FLAWED HEROES | Week 3 | Full Service · Rewind

FLAWED HEROES | Week 3 | Full Service · Rewind

Pastor Daniel Goulding · Mar 27, 2023

Big Idea

Inside every believer is a warrior within, and it's time for the church to wake it up and remember there's a war worth fighting.

There's a deeper calling and a deeper strength inside every believer than the caves we've settled for. Through the story of Gideon, Pastor Daniel shows that God sees a mighty hero in us even in our hiding, and He invites us to fight from a position of victory that Jesus has already won, not for one we're still trying to earn.

Key points

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1The book of Judges shows a cycle of God's people forgetting who they are and suffering for it
Pastor Daniel walks through Judges 6:1-6, explaining that Israel had no king or central leader and repeatedly did evil, leading God to hand them over to the Midianites for seven years of starvation and hiding in caves. He draws a parallel between Israel's spiritual amnesia and America's spiritual poverty today, arguing the church has settled into blending in rather than standing apart.
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2God sends a prophet before a rescuer, confronting Israel with the truth that their suffering is self-caused
Before raising up Gideon, God sends a prophet who reminds Israel who He is and who they are, essentially telling them they reap what they sow. Pastor Daniel notes God's apparent frustration but also His faithfulness to still act despite Israel's forgetfulness.
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3Gideon is found hiding in a wine press instead of boldly threshing wheat on the open hilltop where he belonged
Pastor Daniel contrasts the wine press (a hidden hole) with the threshing floor (a wide-open hilltop), showing that Gideon, like much of the church, had settled for hiding and ineffectiveness instead of boldly living out his identity in plain view.
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4Our identity determines everything, and Scripture says we are chosen, royal, holy, and set apart to shine light into darkness
Drawing on 1 Peter 2 and Jesus's Sermon on the Mount, Pastor Daniel teaches that believers are the light of the world and salt of the earth, meant to stop cultural decay and reflect Christ, not hide their light under a basket by settling into worldly pursuits.
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5We awaken the warrior within by learning to see ourselves the way God sees us
When Jesus appears to Gideon in the wine press, He calls him 'mighty hero' before Gideon has done anything. Pastor Daniel explains that God sees potential and ability in us we don't see in ourselves, and because of the cross, God sees us as complete even while we're still hiding and afraid.
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6We awaken the warrior within by dropping our excuses and going in the strength we already have
Gideon protests that his clan is weak and he is the least in his family, yet God doesn't answer his questions directly but tells him to go with the strength he has. Pastor Daniel applies this practically by challenging people to invite one person to Easter services rather than waiting to feel fully equipped.
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7The battle is already won, so we fight from victory rather than for it, refusing to let fear of failure stop us
Pastor Daniel references Gideon's 300 men defeating an army of 150,000 and points to Revelation 19's vision of Christ returning as King of Kings to show the outcome of the whole story is already decided. He urges believers to measure victory by today's faithfulness, not fear of failing at some future battle.

Application

Pastor Daniel's charge is to let the warrior within wake up by seeing yourself as God sees you and going in the strength you already have.

See yourself the way God sees you
Fight to believe what God says about you rather than what your mistakes or insecurities say, surrounding yourself with people and worship that remind you of your identity in Christ.
Go in the strength you already have
Drop the excuses about what you lack and start with the gifts, family, and community right in front of you, trusting God to do the rest.
Invite one person to Easter
Pray and ask God to bring one person to mind at work, in your family, or in your neighborhood, and simply invite them to one of the Easter services.
Refuse to let fear of failure stop you
Engage the fight in your home, culture, and community today, remembering the outcome is already decided in Christ so faithfulness now matters more than fear of failing.

Take it into your week

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7-day devotional

A personal reading plan from this message — scripture, reflection, and prayer for each day.

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Day 1

Pastor Daniel opened with a sharp observation: the church has largely forgotten who she is. We have traded a set-apart identity for a comfortable blend with the culture around us, and the result is a people who look more like the world than like the King they follow. First Peter 2:9 refuses to let that stand. The words are unambiguous — chosen, royal, holy, God's own possession. Not earned, not conditional on performance, but declared over you before you ever took a step. The problem Gideon illustrates is not unique to ancient Israel. We can attend, sing, serve, and still be hiding — going through the motions without any real output, as Pastor Daniel put it. Spiritual complacency is quiet. It doesn't announce itself. It simply lets the noise of normal life drown out the call of God until you can't hear it anymore. But here is the thing about an identity that is declared rather than earned: it doesn't expire while you're hiding. God's word over you holds. The invitation today is simply to let it land — to sit with the reality that you are chosen and called, and to ask honestly whether the way you are living reflects that truth or whether something has dulled it.

For reflection

In what area of your life have you been blending in rather than living as someone set apart by God?

Pray

Pray for honest awareness of where spiritual complacency has taken root in your life.

Small-group discussion guide

For leading a group conversation about this message.

Open

This message sits with a striking image: Gideon hiding in a winepress while an angel shows up and calls him a 'mighty hero.' Let that picture settle for a moment before we dig in.

Discussion questions

1
In Judges 6:12, the angel addresses Gideon as a 'mighty hero' while Gideon is literally hiding from the enemy. What do you think it means that God speaks to who Gideon *is* rather than what Gideon is currently doing?
Related passage
2
Pastor Daniel pointed to 1 Peter 2:9 — that believers are 'a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation' — and observed that the church has often traded that set-apart identity for simply blending in with the surrounding culture. What does it look like, practically, when a community of people actually lives out that kind of distinct identity?
3
In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus calls His followers the light of the world and says a lamp isn't meant to be hidden under a basket. What reasons do people tend to give — or feel — for dimming that light, and how does Jesus' framing push back on those reasons?
4
Judges 6:14 records God telling Gideon to 'go in the strength you have' — not the strength he wished he had. Pastor Daniel built on that by inviting people to take one step, even something as small as inviting one person to Easter. What's the relationship between taking a small, concrete step and trusting God to do the heavier lifting that follows?
Related passage
5
Pastor Daniel drew a line between Judges 6:16 — where God tells Gideon 'I will be with you' as the guarantee of victory — and Revelation 19:11-16, where Jesus returns as conquering King. How does knowing the end of the story change the way people engage the battles in front of them right now?
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Pastor Daniel closed with the idea that the greatest pain isn't failure — it's regret. How might that reframe the way we, as a community, encourage one another to step into things that feel risky or uncertain?

Pray together

Courage to see ourselves the way God sees us, and grace to take one faithful step in the strength we already have

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Topics

Cultural Influence Kingdom Advancement Overcoming Fear and Excuses Spiritual Identity Victory in Christ

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