1 00:00:06,320 --> 00:00:09,920 Thank you. Thank you, Lord. Wow. What an incredible 2 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:13,760 day it is today, guys. I can't tell 3 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:17,360 you how much it means to me to come in to see your 4 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:20,720 smiling faces, to see all of you. 5 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:24,400 I missed last week and I was at a loss. I mean, 6 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:27,970 I mean, it was great. I mean, we had a. We celebrated a 7 00:00:27,970 --> 00:00:31,810 19th year family reunion that we've been going to every year 8 00:00:32,610 --> 00:00:36,290 in Texas. And it just so happens to be 9 00:00:36,450 --> 00:00:40,050 Dana and I's 19th wedding anniversary on June 10th. 10 00:00:40,290 --> 00:00:43,970 And so we got married back in 2006, and the Lord 11 00:00:43,970 --> 00:00:47,610 has really blessed us and we had an incredible 12 00:00:47,610 --> 00:00:51,290 time. But I missed you. So I'm glad to be back in the 13 00:00:51,290 --> 00:00:55,010 house. Glad that Pastor Kevin is back in the house and thankful that he's 14 00:00:55,370 --> 00:00:59,050 feeling better this morning. And it's Father's 15 00:00:59,050 --> 00:01:02,010 Day. Come on. Father's Day. 16 00:01:02,810 --> 00:01:06,250 Oh, man. I tell you what, 17 00:01:06,410 --> 00:01:10,250 to get to preach on Father's Day is a dream come true. 18 00:01:10,330 --> 00:01:14,130 I'm thankful for it. Why don't you, if you're a 19 00:01:14,130 --> 00:01:17,050 dad in the house, why don't you go ahead and stand? We're gonna celebrate you. 20 00:01:17,210 --> 00:01:20,930 We're gonna recognize you one more time. Okay? I know we already did it. 21 00:01:20,930 --> 00:01:24,290 We prayed for you this morning, but give it up for all the 22 00:01:24,290 --> 00:01:28,030 dads in. Lot 23 00:01:28,030 --> 00:01:31,630 of dads in the house. We celebrate you 24 00:01:31,630 --> 00:01:34,710 today. I hope your day is full of fun and 25 00:01:34,710 --> 00:01:38,470 enjoyment. All right? With that being said, I want to 26 00:01:38,470 --> 00:01:42,150 encourage you one more time. Back in 2011, this 27 00:01:42,150 --> 00:01:45,750 movie came out and it spoke to me. The Lord 28 00:01:45,750 --> 00:01:49,230 used it to change something in my heart and leave a 29 00:01:49,230 --> 00:01:53,030 lasting impact on me as a young father 30 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:56,720 and as a man, really. And so we're going to go ahead and watch a 31 00:01:56,720 --> 00:02:00,280 two minute clip of this video and I hope it has an impact 32 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:01,320 on you. 33 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:10,360 Courageous men of courage. 34 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:16,840 A courageous man stands in the gap. A courageous man 35 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:20,170 stands up and says, I will. I accept the 36 00:02:20,170 --> 00:02:23,530 responsibility. And as a dad, as a father, 37 00:02:24,010 --> 00:02:26,570 I'm here to tell you today I will. 38 00:02:27,530 --> 00:02:31,250 Okay, this is a life 39 00:02:31,250 --> 00:02:34,730 verse of mine, Joshua 24:15. As for me and my 40 00:02:34,730 --> 00:02:38,410 household, we will serve the Lord. But this is only a 41 00:02:38,410 --> 00:02:41,890 part of the verse. See, back in the time of 42 00:02:41,890 --> 00:02:45,210 Joshua, he was encouraging the people of Israel. 43 00:02:46,230 --> 00:02:50,030 And Israel has fallen to some of their gods 44 00:02:50,030 --> 00:02:53,750 of their ancestors and started worshiping some other false gods. 45 00:02:54,150 --> 00:02:57,950 And Joshua took a stand and drew a line in 46 00:02:57,950 --> 00:03:01,629 the sand, saying, as for me and my house, we 47 00:03:01,629 --> 00:03:05,390 will serve the Lord. And the people of Israel 48 00:03:05,390 --> 00:03:08,230 followed him because God was on his side. 49 00:03:09,590 --> 00:03:13,190 See, this is the stance that I want to take for my family. 50 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:14,550 And every day, 51 00:03:17,270 --> 00:03:21,070 I will not choose the idols of my past, but instead I will 52 00:03:21,070 --> 00:03:24,750 choose the God who saves. And 53 00:03:24,750 --> 00:03:28,390 I'm really fortunate, man, to have some incredible men 54 00:03:28,870 --> 00:03:32,710 that have taught me, that have poured into me, that have given me 55 00:03:32,950 --> 00:03:36,710 courage along the way. One of those 56 00:03:36,710 --> 00:03:40,470 guys is my father in law, Kirk Whitworth. He's sitting 57 00:03:40,470 --> 00:03:43,950 right back over there. Kirk, raise your hand. Everybody say, hey, Kirk. Hey, 58 00:03:43,950 --> 00:03:47,110 Kirk. Kirk. Back in 59 00:03:47,110 --> 00:03:50,950 2005, I started working for Kirk. 60 00:03:51,030 --> 00:03:54,790 And in 2006, I married my incredible bride, Dana, 61 00:03:55,349 --> 00:03:58,470 his second. Well, middle daughter. 62 00:03:59,030 --> 00:04:02,790 Middle daughter. And Kirk has 63 00:04:03,350 --> 00:04:07,030 poured into me selflessly. And I 64 00:04:07,030 --> 00:04:10,870 remember one time he told me, before Dan and I started having kids, 65 00:04:10,870 --> 00:04:14,590 we had Noah in 2008. So I guess this was about 2007 or so. 66 00:04:15,230 --> 00:04:17,710 Kirk told me something that I'll never forget. He said, 67 00:04:19,310 --> 00:04:23,030 anyone can be a father. Anybody. All you 68 00:04:23,030 --> 00:04:26,750 gotta have is genetics, right? All you gotta have is the ability to. 69 00:04:26,910 --> 00:04:30,710 Anybody can do it. But it takes a man to be a 70 00:04:30,710 --> 00:04:34,480 daddy. It takes a man to be a daddy. And 71 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:38,280 I didn't know what that meant. I didn't have any experience being a daddy before, 72 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:42,800 but Kirk did. Kirk raised four girls, and he was a 73 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:46,200 daddy to those four girls. And being a daddy 74 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:50,480 means that you're there for them and the hard times and 75 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:54,320 the easy times, that you stand for them. And I see a lot 76 00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:58,100 of daddies in this house. I see a lot of daddies who put. 77 00:04:58,170 --> 00:05:01,210 Put their trust in the Lord and do what's right for their families. 78 00:05:02,090 --> 00:05:04,170 So thank you, Kirk, for teaching me that. 79 00:05:06,010 --> 00:05:09,570 All right. Being a daddy to Noah, Judah and Elijah has been one of the 80 00:05:09,570 --> 00:05:13,330 best gifts that God has ever given to me. And we've 81 00:05:13,330 --> 00:05:17,170 got little baby Abigail on the way, due September 10th. So I get 82 00:05:17,170 --> 00:05:20,090 to be a daddy to a little girl soon. 83 00:05:22,650 --> 00:05:26,340 Yeah. So I'm really excited about that. 84 00:05:26,420 --> 00:05:30,100 Got a lot of joy in this season of life. And 85 00:05:30,820 --> 00:05:34,660 gosh, I know that you guys have been praying for us and our family, 86 00:05:34,820 --> 00:05:38,420 and I can honestly feel those prayers. I know that the Lord is 87 00:05:38,420 --> 00:05:42,260 moving and doing some incredible things and he's brought people to help 88 00:05:42,500 --> 00:05:46,340 surround us and hold our arms up and continue the pursuit 89 00:05:46,340 --> 00:05:49,980 of God in the youth group. And I'm just so thankful for everything that God 90 00:05:49,980 --> 00:05:53,700 has ordained and that he's doing. So thank you, church. 91 00:05:54,100 --> 00:05:57,880 I. I appreciate you. I hope you brought your Bibles. This morning. 92 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:02,280 We are going to get into the word of God. If you brought your 93 00:06:02,280 --> 00:06:06,120 Bibles, go ahead and get it out. I love the sound of rice paper 94 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:09,000 flipping over. So if you brought your 95 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:12,720 actual Bible, then go ahead and get it out. If you brought your phone, that's 96 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:15,480 cool too. I like doing that. I like using my phone. 97 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:19,880 But we're going to turn to First Samuel, Chapter 98 00:06:19,960 --> 00:06:23,660 17. First Samuel, Chapter 17. If you guys have 99 00:06:23,660 --> 00:06:27,380 been following along with the greatest stories ever told, we have been in 100 00:06:27,860 --> 00:06:31,580 chapter 16 where Samuel anoints David. And 101 00:06:31,580 --> 00:06:35,380 then last week, Pastor Kevin brought a word out of 1st Samuel, 102 00:06:35,380 --> 00:06:38,340 chapter 18, about David and 103 00:06:38,420 --> 00:06:41,940 Jonathan's relationship. And so 104 00:06:41,940 --> 00:06:45,580 we're gonna go one step back. Right in the middle there, the sweet 105 00:06:45,580 --> 00:06:47,420 spot, chapter 17. 106 00:06:49,660 --> 00:06:53,180 But before we do, I want to know, you guys like an 107 00:06:53,180 --> 00:06:56,860 underdog story. Do you like an 108 00:06:56,860 --> 00:07:00,540 underdog story? You like when the person who is not supposed to win rises 109 00:07:00,540 --> 00:07:04,380 up and defeats the bigger person, the one who has 110 00:07:04,380 --> 00:07:07,980 more talent, the one who has just all the accolades and the experience? 111 00:07:09,100 --> 00:07:12,940 That's an underdog story. And this is the story of David 112 00:07:12,940 --> 00:07:16,770 and Goliath. And honestly, guys, 113 00:07:16,930 --> 00:07:20,530 if you don't come to church, right, you might have heard this 114 00:07:20,530 --> 00:07:24,250 story. This story is used in sports events. This story 115 00:07:24,250 --> 00:07:27,890 is used in business meetings and all 116 00:07:27,890 --> 00:07:31,570 kinds of motivational speeches. The story is for everybody, 117 00:07:31,650 --> 00:07:35,290 right? But I think the point of the story, and that's what I 118 00:07:35,290 --> 00:07:37,810 hope to help you understand today, 119 00:07:39,010 --> 00:07:42,170 is that the Lord is fighting 120 00:07:42,570 --> 00:07:46,010 on our side. The Lord is the reason that David 121 00:07:46,170 --> 00:07:49,890 was victorious in this story. So as 122 00:07:49,890 --> 00:07:53,610 a church, we believe that the Bible is a story about 123 00:07:53,610 --> 00:07:57,290 how God is redeeming, saving and making new his 124 00:07:57,290 --> 00:08:01,050 people by his grace, for his glory among 125 00:08:01,610 --> 00:08:04,250 all people. All people. 126 00:08:05,930 --> 00:08:09,490 This is so cool because you and I are a part of this 127 00:08:09,490 --> 00:08:12,330 story. You and I share in this 128 00:08:12,650 --> 00:08:16,090 incredible joy of the story of 129 00:08:16,250 --> 00:08:19,970 redemption. It's God's 130 00:08:19,970 --> 00:08:23,570 nature, in effect. His nature is to redeem his 131 00:08:23,570 --> 00:08:26,490 people in and through His Word. 132 00:08:27,530 --> 00:08:31,210 It's the story. All throughout the Bible in human history, 133 00:08:32,410 --> 00:08:36,040 we see all kinds of stories of redemption 134 00:08:36,040 --> 00:08:39,680 where God has moved and people have been brought to 135 00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:42,160 new life, made new in his image. 136 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:47,040 Scripture comes to life when we realize this, 137 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:50,960 when we realize that God is fighting for us 138 00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:54,080 and that we have hope and a future in Him. 139 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:57,800 So what I want to do today, I want to take one of the most 140 00:08:57,800 --> 00:09:00,520 well known stories in the Bible, the story of David and Goliath. We're going to 141 00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:04,040 go through it line by line. I hope you guys read your 142 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:07,840 Bible because we are going to be in it a lot today, line by line. 143 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:11,680 And we're going to really hear what the 144 00:09:11,680 --> 00:09:15,440 Lord is saying today. So many 145 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:18,640 of us are facing challenges. So many of us 146 00:09:19,359 --> 00:09:23,040 Might even be facing giant sized challenges in the room 147 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:26,760 this morning. And it could be super easy for us to 148 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:29,760 try and relate our challenges, our stories, to what 149 00:09:30,220 --> 00:09:33,340 David faced that day in the valley. Right? 150 00:09:33,820 --> 00:09:37,340 We could be saying, oh, that boss at work, he's my 151 00:09:37,340 --> 00:09:40,580 giant. We could be saying, that 152 00:09:40,580 --> 00:09:42,220 diagnosis is my giant. 153 00:09:45,899 --> 00:09:49,740 The Lord comes to fight our battles for 154 00:09:49,740 --> 00:09:53,580 us. The point of the story is not to be 155 00:09:53,580 --> 00:09:57,290 brave in the face of our giants. No. The purpose 156 00:09:57,290 --> 00:10:01,010 is to ignite us with a passion for the glory of 157 00:10:01,010 --> 00:10:04,730 the Lord. Ignite us with a passionate pursuit 158 00:10:04,730 --> 00:10:08,290 after him. A life that says, I want nothing 159 00:10:08,290 --> 00:10:10,370 else other than to follow you, Jesus. 160 00:10:12,530 --> 00:10:16,130 Because when we're standing on the word of God, 161 00:10:16,210 --> 00:10:19,930 we're trusting in the power of God and we're living for 162 00:10:19,930 --> 00:10:23,260 his glory, the glory of, of Almighty God. 163 00:10:23,980 --> 00:10:27,420 That kind of faith can defeat giants that even kings 164 00:10:27,900 --> 00:10:30,860 are afraid to face. That kind of faith 165 00:10:31,340 --> 00:10:34,300 moves us. It's a verb. 166 00:10:35,180 --> 00:10:38,380 Faith moves us out of the way 167 00:10:39,180 --> 00:10:41,980 and allows God to fight our battles for us. 168 00:10:43,660 --> 00:10:47,420 Amen. Okay, so let's get into the story, 169 00:10:48,630 --> 00:10:52,310 but let's not forget what happened. Remember chapter 16, David 170 00:10:52,310 --> 00:10:55,910 anoints Samuel, anoints David with the horn of 171 00:10:55,910 --> 00:10:59,110 oil. And the scripture says the spirit of the Lord came 172 00:10:59,110 --> 00:11:02,750 powerfully on David. This is important, okay? We 173 00:11:02,750 --> 00:11:05,510 can't go out there. David wasn't able to go out there and do it alone. 174 00:11:05,990 --> 00:11:09,270 He's doing it in operation, in the spirit. 175 00:11:09,830 --> 00:11:13,030 The spirit of the Lord came powerfully on David, therefore 176 00:11:13,680 --> 00:11:17,320 he went. Okay, so 177 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:20,720 first Samuel, chapter 17, starting in verse one 178 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:25,280 says, now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled 179 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:28,800 at Soca in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Damim between 180 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:32,560 Soca and Azekah. Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in 181 00:11:32,560 --> 00:11:35,920 the valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. 182 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:40,080 The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another 183 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:43,900 with with the valley in between them. Okay, guys, this starts out and 184 00:11:43,900 --> 00:11:47,740 it's like a movie. A picture of this mountains, 185 00:11:47,740 --> 00:11:51,220 two mountains on each side, a valley in between them. One army 186 00:11:51,300 --> 00:11:54,860 lines up for battle and they're the Israelites. Another 187 00:11:54,860 --> 00:11:58,500 one, the Philistines. And they're set to 188 00:11:58,500 --> 00:12:02,300 take take place. Get it in, get in there. I like to read 189 00:12:02,300 --> 00:12:06,100 my Bible like it's a movie, like it's like it's coming alive. 190 00:12:07,980 --> 00:12:11,740 A champion, verse four, named Goliath, who is from Goth, 191 00:12:11,980 --> 00:12:15,660 came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall. 192 00:12:16,060 --> 00:12:19,820 Some scriptures, some translations say 193 00:12:20,140 --> 00:12:23,180 six cubits and a span. And if you're 194 00:12:23,660 --> 00:12:27,420 familiar with, you know, the ancient way of measurement, which 195 00:12:27,740 --> 00:12:31,260 I don't know if a lot of you are, but a span 196 00:12:31,340 --> 00:12:35,080 is from the tip of your middle finger to the 197 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:38,920 tip of your thumb. Okay, so it's a span. It's usually about 9 198 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:42,560 inches. They were a little bit smaller back then. But 9 inches is a 199 00:12:42,560 --> 00:12:46,320 span. 18 inches is double the span. It's a cubit. Okay, so 200 00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:50,079 six cubits and a span. If you're good at math, then 201 00:12:50,079 --> 00:12:53,640 that's over nine feet. That's actually nine feet, nine inches tall. 202 00:12:54,200 --> 00:12:57,000 That's a giant. Right? 203 00:12:58,520 --> 00:13:01,320 This is a depiction of what the world 204 00:13:02,650 --> 00:13:06,050 says David, or Goliath looks like. There he is in his 205 00:13:06,050 --> 00:13:09,850 armor, his shield bare in front of him. Nine feet, 206 00:13:09,850 --> 00:13:12,810 nine inches, stands head and shoulders above every man. 207 00:13:14,970 --> 00:13:18,730 Goliath, a champion. Now, champion, that's 208 00:13:18,730 --> 00:13:22,330 important to recognize there. That word is the first time 209 00:13:22,330 --> 00:13:25,770 it's used in the Old Testament. It means a man between two 210 00:13:25,770 --> 00:13:29,420 armies. Go. Goliath of Goth. He fought for the 211 00:13:29,420 --> 00:13:33,220 Philistines. All right, let's go to verse five. He 212 00:13:33,220 --> 00:13:36,540 had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale. Armor of 213 00:13:36,540 --> 00:13:40,100 bronze, weighing 5,000 shekels on his legs. He wore 214 00:13:40,100 --> 00:13:43,700 bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His 215 00:13:43,700 --> 00:13:47,300 spear shaft was like a weaver's rod and its iron point weighed 216 00:13:47,300 --> 00:13:51,060 600 shekels. His shield bearer went ahead 217 00:13:51,060 --> 00:13:54,630 of him. So this 218 00:13:54,630 --> 00:13:57,950 guy had armor on that weighed more than most 219 00:13:58,270 --> 00:14:01,470 Hebrews back then. Most of the Israelites, they probably didn't weigh 220 00:14:01,630 --> 00:14:04,990 125 pounds. But this armor that 221 00:14:04,990 --> 00:14:08,830 Goliath weighed weighed more than 125 pounds. 222 00:14:09,310 --> 00:14:12,750 Okay? His spear, just the tip of his spear, weighed 15 223 00:14:13,070 --> 00:14:16,750 pounds. And he was able to throw it right. That's 224 00:14:16,750 --> 00:14:20,200 a lot of weight. That's a ton of weight. It weighed 225 00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:23,680 more than most Israelites wore. He also had a 226 00:14:23,680 --> 00:14:27,040 sidekick with him that carried a shield, and that shield was about the size of 227 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:30,600 a man. Guys, this is the most detailed 228 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:34,360 description that we see in the Old Testament of a warrior 229 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:39,080 anywhere. It helps us to get a picture of what was going 230 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:42,720 on in the valley that day. An invincible 231 00:14:42,720 --> 00:14:46,560 character, Goliath, walks out covered in bronze armor, standing 232 00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:49,820 head and shoulders above any other man, ready to take on 233 00:14:50,460 --> 00:14:53,740 a whole army. Listen to what he says in verse 8. 234 00:14:54,300 --> 00:14:58,020 Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, why do you come 235 00:14:58,020 --> 00:15:01,740 out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine? And are you 236 00:15:01,740 --> 00:15:05,540 not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to 237 00:15:05,540 --> 00:15:08,820 me if he is able to Fight and kill me. We will become your 238 00:15:08,820 --> 00:15:12,620 subjects. But if I overcome him and kill him, you will 239 00:15:12,620 --> 00:15:16,210 become our subjects and serve us. Then the 240 00:15:16,210 --> 00:15:19,810 Philistines said, this day I defy the ranks of 241 00:15:19,810 --> 00:15:23,650 Israel. Give me a man and let us fight each other. On hearing 242 00:15:23,650 --> 00:15:26,850 the Philistines words, Saul and all the 243 00:15:26,850 --> 00:15:29,770 Israelites were dismayed and terrified. 244 00:15:31,689 --> 00:15:33,850 Goliath just issued a 245 00:15:33,850 --> 00:15:37,410 1v1amano e 246 00:15:37,410 --> 00:15:40,730 mono challenge right there in the valley. He said, 247 00:15:40,730 --> 00:15:43,540 anybody's man enough, come out and face me. 248 00:15:45,460 --> 00:15:48,900 I'll feed you to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field. 249 00:15:49,540 --> 00:15:53,140 He said, you will not prosper. Look at 250 00:15:53,140 --> 00:15:55,860 me, I'm Goliath. I'm the champion. 251 00:15:58,340 --> 00:16:00,900 Pretty much draws a line in the sand saying, come on. 252 00:16:03,220 --> 00:16:07,060 What did the Israelites do? Well, it says 253 00:16:07,220 --> 00:16:10,400 they were dismayed and terrified. They shrunk back in fear 254 00:16:11,750 --> 00:16:15,310 and they mentioned Saul. Saul was with him. 255 00:16:15,310 --> 00:16:18,470 Saul, he didn't want to see Goliath on the battlefield. 256 00:16:19,110 --> 00:16:22,710 He didn't want to go hand to hand combat with him? No. 257 00:16:23,110 --> 00:16:26,910 Saul was the tallest of all the Israelites. He 258 00:16:26,910 --> 00:16:30,470 was the one that should have stepped up and said, I'll take you 259 00:16:30,470 --> 00:16:33,910 on the king. But he didn't. 260 00:16:35,030 --> 00:16:37,270 He shrunk back in fear with the rest. 261 00:16:39,630 --> 00:16:42,750 Then we get to verse 12. Now, 262 00:16:42,990 --> 00:16:46,590 okay, the scene shifts. The movie's on the battlefield. 263 00:16:46,910 --> 00:16:50,350 Now we're going to go to the meadow. Verse 12. 264 00:16:50,590 --> 00:16:54,430 Now, David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse 265 00:16:54,590 --> 00:16:58,390 who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, 266 00:16:58,390 --> 00:17:01,790 and in Saul's time he was old and well advanced in years. 267 00:17:02,430 --> 00:17:06,180 Jesse's three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war. The 268 00:17:06,180 --> 00:17:09,660 firstborn was Eliab, the second, Amminadab, and the third, Shema. 269 00:17:10,220 --> 00:17:13,820 David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul. 270 00:17:14,220 --> 00:17:17,940 But David went back and forth from Saul to tend his 271 00:17:17,940 --> 00:17:20,300 father's sheep at Bethlehem. 272 00:17:21,740 --> 00:17:25,580 Bethlehem? Who else is from Bethlehem? Do you guys remember someone who was 273 00:17:25,580 --> 00:17:27,740 born in Bethlehem? Yeah. 274 00:17:28,860 --> 00:17:32,060 David is described as a boy here. Now, we don't know how 275 00:17:32,590 --> 00:17:36,270 old he is exactly, but the scripture clearly 276 00:17:36,270 --> 00:17:40,110 describes him as a boy, the youngest of all of his brothers. 277 00:17:40,430 --> 00:17:43,790 He has the job of tending sheep and also playing 278 00:17:43,950 --> 00:17:47,230 music for Saul. So he travels back and forth. 279 00:17:48,110 --> 00:17:51,950 Verse 16. For 40 days. The Philistine came forward every morning and 280 00:17:51,950 --> 00:17:55,590 evening and took his stand. 40 days, Goliath 281 00:17:55,590 --> 00:17:59,440 stands, mocking the people of of God, mocking the 282 00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:02,920 Israelites, challenging them, insulting them, 283 00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:04,600 defying them. 284 00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:10,720 Jesse said to his son David, take this Ephah of roasted 285 00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:14,360 grain and these 10 loaves of bread for your brothers. And hurry 286 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:18,440 to their camp. Take along these 10 cheeses to the commander of 287 00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:22,160 their unit. See how your brothers are, and bring back 288 00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:25,890 some assurance from them there with Saul and all the men of 289 00:18:25,890 --> 00:18:29,450 Israel in the Valley of Allah fighting against the Philistines. 290 00:18:29,770 --> 00:18:33,330 Okay, so, Jesse, David's dad, he asks him, 291 00:18:33,330 --> 00:18:37,050 okay, please take these provisions. Take these snacks 292 00:18:37,210 --> 00:18:40,930 to your brothers. Oh, by the way, an ephah of roasted grain is 293 00:18:40,930 --> 00:18:44,530 about 36 pounds. Okay? David's used to going back and 294 00:18:44,530 --> 00:18:47,970 forth, but, man, strap on this grain. That's 295 00:18:47,970 --> 00:18:51,770 36 pounds. Take these 10 loaves while you're at it. And these cheeses 296 00:18:51,770 --> 00:18:54,730 need to go, so go ahead and take them as well. 297 00:18:56,410 --> 00:19:00,010 Gosh, don't sign me up for that. I can walk two 298 00:19:00,010 --> 00:19:03,850 miles and be out of wind. Goodness. 299 00:19:03,850 --> 00:19:07,690 David says, okay, you know why? 300 00:19:08,250 --> 00:19:11,850 Because he was obedient. David was an obedient son. 301 00:19:11,850 --> 00:19:15,610 Obedience, even in the mundane tasks, can 302 00:19:15,610 --> 00:19:19,370 place us on the path of God's extraordinary 303 00:19:20,120 --> 00:19:23,160 purposes. He was set 304 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:27,320 on an extraordinary task. 305 00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:32,280 Young people, don't miss this. I see you out there. 306 00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:35,560 Don't miss this. Live in obedience. 307 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:40,760 Live obedient lives to 308 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:44,360 the Lord, to your parents, to your teachers, and to 309 00:19:44,360 --> 00:19:47,800 yourselves. Do what you say you're gonna do. 310 00:19:48,670 --> 00:19:52,110 This is important as you grow up and you understand 311 00:19:52,270 --> 00:19:55,710 what it means to speak something 312 00:19:56,350 --> 00:19:59,230 and then live up to it. Okay? 313 00:20:00,190 --> 00:20:03,150 A lot of people say they're going to do something and don't 314 00:20:05,630 --> 00:20:09,270 learn from that. Do what you say you're going to 315 00:20:09,270 --> 00:20:11,710 do. Live in obedience. 316 00:20:13,310 --> 00:20:16,770 All right, pause for a minute. This is my 317 00:20:16,850 --> 00:20:20,370 family, just like David's family. We didn't have eight 318 00:20:20,370 --> 00:20:23,890 sons. And that's not Jesse, but this is my dad, Jeff, 319 00:20:23,970 --> 00:20:27,810 my mom, Nancy, the oldest there, Hannah, my sister. 320 00:20:28,450 --> 00:20:31,970 I am in red. The big smile. And 321 00:20:32,370 --> 00:20:35,930 my twin brother John is in blue. And Philip is the 322 00:20:35,930 --> 00:20:38,770 youngest. Now, this picture was taken in 1988. 323 00:20:40,210 --> 00:20:43,870 I was four years old. And 324 00:20:46,990 --> 00:20:50,470 there's four kids there. Hannah was born December of 325 00:20:50,470 --> 00:20:54,310 83. Philip was born October of 86. So if you do the 326 00:20:54,310 --> 00:20:57,829 math, that's less than three years, two years, 10 327 00:20:57,829 --> 00:21:01,630 months. And there's four kids there. My parents 328 00:21:01,630 --> 00:21:05,470 are in their early 20s. Okay, so that's a lot to handle. 329 00:21:05,550 --> 00:21:09,350 It's a lot to handle. Our family dynamic was different. It was 330 00:21:09,350 --> 00:21:13,020 busy. It was full. It was close. Okay. 331 00:21:13,420 --> 00:21:16,940 I'm the second oldest of four. And so, you know, 332 00:21:17,020 --> 00:21:20,700 I'm used to kind of, I guess, me and John 333 00:21:20,780 --> 00:21:24,500 fighting and, you know, my dad letting us 334 00:21:24,500 --> 00:21:26,060 duke it out kind of a thing. 335 00:21:28,300 --> 00:21:32,100 This is my dad and I. It was a couple years later My dad 336 00:21:32,100 --> 00:21:35,940 was my hero. He's always been. He was in 337 00:21:35,940 --> 00:21:39,630 my earliest of memories. And back then, 338 00:21:39,630 --> 00:21:43,390 he could do no wrong. No wrong in my eyes. 339 00:21:44,430 --> 00:21:47,390 It was hard for me to see him in a negative light at all. 340 00:21:49,390 --> 00:21:53,029 And then everything changed. See, like a lot of families out there, 341 00:21:53,029 --> 00:21:56,830 we were a family of divorce. My parents ended up getting 342 00:21:56,830 --> 00:22:00,470 divorced whenever I was in the third grade. I was a little bit older than 343 00:22:00,470 --> 00:22:04,320 seven, I guess I was almost eight. And my dad 344 00:22:04,320 --> 00:22:07,960 remarried a year later to my stepmom. And 345 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:11,400 things would never be the same. My childhood would never 346 00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:15,600 be the same as it was. This was me at my dad's 347 00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:19,440 wedding. I couldn't get the picture to where I had my tux on there. 348 00:22:19,440 --> 00:22:22,880 So you guys just get to see the top part of my tux. I was 349 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:24,680 nine years old, handsome. 350 00:22:28,670 --> 00:22:31,870 But everything changed after that. Divorce kind of 351 00:22:32,430 --> 00:22:34,350 breaks up a family. And 352 00:22:36,110 --> 00:22:39,590 it happened to us. The next eight years were 353 00:22:39,590 --> 00:22:42,910 filled with counseling sessions. 354 00:22:43,310 --> 00:22:46,910 The next eight years were filled with court battles, were filled with 355 00:22:47,150 --> 00:22:50,510 custody issues. And it wasn't fun. 356 00:22:51,390 --> 00:22:55,230 It wasn't fun. I turned away 357 00:22:55,230 --> 00:22:58,680 from the Lord at that time. I had given my life to the Lord at 358 00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:02,520 a very young age and turned away from him and started to get into my 359 00:23:02,520 --> 00:23:06,360 own things, my own desires. And I 360 00:23:06,360 --> 00:23:09,320 tried to cope with it as best as I can, but I ran from God 361 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:13,840 like a lot of us would. I said, you know what, God? You're 362 00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:17,000 cool and all, but I'm going to do what I want to do now, 363 00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:19,800 and then I'll come back to you one day. 364 00:23:23,570 --> 00:23:27,170 I spent several years running, and 365 00:23:27,170 --> 00:23:30,530 then in 2008, my dad decided that he wanted to 366 00:23:31,330 --> 00:23:35,050 minister the gospel to people. And this 367 00:23:35,050 --> 00:23:38,849 wasn't a new thing. He was always a man of God, and he 368 00:23:38,849 --> 00:23:42,450 wanted for us to grow up in the church. And 369 00:23:42,610 --> 00:23:45,970 he just always had bills to pay, too. And so 370 00:23:46,850 --> 00:23:50,570 he decided, okay, I'm gonna go into ministry, and then we're gonna start a church. 371 00:23:50,570 --> 00:23:54,120 So in 2008, I helped my dad start a 372 00:23:54,120 --> 00:23:57,640 church. He was already in evangelistic 373 00:23:57,640 --> 00:24:01,360 ministry, traveling and going to different nations and speaking and doing stuff 374 00:24:01,360 --> 00:24:05,200 like that. But in 2008, he 375 00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:08,920 heard a word from the Lord, said he wanted to start a church in Murfreesboro. 376 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:12,880 So my father in law, Kirk, and I went with 377 00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:16,520 him and decided to help him build a church. Global Fire 378 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:20,370 World Miracle center in Murfreesboro back in 2008. 379 00:24:22,050 --> 00:24:25,650 This was me in 2010. I was. It was 380 00:24:25,650 --> 00:24:28,930 actually January 20th of 2010. 381 00:24:29,730 --> 00:24:33,490 So we're coming up on 15 years being ordained in ministry 382 00:24:33,490 --> 00:24:37,130 as A minister of the gospel. And we stood there and 383 00:24:37,130 --> 00:24:40,970 I received the plaque, and then I was 384 00:24:40,970 --> 00:24:44,290 able to go out in ministry. So I went out and traveled with my dad 385 00:24:44,290 --> 00:24:47,340 for a number of years, and we saw some incredible, 386 00:24:47,660 --> 00:24:51,460 miraculous things that God did, and he moved in 387 00:24:51,460 --> 00:24:55,300 power. It was wonderful. This was at one of our trips. We 388 00:24:55,300 --> 00:24:59,060 went to Haiti, and people were just giving their lives 389 00:24:59,060 --> 00:25:02,300 to the Lord, back and forth, and it was an incredible time 390 00:25:04,140 --> 00:25:07,940 for those years in total, my 391 00:25:07,940 --> 00:25:11,660 dad traveled to 85 nations in 15 years to preach 392 00:25:12,110 --> 00:25:15,950 the gospel of Jesus Christ. 15 years. 393 00:25:16,830 --> 00:25:20,430 That means he was gone a lot, right? So there was a little bit of 394 00:25:20,430 --> 00:25:24,190 a balance issue there. I remember one time I asked him, 395 00:25:24,670 --> 00:25:28,270 I said, dad, what's the most important thing in life? 396 00:25:29,310 --> 00:25:32,830 What's the most. The one thing that you could tell me 397 00:25:32,910 --> 00:25:35,950 what's the most important thing? And he said, 398 00:25:37,230 --> 00:25:39,820 love the Lord with all your heart 399 00:25:40,860 --> 00:25:44,540 and love. Know him deeply. Know him deeply. 400 00:25:45,020 --> 00:25:47,740 Then he said, but the second is this. He said, 401 00:25:49,420 --> 00:25:52,860 have others come to know him as well? Have others 402 00:25:53,100 --> 00:25:56,740 go out and have others come to know him as well? And I thought about 403 00:25:56,740 --> 00:26:00,540 that and I was like, man, I want that. I want to 404 00:26:00,540 --> 00:26:04,220 know the Lord deeply, but I can't sacrifice my 405 00:26:04,220 --> 00:26:08,070 family for it. There has to be a balance here, Lord. There has 406 00:26:08,070 --> 00:26:11,830 to be something that's got to give. Because I saw what 407 00:26:11,830 --> 00:26:15,630 you did, dad, and you know, you sacrificed a lot to 408 00:26:15,630 --> 00:26:19,190 be on the road for 15 years of your life. You brought 409 00:26:19,190 --> 00:26:22,950 thousands of people to come to know who the person of Jesus is, 410 00:26:24,630 --> 00:26:27,510 operated in all kinds of incredible moves of God. 411 00:26:29,910 --> 00:26:32,280 But your home life was not what I want. 412 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:36,440 So what is it that you want me to do, God? 413 00:26:38,680 --> 00:26:42,120 And the Lord said, be a disciple for your family. 414 00:26:43,320 --> 00:26:47,000 He said, your first ministry is in your family. And then everything 415 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:50,120 else will flow out of that relationship with the Lord. 416 00:26:50,840 --> 00:26:54,040 Everything else. Trust me and I'll take care of it. 417 00:26:56,520 --> 00:26:59,910 Thousands of people came to know God because of 418 00:27:01,270 --> 00:27:03,190 my dad's obedience to the Lord. 419 00:27:05,270 --> 00:27:08,070 Dad passed away unexpectedly Tuesday. 420 00:27:08,870 --> 00:27:12,224 Just a normal Tuesday, August 9, 421 00:27:12,356 --> 00:27:15,350 2022. So we're coming up on three years. 422 00:27:19,030 --> 00:27:21,110 Not a day goes by that I don't think about Him. 423 00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:26,720 Thankful for the legacy that he has given me. 424 00:27:28,960 --> 00:27:32,000 All right, back to the story. Now that I've cried. 425 00:27:34,320 --> 00:27:38,000 All right, we are in verse. 426 00:27:40,560 --> 00:27:43,440 Wait, verse 20. 427 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:50,060 Early in the morning, David left the flock with a shepherd, loaded up and 428 00:27:50,060 --> 00:27:53,740 set out as Jesse had 429 00:27:53,740 --> 00:27:57,460 directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out 430 00:27:57,460 --> 00:28:01,180 to his battle positions, shouting the war cry. Israel and 431 00:28:01,180 --> 00:28:04,700 the Philistines were drawing up their Lines facing one another. 432 00:28:05,340 --> 00:28:08,860 David left his things with the keeper of supplies, 433 00:28:09,180 --> 00:28:12,300 ran to the battle lines and greeted his brothers 434 00:28:12,860 --> 00:28:16,640 as he was talking with them. Goliath, the Philistine champion from God, and 435 00:28:17,030 --> 00:28:20,870 stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance. 436 00:28:21,430 --> 00:28:24,150 And David heard it. That's important. 437 00:28:25,110 --> 00:28:28,750 When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran 438 00:28:28,750 --> 00:28:32,270 from him in great fear. So 439 00:28:32,270 --> 00:28:35,910 David runs to his brothers on the battle 440 00:28:35,910 --> 00:28:39,550 lines that day, and he hears something he's probably never 441 00:28:39,550 --> 00:28:43,200 heard in his young life. Remember, 442 00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:47,000 his relationship with the Lord was like this. He was 443 00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:50,640 super close with God, and he 444 00:28:50,640 --> 00:28:54,080 hears this mortal man defying 445 00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:58,279 his God. I'm sure that brought all 446 00:28:58,279 --> 00:29:02,120 kinds of. I mean, he rose up and just wanted 447 00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:04,480 to take him on right at that moment. I'm sure he did. 448 00:29:06,320 --> 00:29:10,040 We should be offended when we hear the word or the name 449 00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:13,720 of the Lord taken in vain. When we should be 450 00:29:13,720 --> 00:29:16,520 offended when we hear God being defied. 451 00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:26,120 All of the other Israelites ran in fear. 452 00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:35,000 Now, the Israelites had been saying, verse 25. Do you see how 453 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:38,800 this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. 454 00:29:38,800 --> 00:29:42,480 The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. 455 00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:46,400 He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt 456 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:49,999 his father's family from taxes in 457 00:29:49,999 --> 00:29:53,760 Israel. Three rewards, right? Great 458 00:29:53,760 --> 00:29:57,320 riches. The king's daughter in marriage, and then, man, your family 459 00:29:57,320 --> 00:30:00,720 is free in Israel. You guys don't ever have to pay taxes 460 00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:04,560 ever again. Saul must have really wanted 461 00:30:04,560 --> 00:30:08,400 somebody to step up to this champion from Go, 462 00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:12,680 Right. I know some of us might say, oh, you know what? No 463 00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:15,280 taxes. Let's go. I am in. Come on. 464 00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:18,880 Great riches. I don't know about your daughter, but 465 00:30:21,120 --> 00:30:24,800 she proves to be a snare later on, if you familiar with the story. 466 00:30:26,080 --> 00:30:29,520 All right, so verse 467 00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:33,000 26. David asked the men 468 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:36,560 standing near him, what will be done for the man who kills the Philistine and 469 00:30:36,560 --> 00:30:40,320 removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is 470 00:30:40,320 --> 00:30:44,040 this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the 471 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:47,880 armies of the living God? They repeated to him what 472 00:30:47,880 --> 00:30:50,880 they had been saying and told him, this is what will be done for the 473 00:30:50,880 --> 00:30:54,530 man who kills him. When Eliab, David's 474 00:30:54,530 --> 00:30:58,130 oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and 475 00:30:58,130 --> 00:31:01,810 asked, why have you come down here? And with 476 00:31:01,810 --> 00:31:05,570 whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited 477 00:31:05,570 --> 00:31:09,170 you are and how wicked your heart is. You came down here 478 00:31:09,170 --> 00:31:12,730 only to watch the battle. Now what have I 479 00:31:12,730 --> 00:31:15,930 done? Said David. Can't I even speak? 480 00:31:18,340 --> 00:31:22,180 Can't I even speak? David Responded to 481 00:31:22,180 --> 00:31:25,780 them saying, who is this uncircumcised Philistine? 482 00:31:26,020 --> 00:31:29,500 Why does he think that he has the authority to speak against the 483 00:31:29,500 --> 00:31:33,060 Almighty God? See, David, his 484 00:31:33,060 --> 00:31:36,100 relationship with the Lord was so close 485 00:31:37,220 --> 00:31:41,020 that he couldn't take it. He didn't understand it. He said, why are 486 00:31:41,020 --> 00:31:44,340 all you running? Stand up and fight him. 487 00:31:48,390 --> 00:31:49,670 If I can get this to Click 488 00:31:56,470 --> 00:32:00,190 Mary, you might have to. I might have pushed 489 00:32:00,190 --> 00:32:01,110 pause or something. 490 00:32:04,070 --> 00:32:06,390 Just click it for me whenever you get a chance. 491 00:32:08,390 --> 00:32:11,910 Okay, I'll just read it. Our relationship with God is the most crucial 492 00:32:11,910 --> 00:32:15,470 one we have. It's how we navigate all other 493 00:32:15,470 --> 00:32:18,950 relationships. It's the source of our identity, strength, 494 00:32:19,030 --> 00:32:22,710 and purpose, especially when facing our 495 00:32:22,710 --> 00:32:26,350 own giants. David's relationship with God was so close 496 00:32:26,350 --> 00:32:30,150 that he was not going to have anybody speaking bad about him, 497 00:32:30,150 --> 00:32:33,830 about his God. In Eliab, David's 498 00:32:33,830 --> 00:32:37,390 older brother, he was offended at the boldness of his 499 00:32:37,390 --> 00:32:40,720 younger brother. He was probably offended because 500 00:32:41,120 --> 00:32:44,400 his younger brother stepped up whenever he said, yeah, 501 00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:48,600 I'm gonna run in fear with the rest of these guys, right? He 502 00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:52,240 was offended at the boldness of David to say, who 503 00:32:52,240 --> 00:32:55,200 is this uncircumcised Philistine? I'll take him on. 504 00:32:56,480 --> 00:33:00,000 So what did he do? He tried to discount his younger brother. 505 00:33:00,320 --> 00:33:04,040 He tried to throw insults at him. Assumptions. Who's 506 00:33:04,040 --> 00:33:07,800 taking care of the sheep? Isn't that your job? Discount him in front of 507 00:33:07,800 --> 00:33:08,480 all those people. 508 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:15,680 All right, reading on. See if they got this working. No, 509 00:33:18,800 --> 00:33:19,920 let's go to verse 30. 510 00:33:26,160 --> 00:33:29,600 He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter. 511 00:33:29,760 --> 00:33:33,350 And the man answered him as before. What David said was 512 00:33:33,350 --> 00:33:36,950 overheard and reported to Saul. And Saul sent for 513 00:33:36,950 --> 00:33:39,910 him. So word starts to spread. 514 00:33:40,790 --> 00:33:44,390 David's wanting to take on this challenge. Saul's probably like, oh, gosh, 515 00:33:44,390 --> 00:33:47,670 finally there's a guy who's gonna step up and take on this giant. 516 00:33:48,310 --> 00:33:51,870 Thank the Lord, right? So Saul sends for 517 00:33:51,870 --> 00:33:55,670 David, and the stage is set for the present King Saul 518 00:33:55,830 --> 00:33:59,220 and the future King David to come face to face 519 00:34:00,020 --> 00:34:03,540 and us as readers to see the stark contrast 520 00:34:03,540 --> 00:34:05,940 between the two of them as they respond. 521 00:34:08,900 --> 00:34:12,540 So David says to 522 00:34:12,540 --> 00:34:16,300 Saul in verse 32, let no one lose heart on account of 523 00:34:16,300 --> 00:34:20,140 this Philistine. Your servant will go and fight for 524 00:34:20,140 --> 00:34:23,740 him. Saul replied, you are not 525 00:34:23,740 --> 00:34:27,529 able to go out against this Philistine and fight him. You're only a boy. 526 00:34:27,929 --> 00:34:31,609 And he has been fighting. He's been a fighting man from his youth. 527 00:34:32,569 --> 00:34:35,929 Notice the boldness in David as he speaks to Saul. 528 00:34:36,729 --> 00:34:40,249 He is filled with boldness. He's ready to take on the 529 00:34:40,249 --> 00:34:42,969 Challenge, he took action. 530 00:34:45,449 --> 00:34:48,809 Saul responds to David as the world would. You're just a boy. 531 00:34:49,529 --> 00:34:53,289 You're not able. You're not going to do this. He saw through 532 00:34:53,289 --> 00:34:56,970 a worldly lens of this challenge, 533 00:34:56,970 --> 00:35:00,130 this 9 foot, 9 inch giant and this little boy. 534 00:35:01,250 --> 00:35:04,730 But he didn't see of the spiritual reality of 535 00:35:04,730 --> 00:35:08,410 David's relationship with God. And that God is so much bigger than 536 00:35:08,410 --> 00:35:10,690 anything that that giant had to offer. 537 00:35:13,490 --> 00:35:17,090 Let's listen to David's response in verse 34. 538 00:35:17,170 --> 00:35:20,370 But David said to Saul, your servant has been keeping 539 00:35:20,690 --> 00:35:24,350 his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and 540 00:35:24,350 --> 00:35:28,150 carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and 541 00:35:28,150 --> 00:35:31,910 rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it 542 00:35:31,910 --> 00:35:35,590 by its hair and struck it and killed it. Your servant has 543 00:35:35,590 --> 00:35:39,190 killed both the lion and the bear. This uncircumcised 544 00:35:39,190 --> 00:35:42,830 Philistine will be like one of them because he has defied the 545 00:35:42,830 --> 00:35:46,670 armies of the living God. The Lord who delivered me from the 546 00:35:46,670 --> 00:35:50,500 paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the 547 00:35:50,500 --> 00:35:54,260 hand of this Philistine. Saul said to David, go, 548 00:35:55,060 --> 00:35:58,500 and the Lord be with you. Like I said, 549 00:35:59,060 --> 00:36:02,900 David is aware of the spiritual reality here. He doesn't accept 550 00:36:02,900 --> 00:36:06,500 Saul's viewpoint. He doesn't accept the words that 551 00:36:06,740 --> 00:36:10,420 Saul hurled at him. You're only a boy, and he's been a fighting man since 552 00:36:10,420 --> 00:36:14,180 his youth. David pretty much says, 553 00:36:14,180 --> 00:36:17,850 saul, you have no clue who the giant in this picture is. 554 00:36:18,970 --> 00:36:22,170 Do you not see that the Lord God Almighty 555 00:36:22,490 --> 00:36:26,210 is with me, is with us, his people, and he 556 00:36:26,210 --> 00:36:29,610 will fight our battles for us. David 557 00:36:29,610 --> 00:36:33,330 chooses to see a spiritual reality that is lost 558 00:36:33,330 --> 00:36:37,010 on Saul. How we respond 559 00:36:37,010 --> 00:36:40,810 when authority figures disappoint or oppose us reveals 560 00:36:40,970 --> 00:36:44,620 our character. It reveals who we 561 00:36:44,620 --> 00:36:48,300 are, our character. See, David's character was 562 00:36:48,300 --> 00:36:51,740 forged in the sheep fields with the Lord of hosts. 563 00:36:52,380 --> 00:36:56,180 Every day he would talk with him, pray 564 00:36:56,180 --> 00:36:58,380 with him, worship him. 565 00:36:59,900 --> 00:37:03,100 See, ultimately, it's a matter of perspective. David chose 566 00:37:03,740 --> 00:37:07,540 to see the bigness of God and Goliath 567 00:37:07,540 --> 00:37:11,210 dwarfed in comparison. My prayer for us today 568 00:37:12,490 --> 00:37:14,970 is that we would see the bigness of God in our lives, 569 00:37:16,170 --> 00:37:19,730 that we would choose not to view the challenges, the 570 00:37:19,730 --> 00:37:22,970 obstacles as these big overcoming things, 571 00:37:25,290 --> 00:37:29,130 but that we would trust God to fight on our behalf. 572 00:37:30,330 --> 00:37:32,410 Because fear is a liar. 573 00:37:33,930 --> 00:37:37,610 Fear is from the enemy. And the enemy has no chance 574 00:37:38,220 --> 00:37:42,020 against a God. And against the God of angel 575 00:37:42,020 --> 00:37:44,700 armies, no chance. 576 00:37:45,500 --> 00:37:47,820 Fear is a liar. 577 00:37:50,460 --> 00:37:54,219 Verse 38 says. 578 00:37:54,219 --> 00:37:58,020 Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor 579 00:37:58,020 --> 00:38:01,700 on him and a Bronze helmet on his head, David fastened on his 580 00:38:01,700 --> 00:38:05,300 sword over the tunic and tried walking around because he was not used to 581 00:38:05,530 --> 00:38:09,170 them. I cannot go in these, he said to Saul, because I am not used 582 00:38:09,170 --> 00:38:12,850 to them. So he took them off. David rejects 583 00:38:12,850 --> 00:38:16,690 Saul's approach to battle. He's 584 00:38:16,690 --> 00:38:20,410 not familiar with them. He hasn't been tested. His armor hasn't 585 00:38:20,410 --> 00:38:24,050 been tested. And you know what? This is also a foreshadowing to 586 00:38:24,050 --> 00:38:27,890 what's to come. See, David wasn't 587 00:38:27,890 --> 00:38:31,610 going to accept the old way of things. David wasn't going to conform 588 00:38:31,610 --> 00:38:34,510 to the world, and that was before him. 589 00:38:36,590 --> 00:38:40,270 David was going to trust on the promise and provision 590 00:38:40,510 --> 00:38:44,310 of the Lord God, who brought him through victory over the bear 591 00:38:44,310 --> 00:38:47,870 and the lion and the God of his ancestors, Abraham, 592 00:38:47,870 --> 00:38:51,590 Isaac and Jacob, trusting in the promises that he has set before 593 00:38:51,590 --> 00:38:54,910 them. This is what David depended on. 594 00:39:00,600 --> 00:39:04,200 I cannot go in these, he said. So then, verse 40. He 595 00:39:04,200 --> 00:39:07,920 took his staff in his hand. He chose five smooth 596 00:39:07,920 --> 00:39:11,600 stones from the stream. He put them in his pouch of his shepherd's 597 00:39:11,600 --> 00:39:15,080 bag. And with his sling in his hand, he approached the 598 00:39:15,080 --> 00:39:18,840 Philistine. David went to battle 599 00:39:18,840 --> 00:39:22,440 with what he knew. David was a shepherd. 600 00:39:22,680 --> 00:39:26,130 He had a sling. He had a shepherd's pouch. 601 00:39:26,370 --> 00:39:30,010 And he went and chose five stones from the 602 00:39:30,010 --> 00:39:33,810 river, put them in his pouch and said, let's go, God. 603 00:39:35,090 --> 00:39:38,450 He knew that the Lord was fighting for him. 604 00:39:40,210 --> 00:39:43,330 David went to battle in his everyday 605 00:39:43,570 --> 00:39:45,970 ordinary shepherd gear. 606 00:39:48,050 --> 00:39:51,610 Verse 41. Meanwhile, the Philistine with his shield bare in front of him, 607 00:39:51,610 --> 00:39:55,430 kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that 608 00:39:55,430 --> 00:39:59,110 he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised 609 00:39:59,110 --> 00:40:02,430 him. He said to David, am I a dog that you come at me with 610 00:40:02,430 --> 00:40:06,190 sticks? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 611 00:40:06,670 --> 00:40:10,110 Come here, he said, and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air 612 00:40:10,110 --> 00:40:13,310 and the beasts of the field. Careful, 613 00:40:13,310 --> 00:40:16,590 Goliath. Goliath is insulted 614 00:40:16,990 --> 00:40:20,550 because this warrior from the Israelite 615 00:40:20,550 --> 00:40:24,030 army is just a boy. He came at him with not a 616 00:40:24,030 --> 00:40:27,790 sword, but some sticks. He 617 00:40:27,790 --> 00:40:31,590 said, a sling, some stones. He's feeling 618 00:40:31,590 --> 00:40:35,230 insulted and he calls him out, 619 00:40:36,350 --> 00:40:39,950 who am I? And he curses him by his 620 00:40:39,950 --> 00:40:43,710 gods. Careful. Because 621 00:40:43,710 --> 00:40:47,470 in Genesis, chapter 12, verse 3 says, 622 00:40:48,240 --> 00:40:51,800 I will curse those who curse you. I will 623 00:40:51,800 --> 00:40:53,440 bless those who bless you. 624 00:40:55,360 --> 00:40:59,040 See, this is the word of the Lord. Goliath 625 00:40:59,280 --> 00:41:02,720 cursed David. Therefore he's going to heap 626 00:41:02,720 --> 00:41:04,240 curses on his head. 627 00:41:09,200 --> 00:41:12,800 David, not to be outdone in pregame trash talk, 628 00:41:13,370 --> 00:41:17,170 said to the Philistine, you come against me with sword and spear and 629 00:41:17,170 --> 00:41:21,010 javelin, but I come against you. In the name of the Lord Almighty, the 630 00:41:21,010 --> 00:41:24,490 God of the angel armies whom you have defied 631 00:41:24,810 --> 00:41:27,850 this day, the Lord will hand you over to me and I will strike you 632 00:41:27,850 --> 00:41:31,090 down and cut off your head. Today I will give the 633 00:41:31,090 --> 00:41:34,930 carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the 634 00:41:34,930 --> 00:41:38,490 beasts of the earth. And the whole world will know that there is a God 635 00:41:38,490 --> 00:41:42,300 in Israel. All those gathered here will know that 636 00:41:42,300 --> 00:41:45,780 it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves. For the 637 00:41:45,780 --> 00:41:49,460 battle is the Lord's. And he will give all 638 00:41:49,540 --> 00:41:53,220 of you into our hands. Wow. 639 00:41:54,340 --> 00:41:58,020 Wow. All into 640 00:41:58,340 --> 00:42:02,180 his hands. The battle is the Lord's. This David wasn't 641 00:42:02,180 --> 00:42:05,740 set for personal glory. He wasn't out to seek fame and 642 00:42:05,740 --> 00:42:09,140 fortune for his own doing. No, 643 00:42:09,460 --> 00:42:13,220 the battle is the Lord's. He was out to give God 644 00:42:13,220 --> 00:42:17,060 all the glory. And when we live in relationship with the Lord, a 645 00:42:17,060 --> 00:42:20,580 vertical life says, I want God to get 646 00:42:20,580 --> 00:42:24,220 all the glory. My relationship with 647 00:42:24,220 --> 00:42:27,780 him says, he is worthy. He is the only one that 648 00:42:27,780 --> 00:42:31,620 deserves the glory. This is 649 00:42:31,620 --> 00:42:35,350 what our lives should say, God, you 650 00:42:35,350 --> 00:42:38,590 get all the glory above everything else. 651 00:42:40,510 --> 00:42:44,310 Later in chapter 18, King Saul kept David with 652 00:42:44,310 --> 00:42:48,070 him. His shepherding days are over. The scripture 653 00:42:48,070 --> 00:42:51,790 says that he brings him up as a high ranking 654 00:42:51,790 --> 00:42:55,590 officer in the army. And David succeeds at everything that Saul 655 00:42:55,590 --> 00:42:56,670 sends him to do. 656 00:43:00,350 --> 00:43:03,750 The victory changed everything in 657 00:43:03,750 --> 00:43:07,430 David's life. In the camp of the Israelites, 658 00:43:07,990 --> 00:43:11,750 the Philistines were no more. They chased them down for 659 00:43:11,750 --> 00:43:14,470 five miles and slew them, 660 00:43:15,670 --> 00:43:18,950 just as David said. The birds feasted 661 00:43:19,350 --> 00:43:19,990 on them. 662 00:43:23,670 --> 00:43:27,350 Saul started to get 663 00:43:27,750 --> 00:43:31,550 upset. He started to get jealous. Because when they returned home to 664 00:43:31,550 --> 00:43:35,200 Jerusalem, there was a song that 665 00:43:35,280 --> 00:43:38,640 the people were saying. And they were saying, saul has slain his 666 00:43:38,640 --> 00:43:41,520 thousands and David his ten thousands. 667 00:43:42,560 --> 00:43:45,600 He was jealous. Their relationship 668 00:43:46,080 --> 00:43:49,120 became tense with suspicion, manipulation, 669 00:43:50,080 --> 00:43:53,360 and eventually he started trying to take David's life. 670 00:43:55,680 --> 00:43:58,720 See, success can test relationships. 671 00:44:00,320 --> 00:44:02,240 Success can change things, 672 00:44:05,500 --> 00:44:07,020 especially with those in authority. 673 00:44:09,500 --> 00:44:12,300 This will test our integrity and our patience as well. 674 00:44:14,460 --> 00:44:18,220 But it shouldn't change who we are in our relationship with the Lord. 675 00:44:19,740 --> 00:44:23,580 Because if success happens in our own lives, then it shouldn't be 676 00:44:23,740 --> 00:44:26,540 for us to receive the glory. It's for him 677 00:44:27,580 --> 00:44:29,660 because we live vertical lives to please him. 678 00:44:32,300 --> 00:44:36,100 Oh. Although David was successful on the battlefield that day, and the 679 00:44:36,100 --> 00:44:39,740 nation of Israel triumphed over the Philistine army, the 680 00:44:39,740 --> 00:44:43,580 ultimate purpose of this battle is to point us to a much, 681 00:44:43,660 --> 00:44:47,500 much greater battle. One fought not in 682 00:44:47,500 --> 00:44:51,260 the middle of a valley in Israel, but one fought in the 683 00:44:51,260 --> 00:44:54,980 center of all history. See, on one side there's 684 00:44:54,980 --> 00:44:58,740 an Adversary, the devil, the enemy. He's out to 685 00:44:58,740 --> 00:45:01,660 steal, kill, and destroy all of us. 686 00:45:04,380 --> 00:45:08,100 And we've taken the bait. We 687 00:45:08,100 --> 00:45:11,780 have all fallen short of the glory. We have 688 00:45:11,780 --> 00:45:15,500 all sinned, been lured by the enemy. 689 00:45:16,860 --> 00:45:20,300 So who is going to take this adversary on? Who can? 690 00:45:25,020 --> 00:45:25,980 Who can do it? 691 00:45:29,260 --> 00:45:32,840 Not us, because we all, like the Israelites, run in fear. 692 00:45:35,160 --> 00:45:38,640 But on the other side, a humble 693 00:45:38,640 --> 00:45:39,240 servant 694 00:45:44,760 --> 00:45:47,840 from the tribe of Judah in the bloodline of David, an 695 00:45:47,840 --> 00:45:51,680 unlikely champion. He stares temptation 696 00:45:51,680 --> 00:45:53,640 in the face day after day 697 00:45:55,720 --> 00:45:59,480 and doesn't give in. Then one day, he 698 00:45:59,480 --> 00:46:03,240 chooses the cross for us. He 699 00:46:03,240 --> 00:46:06,660 goes to the grave. And it looks as if 700 00:46:07,460 --> 00:46:11,220 the adversary has won. It looks as if 701 00:46:13,700 --> 00:46:17,460 the enemy has won. Until 702 00:46:17,620 --> 00:46:21,380 three days later, he rises from the grave. 703 00:46:21,780 --> 00:46:25,340 His name is Jesus. He's the champion over 704 00:46:25,340 --> 00:46:28,500 sin and death. And all who trust in him 705 00:46:29,380 --> 00:46:33,050 will be free from sin, will be given true 706 00:46:33,050 --> 00:46:36,770 life forever with him. This is the good 707 00:46:36,770 --> 00:46:40,410 news of the gospel. Jesus 708 00:46:40,410 --> 00:46:44,170 has conquered death, has conquered sin. And 709 00:46:44,170 --> 00:46:47,610 just like David conquered Goliath that day in the valley, 710 00:46:47,930 --> 00:46:51,450 we can rely on Jesus in our lives to conquer whatever 711 00:46:51,450 --> 00:46:55,170 challenges we face. See, this 712 00:46:55,170 --> 00:46:58,700 is the ultimate story that has the power to change all 713 00:46:59,100 --> 00:47:01,980 of our stories for all of eternity. 714 00:47:02,700 --> 00:47:05,020 That's the point of 1st Samuel 17. 715 00:47:06,460 --> 00:47:09,820 That's the reason that we read this story today. 716 00:47:13,500 --> 00:47:17,340 Not so we can trust in ourselves and what we have to 717 00:47:17,340 --> 00:47:20,860 offer. No, that would be 718 00:47:20,860 --> 00:47:24,700 foolishness. It's so we can put 719 00:47:24,700 --> 00:47:28,540 all of our trust in Jesus and 720 00:47:28,540 --> 00:47:31,820 every giant that we face. He is 721 00:47:31,820 --> 00:47:35,540 faithful to go and fight for us and with 722 00:47:35,540 --> 00:47:39,020 us. The God of the angel 723 00:47:39,020 --> 00:47:42,300 armies is always on our side. 724 00:47:45,740 --> 00:47:46,780 He's calling. 725 00:47:54,940 --> 00:47:57,900 So if you're fighting a battle this morning, 726 00:47:58,620 --> 00:48:02,360 if you're going. Going through something and you feel 727 00:48:02,360 --> 00:48:02,680 like, 728 00:48:07,640 --> 00:48:10,280 Lord, you're calling us out, 729 00:48:11,880 --> 00:48:15,640 so. So I'm going to ask you to stand with me as 730 00:48:15,640 --> 00:48:19,440 we come in to worship our risen Savior, the one who 731 00:48:19,440 --> 00:48:23,240 defeated death and sin. Guys, there is 732 00:48:23,320 --> 00:48:27,160 hope. This altar space is open 733 00:48:27,160 --> 00:48:30,440 this morning. If you want to lay something, 734 00:48:31,300 --> 00:48:34,580 you have a giant that you think is too big. You can trust 735 00:48:34,900 --> 00:48:38,660 that the God of the angel armies is on your side. And 736 00:48:38,660 --> 00:48:41,940 he is with you and for you in any 737 00:48:42,180 --> 00:48:45,700 challenge that you face. Amen. Amen.