WEBVTT
00:00:03.839 --> 00:00:06.719
Welcome to the Enduring Grace Sermons Podcast.
00:00:06.879 --> 00:00:10.400
This is the home for the weekly teaching and ministry of Pastor Ben Hill.
00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:15.199
Our mission is to share the timeless truth of God's Word with a world in need of hope.
00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:21.359
For more resources, articles, and updates, visit us online at enduringgrace.com.
00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:24.559
And now, here is this week's message.
00:00:26.879 --> 00:00:31.199
If you have your Bibles, go ahead and turn to 1 Samuel.
00:00:31.280 --> 00:00:39.039
We're going to be in 1 Samuel 17 as we continue our study on the man after God's own heart, the life of David.
00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:51.200
And last week what we saw was that he was anointed the next king, that he was God's chosen anointed king of Israel, and how Saul was no longer the anointed one.
00:00:51.359 --> 00:00:54.880
And this week we're going to be talking beyond the sling.
00:00:55.280 --> 00:01:02.000
Now, I picked that title because oftentimes when we get to the story of David and Goliath, you know what happens?
00:01:02.159 --> 00:01:06.400
We focus on David defeating Goliath.
00:01:06.959 --> 00:01:13.439
But did you know David did not see that as the primary focus of what was transpiring?
00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:17.680
In culture, David and Goliath is a very popular term.
00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:19.920
We see it demonstrated everywhere.
00:01:20.079 --> 00:01:26.239
You have your favorite sports team that is an underdog against a giant powerhouse college.
00:01:26.400 --> 00:01:27.200
You know what happens?
00:01:27.359 --> 00:01:30.480
And that was my life, by the way, because I'm a University of Memphis fan.
00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:32.239
We're a nobody in football.
00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:35.439
Everybody's a top dog compared to us.
00:01:35.760 --> 00:01:45.920
And so every time we faced a SEC team or a Big Ten team or a Big 12 team, the conversation was when we won, David beats Goliath.
00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:49.680
Because that's the language we use.
00:01:50.000 --> 00:02:02.400
In fact, one of the best-selling authors, uh, Malcolm Gladwell, wrote a book called David and Goliath, Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants.
00:02:03.680 --> 00:02:11.520
David and Goliath is headlined when the impossible happens when a mom and pop shop defeats a corporate operation.
00:02:14.879 --> 00:02:22.240
David and Goliath is oftentimes so focused on David and what he did that it takes away the glory from God.
00:02:24.080 --> 00:02:27.120
David did not see it that way.
00:02:27.360 --> 00:02:34.639
In fact, David saw it as it was God's fight, as we will see here in just a moment from our text.
00:02:35.280 --> 00:02:46.000
So the question for us as Christians, even the non-Christian, is first, who fights the battle in your life?
00:02:46.319 --> 00:02:49.520
Who fights the battle in your life?
00:02:50.639 --> 00:02:58.479
Which has a follow-up question is ultimately who fights the battle for your life is who gets the glory.
00:02:58.879 --> 00:03:02.080
So who gets the glory in your life?
00:03:02.400 --> 00:03:05.439
Is it you or is it the Lord?
00:03:06.080 --> 00:03:16.800
That's really what we're talking about this morning is giving God the rightful place in the story, the events of David and Goliath.
00:03:17.199 --> 00:03:23.199
So if you found your place in 1 Samuel 17, we're going to be looking at verse 46 and 47.
00:03:23.280 --> 00:03:24.159
Would you say word?
00:03:25.199 --> 00:03:28.879
And I'm going to ask you to stand one more time for the reading of God's word.
00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:55.039
Verse 46 says, This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down, and cut off your head, and I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves, not with sword and spear.
00:03:55.199 --> 00:03:59.599
For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands.
00:03:59.919 --> 00:04:01.360
You may be seated.
00:04:02.479 --> 00:04:17.120
David, right from the get-go, when he gets face to face with Goliath, as he's standing on the battlefield, he preaches a sermon, a two-verse sermon, that is focused on the Lord.
00:04:17.360 --> 00:04:23.759
It is focused on where God fits in the battle in this valley.
00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:29.600
That the focus is not on anyone other than the Lord versus Goliath.
00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:36.800
Oftentimes when we talk about the underdog story, we say David is the underdog and Goliath is the top dog.
00:04:37.279 --> 00:04:39.279
David understood it totally different.
00:04:39.839 --> 00:04:49.839
David saw it as Goliath was the lowly dog, the underdog, because he, God, was fighting the battle for him, that God is the top dog.
00:04:50.319 --> 00:04:55.439
David and Goliath is not a story to read as an underdog versus a top dog.
00:04:56.160 --> 00:05:00.639
It is the top dog showing the underdog that he is the underdog.
00:05:01.759 --> 00:05:04.720
Because God reigns supreme.
00:05:05.040 --> 00:05:11.279
It is about the Lord being the one who is sovereign in the battle.
00:05:11.839 --> 00:05:13.439
Because God delivers.
00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:15.040
God delivers.
00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:20.959
This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand.
00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:32.879
David understood that Goliath had no authority, that he would not be the one who would walk away with his head hanging high.
00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:37.680
Because he understood that the Lord was the one who would deliver.
00:05:37.839 --> 00:05:42.160
Now, this word deliver is important because it really means to enclose.
00:05:43.680 --> 00:05:53.519
What that means is that David is telling Goliath on the battlefield, my God has already trapped you in his trap.
00:05:54.399 --> 00:05:56.639
You are not going anywhere.
00:05:57.120 --> 00:06:00.079
God will deliver you to my hand.
00:06:00.959 --> 00:06:05.680
You will not, under any circumstance, find victory this day.
00:06:05.920 --> 00:06:13.199
Now, I need you to understand the context of what David is doing because it's totally unique compared to the rest of Israel.
00:06:13.439 --> 00:06:23.360
If you go earlier in the chapter, what you find is that Israel for 40 days have been sitting on this little mountainside, while the Philistines are sitting on the other mountainside.
00:06:23.439 --> 00:06:33.519
And in the valley, here comes Goliath, day and night, coming and decrying and saying, Hey, Israel, who among you will battle me?
00:06:34.079 --> 00:06:42.879
But not only is he saying that, he is defying the living God, as David will tell when he gets into camp.
00:06:44.240 --> 00:06:47.439
But for 40 days, that is the scene.
00:06:47.759 --> 00:06:54.560
Goliath insulting Israel, insulting the God of Israel on the battlefield.
00:06:54.720 --> 00:06:57.360
Now Goliath is no short man.
00:06:58.160 --> 00:07:02.800
As we all know, he was over nine feet tall, according to Scripture.
00:07:03.040 --> 00:07:07.600
In fact, his armor is described as being over 125 pounds.
00:07:07.759 --> 00:07:11.680
Could you imagine wearing 125 pounds of armor?
00:07:13.600 --> 00:07:18.160
Not only that, his spearhead alone was 15 pounds.
00:07:18.879 --> 00:07:33.439
So here's Goliath standing way above anybody else in Israel, with his armor, his spear, his sword on his hilt, and a shield-bearer carrying his shield.
00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:43.759
In Israel, you have a king named Saul who's been stripped of his anointing, who is cowering down in fear.
00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:52.160
Now the thing with Saul is that he is a big man by every definition of human normal standard.
00:07:52.319 --> 00:07:56.079
He's head and shoulder taller than Israel, any other Israeli.
00:07:58.079 --> 00:08:04.800
He's a tall, kingly man, and yet he's cowered down in fear in his little tent.
00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:09.199
All of Israel is fearful of this Philistine giant.
00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:21.360
The scene is that they do not have faith because they have allowed their circumstances to diminish their faith to nothing.
00:08:22.879 --> 00:08:34.559
So here you have Goliath in the valley screaming like he normally does, and David comes into camp bringing his brothers lunch, essentially, from his dad.
00:08:35.120 --> 00:08:37.519
And he hears it and he gets mad.
00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:42.720
He's like, Who is this Philistine, this uncircumcised Philistine?
00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:51.200
That he would decry the living God and his army of Israel.
00:08:54.399 --> 00:09:00.159
The setting is one that would catch a person off guard.
00:09:00.879 --> 00:09:07.600
But here's the thing with David David is not just your ordinary dude, he's the anointed future king of Israel.
00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:12.080
He's a man after God's own heart, as scripture describes him.
00:09:12.399 --> 00:09:14.159
He's a man of faith.
00:09:14.639 --> 00:09:18.799
So he goes in, he finds out, and then he says, I'm willing to do it.
00:09:18.960 --> 00:09:21.919
And you know what Saul and him have a conversation?
00:09:22.159 --> 00:09:26.559
And Saul's like, hey, I need to know why in the world do you think you can do this?
00:09:26.799 --> 00:09:28.000
No one else can.
00:09:28.399 --> 00:09:31.279
And you know what David's resume says?
00:09:31.840 --> 00:09:40.960
I'm a shepherd boy who, when a lion took my lamb, I went after my lamb.
00:09:41.440 --> 00:09:47.440
And I ripped that lamb from the jaws of death in that lion's mouth.
00:09:47.840 --> 00:09:51.440
And if that lion dared attack me, you know what I did?
00:09:51.600 --> 00:09:54.559
I took him by his beard and killed him.
00:09:56.320 --> 00:09:59.519
He had experienced the faithfulness of God.
00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:09.039
And because he had experienced the faithfulness of God to give him strength against a lion and a bear, he knew that Goliath had no authority.
00:10:10.240 --> 00:10:10.879
None.
00:10:11.519 --> 00:10:20.799
He knew God would deliver, because he uses this same word, deliver the giant, the giant, just like he did the lion.
00:10:22.399 --> 00:10:24.559
He was a man of faith.
00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:28.080
Verse 37, we see this unfold.
00:10:28.159 --> 00:10:34.639
He says, 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.
00:10:35.600 --> 00:10:38.480
He was a man who had faith.
00:10:38.639 --> 00:10:41.519
He was not boasting.
00:10:42.399 --> 00:10:51.039
He was simply, humbly saying that the Lord God, who can deliver me from a lion and a bear, can deliver me from this giant.
00:10:51.440 --> 00:10:53.679
He's the delivering God.
00:10:56.799 --> 00:11:02.000
He trusted the Lord because he had seen God's faithfulness before.
00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:05.279
It's kind of like the captain, Arthur Rostron.
00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:10.480
He was the captain of the ocean liner Carpathia.
00:11:10.799 --> 00:11:18.399
Carpathia was on a voyage when they got a distress signal in 1912 from the Titanic.
00:11:20.159 --> 00:11:27.200
That captain, without delay, got his crew to start heading towards the Titanic's location.
00:11:27.759 --> 00:11:38.799
Some of his fellow shipmates were concerned that the same iceberg that had sunk the Titanic might sink their ship, but the captain showed no fear.
00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:52.559
When asked why he was fearless, he simply told them, I know what our ship is capable of because I have waded through these waters before, and I know how quickly this ship can turn.
00:11:52.799 --> 00:11:55.440
We can get there and save some people.
00:11:56.879 --> 00:12:05.360
Here's the thing for us as believers, we've experienced the faithfulness of God, yet when trouble comes, all too often, do you know what we do?
00:12:05.759 --> 00:12:09.519
We forget the faithfulness God has showed us.
00:12:09.919 --> 00:12:12.320
And we cower in fear.
00:12:12.799 --> 00:12:15.360
Christian, do not cower in fear.
00:12:15.759 --> 00:12:24.320
Do not allow Satan to have victory in your life because God will deliver you no matter the circumstance.
00:12:25.200 --> 00:12:30.960
Because we serve a God who reigns in authority.
00:12:31.600 --> 00:12:40.559
But he's also the God who reveals himself even in the midst of facing our giants.
00:12:40.960 --> 00:12:44.240
Look at what David says in verse 46.
00:12:44.559 --> 00:12:57.759
He tells the Philistine, starting the second part, it says, And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
00:12:57.919 --> 00:12:58.720
Did you catch that?
00:12:58.879 --> 00:13:05.279
He wants, God wants everyone to know there is a God who reigns in Israel.
00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:11.360
The purpose of David facing Goliath is for God to demonstrate himself.
00:13:11.840 --> 00:13:20.240
Did you know God allows us to go through hardship sometimes so that he can demonstrate himself to others through us?
00:13:21.039 --> 00:13:29.840
That how we handle adversity is a testimony to the greatness and the work of God in our own life.
00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:40.080
Back in verse 26, David asks a simple question: Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?
00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:47.759
It wasn't that this giant was attacking just Israel or Saul or even David.
00:13:47.919 --> 00:13:50.080
He was attacking the living God.
00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:56.399
And he, this loud-mouthed blasphemer, was not going to be tolerated.
00:13:56.879 --> 00:14:04.720
David did not want this blasphemer to remain in his proud state.
00:14:06.399 --> 00:14:20.000
God was going to use a humble shepherd boy, a teenage boy by most scholars count, to demonstrate his power and his authority to the world.
00:14:20.559 --> 00:14:25.600
That God is the living God that no one can stand against.
00:14:29.440 --> 00:14:37.919
Are you trusting God in a way that allows God to reveal himself to other people through your life?
00:14:40.159 --> 00:14:51.440
If you were to truly examine your life, are you living in such a way that other people see the power of God in you because of the way you trust him?
00:14:55.360 --> 00:14:56.240
Do they?
00:14:57.519 --> 00:15:02.159
There was a man named Nobel Qureshi.
00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:06.639
Nobel Qureshi, he was a Muslim.
00:15:06.960 --> 00:15:08.639
In fact, he was a devout Muslim.
00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:13.679
He was born in a Muslim family and he had no interest in Christianity at all.
00:15:14.000 --> 00:15:22.960
But then God stepped into the equation in college because he gave him a friend named David Wood.
00:15:23.279 --> 00:15:25.279
David Wood was a simple Christian.
00:15:25.679 --> 00:15:30.879
But here's the thing about David he was a man who truly trusted the Lord.
00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:34.240
He lived what he talked.
00:15:34.480 --> 00:15:43.360
As Kureshi watched him day after day, he realized that David actually practiced what he said he preached and what he said he believed.
00:15:45.039 --> 00:15:48.799
And so that began to really mess up his life.
00:15:50.240 --> 00:16:00.240
He started wrestling with whether or not what he believed was true because this man was so different than anything else he had ever seen.
00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:04.159
In fact, in many cases, he said it just didn't line up.
00:16:05.039 --> 00:16:06.639
And so it unsettled him.
00:16:07.519 --> 00:16:14.639
Ultimately, God used that friendship to open the door for David to share Christianity with Kuresh.
00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:28.639
And Quaresh would one day eventually surrender his life to the Lord and become a writer before his death in 2017 to cancer.
00:16:47.200 --> 00:16:52.159
You do not know what your faith will do to change the world.
00:16:53.440 --> 00:17:06.160
But we have been called to trust the Lord, to live a life of faith before others so that God can reveal himself to others through our life.
00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:12.319
But here's the beauty of the Bible is that David, he faces Goliath.
00:17:13.519 --> 00:17:19.759
God is going to reveal his power through David's victory over Goliath.
00:17:21.440 --> 00:17:27.039
But there is even a better example of God revealing himself to the world.
00:17:28.559 --> 00:17:30.880
And it points us to the cross.
00:17:32.400 --> 00:17:44.000
Because Jesus came as both fully God and fully man, sent by the Father to reveal himself to the world in his love.
00:17:45.119 --> 00:18:00.640
Jesus' death on the cross is the biggest moment in history of the revealing of God's love and his fact that he's a living God that's ever taken place because he rose from the grave.
00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:10.319
God has revealed himself and reveals himself through the faithfulness of his servants and through the testimony of his word.
00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:19.759
Are you allowing God to reveal himself to others through your life when you're facing your difficulty?
00:18:19.920 --> 00:18:32.079
When you're facing your trials, when you're facing hardship, when you are facing decisions you do not know how to answer, are you still able to worship the Lord in a way that points people to Jesus?
00:18:32.240 --> 00:18:34.559
That, hey, that person is weird.
00:18:34.799 --> 00:18:45.200
They trust this Savior they call Jesus, and their life has fallen apart, and yet they still are glorifying the Lord even in the midst of that.
00:18:45.839 --> 00:18:47.839
Is that your testimony?
00:18:49.680 --> 00:18:51.440
That was David's testimony.
00:18:51.519 --> 00:18:55.039
He is facing a giant who should kill him.
00:18:55.440 --> 00:19:04.880
But he understood who was in control and that God was going to reveal himself to the whole world through the victory he was about to experience.
00:19:05.279 --> 00:19:08.799
Because he trusted that God would save him.
00:19:09.519 --> 00:19:11.440
Look at verse 47.
00:19:11.920 --> 00:19:21.119
And all that, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear.
00:19:22.400 --> 00:19:30.240
David, you've got to remember, he's already tried on Saul's armor and rejected it, saying, I can't go out there in this armor.
00:19:30.319 --> 00:19:32.240
It's too heavy, it's too cumbersome.
00:19:32.559 --> 00:19:34.960
Saul was probably much, much taller than him.
00:19:35.200 --> 00:19:36.559
So it was jumbo size.
00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:38.640
It'd be like my kid putting on my suit.
00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:40.720
It would look ridiculous.
00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:44.240
And so he's rejected it.
00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:45.759
And you know what David does?
00:19:45.920 --> 00:20:02.720
He goes to the little brook and he picks five stones, smooth stones, drops them in his little shepherd bag, takes his staff, a stick, and his sling, and goes to face Goliath.
00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:06.000
Goliath is absolutely insulted, by the way.
00:20:06.480 --> 00:20:10.079
He's like, You come at me like a dog with sticks.
00:20:12.079 --> 00:20:16.480
He doesn't have what we would consider military force behind him.
00:20:16.720 --> 00:20:25.119
In fact, what he's coming with him, with is just common everyday items that would be on any shepherd boy.
00:20:26.480 --> 00:20:39.440
And here he is standing against a fully armored, equipped with military force weaponry, ready to go to battle.
00:20:43.440 --> 00:20:45.200
They're night and day.
00:20:54.720 --> 00:21:00.079
And it's not with the military might, it's not with sword and spear.
00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:12.079
It is a wonderful reminder of the sovereignty of God in this battle that he is going to give David victory.
00:21:12.559 --> 00:21:15.200
Because God is fighting the battle.
00:21:16.079 --> 00:21:18.240
It is not his battle.
00:21:19.039 --> 00:21:26.079
Now there's something about this word saves and the phrase the Lord saves that's vitally important to note.
00:21:27.119 --> 00:21:29.759
The word saves is Yasha.
00:21:31.599 --> 00:21:40.079
Yasha is the Hebrew word for saves or to rescue, to deliver, to bring to safety.
00:21:41.200 --> 00:21:47.680
Yasha is the root for the name Yeshua.
00:21:49.680 --> 00:21:52.880
Yeshua is the Lord's saves.
00:21:54.880 --> 00:21:59.759
If you go to the Gospels, the name that Jesus is given.
00:22:00.960 --> 00:22:03.759
In Hebrew is Yeshua.
00:22:04.480 --> 00:22:06.880
The Lord saves.
00:22:08.720 --> 00:22:18.160
David, whether he knew it or not, is testifying and pointing to the future Savior that would come from his lineage.
00:22:19.519 --> 00:22:24.240
He's pointing to Jesus, the cross, the one who saves.
00:22:24.400 --> 00:22:26.319
The Lord alone saves.
00:22:26.559 --> 00:22:34.640
The fact of the matter is, the Lord alone has saved the world through his blood and sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection.
00:22:34.720 --> 00:22:41.599
And the only way for salvation, the only way for salvation is through Jesus Christ alone.
00:22:42.400 --> 00:22:44.240
There is no other way.
00:22:45.759 --> 00:22:52.319
A recent study I saw was that they interviewed several evangelical churches.
00:22:56.000 --> 00:23:04.240
And over, a little over half said that they thought that there was possibly other ways to be saved other than through Jesus.
00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:12.400
Church, there is no one who saves except the Lord.
00:23:13.279 --> 00:23:14.960
You can't do it.
00:23:15.519 --> 00:23:17.599
No other religion can do it.
00:23:17.759 --> 00:23:21.279
There are not many directions that lead to the same God.
00:23:21.599 --> 00:23:25.279
There is one way, and that is through Jesus Christ.
00:23:27.039 --> 00:23:33.359
When we place our faith and trust in Jesus, he is good and faithful to save.
00:23:34.160 --> 00:23:42.000
You can rest assured that you have eternity to look forward to when you trust the Lord who saves.
00:23:43.599 --> 00:23:49.359
And it changes the way we live when we truly believe that Jesus alone saves.
00:23:50.720 --> 00:24:01.839
One of my favorite stories and examples of this is the five missionaries from America that went down to the rainforest of Ecuador to reach a violent tribe.
00:24:02.640 --> 00:24:06.079
If you know the story, you already know who I'm about to say.
00:24:06.319 --> 00:24:09.359
That one of the missionaries there is Jim Elliott.
00:24:10.079 --> 00:24:18.480
Jim Elliott and his team went down there carrying guns to protect themselves with one agreement.
00:24:19.039 --> 00:24:25.680
That those weapons were not to be used against any tribe that they were trying to reach with the gospel.
00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:30.319
Essentially, it was used for only wildlife.
00:24:32.319 --> 00:24:37.279
They land and the tribe kills them, spears them to death.
00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:49.920
As time goes by, Jim's wife, Elizabeth Elliot, and a team would go down there bringing the same good news.
00:25:07.920 --> 00:25:16.480
And when they got there, the tribe received them, and many were saved.
00:25:17.839 --> 00:25:22.880
When we truly believe that the Lord saves, it changes the way we live.
00:25:23.119 --> 00:25:24.240
We live by faith.
00:25:24.400 --> 00:25:34.160
We trust that the Lord will deliver, we trust that the Lord will reveal Himself through our faith in him and that he will save us, but ultimately we believe that God wins.
00:25:36.400 --> 00:25:38.000
God wins.
00:25:39.279 --> 00:25:41.039
Look at what he says.
00:25:41.440 --> 00:25:48.720
He says, For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands.
00:25:49.279 --> 00:25:55.680
David declares this, and when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to David, do you know what David did?
00:25:55.839 --> 00:26:02.559
He ran quickly towards him, sling in hand, rock and sling, swirling it around his head.
00:26:02.720 --> 00:26:05.200
He throws the rock, and you know what happens?
00:26:06.000 --> 00:26:09.680
Hits him in the forehead, it sinks in, he falls forward.
00:26:10.079 --> 00:26:22.799
He dies by the hand of David, not by the stone, but by the sword that was in Goliath's sheath, with his head chopped off.
00:26:24.400 --> 00:26:30.160
The Lord did not come with a sword or spear with David.
00:26:30.480 --> 00:26:32.240
He provided the sword.
00:26:33.359 --> 00:26:35.519
He provided the victory.
00:26:35.920 --> 00:26:47.039
He did the unthinkable through a humble shepherd boy, because God provides victory for all who trust him.
00:26:48.480 --> 00:27:09.599
It might not feel like it right now, with the trial that you're going through, with the difficulty of your circumstance, whether it's your finances or your family dynamic, it might not feel like God is going to be victorious, but let me tell you and assure you, you will experience the victory of God, whether it's this side of eternity or the next, if you trust in Him.
00:27:10.960 --> 00:27:15.039
Because God fights our battles for us.
00:27:17.680 --> 00:27:22.160
And the reality is the battle belongs to the Lord.
00:27:23.839 --> 00:27:36.000
The sin that you're facing, the difficulty of that temptation that draws you in, God has given you victory through Jesus Christ.
00:27:38.319 --> 00:27:40.720
He has already won the battle.
00:27:41.920 --> 00:27:56.720
If I could have your attention just on this, too many Christians fight for victory rather than from victory.
00:27:58.640 --> 00:28:07.839
Too many Christians fight for victory rather than from the victory they've experienced in Christ.
00:28:10.319 --> 00:28:24.319
If you will simply trust in the work of Jesus, and you will walk through life understanding that God has already given you victory.
00:28:24.720 --> 00:28:35.680
When the trials come, you can still hold your head high, knowing that it is for God's glory and his praise and that he is already promised victory on the other end.
00:28:36.960 --> 00:28:54.559
You do not have to go through life worried, stressed, burdened, believing that you have to do something in order for victory to occur.
00:28:55.680 --> 00:29:02.400
All you have to do is surrender to the Lord, and He will pave the way for victory.
00:29:03.599 --> 00:29:15.920
He will guide your steps, and he will guide the sling to give you victory because he has already won.
00:29:22.640 --> 00:29:36.799
I think one of the best ways that we can illustrate this reality, at least in the modern age, is that we all have to some extent the ability to record our favorite sports shows.
00:29:37.680 --> 00:29:40.720
Specifically our favorite sports events.
00:29:42.480 --> 00:29:46.160
I can remember being that guy.
00:29:46.400 --> 00:29:52.640
I had one of my teachers in college who had a DVR who was recording the big game.
00:29:53.279 --> 00:30:00.480
He couldn't be there because we were doing a mission project, so he had it recording, and here I am, I've got all the notifications on my phone.
00:30:00.559 --> 00:30:03.119
I'm keeping track because it's a big game.
00:30:03.519 --> 00:30:05.200
And you know what I did?
00:30:05.599 --> 00:30:07.680
I ruined his DVR.
00:30:09.039 --> 00:30:15.359
I saw that his team won, and I screamed, hey, they won! And you know what he did?
00:30:15.519 --> 00:30:22.720
He goes, Shut up! But you know what he did also?
00:30:22.960 --> 00:30:25.599
He went home and he started watching the game.
00:30:25.920 --> 00:30:28.160
Because he wanted to watch his team.
00:30:28.640 --> 00:30:34.160
What I didn't tell him was that his team was down 21 points at halftime.
00:30:36.480 --> 00:30:38.319
And you know what he told me?
00:30:39.039 --> 00:30:41.200
He actually used it as a Sunday school illustration.
00:30:41.279 --> 00:30:43.200
It stuck all these years later.
00:30:44.400 --> 00:30:50.640
Was that he said, he goes, as I was watching the game, I couldn't help but be reminded how we have victory.
00:30:51.039 --> 00:30:52.319
Victory in Christ.
00:30:52.480 --> 00:30:56.240
Because when halftime came, I was still happy.
00:30:56.559 --> 00:31:00.000
If I've been watching that live, I've been a depressed old man.
00:31:01.359 --> 00:31:03.599
We were down 21 points.
00:31:06.559 --> 00:31:13.440
But we won on that final drive in those last seconds.
00:31:14.640 --> 00:31:18.160
And I knew it was coming, but I didn't know how.
00:31:19.680 --> 00:31:23.519
We have victory in life through Jesus because he's already won the victory.
00:31:23.680 --> 00:31:27.119
Sometimes it looks like we're down 21 points in life.
00:31:27.519 --> 00:31:32.960
But the fact of the matter is, when we go to be with Christ, we win.
00:31:34.319 --> 00:31:38.319
There is no greater hope and victory than that.
00:31:39.200 --> 00:31:44.960
This morning, as a child of God, are you living in the victory that God has already won for you?
00:31:45.200 --> 00:31:48.960
Are you living from victory or for victory?
00:31:50.720 --> 00:31:53.279
But maybe you're not a Christian this morning.
00:31:55.119 --> 00:32:08.400
Maybe you've come in here, you've stumbled in, you're visiting your father, and you realize you are not living in the victory of the Lord that He's already provided for you, that you need to trust Christ this morning.
00:32:09.279 --> 00:32:16.480
There is no greater decision for you than to trust Christ as your Lord and Savior.
00:32:16.640 --> 00:32:18.559
So we're about to have a time of invitation.
00:32:18.720 --> 00:32:22.880
And during that time, I'm going to ask that you come and surrender all.
00:32:24.160 --> 00:32:27.680
That you would trust in Christ, in Christ alone.
00:32:29.119 --> 00:32:39.279
For the Christian this morning, I'm going to encourage you to celebrate the victory God has already assured you, that He's already given you.
00:32:40.079 --> 00:32:53.599
And that if you are not living in victory, that this morning you surrender whatever burden is on you this morning at the feet of the one who is already victorious.
00:32:54.160 --> 00:33:02.799
Because that will free you to worship Him, to celebrate Him, and to walk in faith.
00:33:02.960 --> 00:33:05.759
With every head bowed and eye closed this morning.
00:00:03.839 --> 00:00:06.719
Welcome to the Enduring Grace Sermons Podcast.
00:00:06.879 --> 00:00:10.400
This is the home for the weekly teaching and ministry of Pastor Ben Hill.
00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:15.199
Our mission is to share the timeless truth of God's Word with a world in need of hope.
00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:21.359
For more resources, articles, and updates, visit us online at enduringgrace.com.
00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:24.559
And now, here is this week's message.
00:00:26.879 --> 00:00:31.199
If you have your Bibles, go ahead and turn to 1 Samuel.
00:00:31.280 --> 00:00:39.039
We're going to be in 1 Samuel 17 as we continue our study on the man after God's own heart, the life of David.
00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:51.200
And last week what we saw was that he was anointed the next king, that he was God's chosen anointed king of Israel, and how Saul was no longer the anointed one.
00:00:51.359 --> 00:00:54.880
And this week we're going to be talking beyond the sling.
00:00:55.280 --> 00:01:02.000
Now, I picked that title because oftentimes when we get to the story of David and Goliath, you know what happens?
00:01:02.159 --> 00:01:06.400
We focus on David defeating Goliath.
00:01:06.959 --> 00:01:13.439
But did you know David did not see that as the primary focus of what was transpiring?
00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:17.680
In culture, David and Goliath is a very popular term.
00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:19.920
We see it demonstrated everywhere.
00:01:20.079 --> 00:01:26.239
You have your favorite sports team that is an underdog against a giant powerhouse college.
00:01:26.400 --> 00:01:27.200
You know what happens?
00:01:27.359 --> 00:01:30.480
And that was my life, by the way, because I'm a University of Memphis fan.
00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:32.239
We're a nobody in football.
00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:35.439
Everybody's a top dog compared to us.
00:01:35.760 --> 00:01:45.920
And so every time we faced a SEC team or a Big Ten team or a Big 12 team, the conversation was when we won, David beats Goliath.
00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:49.680
Because that's the language we use.
00:01:50.000 --> 00:02:02.400
In fact, one of the best-selling authors, uh, Malcolm Gladwell, wrote a book called David and Goliath, Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants.
00:02:03.680 --> 00:02:11.520
David and Goliath is headlined when the impossible happens when a mom and pop shop defeats a corporate operation.
00:02:14.879 --> 00:02:22.240
David and Goliath is oftentimes so focused on David and what he did that it takes away the glory from God.
00:02:24.080 --> 00:02:27.120
David did not see it that way.
00:02:27.360 --> 00:02:34.639
In fact, David saw it as it was God's fight, as we will see here in just a moment from our text.
00:02:35.280 --> 00:02:46.000
So the question for us as Christians, even the non-Christian, is first, who fights the battle in your life?
00:02:46.319 --> 00:02:49.520
Who fights the battle in your life?
00:02:50.639 --> 00:02:58.479
Which has a follow-up question is ultimately who fights the battle for your life is who gets the glory.
00:02:58.879 --> 00:03:02.080
So who gets the glory in your life?
00:03:02.400 --> 00:03:05.439
Is it you or is it the Lord?
00:03:06.080 --> 00:03:16.800
That's really what we're talking about this morning is giving God the rightful place in the story, the events of David and Goliath.
00:03:17.199 --> 00:03:23.199
So if you found your place in 1 Samuel 17, we're going to be looking at verse 46 and 47.
00:03:23.280 --> 00:03:24.159
Would you say word?
00:03:25.199 --> 00:03:28.879
And I'm going to ask you to stand one more time for the reading of God's word.
00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:55.039
Verse 46 says, This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down, and cut off your head, and I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves, not with sword and spear.
00:03:55.199 --> 00:03:59.599
For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands.
00:03:59.919 --> 00:04:01.360
You may be seated.
00:04:02.479 --> 00:04:17.120
David, right from the get-go, when he gets face to face with Goliath, as he's standing on the battlefield, he preaches a sermon, a two-verse sermon, that is focused on the Lord.
00:04:17.360 --> 00:04:23.759
It is focused on where God fits in the battle in this valley.
00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:29.600
That the focus is not on anyone other than the Lord versus Goliath.
00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:36.800
Oftentimes when we talk about the underdog story, we say David is the underdog and Goliath is the top dog.
00:04:37.279 --> 00:04:39.279
David understood it totally different.
00:04:39.839 --> 00:04:49.839
David saw it as Goliath was the lowly dog, the underdog, because he, God, was fighting the battle for him, that God is the top dog.
00:04:50.319 --> 00:04:55.439
David and Goliath is not a story to read as an underdog versus a top dog.
00:04:56.160 --> 00:05:00.639
It is the top dog showing the underdog that he is the underdog.
00:05:01.759 --> 00:05:04.720
Because God reigns supreme.
00:05:05.040 --> 00:05:11.279
It is about the Lord being the one who is sovereign in the battle.
00:05:11.839 --> 00:05:13.439
Because God delivers.
00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:15.040
God delivers.
00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:20.959
This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand.
00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:32.879
David understood that Goliath had no authority, that he would not be the one who would walk away with his head hanging high.
00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:37.680
Because he understood that the Lord was the one who would deliver.
00:05:37.839 --> 00:05:42.160
Now, this word deliver is important because it really means to enclose.
00:05:43.680 --> 00:05:53.519
What that means is that David is telling Goliath on the battlefield, my God has already trapped you in his trap.
00:05:54.399 --> 00:05:56.639
You are not going anywhere.
00:05:57.120 --> 00:06:00.079
God will deliver you to my hand.
00:06:00.959 --> 00:06:05.680
You will not, under any circumstance, find victory this day.
00:06:05.920 --> 00:06:13.199
Now, I need you to understand the context of what David is doing because it's totally unique compared to the rest of Israel.
00:06:13.439 --> 00:06:23.360
If you go earlier in the chapter, what you find is that Israel for 40 days have been sitting on this little mountainside, while the Philistines are sitting on the other mountainside.
00:06:23.439 --> 00:06:33.519
And in the valley, here comes Goliath, day and night, coming and decrying and saying, Hey, Israel, who among you will battle me?
00:06:34.079 --> 00:06:42.879
But not only is he saying that, he is defying the living God, as David will tell when he gets into camp.
00:06:44.240 --> 00:06:47.439
But for 40 days, that is the scene.
00:06:47.759 --> 00:06:54.560
Goliath insulting Israel, insulting the God of Israel on the battlefield.
00:06:54.720 --> 00:06:57.360
Now Goliath is no short man.
00:06:58.160 --> 00:07:02.800
As we all know, he was over nine feet tall, according to Scripture.
00:07:03.040 --> 00:07:07.600
In fact, his armor is described as being over 125 pounds.
00:07:07.759 --> 00:07:11.680
Could you imagine wearing 125 pounds of armor?
00:07:13.600 --> 00:07:18.160
Not only that, his spearhead alone was 15 pounds.
00:07:18.879 --> 00:07:33.439
So here's Goliath standing way above anybody else in Israel, with his armor, his spear, his sword on his hilt, and a shield-bearer carrying his shield.
00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:43.759
In Israel, you have a king named Saul who's been stripped of his anointing, who is cowering down in fear.
00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:52.160
Now the thing with Saul is that he is a big man by every definition of human normal standard.
00:07:52.319 --> 00:07:56.079
He's head and shoulder taller than Israel, any other Israeli.
00:07:58.079 --> 00:08:04.800
He's a tall, kingly man, and yet he's cowered down in fear in his little tent.
00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:09.199
All of Israel is fearful of this Philistine giant.
00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:21.360
The scene is that they do not have faith because they have allowed their circumstances to diminish their faith to nothing.
00:08:22.879 --> 00:08:34.559
So here you have Goliath in the valley screaming like he normally does, and David comes into camp bringing his brothers lunch, essentially, from his dad.
00:08:35.120 --> 00:08:37.519
And he hears it and he gets mad.
00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:42.720
He's like, Who is this Philistine, this uncircumcised Philistine?
00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:51.200
That he would decry the living God and his army of Israel.
00:08:54.399 --> 00:09:00.159
The setting is one that would catch a person off guard.
00:09:00.879 --> 00:09:07.600
But here's the thing with David David is not just your ordinary dude, he's the anointed future king of Israel.
00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:12.080
He's a man after God's own heart, as scripture describes him.
00:09:12.399 --> 00:09:14.159
He's a man of faith.
00:09:14.639 --> 00:09:18.799
So he goes in, he finds out, and then he says, I'm willing to do it.
00:09:18.960 --> 00:09:21.919
And you know what Saul and him have a conversation?
00:09:22.159 --> 00:09:26.559
And Saul's like, hey, I need to know why in the world do you think you can do this?
00:09:26.799 --> 00:09:28.000
No one else can.
00:09:28.399 --> 00:09:31.279
And you know what David's resume says?
00:09:31.840 --> 00:09:40.960
I'm a shepherd boy who, when a lion took my lamb, I went after my lamb.
00:09:41.440 --> 00:09:47.440
And I ripped that lamb from the jaws of death in that lion's mouth.
00:09:47.840 --> 00:09:51.440
And if that lion dared attack me, you know what I did?
00:09:51.600 --> 00:09:54.559
I took him by his beard and killed him.
00:09:56.320 --> 00:09:59.519
He had experienced the faithfulness of God.
00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:09.039
And because he had experienced the faithfulness of God to give him strength against a lion and a bear, he knew that Goliath had no authority.
00:10:10.240 --> 00:10:10.879
None.
00:10:11.519 --> 00:10:20.799
He knew God would deliver, because he uses this same word, deliver the giant, the giant, just like he did the lion.
00:10:22.399 --> 00:10:24.559
He was a man of faith.
00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:28.080
Verse 37, we see this unfold.
00:10:28.159 --> 00:10:34.639
He says, 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.
00:10:35.600 --> 00:10:38.480
He was a man who had faith.
00:10:38.639 --> 00:10:41.519
He was not boasting.
00:10:42.399 --> 00:10:51.039
He was simply, humbly saying that the Lord God, who can deliver me from a lion and a bear, can deliver me from this giant.
00:10:51.440 --> 00:10:53.679
He's the delivering God.
00:10:56.799 --> 00:11:02.000
He trusted the Lord because he had seen God's faithfulness before.
00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:05.279
It's kind of like the captain, Arthur Rostron.
00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:10.480
He was the captain of the ocean liner Carpathia.
00:11:10.799 --> 00:11:18.399
Carpathia was on a voyage when they got a distress signal in 1912 from the Titanic.
00:11:20.159 --> 00:11:27.200
That captain, without delay, got his crew to start heading towards the Titanic's location.
00:11:27.759 --> 00:11:38.799
Some of his fellow shipmates were concerned that the same iceberg that had sunk the Titanic might sink their ship, but the captain showed no fear.
00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:52.559
When asked why he was fearless, he simply told them, I know what our ship is capable of because I have waded through these waters before, and I know how quickly this ship can turn.
00:11:52.799 --> 00:11:55.440
We can get there and save some people.
00:11:56.879 --> 00:12:05.360
Here's the thing for us as believers, we've experienced the faithfulness of God, yet when trouble comes, all too often, do you know what we do?
00:12:05.759 --> 00:12:09.519
We forget the faithfulness God has showed us.
00:12:09.919 --> 00:12:12.320
And we cower in fear.
00:12:12.799 --> 00:12:15.360
Christian, do not cower in fear.
00:12:15.759 --> 00:12:24.320
Do not allow Satan to have victory in your life because God will deliver you no matter the circumstance.
00:12:25.200 --> 00:12:30.960
Because we serve a God who reigns in authority.
00:12:31.600 --> 00:12:40.559
But he's also the God who reveals himself even in the midst of facing our giants.
00:12:40.960 --> 00:12:44.240
Look at what David says in verse 46.
00:12:44.559 --> 00:12:57.759
He tells the Philistine, starting the second part, it says, And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
00:12:57.919 --> 00:12:58.720
Did you catch that?
00:12:58.879 --> 00:13:05.279
He wants, God wants everyone to know there is a God who reigns in Israel.
00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:11.360
The purpose of David facing Goliath is for God to demonstrate himself.
00:13:11.840 --> 00:13:20.240
Did you know God allows us to go through hardship sometimes so that he can demonstrate himself to others through us?
00:13:21.039 --> 00:13:29.840
That how we handle adversity is a testimony to the greatness and the work of God in our own life.
00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:40.080
Back in verse 26, David asks a simple question: Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?
00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:47.759
It wasn't that this giant was attacking just Israel or Saul or even David.
00:13:47.919 --> 00:13:50.080
He was attacking the living God.
00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:56.399
And he, this loud-mouthed blasphemer, was not going to be tolerated.
00:13:56.879 --> 00:14:04.720
David did not want this blasphemer to remain in his proud state.
00:14:06.399 --> 00:14:20.000
God was going to use a humble shepherd boy, a teenage boy by most scholars count, to demonstrate his power and his authority to the world.
00:14:20.559 --> 00:14:25.600
That God is the living God that no one can stand against.
00:14:29.440 --> 00:14:37.919
Are you trusting God in a way that allows God to reveal himself to other people through your life?
00:14:40.159 --> 00:14:51.440
If you were to truly examine your life, are you living in such a way that other people see the power of God in you because of the way you trust him?
00:14:55.360 --> 00:14:56.240
Do they?
00:14:57.519 --> 00:15:02.159
There was a man named Nobel Qureshi.
00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:06.639
Nobel Qureshi, he was a Muslim.
00:15:06.960 --> 00:15:08.639
In fact, he was a devout Muslim.
00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:13.679
He was born in a Muslim family and he had no interest in Christianity at all.
00:15:14.000 --> 00:15:22.960
But then God stepped into the equation in college because he gave him a friend named David Wood.
00:15:23.279 --> 00:15:25.279
David Wood was a simple Christian.
00:15:25.679 --> 00:15:30.879
But here's the thing about David he was a man who truly trusted the Lord.
00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:34.240
He lived what he talked.
00:15:34.480 --> 00:15:43.360
As Kureshi watched him day after day, he realized that David actually practiced what he said he preached and what he said he believed.
00:15:45.039 --> 00:15:48.799
And so that began to really mess up his life.
00:15:50.240 --> 00:16:00.240
He started wrestling with whether or not what he believed was true because this man was so different than anything else he had ever seen.
00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:04.159
In fact, in many cases, he said it just didn't line up.
00:16:05.039 --> 00:16:06.639
And so it unsettled him.
00:16:07.519 --> 00:16:14.639
Ultimately, God used that friendship to open the door for David to share Christianity with Kuresh.
00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:28.639
And Quaresh would one day eventually surrender his life to the Lord and become a writer before his death in 2017 to cancer.
00:16:47.200 --> 00:16:52.159
You do not know what your faith will do to change the world.
00:16:53.440 --> 00:17:06.160
But we have been called to trust the Lord, to live a life of faith before others so that God can reveal himself to others through our life.
00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:12.319
But here's the beauty of the Bible is that David, he faces Goliath.
00:17:13.519 --> 00:17:19.759
God is going to reveal his power through David's victory over Goliath.
00:17:21.440 --> 00:17:27.039
But there is even a better example of God revealing himself to the world.
00:17:28.559 --> 00:17:30.880
And it points us to the cross.
00:17:32.400 --> 00:17:44.000
Because Jesus came as both fully God and fully man, sent by the Father to reveal himself to the world in his love.
00:17:45.119 --> 00:18:00.640
Jesus' death on the cross is the biggest moment in history of the revealing of God's love and his fact that he's a living God that's ever taken place because he rose from the grave.
00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:10.319
God has revealed himself and reveals himself through the faithfulness of his servants and through the testimony of his word.
00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:19.759
Are you allowing God to reveal himself to others through your life when you're facing your difficulty?
00:18:19.920 --> 00:18:32.079
When you're facing your trials, when you're facing hardship, when you are facing decisions you do not know how to answer, are you still able to worship the Lord in a way that points people to Jesus?
00:18:32.240 --> 00:18:34.559
That, hey, that person is weird.
00:18:34.799 --> 00:18:45.200
They trust this Savior they call Jesus, and their life has fallen apart, and yet they still are glorifying the Lord even in the midst of that.
00:18:45.839 --> 00:18:47.839
Is that your testimony?
00:18:49.680 --> 00:18:51.440
That was David's testimony.
00:18:51.519 --> 00:18:55.039
He is facing a giant who should kill him.
00:18:55.440 --> 00:19:04.880
But he understood who was in control and that God was going to reveal himself to the whole world through the victory he was about to experience.
00:19:05.279 --> 00:19:08.799
Because he trusted that God would save him.
00:19:09.519 --> 00:19:11.440
Look at verse 47.
00:19:11.920 --> 00:19:21.119
And all that, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear.
00:19:22.400 --> 00:19:30.240
David, you've got to remember, he's already tried on Saul's armor and rejected it, saying, I can't go out there in this armor.
00:19:30.319 --> 00:19:32.240
It's too heavy, it's too cumbersome.
00:19:32.559 --> 00:19:34.960
Saul was probably much, much taller than him.
00:19:35.200 --> 00:19:36.559
So it was jumbo size.
00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:38.640
It'd be like my kid putting on my suit.
00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:40.720
It would look ridiculous.
00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:44.240
And so he's rejected it.
00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:45.759
And you know what David does?
00:19:45.920 --> 00:20:02.720
He goes to the little brook and he picks five stones, smooth stones, drops them in his little shepherd bag, takes his staff, a stick, and his sling, and goes to face Goliath.
00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:06.000
Goliath is absolutely insulted, by the way.
00:20:06.480 --> 00:20:10.079
He's like, You come at me like a dog with sticks.
00:20:12.079 --> 00:20:16.480
He doesn't have what we would consider military force behind him.
00:20:16.720 --> 00:20:25.119
In fact, what he's coming with him, with is just common everyday items that would be on any shepherd boy.
00:20:26.480 --> 00:20:39.440
And here he is standing against a fully armored, equipped with military force weaponry, ready to go to battle.
00:20:43.440 --> 00:20:45.200
They're night and day.
00:20:54.720 --> 00:21:00.079
And it's not with the military might, it's not with sword and spear.
00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:12.079
It is a wonderful reminder of the sovereignty of God in this battle that he is going to give David victory.
00:21:12.559 --> 00:21:15.200
Because God is fighting the battle.
00:21:16.079 --> 00:21:18.240
It is not his battle.
00:21:19.039 --> 00:21:26.079
Now there's something about this word saves and the phrase the Lord saves that's vitally important to note.
00:21:27.119 --> 00:21:29.759
The word saves is Yasha.
00:21:31.599 --> 00:21:40.079
Yasha is the Hebrew word for saves or to rescue, to deliver, to bring to safety.
00:21:41.200 --> 00:21:47.680
Yasha is the root for the name Yeshua.
00:21:49.680 --> 00:21:52.880
Yeshua is the Lord's saves.
00:21:54.880 --> 00:21:59.759
If you go to the Gospels, the name that Jesus is given.
00:22:00.960 --> 00:22:03.759
In Hebrew is Yeshua.
00:22:04.480 --> 00:22:06.880
The Lord saves.
00:22:08.720 --> 00:22:18.160
David, whether he knew it or not, is testifying and pointing to the future Savior that would come from his lineage.
00:22:19.519 --> 00:22:24.240
He's pointing to Jesus, the cross, the one who saves.
00:22:24.400 --> 00:22:26.319
The Lord alone saves.
00:22:26.559 --> 00:22:34.640
The fact of the matter is, the Lord alone has saved the world through his blood and sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection.
00:22:34.720 --> 00:22:41.599
And the only way for salvation, the only way for salvation is through Jesus Christ alone.
00:22:42.400 --> 00:22:44.240
There is no other way.
00:22:45.759 --> 00:22:52.319
A recent study I saw was that they interviewed several evangelical churches.
00:22:56.000 --> 00:23:04.240
And over, a little over half said that they thought that there was possibly other ways to be saved other than through Jesus.
00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:12.400
Church, there is no one who saves except the Lord.
00:23:13.279 --> 00:23:14.960
You can't do it.
00:23:15.519 --> 00:23:17.599
No other religion can do it.
00:23:17.759 --> 00:23:21.279
There are not many directions that lead to the same God.
00:23:21.599 --> 00:23:25.279
There is one way, and that is through Jesus Christ.
00:23:27.039 --> 00:23:33.359
When we place our faith and trust in Jesus, he is good and faithful to save.
00:23:34.160 --> 00:23:42.000
You can rest assured that you have eternity to look forward to when you trust the Lord who saves.
00:23:43.599 --> 00:23:49.359
And it changes the way we live when we truly believe that Jesus alone saves.
00:23:50.720 --> 00:24:01.839
One of my favorite stories and examples of this is the five missionaries from America that went down to the rainforest of Ecuador to reach a violent tribe.
00:24:02.640 --> 00:24:06.079
If you know the story, you already know who I'm about to say.
00:24:06.319 --> 00:24:09.359
That one of the missionaries there is Jim Elliott.
00:24:10.079 --> 00:24:18.480
Jim Elliott and his team went down there carrying guns to protect themselves with one agreement.
00:24:19.039 --> 00:24:25.680
That those weapons were not to be used against any tribe that they were trying to reach with the gospel.
00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:30.319
Essentially, it was used for only wildlife.
00:24:32.319 --> 00:24:37.279
They land and the tribe kills them, spears them to death.
00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:49.920
As time goes by, Jim's wife, Elizabeth Elliot, and a team would go down there bringing the same good news.
00:25:07.920 --> 00:25:16.480
And when they got there, the tribe received them, and many were saved.
00:25:17.839 --> 00:25:22.880
When we truly believe that the Lord saves, it changes the way we live.
00:25:23.119 --> 00:25:24.240
We live by faith.
00:25:24.400 --> 00:25:34.160
We trust that the Lord will deliver, we trust that the Lord will reveal Himself through our faith in him and that he will save us, but ultimately we believe that God wins.
00:25:36.400 --> 00:25:38.000
God wins.
00:25:39.279 --> 00:25:41.039
Look at what he says.
00:25:41.440 --> 00:25:48.720
He says, For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands.
00:25:49.279 --> 00:25:55.680
David declares this, and when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to David, do you know what David did?
00:25:55.839 --> 00:26:02.559
He ran quickly towards him, sling in hand, rock and sling, swirling it around his head.
00:26:02.720 --> 00:26:05.200
He throws the rock, and you know what happens?
00:26:06.000 --> 00:26:09.680
Hits him in the forehead, it sinks in, he falls forward.
00:26:10.079 --> 00:26:22.799
He dies by the hand of David, not by the stone, but by the sword that was in Goliath's sheath, with his head chopped off.
00:26:24.400 --> 00:26:30.160
The Lord did not come with a sword or spear with David.
00:26:30.480 --> 00:26:32.240
He provided the sword.
00:26:33.359 --> 00:26:35.519
He provided the victory.
00:26:35.920 --> 00:26:47.039
He did the unthinkable through a humble shepherd boy, because God provides victory for all who trust him.
00:26:48.480 --> 00:27:09.599
It might not feel like it right now, with the trial that you're going through, with the difficulty of your circumstance, whether it's your finances or your family dynamic, it might not feel like God is going to be victorious, but let me tell you and assure you, you will experience the victory of God, whether it's this side of eternity or the next, if you trust in Him.
00:27:10.960 --> 00:27:15.039
Because God fights our battles for us.
00:27:17.680 --> 00:27:22.160
And the reality is the battle belongs to the Lord.
00:27:23.839 --> 00:27:36.000
The sin that you're facing, the difficulty of that temptation that draws you in, God has given you victory through Jesus Christ.
00:27:38.319 --> 00:27:40.720
He has already won the battle.
00:27:41.920 --> 00:27:56.720
If I could have your attention just on this, too many Christians fight for victory rather than from victory.
00:27:58.640 --> 00:28:07.839
Too many Christians fight for victory rather than from the victory they've experienced in Christ.
00:28:10.319 --> 00:28:24.319
If you will simply trust in the work of Jesus, and you will walk through life understanding that God has already given you victory.
00:28:24.720 --> 00:28:35.680
When the trials come, you can still hold your head high, knowing that it is for God's glory and his praise and that he is already promised victory on the other end.
00:28:36.960 --> 00:28:54.559
You do not have to go through life worried, stressed, burdened, believing that you have to do something in order for victory to occur.
00:28:55.680 --> 00:29:02.400
All you have to do is surrender to the Lord, and He will pave the way for victory.
00:29:03.599 --> 00:29:15.920
He will guide your steps, and he will guide the sling to give you victory because he has already won.
00:29:22.640 --> 00:29:36.799
I think one of the best ways that we can illustrate this reality, at least in the modern age, is that we all have to some extent the ability to record our favorite sports shows.
00:29:37.680 --> 00:29:40.720
Specifically our favorite sports events.
00:29:42.480 --> 00:29:46.160
I can remember being that guy.
00:29:46.400 --> 00:29:52.640
I had one of my teachers in college who had a DVR who was recording the big game.
00:29:53.279 --> 00:30:00.480
He couldn't be there because we were doing a mission project, so he had it recording, and here I am, I've got all the notifications on my phone.
00:30:00.559 --> 00:30:03.119
I'm keeping track because it's a big game.
00:30:03.519 --> 00:30:05.200
And you know what I did?
00:30:05.599 --> 00:30:07.680
I ruined his DVR.
00:30:09.039 --> 00:30:15.359
I saw that his team won, and I screamed, hey, they won! And you know what he did?
00:30:15.519 --> 00:30:22.720
He goes, Shut up! But you know what he did also?
00:30:22.960 --> 00:30:25.599
He went home and he started watching the game.
00:30:25.920 --> 00:30:28.160
Because he wanted to watch his team.
00:30:28.640 --> 00:30:34.160
What I didn't tell him was that his team was down 21 points at halftime.
00:30:36.480 --> 00:30:38.319
And you know what he told me?
00:30:39.039 --> 00:30:41.200
He actually used it as a Sunday school illustration.
00:30:41.279 --> 00:30:43.200
It stuck all these years later.
00:30:44.400 --> 00:30:50.640
Was that he said, he goes, as I was watching the game, I couldn't help but be reminded how we have victory.
00:30:51.039 --> 00:30:52.319
Victory in Christ.
00:30:52.480 --> 00:30:56.240
Because when halftime came, I was still happy.
00:30:56.559 --> 00:31:00.000
If I've been watching that live, I've been a depressed old man.
00:31:01.359 --> 00:31:03.599
We were down 21 points.
00:31:06.559 --> 00:31:13.440
But we won on that final drive in those last seconds.
00:31:14.640 --> 00:31:18.160
And I knew it was coming, but I didn't know how.
00:31:19.680 --> 00:31:23.519
We have victory in life through Jesus because he's already won the victory.
00:31:23.680 --> 00:31:27.119
Sometimes it looks like we're down 21 points in life.
00:31:27.519 --> 00:31:32.960
But the fact of the matter is, when we go to be with Christ, we win.
00:31:34.319 --> 00:31:38.319
There is no greater hope and victory than that.
00:31:39.200 --> 00:31:44.960
This morning, as a child of God, are you living in the victory that God has already won for you?
00:31:45.200 --> 00:31:48.960
Are you living from victory or for victory?
00:31:50.720 --> 00:31:53.279
But maybe you're not a Christian this morning.
00:31:55.119 --> 00:32:08.400
Maybe you've come in here, you've stumbled in, you're visiting your father, and you realize you are not living in the victory of the Lord that He's already provided for you, that you need to trust Christ this morning.
00:32:09.279 --> 00:32:16.480
There is no greater decision for you than to trust Christ as your Lord and Savior.
00:32:16.640 --> 00:32:18.559
So we're about to have a time of invitation.
00:32:18.720 --> 00:32:22.880
And during that time, I'm going to ask that you come and surrender all.
00:32:24.160 --> 00:32:27.680
That you would trust in Christ, in Christ alone.
00:32:29.119 --> 00:32:39.279
For the Christian this morning, I'm going to encourage you to celebrate the victory God has already assured you, that He's already given you.
00:32:40.079 --> 00:32:53.599
And that if you are not living in victory, that this morning you surrender whatever burden is on you this morning at the feet of the one who is already victorious.
00:32:54.160 --> 00:33:02.799
Because that will free you to worship Him, to celebrate Him, and to walk in faith.
00:33:02.960 --> 00:33:05.759
With every head bowed and eye closed this morning.
