Shaq is a personal friend of mine. I had the privilege of being his team pastor for the 2 years he was with the Suns. But I remember when I first saw him and met him in person…
About 10 years ago - I was down at the arena for Phoenix Suns chapel and I was going through my normal pregame routine. I went into the Suns locker room, reminded the players that chapel was about to start…checked to see how everyone’s doing…make myself available, pray with some guys, talk to some guys…you know…ministry stuff. Then, I go through the visiting team locker room and do the same thing with them.
That particular game happened to be against the Los Angeles Lakers. By the way…side note: I hate the Lakers. I’ve always hated the Lakers – grew up in Phoenix. Do we have any Laker fans in here today? (Security, please escort them out the building!) It’s going completely against my flesh and my better conscience to walk into the Laker locker room and invite them to into the Lord’s house at chapel. AND, I was in a hurry. Chapel was about to start. I remember run-walking down the hall – toward the visiting team locker room and there was a problem. I couldn’t get into the locker room because there was something in my way…something that took up the entire hallway and his name was Shaq… For the first time, I saw Shaquille ONeil “live and in person” from 2 feet away. He was standing outside the Laker locker room and had about 15 media crowded around him with recorders, cameras, and microphones.
I had a problem. I needed to get into the locker room – but his size, along with the media - was blocking the entire hallway. From that moment forward, I’ve always referred to the big problems in my life as “Shaq-sized” problems.
I remember calling my wife and telling her – So, I just saw the biggest man I’ve ever seen in my whole life and his leg is as big as my entire body! She laughed and said, “Trav, everyone’s leg is as big as your whole body!”
Shaq sized problems. You ever had any of those? I have. Shaq is big. He’s 7’, 1” . 325 pounds. And wears a size 22 shoe! He’s big.
I’ve had some problems that felt that big. Maybe bigger! Maybe you have one today!
Did you know the tallest guy on record in modern day history is eight foot eleven according to the Guinness Book of World Records. He died in 1940.
There’s a another Shaq-sized problem that I wanna talk about this morning. His name was Goliath. Goliath was bigger than Shaq…and a half-foot taller than that Guiness Book dude. He was somewhere between nine feet and nine feet nine inches tall.
You know the story…David and the Giant.
It’s about a teenager named David. He faces one-on-one the giant known as Goliath. Most of us know at least something about this story….
It’s a story about 2 armies, the Philistines and the Israelites. Both armies were camped out on two different hills with a valley between them. The Israelites had Saul – and the Philistines had a champion giant named Goliath. You know the story. Goliath was over 9 feet tall and wore over 125 lbs of armor. He had bronze leg armor, a bronze javelin, a huge spear, and an iron spearhead that weighed 15 lbs. He also had an an armor bearer…a dude…that walked ahead of him carrying a shield. (How cool would that be?!)
The Israelis were afraid! And rightly so…Even though the Israelis had some military victories - The Philistines entered the Iron Age before the Israelites did. Their weapons of war were far superior. Very notorious. The Philistines would put swords on their chariot wheels so their chariot riders could go through an infantry and mow down soldiers like you and I could cut through grass. Recently, just before this event, the Philistine army had slaughtered 30,000 Israelite soldiers in a battle. This is still fresh in the minds of these other soldiers. They were greatly afraid of the Philistines. AND What the Philistines were doing on this day was not uncommon. Rather than putting their whole army into battle the Philistines would choose one champion to go out and taunt and challenge the other army to see if they would send out one champion and these guys would go at it one on one. They would each represent their army. Whichever side won, the losing side would either retreat or surrender.
And so the Philistines had chosen this champion well. Here is this nine-foot guy, a very skilled warrior. He had his PhD in assault and battery. Goliath was bad to the bone. He was no joke. Legit. And he’s taunting and challenging the Israelite army, “Send somebody out to fight me.” But nobody would.
But we also know how the story goes…David, a shepherds boy. a teenager. Not in the military. Not a champion. Just a kid. He was the son of a man named Jesse. Jesse was an old man and his 3 older sons were already fighting against the Philistines. And Jesse sent little David to take some food to his brothers and to bring back a report to Jesse on how they were doing.
Upon his arrival at the fight scene…David notices that all the Israelites are scared and running in fear of this Giant Champion, Goliath.
David can’t believe what he’s seeing. He can’t believe his brothers and the Israelite armies are being such cowards! So he goes to Saul, asks if HE can’t find the giant…Saul tells David he’s being ridiculous, but after somehow David talks Saul into letting him do it.
Can you imagine? A boy…who weighs the same amount as Goliath’s armor…says, I’ll fight him!
With God’s help, a sling in hand, he chose 5 smooth stones from a brook and yelled charge as he ran into a valley of certain death. God guided his actions and the stone right between the eyes of the giant who fell flat to his death.
This brings us to our message for today. Shaq-Sized Problems…or Goliath-sized problems - Require God-Sized Miracles”.
I realize that most of us in this room today are facing some sort of giant. You’ve got a giant in your life and it stands in the way of your future. This giant seems so big, sooo huge…that you can’t see around it…you can’t see any way that this sucker will be defeated.
I wanna give you point number 1 in your outline…
1. DON’T LET THE SIZE OF THE PROBLEM SCARE YOU.
4 Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was over nine feet[a] tall! 5 He wore a bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds.[b] 6 He also wore bronze leg armor, and he carried a bronze javelin on his shoulder. 7 The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver’s beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed 15 pounds.[c] His armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a shield. 1 Samuel 17:4-7 (NLT)
No matter how big your problem appears. Don’t let it scare you. Don’t let your vision keep you from victory! Turn your obstacles into opportunities!
Maybe you heard about the woman named Florence Chadwick who attempted to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast in 1952 in an attempt to set a record for covering that distance.
When she entered the water, a heavy fog had settled itself on the path before her. She swam and she swam….but blinded by fog, she became disoriented and discouraged and eventually gave up. When she finally decided she couldn’t go on, her escorts in a boat helped her out of the water. The escorts feared to tell her the truth--Florence was less than 300 yards from the goal. Her only reply after learning how close she actually came was, "All I could see was hopeless."
Here’s the bottom line…what you ARE determines what you see, what you SEE determines what you DO. Fear sets in when we live by sight instead of FAITH.
Don’t let the size scare you…
2. DON’T LET THE THREATS OF THE PROBLEM TERRIFY YOU.
SOMETIMES IT’S NOT JUST THE SIZE OF THE GIANT WE FACE…BUT THE THREATS OF THE GIANT, RIGHT? What this giant threatens me if it wins!
8 Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. “Why are you all coming out to fight?” he called. “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! 9 If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! 10 I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!” 11 When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken. 1 Samuel 17:8-11 (NLT)
What’s shoutin at you today? Threat’s are simply a part of the devils scheme. That’s a “tactic” he uses. Threats to make you afraid!
• Rev 12:10 “accuser of the brethren”
• Eph 6:16 that the devil throws “fiery darts” at us.
3. DON’T LET THE RELENTLESSNESS OF THE PROBLEM OVERWHELM YOU.
Some problems seem like they never quit…and that’s exactly what Goliath did. He was relentless.
Some of you have faced your giants for a long time. The Israelites can relate to that. The Bible says that every day for forty days Goliath would get up early, walk down to the valley, stare up at the rocks behind which the soldiers of Israel were hiding.
16 For forty days, every morning and evening, the Philistine champion strutted in front of the Israelite army. 1 Samuel 17:6 (NLT)
4. DO THROW GOD IN YOUR PROBLEMS FACE.
Let us NOT forget – that’s the answer to our problems….GOD. not friends. Not family. Not money. Not material. Not power or pride or prestige. But God.
David didn’t need Saul's armor or weapons…he needed GOD.
Vs 38: Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. 39 David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before.
“I can’t go in these,” he protested to Saul. “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off again. 40 He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.
Then, David throws God in the face of the giant!
Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, 42 sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. 43 “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. 44 “Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled.
45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And everyone assembled here will know that the LORD rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the LORD’s battle, and he will give you to us!” 1 Samuel 17:45-47
As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. 49 Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground.
50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. 51 Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head.
David was victorious over his giant. With God, David faced his Giant…ran full speed toward it…and was victorious.
WHAT IS YOUR GIANT TODAY? Your marriage? Your health? Your finances? Your career? Your children or parents? What is your giant? Throw God in the face of your giant. Pray the scriptures. Stand on the promises of God.
When you walked in this building this morning….we handed everyone a stone. Would you take this stone in your hands…you know what this stone represents??? VICTORY. This stone represents knocking down the giants in your life to deliver your miracle! (1 Samuel 17:49) Keep this stone with you as it signifies your victory!
As we look into the face of our giants...I encourage all of you to not let the size of the problem scare you, don’t let the threat of the problems terrify you, don’t let the relentlessness of the problem overwhelm you…AND THROW GOD IN THE FACE OF YOUR GIANTS.
CLOSING PRAYER
