THREE TYPES OF FAITH
A drought winter threatened the crop in a village of Crete. The priest told his flock: "There isn't anything that will save us, except a special prayer for rain. Go to your homes, fast during the week, believe and come on Sunday to pray for rain." The villagers went home, fasted during the week and went to the church on Sunday morning, but as soon as the priest saw them, he sent them away saying "Go away, there will be no prayer for rain today. You do not believe." “But Father,” they protested, “we fasted and we believe.” “Believe?” he asked, “Then where are your umbrellas?”
Judges 6:36 Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised-- 37 look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said." 38 And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew--a bowlful of water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew." 40 That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.
A pastor's small son was told by his mother that he should wash his hands because there were germs living in all that dirt. He refused and complained: "Germs and Jesus! Germs and Jesus! That's all I ever hear around this house and I've never seen either one." As Christians we have placed our trust and built our lives around something which we cannot see. What is the foundation for our faith?
1. Trusting your Head (vs. 37-38) - What God could do
In Judges 6 the Midianites got together with the surrounding nations and marched out to destroy Israel. The Lord appears to Gideon and calls him to deliver Israel. Gideon responds by questioning if the Lord is really able and willing to do what the angel said:
Judges 6:12 When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior." 13 "But sir," Gideon replied, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, `Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian." 14 The LORD turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?" 15 "But Lord," Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family." 16 The LORD answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together." 17 Gideon replied, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.
Gideon prepares lunch for his guest but the angel touches it and it is consumed by the fire. Some time later Gideon is about to face their vast army that had gathered. Again he asks the Lord for a sign to make sure that God is able to do what He has said.
A first step in faith is believing that God really IS ABLE to do what he has said. If your view of God is not great enough to allow for miracles than you will not have faith to believe God for miracles. Faith requires an understanding of God’s presence and power. For many people understanding must come before believing. Their faith relies upon knowledge and fact.
Our faith is a reasonable one. It is not a shot in the dark. It is based on truth and fact. It is not what one person once said, “faith is believing something that you know is not true”. There is an intellectual aspect of our faith where we reason and wrestle with it’s truth. The evidence of the existence of God is all around us. There are many convincing proofs which show us that He does exist. Likewise the Bible is most reliable ancient document in existence. It contains eyewitness and first hand information on the person and plan of God. There is a very solid and logical foundation to our faith.
When I was in University I had lots of questions about the bible. Some friends and I formed a 'Heretics Club' and called a local pastor to try and get answers. Over that year as we struggled through the questions I realized that the Bible is a book with answers.
Faith is a reasoning trust, a trust which reckons thoughtfully and confidently upon the trustworthiness of God. -- John R. W. Stott
However, trusting your head is not enough. While reason and understand is important, it is not enough in and of itself to maintain a true and living relationship with Jesus Christ. God is spirit and it is impossible to PROVE scientifically His existence. God is infinite so it is impossible to completely grasp his nature.
The greatest proof of Christianity for others is not how far a man can logically analyze his reasons for believing, but how far in practice he will stake his life on his belief. -- T. S. Eliot
Trusting your head is not enough because we are very limited in our intellect. There are many things in the Bible that I do not understand. Logic is often not effective in witnessing. You can talk to a Muslim about Christ and you can have the person convinced that you are right yet they still do not accept Him. Trusting your head is not enough to get you to the cross.
Most people are brought to faith in Christ, not by argument for it, but by exposure to it. -- Samuel M. Shoemaker
2. Trusting your Heart (vs. 39-40) - What God would do
Gideon saw the miracle which God had done. Only a supernatural power could fill a fleece with water but leave the ground beside it dry. This test should have been enough to convince Gideon that God was able. A God powerful enough to change the powers of nature was also powerful enough to defeat the armies against Israel. However, Gideon was not satisfied and so he asks God for another miracle. He is basically saying, “God, ARE YOU SURE! Let me see that one more time.” Was God really ready and willing to fight for them.
The second step in faith is believing your heart. You must believe that God is not only able but also willing to do what He has said. Understanding how God can love a person is far different then experiencing the love of God yourself.
Many people trust their hearts far more than their heads. It is like the girl who knew that the boy was not a Christian but she married him anyways thinking that he would change. He didn't. She trusted her heart but that was not enough.
Talking to Mormons and the “warm feeling” that proves they are right. Faith in Jesus involves the heart, but trusting your heart is not enough. Many respond to the claims of Jesus in a moment of passion – but then completely turn away the next day because the feeling is no longer present.
Faith on a full stomach may be simply contentment -- but if you have it when you're hungry, it's genuine.
I prayed for faith and thought that some day faith would come down and strike me like lightning. But faith did not seem to come. One day I read in the tenth chapter of Romans, "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." I had up to this time closed my Bible and prayed for faith. I now opened my Bible and began to study, and faith has been growing ever since. -- Dwight Lyman Moody
3. Stepping out in Faith and Trusting God (vs. 36) - What God WILL do
Faith is not a sense, nor sight, nor reason, but taking God at his Word. -- Arthur Benoni Evans
Trusting your head and heart are not enough because both of them will eventually let you down. They can lead you to the place of decision but then an act of the will is required to receive the gift which God hold out to us in Jesus Christ. The third step in faith is believing that God WILL do what He has said and stepping out to receive it even if reason and feeling seem to say the opposite. There are times when things will not make sense to us and yet we believe in Him. There are times when our heart may tell us to turn away and yet we still follow
I remember a time my daughter jumped into the pool without me even ready to catch her. She just figured that since I was there it would be safe.
I love the new song by Casting Crowns called the voice of truth:
Oh what I would do to have the kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I'm in
On to the crashing wave. To step out of my comfort zone into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is, and He's holding out His hand.
But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me. Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed. The waves they keep on telling me time and time again, "Boy, You'll never win!" "You'll never win!"
But the Voice of Truth tells me a different story The Voice of Truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
And the Voice of Truth says, "This is for My glory" Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth
Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is one element of faith. --Paul Johannes Oskar Tillich
Paul exercised this level of faith when he said, “When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved” (Acts 27:20), then nevertheless went on to say, “Keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me” (Acts 27:25).
Faith never knows where it is being led, but it knows and loves the one who is leading. -- Oswald Chambers
In faith we have received and in faith we day by day walk in the understanding that God is real and is with us. We may not understand it all and we may not know where God is leading us, but we trust the one who is leading. E.g. going skydiving – I wanted to and knew all the mechanics but it was not until I made the decision to go when the instructor said jump that I actually left the plane.
Gideon learned his lesson and went on to trust in the Lord. Even when the Lord sent away the 22,000 leaving only 10,000. Even when the Lord sent the 9,700 to their tents leaving only 300 to face the vast army. Gideon took the Lord at His word and the victory was won.
Many people say to God “show me and then I will believe”. God responds “believe in me and then I will show you”. The Holy Spirit in our lives lead us to the cross and walks with us everyday helping us to walk in what we have accepted.
Max Lacado was walking with his daughter. One night they went for a long walk in a new part of town. He asked his daughter if she was afraid and felt lost. She smiled and said, “no, because I know that you know where you are going”.
I believe that the Lord would say to this church today "The LORD is with you, mighty warriors." "But” we reply “if you are with us, why has all this happened to us? Why does it seem things are getting worse. We face so many issues. Where are all the wonders that we have heard about” Perhaps the LORD is saying to us "Go in the strength you have been given and save this nation out of the devil’s hand. Am I not sending you?" "But Lord," we reply "how can we save this nation? We are but a small church in a small town. What can we do" The LORD says "I will be with you”.
I encourage you to go for it! Attempt great things for God. Believe in God for great things! Raise your eyes up beyond these four walls and even this community. Don’t fear failure because it is usually the back door to success.
