I want to look back and this is a really great chapter of the Bible and there's some really cool stories
But I kind of want to pick something out of this chapter
That's a little bit different and and look what it says in verse number 10. It says
But if thou fear to go down go thou with furah thy servant down to the host
Now shalt hear what they say and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host
Then when he down with furah his servant unto the outside of the arm men
that were in the host and
What I want to focus on is this character in the Bible only mentioned these two verses and his name is furah and
He's Gideon's servant. He's Gideon's friend or companion of some sort and
Really what I want to title the sermon this evening. Is this be someone's furah be someone's furah now
He's only mentioned very briefly in this story
Okay, but even just with the few mentions that we have here
I believe that we can get three different points that I want to kind of think about when it comes to a furah in
Someone's life and and what is furah's role here? What is why is God pointing out furah?
well Gideon is afraid to go to battle where he's going to be severely outnumbered and
Earlier in Judges chapter number six. He had asked for other signs for God to basically
Just make it clear to him that God's on his side and God's gonna deliver in the battle
And so he's just kind of encouraging him through signs and wonders
well, one of the signs is gonna be the fact that he's gonna sneak down to the enemy camp and
He's gonna hear the enemy actually
Have a dream and interpretation that's gonna tell him how he's gonna actually win the battle
But the Lord says hey go down and hear them there
They're already telling you that you're gonna win the battle or whatever, but he's like if you're afraid to go down
Take furah with you. And so what is really furah's role? One of them is to
Strengthen him because he's afraid and so furah is there to help
Encourage him or strengthen him over the fear that he might have to go alone
And the reality is there's gonna be certain tasks in our life
That's difficult to do alone
But if you have at least just one other person if you had that furah in your life
Then it's a little bit easier or it can help you overcome
Some of that fear to accomplish that task
And so my first point is this strength furah gives Gideon strength to overcome that fear and being someone's furah
Can help encourage them or give them strength go if you would to Exodus chapter number 17
You don't have to keep your finger here in judges necessarily
Because we're just gonna kind of go around in the Bible and look at other people
But I really like furah and I really like this story about him and some of the things that we can pick out and
It really being a furah in the Bible. Obviously, it's not the most glamorous character of the Bible
It's not someone that the children are gonna learn about in Sunday school and have all the pictures and we drew furah dad
And he's like, what'd you say? And it's like
It's a funny name even right, but God mentioned him by name and God, you know had a purpose for him
and really there's a lot of people in the Bible that are like that because while we love to hear about the
Abrahams and the Daniels and the Davids and the Peters and the Paul's that's a very few number of people and
God has a role for all of us, you know, not everyone's gonna be Peter not everyone's gonna be Paul
Not everyone's gonna be Gideon necessarily
You know what?
I believe that we could all be furah and we can be a furah to other people in our lives no matter who you are
You can be a furah and really it's just strengthening other people or helping other people
Look what it says in Exodus chapter 17 verse 8 the Bible says
Then came Amalek and fought with Israel and Rephidim
Moses said unto Joshua choose us out men and go out fight with Amalek tomorrow
I will stand in the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand
Joshua did as Moses had said to him and
Fought with Amalek and Moses Aaron and her went up to the top of the hill and it came to pass and Moses held up
His hand that Israel prevailed and when he let down his hand
Amalek prevailed the Moses hands were heavy and they took a stone and put it under him and he sat there on an Aaron and
her stayed up his hands the one on the one side and the other on the other side and
His hands were steady until the going down of the Sun and Joshua discomforted
Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. So we have a story here where Moses is
Interceding on the behalf of Joshua and his army going out there and fighting a literal battle of Amalek and as Moses hands are up
They're winning the battle. But the problem is he's a human the problem is he gets tired
The problem is his hands start to drip and go down and as his hands go down they start losing the battle
So in order to win the battle it literally takes Aaron and her to come alongside
Moses and to be that Fuhrer and to literally
Strengthen his hands strengthen Moses his hands and help him lift up his hands so that the job can be accomplished
You know when we think about the story, it's not a lot about Aaron and her
It's more about Moses and Joshua and it seems like they're getting on the glory
But you know what? It wouldn't have happened without
Aaron it would have happened without her and they decided to be
Moses is Fuhrer in that portion of the earth
They were there to strengthen the man of God to strengthen and encourage
Moses to help him to accomplish that task and you know what behind every great man of God is a lot of Aaron and hers
There's a lot of Fuhrer's there to strengthen them and to help them and encourage them and it's a team effort
we see that it's you know a
Selfless attitude to sit here and hold hands, you know Aaron and her didn't say like well I could hold my hands up
You know if I was the if I was the Moses I would be able to hold my hands up or like hey
What's going on Moses? You know, you need to start lifting a little bit more bro, you know
No, they're just they're just getting in and they're just lifting up dance
They know they're not going to be Moses
But what they can do is they can help Moses
What they can do is they can help lift up one of his arms
They can be there to assist him and to be that
Fuhrer to be a spotter and you know, this story just makes me think of literally working out because I
Honestly probably would never work out on my own and I've tried it plenty of times and just I really don't have enough motivation
I don't have enough character or whatever it is if I go to the gym and I'm by myself
I would just kind of like grab a couple bars. I'm like, yeah, that's good
Like are you sitting there like I'm gonna do ten reps and then you start going you're like three, you know
You're like, I'm gonna do three sets and you're like, yeah one, you know, and it's like let's just go home
You know, that's kind of how I am. I struggle to really, you know work out efficiently by myself
Some people can do it and you're you're better than me. All right, I
Need that person to just stand there and be like, all right, three four five
No, you still got four more
7-8 I'm just like, oh man, you know and they're sitting there counting with you and they're like, come on
We can do another one and let's let's go to this machine. Let's do this exercise and you know, fortunately
I have someone that's in my life that takes I go working out with them and I wouldn't be able to do without them
I wouldn't go and really having a partner helps you also when it comes to lifting weights
I don't know how much you know about lifting weights
But lots of times people they try to get to a point of exhaustion and lifting weights
They'll take a really heavy amount of weight and they're they're doing maybe bench press or they're doing any kind of exercise doesn't matter
But when you have a lot of weight and you're getting to the point of physical exhaustion that can actually become dangerous
Because if you get to the point where you literally can't hold it, you could drop a bunch of weight on yourself
You could hurt yourself and a lot of people trying to be really cool and you know, oh, I'm so tough
Look me they end up hurting themselves because they're too prideful
To admit that they need a spotter and a spotter is a good person to have with you work out
What do they do they just stand there by the bar and if you get to the point where you just literally can't lift it
Anymore, they grab it and they rack it for you
Just so as you don't hurt yourself and you know, they're that Fura in your life that you need to encourage you
You may look at you know, someone that's you know, a little more humble
They might look at a certain weight and they'd say I'd like to try and bench that
But I know I probably couldn't do it on my own but when you have the spotter there now you can't
Now you're gonna attempt it now
You're not as afraid to go ahead and lift that type of weight or go through that transaction because you know, he's got your back
you know, he's gonna be able to help you catch that weight or lift it off of you or whatever the problem is and
Let's make a spiritual application. What would be a spiritual application?
Well, you know frankly speaking a lot of people won't go soul winning by themselves
I
Mean it's hard and I remember going to a church where
They didn't have a soul winning program
They weren't against so winning and they had tracks, but they had no dedicated so income
There wasn't a single time of the week, but they went out so winning I talked to the pastor
He wasn't gonna go I talked to the assistant pastor. He wasn't gonna go I talked to the youth minister
He wasn't gonna go I asked my entire Sunday school class. None of them wanted to go
There's the thing if I want to go so winning it was me and let's be honest
It was hard and I would but here's the thing
What I would do is I would turn someone into a food run and force them to come with you
I'd be like dad you're coming with me, right?
I'd be like, you know, I grab a family member or somebody and I'd be like you're coming with me
I'd tell people I'll buy you lunch. Just come with me
Why because it's just easier to go out so winning when it's not by yourself
It's kind of awkward when it's not like an official thing or you're just out there or whatever. It's just random
It's so much harder
But you know if you just have that one person to go with you
It's easier a lot easier to knock on a stranger's door a lot easier to go down that dark
You know Street or whatever a lot easier to go in the ghetto
With a partner than it is by yourself and knock on doors, you know certain doors
You're like, I don't want to knock on that door. But when you have a Fura with you, you can't
You know the Fura could be literally as simple as a silent partner
It could be someone that's not even gonna do anything
But just their presence makes it more comfortable, you know, even just dwelling at home, you know
I remember as a kid or you know, even being a young adult
Just another person just being in the house just makes you feel more comfortable just makes you feel safer
Even if that person isn't gonna be the one that's gonna get the bad guy, you know
Even if that other person is your wife, okay
It just still feels just nicer to have another person in the house with you that you're not just by yourself
You feel more comfortable noises and stuff kind of freak you out when you're by yourself, right?
And that's just life. Life is harder to do things by yourself. And so
understanding a Fura a Fura is a
beneficial person because he strengthens you and to doing certain actions and obviously
You know the sermon is more about focusing on you being a Fura
But if you have a Fura in your life, you should appreciate that person
You should be grateful for the Fura's that you have in your life
But you know
We need more people that are willing
To be a Fura and that person can strengthen you to do something that you would not do by yourself
They can strengthen you to do something that you would not do on your own Gideon may not have gone down there
Without Fura, but Fura ends up
Strengthening him and helping him accomplish a task that he wouldn't do go to Mark chapter 6
This is why we do so winning the way that we do it
Some people don't even like this, you know, and you'd be surprised there's a lot of people they get mad or they
They wouldn't necessarily verbalize it, but they don't follow it. They won't go so wanting to and to
They won't go if you are part their partner
They're gonna abandon you at the door because they're it's just so important that they are just getting as many people saved as humanly possible
So they just go and desert you I remember going so winning it faithful word Baptist Church. It's my first time to ever go
Okay, so it's a Wednesday night. We showed up and I'm really excited
We're going out so winning and I get my partner and I knock on this door
It's my turn to talk and I start talking to this person and my sewing partner just leaves immediately
Just gone and I'm so just standing here talking and I've been sewing lots
So it wasn't like I I couldn't feel comfortable like talking to him and I guess maybe my partner after hearing me
Talk just felt like I was good enough to go or whatever
So he got and then as soon as I'm done talking to this person, I look he's like gone gone
Like I'm not saying like he just did the next door like I'm looking and there's he just gone
and I had ended up it was a short so winning time and
Pastor Anderson drives up in the van and he's like, where's your partner?
And I'm like, I don't know and then he starts yelling at me because I don't have my part
He's like, why would you leave your partner? Where's your party? He's like, where's my brother?
It's like in my brother's keeper, but I'm just saying no
It's like this guy literally ran away from me and he's like three streets down and they were running late
And I was just like what in the world and it was a bad experience
And I've been with other people and they just do not want to go so wanting to and to but you know
That's what God prescribed
Okay
look at Mark chapter number six look at verse number seven and he called unto him the twelve and
Began to send them forth by two and two and gave them power over unclean spirits
Now you think you don't think that the God of the universe is wise enough to realize what's the best way to send people out
It's all winning
Why would because they're the well if we just go by ourselves, that's double the effort, right?
That's more people that could talk and more people that we get saved. So here's the problem with your logic
It's by human understanding and the reality is don't
undervalue Fura's
Position don't think that Fura doesn't have a role don't think that Fura isn't there to strengthen and you know
Being a Fura helps, you know, just because someone's this great person even if it's a Gideon
Gideon needed to run his life
Even if it's Moses Moses needed a food in his life and you a silent partner can benefit someone at the door a lot
You know, they can help with distractions
They can just help with the person may be feeling intimidated and talking to someone or just the situation
Look, the Fura is a great person to be don't abandon being a Fura because you have to be a Gideon
Because you have to be the Moses because you have to be something else, you know
You should stick to the two-and-two method and look there's been times where I go out soul-winning and you know
I'm within eye shot or ear distance of my partner and I'm able to talk to someone else and we're able to work in tandem
I'm not trying to go to such an extreme to say that's not good. You know what you should still be their Fura first
And you don't want to abandon your partner and just completely desert the role of being a Fura
If that's the role that you're in you're taking and we should all be a Fura time
We should all try to be a silent partner time
hey, if your partner can talk be a Fura at the next door be a food when you go out soul-winning and
Encourage other people to take the door and strengthen them
You know, some people wouldn't become a talker except for there's a Fura there encouraging them strengthening them. Hey you take the next door
Hey, you talk to this person. Hey, you can do it
you know the person that is there to help them and encourage them and
Allow them to do this now go if you do these steps for let me explain why God's logic is better. Anyways, okay
Why God's logic is better?
Anyways, well, let's just go out so wanting by ourselves. I
mean
Mathematically, it sounds better
Right because I can have more talkers we can reach more doors, you know promise from just a pure numbers
Perspective you would think it work. But here's the problem in the long run
You're gonna have more issues and people aren't gonna want to go soul-winning and it's gonna deflate their spirit attitude
It's not as an effective of a tool and the Bible just plainly states it. Look at
Ecclesiastes 4 verse 9 two are better than one
That's what the Bible says two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor
For if they fall the one will lift up his fellow. Hey if you're by yourself good luck pulling yourself up
He says but whoa to him that is alone when he fallen we have not another to help him up again
If two lie together then have they heat but how can one be warm alone?
And if one prevail against him two shall withstand him and a threefold cord is not quickly broken
So notice numbers add strength
numbers increase the effort
Numbers help those when they fall or they have problems and look I've been plenty of situations where
Either myself or another person they're able to feed off of one another and a soul-winning situation
And it's a team effort even getting someone saved
Sometimes, you know
The other person has a good
Good thought or good verse or it's not clicking or there's a distraction or whatever happens and that person is able to step in
And it's a team
Assisted so winning and even if your silent partner never opens his mouth they were still part of the effort, you know, whenever I
Want numbers in or give numbers. It's like it's we got this many people say because Fura was there with me
Fura is just as part of the soul winning as the person doing the talking, you know
What if Moses is like yeah, I won the battle
Aaron and her be like sure buddy, you know hold your own, you know
It's like no we won the battle
You know and and whenever we turn in numbers, even if you and your partner got zero we got seven
the church got seven and you know you taking the bad doors help the people get the good doors and
That's just really you got the pot doors and the other people got the less pop doors
Okay, go to Deuteronomy chapter 32 go to do I check the third you you say yeah, Pastor Shelley
You're missing out on all the numbers
Well, God's math is different than your math, okay, and his math isn't racist by the way go to Deuteronomy chapter 32 and
Let's look at verse number 30
Because we're talking about strength. What does Fura do he adds strength to the equation and the reality is
It helps people, you know, some people would be really down
Let me give you another
analogy here
but
He would be really down on the idea of marriage today because they feel like a wife's gonna somehow like slow them down or
Cause them to you know, not be able to serve the Lord as well
I've heard this argument so many times and it's really bizarre
it's just usually because
They're not good at attracting women so they have to come up with excuses as why
Having a wife would just not be a good thing or something
But I'm like, okay
Well, let's just use your logic because every guy that I look up to and I think it's like serving the Lord really well
They're all married
So how is it if by not being married you're gonna be this rock star Christian?
When all the people that I look to as an example of a Christian, they're all married. It's not interesting
Okay, but they'll think oh, but she's the weaker vessel or she's gonna hold me down or she's you know
Women are just so hard to manage or whatever and it's like I feel like our church is full of women
And I don't see that problem
Sounds like you're the problem really and a great behind a great man is gonna be a great woman in most of the cases
And look what it says in Deuteronomy 32. Look at verse number 30
I'm in numbers. I don't know why I can't turn to the right place, but give me one second Deuteronomy 32
Look at verse number 30
How should one chase a thousand and two put ten thousand of flight except their rock had sold them and the Lord had
Shoved them out. So look one in this example is chasing a thousand but notice how much twos chasing
10,000 by your math you would think it's 2,000 but here's the thing by God's math is 10,000
Why because God can multiply God can do
Exponential things with his equations and notice two is better than one by a lot more
Because what if we had one guy going by himself? That's a thousand another guy going by himself. That's 2,000 but two together
That's 10,000. That's
8,000 more
Why because they're there together
This is how God has ordained it is that you go out to and to and don't look down upon the silent partner
Because he's gonna strengthen you he's gonna embolden you he's gonna empower you and by y'all coming together
You can get a lot of people saved
And don't think that your wife is slowing you down
You know your wife might actually be helping you get 10,000 slain as opposed to the one by yourself
And you're gonna be able to accomplish a lot more
With your spouse or with the other people in your lives and we need to appreciate the food as we have
But we also need to be willing to be a Fura because look Fura is adding to this equation a lot
That's a lot of strength to go from 1,000 enemies to 10,000 enemies
That was a mega boost that that person gave and we should realize that that's an important role
And I think this is what people think they don't understand the impact. They're making as a Fura
So they're not willing to do it
They think that oh I have to be the Gideon or I have to be the person in charge
Or I have to get all the credit or I have to get the glory
Right and if I'm not gonna get the honor if I'm not gonna get the glory
If I don't get to raise my hand at the soul winning, you know
It doesn't really count or something and it's like that's a silly viewpoint. You know, it's a silly attitude
and it's really a selfish and in a prideful and arrogant attitude and
At the end of the day you should try to be someone's Fura
Well, why not encourage someone else?
You know if I thought well I can go out and I can get a thousand
Slain by myself and I can get up in there. I can stand there isolate it out
Or I could say, you know, I could be his Fura and I could kill like 9,000 more people
You know because he's gonna get one and if I add to him we're gonna get 9,000 more
Why not if the goal is to kill enemies, it's a no-brainer
But if the goal is for personal on dungrisement
For you're just you know own glory
Then you're just gonna want to get the thousand and the reality is being a Fura is often gonna yield better results
Than just doing things on your own. That's why we also have a church
That's also we meet together and we we plan we organize and we try to do things the way that God
has us
You know meet and assemble and do things in order because that's gonna actually yield the best results
If we're just all lone Rangers, we'd all do nothing. We need each other and we need food was in our lives
Not just Gideon's go through it a second to me chapter number one second to me chapter one. So point number one is this
Be someone's Fura why because you can strengthen them number one
You can be their strength you can be their strength you can add to their
Strength and really that's a very humbling viewpoint is to say, you know what instead of strengthening myself
I'd rather strengthen someone else or encourage someone else or empower someone else or help them accomplish their goal
But another thing the Bible says that Fura is is his servant. So we understand that he was literally
Gideon's servant and
Being someone's Fura is often going to be a position of service or in servitude and
Don't think of it. You know, well, I want to be Fura as long as I'm in charge
It's like the the position of Fura is a servant. Okay, so you can be someone's strength. You can be someone's servant
Now I had to go to second to meet you. I want to skip that one
I meant to skip that one go to Colossians chapter one. We're gonna go there. We're gonna go there later
Go to Colossians chapter number one and and we'll come back to that
Colossians chapter number one and look at verse or Colossians chapter four look at verse number seven
Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians chapter number four look at verse number seven
All my state shall take a kiss declare unto you who is a beloved brother and a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord
Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose that he might know your estate and comfort your hearts
With Onesimus a faithful and beloved brother who is one of you they shall make known unto you all things which are done here
So in the end of Colossians, he's saying hey, I'm gonna send take a kiss unto you and notice what he calls them a faithful
minister now what is
synonymous with servant
minister ministering unto other people and notice take a kiss is one who's
Faithful and take a kiss is again and not on a character that you're thinking like I know a lot about tick a kiss
Most people wouldn't even realize they'd say like do you have like a problem like tick tick a kiss, you know
It's like you have a speech pattern a problem or something like that. What'd you just say?
But tick a kiss is a character in the Bible who Paul
Sees the value of he says this guy's really valuable
This guy is a faithful minister and I'm gonna send him to do this work and he's going to another church
Why because he wants this church to succeed look what the goal is in verse 8 at the end
Comfort your hearts take a kiss cares about the success of this other church of the church at Colossae
he wants to go to the you know the church of Colossae and
To comfort them and to serve them and to help them be a minister unto them good Ephesians go backwards
Galatians Ephesians Philippians chapter 6 and look at verse 21
Chapter 6 look at verse 21, but they may know I'm sorry
But they also may know my affairs and how I do
Take a kiss a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord shall make known to you all things
Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose that he might know our affairs
Notice this and that he might come for your hearts
So just like take a kiss was sent to the church at Colossae to do what to minister to them and to comfort them
He was also sent to the church at Ephesus to do what to minister unto them and to comfort them
Where does take a kiss belong does it matter?
You know take a kiss is just like permanent thura status
He's just going around and just strengthening other churches and what?
Serving other church. He's being assert
He just going to help I'll minister here and I'll minister here and you know, it's not about take a kiss homes Church
He's just there to make sure hey
I hope the church at Colossae is going well and I hope the church at Ephesus is going well
And you know what take a kiss is one of those guys you can just pug and play and he's just gonna be a faithful minister
He's just there to serve and to help other people and to comfort other people. It's not about take a kiss
It's not about a particular location
No, I know that we're so independent, you know, we're these independent Baptist that we can't care about another church
But I think take a kiss doesn't have that attitude
It looks like take a kiss cares about more than one church. He cares about them at Colossae
He cares about Ephesus and look that's just a small sampling. I'm sure he helped lots of churches
He's going around making sure that they are
Successful putting other people above his own go to Romans chapter 16 go to Romans chapter number 16
You know be someone's furor who was the furor of Ephesus?
Well stick a kiss who was the furor of Colossae who is pick a kiss again?
And look, it's not just a one-man show obviously
There's other people that were the furors of these churches and we're going around
Serving in these churches
But their goal is not to just to be the greatest person or get all the glory or get all the honor
They're just there to just serve
What a great and humble attitude Romans chapter 16. Look at verse 1. I
Commend a new Phoebe our sister which is a servant of the church
Which is in Centria that you receive her in the Lord as become a Saints and that you assist her and what sort of business?
She hath need of you notice this for she hath been a suckerer of many and of myself
Also, so this is woman's being commended. But what is she she's someone that sucker what's a sucker?
it's not that spelling that you think of someone that's been taken advantage of this a suckerer and this is a helper
Sucker means help. So she was a helper of many and he's saying even of myself included
So notice that Phoebe is like a furor to Paul and to many people and many other people
She's ministering and she's serving unto them now
Go to it to Philippians chapter number two for a moment. Go to Philippians chapter 2 since we're over here go back
But we have this, you know real famous passage in Philippians chapter number two
That's in connection with this idea
Look what it says in verse number three
Let nothing be done in through strife or vainglory but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other
better
Than themselves look not every man on his own things
But every man also in the things of others let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus
You know, I think that there was a lot of people that looked at Paul and said, you know what he's better than me
I just want to help him. I just want to strengthen him. I just want to serve him
or they look at the church at Colossians say I'm just here to help serve these guys or help assist these guys and
The reality is without them. We would not have the Bible that we have
We would have had the work that we had they would have done the great things by themselves
They had many people helping them. Look it's not just oh the Apostle Paul's just this one-man show just going out
No, he had lots of people helping him and I like Paul's attitude at the end of his epistles
He's just name-dropping like crazy and it's people you've never heard of
Why because he wasn't name-dropping to be like, oh, yeah
I know the Clintons and I know the Bidens and I know no he's naming people that you're just like who the heck is that?
Because that was that person's goal was to be a who as heck is that they weren't wanting the name drop
They were just wanting to serve Paul and if they never got their name drop, they don't care
They were just there to serve they were just there to help they were just there to minister
Now go back to the Old Testament go to Exodus chapter 24 go to Exodus chapter 24. Just be someone's Fuhrer
Well, you're not looking for attention. You're not looking for someone to give you glory. You're not looking to see oh
Did you notice how much I helped?
But rather you're just trying to help this person
But you just genuinely care about someone being successful and you just want to help them be successful
And that's the reality
when people just come out of nowhere in the Bible, it's because they were a Fuhrer for a long time before that and
They may have never
Come out to where we actually know their name and that's fine, too
But the reality is if you want to be someone who God uses greatly
You have to be a Fuhrer first. You have to be a servant first. Look at Exodus 24 verse 13
It says in Moses rose up and his minister Joshua and Moses went up into the Mount of God
So notice what Joshua was to Moses. He was his servant
Why do you think God just picks Joshua all of a sudden?
Because he was constantly serving Moses
He was Moses Fuhrer for the longest time and then finally they're like, let's put this guy in charge
But notice who's it who ends up getting promoted the servant the minister the Fuhrer that was already in place
And you know what Fuhrer may stay Fuhrer forever
But you know God likes to pick to end up being the next Moses or the next Joshua the guy that was the minister
The guy that was just humbly serving
Let me show you this to again go to 2nd Kings chapter number 3 go to 2nd Kings chapter number 3 now
some people don't know this but
You know that David was Saul's armor bearer
Before he killed Goliath
Hey before God used someone really great. Guess who David was. He was Saul's Fuhrer. And what did David do?
He would play the harp for him. He was a great magic or musician in the sense that he helped Saul
He was assisting Saul. He was the servant of Saul and he was a faithful minister. That's why God picked David
David's not just some random guy in the Bible just going around kicking rocks with nothing to do and God's like hey
Why don't you kill a giant for me?
No, he was already busy. Just serving just humbly serving and you know what?
I believe that if David had never been promoted
He would have lived a very happy life and he would have just kept serving Saul for the rest of his days
But that's the reason why God picked him and it was also because Saul, you know screwed up
So I hadn't screwed up and that would have been the story and we would have just you know
We'd have been like hey, you know, I bet that Saul's armor bearer would have been a pretty good guy if he had had a chance
You know this guy named David he might have been a good guy
But because Saul screwed up David ends up, you know slipping into that spot, but David wasn't trying to take his spot
David didn't want to take over his spot. David didn't want to usurp the authority
He was just content being the Fuhrer in his life. Look at 2nd Kings chapter 3 verse 11
but Joseph had said is
there not here a prophet of the Lord that we may inquire of the Lord by him and one of the king of Israel's servants said
And answered and said here is Elisha the son of Shaphat which poured water on the hands of Elijah
So now we have a story where they're asking for a prophet of the Lord and like oh here's this Elisha guy
But this is what I like about this story
they could have said anything to describe Elisha a
Elisha Elisha is described as the hairy guy. Okay, Elisha described as the rough garment guy the hairy guy or whatever
He's like that's Elijah, you know Jesus described as a guy that drives real fast
Okay, there's all manner with you could be described hey Saul's describes guys head and shoulders above the people
But when they say hey, what's the really iconic thing?
Like what's the most prominent thing that we can think of that would just help you understand who this person is
It was the guy that poured water on the hands of Elisha. That's who it was
What was Elisha remembered for being a servant? That's what he was remembered for
Why did God use Elisha? Oh, yeah, because he was a faithful through right? He was a faithful servant unto
Elijah and then he gets to take on that role you say I want to lead will be a through her first
Why don't you just be someone's Fuhrer and here's the thing if you never get promoted can you be happy being a Fuhrer?
Because the guys that get promoted usually we're happy being if they want to stay that way
You know think about all the men that are a lot of the great men of the Bible
They have to be talked into leading. It's like Moses. Come on, you know, they don't want to do that
They understand how difficult it is to lead and so, you know, they basically have to be coped into it realize
It's them or nothing. Anyways
Over to 1st Corinthians chapter number nine go to 1st Corinthians chapter nine
Let me say this about being a Fuhrer
being a Fuhrer is
easier than being a
Gideon and many ways not all but in many ways being the Fuhrer is easier than being the Moses
Being the Aaron and the her is easier than being the most
Being the armor bearer is easier than being the king, you know being the the person that's the servant
A lot of ways is going to be easier to do that
But there is one thing that's really hard about it. You have to humble yourself
It takes humility
Because the person that's going to come they literally have to elevate other people and it takes true humility to be that Fuhrer in
someone else's life and
Esteem someone else of greater value and to decide to just serve them and to help them and to assist
Them 1st Corinthians chapter 9 look at verse 19
For though I be free from all men
Yet have I made myself serving unto all that I might gain no more notice the Apostle Paul's attitude
He says even though I don't have to serve a single person
I'm free from all men. I don't have to do squat. I can do whatever I want
He said what I decided to do is I decided to be everyone's servant
Just so I could get as many people saved
Just so I could do as much work for the Lord as possible
He made himself isn't that what Christ did in order to save everyone. He became a servant. He humbled himself
He took on no reputation and look who rise really kind of a guy with no reputation for the most part
I mean, it's not something you really think about he could have been not named in the Bible just as easily is his name
Okay, and I think that we should give him some of the glory that he really deserves here
Go to Galatians chapter number six go to Asian chapter number six
Let me say another thing that's hard about
Being a servant though being a Fuhrer is this is that it's a burden
Serving is a burden
Again, this is a you know, this is revolutionary serving is work, you know
It's not but you have to think about these things and I think some people they're like I would serve it wasn't you know
Working, you know
It wasn't actually harder because people like they have this idea like I can't wait to serve and then you hand them a task
I'm like, well, I don't want to do that
It's called serving
You know, you really think that washing someone's hands is like the most glamorous job ever
The guy that's pouring water on Eliza's hands
I mean, that's not like the the top the cream of cream type servant type positions
You know, I have to go to the water and fill with jug and then bring it back to you and then pour it in
Your hands. Okay, you know in the hot sun, but guess what? It's a burden that Elijah would have to done himself
But he doesn't have to because he can ask oh I should do it for him
And what does the Bible say in Galatians chapter 6 verse number 2?
Bear you one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ
You know being a servant is bearing someone else's burden if I have to carry something in from the church is really heavy
The only way for me to be assisted is for someone else to carry it
But let me tell you this it's gonna be some weight. You're gonna have to actually bear it
There's gonna be a little bit of effort that you have to put into doing that and whenever you serve
It's gonna cost you something. It's gonna cost you some kind of effort. It's gonna cost you some kind of energy
You know some people have this idea of getting into the ministry would be like this
Oh, I can't wait to get in the ministry. So everybody can serve me
That's the worst idea of being in ministry
Because it should be you serving it should be you taking burden not I can't wait
Oh, man, just life is so hard. I can't wait to get in ministry and be like here you guys go
You know, here's all these burdens
No
Ministry is saying like hey, I've got this. I got this. I got a free hand anybody needed
Can I help carry another thing?
That's what real ministry looks like and guess what when they put something in your hand
It's not gonna be like a $5 bill and be heavy and like this kind of this guy's heavy, you know
Well, how do you know of course you're not wanting to hold that, you know, of course, you're not wanting to carry that
Well, look being a Fuhrer it's not about the glory the the the honor it's not about being convenience
It's about serving. It's about lifting off the burden from someone else
Taking the stress off of someone else, you know, whenever you think about how can I serve think about how someone's burdened and
Think about how you can take some of their burden away
That's what it really looks like to serve
You know, you could apply this in every area of your life you want to get promoted and work take burdens off your boss
Don't add burdens to your boss
the worst thing you can do is
an employee is make your boss's job harder and
Sometimes it starts that way. Sometimes you have to get trained and sometimes you have to and you know
Deal with a lot of questions, but you know, I've worked with people. I've trained people. I've had employees
I've had a lot of that stuff and sometimes you look at the person you're just thinking like
If you didn't work here my life would be easier
And that that makes that person you're in a dangerous position when your boss thinks that okay
You don't want to be in that position
And the reality is you know children are burdened. It's like if you weren't here my life would be easier
But why why have children because you're actually being a servant
You're actually ministering under them you're making their life
Better and you're helping that's why a lot of people
Shift their children burden on to other people on to the government on the school and they don't care on the other
You know whatever to the TV
But that's not being a thorough being a thorough is taking burdens on yourself
Okay, and help and let me and you know, obviously I'm talking about being a through being a leader
You have to learn how to delegate and do other tasks. You don't want to overburden yourself and I understand
You know those concepts but the furor is the is the pack mule
The furor is the guy that's just taken as much burden as he can of other people and helping. He's a servant
That's his benefit be someone else's work
You cannot claim to be a furor if you're not taking burden off other people if you're adding burden on to them
Go if you would to first see him in chapter 14 go to first see him in chapter 14
And let me say this that I think one of the greatest furors in our lives that often is never really appreciated is your wife
your wife is really a furor there that takes off so much burden from the husband's plate and they usually
Don't get the recognitions and that they deserve and they're not going to you know
They're never gonna get enough enough recognition or an F honor or enough glory
You know what being that Fura is a valuable position and being someone's servant doesn't make you less than them
It doesn't make you worse than them
Are we really gonna now say that Paul's the worst person ever because he was a servant and all
By lowering himself, what did he end up doing he ended up elevating himself and by Christ serving everyone he ended up
Elevating himself and look the sir being a servant is not a bad role
You know and it really people in leadership
They're supposed to be servants, you know, unfortunately our government only gives lip service of this they call themselves public servants
But
Instead of actually taking burden off of its
Constituents taking the burden off of its city and its people. What do they do?
They usually laden it with burden don't they they increase the taxes and they're not inconvenience. They're living it up
They're getting you know kickbacks and they're getting paid money from all the lobbyists and they're passing laws that are favorable done to themselves
You know like no voter ID. I wonder who that's gonna benefit, right?
They pass all these different legislative bills and different policies and procedures
And really they just give lip service to being public servant, but theoretically that's what they're supposed to do
They're supposed to take the burden off of other people
The person in leadership is not supposed to be you know
Just I'm living it up and live in this lavish lifestyle
But rather the person that's trying to take as much burden off and help people and encourage them and strengthen them
So point number one being a thorough you're going to strengthen
Your
Gideon you're going to be a servant and Gideon but here's here's my last point. You're going to be a
Sidekick gonna be a psychic now you say well a psychic what's the difference between a sidekick and a servant? Okay
Well, there is a couple distinctions between this and let me give you a few ideas of what will be the difference between a sidekick
and a servant a
Servant could simply be an employee
Okay, but the relationship between an employer and an employee is not the same as
A sidekick, you know, it's not the same as a husband and a wife
Necessarily or best friends or anything, you know a sidekick is gonna bring companionship to the table
Whereas an employee may or may not add that okay, they're gonna bring friendship
Whereas an employee may or may not actually bring friendship to the table, you know, they're gonna bring protection
To the table, whereas an employee may just be a hireling. Okay, they may stand up for them and they're gonna sharpen them
Okay
so it goes beyond just service to bringing in that sidekick viewpoint of the
Companionship the friendship the protection just think about it
If you're this guy's armor bearer, aren't you gonna be adding more to the table than just you know?
Hey hand me my sword. There you go, you know or hand me my
Spear here hand me my shield or you know
Just getting the job done you can go above and beyond that to the point where you're also their companion
You're their friend
You're strengthening them and I love first same as chapter 14 because we have a story of Jonathan in his armor bearer
And what I like about this is we don't know his name
But he's still a great character in the Bible the armor bearer of Jonathan
Okay, that's basically his name
Look at verse number one now came to pass upon a day that Jonathan
The son of Saul said in the young man that bear his armor come and let us go over the Philistines garrison
That is on the other side, but he told not as far his father. So Jonathan has a guy
It's just the young man that bear his armor. That's his name. Okay, we don't know
I don't know what this guy's name is, but he was there with Jonathan. Look at verse 7 and
His armor rare said unto him. So this is David saying let's go. He says do all that is in mine heart
Turnly behold I am with thee according to thy heart
Now that's a really good response whenever you have someone in your life and you say hey
Will you come with me and they say go and do anything that you want? I'm gonna do I am your heart
You know, whatever is your wish whatever my command is your wish basically, you know
And this guy really is just a humble servant. He's there to be with him and and I like this verse
According to thy heart. I like what it says right before that in verse 6 where it says and
Jonathan said to the young man that bear his armor come and let us go over into the garrison of these
Uncircumcised it may be that the Lord will work for us
There is no restraint to the Lord to say by many or by few
Now this story is a story of literally only two guys going to the battle
Only two guys going out to fight and it would be very easy for his armor bear to be like
Jonathan you and what army
Why would he go there's just two of us
But no, he's just like let's go and he's not afraid of the numbers. He's not afraid of it. Just being two
He's gonna encourage him and he's like, yeah, I'm with you
You know, I don't think Jonathan will want to go by himself
But the fact that he's as one other person and he says hey the Lord
He's not
It's not like his hands weakened to save by many or to say by a few he can say by just a couple here
He can do a great work with just two people here
You know, it makes me think of another place in the Bible. Keep your finger go to 2nd Kings chapter number 10
2nd Kings chapter number 10
Come back. We're coming back to first name of 14. So keep your place go to 2nd Kings chapter number 10
Look at verse number 15
It's kind of a famous
portion of scripture
It says and when he was a part of thence this talking about Jehu
He lied it on Jehonadab the son of recap coming to meet him and he saluted him and said to him
Is thine heart right as my art is with thy art and Jonadab answered it is
If it be give me thine hand and he gave him his hand and he took him up
To him into the chariot and he said come with me and see my zeal for the Lord
So they made him ride and his chariot
So we have this companionship, you know
Jehu in this story. He's talking like really tough
He's like come with me and see my zeal for the Lord and you know
He's already slain people and he's just kind of this rough rider
But you have to look at his actions, too
Because sometimes people talk a certain way and their actions a little different if G is just this bad guy
You know, he can just take on the world by himself. Why is he going to pick up Jonadab?
Because he knows that he needs a Fuhrer in his life
Because everyone needs a Fuhrer in their life because Fuhrer being there just helps it out
And so he goes and he picks up Jehonadab and he asked him this question is thine heart right with my heart
and
What is this Jonathan's armor bear say hey do all that according to thy heart sounds like his heart's right
What's the heart of a Fuhrer?
Whatever Gideon's heart is whatever Jonathan's heart is whatever
Jehu's heart is you're just on
His page you're on his team. You're just there with him. You're his psychic. What is the sidekick imply?
That you're there to just assist him, you know you when I think of a psychic
I always think of like a motor cage you have like the motorcycle and then you just have the little car
The car is not driving. The car is just attached, you know, and it's like are you ready to go wherever you're going?
You know and he's jumping in to Jehu's chariot. It's not like he's riding his own chariot. He's hitching on
He's hitching a ride. Okay, and that's really the idea of a Fuhrer. Fuhrer is not sitting here like well
I'm gonna tell you where we're gonna go or I'm gonna tell you what to do. It's according to thine heart
And when I think about in this connection with the saving by many or by few, you know
You might look at a church like ours where it's not running thousands, but you know what just two guys that got their heart, right?
Do a great work for the Lord?
And why is God restrained at doing a mighty work with you today?
Do you really just have to have many now, you know what God gets more honor and glory when he saves by few anyways
But you know what it takes sometimes it takes a Fuhrer
It takes someone that says you know what I'm with you just cakes
Hey get someone that has some zeal, but then he needs some Fuhrers in his life
He needs some Fuhrers to get behind him and to assist him that aren't they don't care
If when the Bible mentions him, it was the young man that bear his armor
He wasn't looking for the name. He wasn't looking for the glory. He wasn't looking for the honor. He's just there to assist
He just loves Jonathan. He just cares about Jonathan. He wants to strengthen Jonathan
He wants to serve Jonathan. He's Jonathan's sidekick
And look what it says in verse 13 and Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet and his armor bear after him
and they fell before Jonathan and
His armor bearer slew after him and I like that. There's that sidekick. He's not just his servant
He's also there to slay after him. He's protecting the back of Jonathan
He's God's back and he's slaying the enemy too. He's there in the fight, too
Hey, it wasn't Jonathan that won the battle. It was Jonathan and his armor bearer that won the battle
They won the battle and obviously we know the Lord won the battle
but I'm saying that God used both of these men not just the one and
So it's important to be someone's sidekick sometimes in your life
Go go it back to 2nd Timothy where I really wanted to have you turn earlier
2nd Timothy chapter number one and
Look at this verse that we have here
And we've already mentioned this guy's name because he was mentioned with tick a kiss
But there's a guy named on a cipherous and on a cipherous is also like this type of a person and he's a servant
Obviously, he's a minister
And he's there to strengthen Paul
Look what it says in 2nd Timothy chapter 1 verse 16 the Bible reads the Lord give mercy under the house of on a cipherous
Very oft refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain
That sounds like a lot of companionship to me. It sounds like a lot of strengthening
He's refreshing Paul says in verse 17, but when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently and found me
The Lord granted him they may find mercy the Lord in that day and how many things he ministered
Undimed Ephesus thou knowest very well. So does this guy serving him?
He's ministering under him, but he refreshed him and he was not ashamed of him
And I think that was a big deal for Paul because Paul had so many people in his life that just turned out like they were
ashamed to be
Associated with Paul, you know, they didn't like Paul and I think that's a concept for people today
They think like I would never be ashamed of Paul
What happened?
There's plenty of people they they're like, yeah
I don't I don't like that guy or he's he screams too much or I don't like that church
I don't you know, they have they have problems and they they hate bags too much. I think you know
They hate pedophiles a little too much or whatever, you know, whatever it is. Just I don't like the way he ties his shoes
They just get to a point where there's the shame to admit that like I mean look Peter was ashamed of Christ
If Peter can be ashamed of Christ
I think that we could get to a point where we might be ashamed of a minister of the Lord
Even it was a great minister just because of that pressure just because of that fear, but notice he wasn't
Ona Sifras was not ashamed of Paul he was that hoorah that he could count on he was that
Sidekick that's right there. I mean what sense would it make if I said hey Robin was ashamed to be with Batman
You know, it's like you think it's Batman and Robin, you know, Robin's not the guy that's ashamed to be associated with Batman
You know be somebody else be some other loser or somebody else that was not, you know, the great sidekick
What kind of sidekick are you when you're ashamed of your buddy of the guy that you're supposed to be with
Go to go to Proverbs 27. I'm almost finished. I want to show you a few the three more verses, okay?
But be someone's viewer today be someone's strength be someone's servant be someone's sidekick and at the end of the day
You know, it's not necessarily a lifelong appointment a
Lot of these people that are in these positions. It wasn't a lifelong appointment
It was just in the moment, you know when you go soul-winning
It's not like you're that person silent partner for the rest of your lock them up, you know, you're chained
Now some positions are like that
I mean obviously being a wife could be a position of your kind of that man servant for the rest of life
I didn't tell him that you would obey him for the rest of your life. You did if you repeated the marriage vows
At least at this church, you know, I didn't force you to marry that guy. I didn't force you to be with him
You know and when you go into lots of positions of your life the job that you work at
I didn't force you to work at the job you have and tell your boss that you would serve him and work with him and
It could be a lifelong appointment. It could be you quit tomorrow
I don't know
but wherever you find yourself being in the position of the word just be the best fooler that you can be and
Be someone's viewer don't have to always be the Gideon don't always have to be the David
You know even as a pastor I can be someone's fewer all the time. I can help other people
I can assist other people I can encourage other people I can be that sidekick. I can be that servant
I can be someone else's strength. I don't always have to be the top person neither do you?
Proverbs 27 look at verse number 10 thine own friend and my father's friend forsake not
Neither go into my brother's house in the day of by calamity for better as a neighbor that is near than a brother far off
You know
I think
When I'm thinking about the idea of a sidekick, and I'm thinking about the Apostle Paul, and I'm thinking about onis
Onisiferous this is one of those important qualities. That's really really hard to find, but it's just someone that just doesn't forsake you
It's just someone that sticks with you because probably the deepest wounds that you're gonna have in your life
Is that person that you've been buddies with for a long time? They're finally
Not your servant. They're finally not your sidekick. They're finally not there that they finally are ashamed of you
You know Demas half forsaken me having loved this doesn't you know the Judas in their life?
The person that finally just gave up finally quit and obviously we think about a marriage
I mean obviously that's got to be one of the most hard-hitting right if your spouse
And you are no longer together that one's gonna hurt because it's a lifelong appointment and to have food
I say I mean what if guineas like all right, let's go through it. He's like see ya
How many times did the Apostle Paul go out by himself
I don't remember very many. You know it's Paul and Barnabas
Paul and Silas you know I like about all these characters too because I feel like you never hear them talk
What did Fuhrer say
What did Onosiphorus say? What did Tychicus say?
But they were there
And you know sometimes being a Fuhrer is not about what you says just being there just being that sidekick
Just being the person that's there to assist it has that companionship. Just don't forsake them
That's a literal commandment in the Bible and not even just your own friend. It says your father's friend. You know be someone's Fuhrer
What's an aspect of being a Fuhrer? This is probably the hardest part you don't forsake them
It's hard you know people say oh
I thought I had a friend and then I had a hard time or I had something difficult or
Something bad happen and now they're gone
Right because it's easy to be the person's friend that's rich or popular or things are going well
It's hard to be someone's Fuhrer when things are going bad
It's hard to be Paul's friend when he's in prison locked up under threat of death
it's great to be Paul's friend when he's preaching that awesome sermon and
Eutychus falls out the building and you raise him from the dead you're like yeah, I know that guy we're buddies you know
But it's harder to be Paul's friend when he's in prison and everybody's forsaken
That's a lot harder at a time to be his friend
You know what a true Fuhrer is there with you no matter what a true Fuhrer is not gonna forsake you
He's not gonna abandon you. He's just gonna be there look at verse 17 iron sharpened with iron
so man sharpened at the countenance of
his friend
Like the Fuhrer is gonna strengthen you he's gonna be your servant and he's gonna be that sidekick
No, I think of a servant as being more kind of on the bottom
But a sidekicks more like the iron sharpening iron isn't it hey?
Jonathan slang and his arm race laying behind him
And they're just improving each other and making each other better
And they're there and you just got that iron sharpening that iron making it better go through it to Psalms 119 last place
I'll be turn again
Psalms 119 look being a sidekicks more than being an employee. It's being a buddy
Being that friend and we all need friends in our lives
and
One of the worst things you can do as a friend is just to betray your friend is to stab them in the back
desert them forsake them give up on them and
The more I'm in the ministry and the more I see life circumstances you see a lot of people
Forsaking their friends and it is it's a really hurtful
it really hurts people you see people invest a lot of time effort and energy into someone and
they think they're their friend and then all of a sudden they're just not and
You know we need to be careful with ourselves because as much as you should be a furor and you want through is in your
life a lot of people aren't and
You know it's sad, but you know you could be someone's furor you could be that person
That they're like wow. I thought you were gonna abandon me and do
You know there's tons of people that I look at my life, and I'm like you're not a furor
But then they just keep sticking around you're just like I can't get rid of this guy
You know and that's a good person to be be the person that they keep thinking. Oh wow
You know there's people that came and visited my church one time
And I'm thinking like they'll never come back, and I just they haven't left, and I'm just thinking like every week
I'm thinking like I'm I'm surprised to see you again. You know I'm surprised that you're still here. You know what that's a great person
Be someone's furor be that person they they can't give it up. They're just your friend no matter what
You know some people they're just ready to stop being your friend
They're kind of like this is the next thing that they say something again
I'm done being their friend. If they hurt me one more time
Nah, if they ask me to carry another burden not gonna be their friend
But what if you just said you know what I'm gonna be your furor no matter what you do to me
Isn't that what the real picture of marriage was anyways for better for worse. You're just saying hey, I'm gonna be your furor
And you're like what if I hurt you I'll be your furor
What if you say something mean I'll still be there are you gonna forsake me nope you say who who's like that
I've been talking about furor you want to know who the real the real furor is in our lives is Jesus
Hey, what if I hurt you? I'm not gonna forsake you
What if I sin against you not gonna forsake you not gonna leave you not gonna abandon you
That's
What we're supposed to be like be someone's furor
Look at Psalms 119. Look at verse 63. I am a companion of
all them that fear thee and
Of them that keep thy precepts. Look at this guy's answer. Hey
I'll be anybody's furor. Hey, someone's saved. Hey, someone was the Lord. I
Want to be that one's that person's furor and isn't that what the Lord's like to us?
I'll never leave thee nor forsake thee, you know, nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord
Let's be like Jesus today and let's be someone through it goes in prayer. Thank you father so much for your word
Thank you for these great examples that you give us in the Bible and ultimately your example that you gave
how you're willing to sacrifice yourself and be a servant and all and how you strengthen us you serve us and you're
Even with us when we go out and preach the gospel. You're like our buddy or a companion or a friend and
I pray that we could see that example and we could be that in someone else's life and in Jesus name we pray amen