Week 3 of Trust God For The Victory
Notes
Transcript
When you trust God for the victory, you can have confidence He will deliver.
When you trust God for the victory, you can have confidence He will deliver.
Sermon Series: Trust God For The Victory
Sermon Title: Week 3
Passage: 1 Samuel 17:31-40
Main Idea: When you trust God for the victory, you can have confidence He will deliver.
******* NEW SERVICE TIMES **********
ask people at later service to consider switching to 9:30am to allow for more space
INTRO:
*****illus. on confidence in being delivered a victory*******
Justin Tucker is the kicker for the NFL team the Baltimore Ravens. Last week after kicking a field goal in the 4th quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals, this stat came up on the TV:
Justin Tucker has now made *61 consecutive* field goals in the 4th quarter or overtime.... He’s also now 18-for-18 in his career on field goals within the final minute of a game. He’s never missed!
That’s incredible!
Do you have any idea how much confidence his team must have in him? I mean, if they line up to kick a game winning fields goal with 3 seconds left in a Sunday night game, you can turn the TV off and go to bed. And his team knows it! Justin Tucker is going to make the kick and deliver the Ravens a victory. He’s done it so many times before that there’s no reason to doubt he can do it again.
This is what it’s like for people who know the faithfulness of God....
I love the lyrics from the song Do It Again by Elevation Music:
I've seen You move, You move the mountains
And I believe I'll see You do it again
You made a way, where there was no way
And I believe I'll see You do it again
That’s the confidence that we have in the gospel!
The apostle Paul says in Romans 8:32
32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
because of what God has done in the past… we can trust Him with our present and our future!
knowing the Gospel message, what God has done for us in the person and work of Jesus Christ, gives us so much confidence moving forward!
and at this point you might ask, “Brian, I thought we were talking about David & Goliath?? why are you over here talking about the gospel of Jesus????”
and I would answer you, “it has so much to do with Jesus!!”
Matthew 1:1 (ESV)
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David....
the story of David is the crucial background for the gospel of Jesus
think about it....
parts of the gospel have their roots in 1 Samuel, when God chose a King for himself
so when you study 1 samuel, you need to have your gospel antennas up!
we left off last week with little David running around the camp asking soldiers about what would happen for the man that defeats Goliath....
let’s pick up today with act 3 in verse 31.....
READ THE PASSAGE:
31 When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. 32 And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”
38 Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39 and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.
PRAYER
BODY:
31 When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him.
Let’s remember David’s words...
26 … For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
What were David’s words?
Put Goliath in his place (uncircumcised Philistine… not part of the covenant people of God....) and if God… the covenant God of Israel who has rescued them before, is still their God..... why is this overgrown, worshipper of dead gods acting like this?
Remind us of the place that God holds (He is the living God).... the only God… Goliath is not only insulting the Israelite army but by association, he is insulting their God
He put the Israelites in their place as well (as the army of the living God, the Israelites should be putting their trust in Him rather than shaking in fear at the sight of Goliath.)
You can imagine that news of a volunteer willing to fight Goliath (after 40 days) would reach Saul quickly and they had… this is what Saul should have been doing himself… but he wasn’t .... he was probably excited to hear about this volunteer...
but then walks in David!
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32 And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
now, even though at the end of chapter 16, David helps Saul out with an evil spirit problem, it is possible that our narrator as told these couple of stories in an order to help us see God at work in David’s life and not necessarily in exact chronological order
and if that’s the case, this is the first time David and Saul have met.... Saul the acting king who has been rejected by God,,, and David, the newly anointed king, chosen by God, and filled with the Spirit of God
which makes sense because look at how young David takes control of the conversation with the king...
fear not… don’t let your heart fail....
Fear not???? who is this kid??? Goliath is 9’9”, armed like no other and Saul and all the Israel army were terrified at the sight of him!
but David says, fear not, your servant will fight
2 parts to David’s message
fear not
your servant will fight
did you notice that? do you hear it? do David’s words sound familiar???? it’s a gospel message.... not the gospel of Jesus just yet, not at this point.... but i’m hearing something...
and it’s not the first time we hear this message in Israel’s history...
do you remember what Moses said to Israelites at the Red Sea with Pharoah and the Egyptians chasing them...
13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
and now David to Saul, fear not, your servant will fight for you....
you hear it?
David uses the word Servant or slave:
Goliath used as a derogatory term (you want to fight me? i’m the philistine and you are just saul’s servants)
but here, David considered it an honor to be Saul’s servant
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33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.”
Saul saw what anyone would have seen.... Saul sees as man sees… not as God sees
you’re just a kid and Goliath has been a soldier all his life!
because of the order of our story, we know… Saul didn’t know… but we know that the spirit of God had rushed on David from that day forward back in chapter 16… so unbeknownst to Saul… we’re kind of interested to see what would happen
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34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”
it sounds like David is trying to convince Saul that he’s the man for the job… kind of sharing his resume, if you will, with him....
when i have been out in the fields taking care of the sheep, I’ve killed lions and bears… with my hands...
honestly, to me that sounds pretty good but Saul was probably thinking, “ok little boy, you know… animals are one thing but this guy is the biggest, scariest soldier ever”
in fact,
Saul doesn’t respond to this.... i imagine him pacing back and forth, listening to this young, small teenager, considering whether or not this is a joke!
i say Saul doesn’t respond because the next verse starts with , “and David said...”
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David interrupts the silence....
37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”
do you hear the confidence in David’s words???? David knew he didn’t defeat the bear and the lion on his own… he was delivered from them by the Lord… by Yahweh! the one true, living God!
and because of what God had done in the past, David was confident that he could trust God again… this time against Goliath!
later, David would write these words in the 27th Psalm…
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
i wonder if David had any thoughts about Goliath when he wrote that psalm....
so Saul says, “go… and the Lord be with you”
it seems like David has convinced him
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38 Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39 and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off.
Saul was still seeing as man sees. He assumed David should fight the way the world fights. Even though David had already explained to him that the Lord was the one doing the delivering on this day, Saul couldn’t see David going out without armor and a sword… if David was going to fight, Saul thought he needed the right resources....
so he starts putting his armor on little David!
helmet [picture of brax in cowboys helmet]
armor
sword
I remember when we were Preparing to plant heritage community church in the summer of 2007. I remember some speakers and authors of books who told us, if you’re going to plan a church you better have this much money set aside, you better have a building ready to go, you need to start with at least this many people,
they were well-meaning people… but that’s seeing as the world sees… that’s putting your trust in the right resources rather than God
not that there’s anything wrong with those things… but we didn’t have any of that stuff,
but we had a belief that God had called us out to do this… 15 years down the road, I’m certainly glad we were looking to Him to lead the way!
So there’s little David… wearing this helmet and armor that were way too big for him, carrying a sword that he couldn’t have swung very well
so he says to Saul… I can’t use this stuff… i haven’t tested them… never fought like this before...
so David lays down the helmet, armor and sword and goes with what he knows....
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40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.
Can you picture it??? Saul standing there, the king from whom the Spirit of the Lord is departed. He’s not who he used to be.... hasn’t reached his potential or accomplished his purpose as king,
the Israelites had high hopes for him… but they have not come to fruition
And there he stands, without God’s spirit, without any courage or leadership of his own, watching as this young, small David goes off toward the brook to pick up five stones.
David goes WITH God’s Spirit, with courage, with confidence in the God that delivers!
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CONCLUSION:
“Don’t let your heart fail. Don’t be afraid. Your servant will go.”
Jump ahead some 1000 years... in Bethlehem again. What did the angels say to the shepherds? it’s that same gospel message....
“And the shepherds were abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And the glory of the Lord shone around them, and the angel said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid! I bring you good news with great joy. A Savior is born. There is for you a champion!
you see, our story in 1 Samuel 17 is not a picture to for us to say, “Oh, I’d like to be a hero like David,” but for us to say, “We have in Jesus the ultimate David. We have in Jesus the ultimate King.”
we have in Jesus the ultimate Servant, the one who came not to BE served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many and fight our greatest battle against sin and death for us!
this is why we can sing those words in the song “Before The Throne of God Above”
One with Himself I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
Even when we come face to face with death in this world, the great enemy, if we are in Christ, we know he has already walked through that door for us… and came out of the grave the victor!
for us, in Christ, death is just the ushering us into the eternal presence of our hero!
When you trust God for the victory, you can have confidence He will deliver.
PRAYER