U.S. Army Chaplain (MAJ) Ken Harris
Fort Stewart, Georgia
REFERENCES: Isaiah 40:31 (But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount with wings as eagles; they shall run,and not be weary and they sall walk and not faint); 1 Samuel 13:14 (“a man after God’s own heart); 1 Cor. 10:12 (Let he who think he stand take heed, lest he falls…); Ephesian 6:12 (We wrestle not…); Job 14:1; Luke 4:1-13 (Temptation of Jesus); Ps. 18:2-3 (The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; In whom I will trust…); Isaiah 54:17 (No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn…);
I. ANNOUNCE THE PERICOPE: 2 SAMUEL 21:16-22
II. READ THE PERICOPE: 2 SAMUEL 21:16-22
III. READ THE TEXT: 2 SAMUEL 21:19a (And there was again a battle…)
IV. PURPOSE: To motivate the hearers to become victorious in their BATTLES AND WARS WITH GIANT SPIRITUAL STRUGGLES.
V. SERMONIC THEME: “GIANTS, KEEP ON COMING”
INTRODUCTION: (PARARELL…HOW…..WE (AS CHRISTIANS) EXPEREINCE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS…using some of the scriptures above…)
Who can ever forget the story of David and Goliath?…THE UNDERDOG BRINGING DOWN THE GIANT STRUGGLES AND SPIRTUAL BATTLES OF LIFE)….
NOW…TRADITIONALLY, WITHOUT…GIVING MUCH THOUGHT TO THE SUBJECT MATTER…MOST OF US HAVE CONCLUDED THAT…THE STORY OF DAVID’S BATTLE…WITH GOLIATH…IS…THE …SUM TOTAL OF DAVID’S EXPERIENCE AND …DEALINGS WITH GIANTS…
BUT, ACCORDING TO OUR TEXT…(FOUND IN 2 SAMUEL 21)…TODAY…MANY YEARS LATER…
AFTER DAVID….HAD BECOME KING…, A SEASONED WARRIOR,…AND AN OLD MAN…
HE…HAD TO FIGHT…OTHER GIANTS…IN HIS LIFE…
****************TAKE 5 BEATS***************
MOVE 1: IN FACT, OUR SCRIPTURES, TODAY…REMIND…US…THAT
YEARS…AFTER DAVID’S BATTLE WITH GOLIATH…THE
PHILISTIAN GIANT…
a. THERE LIVED…ANOTHER GIANT..WHO SOUGHT TO KILL HIM…FOR HE WAS THE SON OF GOLIATH…
b. FOR…THE BIBLE DECLARES…THAT THIS SON OF GOLIATH WORE A NEW SUIT OF ARMOUR…AND HIS …NAME WAS…ISH-BI-BENOB…
c. ISH-BE-BENOB…WAS COLASSAL…IN FACT…HE WAS SO HUGE…THAT THE TIP OF HIS…SPEAR…(ALONG)…WEIGHED OVER 12 POUNDS….
d. THEREFORE, MY BROTHERS AND MY SISTERS…LET US BE PRAYERFUL AND WATCH-OUT FOR THE SONS OF GOLIATH…IN OUR LIVES…
e. BECAUSE…SOMETIMES,…IT TAKES MORE THAN A SMOOTH STONE TO DEFEAT GOLIATH SON…
f. THIS IS BECAUSE….SOME GOLIATHS…ARE WORSE THAN OTHERS; FOR YOU SEE…SOME ARE STRONGER; MORE CUNNING AND MORE RUTHLESS…
g. SO RUTHLESS, THAT THEY WILL WAIT…UNTIL WE GROW OLD AND WEARY…BEFORE THEY BREAK OUT WITH THEIR NEW SWORD…
h. STILL…MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS…THE BATTLE DOESN’T
BELONG… TO US…. AND IT DIDN’T BELONG TO DAVID…IT WAS STILL GOD’S WAR…
i. SO,…GOD MOVED UPON ONE OF DAVID’S SOLDIERS…(BY THE NAME OF …AB-IS-HAI),…TO …MARCH…TO DAVID’S RESCUE…
j. AND…IT WAS AT THAT POINT IN TIME…THAT DAVID’S
SOLDIERS COLLECTIVELY…. BEGAN TO OPENLY EXPRESS…SOME
CONCERNS FOR …DAVID’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING…
k. BY TELLING HIM…”THOU SHALT GO NO MORE..OUT WITH US TO BATTLE, THAT THOU QUENCH NOT THE LIGHT OF ISRAEL.”
l. ….AFTERWARDS…DAVID’S TROOPS FOUGHT AGAIN…THIS TIME…THEY SLEW GOLIATH’S BROTHER…WHO WAS ALSO A GAINT.
m. …A GIANT…THAT CARRIED A SPEAR…THE SIZE OF A WEAVER’S BEAM..
*****************TAKE 5 BEATS****************
MOVE 2: AND …STILL LATER …AT ANOTHER PLACE AND TIME…DURING DAVID’S REIGN…HIS TROOPS FACED ANOTHER GIANT…
a. THIS PARTICULAR GIANT…WAS SO HUGE…HE HAD…6 FINGERS ON EACH HAND AND 6 TOES ON EACH FOOT…
b. THIS TIME IT WAS…JONATHAN,…THE SON OF DAVID’S
BROTHER…THAT SLEW THIS ONE…
c. NOW…MY BROTHERS AND MY SISTERS,…EVEN THOUGH…ALL OF
THESE GIANTS FOUGHT ON THE SIDE OF THE PHILISTINES…AGAINST DAVID AND HIS TROOPS…
d. AND ALTHOUGH …THEY WERE ALL DEFEATED…
e. WHAT..WE…AS A BODY OF CHRIST… NEED TO
UNDERSTAND…TODAY…IS …THAT…IN THE EYES OF KING DAVID…
f. …GIANTS…JUST KEPT COMING…AND COMING…
g. …FOR YOU SEE….IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE WHO YOU ARE…OR HOW GREAT OR POWERFUL...YOUR OWN PERSONAL GOALIATH...MAY HAVE BEEN…IN THE PAST…
h. BECAUSE…THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS…NO ONE GOES…THROUGH THIS LIFE..WITH ONLY ONE GIANT TO FACE…
i. …FOR…THE BIBLE SAYS…(IN JOB 14:1)…THAT A MAN THAT IS BORN OF A WOMAN…IS OF A FEW DAYS…BUT FULL OF TROUBLE…
****************TAKE 5 BEATS****************
MOVE 3: THEREFORE, …AS FELLOW BELIVERS….WE SHOULD’T
ALLOW…SATAN..(OUR PHILISTIAN… ADVERSARIAL
PROTO-TYPE)….TO FOOL, ANY OF US…
a. FOR…THE GOOD BOOK SAYS..THAT SATAN..ROAMS TO AND
FRO..LIKE A WOUNDED…BUT HUNGRY LION…SEEKING WHOM..HE
MAY DEVOUR…
b. AS A RESULT..HE HAS SOME OF US…BELIEVING THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE GIANT OR CRISIS FOR US TO FACE IN A LIFE TIME
c. BUT…I STOPPED BY….TO REMIND YOU TODAY….IN THE MIDST OF OUR BLACK HISTORY MONTH…THAT AS A BODY OF
BELIEVERS…GIANTS…JUST…KEEP ON COMING..
d. GIANTS,…KEEP COMING…BECAUSE WE ARE IN A SPIRITUAL WAR..FOR WE WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD..BUT AGAINST PRINCIPALITIES…
e. AND THE ENEMY DESIRES TO SIFT US LIKE WHEAT…
f. One of the biggest giants that my grandparents had to face was SLAVERY; For my parents it was CIVIL RIGHTS; FOR ME…It appears to be AFFIRMATIVE ACTION…because THE playing field has NOT been leveled YET. QUOTAS ARE STILL NEEDED.
h. NOW…MY BROTHERS AND MY SISTERS…AS AMERICANS OF AFRICAN DECENT…WE MAY HAVE DEFEATED SOME GIANTS…THAT STOOD OUT AS MAJOR HURDLES AND OBSTACLES…IN OUR LIVES…AND IN OUR PATH…
i. BUT AS CHILDREN OF GOD…WE CAN’T BASED OUR CLAIM TO A HEAVENLY CROWN …AND TO FREEDOM ON EARTH WITH LIBERTY, AND JUSTICE FOR ALL…TOTALLY ON THOSE VICTORIES…
j. BECAUSE…(LIKE DAVID) IN OUR LIFE TIME…WE ARE BOUND TO FACE…AND MEET OTHER GIANTS AND OTHER ….BATTLES…
k. ….BATTLES…WHICH MAY NOT BE AS FAMOUS AS DAVID AND
GOLIATH…BUT BATTLES… THAT MUST STILL BE WON…
****************TAKE 5 BEATS****************
MOVE 4: FOR WE MUST NOT FORGET THAT ALLL GIANTS MUST
BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY…BECAUSE THE GOAL OF EVERY
GIANT IS TO DESTROY THE CHILDREN OF GOD.
a. AND THAT’S WHY …THEY KEEP COMING…
b. SOME OF THEM ATTACK US FROM THE OUTSIDE…..
c. AND THEN SOME OF THE GREATEST AND DEADLIEST GIANTS THAT WE WILL EVER FACE COME FROM WITHIN…
d. SOMETIMES…OUR GIANT BATTLES ARE ON A PERSONAL LEVEL…
e. AND… SOMETIMES THOSE GIANTS ARE OTHER PEOPLE WHOSE ONLY…GOAL IN LIFE (SEEMILY..) IS TO MAKE US MISERABLE…
***************TAKE 5 BEATS***************
MOVE 6: NOW, MY BROTHERS ANDMY SISTERS…WE MUSTN’T
FORGET THAT CONTENDING WITH GIANTS IN OUR
WEAKNESS CAN BE FRIGHTENING…
a. WHEN DAVID BECAME TOO OLD AND TOO WEAK TO FIGHT…HE
HAD SOME TROOPS TO HELP HIM FIGHT IN BATTLES.
b. LIKEWISE,…JESUS…. KNOWS THAT THE GIANTS OF PRINCIPALITIES ARE TOO GREAT FOR US TO BATTLE…ALONG…
c. …THAT’S WHY HE SENT THE COMFORTER..THE HOLY SPIRIT…
d. THAT WE MAY HAVE POWER ….AFTER THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT …HAS COME UPON US…
****************TAKE 5 BEATS****************
CELEBRATION:
HOLY SPIRIT POWER…TO DEFEAT THE ENEMY OF THIS WORLD…FOR I HEARD…JESUS SAY (LUKE 10:18-19)
I BEHELD SATAN…AS LIGHTENING FALL…FROM HEAVEN…
BEHOLD, I GIVE UNTO YOU POWER TO…TREAD…ON SERPENTS AND SCOPRIONS,…
AND OVER ALL THE POWER OF THE ENEMY; AND NOTHING SHALL BY ANY MEANS …HURT YOU….
AND…..THEN IT WAS ISAIAH THAT SAID (in Isaiah 54:17)….
NO WEAPON THAT IS FORMED AGAINST THEE SHALL PROSPER; AND EVERY TONGUE THAT SHALL RISE AGAINST THEE IN JUDGMENT THOU SHALT CONDEMN….
GIANTS, KEEP ON COMING…
BUT, GOD SHALL DELIVER ME FROM ALL OF THEM
