Giants in Our Lives Who or What are the Giants in your Life? Each person shares a little something about themselves (Family, Background, or whatever). WRITE OUT OUR FEARS about MPD in general and about this training. SHARE OUR FEARS END WITH: 2Tim 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. However, when we get out of our comfort zones and get moving and trust God and do it, our fears seem to just melt away. We are going to think about what are giants.

What things cause fear in your heart? Death Public Speaking Ministry Partner Development calling asking explaining asking for more We just shared our fears. Did you know that man’s greatest fear is to die and second is public speaking? Death made me search for answers to life which took care of the first one but I am still struggling with the second one. It is only by the grace of God that I’m here now  So it is good to recognize our fears because a lot of times once we say them they don’t seem so big. But sometimes they are still there and we need to take a look at what God has to say about them so we can deal with them. So this morning we are going to take a look at one of the giants of the faith and how he dealt with a giant. David and Goliath – I Sam 17.

Sharing Our Fears! We just shared our fears. Did you know that man’s greatest fear is to die and second is public speaking? Death made me search for answers to life which took care of the first one but I am still struggling with the second one. It is only by the grace of God that I’m here now  So it is good to recognize our fears because a lot of times once we say them they don’t seem so big. But sometimes they are still there and we need to take a look at what God has to say about them so we can deal with them. So this morning we are going to take a look at one of the giants of the faith and how he dealt with a giant. David and Goliath – I Sam 17.

Scene 1: 1 Samual 17:3 The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them. Did you see the movie Troy? This movie gives you an idea how battles were fought. When one nation/tribe battled with another they would let the whole battle be fought by their best warriors/champions one on one. Whichever warrior won, that side won the war and lives of the many were spared. But if you lost everyone fell under the rule of the other side.

Scene 1: 1 Samuel 17:4-11

1 Samual 17:4-7 A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing 5,000 shekels (125 lbs.); 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 600 shekels (15 lbs). His shield bearer went ahead of him. He was big and strong wouldn’t you say. Kind of scary.

1 Samual 17:8-10 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. Not only was Goliath big and strong but verbal too. Who was Israel’s biggest man, anyway? I Sam 9:2 – He had a son named Saul, an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites – a head taller than any of the others. But look at the next verse.

1 Samual 17:11 On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. Unfortunately I would probably be in this camp. Terrified! The worst thing that could happen was death. They lost their wits about themselves.

1 Samuel 17 - Today’s Scenario This is maybe how we would picture it today. You feel it a little bit more don’t you? Dismayed and Terrified. What is the first thing you focus on in this picture?

Scene 2: 1 Samual 17:17-24 The pizza delivery boy arrives – David brings food to his brothers at the battle lines. Who is this David? shepherd – now there is a great job. youngest of eight sons of Jesse inquisitive, curious, interested – vs. 22-25 Shepherds are regarded as the lowest of all in the community. The job didn’t get much respect. And on top of that they smelled bad. Sheep smell so if you are with them day and night that means you smell too.

1 Samual 17:26 & 32 A reward for the guy who kills Goliath (V25,27) David asks, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”-Vs 26 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”-Vs 32 Now we hear something from David’s perspective. He saw that they had lost heart. [Click]

Two Perspectives (Opinions) Vs 11,24 Vs26 David HOPEFUL & COURAGEOUS Saul & the Israelites DISMAYED & TERRIFIED Contrast of Perspectives. What made the difference? Why did these people to have different perspectives? Why?

1 Samuel 17:34-36 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. David now tells us his credentials. Lions and Tiger and Bears, oh my!

1 Samuel 17:37 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. This is the key credential in David’s life. While protecting his sheep he had fought both lions and bears was preparation to fight Goliath but the greater preparation was that he knew who it was that protected him – the Lord. You may feel like you are in a bad place or a low spot in your life, maybe like a shepherd – a low life, but as you let God teach you in the place that you are He will be preparing you for the next set of faith. God had been taking David, even as a young boy, and preparing him for this very day. This verse gives us a strong clue as to why David had, so far, had victory in life. He put his faith in God rather than the fearful circumstances. He was looking to God for deliverance. (Not like zap you out of this place.) Key credential: He didn’t take the credit for all he had done as shepherd; he gave the Glory to God. I probably would have said, “Hey look what I did.”

Verse 37 David had killed this. The Lord delivered him from the lion.

1 Samuel 17:40-43 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. Meanwhile, the 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.

1 Samuel 17:44-46a “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beast 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.

1 Samuel 17:46b-47 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. 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.” David wasn’t saying that the whole world would know of the great nation of Israel or that Saul was a great king but that the whole world would know that there is a God in Israel.

Our Verse – Prov. 21:31 “The horse is made ready for the day of battle but the victory rests with the Lord.” This a reminder of our DMPD training verse. David was prepared (all his life as a shepherd he was prepared physically and spiritually for this day). So the day of the battle he rested with the Lord because the victory was in the Lord’s hands.

When We Trust God Our Giants Fall

What made the Difference? Their FOCUS was different. The Israelites’ eyes were fixed on their circumstances, therefore responding in fear. David’s eyes were fixed on the Lord, therefore responding in faith. All the people saw the same circumstances, a big hairy giant threatening them. What made the difference in what they saw, felt and eventually acted out?

Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith So what’s it going to be? circumstances and fear or Jesus and faith Tell about how I have been in such a bad mood because I have been focusing on the circumstances of this training and fear of doing a lousy job. Not being nice at all and making my life stressful. Nobody would notice my God and I can’t forget that there are always eyes on us to show the world that there is a God. [Click]

Our Verse – Prov. 21:31 “The horse is made ready for the day of battle but the victory rests with the Lord.” This a reminder of our DMPD training verse. David was prepared (all his life as a shepherd he was prepared physically and spiritually for this day). So the day of the battle he rested with the Lord because the victory was in the Lord’s hands.

Reflection What are the giants in your life right now? How has God prepared you for this very time of training? On what are you fixing your eyes? Spend some time seeking the Lord and praying for eyes of faith. PRAY