AN EXPOSITORY BIOGRAPHICAL SERMON OF ADRIAN ROGERS

IT IS TIME
JUDGES 6:11-16

John Marks Sanders

HIS 5130B Baptist History
April 15, 2010
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Introduction

Have you ever heard of the phrase “timing is everything?” For many people, time is just

a numerical system with meaning applied to the numbers but timing is something different all

together. Timing is a spacing of events in a certain time period so to achieve a goal and is

something that we all know about. Timing to a college student is when they decide the perfect

time to announce the F on their report card. Timing to a chef is determining how to cook 200

bread rolls that need time rise in a small kitchen, and timing to a pastor is knowing when and

how to speak after a tragedy has happened. We can definitely see the examples and think of

countless more where perfect timing is needed, but where does that special knowledge come

from? How does one obtain it? Does it come from experience? Maybe it does, but what about

the timing of events that happen in nature or that happen outside of our control?

Was the birth of Jesus Christ to a virgin two thousand years ago a random act that just

happened one night? Was the exodus of the Israelites a miracle because of its sheer magnitude

or was because it was led by a Jewish boy that was ordered to be executed, but instead was raised

in Pharaoh’s household? Are these events that change the history for countless of people the

result of random chance? What makes these things possible? God makes these things possible.

In reading the Scriptures, you find that God has a perfect plan that will come to pass, but not

because of random chance, but because God is causing it to happen. In God’s eyes no life is an

accident, waste, or surprise because that would be against His perfect nature.

Major events have happened in history seemingly at the hands of single individuals, but it

was not because of their talent or skills. It was God’s will and purpose. This morning we will

see both a modern example and one from the Scriptures demonstrating that our God, the God of

the universe, has not left us but in fact is in our midst. This morning we will see two individuals
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that at first glance did not seem like much. They did not seem like the kind that’s is smart,

funny, gifted or talented that we envision God will use to drastically change history, but with

God as their guide and strength they would become men that would write history for the rest of

us. For these men, timing was everything but not because they toiled and labored so to fit

everything perfectly for the opposite could be said of these individuals, but because God has a

will that will be done.

Time to Be Found…No Matter Where You Are (vs. 11-12)

Have you ever felt like the world was coming down around you and there was nothing that

you could do about it? This is the situation of Gideon. Before we talk about how Gideon was

being counterproductive and scared hiding in a winepress, I must tell you what is going on

around him. If you turn with me to the beginning of chapter 6 in the book of Judges, we see

what is going on. The text says this: “Israel did what was evil in sight of the Lord. So the Lord

handed them over to Midian seven years, and they oppressed Israel [and] because of Midian, the

Israelites made hiding places for themselves”1 and this is where we find Gideon, hiding. Gideon

“was threshing [wheat] in a winepress, [which was] a pit carve out of rocky ground. Normally

threshing floors were located in exposed areas so that the wind could easily blow away the

chaff,”2 but Gideon was hiding. Gideon was being counterproductive in both his physical and

spiritual tasks because he was not exposed to the wind and was cowering so to hide from the

Midianites.

1
Judges 6:1-2a
2
Herbert Wolf, Judges, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), 419
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The next verse will blow you away. In verse 12 an Angel of the Lord “who is Yahweh

himself”3 appears to Gideon and says “the Lord is with you, mighty warrior”4 and while that

sounds nice and comforting, it seems out of line. K. Lawson Younger Jr. noted that “there seems

to be great irony in this statement by the angel of Yahweh…for Gideon is characterized by

fearfulness and reluctance, although Yahweh’s words are correct for he will be a great warrior at

the end.”5 Gideon was the most unusual one for God to use and was found in the most unusual

place to be called great and mighty but this is how God works.

Adrian Rogers was born September 12, 1931, in West Palm Beach, Florida to a middle

class family that was neither poor nor rich and provided a stable home for him and his siblings.

Growing up seemed to prove Adrian was going to grow up a trouble maker but at the “age of 14

while attending a revival service”6 Adrian accepted Christ and his life changed. When Adrian

was 16 years old, someone asked Adrian’s father what he wanted to do when he grew up and he

replied “Adrian wants to be a preacher.” The “friend laughed and said ‘that boy will never make

a preacher’”7 and first instincts were right. In junior high “Adrian was known to be unruly and

belligerent. He gained reputation of being one of toughest kids in school and early on developed

bad habits in language and personal integrity.”8

3
George F. Moore, Judges, The International Critical Commentary (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1958), 185
4
Judges 6:12
5
K. Lawson Younger Jr., Judges/Ruth, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan,
2002), 173
6
Joyce Rogers, Love Worth Finding: The Life of Adrian Rogers and His Philosophy of Preaching
(Nashville: Boardman & Holman, 2005), 13
7
Ibid., 3
8
Ibid.
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As a child, Adrian was not shaping up to anything spectacular but that would soon change.

The turning point in Adrian Rogers’ life was when the Lord came to Him at the age of 14. So

much changed with Adrian that after his conversion that “his teachers began to ask ‘What

happened to Adrian? He is changed.’ and that change lasted for sixty years.”9 God would do a

great work in Adrian’s personal life and will also use him to influence thousands of others but he

first had to be found.

Time to Know…God is in Control (vs. 13

It is typical in modern day to assume we are in control of what we do day by day. We even

believe that with giving attention to education, putting money in the stock market, or by gather

business contacts we gain security in our future but this is a false thought. In the Garden of Eden

we see Adam and Eve taking actions into their own hands and it results in them being cast out of

the garden. God is the one that is in control and this is what the Angel of the Lord was telling

Gideon.

After the angel proclaims that Gideon is indeed a man of valor and strength, Gideon

responds to the angel worrying about the current condition of Israel. Gideon shoots off to the

Angel of the Lord asking “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened? Where are all His

wonders that our fathers told us about? Didn’t the Lord bring us out of Egypt? Has the Lord

abandoned us?”10 What Gideon forgot to claim on behalf of his people is that the Israelites

brought this on themselves when they “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.”11 This forced

God to hand His chosen people over to the Midianites to punish and teach them but now it is

9
Joyce Rogers, Love Worth Finding: The Life of Adrian Rogers and His Philosophy of Preaching
(Nashville: Boardman & Holman, 2005), 4
10
Judges 6:13
11
Judges 6:1
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time for God to claim them back. Gideon right now does not understand, just as he does not

understand he is not a coward but actually stands for the almighty God.

The time is now! Now is the time that Gideon must cast off his fears and

misunderstandings of God’s program and know that God has a plan and is in control. Later in

the book of Judges you can read that Gideon overcomes immeasurable odds but only because he

is going in strength that God provides. It is not for us to know God’s program of events but it is

for us to be in step with our commander in chief and answer when He calls. God provided the

strength and clarity for Gideon to carry out His plans and such can be said of Adrian Rogers.

Adrian Rogers was said by many to be “the person most responsible for the transformation

of the Southern Baptist Convention.”12 In the mid 1900s the Southern Baptist Convention had

issues primarily with their theology, and “especially concern over the nature and the authority of

the Bible”13 which was a long standing from their once conservative roots. Rogers stands by his

convictions that “the Bible is the Word of God. It is not the Book of the Month; it is the Book of

the Ages14 and as a Convention, we must return to that believe but it seemed like a loss cause. It

was unknown how such a few could sway the thought of thousands of churches and institutions

but all efforts were given for the Southern Baptist Convention to elect a conservative president.

The hope was that his influence would then filter down into all areas of the Convention and this

was accomplished with Adrian Rogers but he was hesitant.

The 1979 Southern Baptist Convention elected Adrian Rogers as their president but up

until the night before the election, Rogers had not decided to run. The night before the election

12
Walter B. Shurden, Not a Silent People: Controversies That Have Shaped Southern Baptists (Macon:
Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 1995), 83
13
Jerry Sutton, The Baptist Reformation: The Conservative Resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention
(Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 6
14
Adrian Rogers, What Every Christian Ought to Know: Essential Truths for Growing Your Faith
(Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 7
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“Paige Patterson and Jerry Vines ask Adrian ‘What are you going to do?’ and Adrian said, ‘I am

not going to allow myself to be placed in nomination.’”15 Patterson and Vines plead for him to

reconsider, then the three leaders begin to pray on the floor of their hotel room and the next day

Adrian in nominated and elected president. God was at work that night to accomplish His goals.

Rogers becomes gripped with the current condition of the Southern Baptist Convention and the

liberal stain that had incurred. Through his role as president, Rogers sought to purify the

Convention but not in terms of hostility and finger pointing but in “sticking to his guns” on the

primacy of Scripture. Against all odds, a conservative president is elected among a liberal

convention to prove that God is in control and is the one that is causing things to happen, but are

you on mission with God or are you offering excuses?

Time to Go…No Excuses (vs 14-16)

Fear of the unknown and confidence in yourself instead of God are causes for excuses in

the ministry of the gospel. Many are simply afraid in the things that God calls and expects for

His followers to do and while some of them are understand able, many of them may not be

warranted. God’s Word illustrates for us time and time again that God uses the insignificant and

the weak to accomplish His purposes, and still we become gripped with fear. We become unable

and many times unwilling to do as we are commanded.

In our text, Gideon is commanded to deliver Israel from the Midianites, but in the

beginning we find Gideon hiding. The Lord God tells Gideon that “the strength that [he]

possesses is the promise of the Lord’s presence with him, allowing Gideon to exchange his

weakness for God’s strength.”16 Wow where is that found in the church today? Where is the “I

15
Jerry Sutton, The Baptist Reformation: The Conservative Resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention
(Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 100
16
Herbert Wolf, Judges, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), 420
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can do anything” attitude that encompasses the one that is in a relationship with Christ and is on

mission with God?

Gideon continues to try to tell God that he is unworthy brining up his social class and

where he sits in his family as far as strength and reliability goes but God is not impressed. God

is not impressed with our “I can’t” mentality when God says “you can, and you can because I

made you that way.” God “delights is using those who are young or humble and bring them to

prominence”17 for God receives the glory instead of us boasting. In this story, Gideon will

continue to question God all along the way but the end result is that Gideon over comes

impossible odds. Gideon will defeat an army of thousands with mere hundreds but it was only

possible because God caused it to happen empowering Gideon every step of the way.

Continuing with our illustration of Adrian Rogers, he too faced immense challenges.

How could it be that a single man changes the DNA of a Convention other than by God’s help?

Adrian Rogers winning the “presidency [of the SBC] became the key objective for conservatives

at the 1979 Southern Baptist Convention.”18 As president the Convention was allowed to express

its “moods and needs as they change, evolve, or react to the contemporary situation.”19

Unable and unwilling to make excuses Rogers set out to change the Convention to bringing it

under God’s authority by “appointing conservatives to the Committee on Committees which, in

turn, would initiate the process of redirecting the Southern Baptist boards and agencies.

Just as God told Gideon that he single handedly would battle the Midianites and conquer

over them, Adrian Rogers set out of his comfort zone and marched into battle against liberalism

in Southern Baptist life. God brought Rogers in at just the perfect time and single handely
17
Ibid.
18
Jerry Sutton, The Baptist Reformation: The Conservative Resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention
(Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 99
19
Ibid.
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placed him in order to accomplish the task. To both of these men of the past and the present,

God said “Go in the strength you have…and I will be with you”20 every step of the way.

Conclusion

Does your life reflect something of this magnitude? Are you able to look at the course of

your life and see what God has placed you? Are you working and seeking to accomplish God’s

will for your life? We live in a world that is in dire need of people like Gideon and Adrian

Rogers. Will you answer the call? Has God been tugging on your heart but you refuse to accept

that God could use a sinner just like you? Today is a new day, where you can become a new

creation that is dedicated to the cause.

20
Judges 6:14a, 16a
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Bibliography

Moore, George F. Judges. The International Critical Commentary. Edinburgh: T & T Clark,
1958

Rogers, Adrian. What Every Christian Ought to Know: Essential Truths for Growing Your Faith.
Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005

Rogers, Joyce. Love Worth Finding: The Life of Adrian Rogers and His Philosophy of
Preaching. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005

Shurden, Walter B. Not a Silent People: Controversies That Have Shaped Southern Baptists.
Macon: Smyth &Helwys Publishing, 1995

Sutton, Jerry. The Baptist Reformation: The Conservative Resurgence in the Southern Baptist
Convention. Nashville: Broadmand & Holman Publishers, 2000

Jr. Younger, K Lawson. Judges/Ruth. The New NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 2002

Wolf, Herbert. Judges. Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 3 Grand Rapids: 1992