HOW TO SLAY YOUR GIANT
1st Samuel 17:32-37
(32) And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
(33) And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.
(34) And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:
(35) And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
(36) Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
(37) David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.
David was
A sheepherder who went on to become one of the greatest Men of the entire Bible
The man who faced the Philistine Giant and defeated him
ALL OF US HAVE FACED
AND OR
WILL FACE
GIANTS IN OUR OWN LIVES
THE CHURCH
The church has faced many Giants!
Many of would be foes have tried to destroy the church.
And if the Lord tarries, this church too will face many Giants.
INDIVIDUALY
I’ve faced Giants on the job. I have battled overcoming hinderances from being able to come to church. At one point I began to think if God would ever open a door for me to escape working on Sundays and be able to be in church more.
I too have faced several Giants and realize that I will face many more!
WE MUST NOT CONCENTRATE ON
HOW THE GIANT MAY HURT US
BUT MORE SO ON
HOW WE MAY SLAY THE GIANT
“Hitting a baseball”
In order to hit a baseball you need to concentrate on making contact, not on not missing it
Concentrate not on striking out but hitting the ball
Barry Bonds didn’t break Mark McGwire’s homerun record trying not to strike out. Seattle Mariner, “Ichoro,” the rookie from Japan, did not win the American League MVP this year by trying not to miss the ball.
In order to slay the Giant, we must figure a way to get to him, not prevent him from getting to us.
David thought more of what he had and needed to slay Goliath with rather than his concern over what he didn’t have or lacked. He looked for something to fight with. David picked him up 5-smooth stones along with God’s word and went to face the giant.
When he approached the Giant he first gave him the word: Listen to the scriptures:
(45) Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
(46) This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
There is Power in God’s Word!
You don’t have to be defeated by your Giant!
There is power in God’s Word to slay him!
So many say, “You don’t understand, I can’t this; or I can’t that!”
“I can’t quit smoking”
“I can’t quit overeating”
“I can’t quit lying”
“I can’t quit swearing”
My bible tells me, ….“Greater is he that is within me than he that is in the world!”
You can slay your Giant!
Perhaps you just don’t know how yet!
David did a lot of big talking here.
Now some might say he was being kind of “boastful.”
Well, I would have to agree. But you see, David wasn’t boasting of confidence in himself. David boasted because of his confidence in his God! God is not looking for people with “Big-Egos,” but those with “Big Heroes!”
My confidence is in God not my status! My outline preperations, nor my subjects will ever make me a great speaker.If I am to be successful in this ministry it will be because of who my heroes are.
Who are they?
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost!
I don’t pray for Michael Jordan to help me before I preach! I don’t call up Roger Clemens and ask him how best to pitch my sermon! But I call on God! I ask Christ to work through me! I ask the Holy Ghost to instruct me on what to say and when to say it!
I am not saying that I want pick up 5-smooth stones along the way. But I ask God for his help in taking a simple sermon, from a simple man, to slay a Giant!
I want to say tonight, you can slay your Giant!
Some thought it funny for David to say he would face the Giant. Being the smallest, most unlikely to succeed from his family’s point of view surely did not boast his confidence that of himself. But David’s confidence was not in himself, but in God.
David was confident in his God! Folks we too should be confident in God!
David remembered how God delivered him before.
Verse 37 “David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.”
We too should only have to look back on what God has delivered us from to realize that he can once again help us to slay our Giant(s) in our lives today! If he helped us before he can help us again! Don’t lose sight of your goal. Keep your eye on the ball! Concentrate on making contact!
DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE DEFEATED
BEFORE YOU GET STARTED
There is always someone there to remind you of where you came from. Always someone there to say, “You are just a sheepherder.” “You ain’t all that,” as my children would say. The sad thing is that sometimes these are your friends. Often these are your very own family members. Samuel thought that David’s oldest brother, “Eliab” surely had to be the man. He was a fine, tall, good-looking soldier. When it got down to fight time, Eliab didn’t want anything to do with the Giant. But instead of encouraging his little brother, he tried his best to humiliate him and embarass him in front of the other men. Elaib said, “You ain’t no soilder” “You are just a little old “sheepherder.”
David chose not to listen and he believed in himself.
He knew that with God’s help, he could slay the Giant!
If you are to slay the Giant that you have in your life, you must believe in yourself! You must believe that God can use you to do anything! I would not be
preaching if I wasn’t confident God could take a “Sheepherder” and make a “Giant Slayer” out of him!
Don’t run from your Giants, run to them! Have faith in God! David would have never slayed the Giant had he not faced the Giant!
At some point our church is going to be faced with a Giant. (Attendance, Finance, Disharmony, Etc.) He is going to come. When the Giant appears we must believe that we can slay him. Don’t listen to what the “Giant” is capable of. But rather think of what “God” is capable of. We serve a Giant Slayer tonight church! And with our God, we can do all things!Don’t be discouraged with what others say! Look back at what God has helped you with before and believe you can!
SOMETIMES IN ORDER TO SLAY THE GIANT
WE NEED TO GET AWAY FROM THOSE WHO ARE
TRYING TO BELITTLE US AND OUR EFFORTS
I have learned that in order to get someone to improve you need to applaud the things they are doing right. Not always scolding them over what they are doing wrong. Talk to our pastor. That is what he is here for.
David got away from those people who didn’t believe in him and so should we. Surround yourself with those who do believe in you. Some may think you are not worth much. Your own family may not believe in you. But I want to say tonight that God can take a “Sheepherder” and make him or her a “Giant Slayer!”
IN ORDER TO SLAY THE GIANT
WE MUST REALIZE THE NEED TO DO SO.
David realized that the Israelite Army was scared of the Giant. David realized that this Giant had every intent on killing whoever he faced. And David realized the need to slay the Giant. Realizing the need in our life helps us to overcome the Giant. When we find ourselves in need, do we not spend more time in prayer?
Realizing a need in our life will cause us to spend more time in prayer. And it is through prayer that we are able to boldly claim victory over our Giants.
Mark 11:24 says, (24) Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
There is power in Prayer!
Thank God for the Power of Prayer!
We need more prayer in our lives!
Realizing the need we have will also cause us to “come together.”
When the World Trade Center was destroyed by the terrorist we seen a “country” come back together.
Our country seen the “need” to slay a Giant.
Our being in Afgahnastan is not without risk.
But then nothing of great value comes without taking a risk. It is not possible to slay Giants without confrontation. You must face them and strike them head on!
David would have never defeated the Giant had he not taken the risk. When Jesus defeated death he had to come from Heaven and die on the cross.
Our church will be faced with more Giants as the years come and go. When the time comes we may not have a direct word from God. We will need to rely on how he has brought us through in the past.
David takes risk and goes before the King and says, “(32) …Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
David seen the need to face the Giant and set out to do so.
NOTHING WORTH HAPPENING HAPPENS BY ACCIDENT
This great church we are able to come to and worship in, did not just happen.
There was risk involved.
There was work involved.
If our church continues to grow it won’t just happen.
David faced the Giant with 5 smooth stones.
David took a risk. But the odds were on his side, huh?
With God on our side we cannot lose!
DAVIDS TRUE REASON FOR FIGHTING GOLIATH
WAS PURPOSE
The God of Isreal was being mocked by the Philistines because the Isrealites were afraid to tackle their problem. David had “Purpose” to do that which he did. Why didn’t David take the Sword or the Armor to battle?
Why only a slingshot and 5 stones? David did not go only with a slingshot and those stones. David faced the Giant with both the slingshot, stones and a “Purpose!” David said, “I would rather die than see my God humiliated!” That was Purpose!
We need to have purpose in our lives as well.
I hope that through this sermon tonight you will have courage to face your Giant. Many of you here tonight have wondered how you were going to do it. David was a little ‘ol nobody. But David had faith in God!
© Rev. James W. Bryant
Thursday, November 15th, 2001 9:28pm
