Is There A Cause?

Sermon for 11/11/2001

Is there a Cause?

1 Samuel 17

Adapted from an outline by Tom Walker on The Preacher’s Corner

Introduction:

A. One of my favorite children’s stories is the Emperor’s New Clothes. It is the tale about an Emperor who was swindled by a supposed tailor. The man claims to sew a new, special suit for the Emperor. It is special because only those who are wise and cultured will see the clothes, while those who are foolish and uncultured will find them invisible. Not wanting to be labeled a fool or behind the times, the Emperor pretends he can see the suit, pretends to put it on, and then proceeds to walk around the castle in his underwear. Not wanting to be considered fools all his advisors and servants pretend to be able to see the clothes as well and comment on how beautiful they are. As the Emperor leads a parade through the city, his loyal subjects "ah" and "oh" over clothing they cannot see. Everyone is lying, because they are afraid to tell the truth. If they admit they see the Emperor in his underwear, all their neighbors will certainly ridicule them. But, finally, one young boy exposes the deception. He blurts out that the Emperor is not wearing any clothes and his words encourage others to speak the truth as well.

WBTU:

A. (Psa 10:2 NIV) In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.(Psa 10:3 NIV) He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.(Psa 10:4 NIV) In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

B. There is no room for truth and there is no room for God in the hearts of many people.

C. Tell the story of David and Goliath:

1. 1 Samuel 17

2. The army of the Philistines and the army of Israel marched out for battle. The armies were on two mountains with a valley in between. Someone had to make the first move but no one did.

3. Instead of leading a charge, the Philistines had their giant Goliath march into the middle of the valley and challenged any Israelite to fight with him to decide the outcome of the battle.

4. Goliath was 9’ 9’’ tall. He would have made a great basketball center. He had scaled body armor that weighed 125 pounds. The point of his spearhead weighed 15 pounds.

5. Someone is supposed to go out and fight this man. Without these weapons, this man probably would have torn anyone apart. Boxing, wrestling, anything else would have been ludicrous.

6. Naturally, Saul and the army of Israel were filled with fear. For 40 days Goliath taunted the Israelites and blasphemed the God of Israel.

7. The little boy David comes on the scene loaded with food from Jesse, his father, to take to his 3 older brothers who are serving with Saul in the Israelite army.

8. Goliath comes out as before and taunts the Israelites and curses their God.

9. David sees this and becomes angry and he begins to ask questions of why this is occurring.

10. David’s oldest brother Eliab tells David to be quiet and tells him that he is filled with pride.

11. Then David asks this question, "Is there not a cause?" In NIV it says Can’t I even speak? "Is there not a cause?"

12. David was sickened by how the Lord was being made fun of and he wanted to do something about it. However, his brother thought that he was being arrogant.

D. A cause speaks of a "reason or motive for human action."

E. Recently we have seen the terrorist tragedies in Washington, Pennsylvania, and New York. Most of the world now is certainly tired of terrorism and needless mass killings. There is a cause now for America and the world to unite to deal with the terrible menace called terrorism. The terrorists and the countries that harbor and train them must be dealt with very severely and deliberately.

Thesis: What is there a cause for today?

For instances:

I. There is a cause for contemplation.

A. Approximately 5,000 Americans had been slain by evil men in the last few days.

B. Our leaders need our prayer more than ever before for God’s direction in their decisions.

C. However, this is a time for contemplation for thinking about what we believe. There is a battle going on right now not in Afghanistan but for the heart and soul of America. The terrorist attacks have caused many people to rethink their beliefs.

D. We have been taught for many years in public school system, in universities the ideas and thoughts of postmodernism. Many people think that this view is new. No, it is not new; it is as old as the New Testament.