FAITH
1 SAMUEL 17:20 40, 48 50
A few weeks ago I spoke to you about faith...and I gave you each a mustard seed to illustrate just how small a measure of faith was really needed to perform all the things God has for you to do...just that little bit of faith can move mountains!
This morning I want to take that concept of faith a little farther because I believe that somehow we haven't quite grasped this whole matter of faith and what it really is...as well as what it is not.
Do magic trick...
I don't think there were many here who were fooled into thinking that I could really make that money disappear. I guess that means that we don't really believe in magic...and we shouldn't because magic as we know it is nothing more than illusion and trickery.
But yet there are so many people...Christians, who have a magical concept of faith. So many believe that only a few gifted individuals really can "perform" great feats of faith. And this is evident to me from the most famous expression I hear as a pastor..."Oh, I could never do that!"
And most of the time I hear that said, it is not a case where there is a lack of ability...but a lack of faith that God will enable us to accomplish the task he has for us to do...or that God will give us the grace to endure the problems and situations we face.
Faith as the Bible describes it is not magic... It's not believing a lot of things...it's trusting one thing. It's not holding on to a lot of doctrinal truths so much as it is letting go of fears. It is doing deeds, or going through situations that take you beyond your natural strength or ability ... that's why faith often looks like courage.
The story of David and Goliath is a perfect example of a biblical understanding of faith.
READ 1 Samuel 17:20 40....48 50
This familiar story I believe is there in the Scriptures as a model of what faith ought to look like. Here is a young kid who wanders into the adult world saying he can defeat the giant that has scared the daylights out of everyone else in the entire Israelite army.
Here is a young man whose only work experience is that of a shepherd. But to him, killing this giant of a man would be no more difficult than killing the wild animals that threatened his sheep.
Now that may seen pretty naive...because even though he killed a lion and a bear, which are pretty ferocious animals...I've yet to hear of one 9 feet tall...with armor...carrying a spear the size of a small tree. But that is the way biblical faith often appears to the world...naive.
Any time we try to give a biblical answer to the world's problems we get the same reply...that we're just being naive...that nobody could honestly be expected to put their trust in "religious solutions." Even Saul says to David, "You haven't even seen this Goliath. What makes you think you can defeat him?
But Saul is out of options. His men refuse to fight and Saul himself says, "Hey, not me man!" So he says to David, "Let's see how you look in my armor." This must have been quite a sight because David is just a boy and Saul was a big man...if you remember that when he was chosen king it describes him as being a head taller than everyone else.
But David doesn't put his faith in armor or a large sword, but in God! He said, "The Lord who delivered me in the past will deliver me again" So he removes the armor and goes off to meet Goliath with what he is used to...just a slingshot and five smooth stones.
And that seems to be the "epitome of stupidity"...not any armor, no sword or spear. And look at us when we face a giant of a problem...but I have no great "weapons" ...I have no experience...I have no qualifications...I don't have the strength to go on...
But listen to David as he goes to meet this giant..."You come to me with a sword and a spear and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts. Glory to God!
This may not be quite appropriate or dignified...but who cares... Indiana Jones...up against some martial arts guy with swords...very intimidating...but Indy is confident because he has a "secret" weapon, which in this case is a gun...which he pulls out and shoots the guy with... Can't always go by appearances.
David went out in faith...but not faith in his own ability...it was faith in God and God's power to deliver. David had the right attitude even when things looked at their worst.
It's like the story of a certain organization that offered a bounty of $5,000 for wolves captured alive. It turned Sam and Jed into fortune hunters. Day and night they scoured the mountains and forests for their valuable prey,
One night they fell asleep, totally exhausted. But suddenly Sam woke up to see that they were surrounded by about fifty wolves...with flaming eyes and bared teeth. Sam nudged his friend and said, "Jed, wake up...We're rich!" Now is that a good attitude or what?
That is the attitude David had. The story of David & Goliath is so simple...yet so powerful. In him we see that faith is the courage to go out and meet the giants in your life. Faith trusts in God alone. And the Bible is full of stories like this...especially in the O.T.
Look at Moses against the Pharoah and all his army...Elijah against Jezebel and all the priests of Baal..they were small, powerless, unarmed people going up against the greatest powers of the world.
There are also some in the N.T. as well. Look with me at Acts 8:9 24 as we look at Simon the Sorcerer (magician). (READ)
This man named Simon was a magician who amazed all of Samaria. The very name Simon Magus, means "the power of god which is called great." In this story he stands as a powerful, feared man much like Goliath was in the previous story.
But then along comes a man into Samaria named Philip. And Philip is kind of like David...a shepherd of sorts. He's a follower of Jesus, a preacher. And he comes into Samaria preaching the good news of Jesus Christ.
Now you note that there are no adjectives to describe Philip...no Philip the great...or Philip the magnificent...just plain old Philip, the preacher. He is just a simple man who comes not in strength, but in weakness. He comes like David before Goliath.
Now there is an interesting footnote to this story. You see, it was Philip who had converted Simon, but he hadn't been doing things entirely right. Evidently Philip stumbled along in this as he may have in other things as well.
The complaint was that he was not following the water baptism with the laying on of hands for receiving the Holy Spirit. (and boy, would I love to preach on that aspect...)
Anyway, headquarters was notified somehow and they sent along two 1st string preachers to Samaria to straighten this matter out. So Peter and John come to Samaria and begin laying hands on people so that they might receive the Holy Spirit.
Well, Simon saw all of this and thought it was some kind of magic. So he took Peter and John aside and said, "Look, you show me how to do that and I'll make you rich." Peter, who was quite shocked at this request rebukes Simon and says to him...(READ v.20)
Now this story is „ªnot„« about trying to buy power or influence with money...it is the contest between faith and magic. You see, magic is speaking words that will change the world out there....Faith is trusting the word that will change me...inside here.
The point of this story is that the Word of God is stronger than any magic in this world. Even when the word is spoken by someone as weak as me and you. Do you understand that?...Philip was a poor preacher who couldn't quite get it right...and many of us can relate to that.
Philip realized that faith is not some magic...some formula or some power that we gain after we've finally arrived...after we've gotten to the place where we can do things right...and we have all the natural wisdom and knowledge of spiritual things.
Faith is not something that would allow you to manipulate the world so that things will be the way we want them to be. That is what magic is.
And I want to tell you that there is demonic power that can give you the ability to do some pretty amazing things...but at a price you'd never want to pay.
But I have to confess that at times I want to believe in magic, because I want to believe that the problem is out there...and not in here (heart).
I also want to believe in magic because I'm tired of struggling and working hard. I want my life to be easy. I want to believe in magic because I want to be in control.
I want to believe in magic because I am sometimes insecure about the future...I want to remove the uncertainty in my life so that I will know exactly what is going to happen...isn't that something we all want?
But yet we look at faith in God in much the same way at times. We quote a verse and think that just because we say it that God has to perform...we're good at that. Ok God, I said the magic word, now do it! ...or we tack on "In Jesus' name" to make it sound spiritual and really seal it.
Well, Philip was up against that sort of thing in Samaria. People were confusing Christianity with magic. They assumed that there was some simple formula for gaining power with God...some steps we can follow.. some rules we can learn...some words we can say over and over...
Or maybe even a little money. Money can work miracles, you know. Just slip a few bucks to most people and they will do things only a miracle could get them to do without money. Huh?
Magic is the attempt to get God to work for us. Faith is letting God work through us! Look again at Philip. He is much like David, he's just a kid, vocationally speaking. He's armed only with the gospel.
And Philip didn't do it very well. There were others who could do it better. He made mistakes but that didn't matter, because he went there in faith...expecting God to use him. And God did!
And that is what happens when you stop trying to use God for your purposes...and let God use you for His purposes. Miracles are what happens to you when the gospel reminds you who you really are.
Jesus didn't work magic. The temptation story in the gospels is there to say that Jesus rejected that whole idea of magic. Jesus simply spoke words that freed people from bondage.
Words like, "You are forgiven"...and "God loves you"...and "You are a child of God." And faith means trust in those words. And if you do trust in those words, you can go out with all the confidence of David, knowing that God is on your side...and when you do look out giants!
Back in the passage from 1 Samuel it says that David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet Goliath. That reminds me of a truth I heard once about lions.
Everyone knows how fierce a lion is, and they say there are few things more scary that to hear the mighty roar of a lion in the wild. But lions are like people in at least one way...when they get old their body changes. And when a lion gets old their teeth will fall out.
And without their teeth they are not much of a threat to their prey. But just because a lion gets old doesn't mean he isn't useful to the others as they hunt. In fact they make good use of that old guy.
When they stalk game the old lion will position himself where the prey is headed while the younger lions will hide under cover away from the old lion. When the antelope or whatever they are after gets fairly close the old lion will roar for a it's worth.
The scared animal will turn around and run in the opposite direction, right into the waiting arms of the younger lions who quickly slay the surprised animal. If only that poor creature knew that the lion had no teeth...it could have run right at that enemy and found safety.
There is a lot we can learn from that illustration. Because the Bible says the devil goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. But as Christians, we need to realize that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.
Faith in God and His promises will help us to realize that the old enemy has no teeth that can harm us. Just like David we can run right toward the roar with the confidence that He will deliver us!
What is it that keeps you in fear and bondage? What is it that you are trying to overcome in your own strength..or trying to use some "magic" on...hoping to find deliverance or relief.
It is time we put on the armor of God, which has that shield of faith, and face your fears, your obstacles, your situations head on... trusting God for deliverance...and when you do...those giants in your life will fall Praise God!
Faith Is The Victory...That Overcomes The World!
