Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order: Where We Are & How We Got Here

The Power of Faith

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Civil Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2011-07-24

Synopsis: John Weaver examines Hebrews 11:32-34, focusing on the phrase 'subdued kingdoms.' He argues that faith is not passive but active, demonstrated by Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah, who overthrew wicked civil governments. Weaver contends that civil rulers become enemies of God when they disobey His law, and he calls believers to exercise conquering faith to subdue modern kingdoms like America, which he sees as hostile to God. The sermon emphasizes that faith does not preclude fighting and that victory requires both faith and action.

[John Weaver] All right, let's open our Bibles today to the book of Hebrews chapter 12. I'm sorry, Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11. I was looking at 12, but it's Hebrews chapter 11 and verses 32 through 34 verses that you have read and that I have read innumerable times. The title of the message is The Power of Faith. Now, watch this Hebrews 11 and let's begin reading there with verse 32.

[John Weaver] And what shall I more say, for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah, of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

[John Weaver] Now, today, I'm just going to be dealing with this one little phrase found in verse 33, subdued kingdoms. I got the thinking, boy, in light of what he said, I'd really like to preach a message on each one of these little points here. But it just floored me as I read through this passage again. So let me begin by asking some questions. Listen carefully. Where is your faith? Where is your faith? when you need it? Where is the evidence that you have faith and that you are living by faith? Do you realize that we have been told three times in the New Testament that the just shall live by faith? For instance, in Romans 1 in verse 17, Paul said, For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, so it is written, The just shall live by faith. Then in Galatians 3 and verse 11, the scripture says, But no man is justified by the law on the side of God. It is evident for the just shall live by faith.

[John Weaver] Then in Hebrews 10 and verse 38, he says, Now the just shall live by faith. But if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. And the Old Testament is equally as plain. For in the book of Habakkuk, chapter 2 and verse 4, we read this, but the just shall live by his faith. So it doesn't matter if you look in the Old Testament, doesn't matter if you look in the New Testament, the scripture tells us that the just always live by faith. Now, I want you to hold Hebrews chapter 12, but I want you to look first of all in Matthew chapter 17, and then we're going to be turning to the book of Luke. Look in Matthew chapter 17. And verse 20, Matthew 17 and verse 20, then we'll go to the book of Luke. So watch Matthew 17 and verse 20. The Scripture says it like this, Matthew 17, verse 20, Our Lord is speaking and Jesus said to them, because of your unbelief, for verily I say unto you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, You shall say to this mountain, remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove, and

[John Weaver] nothing shall be impossible unto you. Now, look at that again. Our Lord said, if you have the faith as a grain of mustard seed. You shall say to this mountain, remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

[John Weaver] Now, look in Luke chapter 17, if you would please, and verse six, an interesting passage as well. Luke 17 and verse six. And the Lord said, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you might say into this sycamine tree. Be thou plucked up by the root and be thou planted in the sea and it should obey you. Now, I begin by asking, where's your faith? You may respond and you may say, but I have saving faith and I'm saved by the grace of God. And my response would be, I'm thankful for salvation by grace through faith, and I'm thankful that you were saved. But my question is, where's your conquering faith? Where's the faith that removes mountains? Where's the faith that removes trees and kingdoms and men? Now, twice our Lord said, if you had the faith, The size of a grain of a mustard seed. You should say to this mountain or you should say to this tree, be thou removed and it would obey you. Most of us have probably never seen a mustard seed.

[John Weaver] But they are about half the size of a poppy seed or about the size of the head of a straight pin. Now, if faith, the size of the top of the head of a straight pin, can move mountains and trees, what could faith the size of a peanut do? Just stop and think.

[John Weaver] Now, Hebrews 11 details many great and glorious deeds done by faith, in faith, and through faith. And as you read Hebrews chapter 11, Of all these mighty, wonderful acts and accomplishments that were performed by men and women, you will find that their great accomplishments are always preceded by two words, by faith. Now, I want you to look back at Hebrews chapter 11 again and look, if you would please, at verse 32.

[John Weaver] He says, And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, of Barak, of Samson, of Jephthah, of David also, and Samuel, and the prophets."

[John Weaver] Now, when the author of Hebrews intimates that he said enough to prove the definition of faith that he had given in Hebrews 11 in verse 1, and that by it, that is, by the faith, the elders obtained a good report, yet he had not said everything that he could say. He had much more to say, but he did not have the time to list all of the great acts and accomplishments that had been performed by faith. And so he says, and what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of. In other words, there's not simply enough time left, he says, to tell of all of these wonderful accomplishments that have been done in and through and by faith.

[John Weaver] So have you ever pondered upon? Have you ever meditated upon the power of faith? Have you ever wondered? What exactly could be accomplished by faith? Have you ever thought what could be accomplished by your faith? And have you ever wondered why we don't exercise faith? Yet, we read all of these great and wonderful things.

[John Weaver] Now, we know already just from reading the scriptures that the just shall live by faith, and we already know by Hebrews 11, verse 6, without faith, it is impossible to please God. For he that cometh to God must first believe that he is, and secondly, that he is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him. But look back, if you would, at verse 32 and verse 33.

[John Weaver] This is what struck me. And what shall I more say for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, of Barak, and of Samson, of Jephthah, of David also, and Samuel of the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, that has brought it past. Obtain promises, that is the fulfillment of them. Stop the mouths of lions, quench the violence of fire, escape the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, wax valued in fight, and turn to flight the armies of the aliens. When I read these verses the other day, I was struck anew and afresh with the thundering truth that these men actually lived out their faith. Their faith was applied action. The men mentioned in verse 32 actually subdued kingdoms. They actually wrought righteousness. They actually obtained the fulfillment of promises. They literally stopped the mouths of lions and they did everything else that is mentioned here. But the part that really struck me was this, that they subdued kingdoms. Stop and ponder that for a moment. Entire kingdoms were subdued by faith.

[John Weaver] Do you know a kingdom that needs to be subdued? How about America? Now, one objection says, wait a minute, I know enough about the Bible When I read of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah and David, I know enough about the Bible to know that the kingdoms that those men subdued were enemy kingdoms. They were enemies to God and enemies to God's people. So what's the difference? America has become the enemy of God. and the enemy of God's people. What we have forgotten is this, that civil rulers and civil governments can become the enemy of God just like anyone or anything else can.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to hold Hebrews 11, but I want you to turn back in your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 15. First Samuel chapter 15, and I want to show you the evidence. The evidence how a civil ruler can become the enemy of God and the enemy of God's people. Now watch this. First Samuel chapter 15, you remember that King Saul was king. He had been anointed king. Notice 1 Samuel 15, beginning there in verse 10. Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying, It repenteth me, God is saying this, it repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king, for he has turned back from following me. Now, how do we know that Saul turned back from following God? Here it is.

[John Weaver] He had not performed my commandments. I grieve Samuel, he cried to the Lord all night. How do we know that King Saul turned back? How do we know that King Saul became the enemy of God? How do we know that King Saul became the enemy of God's people? The answer is because he has not performed the law of God. He has not obeyed God's law.

[John Weaver] Now, the interesting thing is this. If God classifies this civil ruler as his enemy. For disobeying his law. Where does that put the other civil rulers? Skip down, if you would, to verses 26 through 29. I want you to see what God says about King Saul. Beginning in verse 26. Saul had asked Samuel to turn again and worship with him, and Samuel said to Saul, I will not return with thee. For thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent. And Samuel said unto him, The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbor of thine that is better than thyself. And also the strength of Israel will not lie nor repent, for he is not a man that he should repent." In other words, Saul, you've just done it. You've lost the kingdom. It is rent out of your hands.

[John Weaver] And you remember when Saul disobeyed God, he caused the people to sin and to disobey God as well. So he became not only the enemy of God, he became the enemy of God's people.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 21 and look at verse 9. Manasseh was the most wicked king in the southern kingdom. Second Kings, Chapter 21 and verse nine, and let me show you what the Bible says concerning Manasseh. Look at it. In fact, let's read verse eight, just so you can see the context here. God had promised and God had said, Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers, only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them. According to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them. Now watch what happened. But they hearken not. Hearken not to what? To God's law. To God's commandment. But they hearken not. And Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel.

[John Weaver] So here is the civil rule. Here is the civil government seducing the nation into idolatry. And if you read what Manasseh did, he not only legitimized sodomy, he even placed sodomites in the temple of the Lord. He put a grove there. He did all kind of wicked, vile things, much like the United States is doing today. If you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Hosea, Right after the book of Daniel, Daniel. Hosea, look in Chapter 8. Hosea, Chapter 8.

[John Weaver] And I want you to notice what God says. Hosea, Chapter 8. Hosea, Joel, Amos. Hosea, Chapter 8, and look, if you would please begin there in verse 3. Here's how wicked Israel was Hosea 8 and verse 3. In fact, let's read verse 2. Israel shall cry to me, my God, we know thee. Oh, do you really? Then he says, Israel has cast off the thing that is good, the enemy shall pursue him. Why?

[John Weaver] They have set up kings, but not by me. They made princes and I knew it not. of their silver and their gold, have they made them idols that they may be cut off. Now, when the Bible says, and God is speaking here, that they have set up kings, but not by me, and they made princes, I knew it not, doesn't mean that God was ignorant of it. No, what he means is they set up kings and princes that were contrary to his law. They violated his word. And in doing so, they also set up their idols. They fell into idolatry.

[John Weaver] In other words, a wicked civil ruler, as we've seen in every one of these instances, always leads the people in idolatry. I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Micah. Turn right on over to the book of Micah. Right before the Book of Nahum, you have the Book of Micah. Right after Jonah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Micah chapter 6. And let's begin reading there with verse 16. Watch this carefully. Micah 6 and verse 16. What does God say?

[John Weaver] For the statutes of Amri are kept. And remember, Amri was the father of Ahab. For the statutes of Amri are kept. and all the works of the house of Ahab, and you walk in their councils, that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof a hissing, therefore you shall bear the reproach of my people."

[John Weaver] Now, what is God complaining about? They're walking in the statutes of Omri and the statutes of Ahab. In other words, they are following man's law and not God's law. I want you to go back in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 17. Let me ask you a question. Why did God send the children of Israel into captivity? Let me show it to you in black and white. Here's why God sent the children of Israel into captivity, and it is also why he sent Judah into captivity. I'll show you. Look in 2 Kings 17, beginning there with verse 7. Look what the Bible says. For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods." Whoa, wait a minute. They feared other gods. How do we know they feared other gods? When you say God just told us, oh, I know He just told us, but there has to be evidence.

[John Weaver] Watch it. So they feared other gods and walked in the statutes of the heathen whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel which they have made." What did they do? They swapped God's law for man's law. They obeyed the laws of man. They refused to obey the law of God. And God says, this is why I sent them into captivity.

[John Weaver] Skip down to verses 18 and 19. Same chapter. Look what he says. Therefore, the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. There was none left but the tribe of Judah only. Here it is black and white. And Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel, which they had made. Wow. They were not without law. They were just without God's law. And God counted it as idolatry. Spiritual adultery, and I know you know this verse, but look in your Bibles to Psalm 94.

[John Weaver] You've got to see it again in light of all of this. Look in Psalm 94. It is so plain. Psalm 94. And look, if you would please, beginning there with verse 20. God asks. Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee which frameth mischief by law? Let me just stop right there for a moment. Shall the throne of iniquity, a throne speaks of government, a throne of iniquity speaks of a wicked civil government. So here's the question. Shall a wicked civil government have fellowship with God when that wicked civil government frames or makes mischief or sin by law or they make sin legal? And what's the next verse? They gather themselves together. That is the civil rulers. Now those in power, they gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous and condemn the innocent blood. So the question God asks is, can a wicked civil government have fellowship with God when they make sin legal?

[John Weaver] And the answer is absolutely not. No, it's so that. The civil ruler and civil governments can very easily and very quickly become the enemies of God.

[John Weaver] Now, when you go back in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 11 and look again at verse 32, look what is said. And what shall I more say, for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah, of David also, and Samuel of the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms. Let me stop right there. They were overthrowing wicked civil governments. The men mentioned in verse 32, or from the times of the judges, with the exception of David, and the judges were those men that God raised up to govern His people and to deliver His people. Now, there are four judges that are mentioned specifically. They are Gideon, Barak, Sapson, and Jephthah. Now, Samuel was also counted as a judge, but he was more than a judge. He was a judge and a prophet. And let me point something else out about verse 32. The apostle here does not produce these men in chronological order, for Barak lived before Gideon, and Jephthah lived before Samson, and Samuel lived before David.

[John Weaver] So he is not producing facts in their chronological order. What he is doing here, he is giving us instances of God's grace and God's power that was manifested through these men by faith and through faith. And each one of these men subdued kingdoms. Now, what I want to do this morning is I want to very quickly take these four men and just show you how by faith they subdued kingdoms. I want you to notice Gideon first.

[John Weaver] You may go ahead and turn in your Bibles to the book of Judges chapter six. We're not going to start there, but if you would read Judges chapter six, you would find out about the call of Gideon there. And the very first thing that you and I remember about Gideon is Gideon and his 300 men and how they attack the enemy with lamps and trumpets. And you and I both know that originally Gideon had far more than 300 men.

[John Weaver] Had about 32,000 to begin with. Now, let me ask you a question, if you were going into battle Humanly speaking, if you're going into battle, would you be more comfortable with 32,000 men beside you or with 300 besides you? I mean, humanly speaking, we want 32,000. Well, let me show you how God went in and out. Look in Judges chapter 7, and let's begin reading there verse 2.

[John Weaver] And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into thy hands. Thus Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.

[John Weaver] Now therefore go to proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from Mount Gilead." And there returned to the people twenty and two thousand, and there remained ten thousand. So over two thirds were fearful and afraid and left. Now, watch this. And the Lord said to Gideon, the people are yet too many. Bring them down into the water and I will try them for thee. And it shall be that of whom I said to thee, this shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee. And of whomsoever I shall say to thee, this shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. So he brought the people down into the water. And the Lord said unto Gideon, Everyone that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set beside himself. Likewise, everyone that bowed down upon his knees to drink.

[John Weaver] And the number of them that lapped, put in their hand or their mouth, were three hundred men. But all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink. And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you and deliver the Midianites into thine hand and let all the other people go, every man To his place. Now I want you to stop and think Gideon began with 32,000 men. Now he's cut down to 300 men.

[John Weaver] Well, what about the opposing force? What about the enemy? Well, go back to Judges chapter 6. Look at verse 3. Judges chapter 6, verse 3. And so it was when Israel had sown that the Midianites came up and the Amalekites and the children of the East, even they came up against them and they encamped against them and destroyed the increase of the earth till thou cometh to Gaza and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep nor oxen or ass. For they came up with their cattle and their tents, they came as grasshoppers for multitude.

[John Weaver] For both 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, and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord."

[John Weaver] Now, note if you would, they were like grasshoppers. Now, look in Judges 7 and verse 12, because once again, He's going to meet these men, and look what the Bible says, Judges 7 verse 12, And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the East lay along the valley like grasshoppers for multitudes. And their camels were without number as the sand by the seaside for multitudes.

[John Weaver] Now, you and I have never seen anything like this, but over those times and over those places, grasshoppers, locusts could black out the sun. Wow, and here are their camels as the sand by the sea.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. Humanly speaking, what man in his right mind would attack such a large host with only 300 men? We would probably follow that old adage, discretion is the better part of valor. It's kind of like Bushwhacker Johnston, the Confederate major. He said that when sometimes they were outnumbered 10 or 15 to one, they had to lead the Yankees. And, you know, you would think there would be time to lead these many knights. But just stop and think about this. The 300 men could not even wield their sword. They could not hold their sword in their hand.

[John Weaver] Look in Judges 7 and verse 20. He divided these 300 men into three companies. Watch. And the three companies blew the trumpets and break the pictures and held the lamps in their left hands and their trumpets in their right hands to blow the whistle. And they cried the sword of the Lord and Gideon. So they had a lamp in one hand and they had a trumpet in the other hand.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to stop and think with me, please, of the faith that it required to attack such a large host with only 300 men. Add to that, you could not even be holding your weapon in your hand, being on the ready, because you had a lantern in one hand and you had a trumpet in the other hand. Add to that, your tactic is to scare and confuse a very, very large army. Add to that, after you had broken your pitcher, after you had blown your trumpet, you had to stand absolutely still.

[John Weaver] Look in Judges 7 verse 21, And they stood every man in his place round about the camp, and all the hosts ran and cried and fell. Not only did you have to stand still, you have to add to the fact that if your tactic did not work, you died. So my question is, well, where is your faith? Would you have fought with Gideon? Or would you have been some of the ones that returned home?

[John Weaver] And said, I'll let someone else do it. Well, we normally think about the great victory that Gideon won by faith, and certainly it was a great victory. But what we fail to discern, listen carefully now, is this great victory was preceded by simple act of obedience, which required a lot of courage. Go back in your Bibles to Judges chapter 6, beginning there of verse 25. Watch. Here's what God required Gideon to do prior to any battle with the Midianites. Judges chapter 6, verse 25.

[John Weaver] And it came to pass the same night that the Lord said to him, Take thy father, young Bullock, even the second Bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it, and build an altar to the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock in the ordered place, and take the second Bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down. Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the Lord had said unto him. And so it was, because he feared his father's household and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night. And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.

[John Weaver] And they said one to another, Who had done this thing? When they inquired, they asked, they said, Gideon, the son of Joash, had done this thing. Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die, because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, because he hath cut down the grove that was by it. Wow. You know, the first thing Gideon had to do was to get rid of the idolatry in his own life. in his own home. And evidently, Joash was quite a wealthy man. By the way, the grove that you read mentioned every time you read the word grove in the Bible, with the exception of when Abraham planted a grove, a grove there is a grove of trees. But every time the other every other time the word grove is mentioned, It refers to an Asherah, to a female sexual goddess. So here's Baal. Here's the grove or the Asherah. And they cut down the Asherah. They toppled over Baal and they used the wooden Asherah to burn the sacrifice.

[John Weaver] And since the men of the city evidently worship there as well, they were ready to kill Gideon. Now, I'm not going to go over the story, but the point I'm trying to make is this. You and I will never be used of God in great battles and in great victories until we learn to become obedient in the smaller battles, in the little things. We will never be used of God in great battles until we can conquer our fears in ourselves in the smaller battles.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 12, and look at verse 5. This verse sums up everything that I'm trying to say. Jeremiah 12, verse 5. Look at it. Jeremiah 12, verse 5. Jeremiah asked. Look carefully, Jeremiah 12, verse 5. If thou hast run with a footman, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustest, they weary thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of the Jordan?" God says, if you can't take it running with footmen, how can you run against a horse? If you can't take it in the land of peace where there's hardly any problems, what are you going to do when the Jordan overflows and floods and you've got problems everywhere? In other words, if you can't function in the smaller battles, how are you ever going to function in the greater battles? If you can't exercise faith in that which is least. How can you exercise faith?

[John Weaver] And that which is the greatest. Gideon subdued. Kingdoms.

[John Weaver] Secondly, there's Barack, you will find him in Judges chapter four. In fact, let's look in Judges four and verse three. Barack, of course, overthrew Jabin, king of Canaan and delivered Israel from servitude. And look in Judges four and verse three, the Bible says. And the children of Israel cried of the Lord For he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and twenty years he mildly oppressed the children of Israel." So Jabin, the king of Canaan, had nine hundred chariots of iron, and twenty years he mildly oppressed the children of Israel.

[John Weaver] Now Barak was far inferior, militarily speaking, to his enemies, and he was guided only by the counsel of a woman. Deborah. Tradition says, I can't prove this, you can't disprove it, but tradition says that Deborah was Barak's wife. A few have suggested that she might have been his mother.

[John Weaver] Now she is called in Judges chapter 4, the wife of Lapidoth. But the phrase The wife of Lapidoth may also be translated as a woman of Lapidoth. Thus, instead of identifying her husband, the phrase would identify a place. Moreover, others still have translated the word Lapidoth as torches. Which meant that she was and by the way, the word Barak means lightning. So, some would say that it's not necessarily even a place, but it is identifying the personality of Deborah. She would be a woman of a fiery spirit, or a woman with a torch-like spirit.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to stop and think. Gideon was outnumbered, but Barak was not only outnumbered, he was outgunned. He had to face 900 chariots of iron. Moreover, Jabin had 20 years of experience in tyrannizing and oppressing the children of Israel. And yet Barak believed that God would deliver Jabin and Sisera and those people into his hands. Look in Judges chapter 4, beginning there with verse 14. Judges 4 verse 14, And Deborah said unto Barak, Up, for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand. Is not the Lord gone out before thee? So Barak went down from Mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. Now watch, and the Lord discomfited Sisera, and all of his chariots, and all of his hosts, with the edge of the sword before Barak, so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled on his feet. Wow.

[John Weaver] Now, you know the story how. Barack had insisted that Deborah go with him. And she said, all right, I'll go, but God's going to deliver. The man you want into the hand of a woman. Of course, sister ran away and he got to the tent of jail. And he asked for something to drink some water, she gave him milk. and butter, and a lordly dish, the Bible says. He said, now if any man comes by this tent door, says, you tell him I'm not here.

[John Weaver] There's nobody here but you. And he laid down to rest. He was so tired. So she covered him up. And when he went to sleep, she took a hammer and a tent peg and helped him to sleep permanently. She put it right in the temple and drove his head to the ground. Barack came along, she stepped outside to come inside and I'll show you the man whom you seek.

[John Weaver] Now, the point I'm making is this, although God delivered Sisera into the hand of a woman, God delivered the whole kingdom into the hand of Barak. So look, if you would, in Judges chapter 4, beginning there, verse 23. Look what the Bible says, Judges 4, verse 23. So God subdued on that day Jabin, the king of Canaan, before the children of Israel. And the hand of the children of Israel prospered and prevailed against Jabin, the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin, king of Canaan. So here's Barak, who has subdued a kingdom, by faith, with far fewer men and far fewer weapons.

[John Weaver] Or shall I say, with inferior weaponry. Thirdly, here's Samson, and we're not going to take the time to read all of Samson. You will find his life from Judges Chapter 13 to Judges Chapter 16. But I am going to show you some things about him in Judges Chapter 15. So I want you to go ahead and turn Judges Chapter 15. Samson was a mere countryman, and he had never really used any type of arms except husbandry, implements of working in the fields.

[John Weaver] And you would ask, what in the world could a simple country farmer do against such proven conquerors? And you have to remember the Philistines had conquered the entire nation of Israel. And so Samson then was appointed by God to deliver Israel from the oppressive yoke of the Philistines. And God used him and God gave him extraordinary assistance And Samson discomfited his enemies on many occasions. I want you to watch. Gideon had 300. He was outnumbered. Barak had 10,000. But he was still outnumbered and outgunned.

[John Weaver] But at least he had some help. When you come to Samson, it was one man against an entire nation. One man against an entire nation. And the unique thing about Samson is he fought alone. I will tell you something else that is just mind boggling. His own people fought against him. It seems as if, oftentimes, the ones that you really try to help, they're the ones that will plunge the knife in your back. It's just like when David delivered Keilah. And Saul found out that David was in Keilah. And Saul said, God has delivered him into my hands because he's gotten up into a city with walls. And so David then inquired of Bithar, the priest, will Saul most certainly come? Yes, he said he'll come.

[John Weaver] Then he asked this question. Will the people of Keilah deliver me into his hands? God said they will deliver thee. And if you will read the chapter before that, David had just delivered the people of Keilah. He just saved their skins. And now they're willing to turn David over to Saul to save their own skin. Well, some people never change. So look in Judges chapter 15, beginning there, verse 9, and of course, Samson has been working on the Philistines. And look at this, Judges 15, verse 9. In fact, let's read verse 7. And Samson said to them, though you have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease. And he, Samson, smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter, and went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Eto. Then the Philistines went up and pitched in Judah and spread themselves in Lehi. And the men of Judah said, watch, not the Philistines, the men of Judah, the Judahites. And the men of Judah said to the Philistines, Why do you come up against us?

[John Weaver] And they answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he done to us. Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? What is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them. And they said unto him, We are come now to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me that you will not fall upon me yourselves. And they spake unto him, saying, No, but we will bind thee fast and deliver thee into their hand. But surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords and brought him up from the rock.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just stop there. Can you imagine? It makes me angry just to even think about it. But can you imagine the sissyhood, the cowardness, when they look at Samson and said, what have you done to us? Don't you know the Philistines are our rulers? You've gotten us in trouble. They're going to take it out on us. They'll hurt us. We'll lose our crops. We'll lose our homes. What have you done? Don't you know there are rulers?

[John Weaver] They knew nothing about justice. They could care less about justice. And they were willing to bind the only man who was fighting for them and deliver him into the hands of their enemies, knowing that they wanted to kill Samson.

[John Weaver] And when Samson came down from that rock, the Spirit of God came upon him and he burst those bonds and picked up the jawbone of an ass and killed 3,000 Philistines. Samson was one man against an entire nation. He fought. And he fought along. You know, it's one thing when you have your friends and your family and your neighbors with you and they're willing to help you and stand with you. That's quite an encouragement. But when your own family and your own friends are against you and you have to stand and fight and fight even for those who hate you and those who despise you and those who would destroy you And you have to fight for them. Samson subdued the Philistines, and you know the story how he killed more in his death than he did in his life. I don't know how many he killed in his life, but he killed 3,000 at one time right here. But he had to fight. And he had to fight alone. And in spite of all of his faults, in spite of all of his failings, God used him.

[John Weaver] And he smoked the Philistines until he had subdued a kingdom. And very quickly, number four, Jephthah. You will find Jephthah in Judges 11 and Judges 12, and we'll begin in Judges 11. Jephthah is probably one of the lesser known judges. He had been cast out from his people because he was the son of a strange woman. You remember the boy said in Judges 11 there that he would not inherit them because he was the son of a strange woman. That is, he was the son of a prostitute.

[John Weaver] And they kicked him out. And so Jephthah rightly believed that he was hated and despised even by his own family. But the interesting thing is this. When the Ammonites made war against the Israelites, And the Israelites were losing, they come to Jephthah for help. Here's another truth, that many who would not usually even give you the time of day will hurry to you when they are in need or in danger. And Jephthah agreed to fight and to help deliver a people who were already engaged in war and who were already losing that war. So Jephthah embraced what you and I would call a hopeless cause.

[John Weaver] So look in Judges 11 beginning there with verse 5. And so it was when the children of Ammon made war against Israel. that the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob where he had been run off to. And they said to Jephthah, come and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Israel, with the children of Ammon. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, did you not hate me and expel me out of my father's house? And why are you come to me now when you're in distress? And of course, you know the story how they said, no, we're going to make you our captain. You just lead us. And of course, Jephthah then agrees to do so. The faith of Jephthah is revealed in the fact that he believed in the promises and in the providence of God. You see, the children of Ammon were trying to take land that they had never owned, that had been given to the children of Israel. Now watch this.

[John Weaver] Look in Judges 11. Let's begin reading there with verse 12. Here is Jephthah's word to the king of Ammon. And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What is thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land? Why are you even over here? And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even to Japheth unto Jordan.

[John Weaver] Now therefore restore those lands again peaceably. And Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the children of Ammon, and he said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon. But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red Sea, and came to Kadesh, then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land. But the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent to the king of Moab, and he would not consent. and Israel abode in Kadesh. Then they went along the wilderness and encompassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab, and came to the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, and came not within the border of Moab, for Arnon was the border of Moab. And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon, And Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land unto my place.

[John Weaver] But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast. But Sihon gathered all his people together and pitched in Jahaz and fought against Israel. And the Lord God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them. So Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites and the inhabitants of that country. And they possessed all the coast of the Amorites from Arnon unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness unto Jordan. So now the Lord God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel.

[John Weaver] And shouldst thou possess it? Will thou not possess that which Timosh thy God giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the Lord our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess. So notice what he's saying. Let's go down to verse 25. And now art thou anything better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive against Israel? Did he ever fight against them? Watch. While Israel dwelt in Heshbon in her towns, and in Arorah in her towns, and all the cities that be along by the coast of Ammon three hundred years.

[John Weaver] Why therefore did you not recover them within that time? Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou dost me wrong to war against me. The Lord the Judge be judged this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon. I'll be the king of the children of Ammon-Harkin, not in the words of Jephthah, which he said in him. Now, here's what Jephthah says.

[John Weaver] Look, God gave us that land. And we have had it in possession for 300 years. And now you're going to make claim on it. If the land was yours, why didn't you make claim before 300 years was up? It was never yours. God gave it to us. And what Jephthah is doing, He is believing the promise that God gave to Abraham. And by the way, God used Jephthah to defeat the Ammonites. Look in Judges 11, beginning there, verse 32. Judges 11, verse 32.

[John Weaver] So Jephthah passed over to the children of Ammon to fight against them, and the Lord delivered them into his hand, and he smoked them from Aurora even until they had come to Minoth, even twenty cities under the plain of the vineyards with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to think with me just momentarily of these four men who through faith subdued kingdom. Let me try to summarize it for you. First of all, the faith of Gideon consisted in his throwing down the altar of Baal and cutting down the grove in obedience to the command of God and then following God's word to the letter as God ordered the battle. The faith of Barak consisted in believing the revelation made to Deborah and the command to go against Jabin's numerous army. Samson's faith consisted in his obedience to the impulses that the Spirit of God placed upon him in his life as he fought against God's enemies. And Jephthah's faith consisted particularly in believing the promise that God gave to Abraham that they would possess that land, and he fought. Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to Psalm 18. I want you to see this. As this is said of David, it can also be said of Gideon, of Barak, of Sapson, and Jephthah. Watch carefully. Psalm 18, beginning there with verse 37.

[John Weaver] Psalm 18, verse 37. David said this, and this is true of each of these four men who subdued kingdoms. He said, I have pursued mine enemies and overtaken them. Neither did I turn again until they were consumed. I wounded them, and they were not able to rise. They are fallen under my feet. For thou, talking about God, for thou hast girded me with strength in the battle. Thou subdued under me those that rose up against me. Thou hast given also me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me.

[John Weaver] They cried, but there was none to save them, even unto the Lord. But he answered them not. Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind. I did cast them out as the dirt of the streets. Thou hast delivered me from the striving of the people, and thou hast made me the head of the heathen. A people whom I have not known shall serve me." And of course, David's victories foreshadowed the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, these four men, Along with David subdued kingdoms.

[John Weaver] Through faith, now I want you to listen to these applications. The first one is this. Faith does not look at circumstances. Where would Gideon be? If he looked at the multitudes that were before him without faith? Faith. does not look at weaponry. Where would Barack be if he only looked at the great arsenal of Cicero? Faith does not look at others. Faith looks at God alone. Where would Samson be if he looked to his brethren for help? Faith does not look at the world. It looks only at the promises of God.

[John Weaver] Where would Jephthah be if he listened to the news as published by the king of Ammon? Where would Jephthah be if he read only the history books as published by the Ammonites? Faith looks at God and his word. And faith does not need or heed the advice, counsel, word, or comfort of man. It respects God and God alone.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to listen very carefully to this second application. We sit here and we say, wow, these men subdued kingdoms. And they did. And they did it by faith. Are you listening? But if you were observant. And if you were listening. You should have learned that faith does not preclude fighting. Each of these heroes of faith. Thought. It is true, they thought according to God's word and they followed him explicitly. But they did fight.

[John Weaver] One of our problems today is this. We want victory without faith and without fighting. Neither one is possible. Neither one is possible. We must fight to win and we must fight by faith. Seems to me like I remember our forefathers said something like this. Trust in God and keep your powder dry. The phrase is actually attributed, by the way, to Oliver Cromwell. He said it like this. Put your trust in God, my boys, and keep your powder dry. We have to fight. We may have to fight physically, but we always have to fight spiritually and mentally and emotionally. And we expect to conquer any of our fears and any of our enemies without fighting. We're mistaken. Thirdly.

[John Weaver] If faith the size of mustard seed is able to move mountains. And remove trees. Surely such a faith is able to subdue kingdoms and bring them in submission to the Lord Jesus Christ. Thankfully, one day we will hear with our own ears the seventh angel as he says, the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our God and His Christ. And he shall reign forever and ever.

[John Weaver] And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and of Samson and Jephthah and David also and Samuel and of the prophets who through faith subdued kingdoms, brought righteousness. Obtained promises. Stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire. Escaped the edge of the sword. Out of weakness were made strong. Waxed valiant in fight. And turned to flight the armies of the aliens. All through faith. We need to exercise the faith that God has given us.

[John Weaver] Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, We pray for your direction. We pray for your health. We pray, Heavenly Father, that we would honor thee. And Lord, we want to present our bodies unto thee a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto thee, which is our reasonable service. May we not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. And Lord, I pray that you would stir us up and help us, Lord, to desire to subdue a kingdom for the honor of Jesus Christ our Lord, in whose name we pray, Amen.

[John Weaver] You may contact Dominion Ministry by mail at 7400 Abercorn, that's A-B-E-R-C-O-R-N Street, Suite 705, PMB 175, Savannah, Georgia, 31406. Or give us a call at 912-925-0995.

[John Weaver] You can also visit our website at www.dominionministry.com

The Power of Faith

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	101711154090
Subject	Civil Government
Course	Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order: Where We Are & How We Got Here
Genre	Sermon
Date	2011-07-24
Dictation Name
Book	Book 009: Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order — Chapter 12
Source Timed Segments	87

Formatted Transcript

Opening

All right, let's open our Bibles today to the book of Hebrews chapter 12. I'm sorry, Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11. I was looking at 12, but it's Hebrews chapter 11 and verses 32 through 34, verses that you have read and that I have read innumerable times. The title of the message is "The Power of Faith." Now, watch this, Hebrews 11, and let's begin reading there with verse 32.

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 11:32-34

"And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens."

Introduction: The Question of Faith

Weaver introduces the topic by asking where our faith is when needed, emphasizing that the just shall live by faith as stated in both Old and New Testaments.

Now, today, I'm just going to be dealing with this one little phrase found in verse 33: "subdued kingdoms.

Scripture Reading — Romans 1:17

" I got to thinking, boy, in light of what he said, I'd really like to preach a message on each one of these little points here. But it just floored me as I read through this passage again. So let me begin by asking some questions. Listen carefully. Where is your faith? Where is your faith when you need it? Where is the evidence that you have faith and that you are living by faith? Do you realize that we have been told three times in the New Testament that the just shall live by faith? For instance, in Romans 1 and verse 17, Paul said, "

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." Then in Galatians 3 and verse 11, the scripture says, "But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith."

Then in Hebrews 10 and verse 38, he says,

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 10:38

"Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him."

And the Old Testament is equally as plain. For in the book of Habakkuk, chapter 2 and verse 4, we read this:

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 10:38

"But the just shall live by his faith."

So it doesn't matter if you look in the Old Testament, doesn't matter if you look in the New Testament, the scripture tells us that the just always live by faith. Now, I want you to hold Hebrews chapter 12, but I want you to look first of all in Matthew chapter 17, and then we're going to be turning to the book of Luke. Look in Matthew chapter 17 and verse 20. Matthew 17 and verse 20, then we'll go to the book of Luke. So watch Matthew 17 and verse 20. The Scripture says it like this: Matthew 17, verse 20, our Lord is speaking, and Jesus said unto them, "Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and

The Power of Mustard Seed Faith

Jesus taught that faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains and trees, highlighting the immense potential of even tiny faith.

nothing shall be impossible unto you." Now, look at that again. Our Lord said, "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Scripture Reading — Luke 17:6

" Now, look in Luke chapter 17, if you would please, and verse 6, an interesting passage as well. Luke 17 and verse 6. And the Lord said, "

If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you." Now, I begin by asking, where's your faith? You may respond and you may say, "But I have saving faith and I'm saved by the grace of God." And my response would be, I'm thankful for salvation by grace through faith, and I'm thankful that you were saved. But my question is, where's your conquering faith? Where's the faith that removes mountains? Where's the faith that removes trees and kingdoms and men? Now, twice our Lord said, "If you had the faith the size of a grain of a mustard seed, you should say to this mountain or you should say to this tree, 'Be thou removed,' and it would obey you." Most of us have probably never seen a mustard seed.

But they are about half the size of a poppy seed or about the size of the head of a straight pin. Now, if faith the size of the top of the head of a straight pin can move mountains and trees, what could faith the size of a peanut do? Just stop and think. Now, Hebrews 11 details many great and glorious deeds done by faith, in faith, and through faith. And as you read Hebrews chapter 11, of all these mighty, wonderful acts and accomplishments that were performed by men and women, you will find that their great accomplishments are always preceded by two words: "by faith." Now, I want you to look back at Hebrews chapter 11 again and look, if you would please, at verse 32. He says, "And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, of Barak, of Samson, of Jephthah; of David also, and Samuel, and the prophets."

Hebrews 11: Faith in Action

The author of Hebrews lists many deeds done 'by faith,' showing that faith is applied action, not mere belief.

Now, Hebrews 11 details many great and glorious deeds done by faith, in faith, and through faith. And as you read Hebrews chapter 11, of all these mighty, wonderful acts and accomplishments that were performed by men and women, you will find that their great accomplishments are always preceded by two words: "by faith." Now, I want you to look back at Hebrews chapter 11 again and look, if you would please, at verse 32. He says, "And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, of Barak, of Samson, of Jephthah; of David also, and Samuel, and the prophets."

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 11:1

Now, when the author of Hebrews intimates that he said enough to prove the definition of faith that he had given in Hebrews 11 and verse 1, and that by it, that is, by faith, the elders obtained a good report, yet he had not said everything that he could say. He had much more to say, but he did not have the time to list all of the great acts and accomplishments that had been performed by faith. And so he says, "And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of." In other words, there's not simply enough time left, he says, to tell of all of these wonderful accomplishments that have been done in and through and by faith.

So have you ever pondered upon? Have you ever meditated upon the power of faith? Have you ever wondered what exactly could be accomplished by faith? Have you ever thought what could be accomplished by your faith? And have you ever wondered why we don't exercise faith? Yet, we read all of these great and wonderful things.

Now, we know already just from reading the scriptures that the just shall live by faith, and we already know by Hebrews 11, verse 6, "Without faith it is impossible to please God: for he that cometh to God must first believe that he is, and secondly, that he is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him." But look back, if you would, at verse 32 and verse 33. This is what struck me. "And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, of Barak, and of Samson, of Jephthah; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens." When I read these verses the other day, I was struck anew and afresh with the thundering truth that these men actually lived out their faith. Their faith was applied action. The men mentioned in verse 32 actually subdued kingdoms. They actually wrought righteousness. They actually obtained the fulfillment of promises. They literally stopped the mouths of lions and they did everything else that is mentioned here. But the part that really struck me was this: that they subdued kingdoms. Stop and ponder that for a moment. Entire kingdoms were subdued by faith.

Civil Rulers as Enemies of God

Weaver uses Old Testament examples (Saul, Manasseh, Omri, Ahab) to prove that civil governments become enemies of God when they disobey His law and lead people into idolatry.

Do you know a kingdom that needs to be subdued? How about America? Now, one objection says, "Wait a minute, I know enough about the Bible. When I read of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah and David, I know enough about the Bible to know that the kingdoms that those men subdued were enemy kingdoms. They were enemies to God and enemies to God's people." So what's the difference? America has become the enemy of God and the enemy of God's people. What we have forgotten is this: that civil rulers and civil governments can become the enemy of God just like anyone or anything else can.

Now, I want you to hold Hebrews 11, but I want you to turn back in your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 15. First Samuel chapter 15, and I want to show you the evidence. The evidence how a civil ruler can become the enemy of God and the enemy of God's people. Now watch this. First Samuel chapter 15, you remember that King Saul was king. He had been anointed king. Notice 1 Samuel 15, beginning there in verse 10. "Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying, It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me." Now, how do we know that Saul turned back from following God? Here it is.

"He hath not performed my commandments." And it grieved Samuel, and he cried unto the Lord all night. How do we know that King Saul turned back? How do we know that King Saul became the enemy of God? How do we know that King Saul became the enemy of God's people? The answer is because he has not performed the law of God. He has not obeyed God's law.

Now, the interesting thing is this: if God classifies this civil ruler as his enemy for disobeying his law, where does that put the other civil rulers? Skip down, if you would, to verses 26 through 29. I want you to see what God says about King Saul. Beginning in verse 26. Saul had asked Samuel to turn again and worship with him, and Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel." And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent. And Samuel said unto him, "The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbor of thine that is better than thou. And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man that he should repent." In other words, Saul, you've just done it. You've lost the kingdom. It is rent out of your hands.

And you remember when Saul disobeyed God, he caused the people to sin and to disobey God as well. So he became not only the enemy of God, he became the enemy of God's people. Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 21 and look at verse 9. Manasseh was the most wicked king in the southern kingdom. Second Kings, chapter 21 and verse 9, and let me show you what the Bible says concerning Manasseh. Look at it. In fact, let's read verse 8, just so you can see the context here. God had promised and God had said,

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 21:8-9

"Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them."

Now watch what happened.

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 21:8-9

"But they hearkened not."

Hearkened not to what? To God's law. To God's commandment.

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 21:8-9

"But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel."

So here is the civil ruler. Here is the civil government seducing the nation into idolatry. And if you read what Manasseh did, he not only legitimized sodomy, he even placed sodomites in the temple of the Lord. He put a grove there. He did all kind of wicked, vile things, much like the United States is doing today. If you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Hosea, right after the book of Daniel, Daniel, Hosea, look in chapter 8. Hosea, chapter 8.

And I want you to notice what God says. Hosea, chapter 8. Hosea, Joel, Amos. Hosea, chapter 8, and look, if you would please, begin there in verse 3. Here's how wicked Israel was. Hosea 8 and verse 3. In fact, let's read verse 2.

Scripture Reading — Hosea 8:2-4

"Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee."

Oh, do you really? Then he says,

Scripture Reading — Hosea 8:2-4

"Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him."

Why?

"They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off." Now, when the Bible says, and God is speaking here, that they have set up kings, but not by me, and they made princes, I knew it not, doesn't mean that God was ignorant of it. No, what he means is they set up kings and princes that were contrary to his law. They violated his word. And in doing so, they also set up their idols. They fell into idolatry. In other words, a wicked civil ruler, as we've seen in every one of these instances, always leads the people in idolatry. I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Micah. Turn right on over to the book of Micah. Right before the book of Nahum, you have the book of Micah. Right after Jonah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum. Micah chapter 6. And let's begin reading there with verse 16. Watch this carefully. Micah 6 and verse 16. What does God say?

"For the statutes of Omri are kept." And remember, Omri was the father of Ahab. "For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people." Now, what is God complaining about? They're walking in the statutes of Omri and the statutes of Ahab. In other words, they are following man's law and not God's law. I want you to go back in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 17. Let me ask you a question. Why did God send the children of Israel into captivity? Let me show it to you in black and white. Here's why God sent the children of Israel into captivity, and it is also why he sent Judah into captivity. I'll show you. Look in 2 Kings 17, beginning there with verse 7. Look what the Bible says. "For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods." Whoa, wait a minute. They feared other gods. How do we know they feared other gods? Well, you say, God just told us. Oh, I know He just told us, but there has to be evidence.

Watch it. "And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made." What did they do? They swapped God's law for man's law. They obeyed the laws of man. They refused to obey the law of God. And God says, this is why I sent them into captivity. Skip down to verses 18 and 19. Same chapter. Look what he says. "Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only." Here it is black and white. "Also Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they had made." Wow. They were not without law. They were just without God's law. And God counted it as idolatry. Spiritual adultery. And I know you know this verse, but look in your Bibles to Psalm 94.

You've got to see it again in light of all of this. Look in Psalm 94. It is so plain. Psalm 94. And look, if you would please, beginning there with verse 20. God asks,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 94:20-21

"Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?"

Let me just stop right there for a moment.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 94:20-21

"Shall the throne of iniquity"

—a throne speaks of government, a throne of iniquity speaks of a wicked civil government. So here's the question: Shall a wicked civil government have fellowship with God when that wicked civil government frames or makes mischief or sin by law, or they make sin legal? And what's the next verse?

Scripture Reading — Psalm 94:20-21

"They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood."

So the question God asks is, can a wicked civil government have fellowship with God when they make sin legal?

And the answer is absolutely not. No, it's so that the civil ruler and civil governments can very easily and very quickly become the enemies of God. Now, when you go back in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 11 and look again at verse 32, look what is said. "And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms." Let me stop right there. They were overthrowing wicked civil governments. The men mentioned in verse 32 are from the times of the judges, with the exception of David, and the judges were those men that God raised up to govern His people and to deliver His people. Now, there are four judges that are mentioned specifically. They are Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah. Now, Samuel was also counted as a judge, but he was more than a judge. He was a judge and a prophet. And let me point something else out about verse 32. The apostle here does not produce these men in chronological order, for Barak lived before Gideon, and Jephthah lived before Samson, and Samuel lived before David.

Gideon: Faith Overcomes Fear and Idolatry

Gideon's faith was demonstrated first by tearing down Baal's altar, then by obeying God's battle plan with only 300 men against a vast army.

You may go ahead and turn in your Bibles to the book of Judges chapter 6. We're not going to start there, but if you would read Judges chapter 6, you would find out about the call of Gideon there. And the very first thing that you and I remember about Gideon is Gideon and his 300 men and how they attacked the enemy with lamps and trumpets. And you and I both know that originally Gideon had far more than 300 men. He had about 32,000 to begin with. Now, let me ask you a question: if you were going into battle, humanly speaking, if you're going into battle, would you be more comfortable with 32,000 men beside you or with 300 beside you? I mean, humanly speaking, we want 32,000. Well, let me show you how God went in and out. Look in Judges chapter 7, and let's begin reading there verse 2.

"And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me." "Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead." And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. So over two thirds were fearful and afraid and left. Now, watch this. "And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go." So he brought down the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, "Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink."

"And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place." Now I want you to stop and think. Gideon began with 32,000 men. Now he's cut down to 300 men. Well, what about the opposing force? What about the enemy? Well, go back to Judges chapter 6. Look at verse 3. Judges chapter 6, verse 3.

Scripture Reading — Judges 6:3-6

"And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them; and they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude;

for both 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; and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord." Now, note if you would, they were like grasshoppers. Now, look in Judges 7 and verse 12, because once again, he's going to meet these men, and look what the Bible says. Judges 7 verse 12:

Scripture Reading — Judges 7:12

"And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude."

Now, you and I have never seen anything like this, but over those times and over those places, grasshoppers, locusts could black out the sun. Wow, and here are their camels as the sand by the sea. Now, let me ask you a question. Humanly speaking, what man in his right mind would attack such a large host with only 300 men? We would probably follow that old adage, "Discretion is the better part of valor." It's kind of like Bushwhacker Johnston, the Confederate major. He said that when sometimes they were outnumbered 10 or 15 to one, they had to lead the Yankees. And, you know, you would think there would be time to lead these many knights. But just stop and think about this. The 300 men could not even wield their sword. They could not hold their sword in their hand.

Look in Judges 7 and verse 20. He divided these 300 men into three companies. Watch.

Scripture Reading — Judges 7:20-21

"And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon."

So they had a lamp in one hand and they had a trumpet in the other hand. Now, I want you to stop and think with me, please, of the faith that it required to attack such a large host with only 300 men. Add to that, you could not even be holding your weapon in your hand, being on the ready, because you had a lantern in one hand and you had a trumpet in the other hand. Add to that, your tactic is to scare and confuse a very, very large army. Add to that, after you had broken your pitcher, after you had blown your trumpet, you had to stand absolutely still. Look in Judges 7 verse 21:

Scripture Reading — Judges 7:20-21

"And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled."

Not only did you have to stand still, you have to add to the fact that if your tactic did not work, you died. So my question is, well, where is your faith? Would you have fought with Gideon? Or would you have been some of the ones that returned home?

And said, "I'll let someone else do it." Well, we normally think about the great victory that Gideon won by faith, and certainly it was a great victory. But what we fail to discern, listen carefully now, is this great victory was preceded by a simple act of obedience, which required a lot of courage. Go back in your Bibles to Judges chapter 6, beginning there at verse 25. Watch. Here's what God required Gideon to do prior to any battle with the Midianites. Judges chapter 6, verse 25. "And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it: and build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down. Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the Lord had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night. And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built."

"And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing. Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it." Wow. You know, the first thing Gideon had to do was to get rid of the idolatry in his own life, in his own home. And evidently, Joash was quite a wealthy man. By the way, the grove that you read mentioned—every time you read the word "grove" in the Bible, with the exception of when Abraham planted a grove, a grove there is a grove of trees. But every other time the word "grove" is mentioned, it refers to an Asherah, to a female sexual goddess. So here's Baal. Here's the grove or the Asherah. And they cut down the Asherah. They toppled over Baal and they used the wooden Asherah to burn the sacrifice.

And since the men of the city evidently worshiped there as well, they were ready to kill Gideon. Now, I'm not going to go over the story, but the point I'm trying to make is this: you and I will never be used of God in great battles and in great victories until we learn to become obedient in the smaller battles, in the little things. We will never be used of God in great battles until we can conquer our fears in ourselves in the smaller battles. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 12, and look at verse 5. This verse sums up everything that I'm trying to say. Jeremiah 12, verse 5. Look at it. Jeremiah 12, verse 5. Jeremiah asked. Look carefully, Jeremiah 12, verse 5. "If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?" God says, if you can't take it running with footmen, how can you run against horses? If you can't take it in the land of peace where there's hardly any problems, what are you going to do when the Jordan overflows and floods and you've got problems everywhere? In other words, if you can't function in the smaller battles, how are you ever going to function in the greater battles? If you can't exercise faith in that which is least, how can you exercise faith

in that which is the greatest? Gideon subdued kingdoms.

Barak: Faith Against Overwhelming Odds

Barak, guided by Deborah, faced 900 iron chariots with inferior forces, trusting God to deliver the enemy into his hand.

Secondly, there's Barak. You will find him in Judges chapter 4. In fact, let's look in Judges 4 and verse 3. Barak, of course, overthrew Jabin king of Canaan and delivered Israel from servitude. And look in Judges 4 and verse 3, the Bible says: "And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel." So Jabin, the king of Canaan, had nine hundred chariots of iron, and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.

Now Barak was far inferior, militarily speaking, to his enemies, and he was guided only by the counsel of a woman, Deborah. Tradition says—I can't prove this, you can't disprove it—but tradition says that Deborah was Barak's wife. A few have suggested that she might have been his mother. Now she is called in Judges chapter 4 "the wife of Lapidoth." But the phrase "the wife of Lapidoth" may also be translated as "a woman of Lapidoth." Thus, instead of identifying her husband, the phrase would identify a place. Moreover, others still have translated the word "Lapidoth" as "torches," which meant that she was—and by the way, the word "Barak" means "lightning." So, some would say that it's not necessarily even a place, but it is identifying the personality of Deborah. She would be a woman of a fiery spirit, or a woman with a torch-like spirit.

Now, I want you to stop and think. Gideon was outnumbered, but Barak was not only outnumbered, he was outgunned. He had to face 900 chariots of iron. Moreover, Jabin had 20 years of experience in tyrannizing and oppressing the children of Israel. And yet Barak believed that God would deliver Jabin and Sisera and those people into his hands. Look in Judges chapter 4, beginning there with verse 14. Judges 4 verse 14: "And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the Lord gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him." Now watch: "And the Lord discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet." Wow.

Now, you know the story how Barak had insisted that Deborah go with him. And she said, "All right, I'll go, but God's going to deliver the man you want into the hand of a woman." Of course, Sisera ran away and he got to the tent of Jael. And he asked for something to drink, some water; she gave him milk and butter in a lordly dish, the Bible says. He said, "Now if any man comes by this tent door and asks, you tell him I'm not here. There's nobody here but you." And he laid down to rest. He was so tired. So she covered him up. And when he went to sleep, she took a hammer and a tent peg and helped him to sleep permanently. She put it right in the temple and drove his head to the ground. Barak came along, she stepped outside, said, "Come inside and I'll show you the man whom you seek."

Now, the point I'm making is this: although God delivered Sisera into the hand of a woman, God delivered the whole kingdom into the hand of Barak. So look, if you would, in Judges chapter 4, beginning there, verse 23. Look what the Bible says, Judges 4, verse 23. "So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan." So here's Barak, who has subdued a kingdom by faith, with far fewer men and far fewer weapons.

Samson: Faith to Fight Alone

Samson, one man against a nation, fought alone even when his own people opposed him, subduing the Philistines through God's Spirit.

And you would ask, what in the world could a simple country farmer do against such proven conquerors? And you have to remember the Philistines had conquered the entire nation of Israel. And so Samson then was appointed by God to deliver Israel from the oppressive yoke of the Philistines. And God used him and God gave him extraordinary assistance. And Samson discomfited his enemies on many occasions. I want you to watch. Gideon had 300. He was outnumbered. Barak had 10,000, but he was still outnumbered and outgunned.

But at least he had some help. When you come to Samson, it was one man against an entire nation. One man against an entire nation. And the unique thing about Samson is he fought alone. I will tell you something else that is just mind-boggling. His own people fought against him. It seems as if, oftentimes, the ones that you really try to help, they're the ones that will plunge the knife in your back. It's just like when David delivered Keilah. And Saul found out that David was in Keilah. And Saul said, "God has delivered him into my hands because he's gotten up into a city with walls." And so David then inquired of Abiathar the priest, "Will Saul most certainly come?" "Yes," he said, "he'll come."

Then he asked this question: "Will the people of Keilah deliver me into his hands?" God said, "They will deliver thee." And if you will read the chapter before that, David had just delivered the people of Keilah. He just saved their skins. And now they're willing to turn David over to Saul to save their own skin. Well, some people never change. So look in Judges chapter 15, beginning there, verse 9, and of course, Samson has been working on the Philistines. And look at this, Judges 15, verse 9. In fact, let's read verse 7. "And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease. And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam. Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi. And the men of Judah said"—watch, not the Philistines, the men of Judah, the Judahites—"And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us?"

"And they answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us. Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them. And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves. And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock."

Now, let me just stop there. Can you imagine? It makes me angry just to even think about it. But can you imagine the sissyhood, the cowardness, when they look at Samson and said, "What have you done to us? Don't you know the Philistines are our rulers? You've gotten us in trouble. They're going to take it out on us. They'll hurt us. We'll lose our crops. We'll lose our homes. What have you done? Don't you know they are rulers?"

They knew nothing about justice. They could care less about justice. And they were willing to bind the only man who was fighting for them and deliver him into the hands of their enemies, knowing that they wanted to kill Samson.

And when Samson came down from that rock, the Spirit of God came upon him and he burst those bonds and picked up the jawbone of an ass and killed 1,000 Philistines. Samson was one man against an entire nation. He fought. And he fought alone. You know, it's one thing when you have your friends and your family and your neighbors with you and they're willing to help you and stand with you. That's quite an encouragement. But when your own family and your own friends are against you and you have to stand and fight and fight even for those who hate you and those who despise you and those who would destroy you, and you have to fight for them. Samson subdued the Philistines, and you know the story how he killed more in his death than he did in his life. I don't know how many he killed in his life, but he killed 1,000 at one time right here. But he had to fight. And he had to fight alone. And in spite of all of his faults, in spite of all of his failings, God used him.

Jephthah: Faith in God's Promises

Jephthah, rejected by his people, believed God's promise of the land and defeated the Ammonites despite their false claims.

And they kicked him out. And so Jephthah rightly believed that he was hated and despised even by his own family. But the interesting thing is this: when the Ammonites made war against the Israelites, and the Israelites were losing, they come to Jephthah for help. Here's another truth: that many who would not usually even give you the time of day will hurry to you when they are in need or in danger. And Jephthah agreed to fight and to help deliver a people who were already engaged in war and who were already losing that war. So Jephthah embraced what you and I would call a hopeless cause.

So look in Judges 11 beginning there with verse 5. "And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob: and they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?" And of course, you know the story how they said, "No, we're going to make you our captain. You just lead us." And of course, Jephthah then agrees to do so. The faith of Jephthah is revealed in the fact that he believed in the promises and in the providence of God. You see, the children of Ammon were trying to take land that they had never owned, that had been given to the children of Israel. Now watch this.

Look in Judges 11. Let's begin reading there with verse 12. Here is Jephthah's word to the king of Ammon. "And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land?" Why are you even over here? "And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan:

now therefore restore those lands again peaceably. And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon: and said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon: but when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh; then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh. Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab. And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place."

"But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. And the Lord God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country. And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan. So now the Lord God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it? Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the Lord our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess." So notice what he's saying. Let's go down to verse 25. "And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them, while Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years?

Why therefore did ye not recover them within that time? Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the Lord the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon. Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him." Now, here's what Jephthah says. Look, God gave us that land. And we have had it in possession for 300 years. And now you're going to make claim on it. If the land was yours, why didn't you make claim before 300 years was up? It was never yours. God gave it to us. And what Jephthah is doing, he is believing the promise that God gave to Abraham. And by the way, God used Jephthah to defeat the Ammonites. Look in Judges 11, beginning there, verse 32. Judges 11, verse 32.

"So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord delivered them into his hands. And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel."

Summary of Their Faith

Each man's faith involved specific obedience: Gideon destroyed idols, Barak believed revelation, Samson followed the Spirit, Jephthah trusted promises.

Now, I want you to think with me just momentarily of these four men who through faith subdued kingdoms. Let me try to summarize it for you. First of all, the faith of Gideon consisted in his throwing down the altar of Baal and cutting down the grove in obedience to the command of God and then following God's word to the letter as God ordered the battle. The faith of Barak consisted in believing the revelation made to Deborah and the command to go against Jabin's numerous army. Samson's faith consisted in his obedience to the impulses that the Spirit of God placed upon him in his life as he fought against God's enemies. And Jephthah's faith consisted particularly in believing the promise that God gave to Abraham that they would possess that land, and he fought. Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to Psalm 18. I want you to see this. As this is said of David, it can also be said of Gideon, of Barak, of Samson, and Jephthah. Watch carefully. Psalm 18, beginning there with verse 37.

Psalm 18, verse 37. David said this, and this is true of each of these four men who subdued kingdoms. He said, "I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed. I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet. For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me. Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me."

Applications: Faith Does Not Look at Circumstances

Faith ignores circumstances, weaponry, others, and worldly news; it looks only to God and His word.

Through faith. Now I want you to listen to these applications. The first one is this: Faith does not look at circumstances. Where would Gideon be if he looked at the multitudes that were before him without faith? Faith does not look at weaponry. Where would Barak be if he only looked at the great arsenal of Sisera? Faith does not look at others. Faith looks at God alone. Where would Samson be if he looked to his brethren for help? Faith does not look at the world. It looks only at the promises of God.

Where would Jephthah be if he listened to the news as published by the king of Ammon? Where would Jephthah be if he read only the history books as published by the Ammonites? Faith looks at God and his word. And faith does not need or heed the advice, counsel, word, or comfort of man. It respects God and God alone.

Now, I want you to listen very carefully to this second application. We sit here and we say, "Wow, these men subdued kingdoms." And they did. And they did it by faith. Are you listening? But if you were observant, and if you were listening, you should have learned that faith does not preclude fighting. Each of these heroes of faith fought. It is true, they fought according to God's word and they followed him explicitly. But they did fight.

Applications: Faith Requires Fighting

Victory requires both faith and fighting; believers must fight spiritually, mentally, and sometimes physically, trusting God.

One of our problems today is this: we want victory without faith and without fighting. Neither one is possible. Neither one is possible. We must fight to win and we must fight by faith. Seems to me like I remember our forefathers said something like this: "Trust in God and keep your powder dry." The phrase is actually attributed, by the way, to Oliver Cromwell. He said it like this: "Put your trust in God, my boys, and keep your powder dry." We have to fight. We may have to fight physically, but we always have to fight spiritually and mentally and emotionally. And if we expect to conquer any of our fears and any of our enemies without fighting, we're mistaken. Thirdly.

Conclusion: Subduing Kingdoms by Faith

Mustard-seed faith can subdue kingdoms for Christ, and one day all kingdoms will become His; we must exercise the faith God has given.

If faith the size of a mustard seed is able to move mountains and remove trees, surely such a faith is able to subdue kingdoms and bring them in submission to the Lord Jesus Christ. Thankfully, one day we will hear with our own ears the seventh angel as he says, "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." "And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens." All through faith. We need to exercise the faith that God has given us.

Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we pray for your direction. We pray for your help. We pray, Heavenly Father, that we would honor thee. And Lord, we want to present our bodies unto thee a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto thee, which is our reasonable service. May we not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. And Lord, I pray that you would stir us up and help us, Lord, to desire to subdue a kingdom for the honor of Jesus Christ our Lord, in whose name we pray, Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Nature of Saving vs. Conquering Faith

Summary: Weaver distinguishes between saving faith and conquering faith, urging believers to exercise faith that actively subdues opposition.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'But my question is, where's your conquering faith? Where's the faith that removes mountains? Where's the faith that removes trees and kingdoms and men?'

Civil Government as Enemy of God

Summary: Civil rulers become enemies of God when they disobey His law and lead people into idolatry, as seen in Saul, Manasseh, and others.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'America has become the enemy of God and the enemy of God's people... civil rulers and civil governments can become the enemy of God just like anyone or anything else can.'

Faith Demonstrated Through Obedience and Action

Summary: The heroes of faith subdued kingdoms not by passive belief but by specific acts of obedience, often involving physical conflict.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Their faith was applied action. The men mentioned in verse 32 actually subdued kingdoms. They actually wrought righteousness.'

Faith Does Not Preclude Fighting

Summary: Victory requires both faith and fighting; believers must engage in spiritual and sometimes physical battles.

Evidence: Weaver asserts, 'One of our problems today is this: we want victory without faith and without fighting. Neither one is possible.'

The Power of Small Faith

Summary: Even faith as small as a mustard seed can accomplish great things, including moving mountains and subduing kingdoms.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'If faith the size of the top of the head of a straight pin can move mountains and trees, what could faith the size of a peanut do?'

Obedience in Small Things Precedes Great Victories

Summary: God uses people in great battles only after they learn obedience in smaller matters, as seen in Gideon's initial act of destroying idols.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'You and I will never be used of God in great battles and in great victories until we learn to become obedient in the smaller battles.'

Key Arguments

The just shall live by faith

Summary: Scripture repeatedly states that the just live by faith, implying a continuous, active faith rather than a one-time belief.

Evidence: Weaver cites Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38, and Habakkuk 2:4 to show this principle across both Testaments.

Civil rulers can be God's enemies

Summary: When civil governments disobey God's law and promote idolatry, they become enemies of God and His people, as exemplified by Saul and Manasseh.

Evidence: Weaver references 1 Samuel 15:10-11, 2 Kings 21:9, and Hosea 8:4 to argue that wicked rulers lead nations into sin.

Faith is applied action

Summary: The heroes of Hebrews 11 demonstrated faith through concrete actions, not abstract belief; they 'subdued kingdoms' by fighting.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Their faith was applied action... they actually subdued kingdoms.'

Faith ignores circumstances

Summary: True faith does not consider human limitations, enemy strength, or lack of support; it focuses solely on God and His promises.

Evidence: Weaver summarizes: 'Faith does not look at circumstances... Faith does not look at weaponry... Faith does not look at others. Faith looks at God alone.'

Victory requires fighting

Summary: Faith without fighting is insufficient; believers must actively engage in spiritual warfare, and sometimes physical, to see God's deliverance.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We must fight to win and we must fight by faith... We may have to fight physically, but we always have to fight spiritually and mentally and emotionally.'

Small faith can accomplish great things

Summary: Jesus' teaching on mustard-seed faith shows that even minimal faith, when exercised, can overcome immense obstacles.

Evidence: Weaver references Matthew 17:20 and Luke 17:6, emphasizing that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains.

Scripture References

Hebrews 11:32-34

Context: The primary text, listing heroes who through faith subdued kingdoms and performed mighty deeds.

Romans 1:17

Context: Cited to show that the just shall live by faith, part of the threefold New Testament witness.

Galatians 3:11

Context: Second New Testament reference that the just shall live by faith.

Hebrews 10:38

Context: Third New Testament reference, warning against drawing back from faith.

Habakkuk 2:4

Context: Old Testament source for the principle that the just shall live by faith.

Matthew 17:20

Context: Jesus' teaching that faith as a mustard seed can move mountains, and nothing shall be impossible.

Luke 17:6

Context: Parallel teaching that faith as a mustard seed can command a sycamine tree to be uprooted.

Hebrews 11:1

Context: The definition of faith, referenced as the basis for the elders obtaining a good report.

Hebrews 11:6

Context: Without faith it is impossible to please God; those who come to God must believe He is and rewards seekers.

1 Samuel 15:10-11

Context: God rejects Saul as king because he turned back from following God and did not perform His commandments.

1 Samuel 15:26-29

Context: Samuel tells Saul that the Lord has rejected him and rent the kingdom from him for disobedience.

2 Kings 21:8-9

Context: Manasseh seduced Israel to do more evil than the nations, legitimizing idolatry and sodomy.

Hosea 8:2-4

Context: Israel set up kings and princes not by God, violating His law and falling into idolatry.

Micah 6:16

Context: The statutes of Omri and works of Ahab are kept, meaning they follow man's law instead of God's.

2 Kings 17:7-8, 18-19

Context: Israel and Judah went into captivity because they walked in the statutes of the heathen and forsook God's law.

Psalm 94:20-21

Context: A throne of iniquity frames mischief by law, condemning the innocent; such government cannot fellowship with God.

Judges 7:2-7

Context: God reduces Gideon's army from 32,000 to 300 to ensure Israel knows the victory is from the Lord.

Judges 6:3-6

Context: The Midianites and allies came as grasshoppers, destroying Israel's sustenance, causing great impoverishment.

Judges 7:12

Context: The enemy lay in the valley like grasshoppers, with camels without number.

Judges 7:20-21

Context: Gideon's 300 men blew trumpets, broke pitchers, held lamps, and stood still as the enemy fled.

Historical References

Gideon

Context: Judge who subdued Midianites with 300 men, first destroying Baal's altar; example of faith overcoming fear.

Barak

Context: Judge who, with Deborah, defeated Jabin and Sisera despite 900 iron chariots; faith against overwhelming odds.

Samson

Context: Judge who fought alone against the Philistines, even when his own people opposed him; one man against a nation.

Jephthah

Context: Judge rejected by his people, yet led them against Ammon, trusting God's promise of the land.

King Saul

Context: First king of Israel, rejected by God for disobedience, becoming an enemy of God and His people.

Manasseh

Context: Wicked king of Judah who seduced the nation into idolatry and placed sodomites in the temple.

Omri and Ahab

Context: Kings whose statutes (man's law) led Israel into sin, referenced in Micah as examples of wicked rule.

Oliver Cromwell

Context: Attributed with the phrase 'Put your trust in God, my boys, and keep your powder dry,' illustrating faith and action.

Bushwhacker Johnston

Context: Confederate major mentioned as an example of being outnumbered but still fighting, illustrating discretion and valor.

David and Keilah

Context: David delivered Keilah, but its people were willing to betray him to Saul, illustrating betrayal by those helped.

Important Quotes

Where is your faith when you need it? Where is the evidence that you have faith and that you are living by faith?

Significance: Sets the tone for the sermon, challenging listeners to examine the reality of their faith.

If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Significance: Key verse on the power of small faith, directly quoted from Matthew 17:20.

Their faith was applied action. The men mentioned in verse 32 actually subdued kingdoms.

Significance: Central thesis that faith is not passive but results in concrete deeds.

America has become the enemy of God and the enemy of God's people.

Significance: Controversial application, equating modern America with the wicked kingdoms subdued by faith.

Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?

Significance: Psalm 94:20 quoted to argue that governments making sin legal cannot have fellowship with God.

You and I will never be used of God in great battles and in great victories until we learn to become obedient in the smaller battles, in the little things.

Significance: Practical principle drawn from Gideon's initial act of obedience before his military victory.

One of our problems today is this: we want victory without faith and without fighting. Neither one is possible.

Significance: Key application that faith requires active engagement, not passive hope.

Discussion Questions

What is the difference between saving faith and conquering faith, and how can we cultivate conquering faith in our lives?

Context: Weaver distinguishes between faith that saves and faith that actively subdues opposition, challenging believers to move beyond mere salvation.

In what ways can civil governments become enemies of God, and how should Christians respond?

Context: Weaver argues from Scripture that rulers who disobey God's law and promote idolatry are God's enemies, using America as an example.

How does Gideon's initial act of tearing down Baal's altar prepare him for the greater battle against the Midianites?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that obedience in small things precedes great victories, using Gideon as a model.

What can we learn from Samson's willingness to fight alone, even when his own people opposed him?

Context: Samson's solitary stand against the Philistines illustrates faith that does not depend on human support.

How does Jephthah's argument based on God's promises and historical possession apply to modern disputes over truth and territory?

Context: Jephthah trusted God's word over the Ammonite king's claims, showing faith in God's promises.

What does it mean that 'faith does not preclude fighting,' and how should this shape our spiritual warfare?

Context: Weaver insists that victory requires both faith and active fighting, challenging passive Christianity.

How can we exercise mustard-seed faith to 'subdue kingdoms' in our personal lives, communities, and nation?

Context: The sermon concludes with a call to apply the power of faith to bring areas of life under Christ's lordship.

Applications

Examine your faith

Summary: Believers should assess whether they have only saving faith or also conquering faith that actively overcomes obstacles.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'Where is your faith when you need it? Where is the evidence that you have faith and that you are living by faith?'

Start with small obediences

Summary: Before expecting great victories, Christians must obey God in small matters, like Gideon tearing down idols in his own life.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'You and I will never be used of God in great battles... until we learn to become obedient in the smaller battles.'

Fight by faith

Summary: Victory requires both faith and active engagement; believers must fight spiritually, mentally, and sometimes physically.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We must fight to win and we must fight by faith... We may have to fight physically, but we always have to fight spiritually.'

Trust God, not circumstances

Summary: Faith ignores human limitations and focuses solely on God and His promises, as seen in the judges.

Evidence: Weaver summarizes, 'Faith does not look at circumstances... Faith looks at God alone.'

Subdue kingdoms for Christ

Summary: Believers are called to exercise faith to bring areas of society under the lordship of Jesus Christ.

Evidence: Weaver prays, 'Help us, Lord, to desire to subdue a kingdom for the honor of Jesus Christ our Lord.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T00:28:13Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T14:58:34Z

Clean Transcript

The Power of Faith

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

All right, let's open our Bibles today to the book of Hebrews chapter 12. I'm sorry, Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11. I was looking at 12, but it's Hebrews chapter 11 and verses 32 through 34, verses that you have read and that I have read innumerable times. The title of the message is "The Power of Faith." Now, watch this, Hebrews 11, and let's begin reading there with verse 32.
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"And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens."
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Now, today, I'm just going to be dealing with this one little phrase found in verse 33: "subdued kingdoms." I got to thinking, boy, in light of what he said, I'd really like to preach a message on each one of these little points here. But it just floored me as I read through this passage again. So let me begin by asking some questions. Listen carefully. Where is your faith? Where is your faith when you need it? Where is the evidence that you have faith and that you are living by faith? Do you realize that we have been told three times in the New Testament that the just shall live by faith? For instance, in Romans 1 and verse 17, Paul said, "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." Then in Galatians 3 and verse 11, the scripture says, "But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith."
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Then in Hebrews 10 and verse 38, he says, "Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." And the Old Testament is equally as plain. For in the book of Habakkuk, chapter 2 and verse 4, we read this: "But the just shall live by his faith." So it doesn't matter if you look in the Old Testament, doesn't matter if you look in the New Testament, the scripture tells us that the just always live by faith. Now, I want you to hold Hebrews chapter 12, but I want you to look first of all in Matthew chapter 17, and then we're going to be turning to the book of Luke. Look in Matthew chapter 17 and verse 20. Matthew 17 and verse 20, then we'll go to the book of Luke. So watch Matthew 17 and verse 20. The Scripture says it like this: Matthew 17, verse 20, our Lord is speaking, and Jesus said unto them, "Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and
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nothing shall be impossible unto you." Now, look at that again. Our Lord said, "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."
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Now, look in Luke chapter 17, if you would please, and verse 6, an interesting passage as well. Luke 17 and verse 6. And the Lord said, "If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you." Now, I begin by asking, where's your faith? You may respond and you may say, "But I have saving faith and I'm saved by the grace of God." And my response would be, I'm thankful for salvation by grace through faith, and I'm thankful that you were saved. But my question is, where's your conquering faith? Where's the faith that removes mountains? Where's the faith that removes trees and kingdoms and men? Now, twice our Lord said, "If you had the faith the size of a grain of a mustard seed, you should say to this mountain or you should say to this tree, 'Be thou removed,' and it would obey you." Most of us have probably never seen a mustard seed.
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But they are about half the size of a poppy seed or about the size of the head of a straight pin. Now, if faith the size of the top of the head of a straight pin can move mountains and trees, what could faith the size of a peanut do? Just stop and think.
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Now, Hebrews 11 details many great and glorious deeds done by faith, in faith, and through faith. And as you read Hebrews chapter 11, of all these mighty, wonderful acts and accomplishments that were performed by men and women, you will find that their great accomplishments are always preceded by two words: "by faith." Now, I want you to look back at Hebrews chapter 11 again and look, if you would please, at verse 32.
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He says, "And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, of Barak, of Samson, of Jephthah; of David also, and Samuel, and the prophets."
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Now, when the author of Hebrews intimates that he said enough to prove the definition of faith that he had given in Hebrews 11 and verse 1, and that by it, that is, by faith, the elders obtained a good report, yet he had not said everything that he could say. He had much more to say, but he did not have the time to list all of the great acts and accomplishments that had been performed by faith. And so he says, "And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of." In other words, there's not simply enough time left, he says, to tell of all of these wonderful accomplishments that have been done in and through and by faith.
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So have you ever pondered upon? Have you ever meditated upon the power of faith? Have you ever wondered what exactly could be accomplished by faith? Have you ever thought what could be accomplished by your faith? And have you ever wondered why we don't exercise faith? Yet, we read all of these great and wonderful things.
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Now, we know already just from reading the scriptures that the just shall live by faith, and we already know by Hebrews 11, verse 6, "Without faith it is impossible to please God: for he that cometh to God must first believe that he is, and secondly, that he is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him." But look back, if you would, at verse 32 and verse 33.
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This is what struck me. "And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, of Barak, and of Samson, of Jephthah; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens." When I read these verses the other day, I was struck anew and afresh with the thundering truth that these men actually lived out their faith. Their faith was applied action. The men mentioned in verse 32 actually subdued kingdoms. They actually wrought righteousness. They actually obtained the fulfillment of promises. They literally stopped the mouths of lions and they did everything else that is mentioned here. But the part that really struck me was this: that they subdued kingdoms. Stop and ponder that for a moment. Entire kingdoms were subdued by faith.
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Do you know a kingdom that needs to be subdued? How about America? Now, one objection says, "Wait a minute, I know enough about the Bible. When I read of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah and David, I know enough about the Bible to know that the kingdoms that those men subdued were enemy kingdoms. They were enemies to God and enemies to God's people." So what's the difference? America has become the enemy of God and the enemy of God's people. What we have forgotten is this: that civil rulers and civil governments can become the enemy of God just like anyone or anything else can.
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Now, I want you to hold Hebrews 11, but I want you to turn back in your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 15. First Samuel chapter 15, and I want to show you the evidence. The evidence how a civil ruler can become the enemy of God and the enemy of God's people. Now watch this. First Samuel chapter 15, you remember that King Saul was king. He had been anointed king. Notice 1 Samuel 15, beginning there in verse 10. "Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying, It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me." Now, how do we know that Saul turned back from following God? Here it is.
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"He hath not performed my commandments." And it grieved Samuel, and he cried unto the Lord all night. How do we know that King Saul turned back? How do we know that King Saul became the enemy of God? How do we know that King Saul became the enemy of God's people? The answer is because he has not performed the law of God. He has not obeyed God's law.
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Now, the interesting thing is this: if God classifies this civil ruler as his enemy for disobeying his law, where does that put the other civil rulers? Skip down, if you would, to verses 26 through 29. I want you to see what God says about King Saul. Beginning in verse 26. Saul had asked Samuel to turn again and worship with him, and Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel." And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent. And Samuel said unto him, "The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbor of thine that is better than thou. And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man that he should repent." In other words, Saul, you've just done it. You've lost the kingdom. It is rent out of your hands.
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And you remember when Saul disobeyed God, he caused the people to sin and to disobey God as well. So he became not only the enemy of God, he became the enemy of God's people.
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Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 21 and look at verse 9. Manasseh was the most wicked king in the southern kingdom. Second Kings, chapter 21 and verse 9, and let me show you what the Bible says concerning Manasseh. Look at it. In fact, let's read verse 8, just so you can see the context here. God had promised and God had said, "Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them." Now watch what happened. "But they hearkened not." Hearkened not to what? To God's law. To God's commandment. "But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel."
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So here is the civil ruler. Here is the civil government seducing the nation into idolatry. And if you read what Manasseh did, he not only legitimized sodomy, he even placed sodomites in the temple of the Lord. He put a grove there. He did all kind of wicked, vile things, much like the United States is doing today. If you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Hosea, right after the book of Daniel, Daniel, Hosea, look in chapter 8. Hosea, chapter 8.
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And I want you to notice what God says. Hosea, chapter 8. Hosea, Joel, Amos. Hosea, chapter 8, and look, if you would please, begin there in verse 3. Here's how wicked Israel was. Hosea 8 and verse 3. In fact, let's read verse 2. "Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee." Oh, do you really? Then he says, "Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him." Why?
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"They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off." Now, when the Bible says, and God is speaking here, that they have set up kings, but not by me, and they made princes, I knew it not, doesn't mean that God was ignorant of it. No, what he means is they set up kings and princes that were contrary to his law. They violated his word. And in doing so, they also set up their idols. They fell into idolatry.
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In other words, a wicked civil ruler, as we've seen in every one of these instances, always leads the people in idolatry. I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Micah. Turn right on over to the book of Micah. Right before the book of Nahum, you have the book of Micah. Right after Jonah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum. Micah chapter 6. And let's begin reading there with verse 16. Watch this carefully. Micah 6 and verse 16. What does God say?
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"For the statutes of Omri are kept." And remember, Omri was the father of Ahab. "For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people."
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Now, what is God complaining about? They're walking in the statutes of Omri and the statutes of Ahab. In other words, they are following man's law and not God's law. I want you to go back in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 17. Let me ask you a question. Why did God send the children of Israel into captivity? Let me show it to you in black and white. Here's why God sent the children of Israel into captivity, and it is also why he sent Judah into captivity. I'll show you. Look in 2 Kings 17, beginning there with verse 7. Look what the Bible says. "For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods." Whoa, wait a minute. They feared other gods. How do we know they feared other gods? Well, you say, God just told us. Oh, I know He just told us, but there has to be evidence.
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Watch it. "And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made." What did they do? They swapped God's law for man's law. They obeyed the laws of man. They refused to obey the law of God. And God says, this is why I sent them into captivity.
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Skip down to verses 18 and 19. Same chapter. Look what he says. "Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only." Here it is black and white. "Also Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they had made." Wow. They were not without law. They were just without God's law. And God counted it as idolatry. Spiritual adultery. And I know you know this verse, but look in your Bibles to Psalm 94.
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You've got to see it again in light of all of this. Look in Psalm 94. It is so plain. Psalm 94. And look, if you would please, beginning there with verse 20. God asks, "Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?" Let me just stop right there for a moment. "Shall the throne of iniquity"—a throne speaks of government, a throne of iniquity speaks of a wicked civil government. So here's the question: Shall a wicked civil government have fellowship with God when that wicked civil government frames or makes mischief or sin by law, or they make sin legal? And what's the next verse? "They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood." So the question God asks is, can a wicked civil government have fellowship with God when they make sin legal?
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And the answer is absolutely not. No, it's so that the civil ruler and civil governments can very easily and very quickly become the enemies of God.
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Now, when you go back in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 11 and look again at verse 32, look what is said. "And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms." Let me stop right there. They were overthrowing wicked civil governments. The men mentioned in verse 32 are from the times of the judges, with the exception of David, and the judges were those men that God raised up to govern His people and to deliver His people. Now, there are four judges that are mentioned specifically. They are Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah. Now, Samuel was also counted as a judge, but he was more than a judge. He was a judge and a prophet. And let me point something else out about verse 32. The apostle here does not produce these men in chronological order, for Barak lived before Gideon, and Jephthah lived before Samson, and Samuel lived before David.
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So he is not producing facts in their chronological order. What he is doing here, he is giving us instances of God's grace and God's power that was manifested through these men by faith and through faith. And each one of these men subdued kingdoms. Now, what I want to do this morning is I want to very quickly take these four men and just show you how by faith they subdued kingdoms. I want you to notice Gideon first.
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You may go ahead and turn in your Bibles to the book of Judges chapter 6. We're not going to start there, but if you would read Judges chapter 6, you would find out about the call of Gideon there. And the very first thing that you and I remember about Gideon is Gideon and his 300 men and how they attacked the enemy with lamps and trumpets. And you and I both know that originally Gideon had far more than 300 men.
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He had about 32,000 to begin with. Now, let me ask you a question: if you were going into battle, humanly speaking, if you're going into battle, would you be more comfortable with 32,000 men beside you or with 300 beside you? I mean, humanly speaking, we want 32,000. Well, let me show you how God went in and out. Look in Judges chapter 7, and let's begin reading there verse 2.
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"And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me."
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"Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead." And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. So over two thirds were fearful and afraid and left. Now, watch this. "And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go." So he brought down the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, "Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink."
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"And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place." Now I want you to stop and think. Gideon began with 32,000 men. Now he's cut down to 300 men.
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Well, what about the opposing force? What about the enemy? Well, go back to Judges chapter 6. Look at verse 3. Judges chapter 6, verse 3. "And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them; and they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude;
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for both 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; and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord."
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Now, note if you would, they were like grasshoppers. Now, look in Judges 7 and verse 12, because once again, he's going to meet these men, and look what the Bible says. Judges 7 verse 12: "And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude."
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Now, you and I have never seen anything like this, but over those times and over those places, grasshoppers, locusts could black out the sun. Wow, and here are their camels as the sand by the sea.
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Now, let me ask you a question. Humanly speaking, what man in his right mind would attack such a large host with only 300 men? We would probably follow that old adage, "Discretion is the better part of valor." It's kind of like Bushwhacker Johnston, the Confederate major. He said that when sometimes they were outnumbered 10 or 15 to one, they had to lead the Yankees. And, you know, you would think there would be time to lead these many knights. But just stop and think about this. The 300 men could not even wield their sword. They could not hold their sword in their hand.
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Look in Judges 7 and verse 20. He divided these 300 men into three companies. Watch. "And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon." So they had a lamp in one hand and they had a trumpet in the other hand.
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Now, I want you to stop and think with me, please, of the faith that it required to attack such a large host with only 300 men. Add to that, you could not even be holding your weapon in your hand, being on the ready, because you had a lantern in one hand and you had a trumpet in the other hand. Add to that, your tactic is to scare and confuse a very, very large army. Add to that, after you had broken your pitcher, after you had blown your trumpet, you had to stand absolutely still.
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Look in Judges 7 verse 21: "And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled." Not only did you have to stand still, you have to add to the fact that if your tactic did not work, you died. So my question is, well, where is your faith? Would you have fought with Gideon? Or would you have been some of the ones that returned home?
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And said, "I'll let someone else do it." Well, we normally think about the great victory that Gideon won by faith, and certainly it was a great victory. But what we fail to discern, listen carefully now, is this great victory was preceded by a simple act of obedience, which required a lot of courage. Go back in your Bibles to Judges chapter 6, beginning there at verse 25. Watch. Here's what God required Gideon to do prior to any battle with the Midianites. Judges chapter 6, verse 25.
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"And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it: and build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down. Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the Lord had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night. And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built."
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"And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing. Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it." Wow. You know, the first thing Gideon had to do was to get rid of the idolatry in his own life, in his own home. And evidently, Joash was quite a wealthy man. By the way, the grove that you read mentioned—every time you read the word "grove" in the Bible, with the exception of when Abraham planted a grove, a grove there is a grove of trees. But every other time the word "grove" is mentioned, it refers to an Asherah, to a female sexual goddess. So here's Baal. Here's the grove or the Asherah. And they cut down the Asherah. They toppled over Baal and they used the wooden Asherah to burn the sacrifice.
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And since the men of the city evidently worshiped there as well, they were ready to kill Gideon. Now, I'm not going to go over the story, but the point I'm trying to make is this: you and I will never be used of God in great battles and in great victories until we learn to become obedient in the smaller battles, in the little things. We will never be used of God in great battles until we can conquer our fears in ourselves in the smaller battles.
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I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 12, and look at verse 5. This verse sums up everything that I'm trying to say. Jeremiah 12, verse 5. Look at it. Jeremiah 12, verse 5. Jeremiah asked. Look carefully, Jeremiah 12, verse 5. "If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?" God says, if you can't take it running with footmen, how can you run against horses? If you can't take it in the land of peace where there's hardly any problems, what are you going to do when the Jordan overflows and floods and you've got problems everywhere? In other words, if you can't function in the smaller battles, how are you ever going to function in the greater battles? If you can't exercise faith in that which is least, how can you exercise faith
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in that which is the greatest? Gideon subdued kingdoms.
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Secondly, there's Barak. You will find him in Judges chapter 4. In fact, let's look in Judges 4 and verse 3. Barak, of course, overthrew Jabin king of Canaan and delivered Israel from servitude. And look in Judges 4 and verse 3, the Bible says: "And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel." So Jabin, the king of Canaan, had nine hundred chariots of iron, and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.
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Now Barak was far inferior, militarily speaking, to his enemies, and he was guided only by the counsel of a woman, Deborah. Tradition says—I can't prove this, you can't disprove it—but tradition says that Deborah was Barak's wife. A few have suggested that she might have been his mother.
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Now she is called in Judges chapter 4 "the wife of Lapidoth." But the phrase "the wife of Lapidoth" may also be translated as "a woman of Lapidoth." Thus, instead of identifying her husband, the phrase would identify a place. Moreover, others still have translated the word "Lapidoth" as "torches," which meant that she was—and by the way, the word "Barak" means "lightning." So, some would say that it's not necessarily even a place, but it is identifying the personality of Deborah. She would be a woman of a fiery spirit, or a woman with a torch-like spirit.
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Now, I want you to stop and think. Gideon was outnumbered, but Barak was not only outnumbered, he was outgunned. He had to face 900 chariots of iron. Moreover, Jabin had 20 years of experience in tyrannizing and oppressing the children of Israel. And yet Barak believed that God would deliver Jabin and Sisera and those people into his hands. Look in Judges chapter 4, beginning there with verse 14. Judges 4 verse 14: "And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the Lord gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him." Now watch: "And the Lord discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet." Wow.
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Now, you know the story how Barak had insisted that Deborah go with him. And she said, "All right, I'll go, but God's going to deliver the man you want into the hand of a woman." Of course, Sisera ran away and he got to the tent of Jael. And he asked for something to drink, some water; she gave him milk and butter in a lordly dish, the Bible says. He said, "Now if any man comes by this tent door and asks, you tell him I'm not here.
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There's nobody here but you." And he laid down to rest. He was so tired. So she covered him up. And when he went to sleep, she took a hammer and a tent peg and helped him to sleep permanently. She put it right in the temple and drove his head to the ground. Barak came along, she stepped outside, said, "Come inside and I'll show you the man whom you seek."
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Now, the point I'm making is this: although God delivered Sisera into the hand of a woman, God delivered the whole kingdom into the hand of Barak. So look, if you would, in Judges chapter 4, beginning there, verse 23. Look what the Bible says, Judges 4, verse 23. "So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan." So here's Barak, who has subdued a kingdom by faith, with far fewer men and far fewer weapons.
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Or shall I say, with inferior weaponry. Thirdly, here's Samson, and we're not going to take the time to read all of Samson. You will find his life from Judges chapter 13 to Judges chapter 16. But I am going to show you some things about him in Judges chapter 15. So I want you to go ahead and turn to Judges chapter 15. Samson was a mere countryman, and he had never really used any type of arms except husbandry implements of working in the fields.
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And you would ask, what in the world could a simple country farmer do against such proven conquerors? And you have to remember the Philistines had conquered the entire nation of Israel. And so Samson then was appointed by God to deliver Israel from the oppressive yoke of the Philistines. And God used him and God gave him extraordinary assistance. And Samson discomfited his enemies on many occasions. I want you to watch. Gideon had 300. He was outnumbered. Barak had 10,000, but he was still outnumbered and outgunned.
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But at least he had some help. When you come to Samson, it was one man against an entire nation. One man against an entire nation. And the unique thing about Samson is he fought alone. I will tell you something else that is just mind-boggling. His own people fought against him. It seems as if, oftentimes, the ones that you really try to help, they're the ones that will plunge the knife in your back. It's just like when David delivered Keilah. And Saul found out that David was in Keilah. And Saul said, "God has delivered him into my hands because he's gotten up into a city with walls." And so David then inquired of Abiathar the priest, "Will Saul most certainly come?" "Yes," he said, "he'll come."
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Then he asked this question: "Will the people of Keilah deliver me into his hands?" God said, "They will deliver thee." And if you will read the chapter before that, David had just delivered the people of Keilah. He just saved their skins. And now they're willing to turn David over to Saul to save their own skin. Well, some people never change. So look in Judges chapter 15, beginning there, verse 9, and of course, Samson has been working on the Philistines. And look at this, Judges 15, verse 9. In fact, let's read verse 7. "And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease. And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam. Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi. And the men of Judah said"—watch, not the Philistines, the men of Judah, the Judahites—"And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us?"
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"And they answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us. Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them. And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves. And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock."
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Now, let me just stop there. Can you imagine? It makes me angry just to even think about it. But can you imagine the sissyhood, the cowardness, when they look at Samson and said, "What have you done to us? Don't you know the Philistines are our rulers? You've gotten us in trouble. They're going to take it out on us. They'll hurt us. We'll lose our crops. We'll lose our homes. What have you done? Don't you know they are rulers?"
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They knew nothing about justice. They could care less about justice. And they were willing to bind the only man who was fighting for them and deliver him into the hands of their enemies, knowing that they wanted to kill Samson.
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And when Samson came down from that rock, the Spirit of God came upon him and he burst those bonds and picked up the jawbone of an ass and killed 1,000 Philistines. Samson was one man against an entire nation. He fought. And he fought alone. You know, it's one thing when you have your friends and your family and your neighbors with you and they're willing to help you and stand with you. That's quite an encouragement. But when your own family and your own friends are against you and you have to stand and fight and fight even for those who hate you and those who despise you and those who would destroy you, and you have to fight for them. Samson subdued the Philistines, and you know the story how he killed more in his death than he did in his life. I don't know how many he killed in his life, but he killed 1,000 at one time right here. But he had to fight. And he had to fight alone. And in spite of all of his faults, in spite of all of his failings, God used him.
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And he smote the Philistines until he had subdued a kingdom. And very quickly, number four, Jephthah. You will find Jephthah in Judges 11 and Judges 12, and we'll begin in Judges 11. Jephthah is probably one of the lesser known judges. He had been cast out from his people because he was the son of a strange woman. You remember the Bible said in Judges 11 there that he would not inherit with them because he was the son of a strange woman. That is, he was the son of a prostitute.
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And they kicked him out. And so Jephthah rightly believed that he was hated and despised even by his own family. But the interesting thing is this: when the Ammonites made war against the Israelites, and the Israelites were losing, they come to Jephthah for help. Here's another truth: that many who would not usually even give you the time of day will hurry to you when they are in need or in danger. And Jephthah agreed to fight and to help deliver a people who were already engaged in war and who were already losing that war. So Jephthah embraced what you and I would call a hopeless cause.
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So look in Judges 11 beginning there with verse 5. "And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob: and they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?" And of course, you know the story how they said, "No, we're going to make you our captain. You just lead us." And of course, Jephthah then agrees to do so. The faith of Jephthah is revealed in the fact that he believed in the promises and in the providence of God. You see, the children of Ammon were trying to take land that they had never owned, that had been given to the children of Israel. Now watch this.
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Look in Judges 11. Let's begin reading there with verse 12. Here is Jephthah's word to the king of Ammon. "And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land?" Why are you even over here? "And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan:
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now therefore restore those lands again peaceably. And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon: and said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon: but when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh; then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh. Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab. And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place."
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"But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. And the Lord God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country. And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan. So now the Lord God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel,
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and shouldest thou possess it? Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the Lord our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess." So notice what he's saying. Let's go down to verse 25. "And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them, while Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years?
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Why therefore did ye not recover them within that time? Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the Lord the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon. Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him." Now, here's what Jephthah says.
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Look, God gave us that land. And we have had it in possession for 300 years. And now you're going to make claim on it. If the land was yours, why didn't you make claim before 300 years was up? It was never yours. God gave it to us. And what Jephthah is doing, he is believing the promise that God gave to Abraham. And by the way, God used Jephthah to defeat the Ammonites. Look in Judges 11, beginning there, verse 32. Judges 11, verse 32.
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"So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord delivered them into his hands. And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel."
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Now, I want you to think with me just momentarily of these four men who through faith subdued kingdoms. Let me try to summarize it for you. First of all, the faith of Gideon consisted in his throwing down the altar of Baal and cutting down the grove in obedience to the command of God and then following God's word to the letter as God ordered the battle. The faith of Barak consisted in believing the revelation made to Deborah and the command to go against Jabin's numerous army. Samson's faith consisted in his obedience to the impulses that the Spirit of God placed upon him in his life as he fought against God's enemies. And Jephthah's faith consisted particularly in believing the promise that God gave to Abraham that they would possess that land, and he fought. Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to Psalm 18. I want you to see this. As this is said of David, it can also be said of Gideon, of Barak, of Samson, and Jephthah. Watch carefully. Psalm 18, beginning there with verse 37.
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Psalm 18, verse 37. David said this, and this is true of each of these four men who subdued kingdoms. He said, "I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed. I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet. For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me. Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me."
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"They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the Lord, but he answered them not. Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets. Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me." And of course, David's victories foreshadowed the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, these four men, along with David, subdued kingdoms.
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Through faith. Now I want you to listen to these applications. The first one is this: Faith does not look at circumstances. Where would Gideon be if he looked at the multitudes that were before him without faith? Faith does not look at weaponry. Where would Barak be if he only looked at the great arsenal of Sisera? Faith does not look at others. Faith looks at God alone. Where would Samson be if he looked to his brethren for help? Faith does not look at the world. It looks only at the promises of God.
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Where would Jephthah be if he listened to the news as published by the king of Ammon? Where would Jephthah be if he read only the history books as published by the Ammonites? Faith looks at God and his word. And faith does not need or heed the advice, counsel, word, or comfort of man. It respects God and God alone.
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Now, I want you to listen very carefully to this second application. We sit here and we say, "Wow, these men subdued kingdoms." And they did. And they did it by faith. Are you listening? But if you were observant, and if you were listening, you should have learned that faith does not preclude fighting. Each of these heroes of faith fought. It is true, they fought according to God's word and they followed him explicitly. But they did fight.
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One of our problems today is this: we want victory without faith and without fighting. Neither one is possible. Neither one is possible. We must fight to win and we must fight by faith. Seems to me like I remember our forefathers said something like this: "Trust in God and keep your powder dry." The phrase is actually attributed, by the way, to Oliver Cromwell. He said it like this: "Put your trust in God, my boys, and keep your powder dry." We have to fight. We may have to fight physically, but we always have to fight spiritually and mentally and emotionally. And if we expect to conquer any of our fears and any of our enemies without fighting, we're mistaken. Thirdly.
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If faith the size of a mustard seed is able to move mountains and remove trees, surely such a faith is able to subdue kingdoms and bring them in submission to the Lord Jesus Christ. Thankfully, one day we will hear with our own ears the seventh angel as he says, "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever."
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"And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens." All through faith. We need to exercise the faith that God has given us.
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Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we pray for your direction. We pray for your help. We pray, Heavenly Father, that we would honor thee. And Lord, we want to present our bodies unto thee a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto thee, which is our reasonable service. May we not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. And Lord, I pray that you would stir us up and help us, Lord, to desire to subdue a kingdom for the honor of Jesus Christ our Lord, in whose name we pray, Amen.
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You may contact Dominion Ministry by mail at 7400 Abercorn, that's A-B-E-R-C-O-R-N Street, Suite 705, PMB 175, Savannah, Georgia, 31406. Or give us a call at 912-925-0995.
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You can also visit our website at www.dominionministry.com.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T00:28:13Z

The Power of Faith

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver examines Hebrews 11:32-34, focusing on the phrase 'subdued kingdoms.' He argues that faith is not passive but active, demonstrated by Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah, who overthrew wicked civil governments. Weaver contends that civil rulers become enemies of God when they disobey His law, and he calls believers to exercise conquering faith to subdue modern kingdoms like America, which he sees as hostile to God. The sermon emphasizes that faith does not preclude fighting and that victory requires both faith and action.

Opening

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 11:32-34

"And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens."

Introduction: The Question of Faith

Weaver introduces the topic by asking where our faith is when needed, emphasizing that the just shall live by faith as stated in both Old and New Testaments.

Now, today, I'm just going to be dealing with this one little phrase found in verse 33: "subdued kingdoms.

Scripture Reading — Romans 1:17

" I got to thinking, boy, in light of what he said, I'd really like to preach a message on each one of these little points here. But it just floored me as I read through this passage again. So let me begin by asking some questions. Listen carefully. Where is your faith? Where is your faith when you need it? Where is the evidence that you have faith and that you are living by faith? Do you realize that we have been told three times in the New Testament that the just shall live by faith? For instance, in Romans 1 and verse 17, Paul said, "

Then in Hebrews 10 and verse 38, he says,

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 10:38

"Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him."

And the Old Testament is equally as plain. For in the book of Habakkuk, chapter 2 and verse 4, we read this:

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 10:38

"But the just shall live by his faith."

The Power of Mustard Seed Faith

Jesus taught that faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains and trees, highlighting the immense potential of even tiny faith.

Scripture Reading — Luke 17:6

" Now, look in Luke chapter 17, if you would please, and verse 6, an interesting passage as well. Luke 17 and verse 6. And the Lord said, "

Hebrews 11: Faith in Action

The author of Hebrews lists many deeds done 'by faith,' showing that faith is applied action, not mere belief.

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 11:1

Now, when the author of Hebrews intimates that he said enough to prove the definition of faith that he had given in Hebrews 11 and verse 1, and that by it, that is, by faith, the elders obtained a good report, yet he had not said everything that he could say. He had much more to say, but he did not have the time to list all of the great acts and accomplishments that had been performed by faith. And so he says, "And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of." In other words, there's not simply enough time left, he says, to tell of all of these wonderful accomplishments that have been done in and through and by faith.

Civil Rulers as Enemies of God

Weaver uses Old Testament examples (Saul, Manasseh, Omri, Ahab) to prove that civil governments become enemies of God when they disobey His law and lead people into idolatry.

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 21:8-9

"Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them."

Now watch what happened.

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 21:8-9

"But they hearkened not."

Hearkened not to what? To God's law. To God's commandment.

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 21:8-9

"But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel."

Scripture Reading — Hosea 8:2-4

"Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee."

Oh, do you really? Then he says,

Scripture Reading — Hosea 8:2-4

"Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him."

Why?

You've got to see it again in light of all of this. Look in Psalm 94. It is so plain. Psalm 94. And look, if you would please, beginning there with verse 20. God asks,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 94:20-21

"Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?"

Let me just stop right there for a moment.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 94:20-21

"Shall the throne of iniquity"

Scripture Reading — Psalm 94:20-21

"They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood."

So the question God asks is, can a wicked civil government have fellowship with God when they make sin legal?

Gideon: Faith Overcomes Fear and Idolatry

Gideon's faith was demonstrated first by tearing down Baal's altar, then by obeying God's battle plan with only 300 men against a vast army.

Scripture Reading — Judges 6:3-6

"And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them; and they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude;

Scripture Reading — Judges 7:12

"And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude."

Look in Judges 7 and verse 20. He divided these 300 men into three companies. Watch.

Scripture Reading — Judges 7:20-21

"And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon."

Scripture Reading — Judges 7:20-21

"And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled."

in that which is the greatest? Gideon subdued kingdoms.

Barak: Faith Against Overwhelming Odds

Barak, guided by Deborah, faced 900 iron chariots with inferior forces, trusting God to deliver the enemy into his hand.

Samson: Faith to Fight Alone

Samson, one man against a nation, fought alone even when his own people opposed him, subduing the Philistines through God's Spirit.

Jephthah: Faith in God's Promises

Jephthah, rejected by his people, believed God's promise of the land and defeated the Ammonites despite their false claims.

Summary of Their Faith

Each man's faith involved specific obedience: Gideon destroyed idols, Barak believed revelation, Samson followed the Spirit, Jephthah trusted promises.

Applications: Faith Does Not Look at Circumstances

Faith ignores circumstances, weaponry, others, and worldly news; it looks only to God and His word.

Applications: Faith Requires Fighting

Victory requires both faith and fighting; believers must fight spiritually, mentally, and sometimes physically, trusting God.

Conclusion: Subduing Kingdoms by Faith

Mustard-seed faith can subdue kingdoms for Christ, and one day all kingdoms will become His; we must exercise the faith God has given.

The Power of Faith

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	101711154090
Subject	Civil Government
Course	Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order: Where We Are & How We Got Here
Genre	Sermon
Date	2011-07-24
Dictation Name
Book	Book 009: Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order — Chapter 12
Source Timed Segments	87

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Question of Faith: Weaver introduces the topic by asking where our faith is when needed, emphasizing that the just shall live by faith as stated in both Old and New Testaments.
The Power of Mustard Seed Faith: Jesus taught that faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains and trees, highlighting the immense potential of even tiny faith.
Hebrews 11: Faith in Action: The author of Hebrews lists many deeds done 'by faith,' showing that faith is applied action, not mere belief.
Civil Rulers as Enemies of God: Weaver uses Old Testament examples (Saul, Manasseh, Omri, Ahab) to prove that civil governments become enemies of God when they disobey His law and lead people into idolatry.
Gideon: Faith Overcomes Fear and Idolatry: Gideon's faith was demonstrated first by tearing down Baal's altar, then by obeying God's battle plan with only 300 men against a vast army.
Barak: Faith Against Overwhelming Odds: Barak, guided by Deborah, faced 900 iron chariots with inferior forces, trusting God to deliver the enemy into his hand.
Samson: Faith to Fight Alone: Samson, one man against a nation, fought alone even when his own people opposed him, subduing the Philistines through God's Spirit.
Jephthah: Faith in God's Promises: Jephthah, rejected by his people, believed God's promise of the land and defeated the Ammonites despite their false claims.
Summary of Their Faith: Each man's faith involved specific obedience: Gideon destroyed idols, Barak believed revelation, Samson followed the Spirit, Jephthah trusted promises.
Applications: Faith Does Not Look at Circumstances: Faith ignores circumstances, weaponry, others, and worldly news; it looks only to God and His word.
Applications: Faith Requires Fighting: Victory requires both faith and fighting; believers must fight spiritually, mentally, and sometimes physically, trusting God.
Conclusion: Subduing Kingdoms by Faith: Mustard-seed faith can subdue kingdoms for Christ, and one day all kingdoms will become His; we must exercise the faith God has given.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

The just shall live by faith

Scripture repeatedly states that the just live by faith, implying a continuous, active faith rather than a one-time belief.

Weaver cites Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38, and Habakkuk 2:4 to show this principle across both Testaments.

Civil rulers can be God's enemies

When civil governments disobey God's law and promote idolatry, they become enemies of God and His people, as exemplified by Saul and Manasseh.

Weaver references 1 Samuel 15:10-11, 2 Kings 21:9, and Hosea 8:4 to argue that wicked rulers lead nations into sin.

Faith is applied action

The heroes of Hebrews 11 demonstrated faith through concrete actions, not abstract belief; they 'subdued kingdoms' by fighting.

Weaver states, 'Their faith was applied action... they actually subdued kingdoms.'

Faith ignores circumstances

True faith does not consider human limitations, enemy strength, or lack of support; it focuses solely on God and His promises.

Weaver summarizes: 'Faith does not look at circumstances... Faith does not look at weaponry... Faith does not look at others. Faith looks at God alone.'

Victory requires fighting

Faith without fighting is insufficient; believers must actively engage in spiritual warfare, and sometimes physical, to see God's deliverance.

Weaver says, 'We must fight to win and we must fight by faith... We may have to fight physically, but we always have to fight spiritually and mentally and emotionally.'

Small faith can accomplish great things

Jesus' teaching on mustard-seed faith shows that even minimal faith, when exercised, can overcome immense obstacles.

Weaver references Matthew 17:20 and Luke 17:6, emphasizing that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains.

Scripture References

Hebrews 11:32-34: The primary text, listing heroes who through faith subdued kingdoms and performed mighty deeds.
Romans 1:17: Cited to show that the just shall live by faith, part of the threefold New Testament witness.
Galatians 3:11: Second New Testament reference that the just shall live by faith.
Hebrews 10:38: Third New Testament reference, warning against drawing back from faith.
Habakkuk 2:4: Old Testament source for the principle that the just shall live by faith.
Matthew 17:20: Jesus' teaching that faith as a mustard seed can move mountains, and nothing shall be impossible.
Luke 17:6: Parallel teaching that faith as a mustard seed can command a sycamine tree to be uprooted.
Hebrews 11:1: The definition of faith, referenced as the basis for the elders obtaining a good report.
Hebrews 11:6: Without faith it is impossible to please God; those who come to God must believe He is and rewards seekers.
1 Samuel 15:10-11: God rejects Saul as king because he turned back from following God and did not perform His commandments.
1 Samuel 15:26-29: Samuel tells Saul that the Lord has rejected him and rent the kingdom from him for disobedience.
2 Kings 21:8-9: Manasseh seduced Israel to do more evil than the nations, legitimizing idolatry and sodomy.
Hosea 8:2-4: Israel set up kings and princes not by God, violating His law and falling into idolatry.
Micah 6:16: The statutes of Omri and works of Ahab are kept, meaning they follow man's law instead of God's.
2 Kings 17:7-8, 18-19: Israel and Judah went into captivity because they walked in the statutes of the heathen and forsook God's law.
Psalm 94:20-21: A throne of iniquity frames mischief by law, condemning the innocent; such government cannot fellowship with God.
Judges 7:2-7: God reduces Gideon's army from 32,000 to 300 to ensure Israel knows the victory is from the Lord.
Judges 6:3-6: The Midianites and allies came as grasshoppers, destroying Israel's sustenance, causing great impoverishment.
Judges 7:12: The enemy lay in the valley like grasshoppers, with camels without number.
Judges 7:20-21: Gideon's 300 men blew trumpets, broke pitchers, held lamps, and stood still as the enemy fled.

Historical References

Gideon: Judge who subdued Midianites with 300 men, first destroying Baal's altar; example of faith overcoming fear.
Barak: Judge who, with Deborah, defeated Jabin and Sisera despite 900 iron chariots; faith against overwhelming odds.
Samson: Judge who fought alone against the Philistines, even when his own people opposed him; one man against a nation.
Jephthah: Judge rejected by his people, yet led them against Ammon, trusting God's promise of the land.
King Saul: First king of Israel, rejected by God for disobedience, becoming an enemy of God and His people.
Manasseh: Wicked king of Judah who seduced the nation into idolatry and placed sodomites in the temple.
Omri and Ahab: Kings whose statutes (man's law) led Israel into sin, referenced in Micah as examples of wicked rule.
Oliver Cromwell: Attributed with the phrase 'Put your trust in God, my boys, and keep your powder dry,' illustrating faith and action.
Bushwhacker Johnston: Confederate major mentioned as an example of being outnumbered but still fighting, illustrating discretion and valor.
David and Keilah: David delivered Keilah, but its people were willing to betray him to Saul, illustrating betrayal by those helped.

Important Quotes

Where is your faith when you need it? Where is the evidence that you have faith and that you are living by faith?

Sets the tone for the sermon, challenging listeners to examine the reality of their faith.

If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Key verse on the power of small faith, directly quoted from Matthew 17:20.

Their faith was applied action. The men mentioned in verse 32 actually subdued kingdoms.

Central thesis that faith is not passive but results in concrete deeds.

America has become the enemy of God and the enemy of God's people.

Controversial application, equating modern America with the wicked kingdoms subdued by faith.

Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?

Psalm 94:20 quoted to argue that governments making sin legal cannot have fellowship with God.

You and I will never be used of God in great battles and in great victories until we learn to become obedient in the smaller battles, in the little things.

Practical principle drawn from Gideon's initial act of obedience before his military victory.

One of our problems today is this: we want victory without faith and without fighting. Neither one is possible.

Key application that faith requires active engagement, not passive hope.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

What is the difference between saving faith and conquering faith, and how can we cultivate conquering faith in our lives?

[Context]

Weaver distinguishes between faith that saves and faith that actively subdues opposition, challenging believers to move beyond mere salvation.

[Question]

In what ways can civil governments become enemies of God, and how should Christians respond?

[Context]

Weaver argues from Scripture that rulers who disobey God's law and promote idolatry are God's enemies, using America as an example.

[Question]

How does Gideon's initial act of tearing down Baal's altar prepare him for the greater battle against the Midianites?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that obedience in small things precedes great victories, using Gideon as a model.

[Question]

What can we learn from Samson's willingness to fight alone, even when his own people opposed him?

[Context]

Samson's solitary stand against the Philistines illustrates faith that does not depend on human support.

[Question]

How does Jephthah's argument based on God's promises and historical possession apply to modern disputes over truth and territory?

[Context]

Jephthah trusted God's word over the Ammonite king's claims, showing faith in God's promises.

[Question]

What does it mean that 'faith does not preclude fighting,' and how should this shape our spiritual warfare?

[Context]

Weaver insists that victory requires both faith and active fighting, challenging passive Christianity.

[Question]

How can we exercise mustard-seed faith to 'subdue kingdoms' in our personal lives, communities, and nation?

[Context]

The sermon concludes with a call to apply the power of faith to bring areas of life under Christ's lordship.

Applications

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