God Prepares Us

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July 16, 9:00pm, $5

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Pray for Taylor is having some mental issues

Opening

Have you ever tried to watch movie with a screaming baby in the background? Or someone trying to talk to you during the most important scene in the movie? When there are outside noises and voices, it can be really hard to focus on whatever you’re doing (or trying to do) at the moment.

Many of you have probably heard the story about David and Goliath, but here’s a quick overview.

The Philistine and Israelite armies were ready for battle, camped out on opposite hills separated by a valley. Every day for forty day, a Philistine giant by the name of Goliath would come forward to taunt the Israelites, challenging them to send one soldier to fight him. He was over nine feet tall and wore full armor, so not only was he a distraction, but he was also a terrifying one

One day David, the youngest son of Jesse, was sent to the camp to bring food to his brothers. While he was there, David heard Goliath taunting the Israelite army and asked the other soldiers, “Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26). It was this young shepherd boy who then volunteered to fight the giant.

This seemed like an impossible battle. However, David was not afraid of Goliath as the other men were. Why? Because while he was in the fields watching sheep, he spent time with God, and God used those quiet moments to prepare David for battles he would face in the future.

In the same way, God is preparing you for such a time as this. We see time and time again throughout Scripture that when God is on your side, nothing is impossible. The important thing for us to remember is to not lose heart, focus on His voice, and win the battle.

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1 Samuel 17:32–37 NIV

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

Facing Goliath wasn’t a new experience for David.

It was through facing lions and bears while in the fields that God prepared David for this situation.

Similarly, God won’t let you face anything He has not first prepared you for. If you are facing it, you can win!

We can be tempted to give up moments before the victory.

It’s easy to lose heart in the midst of a battle, but you have to remind yourself that God has prepared you for such a time as this!

Let’s think of some of the greats who have gone before us, men and women who have helped change the world.

Ask them for some influential people

What if Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., gave up before his victory? His life and his family were threatened on many occasions, and I’m sure in those moments it would have been easy to throw in the towel. However, he did not lose heart. He kept fighting.

What if Thomas Edison stopped after his many failed attempts at the light bulb? It would’ve been understandable had he given up. He had the right to say, “It’s impossible; it will never happen.” But he did not lose heart and continued to push forward.

Finally, think about Jesus. I would not be here preaching this message today if Jesus would have given up.

What would have happened if He backed out of dying the most brutal death on the cross for our salvation? We don’t have to wonder that because thankfully, He never gave up or lost heart!

In all three of these examples, we see people who kept fighting because their mission was bigger than themselves. It kept them going.

In the same way, our mission to win this world for Jesus is bigger than ourselves.

Life can be hard, though, so there will be times and moments where we will want to quit. It can feel unfair, and, in a lot of cases, no one would blame us for giving up.

Just because we have the right to give up does not mean we should.

God will renew your strength when you look to Him.

1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Share a personal story about how in the midst of a difficult situation you wanted to give up or give in, and God showed you a way out.

Block Out the Noise

Game: Call up two students from the audience. Separate them six feet apart and give Student A a sentence they have to communicate to Student B. They have to stay six feet apart. Have the remaining students in the audience yell at the top of their lungs. Give Student A 30 seconds to try and communicate the message to Student B. After 30 seconds ask Student B what they got from Student A.

1 Samuel 17:38–47 NIV

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

David had to block out the noise and remind himself of the truth: God had already prepared him for such a time as this!

There will always be people in your life “yelling” at you. Trying to tell you that you can’t do it, like King Saul and Goliath.

Or saying you have to do things a certain way, like David trying to wear Saul’s armor.

The only voice that matters is the voice of God—

the One who says, “If I am for you who can be against you?”

“No weapon turned against you will succeed”

and “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you” (Hebrews 13:5).

He will be there every step of the way; we just have to remain focused on His voice.

The story of Peter walking on the water found in Mathew 14 is such a good example of this point.

To paraphrase it for you, the disciples were all in a boat crossing over to the other side of the lake. In the middle of their journey, a storm hit, and they were having trouble navigating the strong winds and waves. Then, out of nowhere, they saw a man walking on water, and they were terrified!

Can you imagine? You are already scared for your life and then bam! You see a man walking on water. After some convincing they found out it was Jesus, but Peter said, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water” (Matthew 14:28). Jesus invited him out, and Peter started walking in the water in the middle of the storm!

Verse 30 then says, “But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. ‘Save me, Lord!’ he shouted.” Jesus grabbed him by the hand right away and saved him.

Here is the interesting part of this story. It wasn’t until Peter allowed the outside “voices” (the wind and waves) that he began to sink.

When he was focused on Jesus, he was walking on water. When he took his eyes off Jesus, he sank!

The true can be said for you and me in our everyday lives. It is so important that we don’t allow the outside voices to distract us from what God is calling us to do. Keep your eyes, ears, and heart focused on Jesus!

Win the Battle

Play “The Death Crawl” scene from Facing the Giants

You may want to give up many times before the end-zone, but if we are in it, we can win it!

Like Brock, from the clip, if you don’t lose heart and block out every voice except for your coach’s voice, you will reach the end-zone.

1 Samuel 17:48–51 NIV

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. 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.

Like David, if you don’t lost heart and block out every voice except for your God’s voice, you will win the battle with Him on your side. It won’t be easy, but nothing worth fighting for is ever easy!

CLOSING

Regardless of what culture is saying or what the outside circumstances are showing, God has prepared you for such a time as this!

Your battle could be at home, at school, in team sports, in theater club—the list could go on and on.

The important thing is that you don’t lose heart, focus on His voice, and win the battle. We get to see the victory!

ALTAR RESPONSE:

Who is facing a battle right now that seems impossible? Find a place around the room to spend time just you and God. Ask Him to speak to you! Listen for His voice and allow Him to encourage your heart. After you have spent some time with God, find a leader and ask them to pray with you!

taylo