Characteristics Of A Giant Killer Series

Life would be easy if our call was not a call to faith and courage. David had heard from Samuel he was going to be the next king, but it was not long before he discovered it would not be a simple life of living in a palace and giving orders – No, soon he would be facing giants

Giant Statements about Giants

Every giant introduces a person to himself – A crisis doesn’t make us it only reveals who we are.

People who reach giant positions have defeated giants – no team or individual has ever achieved greatness without, somewhere, facing a great obstacle.

OUR “PROMISE LAND IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF GIANT LAND”

Giants are often tools by which God uses to prepare us for bigger things.

1. Giant killers don’t start off as giant killers

He did not start off as a giant killer what do we know about him at this time

Shepherd

Musician

1 Sam 17:14-15, David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul, but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

But things were about to change

1 Sam 17:16-24

For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand. Now Jesse said to his son David, "Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them. They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines." Early in the morning David left the flock with a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and greeted his brothers. As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in great fear.

OBSERVATIONS:

David did what he was supposed to do

The army was not doing what they were suppose to do

2. Giant killers see the potential reward if they defeat the giant

1 Sam 17:25-27

Now the Israelites had been saying, "Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his father’s family from taxes in Israel." David asked the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, "This is what will be done for the man who kills him."

OBSERVATIONS

The army saw Goliath

David saw God

The army saw the problem

David saw the potential

MOST PEOPLE FEAR THE GIANT MORE THEN THE REWARD

We cannot evaluate every thing in light of what we see. What is observable is real, but it is not the ultimate reality. Behind what we see is an all-powerful God, and we must remind ourselves of this reality.

J. Oswald Sanders – Eyes that look are common, eyes that see are rare.

“Climb out on the end of the tree - that is where the fruit is”

REWARDS of FACING GIANTS

Evangelism – a friend for life

Tithing – a life of stewardship living by faith

Teaching children – a reward of knowing you are making an impact on the lives and shaping their eternal destiny

Confronting a problem – you are not having to continually worry about the sin, but also James 5:19-20, My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

THERE ARE GREAT REWARDS IN FACING GIANTS

3. Giant killers don’t listen to doubting critics

Ho we handle criticism will go a long way when it comes to defeating giants

To handle criticism we must:

a. Get by the Eliabs – they are over us emotionally

1 Sam 17:28-30

When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, "Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle." "Now what have I done?" said David. "Can’t I even speak?" He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before.