Have I Not Sent You?

Sending Sunday · August 9, 2026
Primary Text: Judges 6:11–24 · Speaker: Ed Rangel

Memory Verse: Judges 6:14–16 — Hold together the command, “Have I not sent you?” and the promise, “Surely I will be with you.”

Lesson Objectives

• Trace how Israel’s disobedience prepared the setting for Gideon’s call.
• Explain why God’s authority and presence answer Gideon’s inadequacy.
• Apply Gideon’s call to faithfulness in unfamiliar places.
• Identify how a congregation should support those it sends.

Thesis

God sends ordinary people beyond what they believe they can do, and His presence—not their adequacy—is the strength by which they obey.

Study Guide

1. God found Gideon hiding — Judges 6:11–13

Gideon threshed wheat in a winepress because Midian had reduced Israel to fear and scarcity. The title “valiant warrior” described the work God was assigning, not the courage Gideon had already displayed.

1. What does the winepress reveal about Gideon’s circumstances and state of mind?

2. Why was Gideon wrong to question God’s presence without facing Israel’s disobedience (Judges 6:10, 13)?

2. God’s command exceeded Gideon’s estimate — Judges 6:14–16

Gideon measured the mission by his clan, household, and rank. The LORD did not answer with flattery or hidden-potential language. He gave Gideon a commission and promised to be with him.

3. How does “Have I not sent you?” move the ground of confidence from Gideon to God?

4. Compare Judges 6:14–16 with Matthew 28:18–20. What stands on each side of the command to go?

God’s presence does not remove obedience; it makes obedience possible.

3. God gave peace before victory — Judges 6:17–24

The sign confirmed God’s word but did not remove Gideon’s hard steps. Before the battle, the LORD settled Gideon’s standing before Him: “Peace to you, do not fear.”

5. What did the sign assure Gideon of, and what work did it leave for him to obey?

6. Why is “The LORD is Peace” a stronger foundation than confidence in personal strength?

Application

• Before you go: Decide whose word will govern you. Pray before pressure comes, open Scripture, and find a faithful congregation.
• Wherever you are: Speak truth when silence feels safer. You bear Christ’s name, not merely a hometown identity.
• As a congregation: Pray for those who leave by name, contact them, encourage faithful worship, and ask about their souls.

Personal Response

Truth to hold:

Obedience to practice:

Fear to refuse:

Prayer: