Preparing and Performing

33 Years and Still at Work

Sara and I have been married almost 34 years.

Due respect to those who’ve done it longer.

Communication is still a challenge

My anal type A to Sara’s colorful and creative personality.

Especially, early on in our marriage.

Mexican food. I think Taco Tico. Wichita, KS.

She’s from Tucson.

The humorous events when the tornado was bearing down on our house in Dallas.

Look at the cool clouds!

I’m like, quick, get in the bathtub!

Growing up, a calm day was a 25 mph wind.

Growing up a calm day was 25 mph.

I didn’t know what calm was. And the heat.

Then, I took her to ND. But, it’s a dry cold.

You can imagine the conversations we had about things that don’t really matter. We had to work at it.

Communication is when both parties understand.

Like all of you, it’s one thing to communicate about things that don’t matter so much. It’s a who other thing to have to communicate about things that do matter.

Raising (disciplining) kids, money, deeply held feelings. hurts and anxiety. Just b/c a couple is married does not mean these things come easily.

This takes a lot of work.

It’s not that things don’t matter when you’re younger, but when you get a little older things matter a whole lot more.

Money and retirement conversations. Can we? Do we have enough? If not, how do we get there now?

Health, health-care, even end of life conversations.

Helping our kids be better parents conversations. W/out alienating them conversations.

Feelings we’ve been able to bury for years are now coming out in odd ways conversations.

Sara’s parents. We used to chuckle about certain personality quirks. Now, they’ve become a real problem.

How do we communicate about them so that Sara can communicate w/ her parents?

Are we ready for these trials?

These things things don’t happen over night. It takes years of effort. We can’t wait until “later” or it may never happen.

We won’t be prepared. We won’t be able to perform.

God is preparing Sara and I for the next 30 years of our lives.

God has prepared us for whatever He expects us to perform. We have the weapons and tools necessary.

Whatever trials we’re facing we can’t wait till we’re in them to prepare or else we’ll never be able to perform.

We have to acknowledge that God is just as involved when we prepare as He is when perform.

We just need the courage and confidence to step in and use them.

If we don’t, we’re on our own. Good luck w/ that.

God is just as involved when we prepare as He is when perform.

This is the message of and 17. David and Goliath.

The Least Likely

Place

1 Samuel 16:1 NIV

The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

1 Samuel

Bethlehem of all places. Why? Tiny, nowhere and nothing place like this. Small town in the middle of nowhere.

Why not Jerusalem? Or, somewhere more famous?

God’s MO is to choose the least likely and make them special.

He’d obviously been planning this for a long time.

There were lots of shepherds and farmers around here.

“Beth” means “house”

“Le-hem” means “of bread”.

Bethlehem is the House of Bread.

The bread-basket of the middle east; like Kansas.

So, David, a young shepherd-boy, shepherding sheep around the house of bread.

In his lineage will be the Good Shepherd, Who Shepherds His sheep and the Bread of Life, who gives life to the hungry.

The Least likely place turns out to be the most prepared place, the perfect place.

What about David? He seems to be the least likely person.

Person

1 Samuel 16:

1 Samuel 16:6–12 NIV

When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”

Samuel sees the oldest, Eliab. He immediately assumes this is the one.

Look at him. He’s perfect!

And, culturally, it’s right. He’s the oldest, the firstborn.

Makes perfect sense!

But, God doesn’t always make sense.

What’s obvious isn’t always what’s right.

We can’t see what God sees. So, He evaluates people differently.

He’s not looking for the one who has the right appearance. He’s looking for the one who has the right heart.

God has prepared one of Jesse’s sons to be king and Samuel needs to see that he can’t see God’s preparation. Samuel needs to trust God that He knows what He’s doing.

And God rejected Eliab. And, Abinadab. And, Shammah. And the next 4 as well. One of the 7 oldest appeared to be the likeliest choice to be king.

But, God had someone else in mind. And, he was the least likely of all.

The 8th son of Jesse; David.

God chose Abraham of all the people on earth. The son of a Pagan priest. Nothing special about him. But when God revealed Himself to him he responded w/ faith. His faith made him righteous.

Abraham and Sarah had Isaac when they were 100 and 90 respectively. what are the odds?

God chose Jacob over Esau. The second-born, sensitive one over the firstborn outdoorsman.

God chose Judah, the 4th of Jacob’s 12 sons to be tribe that ends up blessing the entire world.

God chose Moses, adopted son of Pharaoh, who lacked the confidence and ability to speak publicly to lead Israel out of Egypt.

Jesus chose a group of outcasts and misfits to lead the peaceful revolution that changed the world.

Jesus chose Saul, a Jewish murderer of Christians to lead the spread of the gospel and church planting throughout the world.

And, here, in God chose David, the least likely person on earth receive a new covenant (at the time) to be the Conquerer king over Israel, to establish the kingdom of Israel, w/ Jerusalem as it’s capital, as blessed and most influential over the world.

Oh yeah, and ancestor of Jesus.

The least likely person from the least likely place.

But, the place was well-prepared by God as was the person. And the least likely should be the most dependent.

What were the odds?

Immediately God sent him into a trial where the odds were stacked against him in a huge way. A giant way.

A boy. A young teenage shepherd, not trained in the ways of combat and war faced down a giant of a problem.

God didn’t prepare him to fight in the way everybody else expected. But God did prepare him to win the battle.

Here comes a giant of a problem.

Most Dependent

A giant problem

1 Samuel 17:1–7 NIV

Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Sokoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Sokoh and Azekah. Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them. A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.

1 Samuel 17:

The Philistines had been an ongoing problem for Israel. Here they come again.

Culturally, this became one way to for armies to fight.

Send out your best warrior to fight to the death.

Limit casualties. Better t/b alive but a slave.

Besides, later the loser could retaliate.

Here comes Goliath.

9.5 feet tall. Our typical ceilings are 8 feet hight.

Coat of scale armor weighed 125 lbs. + helmet and shin guards

The iron point of his spear weighed 15 lbs. + shaft

Think about the strength involved to fight w/ this size and weight.

A massive problem. A modern, but traditional warrior for the time. He was cutting edge. Nobody else had one like him.

He shouted at Israel. Dared them to send one man out to fight him. He insulted them. And, He insulted God.

He taunted them believing he was more powerful than the God they worshiped.

For 40 days this went on.

For 40 days this went on.

And the men of Israel cowered in fear. They did nothing to prove him wrong. Goliath had more faith in his own ability than Israel did in God’s.

Goliath didn’t depend on anyone other than himself. Up to this point he hadn’t had to.

Then, David showed up.

Ready? Or, Not?

So much about this episode is unlikely and unexpected. But, was it really?

Appearances? Absolutely unexpected.

But we don’t see what God sees. When we do, then it’s not so unexpected.

Feed or Fight?

1 Samuel 17:17–19 NIV

Now Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them. They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”

1 Samuel 17:

David was the youngest. Not expected to fight nor experienced to fight. His 3 older brothers, however, answered the call when Saul put it out.

So, Jesse sent David w/ supplies for his brothers and their commander.

That is what the youngest does. Too young to join the fight. Too young t/b king. Too young. They didn’t expect either.

When he went to deliver the food and found his brothers on the front line he heard the taunts of Goliath and could not believe they were letting him get away w/ it.

No one would step up. No one had the courage nor confidence that God would deliver them as promised.

So, David did.

Courage and Confidence

1 Samuel 17:32 NIV

David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”

1 Samuel 17:

All based on his faith in God. What he knew about God. He trusted what God had revealed to him.

His courage wasn’t based on self-confidence. His courage was based on the confidence God would be consistent w/ His character and fulfill his promise.

And, he was confident in the abilities God had given him and trained him to use.

So, yes, confident in himself.

But, confident in what God had done and would do in him and thru him.

He volunteered. Older, more experienced soldiers cowered in fear.

Maybe what David didn’t know was good for him that day.

But certainly what he did know was great for him.

Credit where credit is due.

Prepared to Perform

:33-

1 Samuel 17:33–40 NIV

Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 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 the Lord be with you.” Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

Saul had his doubts. But the confidence of the boy convinced him.

Saul helped him prepare by giving him his own armor.

He was trying something brand new here. Never had had the armor on before. Never had fought an opponent so close before. He only need the armor if he was going to get close to Goliath.

Saul’s armor wasn’t going to work

So, he went back to what he was familiar with and used to.

He knew God had prepared him for this trial already.

He had to go back to the training God had provided.

This wasn’t his first rodeo. Wasn’t the first time he used his sling shot to kill.

Those days out by himself firing rocks at targets just for fun.

Then, a squirrel, a rabbit, a bird, a fox, a coyote, a wolf. For fun and protecting the sheep.

Then, a lion. He killed a lion. And, a bear.

The challenges grew harder and harder.

Coaching my kids, teaching them how to hit a baseball.

First, a tee.

Second, soft toss.

Third, I pitched from the mound. Yes, I hit them a few times.

The only way to get them ready to face a 12-year old w/ a full beard who threw hard was if I challenged them easy at first, then hard.

Olympic athletes train in Flagstaff and Co Spgs at altitude. They intentionally make it hard on themselves so their ready for the competition.

Coaches drill them and push them beyond where their mind says quit b/c they know their body can still perform.

The entire time David was shepherding his flock God was preparing him to shepherd his people. And sometimes, a shepherd is called on this kill what is threatening his lambs.

I know preachers who think God is more involved in the performance of the sermon than the preparation. Their preparation is lacking.

I know others who believe that God is more in the preparation. And, once prep’d they go on auto-pilot and the performance is lacking.

My experience is God is just as involved in the prep time in my office on Monday and Tuesday as He is in the performance of the sermon on Sunday.

God prepares me and expects me to deliver as prepared.

God sees what others don’t.

David showed up against Goliath and prepared to prevail.

No one saw this coming, except God.

Unlikely victory

1 Samuel 17:

1 Samuel 17:45–50 NIV

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

Who was really outgunned here?

Friend of mine in law enforcement says this about the adage, “Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight.”

He says, unless you’re w/in arms length to the other guy. B/C you can get a knife out faster than you can get a gun out, cocked, aimed and shot.

David had no intention of getting so close he needed a knife or sword.

He used the weapon he was prepared for and familiar with.

He kept his distance. Slung the rock 100 mph w/ a slight curve just like a major league pitcher.

The shield bearer couldn’t reach high enough nor fast enough to block it.

Goliath was not agile as big as he was and weighted down w/ the armor.

Yes, God placed that rock deep into Goliath’s forehead. God was as involved in the performance as he was the preparation. David was prepared by God and then performed as expected.

Fear keeps us awake at night. It causes anxiety. We are afraid we are not ready to face the gigantic trial we see coming at us.

The trial could be in your marriage, family, health, finances, anywhere like this.

The truth is God has at least offered to prepare you and probably forced you into lesser trials that got your ready for this big one.

Pay attention to the preparation and training. Work hard at learning whatever language your wife speaks.

When nobody else expects you to prevail, God still does.

He prepared you, trained you, and now expects you to deliver.

God is just as involved in your preparation as He is in your performance.

Have the confidence and courage to face whatever comes your way b/c God is always w/ you.

Applications

Least Likely?

Do you feel like you are the least likely one to be able to do what it seems needs to be done?

Then, you’re likely God’s perfect person for the job.

God specializes in choosing people no one else would.

If He’s chosen you for it, then He’s prepared you for it.

You can do whatever God has called you to do.

Weapons?

What weapons do you have?

and the spiritual armor we have Paul says we have 2.

First, the sword which is the Bible.

Learn the character of God so you know what to expect from Him.

Second, prayer.

“In Jesus name” means what Jesus would pray and/or do if He were here Himself.

Based on His character, do you know what to pray?

Work hard. Practice and become proficient w/ the weaponry God has provided you and prepared you to use.

God would never expect you to do something He has not prepared you for. So, if you find yourself in a gigantic trial and need to perform then expect that God has prepared you.

Step into it w/ Courage and confidence.