Is there more to Christianity?
Does God have more in store for us than church on Sunday morning and getting to heaven?
I believe that the fulfilled life that Jesus spoke about is more than what we’re experiencing most weeks in the local church. People are often fearful, downtrodden and spending their energies on trying not to be tossed around by the enemy. Jesus spoke about a life infused with power and authority. I read about people moving in the gifts of the Spirit, I read about numbers being added to the church daily, but I don’t see that today. I believe that God promised more for us and that it is up to us to strive for what has been promised. ‘How’ would be the big question? I believe that we get a picture of the ‘how’ in the story of David and Goliath. A familiar story, but I want to speak about how inaction and a defense mentality will allow the enemy of our souls to control what we accomplish and how far we go.
Goliath was the enemy standing in defiance of Israel. He had brought them to their knees and taunted them everyday, flaunting his control over this army of the Lord. Goliath accomplished 4 things as the enemy: He defined their boundaries, robbed them of their power, made then ineffective, and stopped them from moving forward to victory. He had control, which is what the enemy ultimately wants. The enemy we struggle with today works in the same way and uses sin to accomplish it.
How does sin affect us?
1) Your weaknesses will define your boundaries
2) Failure robs you of your power
3) Lies will confine your effectiveness
4) Sin will stop you from moving forward
1) David’s Conviction (vs.26b, 32)
What I want to focus on this morning is how David reacted to this seemingly unbeatable enemy. Even though David was young and inexperienced on the field of battle, he had a good understanding of what was really going on here. Goliath wasn’t defying Israel, he was defying God. David’s convictions were stirred to the point that he told Saul that he would go and fight the giant. This could not be allowed to go on; David simply would not stand by and do nothing while the enemy of God held control over His people. David was stirred into action because of his convictions.
Imagine for a moment you were in a playground and you saw someone trying to abduct a child, what would you do? I think we would act, without hesitation we would be stirred into action. You would not stand by and let something so terrible just happen. A conviction is a fixed or firm belief. Out of the conviction that kidnapping is wrong you would act. Well we should have this same conviction when it comes to the enemy of our souls, yet so often we do not treat sin with that same conviction. Satan knows to tempt us through our weaknesses and tries to gain control in our lives. We often treat it as the Trojan horse, we welcome it in because it is nice or it makes us feel good, but it will destroy from within. We need to treat sin as evil and protect and fight against it because of our convictions. 1Corinthians 16:13 “Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong.” Do not be fooled, Satan wants control and we need to be stirred in our convictions if we are going to have victory. The only one who can stir our convictions is the Holy Spirit, so if your convictions have gone cold, you must call of Him and we invite Him to begin working even now in this service.
2) David’s Faith (vs.34-37)
It’s interesting that this young teen is before the king trying to convince him to let him go out onto the battlefield. David not only had deep convictions, but he had faith in the God that he served and this faith was well founded. David may not have had any battlefield experience, but he had killed lions and bears. I would hire someone who could say that. David says that he would walk up to the lion or bear and take the sheep from it’s mouth. If it attacked him he would grab it by the jaw and then club it to death. How many of you would let the sheep be eaten? The amazing thing is that David was not boasting in his accomplishments, but in the power of God to deliver the enemy into his hands. It was God who saved him from these beasts and God would save him from the giant too; that’s faith. His faith told him that this present situation was not what God had planned for the Israelites; He had more in store for them.
I love how David doesn’t say, ‘and hopefully God will save me from this Philistine.’ David also doesn’t petition the Lord to send someone else. No, the God David knew was all-powerful and a God of His word. How many times do we look at our situations and speak into them with that kind of faith. The God who has been faithful in your life up until now will continue to be faithful in your current circumstance. With your testimony of God’s faithfulness along with all of the Bible accounts of His faithfulness, what reason do you have to doubt that God can and will have victory in your situation? Giving in to sin is giving in to the belief that God is not good. Satan would love to convince us that this is the best we can expect and that this is okay, but God says that there is more, do you believe it? If we have faith in God we stand up to the enemy and believe with all our hearts that God has only the best in store. Oh God ignite our faith for you today.
3) David’s Boldness (vs.45-47)
David walked out onto the field with his sling and was met by the insults and curses of this towering giant. After Goliath had spoken David spoke back to him out of his deep conviction and his unshakeable faith. How many of you know that it would have been terrifying to be out there, yet David shows such boldness. There is a reason for this, David knew that the battle would not be won on his strength or ability; the battle belonged to the Lord. David may have been small and insignificant compared to the giant, but our God does not lose battles and that gave David the boldness to run out to meet his enemy.
When you have strong convictions, because of the work of the Holy Spirit in your life, and foundational faith, because of what God has done in your life, then you can face your enemy with boldness. God did not call us to be a people who sit in fear of what comes against us, like the Israelite army, but Jesus died on the cross so that we could have victory over our enemy. He has no place in your life and if we call out in Jesus name he must flee! Walk out to face your enemy with boldness, God will get the glory through your life and the entire world will know that there is a God and He is alive and well.
Conclusion
Jesus was always coming face to face with the enemy and attacked him continually. There should be no surprise why Jesus was persecuted as He was; He was Satan’s worst enemy. We have not been called to try and fight him off, but to stand up against him in victory. This morning I want to speak out against every stronghold that Satan has taken in this church. He looks to control what goes on here and in your lives, but this morning we are running out onto the field. I don’t know what is in your life that you feel like you’re fighting all the time, but I want to pray for victory today. If you give into your sin, God will never free you from it, you must, through the conviction of the Holy Spirit recognize that it is the enemy. If you don’t believe God can defeat your problem, God will never have victory. You must have faith to believe that the God who formed the world and put the stars in their place will give you victory. Then we boldly walk out onto the battlefield and declare victory over laziness, impurity, apathy, fear, bitterness, gossip, lying, theft, drug and alcohol abuse, pornography, indifference, gambling and every other vice Satan uses to get control over our lives in Jesus name. From today on God will:
1) Define your boundaries
2) Give you power
3) Make you effective
4) Move you forward
God has more in store for you because this is not as good as it gets; there’s more people, much more! Every major move of God in history has begun with people making a move towards holiness. When people see us living in victory, God will add to the church because they will know there is a God and He lives.
“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
James 4:7-8
Promise: Defeat your giants and the enemy will scatter!
