• Facing the Giants produced by Sherwood Pictures in Albany, GA
o Helped define modern day giants
o A broken down car, a faltering career, relationship issues
o Lost your homework, friends talking bad about you, did not get make the team, ate lunch by yourself
o The world is full of giants
• Caleb was one of the first people in the world to know that
o He was a spy Moses sent from the wandering to check out Canaan, the Promised Land
o He saw the giants who lived there and the bounty of the land
o He said that the bounty is worth it and God can handle the giants
o 10 other spies disagreed and the hearts of Israel melted
o Because of that everyone in his generation died in the wilderness but him and Joshua
• He was 40 when he was a spy
o He wandered 40 years with the Jews in the wilderness
o He spent the next 5 years helping secure lands as they entered the Promised Land
o At 85 years old he asked for his inheritance in the new land
o He picked the land with the biggest giants and the greatest bounty
I Life is full of giants
A We all face issues that seem too big for us
1 Caleb was able to see the difficulties of the choice he made
2 He knew better than anyone else because he had seen the giants 45 years ago
3 Maybe an image he saw nearly every day of his life
a He knew the scale of giant that faced him
b And faced it with courage and devotion
4 Anyone who tells you that life has does not include tough times is a liar
a Matthew 5:45, “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust”
b We all have good days
c And we all have bad days
d That is not to sell your days short, bad days hurt, they discourage, they disappoint, they challenge
e But they are not unique to any one person
f It’s life, we have to learn to deal, to cope
B How do we cope with these giants?
1 Caleb faced them head on
a He said, “Let me at ‘em, I’ll splat ‘em!” –Scrappy Doo
b V. 14, “…I will drive them out as the Lord has spoken”
2 He knew he could because he relied on God
a He said he could do this if the Lord was with him
b Not on his own but with the Lord the Anakim already lost
3 With that same reliance we can defeat the giants in our lives
a Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose”
b It will not be a miracle, it will not be magical
c But God will see you through whatever giants you face
d And He is bigger than the giants
4 He conquered
a The name of the largest city was at one time Kiriath-arba, city of Arba, the most powerful of the giants in tha city
b Caleb renamed it Hebron because God gave him the victory over the giants
5 Whatever your giants are, you can overcome them
II Some recommendations for beating giants
A Don’t try to be big
1 David did not try to be who he was not
2 He refused Saul’s armor and used a slingshot and a stone
3 Why 5 stones? Goliath had 4 brothers!
4 Do not let the negative influences in life change who you are
5 Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”
6 Let God be big and you just be His
B Don’t try to do it all by yourself
1 Pray and ask God to help you
2 Jesus prayed in the Garden when He faced the cross
3 He asked if there was another way than the cross to let that be how They did things
4 But He said, “Nevertheless, Thy will, not My will be done”
5 When you are struggling, talk to God about it
6 Luke 18:3-8, “Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.' And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this’” widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.' Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"
7 She received protection by praying and asking for it until she wore the judge down
8 That is what Jesus wants us to do
C Don’t take everything personal
1 Some people are just mean and do not deserve that control over your life
2 Some just do not know your personal situation
3 They compare your life to theirs and think how they react is how you should
4 They just do not understand your circumstances
5 Do not let their ignorance cost your sanity
6 Samuel had a similar struggle as you have
7 1 Samuel 8:6-7, “But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." So Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, "Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them”
D Don’t let the world tell you that you cannot do this
1 Caleb was 85 years old, the one of the two oldest people in Israel because everyone his age died but him and Joshua
2 No one would have thought he could do this
3 But he said he could and he did with God’s help
4 God is bigger than your situation
5 You can handle that person without being mean or fighting
6 You can enjoy yourself without alcohol, drugs, or sex
7 You can go through life without using bad language
8 You can go to heaven
9 At 85 years old Caleb took the most difficult mountain in the nation, drove out the biggest giants in the land, and had rest in his land
10 Guys, you can do this
