Judge 4-5 Right in his own eyes - Deborah and Barak 

Intro: 

• Series Overview: Deuteronomic History review. Follow God, do bad, judged by God, repent, Follow God, do bad ... (cycle continues)  
• Right in his own eyes – this is a statement that hits hard, especially at the end of the book. 
• Last time: Doing what is Right in our own eyes often leads us astray. God makes us an everlasting covenant. 

MPS/MPT: God can and will use anyone all for his glory.  

PRAYER: 30, 60, 100x. Good and honest hearts bearing fruit in patience. Father, what we know not, teach us. What we are not, make us. What we have not, give us. 

Judge 4 – Read All 

• Quick recap: and pull principles. 

1. God calls you  

• Look at all the players in this story 
• You have Deborah – the clergy 
• Barak – the craftsman 
• Jael – the wife of Heber, not Jewish, closely related to Jews but not. 
• Here is what they have in differentiation  
• Some are Jewish, some are not; Some are men, some are women; Some are seemingly in nobility, some are seemingly bluer collar; Some are clergy, some are craftsmen; Some are seeming popular, some are seemingly introverted. Some are Willing, some are reluctant 
• Here is what they all have in common, they are called by God 
• the reality is, you are all very different in your own ways. Yet God is calling you 
• All the differences in the room 
• God is calling you first to himself. 
• The problem was the nation went away. God wanted them to come back to him 
• He wants you. 
• GOSPEL: HE came, he died, he rose, he ascended, he is coming back 
• God is call you secondly to a task 
• What is that? 
• Professionally – Clergy or craftsmen –  
• Clergy – pastor, leader in the church, Christian nonprofit, missionary 
• your god given passion and the worlds greatest need. 
• Spiritually – to follow him and make disciples 
• You are all called to him 
• No matter the vocation, you must be a disciple maker 
• SIDE NOTE: women and outcast 
• Women are just as called as men. Complementarian – Ministry or workforce 
• Introverts are just as called as extroverts – ministry and workforce 
• men in the room who think themselves popular and loveable, if you don’t do it, God will call someone to do it in your place. 
• NEXT TWO: Let me be brief here 

 God give you community 

• I read a book by Francis Chan once, letters to the church. He gives this analogy 
• Figure skater vs hockey player. One alone, one a team 
• A problem that we in the church face, in America specifically, is the idea of rugged individualism. We want to run things on our own. Do it ourselves. 
• We want to be a figure skater. 
• Yet, God did not call us to that. He called us to play hockey. 
• It isn’t performative, or always beautiful like figured skating. 
• It is a team, it looks rough, it gets kind of grimy and rough sometimes. My hit the ice. Can be a thing of skill and beauty. 
• God gives us this beautiful community we call the church. It is  
• It isnt performative. It gets rough, it looks rough sometimes. It gets kind of grimy. May get hit. It requires skill and beauty.  
• We are meant to do this together 
• Deborah, Barak, jael 

1. God wants your worship 

• Last month we ended the service talking about the covenant God made in blood for his people then. Also how he did it now. Through Jesus blood 
• We as a way of application ended with the taking of the lords supper, all so we can celebrate what God did in the covenant. 
• This week i want to end in a similar fashion. A direct result of this passage comes in 5. 
• They sang. Wrote a song of who god is and what he had done.  
• Chapter 5:4 - WHEN YOU WENT OUT FROM SEIR 
• CHRISTOLOGY - Jesus gives us the ultimate victory over the spiritual enemy we have . 
• Doing what is right in our own eyes often says God won’t use me

Lord’s Supper 

• Remembrance – body and blood 
• Declaration – the Christian 
• Celebration – Victory at the cross over hell, death and the grave 
• Proclamation – evangelism and his return

Engage Group Questions

Understanding God's Call

    1    In Judges 4, God uses three very different people; Deborah, Barak, and Jael. Have you ever felt like your personality, background, or abilities made you less qualified to be used by God? What made you feel that way?

    2    We talked about how God's call on our lives starts with a relationship with Him before it's ever about something we do for Him. How easy is it for you to get caught up in doing things for God instead of simply spending time with Him? What does that look like in your life?

    3    Barak was hesitant to follow God's call, even after being told what God wanted him to do. Have you ever felt like God was leading you to do something, but you were hesitant to take that step? What was holding you back?

    4    One of the big ideas from Sunday was that God has given each of us different gifts, passions, and abilities to use for His glory. What are some gifts or passions God has given you? How are you currently using those things to serve Him and the people around you?

Living in Community

    5    We talked about how God can use us in our everyday jobs, not just in church ministry. How do you see your workplace, home, or everyday routines as opportunities to serve God and point people toward Jesus?

    6    In the sermon, we compared following Jesus to figure skating versus hockey—trying to do everything on our own versus being part of a team. Which one tends to describe your walk with Jesus better? Why do you think that is?

    7    Deborah, Barak, and Jael all played different roles in accomplishing God's plan. Who are some people God has placed in your life who have helped you grow in your faith? How have they made a difference?

    8    Following Jesus alongside other people isn't always easy. Sometimes relationships get messy, and we have to work through disagreements or struggles. What makes it difficult for you to let other Christians into your life and truly walk alongside you?

Remembering Who God Is

    9    After God delivered Israel, Deborah and Barak responded by worshiping Him for who He is and what He had done. When you look back over your life, what's something God has done that you don't want to forget? How can remembering His faithfulness change the way you worship Him today?

Living It Out

    10    We ended Sunday talking about how God can use anyone for His glory, even when we feel broken, unqualified, or inadequate. What's one thing that tends to make you feel like God can't use you? What would it look like for you to trust Him with that and take a step of faith this week?

QUESTIONS TO ASK WHILE READING SCRIPTURE

What does this reveal about God?

What does this reveal about you in relation to God?

What do you need to do about it?