Hold Your Position

August 18, 2024

Dan Watson joins us to share a message from Judges 6 about the importance of worshipping and trusting God. Though we are all broken jars, God can use His light to shine through us, and we can celebrate His victory with trumpets.

Key Takeaway

Worship is our response, both personal and corporate, to God for who He is, and what He has done; expressed in and by the things we say and the way we live.

There is only one way place that your worship is to go.

Have you found yourself in a cycle, worshipping the things of the world?

God has brought us from death to life, but we could be worshipping money, anxiety, depression, or fame.

But we have been called to worship God. Jesus needs to be put rightfully on His throne.

He knows your mess, yet He still calls you. There is power when you're called. You have been paid at a price.

When you camp at a place called fear, you can either feel comfortable not moving forward and doing what you've been called to, or fear can paralyze you. We allow fear to hold us back and tell us we can't do certain things. Even though we face things that are scary, He will be with us.

God has equipped you with everything you need; you just need to trust Him and be obedient.

The things we face aren't scared of you in your own strength, but they're scared of the power of God that dwells within you.

When God says to go, we need to be people who just go because we're living by the power of the Holy Spirit.

—

In Judges 7, they defeated their enemy with a jar, a light, and a trumpet.

JAR

The jar represents us. We are broken jars that can be used by God.

LIGHT

What comes out of the jar? The light. The power of God.

TRUMPET

The trumpet represents uniting together and celebrating a victory that has been won. If God said it, we believe it.

—

The power of community is standing arm and arm, encouraging each other, and holding our position, standing and worshipping God together.

Remain in a posture of worship, holding your position, and see what God can do.

“

"You don't need all the things that you think you need to do what God has called you to do."

”

Dan Watson

Discussion Questions

What things in your life have you been worshipping above God?
How can you practically reorient your life to worship God above all else?
Do you ever believe that God can't use you because of your brokenness? What verses can you cling to that counter that thought?
How has God been able to use you through your mess in the past?
How has fear impacted your life? What verses can you cling to in times of fear?
Has your brokenness kept you from accepting the love of Christ? Why?
Victory belongs to God. Have you been living with the mentality that God has already been victorious? How?
Are you standing hand-in-hand with your community, believing and trusting God for each other? How?

Scripture References

7When the Israelites cried out to the

Lord

because of Midian,

8he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the

Lord

, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

9I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land.

10I said to you, ‘I am the

Lord

your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.”

11The angel of the

Lord

came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.

12When the angel of the

Lord

appeared to Gideon, he said, “The

Lord

is with you, mighty warrior.”

13“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the

Lord

is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the

Lord

bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the

Lord

has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

14The

Lord

turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

15“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

16The

Lord

answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

1Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.

2The

Lord

said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’

3Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’ ” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

9During that night the

Lord

said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands.

10If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah

11and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp.

12The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.

13Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.”

14His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.”

15When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The

Lord

has given the Midianite camp into your hands.”

16Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside.

20The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword for the

Lord

and for Gideon!”

21While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.

22When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the

Lord

caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath.

23Israelites from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the Midianites.

24Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth Barah.”

So all the men of Ephraim were called out and they seized the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth Barah. 25They also captured two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan.

6For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

9But 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

10That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

26While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying,

“Take and eat; this is my body.”

27Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying,

“Drink from it, all of you.

This is my blood of the

covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

11The angel of the

Lord

came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.

12When the angel of the

Lord

appeared to Gideon, he said, “The

Lord

is with you, mighty warrior.”

13“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the

Lord

is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the

Lord

bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the

Lord

has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

14The

Lord

turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

15“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

16The

Lord

answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

1Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.

2The

Lord

said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’

3Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’ ” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

9During that night the

Lord

said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands.

10If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah

11and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp.

12The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.

14His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.”

15When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The

Lord

has given the Midianite camp into your hands.”

16Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside.

Lord

and for Gideon!”

21While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.

22When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the

Lord

caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath.

23Israelites from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the Midianites.

24Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth Barah.”

6For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

9But 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

10That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

26While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying,

“Take and eat; this is my body.”

27Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying,

“Drink from it, all of you.

This is my blood of the

covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Dan Watson

Pastor of Passion City Church Trilith