Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

So lets consider a question today....

When we are in spiritual battles, why do we so often loose?

Have you ever considered that, why do we loose spiritual battles?

Well first off we are too strong, we think we have it all together, we believe we are able to take care things our self, and we end up making a mess of it.

We try to fix first and pray second.....

God has to break us of this.....

We must realize that we are never able to fight the battle by ourselves.... we are truly unfit.

But God is able.

Give the battle over to Him.

We are going to look at that today....

If you have your Bibles lets go over to .

And with that chapter we will find the story of a epic battle between good and evil, right and wrong, light and darkness… between David and Goliath.

So let turn that and see what the word of God says to us...

Now let me tell you something right off the bat.... in this battle it is easy to see the challenge, it is easy to see what stood in their way, it was easy to recognize the fight.

But the size of the battle that lay before them was so much larger than them.

Q. Do you remember what I told you last week.

Sometimes God leads us into impossible battles so that He might be our warrior, so that He might receive glory and honor, and that the world would know His name.

That is exactly what is happening here.

The battle seems impossible, but God will triumph and He will get all the glory!

So here is the first thought I want you to see today...

1.

The Battle is Identified....

I know it seems pretty simple, and honestly it is simple.

It doesn’t take a lot to know what is really happening here.

The Philistines have come out to battle against God’s people.

They hate Israel.

So what do we know about the Philistines?

They were an ancient people, they were the descendants of Ham, the son of Noah in .

and when God made his covenant with Abraham, God promised Abraham that He and the generations would take possession of the land of Canaan, which included the land where the Philistines lived.

Now in the book of Joshua and Judges we know this is the only group of people the Israelites never conquered and drove from the land.

Because of their failure to go in and take possession of all the land, the Philistines were always a thorn in their side.

In fact the Philistines will not be destroyed until the Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the later Kings of the Medes and Persians Cryus and Darius take control of the land beginning in early 600 bc.

So the Philistines are a pain to say the least, they are always fighting against Israel, raiding their border cities, stealing food and taking people into captivity.

And today, they have come out to war against Israel, and they have brought their best champion.

Look at verses 4-7

I Sam 11

So here is their champion, he is 9 feet 9 inches tall.

His armor weighs 120 lbs and this tip of his spear is 15 lbs.

He is a giant, a warrior from his youth....

He is a big, bad man....

I mean wow....

No one wants to fight him.... when we say the name Goliath,

But He really isn’t the battle my friends, he is just an instrument of the devil, between right and wrong, good and evil.

Between the children of God and the children of the devil.

And then recognize that he taunts the children of Israel.

He is trying to call them out into battle so he can defeat them.... and make them all their slaves....

Why have you come out here if you don’t intend to fight, You Lilly liveried bunch of cowards… Are you not the men of Saul, realistically, are you not the Kings army???

Send out your best man,.....

Verse 10 says He defied the ranks of Israel.

the word defy means to mock, to show with contempt.

He is trash talking them, giving them down the road and accusing them before God.

In fact He is mocking God as well, if you treat God’s people poorly understand you have treated Him poorly.

The Philistines are putting all their money on just one man, one plan.

They believe Goliath will win the battle, He cannot be defeated.

The devil does the same thing, he opposes the children of God and yes God himself.

He always puts His eggs in the same basket and he brings as much fear, taunting and size hoping to scare us into submission, to drive us away.

The philistenes are putting all thier money on just one man, one plan devil does the same.

So let me ask you...

Are you facing a battle today?

Look at it and ask God to help you see it for what it really is...

But please, please dont go out onto the field of battle in your own strength.

You will be defeated… Trust in the Lord first!

Seek His face and plan....

Now this brings me point number 2....

2. Faith of the Least...

Sometimes those of us who are older, sometimes we need to see the battle through younger eyes, sometimes we need to see the battle with the eyes of child like faith…

Now this is where David comes in, He is really to young to be in the army, He is the least of his father Jesse's children.

David we are told is the youngest son of 8 children., verse 14.

From what we know, a teenager...

So while David’s brothers are encamped with the army with King Saul, David is stuck at home tending the flocks of his father.

Now mind you, it is an important job.

But it is not as exciting as the battle field could be…

Now one day Jesse tells his son David to take some supplies to his brothers and also their commander out on the battle field, for 40 days this had been going on.

let me share some of the passage ith you

I Sam 17:17

The two armies lined up on apposing ridges, but no one would march out to meet Goliath on the battle field.

And David arrived as this was happening this day…

Look at verses 20-23

The last line there is important,While David is there, Goliath comes out once again, and David heard him.

David heard the evil words Goliath spoke against Israel and the God of Israel.

And He didn’t like what he was hearing....

And I think David is a bit amazed… the whole army is afraid and the king has sweetened the pot, to the man who kills Goliath I will reward with treasure and my own daughter in marriage.

Saul is so desperate, he has put a reward on the head of Goliath.

And listen to David in verse 26

David might be the youngest there, just a teenager if you will.

The youngest and weakest of his family.

But he has faith…

What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach of Israel?

Consider the word “Reproach.”

The word reproach is an important one… reproach means shame,dishonor.

Here they were the children of the living God, they are weak, they have acted cowardly and they haven’t asked God what to do about this battle.

Who is this man that he should mock the army of the living God, literally God himself.

David knows that with God all things are possible regardless of what we face.....

Now as you read the text, Davids older brothers are put-off by their sure talking little brother… in fact they are down right mad at him for even implying that he was able…Verse 28, the oldest brother accuses David of neglecting his duties of keeping the sheep and just running around down there and talking a good talk.

There is a little jealously here, the oldest brother has never had the courage to say what David has just said about Goliath, he is upset with David for being so brave.

Now as you read the text, Davids older brothers are put off by their sure talking little brother… in fact they are down right mad at him for even implying that he was able...

Now David’s word spreads, and very quickly the word makes its way to Saul and King Saul sends for this young man who has such great confidence…

Very quickly the word makes its way to Saul and King Saul sends for this young man who has such great confidence…

Look with me at verses 31-33

Listen to David’s faith.... “Let no man’s heart fail because of him.