JEHOVAH SHALOM with Freedom Noble - Judges 6

I love this because when Gideon says, but Lord, my identity is this, the Lord answers with a non answer. He doesn't even directly talk about Gideon's identity. You know what he says? In verse 16, the Lord says, I will be with you. Almost like God's saying, I understand you see yourself as that, but here's who I am. I understand you think you can't do this, but it's me. I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together. [00:33:35] (42 seconds)  #IWillBeWithYou

All of his fullness in Jesus. So when we look at the series of the names of God, it's aspects of God that are being proclaimed in different names. But in Jesus is his fullness. K? He was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him. He even said, this is my son in whom I am well pleased. And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven by making peace. We're gonna be talking about peace today. By making peace through his blood shed on the cross. [00:04:15] (36 seconds)  #FullnessInJesus

You're only saying I brought you here because you walked away from me, and now you don't like what's happening to you. And that's what's happening in the state of Israel at this point in in the story. And this is what God says. God's like, okay. You're crying out to me. I'm gonna send a prophet to you to remind you why you're crying. Later in Judges, there's a whole another one where they cry out to the Lord because they've fallen and they've sinned again, and God literally sends someone to say, go cry to the gods you created. [00:14:28] (34 seconds)  #GodSendsProphets

And they were supposed to follow God and be faithful to God. And if they did that, they're blessed, they're protected, latter rains come, it's all great. And if they didn't do that, God also promised. We need to remember this. In a lot of talk lately about the promises of God, we have to remember on every promise of God, there was consequence if you didn't uphold our end. It's like we forget that sometimes. But God, you promised us to bless us. You brought me here, God. You brought me here. [00:13:50] (31 seconds)  #PromisesHaveConsequences

Can you imagine the anxiety to live in that? Could you imagine being there and being like, what's the point in growing anything? It's just gonna be taken from me. Could you feel the why should we have kids in a world this dark? You guys with me there? Can we get into the what it would be like to be in that Israeli mindset? I do wanna point out something though. Again, the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years, he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. [00:10:44] (38 seconds)  #LifeUnderOppression

so you can even wrap your identity in good things that are not God's things. And here we have Gideon wrapping his identity in his weakness, in his tribe. Let me tell you something. I love America. I don't wrap my identity in being American. Blessed to be one though. Let's just cut it right there. I am first a citizen of heaven who is blessed to live in America where I can exercise that freedom to be a citizen in heaven on American soil, which is ultimately God's soil. So we can call it American soil, but we all know what the truth is. [00:25:52] (40 seconds)  #IdentityBeyondNationality

They probably have the sense of if you can imagine it. Let's let's try to put our mind there for a minute. Can you imagine living in a land where at any moment, anyone could come and just snatch out of your hand what you had? There was nothing you could do about it. And it wasn't just like one guy walking by and be like, that's my water. It'd be like 20 dudes coming by and be like, that's our water, and probably not going to leave without roughing you up a little bit. [00:10:15] (29 seconds)  #LivingWithConstantLoss

I love that because it's like God saying, you're not gonna box me in. I'll be who I need to be when I need to be it, and it's all by the way, it's for you. That's powerful, and that's for you today. See, these God chooses to reveal himself in different ways throughout the ages, and a different name is given to him, but it's still the same God. It's still the same power and still the same love. [00:01:09] (30 seconds)  #GodCannotBeBoxed