5 SMOOTH STONES
1 Sam. 17:40
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: DOING A GOOD DEED
1. A young pastor (trying to live a holy life) was sitting in a restaurant eating lunch. He opened a letter he’d just received that morning from his mom. As he opened it a twenty-dollar bill fell out. He thought to himself, "Thanks, Mom, I sure needed that right now."
2. He noticed a beggar outside on the sidewalk leaning against the light post. Thinking that the poor man needed the $20 more than he, he crossed out his name on the envelope and wrote across the top in large letters, PERSEVERE!
3. He went out and dropped it as he walked past the man. The man picked it up and read the message and smiled. The next day the same man tapped him on the shoulder and handed him a big wad of bills. Surprised, the young pastor asked him what that was for.
4. The man replied, “These are your winnings. 'Persevere' came in first at the Kentucky Derby yesterday and paid thirty to one.”
B. TEXT & THESIS
1. Then the Philistine [Goliath] said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” 11 On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. [But David said,] “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 1 Sam. 17:10-11,26.
2. Today we’re looking at the opposition we face and the weapons God has given us to prevail in this battle. The title of this message is “Five Smooth Stones.”
I. WHAT IS YOUR GOLIATH?
A. GIANTS YOU MAY BE FACING
David represents the believer, full of faith and in communion with God. Goliath represents the devil or the attack of adverse circumstances. GIANTS YOU MAY BE FACING:
1. You might be a Christian student facing an atheistic professor who taunts or demeans Christians in class;
2. Or you might be a single mother facing overwhelming bills, rebellious kids, and battling questions of your self-worth.
3. Or a person struggling to save your marriage & your kids;
4. Or a TDCJ C.O. facing opposition from a group of inmates.
B. WE DELAY DEALING WITH OUR GIANTS:
1. There’s all kinds of reasons people delay facing their Giants. The Israelites delayed for 40 days facing Goliath because they lacked the vision of how Great their God was.
2. The bigger your God gets, the smaller your problems get! HOW BIG IS YOUR GOD?
3. HUMOR
a. I heard about one Man who took his son to the Doctor because he swallowed their House Key.
b. The Doctor asked, “When did this happen?”
c. The Man answered, “About 3 Months ago.”
d. Doctor said, “Why are you finally bringing him in Now?”
e. Man said, “Because Now We’ve Lost Our Duplicate Key!”
C. ILLUSTRATION
1. “About twelve years after the famous preacher, Donald Barnhouse, graduated from Bible College, he was invited back to preach in chapel. When he arrived, he noticed one of his old professors had taken a place near the front to hear him.
2. When the service was over, his old professor came up and said, ‘If you come back again, I won’t come to hear you preach. I only come once. I am glad that you are a big-godder. When my students come back, I come to see if they are big-godders or little-godders, and then I know what their ministry will be.’
3. Barnhouse asked him what he meant. He said, ‘Well, some men have a little god, and they are always in trouble. He can’t do any miracles. He can’t solve the problems around them. They have a little god, and I call them little-godders.
4. Then there are those who have a great God. He speaks, and it happens. He stretches forth His hand, and miracles occur. He shows Himself strong on behalf of those who fear him. You have a great God and he will bless your ministry.’”
5. David had a big God; do you?
II. WHAT ARE OUR WEAPONS?
A. WHAT THEY ARE NOT
1. “38 Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. 39 David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.” 1 Sam. 17:38-40.
2. It’s interesting that Saul wanted David to use the same weapons GOLIATH was using; that would put David on the same level with Goliath. But the Bible says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” 2 Cor. 10:4. HUMAN WEAPONS!
3. Saul’s weapons were so encumbering that David knew he couldn’t fight in them (he could barely walk in them, vs. 39). They would only HINDER God’s using him. God’s ways are not our ways!
4. The way of the Spirit can’t be constrained. He must be put into new wineskins that are flexible enough for Him to operate through. David needed no sword, no spear, no shield, no helmet, no armor – only 5 smooth stones to defeat Goliath with. The battle is the Lord’s, not ours!
B. WHAT OUR WEAPONS ARE
1. In our battle with the enemy/adversity (like David), we have been given 5 stones/weapons to defeat him.
2. Actually David had a whole river bed full of stones available for him to choose from. The wonderful thing is, that any one of God’s stones/weapons is enough to defeat the Enemy.
3. So what weapons of God might David’s “5 smooth stones” represent? Let’s look at some of the best of them.
III. THE FIVE SMOOTH STONES
A. FIRST STONE -- THE NAME OF JESUS
1. The 1st weapon is the Name of Jesus. The Name of Jesus is a proxy for the Person of Jesus Himself. How many of you know, There’s No Other Name like the Name of Jesus!
2. IT’S THE NAME OF ALL AUTHORITY. “God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord” Phip. 2:9-11.
3. EVERY time a MIRACLE took place in the N.T., it was through the Person or name of Jesus.
4. We’re SAVED through that Name, “For there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12.
5. We become SONS of God by believing on His Name, Jn. 1:12….FORGIVEN through the Name of Jesus, Acts 2:38.
6. Jesus is PRESENT among us when we gather in His Name, Mt. 18:20.
7. DEMONS FLEE at the name of Jesus, “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons…” Mk. 16:17.
8. Jesus’ Name brings HEALING, “In My Name…they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” Mk. 16:18.
9. It’s also the KEY OF GRACE to all of God’s riches in Christ; “You may ask Me for anything in My Name and I will do it” John 14:13.
NEWS STORIES on ‘Name of Jesus’
1. "Preacher’s Kids Stop Would-Be Burglar", Houston Chronicle or Post, August, 1988. Dallas (AP) –Two children of a Pentecostal preacher refused to fall prey to a would-be burglar, apprehending the man and holding him until police arrived, authorities said Wednesday. The prowler was startled when the 10-year old daughter screamed, "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus!" As the man raised a tire tool toward her brother, Keidra screamed, "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus!" Dumbfounded, the man "kind of began tripping over his shoes and I (Shaun, 15) jumped him from behind," knocking him to the ground.”
2 “Women order armed robber 'out in Jesus' name'” 1-28-13. - Lake City, FL. A masked gunman attempted to rob a group of women having a jewelry party. Jacquie Hagler, says “I stood up and said, ‘In the name of Jesus, get out of my house now.’ And he said, ‘I’m going to shoot someone.’ And I said it again, real boldly,” Hagler said. “Everybody started chanting, ‘Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,’ and he did a quick scan of the room, and ran out the door as fast as he could go.”
3. “Jesus Saves Jewelry Store Owner” January 18, 2010, NEW YORK (CBS). A masked gunman walked into Extravagant Necessities in Frisco, Texas and pointed a gun at Marian Chadwick, owner, and Kathy Vereen and demanded money and told them to get on the floor. Marian pointed her finger at him and forcefully said, "In the name of Jesus, I command you to
get out of my store. You are bound by the Holy Spirit and you are leaving!" Chadwick said. "He could have grabbed anything, but he was totally arrested by the Holy Spirit." "The power of God filled the store and it just pushed him back," she said. The invader left and neither of the women were hurt.
B. SECOND STONE -- THE WORD OF GOD
1. The Word of God is a weapon. Jesus used the Word of God when battling Satan the 40 days of fasting. It’s necessary we commit the Word to memory. It is the “Sword of the Spirit!”
2. The Bible contains the ultimate power of the universe: God’s rules for being blessed or lacking.
3. Heb. 4:12 says, “For the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit…”
4. The word “alive” is in Greek “Zoe,” alive, active, moving, accomplishing. They are living words with spiritual power.
5. The BIBLE: LIKE A TWO-WAY RADIO! The Bible speaks to you – no matter what situation you are in – sin, triumph, despair, etc., if you have ears to hear.
6. IT’S MIGHTY IN ITS INFLUENCE. “Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” Jer. 23:29. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” Mt. 24:35.
7. Only the Word has the power to save you & transform your life! It’s so powerful that even faulty preaching of it has saved people:
a. “Paul & his wife Silas;” “Parable of the 12 Virgins.”
b. Just a fragment of a Gospel, wrapping an item, saved a whole village!
8. ILLUSTRATION
a. A travelling Bible salesman in Sicily was held up by a bandit at gunpoint in a forest. He was ordered to start a fire and burn his books.
b. He started the fire and asked if he could read a bit from each book before he burnt it.
c. He read a bit from the 23rd Psalm out of one, then the story of the good Samaritan from another, then the Sermon on the Mount, then 1 Cor. 13.
d. Each time the robber said, "That's a good book; we won't burn that one; give it to me." Not a single Bible was burned.
e. Years later the same bandit turned up again. But now he was a minister of the gospel! [Barclay, William The Daily Study Bible: Timothy, Titus & Philemon p. 201.]
C. THIRD STONE -- THE HOLY SPIRIT
1. The Holy Spirit is a wonderful gift God has given us to overcome the enemy and difficulties.
2. He INDWELLS us (lives inside us) and gives us the NEW NATURE of Christ. His presence CONFIRMS GOD’S REALITY to us. He opens our minds to help us UNDERSTAND God’s Word.
3. He CONVICTS us when we sin, helps bring us to repentance, and shows us the correct way to go. He COMFORTS us. He REVEALS CHRIST to us and works to TRANSFORM us from sinners to Saints/ holy ones.
4. He gives us POWER TO make good choices and OBEY God’s commands. He gives revelation of what to say to others when we’re impressed to WITNESS about Jesus.
5. Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…” Acts 1:8.
6. The Holy Spirit GUIDES like a Compass (Jn. 16:13); QUICKENS or “Jump Starts” like a Defibrillator (John 6:63); and REGENERATES us (Tit. 3:5) in our spiritual beings.
7. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty!” 2 Cor. 3:17 and “the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing” Isa. 10:27. We need the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit!
D. FOURTH STONE -- THE BLOOD OF CHRIST
1. The Blood is the ultimate STAIN REMOVER. Wherever there’s death, the Blood brings Life. Wherever there’s darkness, it brings Light. It’s a cleansing wave that wipes out the powers of darkness, rendering them weak & ineffectual.
2. Just as Matter and Anti-Matter are opposites, Sin and the Blood are opposites. The Blood CANCELS THE POWER of Sin!
When you plead the Blood of Christ in prayer against the enemy, he has to flee!
3. The Blood is the FORCE FIELD the enemy can’t penetrate; Satan can’t cross the “bloodline;” Ps. 78:49. The Death-Angel in Egypt had to pass over the houses of those who had the Blood on them! Plead the Blood over your homes, your cars, your businesses, your families, etc. and the enemy has to leave them alone! Keep at it – Saints of God!
4. The Blood ENABLES US TO OVERCOME SATAN --“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony,” Rev. 12:11. In the spiritual realm, there is no more sacred thing than the Blood of Jesus. Even heaven is
purified by that Blood. It defeated the devil because its sacredness outweighed all the evil sin could ever produce!
5. Pleading the Blood is a potent weapon for the Saint of God!
E. FIFTH STONE -- PRAYER
1. One final weapon is PRAYER. Paul said in Rom. 15:30, “Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God…”
2. To “strive together” suggests that prayer is a strenuous work. Look at how Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane; “[He] offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared” Heb. 5:7.
3. He was in a wrestling match, not the lazy type of prayer that a lot of people do today. This “striving” in prayer sounds like a soldier fighting in a war. The Greek word is “agonizomai;”to “agonize.”
4. Wars usually take days, months, or even years to wage, so we shouldn’t be surprised if our spiritual battles take time. Not every problem will immediately bend.
5. HUMOR. Keep your prayers on the goal. A man and his five year old son were headed to McDonald’s. They passed a car accident. The man pointed and said to his son, "We should pray." From the back seat he heard the boy’s earnest request: "Please God, don't let those cars block the entrance to McDonald's."
6. Leonard Ravenhill said, “One might estimate the weight of the world, tell the size of the celestial city, the stars of heaven, measure the speed of lightning, and tell the time of the rising and setting of the sun – but you cannot estimate prayer-power. Prayer is as vast as God because He is behind it and has committed Himself to answer it!”
7. R.A. Torrey says, “There have been revivals without much preaching, but there has never been a mighty revival without mighty praying!”
8. Any one of these smooth stones could fell the enemy: Action in the NAME of Jesus; Quoting the WORD of God; the anointing of the HOLY SPIRIT; Pleading the BLOOD of Jesus against the enemy; and effectual, fervent PRAYER!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: KNOWING YOUR AUTHORITY
1. When Christian Herter was governor of Massachusetts, he was running hard for a second term in office. One day, after a busy morning chasing votes (and no lunch) he arrived at a church barbecue. It was late afternoon and Herter was famished.
2. As Herter moved down the serving line, he held out his plate to the woman serving chicken. She put a piece on his plate and turned to the next person in line.
3. “Excuse me,” the Governor said, “do you mind if I have another piece of chicken?” “Sorry,” the woman told him. “I’m supposed to give one piece of chicken to each person.” “But I’m starved,” the governor said. “Sorry,” the woman said again. “Only one to a customer.”
4. The Governor was a modest and unassuming man, but he decided that this time he would throw a little weight around. “Do you know who I am?” he said. “I am the governor of this state of Massachusetts!”
5. “Do you know who I am?” the woman said. “I’m the lady in charge of the chicken. Move along, mister.” [Bits & Pieces, 5/28/92, pp. 5-6.]
B. THE CALL
1. It’s time you realized WHO YOU ARE and TAKE CONTROL of the areas over which the Lord has given you authority. You have the Law of Imminent Domain. You have spiritual authority over your family, your finances, your health, your school, your relationships, and your spiritual condition.
2. It’s time to pull out one of GOD’S 5 SMOOTH STONES and put it between the devil’s eyes in spiritual warfare.
3. How many of you need to take control over some aspect of your life? Why don’t you join me at the front and let’s conquer the enemy by the Blood, the Word, the Name, the Spirit, and Prayer.
4. Prayer for deliverance, healing and restoration.
