Judges 16:1-31
The one big idea: God accomplished his predetermined plans in and through a fallen creation to display his glory to all creation.
Destiny Declared
While we may not always understand the means God uses to accomplish his will, we can be certain that the end will be perfect.
Destiny Decreed
God calls us out of the world and makes us different and different can be lonely.
Destiny Delivered
God will never abandon me because he always remembers his promise to me.
Judges 15:1-20
One big idea: Yahweh is always the hero of every Bible story because he is never limited by the weakness of those he uses to accomplish his purpose.
1. I can laugh, even through my tears, at the events around me when I trust in the One who reigns from heaven.
2. I can stand in courage without compromise by trusting in the power of God and knowing I do not stand alone.
3. God’s promises are final, and no one can prevent them from being fulfilled, not even me.
Judges 14:1-20
God uses even the worst of our decisions and actions to accomplish His purpose.
1. Secrets destroy relationships and the people who keep them.
2. Secrets don’t remain secret. They become new secrets, and the danger continues.
3. In eternity past, the Triune God secretly planned our redemption and slowly unveiled the secret until the full revelation in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Divine Ontology of Covenantal Soteriology The one big idea: Covenants are relational statements of the legal and moral terms and conditions by which a holy and just God deals with his creation. 1. God’s greatest desire for us is to be our God and for us to be his people and that will happen…
Judges 12:8-13:25
1. Christmas is about the birth of a Savior born to die to break the power and sting of death for all who believe he did.
2. By grace alone, I am a new creation, but I remain a creature. I can know God truly but not completely.
3. Before creation existed, the Father, Son, and Spirit purposed, through the saving work of the Son, to redeem a people to enjoy God’s presence forever.
Judges 10:6 – 12:7
The one big idea:
At the core of our fallen nature is a profound self-centeredness that keeps us from caring for others. At the center of God’s perfect nature is his unchanging love for those who do not care, even for him.
1. God chooses the weak and the lowly to accomplish small and great things for his glory, even me.
2. It is the height of human presumption and folly to think I can offer anything to God in exchange for his favor.
3. If I have put my faith in Jesus Christ then I am of Jacob, the Lord’s portion, his allotted heritage and I cannot be lost.
Job 1:20-22, James 1:2, John 11:35
1. God is always worthy of worship
2. God allows His peope to suffer to refine and strengthen them
3. Everything God does is based on His infinite knowledge of all things.
God’s compassion and mercy are woven through all He does.
God’s glory is not served by denying the reality of grief and tragedy, but by passing through tragedy with the hope of resurrection.
Judges 10:1-16
The one big idea: Grace is the act of free an unmerited favor that flows from God’s chesed (unfailing) love and finds its highest expression in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
1. Since only God’s grace enables me to do anything at all, I must always guard against thinking too highly of myself or my accomplishments.
2. It is a great tragedy when people presume upon God’s grace to the point where they despise it even as they seek it. May this never be true of us.
2. Repentance is a divine demand and forgiveness is given only because of divine grace not because of human sorrow.
Judges 9:1-57
Danger for God’s people can come from outside and from inside the covenant community.
1. When we fail to honor those who are instruments of God’s grace in our lives, we demean the giver of that grace.
2. Church leadership is a calling, not a convenience. We are to choose the best as defined by God, not just the available .
3. God will, at the right time, cause evil to destroy itself before it can destroy His people.
The character of the people is reflected in the character of the leaders they choose.
Judges 7:24 – 8:32
The one big idea:
As Christians, we must never forget that God stands behind every achievement in our vocation and our personal holiness.
1. I must never let my concern for status or my pursuit of security undermine the unity and energy of the church.
2. Every failure to recognize God as the source of our being and the fount that enables our good works is due to the sin of pride.
3. No amount of human folly can ever undo God’s promise of eternal life to His elect.