The Great Wall of China is one of the greatest sights in the world — the longest wall in the world, an awe-inspiring feat of ancient defensive architecture. Its winding path over rugged country and steep mountains takes in some great scenery. It is on the UN World Heritage List

· Located in Northern China

· Built over a 2,000 year time span

Built To prevent invasion from the north of China And later extend in West China to protect the Silk Road trade

· It was built in different areas by different states/dynasties to protect The Great Wall was not just a wall. It was an integrated military defensive system with watchtowers for surveillance, fortresses for command posts and logistics, beacon towers for communications, etc.

· The average height of the Great Wall is 22 ft, and the highest place is 42 ft high.

· Fortresses were built at important/vulnerable access points (passes). There were many archery windows and gates on the forts. The fortress gatehouses were the strongest and most impregnable structures on the Great Wall.

· Up to 25,000 watchtowers are estimated to have been constructed

SHOW MAP

· Length of over 4,000 miles

crossed 9 provinces and municipalities The Great Wall is not a continuous line: there are side walls, circular walls, parallel walls, and sections with no wall (high mountains or rivers form a barrier instead). In the Qin Dynasty (221–206 BC), glutinous rice flour was used to bind the Great Wall bricks.

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The Great Wall of China is a monument to man’s building achievements.

And yet today nearly 1/3 of the more famous Ming Great Wall has disappeared without trace.

And a much larger percent of the total wall is gone with only foundations left.

And even it’s time, it did really little to prevent incursions of the enemy.

A relic to the building of men.

But when God builds something, it is totally different.

We have been examining the life of Gideon. In the midst of the ashes of the judgments on Israel, the nation has realized its sin. The people call out to the Lord. And the Lord hears and responds as He always does.

In answer to their prayer the Lord raises up this man Gideon from the ashes to be used to free the nation. A weak man himself – of little consequence. But the Lord calls Him into a relationship with Himself. And He gives Gideon His promise of redemption and usefulness.

Then the Lord causes Gideon to stand out – to separate from the false and stand for the true. With a demand to immediate respond in obedience to God, Gideon moves from false religion to standing for the truth of the Lord.

Bit by bit, Gideon responds timidly but faithfully. But to be used by the Lord, Gideon must be totally rebuilt by God, This means the Lord must build faith into Gideon’s life so that his life is established on faith in God. Gideon must learn to respond by faith. Faith must be his life.

Today we will look at God building faith into the life of Gideon.

Hebrews 11 6 For without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he is and that he rewards those who seek him.

Judges 6:36-7:15 Out of the Ashes: Building faith

I. Building faith: Little value in non-faith signs

A. Weak faith looks for nonfaith assurances

(ESV) Judges 6 36 Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, 37 behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall knowthat you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.”

1. A request to ask the Lord to do something visible, even though the Lord has already given Gideon His Word

2. The Lord said it – this should be the basis to act / instead he asks for a sign / doesn’t use the covenant name here – Elohim ‘god’ – superstitious unbelief – try to force God as you would Baal

3. This is not a model to follow – this is another indication of Gideon’s weak faith - I need for you to give me assurances that do not require faith --- but God wants us to respond to Him by faith / impossible to please Him without faith

B. The insufficiency of signs

(ESV) Judges 6 38 And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water.

1. But God acts / because He is trying to grow Gideon beyond the signs

(ESV) Judges 6 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.”

2. But a sign doesn’t do it for Gideon – never really does / Saw the sign earlier and it hasn’t been enough

3. Asks for a second sign

a. Perhaps positive: Makes it hard for it to be manipulated

1) First might have been possible – moisture in the fleece would have been slower to evaporate than that on the ground. – might have been a nature even on a dewy morning 2) Second much less likely – fleece dry / ground wet

b. Perhaps negative: Didn’t get the answer he wanted the first time – change the stakes and make it harder to confirm he needed to follow what God said

4. Regardless: Never enough (once already / another sign later) – seeing does not bring faith

5. Sight never satisfies / only faith gives assurance

a. Will continue to need signs

C. Yet the Lord gives grace

(ESV) Judges 6 40 And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.

1. The Lord did it anyway – not as a reward for faith – but as an act of grace - seeks to encourage us to believe – wants to lead us into a place we will trust Him – even when we ask dumb stuff

2. An indication of God’s desire to accomplish a greater mission –will even use someone of weak faith

3. His desire is to use Gideon / us as a means to set people free

II. Building faith: Removing self-dependence

A. Making it hard to turn back

(ESV) Judges 7 1 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

1. The man carries the name that will not allow him to turn back – the battler with Baal

2. Gideon moves forward to do the will of God

3. But it will not be easy – the Midians have moved nearby – Over 120,000 men army

4. Resting in the valley & plains – an environment that favors the great massive army

B. Focused on the Lord getting the glory

(ESV) Judges 7 2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too manyfor me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’

1. Rule one: It is not about you – your talent – your wisdom – your competency

2. In fact the Lord makes it clear --- He does not want anyone to take the credit when it is all done

3. The Lord will cripple the effort to ensure no one can get the credit but Him

C. Establishing a core support group

(ESV) Judges 7 3 Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’ ” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.

1. Narrow the players – focus on the faithful – not adequate still, but the ones he will use are also special people / reward their faith

D. Intensifyingthe need for faith

1. The Lord sets the parameters and limits of the trial / up to Him / key will be to be obedient to Him --- sets out the parameters up front

(ESV) Judges 7 4 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.”

2. Narrowing the group

(ESV) Judges 7 5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lordsaid to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.”

6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water.

a. Is there merit here?

1) Alert – drank in a manner that they can see? 2) Or maybe just arbitrary at this point

E. Offering promises as foundations for action

(ESV) Judges 7 7 And the Lord said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others goevery man to his home.”

1. Surprise – going with the small number – crazy

2. Send the rest home – not even in reserve

F. Demanding a faith response

(ESV) Judges 7 8 So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

1. The horde still there

2. In the valley – favors the masses

3. Gideon growing – Obeyed

Most critical task of growing faith – realize our total inability – can’t do it on our own – depend entirely on Him

Set’s it up that way

III. Building faith: The Lord building our faith

A. The Lord reiterates His promises

(ESV) Judges 7 9 That same night the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down againstthe camp, for I have given it into your hand.

1. Continual restatement of His promises

2. Just had seen physical signs – time to act

3. Offers again His Word – His promise – call to faith

B. The Lord accommodates our weakness

(ESV) Judges 7 10 But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant. 11 And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.

… then he went down with Purah his servant to the outposts of the armed men who were in the camp.

1. Gideon is still afraid – the signs did not create faith – never does

2. But the Lord acknowledges his weakness / He offers encouragement / He will intervene to build Gideon’s faith / Works with where he is

C. The Lord initiates displays of His power

The Lord does the initiation of proofs – it does not come as a request of faithless Gideon – Gideon is responding in obedience by faith even though he is afraid. The Lord works to provide encouragement to see who the Lord really is – and thus generate a faith that does not have to fear

1. Does not minimize the problem

(ESV) Judges 7 12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the East lay along the valley like locusts in abundance, and their camels were without number, as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance.

2. Shows He is already at work in the midst of the trial

(ESV) Judges 7 13 When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.”

14 And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.”

a. The enemy believes the Lord can do it / even though Gideon hasn’t to this point

D. The Lord’s activity should generate worship

(ESV) Judges 7 15 As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lordhas given the host of Midian into your hand.”

1. Obvious that the Lord is greater than the enemy we face

2. Personal acknowledgement of who God is – worship

E. Worship generates faith

(ESV) Judges 7 15 As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand.”

1. Faith in this God who is worthy of worship is easy / natural

a. He is adequate to do what He says -- He is who He says

b. He delivers on His promises – He rewards those who seek Him

The faith that the Lord builds into our lives may not be visible like the Great Wall of China. But when the Lord builds within our lives faith, it stands. It endures. It accomplishes the goals that the Lord desires.

Is the Lord seeking to build faith into your life?

Perhaps He is calling you into a relationship with Himself. Showing you that you need to trust Christ alone as Savior. – Respond

Perhaps He has brought great trouble into your life. He is asking you to release control to Him. To respond in obedient faith to Him. Respond.

Perhaps He is teaching you to move out by faith trusting in His promises. Respond.