Facing Giants With Nothing But Stones
SCRIPTURE: " And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine."
1 Samuel 17:40
Introduction
My brothers and sisters, allow me to pose this very serious and personal question and that question is Have you ever faced a giant in your life? Maybe you didn’t respond to that serious question because you might not know what a giant is! Well beloved, let me inform you what Webster tells us about GIANTS! I love Webster’s dictionary because Webster’s dictionary tells us that a GIANT is something or someone that is unusually large and powerful. A giant is not something that can be overlooked but something or someone that will cause you to back up for a moment. Most of us can remember growing up as a child hearing about GIANTS.
Most of us should be familiar with giants. We read about them as children in books, fantasized about them in fairytales and watched images of them in movies, videos and cartoons. We are familiar with giants!
Even today, in schools children learn of giants when they read stories that describe Gulliver's Travels into the land of the Lilliputians or chilling sound of "fe fi fo fum" of the giant in "Jack and the Bean Stalk." There is even a giant on the cans of vegetables we purchase in stores called the Jolly Green Giant.
Giants are usually referred to as larger than ordinary individuals, and because of their size are viewed as fearsome and grotesque. My brothers and sisters, in our lives we are often faced with giant sized problems that are fearsome and just as grotesque as any oversized giant. Sometimes it's a problem that keeps us late at night; other times it's situations and circumstances that seem too big to face at times. And if we can real with each other today, giant sized situations can make you feel like God has forgotten about you and your situation. Sometimes Life deals you a bad hand that you weren’t ready to be dealt. Sometimes it will seem as if you are experiencing “Hell” right here on earth! If can be real today church, the challenges we face everyday are real. Many of us don’t have any make believe problems; some of us are fighting to keep our head above water. Some of us are just trying to keep the car in the road. Some of us are trying to keep from going crazy! The truth of the matter is that sometimes LIFE WILL SERVE YOU GIANT SIZED PROBLEMS BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT GOD CAN HANDLE IT!!! GOD CAN HANDLE YOUR PROBLEM! GOD HANDLE YOUR SITUATION! GOD CAN HANDLE YOUR FINANCES! GOD CAN HANDLE YOUR FIXED INCOME! GOD CAN HANDLE THE FOLKS ON YOUR JOB! GOD CAN HANDLE THE FOLKS WHO CAN’T STAND YOU! GOD CAN HANDLE IT!!! BUT MANY TIMES, we get nervous because we focus on all the things that can go wrong. We ponder on the possibility of failure instead of bathing in the prospect of success. STOP THINKING THAT YOU GOING TO FAIL ALL THE TIME. STOP THINKING THAT YOU AIN’T GOING TO MAKE IT OUT OF THE STORM! WHEN YOU KNOW THAT GOD CAN HANDLE IT, YOU CAN LOOK AT THE PROBLEM AND SAY “I DON’T KNOW HOW AND I DON’T KNOW WHEN BUT I KNOW THE LORD WILL MAKE A WAY”. “Those who are prepared for the challenges of life can stand boldly, without fear of failure. THEY AIN’T SCARED OR SCURRED! They are confident that God is able to deliver them in any challenge.
As Christians, we ought to rejoice in the knowing that although we may face giants in our lives, God empowers us to overcome each and every one. Every day, we face the fearsome challenges of life with little more than a stone of hope, but God gives us faith for the fight. Every day we face situations that seem hopeless but God just keeps “MAKING A WAY OUT OF NO WAY”.
Exposition
I love today’s text because it focuses on the shepherd boy David as he rose to fight the giant named Goliath, using nothing but a slingshot and five smooth stones. In this episode of this text, Israel is under King Saul’s rule and Israel is being constantly faced to a challenge by the Philistines, who were natives of Canaan.
The text reveals that there is a forty day standoff between the armies of the two countries, Israel and the Philistines. The Philistines offered to settle the difference by a duel of the champions. In a duel of the champions, each country would send its greatest fighter in a one on one contest, fighting for victory for his country. This method would save needless bloodshed. They decided that instead of everybody fighting and dying on both sides, let’s pick our best man to represent for each army. So here it is in the text,
A challenge had been issued to Israel by the Philistine champion, Goliath, to send their best man to fight him in a duel to the death.
The Israelites however, could not control their fears. The Israelites were past worried, they were scurred when they heard that Goliath would be involved in the fight. They shook in their sandals and wondered who would be the one that would fight Goliath. Because even though King Saul was considered a great warrior, King Saul wouldn’t trying to get in the ring with Goliath. Even King Saul’s sons were great warriors but they would not fight either. They were all afraid of the size of Goliath. Their fears got the best of them.
However David, a little shepherd boy from around the way, decided to take up the challenge. Some folk who knew David called David strange because David volunteered for a “beat down”. David even refused to wear the king’s armor or to use any of King Saul’s swords and shields. He chose only to carry his little shepherd’s bag and his sling shot.
Though David went forth there was certainly concern in his heart because of the nature of his opponent. That concern was reasonable because David was now facing a giant, where some scholars say he was 13 feet tall. He faced an opponent who wore a coat of armor that weighed 194 pounds. There had to be some fear in David’s heart.
David was concerned but was not intimidated. David was not moved by what it looked like in the natural but David walking by FAITH! Beloved, I believe that’s a good lesson to learn in life that you can’t always try to run away from your problems based on what it looks like! No matter how bad it looks, there is never a reason to give up or throw in the towel! God will show up right when you’ve had all you can take. The songwriter put it best when she said “GOD IS AN ON TIME GOD!” The Bible says that David secured five smooth stones from a brook, and armed his slingshot, with which he killed the mighty Goliath with a single stone.
It Takes Courage
My brothers and sisters, as we consider the giants in our own lives we should consider these 3 truths about FACING GIANTS:
IT TAKES COURAGE TO FIGHT GIANTS: The giant Goliath presented a HUGE challenge to Israel. Goliath struck fear in the hearts of the men of Israel, so much fear that not even their most violent warriors would come forth. Even King Saul decided he wouldn’t going to get in the ring with Goliath. Goliath had everybody in Israel straight scared and worried about the challenge of Goliath. Yet, when David heard the challenge he arose and courageously faced the giant. When David got the news about the problem, David didn’t run into a closet and hide! David didn’t call in sick at work. David didn’t call 911. David knew that even if he ran, the problem was still going to be there. Because truth of the matter is that in this life, we have the same challenge from Goliath sized problems; YOUR PROBLEM MAY NOT BE GOLIATH BUT YOUR PROBLEM MAY BE:
CANCER
SICKNESS
DIABETES
ENVY AND JEALOUSY
FOLKS LYING ON YOU AND SCANDALIZING YOUR NAME
MARRIAGE TROUBLE
BILLS, BANKRUPTCY, FIXED INCOME
CHILD ON DRUGS, GRANCHILDREN ACTING A FOOL
We must LEARN TO RESPOND with courage like David.
David's giant was a man, but many of our giants may not have faces, but they are just as dangerous. Many times our giants are the things that we feel limit our abilities to become successful.
To face our giants we must arise. To arise means, get up from where we are. Life often knocks us down, but we are encouraged to arise.
Succeeding in life does not mean that you won’t be knocked down, but real success comes when we muster the courage to rebound after being knocked down. A real believer can get knocked down and get backed up a with a spirit of tenacity. A real believer can be given a bad report from the doctor but can still walk with their head lifted up because they choose to believe the report of the GREAT PHYSICIAN. A real believer can be dealt lemons and instead of complaining about it, they turn it a lemonade business. You see that’s MATURE FAITH, NOT LITTLE BOY OR LITTLE GIRLS FAITH. MATURE FAITH SAYS I REJOICE NOT ON WHAT I HAVE BUT I REJOICE ON WHO’S GOT ME AND HIS NAME IS JESUS!!!
As believers, we must face our giants with David's courage. When we trust in God we receive a new perspective when we see every situation in light of God’s promise to protect every step of the way.
The 2nd Lesson We Learn About Giants is….
GOD CAN HELP US TO OVERCOME OUR GIANTS: Goliath was one man who frightened an entire army of men and every man was afraid of him. The Bible says that even Israel saw this giant of a man and trembled, we used to have a phrase in the country that said “thinking It doesn't take much to frighten a chicken”. That's where the common use of the term chicken comes from. You can wave your hand and frighten a chicken.
They run from any perceived threat. Chickens can fly, but very few ever try to fly over the fence because they are afraid of getting their wings clipped if they caught on the other side. My brothers and sisters, Fear of failure stops many people today from flying over the fence of their own poverty. Fear of rejection. Fear of fear itself has stopped so many.
The word of God reminds each of us that, "The Lord is my light and my salvation, in whom should I fear?”. You can’t always worry about the outcome but trust what the Bible says in Romans 8:28. You see you don’t worry about the status of the economy when you know Romans 8:28, you don’t worry about the stock market crashing when you know Romans 8:28, You don’t worry about the status of your social security and Medicaid when you know Romans 8:28, Romans 8:28 says “And We Know That All Things Work Together For The Good Of Those Love God and Those Called According To His Purpose”. The bible didn’t say SOME THINGS, IT SAID ALL THINGS!!! In other words, IT’S ALL GOOD!!! STOP MAKING EXCUSES AND START MAKING PLANS FOR A BETTER TOMORROW! PUT ON YOUR BEST OUTFIT, PUT ON YOUR BEST SUIT AND DECLARE THAT ALHTOUGH I HAD A ROUGH YESTERDAY AND A CHOATIC TODAY, MY FUTURE WILL BE BETTER THAN MY PAST!!!
As we face the giant sized obstacles thrown in front of us on a daily basis, we must remember, just as David did, that God is stronger, bigger, and more powerful than any adversary. Marvin Sapp can summed it best when he said “NEVER WOULD HAVE MADE IT WITHOUT THE LORD!”. Is there anybody up in here that can testify that God has been with you all the time! NOT JUST IN THE GOOD TIMES BUT HE HAS KEPT HIS HAND ON YOU EVEN IN THE BAD TIMES!!! THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHEN YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN CRAZY; THERE ARE TIMES WHEN YOU SHOULD HAVE GONE COO-COO FOR COCOA PUFFS BUT HE KIND YOUR MIND IN PERFECT PEACE. THERE WERE ACCIDENTS THAT SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU BUT HE KEPT A HEDGE OF PROTECTION AROUND YOU. THERE WERE TIMES WHEN YOU DIDN’T HAVE ANY MONEY OR FOOD TO EAT AND HE MADE A WAY OUT OF NO WAY! GOD has shown that to us in the past and he STILL CONTINUES TO PROVIDE FOR YOU. I BELIEVE THE OLD CHURCH PUT IT BEST WHEN THEY WOULD GET AND SING “JESUS BE A FENCE ALL AROUND ME EVERYDAY”.
David was sure that he could overcome Goliath, not by his own might but by grace of God. SOMEBODY OUGHT TO JUST LIFT UP THEIR HANDS AND THANK GOD FOR HIS GRACE!!! GRACE HAS BROUGHT ME THIS FAR AND GRACE WILL LEAD ME ON!!!
THE 3RD THING WE LEARN ABOUT GIANTS IS….YOU HAVE WHAT YOU NEED
DAVID HAD FIVE STONES, BUT ONLY ONE WAS NEEDED: As we study the text, the Bible says that David retrieved five stones from the brook; however he only needed one to achieve his goal. David's selection of these stones indicates both his faith and the practical application of his faith. Think about it now, David didn't know whether or not he would be successful on his first shot at the giant, but David felt sure that five stones would be more than enough. Let me stop right here in put the car in park because somebody is making excuses because you don’t have ALL of the ingredients to get to the next level. Somebody is saying where Rev. Ellis, I would go back to school but I don’t have all the money, somebody is saying I would go and apply for the job but I don’t have the requirements that they are looking for in the position, somebody is saying I would apply for the house loan or start business but my credit is all jacked up…I CAME IN HERE TO TELL YOU TO STOP LOOKING AT YOUR RESOURCES AND START TRUSTING YOUR PROVIDER…
GOD SAID IN PHILLIPIANS 4:19 “I WILL SUPPLY ALL OF YOUR NEEDS ACCORDING TO YOUR RICHES AND GLORY!!!
WHILE YOU TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT, GOD’S ALREADY DONE WORKED IT OUT!!!! DAVID DIDN’T SIT THERE IN HIS NEIGHBORHOOD THINKING THAT HE DIDN’T HAVE ALL OF THE MUSCLES, HE DIDN’T SIT THERE THINKING THAT HE DIDN’T HAVE THE HEIGHT LIKE GOLIATH, DAVID DECIDED THAT I’M GOING TO STEP OUT ON FAITH AND TRUST THAT GOD WILL FIGHT MY BATTLE. GOD SAID THAT THE BATTLE BELONGS TO HIM, BUT THAT DON’T ME THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO SHOW UP FOR WAR!!! YOU SEE WHEN YOU SHOW UP FOR THE BATTLE, YOU ARE SAYING THAT FEAR DOES NOT HAVE MY MIND! WHEN YOU SHOW UP FOR WAR, YOU ARE SAYING THAT I’M NOT INTIMIDATED BY HOW BIG THE SITUATION LOOKS TO ME, BECAUSE GOD PROMISED ME THAT HE WOULD FIGHT MY BATTLES!!!!
SOMETIMES, IT’S KNOW WHO YOU KNOW, IT’S WHAT YOU KNOW!!! YOU SEE DAVID DIDN’T KNOW GOLIATH BUT HE KNEW GOD!!! HE KNEW THAT GOD WOULD NOT LEAVE HIM ALONE!!! HE KNEW GOD WOULD NEVER LEAVE HIM NOR FORSAKE HIM!!! YOU SEE IF I WANT TO GO AND BUY A BRAND NEW HOUSE, I DON’T HAVE TO KNOW THE OWNER OF WELLS FARGO; I NEED TO KNOW THE CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH!!! I NEED TO KNOW THE EL SHADDAI, I NEED TO KNOW THE PRINCE OF PEACE, I NEED TO KNOW THE LORD OF LORDS BECAUSE THAT KNOWLEDGE KEEPS ME GOING WHEN MAN SAYS NO AND GOD SAYS YES!!!!
That same knowledge helps us to go forward without intimidation. David says I know I have enough stones to slay the giant.
Our family histories are filled with accounts of how our ancestors overcame the giants of slavery, poverty, racism and ignorance to achieve excellence. Our ancestors always seemed armed with plenty of "stones" but only needed one, the power of God.
Anybody who expects to succeed should expect difficulty and live constantly armed with a plan "A,B,C,D, and E." Because sometimes Plan A won’t work out but God will grant you a Plan B, and sometimes Plan B won’t work and God will grant you a Plan C. We get frustrated in the process because it means that we have to wait longer than had planned in the first place but IF WE WOULD HAVE TRUSTED THAT ALTHOUGH PLAN A, B, C, DIDN’T WORK…GOD IS ALWAYS ON TIME!!!!
God is NEVER LATE!!! Even if there is no way, God can create a way, if we trust Him.
THE LAST AND FINAL THING THAT DAVID TEACHES US ABOUT GIANTS: GOD IS BIGGER!!!
Remember, GOD IS BIGGER THAN ALL GIANTS
Finally brothers and sisters we must remember that God is bigger than any giant we may face.
David did not hesitate to use what was available to him because he had faith in the miraculous power of God.
David picked up the five stones from the brook, and carried the stones with him, outside of the sight of any man, these five stones were more powerful than the stones from the brook because they were stones selected by David’s FAITH!!!
In David’s heart, he carried the stone of courage, faith, hope, discipline and preparation. These five stone gave David something that was bigger than Goliath himself; it gave him confidence.
David was confident because he knew the source of his victory. He knew where his blessings came from.
Today, we must remember where our blessings come from. Our blessings don’t come from our jobs or occupations. Our blessings don’t come from the White House or Washington D.C., Our blessings don’t come from our Retirement Checks, Our blessings don’t come from Bank of American, Wells Fargo or Robins Federal Credit Union, our blessings come from the KING OF KINGS, THE LORD OF LORDS, THE JEHOVAH JIREH, THE JEHOVAH NECEE, THE JEHOVAH SHALOM, OUR BLESSINGS COME FROM GOD!!! SO IF I BLESSINGS COME FROM GOD, WE DON’T HAVE TIME TO
Burden ourselves with unnecessary worry about the giants that we face, Before we start stressing over problems that we have no control over, Before we start crying over a bad report, We should remember that we serve an awesome God who reigns and can help us defeat any GIANT IN OUR LIVES!!!.
A REAL Believer doesn’t have time to worry about the pressures of today, because, like David, we remember what He did yesterday. I believe I got some witnesses up in the building that can REMEMBER WHEN THEY WERE:
WEAK and GOD provided you strength
DOWN and God picked you up and placed your feet on solid ground!
I believe I got some witnesses up in the building that can REMEMBER WHEN THEY WERE:
DEFEATED and God gave you the victory
DISCOURAGED and God restored your hope!
LONELY, and God gave you comfort
TROUBLED and God gave you peace of mind
So no matter how it may look – IT AIN’T OVER TILL GOD SAYS IT’S OVER!!!
That Friday out on a lonely hill called Calvary, there didn’t appear to be a chance for Jesus to win against the forces of evil, but I heard God saying, It ain’t over.
Yes they’ve nailed His hands, but it ain’t over.
Yes they’ve nailed His feet, but it ain’t over.
Yes they’ve crowned His head, but it ain’t over.
Yes, they’ve pierced His side, but it ain’t over.
Yes, He’s in the grave, but it ain’t over.
Yes, He’s been dead for three days, but it ain’t over.
Because early Sunday morning, Jesus got up out of the grave, with all power in His hands. And because He lives…for you and I, it will NEVER be over.
He’s still blessing us today, just like He did yesterday!
Don’t worry about your GIANTS BUT JUST START REJOICING IN ADVANCE!
