In the times of Saul and the fledgling Israelites, there was another older nation that had crossed the Aegean Sea and settled in city states around Israel. The Philistines were every bit as civilized as the Israelites. They were actually a whole era ahead in technological terms; the Israelites were technically in the Bronze Age while the Philistines had mastered Iron. They developed Iron material and weapons, and they protected it so others could not use it. Since the Philistines lived on the coastal plain by the international trade route, they also could influence the world (a mission God had intended for the Israelites). As a result, the Philistine culture with its pagan values dominated the Near East during the early Iron Age? much as Western nations shape the culture of developing countries today. The Bible confirms this fact: "Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, ’Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!’...So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand" (1 Sam. 13:19?22). Today, archaeologists find iron artifacts at most Philistine-Israelite sites from this period? But weapons are found only at Philistine sites.
Against this backdrop we find an entire Philistine Army encompassing a small hurriedly put together army of Israelites. I know it was hurriedly put together because Saul had to call in farmers and shepherds to fill his military rolls. (David’s brothers weren’t warriors) In this great Philistine army was giant of a man named Goliath of Gath who had ALL of Israel buffaloed including Saul. To Israel he was an impregnable, unmovable obstacle that would bring all of Israel into servitude to the Philistines; But to a little, young shepherd boy, Goliath was a giant that had to fall.
1 Samuel 17:36 - Goliath had to fall because he Defied a LIVING God!!!
Proposition/Transition: The Church Today had Giants that threaten to enslave her. These Giants are not flesh and blood but are spiritual Giants that will cause Christ’s Bride to fall into the Pit of Despondency.
Today I want to look at Three of these Christian Enslaving Giants.
1. Giant Hypocrity; This is a two – headed Giant.
This Giant stands in way of True Conversion.
a. One Head in the Word
b. The Second Head in Church
Friendship with the world - James 4:4-7 vs. 7: Resist the devil and he will FLEE.
Where are the Christians who are resisting the world???
Where are the Christians who have given up making excuses for what they know may not be right???
If Christians are resisting the Devil then why has he crept into the Church in the form of modernism, humanism, phariseeism, and conformism??
We can’t be on first named basis with sin and be on first name basis with God.
We can’t be in a relationship with sin and have one with God.
- We cannot serve two masters
Carnal Mindset vs Spiritual Mindset - Romans 8:6-8 vs. 8: We cant please God if our hearts, desires, and mind are on fleshly things.
The world draws us, it pulls us.., even Paul felt the pull of the world when he stated, “ that which I know to do, I do not; and that which I know not to do, that I do.”
Luke warmness: God’s Gag Reflex – Revelation 3:14-19
vs. 19: “Be zealous therefore, and repent.” Maybe the title of this message should be; Be Zealous and Repent O’ Christian, lift up your faces, lift up your eyes, harden not your hearts as Isreal in the Days of Moses. And as Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Be Reconciled to God.” It is time, brothers and sister, to repent of the Luke warmness that has infiltrated the Church and to overcome the Giant that enslaves us. It is time, brothers and sisters, that we bring our hearts into TRUE CONVERSION.
Definition: “Conversion”: Something converted/changed from one use to another.
As Christians, when we made the dicision to be saved; we made a discision to go from being used by satan and to be Used By Christ.
- Romans 6:3-6 - True Conversion involves a changed Lifestyle.
- Ephesians 4:21-32 - They are still living in the old “conversation”
2. Giant Complacency: This giant has no sense of Urgency
Definition: “Complacency” Self satisfaction accompanied by an unawareness of actual danger.
Like Many Christians today this Giant takes away our Sense of Urgency
Read the Story of Satan and his three Lieutenants.
A race is Run to be Won – 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
3- 4 years before the Olympics races, those that were chosen to Run DO NOT ingest into their bodies, things that would impede their ability.
Why is it that many Christians of the Church, that were chosen by GOD (john 15:16), ingest into their minds, and yes bodies, things that impede our spiritual development?
You don’t see a boxer whose conditioning is so horrible that he falters in the first round of a Title Belt Match??
Why is that so many Christians who have been washed in the baptismal waters begin to falter and return to their original lifestyle after only one or two years?
Knowing the Terror of the Lord/ We Persuade Others – 2 Corinthians 5:10-11
No where does it say in this passage, “Knowing therefore the LOVE of the Lord; ………”
In one of my ministries I had a lady come to me after the morning services and she said to me, “Matt, I love listening to your sermons, but I think you need to preach more sermons on Love and God’s Love for us.” Now that I have studied these passages I think I would reply in this manner:
Ma’am, the Church understands the Love of God; in fact if they didn’t know about the Love of God then many of them would not be here today. The first passage that is in the minds of the masses and that is indeed quoted by many is that, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. Yes Ma’am, the Love of God has been preached successfully from pulpit to pulpit from city to city; the Love of God has been preached so much that everyone has forgotten that the Terror of God, the wrath of a Living God. If Christians still understood the Terror of God then they would be in the cities, on the street corners, in the workplace, at their neighbors doorstep, they would be on the radio, they would be on the internet, on the TV, anywhere they could, because of the Terror of God, Persuade Others to enjoy the salvation that only comes through Christ Jesus.
Now Ma’am, we understand the Love of the Lord, but not many understand the Terror of the Lord.
Ps 111:10 (NEB) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and they who live by it grow in understanding.
There are seven passages in the New Testament which speak of "weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matthew 8:11-12, Matthew 13:41-42, Matthew 13:49-50, Matthew 22:12-13, Matthew 24:50-51, Matthew 25:29-30, Luke 13:27-28.
Jer 5:22 (NIV) "Should you not fear me?" declares the Lord. "Should you not tremble in my presence?"
3. Giant Withers; This giant stands in the way of our bearing fruit.
John 15:2-8, 16:
Vs. 2 – Branches that don’t yield fruit he takes away.
Vs. 6 – Branches whither and are burned - Christians cast away from Church will wither as well.
Vs. 8 – we read that if you want to be a disciple of Christ, if you want to be a Christian…bear fruit. This is the contingency for being a Christian. You want to be these things understand that first you need to be Truly Converted and secondly you need to bear fruit. YOU CAN’T HAVE ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER. That’s why we get into debates with the denominational world that believe you don’t need to be baptized because they take that one thing out of the puzzle and say that its complete. Well I submit to you that we have done the same thing. We haven’t taken out Baptism, we haven’t taken out Repentance, we haven’t taken out confession, BUT we have taken out Bearing Fruit. We sum up the rest of the Christianity by saying, “Be Faithful ‘til Death and I will give you a Crown of Life” and that is just not right. Yes we NEED to remain faithful BUT we also need to bear FRUIT.
Vs 2 – Branches that do yield fruit are purged.
HOW ?
Vs. 3 – Through His Word - Ephesians 5:26
Vs. 16 – The Church was CHOSEN by God to bear fruit. – James 2:14
: We have been Chosen by god to bear fruit. And if we have been Truly Converted, if we have been transformed by the Blood of Christ Jesus, if we have risen up a New Creature then we are apart of the Church. There is NO coming forward and placing your membership in a Church. There is no “membership roll in the Church. No where in the Bible do we read of people “placing membership”. All you see is people being added to the Church through salvation.
James 2:14 My friends, the Church is full of people that have gone through the motions, some have even gone through the motion of being baptized but they have not been Truly Converted. Many people use this text as proof that faith doesn’t save us by itself; But James isn’t just talking about that. He is talking about people who talk the talk BUT don’t walk the walk.
James 2:15 He isn’t talking about faith alone but about someone who CLAIMS to be a believer in Christ Jesus but they haven’t done what they needed to do. He is talking about that person who is going to come before the Righteous Judge on the Day of Judgement and he is going to say, “Jesus, I have gone to Church EVERY Sunday Morning. I have read the whole Bible through in a year. I have prayed at every meal and before I lay my head to the pillow. I have a Bible on my mantle and I listen to Burton Barber on Tape every day. I walked down the aisle and I was baptized. I am a Christian.” And Jesus is going to say, “Depart from me I never knew you.” Jesus is going to say, “Where are the people you have led to me through your actions? Where were You on Sunday Night when my People were gathered together IN MY NAME to Worship Me and Sing Praises to My Father? Where were you YOU on Wednesday Night when my Sons and Daughters were gathered once again in MY Name, Praying in MY Name, Reading MY WORD and Renew Their Minds through My Word, being Purged Through My Word. Where Were You?
And that person will reply, “Well I came on Sunday Morning around the Your Table, wasn’t that enough?? No One told me I had to go ALL the time…” And Jesus will ask him, “Didn’t you read My Word? Didn’t you read Paul’s warning in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 25? Did He not warn you to NOT forsake the assembly of ourselves together as the manner of some is? ……..
And the person will go away sad because he had lost out on the only thing that could save him.
Conclusion: Reasons Why The Bride of Christ Isn’t Growing as It Should?
- Freindship with the Word - James 4:4
- No Sense of Urgency – 2 Corinthians 5:10
- No Fruit being yielded up in our lives and in the world.
Read the story about Robert Louis Stevenson as a child.
So I beg of you, as Paul begged the Corinthian Church in 2 Corinthians 5:20 “Be reconciled to God.” I know from Luke 15:7 and 10 that there is more joy in Heaven over ONE sinner who repents then over 99 just people. Oh Christian, won’t you repent today? Oh sinner won’t you come forward to be saved today? Don’t wait for we know not what will happen tomorrow. Break down the doors of your heart, soul, and mind and allow Jesus in today. He is standing there knocking……., are you listening? He is standing there with the wounds in His hands and His feet saying, “Don’t you believe me??? Don’t you understand what I did for you??”
He has open His doors; will you open yours?
