John Gunter: Well, good morning. Glad to be with you this morning. We were out a little bit sick this week, and so it's great to be back. Forgive me if I give you water. I I have to laugh because I love Jack.
What is it that Jack says at the end of every sermon? Jesus is over, and one week he said, time to go to Dairy Queen. Right? Okay. So now I'm laughing every time.
Jack and I have had a great relationship ever since he was born, so they've they've been in our life group, and so it's a lot of fun. But Jesus is over, time to go Dairy Queen. I may end the sermon with that today. We'll see. Again, certainly grateful that you're here.
I see some people I I don't recognize, and so I wanna thank you for visiting with us, and I hope to get to catch up with you. We started a series last week called Tell Me the Story, and again, the subtitle, Life's Lessons from Scripture's Greatest Moments. And so, last week, we talked about we called it the hidden queen, queen Esther. This week, we were talking about the shepherd's courage. Can you see that well?
Okay. Good. Chad GPT made that. Isn't that amazing? We can do that in in seconds.
I wanted to lie and said I drew that this week, but I knew y'all wouldn't buy it. But I think it perfectly shows kind of the story of David and Goliath, doesn't it? This is, again, David's early life before really we have any information on David. This is the beginning of his life. So what we have here is, as we go into it, is remember that David was chosen from among his brothers, but David wasn't necessarily the the first choice, was he?
As all the brothers are kind of paraded out in front, the prophet looks at the oldest one and thinks, man, surely God's favor is on him. Right? Because you have the oldest, I'm sure he was in great shape, you know, tall, all the things you think about a just a leader. Right? I heard someone say one time on one of the business shows, I love a tall CEO, and I thought, well, I could never be that, I guess.
Nothing I can do about that. I am where I am. I was this height in seventh grade, one of the tallest in my class, and here I am today, five nine something. Just remind Katie that it's a little bit taller than her, and she will not like that. She got mad one night and had us measured because she thought she was taller, and the kids were like, no, dad's taller.
No, that's ruined her ruined her evening. But David, again, is not even mentioned by his father. That's how of little importance David was in the moment. And so as the prophet's looking at David's older brother, he gets a word from God, and it says this in first Samuel 16, when they came, he looked at Eliab and thought, surely the Lord's anointed is before him. This has gotta be the guy.
You're the good looking one's gotta be this guy. But the Lord said to Samuel, do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, tall CEOs, because I have rejected him for the Lord sees not as man sees. Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. We ought to say amen to that this morning. Now, it might hurt our feelings because we perceive things at times off of appearance, don't we?
We feel like that's a faithful brother, that's a faithful sister, I can judge you. How much do you really know? Right? We we don't know the heart, and so as much as that might hurt our feelings trying to judge somebody else, good or bad, it ought to help you because God knows your heart. And so, God is the ultimate judge, He can tell you, okay, exactly what you're like.
And so, what I want you to take away from this is that David wasn't even mentioned to begin with, and so God's greatest work often begins in kind of these hidden places, in the private places of our life where long before anything public happens. You were training for this. There's something that has happened in your life that has built you up to be able to do whatever you're doing now. Have you noticed that? You may not even think about it, but God is working on you even in the private places of your life long before anything goes public, and that's what he did with David.
So to set the scene, wanna read this starting in first Samuel chapter 17. Now, the Philistines gathered their armies for battle, and they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes Dammim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and encamped in the Valley Of Elah, and drew up in the lion battle against the Philistines. And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the on one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side with a valley between them. And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
I can't tell you exactly how tall that was, but I've never been referred to as six cubits and a span, have you? But it sounds like he's a very large individual. It says, he was armored with a coat of mail, and weight of the coat was 5,000 shekels of bronze. And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his spearhead weighed 600 shekels of iron, and his shield bearer went before him.
He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he's able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.
And the Philistine said, I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man that we may fight together. When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. And so we have the setup to the battle. Now, if you would have read the end of the last chapter of first Samuel, you would have seen that David is anointed as as God's anointed one, but then he just goes back to tending the sheep.
We don't really see David anymore until this happens, and so the setup is this large man is defying Israel. You saw the challenge comes up, send someone out. Aren't you servants of Saul? Aren't you gonna do anything? And so, everyone looked at this man and thought, nope.
Not today. Guys, we think we can take anything. Right? There's a thing not too long ago, could a 100 men take a silverback gorilla? And I guarantee you, somebody was in there, I don't know if it'd take a 100, probably me and another buddy or two.
Right? We think we can take a lot, and so it should tell us how large and imposing Goliath was because everyone looked at him and thought, not me, not today. I'm not that guy. Right? And so, what we get here is, okay, the setup to the battle, no one's doing anything, and David does not like it.
David, at this point, is still just the shepherd, he's delivering food to and from the battle. And so, David hears this, he says, and David said to the man who stood by him, what shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? David sees this scene, and he takes it personally. How can we say we are people of faith, that we believe in God, and and just listen to this?
I think there's a lot there because we say we're people of faith all the time, and we live scared, don't we? I can't do that, I'm not the person for that, there's no way I would ever, blah blah blah blah blah. I can't, I won't, but I'm a person of faith. That's what David is pointing out here. How can we do this and and say this, we're defying this person is defying the armies of the living God.
And so, David doesn't boast about his skill, but what I want you to notice here, 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. And so, walks up to Goliath with nothing, and we're gonna we're gonna cover kind of what he what he had on in just a minute. But David comes and says, all those things that the writer explained, how much they weighed. I've never had a javelin as a weapon, but I I'd imagine that is a pretty formidable weapon. And all the the armor and the things that he had, and David said, okay.
What are you gonna do about it? I have come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Notice what David is doing here. David is not saying, I am the best. Nobody can defeat me, he is invoking God.
Often, what stands in our way is we're leading with ourselves, what I believe I can do or cannot do, not what God can do through me. Have you seen that in your own life? I'm scared to do this. A lot of times people are scared to to teach or to say something. I might say something wrong.
You ever been there? Might say something wrong. Guess what? I say things that are wrong sometimes. One time I called my parents, my grandparents in a sermon, didn't even catch it.
Notice the audience was laughing, and I didn't tell a joke, so I wasn't sure exactly what was happening. But I've never once had people run me out of a place because You remember when you messed up that sentence? You know, you left off the you ended the sentence with a preposition, all the things, we just are in our own heads, when all we should be doing is saying, God, I have faith in you. I trust you. Lead me in this.
That's what David is doing. It's not about me. Okay? It is about what God can do. So when you know who stands with you, these giants or these obstacles don't look so big, do they?
Because if I say, I'm serving God, and God can do all of these things through me, it's not about me. All I have done is said, yes, I will be a part of this, and let God work. And often, we are so scared of our own shadow that we won't do it, and I think that's what David is saying right here. And so, recalls here, if we back up just a few verses, David recalls this as he's getting ready for this battle. He said, but David said to Saul, your servant, talking about himself, used to keep sheep for his father, and when there came a lion or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth.
And if he rose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. My gracious. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for I am the greatest. No. For he has defied the armies of the living God.
What he has done, he has done against God. It's not about me, it's about God. And notice what he says, and David said, the Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion, and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of the Philistine. And Saul said to David, go, and the Lord be with you. Now, I'd like to give Saul some credit here, but I think he was just scared.
Let me send out this little dude and see what you can do, because I'm not going. Right? But you see here, David I like to kid I like to joke around with my kids. If my kids are doing anything, if they're playing a video game or doing soccer or anything like that, I'll say, yeah, well, I'm a pro. And they roll their eyes and just, whatever, dad, you know.
And so, it's just a false ego. Right? I'm just joking with them. But but David could say, I've killed a lion, I've killed a bear, I've done all of this stuff, that's why I'm qualified to do this. Right?
And often that's what we say, well, I'm qualified because of this. What David does is not say, I'm qualified because of this, he says, it was the Lord who delivered me. Can you say that? How many of you have been through the fights before? The Lord delivered you.
Yes? Say that with me this morning. The Lord delivered me. Wasn't you. Just because you were there, you said yes, it wasn't you.
The Lord delivered you. Do you have a faith like that? Because that's exactly what David says. It was the Lord who delivered him. So his courage in public now is built on the the things that have happened in the past, and I think that's what we should grab on to.
See, ended with two right then. Problem. Okay? Those are the things on which we should grab. It sounds perfect, doesn't it?
Because what we do is we let those things bother us, like, I can't do this. There's no way. I'm not qualified. I can't do this. And we forget all the ways that God has brought you to this place.
Do you believe God has delivered you to this place at this time? Because if you don't, that's a different mindset. You don't think anything is happening here, I shouldn't be involved, I shouldn't do all of this stuff. But if you believe that God has delivered you to a place, or to a time, a location such as this, you ought to be saying, okay, what's God going to do? What's God going to do?
Alright? And part of that should be, how do I get involved? How do I allow God to work through me? Dustin, I've I've hardly heard you speak up here before, you did a wonderful job this morning. He only did that because he said yes.
That God could work through him. We're we're told over and over one of the biggest fears people have is public speaking. To stand up in front. I've been in church my whole life, I've never seen somebody stand up in front, everybody just rush them and tackle them. I had a friend that his dad was a deacon, he's an elder in our church, and he he had this fear.
He would get up and he would we had three steps up to the lectern here. He could get up and he could give announcements right here, but when he was going to lead singing in just a second, he had to step down because there was something there was a fear, something was gonna happen right here. He could not he could not lead singing. Great song leader. Couldn't lead singing from right there.
A lot of times, we let those fears take control of us, instead of saying, what can God do in this moment? I remember the first time I agreed to teach an adult class. I was already out of college, Katie and I had moved to Texarkana, and I was scared to death somebody was gonna ask me a question I didn't know. Luckily, by now, I know all things, so I'm good. Right?
Of course not. It's ridiculous. Right? You hear that ridiculous fear that I have. Can somebody ask you something today that you don't know the answer to?
Say yes. You're not going say yes? Say yes. Some of you all just know it all, I guarantee you. I was kidding you, mean, I'm not.
Well, that's a ridiculous fear. But if I'm going to say yes to God, I'm not just saying, Hey, God, use me in all my greatness. Right? It's God, I'm saying, use your greatness. Let's see what you can do.
Because that's a different mindset. Because all I'm being at that moment is a vessel for God. God, you know I'm not perfect. It's a ridiculous thing to even think, that I'd be perfect, I'd know it all, I'd have all the answers to every situation. I don't.
Even in all my schooling I've had, I went and got an MDiv with over seventy hours of master's level stuff. What it taught me was, there's a lot I don't know, and I need to study. And if you want to study something hard, there may be times that I was like, hey, need to go study that too, because I'm not sure. And guess what? That's alright.
Because for somebody to sit here and think that anybody has all the answers, it would be absolutely ridiculous. But we remember in those moments how God has been faithful to us in the past to even bring us to this moment. So again, what God has done in private, in the past, all of a sudden, we see in fruition because we said yes to God, God, you can use me. That's an act of submission. Do you hear that?
Not I'm going to go and do, but God is. All I'm saying is yes. I will do my best, I will put in the effort, I'll put in the work, do whatever I need to, but it is ultimately God. In Psalm twenty eight seven, the psalmist says, The Lord is my strength and my shield. In him, my heart trusts, and I am helped.
My heart exalts, and with my song, I give thanks to him. Not that I am the greatest, I am the strongest, I have done this, or as I tell my kids, I'm the professional. No. The Lord is my strength and my shield. You hear the reliance on God and not self, and that's what we need.
Right? And that's a freeing thing that we put so much pressure on ourselves to do, and man, I haven't done, and what do I need to get done? Instead of saying, the Lord, I'm going to depend on God to do all of this stuff. Again, private trust builds up public courage when we remember God has been there for us. Going to verse 38 in first Samuel 17, and David strapped his sword over his armor, and he tried in vain to go for he had not tested them.
And again, what Saul has done in this moment is said, hey, you can use my armor. Right? Again, I'm not giving credit to Saul because he was he was a scaredy cat. Right? He's not fighting this battle, he's allowing this little shepherd boy to go and fight it.
And so, he's got Saul's armor here, and he tried in vain to go for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, I cannot go with these for I have not tested them. So David put them off. Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.
And so, David refuses to go in this other armor because it doesn't fit. It wasn't his. It wasn't something that he tested. And often, what we do, the fear that keeps us from doing things, is what we're trying to do is fit in someone else's shoes. We are trying to fit in someone else's gift, or in their blessing, or just in in the presence that they have.
Well, I can't do it as well as so and so, so I can't do it. When we moved to Texarkana, I think it was the first time that we visited a buddy of mine named Andrew White house. He sang for a a cappella group called Vocal Union. You can go look it up, they're fantastic, but he was leading singing. And you guys have heard me lead singing a lot here.
Right? I walked in there, I heard Andrew singing, I said, there's no way I'm leading singing at this place. That's ridiculous. Okay? Why would I say that I'm not going to allow God to to use any talent that I have just because Andrew is better, and he is.
I've come to terms with that. I've I've tried, I'm not gonna catch him. Tenor singer, I I can't I can't hit it, Scott. Wonderful person. But that's what we do.
We we look, and instead of saying, God, help me in this, we say, well, I can't do it as well as brother so and so, or sister so and so, so I can't do it. There's no way I can do it. Well, why don't you allow God to use the gifts he has given you to bless this place? How many of you can think right now, in the time that you have been in church, people who taught your class Do you remember a memorable class or a memorable teacher when you were young? Do remember someone who who who encouraged you, sat beside you, brought you up?
Someone This is what I I always love. Just think about those people who sing really well, I love sitting beside. Sitting beside that bass singer who can hit the note that I really want to hit and I can't, you know, trying to get in my chest. Right? All those things, even as little as what we might consider little as just singing in the pew, is an encouragement to someone.
Right? Can you think of that person right now? Something as simple as giving some time to our children during the week for just a few minutes is a blessing to them. Some of those kids, right now this morning, are are going to remember their teachers, or remember something that was said, or some fun they had, or or something about the lesson years from now. You understand that?
Why wouldn't you want to be a part of that? To bless others, just because you're in your head thinking, there's no way I could do it, somebody else is better. Just like David is sitting here going, this armor doesn't fit, don't try to fit in someone else's shoes, be the person God has called you to be. Can you do that, sir? Amen?
Romans 12 verses six through eight, having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them. Let me say that one more time, so it gets in your brain. Okay? Some of you just had to blink for a second. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us, what church?
Not sit back and think about what I don't have, or how somebody else is better. No. You have been given gifts, use them. He says, if prophecy in proportion to our faith, if service in our serving, the one who teaches in his teaching, the one who exhorts in his exhortation, the one who contributes in generosity, the one who leads with zeal, the one who does acts of mercy with cheerfulness. What God has given you, use it.
Now, you might have been reading through that list and thinking, well, I like that one, I don't like that one. Right? Because we think that way sometimes. Well, I like the one who says, the one who exhorts and who teaches, because I do that. Right?
But I'm glad I'm not the one who contributes. Right? Who got that blessing in here? You all got that blessing? I hope you did.
The one who contributes, give generously. All my blessing is, God has blessed me with a wonderful job, and I have to give money. I hope no one has that feeling in here, but that when you are blessed, that God blesses you in this way, you are able to give generously. And so again, whatever that is, and I'm sure Paul could have made this list very very long. Right?
Whatever God has blessed you with, use it, and use it generously. Do it with zeal, as he says here. Lead with zeal. Do it. Use what God has given you.
So, stop trying to be someone else in the battle that God has given you. Be yourself and allow him to work. Can we do that? In first Samuel seventeen forty seven, that all the assembly may know that the Lord saves not with a sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand. What is David leading with here?
His own professionalism, even his own experience, even though we know his experience helped him in this. What David is saying, the Lord saves, not with spear sword or spear, for the battle is the Lord's, and I know because of God that he will give you into our hand. In second Corinthians, Paul says this, but he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Now, that's different from us.
Right? We say, well, I've got weaknesses. I'm not gonna do it. Paul says, therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. What's he saying?
It is God, not me. I know the weaknesses I have, and the weaknesses I have show that God is good. Because he could even use a person with my weaknesses to do his will. Now, you ought to have that attitude. Not one of ego or how good I am, but he can use a person like me with my weaknesses to do His will.
Remember the story of Moses. Right? God tells Moses to go talk to Pharaoh, and Moses says, God, I know you don't know this, but I'm not a great speaker. And God said, Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know.
My bad. Right? No. God, throughout scripture, including the rest of David's life. Right?
Uses people with weaknesses, whether it's physical in the way that he speaks, or or even ways that he fails spiritually. You understand that? Because you may be sitting here this morning thinking, you know, I've done all these things spiritually, there's no way I could step in and do this. Guess what? God uses you.
God uses the people in scripture that we're not perfect, and God will use you. All you have to say is yes. And so, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities, for when I am weak, then I am strong.
Oh, I got chills on that one. Because what he's saying Paul is saying here is, bring it on. Because all that stuff that we fear, and we're scared of, and we don't want, we don't step out because, well, I might encounter some of this. I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. Anybody else want to say that?
That's a scary thing to say this morning. I'm good with all of that. He says, for when I am weak, then I am strong, because you have surrendered at that moment and given it to God. For when I am weak, then I am strong. And I would imagine Paul would also say it this way, for when I am weak, it shows that he is strong.
And so true courage is surrendering to God's strength, not showcasing your own strength and abilities. So God is not looking for heroes or people who can do it all, he's looking for people who trust him. People who say, yes, I wanna be a part of this. And so David didn't walk toward the giant, he he really ran in a way, where nobody else was taking that stance or that move. He didn't run away from the battle when he could have, he was just there to deliver food and all of this stuff.
Bread and cheese, when I was reading that this week, I thought, oh my goodness, my kids would have loved David. That's all they eat, is bread and cheese. But he's delivering bread and cheese, and so he technically has nothing to do with this battle. Right? He's got brothers there, he has Saul there, who remember Saul was bigger than everybody else?
I mean, Saul should have been the one to say, that Goliath guy, he's going to learn today. Right? That's what we say? He's going learn today. We're going to educate you.
Here, David, use my use my armor. And so, David steps in when no one else will. We see in James four seven, submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. And so, submitting means, when I'm weak, I am strong because of what God can do. Hebrews twelve one and two says, therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
And what we see in the scripture is, no matter what is in front of you, even death on the cross, God uses that to bring glory and honor to him. And though you may face giants or battles in your life, God has you, and so run your race, as it says, with endurance. Be ready to run. Be ready to go and say yes, and surrender. And as you do, fix your eyes, and you see verse two, looking to Jesus, fixing our eyes on Jesus.
Well, why? Because he showed you how it's done, and we can face all of this and come out on the other side. You may not be facing a large battle this week, or a giant in any way, but you may be facing fear, or shame, or doubt, or even insecurity about how I'm not the best. But God is not asking you to be the best or to be strong enough, He's asking you to say yes and to trust in him. Because we know the rest of the story.
We know the story that David after he steps up here, he doesn't make a fool of himself. What he does is exactly what he said is gonna happen. The Lord delivered them from the hand of the Philistine. I don't know what the other people in the camp thought at that moment. They ought to have felt a little bit ashamed for not stepping up there, but all they had to do was not be perfect, not be the best, not be bigger than this man who is obviously bigger than all of them, but to put their trust in God.
And so, that's what I'm asking you today to do as a church, To quit bringing up all the ways you can't do something, the way that you don't think I'm the best, and surrender to him. Give your blessings to God. Bless and encourage someone else in this church today. We're gonna offer a a moment of invitation. Tyler's got a song picked out.
If you'd like the prayers of this church, we'd love to pray with you. If you'd love to begin your walk with Jesus at this time and you'd be baptized today, We'd love to see that happen. Would you come as we stand and as we sing?