## Killing Giants

## I Samuel 17:1-11

This Book is the Word of God. Last Sunday I preached about that very fact. There are parts of this Bible that we have become so familiar with that we might not remember that it is the message of Almighty God given to you and I today for our benefit. If we aren't careful, we will forget that truth. I have chosen a familiar passage for my text this morning. It is one that we have heard, and heard again. Most of us could probably tell this story without ever needing to look at the account in Scripture. Our children have heard it time and time again. It is the account of David and Goliath. But this is not a fairy tale; it is not like the story of Jack and Beanstalk! This is an actual account of real people in the history of the nation of Israel. In this passage we read how that the enemies of God and His people sought to destroy them. As we read this account I am sure that we can identify with the armies of King Saul. They didn't know what to do, and they were scared to death of the giant that stood before them.

Read: 1 Samuel 17:1-11

In the New Testament, we are reminded that we are in a spiritual battle. This battle continues on while most of the people in the world remain in ignorance.

(Eph 6:12) "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

(1 Pet 5:8) "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"

The enemy is all around us today. We are faced with giants from every angle. And like the Israelites in our passage, often we do not know what to do. I want us to take another look at this familiar passage and see what David did when he stepped up to face Goliath on that day. There are several principles that we should take note of here. They will help each of us as we face the giants that stand in our way.

I. He Was Strengthened By The Spirit Of God

A. The Spirit Of The Lord Came Upon David.

1. In the previous chapter we are told that Samuel anointed David to be the future king of Israel, "..and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward…"

2. In the O.T. the Spirit of God did not indwell believers as He does today.

3. He would come upon them to empower and enable them to accomplish the will of the Lord.

4. Today the Spirit of God indwells every believer from the moment of salvation to basically do the same thing…to empower and enable us to do His will.

5. Without God's Spirit, man is helpless in his own strength.

(Zec 4:6b) "...Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts."

6. The power of the Spirit is a must for any work of God.

7. The reason we for most of our spiritual defeats is that we face our giants in the energy of the flesh, and that will always result in defeat.

B. The biggest problem we have as a church, is that we try to do God's work in the power of the flesh.

1. We want to see folks saved and the church grow in membership, but we cannot see that accomplished in our own strength and power.

2. Note, Jesus promised that He would supply the power needed to accomplish the task that He set before us.

(Acts 1:8) "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

3. Why are we not witnesses for the Lord?

4. I believe it is because we are trying to do it in our own power instead of His!

5. When we attempt to serve God in the energy of the flesh defeat comes and then we give up!

6. Now we can fill in the blank with whatever we want here…

a. Being faithful to the services of the church…

b. Being witnesses to others of the grace of God in salvation…

c. Taking the time to reach out to others…

d. Just living a consistent Christian life… we will never be successful as long as we are trying to do it in the power of the flesh.

C. Being Empowered by God's Spirit.

1. It really isn't that hard to understand.

2. To be filled with His power is to yield ourselves to Him.

3. John the Baptist told his followers in reference to Christ, "He must increase and I must decrease".

4. We will never be filled with His power until we desire it. Note: John 7:37-39

II. David Was Strengthened By His Past Experiences Vs. 32-37

A. He was not fearful of the weapons or of the size of Goliath.

1. He had faced giant-sized enemies before, and God had not failed to deliver him.

2. David had proven the power of God in his past life.

3. Too often when we see the giants before us, we forget who God is…we forget that He is Almighty God!

B. Remember the victories.

1. Many of us here have seen great victories in the past, but today we may be on the brink of defeat.

2. We need to remember and consider what God has done in the past and be strengthened for what giant we face right now.

3. God is still God…He can supply all our need!

4. Not only can He meet our need, He has promised to do so…and God is not a liar!

III. David Was Strengthened By The Word Of God Vs. 45-47

A. Where do you suppose that David got this confidence?

1. On a hillside while caring for the sheep, he spent plenty of time alone with God meditating upon His Word.

(Psa 119:97-98) "O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. {98} Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me."

2. David's statement to Goliath was not one of self-pride, but confidence in the promises of God.

3. He claimed victory in the name of God.

B. The answer to our perplexities is found in the Word of God.

1. How many of us are unable to live the Christian life simply because we do not know enough Bible?

2. Paul instructed Timothy to study the Word of God.

3. It is the Word that will tell us what is not right, tell us how to get it right, and tell us how to keep it right.

4. But we cannot stand on the promises if we don't know what they are!

5. David was strengthened by the Word of God.

IV. David Saw A Great Victory Because He Ventured Something Big For God v47-48

A. Don't allow the giants to intimidate us.

1. Saul and the rest of the army was intimidated by the size of Goliath.

2. That kept them from even trying to do battle with him.

3. What do you suppose was discussed in the camp of the Israelites?

4. From the passage it seems they had no idea what to do or where to go from there.

5. Too often, when we don't know where to go, we wind up not going anywhere!

6. God never intended for us to be satisfied with where we are and stop moving forward for Him.

B. We must catch a vision for what God can do through us as we are empowered by Him.

1. We must continue on attempting big things for God.

2. We need to move forward in reaching our community for Christ.

3. We need to move forward in every area of our ministry here.

4. How can we do that? Only in His power!

(Psa 127:1a) "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it…"

(Zec 4:6b) "…Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts."

Note: How can we face the giants before us? God has given us a great example from His Word.

1. David Was Strengthened By The Spirit Of God
2. David Was Strengthened By His Past Experiences
3. David Was Strengthened By The Word Of God
4. David Saw A Great Victory Because He Ventured Something Big For God

(Jer 33:3) "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."

It starts with salvation, Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." Cf Jn. 3:7 If you have never trusted Christ for salvation, come now. It continues day by day as we walk with Him and rely totally upon Him to empower and enable us to live the life He has ordained that we live before Him. Giants will come, but we can overcome them in the power of the Lord.