Bargaining instead of Brokenness - Judges 10:6 - 12:7

Judges 10v6-12v7 “Bargaining instead of Brokenness”

 

Intro: Brokenness or Bargaining?

 

           1) Jephthah – a product of his time (10v6-11v3)

 

• Miserable Israelites
• Bloodthirsty Ammonites
• Unfaithful Gilead
• Ruthless sons
• Scoundrels everywhere

 

Rotten conditions rotten fruit!

 

Q1: What are we producing as a Network of churches? As individual churches?

 

Q2: Do we only want rescue or do we want real heart change?

 

             2) Jephthah – a committed bargainer (11v4-31)

 

• He bargains to secure his position over Gilead in (v4-11)

 

• He tries to bargain with the Ammonite enemies in (v12-28)

 

 

• Jephthah dares to bargain with God (v29-31)

 

Q3: Do you realise that you can’t bargain with the God who doesn’t need anything? And that you have no need to bargain with the God of grace?

 

            3) Jepthah – a man unchanged by God’s goodness and grace (11v32-12v7)

 

The terrible costs of not being changed by grace:

 

• The life of his only child

 

• Civil war and genocide

 

The terrible costs visible in our nation

 

Conclusion

 

Respond in brokenness before the God of grace – Psalm 51.

 

 

Question Summary:

 

• In terms of holiness, obedience and fruit, what are we producing as a Network of churches? As individual churches? What is being produced in your own life?
• What different consequences of sin have you experienced? Could the amount of joylessness and worry among Christians be a consequence of sin among us? Do you just want rescue or do you want heart change?
• What sort of bargains do Christians try to make with God? What sort of bargains are you inclined to make? Why do we not need to bargain with the God of grace, the God of the cross?
• Read Psalm 51 – pray that v10-12 become your desire more and more. How could we make this more and more a key part of our church culture?