In this sermon, the speaker focuses on the book of Judges and the cycle of sin and repentance that the Israelites went through. He highlights the stories of Othniel, Ehud, and Deborah, who were raised up by God to deliver Israel from their enemies. However, after each deliverance, the Israelites would fall back into sin and disobedience. The speaker emphasizes the need for repentance and obedience to God's commands, as seen in the story of Gideon. He concludes by warning against the permissiveness and self-righteousness that can lead to destruction.

This message is one of the Times Square Church pulpit series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing World Challenge PO Box 260 Lindale, Texas 75771 or calling 903-963-8626. None of these messages are copyrighted, and you are welcome to make copies for free distribution to friends. This is the fifth message in a series on what they call the names of God. I call them the expressions of His nature. We'll be talking this morning about Jehovah Shalom. Jehovah Shalom. Why don't you go to Judges, please, the sixth chapter, sixth chapter of Judges. I don't know if these messages are changing you, but I know they're changing me. I am being so deeply moved by the Holy Spirit through what God is saying from His Word about His name. And we trust again, He'll speak to your heart. The sixth chapter of Judges, starting at verse 22, please. Judges, the sixth chapter beginning with verse 22. And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God, for because I have seen an angel, the Lord face to face. The Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee. Fear not, thou shalt not die. And Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord and called it Jehovah Shalom. Unto this day it is yet an offering. And we'll stop right there. No need to try to tangle with the last word. Heavenly Father, thank you. Thank you for your goodness, your grace, and your mercy. For we serve an awesome God and we have to do with this awesome God. And we are never going to have peace until we understand who we're dealing with. My God, open our eyes and our understanding today. Holy Spirit, we cannot understand you. We cannot understand the revelations that you've given man about yourself and your nature and your character unless the Holy Spirit gives us that revelation. Lord, these men received these revelations by the power and the might of the Holy Spirit and we more than ever need that anointing. Holy Spirit, come upon me as I deliver the word and give us ears to hear and let us see perhaps what we've never seen before about how we obtain Shalom. How we obtain peace. The peace with God and peace with man. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. God uses these various names to progressively reveal his character. We get an example of this progressive revelation in Don't Turn There But Exodus, the sixth chapter in the third verse. God said, he's speaking to Moses, I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by the name of God Almighty. But by my name Jehovah was I not known unto them. Now this is quite amazing and this is what I've been trying to get across to you that these names of God are progressive revelations given to men in their time of crises when they needed a revelation to get them through. And he is saying to Moses, I'm going to tell you something about my nature that even father Abraham didn't know. Even though Abraham occasionally used the term Jehovah, he did not have the full revelation and the meaning of that characteristic of God. And he said to Moses, I'm going to reveal this to you and he's implying here that in future generations there'll be a continuous revelation of himself to mankind. And that happens all through the Old Testament especially. Now, why is it so important for us to know the names of God that he himself has revealed to mankind? Let me give you just a few of the many reasons. There are probably over a hundred I could give you, but I'm going to only name five or six. First of all, Psalms 124, our help is in the name of the Lord. Psalms 91, I will deliver him. Why? Because he knows my name. Deliverance is in knowing his name. Psalm 116, I found trouble and sorrow, then called I upon the name of the Lord. I was brought low, but he helped me. He blessed me. Isaiah 50, verse 9, who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of a servant, that walks in darkness and you have no light, let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his good. Now, I ask you, how do you stay on the Lord? How do you trust his name if you don't know it? You can't trust that name unless you know it. This becomes so vital in this series. Hosea said God's people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. And I believe that knowing the names of God, probably the greatest protection against the attack of the enemy that we could possibly be armed with. Knowing his character, his nature, and who he is and what he's like. I could spend quite a bit of time here and go off on a tangent from what God has put in my heart this morning, the direction that he's led me in sharing this name with you. I could talk about the many Hebrew names, meanings of the word Shalom. This is one of the most meaningful words in Hebrews, especially to the Jew. Everybody here, I know when I announced the subject Jehovah Shalom, oh, I know that, I've used it. Peace, Shalom, Shalom. Yeah, I've done that, I know that, but that's about all they know. They wave their hand and say, peace. The word itself, as a noun in Hebrew, means completeness, welfare, health, to be made whole, to be in harmony with God and man, the state of being at ease, not restless, having wholesome relationships, peace inward, outward. It means peace emotionally, spiritually. As a verb, it can mean complete and finished, and to make peace. It's a finished work, it's a whole work, and otherwise, as an adjective, it can be called perfect. Now, I've heard and read some very scholarly messages about the various meanings of this name. It's a deep and varied meaning, and they're very wonderful. I was edified by it, but when I read this in the sixth chapter of Judges, as in the context that was revealed to Gideon, I come up with that same thing that I come with every time I study these names of God. Well, what's that say to me? I'm not interested in just the knowledge of a bunch of meanings of the name Shalom. What does it mean to my heart? What does it say to me? Because the Bible said all these things are written for us upon whom the ends of the world have come. They're written for our learning, our understanding. We have to go into it and find the message that's being taught to us. Now, please keep in mind that God reveals the characteristics of nature, as I said, to those that are in crisis or in a dilemma, and God comes forth with a new revelation to instill faith and to accomplish His purpose in individual men. This revelation of Jehovah Shalom was given to one man in a crisis. It was given to one man. It was revealed to him by the Holy Ghost. He would have never understood it. You'll see that very clearly this morning. It had to be a work of the Holy Ghost. He couldn't have seen it any other way, and you and I can't understand it other than just having the knowledge in our head. I want something that changes my life. I want to know what God is teaching me in this, and I've learned just a few things that I want to share with you. To understand this revelation God gave to getting of Jehovah Shalom, you have to go back really to the first chapter, the first five chapters. We're in the sixth chapter where the revelation came, but you've got to go back to the first chapter. Would you slip over and let's just start at the first chapter here. Now, don't get scared. I'm not going to go through all of them. We're going to hit the highlights. First of all, we begin with the words in chapter 1, verse 2, the Lord said, Judah shall go up. Behold, I have delivered the land into his hand. I've delivered this into your hand. I have already promised you a victory, what he said to the children of Israel. God said, if you know Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteron, if you study these at all, God said, you're going up. I guarantee you a promise if you'll obey me and go up, but I'm going to demand of you a total conquest. There's not to be any compromise. There's not to be any deals made. You are utterly to destroy the inhabitants of the land. Total destruction of everything having to do with the enemy. No coexistence. No trying to enslave them, because God said, if you try to enslave them, your slaves will eventually become your master. And yeah, I read all through judges here, I'm not going to have you read it with me, but here's what you read. Judah could not drive out the Canaanites out of the valley because of their iron chariots. Benjamin couldn't drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem. Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of the towns of the Canaanites. Neither did Ephraim drive out those in Gazer, but they dwelt together. They coexisted. Nor did Zebulun drive out their Canaanites, but the Canaanites dwelt among them and became their tributaries. And on and on you read it. They didn't drive out these. They didn't drive out those. They coexisted. They tried to put borders. They tried to put limits. They tried to channel. In other words, we'll go so far and no further. And this is a picture of what many Christians try to do. They try to put borders on their sin. God said total destruction of everything in your life that is unlike Christ. No compromise. No trying to channel it. Not saying I'll put a border around it. I'll put walls around it. This far and no further. You cannot channel sin. It always spills over its borders. We come to these sad words. They put the Canaanites to tribute and did not utterly drive them out. Does this have a familiar sound to it? It has a very modern sound to it to me and touches on many of our lives. Those sitting here this morning. The Lord commands us cleanse yourself from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. Perfecting holiness in the fear of God. The Lord himself said there's no coexistence. There's no compromise. It has to go. You cannot be a hypocrite. You can't live a double life. You have to deal with it. You have to make a commitment. Now the Holy Ghost has promised all the power, all the authority, everything you need once you've made the commitment. Once you have made the commitment, he said I will supply all you need to fulfill that commitment. God's promised if you will wage war against every sin, every desire that's contrary to Christ, I'll be with you. I'll go before you. But we have this concept, as long as it doesn't control me, as long as I'm in control. Folks, I'm telling you it won't be long that you lose control. Some years before this episode, the children of Israel, remember this is the new generation. These are the children of the fathers that died in the wilderness. This is the new revived generation. And they had promised Joshua before he died, we will serve the Lord. We're going in, we will utterly destroy the enemy. We're going to go all the way with God. We're not going to be like our fathers. But just before he died, right after they had said that, Joshua knew what was in their hearts. He said, put away the strange gods which are among you. This is amazing. These people have made their commitment, they say we're going all the way. They have this experience now of young warriors on fire, ready to go. And they still have idols that they carry with them. They took them across the Jordan. They had them when they were circumcised. They had them when they were celebrating the Passover. They carried these idols, they carried them just like their fathers did. And God in his great mercy always sent warnings. Look at Judges 2 verses 1 through 4. And the angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bokom. And said, I made you to go up out of Egypt and have brought you into the land which I swear unto your fathers. And I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And you shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land. You shall throw down their altars. But you have not obeyed my voice. Why have you done this? Wherefore, I also said, I will not drive them out from before you. But they shall be as thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. And it came to pass when the angel of the Lord spake these words unto the children of Israel. That the people lifted up their voice and wept. And they called the name of the place Bokom. Alright, follow me closely please folks, because this is where many of us live. And I trust the Holy Spirit lovingly put his finger on anything in our lives that need to be dealt with. This was not a message just to compromising Israel. It's a message to the church of Jesus Christ today. God said, I brought you up out of sin, out of bondage. I delivered you. I set you free from those things that were binding you. And I told you in love, I laid the word kindly before you. I've sent messengers, I've sent prophets. And I have told you that you cannot coexist with your sin. You cannot make compromise. You must order, you must by the power of the Holy Ghost utterly destroy in your life everything that would hinder being brought into the fullness of Christ or into the promised land. Everything must go. There must be nothing that remains. And he said, but you have disobeyed me. You keep hiding that secret sin. It's infected you and it's left idolatry in you. And folks, those idolatries today can be sports. There's nothing wrong with sports. But folks, we have made it an idol when we can spend five, six hours a day in front of a TV set watching games and watching sports. And not one hour with God. That's idolatry. The idolatry of materialism and greed. I saw in the newspaper there's a new TV program. I think they call it the glory or the power of greed. It's all about greed. I mean, they're flaunting it now. And many Christians are caught up in the same thing. Pornography, love of the things of this world, evil music, vile television and VCRs and addicted to fine wines and these things. And the Lord said, you can allow nothing else to be utterly, utter destruction of anything that could rob you of power to stand before the enemy. Now, when they heard this reproving word, the scripture says they were temporarily convicted. The Bible says they, the people lifted up their voice and wept. Now, bokim means a place of weeping and wailing. Now, I've learned a long time ago that exposure to sin never heals anybody. You can be exposed publicly and still not be set free. Exposure has never healed anybody. And it's usually the case when there's exposure, open exposure to sin and people are caught in their sins. There is usually a lot of, when there's a shallow repentance, there's usually a lot of weeping and wailing. I have, I have, I look back over my lifetime at the ministers I know and lay people that have been exposed for adultery and fornication, homosexuality, whatever it is. And then you go to the meeting where there's to be the confession and the tears are rolling down. And time after time, I've seen men that stand and people move to compassion right back to a sin the next week. Right back to it. The names in the faces just keep rolling in my mind. Many of them that were my friends and now they're out of the ministry. The entire, see, it's not enough just to weep of your sin. That's what Malachi said, you cover the altar with tears and yet you're deceitful with your wife. The entire book of Judges is a very sad story. Very sad story that ends up with these words, every man did that which was right in his own eyes. That's where it all ended up. Everyone doing what he thought was right, wasn't convicted, was able to give excuses, probably even Scripture to back it out of context, of course. The entire book of Judges, though, is the story of our times, a church filled with believers who refused to forsake sin. I see this in the church of Jesus Christ today. An apathy towards sin. No outrage against the bombardment of evil that has come upon this nation. They're talking about opening a sex museum on Fifth Avenue and 27th Street, it was in the times today. Sex museum. There's not an outrage publicly, but more dangerous than that, there's not an outrage in the hearts of many of God's people against the constant bombardment of sin and iniquity and how many are getting caught up into it. If you think that I am focusing too much on secret sin, then you're out of touch with what's happening in the church and in the world today. There are millions of Christians whose minds are satiated now with sensuality because of the kind of television they're watching, because of the kind of movies they're going to. And I have never understood how anyone who feared righteously an almighty God, who loved the name of Jesus, can go to a theater and sit and listen to the name of Christ being cursed or God's name being damned. It's beyond my comprehension. Don't understand it. Millions of Christians with no outrage and little by little drifting deeper and deeper into the pits of secret, hidden sin. Having their minds corrupted by what they're feasting on with their eyes. There is a great falling away in the house of God today. Evil is waxing worse just as promised. Seducers, deceivers moving into the house of God. Sin on the increased. The love of many growing cold. But God in his great mercy always sends prophets, he sends evangelists, he sends teachers that have been shut in with him. He warns, he pleads in grace and mercy. And we have many people respond by their weeping and the wailing and never lay down their sins. You hold the secret sin, the Bible says. And here's what happens. They forsook the Lord God, they followed other gods. They provoked the Lord God to anger and the Lord delivered them into the hands of spoilers. He sold them into the hands of their enemies so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. The hand of the Lord was against them for evil and they were left greatly distressed. Does anybody know what that's like? When the hand of God is lifted because he has dealt so patiently year after year and month after month. Evangelists, teachers and God has lovingly said, utterly destroy the enemy. All that is of flesh and the devil must go. And the scripture makes it clear this is what happens eventually. You drift away from the Lord, you forsake his word. You have no respect for his word anymore, no longer tremble at it. And the scripture makes it so clear here that you will not be able to stand before your enemy. The Lord will be against you for evil and you will be greatly distressed. No peace. Beginning in the third chapter of Judges, all the way to the sixth chapter when you come up to Gideon. You witness the people of God who enjoyed only seasons of peace between great times of turmoil and distress. Folks, I read and reread Judges the past few weeks and it's such a sad tale of sin confessed, sin confessed, sin confessed. God would send prophets. First of all, you read of Othniel, the spirit of the Lord came upon him and he judged Israel. He went to war and the Lord delivered the people. They prevailed. The land had rest for forty years. Then he died and the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord. Then you go on and you read of God raising up the judge Ehud. The Lord raised up Ehud. Israel was again delivered. Moab was subdued. Then Ehud died. And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. Then came Deborah. Scripture says she led Israel into war against the Canaanites. Israel prevailed and prospered. Now folks, the first five chapters, that's what you have. You come now to the sixth chapter of Judges. Go on now to the sixth chapter of Judges. Now under Deborah they've had forty years of prosperity and peace because of a righteous leader. And once again, Deborah is now dead. And now we come to the time of Gideon. Sixth chapter. I'll tell you what, if you will read with me the first few verses here. Let's read verse one, chapter six. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. And the Lord delivered them into the hand of many in seven years. Now, same old story. Same song, same tune. Sin confess, sin confess. No substance, no steadfastness. Imagine the people who died in the times of backsliding, in the times of sin and evil. How many of them died and were lost? They never taught their children. It's evident. This was only surface. It didn't go deep. If they had taught their children when these prophets and judges died, they would have survived. They would have had strength. You can be assured that it not only refers and it makes it clear. Their children were not taught anything about the fear of God. Why didn't God destroy them? Here they are provoking Him time after time after time. Sometimes God's saying, I'm going to give up on you. He warns, He threatens. He's angered, He's provoked. Why doesn't God give up on them? He has every right to. He can't. Because they're His only testimony left on earth. They are the promised seed out of which, out of this body will come the Messiah. Folks, you and I are His only testimony on earth. Those who call Him by name, we're His only testimony. We are the seed of Christ. For seven years Israel pays a terrible price for its sin. Verse 2 to 6, the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made them dens which are in the mountains and caves and strongholds. And so it was when Israel had sown, the Midianites came up and the Amalekites. See, they're those wicked Amalekites. That's the devil's army according to scripture. And the children of the east, even they came up against them. They encamped against them and destroyed the increase of the land. Till thou come unto Gaza and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep nor oxen or ass. For they came up with their cattle and their tents. And they came as grasshoppers for multitude. For they and their camels were without number. And they entered into the land to destroy it. And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, children of Israel. And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord. Look at me please, for seven years they were poverty stricken. The Midianites would come up with their camels and their armies and just camp. They knew exactly when the harvest was ripe and the vineyards were ripe and the cattle had given birth. And they came in and they wiped everything out. They took the fruit, they took the cattle, they took the wheat, they took the corn, they took everything and left Israel totally impoverished. Israel's now in deep poverty and Gideon and his family are among the poorest of the poor. It came to pass, this is in the midst of this, the Midianites now for seven years, for seven years. I want you to keep in mind that for seven years Gideon's father Joash in his backyard had an altar to Baal. Now keep this in mind please. For seven years this man Gideon sat there doing nothing even though he had a grieving heart over the sins of Israel. And it came to pass, verse six and seven, it came to pass, verse seven, it came to pass when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord because the Midianites, that the Lord sent a prophet unto the children of Israel. Now look at me for just a minute. Here are the people now, they're turning to prayer. They're crying out to God in their poverty and in their distress. They're now calling out the name of the Lord. But they didn't understand, they could not understand why God had turned against them. They couldn't understand why they were impoverished after 40 years of prosperity. Deborah is gone. Why is this happening to us? Why am I having so much trouble in my life? Why don't we have peace? Now folks, not all trouble that comes to you and me is a result of our sin. Many of the afflictions are the righteous. But the Bible said the righteous are brought out of their troubles. They don't live constantly in distress. They have seasons of distress. But the Lord is always there reassuring. There's always that reassuring voice. But they could not understand why they were being harassed. Why isn't God working on our behalf? Here they are living in caves and hiding in dens. And they're dumbfounded by it all. You know, a lot of people that hold to their sin and backslide against the Lord, turn against the Lord and just drift away. They don't understand all the distress. They don't understand why there's no peace. They don't understand why they have no power against the enemy at all. It seems like the enemy just comes in like a wild boar with the family, with the children. There's no strength. There's no power. There's no might. There's nothing but distress. You see what was happening. They're crying unto the Lord. They're holding prayer meetings in those caves and the dens. And they're saying, well, we don't understand. We're crying out to the Lord. You see, the problem is, after they left the prayer meeting, they were sneaking up on the hill on Gideon's father's property and vowing to bail. This is the end of side one. Because even after Gideon takes it down, the community comes and wants to kill Gideon over it. So they were hypocrites. They were going to the house of God and praying and weeping and holding their idolatry. Because, you see, they were afraid of bail. Because they looked at the Midianites and said, well, they prosper. They've got fruit. They've got what they take of all the things. They must have a powerful God. Now, they didn't want to worship Him as much. They didn't want to offend Him. Now they have two gods, afraid of both and trusting neither. And that's where we are in many, many lives. Lord, the Bible's full of Scripture. Fear not. You don't fear the homosexual invasion in America. In your face, homosexual. You don't fear that. You don't fear any invasion of evil whatsoever because we have an almighty God. 6th chapter, verses 7 to 10. The prophet comes and it came to pass that the two of them cried unto the Lord. The Lord sends a prophet. The Lord didn't send and deliver. He sends a prophet first. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel. This is what the prophet's saying. I brought you up out of Egypt and I brought you forth out of the house of bondage. I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all that oppressed you. And I drove them out from before you and gave you their land. And I said unto you, I am the Lord your God. Fear not the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But you have not obeyed my voice. Israel is paralyzed with fear. Fearing Baal, afraid of him. Still holding to Jehovah. Giving him lip service. Crying and praying to him. But kneeling before Baal not to offend him. And in the midst of this paralyzing fear, a stranger approaches Gideon as he's trying to eke out a living in a hidden threshing floor. A little bit of leftover wheat somewhere. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, the almighty man of valor. Verse 12. Stranger. Now folks, I'm going to tell you right off, the stranger was the Lord. Often in the Scripture he's called the angel of the Lord. Now we know the Scripture says no man has seen God and lived. The Scripture, Paul said, he lives in a life that's unapproachable. No man has seen him and never will. But you see, the Bible said Jesus came to manifest the Father. And so he came in the Old Testament often. The work of reconciliation, the work of the amazing grace of God began way back in the Old Testament. It's not just a New Testament phenomenon. It's something that went back, God's redemption plan. And the Lord himself appeared many, many times. And this was the Lord himself. In fact, in verse 23, we know it's the Lord because he says the Lord said to him. It's there. And he says, the mighty, this man says to him, the stranger. The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of Baal. Now that's said to a man who for seven years sat there doing nothing. Keep that in mind, please. And Gideon's told, go in this thy might and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you? What might? Can you show me any place in this passage where there's been a transfer of power or might? Is there any evidence at all that there has been any endowment of power from on high? Or is this something God says and he has to take it by faith and hope he develops it? No, no, no, folks. There was a transfer of power, a great transfer of power. There was an endowment of power. I said, where is it, Lord? And there it is, right before my eyes. The scripture says, and the Lord looked upon him. And the Lord looked upon him. It's the same, that word looked is the same verb used in Genesis 32, 30, when Jacob was wrestling with the angel of the Lord, which was the Lord himself. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel. For I have seen God face to face and my life has been preserved. Same word, face to face. Listen to me now. Gideon had a face to face encounter with God. God looked him in the face. Now, this was Christ. This was Jesus manifesting the Father. But when it says he looked upon him, this was a face to face communion. This is God looking him in the eye. That's what Jacob said. And what happened when Jacob said, I saw him face to face. The next thing you read is, for a prince has now power now with God and with man because you have prevailed. There was a transfer of power and authority. And look in the eye of Jesus. The Bible makes it clear that it still works today. Hallelujah. With open face, beholding his glory, we are changed from glory to glory. The transfer of power. For they, Israel, got not the land in possession by their own sword. Neither did their own arms save them, but thy right hand and thine arm and the light of thy countenance. Because thou had a favor unto them. The Scripture says they didn't get it through any innate power, authority in them or any ability. It was face to face encounter with God. Folks, I had that when I was eight years old. My first encounter with the face of God. It changed my life and that's why I'm standing here now. And I've never turned away from that look. Gideon was endued with power and might. But he did not recognize it nor could it be released until he knew who he was dealing with. He had no idea. He had no revelation that he's dealing with God. In his mind, he's still convinced he's dealing. He's not sure, but he's treating him as another man like himself. How else would you put God on hold? He said, if you're really who you say you are, if you've been sent from God. He said, I want to make an offer. I want you to eat with me. And he said, I'm going in and cook a meal. I want you to sit here and wait. Scripture says the Lord said, I'll carry until you come back. Put God on hold. He goes in his kitchen, his stove, and he cooks a lamb. Now, you figure out the typology. I'm not going to have time to do it. He cooks a lamb, unleavened bread and broth. And he brings it out. You know, you ladies, how long does it take to cook lamb? And he goes out and the Lord is sitting there waiting on him. And the Lord speaks to me. He said, Gideon, put the lamb on the rock. Put the unleavened bread on the rock and take your broth and just pour it over it. And as he did, the Lord took the staff and just touched the rock and put it on the rock, touched the rock. And suddenly the rock was on flame, became inflamed and consumed everything. And the broth was gone. Everything was gone. And suddenly the Lord disappeared. Now, he probably went up as he did in the 14th chapter of Judges when he appeared to Samson's father, Manoah. The Lord ascended in the flame. The Lord ascended in the flame. Suddenly, the truth explodes in this man. Alas! Oh, Lord! Let's see what verse that is. I'll find it here. Okay. All right, verse 21. Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the flesh of the unleavened cakes. And there rose up fire out of the rock, consumed the flesh of the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight. And when Gideon perceived that it was an angel of the Lord, it was the Lord, Gideon said, Alas! Oh, Lord God! For because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face. That word, alas! Listen closely. Because here is where we now come to the revelation of Jehovah Shalom. And listen very, very closely, if you will, please. God himself had been dealing with this man. But he's dealing with him as though he's just another man like himself. And the Bible said that's the problem with the world, that they try to picture God just as someone like themselves. And suddenly it dawns on him. And this word, alas! means an exclamation of sorrow, regret and grief and an apprehension of danger. He said, Oh, God! I've been dealing with almighty God and I didn't know it. I was toying with him. I was putting him on hold. I was testing him. In other words, I'm saying, if you're not a fake, prove yourself. This was God. And I didn't know it. Folks, you will never get Shalom until you know who you're dealing with. This has so stricken my heart. And put such a holy, reverent fear in my heart. We have conceived a different God. I don't mind people using the endearing term that God means daddy. If the man is righteous, that's fine. I've never used the term. I don't like it. But you see, we have not made him daddy. We made him sugar daddy. We've made him doting daddy. So that the most you get out of doting daddy when you sin is a lecture. Try to do better next time. There's no other destruction than sin. And that's why we have the permissiveness we have in the house of God. And it ends up as it did in the last chapter. Every man doing what is right in his own eyes. Before a holy God. Alas! Oh, God! I've been testing you. I've been asking for signs. I'm as good as dead. I'm a dead man. I believe at this moment everything began to come clear in the eyes of Gideon. He's saying, look, if this is God. And God smites whole nations because they won't deal with sin. And disobey him. What chance do I have if I disobey him now when he is commanding me to go? What chance do I have? The reverential fear of God. Now he says, now I know why we are distressed. I know now it all comes clear in his mind. We've been dealing with the holy God and we've taken him for granted. We've made him one like ourselves. How else do you and I as believers. If we really knew who we're dealing with. If we really honored him as almighty, holy, righteous God. Now, folks, you can never come into shalom until first you come into the revelation of the full character and attributes of God. All the attributes. Yes, he's omnipresent. He's everywhere at one time. He's omniscient. He knows all. He's omnipotent. He has all power. Yes, he is grace. He is mercy. His love. He's long-suffering. He's patient. He's kind. He's all of that. But he's more than that. Behold, therefore, the goodness and severity of God. On them that which fail severity, but on thee goodness. If you continue in his goodness, otherwise thou shall also be cut off. You see, this new generation that we live in today. They've rejected this God of the New Testament who slew to a couple because they reject this New Testament God. This revelation that he has given in the New Testament in a time of grace, they reject the very concept that he would move into a Holy Ghost church and kill two people who lie to the Holy Ghost. They reject this God who says, I'll not forgive you if you'll not forgive others. This God who said he would judge without mercy those who show no mercy. The God who said, my wrath is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. You see, I look back over my life and I tell you, I remember the times of distress. Since I was a young man to the time that God brought me into some sense of spiritual maturity. And I look back on those times of distress when I had no power to stand against the enemy like I should have had. And at times when I, even though I had this inner love for God and I tried, there were some things God was dealing with. Especially my awful temper. God was dealing things in my life. And I would not deal with them. And I remember those times of distress. And I look back at it now and I say, oh God, I took you for granted. If I knew who you were, if I understood, not just your mercy and your grace, but understood that you were holy, you're just and you're righteous. I had rejected, not knowingly, I had rejected the severity of God and accepted nothing but the mercy of God. Why else do we continue in our sins? Why else can Christians who sing and shout and talk in tongues go out and rent X-rated movies? How is it that we can sit in God's house and cheer and talk about and appear to be so righteous and then gossip? Cheat? And all these other things that so many of us are guilty of, if we knew who we were dealing with and we really said, we do these things before a holy God. You will not get shalom till you cry, alas. My Lord and my God, this is serious business. Yes, He's my loving Father, but He's also a holy, righteous God. And I can't live a double life. I can't live in hypocrisy. Whatever the cost, I lay my life down and I commit myself to a life of righteousness that God will smite everything by the Holy Ghost in my life that's contrary to His will and His nature. It's a holy God. Listen to me now, please. That very moment that he honored and recognized who he was dealing with, that very moment, the next verse, after he perceived that this is truly God, then the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee, fear not, thou shalt not die. And what that means, the Lord said, I am your Jehovah, shalom. He didn't get his peace. He didn't come into shalom until he acknowledged who he was dealing with. A holy, righteous God. Then can you imagine when God came, in fact, He builds an altar and He calls it Jehovah, shalom in the next verse. Jehovah, shalom. You know what that means to me, the moment I said, God, there's something in my life that has to go. Lord, there's something I know that displeases you. The moment I make a commitment, the moment I begin to tremble at this word and I read it and say, Lord, I want to obey everything in this word. It's all there, folks. You don't have to have a psychologist. You don't have to have some theologian come and tell you. It's all there if you'll take the time. All that God requires and of all that He requires, He has promised to do it with the power to fulfill everything that He requires. You don't do it in your own strength. It comes to the power and the anointing of the Holy Ghost. But the moment that you say, this is serious business, this is God I'm dealing with. This is God. Why am I testing Him? Why am I doubting what He says to me? Why am I doubting His word? Why am I not seeing that what I do is being done before a holy God who means every word that He says? At that moment, you get shalom. You get peace. Folks, the majority of Christians have never truly enjoyed peace. Listen to me. You can't earn this peace. It's a gift of God. God gave this gift at that point. Remember what the scripture says? And we quote that so many times. Jesus said, peace I give you. It's a gift. You can't earn it. You can't work it up. And you can't have it. Until you know who you're dealing with. Almighty God. Holy. Righteous. And the moment He got that peace, the moment shalom came. You know what must have had to come to His heart? And I saw this and it blessed me. He said, yes, He's holy. I know who I'm dealing with now. I'm dealing with God. And everything I do from now on is going to be done in the light of that. I'm going to perceive Him as God and walk with Him as God. Holy and righteous. But He said, wait a minute. That holy God made the first move. He came to me. He came to me in my doubt, in my laziness. Now, there was not some great thing in Gideon. And with this I close. God didn't see some great thing that was going to come out. The Bible said there's no good in any of us, including Gideon. There was nothing. He didn't see anything there. God was going to give it to him. It's a gift. He said, I'm going to send you against the devil, but I'm going to send you with peace in your heart. And Gideon could rejoice now saying, He came to me. He revealed Himself to me. When I deserved to be killed, to be damned, to be lost like these other past generations. He came to me. He spoke my name. He took the initiative. Oh, that's what the cross is all about, folks. Jesus came to you. That's why you're sitting here now. That ought to bring hope and joy to your heart. That God will give you absolute peace as a gift. He came to you. He's saying, if He came to me, He came speaking deliverance, empowerment, courage, valor. He said, that's what God said. And if I see my sin in the light of a holy God, I see His promise in the light of a holy God who cannot lie. So, no matter how I feel, God said, go. I'm going to go. He came to me. I received Him. Hallelujah. Glory be to God. I have shalom. I have peace because He gave it to me. Let's stand. Hallelujah. Oh, Jesus. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Lord, we love Your Word. We stand now in this place before Creator, Almighty, Holy God Jehovah. And You're beginning to open our eyes to who You are and the great power and the love that You have. But, oh God, no matter what we think of You, we've got to understand that You're holy and righteous. God, help us not to forget that. That we tremble at Your Word. You mean what You say. These were not suggestions. These are commandments and we take them as that. God, it's only Your mercy and grace that we stand before You. But You have cleansed us. You came to us in our stubbornness. You came to us in our sin. You came saying, I want to deliver you. I'm going to give you power against the enemy. My whole purpose in coming to you is to make you stand in the final day. Hallelujah. God, You come to us because You want to deliver us from everything that's unlike You. Unlike Your Christ. Oh, Holy Spirit, manifest Jesus to our hearts today. Here's my invitation. A declaration of war against that one thing God is putting His finger on. A declaration of war. Saying, Pastor David, I've taken this thing too lightly. There's been too much apathy. He's holy, He's righteous, and He's just. And the same Lord who dealt so severely in the upper room with Ananias and Sapphires. The same Jesus is working and walking among us right now. He said, You lied to the Holy Ghost. You can't get away with it. But all the grace and the mercy of God. That if you say, I declare war on my sin right now in Jesus' name. Not in my strength, but through the power of the Lord. Folks, let me tell this before I close. There are so few Christians that have really, really laid hold and apprehended the peace of God. I mean lasting peace. You will get lasting peace. It won't be something that flutters in and out of your life. You'll get lasting peace. And I don't think there's anything greater in this day of turmoil than to walk through life with peace. To look anybody in the eye and say, God, I know you have made me righteous. I have your righteousness. There's no hidden thing in my life. I'm an open book. Up in the balcony, here on the main floor. You want to declare war on something, we don't need to know what it is. If you're backslidden, if you've drifted away from the Lord, you don't know Jesus, you come with these. And in the annex, if you'll just go up between, to the front between the screens so you won't hide the screen. Because I want to pray with you. Would you just go forward, right where you're at. We have a pastor be there with you just a moment to pray with you. Up in the balcony, go to the stairs on either side here on the main floor. Just come, only as the Spirit draws you. Say, Pastor Dave, I want shalom. I want peace in my heart. And I want to know, I want God to know that I know who I'm dealing with. I want the Holy Spirit to put His righteous fear in my heart. The fear of the Lord that's the beginning of all wisdom. Listen to me please, in the annex in here, listen to me very closely please. Put yourself for just a moment in Gideon's place. When he didn't have the revelation of who he was dealing with. He didn't have the fear of God. He didn't have, at that time, the revelation that he needed. Put yourself, that's right where many of you are right now. Disobedient and needing a miracle. But keep in mind, God had no intention of hurting this man or his people. Isn't that an amazing thing that in the midst of this, seven years of backsliding, seven years of bail, worship, the Lord comes. Look at me now please. He came, not in anger, but He came to send a prophet. And He came to deliver, to give power, to give valor, to give strength. Now I'm going to tell you now, God's not mad at you. You've got to understand it right now or you'll just have a heavy heart and you will not see the whole story. You'll just take half the story home. You won't understand that this man got victory. I mean with 300 men, he sent to flight a whole confederacy of armies. God did miracles through this man. Just what He wants to do with you, He wants to give you the greatest victories you've ever known in your life. He wants to give you, the whole thing is about God trying to give you peace. He's trying to give you peace. Jehovah Shalom. God is peace. He said, peace be unto you. And the Lord Jesus is going to give you peace. He's going to give you peace right now. I want you to just raise both hands to the Lord. Lift both hands. And I want you to pray this right out of the innermost part of your being. Dear Jesus, I know who I am. I know what I am. And I am flesh. And there's no good thing in me. I've sinned and confessed. And gone back to my sin. And I deserve hell. I deserve judgment. But you've come to me. By your Holy Spirit. Because you love me. And you will not give up on me. I come to you Jesus. And I understand. I am standing now. Before a Holy God. Oh Holy Spirit. Put the fear of God in me. And before you dear Lord. I confess my sins. My weaknesses. My idolatry. I confess it. I give it to you. And I believe what you said. You will give me power. To defeat the enemy. You will remove the distress. And you will give me. Shalom. Hallelujah. You will give me peace. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Now Father. Keep these that you have brought. By your Holy Spirit. Under conviction. Lord they didn't come just weeping and wailing. They came now. To receive the revelation. That I am going to walk. With a Holy. Righteous God. That I come boldly to his throne of grace. And even though. Like Gideon there will be some times. When we question the word we hear. And we have to have reassurances. But you will send those reassurances. And you will be patient with us. Lord we thank you. Hallelujah. Glory be to God. Glory be to God. Just lift your hands and praise and tell him you love him. Lord we love you. We worship you. We praise you. We give you glory and honor. And praise. Hallelujah. You know the Lord said you are forgiven. The Lord said once you believe that. You are to rejoice. And be glad in the Lord. You rejoice. Be glad in the Lord. A rejoicing. A rejoicing song if you will. I want you please. Our next service is at 3. And then at 6. Different services. Different messages. But I don't want anybody to leave. Until you shake hands with at least 12 or 15 people. And say Shalom. Peace. God bless you. This is the conclusion of the message.