Judg 6:12, And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, "The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior." 
    	This morning we have in our reading the account of how the Lord encouraged Gideon to go forth into battle against the Midianites by the direction and the counsel and the power of God. He was not making the decisions for the Lord, but fully seeking for Jehovah to guide his every step. He was not one of those individuals who know they are born to lead. He seems to have been quite satisfied with the tasks of farming and shepherding before him. He did his part in hiding away the food that would sustain his family from all the onslaughts of the Midianites.
	However, the Lord came to him at the beating of the wheat at the wine press and spoke directly to this young man. The statement made by God to Gideon is very telling and authoritative in the manner of its delivery and its content. "The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior." 
This was the call of Jehovah upon Gideon to become something far different from what the course of his life seemed to be indicating. How many of us have heard the call of the Lord within our hearts and minds, asking for our obedience unto that which He has chosen for our path on this earth? 
	From personal experience, I knew the course that God had set for my life. I fought against it to the point that there was no other place my feet could tread. From early on, I knew that the Lord had something along the lines of being a teacher or a preacher, but I argued against that and ran away, much like Jonah when the Lord told him to go preach to Ninevah. Oh that we would learn, whether early on in our lives, or here at the point of our current stage in life, that we would be so much better off with His blessing upon our walk. This is despite all the foes and fears that seem to be set against us. We need to know that the course that God has set for us is so much better and perfect and utterly fulfilling than giving into any fear of dread that we harbor in our imaginations and earthly desires!
	We need to respond, like Gideon did, although he did so timidly and with the need for the added assurance of the Lord. We should willingly set our feet onto that path as directed by God, fully determined that His plans and His purposes be accomplished in the manner in which we present His testimony on this earth. 
As with so many of the patriarchs of the Old Testament and the New Testament, we need to know that the Lord is with us. Then, when we know that we are being obedient to His call upon us, we will have the confident assurance that God is going before us. We will know the peace in our hearts that in all that He directs for us to do, He will make it so! He will perform wonders and signs of His glory for and in and through our witness of Him!
	The salutation to Gideon brings to mind another who was timid in terms of being put into the position of leadership. That was Moses as he was shepherding his father-in-law’s sheep. He was on the mountain and saw the burning bush and sought the meaning of what he was witnessing. As we read in Ex 3:11+12, Moses received that call of the Lord’s hand upon His life from the midst of that burning bush. He would no longer shepherd flocks of sheep, but would now shepherd the tribes of Israel. 
	Ex 3:11+12, But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?" And He said, "Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain." 
    	As we have examined in the course of our reading of the first books of the Bible, Moses became that fiery witness and prophet of the Lord who would not let anything or anyone, including Pharaoh, the most powerful of rulers, obstruct Moses’ obedience unto the Lord God Almighty. He stood before Pharaoh and all his court and all his magicians and proclaimed, with all the power of Jehovah that Pharaoh should let God’s people go! Then, in bringing forth the ten plagues, the Lord showed the majesty of His Being with His Omnipotent Sovereignty made plainly visible. God, The Lord God Almighty, Jehovah, Yahweh is the Lord of all of His creation! Moses was the willing instrument through whom the world received the recorded splendor of God’s Majesty fully on display!
	As well, we have the encouragement to one who was not so timid or hesitant to serve the Lord, Joshua. God made it known that Joshua was to completely and absolutely serve under the command and the direction of the Lord. He was to be strong and obedient to the course that Jehovah would show forth as the path of his leadership and warrior role over the Children of Israel. The nation was to walk with the Lord, under the leadership of Joshua. They were not to be fainthearted or afraid or in panic, no matter what the odds arrayed against them. We find one of these statements of the Lord’s guarantee of Being recorded in Deut 20:1-4.
	Deut 20:1-4, "When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you. Now it shall come about that when you are approaching the battle, the priest shall come near and speak to the people. And he shall say to them, 'Hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.' 
   	The Lord specifically spoke to Joshua with the encouragement of going forth in obedient service to God. As recorded in Joshua 1:5, the Lord made the promise of His Omnipresence the cover of all the days of Joshua’s life. God is faithful and just and cannot lie! Therefore each promise of His is a bedrock statement of surety to Joshua, to His people then, and to His Church, you and me, today!
	Josh 1:5, No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. 
… I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you… 
We previously spent a number of sessions on this tremendous reality in the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet, each time we read this awesome declaration directly from the mouth of the Lord, it should trumpet its clarion reality within our hearts and minds! To know that the Lord is with us, and will never fail us or forsake us, is beyond the scope of its inestimable value as each day of our walk on this earth progresses!
	We also see that even when the people of God were turning to other idols and gods of the nations surrounding them, He was still with them. He would send His judges to help deliver the people from their distress for the days of their healing. 
This is the course of this entire book of Judges. We will see, and consider, as each judge came forth with the edict of the Lord upon their lives, they would give evidence to God’s deliverance! They would show the people that Jehovah was still Their Provider and Their Deliverer and Their Healer and Their Sustainer and The Only True and Living Lord God Almighty! 
	Just reconsider Judg 2:18, as the Lord proved Himself over and over again, despite the continual apostasy of this nation that He had saved unto Himself. Judg 2:18, And when the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and afflicted them. 
      	After the time of the judges of Israel, the people called for a king to be over them. Despite the warnings against exchanging the perfect Sovereignty of God for the frailty and fallibility of a human ruler, the people were adamant. Therefore the Lord made that provision, but always with the view to the One, True, Eternal King Who was to come. 
In the meanwhile, those kings over the people tended to be exactly what we would expect. There were some who were good. For the most part, however, the power of the position corrupted the men to the point that the people were being led away from Jehovah and made to worship other deities. Many of these human kings would enslave the people to themselves through the means of such folly.
Several of the kings, however, would return to the Lord and would do good before the Lord and the people in their efforts to be responsible in the course of their leadership. One was King Jehoshaphat, over the House of Judah. We find the Lord being honored by Jehoshaphat as recounted in 2 Chron 17:3+4.
2 Chron 17:3+4, And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father David's earlier days and did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father, followed His commandments, and did not act as Israel did. 
  	These kings of faith, however, became fewer and fewer until the nation utterly turned its back on the Lord. There were always the exception of the few, the remnant of the Lord, who held onto His promise and His Honor and His Service and His Holiness. They held onto the hope of the salvation of the Lord to come. 
Though the Lord was virtually silent for many centuries, His hand was still on His people. His promise to the patriarchs was finally brought to fruition with the incarnate presence of the Only Begotten of the Father. This glorious and eternal visitation began as recounted in Luke 1:26-33, with Gabriel’s proclamation to a young virgin in Nazareth.
	Luke 1:26-33, Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. "And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end." 
	What a fulfillment of all those centuries of waiting! Just consider the burden that was put upon this young woman for all that would be taking place in and around her for the glory of God! She was obedient to the call of the Lord that would bring forth the will of God for all the days of her life. She was not perfect. We know that. Only her Son, Jesus, was the perfect man. But this young girl chose to honor God with the whole essence of her being.
	The Lord, also had to visit Joseph, Jesus’ soon to be earthly father in order calm his apprehension. In those days, it was anathema within society for any physical union to take place out of wedlock. The burden set upon this man was great within the scope of societal pressure and anger and stigma. Therefore the Lord made it known to him that this virginal pregnancy was the course that God had put into place. Joseph was not to fear the marriage. He was to embrace it in obedience to the will of God. We have this put before us in Matt 1:18-25.
Matt 1:18-25, Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. "And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins." Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which translated means, "God with us." And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife, and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus. 
	Through Jesus, The Only Begotten of the Father, God accomplished His means of always and forever fulfilling every single promise ever made to humanity. In Jesus, the Only Begotten of the Father, God, incarnate, Immanuel, we are met with the abiding presence of God. We are incorporated into the very family of God and, in Him, we are eternally before His Awesome Throne of Grace and Mercy and Love.
	Jesus promised this as He gave His disciples, and all those who would follow Him, the declaration of the course of our walk on this earth. This is put before us in Matt 28:19+20. 
	Matt 28:19+20, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." 
	I wonder how many of us have read this and told ourselves that this is only for those who are called to the missionary field, or into the pastorate, or any of the other specifically religious callings of this day. Rather this is the call of the voice of God to every one of the members of His Church. When we consider the fact that it is through you and through me that others come to know the reality of the life that Jesus has made available to all who will but call upon His name, it is a privilege and a tremendous obligation to walk on this earth as faithful and true witnesses of God. 
Please consider how God designed the marriage of man and woman in Jesus Christ. Spouse is witness to spouse in the walk and manner of dealing with all that this life encompasses. Each encourages and embraces and supports and presents the love of Christ to the other. 
Then consider how Christian parentage is divinely designed as the means of God to bless the familial heritage. Being godly parents has such intense purpose and importance in the living witness of how much the love of God means on a daily basis. The manner in which the children are given the practical outworking testimony of what it means to live by faith in this realm is the testimony of how the parents utterly rely upon Christ to meet the every need.
These are but a couple of the living expressions of the way in which we are all called to be the valiant warriors of God as was Gideon. This is within the framework of our homes, or our work places, or our schools, or our communities, or in our society. Every place we are stationed, God is with us! We are to be more and more holy testimonies of His hand upon us as we learn to walk by His will. 
It is not set just in terms of the words to share. It is the very life that we live and how we live it and how we rely on the Lord that makes us the ministers and the living proclamations of the True Lord God Almighty! It is as we go through every adversity, with the Lord ruling and overruling at our side, that we are enabled, by Him, to be the ever clearer vessels of the Light Who shines forth from our every interaction. Jesus is the beacon of the only hope of salvation for all who will see the difference of Christ and will seek after Him.
One, who came to fully know this call of service, was the Apostle Paul. There is detailed the means of the Lord calling out to Paul to maintain that testimony with which he had been so blessed. Consider the effect of this as it is before us in Acts 18:9+10.
Acts 18:9+10, And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city." 
    	The Apostle was encouraged to not fear to declare the Gospel. He would face the full brunt of the persecution of humanity, yet he would not cringe nor shirk that duty unto the Lord. He asked for the prayers of the saints to cover him and accordingly become actively engaged with him as fellow partakers in this great commission, as we read in Eph 6:18-20. 
Eph 6:18-20, With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. 
    	And, finalizing this morning, we hear the encouraging call of the Apostle in spite of that treacherous abuse of this world. The power of this age will do anything and everything in its futile efforts to stop the witness of the One True and Living Lord God Almighty from being shared with the prisoners of this realm. 
Consider what was written to the Thessalonians in 1 Thess 2:1-4. The Apostle reiterates that this life that is being lived as the witness of Christ resurrected and glorified is directly attributable to the call of God upon each one of us, now and forevermore.
	1 Thess 2:1-4, For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain, but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition. For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit; but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men but God, who examines our hearts. 
	We live our lives, not by the will of humanity, with all the frailty and fear and wavering emotional baggage and despair. No, we are warriors unto the Word of the Lord because He has spoken within us, by the Holy Spirit, bringing us into the newness of the life of Jesus Christ. He is the One Whom we serve! We do so with the purpose of every valiant warrior! We are fully committed and without fear of what this age may try to do in its vain efforts to stop the vital testimony of the Good News! So be it!
And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, "The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior." Amen. 

This morning’s benediction is Ezra 3:11. And they sang, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, "For He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever." And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. Amen.