May 2nd, 2021 “Is Your All on the Altar of Shalom?” Partners in Prayer: “Everything We Need!” Study of Gideon- “We may be small, but God is mighty!” Dear Partners in Prayer Team,

“Then the Lord said to Gideon, ‘Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.’ So Gideon built an altar there to the

Lord, and called it: Jehovah Shalom- ‘The-Lord-Is-Peace.’ To this day it is still in Ophrah.” Judges 6:23-24 (NKJV)

“Now it came to pass the same night that the Lord said to Gideon, ‘Take your father’s young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your

father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it; and build an altar to the Lord your God.’” Judges 6:25-26

“Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” 1 John 5:21

(NIV) Have you ever been asked: “Is your all on the altar?” Is there some area of your life you have resisted turning over to the Lord’s full control? We use that saying to indicate surrender. We use that phrase to check our hearts. When the Angel of the Lord met Gideon “face-to-face” Gideon had a change of name and a change of heart. But before he could do what God wanted as a judge, Gideon needed to have an “altar call” where things he valued most were set in proper order. As Gideon did this most important action in his life and tore down family “idols” and built a new altar for the Lord that he called “Jehovah-Shalom,” I think of that good old revival hymn written in 1900 by American pastor Elisha A. Hoffman, “Is Your All on the Altar?” The words say:

“You have longed for sweet peace, And for faith to increase,

And have earnestly, fervently prayed. But you cannot have rest,

Or be perfectly blest, Until all on the altar is laid.”

Then the refrain asks us and then answers our question this way:

“Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid? Your heart does the Spirit control?

You can only be blest, And have peace and sweet rest,

As you yield Him your body and soul.”

No one thinks of idols today, do they? The idea seems too superstitious. We think of cannibals or natives bowing down to volcanoes or little images carved from coconut wood. “Idolatry?” This ancient yet modern sin fuels countless heartaches and frustrations. It destroys jobs and relationships and distances us from God, the only One worthy of worship. The only One able to fulfill our deepest needs and grant us the joy and peace we seek. When life feels uncertain or our longings go unmet, it’s easy and comforting, momentarily, to grasp on to temporary fillers. If only we had more money, more friends, more experiences, or achievements, then we’d be happy and content. But this type of mentality leads to idolatry by shifting our focus off of Jesus and placing it instead on the temporary and insufficient pleasures of today. Whatever we treasure more than God, whatever drives our thoughts and actions, becomes an idol, and these idols dull our spiritual hearing and harden our hearts to things of God. The Bible understands that idolatry extends beyond the worship of images and false gods. It is a matter of the heart, associated with pride, self-centeredness, greed, gluttony (Ph. 3:19), and love for possessions (Matt. 6:24). Idolatry is a major theme of the Bible. It challenges God's sovereignty and attempts to offer an alternate explanation to the issues of life. But Scripture not only records people's failures; it also records the hope of repentance. In His mercy, God raised up men and women like Gideon who challenged the faulty theology of the community. As Tim Keller states in his book Counterfeit Gods, an idol is “anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, and anything that you seek to give you what only God can give.” Or John Calvin famously said "the human heart is a perpetual idol factory" (hominis ingenium perpetuam, ut ita loquar, esse idolorum fabricam) [Institutes I.11.8]. The modern translation of "the human condition is driven by idolatry" is closer to Calvin's intent, but it is still lacking. What are "idols"? Essentially, an idol can be anything that takes the place of God as the most important focus and priority in our lives. In today’s sermon we will go through ten examples of idols and idolatry in the modern era. We will discover what makes these examples prevalent and dangerous substitutes for God as the primary essence of our lives and how to smash them. There are three things that we could learn from Gideon in the continuing story of a man who was a weakling to his becoming a mighty warrior. These three things are: discovering a new name about God; discovering a new found courage, and discovering a renewed worship at a new altar. 1. We discover a new Name! If you ever studied the names of God, it can be a most fulfilling study. When we learn and study the names of God it gives us great joy in learning about the character and attributes of God. The great

preacher C. H. Spurgeon, commenting on Psalm 9:10, says we should be diligent to study God's Names because… "Ignorance is worst when it amounts to ignorance of God, and knowledge is best when it exercises itself upon the Name of God. This most excellent knowledge leads to the most excellent grace of faith. O, to learn more of the attributes and character of God. Unbelief, that hooting night bird, cannot live in the light of divine knowledge; it flies before the sun of God's great and gracious Name. If we read this verse literally, there is, no doubt, a glorious fullness of assurance in the names of God....By knowing His Name is also meant an experimental acquaintance with the attributes of God, which are every one of them anchors to hold the soul from drifting in seasons of peril. The Lord may hide His face for a season from His people, but He never has utterly, finally, really, or angrily forsaken them that seek Him. Let the poor seekers draw comfort from this fact, and let the finders rejoice yet more exceedingly, for what must be the Lord's faithfulness to those who find if He is so gracious to those who seek....The names of God inspire trust. JEHOVAH Jireh, Tsidkenu, Rophi, Shammah, Nissi, ELOHIM, SHADDAI, ADONAI, etc...." (Charles Spurgeon Sermon #287 page 1). Biblical writer Matthew Henry offers the following encouragements to motivate one to study the Names of God... “(1) The better God is known the more He is trusted. Those who know Him to be a God of infinite wisdom will trust Him further than they can see Him (Job 35:14); those who know Him to be a God of almighty power will trust Him when creature-confidences fail and they have nothing else to trust to (Ochre. 20:12); and those who know Him to be a God of infinite grace and goodness will trust Him though He slay them, (Job 13:15). Those who know Him to be a God of inviolable truth and faithfulness will rejoice in His word of promise, and rest upon that, though the performance be deferred and intermediate providences seem to contradict it. Those who know Him to be the Father of spirits, and an everlasting Father, will trust Him with their souls as their main care and trust in Him at all times, even to the end. (2.) The more God is trusted the more He is sought unto. If we trust God we shall seek Him by faithful and fervent prayer, and by a constant care to approve ourselves to Him in the whole course of our conversations. (3.) God never did, nor ever will, disown or desert any that duly seek to Him and trust in Him. Though He afflict them, He will not leave them comfortless; though He seem to forsake them for a while, yet He will gather them with everlasting mercies. (Ps 9:10-note) We never trust a man till we know him. The mother of unbelief is ignorance of God, His faithfulness, mercy, and power. They that know Thee, will trust in Thee. This confirmed Paul, Abraham, Sarah, in the faith. "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." (Matthew Henry Commentary Heb. 10:23-note Heb. 11:11-note, Rom. 4:21-notes.) Great Philadelphia Presbyterian preacher James Montgomery Boice wrote these words just a few decades ago...“The names of God are windows through which His character is seen. The names tell us that He is the Most High God, Possessor of Heaven and Earth (El Elyon), the Almighty God (El Shaddai), the Eternal, Unchanging God (El Olam), the Lord (Adonai), the God Who Is There (Jehovah Shammah), and

much more. Since the names of God declare His attributes, we are not surprised that the unparalleled revelation of God's wisdom and grace in Abraham's near sacrifice of his son (in Genesis 22) brings with it another of God's names: Jehovah Jireh, which means "the Lord will provide." (Boice Expositional Commentary - An Expositional Commentary – Genesis, Volume 2: A New Beginning - Genesis 12-36). We come to understand a new name for the preincarnate Jesus right here in our story of Gideon in Judges Chapter 6. The name of God found here is: “Jehovah Shalom (Yahweh shalom) The Lord is Peace” (Judges 6:24)! Jehovah Shalom is one of three names for God that was actually given to an altar. It happened when the Angel of Yahweh (the LORD) visited Gideon to recruit him as a new judge over Israel to deliver the nation from the Midianites. Gideon thought that he would die because he had seen the Messenger. God spoke to him and said, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die” (Judg. 6:23 NIV). The incident made such an impression on Gideon that he built an altar in Ophrah and gave it the name “Jehovah-Shalom.” Altars made of uncut stones lasted for centuries in the relatively dry climate of Israel. “Shalom” is not just an absence of noise or strife. The word shalom speaks of wholeness and harmony with oneself and others, and of completion and peaceful fulfillment. As Jesus said, “It is a peace far beyond the world’s peace” (John 14:27; 16:33). The ultimate peace is peace with God.

The Bible contains a promise about God’s peace: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusts in thee” (Isa. 26:3 KJV). Peace comes to us when we focus our lives on God and trust Him. In order to feel peaceful about a God who is perfect and vastly superior to us we must change as Gideon did.

Gideon’s initial fear of God was laid aside when he heard God speak peace to him instead of killing him. Zacharias predicted that part of John the Baptist’s ministry was to prepare for the sunrise from on high who would shine and “guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:78-79). One of the things that the angels announced to the shepherds near Bethlehem was “peace among men” (Luke 2:14). Peace with God can only come through the reconciliation that Jesus (Yeshua) accomplished on the cross (Col. 1:20-22). Transitioning to the New Testament, we know that Gideon met the Angel of the Lord who is the reincarnate Christ or a Christophany. So this name of God is a forward prediction of the representation of all that Christ will be and do for us. In the New Testament, Paul’s final blessing to the church in Thessalonica was a prayer for peace: “Now the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.” (2 Thessalonians 3:16 KJV) Similar names for God are found throughout the Bible. He is the God of peace and Paul called Jesus “our peace,” though it is not exactly a name of Jesus. Even so, Isaiah

had prophesied that the Messiah child would share several of the names of God, one of which would be Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6). Jesus was the ultimate fulfillment of the truth about God that was stated prophetically for many years to anyone who happened to pass by Gideon’s altar. 2. We discover a new courage! God called Gideon a mighty man of valor prior to any mighty actions Gideon had done (6:12). He commanded Gideon to go out in the might to which he was called and accomplish the very work for which he was created (6:14). And when Gideon responded, he struggled through his own fears. Just because one is called doesn’t mean we will never struggle with our weaknesses. A mother asked her 5-year-old son to go to the pantry to get her a can of tomato soup. But he refused and protested, “It’s dark in there.” Mom assured Johnny, “It’s okay. Don’t be afraid. Jesus is in there.” So Johnny opened the door slowly and seeing that it was dark, shouted, “Jesus, can you hand me a can of tomato soup?” This humorous story of Johnny’s fear reminds me of Gideon. The Lord appeared to Gideon, calling him a “mighty man of valor” (Jdg. 6:12) and then told him to deliver Israel out of Midian’s hand (Jdg. 6:14). But Gideon’s fearful reply was, “My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house” (Jdg. 6:15). Even after the Lord told Gideon that with His help he would defeat the Midianites (Jdg. 6:16), he was still afraid. Then Gideon asked the Lord for signs to confirm God’s will and empowerment (Jdg. 6:17, 36-40). So, why did the Lord address fearful Gideon as a “mighty man of valor”? Because of whom Gideon would one day become with the Lord’s help. We too may doubt our own abilities and potential. But let us never doubt what God can do with us when we trust and obey Him. Gideon’s God is the same God who will help us accomplish all that He asks us to do. We can face any fear when we know the Lord is with us. “The Lord provides the strength we need To follow and obey His will; So we don’t need to be afraid That what He asks we can’t fulfill.” —Ben Sper 3. We discover a renewed worship at a new altar. “So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD. He called it The LORD Calms. To this day it is still in Ophrah, which belongs to Abiezer's family” (Judges 6:24 GW). Therefore, the Lord reassured him verbally: “Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die” (vs. 23 KJV). This promise left such an impression upon Gideon that the next thing we read is: “Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord. He built it on the top of the rock where he had laid his provisions,

and which had been consumed by fire emanating out of it, as a token of divine acceptance, and as an assurance of his destroying the Midianites as easily and quickly as the fire had consumed the food offering, and therefore Gideon was greatly encouraged to erect an altar there for God” (vs. 28). What in our lives must we smash down, and rebuild of God? The book of Judges is an account of God’s people descending into spiritual indifference and rebellion. After the death of Joshua and his peers, the next generation “forsook the Lord God of their fathers, … and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them” (Jdg. 2:12). Judges, however, presents these men as flawed people who nevertheless responded to God’s call during a time of spiritual darkness in their culture. The Bible honors them for their faith, not for their perfection. They were recipients of God’s grace as surely as we are. In every generation, God raises up people who are true to Him and to His Word. The measure of their lives and of ours is not the absence of failure but the presence of God’s gracious forgiveness and the faith to obey His call. All of God’s champions are unlikely heroes. We are so much like Gideon! “Heaven’s heroes never carve their name On marbled columns built for earthly fame; They build instead a legacy that springs Out of a life lived for the King of kings.” —Gustafson Faith in Christ can make extraordinary heroes out of ordinary people like us and Gideon. Every now and then, in the news, a near drowning is reported- a tragedy that was thwarted by the bold rescue action of another swimmer. But frequently it happens that the desperate person thrashes about violently, when approached, striking out at his would-be savior in panic. Until the drowning person surrenders to his rescuer, he puts them both in peril. It’s in giving up that he gains what he truly needs. In most situations this is counter-intuitive. Usually, those in trouble are urged to keep trying, and even redouble their efforts. Quitters are scorned; drop-outs are despised, while individual effort and personal persistence are lauded. But there are some cases when resignation is victory, when surrender brings success. That is so in our relationship with the Lord. The Bible makes it plain that no one will ever get to heaven by his or her own efforts. Salvation is by the grace of God–His unmerited favor–”not of works lest anyone should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). It is “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Tit. 3:5). It is through faith in the Calvary work of Christ that one becomes a Christian (Jn. 3:16). Salvation is not a do, but a done.

And what about after that? What of how we live the Christian life? “Are you so foolish [Paul asks in Galatians]? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?…If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 3:3; 5:25). The Word of God describes living as the Christians we’ve become through faith as a walk of faith (II Cor. 5:7), and a life of surrender to the will of God. There is a connection between the two: “by faith Abraham obeyed” (Heb. 11:8). We obey God “doing the will of God from the heart” (Eph. 6:6), because we trust His Word, and are convinced His will is best. Over a hundred times in the New Testament Christ is called the “Lord Jesus.” He is both our Savior and Lord. And if we call Him Lord, we are recognizing Him as the Ruler of our lives. There is a telling incident in Acts when God commanded Peter to do something he didn’t want to do. His response was, “Not so [or, No!], Lord” (Acts 10:14). But that is a contradiction. Either He is Lord or not. If He is, then His will is to be obeyed. Yet Peter’s response is not unique. Many times life’s decisions come down to a kind of tug-of-war between God and us. One way some may try to resolve this is to compartmentalize their lives- relegating church and religion to one compartment–over which they recognize God’s management. Then, for the rest- family, friends, job, recreation, and so on, that is theirs, and they more or less do as they please with such things. But, as someone has put it, “He is either Lord of all, or not Lord at all.” Who is on the “throne of your heart?” The Bible uses the sacrifice analogy. In the Old Testament sacrificial system, the animal did not get to choose whether or not to be a sacrifice–or which part of it would be sacrificed. Then, in the New Testament we read, “You are not your own, for you were bought at a price [paid by the blood of Christ]” (I Cor. 6:19-20). We are to “present [our] bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is [our] reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1). God is calling us to a life of eternal significance. He is calling us to a life that matters. There is no weak tool in the hands of God. And there is no small calling in His perfect plans. We were created to live a life that changes the world where we touch it. We were created for a destiny that draws the last back into the fold of our heavenly Father. But in order to accomplish the life to which we were called we need to pray for courage. We will need time spent in God’s “perfect peace” and be filled with His encouragement. God is calling us mighty men or women of valor. He is speaking strength over us. He is near us, ready and able to empower us. Take time in guided prayer to hear the voice of our heavenly Father. Allow the Spirit to speak to our spirits. Allow Him to encourage us in His love. And follow His voice in faith that we might be used in greater ways than we could ever imagine. Are we at the altar today?

It is in full surrender to the will of God that we find true peace and joy, and fulfillment in life. Remember the question and the hymn that is the theme of a gospel song by E. A. Hoffman that we started with? Here is the third verse and refrain: “O we never can know What the Lord will bestow Of the blessings for which we have prayed, Till our body and soul He doth fully control, And our all on the altar is laid.” Is there some area of your life you have resisted turning over to the Lord’s full control? Will you pray with me? “Father, we say aloud by this new name we have studied just today from Your Word: ‘You are Jehovah-Shalom!’ You are ultimate and joyous peace. Father, we confess that we have not honored You and given You the thanks and praise You deserve. Instead of worshiping You, we have worshiped power, control, sex, money, reputation, and many other idols. We are guilty of worshiping and serving idols while ignoring and mocking others who were faithful to You. These things are not worthy of our worship; they cannot save us and protect us from our enemies, nor can they transform us into pure and holy people. Thank You, Lord Jesus for Your worship of Your heavenly Father. You never flinched from glorifying Him even when tempted by Satan, or dying for our sins. Holy Spirit, make us wise in the most inner recesses of our souls. We, by Your power, need to smash the idols made in our hearts. Show us the perfect life that Christ has lived for us, and then shape us so that we can turn away increasingly from the seductive power of the world. Grow us daily as we surrender now to You. We lay our lives upon the altar. Fill us with the peace that only comes from Jesus. Complete that good work in us, until the day we see You. In the Name of Christ we pray, Amen.” Praying my all upon the altar today,

Pastor Corvin <>< Quote: “Idolatry is not only the adoration of images… but also trust in one’s own righteousness, works, and merits, and putting confidence in riches and power.” … Martin Luther (1484-1546) Quote: “O senseless man who cannot make a worm, and yet makes gods by dozens.” … Michel Eyquem De Montaigne (1533-1592)

Quote: “The dearest idol I have known, whate’er that idol be; Help me to tear it from Thy throne, and worship only Thee.” … William Cowper (731-1800).