Coming from behind in her family life, today she is one of Hollywood s most successful actresses. 4. Underdogs in sports: a. In the 1980 Winter

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1 Part 11: FULL! A. We all love the underdog who is never expected to go anywhere, but then comes from far behind to overcome every disadvantage that has kept them from succeeding. 1. It s so easy to identify with the underdog, since most of us never had a head start in life either! This is why the stories of David and Goliath, or Jehoshaphat facing the mighty Ammonite and Moabite armies are so appealing. By their examples, we know that we can make it, too! 2. Underdogs in business: a. Oprah Winfrey s childhood was horribly scarred by repeated abuse from her cousin, uncle, and family friend. After running away from home, at age 14 she gave birth to a baby who died. Yes, she came from behind but today she is a multi-billionaire (the letter b ). b. Richard Branson, CEO and founder of the Virgin Group of Companies, was a poor student and dyslexic. After coming from behind, today he is the fourth richest person in the U.K. c. Bill Gates first business venture failed miserably. When the system he had developed proved to be unworkable while demonstrating it to a potential buyer, he still came from behind and today is one of the richest people in the world! 3. Underdogs in life: a. Vincent Van Gogh was mentally ill, never adjusted well in life, and cut off his own ear in an act of self-mutilation. In his entire life, he only sold one painting, but still completed 900. One painting recently sold for $75 million! b. Franklin Roosevelt became partially paralyzed at the of 39; yet he came from behind to become one of the most successful presidents in U.S. history. c. Charlize Theron endured the childhood trauma of watching her mother kill her abusive, alcoholic father in an act of self-defense.

2 Coming from behind in her family life, today she is one of Hollywood s most successful actresses. 4. Underdogs in sports: a. In the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, what might be considered the most exciting game of Hockey ever played, a young American team faced the mighty Russian players. If you know anything about the Russian athletes who competed in the Olympics, you know that the playing field was never level. b. Even though it was forbidden in the rules, for decades the Russians used professional athletes, while the U.S. only enrolled amateur players. Yet in true David and Goliath underdog fashion, the U.S. amateurs stunned the world by defeating the professionals 4 to 3 in a competition that is still today called, The Miracle on Ice. 5. Our history is replete with those who overcame opposition. The United States was the underdog when we defeated the British Army, the most powerful force in the known world, to gain our independence. 6. We enjoy stories about the winning underdogs because most of us were at some point, the underdog. These people who became successful, in spite of great hardships, had one thing in common: HUNGER! 7. Jesus taught that prayer alone is not enough: a. Mark 11:24 (KJV) - Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 8. Hunger will provide open doors and opportunities like nothing else. It will force you to prepare for God s purpose and plan, rather than just hoping that something will happen. a. It will make you get up early, stay up late, and keep learning when those around you seem to be satisfied with a lack of progress. b. It won t allow you to accept failure as something final, but help you get up and try again. c. Because God wants you to do well, today my subject is...

3 I May Be Coming From Behind, But I m Going to Get There! B. Our theme for this year is FULL. To live a full life, at times we must come from behind. 1. Everything will not always go in your favor; nor will you be the one who gets all the breaks. But here is how to live a life that is FULL: a. Philippians 4:12-13 (NKJV) - I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. [13] I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 2. Let me paraphrase what I think Paul is telling us: Not only can we learn to be happy in whatever state we re in, we can do all things through Christ and become full.if we get hungry enough! 3. Our Series title: Father Knows Best a. Our Heavenly Father always knows what is best for us. And one thing He knows is that sometimes it s better to be hungry. b. As a result of learning about hunger, think of what Paul accomplished for God: he wrote more than half of the New Testament and evangelized their known world with the Gospel! 4. As I taught a couple of weeks ago, making yourself empty creates more room for what really matter in life, much like avoiding snacks before a meal makes room for nutritious food. a. If becoming hungry seems difficult, God knows how to fix that problem so that we won t miss our destiny. b. Today, let s look at other ways that hunger, or being empty, can create fullness. Text: Judges 6:11-16 (NKJV) - Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. [V12] And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him,

4 "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!" [V13] Gideon said to Him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites." [V14] Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?" [V15] So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." [V16] And the Lord said to him, Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man. C. Let me share two principles that can change your life: 1. When God gives you a word, don t question it, REPEAT it! 2. A prophetic word was never meant to merely reveal the future of your life, but to align your life with your future! 3. Israel had sinned. The enemy always tries to define the word sin as a life that is fun versus boring, or freedom versus bondage and control. But that isn t true at all. Being saved is more like being protected versus exposed and in danger; being safe or in grave peril; or a life that is flourishing versus stunted and withered. 4. In this story, Israel illustrates the dangers of choosing to rebel against God s laws. When you choose to sin, you re stepping away from God s covering of grace and protection. That s what Israel had done. 5. God is our shield and protection. But when we embrace a sinful lifestyle and remove ourselves from God s grace and protection, we are doomed to experience what the enemy did to Israel: make us miserable and completely destroy our lives! a. Judges 6:3-4 (NKJV) - So it was, whenever Israel had sown, Midianites would come up; also Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. [4] Then they would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza,

5 and leave no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey. 6. For seven consecutive years, the labor of cultivating the fields, fighting the weeds and locusts, drought and hot days in the sun were suddenly destroyed. Just when it was time for all their hard work to pay off, the Midianites appeared and it all went up in smoke, burned to the ground! 7. I don t know about you, but I didn t go through all the hard work, toil, and months of prayer for the devil to steal my harvest! 8. Gideon had managed to salvage just a little wheat that was secretly being threshed in the wine press. No matter how great the odds against him, Gideon refused to throw in the towel or give up that easily. 9. Gideon was hungry. Both fullness and hunger can present their own unique problems and dangers. a. Proverbs 27:7-8 (NKJV) - A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. [V8] Like a bird that wanders from its nest Is a man who wanders from his place. 10. When you are full, there s no room or appetite for other things, no matter how good or important they may be. A satisfied soul loathes a honeycomb. It s much like eating my wife s gumbo. If she makes a good chicken and sausage gumbo or shrimp creole, I enjoy both so much, I don t need a dessert. I would much rather satisfy my appetite on either of those than the best dessert you could make. a. Under normal circumstances, if a large piece of pecan pie or coconut cake and Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream is placed before me, I can t wait to try it. But let me tell you in advance: I won t be interested if I can indulge in her gumbo or shrimp creole, because I m already satisfied. When you are full, all that sweet stuff loses its appeal. b. If you are full of things that dull the appetite rather than what really matters, that s a problem. Sadly, this is often true for many of God s people. They just can t hold anything else!

6 c. That s the same situation Israel faced. They had to experience a dire situation to make them hungry for God again. D. But hunger also has its problems and dangers. Hunger can cause you to seek for wrong things. 1. When you re very hungry, even food you wouldn t normally enjoy begins to look good. According to Proverbs 27:7, to the hungry soul, every bitter thing looks sweet. 2. The next verse tells us what people sometimes do when their hunger is not satisfied with the right things: they wander from their place. 3. Both men and women can be enticed to do things they will regret as long as they live. They will wander from a marriage covenant, leave a good job, or abandon everything that s meaningful to seek something new, even if they re not sure how it will turn out. They will risk all they have to get something they don t need and that never satisfies. 4. But in spite of this warning about the wrong kind of hunger, the truth is, you will NEVER accomplish anything significant in this world or for God, until you become hungry. It just has to be channeled in the right direction. E. We normally think of hunger as a problem; but it s actually one of life s most important assets. 1. Hunger can force you to reach for things you ve never considered before. It will cause you to return to school for a degree, to work harder, change your behavior, and even act differently to make a relationship work. 2. Hunger for God will prompt you to attend church faithfully, read your Bible, and pray. I ve often wondered if God ever observes the unfaithful and says, I can make you hungry again..if that s what you really want! 3. Verse 12 of our text says, And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!" In my last message, I addressed Gideon s questions and doubts. Today, let s look at his potential instead of his problems.

7 4. Verse 14 says, Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?" a. Notice that it was more than an angel who appeared to Gideon: it was the Lord! The Hebrew word Jehovah is translated as angel. b. In the Old Testament, God did not have a body. Since He is a Spirit, when meeting with men, He appeared in different forms. c. In the New Testament, God appeared in the person of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:19 (NKJV) - God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. d. In the Old Testament, He appeared as a theophany. What verse 12 refers to as an angel, was called the Lord in verse This is significant, because it was not an angel, but Jehovah God Himself who delivered the message to Gideon. The Creator, who spoke heaven and earth into existence, was speaking about Gideon s future. He concludes by saying, Have I not sent you? Still Gideon wanted to argue. He couldn t believe that God could possibly use him to accomplish such a great mission! 6. When God gives you a Word, don t search for a reason why it could not possibly happen. Instead, rearrange your thinking to agree with His promise. If you will receive the power of His creative Word, it will change you as you embrace it! 7. Once you receive a transforming Word, change your thinking and self-talk to reflect what has happened within you. Remember: a Word from God may not happen if you fail to make those changes. F. Gideon responded by saying that God must surely have chosen the wrong person. 1. After all, Gideon argued, he was the least member of the least family of the least tribe in Israel. 2. You can feel so badly about yourself, not even an appearance from God or a message straight from heaven can change your mind!

8 3. Gideon s argument was that he had been born to fail. The enemy has been giving someone here today that same message. But if God has a plan for your life, He can certainly make it turn out for good! 4. Like the lady with the flow of blood in Mark chapter 5, Gideon was coming from behind. a. Mark 5:25-28 (NKJV) - Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, [V26] and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. [V27] When she heard about Jesus, she came from behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. [V28] For she said, If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well. G. To finally get there, sometimes you must accept the fact that you will have to come from behind! 1. Just because someone seems to have all the advantages and everything is going their way doesn t mean they will do well. Nor does not having all those wonderful advantages mean you won t do well! a. Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. b. Doing all things by the strength of the Lord is the result of learning to be both hungry and full. Learning to hunger for the right things and emptying yourself of the wrong things can produce hunger. The very next verse in our theme says that God often uses things overlooked and discounted by the world for a reason. c. 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 (NLT) - God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. [V28] God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. [V29] As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

9 2. If you re wondering why God has allowed you to struggle with so many things to overcome, this could be your answer: a. 2 Corinthians 4:7 (NKJV) - But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. H. If you think you were born to fail, remember that God is on your side! 1. If you stay hungry enough and won t allow anything to take away your hunger for what really matters, you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you! a. Ephesians 2:6 (NKJV) - (God) raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. 2. Space travel has revealed a new scientific discovery. a. Unlike fraternal twins, identical twins have the same DNA since they came from the same fertilized egg. In fact, their DNA is so identical, if one twin left DNA evidence after committing a crime, it is possible for the other twin to be arrested and convicted on the basis of the DNA evidence. b. After spending more than a year in the Space Lab, Astronaut Scott Kelly is no longer identical to his twin brother, Mark Kelly. When the NASA doctors did their full medical checkup, what they found was stunning! Because he stayed so long in space at such a high altitude, his DNA changed 7%. They discovered that if you go high enough and stay long enough in space, it changes who you are! c. The spiritual parallel is just as amazing. Regardless of your problems, if you go high enough in God and stay with Him long enough, you will change! d. For those who believe they re born to fail, if you re seated with Christ in heavenly places, it will change you! 3. These verses from Psalm 113 pretty well describe what God wants to do for those who feel that nothing in life is going their way:

10 a. Psalm 113:4-8 (NKJV) - The Lord is high above all nations, His glory above the heavens. [V5] Who is like the LORD our God, Who dwells on high, [V6] Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in the heavens and in the earth? [V7] He raises the poor out of the dust, And lifts the needy out of the ash heap, [8] That He may seat him with princes With the princes of His people.