41 is Coming… “Facing Your Giants” 1 Samuel 17
1. The Reality of Giants
1 Samuel 17:4-11, NLT
Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was over nine feet tall! He wore a bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds. He also wore bronze leg armor, and he carried a bronze javelin on his shoulder. The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver’s beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed 15 pounds. His armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a shield. Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. “Why are you all coming out to fight?” he called. “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!” When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.
“When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.”
2. The Difference in Perspective, The size of your God determines the size of your Giants
1 Samuel 17:24-26
As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard his usual taunts to the army of Israel. As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright. “Have you seen the giant?” The men asked. “He comes out each day to defy the Israel….”who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?
Perspective changes everything. When we look at our giants through God’s power, everything shifts!
3. Stepping Up: Faith in Action
1 Samuel 17:32-37, NLT
“Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!” “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.” But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!”Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!”
How to Step Up Like David:
4. Taking Down the Giant
1 Samuel 17:46-50, NLT
As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head. Israel Routs the Philistines When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran.
What’s Your Next Step? Name your giant. What has been taunting you?
Change your perspective. Stop focusing on the size of the problem—focus on the power of God.
Step forward in faith. Trust that God has already given you the victory.
Romans 8:31, NLT “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?”
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