Dealing with the Giants
1 Samuel 17
Good morning everyone, glad you are here. Glad to have our online family joining us also.
Turn to 1 Samuel 17
This morning I want to take a look at familiar passage of Scripture. David and Goliath!
The fight of the big guy against the underdog.
The fight of good against evil. It makes for a great story
It is not so great when you are the little guy and the bully keeps taunting you and you are fearful for your life.
Jesus talks about believers (us) being the salt and the light in this dark world that needs Jesus. We feel like we cannot defeat the powers that be- that we cannot change the world. That we have to just live with it.
How about this morning we look at how we can defeat the giants in our lives?
How we can become the modern day David’s that fight for the kingdom of God.
I want to tell you this morning that anytime opportunity collides with life there will be a battle.
There will always be fallout when the two collide because life here does not want you to have opportunity, God does but life does not. Life here is corrupted and life here has a lot of baggage. Some we make and some we bring.
Life in Christ is not easy but the difference is that life in Christ has the Lord working with you rather than life against you.
Life in Him brings opportunity and at the very least brings strength and endurance and hope that this is not all there is. (Aren’t you glad?)
There will be giants in the land. Amen.
There will be things bigger than you and stronger than you and smarter than you to take you off track, discourage you, to try to bring you down.
Let me sit up the text.
Jesse had many sons and he was a sheep herder. His older boys were sent off to war in the neighboring towns and Jesses sends his youngest son David with rations and to see if his boys were ok. David his youngest son goes to deliver food and report back to his father how the sons were doing. When David gets there, his older brothers don’t want him there and are ready to send him back. But while he is there he observes that the whole nation of Israel is taunted by one giant of a man that challenges the whole nation of Israel to a winner take all match.
Not one taker, no one steps up and this 9 foot giant who was groomed for war taunts, ridicules and makes joke of the king, his God, and the weepy people of Israel.
David, who could not bear that nothing was done to this giant for his words and his actions approaches King Saul and says that he is willing to fight this giant- He is willing to step in the gap that no one else would go.
Text-
1 Samuel 17:32-40- Read from bible
Let me stop here a minute there-
God was looking for and He is still looking for people or a group of people who will stand in the gap and not let the giants defeat God’s people and hinder the work of God.
Martin Niemoeller- 1892-1984
Penned these words-
“In Germany they first came for Communists, and I did not speak up because I was not Communist. Then they came after the Jews, and I did not speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came after the trade unionist, and I did not speak up because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came after the Catholics, and I did not speak up because I was Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time, no one was left to speak up.”
How significant are you?
In ourselves we are often made to feel like we do not matter. Small. Unimportant. little power or position to make a difference.
In Christ, we are more than conquers. We are victorious.
We are in the throne room of the king because we were adopted into the royal family because of what Jesus has done for us.
We do not have to worry about who we are in ourselves but who we are now in Christ.
We must not allow the giants to hinder the work God wants to do in you and through you.
Two different things and both bring God honor and glory when we allow Him to do it.
I have been at Rosedale 18 years. That is a long time to give to one place and one job. Many of you have done the same in your place where God has placed you. The first or second year I was here after a morning sermon, a man met me at the back door and said “Better preachers than you have tried! (Pause)They all tried to change us.”
You have had some good pastors- two of them are personal friends. After 740 sermons here, after having my sermons viewed by my colleagues on SermonCentral over 4,732,000 times as of Tuesday night I can say this with confidence- I do not want to do things in my own strength-
My God is smarter. My God is bigger, my God is stronger than any giant I am up against or will in the future be up against.
“My God will supply all my needs according his riches in glory.”
We must not allow the giants in our lives to hinder us or destroy us from being or doing what the Lord wants out of our lives.
That man that stood at that back door, defying change, years later, his wife had died and I thought he would stop coming, he continued to come, we built up a friendship, then he more importantly built a relationship with the Lord and when I did his funeral I had confidence that he was now standing in the throne room of God.
My God does not give up on people and My God is patient and loving and will do everything within the realm of not forcing us to come to Him but desiring to have that relationship with us and to work in our lives with His strength.
5 years ago Steven Hawking died- said to be one of the smartest men since Einstein. He made this statement years ago. “He said that “Heaven is a fairy tale.” He said that when you die it is like an old worn out computer, you just quite working. There is no place to get fixed.
That is sad that he felt that way- because he had no hope.
A part of you would think I bet he knows different now!
But really our hearts ought to be broke because a person probably lost for eternity because he did not grasp the love and power of God and the power of the cross to change the worn out computers into redeemed children of God.
Ok back to the text- 17:41-51 Read from Bible
Graphic detail of God giving victory to the young David where all others were too scared to step up to the plate for the work of the kingdom of God.
Here are some things we need to hear and apply this morning-
Knowledge without application cannot bring transformation! What we learn we have to apply to our lives! Amen!
(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.”
Did you catch that? You come against me with the best you got- swords, spears, javelins, but I come against you in the power of Almighty God!
(48) As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.”
There was not fear!
He knew he was going to win this battle!
His God is bigger (write down)
David knew who had the bigger God!
We forget that God Almighty fights our battles for us and goes before us.
We look at the enemy and give him more credit then he deserves.
He can defeat us but He cannot defeat our God.
Lyrics- Our God / Chris Tomlin
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God
Into the darkness you shine
Out of the ashes we Rise
No one like you
None like you
His God is in control
(46) “This Day (today) the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head.”
My God will take the life out of you. I can’t but He can…He is in charge! He is in control!
We are more than conquers in Christ Jesus.
If our God is for us, who can stand against us.
This is not how it should be…This is not how it could be…But this is how it is…our God is in control.
This is how you deal with the giants in your life! Look them right in the eye and say my God is in control!
The enemy will say you are defeated, God has forsaken you, Don’t you believe it for a minute!
The devil will try to give you fear, doubt, despair… don’t you take it because my God doesn’t give you the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
David chose Courage
(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 facedown on the ground.”
God gave David the courage to win that battle and he will give you the courage to do the same if you will ask him and trust him.
“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. “ 1 Cor. 15:58
“ Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deut. 31:6
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. “John 14:27
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
“In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
Psalm 56:3-4
It all belongs to Him
Daniel 2:20
Daniel said, "Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him.”
Maybe stop worrying about so many treasures here, start sending a few ahead of you, it is the only way that you can take it with you.
Church, God wants to do something amazing. Will you let Him do it?
He wants to give you victory over your giant, will you let Him?
If there are giants in your life right now and you are just tired of the devil beating you up, I want you to just stand up right where you are at this morning- enough is enough! I want to have a word of prayer with you as a body of believers that are trusting that our God is bigger than our problems and He will try care of it.
Prayer- Amen.
