to have a tent of yours, in Jesus' name we pray, amen.
Amen, right, so Judges chapter seven,
great passage of the Bible that, isn't it?
Oh yes, a great bit of the Bible there,
but we're gonna look at verse seven.
Judges chapter seven and verse seven, which reads,
and the Lord said unto Gideon,
by the 300 men that lapped will I save you,
and deliver the Midianites into thine hand,
and let all the other people go every man unto his place.
And the title of my sermon today is The Elite Few,
The Elite Few, I'd like to pray before we continue.
Father, thank you for your word,
thank you for this great story,
which is true events that happened
once upon a time, many years ago now,
that to help us learn from this event,
to help us learn the many truths
that you want us to learn from this, Lord,
help me to preach this message accurately,
this message that I believe you laid on my heart
to preach to our church, Lord,
help everyone to have attentive hearts, Lord,
and help all these things to be done
in Jesus Christ's holy name, amen.
Right, so unfortunately, when people think of 300,
they start picturing some of the most bizarre costumes
in movie history.
I don't know, if anyone doesn't know what I'm talking about,
there was this movie, I don't know, what was it,
15, 20 years ago now, something like that,
with basically a load of guys in white fronts and red capes.
It's really weird, it really is weird.
I had a quick look at it,
and all these images are coming up on Google
when you put in 300.
I mean, it's pretty twisted
what these Hollywood movie makers dream up in their minds.
If you're ever in any kind of wonder
about the sorts of minds creating our movies,
you only have to look at the costumes, yeah?
It's sick, yeah, real sick stuff.
But anyway, that's sadly what people think about.
When they think of 300,
they start picturing these kind of guys
with these chiselled six-back abs
and white fronts and red capes.
But that story of 300 is actually,
by all accounts, very historically inaccurate, okay?
That's based on the Battle of Thermopylae.
And I think the 300 Spartans
are only part of a much larger force,
and it was some sort of rear guard.
However, there is a very true story of 300.
In fact, an completely 100% accurate historical account
of 300, which completely trumps that nonsense in Hollywood.
And that's what you've just read part of here.
Now, why did God only use 300 here?
Because this is 300 against a huge army, okay?
He said they were basically the multitudes.
You couldn't even number them.
The camels were like the sand of the sea, okay?
Why did God only use 300 here
in this story that we've just read about?
What was the point?
Well, unlike the story that they made a movie of,
and people still talk about to this day
of these 300 Spartans glorifying Spartans,
because there are still probably people nowadays
that walk around, especially in moments of sport,
and other times they sight themselves up
and start going, sparto, and things like this,
because they've sadly watched that movie one too many times.
Well, unlike that which glorified the Spartans,
the whole point was to glorify God, wasn't it?
The whole point was to glorify God.
That's what the real 300 was about.
Judges seven and verse two, where you are, verse two says,
"'And the Lord said unto Gideon,
"'The people that are with thee are too many
"'for me to give the Midianites into their hands,
"'lest Israel vaunt themselves against me,
"'saying, mine own hand hath saved me.'"
Because the alternative was vaunting
or lifting up themselves.
And God doesn't like us lifting up ourselves, does he?
Okay, he doesn't like us to lift ourselves up
when we should be lifting him up.
He wanted Israel to give him the glory,
to draw close to him, to then rely on him.
Okay, that was the whole point.
To give God the glory,
therefore you're gonna draw close to God.
You're gonna rely on him
because if anyone's read through the book of Judges,
you'll see how often Israel just quickly forsake God,
quickly fall away from God,
quickly turn to idols, et cetera,
and God's constantly trying to pull him back,
pull him back, pull him back.
And this is a theme throughout scripture,
great things being done against the odds.
For Moses leading the children of Israel
to escape from the might of Egypt, okay,
that was against the odds.
That was a huge, huge world power at the time.
David versus Goliath, I mean,
countless battles in the books of 1 Kings and 2 Kings,
the work accomplished in Ezra and Nehemiah,
and then in the New Testament, just pull alone.
I mean, going sort of halfway around the globe,
preaching the gospel, planting churches
against all the odds, against so much opposition.
God often does great things with a select few, doesn't he?
Okay, that's the way God operates.
He does great things with a select few.
Now, before Jonathan and his armor-bearer
led a two-man charge against a garrison of the Philistines,
he said this, you don't have to turn there,
in 1 Samuel 14.6,
and Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armor,
come and let us go over unto the garrison
of these uncircumcised.
It may be that the Lord will work for us,
for there is no restraint to the Lord
to save by many or by few.
There's no restraint to the Lord
to save by many or by few.
Okay, he can do great things by few.
He often, most of the time, does great works by few,
and it makes no difference to God.
And you can see that in the way that he uses a select few
to evangelize the world today.
It is a select few.
It's a very select few that are going out
and preaching the gospel.
There's a lot of Christians, there's a lot of believers.
Yeah, we know, yes, straight is a way
that leadeth unto life, a few there be that find it.
Yet, however, it might be few,
there's still a lot that aren't going out and evangelizing.
Okay, God uses a select few.
And if you look around, you look around this nation,
how many churches are going out and preaching the gospel?
Hardly any.
Hardly any in a nation of, what are we now, about 70 million?
70 million across the UK?
Look around the world.
There are nations, there are whole nations where no one is.
And if you think about how are people being reached,
nowadays, a lot of the time, it's online.
It's via the select few on YouTube
and other social media platforms,
trying to preach the gospel, get the gospel message out.
And this can be confusing to many
because you're out preaching the gospel,
you're getting people saved, where are they all?
Where are they all?
We're looking around a church today,
where's everyone that got saved last week, the week before?
The month before?
The two months before that?
Where are they?
What about, forget the new believers,
forget the babes in Christ,
what about all of the church-going believers out there?
Where are they?
How are they still in dead church
to which don't preach the gospel?
Because there's a lot of believers out there,
that you do, you all run into them.
Now, and again, ones that are in churches.
I'm not talking about people
that you've literally just got saved.
What about the ones that have been saved for years,
that are maybe sitting at home watching YouTube,
or maybe they're out,
maybe they're going to some lame church somewhere
that does nothing, doesn't try and do anything,
doesn't try and make any change,
doesn't try and get anyone saved, where are they all?
They're not here.
Tell you what, most of them aren't here.
What about all of those that know the truth?
What about all of those
that actually hear this sort of preaching,
that actually have been out soul-winning in the past,
that have felt some sort of zeal for it at some point?
Where are they all?
Most of them aren't here, are they?
And most of them aren't anywhere.
Are we doing something wrong then?
Is that why?
Must be we're doing something wrong.
We're not following up enough.
Maybe they're not actually getting saved,
because people start to doubt that then.
Oh, maybe were they saved?
Well, we're definitely not doing something wrong
with over 1,800 salvations.
Okay, and I would hope,
and look, I understand, yeah,
we have had some clowns in this church, okay?
And probably 1,700 of those, no, I'm joking.
It's not quite that, in one soul-winning marathon, right?
By certain people, but look,
I understand that you might look at that and go,
come on, brother,
and when are we going to change these numbers now?
Because we're going to have to cross off
a good 700 of Dorians, aren't we?
And maybe 500 of Hollies before she kind of realised
that everyone was smelling a rat.
But, well, we don't, okay?
We don't, because I would hope that there are people
that maybe haven't been counted that did get saved,
and there are people that maybe have gone away
and called on the name of the Lord,
and I would hope that there's people
that have watched our Bible Way to Heaven,
which has now had a couple of thousand views on YouTube,
145,000 views on Facebook.
I would hope that maybe the numbers even out, okay?
And it's too hard to go down there and start making log,
unless we started putting them next to every person's name,
and that's not going to work, is it?
So let's just assume that there are 1,800 people
that have got saved.
Are we doing something wrong in this church?
That's the great commission, isn't it?
Go out and preach the gospel, get people saved.
That's what we're told to do.
That's what we're commanded to do.
So we're doing something right, yeah?
So, yes, we've recently kicked out 24,
and a few other clowns have gone with them, okay?
Yeah, maybe this would, you know,
maybe that's why the church hasn't got 500.
No, that's not why.
It's 25 people, or 27 people, or something like that.
So where is everyone?
Where are they all?
Because with 1,800 salvations,
surely there should be a good 1,000 or so in here.
We should have already moved buildings, shouldn't we?
Already put a mezzanine in,
and have them all kind of coming in
through the tiles in the roof.
And it probably wouldn't be that hard,
because I'd been up there,
and those real tiles look like they've moved pretty easily.
Okay, so where are they?
Where are they?
Well, who says that they should be here?
Who says they should be here?
I'll tell you who says they should be here.
The false prophets say they should be here.
The Calvinist-influenced clowns say they should be here.
Because, and the sad truth is,
there are people in churches
that claim to have no agreement with Calvinism,
yet will still start going down this perseverance
of the saints-type doctrine,
and believe that if someone's saved,
they're going to come to church.
But is that the truth?
That's not what the Bible says, does it?
Because my Bible says,
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thou shalt be saved.
Yet does everyone else's Bible say it?
It didn't say believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,
and attend church, and thou shalt be saved.
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thou shalt attend church, if you're saved.
No, my Bible said believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thou shalt be saved.
But this can be demoralizing for people.
It can be tough.
And one of the reasons I wanted to preach this
is to help people understand
that it's not that we're doing anything wrong.
In fact, we're doing a lot right in this church.
We're going out to preach the gospel,
getting people saved.
They're not going to necessarily come to,
in fact, most of them will never come to church.
Doesn't mean they're not saved,
unless we've suddenly turned into
some sort of Calvinist church here, or worse.
Okay?
Because that's what the Bible says.
Let's have a quick look.
Turn to John chapter 12, and while you do that,
I'm going to quickfire,
because the gospel of John makes it as clear as that.
And I went through a Bible study,
well, it's several months ago,
now that we finished it, on the gospel of John.
And every time I saw this come up,
I paused and made a point of it.
And we're just going to go through
some of those verses quickly.
Well, your turn to John 12.
John 2 23 says,
Now when he was in Jerusalem
at the Passover and the feast day,
many believed in his name
when they saw the miracles which he did.
John 4 39 says,
And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him
for the saying of the woman
which testified he told me all that ever I did.
John 4 41 says,
And many more believed because of his own word.
John 7 31 says,
And many of the people believed on him and said,
When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these
which this man had done?
John 7 40 says,
Many of the people therefore when they heard this saying
said of the truth, this is the prophet.
John 8 30 says,
As he spake these words, many believed on him.
John 10 42 says,
And many believed on him there.
John 11 45 says,
And many of the Jews which came to Mary
and had seen the things which Jesus did believed on him.
John 12 11 says,
Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away
and believed on Jesus.
And John 12 42 where you are says,
John 12 verse 42 says,
Nevertheless, among the chief rulers also many believed
on him, but because of the Pharisees,
they did not confess him,
lest they should be put out of the synagogue.
Three and a half years of soul winning.
God in the flesh preaching.
His 12 disciples sent out preaching.
70 also sent out preaching the gospel.
Three and a half years preaching the gospel.
Many, many, many, many, many.
You get to Acts chapter one,
there's 120 in the upper room.
120 disciples together in the upper room.
That's it.
Not much bigger than our church.
120 sitting in the upper room.
Yet we've seen many, many, many, many, many believed on him.
Although the chief rulers many,
where were the chief rulers?
Anyone here any chief rulers mentioned later on
in the book of Acts or in any of the epistles of Paul?
No, I don't remember any of those.
Where are they all?
What happened to the rest of the people that got saved?
They believed on him because the Bible says,
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and shall not be saved.
He said, who so believed in him
should not perish for ever and ever in the last life.
Where are they?
Where are they all?
Well, like the chief rulers here in John 12, 42,
many, many were just too scared to get involved.
That's what it comes down to.
Many were just too scared.
And that's what it's like today.
So many now, so many are at home quaking in their shoes.
Literally quaking at the thought
of going to a church.
Some are so scared of the thought
of just turning up at the church,
let alone actually getting involved in the things of God.
Knees knocking together at the thought of it.
Let alone soul winning.
Let alone actually going out and knocking on someone's door
and saying, can I show you how to get to heaven?
I mean, that's sight out there for most people, isn't it?
Does that mean they're not saved?
Did the Bible say, believe and...
No, it didn't say that, did it?
Many, many, many, many, many,
where are they all?
Where are they all?
Come back to Judges 7.
The title today is The Elite Few, The Elite Few.
And number one, the elite few aren't fearful.
The elite few aren't fearful.
Look down at Judges 7,
where Israel have resorted to hiding out
in dens, caves and strongholds.
The Amalekites and Children of the East
are joined in the Midianites in ransacking their land.
And they have all gathered together
and pitched in the Valley of Jezreel.
God raises up Gideon to lead them
in fighting back against their oppressors.
And sometimes when you read these stories,
and I'll just give you a quick heads up on this now, okay,
because we looked at this briefly previously as well,
is these nations are just full of all sorts of wickedness.
Because some people are just terrible what they did.
And then they're being told at some points
to just wipe out the whole nation.
I mean, these are not full of the most vile people,
all sorts of sodomy and child sacrifice.
And I won't even go into all the other stuff
that we looked at recently in previous sermons.
Okay, just to make that clear, okay, these are bad people.
Now, let's see what happens.
God raised up Gideon to fight back against them.
It says in verse one,
Then Jerubal, which is what they called him,
who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him
rose up early and pitched beside the well of Harod,
so that the host of the Midianites
were on the north side of them
by the hill of Mori in the valley.
And the Lord said unto Gideon,
The people that are with thee are too many for me
to give the Midianites into their hands,
lest Israel vaunt themselves against me,
saying, Mine own hand have saved me.
Now therefore, go to, proclaim in the ears of the people,
saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid,
let him return and depart early for Mount Gilead,
and their returned of the people twenty and two thousand,
and their remained ten thousand.
So God said, Look, there are too many of you,
ask who's scared and send them home.
So he said, far too many of you,
all those who are too scared, send them home.
Get rid of them, I don't want them here.
So, yes, God wants to work against the odds, okay,
stop the people taking the credit for it,
but there's still a criteria, isn't there,
to be used by God.
You notice that, whenever you see this in the Bible,
yeah, it's not, oh, well, we can all get puffed up now,
because we'll see in a minute
why it is that some people aren't so scared,
and it's not due to your own bravery,
it's due to the Lord and due to God
and due to the things of God.
But there is a criteria, okay, there's a criteria,
because you could go,
well, he would have shown at maximum strength,
he'd send in all those guys,
we're like shivering and shaking and,
no, because there is still an element
of us having to do something.
God works with us,
otherwise he would have just crushed them on his own,
and everyone would have gone,
look, great, God just sent an angel
and cut them all to shreds.
No, there's a mixture, isn't there?
God likes to use his people to do great things for him.
But there is a criteria.
There are certain qualifications
to being part of the elite few, okay?
And number one is don't be fearful.
Don't be fearful, because fear's contagious, isn't it?
Anyone being around fearful people, it's contagious.
In many areas, many areas of life,
when people are scared,
it starts to get you fearful as well.
Those teeth-chattering, scaredy-cat types,
they really put you off your game, don't they?
In many things that you do, they just,
look, these guys would have been waving a white flag
long before the trumpets were blowing, wouldn't they?
I don't think they would have even got anywhere near
to the camp of the Midianites
before they were backing up,
before it was, sometimes you get a whole rout
due to fear, won't you?
And what happens, everyone else joins in.
Now, there's no room for that in God's army,
and it's the same in his New Testament church, isn't it?
Now, in case you're unaware, God builds his church, okay?
God builds the church.
Now, we want to encourage,
and we want him to be able to build his church,
and we want to be an environment where God will,
for example, we want to be an environment
which is welcoming to newcomers
and able to train them up and help them
and not put them off and not destroy them.
So there is an element.
Obviously, we have some say in that, okay?
And what we do and how we go out and do things,
it depends on how God's going to build his church,
but ultimately it comes down to God.
God's going to build his church.
Now, of course, there are those that come in
and God allows that for whatever reason, you know,
that many, you know, we've talked about before,
ultimately we do eventually get edified
and strengthened from that,
from bad people coming in as well,
but God builds his church, okay?
God builds his church.
Don't forget that,
because we often can sit in a church and say,
oh, well, there's not 1,000 people in here a year later,
so it must be because of us.
Look, God's going to build his church.
And in the New Testament church, when he builds his church,
the fearful will destroy it.
They'll destroy a church.
They'll have everyone worrying about everything,
panicking, nervous about what's preached,
nervous about going out and preaching the gospel,
scared about this, scared.
We had a bit of that.
We had people trying that a little bit,
especially in the COVID days,
when we're going out and preaching
and people get panicking about it and, you know,
and trying to just sow those little seeds of doubt
and fear in people,
and that can destroy a whole church, can't it?
People stop doing the things of God.
So that's why he lets them stay at home.
Now, turn to Mark 4,
which is one of the accounts of the parable of the sower,
and I know we've gone through this recently
in Matthew chapter 13.
We're going to look at Mark's account in Mark chapter 4,
because the parable of the sower
shows us different results of people hearing the gospel.
There are the seeds that fall by the wayside.
They're unsuccessful.
They don't get saved.
Look at Mark 4 and verse 15.
It says,
And these are they by the wayside,
where the word is sown,
but when they have heard,
Satan cometh immediately
and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
So they're the ones that are unsaved.
Now, the other three,
and I think I showed that very clearly
in our Matthew chapter 13, part one,
if you've ever wondered or you weren't there
or you didn't listen to that,
and you want to know and you're unsure about that,
please go and I'm not going to re-preach that sermon.
So go back and have a look at Matthew chapter 13
and part one.
But you've basically got three different types
of believers here.
Verse 16 says,
And these are they likewise,
which are sown on stony ground,
who, when they have heard the word,
immediately receive it with gladness,
and have no root in themselves
and so endure but for a time.
Afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth
for the word's sake,
immediately they are offended.
So this first one here is a stony ground believer.
They hear the word,
it says they receive it with gladness,
but when the affliction or persecution comes, they crumble.
They crumble, they're offended, they fall away.
That's what Luke 8 13 says, they fall away.
And when we looked at this a few weeks ago,
I was saying, look,
it doesn't say it's necessarily their own affliction,
their own persecution.
That could be just viewing some sort of affliction.
That could even be just supposed affliction coming.
That they know that there's affliction arising,
it arises because of the word,
it's arisen with other people,
it's going to come and they fall away.
And that's believers around this country.
That's believers around this country just too scared.
It's a sad truth, isn't it?
They're too scared.
Too scared of their friends' reactions
to being in a church, to being part of a church.
Too scared to get involved because of the family,
because the family will start mocking them,
telling them that they're some sort of weirdo now.
Why can't you just go down the local C of E church
and listen to lies?
Why can't you just go down to the local,
the one that's five minute round?
If you have to do this religion thing,
why do you have to go every Sunday?
Why can't you come to the family party?
And it's easier.
A lot of people are scared of dealing with that.
It's easier just to just fall in line,
avoid church, swerve church.
Many of them are scared of soul winning.
At a church like this, let's be honest,
it's hard to hide from soul winning, isn't it?
Some do hide, but it's hard to hide from soul winning.
You come in a church like this,
you're going to feel a bit funny if you're coming in
and you're just refusing to go soul winning.
And you're going to feel uncomfortable
and you're not really going to want to come to church.
That's generally what happens, isn't it?
You don't have people that come for years
and just never soul win, okay?
And a lot of people are scared of soul winning.
And I understand that.
I'm not trying to mock here, okay?
Because look, praise God that everyone here,
God's worked on your hearts.
You've read the word of God enough to be encouraged
and be convicted to go out and preach the gospel.
But look, that's a scary thing for many people.
And the thought of it is so scary.
The thought of turning up on a Sunday
and either having to go home or stay and go out
and knock on someone's door and ask them
what they think they have to do to go to heaven
is petrifying.
That's why they don't go to a church.
Many, many with a church like ours are scared of the queers.
Many are.
Look, they're thinking, really?
They are.
They're thinking you come to a church like this,
the persecution's going to come.
They're thinking they're going to be outside
at some, someone's going to,
they're going to be seen maybe,
or some family member's going to ask them
what church you're at and they're going to say what church.
But they preach what the Bible says about sodomy.
And they're scared.
They're actually scared of queers.
I mean, that's pretty embarrassing, really, isn't it?
Out of all the things to be, I mean, in the old days,
that was, I mean, in the old days,
when you could joke about these things,
I mean, when you grew up, that would be a mockery,
wouldn't it?
Scared of a queer?
What's wrong with you?
But that's where we've got, like,
what a turnaround we've got to now in this nation, right?
People are in fear of these people,
and maybe rightfully so in some degrees,
because some of these people are pretty,
pretty vicious, nasty people, aren't they?
But that's why you need to protect your God.
Now, Judges 7.
God said, go home then.
He said, go home.
You're scared?
Get out then, go home.
Go and twitch the curtains of your caves and dens.
That's what he said.
Go and sit behind the curtain, twitching,
and, you know, and say, I've heard a noise,
you know, and everything else.
He said, go home then.
Got no room for you here.
He said, bring me people that are going to say,
is there not a cause?
Is there not a cause?
Is there not a cause to be in church?
There's a cause to be,
there's more of a cause now in this nation
than probably ever before to be in church, isn't there?
What's there to be scared of?
Turn to Hebrews 10,
because I'll tell you what you should be scared of.
Okay, let's just get this straight.
There's something you should be scared of.
You should be scared of your heavenly father.
Okay, you should be scared of the God of this world.
That's who you should be scared of.
Not scared of your family,
not scared of your old friends,
not scared of your neighbour mocking you,
not scared of your workmates,
not scared of some weird vegan queer protesters.
You should be scared of God, shouldn't you?
Hebrews 10 verse 24 says,
and let us consider one another to provoke
unto love and to good works,
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.
See, the Bible says not to forsake that,
as the manner of some is,
but exhorting one another,
and so much more as you see the day approach.
See, when you go to church,
you do encourage others as well.
Okay, it's not just our world,
God said to go to church,
well, I'm not, it's only going to affect me.
You're going to affect other people as well.
Okay, all these people around this nation
that are refusing to go to church
are affecting people in that church as well
as affecting their own lives.
For if we sin willfully after that
we have received the knowledge of the truth,
there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.
He's basically saying don't willfully swerve church.
He's using this as one example of something
that's clear as day we should congregate.
We shouldn't forsake the assembling of ourselves together.
Don't willfully do it, okay?
Don't willfully swerve church.
There are reasons why sometimes people can't come to church.
Don't willfully swerve church.
But a certain fearful looking for of judgment
of fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries.
He said there's no more sacrifice for sins.
Basically, indignation is anger.
When we just purposely forsake God's commandments
we're instead looking over our shoulder
for chastisement now, okay?
You're going to get whooped by God.
No, you can't lose your salvation.
No, you're not going to go to hell.
Just because he said fiery indignation
this doesn't undo the hundreds and hundreds
of salvation verses.
He said the word fire must be hell.
No, that's not what it says.
It's talking about fiery, the anger of the Lord, yeah?
The wrath of God.
And he gets angry when his children forsake
the assembling of themselves together.
Whether it's for fear or anything else.
He doesn't want you here if you're scared
but even better he wants you to not be scared
and come to church.
If you come to church you'll be able
to fight that fear as well.
He that despised Moses' law died without mercy
under two or three witnesses.
Of how much sorrow or punishment,
suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy
who hath trodden under foot the Son of God
and hath counted the blood of the covenant
wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing
and hath done despite unto the spirit of grace.
For we know him that hath said vengeance belongeth to me.
I will recompense saith the Lord
and again the Lord shall judge his people.
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Look, that's a scary warning, isn't it?
That's a scary warning not to go,
well I know what God says but I'm going to do something else.
I don't care.
Oh, I'm a bit uncomfortable going to church.
I'm a bit, look, I'm not saying
you don't have to come to this church.
Yeah, if someone, oh yeah,
but I don't really like this church, brother Ian.
You know, I'll be fine next time.
Go somewhere else then, but go to church
and make sure it's church.
Go to church because the Bible says don't forsake that.
Don't forsake that because God's going to whip you.
And look, and you go, well, how's he going to punish me?
What's God going to do?
It can't be that bad.
Look, he could do a lot of stuff, okay?
He can make you seriously ill.
He can do all sorts of things.
He can make you lose all your money, your house.
He could do anything, you name it, okay?
There are many things that God could do to punish you
where sadly the hard-hearted will go,
I'm not even being punished.
I'm sure it's got nothing to do with that, I'm not that.
At least I'm better than so-and-so.
No, God warned us, yeah, too.
Much is given, much should be required, okay?
We know what the word of God says.
We know it tells us not to forsake
the assembly of ourselves together.
Now, that is a strong warning, isn't it?
But how many instead still will read verses like this,
will read the Bible, and then instead of fearing God,
will fear someone mocking them instead?
Will fear a bit of mocking?
I mean, that's a clear warning, isn't it?
Or fear the pressure of going soul-willing?
Fear whatever it is.
And here's a funny thing with that sort of thing.
When you have a healthy fear of God,
it does help you with the fear of man, doesn't it?
If you have a healthy fear of God,
well, you're not gonna fear man so much
because it's kind of one or the other, really.
Look, and I know it's not as simple as that.
You're gonna have moments,
you're gonna have things where scary times are long.
I'm not saying that, but as a general rule,
if you have a healthy fear of God,
you live your life fearing God,
then automatically you're gonna stop having
as much fear of people, circumstances,
mockery, whatever it is.
Okay, now you might be sitting there going,
but Brother Ian, I want to be the elite.
I do want to, but I'm just so fearful.
Maybe there are people like that.
I don't fear God enough, what should I do?
I just don't fear him enough.
I still just fear people more.
I fear whoever it is.
I just have all these different fears
apart from the fear of God.
Read your Bible, read your Bible.
Pretty simple, read your Bible.
Oh, what do you mean?
What, is something magic gonna happen?
No, you're gonna read your Bible
and you're gonna see that you should fear God.
Okay, you're gonna read your Bible,
you're gonna see God constantly chastising his people
as a loving yet scary father should.
There has to be something to fear, hasn't there?
Because if there isn't, look, it doesn't matter.
Oh, well, I've got the Holy Spirit.
I'm just gonna be perfect, 100% perfect my whole life.
No, we all have the flesh.
Without a fear of God's chastisement,
you're gonna fall away.
The fear of God is what keeps us in line,
but it's fear of chastisement in life.
It's not fear of going to hell
because you're saved by faith in Jesus Christ.
No other way you're gonna get to heaven.
It's not of your own works, okay?
So look, read your Bible, read your Bible.
The more you read it,
the more you're just gonna keep seeing,
look, the love of God,
but also you're gonna see the strength of God.
You're gonna see his chastisement on his people
time and time again,
a warning such as this in Hebrews chapter 10.
Because really our bravery, it all comes from God,
like I said earlier.
So it's not, I'm not standing up here going,
I'm just so brave and so bold.
It all comes from God anyway.
Everyone who's sitting here,
everyone who's doing the things of God,
it's because they read the Bible
and because God, through reading the Bible,
is giving them that fear of him
as opposed to fear of the other things, right?
Go back to Judges chapter seven.
The title today is the elite few.
Number one is the elite few aren't fearful.
Or you could say apart from when it comes to God.
Number two, the elite few are focused.
The elite few are focused.
So he sent home the 22,000.
That's a lot of people, yeah?
There's 10,000 remaining here.
Look at verse four in Judges seven.
Judges seven and verse four.
And the Lord said unto Gideon,
the people are yet too many.
Bring them down unto the water,
and I will try them for thee there.
And it shall be that of whom I say unto thee,
this shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee.
And of whomsoever I say unto thee,
this shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.
So he brought down the people unto the water.
And the Lord said unto Gideon,
everyone that lapeth of the water with his tongue
as a dog lapeth, him shalt thou set by himself.
Likewise, everyone that boweth down upon his knees to drink.
Now, okay, many might have been confused
about this passage before.
I don't know, I remember before,
I was trying to work this out.
Okay, notice how they're not just on their knees.
They're bowing down.
They're bowing down upon their knees.
They're basically drinking directly from the water.
Okay, so these people,
for a little demo here.
Okay, instead of doing this, can everyone see me?
Okay.
Sorry guys on camera, you just have to imagine here.
Okay, instead of doing this
and they're not lifted up to their mouth,
they're bowing down on their knees
with their heads in the water.
They're just drinking it out of the water.
Quite a good way of getting a lot of water in, right?
Yeah, if you had a massive pool.
And if you're thinking,
did it say something about a well?
On the front of your bulletin,
if you've got your bulletin on you,
on the front of your bulletin, I've got mine here,
is basically this natural spring
that they called, I think, the area,
or maybe they even called that the Well of Harrod.
And you only got part of it in the corner there,
but this was a big area.
These guys, it seems all around this natural spring
and all drinking this water
and they're bowing upon their knees and drinking it, okay?
So that's the one type of person.
Okay, then, then you've got this 300
that are bringing the water up to their mouth.
It said, and a number of them that lapped,
putting their hand to their mouth were 300 men,
but all the rest of the people
bowed down upon their knees to drink water.
So what these guys are doing
is they're getting this water up,
they're bringing it to their mouth,
they're not pouring it back like this,
they're lapping it with their tongue,
and I don't need to give you a demonstration
because that'll look a bit weird, right?
Okay, but you can imagine.
Okay, they're like this.
Now, have you noticed that when I'm doing that,
I could clearly, without doing the tongue part,
I could see a lot while I'm doing that, right?
I'm pretty alert, I'm pretty vigil,
I'm pretty vigilant right now.
I could lap water like this.
I'm not gonna get anywhere near the amount of water in
that I would if I had my face dunked in the water
like the other lot, prostrate on their knees,
but what I am doing is I'm able to be upright,
seeing I'm alert, I'm vigilant,
and these guys are in the mid,
they're basically right next to this huge host of an army.
He's brought them down to the water.
You've got 9,700 of them
have basically just gone, water, great,
and just dived on the floor and dunked their face down,
and then you've got 300 guys that are like,
that's a bit silly.
I better have my wits about me.
I better be vigilant.
That's how I see that.
Now, if anyone's got another interpretation,
please show me afterwards.
That's what I believe.
These guys are upright.
They're not even pulling it back
when they can't see anymore.
They're lapping it with their tongue.
Now, they're not getting much water, yeah?
But they're not fussed because
they've got their wits about them,
because they're vigilant,
because they're looking around,
because they're not about to get suddenly outflanked
or charged without even realising, yeah?
They're on high alert, these guys.
That's what I believe that that passage is about there.
And the Lord said unto Gideon, verse seven,
By the 300 men that lapped will I save you,
and deliver the Midianites into thine hand,
and let all the other people go, every man, unto his place.
He said, I want the elite few.
That's what he said.
I want the standing upright,
vigilant, aware of the danger types.
Men with some self-control as well.
I want men with self-control
that don't just see the water
and dive into the water head first
and not having a care for what's going on around them.
I want the guys that are gonna stand up
and look around, even if it means they drink less water
and be vigilant and have some self-control
and actually be alert and aware of the danger around them.
Now, the rest of the 10,000 weren't fearful.
Yeah, get on them, they weren't fearful.
But maybe they're foolhardy.
Because you can be a bit too not fearful
but then you don't even have any,
oh, I'm not in fear of it, I don't care,
everything will work out.
Is that the way God wants us to be?
Tell us to be vigilant, doesn't he?
Maybe these guys don't have the patience either.
How about that?
These guys have the patience
to literally drink water with their tongue.
And we don't have that rough stuff on our tongue
that the dogs have, yeah, okay?
That can take quite a while to lap water with your tongue.
Okay, and probably most animals have that, don't they?
But look, we don't have that.
But these guys are still willing to drink it with their tongue.
These other guys head first in the water.
Maybe they didn't have the ability to resist the temptation.
Yeah, they're thirsty, they've seen the water,
they dive into it, the other guys,
no, they're happy to stay upright.
It might take a while.
They might not get their thirst quenched straight away,
but they had the ability to resist the temptation to do that.
Turn to Mark 4, because in the New Testament church,
look, there are people that've got the guts to turn up.
Yeah, they've got past that fear bit.
They'll turn up to church,
and they might even make a bit of soul winning,
but are they really focused on the things of God?
Are they really focused on the things of God
like these guys were here, like these 300?
In Mark 4, we saw the type that drop off
due to persecution or tribulation, okay?
The next type of the thorny ground.
Look at verse 18, Mark 4, 18.
Mark 4 and verse 18 says,
And these are they which are sown among thorns,
such as hear the word, and the cares of this world,
and the deceitfulness of riches,
and the lusts of other things entering in,
choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
So these are the unfruitful types.
They've got through the fear.
Maybe they read their Bibles,
but they're not keeping vigilant for danger, are they?
They're distracted.
They've got their heads in the water
instead of patience and self-control.
The riches are too tempting, aren't they?
Maybe the riches are so tempting,
it stops them trying to find a way
of making all three services.
Maybe, well, yeah, as long as I do like once,
as long as I just do the Sunday service,
then I can still work on a Wednesday.
I can still go and do this extra training on a Wednesday.
I can still, you know, stay in that job or whatever it is.
Maybe there's that.
Maybe it's a midweek TV.
Maybe it's a midweek television.
It's just too good to miss out on.
The lusts of other, is it that good?
I don't know.
I can't imagine it is.
Probably still the same old rubbish.
Maybe it's the sports and the hobbies.
Maybe they're people, but Wednesdays when, you know,
I can go and do whatever sport, whatever hobby,
whatever it is.
Maybe it's a Sunday evening service.
Well, Sunday afternoon is Super Sunday.
It's never super, is it?
Always.
Whenever I used to watch football years ago,
it's always a disappointment.
Advert after Super Sunday.
You know, you've got these like great teams
and it's always like a nil-nil draw or something.
It's just, you know, what a waste of my life.
Sometimes I think they have up to three games sometimes.
I don't want to advertise this stuff
to any of you football fans, but it's pretty bad.
Maybe it's that.
Maybe it's something else.
Maybe it's, I don't know,
they still have Grand Prix on a Sunday.
Maybe it's a Grand Prix.
I don't know.
There are things.
There are things that the lusts of other things
entering in that distract people
that they get pulled into.
Maybe, look, maybe those Sunday shifts at work pay too well.
Maybe the midweek soul winning
isn't as good as that video game or whatever it is,
that online game that someone's got into,
that series on Netflix or whatever it is.
Look, there are many different things.
It's not just riches.
It's not just the cash.
It can be the cash, but there are many things, aren't there?
And maybe it's worse than that.
I mean, there are kind of some lighter versions.
For some people, it can be some pretty bad stuff,
some pretty wicked stuff,
which prevents them coming to church.
Turn to 1 Peter 5.
Look, and when I talk about free services,
look, that should be our goal.
Now, I understand, yeah.
Not only are we a fairly new church,
we've got people, we were talking about this earlier,
we've got people coming from all over the country at times
to this church.
And I understand that it's not quite so easy
to just turn up free to thrive straight away.
But what I would say is that if you're not,
you should be finding a way to do so.
That's where God wants you, doesn't he?
If you wanna be the elite, you should be finding a way.
You should be making a way.
Now, it might be that he wants you living close
to the church.
It might be that you decide,
no, but I'm gonna make that travel.
It might be changing a job.
It might be changing a hobby.
It might be making some change in your life.
It might be that it takes a while to do that.
But if you're not on the road to the elite,
you're on the road away from the elite.
It's one or the other.
There's no limbo.
You'll eventually come,
oh, well, who says it's gotta be free services?
Well, I don't know, they were meeting daily in the temple
in the book of Acts.
So we could up it if you like.
But three is not, it's not the biggest hardship, is it?
Oh, who says you gotta spend a whole Sunday at church?
It's one day of the week.
One day of the week to give to the Lord, yeah?
And what a great thing we get.
It's not all hardship, is it?
What a benefit we get out of it.
What a change we get.
I was talking to someone just earlier before the service.
What a change it's like for being at a proper church,
being at a church preaching the word of God,
being at a church where you're out soul winning,
where you're doing the things of God,
what a change in their life,
where all people from the past are looking at them
and noticing those changes.
And I'm sure most people here could say the same as well.
And look, there's no substitute, is there?
No, God wants the elite few,
those that are committed to the battle,
always ready to face the adversary, doesn't he?
1 Peter 5 and verse 8 says,
be sober, be vigilant, 1 Peter 5.8,
because you adversary the devil as a roaring lion,
walketh about seeking whom he may devour.
So those elite few, the hardcore, are sober, aren't they?
That's how we should be.
That's how we're told to be.
And those elite few are sober.
They're vigilant.
When I say sober, I'm not just talking about alcohol here.
You can apply it to that as well,
but just calm to have your thoughts to be collected.
Vigilant.
And what should we be vigilant of?
Is it just a false prophet?
Well, of danger to your family.
How about that?
Of different dangers, different pitfalls out in the world
that people just can't even be bothered to think about.
Of dangers in churches, yeah.
Of dangers outside churches.
How about of danger to the church?
About all these different things.
We should all be vigilant, shouldn't we?
That's how God wants us vigilant,
standing up there, lapping the water with our tongue.
Whom resist steadfast in the faith,
talking about the devil here,
knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished
in your brethren that are in the world.
So that's standing strong in your faith,
because a lot of the time when you're going through things,
yeah, it is maybe of the devil.
Yeah, it's the same afflictions
that are accomplished in the world,
but sometimes, yeah, we are going through things
and different attacks and different pitfalls
and things in our life due to the devil.
Resist, resist.
Resist steadfast.
That's strong, standing strong in your faith,
not getting choked by the cares of this world,
not then starting to turn to the cares
and the deceitfulness of riches
and the lusts of other things entering in.
And yeah, we're gonna go through struggles,
afflictions, challenges in this life.
Look, that's gonna happen regardless,
but you can get through them.
You can get through them because it says here, verse 10,
but the God of all grace who have called us
unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus,
after that you have suffered a while,
that's gonna make you perfect,
established, strengthened, settle you.
That's complete with perfection there.
It's not talking about you're gonna be perfect from sin.
That's making you complete, established,
strengthened, settle you.
And that's when we get stronger.
When you go through things, you get stronger.
That's not a time to be pulled out.
That's not a time to come out of church.
So, okay, I wanna be more focused.
What do I do?
How do you do that?
Well, we do the things of God, don't we?
Put him first.
We make him a priority.
Bible reading, is it a priority in your life?
He told us to meditate on his word day and night.
Yeah, we should be reading that word.
That's God talking to you.
That's your heavenly father talking to you.
Do you shut your ears when your father talks to you?
I hope not.
That's making Bible reading, prayer a priority.
Oh, well, I'll just slip a quick one in when I can.
No, get up in the morning,
get on your knees and pray to God.
How about that?
How about multiple times throughout the day?
How about church?
How about make it a priority?
Church is your priority.
No, it's what?
Three services in a whole week.
How about soul winning?
How about make it a priority?
Go out and get people saved.
How about if you're sitting here thinking,
yeah, this is talking to you.
How about you just say today?
You just go, right, from today I'm making God my priority.
He's my priority.
Church is my priority.
Soul winning is my priority.
Bible reading is my priority.
Prayer life is my priority.
Getting sin out of my life is my priority.
How about that?
How about you make a covenant with God today?
Don't make, do it.
If you mean it, do it.
Say, yeah, this is what I'm going to do.
I'm going to do this now.
I'm going to make sure I do this.
Come up to the altar.
No, I'm joking, don't come up to the altar.
Right, everyone, get, I'm messing.
But you know what?
There's nothing wrong with saying to yourself today,
saying, yeah, this is what I'm going to do.
Yeah, this is what I'm going to do.
I'm going to make God a priority in my life.
I'm going to be focused.
I want to be one of the elite.
I want to be up in heaven for eternity going,
I did my best.
I did my best for you, God.
I wanted to be one of your elite.
I wanted to be one of those people.
You showed me how to do that.
I'm going to do it.
How about that?
Make that decision today.
Go back to Judges 7.
The title today is The Elite Few.
Number one is the elite few aren't fearful.
Number two is the elite few are focused.
Number three is the elite few fight fatigue.
The elite few fight fatigue.
Notice the F's here for 300, yeah?
Yeah, anyway, verse eight.
Judges 7, verse eight says,
so the people took victuals in their hand
and their trumpets,
and he sent all the rest of Israel,
every man onto his tent,
and retained those 300 men.
And a host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.
And it came to pass the same night
that the Lord said unto him,
arise, get thee down unto the host,
for I have delivered it into thine hand.
Okay, there's no time to spare.
They're going down that same night, aren't they?
And they end up hiding their lamps
in these pictures or vessels, okay?
That's what it's talking about here.
We see in a second.
They're surrounding the Midianites.
And when we say surrounding,
they're just kind of in three different places
because it says that they're basically
like grasshoppers for multitude, we see,
and whose camels are as many as the sand by the seaside.
Look at verse 20.
I'm gonna jump forward now.
It says, and the three companies blew the trumpets
and break the pictures.
So these are vessels where I think
they put the lamps within
and held the lamps in their left hands
and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal.
And they cried the sword of the Lord and of Gideon.
And they stood every man in his place
round about the camp and all the hosts ran
and cried and fled.
And they're not boo-hooing, they're shouting.
They're screaming out, shouting in fear.
And the 300 blew the trumpets
and the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow,
even throughout all the hosts.
And the hosts fled to Bel-Shitter in Zerahath
and to the border of Abel-Meholah and unto Tabath.
And the men of Israel gathered themselves together
out of Naphtali and out of Asher and out of Manasseh
and pursued after the Midianites.
And Gideon sent messengers throughout all Mount Ephraim,
saying, come down against the Midianites
and take before them the waters unto Beth-Barah and Jordan.
Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together
and took the waters unto Beth-Barah and Jordan.
And they took two princes of the Midianites,
Orib and Zeb, and they slew Orib upon the rock Orib.
And Zeb, they slew at the winepress of Zeb
and pursued Midian and brought the heads of Orib and Zeb
to Gideon on the other side Jordan.
Okay, so they've got others involved now.
Is it time now, right?
They've done their bit.
The 300, they did their bit.
They kind of went on different sides of the Midianites.
They got all this going.
The others have joined in now.
Well, it's far from over.
Go over to chapter eight.
Next chapter in verse four.
It says, Judges eight and verse four says,
And Gideon came to Jordan and passed over
he and the 300 men that were with him,
faint yet pursuing them.
They're faint yet pursuing them.
Everyone else has got involved now.
Have they given up now, gone,
write the cavalry in now, we've done our bit?
No, and they're faint, but they're still pursuing them.
So Gideon and his 300,
they're basically chasing down these two Midianite kings.
By the way, every single word of this is true, amen.
This is exactly what happened.
This is what happened.
Okay, this is a historical, this is a piece of history.
These guys with 300 were faint.
Okay, this happened, they were faint
and they carried on pursuing them.
And he said, unto the men of Sukkoth, this is verse five,
give I pray you loaves of bread
unto the people that follow me, for they be faint
and I am pursuing after Zeba and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.
So he's asked for some sustenance for his men.
Kind of makes me think of those
long soul winning trips sometimes.
You're just like, oh man, just keep going.
We'll make it to the restaurant soon.
And the prince of Sukkoth said,
are the hands of Zeba and Zalmunna now in thine hand
that we should give bread unto thine army?
And Gideon said, therefore,
so they basically said, no.
Said, no, we're not giving you any food.
And Gideon said, therefore,
when the Lord had delivered Zeba and Zalmunna
into mine hand, I will tear your flesh
with the thorns of the wilderness and with briars.
And he went up thence to Penuel
and spake unto them, likewise,
the men of Penuel answered him
as the men of Sukkoth had answered him.
This is verse nine now.
And he spake also unto the men of Penuel saying,
when I come again in peace, I'll break down this town.
So they've said the same.
They said, no, you're not having any food from us.
So they're pursuing these kings of Midian.
They're going through these different areas.
These people are saying, no,
we're not giving you any food
while you're on your way through.
Verse 10 says, now Zeba and Zalmunna were in Carcor
and their hosts with them, about 15,000 men,
all that were left of all the hosts
of the children of the East
for their fell and 120,000 men that drew sword.
Okay, so 120,000 men between them fighting each other,
turning on each other in the panic,
between the other men, the other tribes getting involved.
But what's left here?
15,000.
So they're with their hosts with them,
15,000, all that were left.
Time to turn back now, surely, isn't it?
They pursued them, they're faint.
They haven't been given any food.
They're fighting or pursuing through the night.
All right, now it's time to start, wait for the cavalry,
take your foot off the gas a little bit here.
There's 15,000 of them.
There's only 300.
That was a pretty cool trick they did with the last night.
It seemed like there were loads of them.
They had all their lamps out.
Everyone had a lamp.
They're blowing trumpets.
It seems like there's this huge army surrounding them.
The hosts were already scared.
This guy's talking about having a dream in the night.
If you remember from the Bible reading,
we didn't cover it just now, saying,
oh, they're gonna, you know, that must be Gideon.
They're gonna be coming.
And, but now there's 15,000 of them.
So what does he do?
Verse 11, and Gideon went up by the way of them
that dwelt in tents on the east of Noba and Jogba,
and smote the host for the host was secure.
300 of them.
This is the real 300.
300 versus 15,000.
And when Ziba and Zalmunna fled,
so they've just smote the host.
They've just hacked through 15,000 men.
He pursued after them and took the two kings of Midian,
Ziba and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the hosts.
This is still just the 300.
They've gone through 15,000 men, captured the kings.
I mean, these guys are the elite, right?
This is the real 300.
Forget the wide fronts of red capes.
This is the real 300.
I'll tell you, they weren't wearing wide fronts of red capes
because thighs are nakedness, right?
And those red capes are weird, yeah?
I don't care whether they're nakedness or not,
but look at verse 13.
And Gideon, the son of Joash,
returned from battle before the sun was up.
Now, if you remember, he went down at night.
It seems like this has all gone on,
from what I can tell here, throughout the night,
so that he's just carried on.
They're fighting throughout the night.
And the elite few here fight fatigue, don't they?
They were fatigued.
They've been refused food.
Because, look, fighting for the law
can get pretty tiring sometimes, can't it?
It does get tiring sometimes.
Turn to Mark, chapter four.
We're gonna go there for the last time.
Sometimes that Sunday morning
feels like the end of a long pursuit, doesn't it?
Sometimes you've had a tough week,
and that Sunday morning, it feels,
it's not like your fresh beginning of the week.
A lot of the time,
it's a struggle to even get down here, isn't it?
It's a struggle to get up for some.
It's a struggle to get all the kids ready,
to get out of the house, to get in the car.
For some here, it's a struggle going on a long,
long journey as well to get to church.
It can feel like the end of a long pursuit, can't it?
But you gotta keep fighting,
you gotta keep battling through that long journey.
You wanna be the elite, you gotta keep battling.
When you feel tired like that, that's the time to go,
right, I need to battle through.
This isn't a time to go,
oh yeah, I'm too tired, I'm gonna lie in bed.
Oh, well, I didn't get much sleep last night.
Look, me and my wife used to joke about this.
Sunday night was always a night, sorry,
Saturday night was always a night
when James wouldn't sleep properly.
He'd be crying through the night.
When one of the kids would be up unwell,
when something would go wrong,
when there'd be something where you couldn't go to sleep,
for me sometimes I'd be up late
getting something ready for Sunday.
It's just the way it is.
That's when you fight.
That's when you say, okay.
That's when I dig deep.
That's when if you wanna be the elite,
you still turn up at church.
You still get on, you still go soul winning.
You still do the things of God.
Sometimes that morning Bible read
feels like you need to put toothpicks
in your eyelids, doesn't it?
Sometimes you feel like that, don't you?
Sometimes it's like the only time
I'm gonna get to read my Bible
is if I set my alarm early
and you're looking at the alarm,
you're looking at the time
and you get up and you're bleary-eyed,
but you gotta keep going, don't you?
You gotta keep fighting.
You've gotta keep reading.
You gotta keep doing the things of God.
And for me, and I'm sure many here is the same,
it's not just me.
Every Monday, every Monday without fail
for the last nearly two years now
feels like I've literally just slain 10,000 men.
Okay, every Monday.
And I'm sure many are the same.
It's, oh, well, I had a lovely, relaxing Sunday.
Sometimes it's that, look,
and everyone, because I feel like I'm in the Spirit,
you know, it's spiritually exhausting,
but anyone here who's paying attention to the service
is hopefully in the Spirit as well.
Okay, it's not that it's just a relaxing time
and the words are just tickling your ears
and you're just kind of almost nodding off.
Look, if you're paying attention,
if you're alert, if you're in the things of God,
you're gonna be in the Spirit as well.
Then you're going out soul-willing, you're in the Spirit.
Then you're coming back to service in the evening,
you're in the Spirit.
Then you're tackling that long journey home
and Mondays, you don't really feel like you're refreshed,
do you?
Okay, I definitely don't feel like I'm refreshed
on a Monday.
But you do it, don't you?
You keep doing it.
Why do you keep doing it?
Because you want to be the elite, don't you?
Yeah, you want to be the elite.
You've got to keep fighting,
you've got to keep battling through.
Sometimes you've got to keep battling through
that unreceptive local neighbourhood, don't you?
Look, we've been doing an every door policies,
door knocking from this new church location.
Sometimes it feels like that, doesn't it?
Sometimes you're battling through.
Sometimes if it's not devils, it's prideful people,
the prideful local C of E member
or the local who just thinks they're such a good person,
why on earth would they need the gospel?
Sometimes you're battling through, you're battling through.
Sometimes those long driveways,
you're just pursuing up that long, rich driveway.
Sometimes it feels like that, doesn't it?
But we keep battling through, don't we?
We should keep battling through.
The elite few don't quit.
They don't give up, they keep going.
You turn to Mark 4, look at verse 20.
It says, and these are they which are sown on good ground,
such as hear the word and receive it
and bring forth fruit.
Some one fold, some two fold, is that what it says?
Then give up.
Some three fold and then you can take a break.
Mark 4, 20, is that what it says?
Or does it say some 30 fold, some 60 and some 100?
It's not get a couple of people saved and quit, is it?
It's not, well, I got a salvation this afternoon,
I'm gonna go back early now.
It's not, well, I made church last week,
next week I deserve a break.
No, it's just keep going, keep going.
30, 60, 100 fold.
Just keep going, keep plowing on through.
Look, life is short, isn't it?
We have such a short life.
It's but a vapour, isn't it?
And it appears for such a small time
and then it just, it's gone.
And as we get older, it doesn't all feel like that,
doesn't it?
And those years go by quicker and quicker and quicker.
There's a short time to serve God.
There's a short time to earn those rewards
when you're up in heaven to do those things for God.
Look at verse 15, sorry, verse 14.
Because Gideon went through the night.
He didn't stop, he didn't then stop
for a bite to eat in the morning.
Look at verse 14.
It says, and caught a young man of the men of Sukkoth.
Okay, so they're the guys that said,
no, you're not getting anything to eat.
And he inquired of him and he described unto him
the prince of Sukkoth and the elders thereof,
even three score and 17 men.
So there's like 77 of these guys.
He's like, tell me who those guys were
that were saying we couldn't get anything to eat.
I just want to go and have a little chat with them.
Write a letter of complaint, maybe.
You know, come with maybe just a little petition here.
Verse 15, he came unto the men of Sukkoth
and said, behold, Zebron-Zalmunna
with whom you did upbraid me saying,
oh, the hands of Zebron-Zalmunna now in thine hand,
that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary.
So they were basically saying, why should we give to you?
We're not going to answer you.
We'll answer to Zebron-Zalmunna.
He's gone, I've got them with me now, look.
Got them strung up and he took the elders of the city
and thorns of the wilderness and briars
and with them he taught the men of Sukkoth.
So, look, it's still not time for breakfast.
He's like in the wilderness getting thorns
and I don't know what he's doing to them.
He's doing something nasty.
He's like lashing them with them.
He's like, I'll teach you a lesson
because I told you that's what I do.
So he gives them some sort of whipping.
Then, next verse 17, and he beat down the tower of Penuel
and slew the men of the city.
So then he's just beaten down this,
the next lot that refused.
He said, okay, you're getting it as well.
Kills all of them.
Then said he unto Zeba and Zalmunna,
what manner of men were they whom ye slew at table?
And they answered, Zawat, so were they.
Each one resembled the children of a king.
So he's going, so what happened when you were at table?
And he said, they were my brethren,
even the sons of my mother.
As the Lord liveth, if ye had saved them alive,
I would not slay you.
And he said unto Jetha, his firstborn, up and slay them.
But the youth drew not his sword
for he feared because he was yet a youth.
Okay, so the point there,
kids are a lot of the time going to be fearful.
And we don't want to be too harsh on our kids sometimes
when they are going to have that fear.
They are going to fear those things that maybe we don't.
Okay, we want to encourage them.
We want to train them up not to, but he goes easy on him.
Then Zeba and Zalmunna said, rise and fall upon us.
For as a man is, so is his strength.
And Gideon arose.
So he says, okay, I'll do it.
And slew Zeba and Zalmunna and took away the ornaments
that were on their camel's necks.
So he's basically finally finished his rampage now.
The man was asking for bread for the men a long time ago,
probably much earlier on in the evening.
And he's just hacking people down,
giving out retribution, everything else.
Turn to Colossians chapter three,
because God wants men that won't give up.
Gideon kept going until the battle was over
because look, there are a lot of Roman candle Christians.
You've heard that saying many times.
I like that saying, because it's just a real visual,
isn't it?
The Roman candle Christian, they do all these
great things and then they just peter out and disappear.
But to be in the elite,
you've got to be able to fight that fatigue.
You've got to be able to maintain and maintain and maintain.
And that's what Gideon did here.
That's what those 300 men did there.
They kept going until the battle was over.
Now, how can you have more perseverance?
How do you keep going when the going gets tough?
Because again, for some, it might be easier
to send them down.
Oh, well, how do you actually do this?
Well, look at Colossians three and verse one.
It says, if you then be risen with Christ,
seek those things which are above
where Christ sits on the right hand of God,
set your affection on things above,
not on things on the earth,
for ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Basically focus your affection on heaven.
That's what we should be focusing on.
Pleasing God, earning rewards, filling heaven up.
That's our goal in life, isn't it?
That's clearly what we should be doing as Christians.
Focus on the things of God, focus on heaven,
focus on eternity, stop focusing on the here and now stuff,
the worldly stuff.
Because the things of the earth,
what happens to them?
Moth and rust stuff corrupt, doesn't it?
All those treasures, all that stuff
that we just get so sidetracked with.
It's all nothing, it's not important.
Focus on the things of God.
Go back to Judges eight.
What do you do?
Galatians six, nine says,
and let us not be weary in well doing,
for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.
So don't give up and you'll reap in the end.
Even if that's in the life to come, look,
it might not be here.
And sometimes it does work out.
You're feeling tired, you're feeling tired,
something works out, doesn't it?
Some sort of reprieve happens,
something kind of helps you out a bit,
some sort of, sometimes just some positivity.
Sometimes you can be fighting against,
I remember at points over the last couple of years,
it was a struggle sometimes.
You know, you've got, you're coming into a room,
you've got literally half the room is full of devils,
eyeballing you, hating you, snarling at you.
And you're just like, man, this is, it's rough.
You know, sometimes it's rough,
but something happens in the end and you fight through
and you fight through and you fight through
and then eventually things work out, things work out.
Sometimes you've got to go through some tough times.
Sometimes you've got to, you just got to keep
just knuckling down and fighting through it
and don't get weary.
Keep just going, keep, don't faint, don't faint.
Just keep going, keep going and the reprieve comes.
But sometimes it might be, it might not be in this life.
Sometimes you might just be tired.
Maybe you'll just be tired until you die.
Look, life is tiring.
I prefer to be tired serving God
than to just be tired because I don't do anything.
Serve God, get fatigued and in due season
we shall reap if we faint not.
And that might be when you're up in heaven
and you're being told, thou good and faithful servant.
That's what we're all aiming for, isn't it?
Thou good and faithful servant.
Gideon got a great victory.
Did he let it go to his head though?
Because you might sit here and go,
yeah, actually I'm doing all right.
And we do have the, sadly,
there is that risk that we get puffed up in life.
Well, look what Gideon says in verse 22 or verse 23.
We're going to see verse 22 though.
It says, then the men of Israel said unto Gideon,
rule over thou, rule over us,
both thou and thy son and thy son's son also
for thou has delivered us from the hand of Midian.
And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you.
Neither shall my son rule over you.
The Lord shall rule over you.
No, because even though he wasn't fearful, was he?
He wasn't fearful.
He was focused.
He fought fatigue.
It all came from God.
He knew it all came from God.
It was God's victory.
And that's the thing, look, we want to be the elite.
Maybe some people here might feel like,
yeah, I'm part of the elite.
Yeah, I'm doing the things of God.
I've been consistent with this.
I feel like I'm ticking some of these boxes, brother,
and I'm at it.
And yeah, obviously we can all improve.
Everyone can keep improving.
But the credit goes to God because it all comes
from God really, doesn't it?
It all comes from God.
It all comes from the word of God.
It all comes from the promises that he said
he will fulfill in our lives.
But God does like getting victories
with the elite few, doesn't he?
That's how God likes to do things.
We want to be part of that elite few.
I want to be considered part of that elite few.
I hope everyone else here does too.
And God shows us how to do that.
Number one, the elite few aren't fearful.
Number two, the elite few are focused.
And number three, the elite few fight fatigue.
Fight fatigue, keep driving forward, keep going.
And in due season, we shall reap if we fight not.
On that, let's pray.
Father, thank you.
Thank you for that great example of Gideon
and those 300 elite men there, Lord.
Thank you for just showing us what it takes
to be considered those types of people,
how we should all be just persevering,
how we should all be just trying our hardest
to be like that, men, women, children here
to be part of your elite, Lord,
to want to serve you, to want to do it properly,
to not just to be a tick box on a Sunday,
but to want to serve you,
to want to earn those rewards for you,
but to please you as well,
and to want to go and get people saved,
to want to make a difference in people's lives,
whether it's by encouraging those
that we turn up to church with here,
whether it's on a Sunday morning, a Sunday evening,
or a midweek service on a Wednesday,
or whether it's by going out and preaching the gospel,
getting people saved, Lord.
Lord, help us to just want those things,
to want to serve you, to want to do those things,
to just forsake the things of the world,
and to just focus on the things of God.
Lord, we pray that you help us to all do that this afternoon,
going out and preaching the gospel, getting people saved.
Lord, help us to return for this evening's service.
In Jesus' name, pray all of this. Amen.
Amen.