FULL SERMON SCRIPT: GIDEON (30 MINUTES)

FULL SERMON SCRIPT: GIDEON (30 MINUTES)

FULL SERMON SCRIPT: (30 MINUTES) GIDEON based on 1 Samuel 17- David and Goliath What is impossible for man is possible for God I wonder, what do you think of, when you hear the word impossible? What situation springs to mind? Perhaps it s a person, or a place, or a situation that just seems too big to overcome. Can you picture it? Really imagine it What makes that situation impossible? Is it the circumstances? The length of time that it s been going on? Your own lack of skills, expertise or power? Imagine it. The impossible thing in your life. What would it take to see breakthrough? *pause* As a culture, the word impossible carries many different meanings it s one of those weighty words. There are three kinds of responses to the word impossible. Firstly, to many of us in this room, I would guess that the idea of something impossible makes us want to run a mile: why would you bother to do something that is impossible? By definition you are setting yourself up to fail. Like getting behind the wheel of a car, when you ve never learnt to drive. To you, facing the impossible is never a good idea. A second kind of response sees impossible as a challenge- it dares you to try to push the boundaries, stretch the limits. Like the marathon runners earlier this year, trying to break the 2 hour barrier Maybe, just maybe, if the conditions are perfect, if you could just try a little bit harder, push a little bit further, you too could achieve the impossible. To you, impossible invites you to try and push the limits. And then there s a third response to facing the impossible, which leaves us with a lot of questions. Maybe you are in the midst of impossible circumstances right now- and you simply can t work out why: why doesn t it seem to be getting easier? Why haven t they been healed? Why does it seem to be taking so long? Facing impossible circumstances, we can feel lost and confused, and start to question beliefs we have never questioned before. *pause* In Luke 18:27, Jesus says: what is impossible with man is possible for God and today, we are trusting God for breakthrough with a seemingly impossible situation That situation: the reality of slavery in our world today. There are around 46 million slaves in the world today. 46 million. That s about the population of Canada. 2

That s more than there have ever been at any point in history before. And it takes many forms. The modern slavery we are talking about is men, women and children being trafficked and traded in secret; bought and sold like objects; names replaced with numbers. The slavery we are talking about is: The teenage girl, held captive in brothels and abused by foreign men. The 70 year old grandmother, carrying 10kg of bricks on her head, having spent her entire life enslaved in a brick kiln in India The family enslaved in a cotton factory, spinning cotton day after day to make cheap clothes to sell in cheap shops on British highstreets The Children some a few months old, being forced to appear in front of web-cameras, their abuse live streamed to paying customers all over the world, including right here in the UK. The reality of slavery is very stark and unimaginably awful. And 46 million people. It s a giant problem, and the situation seems impossible. Take for example, Gideon s story: For a moment, I would like to take you on a journey to Lake Volta, in Ghana. The lake is the largest man-made reservoir in the world: over 600 miles wide. Nearly 50,000 children work in the country s fishing industry on Lake Volta. In 2013, a small team of IJM investigators spent about a month interviewing children and boat masters on the lake and the stories they came back with were shocking: Boys who should have been in primary school, many as young as 4 years old, were instead sent out on boats for weeks at a time, working 12-plus hours a day, seven days a week, with no protection from the elements. Most of the time, they couldn t swim, and stories of these children drowning were common. Their legs were covered in thick scars from motor accidents and dangerous fish, and their hands were calloused and hard from pulling rope and mending nets. They are starved- food is used as a way of controlling them so they don t try to escape- yet they have overly developed muscles from years of manual labour. In fact, the majority of the boys are under 12: once they get over this age, they require too much food so are discarded, no longer as useful to the slave owners, and replaced by other children, who are cheaper to keep. We spoke to hundreds of boys and estimated that well over half had been sold into slavery. One of these children was Gideon- and Gideon s story starts like so many of the children we work with: he comes from a desperately poor family, and when a distant relative promised him a good job, with a chance to go to school in a neighbouring province, Gideon and his family were excited to give him and his younger brother a fresh start to life. What they didn t know is that Gideon had been trafficked, tricked into working and on the lake with his little brother- and from the moment they arrived on Lake Volta they could not leave- he was a slave. In the 5 or so years he was trapped there, not once did he receive any pay. 3

This boy should ve been in school. And whether it is Gideon on a lake, or girls trapped in brothels; families enslaved in brick kilns, or rice mills, or sweat shops, or children being abused online in front of paying western audiences, the horrors of slavery are very real and unimaginably awful. Gideon s situation seemed impossible. Slavery on Lake Volta has been going on for generations. It is supported by powerful businessmen and politicians. These boys are young, impoverished and powerless. Apart from anything else, what can we, sitting here in a church in the UK, do about slavery in a country thousands of miles away? Surely it s impossible? When we look at scripture, the story of David and Goliath similarly presents a seemingly impossible situation. It is one which many of us might be familiar with- it s one of those Sunday school classics- but let s look at it again. Let s see what it reveals about God s view of what we see as the impossible. (Refer back to the scripture reading and/or summarise the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17.) This story is so well loved because it s everything we look for in a good story. We want to believe that might doesn t always equal right, that the underdog can win, that the little can guy triumph over the giant. But more than a good story, it is a powerful, example of who God is and how he uses us. Firstly, it reveals that God isn t scared of giants - he takes on impossible tasks, defeating the Philistine army when all predictions pointed to disaster. Nothing is too big, too terrible, or too massive a problem for the creator of the Universe. God is working in the impossible places. Secondly, God calls us, whoever we are, wherever we are. David was an unexpected hero, the youngest sibling, unskilled and unqualified: a shepherd, used to looking after flocks of sheep all day- he is hardly the skilled soldier. Yet, what made him the man for the job was that when God called Him; he was willing. God is not distant, distracted or disconnected from the plight of the Earth: he comes to bring victory, by using his people. God is working in the impossible places, and He is working through us. Finally, what was it that was in David s hands? Three smooth, small stones. God used these stones, what was already in David s hands to bring victory. In other words, God used David s skills and his talents, unusual as they may have been, to bring about what was one of the most unexpected victories of all time I wonder what it is that we have in our hands. However inadequate our skills and resources seem to us, when used for God s purposes; when trusted to Him, what is impossible to man is made possible with God. God is working in the impossible places, He is working through us, and He is using what he has put in our hands. This is the same pattern IJM have found as they set about defeating the giant of slavery That firstly, God isn t scared or intimidated by the scale of the problem. 46 million enslaved seems like an impossibly large number, but God is not intimidated by large numbers. Across the world, every week we see people set free: sometimes in ones and twos, 4

sometimes whole communities at a time. So far, IJM has rescued over 40, 000 people from violent oppression like slavery. Why? Because God is working in the impossible places. Secondly, just like David facing Goliath, God invites us to be part of the fight: We fight the giant of slavery standing shoulder to shoulder with lawyers, social workers, students, parents, children, teachers, those who give generously, artists, pray-ers, storytellers, volunteers, business people, bakers, runners, fundraisers and more. We ALL have a role to play in the fight against slavery. Even though our lives may seem far removed from that of Gideon s, on a lake in Ghana, God calls each one of us to respond to the cries of his oppressed children, and to be people that set others free. Because God is working in the impossible places, and He is working through us. And finally, just like David with his five stones, God has equipped every single one of us to play our part. The Good news? God uses what we already have in our hands. For David, he used 3 small stones in a slingshot a slingshot he would have grown up playing with, he had used before, and had practised using Because God is working in the impossible places, He is working through us, and He is using what he has put in our hands. So here is the challenge for us. What has God put in your hands? What is your slingshot and stones? Maybe it s the workplace you are in- how can you share stories of justice, bring justice to your meetings on a Monday morning, or draw attention to slavery in supply chains? Maybe it s your time: maybe you could give a few hours to fundraise or raise awareness Maybe it s your willingness to pray? Maybe it s your income.? Maybe it s your profession? Maybe it s your creativity and there are a myriad of ways you can think of helping the fight against slavery? God is working in impossible places, working through us, and wants to use what he has put in our hands. But are we willing to let him? But what of Gideon and his impossible situation on Lake Volta? Show Gideon s Video (2mins 50) I want to tell you that Gideon s rescue was easy. But unfortunately that just wasn t true. On the way to rescuing Gideon, our staff alongside the police had to get on a boat to travel to where Gideon had been trafficked- the boat drivers drove our team in the wrong direction because they had been paid by the traffickers to deceive them And Gideon s brother IS still out there, and we are still working around the clock to bring him into 5

freedom too. Because we know that what may seem impossible to man, is possible with God. Today, I want to invite you to enter into this seemingly impossible battle. It s a fight that is fiercely on God s heart. It s a fight that he is calling us into It s a fight that he has equipped us for. The best news? It is a fight he has already won on the cross. Just like David, fighting Goliath, we know there is a giant at large today, in the world. It s called slavery. But just like David, who killed the giant, God is calling us to defeat the giant of slavery; He calling us to respond and He will win. It is time to take on the impossible. For what is impossible for man, is made possible with God. RESPONSE: There are several ways you can respond practically right now: Pray: If we are going to knock down the doors of sweatshops and brothels we need to knock on the doors of heaven first. Prayer is a stone we all have in our hands. You can sign up today to be part of a global move of prayer and we will support you with specific prayer needs. Give: financially support the end of slavery- the financial resources that He has given us, however large or small, is another stone we hold in our hands. Whether e a one off gift or regular giving, God will use it to make a real impact. (Share the method of giving agreed with the Pastor). PRAY: About impossible circumstances we are facing individually- that God would break through Pray for the giant of slavery to be defeated. That God would reveal what is in our hands, how He is calling us to the fight and that He would use it for victory Hold a short silence for reflection and listening to God. (If agreed with the Pastor allow a time to respond if not ensure people know how to complete and hand in their response re prayer and giving) God is working in the impossible places, and He is working through us. God s heart and our dream is to see the impossible made possible - to end slavery for ever. Amen 6

INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION UK PO Box 12251 Witham, CM8 9BX 0300 303 2425 contact@ijmuk.org IJMUK.org INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION is a global organisation that protects the poor from violence throughout the developing world. IJM partners with local authorities to rescue victims of violence, bring criminals to justice, restore survivors and strengthen justice systems. Highlighted as one of 10 non-profits making a difference by U.S. News and World Report, IJM s innovative work has been featured by the BBC, The Guardian, The Economist, The Financial Times, Forbes, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Today Show, National Public Radio, CNN and many other outlets. All text and images 2017 International Justice Mission. 7