A Few Good Men and Women

1. A Few Good Men and Women The Book of Judges

2. lessons for life from a lost generation

3. SIN JUDGMENT CRY FOR HELP DELIVERER SENT Judges 2:10-19 DEEPER SIN JUDGMENT CRY FOR HELP DELIVERER SENT

4. “They were in great distress,” (Judges 2:15 NIV)

5. lessons from a lost generation Know god

6. Judges 2:10–11, NIV (p. 85) “After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. ”

7. “Know” yā∙ḏǎʿ …be familiar with, to acquire information by direct experience; to comprehend through direct observation;

8. The Foundation of Life “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment,” (Proverbs 9:10, NLT)

9. Hosea 4:6, NIV “my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge,”

10. Judges 2:11–15, NIV84 “They provoked the Lord to anger because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. In his anger against Israel the Lord handed them over to raiders who plundered them. He sold them to their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress. ”

11. Colossians 1:9-10, NIV “…we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will…we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,”

12. lessons from a lost generation Take responsibility for your life and faith

13. Judges 2:16–19 (pp. 85-86) “Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. Yet they would not listen to their judges…Unlike their fathers, they quickly turned from the way in which their fathers had walked, the way of obedience to the Lord’s commands…the Lord had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them. But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers,”

14. Jeremiah 31:29–30, NIV “In those days people will no longer say, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ Instead, everyone will die for his own sin; whoever eats sour grapes—his own teeth will be set on edge. ”

15. Ezekiel 18:14,17, NIV “But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things…He keeps my laws and follows my decrees. He will not die for his father’s sin; he will surely live. ”

16. Our Struggle with Responsibility "The difficulty we have in accepting responsibility for our behavior lies in the desire to avoid the pain of the consequences of that behavior. " — M. Scott Peck

17. lessons from a lost generation Exhibit courageous leadership

18. Judges 4:1–3, NIV, (pp. 86-87) “After Ehud died, the Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the Lord. So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin, a king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in HaroshethHaggoyim. Because he had nine hundred iron chariots and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help. ”

20. Judges 4:4–7, NIV (p. 87) “Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided. She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead the way to Mount Tabor. I will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’ ”

21. The Deborah Style of Leadership • Visionary Leaders • Directional Leaders • Strategic Leaders • Managing Leaders • Motivational Leaders • Shepherding Leaders • Team Building Leaders • Entrepreneurial Leaders • Re-engineering Leaders • Bridge-Building Leaders Courageous Leadership, By Bill Hybels “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead the way to Mount Tabor. I will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’ ”

22. Foundation of Courageous Leadership “When times are hard, the most important thing you can do is to go back to first principles, to go back to your values, to go back to what guides you, the loadstar that moves you forward.” Condoleezza Rice

23. lessons from a lost generation Don’t let your past determine your future

25. Judges 6:11, NIV (p.89) The 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.

26. Gideon’s Eeyore Spirit “But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about “But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” (Judges 6:13, 15 NIV)

27. It’s not who you are, or where you’ve been or what you have or haven’t done that matters…

28. what matters is… Who Is With You “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” ” (Judges 6:12, 16; p. 89) Who Is Sending You “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” ” (Judges 6:14; p. 89) Who Is Empowering You “Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon,” (Judges 6:34)

29. 1 John 4:4, (NLT) “…the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. ”

30. lessons from a lost generation Develop your character, not just your gift

31. Judges 13:7, 24–25, (NIV) pp. 92-93 “But he said to me, ‘You will conceive and give birth to a son. Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from birth until the day of his death.’ “The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the Lord blessed him, and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. ”

32. Nazrite • Nazar – “consecrate or separate”

33. Personal Freedom Personal Freedom Leadership Influence Leadership Influence

34. Greatly Gifted, Greatly Flawed • Poor judgment with his family • Dismissed his spiritual commitments • Impulsive and vengeful • Deceitful • Sexually bound

35. Judges 16:21–22, 30 (NIV), p. 97 “Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison. But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved. “Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived. ”

36. lessons from a lost generation If you get lost, just yell for help

37. Judges 6:6–8, (NIV), p. 88 “Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help. When the Israelites cried to the Lord because of Midian, he sent them a prophet,”

38. Psalm 107:19–21, (NIV) “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. ”