"A Laughable Salvation"

A month ago, we had a guest preacher at church and I have to share his sermon. 

I've been meaning to...for a month now and I'm finally getting to take the time this Saturday morning to share a little biblical insight with you all from the mouth of Brian Sorgenfri. I've posted a few things from him before. He is a super talented preacher. The thing I love and loved (he was my RUF minister during college) about Brian's preaching is how he takes passages from the bible that you've probably heard multiple times and brings this new aspect to it. It almost never fails that I see he's doing a passage that I've read/heard before--then I always walk away thinking, "I've never heard it like THAT before though". I love it. It's this fresh lens to see God's word through and it's a privilege to hear this man share the gospel. 

Without further ado...

"A Laughable Salvation" from Judges 3:12-30

(picture from here)

"There are many passages in Judges that are "crazy" and you wonder why they are in the bible. Well, that's us.  We are messy and we are crazy and the only thing that's more relentless than our sin is Jesus's love and want for us. 

I. A laughable oppression:

"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.  He gathered himself the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and went and defeated Israel.  And they took possession of the city of palms.  And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years." (vs. 12-14)

It's interesting who God uses in this passage. 

It's laughable because they use the King of Moab. Moab was a weak foe in Israel's past. Eglon, the name of the king, literally means "fattened calf" and this man help them captive for 18 years. 

Moab was the first foe that Israel shouldn't have had to worry about--this is what make it all so laughable. 

The most dangerous stuff in our lives is the things people see as laughable--like good looks, good grade, success, our children, our marriages, money--it's the sin and idolatry that we don't see that will kill us. It's the stuff that's hidden under the good stuff. 

II. Laughable salvation:

"Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, and the Lord raised 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. 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. And he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab.  Now Eglon was a very fat man. And when Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute.  But he himself turned back at the idols near Gilgal and said, "I have a secrecy message for you, O king." And he commanded "silence." And all his attendants went out from his presence.  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. And Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. 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. Then Ehud went out into the porch and closed the doors of the roof chamber behind him and locked them.  

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." 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.  (vs. 15-25)

In comes Ehud, the man God chose to save Israel, was a Benjaminite (which means 'son of my right hand') and he was left handed--it's to be believed that his right hand was probably deformed or useless and HE is who God uses. 

He seemed so weak that the guards of Eglon just leave him with the king, unattended because they weren't expecting him able to do anything. 

God seeks, saves, and uses the nobodies and the shameful and He makes them heroes. 

God chooses the foolish things of the world to shame the strong. 

God uses what is laughable to save the world and bring people to Him--and when that happens, there is no other explanation other than that God and God alone did that. He saved that person, He loved that person, He used that person. 

Ehud escapes from the king's palace by going under Eglon's toilet and the guards wait so long that they are embarrassed--Ehud gets away so easily, with absolutely no struggle. 

So not only was the person chosen to save Israel laughable, but so was the way that he actually accomplished it. 

The way of salvation just seems laughable, it seems too easy--all we have to do is give up ourselves, realize that we aren't good enough, and only need Jesus.

Bring my sin and He will bring salvation and joy. 

The way we are saved is by the humiliation of Jesus Himself.  The laughing stock of the world because just that for MY salvation.  It seems laughable, but it's incredibly beautiful. 

III. Laughable Result 

Ehud escaped while they delayed, and he passed beyond the idols and escaped to Seirah.  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. 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.  And they killed at that time about 10,000 of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; not a man escaped. So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years." (vs. 26-30)

We are like the Israelites in this story. 

The end is secure, Jesus wins. The rest is just "mop up work"

Because we follow Jesus who didn't take power, but gave it away through humility--then it will continue through us with our weakness and humiliation. 

God uses the ordinary to save and convert people--you won't save people by being morally awesome--you will save people by repenting and loving them. 

What we do as Christians all seems laughable.  

We love unlovable people, we give away our money, we sit under the teachings of an ancient book, and that's laughable.

As Christians, we have to be laughable and be able to laugh.  

It's laughable when we reveal our greatest sins and Jesus STILL pursues us and loves us and is glad with us.  It's funny the kind of people He loves. 

When it "just makes sense" to us--we should worry. We should laugh in joy about what He's done. We should laugh with rejoicing.