Title: Killing Bears and Delivering Cheese
Text: I Sam 17: 12-18; 34-37 and I Sam 16:18
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Introduction:
- This morning we are going to start a sermon series from David’s early years.
- This series is entitled, “Developing A Heart After God”
- The Bible says that David was a man after God’s own heart and it’s recorded in Acts 13:22, “After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ’I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do”
- Also in I Sam 13:14 it says, “But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command."
- How did David develop in his life a heart for God?
- What attitudes did he posses that prompted God to say “he will do everything I want him to do”
- That should be every Christian’s passion and drive to desire to hear God say those words.
- It’s not about perfection, because we know God sees the end from the beginning, and knew that David would sin.
- But the difference between David and some Christians today is that when - David was confronted with sin, he repented.
- His desire was to serve the Lord, evening if he was blinded by sin deception.
- When the church is confronted with sin, it gets angry and wants the preacher to preach on something more comfortable and easy.
- I believe David is an example to the church as to how to live for God in the good times and the bad times.
- David’s life answers all questions about my Christian walk.
- For example when I sin, what should my response be?
- When it comes to trials what should my response be?
- When it comes to blessing others what should my response be?
- When I have been betrayed what should my response be?
- When life is unfair what should my response be?
- When tragedy of gigantic proportions strikes, what should my response be?
- All these and more are found in the life of David, from family feuds, marriage problems, personal tragedy and the effects of sin.
- But yet in all of that, David is a man that God has said, is a person after my own heart.
- My desire in life, is not to pursue being exempt from hardship, but rather to be a person that will follow God and grow in Him.
- Many Christians today pray that God will deliver them from struggles but we should pray that we have a heart for God and follow Him in hardships.
Transition:
- So the first message this morning that we are going to look at in developing a heart for God is called Fighting Bears and Delivering Cheese.
- Let me explain what we are going to learn from this story:
A little girl walking in a garden noticed a particularly beautiful flower. She admired its beauty and enjoyed its fragrance. “It’s so pretty!” she exclaimed. As she gazed on it, her eyes followed the stem down to the soil in which it grew. “This flower is too pretty to be planted in such dirt!” she cried. So she pulled it up by its roots and ran to the water faucet to wash away the soil. It wasn’t long until the flower wilted and died.
When the gardener saw what the little girl had done, he exclaimed, “You have destroyed my finest plant!”
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t like it in that dirt,” she said. The gardener replied, “I chose that spot and mixed the soil because I knew that only there could it grow to be a beautiful flower.”
Often we murmur because of the circumstances into which God has sovereignly placed us. We fail to realize that He is using our pressures, trials, and difficulties to bring us to a new degree of spiritual beauty. Contentment comes when we accept what God is doing and thank Him for it. (Taken from Sermoncentral)
- We see from our text that David was being prepared and lead by God to a new degree of spiritual beauty.
- I believe that David didn’t even know that God was using his trials and situations to make his spiritual life more beautiful.
- God saw the future in David’s life and knew that he needed to be trained for the task ahead.
- The task ahead being King of Israel and defeating the armies opposing Israel.
- David had a great calling on his life, and God had great plans for him.
- The reality is God has a plan for all of us, and to God, they are all of equal importance with each other.
- No matter if you are called to be leader of a nation or a doorkeeper, to God it’s of equal importance and one is not greater then the other.
- So just like David, how do we let God grow us to a new level of spiritual beauty?
Point 1: Recognize God Uses Our Past and Present Circumstance For Future Glory
- David in verse 34 explains how he killed lions and bears with his hands and how this Philistine was going to be no different.
- Up until this point I am sure David didn’t realize that God was preparing him in the past.
- I personally believe David has mixed emotions with tending sheep.
- Feelings of fear, being alone, overworked etc.
- I am sure he said in his mind, do I have to take care of this sheep all the time. Why can’t my brothers take a turn, why do I have to do all the work.
- Again maybe David had feelings of being unappreciated.
- Try for a few moments to put yourself in David’s shoes while growing up.
- It wasn’t easy, but yet God used David’s past experiences for this moment.
- It know becomes clear to David what God was up to and how he used the lions and bears to bring him to this point in his life.
- David developed many talents through his past experiences.
- Even though David probably had mixed emotions, through time it developed his character.
- For example he was good with his hands, good with a sling and had developed courage and bravery. (I Sam 16:18)
- Just how good was David with a sling?
- Some ancient warriors were known to be deadly accurate with their slingshots.
- A skilled slingshot artist could fire those stones at more than a hundred miles per hour.
- Judges 20:16 says that the Benjamite army had 700 chosen men who could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. David was that good. (Taken From Sermon Central)
- All of David’s past was to prepare him for this important moment.
- David’s character and confidence was strong because God built his faith, but not only did God do His part, David allowed God to build Him
- That is so important to understand that principal.
- God can make us into anything, but are we willing, David was willing and was prepared for the task before him.
Point 2: Recognize God Directs Our Steps
- Not only does God prepare us in life, but also God directs our paths.
- The Bible says, our steps are ordered by the Lord (Psalm 37:23)
- The Bible also says, that God makes our paths straight (Pro 3:5-6)
- When we trust in the Lord for guidance God will give it to us.
- There is nothing that takes God off guard.
- David went to the battle lines not just to deliver cheese and to find out what was happening.
- We see that God had a bigger plan for David.
- Why didn’t God reveal that plan to David before he got there?
- Maybe David wouldn’t have gone then.
- Maybe David would become fearful.
- Like us today God doesn’t reveal all the plans He has for us, if He did you and I would not do what God would ask of us.
- God reveals His will to us it seems in stages so we won’t become overwhelmed but rather God takes the time to prepare us for the future.
- If we will continue to fear the Lord, God will make us and mold our character and then lead us into areas to bring victory.
- Listen to this story:
"When Napoleon’s armies swept across Europe, one of his generals was preparing to attack the little town of Feldkirch on the Austrian border. It was Easter and the citizens gathered to decide whether to resist or surrender. The pastor told the people that they had been continuing on their own strength, and that would fail. This was the day of the Lord’s resurrection. He decided to ring the bells and have service as usual and leave the matter in God’s hands. Napoleon’s army misunderstood the meaning of the joyful bells. Assuming that the bells announced the arrival of the Austrian army, Napoleon’s army broke camp and retreated. Believers do not always receive in such dramatic ways, but Jesus was right: God moves with those who move in his direction".
- David, I am sure thought he was going to just deliver cheese, but God had a bigger plan, that resulted in complete victory.
Point 3: Recognize God Uses Our Life To Bless Others
- This leads me to my final point.
- Our past and present situations that we go through as Christians and the trust we give to the Lord for our lives in turn will bless others.
- David was being prepared by God, David feared the Lord and desired to walk in God’s ways which brought to people.
- Who did David’s life bring blessing too?
- Saul, when David played the harp Saul would feel relief and would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave. (I Sam 16:23)
- When David came to the armies of Israel to encourage them, David was used to defeat the enemy and thus bring victory to Israel. (I Sam 17:50)
- Now you will not always be a blessing to all people, David wasn’t.
- We see in I Sam 17:28, one of David’s brothers burned with anger, why?
- Jealousy, envy, pride. Many things could have contributed to his anger.
- But David stayed focused and his heart was on pleasing the Lord not man.
- Listen to I Sam 17:29-30 it says, “Now what have I done? Can’t I even speak? He then turned away to someone else and brought up the matter, and men answered him as before.”
- Underline “turned away to someone else”
- He was intent on pleasing God and not man.
- If we are to develop a heart that is after God, we need to please God and not man.
- The Bible says, a friend of the world is the enemy towards God.
- We will either please the Lord through obedience or please people, but we can’t do both, and we should not try.
- All David did was follow what the Lord would have him do and it caused some to burn with anger.
- People will think you are evil, because you are doing the will of God and that simply is living for Him through obedience.
- We are not talking about people of the world, but rather Christians, people we don’t expect it from.
- David did not expect it from his brother who was older, fighting for the nation of Israel and who was raised to revere God.
- Always remember your life will bless people, but there will be some that oppose you and call what you are doing evil.
- But always strive to please God and not man.
Conclusion:
- Lets try to bring this message to a close.
- David was prepared by God, without really knowing it.
- All the bears and lions he destroyed and the multiple uses of his sling were for a purpose.
- The time came when David was used of God for a specific moment in his life, and because of his willingness to be faithful in what he was doing, God exalted him.
- Here’s the point, whatever you are facing, were ever you are in your walk with Him, always remember:
1. Trials prepare us for God’s future glorification
2. God will always lead, He will never steer you wrong, and whatever Goliath you face in life, God is with you to defeat it, FEAR NOT!
3. Also remember when we chose to please God through obedience God will use your life to bless others.
- Whether through deliverance or peace.
- To develop a heart for God as David did we must consider, understand and put into practice these points that we looked at today.
Lets Pray!!!
