What is your Goliath?

January 29, 2023

Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:1-40

What is a giant problem in your life?

  • What do you fear in your life? For example, death? Sickness, No $$$ to feed your loved ones? Bully? People’s opinion of you?
  • Live by faith! God is for YOU, not against you.
  • How? Glance at the problem, gaze at the Lord.

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1 Samuel 17:1-11, “1 Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. 2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines. 3 And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.Goliath 4 And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And his shield-bearer went before him.Vs.32

MAKE A STAND

8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” 10 And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

In vs.16, we read that people of God were intimidated/ scared. They were threatened 80 TIMES! (40×2)

1 Samuel 17:16 “For 40 days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.”

  • FROZEN: Fear of failure + looking dumb + suffering + death.
  • Notice David: made a stand & decided to fight. 1 Samuel 17:32 “And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
  • The Israelites’ problem is NOT that they overestimate Goliath, it is that they UNDERESTIMATED God. David TRUSTED in GOD.

ASK: What is a ‘Goliath’ in your life?

Giant problem in your life? What do you fear?

EXPECT OPPOSITION

1 Samuel 17:28 – 52 Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” 29 And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?” 30 And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke in the same way, and the people answered him again as before.

When you make stand, expect opposition

33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

  • Notice how David actively remembers the activity of God in His life.
  • MINSTERO SABAOTH • REMEMBER CROSS!
  • BE YOURSELF: You were made for this

38 Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39 and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.

  • David couldn’t move in Saul’s armor.
  • “But you are you, and I am me… NOT YOU…”
  • God made you to be you. ‘workmanship’ =masterpiece, valuable, unique, beautiful. God has been WITH YOU. Surrounded with people. Faith family.
    God has a UNIQUE PLAN + PURPOSE x your life

45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52 And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron.

 

  • Notice that David fought in the name of the Lord.• Live in His Name… not your name. Live for His glory… not YOUR PLANS… maybe this = WHY THINGS ≠ WORKING OUT!
  • GOSPEL: JESUS IS OUR DAVID
  • David = shadow of a greater King, Jesus, who came to fight the battle we could not win. On the cross, Jesus defeated greatest Goliath: sin + death.
  • Because Jesus defeated death, we can have the courage to fight our giants.