BIBLE READING -- JUDGES 17-21

 THE FATE OF UNRULED LIFE

In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. 

(Judges 21:25)

A. Though unruled lives may prevail for a time, God’s judgment cannot be forever escaped. 20:1-18

1. Immoral Acts Decried

2. Verdict passed

3. Hardness of Heart

B. The longer God’s rule is resisted the more devastating the final reckoning 20:19-48

1. Battle for Rightousness

2. God’s Deliverance God’s way

C. Even though his judgment is righteous, the fate of the judged should move us 21:1-23

1. First Response is Indignation

2. Second Response Mercy

3. Peace offered to the Judged

4. Preservation of the line

D. While God’s chastening may be harsh, his story remains one of deliverance. 23-25

Final lessons from Judges

A. Fallen humanity will never escape the need for a Deliverer.

B. Until the rule of our lives is fully surrendered to the deliverer, we will likely experience our cycle of sin.

 Forgetting the past
 Looking Elsewhere
 Facing the Cost
 Repentance and Deliverance
 Deliverance Diminishes

C. God will allow us to wallow in that cycle until we truly surrender.

http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/the-fate-of-unruled-lives-the-final-lesson-of-the-judges-bruce-rzengota-sermon-on-judgment-142511.asp?Page=4 Accessed: 25-02-2014