INTRODUCTION
Have you ever lived among the giants? Many of the great fantasy books have a land of giants. Of course we have great children’s literature with giants as well. You have Jack and the Bean Stalk. That giant was not so friendly when Jack stole his gold egg laying goose.
Then you have the BFG or you might say the Big Friendly Giant. Sophie actually spent quite a bit of time in the land of the giants. She had to be thankful she was brought there by the BFG. Just the names of the other giants would put fear into a person’s heart. Fleshlumpeater, the Bonecruncher, the Manhugger, and the Childchewer to name just a few. Have you ever lived among the giants?
In answering this question, we might want to define giant. So from Meriam Webster online we have this:
1. a legendary humanlike being of great stature and strength
2. a living being of great size
a. a person of extraordinary powers
3. something unusually large or powerful
4. having extremely large size, proportion, or power
There. That should clear everything up!
Of course we have giants in the Bible as well. There was a land of giants as we read about in Deuteronomy 2:20-21 (KJV)
"20 (That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims; 21 A people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; but the Lord destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead:"
One of these giants we know about quite well. This giant was named Goliath. In 1 Samuel 17:4-5 (CSB) it reads:
4Then a champion named Goliath, from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was nine feet, nine inches tall 5and wore a bronze helmet and bronze scale armor that weighed one hundred twenty-five pounds.
Let’s put this into perspective here. I have a tape measure, and if I can get it to stand up straight we will be able to see the size of Goliath. (Set up a tape measure to 9’-9”). Now if someone walked in here that was 9’-9” tall would you consider them to be a giant? Goliath was a huge dude!
One time we were eating out in Denver and the Birdman Anderson former player for the Denver Nuggets came in. He was a big dude. You know how tall Chris Anderson is? (Bring down the tape measure from 9’9” to 6’10”). A tiny 6’10”. Goliath is one inch shy of being 3’ taller than Chris! In those days they had giants. Of course we remember when the Israelites spied out the promised land and they found out the land was held by giants. They feared and then spent 40 years a wandering in the desert!
So have you lived among giants? Of course I am not talking about huge people here! There are other types of giants that we know of as well. People who were giants of their time.
Winston Churchill comes to mind who in June of 1940 gave the great fight speech even though things were looking very grim. He inspired his island nation to great heroic acts. His words still echo today:
"We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old."
Winston Churchill was a giant for his time. He inspired his nation to greatness! We have giants in sports who dominate their sport and no one seems to come close to their skill. But I am not talking about those types of giants either:>)
The type of giants that I want you to consider today is giants of the faith.
WHAT IS A GIANT OF THE FAITH?
Have you ever lived among the giants? You might be one wondering what is a giant of the faith? How would I know if I have lived among the giants or not? So, let’s take a few minutes and see if we can figure out what a giant of the faith looks like.
Now scripture does not give us a definition. Nowhere does it say, “A giant of the faith is…” That would make my lesson to easy! Instead we see people being commended for their faith. Of course the faith chapter of the Bible is Hebrews Chapter 11. Let’s take a look and see what traits these people are known for.
TRAITS OF A GIANT OF FAITH
PEOPLE WHO ARE RIGHTEOUS
Hebrews 11:4;
4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.
The term righteous is a term that we could do a whole class on easily. But for our purposes here we will define this as doing that which is right out of a right heart according to God’s standard.
When we look at Cain and Abel we see two different sacrifices and two different results. Now scripture does not tell us outright why God liked one over the other. One might think it was because one was juicy yummy meat while the other was those awful veggies that we slip under the table and hope the dog eats up before momma sees it.
I don’t think this is an argument over meat and veggies, but rather over the heart. Why I think this is because in Genesis 4 we have Cain who presented some of the land’s produce as an offering. Where Able presented an offering of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. As we have learned in Curtis’s Leviticus class, the fat portions were the best. Also notice he took from the firstborn of his flocks. Abel presented to God the Best of the Best. There is no indication that Cain tried to bring God the best.
We also see that God is looking at the heart from the language used, The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, He did not have regard for Cain and his offering. Notice the language is looking at the person. The Lord had regard for ABEL and his offering. He did not have regard for CAIN and his offering. God was judging the heart of these men and the heart was shown by the sacrifice given.
Then when God confronts Cain we certainly see that God is looking at Cain’s heart. Genesis 4:6-7:
Then the LORD said to Cain, 6 “Why are you furious? And why do you look despondent? 7 If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”
The first part here, we see God is looking at Cain’s heart. Cain is furious and despondent. Also notice we have that righteous statement here. If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? You see God is looking inside the person. If a person is going to be a giant of the Faith, they may not be perfect, but they do live by righteousness. This is a person who desires to please God which leads them to obedience. They have a heart that is right and their heart leads them to do what is right.
PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING FORWARD
Another trait of those who are giants of the faith is that they are people who have long distance vision. Hebrews 11:8-10:
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
And down to verse 13-15
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
These giants don’t have myopia! They are not nearsighted. Their focus is on God’s promises. They believe in God’s power and they hold fast to His promises because they know that He who makes those promises is faithful and will accomplish all of what He has said. Abraham was told to go. He left his home and headed off, even though he did not know where he was going! He lived in tents being a foreigner and stranger in an unfamiliar land. Why did he give up all these comforts? He was hanging on to God’s promises looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. You see the giants of faith are willing to give up everything this earth has to offer because they are longing for a better country, a country of their own, a heavenly one.
PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO SUFFER
Giants of the faith are people who are righteous. They are people who are looking forward and finally they are people who are willing to suffer. This is written about Moses starting in verse 24:
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.
Here we have Moses who was adopted into Pharaoh’s family. Pharaoh is grandpa. Egypt is the most powerful, wealthy nation on earth at this time. Moses had it exceptionally good by the worlds standards. But he left it behind to be mistreated and disgraced for the sake of Christ. Wow, he walked away, left it all behind, for what? Pain, hardship. Yes. And because he had the long vision and was looking ahead to his reward!
Now verses 32-35a goes through a list of all these giants of faith did, but not all of them did these incredible deeds. No, starting in 35b we have these words:
There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning;[e] they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
These people put it all on the line for God. If God chose to do miraculous things through them, they praised God and kept on going. If God chose for them to be killed or be destitute, persecuted and mistreated they still praised God and kept on going. They were sold out for their eternal home.
GIANTS OF THE FAITH ARE COMMON ORDINARY PEOPLE
We just finished looking at three traits of Giants of the Faith. They are people who are righteous, who look forward, and are willing to sacrifice it all for Christ. But there is one more thing that defines these people. As we look through the list of names we have people like:
Abraham – Abraham twice feared for his life where he told his wife to lie about being married to him. Twice, his beautiful wife was taken to be married to another man. This is the man who as the years passed and there was no child of promise given from God took matters into his own hands and had relations with Hagar. Wow, that certainly caused some undesirable consequences!
Isaac – He repeated his father’s sin with his wife Rebekah lying about Rebekah to the King of the Philistines in fear for his own life.
Jacob – He deliberately deceives his father and cheating his brother. He played favoritism with his children. His multiple wives and concubines caused him all sorts of grief.
Moses – He got angry with the people and did not do what God asked him to do.
Rahab – She was a prostitute.
David – He committed adultery and murder.
What is it about all these people? They were common ordinary people, just like you and me! They had mountain top experiences and were in the deep dark valleys. Many of the valleys they dug themselves into by their own sin. Common people who are following after God in all their weaknesses.
CONCLUSION
So, have you lived among the giants? I certainly hope so. I know when I was young growing up in Iowa, I was blessed to be surrounded by giants. My dad was a part of the Iowa Evangelism Team. In that role he worked with giants of the faith. Don Deming and his beautiful wife were inspiring. Don was blind, but he saw things more clearly then I have ever seen in my life. Working on campaigns we would knock on a lot of doors. I had opportunities to walk with Don. They would drop him off and tell him to do these blocks. A town where he has never been before and off he would go. He would never miss a door or get lost. He was so loving and caring. He also would scare me half to death. I would go up to the shop in the evening to print the bulletin or some other task my father may have had and I would be working and then I would hear something. Totally dark except where I was working, but there was someone moving around. Of course Don did not need lights to see! Don taught me how to persevere and to not let small things like being blind get in the way. You don’t complain about it, you instead use what God has given to you to the best of your ability for the Glory of Him who saved us.
Bob Roush was always full of happiness and encouragement to everyone he met. He and his wife were so hospitable. There was many a night where we kids would play kick the can in the street in front of their home. He was generous and always had an open home. My dad and Bob loved riding motorcycles. We took a cold late fall trip up along the bluffs of the Mississippi River to see the fall colors. What a wonderful trip where I was able to listen to them talk about spiritual matters while they drank coffee and I hugged my cup of hot chocolate. He was righteous, he was focused on eternity and he was willing to suffer. Bob taught me to find joy in everything.
Lloyd Deal was a coworker with my father. He was a totally different personality type from my dad. Lloyd would be like Paul and my dad more like pastoral John. Lloyd would pull no punches. He was totally sold out for Christ and everyone was going to know it. He was passionate about Christ. He didn’t want anyone to not hear the Good News of Jesus. I remember vividly one Sunday where Lloyd was preaching and I was fidgeting in the pew pushing my brother. He stopped looked directly at me and said, “Arthur straighten up.” I was mortified. I didn’t hear anything else he said that day because my thoughts were my mom is going to kill me! She did too! Lloyd and his precious wife would sacrifice so much for Christ. Spending the summer in campgrounds living out of trailers. Bathing the children in a tank outside the camper and feeding the campaigners from the little camper kitchen. All, so that they could knock on doors to tell people about Jesus. From Lloyd I learned not to be ashamed of the gospel of Christ and to give my all for His kingdom.
I don’t have time to tell you about Paul Harp, Bob Miller, Rick Atkinson, Norman Weaver, Jerry Lutzenhiser and so many others that impacted my life. Of course to do so would be like inviting everyone over for a slide show of our family vacation, you would be bored to death! But that should be enough for you to think back over your life.
There is one more giant I would be negligent if I didn’t tell you about. The biggest giant with the biggest impact in my life is my father. My father you all know. He taught me how to love and how to turn the other cheek. My father and all these men and women were giants of the faith. Perfect? No. They were ordinary common people. What made them different was they were righteous, they had their focus on heaven and they sacrificed so much to advance the kingdom of God.
As time moves on, many of these giants of the faith have finished their last pages of the novel of life. Bob Roush’s book is complete and on the shelf of the annals of time. On Thursday September 24th of this year Lloyd Deal finished his novel. His novel is now placed on the shelf. The final line in each of these giants books of their life is this, “‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your mater’s happiness!’” The generation of giants that helped mold me in my youth is rapidly going home. To the home that God has promised and the home where they put their hope.
So have you lived among the giants? I certainly hope so but there probably is a much more important question to be asked as we watch the giants of our youth pass on to glory. That question would be, have we grown into giants? Are we living lives that will inspire the next generation to live out their lives for Jesus Christ? When our youth get into their 50’s will they look back at their childhood and go, “Wow, I lived among the giants!”
