Order, Words, & Voices
06.16.24, Faces – Judges 4-5, Deborah
Order
Pre Worship Music – Spotify – Open and Close
Songs Hallelujah He Reigns Billy/Team
Thank You Lord
Passage/Prayer Judges 4 Mitch
Songs Jesus Lover Of My Soul Billy/Team
Draw Me Close
Message Deborah Rick
Music Draw Me Close Billy/Team
Community/Benediction Rick
Closing Peace Rick
Closing Music Firm Foundation (He Won’t) Billy/Team
Post Worship Music – Spotify – Open and Close
- Please have video card in camera and ‘recording’ on for entire message.
- On the Video Leave Room above Rick’s head for the reshaping for Instagram post.
- Screen Share for entire message
Music (Slides) Billy/Team
Hallelujah He Reigns Song # 290455
Chorus
Hallelujah, He reigns in majesty
Hallelujah, He reigns in glory
Hallelujah
He reigns in righteousness
Oh hallelujah hallelujah
Hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah
Hallelujah
He reigns in righteousness
Oh hallelujah
Thank You Lord # 4220833
Verse 1
I come before You today
And there’s just one thing that I want to say
Thank You Lord thank You Lord
For all You’ve given to me
For all the blessings that I cannot see
Thank You Lord thank You Lord
Pre-Chorus
With a grateful heart with a song of praise
With an outstretched arm I will bless Your name
Chorus
Thank You Lord
I just want to thank You Lord
Thank You Lord
I just want to thank You Lord
(Thank You Lord)
Verse 2
For all You’ve done in my life
You took my darkness and gave me Your light
Thank You Lord thank You Lord
You took my sin and my shame
You took my sickness and healed all my pain
Thank You Lord thank You Lord
Interlude
Thank You Lord thank You Lord
Ending
Thank You Lord thank You Lord thank You Lord
Passage (Slides) Mitch Judges 4
After Judge Ehud died, the Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. In response to the Israelites’ sin, God sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, whose army commander was Sisera. After experiencing the oppression of Jabin, the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.
At that time the prophet Deborah was judging Israel. She would sit under the palm of Deborah in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came up to her for judgment.
Deborah summoned the military commander Barak and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, ‘Position yourself at Mount Tabor, taking ten thousand warriors. I will draw out Sisera, the general of King Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand.’ ”
Barak replied, “I will only go if you go with me.” Deborah said, “I will surely go with you; but you need to understand that if I have to accompany you the victory will not be credited to you, the glory will go to a woman.”
Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh along with other leaders and ten thousand warriors.
When Sisera heard that Barak, Deborah, and their warriors had gone up to Mount Tabor he called out his nine hundred chariots of iron, and troops. Deborah said to Barak, “Arise! For this is the day on which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. The Lord has gone out before you.”
Barak and his warriors defeated Sisera’s army as Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael where she killed him.
Join me in the prayer of Jesus,
Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our trespasses, while we forgive those who trespass against us.
And, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Music (Slides) Billy/Team
Jesus Lover Of My Soul #1198817
Verse
Jesus lover of my soul
Jesus I will never let You go
You’ve taken me from the miry clay
You’ve set my feet upon the rock
And now I know
Chorus
I love You I need You
Though my world may fall
I’ll never let You go
My Savior my closest Friend
I will worship You until the very end
Draw Me Close # 1459484
Verse
Draw me close to You
Never let me go
I lay it all down again
To hear You say that I’m Your friend
You are my desire no one else will do
‘Cause nothing else could take Your place
To feel the warmth of Your embrace
Help me find the way bring me back to You
Chorus
You’re all I want
You’re all I’ve ever needed
You’re all I want
Help me know You are near
Ending
Help me know You are here
Message Rick (Slides)
[Slide – Leave Screen Share on for entire sermon] ‘And again…the Isrealites did evil… (Judges 1:1)
Again…’ History of Imperfect Israelites and God’s continual warning and correction…to the prophet Deborah/Judge Deborah.
[Slide] So, Deborah comes on the scene, ‘In the midst of the oppression of her people, Deborah creates space for God’s wisdom. In the chaos of war she finds stillness under a palm tree and tunes herself to God’s voice.’ (Rev. Lauren Wright Pittman)
To understand the state of the ‘unwhitewashed peoples’, the Israelites, when Deborah comes on the scene we must first understand the previous Judge, Ehud, and the previous oppressive King Eglon
- Followed by 80 years of peace.
- Death of Ehud.
- [Slide] And…”Once Again’, following Ehud’s death, the people did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.
- Conquered and oppressed by Cannanite King Jabin, who’s battle commander was Sisera
- Deborah’s military army was a man named Barak
- [Slide] Deborah summoned the military commander Barak and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, ‘Position yourself at Mount Tabor, taking ten thousand warriors. I will draw out Sisera, the general of King Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand.’”
- [Slide] Barak replied, “I will only go if you go with me.” Deborah said, “I will surely go with you; but you need to understand that if I have to accompany you the victory will not be credited to you, the glory will go to a woman.”
- Barak is apparently fine with this caution and they carry one into battle.
- Battle takes place, Sisera realizes that he and his army are losing and dying so he flees.
- Sisera killed by Jael, the wife of one of Sisera’s assumed allies.
Barak
[Slide] Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.” “Certainly I will go with you,” said Deborah. “But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. There Barak summoned the ten thousand warriors under his command as well as his leaders, and Deborah also went up with him. (Judges 4:8-10, NIV)
- Oddness of Barak’s line in the sand that he will only go into battle if Deborah is physically present with Barak. Usually seen here as coward.
- Is Deborah suspicious of Barak or is she determined to know if he is doing this for his own glory and agenda or does he love the Israelites and truly understand God’s glory, does he fear God more than masculine rep.
- Barak’s seemingly being okay at fact that he will not receive glory and that it will go to woman
- Barak’s understanding of all glory belonging to God and not man, wanted battle for Isrealites, wanted glory to be to God.
[Slide] Deborah
- Emphasis in beginning of sitting under the palm of Deborah in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came up to her for judgment.
- Understood the essential nature, regardless of circumstances, to make space for God, to calm herself, to center her heart and mind on God, to intentionally set herself in a place, under the literal and metaphoric palm tree, where she turned to the wisdom of God.
- [Slide] What do we do with this powerful woman who puts herself in the holy headspace before leading. Not leading by her own agenda but by God’s holy agenda. Asking herself – ‘Am I authentically and fully open to God’s voice and leading?
- [Slide] What do we do with this humble warrior Barak?
Questions for us to Consider:
[Slide] How do I seek calmness, stillness, and peace, in order that I can wait and be ready to hear God’s voice, to see God’s leading?
[Slide] How do you deal with your ‘once agains’?
[Slide] Am I seeking my glory or God’s glory when answering God’s call?
Music (Slides) Billy/Team
Draw Me Close # 1459484
Verse
Draw me close to You
Never let me go
I lay it all down again
To hear You say that I’m Your friend
You are my desire no one else will do
‘Cause nothing else could take Your place
To feel the warmth of Your embrace
Help me find the way bring me back to You
Chorus
You’re all I want
You’re all I’ve ever needed
You’re all I want
Help me know You are near
Ending
Help me know You are here
Community (Slides) Rick
- Next Sunday, 06.23.24, Guest Speaker, Dr. Randy Ridenour, Forgiveness, Matthew 18:15-22
- Continue our Faces of our Faith series on 06.30.24 – Queen Vashti, Esther 1:-2:17
- July Food and Games night TBA (no June Night)
Closing Responsive Reading Benediction (Slides) Rick
Leader: When we sense God tugging on our heart and calling us to move
Response: May we practice fierce trust as God leads us out of our comfort zone.
Leader: Deborah stood firm under her palm tree with a determined openness to God’s wisdom.
Response: May we too stand firm in the place where we can sense God’s leading.
Leader: May our voice be consumed by truth and holiness.
Response: May our hearing be intentionally programmed to hear God.
Leader: As we hear the sound of chariots of war looming in the distance
Response: May we trust in the peace filled direction of God
Leader: In the midst of impending, and ongoing war, may we not be anxious.
Response: May we seek to see God’s victory before it even takes place.
Closing Peace (Slides) Rick
[Slide] Leader: May the peace of the Lord go with you.
[Slide] Response: And also with you.
Closing Music Billy/Team
Firm Foundation (He Won’t) CCLI Song # 7188203
Verse 1
Christ is my firm foundation
The rock on which I stand
When everything around me is shaken
I’ve never been more glad
That I put my faith in Jesus
‘Cause He’s never let me down
He’s faithful through generations
So why would He fail now
Chorus 2 (x2)
He won’t He won’t
He won’t fail
He won’t fail
Order, Words, & Voices 