From The Inside Out Series

Title: From the Inside Out

Theme: To show how we need to let God show out of our lives.

Text: 1 Samuel 17, 1 John 4:4

Prayer Time: Corporate Prayer

Matthew 18:18-20 Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (19) Again I say [89] to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. (20) For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

Offering – Seed of the Sower – Respond Correctly

Consider carefully what you hear, with the measure you use, it will be measured to you – and even more

Mark 4:24 NIV

Introduction

Over the last few weeks we have focused in the theme of “living in the world but not of the world”. We have be here until the Lord takes us home but we don’t have to “conform” to this world.

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

MSG Romans 12:1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life--and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. (2) Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

We have looked at:

Stay Grounded – Don’t let the things in the world around you distract you from your real purpose and destiny in God.

Make It Count – Give everything you can on Sunday so you can get ready for ministry during the week.

I Am Not of This World – In the World but Not of the World – How to live a life that is in this world but not of the world. Not become to entangled by the world.

Just Do It! – Showing world who we are by actions.

If you would I want to take you to a familiar story. 1 Samuel 17. If you have been in church long you know this story. If you were a child growing up in church you probably have heard this story numerous of times. Over and over again.

David and Goliath is on of the stories of the Bible that transcends Judaism and Christianity. You see this even today. This is the story of a bully who was bullying Israel. This was not your average bully you see he was:

1 Samuel 17:4-7 Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was a giant of a man, measuring over nine feet tall! (5) He wore a bronze helmet and a coat of mail that weighed 125 pounds. (6) He also wore bronze leggings, and he slung a bronze javelin over his back. (7) The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver's beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed fifteen pounds. An armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a huge shield.

This was a big man, actually we could say this was a huge man. No one had ever seen anything like him before.

The image is of a great valley. On each side of the valleys stood the armies. Up one the hill.

To me the most interesting part is the what Israel did when they saw him. Each day Goliath would come out and call out to the Israelites, “Send someone out to fight me, if they win we (the Philistines) will serve you. If we win we will serve you.”

This happened over and over again for 40 days twice a day. This was Israel’s wake up call. So how did they react?

1 Samuel 17:8-11 Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, "Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. (9) If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us." (10) And the Philistine said, "I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together." (11) When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.