Ehud the Judge

Sermon from CCM Fallowfield
;

LISTEN

This sermon was preached by Jonny Wilkinson at the Fallowfield site of Christ Church Manchester on Sunday 8th April 2018.

<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/426564969&color=%23ff9800&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe>

SERIES

 

This message was part of the ‘Judges’ series, preached at Christ Church Manchester’s church in Fallowfield in early 2018. The full series included the following sermons:

 

BIBLE VERSES

This sermon was based on Judges 3: 12-30.

Ehud

12 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 13 He gathered to himself the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and went and defeated Israel. And they took possession of the city of palms. 14 And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
15 Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, and the Lordraised up for them a deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab. 16 And Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his clothes. 17 And he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. 18 And when Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute. 19 But he himself turned back at the idols near Gilgal and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And he commanded, “Silence.” And all his attendants went out from his presence. 20 And Ehud came to him as he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And he arose from his seat. 21 And Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. 22 And the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not pull the sword out of his belly; and the dung came out. 23 Then Ehud went out into the porch and closed the doors of the roof chamber behind him and locked them.
24 When he had gone, the servants came, and when they saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked, they thought, “Surely he is relieving himself in the closet of the cool chamber.” 25 And they waited till they were embarrassed. But when he still did not open the doors of the roof chamber, they took the key and opened them, and there lay their lord dead on the floor.
26 Ehud escaped while they delayed, and he passed beyond the idols and escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived, he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was their leader. 28 And he said to them, “Follow after me, for the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites and did not allow anyone to pass over. 29 And they killed at that time about 10,000 of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; not a man escaped. 30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years.

KEY POINTS

The Problem of Holiness

  • The people of Israel were not holy and kept being in a cycle of sin. The Israelities were a people who were meant to stand out and be seen as God’s holy and chosen people but kept messing up.
  • In the same way, we as Chrisitans are called to be God’s chosen people – a royal priesthood.
  • When we sin, we are vulnerable and when the Israelities sinned, they were overthrown by the Moabities.

The Solution of God’s Gracious Deliverance

  • But despite Israel’s repetative sinning, God answered their prayers and intervenes lovingly in their fickleness by providing Ehud.
  • Israel is punished for their sin by being ruled over by Eglon but Eglon is also an evil king who is punished. The king is indulgent and so fat that the sword that is used to kill him is engulfed in his fat. Eglon dies in a very humiliating and undignified way.
  • Jesus also died a violent and horrific death by carrying the weight of our sin and dying on the cross. He did this so that we might be saved. We are also fickle but God is constant in His grace and love. God never changes and He gives so freely to us.

Respond with Active Celebration

  • We must have faith in what Jesus did for us, and in the freedom and peace that His death now gives us. Jesus’ death has broken the cycle of sin and now we need to live lives worthy of what Jesus has done for us – living our life with celebration in the joy of a relationship with God the Father.
  • Nothing can stop Jesus’ love for us, He is constant, and He will deliver us.

MORE SERMONS

 

To see more sermons from Christ Church Manchester, you can visit our sermons page, or why not consider subscribing on iTunes.