God called Gideon to lead Israel out of oppression. The first job was to tear down the altar unto Baal and build an altar unto God.

1. Throw down the false gods in your life. Trust and serve the True and Living God and Him alone .

2. God has chosen Gideon to lead the Israelites in this time of oppression by the Midianites, And to deliver them with a great victory . Gideon was not a man we would have chosen. He had no confidence -- self or any other. He was from an unimportant family , And he was the least in that family. He had no qualities for leadership that anyone would see him as a deliverer.

3. That is why God chose him. No man would get any glory for destroying the Midianites. 2 Timothy 4 18 … To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

4. 25 And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it: God orders our steps .

5. People often think that God gives general directions , but we have to figure out how to get there. That concept is not found in Scripture. It comes from the pride of man . To faithfully serve God , we must live and walk in the Power and Wisdom of His Spirit.

6. Psalms 16 (NIV) 2 I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing." We can't manifest God's character unless His Spirit produces it in us. Galatians 5 22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. These are not traits of successful men or women in this world. They are essential in the Kingdom of God.

7. First God chose an unlikely man to deliver Israel, And then He gave an unlikely command to raise him to leadership and bring that victory. 25b "Throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it:" Gideon's daddy was an idolater, and all the people in that clan were idolaters. Talk about making a bunch of people mad , Just take away their idols .

8. Preach against those things which they have raised above serving God. Anything we raise above doing what God has called and gifted us to do, Is an idol unto us. Not Thy Will, but mine be done.

9. 26 And build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock , and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down. Tear down Baal's altar. Build an altar unto God.

10. It's not enough to tear down the evil; We must also build the good . We must not worship false gods; We must worship the True and Living God. Don't set our eyes on the things of this world ; Set our eyes on the things of God.

11. 27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the Lord had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.

13. 28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built. 29 And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.

14. Gideon secretly tore down the false gods, But it could not remain a secret. Gideon had to secretly tear down these altars, Or he would have been stopped . But God wanted everyone to know who did it. If more than one knows a thing, it will get out.

15. God was raising up an unlikely man with an unlikely command to lead these people. They would follow Gideon in spite of their anger against him. They thought of him as weak and ineffectual. But God was proving him to be a leader.

16. God doesn't choose those who can do things on their own to do His Work. They would take the glory ! God chooses those who will depend on Him. Look what I did for the American people. I created jobs.

18. Archie Burton: Bro. David, I am some better all the doctors have released me and I still have problems with my breathing, but they tell me there is no more that they can do for me, so the Lord willing I am planning to return to Moldova on the May 31, please continue to pray for me, I will keep in touch with you . thanks for your prayers