Life Of David: From Sheeps To Creeps Series

LIFE OF DAVID: FROM SHEEPS TO CREEPS

1 SAMUEL 17:1-58

INTRODUCTION...www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4361829,00.html

I want to share a story with you from last week in the Rocky Mountain Newspaper in Denver, Colorado. The story centers around a hot dog vendor and a fancy restaurant. "The beef between a hot dog vendor and a Wolfgang Puck restaurant in Cherry Creek boiled over Tuesday in a victory for the cart owner. Efforts to push Valentina Petty and her hot dog cart 60 feet across the street from the eatery in Fillmore Plaza are done, the restaurant’s vice president said Tuesday. "It’s over as far as we’re concerned," Dennis Deslongchamp said. "We’re done with this."

Wolfgang Puck Express, part of a franchise owned by the celebrity chef, had tried to get the Cherry Creek North Business Improvement District to move Petty, who has sold hot dogs and other food at East Second Avenue and Fillmore Street for seven years. The eatery, which opened in March, contended the hot dog cart adversely affected its business. News of the restaurant’s plan to move Petty, a Russian immigrant and single mother helping her 18-year-old daughter, Maria, pay for college, generated public outrage.

Around lunchtime one particular week, a man walked in front of Wolfgang Puck Express holding up his hot dog to the window in one hand and giving the restaurant a thumbs-down with the other. More than a dozen customers and several employees were inside.

For Petty, the spat over her pushcart proved profitable. She said business picked up after people heard about her predicament. She said she’s had regular and new customers from Golden, Boulder, Westminster, Aurora - "from everywhere" - offering their support. "Everybody knows my name," said Petty, who is shy and soft-spoken. "It’s very nice."

The title of the article? "David Beats Goliath in hot dog cart battle." Now, if I told you the title of the article, you would have already known that the little hotdog vendor won over the big restaurant. The story of David and Goliath is one of the more well-known stories in the Bible. Anytime we see something large versus something small, the story of David and Goliath is referenced. Yet, this story in 1 Samuel 17 is so much more than an underdog story. TELL THE STORY OF DAVID AND GOLIATH FROM MEMORY (1 Samuel 17:1-58)

The story of David and Goliath is one that is easily remembered and it strikes something in us that we like. Especially Americans since we love an ‘underdog’ story. Yet, in this passage we see the life of David change dramatically. He has already been anointed the next king (1 Samuel 16), but now faces an obstacle. We will look at David and Goliath today and see how David went from tending sheep to facing this creep... and how we can face obstacles in our lives.

I. REALITY IS... WE WILL FACE OBSTACLES TO OUR FAITH (verses 4-11)

READ VERSES 4-11

The story of David and Goliath is one in which we see a great obstacle. The obstacle has a name. The obstacle has a huge spear and mighty armor. The obstacle has been trained to be a soldier since his youth. Can you imagine facing someone who was nine feet tall? The Philistines were constantly attacking and raiding Israel and it came down to a fight. Yet, in the way of Israel’s victory is this nine-foot tall obstacle.

Do you have obstacles in your life? Do you have obstacles when it comes to your faith? Many times our obstacles in our lives come from our lives and they hamper our spiritual growth. What is it that faces you as a nine-foot giant?

* Perhaps growing up you had incorrect ideas about God and you are still trying to get over those. Maybe you always felt that God was a taskmaster or a divine jokester. It could be you heard sermons or teachings that gave you incorrect doctrine or you misunderstood. Many times when we have incorrect views of God as children they affect us into our adult years.

* Perhaps someone in a church (not necessarily this one, but it could have been) has let you down or disappointed you. The church is full of people and people sin... even in the church. I have an uncle who has never been back to church because he overheard a conversation by elders of his church that crushed his faith. He overheard it in the supermarket that he worked. If someone in a church lets you down, it can cause many problems in our faith and cause obstacles. Paul knows that things like this happen and will happen and in Romans 14:13 says, "Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way."