Jephthah is mentioned in what has been called the Hall of Fame of Faith found in the New Testament book of Hebrews. And yet Jephthah was an outcast, an outlaw, and an exile. How did God use a person with such a difficult and broken past for His purposes in redemption history? What does that imply God might be able to do with us? Join Pastor Jim for one more look at the grace of God at work in the book of Judges!
Sermon Notes
Jephthah, mighty warrior, shrewd negotiator, bold witness to YHWH:
1. Argument from history (v. 14-22)
2. Argument from theology (v. 23-24)
3. Argument from precedent (v. 25-26)
4. Closes with a theological challenge (v. 27)
5. Non-Responsive Response (v. 28)
“Christian faith has classically stood for more than a ‘self-understanding and a lifestyle.’ For the majority of those who call themselves Christians, the historicity of the core events of redemptive history, precisely because it is redemptive history, can never be dismissed as insignificant considerations.”
V. Philips Long
The Art of Biblical History
“He does not need us, we desperately need him. Do not patronize him. Turn and run or bow and worship.”
David Platt
“The Good News is not, ‘Here are the rules, see how many of them you can keep.’ Instead, I believe he would say, ‘Here is Jesus. See what God has done for you through him.’”
Christopher Wright