The Call by Sam Hodum December 29, 2024 ยท Cornerstone Apostolic Church (Chattanooga, TN) Kind: sermon Scripture: Judges 6, Judges 6:11-16, Judges 6:33-35, Judges 7:2-3, Judges 7:4-7 Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/sam-hodum--the-call Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page. Free to copy and share with attribution. ------------------------------------------------------------ will you lift your hands right now because I know I have a word for us today I don't have a doubt in my mind but I need your prayers for just a moment will you let the word let his name be so in your life Let It Be proclaimed over you but would you say a prayer for me right now Jesus God we love you God we thank you God we praise you God we worship you Lord we Proclaim your name over our life your name not any other name not any title but your name Jesus we want the blessings and the mercy and the favor and the will and the Divine of God to be present in our life because of your name we are people of the name not any other name but we are people of your name we are bought signed sealed and delivered unto you God we are your people God and as your people we come to you so humbly and so humbly God so desperate for you today God I pray Lord that you would let your word go forth into your people God that you would let your light be Shone through our lives God I pray Lord that our hearts and our minds would be prepared that our that our that that the word of the Lord could walk freely into our hearts our minds and our souls and that you would direct us God you would guide us God that you would let us leave here a changed people a called out people a people under your name come on right now would you just lift your hands lift your voice put them together God I thank you God I praise you God I worship you Lord oh Hallelujah to the most high God Jesus Jesus guys I don't I don't know if you know it or not I don't know if you can feel it or not but God's God's moving on us today God's got a plan for today as you're being seated fist bump your neighbor tell them hi I want you to know know this that a couple weeks ago God dropped something into my soul specifically for today he dropped something into my heart for today I didn't know who was going to be here I don't know if you knew you were going to be here today but from a very simple phrase from a very simple point of view today I want to carry your minds and and and and I want to walk through a story with you today but I want you to understand the gravity that that God has put in my heart in my soul and as the as the the job of the preacher is not to do it the job of the preacher is to deliver it John the Baptist he said prepare ye the way of the lord we want to we want to call him the guy that comp prepared the way of the Lord but he said prepare ye so today the word it very very simply there was a there was a story uh a book in a movie that was from the 1990s of a guy if anyone ever read or watched into the wild when I watched this when I went through this and I saw I have never felt more seen by a movie I have never identified with something more than that thank God I didn't see it till later in life this guy was H the the the the the overview of the story is he's graduating college he is uh just a young kid graduating 1990 and family what problems whatever and he decides that he wants to go to Alaska he is going to find happiness he's going to find uh purpose he's going to find meaning in life and so he he leaves he's his parents are in the Northeast he's in the South he just leaves it takes them two months before they realize he's gone welcome to the 1990s as he's going and he he travels around the US he he hitchhikes he he gets in a canoe rides down to to Mexico walks back he does all kinds of adventurous things uh he works on a farm in South Dakota and then he finally makes his way into Alaska he is found uh in Alaska and and and Hayden if you can put that picture up this was where he found himself beautiful it this is why I identified with it I was like man that's where I want to go the he finds himself here but as the winter goes on he finds himself running out of food sustenance shelter it's cold it's bitterly cold he can't he tries to leave he he decides I'm going to leave but he can't he's trapped and so he dies in that bus right there but he made a journal of his entire trip and that's what the book and then the movie are based off of and what he discovers as he is continually Jour journaling is that as he was searching for purpose and searching for meaning and and and and decided to leave everything behind him promising everything he left it behind and he went into the wild and he realized that that was not all it was cracked up to be the wild was relentless it did not care that he had a college degree it did not care that he'd romanticized the idea of living there it did not care the the the the miles he' traveled to get there but once he was there all it said was it's you against me and nature one he died you see this this idea this idealism this guy was caught in extending his adolescence it it and and we see this in our society we see the idea of extending our adolescence 25 30 years old no job no purpose no reason no rhyme it's in avoidance of responsibility that's the extension of adolescence that's that's where we're at it seems in in life as far as as a culture we get there we find that this is this is a cultural phenomenon we find that that we struggle with this and so this guy this was in my mind this guy is the ultimate warning or romanticized story for adolescence stopping all growth stopping All Purpose leaving to find oneself to to venture out but really and truly the finding of oneself doesn't even I it wasn't because of challenge it was the avoidance of Challenge and it was looking for purpose we find that when we get as we grow as we get older that we can't always do do this this is the idea if it wasn't we wouldn't work for retirement for whatever reason everyone's got a a little different idea of this it might be video games it might be reading it might be books it by whatever it is that disassociates us from our current responsibilities or from taking up those responsibilities it it it pulls at us and yet we we know deep down if we're going to have anything we can't do it I'm going to I'm going to tell this from a guy's perspective okay because I'm a guy that's but as a guy that's ideal but then you realize okay if I'm going to get somewhere I've got to have a vehicle well then once you get a vehicle you're like you know what a girl sure would look nice in this vehicle and then you get the girl and she's like hey where are we going to eat and you're like wait a minute I didn't plan for that I ain't got a job okay now I got to get a job because I got to feed the girl and then she's like man those shoes sure would be nice Lauren never asked for anything she always man that'd be nice to have wouldn't it this that that that clothing sure would be nice and guys they trap us they trap us in responsibility because that's what we are made to do we are designed to be honed to be pointed and and and and and by Nature we are made to be pleasing God really thought that was funny he like your job's to make her happy good luck buddy I'm going I'm going to get so much trouble for this guys oh so then we have a family we have responsibilities we have possessions we have kids we have to take care of our own we realize that a society is built we are now responsible for things and we now have to do work in order to take care of them we now have to take one foot in front of the other and go to the job that we hate or love doesn't matter we we just have to do it that's what we are now saddled with made to do it's what we are designed to do and you're like what about that purpose and so we might get to the point that we find ourselves with a hobby that is our purpose I'm going to fish all weekend because I'm going to work all week but the weekend's mine I'm a hunt the hunters might actually shoot me I'm going to I'm going to shop I'm going to whatever it is that I really want to do I'm going to golf all weekend long I'm going to run some people really like that they do look marathons they should just watch Force gum I'm going to cook I'm going to take care I'm going to I'm going to nurture I'm going to I I whatever my respon but I'm going to do this and and this is my relief from my responsibility and so we're in that constant battle that constant that that constant balance of or I want to go on vacation but I also need to you know buy a new car I want to I want to do this and so we're always going back and forth in this and our life becomes consumed by our Pursuit of Happiness by our Pursuit for the ideal our life becomes consumed by the purs suit of of what we're chasing after and and we're trying to be responsible right that's Godly Man done work he doesn't eat that's Godly but we're also trying to to to keep a little semblance of ourselves and so this balance in our lives we find that it pulls at us it consumes us it is all of us there was a man by the name of Gideon in Judges chapter 6 that was doing just this Gideon was an industrious man he was a man that was not just out running from everything he was providing for his family he was looking out for his clan he was he was being what he was supposed to be in the worst of circumstances every year the midianites would come and they would take their stuff every year every time he turned around they would take his stuff the food that he was going to put in his kid's mouth they would grab it judges chap 6: 11 now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the tabeth at Ora which belonged to joash the abrazar right while his son Gideon was beating out the wheat in the wine press to hide it from the midianites he was working hard and the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him the Lord is with you ohmighty man of Valor and Gideon said to him please my Lord if the Lord is with us why then has this happened to us and where are all his wonderful Deeds that our fathers recounted to us saying did not the Lord bring us out of Egypt but now the Lord has forsaken us and give us into the hand of Midian and the Lord turned to him and said go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian do not I send you and he said to him please Lord how can I save Israel behold my clan is the weakest in Manasseh and I am the least in my father's house and the Lord said to him I will be with you and you shall strike the midianites as one man Gideon was doing all that he knew to do his life was consumed with surviving and God had the audacity to call him God had the audacity to break into his busy schedule and to his responsibilities and to everything that consumed just his existence and he said I have called you I have called you what do you mean am I going to abandon my responsibilities no what do you mean I'm not worthy to do this I can't do it I'm I'm I'm from the weakest Clan he he's got this Underdog mentality on him I I I I I I look in the mirror and I don't see a mighty man of Valor I wasn't there but I imagine God said something like if you look in the mirror and see you you're looking wrong buddy we are supposed to be a reflection you see Gideon was doing everything he was supposed to do he was in the place where he was supposed to be but he was not doing what God had called him to do I think many of us might be in this same boat today I I I I see a lot of men I see a lot of women I see a lot of people that take the responsibilities of life so serious as they rightfully should I see I see I see us with those and we're doing we diligent doing what we're so supposed to be doing but God has a calling for us God has called us out of where we're at to be something more to be something greater we can't see it in ourselves others may not see it around us but God is pulling at you God is calling on you God is saying come on come on look in the mirror look in the mirror Gideon you may only see the weakness you may only see the shortcomings you may only see the the limitations but I am calling you out of that I will make a way I will be more I will make up what you can't do you see the call that God puts on us it is both a concrete and an abstract it's almost a study and contradiction the call of God is Not merely and and I want to lay this here I am not talking about the call to preach or only the call to preach God wasn't calling Gideon to preach he was calling him to battle I don't know what God I'm telling you God put this on me a couple weeks ago he knew who was going to be he knew he was going to be listening I don't know what God is calling you out of I don't know what you're arguing with him about God I can't do it I I I I don't have it in me I I I don't know I I can't do it the call if you've asked someone about their call where they've they've heard the call of God of where they've felt the pull of God of where they they felt that God purposed them they're different they they're they're they're settled they're almost like a tree planted by water it's got sustenance it's got roots that grow deep and when the winds come and the issues come it's just there the call of God I I can I can I can I clarify this because I'm afraid some of you guys are thinking oh he's he's talking about someone to preach he's talking about a Ministry of some I am not I'm not each one of us has something right here within us that God is calling you out of your adolescence out of your just just getting by out of your survival and he's calling you into him you guys you guys just hang with me for a minute the midianites they came this is verse 33 now all the midianites and the am malachit and the people of the East came together and they crossed the Jordan and encamped in the valley of Jezreel but the spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon and he sounded the trumpet and the azerite sets his clan were called out to follow him and he sent Messengers throughout all of manasse and they too were called out to follow him and he sent Messengers to Asher zebulun Napa and they went up to meet them they went to a convention I'm talking to you youth youth guys they went to a convention 32,000 men showed up ready to fight 32 men, men showed up against hundreds of thousands showed up ready to fight and the Lord said to Gideon this is judges 7: 2 and 3 the people with you are too many for me to give the midianites into their hand lest Israel should boast over me saying my own hand has saved me now therefore Proclaim in the ears of the people saying whoever is fearful and trm let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead then 22,000 of the people returned and 10,000 remained 32,000 answered the call they showed up to the convention they said we're here we're ready to fight and all that had to be done was it it wasn't a great spiritual discernment it was Gideon saying hey who's scared and 22,000 said can you walk with them home they just came to the convention no doubt they were just camping out having a good old time hey guys anybody scared yeah I'm scared all right go okay they had answered the call they couldn't stay home their wives would be like hey why aren't you going what's happening that the only reason they came was because their wives were like hey you got to go find out what's going on that's it that's the only reason they showed up and then they got there and then they left as they're going home they're probably going well oh well you know we just showed up yeah he doesn't really know what he's doing it's it's best we just go on home yeah yeah yeah I had Jesus used this later I I I had a wife I just married uh yeah I need to go um yeah I had you know you know if I got killed in battle who'd take care of my kids uh who you know you know I really just needed to I needed to go muck out the barn I've been putting that off for a while but I really need to go I wasn't scared but I had some things I need to get done uh that's you know that's that's just what I need to do you walking with me can you imagine their mindset you following me well you know 22,000 of us left so it's okay we we were in the majority it's okay we answered the call we showed up but yeah it really wasn't for us so we we just we just going home Jesus in the parable he's put it I you know one guy had a piece of property to go check out one guy had a new wife one one had something else just going on and said oh I I just I just can't go just can't show up how many of us are plagued by those ideas you don't have that conversation with Pastor you don't even have that with your wife that's you and God God I yeah I you know i' i' I'd be a somebody needs to be a good Godly influence in my community I do it but I'm just so busy God you know God our schools are just terrible somebody somebody will WR mine ought to be on the school board but I you know I that's just not for me I don't know the right people God I I i' I'd tell that person about God they probably don't they probably don't want to hear about it if I had a pen right now I just drop it thank you thank you so they go home they'd heard the call but they didn't really what they tell their kids how did they when they got home honey what what happened what what was that all well they they're going to fight a battle why aren't you with them I I I really I really need to get that done you've been after me to do that forever I really just need to do it right now just like it's been four years and then the Lord said to Gideon judges 7:4 the people are still too many take them down to the water and I will test them for you there and if anyone whom I say to you this one shall go with you shall go with you and anyone whom I say to you shall not go with you shall not go so he brought the people down to the water and the Lord said to Gideon everyone who laps the water with his tongue as a dog laps you shall set by himself like likewise everyone who kneels down to drink and the number of those who laughed putting their hands to their mouth was 300 men but all the rest who knelt down to drink but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink and the Lord said to Gideon with the 300 men who laed I will save you and they give the midianites into your hand and let the others go every man to his home he went from 10,000 10,000 the 32,000 had already left 32,000 was way too few but he had 10,000 so Gideon's like all right boys we're still good we're still on track and he gets down there these 10,000 had answered the call they were they they were doing what they thought they were supposed to do they were not abandon we're with you buddy we got it and so he gets down there and I need oh Lord I don't want to do this while preaching uh I'll do it I'll do it all right so I'm not going y'all just use your imagination all right said anyone who drinks the water like this keep them and anyone who gets down and puts their face down in the water send them back now this was the way that everyone did it this was the normal way of drinking water this was the common way of drinking water 97% of the men there 9,700 of them drunk water like that that was the normal way if you don't have a cup how else are you going to get water out of a creek they're just like come on dude like you're losing so much like how many times how come on just get down it just makes sense but God said no because their mentality mattered those that were down like this using their hand keeping one hand on their sword looking around for the enemy their mentality mattered for their call I am persuaded and I know that God has put something in my heart for you today he has put it in my soul for you today many of you have answered the call you're here you're doing you you you you still doing your responsibilities you're still living life you're God what else can I do you're like what what what do you mean what else can I do God I'm doing everything I can and he says your mentality the way it doesn't matter if it's the way we've always done it it doesn't matter if that's the way that makes sense it doesn't matter what matters is your mentality is focused there's an enemy nearby and I've got to be prepared can I just tell you there's a lost world here we've got to be prepared if we are not prepared to to harvest a city God will never send us a harvest if we are not prepared to baptize in jesus' name God will never send us someone to baptized in Jesus name if we are not prepared to help those that are bound and hurt and struggling and lost God will never send them to us and he is calling someone here today he is calling something out of you he's calling you past yourself Beyond who you are beyond what you think is possible he is calling you out of where you're at can you imagine the 300 if he had just called out 300 guys they would have never done it but God had to say you have to see everyone else walk away you have to be so dedicated and so focused on the battle that all these other things do not matter the distractions going on around you the responsibilities all those things you're doing your part you're taking care of them but I'm going to make up for it you may not conceal way to win a war you may not conceal way to win a battle against so many thousand but if you'll just do your part I somebody hear me today if you'll just answer the call God is calling after you he wants you to walk out of yourself out of Who You Are God it's it's calling for you as as as I Was preparing driving around Chattanooga even conversations we had yesterday about churches closing down denominations that used to be strong not so strong a postchristian nation this just kept hitting me I don't know the solution I don't know how to complete but I do know what God put on me there's a call in here God's calling on you you may have been you may have been having conversations with him back and forth back and forth God that's not me I can't do that but you can there's the call and there's the choice if you'd stand with me for just a moment many of you have been in church you've been places you've had family members that have answered the call of God yes been hurt they've been hurt can I say the hurts to those that have been that are close to us sometimes hurt worse than the hurts to us right somebody hurts her family it feels worse and that may be your reason today all I know there's a call would you lift your hands with me for just a moment there's a call for someone there is a call for someone today to step out of themselves past their situation past the distractions past the if you're looking in the mirror and you see your issues you see your failures you see your faults I pray today that you would come to an altar and you say God make me in your image and in your likeness that you would you would purpose me God for your call no longer am I follow following after the adolescence after the irresponsibility but God I am hearing your voice I am following after you I am answering the call today you guy is going to hyc you're going to you're going to get to the convention everyone there is going to be in the altar as they should be and you're going to make you're going to you're going to you're going to make some things up in your mind for God God I hear your voice you're calling me out of myself but the test is not just in that it's in God I'm preparing I'm doing every one of us in here day have a gift a time a talent a treasure have time and you think it's taken up you think it's taken up with the responsibilities of life and the chasing of the pleasures of life you think it is it's not I dare you to test god with it God I hear the call I don't know how I don't have the time I don't have the energy I don't have the ability hear the call God I I can't do that but you know what if you're telling me if you're asking me I'm going to trust you today if we could just find a place to pray every one of us if you want the altar is open this I I don't know how to I if God told me specifically who and what it was I'd come to you I promise I wouldn't not but he didn't somebody's got a call today somebody's got a call today somebody's got a call today your family's future depends on not just surviving but thriving and growing in the love of God somebody's got a call today he all I want all you nothing know let you come on you've got you've got the the bandw with to trust God you can't do it in and enough yourself but God will make a way for you his grace is sufficient his love and his Mercy is sufficient Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus J just in my lifetime in my lifetime I've seen a whole lot of people call nothing more painful to me than the look in the eyes of the one that was called knew they were called somewhere along the way I was just scared I couldn't adjust I couldn't adapt I don't know how many times I've seen it I don't know how many friends I've had I don't know how many I've watched the call haunt them but I don't want that to be any of us today I don't want that to be anyone so As I Lay My Heart and deliver my soul unto you today what I feel that God has put on me I want you to grab a neighbor grab a friend to encourage them pray for him don't put a call on their life let that be between them and God but encourage them give them strength God I pray for my brother and I pray for my sister God I know the things that that pop up the the the responsibilities that are real the underdog the the the the selfworth the the uncap I know that God I'm intimately familiar with it but God I pray Lord that you would strengthen my brother God help him to see you or help him to see him the way you see you him God let him God just give him a glimpse of what you've invested in him God give him a glimpse of his potential in you if he would just trust you God if he would just trust you God the 300 that answered the call man what a story they had what a life-changing moment that was for them they didn't even have to fight the battle the battle's not the point it's not call is and the choice