Transcription downloaded from https://sermons.highlandparkbaptist.net/sermons/96219/five-principles-in-our-sling/.

Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions.
Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt.


[0:00] I'm going to be reading from 1 Samuel chapter 17.

[0:15] ! I want to apologize to you this morning. I've been struggling with allergies a little bit and my throat's a little scratchy. and so I've got some gum in my mouth. I don't usually chew gum when I preach.

[0:25] All my school teachers and my mother would be horrified to know that I'm doing this. But if you will grant me that forgiveness this morning, I'm going to do that.

[0:36] And I think that will help us get through the service today. 1 Samuel chapter 17 is the account of David facing Goliath. Probably one of the most familiar stories in all the Bible.

[0:49] And one that we are well aware of from early in our childhood days. It's a great story. And it's just such a blessing to us that God has recounted for us in such detail what happened on that day and on that occasion.

[1:07] And I think that even though it is a familiar story, and sometimes the familiarity of it causes us to take it for granted. We just hear that that's what we're going to talk about, and immediately we think, okay, little guy, giant, the little guy wins, yay for him.

[1:23] And that's all there is to the story. But there's so much more than just that. There's such a great message from God's word. And the more we study this, the more we glean from it, and the more that God speaks to us, not just about an event that happened years ago, and not just about the greatness and the glory of God, and all of those are true.

[1:44] But I believe in this passage, God is speaking to you and to me this morning. In our life circumstances and the situations where we are, I think there is a contemporary, personal, relevant word from God for us in this passage today.

[2:01] Because I believe every one of us, we face some kind of giant in our life. It can be different things. And certainly we are in prayer and supportive of Pastor Don and the giant that he faces in this battle with this lymphoma.

[2:17] We are supportive of Sherry and the giant that she faces in the fear and the concern and the compassion she has for Don in this struggle. But they're not the only ones facing challenges.

[2:31] And although I do not know your individual story and your individual experience, and I don't know the giant that you face, I am quite confident that every one of us in this room, there is something that stands in the way of us having complete freedom and complete joy and the complete recognition that God is in control of all of our life.

[2:53] There is some giant out there that threatens each one of us. And for some, that may be a health issue. For some, that may be a financial issue or a family issue or an issue at work or a thousand and one other things.

[3:09] I don't know yours, but the great thing about God's word is it doesn't matter if I know. He knows and he has given us a way to deal with those giants. And so the story of David and Clieth is more than just a historical account.

[3:25] I think it is a prescription that God gives for us to deal with the giants that we face in our life today, right here, and right now. Beginning in verse 1 of chapter 17, 1 Samuel.

[3:39] Now the Philistines gathered together, their armies to battle, and they were gathered together at Succoth, which belongeth to Judah and pitched between Succoth and Ezekiah, and Ephes the men.

[3:49] And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they pitched by the valley of Elah and set the battle in array against the Philistines. There's so much detail here, and if we had a lot of time this morning, we could go into all that detail.

[4:04] But God is very specific that we know the details of how they are arrayed and what's going on. He wants us to grasp the full picture. Verse 3, Now that's more than just a passing comment.

[4:28] I want you to hold on to that picture. The Philistines are on the mountaintop over here. The Bible says that they are in array. That means that they are spread all across the ridge, and they are there in multiple lines.

[4:41] They are in battle formation on the top of this mountain. Over here are the people of God, the nation of Israel. They too are in array. They are spread all across the ridge of this mountain, and in the middle there is this great valley that separates them.

[4:56] God wants us to understand that picture as we get this truth in our mind. Verse 4, And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

[5:09] And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass upon his shoulders.

[5:22] And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam, with the spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron, and one bearing a shield went before him.

[5:33] And he stood, and he cried unto the armies of Israel, and he said unto them, Why are you come out to set your battle in array? Am I not a Philistine, and you servants to Saul?

[5:45] Now choose a man for you, and let him come down to me. And if he is able to fight me and to kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then shall you be our servants, and you will serve us.

[6:00] And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day. Give me a man that we may fight together. And when Saul and all of Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and they were greatly afraid.

[6:20] Do you blame them? Giants standing out there before them, taunting them. They know they are outmanned. They didn't have guns, but they did. They would have been outgunned.

[6:31] They knew that they were the lesser of the armies that were gathered there together. And these were giants that they were facing. And this one giant is taunting them, begging them, send out a representative to fight me one-on-one, and the winner of this battle is going to be winner-take-all.

[6:49] And the Bible tells us that the people of God were cowering in fear because of this great giant. I believe the only reason why the word of God is not spreading like wildfire across this nation and this earth is because the people of God are cowering in fear.

[7:12] And the giant of world opinion and the giant of secularism, the giant of unbelief, the giant of wickedness and evil in our world has never been greater.

[7:23] But this is not a time for the people of God to cower in fear. It's a time for us to respond to the challenge of the way that God speaks to us and the way he leads us.

[7:33] This is a lengthy chapter, and I think the story is familiar to probably just about everyone this morning. So let me just summarize what you already know. That David was home tending his father's sheep, and he heard of this battle that was going on.

[7:49] His father said, I want you to take some food to your brothers who are on the front lines. David did that. He got there. He heard the taunting of Goliath. And as he heard Goliath and he saw all of his brothers and others that he had respected, and grown up honoring them, seeing them cowering in fear from that challenge there, David asked the question, why doesn't someone go out to meet him?

[8:14] And they told him, just hush up. You're just a young boy. You don't know what you're talking about. This is a giant. And David said, no, I'm not going to be quiet. This is not just man against man.

[8:24] We are the army of the living God. And this giant is not just taunting us. This giant is defying the living God. And he's going to say that in verses in just a moment.

[8:37] He said, this battle is not just between us and who we are, but this battle is to defend the honor of God, who is holy and just and almighty. And what does it say?

[8:48] Now, I'm putting words in David's mouth. But what does it say about us and about our God when we cower in fear rather than respond to the challenge that God has given to us?

[9:01] And so as David was encouraging his brothers, trying to get someone to stand up and go out and fight, Saul got wind of that. He called him to him and said, well, maybe this young man can do something, and no one else was going to go.

[9:14] And David seemed to have the courage and the bravado, so Saul said, all right, we'll let you go fight for us. And David was more than willing. And Saul said, all right, then you'll have the best armor.

[9:29] You can wear my armor. And they brought David in, and they put Saul's armor upon him, but it didn't fit because it wasn't David's armor.

[9:41] And by the way, it wasn't supposed to be David's armor. David was not to arm himself with the best armor of that day. He was to arm himself with the presence of God and the purpose of God and the will of God.

[9:57] David shook it off, said, I can't do this. It doesn't fit me. This isn't what God's called me to do. I can't do this. All I know is who I am and how God has used me in the past and how God wants to use me in the future.

[10:12] So David said, I will go in the strength of God with who I am and what he has prepared me to be and to do. And so the story tells us that David took that sling that he was most comfortable with, that that he had defended his father's sheep with, that tool, that weapon that he had grown up with, and he knew this is what God wants to use with me.

[10:38] David took that sling, went down to meet the giant, gathered those five smooth stones, and with just those five stones as the weapon that God gave him, we know the story.

[10:52] David came up against Goliath. Goliath was enraged because of this youth that was before him, taunted God some more, and David responded by slinging that stone, hit him in the forehead, and the giant fell.

[11:06] And we know the rest of the story. There's lots of cheering that goes on, and we're part of that crowd rejoicing in that victory. But I don't want us to pass too quickly over those five smooth stones because I believe that if we allow each one of those stones to represent one of those weapons that God had given David and realize God has given us those same weapons today, then it's going to enable us to see how God can bring the victory in our hearts and our lives.

[11:38] So just let those five smooth stones serve as kind of an outline for us to look at what David had as his real weapons in this battle. Let's let that first stone represent for us the courage with which David responded to the challenge.

[11:54] If you look at verse 32 of that 17th chapter, David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him. Thy servant will go and will fight this Philistine.

[12:07] David said, Don't be afraid. There is a reason why we should enter this battle. David's courage was not a false bravado.

[12:18] It wasn't a Rambo kind of courage. Well, we'll just go out and blow him away. David's courage came from the recognition that this battle is bigger than me and it's bigger than you.

[12:29] This is a battle that God has promised he will fight for us. David's courage came not from who he was, but it came from the God that he served and the faith that he had in that God.

[12:43] And because the cause was just and because the challenge was a challenge against the living God, David said, I will answer that challenge and I will do it because I'm standing on God's side.

[12:56] I'm standing for who God is and God is the one who will fight for me. David didn't have any misconceptions. He was going to overcome the giant on his own. He knew that it was God's battle and God was going to win.

[13:09] And because the cause was just, David had courage to engage the fight. I was watching last summer on the anniversary of D-Day and they were talking on TV to a lot of the men who stormed the beaches of Normandy and those other beaches.

[13:28] And when they talked about the devastation that took place and they talked about the fact that many of those men knew they were not going to return home from that battle, the odds were so overwhelmingly against us.

[13:43] And time and time again, they asked them, why did you do that? Why did you answer that call? And why did you storm that beach? The answer was almost the same, but word for word from every one of them.

[13:54] We did it because we needed to do it. Someone had to stand. Someone had to be willing to pay the price. And the cause was just. Defending our freedom and defending our country, defending the world from the evil that was taking over, someone had to go.

[14:14] And they said, we're willing to go. And the commentator said, well, everyone on that beach was a hero. And time after time, those men would say, we weren't heroes.

[14:26] We just simply answered the call and did what had to be done. That's what courage is. It's not having confidence that you're bigger or better or stronger.

[14:38] It's having confidence that the cause is just. Something needs to be done. And God has called you to be the one to do it. And I don't know again what that might personally and specifically be for you.

[14:51] But until we are willing to answer God's call to step up and to be strong and courageous and bold because of who he is and what he has called us to do to live sacrificially for him, until we take that step of courage, that giant is going to remain before us and in our life.

[15:10] But if we're willing to take that step of courage, it's God who will overcome and God who will win the victory on that day. Last year, we were taking a group of students to Leon, Mexico, where we have gone before and Rachel has gone with us on that trip.

[15:27] And before that trip, we had a young lady who could play the violin and I had mentioned that to the missionaries. And when I talked to that young lady, she does not like to be center stage, doesn't like to be out in the forefront.

[15:44] And she was a little intimidated about doing that, especially in a different culture. And so I told her, that's fine, don't worry about it, you won't have to do that. What I had failed to recognize is because I had mentioned it to the missionaries, they had talked about it to some people there and they were expecting her to come and play the violin at a quinceanera for a young lady, her 15th birthday party, big deal, big coming out party, it's a big deal.

[16:14] And that young lady, all of her family had disowned her and her mother because of their faith, their saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so there wasn't going to be any of her family there and our student team and that small house church that supports her, they were going to be her family and this young lady, they were hoping would play the violin and had shared that with some people.

[16:40] And so when the missionaries told me, I said, all right, I'll talk to her. Went back and talked to her and told her, I know I told you you didn't have to, but now appears that we really need you to play the violin.

[16:53] And she said, I can't do that. And I told her, well, I'm confident in you. And she said, no, I can't do that. I can't do that in front of strangers.

[17:03] I can't do that just on my own. I can't do that. I just, I'm scared to death. I can't do that. And so I prayed with her and talked with her about that and told her, I'm not going to force you to do anything that God doesn't speak to you about.

[17:20] I just want you to pray about it. And so that was two nights before we left. And the morning we left, we left about four in the morning to catch our flight. And I did not know if she was going to show up with her violin or not.

[17:32] But when she walked in, she had that violin case. Didn't talk to her for a while about it. And then on the way down there, I asked her, how did you decide to do this?

[17:44] She said, I'm scared to death. I don't want to do it. But God said, you must. We went to Mexico, had a great first day. The next day was the day of the quinceanera.

[17:56] And as people began together, this young lady was terrified. She was not comfortable, but she was going to do it because God had called her to do it. And as time was getting close to time to begin, we were so surprised that all of the family of the young lady being honored, they began to arrive.

[18:17] And the only reason they came, they said, was because they wanted to hear the violin. And so I didn't tell this young lady because I knew it would put more pressure on her. But not only did her family arrive, but her school teachers arrived.

[18:30] And her whole sphere of influence, everyone in her world, people that we will never have the opportunity to go to their home and to share the gospel and to talk about them with faith and belief in God, they came to this event to hear this young lady play the violin.

[18:48] We had prayer with her and for her. And when it came time to play, she played beautifully. And just very hypnotically, people were just caught up in the beauty of that music.

[19:01] They asked for more and she played more, played several songs and just did a beautiful job. It was a beautiful part of the celebration. And during that celebration, the pastor of that small house church, realizing who all was there, he asked the young lady, the one being honored, if he could just take a few moments to share about her faith and about what this meant to her.

[19:26] And so he did. And at the end of that time of sharing, he said, now, I know that you have come to celebrate today, but if for some reason you would like to know more about the God and the faith of this young lady, I want you to come and talk to me.

[19:45] Now, in his mind, that meant sometime later and after the celebration's over. But as soon as he said that, the grandmother of the girl being honored got up and came and began to weep and said, I don't know this God.

[19:59] I want to know him. As a result of that event, there were five people who came to know more about Jesus Christ and ended up being saved.

[20:11] But we told the violinist girl, you know, it was your obedience that opened the door for this. And she was just so excited about that and thought, that's great. Now I can put it away. Don't have to think about it anymore the rest of the trip.

[20:22] Next day, we were out going door to door and we were sharing a tract, inviting people to a Bible study. And her and her partner didn't have any success.

[20:33] There was no one who would open the door, no one who responded to her. And she was a little discouraged. And at the last minute when they were leaving to come back to join the group, this man was delivering propane.

[20:46] And if you've ever been in Mexico, the propane deliverer has a speaker bigger than I am and it's loud. And you can't hear anything when he's announcing that he's there. But she had just an impulse to go and to hand him a tract and to invite him to come to the Bible study in English and he couldn't speak in English.

[21:05] He looked at her, put it in his pocket and then she left. The next day, we were all the way on the other side of Leon, city about two million people, bigger than Tulsa Metroplex area, all the way on the other side.

[21:20] And at the end of the day, this young lady and her partner again had not had much success. They were leaving to come back to the group where we were meeting and there she saw the same man delivering propane on that side of town.

[21:34] So she didn't know what to do. She walked up and handed him another tract and this time that man began to weep. And then he began to speak in Spanish and she couldn't understand and so she went and got someone who could come and talk to him and that man began to pour out his heart and he began to tell that translator that the day before, yesterday, he said, when I woke up, my heart was just so heavy with the wickedness of my heart.

[22:00] He said, I'm a wicked man. I have beat my wife. I have beat my children. I have stolen. I have lied. I am a terrible, wicked man. And when I woke up yesterday morning, the wickedness of my heart had weighed so heavily upon me, I didn't think I could live through the day.

[22:18] And he said, I cried out to God knowing that God wasn't going to listen to me because of my wickedness, but I just cried out, God, send me someone who will give me some hope. And he said, I had given up hope until that young American girl came and handed me a tract that said in Spanish that there was hope found in a God who loves and cares and saves and can help you with your sin.

[22:43] But he said, I didn't know what to say so I took it. And he said, I didn't sleep all night long last night because I felt like God had given me a chance and that chance had passed.

[22:54] And I had let that chance go by me and he said, all night long while I couldn't sleep, I was just begging God, God, give me one more chance. Let me find some way to know about this hope.

[23:07] And he said, when I saw that girl, now all the way on the other side of town, out of two million people to see the same girl, when I saw her walk up and she handed me that tract of hope, he said, I knew this was my last chance.

[23:22] And as he shared that testimony, we got him together with the church planter and he came the next night to a Bible study we were having and he committed his heart and life to Jesus Christ and he talked about the change that had already taken place in his heart and he was just so appreciative, so thankful and could not believe in the grace and the mercy of a God who would bring him the same young lady to give him hope two days in a row.

[23:52] Now I tell you that long story because none of that would have happened had that young girl not had the courage to answer God's call. She didn't have the ability, she didn't have the confidence, she didn't think God could use her, she didn't think her talents were significant, she didn't think any of that could happen.

[24:11] She was David facing the Goliath of her fears but she was willing to take that step of obedience and that step of courage and God used it to win the victory not only in her life but in the life of that man and in the life of so many others that she touched because she said yes because the cause was just and godly.

[24:34] Whatever it is in your life that stands as a giant, I just want you to know that that first smooth stone of David's weapons represents being willing to take a step of obedience whatever it is God is asking you to do to take that step of obedience and with courage respond to the challenge knowing that God is going to use you sometimes he will use the gifts he has given you sometimes he will use you in spite of you but he will use you to bring about the victory and the glory for him not only in your life but in the life of others if you'll take that step of courage.

[25:11] So let that first stone represent courage and obedience to God. Let the second stone this morning represent what David shared with us from his testimony and that is the memory of past experiences with God providing the victory.

[25:26] If you begin reading in verse 33 of that 17th chapter and Saul said to David you're not able to go against the Philistine to fight with him because you're just a young man and he has been a man of war from his youth but David said unto Saul thy servant kept his father's sheep and there came a lion and a bear and took a lamb out of the flock and I went out after him and smote him and delivered it out of his mouth and when he arose against me I caught him by his beard and smote him and slew him thy servant slew both the lion and the bear and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be just like one of them seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.

[26:06] David said you're absolutely right I can't do this but I remember when I was faced with challenges that were bigger than me the lion and the bear when I was just out there by myself watching my father's sheep when they came against my father's sheep it was my responsibility to defend them and God gave me the strength he gave me the ability he provided the resources it was God who brought the victory against those animals and this Philistine is no greater than those animals God's going to win because of that memory of past deliverance the memory of what God had done in his life before it gave him the courage and the strength to answer this giant and this challenge that was before him this day.

[26:52] I just believe if we took the time this morning to go person by person and to give testimony today I think every one of us would be able to say there was a time in our life when we faced something we did not know how we were going to get over it or through it or beyond it but God has brought us through I mean you're here today your testimony God has brought you through and every one of us has those memories and we have those experiences where God has already shown himself faithful God has already proven his power and his will and his desire God has already brought about the victories in our life and it's those memories and that reassurance and that demonstration of God's power in the past that gives us courage to face the giant in the present do you realize there is nothing that you and I face today that is greater than what others have faced in the past and God has always brought the victory there's not one time in any record that shows anywhere that God has not been victorious in whatever he sent his people to do and I want to share with you on the authority of God's word this morning you're not going to be the first failure

[28:07] God's record is not going to change and just as surely as he has delivered you personally and individually through past experiences God is going to continue to give you that victory and he's going to see you through as you continue to be obedient and faithful to him so let that second stone be the stone of memory remembering the victories that God has given I love Malawi so much it's so dear to my heart and every time I get a chance to share I have to resist the temptation just to talk about Malawi because it's a great great place but one of the things I love about the people of Malawi that when they have conversation with you it's not just a conversation that you're having right now about this experience but if they are really showing appreciation and if they are really acknowledging the importance of the moment they will back up and they will recount past history they will recount history of what

[29:10] I have done with them and what they have been able to do and they will recount history of how God has provided for them and how God has sustained them very biblical in the way they talk about those things they get a running start for current experiences based upon what's happened in the past and I think that if God's people if we would be more mindful of the victories that God has won beginning with the very first word of his word and all throughout the written record and all throughout every instance in our life if we would be more mindful of what God has done in the past and realize he's going to continue to do that in the future it gives us courage and boldness to face the giant whatever it is and to know that he's going to bring about the victory I need to move on let that third stone this morning represent David's faith and his trust in God David was willing but David was also prepared

[30:10] God had used past experiences to prepare him for this moment and just as surely as God prepared David God has been and continues to prepare you for whatever challenge you face and the key of David's success was the fact that he realized he could not overcome it on his own but by faith he trusted God for the victory I could spend way too much time here this morning but I want you to see this truth the Bible tells us specifically the layout of the land that the Philistines are over here on this mountaintop and David is over here with the people of God on this mountaintop and there is a valley between them that's important and so the giant comes down to the valley and what is in the valley that's where the river is and the giant standing on this side of the river and he's taunting the people of God and the Bible tells us that David heard those taunts and he volunteered to go he answered with courage on the basis of past experiences was willing to go by faith to meet the giant and so he left that mountaintop you read the scripture it says that he left that mountaintop and he went down and as you read all of that text you understand that little pouch where he carries his stones for his sling it was empty when he left this mountaintop

[31:33] David was going to the battle without any ammunition because when you read through the scriptures David needed to have five smooth stones if you've ever been to Israel there aren't any smooth stones anywhere except in the river those stones are jagged and torn and they don't fly straight in a sling they're not good for anything so David had to leave the place of safety just on the basis of faith had to leave that array of the army go down into the valley and walk right up face to face with the giant or face to giant's belt buckle his giant was so much taller but David had confidence that God was going to provide what he did not have he knew God was going to give him he may not know when or how but he trusted God was going to provide and if you play out that scenario if the giant is standing on this side of the river and David comes all the way that down without any stones to throw at him until he gets right to the river again they're just face to face and David found in that river five smooth stones that he needed to defeat the giant now people say why did he pick up five if he really was trusting God

[33:05] I don't know other than I think God told him get five stones and I'm not going to argue with that I do know that the Bible teaches us that Goliath had four brothers and David may have thought if I take this one I'm going to have to take them all and he was ready or he may have thought this guy is pretty big and maybe the first stone won't do it and so I may have to hit him five times he didn't know he just knew God had told him and God had provided for him and right at the last minute God provided the resources he needed to be victorious over this giant I think that's a lesson we need to learn because when we want the victory from God we want assurance on the front end that everything's going to be provided and it's going to be okay sometimes God doesn't provide until the last minute but we're not going on the basis of being confident and going on our own we're going on the basis of faith and faith means that we step out even when we are fearful and even when we can't see it how it's going to unfold even when we don't have all the resources we need we simply step out on faith trusting in God and

[34:17] God will provide every single time and again you're here as a testimony to that this morning God has provided everything you have needed to get to this point and no matter what the giant is in your life God's going to provide the resources he's going to provide whatever you need to overcome that giant if you're just willing to take that step of faith but I think the opposite of that is true as well if you're not willing to step out on faith if you're not willing to go just in obedience to the voice of God if you wait for everything to fall into place and for everything to be certain and sure that giant will never be defeated because you're going to be waiting on your own ability rather than taking a step of faith to answer God's call so let that third stone represent faith and trust in God let that fourth stone that David picked up represent relying on God's protection and doing things God's way seemed logical to put Saul's armor on him that seemed like the right thing to do but if David had gone in

[35:28] Saul's armor first of all he probably would have rolled down the mountain instead of walking and it wasn't going to be effective that was the world's way of responding to a challenge but it wasn't God's way God had an armor that was far superior and it was an armor that although it had not been written down yet God was offering David the same armor that he offers to me and to you as we face the giants in our lives over in the book of Ephesians we are reminded that we are to take the whole armor of God so that we can stand in the evil day and having done all to stand we can stand stand therefore having your loins girt with the truth and having on the breastplate of righteousness and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace and above all taking the shield of faith wherewith the shield shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for the saints

[36:32] God's given us the armor he already has placed before you the armor for you to win the victory in your life you just have to put it on and that armor is available to everyone who by faith and by trust will put on that armor and answer God's call and then the last thing and then I'm finished I love this part of the story as you get down in those latter verses beginning in verse 48 and it came to pass when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David David hastened and he ran toward the army to meet the Philistine he didn't just begrudgingly slide down the mountain he was running toward the battle because he knew God was going to get the victory and David put his hand in his bag he took a stone and he sling it smote the Philistine in his forehead and the stone sunk into his forehead and he fell upon his face to the earth verse 50 so David prevailed over the and he smote the

[37:32] Philistine I just love the way the bible puts this it tells us that he smote the Philistine he killed him and he slew him so he killed him again he smote him he slew him and there was no sword in the hand of David therefore David ran took upon the Philistine and he took his sword he drew it out of the sheaf thereof and he slew him he killed him again and then he cut off his head therewith so he killed him again and when the Philistine saw their champion was dead they all fled God gives us the testimony in an overwhelming way David killed him killed him killed him killed him and killed him dead now I think that's important I think David had confidence people say well did the stone really kill Goliath or did it just stun him it really doesn't matter all that matters is David was obedient and the victory was won and David wanted the people of God to know that the victory was complete and full and lasting and so to be sure so that everyone would be sure

[38:34] David took Goliath's sword which is no small miracle in itself for a young lad to be able to carry the sword of a giant he took that sword and he pierced the heart of Goliath and then he cut off his head and he held that head for everyone to see and the reason for that was not to just show some bravado on his part but the reason for that was to show all of the armies of the living God that this giant will never threaten us again that there is a finality to this victory there is a once and for all nature to this victory that when you take the steps that God provides for you when you answer the battle with all five of those smooth stones that God provided when the victory is won that victory is complete and it is full and it's forever never again will that giant threaten us I think one of the reasons why we struggle with things again and again and again is we don't see it through to completion we may get a little victory along the way and celebrate and then back off rather than realizing God wants us to be fully committed fully surrendered fully obedient to him and let him bring about the full victory in our life that man in

[39:51] Mexico that I told you about his name is Antonio and when he came to the Bible study the next night he gave his testimony once again for the small group of people who were gathered there and the church planter asked him what are you going to do to show this victory in your life and Antonio said I've already done some of it he said I went home after that encounter yesterday and he said I I had liquor hidden all around the house and he said I dug out every bottle every flask everywhere it was hidden and I had my wife pour it down the drain and he said I apologized to her and I committed to her that I'm never going to hit her again that I'm going to love her and I'm going to give my life to ministering to her and helping her to know the God who has changed my heart and he said already today I've gone to people who have known me in the past and I've told them my life has been changed and I don't know much about this God who has changed me but I have been changed and I want you to know and he was burning bridges one right after the other to let people know the change was real and it was lasting and he was going to see it through when God calls us to take that step of faith if that victory is going to be complete and full we must be willing to go all the way and sometimes that may be painful for us sometimes that may mean we decide we're just going to turn the TV off or maybe that means we're going to unhook the computer ouch or maybe that means that our smartphone just isn't going to be turned on anymore that's barbaric but if we want the victory we have to give

[41:42]  God the opportunity to bring about complete victory God doesn't want to do little small insignificant accomplishments he wants to change our heart and change your life and help us to have complete victory over that giant that threatens us I don't know what your giant is I don't know specifically how God's going to lead you to overcome it but I have absolute confidence based upon the authority of his word that he's going to stand by you just as he did with David and if you will take those same five smooth principles recognized symbolized by those five smooth stones if you'll take those same steps if you will answer God's call with courage and obedience if you'll remember the victories God has already won if you'll step out in faith and answer to God's call put on his armor and if you are willing to go all the way with God God's going to give you the victory every single time but you have to be willing to be obedient to him you