Facing Your Giant Problems
Scripture: 1 Samuel 17
1 Samuel 17:1 Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Socoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. 2 Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines…. 4 A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall.
1 Samuel 17:32 David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him."
ISRAEL HAD SOME GIANT PROBLEMS. WHAT GIANTS ARE YOU FACING TODAY?
• UNEMPLOYMENT • DEBT • BILLS
• DISEASE • DANGER
• DISCOURAGEMENT • DEPRESSION
• ABANDONMENT • ABUSE • REJECTION
• TRAGEDY • GRIEF
• WEAKNESSES • HELPLESSNESS
• A BROKEN RELATIONSHIP
• PAST FAILURES • ADDICTIONS & HABITS • TEMPTATIONS
• FEAR • ANGER
DO YOU HEAR YOUR GIANTS SHOUTING?
• You are not qualified for that job!
• You are not good enough!
• You can’t pay your bills!
• You can’t save your marriage!
• You are losing your kids!
• You cannot stop your vices!
• You can’t stop looking at pornography!
• You can’t stop committing sexual sins
• You can’t shake your past failures
• You don’t have a bright future!
• Your life is a mistake!
God will help us stand and face our giants just like He helped David!
David’s giant problem teaches us how to face our own giant problems.
• We don’t have to live a life of defeat! God has given us weapons that are not of this world that will help us overcome the giant problems in our lives! Do you want to be free from the taunting voice of the enemy? God has given us everything we need to face our giant problems!
I. PLUG IN TO THE SOURCE OF POWER – v 37
1Sa 17:37 The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. Saul said to David, Go, and the LORD be with you.
David did not say the he delivered his flocks from the lion and bear. But he Said, “THE LORD WHO DELIVERED ME”. The Lord is the source of David’s power. All our electronics appliances will be useless unless connected to the source of electrical power. Our life is also useless if not connected to the source of our power no other than God. God’s people in the bible had been empowered by God through His Holy Spirit.
THE EMPOWERMENT OF SAUL:
1Sa 10:1 Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, Has not the LORD anointed you leader over his inheritance?
1Sa 10:6 The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.
Later, the power of God given to Saul was forfeited b/c he deliberately sinned against God.
1Sa 16:1 The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel?
1Sa 16:14 Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.
THE EMPOWERMENT OF DAVID:
1Sa 16:13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power…
1Sa 18:14 In everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him.
THE EMPOWERMENT OF CHRISTIANS:
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Paul testified:
1Co 2:4 And my speech and my preaching [was] not with enticing words of man’s
wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
1Co 2:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Ephesians 6:10 says to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might! For a person to be strong, he or she will need to be “in the Lord.” Be strong in the Lord! He will give you power over sin! He will help you break every bondage in your life! His plan is to bless you and prosper you, giving you a future and a hope! Plug in to a trust relationship with Jesus! We need God’s power, but we also need the right weapons.
II. CHOOSE THE RIGHT WEAPONS – vs 38-40
*David chose 5 stones. Let’s use them to symbolize 5 spiritual truths used by David.
1. The Stone of God’s Past Deliverance
1Sa 17:37 The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.
1Ch 16:12 Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
2. The Stone of Prayer
1Sa 30:6 David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.
Psa 57:1 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.
Psa 59:16 But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.
Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you…”
Transition: Invite God’s help. Pick up the stone of prayer. And then…
3. The Stone of Priority
1Sa 17:46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand…., that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
1Sa 17:47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’S, and He will give you into our hands."
Remember your highest priority: God’s reputation - God’s glory and honor! David saw Goliath as a chance for God to show His power! Did David know he would exit the battle alive? No. But he was willing to give his life for the reputation of God.
Your sickness may be God’s chance to show His healing power. Your sin is God’s opportunity to showcase His grace. Your struggling marriage can display God’s power, as you learn to love and forgive as Christ does for us.
See your struggle as God’s canvas. Let His multicolored power be show on your life.
4. The Stone of PASSION
1Sa 17:32 And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine. [David’s passion for God gave him courage. Your love for God is the best antidote for fear – Perfect love casts out fear!]
1Sa 17:48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
Who bet on David? Who put money on the kid from Bethlehem? Not the Philistines. Not the Hebrews. Not David’s siblings or David’s king. But God did.
David ran toward his giant. His relationship with God gave him passion, zeal, and courage! Your love for God can do the same for you!
Transition: Remember; take up the stone of passion. There is one more stone.
5. The Stone of Persistence
Why did David pick up 5 stones? Could it be because Goliath had four giant relatives? Never give up. One prayer might not be enough. One apology might not do it. You may get knocked down a time or two…but don’t quit. Keep loading the rocks. Keep swinging the sling.
Gen 32:26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaks. And he said, I will not let you go, except you bless me. (Jacob)
One of the most significant nuances of the word faith comes out in the word faithfulness. Faithfulness is sticking with it, no matter how hard it is to do so! Be persistent!
Well, along with using these spiritual weapons, we need to keep the right focus.
III. KEEP YOUR FOCUS– vs 41-47
1Sa 17:47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.
• Do not be disturbed by the giant
1Sa 17:26 David asked the men standing near him,….Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?
1Sa 17:32 David said to Saul, Let no-one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.
1Sa 17:45 David said to the Philistine, You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
• Do not be discouraged by the detractors
1Sa 17:28 When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he
burned with anger at him and asked, Why have you come down here? And with whom
did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how
wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.
1Sa 17:30 He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before.
1Sa 17:33 Saul replied, You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.
1Sa 17:36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.
• Focus on God
1Sa 17:37 The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine….
1Sa 17:46 This day the LORD will hand you over to me….and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.
1Sa 17:47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.
Listing hurts won’t heal them. Itemizing problems won’t solve them. Categorizing rejections won’t remove them. David removed the giant because he made much of the Lord!
IV. SEIZE THE GOD-GIVEN OPPORTUNITY – vs 48-50
1Sa 17:48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly towards the
battle line to meet him.
1Sa 17:49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.
Don’t run from the giant problem! Face it! Charge it! Defeat it!
Why didn’t the list of would-be volunteers offer to fight Goliath?
• Eliab - David was not even included to the enlisted men when he killed Goliath. God can use any ordinary person to do great things for God if we will trust God.
• Saul - Leaders by position will hide when problem comes. But God-anointed leaders will see a giant problem as an opportunity to show the power of God.
Saul - When you grieve God and you cause Him to leave, you cannot fight the enemies easily like you may have before.
• David – The outcome of the battle always depends on whose side God is on. One plus God will surely become the winner.
V. DESTROY THE POWER OF THE ENEMY –v 51
1Sa 17:51 David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.
• Cut off evil communications
• Cut off elicit relationship
• Cut off bad habits and vices
• Cut off pornography
• Cut off drug addiction
• Cut off alcoholism
• Cut off dishonesty
• Cut off adultery and infidelity
The next time the giants shout, you know what to do
1. Plug in to the source of power
2. Choose the right weapons
3. Keep your focus
4. Seize God’s moment
5. Destroy the Power of the enemy
-God knows your struggle. He knows the giant problems you are facing. And He offers to strengthen you with His mighty power! He wants to equip you with the weapons you need (To Remember His past faithfulness, To Pray, To Make His reputation your priority, To Cultivate a passion for serving and loving Him, and to be persistent). He also wants to help you keep your focus on Him, and not lose sight of Him! When the giant starts toward you, God will help you seize the moment and step up and fight the fight of faith. And God will also help you give no quarter to the enemy! Don’t give the enemy a place to live in your life! Be ruthless! There is more than one way to cast a devil out of a person’s life. If you give him a place to live he’ll take over.
[Portions of sermon adapted from Randy Bataanon’s sermon, Power to Face Your Giants, sermoncentral.com]
