Walk out Your Faith

Intro/ Recap

Before we get started tonight we are going to do things tonight we will after the message tonight we are going to be having a time of prayer for all the different things that have happened over the past week. You don’t have to participate but we would encourage you to pray with us.

Here we are the stage is being set we have Goliath fighting for the Philistines and David fighting for the nation of Israel. WE have what seems like an unbeatable unstoppable enemy and then there is David just a teenager, a shepherd boy.

Underdog : An underdog is a person, team, or group participating in a competition or contest who is expected to lose or is in a weaker position compared to others. The term often applies to those seen as less powerful or disadvantaged, and when they succeed, it is considered an upset.

a rough estimate of sports movies 20-30 %

Rocky (1976) – The gold standard of underdog stories.

Rudy (1993) – A small, determined kid makes Notre Dame football.

Hoosiers (1986) – Small-town high school basketball team shocks the state.

The Karate Kid (1984) – The bullied teen who wins with heart (and a crane kick).

Cool Runnings (1993) – The Jamaican bobsled team at the Olympics.

Miracle (2004) – U.S. hockey team topples the unbeatable Soviets.

Remember the Titans (2000) – High school football team unites against the odds.

Seabiscuit (2003) – A little racehorse inspires a nation.

We Are Marshall (2006) – A community rebuilds after tragedy to keep a football program alive.

McFarland, USA (2015) – A cross-country team from a farming town stuns the state.

But With That Lets get into the Story of how a young Shepherd boy defeated a Giant.

V 38-39

38 So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.

Now Remember that Saul was taller than any of the people. So why did he try to give his armor to David.

1 Samuel 9:2 “And he had a choice and handsome son whose name was Saul. There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.”

1 Samuel 10:23 “So they ran and brought him from there; and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.”

My thought is Saul wanted to be able to take “credit” for the victory that was to come. and we see this type of insecurity in

1 Samuel 13:3–4 “And Jonathan attacked the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!” Now all Israel heard it said that Saul had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel had also become an abomination to the Philistines. And the people were called together to Saul at Gilgal.”

1 Samuel 14:24 “And the men of Israel were distressed that day, for Saul had placed the people under oath, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food until evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food.”

Later, during Jonathan’s further exploits, Saul tried to reclaim authority and take credit, exemplified by his rash oath to curse anyone who ate before his enemies were fully defeated—a move meant to draw attention away from Jonathan’s heroics and back to Saul’s leadership

David’s Response

I Cannot walk with these

the height and weight difference between King Saul and David

I have not Tested them

The Hebrew word is נָסָה (nacah).

“Nacah” can be rendered as test, prove, try, assay, or attempt.

It conveys the sense of evaluating something through experience or practical use

David takes them off

David Armor’s Up

He Grabs his staff

5 stones in his shepherd’s bag

and 1 sling

Remember this is all he had when God saved him from the lion and the bear

1 Samuel 17:37 “Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!””

David Went alone. but wasn’t alone

Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.””

1 Chronicles 28:20 “And David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God—my God—will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.”

Psalm 57:7 “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise.”

David knew that God was going to deliver him from Goliath. So he walked in boldness.

V 40-47

“So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking.” 42 And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. 43 So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” 45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

Not only did Goliath come forward but the man who bore his shield came with him.

As Goliath sees David he despises him because of his age, his reddish brown hair and his good looks.

When the two champions met, they generally made each of them a speech, and sometimes recited some verses, filled with allusions and epithets of the most opprobrious kind, hurling contempt and defiance at one another. This kind of abusive dialogue is common among the Arab combatants still.

Goliath Starts it off with Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

The phrase “Am I a dog” in 1 Samuel 17:43 has a rich historical and cultural context.

In ancient Near Eastern attitudes, dogs were generally despised creatures.

They were associated with lowliness, worthlessness, contempt, and impurity.

Calling someone a “dog” was a severe insult.

Goliath’s rhetorical question to David is meant to degrade him.

Goliath implies that David is as contemptible and insignificant as a dog.

Dogs symbolized something despicable and dishonored in that era.

They lacked the fighting prowess, masculinity, and authority associated with a warrior like Goliath.

Cursed David by his gods

More than Likely Dagon or Ashtoreth

Finally Goliath says 44  “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field.

He thinks he has this in the bag because of David’s Stature

David’s Response  This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

David is giving credit where credit is due in saying the Lord will Deliver you into my hand.

He knew God already had won.

Psalm 50:15 “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.””

and what was the purpose of delivering him into David’s hand.

that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

John 15:7–8 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”

Are We Like David when we face the challenges today do we believe that God has already won?

48-51a

48 So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49 Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it.

Here it is the moment we have all been waiting for the fight.

Everything David said would happen did happen.

he did not use a sword to defeat Goliath

God delivered him into David’s Hand

And David Cut his head off.

Turn with me to 1 Samuel 5:4 “And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon’s torso was left of it.”

God had decapitated the Philistine’s god and used David to decapitate their champion

Jesus Defeated Sin Death and the Grave. We are called to share that victory and good news with others.

Matthew 28:19–20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”

Mark 16:15 “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.””

V 51b-54

And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52 Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron. 53 Then the children of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their tents. 54 And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.

By David walking out his faith He inspired an entire army

1 Corinthians 11:1 “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”

as far as the valley and up to the gates of Ekron Roughly 10 miles away

David displayed one of the marks of a great leader as a youth: he took the risk and opened the way so that others could share in the victory.

The Philistines didn’t keep their part of the bargain and submit to Israel; instead, they fled in fear.

The Jews chased the Philistines at least ten miles to the cities of Gath and Ekron, slaying the enemy soldiers all the way.

It turned out to be a tremendous victory for Saul’s army.

When the Israelites returned to the Philistine camp, they claimed the spoils of the victory that the Lord and David had won.

When did David take Goliath’s head to Jerusalem?

Probably later when he conquered the city and made it

his capital (2 Samuel 5:1–10 ). The city was known as

Jebus in that day and was inhabited by the Jebusites (Judg. 19:10),

V 55-58

55 When Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.” 56 So the king said, “Inquire whose son this young man is.” 57 Then, as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” So David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost (14:1–23).

Saul was a spectator and made bad decisions.

Saul watched as David defeated the enemy single-handed.

Saul knew who David was but asked Abner who his father was.

Jesse had been mentioned earlier, but Saul may have forgotten.

David was Saul’s minstrel and went back and forth between home and the camp.

Saul may not have known who Jesse was because David was only present when Saul was oppressed by the evil spirit.

Saul inquired about David’s father to learn about his family and possibly recruit more men like David.

David’s family was relieved of paying taxes, and he would marry Saul’s daughter as part of the bargain.

Saul added David permanently to his staff after the day’s victory.

Application

So we saw David Walk out His Faith. How Did he Get there?

God Prepared David ( 1 Samuel 16:14-31)

Just as Paul was a vessel prepared by God for a specific work (Gal. 1:15; Acts 9:15), so David was God’s prepared servant to accomplish His purposes for His people.

God Guided David ( 1 Samuel 17:1-27)

God had brought David to the camp for such a time as this, and he was ready toaccept the challenge.

God Encouraged David ( 1 Samuel 17:28-39)

David’s encouragement came from God, and this is one of the secrets of his life. “But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God” (1 Sam. 30:6)

God Enables David (1 Samuel 17:40-58)

“All God’s giants have been weak men, who did great things for God because they reckoned on His being with them.” James Hudson Taylor,

Looking at the story through this lens reminds me of the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-25

• A master entrusts three servants with talents (a large sum of money) according to their abilities.

• Two servants trade and double their amounts, showing faithful stewardship.

• The third servant hides the money, fearful of the master’s strictness, and returns only what was given.

• The master commends the first two servants and rewards them, but he calls the third servant wicked and lazy, taking away his talent and casting him out.

• The story conveys the necessity of actively using God’s gifts and resources for His kingdom.

• It also stresses personal responsibility and the reality of future judgment based on faithfulness

James 1:22–25 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

Over the Last 3 Weeks we have had the blessing of going through the Transformed Series with Pastor Josh. He has laid out some very practical things to do to help us to Hear God’s Voice.

God will prepare you.

Ephesians 2:4–10 “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

God will Guide you

Proverbs 3:5–6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.”

Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

God will Encourage you

Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.””

Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.””

1 Samuel 30:6“Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

God will Enable you

2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”

Philippians 2:13 “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”