Participants: Mark Howard
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000774
|
01:00 Our message today is about victory.
01:03 The purpose of the gospel is victory, 01:06 victory over sin, victory over self, 01:08 victory over habits, 01:09 addictions and practices that enslave us. 01:12 God promises us victory over these things 01:15 through Christ Jesus. 01:16 A victory we can be confident of. 01:19 And our topic today is entitled, "Three Steps to Total Victory." 01:24 I'm gonna ask you at this point, 01:25 if you'll bow your heads and I'm gonna kneel 01:26 and ask God's blessing on this time we have together. 01:31 Father in Heaven, 01:33 Father, we desire that victory in Jesus. 01:38 Father, we desire likeness to Him. 01:41 We come before You today 01:42 because we want our lives transformed. 01:44 We want the confidence we can have in Jesus, 01:47 that we can attain the victory. 01:50 And I pray, Lord, today that Your Holy Spirit 01:52 will impress our minds and hearts 01:54 with a sublime truth from Your word. 01:56 In Jesus, name we pray, amen. 02:02 I'm gonna ask you, if you would turn in your Bibles with me 02:06 to the book of Second Corinthians. 02:08 Now Second Corinthians, you will find it 02:09 in the New Testament after the gospels, Matthew, 02:11 Mark, Luke, John, then Acts, Romans, 02:13 First Corinthians, Second Corinthians. 02:15 We're going to Second Corinthians, 02:18 Second Corinthians Chapter 2 02:22 and we're gonna find a little verse here 02:23 in Second Corinthians Chapter 2 and verse 14, 02:27 that is full of hope for the Christian. 02:31 Second Corinthians Chapter 2 and verse 14, 02:35 I want you to follow along with me. 02:38 The Bible here says, "Now thanks be to God, 02:43 who always leads us in triumph in Christ," 02:47 how often, "always leads us in triumph in Christ." 02:55 Notice when he goes on to say, 02:57 "And through us diffuses 03:00 the fragrance of His knowledge in every place." 03:04 The Bible says here that we can have confidence, 03:07 that we can always triumph in Jesus Christ. 03:13 You know, friends, God has a purpose and a plan for us 03:16 as Christians and that purpose and plan 03:19 is to defuse the knowledge of Him, 03:21 not just by what we say 03:24 but by living victorious Christian lives. 03:27 We in ourselves may demonstrate to the world 03:30 what God can do with fallen humanity. 03:32 This is the purpose of God for man. 03:35 This is what the world is in such a need of today. 03:38 Christians who will exude Christlikeness in their lives. 03:42 In fact I read something interesting. 03:44 There was an issue that came up recently. 03:47 And it was an issue over some cartoon character that, 03:51 that some worldly cartoon where the chief character 03:56 was exposing some homosexuality or something 03:58 and people were just unsettled 04:00 about this in the Christian community 04:02 and there was a big uproar about it. 04:05 And there was a certain man by the name of Phil Vischer. 04:07 He is a creator of the VeggieTales series. 04:09 He was asked what he thought about the whole issue. 04:13 What do you think, Phil, about this issue 04:15 that's going on in this secular cartoon 04:18 and these worldly values that are being promoted? 04:23 And I find what Phil Vischer said to be something 04:27 we all need to consider very carefully. 04:30 In an issue of, "Christianity Today," 04:32 commenting he said, 04:33 "To be honest, I'm really not sure 04:35 what we're trying to accomplish here. 04:38 I find somewhat baffling the great shock 04:41 we and evangelicals register 04:43 when we catch the world acting, well, worldly. 04:48 They're the world, right? 04:50 When you start with the assumption 04:51 that the world is fallen, 04:53 you're much less likely to be disappointed 04:55 when you find it's actually the case," he says. 04:59 And then he finishes with this, 05:02 "As for me, I'm anxiously awaiting the day 05:06 that the world registers great shock 05:09 at the sight of Christians acting Christianly." 05:13 You know it's amazing. 05:15 Even we as Christians look at the world and we say, 05:17 "How can they do such things," 05:19 But they're the world, right? 05:21 What's the big surprise? 05:22 What Phil Vischer says is, 05:23 I'm waiting for the world to register shock 05:26 at the fact that Christians act so much like Christ. 05:30 Friends, God wants us to have victory in Christ Jesus 05:33 to defuse the fragrance of Him through all the world. 05:37 As I said, the purpose of the gospel is victory 05:40 and we'll find the pages of the scripture 05:42 permeated with that idea. 05:44 Now today's message as I said is entitled, 05:46 "Three Steps to Total Victory." 05:48 The three steps we're going to look at 05:50 and we're going to an Old Testament story 05:52 to find our three steps. 05:54 In fact you're gonna listen to the story. 05:56 You're gonna hear what I say and you're gonna say, 05:58 "Wait a minute that's just a kid story." 05:59 The story we're gonna look at today 06:01 is the story of David and Goliath. 06:03 You say, that's a little kid story, 06:05 keep in mind, Jesus said, 06:06 "Unless we become like little children, 06:08 will by no means enter the Kingdom of God." 06:10 And sometimes the most sublime 06:14 and deepest truths of the gospel are illustrated 06:18 rather in simple children's stories. 06:21 And we're gonna go and look at that story today. 06:23 Before we do that though, 06:25 you're in Second Corinthians with me, 06:26 go to First Corinthians Chapter 10. 06:29 First Corinthians Chapter 10 06:32 and I want you to see something here 06:34 that the Apostle Paul shares with us 06:35 in First Corinthians Chapter 10 06:37 and let's look at verse 6. 06:43 First Corinthians 10 and verse 6, 06:47 now the Apostle Paul here brings up to us 06:51 as he recounts the history 06:53 of God's people through the Old Testament. 06:55 Israel's wandering in the wilderness, et cetera. 06:57 He makes this point in verse 6. 07:00 He says, "Now these things became our examples, 07:04 to the intent that we should not lust after evil things, 07:07 as they also lusted," et cetera. 07:10 And then jump with me to verse 11 where he says, 07:13 "Now all these things happened to them as examples: 07:19 and they were written for," whose admonition, 07:23 "our admonition on whom the ends of the world have come." 07:27 What Paul says here is, 07:28 these stories in the Old Testament scriptures, 07:30 these stories not were not written 07:33 as much for the people back 07:34 then as they are written for us today. 07:37 Because in these stories there are clear 07:41 and hopeful Bible teachings for us 07:45 where we can gain some of these principles. 07:48 Today the principles involved in overcoming 07:51 and gaining victory in Christ. 07:54 Before we go to the story 07:56 in First Samuel Chapter 17 of David and Goliath, 07:58 I wanna give you the background on it. 08:00 As we come upon the scene here's what we see. 08:03 There are two armies drawn up in battle array. 08:07 There's the army of the Philistines, 08:09 who are the enemies of Israel, obviously. 08:11 And then the army of Israel 08:12 and both of them were gathered 08:14 on two different hills opposite one and other. 08:17 There was a big valley in between. 08:19 And as they sat there on either side 08:23 both armies dressed up for battle. 08:25 As I said in battle array 08:27 ready to fight nobody was fighting. 08:34 As Israel stood looking 08:35 on the Philistines had a champion. 08:39 His name was Goliath. 08:40 Now Goliath was a giant, taller, 08:43 bigger than any of the rest of the men 08:46 there in the Philistine camp. 08:50 And Goliath was coming out day-by-day 08:53 taunting the armies of Israel. 08:58 And as Goliath would come out 09:00 and he would taunt the armies of Israel, 09:03 he would mock them and he would mock their God. 09:07 Now the Bible says this one are not one day, 09:09 not two days, not two weeks, 09:11 forty days this continued. 09:15 And for forty days he would challenge 09:18 the Israelites for a man of valor 09:21 to come and fight with him. 09:22 You have to understand something. 09:24 In these times that we're dealing with, 09:25 in the times there where Israel had 09:27 drawn up in this battle of array 09:29 it was customary for a champion of each army 09:34 to face each other off 09:35 and whatever champion would win the battle 09:38 between the two of them, 09:41 they would win the battle for the whole army. 09:43 In other words, if Israel would take their champion 09:44 and send him out to battle 09:45 and the Philistines would take their champion 09:47 and those two would go out and fight. 09:49 If the Israelites champion won, 09:51 then they would say, "Battle is ours." 09:53 Israel's champion won, 09:55 Israel wins the whole fight 09:57 and the Philistine army concedes. 10:01 However if the Philistine champion won, 10:03 it would just be the reverse. 10:05 The Philistine army would win the whole battle. 10:08 This was the customary way of fighting 10:09 and this is what Goliath was challenging Israel for. 10:12 Give me your champion, bring him out 10:14 and I'll take him on. 10:17 Come out and fight against me 10:18 and he said this again day after day for 40 days. 10:23 Now in that army of Saul, 10:26 King Saul was the king of Israel. 10:29 In Israel's army there were three young men 10:33 who were the sons of a man by the name of Jesse. 10:39 And as those men were out there in the battle 10:40 they had a younger brother, his name was David. 10:45 David's father Jesse was concerned 10:47 about his three oldest boys. 10:48 They've been out on the battlefront for a while 10:50 and he was concerned. 10:51 He wanted to know everything was okay for them. 10:52 So he sent David out with a little gift 10:54 and he wanted him to find out 10:55 how his brothers were and come back and let him know. 11:00 Now this is where we're going to pick up 11:01 today in the Bible. 11:03 I'm gonna have you open your Bibles with me 11:05 to First Samuel Chapter 17 11:08 and we're gonna pick up this story in verse 20. 11:15 First Samuel 17 and we're going to verse 20. 11:28 As David comes out, 11:30 rather he hasn't even left yet 11:32 if you open your Bible and you follow along here. 11:33 Verse 20, the Bible says, 11:34 "So David rose early in the morning 11:39 and he left the sheep with a keeper 11:42 and he took the things 11:43 and he went as Jesse had commanded him. 11:46 He came to the camp as the army was going out 11:49 to the fight and shouting for the battle." 11:54 It's interesting that the armies 11:56 as David comes into the camp, 11:57 are shouting for the battle, 11:59 "yeah, come on, we're gonna take the Philistines." 12:02 Only they've been shouting there for 40 days 12:06 and done nothing. 12:09 All talk and no action, we say. 12:13 The Bible says David he comes out, he had left home, 12:16 he brought these provisions for his brother, 12:17 he brought these gifts and he came out 12:19 and there the Israelites shouting 12:23 for the battle as were the Philistines. 12:29 The Bible says in verse 21, 12:30 "For Israel and the Philistines 12:31 had drawn up in battle array, army against army." 12:33 Verse 22, "And David left his supplies 12:35 in the hands of the supply keeper, 12:37 and he ran to the army, 12:38 and he came and greeted his brothers." 12:45 Now it's interesting to know his brothers' 12:48 reaction to David coming. 12:51 Verse 23, the Bible says, 12:53 "Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, 12:57 the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name. 13:07 Coming up from the armies of the Philistines, 13:11 and he spoke according to the same words: 13:14 and David heard them." 13:17 The same words he'd spoken for 39 days prior. 13:21 The same words he was speaking now 13:24 and David heard the words that he spoke. 13:28 And the Bible says in verse 24, 13:30 "And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, 13:32 fled from him and were dreadfully afraid." 13:34 So the men of Israel said, 13:35 "Have you seen this man who's come up? 13:37 Surely he has come up to defy Israel; 13:39 and it shall be that the man 13:42 who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, 13:45 and give him his daughter, 13:46 and give his father's house exemption in Israel." 13:49 They said, "hey, here's the champion David, 13:51 here's the champion of the Philistines 13:53 and whoever goes and fights against him, 13:56 he'll get all of these wonderful privileges 14:00 the king is gonna give him, his daughter, 14:01 he's gonna give him all of these riches." 14:05 Interesting that these Israelite soldiers 14:08 who were telling David this, 14:09 as they're sharing with David 14:11 all these inducements never took 14:13 the king up on the offer, none of them wanted to go out 14:15 and fight the giant. 14:17 They're eager to have somebody else go and do it. 14:20 You know sometimes that's how we are, Christians. 14:23 We wanna see something done. We wanna see something happen. 14:25 We certainly wanna see victory gained 14:27 but we want somebody else to go and gain it. 14:31 But as David listens to this for the first time. 14:34 David begins to have this stirring in his heart. 14:39 He begins to feel irritated that this enemy of God's 14:44 people is defying God's people. 14:47 Defying the God of heaven 14:49 and nobody is doing anything about it. 14:53 And the Bible says in verse 26, 14:55 "Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, 14:58 saying," "What shall be done for the man 15:00 who kills this Philistine 15:01 and takes away the reproach from Israel? 15:05 For who is this uncircumcised Philistine 15:07 that he should defy the armies of the living God? 15:12 Who is this uncircumcised Philistine," he says. 15:15 You have to understand 15:16 that circumcision was something that was given 15:18 to God's people to symbolize and signify the covenant 15:23 relationship they had with God. 15:28 And when David says, who is this uncircumcised Philistine, 15:31 all he's saying is, this man has no covenant relation with God, 15:34 this man has not entered in 15:36 and neither has this whole Philistine army 15:38 entered into covenant relation with God. 15:39 It doesn't matter how big he is. 15:41 It doesn't matter how awesome he looks. 15:44 God is on our side, God is on our side. 15:51 "What will be done for the man 15:53 who cares about these inducements," 15:55 he says, "that the king is giving out. 15:57 Somebody ought to stand up for what's right here." 16:05 Verse 27, "And the people answered him in this manner," 16:08 saying, "so shall it be done for the man who kills him." 16:10 He's gonna get all these precious riches 16:12 and the king's daughter and all these things, David. 16:16 Verse 28 now follow with me here in verse 28. 16:19 The Bible says, "Now Eliab, 16:21 his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; 16:25 and Eliab's anger was aroused against the giant," 16:29 Is that what it says? 16:31 No, no, it wasn't against the giant look at this. 16:34 Eliab, David's oldest brother 16:36 had his anger aroused against David, 16:38 and he said to David, 16:39 "Why did you come down here? 16:41 And with whom have you left those few little sheep 16:43 you tend in the wilderness, little shepherd boy?" 16:46 I have to make a point here, you know, 16:48 a lot of times we talk about David 16:49 and you've heard songs like, 16:51 "Only a Boy Name David," and we hear about 16:53 the little boy David and his sling. 16:55 David was not just a little boy 16:56 10, 11, 12 years old. 16:59 It's just that David was not in the army 17:01 with his older brothers. 17:02 He was not a seasoned soldier. 17:03 He was likely somewhere between 18 and 22. 17:08 He was able-bodied young man 17:10 but he hadn't been trained as a soldier 17:11 and his older brother was bringing that up to him. 17:13 David, listen, you're out tending 17:16 the sheep in the field, what do you know about battle? 17:22 He was angry with David, it says. 17:24 Still in verse 28, 17:26 "I know your pride," he told David, 17:28 "and the insolence of your heart; 17:29 for you've just come down to see the battle." 17:33 Verse 29 and David said, "What have I done now? 17:36 Is there not a cause?" 17:39 "And then he turned from him toward another 17:41 and David said the same things." 17:43 Listen fellows isn't there a reason? 17:46 Even if you think I'm speaking out of turn, 17:48 shouldn't somebody do something 17:50 about this situation? 17:56 It says, David turned from Eliab 17:58 and said the same thing and these people answered him 18:01 as the first ones did. 18:03 Just as Eliab was angry with David 18:05 so were the other soldiers. 18:16 Verse 31 the Bible says, 18:19 "When the words which David spoke were heard, 18:24 they reported them to Saul, and Saul sent for him. 18:30 And then David said to Saul, 18:31 Let no man's heart fail because of him, 18:34 your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." 18:42 You know, it's interesting we talk about the battle 18:44 that David went out to fight with Goliath 18:45 but David did not just fight with Goliath that day. 18:48 David did not fight just one battle that day. 18:53 He fought three. 18:55 The first battle he had was with his brother 18:58 and all the other armies of Israel. 19:02 Friends, did you know that sometime as Christians 19:06 before we even ever get to face 19:08 the giants in our life 19:10 we've got to face our own church members, 19:12 our own family, our own friends. 19:14 Have you ever noticed that? 19:16 Sometimes we can't even get out to the battlefield. 19:21 Because we're being hindered by those who should be helping us. 19:25 But notice step number 1 to total victory 19:29 David would not be hindered, 19:31 he determined to put God's honor first 19:36 and stay his course and we'll see this more as we go on. 19:41 See David understood that his brother was angry 19:43 and the soldiers were angry 19:44 but David's frustration came from the fact 19:47 that God's name had been defied. 19:52 And so David's purpose was to put 19:56 God's honor first and stay his course. 20:00 He would not be swayed one way or another. 20:06 You know, Jesus told us in Matthew Chapter 10, 20:10 "That a man's enemies 20:11 will be those of his own household." 20:15 I know a man right now that I've been working with. 20:19 He's making a decision for the Lord Jesus Christ 20:23 but he's meeting opposition from his wife. 20:27 You know some people meet opposition from their husbands. 20:29 Sometimes it's the parents. 20:32 Sometimes it's friends at work. 20:37 We've got to determine to stay the course. 20:40 God will not let us fail 20:42 but we've got to determine to put him first. 20:44 David put God first and would not be swayed, 20:46 one reason, one way or another. 20:50 You know something else. 20:53 Something we need to realize is the reason often times 20:56 that those closest to us maybe getting angry 21:01 or irritated because of the decisions 21:04 we're making for the Lord. 21:06 Oftentimes it's because of their own conviction. 21:09 David's brother Eliab he was the oldest. 21:12 And when David came and said, 21:13 "Somebody ought to be going and fighting that giant," 21:15 Eliab knew that that's what he should be doing. 21:19 David's brother knew when he saw David's 21:21 faithfulness in his heart, 21:22 he said, I should be as faithful 21:26 and because he wasn't he took his frustration out on David. 21:30 You know the devil would get on us anyway that he can. 21:33 He will take those closest to us 21:35 but you know what, friends, 21:36 we need to keep our eyes fixed on Christ. 21:40 We need to keep the honor of God 21:42 first and foremost in our mind and stay the course. 21:45 If you stay the course God will lead you 21:47 into victory which we'll see here with David. 22:00 I think something else 22:01 that we need to keep in mind is that, 22:04 when we determine to put God first and do his will. 22:09 Plan to be hindered, plan to be hindered. 22:13 It's amazing sometimes 22:14 how we react as Christians and say, 22:15 "I can't believe all these challenges 22:17 I'm having as a Christian." 22:18 "I can't believe all the conflicts I'm having." 22:21 Listen friends, we're in a battle, 22:23 we're in a battle every bit as much as Israel. 22:25 No, no, no more than Israel was in a battle. 22:30 You see, when God's people went out 22:32 and we read these Old Testament stories 22:34 of the physical battles of Israel 22:37 they're only pointing forward to the spiritual battles 22:39 that we have to fight as followers of Jesus Christ. 22:43 The Bible says, in Ephesians Chapter 6, 22:45 "We don't war against flesh-and-blood 22:51 but we war against the spiritual powers of darkness." 22:56 We're as much in a battle today every bit as much 22:58 and more so than David was with Goliath. 23:03 Plan to be hindered, plan to be hindered 23:06 but don't let the hindrance deter you from your course. 23:17 David was brought before King Saul 23:20 and the Bible says in verse 32, 23:24 "Then David said to Saul, 23:25 Let no man's heart fail because of him, 23:28 your servant will go 23:29 and fight with this Philistine." 23:31 Well, you can imagine what Saul thought. 23:34 This young shepherd boy is gonna go 23:36 and fight this Philistine giant incidentally. 23:43 The Bible tells us in verse 4 of the same chapter, 23:46 "That this Philistine champion Goliath, 23:51 his height was six cubits and a span." 23:55 Now scholars tell us that is at least 23:58 nine and a half feet tall, 23:59 at least, nine and a half feet tall. 24:03 And Goliath wasn't a tall skinny guy. 24:06 He was as wide as he was tall. 24:10 This man was massive. 24:12 The Bible says, he wear a coat of mail 24:15 and his armor -- 24:17 and it says his armor weighed -- 24:19 if I can find it here verse 5, 24:21 it says, "He had a bronze helmet on his head, 24:23 and he was armed with a coat of mail, 24:25 and the weight of the coat was 5,000 shekels of bronze." 24:27 That's about a 125 pounds. 24:29 His armor was a 125 pounds. This man was massive. 24:34 And David comes before King Saul 24:35 and says, "I'll go fight him." 24:40 David was a strong young kid. 24:42 He worked hard. He was in good shape 24:45 but certainly no match for the Philistine champion. 24:48 "You'll go fight him?" 24:50 Verse 33, "And Saul said to David, 24:53 you are not able to go against 24:54 this Philistine to fight with him, 24:55 you are but a youth, 24:57 and he is a man of war from his youth. 24:59 You'd had no training David in military strategy, 25:02 let alone in fighting. 25:03 This man's been a warrior from his youth. 25:06 You can't fight with him." 25:13 You know it's interesting. 25:15 I told you David fought at least three battles. 25:17 The first one was with his brother 25:20 and the other soldiers. 25:22 Now he becomes -- now he comes 25:24 before the spiritual leader of Israel. 25:27 His brother ridiculed him 25:30 and now his spiritual leader is telling him 25:32 the impossibility of the battle. 25:36 But David remained faithful. 25:38 He stayed his course. So it goes on. 25:44 Rather Saul told him he could not do it. 25:45 And in verse 34 David says, 25:49 "But David said to Saul, 25:50 your servant used to keep his father's sheep, 25:52 and when a lion or a bear came out 25:54 and took a lamb of the flock, 25:55 I went out after it and struck it, 25:57 and delivered the lamb from its mouth, 25:59 and when it arose against me, 26:00 I caught it by the beard, and struck and killed it. 26:10 Your servant," verse 36, 26:11 "has killed both lion and bear, 26:13 and this uncircumcised Philistine 26:15 will be like one of them, 26:17 seeing as he has defied the armies 26:19 of the living God." Moreover David said, 26:26 "The Lord, who delivered me 26:27 from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, 26:29 He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. 26:31 And Saul said to David, Go, and the Lord be with you!" 26:44 Look at verse 38, 26:48 "So Saul clothed David with his armor, 26:52 and he put a bronze helmet on his head; 26:56 and he clothed him with a coat of mail." 27:00 A coat of mail if you don't understand 27:02 was a coat made up of several pieces of metal 27:05 that overlapped one and other 27:06 so when you put it on there was no spot 27:08 to pierce with a spear, with a javelin, with a sword, 27:11 you would have protection for your vital parts. 27:15 So Saul said, "Okay, this young man is gonna go out there 27:17 and fight at least I can put my armor on him 27:20 and make him look like a warrior, 27:21 maybe he can at least be somewhat intimidating," 27:27 it's interesting. 27:32 First thing Saul does to David 27:34 as he tells David how impossible it is. 27:36 David, you're not able to take on this giant, 27:40 you're a shepherd boy 27:42 and this man's a warrior from his youth, 27:45 the situation is impossible, 27:47 David, there's no way you can possibly win, 27:48 that's the first thing he hears from his spiritual leader. 27:56 Our second key, our second step to total victory is, 28:01 don't focus on the impossibilities 28:05 because the devil will always bring before your mind 28:08 the impossibilities of gaining the victory. 28:11 He'll always present before your mind how it's impossible. 28:14 You can't do it, you can't win the battle. 28:17 Even like I said from those closest to you. 28:20 Even from maybe your spiritual leaders. 28:29 You know, too often we focus on our weaknesses. 28:33 We think that we are the only ones in the battle. 28:36 We forget that we have united with one who can't lose. 28:40 We have forgotten too often that the Bible tells us 28:43 in Second Corinthians 5 in verse 7, 28:45 "That we walk by faith, not by sight." 28:50 Too often we survey the situation as we see it. 28:53 We may be struggling with an addiction. 28:56 We may be struggling with a relationship 28:57 we shouldn't be in. 28:59 We may be struggling with some other bad habit 29:02 or even our daily walk with Jesus 29:04 and making that committed time with Him every day. 29:07 We may be struggling with these things 29:09 and the impossibilities come before our minds 29:10 and we start to think that there's no way I can do this. 29:15 I'm overwhelmed and I'm in this thing alone. 29:17 You're not in it alone, friend. 29:20 We're not in it alone. 29:22 The Lord Jesus is our side. He has promised us victory. 29:27 He has promised us triumph. But the Bible says, 29:32 "We had to walk by faith not by sight." 29:34 David was looking at the giant. 29:36 When it was brought up to him, 29:39 "David, you can't kill this giant." 29:41 He said, "Listen, God has protected me in the past. 29:45 God's given me victory when I was watching the sheep 29:47 and this uncircumcised Philistine, 29:50 this man who has no covenant relation with God, 29:53 he's got no more protection than the lion and the bear." 29:56 He was not looking at how impossible the situation was. 29:59 He was looking at how able God was to give him victory. 30:05 When we're looking for victory 30:06 in our Christian lives. 30:09 Don't focus on the impossibilities. 30:12 God is the God who masters impossibilities. 30:17 "With men this is impossible," Jesus said, 30:19 "but with God all things are possible." 30:22 The Bible says in Philippians 4:13, 30:24 "I can do all things through Jesus Christ 30:25 who strengthens me," all things. 30:30 Don't focus on the impossibilities. 30:34 Focus on the Lord's strength. 30:42 You know something else here. 30:45 David when tempted to look at the impossibilities 30:50 started to recount the instances in his life 30:54 where God had given him victory. 30:58 He thought back to those experiences 31:00 that God had given him. 31:01 Where God had given him victory in situations, 31:07 dangerous situations, impossible situations, 31:10 he began to treasure those things up. 31:12 Some things interesting in the Bible 31:14 that when you go through the Old Testament 31:16 you'll find out that one of the things 31:17 Israel did often was that they would set up memorials. 31:21 When they crossed the Red Sea, 31:23 when they crossed the Jordan, 31:25 when they come to different places like Bethel 31:27 when Jacob came to, they would set up altars, 31:29 they would set up memorials, they would set up reminders. 31:34 We need to remember how God has led us in the past. 31:39 We need to make sure we don't forget 31:41 how God has worked in our life 31:43 prior to now because there are times 31:45 when we face impossibilities. 31:47 Where the best things we can do is look back 31:50 and remember what God has done for us thus far. 31:53 Remember back to those times where God has given us 31:55 victory in the past and that will give us hope 31:57 for the same God giving us victory in the future. 31:59 God didn't let me down in the past. 32:01 God brought me this far. 32:02 And listen, friends, God didn't bring you this far 32:07 to let you fail now. 32:10 The Bible says in Philippians 1:6, 32:11 "He who began a good work in us 32:13 will finish it unto the day of Jesus Christ." 32:16 He will complete it. 32:18 Jesus started the work, He's gonna finish that work. 32:22 He's gonna finish it. 32:23 We've got to keep our eyes fixed on Him. 32:25 Don't focus on the impossibilities. 32:27 Something to note is that when you find 32:29 impossibilities in the Bible there were always 32:33 an opportunity for God to show his power. 32:35 Think about it for a moment. 32:37 Think about when Israel came to that Red Sea. 32:40 You've got a million and a half people 32:43 sitting by the shore of the Red Sea. 32:44 No possible way to get across. 32:47 More than that they came up and they were enclosed 32:50 by mountains on the right hand and on the left hand 32:52 and they had the Egyptian armies coming in behind them 32:55 and they began to panic and said, 32:56 "This is impossible, there's no way out." 33:03 What's more? 33:04 God brought them to that position on purpose. 33:08 Because He wanted to show His power to His people. 33:11 You know sometimes God brings us into situations 33:13 that are difficult, that are challenging, 33:15 that are impossible to our eyesight, why? 33:17 Because He is wanting to show us what He can do. 33:22 We can talk about the Red Sea. 33:24 We can talk about the birth of Isaac. 33:27 God promised Abraham. 33:28 "You're gonna be the father of many nations. 33:30 "Abraham says, "Wait a minute 33:32 my wife's barren, she can't have children." 33:33 God says, "No problem for me, 33:35 we're gonna work this thing out." 33:37 Abraham waits for the promise. 33:38 He even tries to work it out with himself. 33:39 God says, "That's not gonna do Abraham." 33:42 They are near the end of his life. 33:44 Incidentally as I said, his wife couldn't bear children 33:47 when she was young. 33:49 God waits until she's old. Ninety years old. 33:53 Abraham, a 100 years old. 33:56 Not only was the situation impossible before 33:59 but to any human eyesight it was utterly impossible 34:02 in Abraham's old age and then God gave him a son. 34:04 The child of promise, Isaac. 34:07 We can talk about Gideon's band. 34:09 Where God gathers Gideon out. 34:11 He says, "Gathers the soldiers of Israel, 34:12 we're gonna go out, we're gonna battle." 34:15 Gideon goes and get some 32,000 men. 34:17 God says, you got too many guys, too many guys, yeah, 34:21 thin them out a little bit, thin them out a little bit, 34:23 they came down to 10,000. 34:24 He says, "Well, Lord, there's 10,000 34:26 now it's not 32,000 but we can probably 34:28 still do a decent battle." 34:29 God said, "You have too many guys." 34:31 Too many guys, thins them out again. 34:33 He's down to 300. 34:34 "Three hundred men, what am I gonna do?" 34:35 God says, "You're gonna win the victory, 34:37 you're gonna win the battle with 300 men." 34:39 "How am I gonna win with 300 men?" 34:41 God says, "You're not gonna win. 34:42 I'm gonna win through you with 300 men." 34:46 That way God says, "You're not gonna take the-- 34:48 you're not gonna take the credit to yourselves, 34:50 you're gonna realize that I am the one 34:51 that gave you the victory." 34:53 So friends, listen when we face impossible situations 34:56 just like David did here in the battle against Goliath, 35:00 that should tell us that God's 35:01 about to do something big in our lives. 35:04 Don't be deterred. Stay the course. 35:06 Point number 1, keep God's honor 35:08 and glory in your mind, 35:09 foremost in your mind and stay your course. 35:11 Point number 2, do not focus on the impossibilities. 35:19 King Saul sent David out with his armor, 35:23 put the coat of mail on him. 35:24 Said, "okay, David, if you're determined to go, go." 35:28 Saul really didn't have a lot of confidence in him 35:31 but he thought he'd do the most he could 35:33 and he sent him out with his own armor. 35:36 You know, once again, Saul, the Bible tells us 35:39 was head and shoulders taller than any man in Israel. 35:43 In other words, Saul was the giant 35:47 of the armies of Israel just like Goliath 35:49 was the giant of the armies of the Philistines. 35:53 When the giants came out and Saul came out, 35:55 rather Goliath came out as their champion. 35:57 Saul should have gone out as the champion of Israel 35:59 and could have gone out as verily as David did. 36:06 But Saul sat on the sidelines terrified 36:09 just like everybody else. 36:12 Incidentally that armor that he trusted in 36:16 didn't do him a lick of good. 36:19 That armor didn't do anything for Saul 36:21 except for help him to feel uncomfortable 36:22 sitting on the battle sidelines. 36:26 So now he offers David the armor. 36:27 David goes. He puts it on. 36:29 He begins to head out to the battle and he stops. 36:36 And he turns around 36:37 and he begins to make his way back. 36:41 And Saul thinks to himself you know, 36:42 "Finally this young man's got some sense in his head. 36:45 Finally he's starting to get the picture 36:47 this is impossible." 36:48 I want you to pick up with me. 36:53 Verse 39, "And David fastened his sword 36:57 to his armor and he tried to walk 37:00 for he had not tested them." 37:04 And David said to Saul, "I can't walk with these, 37:07 for I have not tested them." 37:09 So David took them off. 37:13 Then he took his staff in his hand 37:16 and he chose for himself 37:17 five smooth stones from the brook. 37:19 And he put them in the shepherd's bag 37:21 in a pouch which he had and his sling was in his hand. 37:26 And he drew near to the Philistine. 37:30 So the Philistine came and began drawing near to David. 37:33 And the man who bore the shield went before him. 37:37 And when the Philistine looked around and saw David 37:39 he disdained him for he was but a youth, 37:43 ruddy and good-looking. 37:45 What we would call today a pretty boy. 37:48 David came out, this good handsome looking young kid. 37:51 No armor on, with a shepherd's staff 37:55 and a sling. 37:58 And Goliath said, "They're trying to mock me. 38:00 They're making fun of me 38:01 sending this little guy out here. What is this all about." 38:04 And the Bible says, "He disdained David." 38:10 You know David tried to put Saul's armor on 38:19 but he said, "I can't use it, I've not proved it." 38:22 Saul had confidence in that armor. 38:29 Too often we have confidence in the armor. 38:31 Too often we forget that our confidence should be in God 38:35 and not in our accoutrements. 38:37 Our confidence should be in God not in our own abilities. 38:43 The reason so many fail at total victory 38:46 is because they put the confidence 38:47 in their own abilities. 38:50 That's one of the reasons we shrink back from the battle. 38:52 We will look at our abilities and that's where 38:54 we see the impossibilities. 38:57 As I said that armor didn't do anything for Saul. 39:00 Saul just sat on the sidelines 39:02 being uncomfortable in all that stuff, 39:04 gives it to David. 39:05 David said, "Hey, it didn't help him. 39:06 It's certainly not gonna help me. 39:08 I've not tested this. 39:09 This is not what I'm used to battling in." 39:11 And David said, "Saul, you can have your armor back." 39:14 You know for some of us that armor is our wisdom, 39:16 our education, our smarts. 39:18 There are some Christians who say, 39:19 "I don't know enough to live a solid Christian life. 39:23 I don't know enough to witness 39:24 to other people about Jesus." 39:31 All about what we know, all about what we do. 39:33 You know, that's not where 39:34 we find our strength, friends. 39:39 For some people it's education. 39:40 I got to get, I got to get more knowledge. 39:42 Listen, Jesus wanted to use 39:45 the knowledge of people in his days. 39:46 They were called the Scribes and the Pharisees. 39:49 But they were so confident in their own knowledge 39:51 they were too smart for God, He couldn't use them. 39:53 He had to use the fishermen and the tax collectors. 39:57 Sometimes we put our confidence in the armor 40:00 as if that's gonna win us the battle. 40:02 If only this situation was different in my life. 40:04 If only I had more knowledge over here. 40:06 If I only had a different home situation, 40:07 a better job, that's not gonna give you victory. 40:10 Jesus Christ will give you victory. 40:12 Jesus Christ will give you victory in any situation 40:15 you find yourself in if you simply put him first 40:17 and trust in his power. 40:23 David came back, he said, "I can't use this. 40:24 I've not proved this armor." He takes it off. 40:26 He goes out in what he does know. 40:28 He goes out with a staff and a sling. 40:40 And we're gonna pick up again in verse 43, 40:47 "So the Philistine said to David, am I a dog, 40:50 that you come to me with sticks," 40:51 his shepherd's rod, "am I a dog 40:54 that you come to me with sticks?" 40:56 And the Philistine cursed David by his God's. 40:59 And the Philistine said to David, "Come to me, 41:02 and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air 41:05 and the beasts of the field!" 41:07 So you guys wanna come out and mock me, go ahead, 41:09 you come out and mock me, I'm gonna tear you apart. 41:17 I have to be honest with you and tell you, 41:18 if I was out on that battlefield as far as 41:21 my sight goes, facing at least nine and a half tall 41:24 giant as solid as he is tall. 41:28 And he tells me, "He's gonna tear me to pieces 41:30 and feed my flesh to the birds of the air." 41:32 I'd been very nervous. 41:34 I may have even be been reconsidering 41:37 what I was about to do. 41:40 But then I would have been walking by sight 41:44 and not by faith. 41:46 I want you to see what David does 41:48 as this Philistine giant, 41:54 as this Philistine giant, 41:56 begins to threaten him. 42:01 Verse 45, "Then David said to the Philistine, 42:05 you come to me with a sword, with a spear, 42:09 and with a javelin. 42:10 But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, 42:13 the God of the armies of Israel, 42:15 whom you have defied. 42:18 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand 42:21 and I will strike you and take your head from you. 42:25 And this day I will give your carcasses," I'm sorry, 42:29 "This day I will give the carcasses of the camp 42:31 of the Philistines to the birds of the air 42:34 and the wild beasts of the earth, 42:37 that all the earth may know 42:39 that there is a God in Israel." 42:45 Point number 3, step number 3, 42:49 in total victory remember always remember 42:53 the battle is the Lord's battle. 42:57 It's not your battle. 42:59 David didn't go out to the Philistine and said, 43:01 "Of course I'm gonna win this battle. 43:02 You know why? I have this underhand. 43:04 I know how to do, I know how to use this sling," 43:07 that's not what he said. 43:10 He said, "Giant, you trust in your javelin, 43:12 you trust in your spear, you trust in all your equipment." 43:15 Just like Saul trusting his armor. 43:17 He says, "I'm not coming to you 43:18 in the name of anything I have. 43:19 I'm coming to you in the name of the Lord, 43:21 God of Israel, Him you've defied. 43:23 He's gonna deliver you into my hand." 43:27 Oh, friends, if we would remember when we're fighting 43:30 the good fight of faith that it's not our battle. 43:34 It's not our battle. 43:36 If we would only remember that we'd have confidence 43:39 that we could have victory in Jesus. 43:41 We wouldn't falter like we so often do. 43:46 Because our eyes would not be on us. 43:47 Our eyes would be on the one who is going to lead us 43:50 always into triumph. 43:53 David was-- his pace was unabated. 43:56 He didn't shift his focus. 43:58 David was going forward with his face set like flint 44:03 into this battle. 44:07 And defiantly told that giant, 44:09 "The Lord, God has given you into my hand." 44:15 Verse 48, the Bible says, "And it was, 44:20 it was so rather that when the Philistine arose 44:24 and came and drew near to meet David, 44:26 that David hastened and," what, 44:29 "he ran toward the army to meet the Philistine." 44:35 I just told you, I'd have been reconsidering. 44:37 I would have been sitting and thinking. 44:39 I would have been counting, let's see maybe 44:41 I should write a letter to my dear family that-- 44:44 I'm not gonna know 44:45 I'm too much longer than this now. 44:47 I'll write a goodbye letter. 44:48 I mean, I would have been really reconsidering 44:49 but here's David. 44:54 The Philistine challenges him. 44:57 He responds. 44:58 And the Bible doesn't say he walked out 45:00 on to the battlefield. 45:01 It says he ran to meet the giant. 45:04 He ran to meet the giant. His confidence was sure. 45:11 He knew the victory was his. 45:16 David ran to meet the giant. 45:18 He was not intimidated. 45:21 And the Bible goes on to say, 45:27 verse 49, "Then David put his hand in his bag 45:31 and took out a stone, and he slung it 45:35 and struck the Philistine in the forehead 45:40 and he fell on his face to the earth." 45:42 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling 45:45 and a stone and struck the Philistine and killed him. 45:51 But there was no sword in the hand of David. 45:53 Therefore David ran over. 45:55 Ran rather and stood over the Philistine, 45:57 took his sword and drew it out of its sheath 45:59 and killed him. 46:02 And cut off his head with it. 46:05 And when the Philistines saw 46:07 that their champion was dead they fled. 46:12 Put yourself on the scene of battle. 46:14 Can you imagine it? 46:16 Just minutes prior, those Philistines soldiers 46:20 were probably laughing at the idea 46:23 that this young shepherd boy 46:24 was gonna fight their champion. 46:27 And they were mocking the Israelites 46:29 and mocking their God. 46:30 The Israelites themselves were trembling for fear 46:34 what was going to happen to David 46:36 and how bad this was going to look. 46:42 The only one, the only one on the battlefield 46:47 that day that had faith was David. 46:54 You may have heard the saying before, 46:57 "God plus one is a majority." 47:00 You don't need to have everybody on your side. 47:02 If you go forward in the name of the Lord, 47:04 He's on your side. 47:07 David went forward and those Philistines soldiers said, 47:09 "This guy is gonna get cremated." 47:11 And David went out there and he took that stone 47:13 and he put it in his sling. 47:15 And the Bible says, "He slung it." 47:18 And as Goliath was coming out and thinking 47:20 he's gonna tear this man limb from limb. 47:23 The Bible says, "That stone, first stone slung met 47:26 its mark right in the forehead of the giant and he fell." 47:30 And you can imagine the silence 47:32 that fell over the camp 47:36 as everybody watched. 47:39 I mean there wasn't even a fight. 47:42 They may have figured that, that was gonna be 47:43 what happened with David but not with their giant. 47:46 David ran out and before they knew it was done 47:49 and there laid Goliath on the ground. 47:51 And as they are watching stupefied 47:53 David draws the sword of the giant and cuts his head off. 47:58 And the whole Philistine army trembles and runs. 48:05 God gave the victory because of one man's faith. 48:13 You know it's funny that when we are facing 48:16 the trials in our Christian lives by the time 48:19 we get to point 3 we're ready to pack up and go. 48:22 I mean we had to come and face those challenges. 48:25 We're trying to keep our eyes fixed on God. 48:29 We're trying to keep his glory in our mind's eye 48:33 and stay our course. 48:35 And then our family members ridicule us 48:36 and our friends ridiculed us and all that and then 48:38 we're discouraged from that. 48:44 And then the impossibilities come up before our minds 48:47 and then we start to count 48:48 through all the impossibilities. 48:49 By the time we get to number 3 48:50 remember it's the Lord's battle, 48:51 no, we're ready to go home. 48:59 David runs to meet the giant. 49:02 David already determined before he ever got there 49:04 that the victory was his 49:05 because he had confidence in the God of Israel. 49:07 Do you have confidence in the God of Israel today? 49:12 David trusted that the victory was his, just like Daniel. 49:17 In Daniel Chapter 1 and verse 8, the Bible says, 49:19 "Daniel purposed in his heart." 49:20 He made it his purpose he was gonna follow God 49:22 no matter what, that's what David did. 49:26 And once he had determined that nothing would sway him 49:28 from his course. 49:30 One man with faith one out and I want you to notice 49:33 one more verse in this story. 49:40 The Bible says that, "David cut off the head 49:42 of the giant and the Philistine soldiers fled." 49:47 Verse 52, notice what it said "Now the men of Israel 49:52 and Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines 49:57 as far as the entrance of the valley 49:59 and to the gates of Ekron. 50:01 And the wounded of the Philistines 50:03 fell along the road to Shaaraim, 50:07 even as far as Gath and Ekron." 50:12 In other words when David went forward in faith 50:15 that one man's faith turned the faith 50:18 of the whole army of Israel 50:21 and that one man's faith brought victory 50:23 to the whole army of Israel. 50:26 Have you ever felt in your Christian walk 50:28 that you're just one person? 50:31 And been discouraged and even when you feel 50:33 like the Lord may give you victory, 50:35 you feel like I'm just one person what can I do. 50:38 And that time after time in the scriptures 50:40 we see how one person 50:42 can change the course of history. 50:47 David because of his faith went out battle 50:51 the giant the rest of Israel didn't think he can do it. 50:55 The Philistines certainly didn't think he could do it. 50:58 But David went forward and his victory did not just 51:01 gain victory for himself but for all of Israel. 51:08 Which is just exactly 51:09 what the Apostle Paul was telling us there 51:12 in that scripture we open with 51:13 in 2 Corinthians Chapter 2 and verse 14, 51:23 "Thanks be to God, who always leads us 51:26 in triumph in Christ and through us 51:31 defuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place. 51:36 "Once David had been lead to victory, 51:39 he defused that knowledge of God 51:41 back to the armies of Israel 51:42 and regained their confidence in the Lord. 51:45 Friend, listen to me, God wants you to have victory 51:50 in your life and today you can have that victory 51:54 not just for yourself but your faithfulness 51:56 will lead others to regain their faith in the Lord. 52:01 Your faithfulness impressing on forward to the victory 52:07 will give others courage to press on. 52:10 You can defuse the fragrance of Christ in every place. 52:15 One man's faith turned the defeat 52:17 of Israel into a victory. 52:19 So your faith can turn defeat into victory 52:24 not just for you, 52:26 but for those brothers and sisters around you 52:29 as your victory gives them confidence 52:32 that they too can have victory in Christ. 52:38 "Three Steps to Total Victory." 52:43 Step number 1, determined to put God's honor first 52:49 and stay the course, don't be distracted. 52:52 When you have determined to put God first as I said, 52:55 Daniel purposed in his heart. 52:56 David decided he's gonna go out there 52:57 that day and fight that battle. 53:00 Don't be hindered. 53:02 Keep remembering that it's not you who's fighting. 53:08 Put God's honor first. 53:10 Remember what Jesus has done for you. 53:14 As I said, the course of one man so often in the Bible 53:17 has changed the history of the world. 53:21 What better example than the cross of Calvary. 53:24 Where the Lord Jesus as he hung on Calvary's cross 53:27 to this day is still changing lives. 53:31 Remember Jesus. Keep him in your mind's eye. 53:37 Determine to put him first. 53:39 He deserves all glory and honor. 53:43 Determine to put his honor first and stay your course 53:47 step number 1. 53:48 Step number 2, don't focus on the impossibilities. 53:53 There are always impossibilities 53:54 that will present themselves. 53:56 The devil will always put something in your mind 53:59 to tell you, you can't gain victory in this area. 54:01 Maybe as I said, it's an addiction. 54:03 You've had an addiction for years. 54:05 You've struggle with it. You've tried to quit. 54:06 I can't quit. I tried and I can't. 54:10 Stay the course. Stay the course, why? 54:12 Because God has promised you victory 54:15 and if God hasn't seen fit to give it yet, 54:18 don't give up hope, that He will give that victory. 54:24 Maybe it's just in your spiritual life. 54:26 You feel like your spiritual life 54:29 is not what it used to be. 54:31 Your fire for God your-- that burning desire to 54:34 that no one to share the truth isn't what it used to be. 54:41 And you don't know how to get it back. 54:42 Don't focus on the impossibilities. 54:45 Don't go over and over in your mind 54:47 how impossible it is. 54:50 As Jesus said, "With men all things are impossible." 54:54 In essence, with men this is impossible. 54:58 With God all things are possible. 55:00 Don't think about the impossibilities. 55:02 Of course it's impossible for us. 55:05 It doesn't even do any good to think about it. 55:06 We already know that. 55:07 There's a foregone conclusion. 55:10 But it's not impossible for God. 55:13 Don't focus on the impossibilities 55:16 and remember it's not your battle. 55:20 It's not my battle. 55:22 The battle belongs to the Lord. 55:24 It's his battle. It's his victory. 55:28 The Bible says, "When we gain victory 55:29 that glory goes to God." 55:31 Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men, 55:33 that they may see your good works and," what, 55:34 "glorify you." 55:36 No, Matthew 5:16, "Glorify your Father who is in heaven." 55:39 Who gets the glory? God does. Why? 55:41 It's His battle. It's His victory. 55:43 The victory is not about us it's about God 55:45 and what God can do through us. 55:51 Whatever your sin, friend, whatever your addiction, 55:55 whatever your struggle God has promised you victory. 55:59 He has promised it. Indeed He's already given it. 56:04 Look to Calvary and see the victory gained there. 56:08 God's already given it, but we've gotta walk by faith 56:12 and not by sight. 56:15 You must by the living faith go forward in that victory 56:19 and it's yours. 56:21 The battle was done. 56:22 The giant was defeated, but David had to go forward 56:26 and claim that victory. 56:29 He stayed the course. 56:32 The opponent tried to intimidate him 56:35 but David reminded his opponent 56:37 that he was fighting a losing battle 56:39 against the God of Israel. 56:41 How is it with you today? How is it with you today? 56:47 Are you battling with a confidence in the victory 56:50 that you already have in Jesus Christ? 56:53 Friends, God always leads us in triumph in Christ. 57:00 God always leads us in triumph in Jesus Christ. 57:06 The victory is yours today. 57:09 The victory is yours by faith. 57:13 Look to Jesus and claim it. |
Revised 2014-12-17