Sermon Central
-
Purpose, Please Stand Up
Contributed by David Dunn on Nov 13, 2025 (message contributor)
Summary: Purpose rises when God’s word defines us, God’s anointing empowers us, and we step into the valley knowing the battle belongs to the Lord.
There are moments in Scripture when God doesn’t whisper purpose—He shakes it into the bones of His people. And one of those moments erupts in 1 Samuel 17 when a young shepherd boy, overlooked by his family and underestimated by everyone else, stands on a battlefield and shouts a question that echoes across generations:
“Is there not a cause?”
David wasn’t asking for information.
He wasn’t confused.
He wasn’t trying to make conversation.
That question was a battle cry, a declaration, a divine challenge. It was purpose punching through the fog of fear. It was destiny stepping out of the shadows. It was a young man saying:
“I know who I am because I know what God has spoken!”
Purpose always begins with a word.
Purpose always begins with a call.
Purpose always begins with God looking at ordinary people and declaring something extraordinary over their lives.
And when God speaks a word, everything changes.
David walked into that valley with more than food for his brothers—
he walked in with a prophetic assignment,
a holy anointing,
a God-given identity,
and a cause burning in his chest.
Before he ever saw Goliath, he carried a word from heaven.
And hear me—
so do you.
When God speaks over a person, heaven hears it, hell fears it, and the earth eventually sees it.
---
THE WORD BEFORE THE WAR
Long before David ever stepped onto that battlefield,
long before Goliath ever roared,
long before Israel ever trembled,
Samuel had already poured oil on David’s head.
And that oil was not a ceremony.
It was not an event.
It was not empty ritual.
It was identity.
It was calling.
It was assignment.
It was God saying:
“David, I am marking you.
You will be what I say you will be.
You will rise where others fall.
My hand is on you.
My purpose is in you.
My Spirit is upon you.”
And the Bible says the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.
Not just in crisis.
Not just in worship.
Not just when he felt strong.
From that day forward.
And I want to tell somebody today—
the calling of God is not seasonal.
The anointing of God is not fragile.
The purpose of God is not dependent on public approval.
When God marks you, you are marked!
When God speaks over you, the word stands!
When God puts His hand on you, it does not lift when people misunderstand you!
David carried a word before he carried a weapon.
And every battle in his life began with what God had already declared.
---
THE VOICE OF PURPOSE IS LOUDER THAN THE VOICE OF CRITICISM
Before David ever faced Goliath, he had to face Eliab.
Before he could stand before the giant, he had to stand under the weight of his brother’s opinions.
And some of you know this battlefield.
Some of you live on this battlefield.
Eliab turns, fire in his eyes, jealousy in his tone, insecurity in his words, and says:
“What are YOU doing here? Who did you leave those few sheep with?”
In other words:
“David, you’re not enough.”
“You don’t matter.”
“You don’t belong here.”
“This field is too big for you.”
“This world is too important for you.”
“You are out of your league.”
Let me tell you—
sometimes the loudest critics are the people who think they know you best.
They know your history, but they do not know your destiny.
They know your past, but they do not know your prophecy.
They know your failures, but they do not know your future.
They know your weakness, but they do not know your word.
Eliab represents the voice that reminds you where you’ve been.
Purpose represents the voice that declares where you’re going.
And when David hears Eliab, he does not collapse.
He does not argue.
He does not explain.
He does not apologize for showing up.
No—David turns and says:
“Is there not a cause?”
What does that mean?
It means:
“Eliab, you didn’t call me—God did.”
“Eliab, you didn’t anoint me—God did.”
“Eliab, you didn’t give me my identity—God did.”
“Eliab, your words don’t change God’s word.”
“Your opinion doesn’t cancel my assignment.”
David refuses to stand on his brother’s approval.
He stands on God’s word.
And somebody in this room needs that same revelation:
You cannot fulfill God’s calling if you need everyone to agree with you.
Approval feels good, but it is NOT the fuel of your purpose.
If you depend on applause, you will die in silence.
If you depend on validation, you will shrink under criticism.
If you depend on being understood, you will abandon your calling the moment people misunderstand you.
David teaches us this truth:
The opinions that know your past do not get to define your future.
