WHEN I AM WEAK, THEN I AM STRONG

1 Samuel 17:40-54

40 And he took his staff in his hand and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling [was] in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

41 And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield [went] before him.

42 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was [but] a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.

43 And the Philistine said unto David, [Am] I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.

45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle [is] the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands.

48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.

49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang [it], and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.

50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but [there was] no sword in the Hand of David.

54 And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.

1 Corinthians 1:27-29

27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen,

29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.

Introduction

This life that we are living is a long journey.

One of the major life lessons worth learning is understanding that you can't make it on this journey all by yourself. As mortals, we are too weak to make it without the help of God almighty. And when we are tempted to think that we can make it without God's help, we discover that life has a way of showing us that we are not as strong as we think. We are all human. But the good news is that our human weakness provides an opportunity for the manifestation of God's divine strength. When we are weak, the God we serve is strong. But to experience God's strength, we must first realize our weakness.

Some people find it hard to confess and acknowledge that they need the Lord. In these days of the self-made man and the self-sufficient women, many confuse earthly power with heavenly power. It is easy to confuse the two. The power and the influence to make things happen on earth are quite different from what it takes to make things happen in heaven. Some of the most powerful people in the world, by earthly standards, are very weak by heaven's standards. By the same token, according to earthly standards, some of the weakest people have powerful connections with heaven.

You get earthly power by knowing the right people.

You can get earthly power by making the right connections.

You can get earthly power by earning the right kind of salary.

You can even get earthly power by knowing the right kind of information.

While we certainly need money to live and enjoy this life, and I encourage you to pursue knowledge and wisdom, let me suggest that another kind of power comes from heaven.

I'm not talking about buying power. I'm not talking about information power. I'm not talking about connection. This morning I came to talk about the power of Holy Ghost. This power comes from the Lord. But not only that, but it also comes from weakness. There is a power known as weakness power. That is, during moments of weakness, you can discover the strength of the Lord.

Now I realize that the notion of power in weakness seems contradictory.

But the Bible is filled with contradictions.

This God that we serve says that the first shall be last, and the last shall be first.

To live with Christ, we have to die with Christ.

To gain our life, we must be willing to lose our life.

This God brings down those who exalt themselves and raises those who humble themselves.

He is a God who contradicts our understanding of things.

And so it is that when we are weak, we are strong.

And this is the power of resurrection Sunday, that the resurrection of the death came from death on the cross. Jesus was crucified in weakness, but he was raised in power.

ENCOUNTERING THE TEXT

If ever there was a story in the Bible that teaches about weakness and power, it is the story of David and Goliath.

It was not a decorated soldier that killed big old Goliath; it was a weak little shepherd boy.

Sometimes we allow size to scare us. The problems of this world can seem bigger than life themselves. But David teaches us that when it comes to killing giant-sized problems, it is not the size that matters. It was not the size of David's weapon that mattered; it was the size of David's faith. It was his faith that made the difference. He realized that he was weak and served a mighty strong God.

All the grown men had strong weapons, but they had weak faith. It's not about how gifted you are; it's about how faithful you are. It's not about what you can do but what God can do. All the grown men saw Goliath as an obstacle, but little boy David saw Goliath as an opportunity to show what his God could do. He realized that he was weak, but his God was strong.

I don't know what your obstacles are this morning, but I came to tell you that all those obstacles in your way are nothing but opportunities. When you are weak, then you are strong.

All those stumbling blocks in your way are nothing but stepping stones.

All the brokenness in your life is an opportunity for God to bring blessings.

LIFE GOES ON!

David also teaches us that you can't drop everything just because there is trouble in your life. Even though you may be weakened by the problems in life, don't stop living your life. Life goes on – with or without us.

In your moment of weakness, life must go on. Before David left the battlefield, he took care of his responsibilities first. He put his sheep in the hands of one keeper. And when he got to the battlefield, he left his carriage in the hands of another keeper. Church, you must learn how to take care of business. No matter what's going on, keep your eyes on the prize and your hands on the plow. Put first things first, no matter who comes against you. Sometimes, you don't have time to fall apart just because there is trouble. You don't have to come unglued just because there are forces against you. You don't have to give up because you feel weak. Life goes on with or without. Keep your eyes on the prize. David didn't just drop everything. He put first things first. He took care of business even though he was ready to enter battle.

Besides, according to. . .

2 Corinthians 4:17

For our LIGHT AFFLICTION, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

Our weakness becomes an occasion for God's glory. God works amid our weakness.

Even though we feel like giving up, God gets the glory when we keep going.

Even though you feel like letting go, God gets the glory when you hold on.

Trouble doesn't last always!

Life Goes On!

Life has to go on.

I don't mean to make light of anyone's problems. I know that problems can seem overwhelming. I know that problems can cause you to feel weak. But when you are weak, remember that the God you serve is still strong.

Don't let your troubles get you down.

Jeremiah 12:5

If thou has run with the footmen, and thy have wearied thee, then how cast thou contend with horse, and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trusted, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of the Jordan.

Don't let trouble put you out of commission.

When trouble comes, some people.

Stop taking care of themselves.

They stop taking care of their households.

They stop feeding their children.

They stop going to work.

They fall out of the church.

They fall into depression.

They start moping and complaining.

Don't let trouble cause you to take your hands off the plow

Don't let obstacles cause you to take your eyes off the prize.

Beside an obstacle is something that you see when you take your eyes off God. When we take our eyes off God, we label what is an opportunity as an obstacle.

Sometimes we learn to "Be ye steadfast unmovable, always abounding the work of the Lord."

Be like a tree planted by the rivers of water; say to yourself, I shall not be moved.

DON'T LET THE NOISE SCARE YOU

Sometimes we get scared because we heard about the problem even though we haven't seen the problem.

The Bible says that when David arrived, he heard about Goliath.

He heard that Goliath had come twice a day for forty days, but nobody dared to stand up to him. That means that Goliath showed up 80 times, and 80 times the men of Israel backed down. Are you aware some of your greatest enemies are bullies, and truth be told, if you say boo, they will cry?

Sometimes what you hear about your enemies is worse that the truth about your enemies. The world has a knack for making our enemies look like giants when sometimes they are nothing more than grasshoppers.

1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

I know that when it comes to your enemies, you have heard some things, but when it comes to my God, you haven't heard anything yet. In other words, even when your eyes don't see, your heart can't believe it; God is great.

Don't let the things you see or hear hinder you from acting on the things you believe.

The grown men saw Goliath, but David saw God.

The grown men backed down, but David stepped up.

The grown men had fear on their faces, but David had faith in his heart.

But not only do you have to look at things the way God looks at them, but you must also look at yourself the way God looks at you.

If you see yourself as a loser, then you are a loser.

If you see yourself as a failure, then you are a failure.

If you see yourself as a nobody, then you are a nobody.

Seeing is believing. You must see yourself the way God sees you.

David didn't let sight get in his way.

The Bible says that when David got to the battlefield, he saw that armies were about to go against one another. But he didn't let that get in his way. He ran in the middle of the battle. There comes a time when you must stop running from your battles – stand up and face them like a man. Face them like a woman. Stop running from your problems; stand up and face your problems.

But not only did David run in the middle of the battle, but in my mind's eye, I could see him getting upset.

In Verses 26, David asked, "What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who [is] this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

Let me paraphrase it -- David said, what in the world are you doing? Who is this Goliath that he would even dare touch God's property?

I feel like David this morning.

Church, what in the world are we doing?

What is poverty that should defy the armies of the living God?

What in the world are we doing?

Why are so many of us depressed and lonely all of our lives?

When the joy of the Lord is our strength.

What is depression that should defy the armies of the living God?

What in the world is going on?

Why are so many of us living defeated lives?

When Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly.

What in the world is going on?

Why so much confusion?

Why so much pain?

Why so much sickness?

Why so much misery?

Why so many burdens?

Why so many problems?

Why so much trouble?

What are any of these that they should defy the army of the living God?

We walk by faith and not by sight.

When we are weak, our God is strong.

If you see yourself as a grasshopper, then you are a grasshopper.

David was weak, but he realized that his God was strong. And because he had faith in his God, he walked by faith, not sight.

When You Walk By Faith, The World Gets Angry

But let me tell you, when you are walking by faith, that's when the world will discourage you.

When you start walking by faith, the world gets angry.

When David's eldest brother Eliab heard David speaking with faith – he got angry and called him arrogant.

When Goliath heard David speaking with faith, he got angry and asked why they sent a little boy to do a man's job; the Bible said that he cursed at David.

But David didn't let that in his way.

When the King heard the bold words his men told him about came from a weak little boy, he got angry and called David a little boy.

But don't name-calling destroy your faith.

I learned long ago that the world will underestimate who you are.

In fact, that is the plan. God uses things that are foolish to confuse the wise.

When God uses a weak vessel, the world will underestimate what God is getting ready to do through the weak vessel.

The world underestimates who God is.

Don't worry when they call you out by your name.

Mariam and Aaron called Moses out by his name, by Mariam had to come back through Moses to get her healing.

Why they even called Jesus out of his name, but he died for their sins.

The same Jesus they mocked ended up being the one that prayed for them on the cross.

You have to do what the old saints did – talk about me as much as you please, but the more you talk, the more I'll get on my knees.

When you are armed with faith, insults are like water on a duck's back.

Because you know who you are.

When you are armed with faith, you don't have to prove who you are. Eventually, God will reveal who you are in him.

You don't have to worry about what your enemy says when you are armed with faith.

Verse 30 said that after Eliab got through complaining about David, David just turned and walked in the other direction.

Turn In the Other Direction

I wonder if anybody this morning ever had to turn and walk in the other direction.

When they call you out by your name, turn and walk in the other direction.

It takes a strong man to be able to turn and walk away.

Your victory is not in fighting.

Your victory is not getting "eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth."

You don't have anything to gain by arguing unnecessary arguments.

You don't have any to prove by fighting unnecessary fights.

Just turn a walk away.

In fact, the Bible says if they slap one cheek, turn the other cheek.

TALKING THE FAITH TALK

Sometimes when you feel weak, you must talk strongly.

David not only had faith – he talked faith.

And when David got through talking the faith talk, the Bible says that Saul's men rehearsed David's Word in front of Saul and Saul called for David.

The words that David said got him to stand before the King.

Sometimes we don't realize the power of our Word.

The Bible says calleth those not as though they were.

Did you realize that the world will listen when you start talking about your faith? And when you get through speaking, the world will rehearse what you said.

Do you realize that sometimes the unsaved give God more credit for what he has done than the saved – they are rehearsing what we said while we don't believe it ourselves?

Pop singers sing songs they can't sing in church, but they give God more credit than we do.

Sometimes the world talks about its faith more than God's people.

God's Word will not return void.

There's power in the Word.

David was armed with faith, but he was also armed with the Word.

He was weak, but his talk was strong.

He was a little boy, but he spoke some big words.

Saul laughed at David, but David kept on talking the faith talk.

David said a lion and a bear took his sheep, but I caught them by his beard and killed them both. And if God delivers me out the paw of the of bear and the jaw of the lion, this uncircumcised Philistine shall defy the armies of the living God.

WEAR YOU OWN ARMOUR

And finally, Saul decided to let him go.

But he tried to put his armor on David.

You don't need the world's armor when you are God's child.

Too many of us are trying to pray somebody else's prayer.

Too many of us are trying to fight with somebody's else weapons.

But what worked for somebody else may not work for you.

The answer that God gave them was fit for their situation.

And the answer that God will give you is fit for your situation.

That's why you must learn to go to God for yourself.

All he needed was a staff in one hand.

Five smooth stones in his bag.

And his slingshot in his other hand.

When God gets through fighting your battle, they will know that God won the battle, not flesh and blood.

That's why God uses weak instruments.

That's why he uses the foolish to confound the wise.

The foolishness of God is stronger than man's best wisdom.

It's not about the size of your weapon – it's about the size of your faith.

It's not about what kind of weapon you have – it's about your faith.

David put his weak weapon in God's strong hand.

When you put a weak instrument in God's strong hand, it becomes a mighty weapon.

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but are mighty through the pulling down of strongholds.

But his most powerful weapon was the name of the Lord.

He stood up and said I come in the name of the Lord.

You see, that name is loaded.

The name of the Lord is a strong tower.

The righteous run into it, and they are saved.

At the sound of that name, every knee must bow, and every tongue must confess that he is Lord.

At the sound of that name, the demons tremble.

I'm armed!

And I'm loaded because I put my weak weapons in God's Hand.

No power in my hands, but power in God's hands.

A sling shot in my hand is just a slingshot, in David's Hand, a deadly weapon.

A basketball in my hand is nothing but a basketball, but a basketball in Micheal Jordan's is multiple NBA championships.

A tennis racquet in my hand is nothing but a tennis racquet, but a tennis racquet in the hand of Venis and Serena Williams, a Wimbledon championship.

In my hand, a golf club is nothing, but in Tiger Woods's hand, it becomes a Master's Golf championship.

Weapons will not do you good if you have not practiced – practice makes perfect.

'The word of God is alive and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword' (Heb 4:12).

When I am Weak, I am Strong.

When you put a weak instrument in God's Hand, it comes a mighty weapon.

But look at David; he used a slingshot to bring a giant.

What's your weapon?

Samson used a jawbone.

Moses used a rod.

Gideon used a trumpet.

Rahab used a thread.

Paul and Silas used prayer.

The little lad used two fish and five loaves.

God uses weak weapons to make sure that he gets the glory.

When we realize that we are weak vessels, then open ourselves to be used by a strong God.

We have to become less, so God can become more.

One of the greatest contradictions of the Bible is that when we lower ourselves, God will elevate us.

Paul said:

1 Corinthians 15:9

"For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an

CELEBRATION

You do not have to look for strength in external sources when you are weak. The grace inside of you is enough.

My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.

The God we serve was crucified in weakness, but he was raised in power.

When he was betrayed by Judas and arrested by the Romans, he didn't struggle.

He didn't make a fuss.

He didn't wage a fight.

He surrendered himself willing.

He had power. He was the King of Kings but died the death of the worst of criminals.

He was an innocent man, yet he did not attempt to answer His accusers during his trial.

He didn't retaliate against his persecutors.

When he was scourged, whipped, beaten, and crucified, He did not complain.

He didn't argue his innocent, nor didn't he parade his divinity.

He humbled himself to the point of death.

He didn't tell the perpetrators of these injustices that he was innocent or being treated unfairly.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV) 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Do we have any saved people today?

If you know him, you need to praise him.

If you need him, you need to tell somebody.

Did he bless you – you need to tell somebody.

Did he raise you – you need to tell somebody.

Did he pick you up -- you need to tell somebody.

Did he turn you around?

When I got saved, I lost about twenty pounds.

Five pounds was all the hate I was carrying in my heart.

Five pounds was all that unforgiveness I was carrying in my spirit.

Five pounds was all that heaviness I was carrying in my soul.

Tell me how did you feel when you came out of the wilderness.

Not you can be!

Not you should be!

Not you oughtta be!

Not you may be!

You must be born again!

I can't do anything without you holding my hand.

I can't live without you.

I can't breathe without you.

I can't walk without you.

I can't talk with you.

You must be born again!

Testify!

Run and tell that!

The Psalmist says when I think of the goodness of Jesus and all that he's done for me, My soul cries out hallelujah, thank God for saving me.

If God did anything for you, you need to run and tell that.

Tell them about my Jesus.

Jesus, Mary's little baby,

Jesus, the bright and morning star,

Jesus, the alpha and omega,

Jesus, the Lion of Judah,

Jesus, the King of Kings

Jesus, the Lord of Lords,

Jesus, the Prince of Peace,

Jesus, the mighty God,

Jesus, the everlasting father,

Jesus, the wonderful counselor,

Jesus, the great physician,

Jesus, my savior,

Jesus, my Redeemer,

Jesus, the way, the truth, and the light

Jesus, the good shepherd,

Jesus, son of David

Jesus, the seed of Abraham

Jesus the Christ

Jesus, the Messiah

Jesus, the lamb of God,

Jesus, the bread of life,

Jesus, the rose of Sharon,

Jesus, the light of the world,

Jesus, my rock in a weary land,

Jesus, my shelter in the time of storm,

Jesus, the builder that the stone rejected,

Jesus, the chief cornerstone,

Jesus, the great I am that I am

Jesus, Balm in Gilead

Tell them about my Jesus.

Tell them how to walk up calvary's road.

Tell them about how he took the nails in his hand.

Tell them about how he took the nails in his feet.

Tell them about how he took the stripes upon his back.

Tell them about how they on spit on me, Jesus.

Tell them about how they mock his name.

Tell them about how they crucified my savior.

Tell them about how they laid him in the grave.

Tell Them how early one morning.

Tell them about how early on the third day.

He got up.

He got up.

Didn't he get up?

With all power in his hand.

Jesus, Got up with all power in his hand,

Jesus, Walk right power

Jesus, Talk right power

Jesus, Do-right power

Jesus, love my neighbor, right power

Jesus, Forgive my brother right power

Jesus, Love-my-enemy power

Call on him, Jesus

When I burden down Jesus,

In good times call on him, Jesus,

In bad times call on him, Jesus,

When I think of the goodness of Jesus and all he's done for me, my soul cries hallelujah, thank God for saving me.

Somebody say yeah.

Ain't God all right.

If he saved, you run tell that.

If he lifted you, you ought to run and tell that.

Say yeah!