Good morning, beloved church family! We're diving deep into an iconic Bible story today. Giants and stones, fear and faith, a shepherd boy and a battle-hardened warrior; it's the classic tale of David and Goliath. The world renowned preacher, Billy Graham, once said, “Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.”
Let's turn in our Bibles to 1 Samuel 17:45-50, where we read:
"Then David said to the Philistine, 'You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.'
"When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David."
In the story of David and Goliath, we see a literal giant, a towering figure of intimidation and fear. Goliath, a seasoned warrior, was a physical manifestation of the fear that can grip us in our lives. But the giants we face today may not be physical beings; they can be situations, circumstances, or struggles that seem insurmountable and cause us to tremble in fear. These giants can take the form of financial difficulties, health issues, relationship problems, or even spiritual battles. They loom large in our lives, casting a shadow of fear and doubt.
A. Fear is a powerful emotion. It can paralyze us, preventing us from moving forward. It can cloud our judgment, causing us to make poor decisions. It can even cause us to question our faith, leading us to wonder if God is really there for us. In the face of these giants, we may feel small, insignificant, and powerless, just as the Israelites must have felt in the presence of Goliath.
The Israelites were terrified of Goliath. They saw his size, his strength, his weapons, and they were filled with fear. They focused on the giant before them rather than on the God who was with them. They allowed their fear of Goliath to overshadow their faith in God. This is a common response when we face giants in our lives. We focus on the size of our problem rather than on the size of our God. We allow our fear to dictate our actions rather than allowing our faith to guide us.
B. The giants we face are real, and they are intimidating. They are designed to put us in fear, to make us feel small and powerless. But we must remember that these giants are not bigger than our God. They are not more powerful than our God. They are not more capable than our God. Our God is bigger, stronger, and more powerful than any giant we will ever face.
C. Fear is a natural response to the giants in our lives. It's a reaction to the unknown, the uncertain, the overwhelming. But we must not let fear control us. We must not let it dictate our actions or our faith. We must remember that our God is bigger than our fear, that He is bigger than our giants.
D. Fear is a tool that the enemy uses to try to separate us from God. It's a weapon that he wields to try to make us doubt God's power, God's love, and God's presence in our lives. But we must not let the enemy succeed. We must not let him use fear to drive a wedge between us and God. We must stand firm in our faith, trusting in God's power, God's love, and God's presence.
E. Fear is a part of life. It's a part of the human experience. But it doesn't have to control us. It doesn't have to define us. We can face our giants with courage, with faith, and with the knowledge that our God is with us, that He is for us, and that He is bigger than any giant we will ever face.
The second point we're exploring today is the profound truth that God gives us faith to conquer fear ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO
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