Out of Focus

Welcome and Introduction

Good Morning and Welcome to New Life Christian Fellowship. Thank you for joining us this morning. Today we are going to be continuing in our journey through the old testament and through the story of David. Last week, we explored 1 Samuel 16:1-13, where God anoints the young shepherd David as king. Despite his humble beginnings and being overlooked by his family, David was chosen by God because of his heart. We learned that God values our inner qualities over outward appearances and that He often works through the most unexpected people and circumstances. This story also points us to Jesus, the ultimate King who, like David, was an unlikely choice but fulfilled God's greatest plan for salvation. We are encouraged to trust in God's sovereignty, focus on developing a godly heart, and be open to His unexpected plans in our lives. This morning we are focusing our attention on 1 Samuel 17 the story of David and Goliath. Before we dive in, Let’s Pray!!

Story mindset

A lot you know that, I coached wrestling for a few years at Blue River HS and Eastern Hancock HS. These two schools are great schools that provide amazing and really unique experiences for their students. What most people know about these two schools is that they are very small. Blue River is so small that they don’t even have football. Eastern Hancock is so small that they don’t have soccer. Blue River is 1A in all sports and has a population of less than 200 in the whole high school and only 700 kids in the whole school corporation K-12. Eastern Hancock is a little bigger being 2A is almost every sport but still only having about 400 in 9-12. To compare Mt.Vernon HS, right across the street has a just less than 1400 students in 9-12. This information is important because it helps build some context to this story. If you don’t know wrestling in the state of Indiana is an individual sport that does not class up for the end of the season tournament. This means that small schools like EH and BR face overwhelming Giants and powerhouses of schools and wrestling programs at every level of the state tournament Sectionals through the state finals. Why does that matter in an individual sport and in sports in general? Most would say that if you are a good wrestler, you will bet whoever is in front of you. I would say that some of the time this is true but based off experience it is not always the case. What would often happen even to my best wrestlers is that they would see the school across from them and it would freak them out. They would see that it was a bigger school. This school usually had better uniforms, a bigger crowd, the best snacks, best training program, they knew all their accomplishments, and they just looked bigger and stronger and faster. You would think that my guys were looking over at adult men who wrestled for team USA during the olympics. It would completely mess with their heads. They would loose the match well before a second of wrestling actually took place. It was almost like they forgot everything about wrestling. All the training, all the techinque, all the victories they had and all the lesson they learned.

Main Text

1 Samuel 17:1–11 “The Philistines gathered their forces for war at Socoh in Judah and camped between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes-dammim. Saul and the men of Israel gathered and camped in the Valley of Elah; then they lined up in battle formation to face the Philistines. The Philistines were standing on one hill, and the Israelites were standing on another hill with a ravine between them. Then a champion named Goliath, from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was nine feet, nine inches tall and wore a bronze helmet and bronze scale armor that weighed one hundred twenty-five pounds. There was bronze armor on his shins, and a bronze javelin was slung between his shoulders. His spear shaft was like a weaver’s beam, and the iron point of his spear weighed fifteen pounds. In addition, a shield-bearer was walking in front of him. He stood and shouted to the Israelite battle formations, “Why do you come out to line up in battle formation?” He asked them, “Am I not a Philistine and are you not servants of Saul? Choose one of your men and have him come down against me. If he wins in a fight against me and kills me, we will be your servants. But if I win against him and kill him, then you will be our servants and serve us.” Then the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel today. Send me a man so we can fight each other!” When Saul and all Israel heard these words from the Philistine, they lost their courage and were terrified.

The Israelites are in a standoff with the Philistines. This isn’t just a battle it’s an invasion. The Philistines have come to a land that is occupied by Israel and they are looking to overtake Israel and conquer them. The Philistine army has a champion named Goliath, who is described as a giant—over nine feet tall, wearing heavy armor, and wielding massive weapons. A warrior that’s armor weighed more then some of the men in the army and they sat terrified and paralyzed in the presence of their giant. Every day for forty days, Goliath taunts the Israelites, challenging them to send a warrior to fight him one-on-one. The Israelites, including King Saul, are terrified and paralyzed by fear. The Israelites looked out and saw a giant of a man. They could not see anything but Goliath.

Summary of 1 Samuel 17 12-31

David arrives at the camp just as the armies are lining up for battle and hears Goliath's taunts. The Israelite soldiers, including David’s brothers, are fearful and demoralized by Goliath’s challenge. David is curious and inquires about the situation. He learns that King Saul has promised great rewards, including his daughter's hand in marriage and exemption from taxes for the man's family, to anyone who can defeat Goliath. David and his brother have a little spat but is more concerned about the larger battle instead of the small issue with his brothers. In Verse 26 David points out something important about Goliath. 1 Samuel 17:26“David spoke to the men who were standing with him: “What will be done for the man who kills that Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”” He is uncircumices which means he is outside of God’s Convenant. Which means Goliath is outside of God’s covering and promises. David notices that this threat is not simply a political threat but a spiritual one. All the other Israelites including Saul didn’t see and understand what they were actually fighting. David recognizes this and understands that the real threat Goliath poses is spiritual, not just physical or political.Like David, we need to recognize that many of the battles we face in our lives are not merely physical or circumstantial but have a spiritual dimension. Understanding this can change how we approach these challenges and can empower us to rely on God’s strength and promises.

Reminder of Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.”

1 Samuel 17:32-40 32 David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged by him; your servant will go and fight this Philistine!” 33 But Saul replied, “You can’t go fight this Philistine. You’re just a youth, and he’s been a warrior since he was young.” 34 David answered Saul, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it. 36 Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 Then David said, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.” 38 Then Saul had his own military clothes put on David. He put a bronze helmet on David’s head and had him put on armor. 39 David strapped his sword on over the military clothes and tried to walk, but he was not used to them. “I can’t walk in these,” David said to Saul, “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off. 40 Instead, he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in the pouch, in his shepherd’s bag. Then, with his sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine.

David decideds he is going to take on Goliath. They try to talk him out of it. Saying you are young, inexperienced, and small. You don’t have the military training to defeat this monster of a man. David says check my resume. I have rescued lambs from lions and bears. David knowing Saul wasn’t convinced, he went on to say not only would I rescue the sheep from the bears and lions, I would kill the bears and lions. It will happen the same for this uncircumsized philistine. This person who is not covered by God. This person who is literaly going against God will have the same fate. Still not convinced are you Saul? David says I forgot to mention one important aspect of my resume, God is the one who gives me my strength. God is the one who delivered me from the bears and the lions. God is the one who fights for me and with me. My Resume includes God Alimghty in the special skills, traits, and abilities box. God is with me, so who can be against me? God who delivers me in the past will deliver me in the future.

Read 1 Samuel 17:40-52 41 The Philistine came closer and closer to David, with the shield-bearer in front of him. 42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a youth, healthy, and handsome. 43 He said to David, “Am I a dog that you come against me with sticks?” Then he cursed David by his gods. 44 “Come here,” the Philistine called to David, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts!” 45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with a sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Armies, the God of the ranks of Israel—you have defied him. 46 Today, the Lord will hand you over to me. Today, I’ll strike you down, remove your head, and give the corpses of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the wild creatures of the earth. Then all the world will know that Israel has a God, 47 and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is the Lord’s. He will hand you over to us.” 48 When the Philistine started forward to attack him, David ran quickly to the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 David put his hand in the bag, took out a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown to the ground. 50 David defeated the Philistine with a sling and a stone. David overpowered the Philistine and killed him without having a sword. 51 David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine’s sword, pulled it from its sheath, and used it to kill him. Then he cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they fled. 52 The men of Israel and Judah rallied, shouting their battle cry, and chased the Philistines to the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron., Philistine bodies were strewn all along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.

Goliath and David have a few words. Then David runs to the battle line to meet his giant. David drops the giant with a Sling and a stone. Some scholars have said that this stone could have been traveling as fast as 100mph. And then David confirmed the Philistine defeat by using Goliath’s own sword to cut off his head. Israel and David triumphed over their enemies and their giants.

Application

So how does this apply to our lives today. We all face giants in our lives—situations that seem insurmountable, problems that appear too big to overcome. These can be personal struggles, such as addiction, illness, financial crises, or relational conflicts. They can also be external challenges, such as societal pressures, injustices, or unexpected tragedies. Because of these giants we tend to become afraid. We become scared, overwhlemed, and paralized because of these giants. And because we become scared, overwhelmed confused, and paralized we often give in or fall to these giants that are in our lives.

I want to ask you a question. If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, if you are a child of God why are you afraid? I need to remind you this if you have made that declarion if you have received Jesus as Lord and Savior, you are covered by the New Convenant. You are covered by the almighty God. The battles and the giants we face on this earth are no longer ours to fight on our own. We are to fight them with God leading us.

Psalm 56:3-4 When I am afraid, I will trust in you. 4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?

Psalm 27:1-3 The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— whom should I dread? 2 When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell. 3 Though an army deploys against me, my heart will not be afraid; though a war breaks out against me, I will still be confident.

2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us that we are God does not give a spirit of Fear. The spirit of Fear comes from the enemey the one who is looking to destory us.

Our enemy doesn’t determine our story and the outcome of our battles our King does. Here is the good news today. We have a King that has already gone before us and won the ultimate battle. That is King Jesus. He has already won. Our victory is already sealed in Christ Jesus. There is no power no battle no giant to big for God. He has defeated the biggest and baddest of them all. We can stand and fight and live with confidence because our King fought first. Jesus has already come and defeated and sin and death and given us a future. No power that the enemy has can overthrow him. He has already won.

Tie it back to wrestling team.

So back to my wrestling teams. I would try to talk with them and help them to refocus on what’s most important. What they have achieved , their training, their skillset, etc. Most of the time if they didn’t refocus they would lose the match and not just lose but get flat out whipped on the mat. When we are facing giants, we must too refocus. David when he was faced with an unbeatable giant, he didn’t start focusing on the giant, he continued to focus on God. While everyone else was focused on the battle and the giant, David was focused on God and what He can do and what He has already done. We must shift our focus of our giants and back to Jesus.

Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, 2 keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, so that you won’t grow weary and give up.

When you are going through a battle, our gaze must be set on Jesus. Our depence must be on Jesus. He is the one who gives us the strength to win. He is the one who has the abilities to win. He is the one who is strong when we are weak. Jesus is the healer, the redeemer, the deliver, and the King that conquers all. We often lose because we are too focused on the giant and not Jesus. Fix your eyes on Jesus and let Him go to work. Let Jesus you lead you to victory. Stop doing it on your own. Stop depending on your own strength. Refocus yourself on Jesus. Jesus is the one who provides victory.

Philippians 4:12-13 12 I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. 13 I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 8 Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. 10 So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

We are strong because of Jesus. We are confident because of Jesus. We can overcome our giants because of Jesus. We can fight the battles because and not be afraid because of Jesus.

Closing Remarks and Prayer

What giants are you facing in your life right now? Is it a personal struggle, a challenging situation at work, a relationship issue, or maybe a fear or anxiety that seems insurmountable? Like David, we need to recognize that these giants are not just physical or circumstantial but often have a spiritual dimension. We need to rely on God’s strength and not our own. Remember David’s testimony and his reliance on God’s past faithfulness. Reflect on your own testimonies and how God has been faithful to you in the past. This will strengthen your faith for the battles ahead.

Are you ready to take immediate action, trust in God’s simplicity, and see the battle through to the end? This week, I encourage you to identify one giant in your life and apply these principles to face it head-on.

Invitation to Accept Christ: If you haven’t yet placed your faith in Jesus, today is the day. Jesus has won the ultimate victory over sin and death, and He invites you to trust in Him for your salvation. If you want to accept Christ, I invite you to pray with me now.

Invitation to Respond: If you are already a believer and need prayer for the giants you are facing, our prayer team is here for you. Don’t leave today without seeking the support and prayer you need.

Thank you for joining us today. Let’s close in prayer.