Power in the Weakness | Pastor Raph | Sep. 22, 2024

Grace is God committing Himself through promises. In waiting and persevering, we must never badmouth God's promises.

God will never promise anything for His children; therefore, do not badmouth God's purpose in your life.

Experience God’s Power in Your Weakness

1 Corinthians 2:2-3 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling (1 Corinthians 2:2-3, ESV).

“Fear and trembling” refers to a state of awe, overwhelm, and ecstasy. This phrase is rooted in Hebrew culture, and even though Paul wrote in Greek, he incorporated expressions that resonated deeply with the Hebrew language and customs.

Jeremiah 33:9 And this city shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it (Jeremiah 33:9, ESV).

Similarly, in Mark’s gospel, we find this expression:

Mark 5:33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth (Mark 5:33, ESV).

Only those who acknowledge their weakness can enter into this state of wonder, awe, and trembling. God loves our weakness. God delights in using our weakness, not the weakness that comes from sin, but the inherent fragility of our human nature. The Apostle Paul understood this deeply. As Paul writes:

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, ESV).

Gideon and His Weakness

There was a time when Israel’s enemies, the Midianites, would steal their crops during each harvest season. During one of these times, the Angel of the LORD appeared to a young man named Gideon.

Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him and said, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor” (Judges 6:11-12, ESV).

God does not see as we do. He calls things that are not visible or tangible as though they were.

The creative power of God's word is greater than our perception of ourselves.

Even though Gideon hid, God called him a “mighty man of valor.” What seems insignificant, but God sees way beyond our fears.

Gideon responded:

“Please, my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” And the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” (Judges 6:13-14, ESV).

M any sermons have been preached about the phrase, “Go in this might of yours! Go in your strength.” Some argue that God chose Gideon because he was brave despite hiding or being filled with faith. But the critical point is that he was weak. And in that weakness, God could be His strength. God began with Gideon’s weakness, and He will also do it in your life.

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 For consider your calling, believers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

As long as we remain humble and weak in our own eyes, that becomes our strength and might. Recognizing our weakness is true strength, and we should never lose sight of that weakness. Not with self-pity and feeling sorry for oneself.

God wasn’t giving Gideon false praise or shallow encouragement. The Holy Spirit calls forth the unseen to bring it into reality. We often think that we will eventually reach a state of complete strength, perfect speech, impeccable management, and all-knowing, but that is not God’s goal. The world chases this ideal only to be frustrated, while God desires to work through our weaknesses.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (ESV) For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Gideon emphasized his own sense of insignificance by highlighting that he came from the weakest clan of the tribe of Manasseh

Judges 6:15 (ESV) 15 And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”

Does your family name mean something? Do you rely on your family, your appearance, or your oratory skills? God blesses those who acknowledge their areas of weakness.

Christ is the Wool

We know the story. Gideon asks God for a sign. But for us, the ultimate proof is Christ. He is the Word made flesh and our eternal evidence that God is with us. Wool represents the Lamb of God, who came to earth full of grace and truth.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14, ESV).

Christ is the perfect Lamb who provides the wool of grace.

Judges 6:36-37 (ESV) 36 Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, 37 behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.

The threshing floor was the appropriate place for Gideon to beat out wheat. But because the Midianites were taking it all out, God found Gideon at the winepress, trying to hide from the enemies. Now, in the very place of shame and fear He is bringing Christ.

Judges 6:37 (ESV) 37 behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.”

The next day, Gideon asked God for a reversed sign. He requested that the surroundings be soaked in water but not the fleece of wool, which symbolizes the work of the cross.

Maybe you need to experience God's sign in your place of supply and provision. Why don't you try to bring the finished work of the cross to your business this week?

Jesus, is that fleece of wool. He had all the dew of heaven, but after being crushed for our sins, His grace became available to all who believe in Him. Wherever Jesus went, power flowed from Him, healing the blind, the deaf, and the lepers. He was majestic, yet on the Cross, He became dry so that we who believe could receive the dew of heaven.

In the Bible, dew symbolizes grace:

The king’s wrath is like the growling of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass (Proverbs 19:12, ESV).

It is never offensive to the King of Kings when you ask Him for more favor and grace. Dare to believe for multiplies, overflowing grace over your life.

Clothed with a spirit of the Lord and our weaknesses.

Wool is also related to clothing. Interestingly, when Gideon finds God's promise to pursue God's purpose, the Bible says that he is clothed. 

Judges 6:34 (ESV) But the Spirit of the LORD clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him.

What kind of clothes is that? It is the clothe of weakness, the clothe of humility.

“Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’ (1 Peter 5:5, ESV).

Grace is only for the weak. Grace is a waterfall that flows downward. Therefore, the great, the cocky, the boasting can't have it.

That is why, when Gideon was found in weakness, God said, "God in this might of yours."

The story continues. Gideon started his recruitment plan to defeat the Midianites. He is a great leader, and he was able to recruit 32,000 men.

God wants Gideon to stay in the place of true power and strength. 

Judges 7:2 (ESV) 2 The LORD said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’

The Lord wants us to conquer our enemies. The Lord will give us victory. But we cannot leave the place of weakness, grace, humbleness, and humility because that is the place of victory. Prayer and fasting are our utter declarations of dependence.

The filtering of the first group is easy to understand. "Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him return home [...] Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained."

The second group it's important to mention.

Do not get distracted.

Judges 7:5 (ESV) 5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.”

The manner in which the soldiers drank was seen as a test of vigilance and readiness. Do not lose sight of God's calling in your life. Be firm and focused on your mission. These 9,700 soldiers were not just drinking water to cool off and return to the field. They were splashing around, diving in. This a warning call. It's okay to enjoy the entertainment of this world, but make sure you're in control; never lose control.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

The Apostle Paul wrote: "All things are lawful to me" (1 Co 6.12) - movies, sports, social networks, games, etc., but don't let any of this dominate you. You can appreciate these things, but be careful not to be controlled by them. Make sure you drink water by hand, that is, with control.

The true mighty 300 are soldiers who are cautious and aware of their surroundings.

But still, God's ultimate goal was to give victory in the weakness. Gideon’s reduction of troops from 32,000 to 300. The true 300 means God’s power in weakness.

A side note: Gideon’s 300 happened approximately 1200-1100 BC. The 300 Spartans at Thermopylae happened in 480 BC.

Broken vessels and the trumpet from the horn of the ram.

And the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” (Judges 7:20, ESV).

Gideon’s victory was marked by humility and faith—his army of 300 men won by breaking jars and blowing the "shophar," not through conventional weapons.

The broken jars symbolize our fragile human nature.

2 Corinthians 4:7 (ESV) 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

The shofar, a trumpet mentioned in the Bible, is traditionally made from the horn of a ram. Jesus is the “Lamb of God” (John 1:29), the ultimate sacrifice for sin. The trumpet represents proclaiming the finished work on the cross. The ram, the lamb of God, died for your sins, and now we must proclaim that over every single battle.

Our earthen vessels are broken. The light of Christ shines through, bringing victory. By preaching the Word, we proclaim Christ's death and witness His power manifest in our weakness.

God’s power is perfected in our brokenness. When Gideon’s men broke their clay jars and blew the trumpets, the Lord defeated the Midianites. 

The word "Midianites" means strife. Do you want to end all the strife in your marriage or in your house? It is time to respond to weakness and let the Holy Spirit fill your home again. The "spirit of strife" will be defined.

When we are humble and rely on God, His strength works through us. The Lord allows trials so that our vessels may be broken, and through our brokenness, we proclaim the death of Christ, bringing victory to His people. God loves to work through the weak and insignificant

The Bread of Life

Gideon overheard a Midianite soldier recounting a dream where a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp and destroyed a tent:

“Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat” (Judges 7:13, ESV).

Barley bread, the bread of the poor, symbolizes Jesus, the Bread of Life. Jesus said:

“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35, ESV).

When we place Jesus at the center of our struggles, the bread from heaven will destroy the enemies in our lives.

The Lord intentionally uses the small, the insignificant, and the broken to display His glory. Jesus, the Bread of Life, was born in a place symbolizing nourishment and provision in a lowly manger in Bethlehem, the “house of bread.”

Today, allow Christ, the true Bread from Heaven, to enter our struggles, and He will transform them into victories.

The Logic Heaven

What seems small, weak, or insignificant is often the very thing God uses to accomplish great victories. This goes against human logic. We tend to think that the greater the need, the more resources are required to meet it. However, God’s logic is different. The greater the challenge, the fewer resources are needed for Him to display His power.

In the multiplication of the loaves, Jesus fed more than five thousand people with only five loaves of bread. (Mark 8:17-21)

Our job is to trust in Him and recognize our weaknesses and limitations. Jesus was crucified in a place called Golgotha, the “place of the skull,” a direct challenge to the world's reasoning and a call to the end of all human striving, pride, and intelligence.

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18, ESV).

The Battle Belongs to the Lord through Gideon

The battle belongs to the Lord. God did not need a large army or impressive weapons to defeat the Midianites. Instead, He used simple instruments—a trumpet, a jar, and a torch—to accomplish His purposes. 

But the chant, the battle cry, used by the soldiers was:

Jud. 7:20) [...] “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!”

There were no swords, but there was the Lord of the Hosts. The title “Lord of Hosts” emphasizes God’s sovereignty and power as commander of heavenly armies.

But the crying for "Gideon" speaks of being part of a group, a flock, a team, a church. You must be part of the church. It is here that you will find protection, care, and love. I know the therapeutic power of the church, no matter how complicated our relationships might be. Still, there is no better place to be, a better place to raise your children, to build friendships, or to find a spouse than the church.