Conquerors by Faith
Notes
Transcript
David walked out onto the battlefield to face Goliath the Philistine. You are probably familiar with the story.
Goliath was a giant of a man - the Bible says he stood over 9 foot tall. A battle proven warrior, he swaggered onto the field wearing an armor of bronze - with the sun shining off of him, I’m sure the sight of him was formidable. We are told that the iron spearhead that tipped his massive spear weighed 15 lbs.
Day after day, the fearsome Goliath had brazenly stood at the battle line and taunted the men of Israel - challenging them: “choose a man among you and let him come and fight me. If he wins, we will become your servants, and if I win, you shall serve us.” The sight of him struck fear into the army of Israel.
David, on the other hand, was not experienced in battle. In fact, the only reason he was present was because his father had sent him with food supplies to give to his older brothers who were in the army.
While we don’t know how old David was at the time, we know he was considered a youth. His job was to shepherd the family sheep back home while his brothers went off to war.
But unlike his brothers and his fellow countrymen, he did not fear Goliath. His mindset was that of the psalmist who states in Psalm 118:6-7
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
This is the confidence we need when we face enemies in our lives. Whether they be actual persons intending us harm or situations in which we are under attack by the unseen forces that can wreck havoc in our lives - we find strength and courage when we remember who is by our side.
When David heard Goliath’s taunts, he asked “Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?”
Word reached King Saul that this young man was willing to fight Goliath - so Saul summoned him. When he saw the young man in front of him - we are told that he was unimpressed:
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.”
David responded confidently, he explained how as a shepherd, he has had to fight off bears and lions when they come for the lambs of his flock - and he would strike them down. For young David, the shepherd of his sheep, you dealt with life’s challenges head on with the assurance that God had your back.
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!”
The rest is history. David walked onto the battlefield with nothing but his staff, a sling and five smooth stones.
His enemy - the mountain of a man named Goliath looked at him with disdain.
1 Samuel 17:43–50 (CEB)
The Philistine asked David, “Am I some sort of dog that you come at me with sticks?” And he cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” he said to David, “and I’ll feed your flesh to the wild birds and the wild animals!” But David told the Philistine, “You are coming against me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of heavenly forces, the God of Israel’s army, the one you’ve insulted. Today the Lord will hand you over to me. I will strike you down and cut off your head! Today I will feed your dead body and the dead bodies of the entire Philistine camp to the wild birds and the wild animals. Then the whole world will know that there is a God on Israel’s side. And all those gathered here will know that the Lord doesn’t save by means of sword and spear. The Lord owns this war, and he will hand all of you over to us.” The Philistine got up and moved closer to attack David, and David ran quickly to the front line to face him. David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone. He slung it, and it hit the Philistine on his forehead. The stone penetrated his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. And that’s how David triumphed over the Philistine with just a sling and a stone, striking the Philistine down and killing him—and David didn’t even have a sword!
It is an awesome story. And like all the stories of victory and defeats found in the Old Testament - it serves a greater purpose than the immediate context. As scripture unfolds, we find that this victory that David experienced also serves as an allegory for larger spiritual truths. And the truth that we are looking at today is this…Victory is achieved through belief.
David’s victory did not happen because of his strength, his experience, his cunning, his connections, his influence, or in his belief in himself. David was victorious because he believed in God. And not just because he believed in God, for I imagine every man that served in the army of Israel believed in God, but David’s belief directed his actions.
If I am facing a locked door, and I believe the key in my hand will unlock it, that belief will be of no value until I actually insert the key and open the door.
If David believed in God, and God had promised to give Israel victory over her enemies, and this pagan was defying God, then David had nothing to fear. He could and would walk out onto that battlefield - trusting that God would deliver him.
How do we show that we love God? We activate our belief. We trust and obey. Our belief directs our behavior.
As Christians, we declare that we believe in Jesus. We believe that He is the Son of God. We believe that He died and that He rose again. We believe that He has paid for our sins and that He now reigns at the right hand of God in heaven.
What is the proof of our belief? What do our actions show?
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
The opposite of that verse is found in Luke 6:46
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?
This is why in book of James we read “faith without works is dead.” In other words, you need to unlock the door.
In this letter of 1 John that we have been studying, the apostle makes it crystal clear - true belief is found in obedience.
In their commentary on 1 John, David Case and David Holdren state that there are…
1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2 & 3 John, Jude: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition (1. Loving God 5:1–5)
two requirements for one who is born of God…That person believes that Jesus is the Christ, and shows love for God by obey[ing] his commandments.
then they point out…
The Wesleyan Bible Commentary, Volume 6: Hebrews–Revelation c. The Proofs for Love (5:2–3)
A person always seeks to please the person whom he loves
If I love my wife, which I do, then I will seek to please her. Even if I want to grow a beard, because she is not a fan of what she calls scruffy scruff, then my beard endeavors will be short lived. (ok - poor example)
If I don’t love her, regardless of what I profess with my mouth, then I’m not going to care what she wants - I’m going to do whatever I want to do.
John tells us…
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.
Our belief in Jesus has resulted in being born again. We are now children of God. We are family. And as we discussed last week - we love our family. That is faith in action. Our radical love for one another shows the world that God indeed sent us His Son. That all this is real. And that God is present.
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
This means that if someone says they love God, but nothing in their actions show obedience to what he has commanded - are they really a child of God? Do they really love him?
What are the commandments of God?
Well, the first ones that come to your mind are very likely the 10 Commandments.
You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make idols.
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Honor your father and your mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet.
That’s the short list - each one can be expanded on - moving from the letter of the law to the intent.
For instance, Jesus said of #7,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Following the commands of God means living with holy intentions, desiring to please God - not just following the letter of the law.
And then we have the commands that Jesus gave us - here are just a few:
Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near
Come and Follow Me
Rejoice when you are persecuted in my name
Turn the other cheek
Love your enemies
Seek God’s Kingdom above all else
Do not worry about tomorrow
choose the narrow path to life
look out for false prophets
Forgive others
And I can’t leave out the greatest commandment:
Matthew 22:37–39 (ESV)
And Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
These are just a few of God’s commands that He has given to us so we would know how to live holy and righteous lives.
What does it take to follow God’s commands - so they are a joy and not a burden?
Love for the Father. When we truly love God, and we are thankful for Him sending us His Son, then pursuing the holy life that he has laid out before us becomes something we desire.
And as I shared at the beginning of the series a few week ago…
Even when we fail. Even when our hearts condemn us and tell us that we are not worthy of this love, we have a Lord who knows us completely - who knows our short comings - who knows our personal struggles - and he loves us anyway. If our hearts condemn us, then take them to the Lord with a spirit of repentance and then get back to living boldly for Him.
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Just like David walking out onto that battlefield, it is faith, covered by God’s grace, that will bring victory. Whatever you are facing today - whatever battles you are engaged in - wherever the enemy is trying to convince you that you are losing - hear this Word today. You are an overcomer when your faith in Christ. He has already won the war - victory is yours to claim.
Amen.