Be Prepared - Scout Sunday Series

OPEN: A bricklayer had an accident at work and filed following insurance report:

On the day of my accident I was working alone on the roof of a 6-story building. When I completed my work I discovered that I had about 500 pounds of brick left over. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley which was attached to the side of the building at the top of the 6th floor.

I loaded the brick into the barrel. Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, which I held tightly to insure a slow descent of the 500 pounds of brick. Unfortunately, I only weigh 135 pounds… and the weight of the barrel jerked me off the ground.

This happened so suddenly, that I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded up the side of the building at a rapid rate of speed.

In the vicinity of the third floor I met the barrel coming down. This explains my broken arm and shattered collar bone.

Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent up the side of the building, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand rammed into the pulley. This explains my two broken fingers.

At approximately the same time, the barrel of bricks hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel and spilled the bricks all over the ground.

The barrel now weighed approximately fifty pounds.

Still holding onto the rope I began a rapid decent down the side of the building. In the vicinity of the 3rd floor I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the 2 fractured ankles and the dislocation of my left kneecap.

Slowed only slightly, I landed directly on the pile of bricks beneath me, and this explains the 3 cracked vertebrae in my back.

Finally, as I lay there on the bricks in pain, unable to stand, and watching that empty barrel six stories above me, relieved that it was over… I let go of the rope.

APPLY: Now, why did that guy have such a problem?

Answer: He didn’t plan ahead far enough

He wasn’t prepared sufficiently for the challenge he faced.

It’s a basic rule of life – If you are going to succeed - you MUST BE prepared

If you’re going to accomplish anything of lasting value if you MUST plan ahead

That’s part of the reason that the motto of the Boy Scouts is: “Be Prepared”

One of the original founders of the idea of scouting was an Englishman who had such influence in laying the groundwork for scouting he’s been given the title: Chief Scout of the World … Lord Baden Powell.

He often said an ideal Scout is “self-reliant, skilled as a woodsman, and is willing to teach those skills to others because he loves Scouting and the outdoor life.”

In other words, the primary objective of scouting has always been to prepare young men

· to PREPARE young men for adulthood.

· to PREPARE them to become self-reliant

· to PREPARE them to be honorable, moral, upstanding leaders

So, the watchword of Scouting has always been: Be Prepared

That was because - the founders of Scouting understood: if you are going to accomplish anything of lasting value - if you MUST BE prepared.

I. That brings us to our story about David and Goliath.

The armies of Israel had come face to face with their arch-enemies - the Philistines.

They had lined up on either side of a wide valley. The Philistines arrayed on the hills on one side, and the Israelites on the hills on the other side. Neither side wanted to commit themselves to battle for fear of giving the other army the advantage of having the higher ground. And so they stayed where they were… they faced a stalemate/ Mexican standoff.

Then the Philistines came up with a clever way of dealing with the impasse. They sent out their mightiest warrior with a challenge for Israel:

“Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us." (I Samuel 17:8-9)

Now, we find out later that the Philistines had no intention of honoring that agreement… they didn’t think they’d have to. But, of course, that didn’t matter, because no Israelite was willing to meet Goliath on the field of battle. In fact, vs. 11 tell us that whenever Goliath issued his challenge, Saul and the army of Israel were filled with dismay and terror.

But why?

Why were the Israelites so afraid? (wait for a reply)