"Jephthah the Outcast"

Sermon Scripture:  Judges 11-12

Sermon Notes are available for you to follow along below, or for download here.

Sermon Notes:

Jephthah the Outcast: Despised and Rejected by Men (11:1-11)

• The way people treated the judges revealed how they treated the Lord.
• The way people treat ___________ is the way they are treating God.
• You cannot have Jesus’ rescue without accepting Jesus’ __________. 
• Peter told the Jews that the Christ whom they had rejected was the Christ they must receive. 

Jephthah the Diplomat: The Pen Before the Sword (11:12-28)

• The king of Ammon justifies his attack on Israel by claiming part of the land formerly belonged to them. 
• In response, Jephthah uses three arguments to refute these unfair accusations. 
  • Historical (v. 15-22)
  • Theological (v. 23-24)
  • Legal (v. 25-27)
• The king refuses to listen to Jephthah’s claims. 
  • Truth must be told and peace must be sought, but it does not always win the day. 
  • We follow Christ whose truth was mocked and righteousness ignored, yet he never compromised. 

Jephthah the Fool: A Terrible Vow  (11:29-40)

• Jephthah makes a promise to try and win God’s favor. 
  • You don’t make __________ with God. 
  • You don’t ___________ with God.
  • You obey and trust God… period.
• Jephthah follows through with his vow and sacrifices his daughter.
  • One evil act does not justify a __________ evil act. 
  • Sin warps our minds so that we do one wrong thing which leads to another. 
• We see two lessons from Jephthah’s mistake:
  • We are often far more affected by our culture than by the Bible.
  • God’s people often struggle to believe in a God of _________. 
• God wants only one kind of human sacrifice: ______ sacrifice of offering God lordship in all areas of our lives. 

Jephthah the Violent: Civil War Within Israel (12:1-7)

• Jephthah was careful to be diplomatic and peaceful when his own position was at stake. (11:4-11)
• Jephthah peacefully stood up for the truth when facing his enemies. (11:12-28)
• But here, he does not hesitate to strike out at those within God’s people who oppose him. 
  • “If we spent as much time pursuing unity and overlooking insults within our churches as we do seeking to remain on good terms with the world, our communities would be far less divided and far more loving.” – Tim Keller
• Three diagnostic questions:
  • Where am I too quick to judge my fellow Christians?
  • What differences within Christianity do I use as opportunities to look down on others?
  • Who am I refusing to forgive, relishing deep down the opportunity to shun them? 

Jesus the Faithful: We Are Left Longing for a More Perfect Salvation

• Christ is the true leader our hearts cry out for. (10:18)
• Christ was despised and rejected by the sinners he came to save. (11:7)
• Christ demands full allegiance in exchange for our rescue. (11:9)
• Christ was the only Son offered up as the true sacrifice for our sins. 
• Jephthah’s victory led to division among the people. Christ’s victory will bring _______ to the church. (12:1-8) ​