“The Cycle From Sin To Deliverance
Pastor Jim Lowe III
Sunday Morning,
02/04/23 (3rd Sunday Message)
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{All scriptures are NIV84 unless stated}
Today we talk about a repeated cycle God’s people go through.
Judges 6:1
Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites.
It says again?
- What kind of evil were they doing?
To find out what type of stuff the Israelites were into, you have to back up the story a bit.
Judges 3:7
7 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.
This tells us
God Sees The Things We Do: The Good Things And The Bad
God won’t conveniently look the other way when we do things against him.
Our sins won’t escape his eyes.
But what type of evil were they doing?
They FORGOT God.
They served other Gods.
How did this happen?
Judges 3:5-6
They lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. (6) They took their daughters in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
They lived with people outside of their own.
They were God’s chosen people.
Yet they began to live with…
associate with…
marry…
People who didn’t live like them.
Be Careful Who You Associate With!
When you get around people who don’t do the things you do…
Or you get around people who DO things you don’t…
…It can start to change you.
It starts with they do things you don’t do.
Then YOU start to do things you don’t normally do.
Then YOU are doing the same things others do.
It doesn’t matter about
It will change you.
1 Corinthians 15:33
33 Do not be misled:
Where we mess up is we assume “Bad” as a label to mean “not good-hearted.”
“John isn’t a bad guy…he
“Sarah isn’t a bad person, she goes to church sometimes.”
What this really means is bad as in NOT God’s design.
Make Sure The People In Your Circle Push You Towards God And Not From Him!
These in our circle don’t have to be perfect…
But they need to ALL be moving towards God…not away from him.
Psalm 1:1
1
When The people of God mixed with other cultures…
what may had been right in THEIR eyes was sin in the eyes of God.
We Are Working To Stop The Sin We Are Already Doing…We Don’t Need Others Adding Stuff To The List!
We got enough we’re trying to turn away from!
But Israel had mixed with these other people SO
They disregarded him…
They ignored him…
They got caught up in what that culture wanted.
As the years went on…
All moving further and further away from God.
It wasn’t like they didn't know.
God straight
“Make sure I stay the focus!”
Exodus 20:2-3
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3
No other Gods before him.
NOTHING is to come before God.
No ONE
THIS is why we have to be careful of those around us.
People will influence you!
It’s hard to save money when the people around you spend it!
It’s hard to eat healthy when the people around you don’t!
It’s hard to come to
It’s hard to stay OUT of places you shouldn’t go when the people around you go!
Make Sure The People Around You Don’t Turn You Against God!
Judges 3:7
So they did evil…
They forgot God…
The
God actually told Moses those people were there.
in Exodus 3
God said the land was for them…but those people were there…
but the LAND was for them.
So God’s people joined with these people.
They were
They forgot THEIR God.
The one who delivered them…
The one who saved them.
They served other Gods.
So what happened?
Judges 3:8-11
The Lord’s anger burned against them obviously.
The Lord allowed the King of Aram to rule over them for 8 years.
When the people came to their senses
He raised up someone who would fight for Israel and deliver them. (Othniel)
So the land had peace for 40 years after that.
So what happens?
Judges 3:12
12
What was the evil they did?
The same thing like before…
God became less and less important for them.
They STOPPED doing the things God wanted them to do.
They begin to do the stuff that other people wanted them to do.
They begin to worship other gods.
So God gets angry…again.
This time they were ruled by Moab for 18 years.
They cried out to God for help.
Judges 3:15-30
God rose up someone else…THAT person helped to deliver Israel again.
This time they were in peace for 80 years.
So what happens again?
Judges 4:1
After Ehud died, the Israelites
How so?
They forgot the Lord.
They began to worship other Gods.
They were connected with people they weren't supposed to be connected to.
So guess what happened?
They were taken over by the king of Canaan.
They were in
Again they cried for help.
Judges 4
The Lord used Deborah and Barak and (Jael) to free his people.
Israel was at peace for 40 years.
Back to Judges
Judges 6:1
Again the
(The Repeated Cycle)
1. The Sin:
2. The Punishment:
3. The Distress:
4. The Prayer:
5. The Deliverance:
This is the same cycle we go through
We are trying to ride the fence between things of God and things of the world.
We Can’t Be Worldly Relevant And Godly Relevant At The Same Time! One Or The Other Has To Win!
We have to choose…
Some of us are SOOOOO into it we can’t tell where the world ends and we begin.
Deuteronomy 11:16
16 Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. 17 Then the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and he will shut the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the Lord is giving you.
Perish from the GOOD LAND GOD GAVE!
Can We Ruin A Good Thing?
Even in God’s promised land he will shut the heavens.
there will be no rain.
the ground
This means even in the dream job we get…
we’ll be having a hard time.
bills will increase over the money.
people won’t like us…
Many of us are going through life wondering why we’re going through so much.
Maybe the answer is there are things that are getting in the way of our relationship with him!
(Question:)
Do You Spend Time Often With God?
Do You Allow Other Things Get In The Way Of Your Time With God?
Are You Too Busy With Life To Give God His Time?
Deuteronomy 4:9
9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live.
Don’t allow yourself to forget what God has done for you.
Don’t allow yourself
When God saved your life…
When God saved the life of your parents/children…
We Have To Stop Putting Things Before God!
Back to Judges 6
Judges 6:1
Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years
1. Sin - They Put Their Desires And Other Things Before God
Again the Lord gave them over to someone else…
This was the punishment for their sin.
2. Punishment - They Were Taken Over By Midian
Judges 6:2-5
2 Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. 4 They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. 5 They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it.
3. The Distress - Life Was Unbearable For Israel Under The Midianites
Verse 6
6 Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help.
4. The Prayer - They Cried
Verse 7-10
7 When the Israelites cried to the Lord because of Midian, 8 he sent them a prophet, who said,
They didn't listen…they worshipped other gods…
They forgot about God.
But through this…
just like every time before.
As SOON as they cried out.
God responded and was preparing their deliverance.
5. The Deliverance - Gideon
Verse 11-12
11 The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said,
God was already preparing the next person to save Israel.
Many of us spend our lives on this cycle:
(The Repeated Cycle)
1. The Sin: - putting something before God
2. The Punishment: - what comes as a result
3. The
4. The Prayer: - the call and return to God
5. The Deliverance: - the way he delivers us
The unfortunate thing is we run this cycle many times.
But for EVERY time…
The moment we call…God delivers us.
Isaiah 65:24
24 Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.
God Has Already Solved Your Problem! He’s Waiting On You To Ask For It!
Psalm 91:14-16
14
him and show him my salvation.”
So what do we do?
This Week:
1. Ask God To Show Us
2. Ask God For Forgiveness And Make Adjustments
3. Pray That God Delivers Us From Our Trials As We Turn Closer To Him
