Sermon for 06/18/06

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Sermon for 06/18/06
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David: A Man After God’s Own Heart! - David and The Dwarf

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, AMEN

Main Theme: This summer we will study the amazing story of David – a shepherd boy who became King! Today we look at the famous David and Goliath story! While we all have “giants” in our life that appear fearsome and externally overwhelming, David saw a dwarf! Why? Because he knew there was no one greater than God! The only giant in David’s life was God! He trusted in God – and he knew that the Lord uses our weaknesses to overcome the “giants” of this world! With his eyes fixed on God, he had nothing to prove or lose; the battle was the Lord’s! 4 lessons we can be learned from the story: 1) Facing giants is an intimidating experience. (Yet God is greater!) 2) Doing battle is a lonely experience. (But it’s how we learn to trust God!) 3) Trusting God is a stabilizing experience. (But it comes through constant prayer!) 4) Winning victories is a memorable experience. (Let’s remember and pass the stories on!) Let us all remember: the battle is the Lord’s! (Based on Chuck Swindoll’s book “David” and other research.)

1) GOLIATH! The most famous battle described in the Old Testament was not fought between 2 armies, but between 2 people! And it was fought in the Valley of Elah between David and Goliath. To set the scene, we read from 1^st Samuel (17:1-3) “Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Socoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them.” Imagine, two great armies, facing one another across the huge canyon that separated them. And into that area between the hills known as “no man’s land” walked a single huge Philistine that caused the army of Israel to tremble: Goliath the Giant!

2) PROTECTED! Goliath was “six cubits and a span” – or as we might put it: 9 feet 9 inches tall! Enormous! And the Sonics and the NBA would drool over him! Imagine the length of his arms raised up over his head – and you’ve got one imposing character! Besides his height, get a load of how he was protected: 1^st Samuel 17: 5-7 “He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.” In other words, he was protected with a flexible coat of mail went from the shoulders to the knees, and weighed between 175 to 200 pounds! Add to that a bronze helmet and shin guards, and a spear in which the tip alone weighted 20-25 pounds – and whew; that’s a guy ready for battle! And walking out in front of him is a “shield carrier” hefting a huge shield designed to keep the body protected from the arrows of the enemy! Goliath has double protection!

3) MIND GAMES! And… double the attitude! He was playing mind games with the frightened Israelites – taunting them! (1^st Samuel 17:8-9) Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us." Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other." On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. Goliath was calling for a “representative battle” – that is, a battle in which there was only a one-on-one fight, winner-take-all! Whoever won, his army won too! Whoever lost the fight, his whole army lost! His mind games were reeking havoc with the soldier’s of Israel!

4) GOLIATHS AND GIANTS! Now, we all have ‘Goliaths’ in our lives. Especially the Goliaths of fear and worry! And the sad truth about such ‘Goliaths’ was demonstrated in this story by the fact that the giant did not taunt the army of Israel once, but every day for 40 days! Likewise our giants don’t just come once; they come morning and evening, day after day, relentlessly trying to intimidate us! These Goliaths come in the form of a person, or a pressure, or a worry. Some of our fears hammer on our heart every morning and every night, yelling across the valley of our mind! Few things are as persistent and intimidating than our fears and worries… especially when we attempt to face these Goliaths with our own strength!

5) DAVID! Enter David! …the shepherd boy; sent by his father to bring food to the army and to check up on his older sons who were in the army. He wasn’t going there to fight. But on this day, David’s life would change forever! That’s the way it is in life. No warning. But fact is, this 41^st day of Goliath’s taunting would be the last day of this giant’s life, and the first day of David’s heroic life! The threats and defiance and cursing of the God of Israel came spewing out of Goliath’s mouth as usual. As he approached the army of Israel, they quietly and ashamedly stepped back. Except for the shepherd boy, David. Who became livid! No one talks that way about the God of Israel! What’s wrong with everyone? Why doesn’t someone shut this pagan’s trap once and for good? And the soldiers, especially his brothers, tell David to shut his own mouth! Their eyes gave their fear away – they said silently “just look at that giant! He’s… intimidating!” Fear gripped them all… except David!

6) GOD AND A DWARF! David didn’t see what they saw. Why? Because of what was in his heart! We talked last week about how “…the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’” (1^st Samuel 16:7) Unfortunately we tend to look at the external appearances and form opinions that are usually wrong. We are too often impressed with, or unimpressed with, a person based on surface appearance! But with God’s Spirit living within David, he sees others as God sees them.So David was not impressed or intimidated by the 9’ 9” blowhard in the middle of the valley. Why? Because no matter how big this giant appeared to others, David’s heart knew GOD IS GREATER! And no matter how powerful this giant appeared to be, GOD IS ALL-POWERFUL! But apparently no one else could see… that next to God, that overgrown Philistine soldier was just a dwarf!

7) INCENTIVE PLAN! It’s not that King Saul hadn’t tried to encourage one of his soldiers to take a shot at this taunting giant – He had offered a pretty good incentive plan! Anyone who “did Goliath in” would get 1) his daughter in marriage, 2) riches, 3) and the promise that his father’s household would never have to pay taxes again! Well, OK… admittedly the daughter, as we’ll discover later on, isn’t much of a catch – never-the-less, great riches and a perpetual tax-exemption plan ain’t nothing to sneeze at! Still… no takers! Not a volunteer in the army! The soldiers, including David’s brothers, were as cowardly as their great King Saul. Embarrassed, they take their frustration out on their little brother and accuse David of coming with selfish alternative motives of hoping to be seen in a battle! Most little brothers might have stepped into their verbal trap and then tried to punch his brother’s lights out for such a crack! But David ignored their attempt at baiting him into a fight, for the real fight was out there in the middle of the ravine! …and he needed no incentive plan!

8) GOD NEVER LOSES! When King Saul heard about the questions and remarks that David was making, he called him in. After arriving, “David said to Saul, ‘Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.’" (vs 32) And King Saul, who we learned was not walking with the Lord, sized up little David, looked at the giant …and laughed! “Saul replied, ‘You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.’" In other words – “David you’re going to lose!” His comments could be expected from someone who would never understand that while humankind is impressed with the externals; God sees only the heart! God is different! He doesn’t judge by appearance or intelligence. King Saul didn’t get that. But David did. “Giant? What giant? The only giant is my life is God! And that over there… is but a mere dwarf! God is the omnipotent one! And if God is on my side – omnipotence never loses!”

9) REMEMBER! At this point, David takes Saul down memory lane with a story or two of fighting bears and lions to protect his sheep. “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." (vs 37) Isn’t it funny, how when a new giant pops up in our life, we tend to forget what we ought to remember, and remember what we ought to forget. We ought to remember our past victories, but usual remember our previous defeats. But not David, he remembers how God gave him the strength, boldness, and wisdom to defeat previous challenges – and he comes to the only true conclusion: The God who brought you victories in the past, is the same God who is with you now! David is so confident that God will empower him to another victory, he simply awaits Saul’s permission. Because he remembers God’s previous victories in his life, David is positive God will deliver him again!

10) BE OURSELVES! But before tiny David faces the giant, Saul decided to fix him up for battle. So we’re told “Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head.” (vs 38) Imagine, Saul, a 52 long, puts his heavy armor on David, a 36 regular. He can barely carry his sword, and the bronze helmet is resting on his shoulders. “David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. ‘I cannot go in these,’ he said to Saul, ‘because I am not used to them.’ So he took them off.” (vs 39) Ironically, we still tend to make the same mistake; forgetting that what works for one person may not necessarily work for someone else! Instead of trying to just be ourselves, we tend to put our armor on someone else, or put someone else’s armor on us. But that’s no way to engage in any form of spiritual battle! Fact is, it is always a great day when we begin to realize that we can just be ourselves, and God will use us!

11) WEAK! David decides to approach this giant like he always has. “Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.” (vs 40) Think about it – had David went to meet Goliath in a Sherman Tank, no one would have been too impressed, except with the Sherman Tank! But this story shows a perfect example of how God prefers to work; He magnifies His name when we are weak! We don’t have to be beautiful, or brilliant, or have the strength of a super hero to be used and blessed by God! He honors our faith! He works through us …even though we are weak! All He asks is that we trust Him! …that we stand before Him in integrity and faith, and HE WILL WIN THE BATTLE! Maybe, God is just waiting for you and me to trust Him so that can empower us in our weakness to go battle our giants! … to beat the odds! Remember; when we trust in Him, He magnifies His name when we are weak.

12) THE NAME OF THE LORD! “Meanwhile, the giant Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. "Come here," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!" 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. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.” 1^st Samuel 17:41-46

13) INTIMIDATED? Let me ask you: when you stand before your ‘Goliaths’, are you intimidated? Most of us - when facing what appears to be overwhelming odds or challenges – are intimidated! We look up at the problem that almost blocks out the sun, and we gasp, and we get tongue tied! Our thoughts all run together! And for some unknown reason we forget how to pray! All our focus is on the problem ahead! …and the odds, which appear to be against us! We forget WHO we represent, and we stand there with our knees knocking! What must God think – when we who have been promised His amazing power – sit there frozen in fear and worry? Intimidated! What happened to our trust in Him?

14) THE BATTLE IS THE LORD’S! Now it may appear that David’s eye’s are strictly on the giant, but they aren’t! They are fixed on God! As a result intimidation plays no part in his life! He looks the giant straight in the eye, and says fearlessly, “All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give all of you into our hands." (Vs. 47) Did you see the amazing secret of David’s life in those words? He declared, “the battle is the Lord’s!” Ironically, too many of us church goers struggle intensely in our lives because we don’t grasp and apply this truth: THE BATTLE IS THE LORD’S! It’s sad how many of us in the church keep trying to fight our own battles – with someone else’s armor or with our own strength! Picture your present day giant – are you still trying to outsmart the enemy, outfox them all by yourself? Understand this: You can’t! But God can! And He’s saying to you and me today, “You do it your way, and you’re doomed to fail. You do it MY way and I’ll honor you.” Do we understand? …THE BATTLE IS THE LORD’S!

15) NOTHING TO PROVE OR LOSE! David lived by a very simple principle: nothing to prove, nothing to lose. He had no reason to impress anyone in the army; especially his brothers. He didn’t even try to impress God. He just ran out to meet his Goliath head-on! “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. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.” (vs 49-50) Wack! One less giant! Or from David’s perspective – one less dwarf. Because compared to David’s God, that’s all Goliath was: a tiny irritant! …who is now dead, not because David had something to prove or to lose. Faith, trust, and obedience to God can be as simple as whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, and a stone sails through the air! So long Goliath!

16) MEMORIES OF VICTORIES! Of course - the Philistines immediately split the scene, and the victory went to Israel! So David gathers up Goliath’s sword and weapons and carries them home. Why? As a reminder of what God has done! Maybe he put them beside the lion’s skull or the bear’s paw – like silent trophies, memories of God’s past victories in his life! They represent the real truth: that those who walk with God, trusting in Him, leaving the battle to God – they are the true giants, and the Goliaths of the world are the dwarfs! Maintaining memories of victories is extremely important! So where do you keep your memories? How do you remember the victories God has given you over your lifetime? When God pulls off something that only He can do, He says, “Now don’t you forget that! It’ll serve you well in the future!”

17) REMEMBER! What does Christ want us to remember today? Well, 1) Facing giants is an intimidating experience. But David said, “My God is greater!” And you can too! 2) Doing battle is a lonely experience. Whatever your Goliath is, no one – not your counselor, your pastor, your friends – none of them can battle your giant for you! It’s lonely, yes, but it’s how you grow up. Remember; it’s out on the lonely battlefield that we learn to trust God! And 3) trusting God is a stabilizing experience. David’s trust in God removed the jitters when he went into battle. Fight your giant alone, and you will lose! But when you spend sufficient time on your knees in humble and constant prayer, it’s amazing how stable you can be! And 4) Winning victories is a memorable experience. We’re to remember and pass on our lion and bear stories! Let’s remember and share our victorious Goliath stories! …lest we forget and fall into fear when the next giant shows up! Let us remember that the God who was all powerful in our past is all powerful today!

18) THE LORD! Friends, what is your ‘intimidating giant’ today? Is it a person, a law suit, a job, unemployment, financial difficulties, or health issues? Maybe it’s a clearly visible fear or worry, or maybe you can’t get a handle on what is haunting you, but it’s there – and ‘uncertainty’ reigns. The Lord is here this morning to say to you: “Trust me! All you need is a smooth stone of trust, a sling of faith, and I’ll take it from there!” Don’t worry about having someone else’s armor on, strip down to nothing but faith, and walk towards your giant unafraid!” The Lord is here now to empower you to see that compared to Him, these ‘so called giants’ are nothing but dwarfs! And the Lord wants you to remember your past victories so that you say by faith “The battle is yours Lord! I lean on you, I give you my meager weapons and skills, and I stand before you – trusting in you!” Because His love for you is so great, the Lord pours down His Spirit into every open heart here, that you may live boldly, unafraid of giants, believing and trusting in this truth: “The battle is the Lord’s!”

Praise God!

AMEN

Sermon/Confessional Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we confess that too often we focus only on the giant struggle that lies before us, and not on you. We forget to pray, we forget to turn our Goliaths over to you. We attempt to fix the problem all by ourselves, using our wisdom and our strength. Forgive us. And help us instead to remember our past victories; that we would not be afraid, but walk boldly towards our Goliaths, confident and trusting in the fact that the battle is yours!

Lord, forgive us when we are fearfully impressed or intimidated by the size of the challenges that sometimes confront us. Help us to see that compared to you they are insignificant and small. Forgive us when we forget that you are all knowing and all powerful – and teach us to see the world’s problems through your eyes! Forgive us trying to wear someone else’s armor, and teach us to just be ourselves – trusting in your ability to work victoriously through our weaknesses!

And now Lord, although you know us better than we know ourselves, listen as we share in a moment of silence, those other parts of our lives that need to be forgiven, washed clean, healed, and recommitted to you! (made anew.)

(Silence)

Lord, your servant David saw how great and powerful and wise you were and therefore feared nothing the broken world sent his way. Empower us in the same way – come live within our hearts that we may live boldly and confidently – giving all our battles to you – trusting in you to defeat whatever Goliaths come our way! In Jesus Name We Pray. AMEN

Assurance of Forgiveness:

Friends, listen to the good news: The Lord, who seeks to make you unafraid of the world’s giants, …that Lord has mercifully heard your confession and eagerly forgives you all your sins. Go now, and remember: Compared to your Lord, the so called giants of the world are but tiny dwarfs! Grab only the stone of trust and the sling of faith, and walk boldly towards your Goliath letting Christ do the rest! Reflect upon your past victories, and remember: the battle is the Lords! Praise God! AMEN

Opening prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we come here this morning having faced a large and fearful world this past week. It is a broken world filled with big problems, huge obstacles, and giant crises that sometimes leave us alone, and then suddenly… turn our way. Some of us try to take on these giants by ourselves and quickly wear out. Because we forget that you are larger than anything that threatens us, we appreciate it when you draw into this holy space and remind us that the One who loves us, is all powerful and all knowing, and always ready to fight our battles for us! So today we bring you the giant burden of our sin and ask you wipe it off the face of the earth! We bring our giant fears and worries, and pray that you will slay them – freeing us to walk boldly into our future in service to you! Today we bring you the enormous pain and suffering that comes because of our emotional, spiritual and physical wounds – and we wait for the healing that only you can give! Remind us of the past victories you have brought into our lives that we may not forget and fall into the trap of fear and worry! Because you ARE so all powerful, all knowing, and all loving – we praise your name and give humble but sincere thanks for all the blessing we will receive this day! Pour down your Spirit into our hearts and teach us to walk boldly into whatever tomorrow brings our way! In Jesus Name We Pray! AMEN!

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