometimes wonder what it was like for them as they got out there and then suddenly they see a 70 foot high wall of water that is coming to not only killed them but would destroy hundred and 80,000 people in our country is in the cross and resurrection of Jesus are like the receiving of that water the cross and resurrection show you that God is indeed in charge that God is the judge and that God will one day return and God has given you a space to repent. Do not use this moment to treat it like a curiosity where you say, well, I'll get the best when there's time. It assures you that it is coming for God's judgment is coming and he's giving you right now a space to repent. Don't confuse his patients with his absence. God may not be as obvious right now. But God is every bit as present in God is working history command line will return to her teaching in just a moment, but I wanted to quickly tell you about our featured resource.

If not, let's face it, we will need to be able to give a reason for the help we have in Jesus and how they affect the way we think about things in the world in our newest book. We hope to equip you with answers to difficult questions that make sense and aren't overly complicated and honest questions. Quick answers will address things like if a child wonders from the parents fault and you know you're growing as a disciple of Jesus. These types of questions can be barriers to this were searching.

So having solid responses in our mind can help along the path, bringing people to Jesus, receive it with your gifts in ministry right now giving us a call and thank 335 20 or check it out@jeanniegreer.com now is get back to the vision of today's teaching pastor. There is number two. The second thing we learned from the story is that the problem is not out there problem is in here you see the stories. The first one judges were the actual oppression comes not from outside of Israel. The oppression comes from within them is one of their own people the sign of one of their greatest leaders. That is the oppressor. This time, and so finally in the book of Judges. It is made clear that formations are not Israel's problem. Israel is Israel's problem.

As I told you that's always kind of been the case, but now you see it clearly if I think about this. There's really no special outpouring of judgment in the story is there. There's no fire from the sky God just allows Israel to experience the results of their own simple choices is Gideon self-centeredness and glory loss that produces a son he murders his brother so that he could be king is Shechem's disregard for God's commands and their self interest that lead them to selecting an opportunistic man like Abimelech will betray them is Abimelech's treachery and backstabbing that lead to his downfall.

What is it showing you listen.

Sin is its own curse God curses your family because your sin, you curse your family because of your sin. CS Lewis said to those people who object to the idea of God's judgment by God's judgment and make God mean Lewis said that in the long run. He answered all those who object to God's judgment is a question what are you asking God to do you ask God wipe out people's past sins and give them a fresh start. Are you asking him to offer miraculous help in the new life that is exactly what he's done to the cross are you asking him to forgive them. They refuse to be forgiven. Are you asking him to leave them alone. Alas, that is what I'm afraid he does. In the end.

You see, there are only two kinds of people. Those who say to God by will be done in those to whom God says diet will be done soon as its own curse Israel as its own problem. You wonder why doesn't God take everyone into heaven little what this race of people have done to the earth.

God doesn't want heaven to become hell and he knows if he just takes as they are the way that we are, we will turn heaven and hell. Which leads me to number three. We need a new King. We need a better judge like the Israelites, we come to God, thinking we primarily need him to deliver us from some bad thing. The Midianites of pain or broken relationships or lack of money we need him to give us a new marriage or to fix our family and we might need those things but he does now that we most need what we mostly just freedom from our own heart because we are our own curse. Thus, any salvation that fails to do with the human heart is not a real or sufficient salvation. Think about it. What if God cured all of the prayers of the human race would've the answer them all in, one fell swoop. He gave us everything that we as a race of asked for what we had prosperity to infinite amount of money make people virtuous sitting Kardashians mean anything to you.

I saw a study that show the drivers of luxury cars are less likely to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk. Those people in higher bracket the wealth and education are four times more likely to cheat at a card game when any money is at stake so no money does not make people virtuous and back usually pervert virtue, what if we were all educated without take away evil stall and women were the most well educated men of their generation, so I didn't keep them from being two of the most evil murdering men that ever walked the face of the earth. What if we were all perfectly govern the good government guarantee goodness in people want the best answers that came from Alexander Solzhenitsyn who was imprisoned under Stalin. Stalin thought that good government would make everybody virtuous. We made everybody equal well Solzhenitsyn and 20 million other dead Russians that that's not true, then Solzhenitsyn wrote the most remarkable thing in the Gulag and in the prison. He said I entered into the gulags thinking that the comments were the problem, we never shake off communism that everybody would be okay if we get back to democracy. We always thought evil somebody else listen to this.

If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds. Then we could separate them from the rest of us and destroy them.

But the line dividing good and evil cuts to the heart of every human being who is willing to destroy his own hearts. You see, we always think the evil is a communist evil is a capitalist the evil are the Republicans all know the evil are the Democrats the evil are uneducated people know the evils on Wall Street and goddesses know the evils you the human heart has to be change your heart needs to be changed, which means that we need a Savior who can deliver us not only from the curse around us occurs within us.

We don't see the Savior to fix our situation. We need a Savior who can fix us. We need a king who would not only rule with love and justice.

We need a king who can make us more like him, as that's why all the stories point us to their messiness and their disappointment and their failures to the ultimate king who would come the Lord Jesus, you see Jesus in many ways, would be the opposite of Gideon.

Unlike Gideon Jesus had every right to demand services again and unlike Gideon he rightfully could wear the E Fahd because he was himself the tabernacle of God's presence on earth. But unlike Gideon Jesus successfully resisted the temptation to rule over the nations. When God had not appointed it to Jesus and the temptation said no to Satan and until the very end of Jesus life.

Jesus maintained that he did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Jesus did not take our treasures to make a garment of gold for himself.

Jesus poured out his blood, to clothe us in his righteousness. Give us a seat at his table forever. Jesus was definitely the opposite of Abimelech. Unlike the trees of the forest to her to self interested to rule Jesus was more than willing to be our shepherd. But when we chop them down and kill them even burn us to the ground in his anger. He willingly took the fire of God's judgment for us to himself in love so that we could be saved.

The millstone of God's judgment was dropped on his head, not ours, so that we could live. He is the true king that we seek in every reform you think salvation comes from a better situation, God says salvation comes from being embraced by the Savior for whom you were created you think that a goblet picture marriage that he would fix you God says no. I gotta fix you before I fix your marriage.

You don't need a better situation. You need to have your heart changed. The problem is not this way. The problem is between you and me and if you will come to understand Jesus as the King for you and been seeking that he will change your heart to beat you become like him. Which leads me to the conclusion of this whole thing was all discover very very briefly look at this you get introduced to the next generation of judges. All it says is this what's this timbers one. After Abimelech there arose to save Israel Toler who was the son of Hua, the son of dodo, which was really tough names. My daddy did his dad to Toler Libby Schommer in the hill country of Ephraim.

He judged Israel 23 years then he died after him arose Gyro the Gilead I judge Israel 22 years and will possibly we learn the system wanted details know it's it's what's not said that you should learn from. Two things are not said their number one, there's no mention of who is likely to be delivered from you know why failing to mention the enemies anymore, because the enemy is not the four nations. The enemy is them. The judge needs to deliver them from the curse here not to curse their the second thing that's not mentioned watch this.

Do you see any reference in there to them crying out to God for help crying out to God, and more. Yet God keeps saving them over and over in the book of Judges, you are confronted with the fact that it's not that Israel is getting himself into a shape were God and feels like he's gonna come after them is the God seeks them when they're not seeking him, that God is chasing them. He is pursuing them when they're run as hard as they can.

The other direction. What that teaches you something is probably the most important thing for you to learn the book of Judges is a God is not waiting on you to get yourself in shape before he comes to you God like a father seeking you. God came to you. Romans 5A, while you are a center while you were as far as hard as you could be other way God was coming after you saying to you come back come back. I can tell you this weekend if you're sitting here listening to me that in itself is evident that God is been pursuing you, your like the people in the book of Judges, you keep wondering God.

Now I get yourself together and cut his hair. I turned my face towards you. I point this out a couple weeks ago another place and judges were. This was taught it was in the first for the story Gideon also pointed out that when Israel wandered from God. God sent a prophet who told him about their sin as we come to the end of the profit sermon. We are expecting Israel to respond in repentance, but I showed you before Israel responds.

God starts raising of Gideon God starts working salvation before they ever say I'm sorry there you see it, it's that God is coming to us before we are even interested in him you seeking out like a father seeks a loss on her daughter that night at dinner, I asked my family module daughter said through the service and I asked them. I set up so would you get out of the sermon and my second daughter, Allie, and she said that I thought somewhat your fridge is okay what she said you showed we like to watch the voice said yeah she said okay she says here that I was thinking near that point you made about God comes after us when were not even searching for him. I said yes she said so what I thought about was on the voice you know how like when you're singing the judges on their backs turned to you, but they like her singing them. They turn around their seed and it says I want you in big letters across the bottom.

I said yes. She said it's like it's like God turns his chair toward us before we ever even start singing now. When she was tell me that I kept thinking like she was going to say.

As a result of our pretty singing to correct or initially said that I was and I got it. That's the gospel. The gospel is that you were dead in your trespasses and sins, is because God has been pursuing you that you're here is because God has turned his chair toward you and the judge has become Savior. That's the most important thing for you to learn and judges is that God has pursued you. God wants to bring you back to himself as Savior. Without God's help in his work on the cross.

We are completely realized in our sin. Thankfully, our Savior is available and ready for us right now we just need to ask this assignment life featuring Pastor Jeannie Greer and enter new series broken saviors were looking at the book of Judges and some pretty strange stories, for he JD my this on my favorite series interest in terms of how much fun I had in the study of it and then the preparation of it right. The church really seem to love it. I think you'll find a lot of benefit in it because in the book of Judges unify Moses ago and said some of the most scandalous and outright weird stories in the entire Bible. But through this scandalous history were seen what God could do with the most broken of heroes in our prayers that do this series you will see that behind every broken hero is a God who remains faithful even when were faithless. The real hero of the book of Judges is not Samson.

And it's not Gideon the real hero is going to be the Messiah Jesus at their pointing to.

So we created a new resource for you this month that also cover some but what to say. It's strange but brutally honest topics like the ones we find in the book of Judges, I think you find a lot of things in this volume of questions that you heard her questions and considered so make sure that you get that soon when you partner with us financially. You'll be sharing them life-changing. God's word and across the US and the world. Our way of thinking newest resource created by defendant. My team honest questions and answers volume is yours now to support his ministry.

6335 24. Give online and copy Greer.com I'm only benefit in inviting you to join us again tomorrow Wednesday saviors Tuesday on Senate my rear ministry