Developing a Faith That Works

Lightly Cleaned Transcription

Introduction

When we think of Gideon, we think about a man of faith. Who else would take 300 men and go to war with over 135,000 men? That takes courage, determination, guts, and a whole lot of faith! But listen, Gideon did not always have that kind of faith. God developed that faith in Gideon. We can see that in Judges 6-7 that Gideon unbelief appeared over and over again. That’s good news for you and me. I don’t always have the faith that I need.

I came across a quote in my preparations for this message and I believe it speaks with conviction of Gideon and of myself:

“Faith is more than thinking something is true. Faith is thinking something is true to the extent that we act on it.” – W. T. Purkiser

Now when asked, I have certain beliefs, but I don’t always have the kind of faith that moves me to action.

Handwritten note: “level of faith achieved.”

I want the faith of Gideon and I hope you want it as well. I want to develop a faith that works for me. That is a process that God must enter into and one that He is willing to do for each of us. Like Gideon, may we be able to reflect upon our own lives and the situations we have found ourselves in and know that God was trying to develop a faith that works.

Handwritten note: “a journey that works.”

Be Available

This morning I want to share with you some steps that I glean from our text that we must take to increase our faith. With each step God Word provides some good news or encouragement to take these steps.

Be available.

The encouragement to do this: God wants to use people with weak faith.

It is amazing to me the kind of people that God used.

• Abraham worshipped moon gods in the “old country”.
• Moses hid on the backside of a mountain and argued with God about His ability to use him.
• And now Gideon. He and his family worshipped idols. They have not been faithful. Yet when God comes calling, Gideon will ask God to prove Himself at least three times. He is not easily convinced.

Here is some more good news: God can use individuals like Abraham, Moses, Gideon, you, and I when He has developed a faith that works within us. We are not deserving and too often, do not even ask for an increase in our faith. Yet in His great love for us, God does a marvelous work in develop our faith.

Look at what the Bible tells us about Gideon: Read Judges 6:16 & 34

Gideon was blessed with a special calling and with special empowerment, yet there was nothing special about his faith. In the next few scriptures we read that Gideon puts God to a test… putting out a fleece.

Guess what? This also describes every Christian as well. We have a calling from God to be light and salt to a dying world. We have a calling to be holy, separated, and blameless before a sin-blighted world.

We, too, are empowered with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells us, empowers us, seals us, and desires to guide us.

Like Gideon, both of these things can be true and yet our faith can be weak.

What does God do with such an individual? Cast them aside? Give up on them? Move on to someone else?

We find that God sticks it out with that person and takes the necessary steps to develop their faith. That’s what God does for Gideon. I believe God does the same for you and I.

Example: I love the NT example of the man who brings his son before the Lord for a healing from a demonic spirit. The disciples were unable to help the boy. The father says that if Jesus would have compassion on his son, Jesus could make him whole again.

“What do you mean, ‘If I can?’ Jesus asked. ‘Anything is possible if a person believes.’ The father instantly replied, ‘I do believe, but help me not to doubt!’ Mark 9:23-24 [NLT]

Then Jesus did just that. He showed him not to doubt what God can do.

There is a strong point I want to make with this point. Please do not use your unbelief and lack of faith as an excuse to dismiss yourself from God’s service. You have that calling, You are indwelled by the Holy Spirit… now let God develop your faith by being available to Him.

Look for the Amazing

The encouragement to take this step: God will do miraculous things in our life to strengthen our faith.

Gideon has already seen the supernatural. Early in this chapter, the Scriptures reports Gideon offering a sacrifice to God. When God accepted his gift, the sacrifice on the rock. His faith was increased, but it is not enough. He now presents another challenge to God so God might prove that Gideon is the general who will lead Israel to battle.

The story of the fleece. Dew on the fleece only is the first challenge.

On both tests, God does the miraculous. Dew does not fall this fashion. It is all or nothing. Someone has taken control of the laws of nature and directed them according to His will. That’s God.

God does this so our faith will become greater. Listen to what he tells Jeremiah:

‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ Jeremiah 33:3 [NKJV]

God wants to show us great and mighty things. I often think my problem is that I do not look for them. I look over them or past these events. I am not keeping my eyes open to see God doing a special work.

Example: This past summer I witnessed a special work from God and did not realize at the time. My mother had been in and out of the hospital for the past two years with heart and lung disease. She became very ill and slipped into a coma. Yet on Saturday she unexpectedly woke up for a couple of hours after being non-responsive for two days. I asked for a hug and she hugged me. I told her I loved her and she said, “I love you, too”. I rejoiced… Mom was getting better.

Mom was not getting better, she was getting worse. Mom slipped back into a coma, and those would be the last words she would say to me before she died the next day.

God gave me an amazing gift. It’s not suppose to happen this way. You don’t come out of non-responsive state, just to tell your son, “I love you”, and then retreat back to that comma.

But friends, stuff like that can happen when God desires to develop your faith. My faith has been strengthened by that one amazing hug and four words from my mother. I thank the Lord for caring for me.

God’s Glory Must Be Acknowledged

The reason that we should rush to give God the glory due him is this: God will arrange the impossible to demonstrate His ability… not our own.

In the next chapter, we find that it will be God who continues to develop Gideon’s faith. Gideon does not ask for this test, but the test of faith comes never-the-less.

Read Judges 7:1-7

Here is the key verse:

The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength.” Judges 7:2 [NLT]

I believe that those who are up front in giving God the glory will be the ones who will see His glory. When God uses us, empowers us, and makes things happen with us, and we do not honor Him, praise Him, or acknowledge His work, then we are asking to be left out of seeing Him do great things.

God’s great concern is that His people will give Him the glory, honor, praise, and worship that is due Him. If you and I want greater faith, then right now, we must acknowledge that without God we are nothing. I can do nothing with Christ. Yet in Christ, I can do all things, through Him, who strengthen me.

Rejoice When You See God’s Affirmation

There is one more recorded step that God took to develop Gideon’s faith:

The encouragement to rejoice is this: God will often provide confirmation along the way.

Let’s go back to Judges and read 7:9-15.

I am simply amazed at the patience that God has shown Gideon. “If you are still afraid”. You know he is afraid… there is still some unbelief in his heart. God would not have brought it up, if it was not true. And Gideon would not have acted on God’s invitation, if it was not true.

But God used the dream of one the enemy warriors and then used another enemy warrior to provide an interpretation that was both correct and uplifting to Gideon. It was a confirmation that God was true, faithful, and able.

How did Gideon respond to this confirmation?

And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Arise, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.” Judges 7:15 [NKJV]

I believe that he laid before God on the ground and he praised the Lord in an intense, but quiet whisper (he’s to close to the enemy camp for shouting).

After hearing this confirmation and rejoicing, he goes back to camp and becomes the great hero that we often think about.

On our way to the big picture that God is doing with each of us; He too sends little confirmation “mile stones” to us as well.

Example: The Crommets and Johnsons came over from a sister church and joined our mission, when everybody had forsaken us. I had made the decision to stay. God wanted me there… but was I right? Did I discern God’s will correctly. I needed some confirmation. Those two couples did that for me. In less than two years we had over 100 in attendance.

Invitation

Faith is great thing to have. God wants to develop that faith so it will work for us. The very first place we must exercise that faith is in His Son, Jesus Christ.