The story of history from the Garden of Eden on is the great war between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent: God vs. Evil. The story’s climax is the death and resurrection of Jesus, but all of history is revealing this story arc. And this chapter is no different. Here we have the sordid history of Gideon’s sons, and God’s providential superintendence even in the midst evil plots and treachery – teaching us a politics of patience and fruitfulness.

The Text: “And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unot his mother’s brethren, and communed with them…” (Judges 9:1-57).

King's Cross Church is a member congregation of the CREC in Moscow, ID. Visit our website at https://kingscrossmoscow.com.

Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/kingscrossmoscow.

By the grace of God, we have seen a genuine Christian community grow up in our midst over the years. We have wanted to be a Bible people, which means Christian liberty on issues like alcohol, and so we have not allowed the traditions of men to place any extra-biblical restrictions on us. God gave wine to gladden the heart of man (Ps. 104:15), God urges the purchase of strong drink with the tithe money (Dt. 14: 26), and the Lord Jesus Himself uses wine in the sacrament of the new covenant (Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25). “Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations—“Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle”” (Col. 2:20–21, NKJV). So never let a legalist bind up your liberty in Christ.

But our liberty in Christ has a left flank also, and in a community like ours, and in times like ours, it is far too easy to leave that flank exposed. I am talking about the threat of license, which in the name of liberty abuses God’s grace even more than does the legalist.

King's Cross Church is a member congregation of the CREC in Moscow, ID. Visit our website at https://kingscrossmoscow.com.

Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/kingscrossmoscow.

Like many great leaders, Gideon does not finish as strong as he begins. He is still listed in Hebrews 11 as one of the great heroes of faith, but there is clearly a decline in faithfulness over the course of his life.

The relative faithfulness of Gideon points to the perfect faithfulness of Christ and is a clear reminder and warning of the need to keep our eyes fixed on Him, to pursue holiness throughout our entire lives, to not grow weary in doing good, to fight sin and chase it all away.

The Text: “And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites?...” (Judges 8:1-35)

King's Cross Church is a member congregation of the CREC in Moscow, ID. Visit our website at https://kingscrossmoscow.com.

Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/kingscrossmoscow.

This is a very famous story – Gideon’s brilliant victory over the Midianites, but it is also at the same time a story about God’s brilliant war against human pride.

Scripture is clear that the fundamental tyranny is sin, and pride is the root sin. Israel turned away from God because of pride and became enslaved to the Midianites. As we have turned away from God in our American pride, we have increasingly been enslaved to many corruptions.

When we cry out to God for deliverance, we must recognize that there is often more that God needs to deliver us from than we realize – and pride is one of our great cancers.

The Text: “Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley…” (Judges 7:1-25)

King's Cross Church is a member congregation of the CREC in Moscow, ID. Visit our website at https://kingscrossmoscow.com.

Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/kingscrossmoscow.

This nation was built by Protestant Christians – puritans and presbyterians who believed in the sovereignty of God. They believed that God was sovereign over the great movements of nations and civilizations because they believed He was exhaustively sovereign over every detail of the universe, preeminently the salvation of every man, woman, and child.

Cotton Mather, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, and John Witherspoon all preached this sovereign grace rooted in the historical event of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

The Text: “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:4-10).

King's Cross Church is a member congregation of the CREC in Moscow, ID. Visit our website at https://kingscrossmoscow.com.

Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/kingscrossmoscow.

This Palm Sunday message is really quite simple: the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem two thousand years ago that resulted in His crucifixion was the beginning of His enthronement and conquest of this world as it’s true King.

This is the pattern of Christ’s conquest: death and resurrection. This is so God will get all the glory.

The Text: “And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus… Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die” (Jn. 12:20-33).

King's Cross Church is a member congregation of the CREC in Moscow, ID. Visit our website at https://kingscrossmoscow.com.

Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/kingscrossmoscow.

Lord’s Day worship is the foundation for faithful Christian life. Everything else flows from this: obedience, courage, and wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Bowing down before your King is the beginning of true obedience. True courage is found in full submission to the Living God and learning to read the story He is telling.

And the beginning of the story of Gideon models this for us wonderfully.

The Text: “And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father’s young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it…” (Judges 6:25-40)

King's Cross Church is a member congregation of the CREC in Moscow, ID. Visit our website at https://kingscrossmoscow.com.

Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/kingscrossmoscow.

King's Cross Church is a member congregation of the CREC in Moscow, ID. Visit our website at https://kingscrossmoscow.com.

Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/kingscrossmoscow.