Untitled Sermon (3)

Dare To Dream: Fighting to Secure Our Destiny

25 Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel.”

When I grow up, I want to be a …….?

Growing up many of us were asked this same question at the beginning of every school year. We were asked what our goals were going to be for the school year and for our future.

26 David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

27 They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”

So, if you could take a minute and dream…what would be your dream job…house…

Dream Survey

28 When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”

How many of you already knew the answer to those questions? How many of you are dreamers? When was the last time you stopped to dream?

29 “Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” 30 He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. 31 What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him.

I find that the older people get the less they dream…in fact many don’t believe in dreaming…some would even say that we need to grow up if we are dreaming.

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

33 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.”

What kind of advice would you give a person who was using all his money to pursue his dream? He and his wife lived in a trailer, couldn’t afford a phone, and he was so poor that he had to borrow clothes for his wedding. He was rejected at least 60 times. Steven Spielberg

How about an author who was walking home after being rejected for the 27th time? He decided he was going to take his book and throw it in the fire. Dr. Seuss

34 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, 35 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. 36 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. 37 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.”

Many would probably say that these people should get their head out of the clouds…get real…and grow up

Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”

Honestly, sometimes that is the answer that some people need to hear. Sometimes things don’t work out and that’s ok. Just because one of our dreams die doesn’t mean we stop dreaming.

38 Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. 39 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. 40 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.

Many people stop dreaming…they stop making goals…they stop having hope that they will be able to do anything meaningful with their lives.

41 Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. 42 He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. 43 He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”

How many of you come home each day and you feel like you are right where God wants you to be? Maybe just maybe if I’m right many of you would say that you don’t find that purpose in your life.

So why should we dream? We dream because to dream is to live and to not dream is to die. If we fail to dream as a church, we will die.

45 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. 46 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. 47 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.”

I read this quote the other day, “People don’t always fail because they aim too high and miss the mark; perhaps they aim too low and hit the mark.”

48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 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.

Today, I want to talk about “Daring to dream again.” I’m not talking about what your dream job or house is.

50 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.

(NIV)

51 David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.

When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. 52 Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. 53 When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp.

21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart,

54 David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem; he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent.

but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

55 As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is that young man?”

I’m talking about your dream of how God is going to use you. I believe that we are all called to pursue God’s divine purpose for our lives.

(ESV)

Abner replied, “As surely as you live, Your Majesty, I don’t know.”

56 The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is.”

11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

57 As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine’s head.

Most people have read that Bible verse, but they still give up on any idea that will use them to do anything significant. They either give up on their dream or just don’t dream at all.

So why do we stop dreaming?

58 “Whose son are you, young man?” Saul asked him.

David said, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”

1. Many of us stop pursuing our dreams because it’s just too hard.

From the moment God gave Moses his destiny at the burning bush nothing came easy to Moses. Moses faced a formidable foe in Pharaoh, came to a dead end at the Red Sea, and dealt with a group of unbelieving whiners. If you thought that wasn’t enough to have him give up on his God ordained dream, consider this, Moses had to climb Mt. Sinai 7487 feet eight different times to talk to God and receive instructions. His last time up the mountain he received the Ten Commandments for the second time. He was on top of the mountain for 40 days and didn’t have a drink or eat anything the whole time.

If your dream is too easy maybe you aren’t dreaming big enough!

Please turn to

(ESV)

The Parable of the Talents

14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

It is obvious that God has high expectations on every one of us. Don’t be satisfied with just playing it safe and burying your investment. God will not reward you for playing it safe. He will take your portion and give it to those who dare to dream.

As a church we have decided to dream big and build a building where we can meet our city. Things haven’t been easy. We have had people not show up, many revisions, and delays. Many have given countless hours and money. God has been here to bless it every step of the way. Has it been hard? Yes

Our hope has to be that God is saying ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.

2. Many of us don’t pursue our dreams because we get distracted and lose our momentum

Timing is everything! Have you ever heard that before?

Let’s play a game of guess who.

The Bible chronicles the life of a young man who had a dream that took a long time to come to fruition. This young man dreamed that he would be a mighty ruler. He dreamed that his family would even bow before him. His siblings hated him for that, and his parents rebuked him.

(ESV)

5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

Joseph was sold into slavery at the age of 17. He was a slave for 11 years and was in prison for two more after that. God had given him a big dream, but after 13 years of slavery and imprisonment most people would have given up on a dream, but not Joseph. At the age of 30 he was placed in a position of power by Pharaoh. Finally, at the age of 41 his brothers were bowing down before him.

Everything in our society is instant. Our food is instant: oatmeal, mac and cheese. If you use a microwave you can have your food in an instant. Something that would have taken a half an hour to cook now takes a minute and a half. With credit cards our money is instant. We have 24-hour news stations so there is no need to wait until the 5 or 11 news. With the internet information can be found in an instant there is no need to travel to a library.

People give up on God’s purpose in their lives because it doesn’t happen in an instant. People believe success comes one bucket full at a time when it is achieved one drip at a time.

In the words of Colin Powell, “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”

God sized dreams aren’t achieved in an instant. They take time and hard work. A God sized dream will take perseverance.

(NIV)

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Don’t be distracted or give up because his timing isn’t yours. Keep dreaming…keep working on God’s perfect plan in your life and you will reap a harvest if you don’t give up.

3. Don’t wait until tomorrow to dream!

In this life you may have many days, but you will only have a few opportunities.

(NIV)

20 Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. 21 And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 22 Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty warriors. 23 He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

Some of you are waiting for the perfect time to go after your destiny. The perfect time to chase your dream isn’t when times are perfect. Most life changing moments happen at the most inopportune times.

Many of you are looking for bright sunshiny days before you start your seeking God’s purpose in your life when your moment may come on a snowy day in a pit with a lion.

talks about David’s mighty men. The most valiant warriors that David had in his army. Just like Benaiah and the other mighty warriors David made the most of his moments.

David chased his dream. He chose to not listen to the haters who said that he couldn’t defeat Goliath

(NIV)

21 Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. 22 David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were. 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. 24 Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear.