Daring To Dream Again – 50 Day Adventure 2003

Overcome Your Dream Robbing Past

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Getting Past Your Past

Judges 6:11-16                                                                        March 2, 2003

   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. [12] When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior."

   [13] "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 when they said, 'Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian."

   [14] The LORD turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?"

   [15] "But Lord," Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."

   [16] The LORD answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together."

Intro: God has amazing dreams for us. He sees us as what we can become. However, if we are to live that dream, we must let God remove the barriers we have raised in our own lives. And that is what the new 50 Day Adventure will help us do. The time between now and Easter has been set aside as a time for accelerated spiritual growth as we join together to as a congregation to overcome those barriers that hold us back and take a step into a new life by daring to dream again.

         In the classic Musical and novel by Cervantes, The Man of La Mancha, Don Quixote pursues his precious Dulcinea and holds her dear in his heart. While his Dulcinea is actually a cheap bar maid named Aldeonza his vision of her as a beautiful stately maiden begins to change her, she sees a new vision for herself. The dream begins to grow. And then, after nursing back to health a band of muleteers whom Quixote had routed, they brutally rape her and crush her dreams. The loss ultimately results in Quixote’s own demise. The dream was stolen and death set in.

         Dream stealers, we encounter them all our lives. Children always tell you that the want to be a pilot, or a policeman. And every dad, tells you; "Have you heard what our son wand's to be when he grows up". They encourage them to dream, until they grow up. “Well you know, you have to learn a lot to be a pilot, and being a police men can be dangerous.” Slowly we try to tell them that not everything they dream is possible. And in the process we steal their dreams. Sometimes dreams are stolen in acts of brutal violence, and other times it is through benign neglect.

         And when dreams are ripped out of hearts, the prospect of dreaming again becomes terrifying. Hurt, betrayal, shame, guilt, disappointment and fear all are erected into barriers to dreaming the dreams God has for us.

         The situation for the Jews was bad the Midianites and others from the East had made a habit of crushing the dreams of the Israelites. They timed their raids for the harvest time. They would sweep down and steal everything the people had worked hard to grow. They had turned away from the worship of Yahweh and were worshiping the gods of the nations around them. As a result God had permitted the surrounding nations to dominate the people of Israel.

         Gideon was not unlike many of the other men in Israel at the time. At one time in his life, Gideon had been a dreamer. He knew the stories of the nation, he knew what God had done over the years. He knew about the power of God at the Red Sea and of God’s provision of manna and quail. He had heard about the victories of Joshua over Jericho and Ai and how God had delivered the land through the hands of Ehud and Deborah. But now he was hiding in a hole. Gideon, who we later learn looked like a son of a king, must have dreamed of being a great leader. But now he was threshing grain in a winepress, hiding from anyone who would threaten him, and saying of himself, “My clan is the weakest in my tribe, and I am the least in my family." The pain his past had broken his dream.

         And this is the man to whom God sent his angel. And when the angel found him in the winepress he greeted him, “Hail Mighty Warrior, the Lord is with you!”

         How do you think Gideon reacted the angel? Hail Mighty Warrior! It certainly did not fit his understanding of himself. In fact, when the angel greeted him, he may have looked around to see who else was standing there, seeing no one, he then ignored the name the angel gave him and set out to prove that God was not with him. "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, 'Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian." The disappointments, the pain, and the abuse, the history had become a barrier to his believing that God even cared.

         But God had a new identity for him, God dreamed of Gideon as a mighty Warrior. Even while quivering Gideon was hiding in the hole, God dreamed of a mighty warrior. Even while griping Gideon moaned about his difficult situation, God dreamed of a mighty warrior. Even while insignificant Gideon believed he was the least in his family, God dreamed of a mighty warrior. That is an extraordinary dream!

         And today, God has a dream for you and for me that is just as extraordinary.

         Your adventure Journal suggests that we stop and give a name to the way we have been living. Our painful pasts often define how we see ourselves. So how have you been living? Perhaps it is in fear, perhaps in despair, perhaps we have been living as a slave or a prisoner of our painful past. What name would you give to the way you have been living?

         That name is the barrier that God wants to remove so that you can dream His dream.

         You see, no matter what name you have given yourself, God has a new name and a new identity for you. “To as many as believe to them he has given the right to be called the children of God. (John 1:12). You are an Heir of God. You are a saint. You are Jesus’ chosen friend. You are light in a dark world set upon a hill for all to see! You are sheep in Jesus flock for whom he will search until he finds you. Your life flows directly from Jesus because you are a branch growing from his vine. This is your identity. It is not a pipe dream, it is not psychological manipulation. 2 Cor. 5:17 says “if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” When you come to Christ, the identity that you carried all your life is transformed because you become a new creation. On my own, I am Defeated Doug, but in Christ, I am a new creation that old identity has passed away and a new identity has come. In Christ, I am more than a conquerer through him who loved me and died for me.

         The first step to breaking down the barrier of a painful past is to hear God call you by a new name. That is your true identity.

         But notice in our text, it was not enough for the angel to simply call Gideon a mighty warrior. He had to act upon his new name, he had to put his new identity into practice.

         And that is what he did. With the new name, came a new job. First, Gideon was called upon to tear down his family’s altar to Ba’al. That was a risky thing. Gideon was not completely sure he wanted to known as the Ba’al destroyer so he did it at night, but he did it. He stepped forward and became a warrior for the LORD. He stood up to his family and to the community and began a revival in his city. He acted on his new identity.

         And then, he was given another task. This time he was asked to raise an army and defeat the Midianites. Notice that this was not his first assignment, this came after he had learned that God would take him through other battles. Gideon realized God’s dream for him when he began acting on his new identity.

         And that is what God is calling us to do today. We are new creations, it is time for us to act like it. We are Saints of God it is time for us to live like it. Step out in faith and let God heal your painful past. Let his new identity flow through you. Let his forgiveness cover your guilt, let his faithfulness wash over your betrayal. Let his grace cover your rejection. It is God’s healing power that will tear down the barrier of our painful past and lead us into the victory he has for us.

         In your bulletin is a small insert to remind you of your new identity in Christ. I urge you to keep that with you this week and reflect on it often.

         And then, as we share in the Lord’s table in a few moments, and you receive these symbols of Christ’s body and blood, let this gift remind you of the love of God that can conquer anything in your past. Find healing in this gift as you trust Him for the strength to act on your new identity in Christ.