Are You Listening to God or Goliath?
(Inspired by article in Charisma August 2016 by Larry Dugger)
8/10/16 CFBC Chester, IL Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker
Introduction:
A I wish that once I became a Christian my struggle with sin, depression, discouragement, bad habits would be overcome with just a prayer.
1 I’ve tried to change over, and over only to end up back in the same old cycle of behavior that brings back to the person that I don’t want to be.
a It gets frustrating, defeating, discouraging.
b I do believe there is a way to gain victory over those struggles.
aa I believe we can change, transformed, know freedom/victory.
bb It’s a fight . . .battle (spiritual) . . . most Christians will walk away from it.
cc If we want freedom/victory it means we have to square off with our devils . . . just like Jesus did in the wilderness.
c The devils we face are the old familiar patterns of behavior that keep us experiencing the same unwanted results.
aa I want to lose weight w/o dieting/exercise . . . go deeper in Word w/o reading it . . . have a better prayer life w/o praying more . . . Tithe w/o giving 10%.
bb Sometimes we want change but we get frustrated, “I can never become the person who I want to be.”
2 The person you are today was shaped by your past . . . the person you will become is determined by what you do right now.
a There are no short-cuts, timesaving techniques to becoming great, rising above our tribulations/crisis’.
b It’s a battle, fight and it’s devils you fight.
I Jesus fought the same devils as we do.
A Irregardless of how long we’ve been in ministry, attending church being pure, forgiving those who treated unfairly, letting go of devils from our past is a struggle.
1 There are times I don’t think I’m going to be able to overcome, not going to make it.
a I feel like the devil has the upper hand and he knows it!
b He knows he’s getting the best of me . . . has me on the ropes . . . exhausted from fighting.
aa I don’t want to feel that way, be that way, think like that . . . but I do.
bb I feel like Paul, “For the good I desire to do, I do not do, but the evil I do not want is what I do.” (Rom. 7.19)
2 Imagine, my desire to change on one hand and my ability to change in another hand . . .now imagine those hands being a million miles apart.
a Frustrating, demoralizing . . . feel like your faith is flawed, inadequate.
b Even doubt your faith, identity in Christ.
aa Personally: In my greatest struggle of faith I looked good on paper (Pastor, Education, Experience), but in reality my life is sometimes very different.
bb I questioned my ministry, marriage, my future . . . felt like my life was off the rails.
cc I knew I ignoring my struggle wasn’t the answer . . . I was going to have to confront myself, my thoughts/feelings.
B I read Luke 4.1-13, I see Jesus battling a similar battle in the wilderness. (READ Luke passage)
1 Jesus’ humanity is on full display like never before, in 1080i when He faced the devil in the Judean desert.
a Jesus wasn’t just battling the devil; He also battled His own humanity . . . Himself.
b Jesus had to battle the devil proves to me one thing: Spiritual maturity doesn’t take you out of the fight/battle/war.
aa My devils I fight aren’t the ones Jesus fought, but I must face mine like Jesus did His.
bb Not ignore, fail to acknowledge, put off . . . face them.
2 Like Jesus, I would have to spend some time in the wilderness facing what stood in opposition to my future like Jesus in the wilderness . . . David in Elah valley.
C Goliah had taunted Israel for 40 days like clock work (every morning & evening)
1 When a young shepherd boy showed up, rose up and refused to listen to the giants voice any longer. Face the giant.
a He put a stone in the middle of the giants forehead and fell him.
b After the epic battle . . . David was not seen as a boy, little shepherd any longer. (Warrior, Soldier, Giant Killer, Bad to the bone . . .eventually become King of Israel.)
2 Before a soldier can be a warrior, victorious of any battle . . . he must decide to show up for the fight.
a David showed up, Jesus showed up to fight.
b Will you show up for yours?
II Shutting Out Demonic Voices
A Goliath had taken advanced courses in Psychological Warfare.
1 He taunted the Army of Israel from across the valley: “Why do you even bother to show up to battle? Why choose to fight a fight that you can’t win?”
a When the army heard these taunts, “they were filled with terror.” (1 Sam. 17.11)
b Have you not heard these same taunts in your spirit?
aa Why even bother you big phony? Why try? What makes you think you can change you big idiot?
bb You’ve failed time and time again . . . just go back home.
2 Goliath’s taunts weren’t just questioning David’s ability . . . but also questioning God’s ability.
a 1 Samuel 17:26 (NASB) 26 Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?"
aa David picked up on what Goliath was throwing down.
bb The giant was calling God out!
b Our giant sounds like this, “You have never been able to lose weight before. You’re always going to be depressed because you’re just like your mom. You’ll never be happy like everybody else because you’ve victimized. You need to keep your habit because of all the stress in your life.”
aa We hear these things and respond like King Saul did before Goliath: paralyzed in fear believing there is no way we can win/overcome.
bb It’s important that we note that the most qualified person on the field to stand up against Goliath was King Saul. (1 Samuel 9:2 (NASB) 2 He had a son whose name was Saul, a choice and handsome man, and there was not a more handsome person than he among the sons of Israel; from his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people.)
B We don’t all look like champions and not everybody who looks like champions are.
1 We stand on our accomplishments, past victories, family name, title and wonder why we living in victory.
a Even the prophet Samuel (God’s Superstar Prophet) got caught up in appearances when Jessie’s sons came in bulging men . . . didn’t even notice David.
aa “He couldn’t fit in the King’s armor! Doesn’t look like a champion.
bb On that battle field, Saul looked like the most likely person to kill the giant (definitely not David, boy)
b Saul had the charisma, size, fan club . . . but he was content to simply let the giant keep running his mouth.
aa David wouldn’t tolerate such defiance.
bb Saul was bigger on the outside, but David was the bigger man.
2 This is the picture of lives in many cases.
a We have on the full armor of God, sword of His Word/faith as our shield, Holy Spirit guiding our steps . . .
aa The enemies voice taunt us, assure us that we’re defeated, helpless, failures . . . why try?
bb This is what Saul did.
b Saul heard the voice of the enemy. David heard the voice of God. (Whose voice will you and I choose to hear?)
3 1 Samuel 17:1, 16, 23
1 Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; . . .
1 Samuel 17:16 (NASB) 16 The Philistine came forward morning and evening for forty days and took his stand.
1 Samuel 17:23 (NASB) 23 As he was talking with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine from Gath named Goliath, was coming up from the army of the Philistines, and he spoke these same words; and David heard them.
a Every day the giant defied them, taunted them, was in their face on a daily basis. (Woke up & went to bed)
b I’d bet this is probably a picture of your life. (Daily struggle)
aa Most of us lose the battle before it begins.
bb We don’t fight because it’s bloody, painful, tedious, exhausting.
cc Every day we wake up thinking we’re failures/doomed/worthless . . . go to bed thinking were failures/doomed/worthless.
III What do You do When the Devil Is in Your Face?
A One of the things that makes the battle scene in 1 Samuel a bit odd is the length of time the battle was fought: 40 days . . .It was defiance on daily basis.
1 It’s probably fair to say that this is a picture of our lives.
a Everyday we wake up and fight the same fight we fought yesterday.
aa Most of us get up and hear the enemy every morning . . . last voice we hear at night.
bb Goliath constantly reminding us he’s bigger than we are, stronger . . . helpless/hopeless situation.
cc Our minds get no respite, relief from the giants attack.
b Is this happening in your life?
aa Goliath isn’t new to most of us.
bb We’ve learned to simply live with the Giant . . . no longer.
2 There has something I’ve learned so far: there has been times when my giant was with me every second of the day.
a I woke up with, ate lunch with, rode to work with, came home with and went to bed with my giant.
b Defiance is exhausting, depressing, debilitating.
aa If you don’t rise up/confront the giant . . . the usual defiance will keep you from winning the battle.
bb “Now the Israelites had been saying, ‘Do you see how this man keeps coming out?’” (1 Sam. 17.25)
B Goliath kept coming! (He didn’t take a day off, vacation)
1 Goliath has taken his stand against you/your God.
a You can overcome, be victorious if you’ll do like David did.
aa Focus on the size of your God instead of the size of your Goliath.
bb All David needed was faith and a rock and he brought down a giant; All we need is faith in the rock to bring our giants down.
b David didn’t need to know how much strength Goliath had, he knew how much strength his God had.
2 Running away from the giant is not ever going to overcome our giants.
a Run into the battle, fight . . .
b Invitation:
Notice to Sermon Central Users:
My name is Mike Fogerson, and I pastor a Southern Baptist Church in Chester, Illinois. I have been a long-time user of Sermon Central and truly appreciate its content and contributors. Some of the best sermons I’ve ever preached have been reworked material from this website. As you use the material from my sermon bank, understand that it is work that has been done from not just myself, but from hundreds of other pastors as well. If you see part of your message, or a bunch of your message with my name on it and this upsets you, please email me and I will quickly respond and cite you as the main source. My intent is not to claim someone’s work as my own. I am disclaiming up front that I use the resources from Sermon Central and appreciate the tool. I simply want all those who use my work to know that some of these messages were inspired by the Holy Spirit working through other pastors. Because I do use the messages of other pastors I waive all claims of originality or origin of creativity for the messages posted under my messages. I pray God blesses your preaching ministry for the glory of His Kingdom.
Respectfully,
Mike Fogerson
