fromthepreacherspc

David and Goliath
(1 Samuel 17:1-5)

INTRODUCTION
A. Probably one of the most familiar stories in the Bible is the
one of David and Goliath.
1. It is a story of a shepherd’s bravery and trust in God
2. It is a story about a young man being prepared
B. The Battle Scene (1 Sam. 17:1-3)
1. Envision in your mind two mountains with a large valley
running between them
2. On the one mountain you have the Israelites and on the
other you have the Philistines – both come to battle
C. Goliath’s Description and His Challenge (1 Sam. 1:4-11)
1. While the Israelites and the Philistines were sizing each
other up, the “champion” warrior came out of the Philistine
camp.
2. His name – “Goliath of Gath” whose height was “six
cubits and a span,” that is, 91/2 feet tall
3. Notice  1 Samuel 17:5-7
a. Goliath was covered with the best armor of the day
b. His armor weighed a whopping 148 pounds
c. Goliath had a shield which was carried by one of the
Philistines (vs. 7, 41), and his spear weighed 17 pounds.
4. Goliath’s challenge  1 Samuel 17:8-11
a. Goliath in all his fierceness stood before the Israelites
taunting them
b. Goliath wanted them to send out their champion to
fight – and this would decide the battle
c. When the Israelites heard this – they showed themselves
to be cowards – they were “greatly afraid”
D. David Arrives on the Scene (1 Sam. 17:12-30)
1. David the youngest son of Jesse went to the camp of the
Israelites to carry food
2. As David came near and greeted his brothers, Goliath
comes forth and taunts the Israelites, as he had been doing
for the last 40 days – each time Israel trembled in fear.
3. Notice what David says  1 Samuel 17:26
4. The people tell David that Saul has offered his daughter in
marriage and wealth to anyone who can defeat Goliath
E. David Volunteers to Fight Goliath (1 Samuel 17:31-37)
1. David says, Let no man’s courage fail – he will fight
2. Note  1 Samuel 17:36-37
3. David seems to in anger say that Goliath will end up like
this lion and bear – because he has “defied the armies of
the living God” – a kingly attitude
F. David is Armed for the Fight (1 Sam. 17:38-40)
1. Saul puts his best armor on David, but David was
unaccustomed to the armor and removed it
2. Instead of the armor, David took his staff, a sling shot, and
five smooth stones he had gathered from the brook in the
Valley of Elah
G. David Battles Goliath (1 Sam. 17:41-54)
1. David goes to meet Goliath, and when Goliath saw David
 1 Samuel 17:43-44
2. Notice David’s reaction  1 Samuel 17:45-47
3. 1 Samuel 17:48-54
4. David was victorious!
H. Let us not look back at this great event in Hebrews history
and learn a few valuable lessons that will help us to be more
faithful today.
DISCUSSION
A. DAVID FOUGHT FOR THE LORD
1. 1 Samuel 17:32
a. David has seen how all of Israel was afraid to confront
Goliath
b. David knew it was up to him
c. Goliath had “defied the armies of God” and needed to be
taken down!
d. Notice tat David “RAN” to the fight (1 Sam. 17:48)
2. All fighting for the Lord was not always done in a
physical battle. There are many great men and women in
the Bible who were willing to fight for the Lord
a. Noah fought for the Lord even though he and his family
were the only righteous ones left on the earth (Gen. 6-7)
b. Abraham was willing to do what ever the Lord required
of him – without question (Gen. 12 and 22)
c. Joseph stood his ground for the Lord against Potifer’s
wife. Joseph said, “How can I do this great wickedness
and sin against God” (Gen. 39:9).
d. Elijah fought for the Lord to the point that Ahab and
Jezebel wanted to kill him (1 Kgs. 17-19)
e. John the Baptizer literally lost his head for fighting for
truth and morality (Mt. 14)
f. Peter & John in Acts 4 and 5 fought for the Lord even
though the Sanhedrin warned them not to
g. Paul fought for the Lord to the point that he was stoned
and left for dead (Acts 14:19)
3. We need to fight for the Lord just like these great men
of the past have done.
a. Jude 3
b. “Fight the good fight of faith” (1 Tim. 6:12)
c. 2 Timothy 4:7-8
d. Hebrews 11:32-40
a. These great men and women of the faith went through
great hardships in fighting for the Lord – they were
stoned, tortured, imprisoned, and even suffered death.
b. They had not received the promise, but we have, how
much more then should we be fighting for the Lord?!
4. We need to be like David who fought for the Lord –
even when no one else would
B. DAVID PUT HIS TRUST IN THE LORD
1. Lack of trust in God was the very reason that all of Saul’s
army were afraid to meet Goliath in battle.
2. David, though, trusted in God and was willing to face an
awesome task
a. David had trusted in the Lord before and was not let
down
b. Without trust in God, David would have been just like
any other Israelite
c. David’s trust in God is clearly seen in 1 Samuel 17:47
3. We need this same type of trust today!
a. We need this type of trust in times of adversity
1) James 1:2-4, 12
2) Do we trust God enough to believe these verses?
b. We need to trust God over men
1) The Israelites were putting trust in themselves – and
therefore were afraid
2) Man will let us down – God will not
3) Psalm 20:6-9
4) We need David’s attitude  Psalm 7:10
C. DAVID WENT INTO BATTLE PREPARED
1. Notice  1 Samuel 17:40
a. We know that David trusted in God, but we still see
David collecting five stones instead of one – David
wanted to make sure he was prepared
b. God was David’s armor, but David still had to do his
part in preparing himself
c. God always wants us to do our part
2. We are in a battle today and we must prepare
ourselves
a. How? Put on the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:13-17)
b. We acquire the armor through study and apply the word
to our lives
1) 2 Timothy 2:15
2) 1 Timothy 4:13
CONCLUSION
A. Are you ready to fight the Goliath’s of our day?
1. The Goliath’s of sin?
2. The Goliath’s of false doctrine?
3. The Goliath’s of apathy? Etc.
B. Will we be victorious like David?

CUSTODIANS OF THE TRUTH

INTRODUCTION
A. Romans 2:11-16
B. Now and then we hear of someone falling heir to some priceless treasure without having any concept of the importance or value of what he has, and then proceeding to be irresponsible in his custodianship of the thing.
C. Or, we may be in someone’s home who beams with pride as he shows off his expensive library of books – all of which are evidently unused!
D. The people of Ephesus apparently were proud of their custodianship of the temple and the image of Diana ©  Acts 19:35
E. The Jews were proud of their “custodianship” of the oracles of
God.
1. Romans 3:1-2
2. Deuteronomy 4:5-8
3. Romans 9:4-5
4. The Jews did not do with the word of God what they should have … Romans 2:17-24
F. Do we have this same problem of seeing ourselves as the :custodians of the truth” without acceptance of the attendant responsibilities?
DISCUSSION
A. IN A SENSE, WE ARE “CUSTODIANS” OF GOD’S TRUTH
1. This thought is seen on the Gospel Hymn – “Swiftly We’re Turning” … the chorus: “Into our hands the gospel is given”
2. We are not apostles, and hence not “stewards” of the gospel in the strictest sense … 1 Corinthians 4:1-2
3. But there is a secondary sense in which we have been “entrusted” with God’s word – and we need to be faithful in keeping that trust … 2 Timothy 2:2
4. In a world where the Bible is twisted and bent to fit every imaginable religious idea, we must determine to be those who reverently and accurately handle the saving truth of the gospel
a. 1 Timothy 3:15
b. Titus 2:10
c. 2 Timothy 2:15
5. It is our duty to maintain and continuously teach genuine respect for the truth and authority of the Scriptures.
B. BUT WE ARE NOT TO BE ONLY CUSTODIANS OF THE TRUTH
1. We must not be lifted up with pride about our relationship to the truth … Romans 2:17-20
2. We must not “guard” the truth without doing the truth
a. We must not be hypocrites who preach but do not practice … Matthew 23:1-4
b. We must be doers, as well as hearers, of God’s word.
1) James 1:22
2) James 4:17
3) Matthew 7:21-23
3. We must not “guard” the truth without using it
a. Truth is not a museum relic to be preserved.
b. It is a tool – a useful utensil – meant to be used.
c. We are to use “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17).
4. We must not keep the truth to ourselves and not share it
a. Psalm 40:9-10
b. 1 Thessalonians 1:8
c. 2 Kings 7:9
5. In sharing the truth, we must not expect the lost to come and get it from us – we must take it to those who need it.
a. The conscientious shepherd goes out to look for the sheep that are lost … Luke 15:4-7
b. Luke 19:10
C. WE MUST ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITIES INHERENT IN WHAT WE KNOW
1. The more we are privileged to know about God’s truth, the more responsibility we have as a result … Luke 12:47-48
a. Item: We believe we possess the truth about the work of the church and the proper method of doing benevolent work.
1) But how much do we actually help others?
2) Galatians 6:10
3) Many will be lost because of what they did not do
a) Matthew 25:31-46
b) James 2:14-17
b. Item: We believe we have correct notions about the subject of morality, Christian living, true spirituality, etc.
1) But what do we personally do to encourage and strengthen the spiritually weak?
2) 1 Thessalonians 5:14
c. Item: We believe we have right concepts about how to worship God correctly.
1) But how often do we worship God as we know to do?
2) And when we worship, do we truly worship from the heart?
3) 1 Samuel 15:22-23
d. Item: We believe we understand the truth about God’s plan of salvation.
1) But how much personal evangelism are we engaging in?
2) Are we withholding the true plan of salvation from our neighbors?
a) Acts 20:20
b) Acts 20:26-27
3) And when we do share the gospel, are we doing so with an arrogant, condescending spirit?
a) Do we have the attitude of the Jewish leaders? … John 7:49
b) John 9:34
2. In all spiritual concerns, the privilege of possessing the truth is vain if we do not do what we should as a consequence of possessing it … Romans 2:13, 25-29
CONCLUSION
A. On the positive side, there is a wonderful “blessedness” in doing the Lord’s will … James 1:25
B. We are wise if we not only hear, but do … Luke 6:46-49
C. God had a quite practical reason for revealing everything He did to us … Deuteronomy 29:29
D. May we have the disposition of Ezra to “eek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel”(Ezra 7:10).