Sermon preached by Jeff Huber – April 16-17, 2016 Page 1

“Slaying the Giants in Our Lives” Theme: Insights for Living from the Life of David Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:1-50 Things I’d like to remember from today’s sermon: _________________________________________________________________________________

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Meditation Moments for Monday, April 18 – Read 1 Samuel 17: 1-31 – The nation of Israel is involved in a war with the Philistines, a people who worship a different God. The war they are fighting is more than merely a war between two rivals --- it is to determine whose God is the one true God. At this point, David is simply an errand boy, sent to bring food to his older brothers on the battlefield.

Let’s size up Goliath for a moment – Over nine feet tall, wore a helmet made of bronze. The armor on his chest weighed 125lbs alone. He had a javelin with a tip weighting 15lbs. The author goes to great lengths to convey the size and strength of Goliath. Why do you think does this?

Saul was the first King of Israel and it was the Kings job to courageously lead the army in battle (1 Samuel 8:19-20) "But the people (of Israel) refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.” Why do you think that Saul would not lead them but instead offered “great wealth” to the man who kills Goliath? What is David’s biggest motivation to challenge Goliath? What causes have you fought for? What motivated you? (v.26)

Prayer: God, when I face challenges in my life help me to find strength in you. Sometimes life feels overwhelming, but in those moments I know you are by my side. Thank you for your constant presence. Amen.

Tuesday, April 19 – Read 1 Samuel 17: 32-54 – Goliath was a giant with a giant attitude. As champion of the Philistines, he immobilized an entire army of Israelites by challenging one of them fight him. He made them forget they had an absolute champion in the Lord their God. It took a bold Shepherd boy to remind them all that God was with them. Goliath’s strengths were so obvious that others missed his vulnerability. Goliath had a glaring weakness that never occurred to him until David’s stone struck him down. When David was given Goliath kind of weapons, David quickly concluded he couldn’t even function, much less fight, with those tools.

Why did Saul doubt David’s ability to fight Goliath? Have you ever had someone tell you they didn’t think you had to ability to do something? For 40 days the Israelites have been paralyzed with fear. What details are they focused

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on causing this paralysis? In contrast, what makes David believe he can defeat Goliath despite Israel’s fear and Saul's objection? (vs. 34-37)

Saul tries to prepare David for battle by dressing him in his own armor. Why does David take it off? What weapon does he choose instead? What does this tell us about David’s confidence in God? (V.38-39) In one moment fear was changed to courage. Why did the Israelite army find the courage they never had before? (V.51-52) What Goliaths are you currently facing—either at work or home or in your personal life as to Mark how can David’s experience give you hope encourage as you face those battles?

Prayer: God, when I face challenges in my life help me to find strength in you. Sometimes life feels overwhelming, but in those moments I know you are by my side. Thank you for your constant presence. Amen.

Wednesday, April 20 – Read Psalm 18: 16-24 – This Psalm was written by David, probably after a battle such as the one he faced with Goliath. Read these words slowly and see if there is a word or phrase that speaks to you.

Do your troubles, like “deep waters, “threaten to drown you? David, helpless and weak, knew that God alone had rescued him from his enemies when he was defenseless. When you wish that God would quickly rescue you from your troubles, remember that he can either deliver you or be your support as you go through them. Either way God’s protection is best for us. When you feel as though you’re drowning in troubles, ask God to help you, hold you steady, and protect you. In his care, you are never helpless.

Now read verses 25-36. Some people think that belief in God is a crutch for weak people who cannot make it on their own. God is indeed a shield to protect us when we are too weak to face certain trials by ourselves, but God does not want us to remain weak. God strengthens, protects, and guides us. God continues to work with us because the strongest person on earth is infinitely weaker than God and needs God’s help. David was not a coward, he was a mighty warrior who, even with all his armies and weapons, knew that only God could ultimately protect and save him.

Prayer: God, you are our rock and savior. Sometimes I am tempted to listen to others who call you a crutch, but if I’m honest, sometimes I need a crutch! Help me to humble enough to accept your support, love and mercy in my life. Amen

Thursday, April 21 – Read 1 Samuel 18: 1-7 – David had just accomplished an incredible thing, not yet 20 years old, never having once suited up for battle, never once known what it was like to carry a sword, had run out on the battlefield, faced the giant almost 10 feet tall, and killed him with one throw of the sling. As a result, David gained instant popularity. He became a national hero. The people began to sing his praises.

Saul made good on his promise to enrich the man who killed Goliath. David became a permanent part of the king’s court. David became an overnight celebrity. Very few people could tie all that in stride, but David did. He knew how to live with success without having affect him. Have you ever let success go to your head? How did David keep that from happening? What can we learn from David in this part of the story about how to handle success?

David is about to enter into some very painful experiences in life because of his success. Have you ever had a time of success in your life lead to problems? What was that experience like? As you look back, can you see God at work even in the trouble and pain of whatever you experienced? While we don’t believe that God causes the pain in our lives, we do believe that God can use those moments to help us become more like Christ.

Prayer: God, help me turn to you in the midst of pain even if it is a result of success. Keep me humble and focused on you so I might be a person after your own heart, like David. Amen

Friday, April 22 – Let’s return to the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. One of the myths of our culture is, “if you set your mind to it, you can do anything.” The heroes of that mess are self-made men and women, those who climb from obscurity to fame through sheer willpower and determination. The message is clear: victory goes to the strong, and the spoils of victory to those who are powerful.

1 Samuel 17 presents a very different picture that is spelled out in verse 47, “And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, and not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” In this chapter, how does David confront not only Goliath but also our myths of human adequacy?

How can previous spiritual victories encourage us when facing future battles? Where do you see yourself in the story of David and Goliath today and how does it speak to you?

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Prayer: God, sometimes I buy into the myth that I can do life on my own without you or anyone else. Today I admit that I need you in times of peace and joy and in times that life is a struggle. May I not forget that in any moment of my life. Amen

Saturday, April 23 – Read Ephesians 6: 10-18 – The apostle Paul recognizes that we will face battles in life and for those battles we need protection and something with which to fight.

Where do you see parallels in these words of the apostle Paul and in the story of David and Goliath? What are things we need protection against in today’s world? How can we arm ourselves spiritually, much like David did against Goliath, on a daily basis?

Family Activity: if you haven’t yet, read the story of David and Goliath together from 1 Samuel 17. Go outside and gather five smooth stones that are big enough to write a word upon. Use a permanent marker to write on each of the stones words like prayer, Bible, faith, etc. Pick any words that represent what David needed in order to face Goliath. To make the activity more colorful, you might want to paint the rocks before you draw on them. Put the rocks in a basket or container so that you can use them as prayer rocks for the next few weeks. To use them as prayer rocks, you can hold them in your hand as you pray together as a family the following prayer, or whenever you pray together around a meal or in the evenings.

Prayer: Dear God, I confess that I often find myself fighting against myself and against others. Open my eyes. Open my eyes to see who my true enemies are, those thoughts in my head, and voices in our world, that seek to destroy instead of building up. Thank you for the story of David which reminds us that you are on the side of life and grace and mercy.

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Theme: Insights for Living from the Life of David “Slaying the Giants in our Lives”

Sermon preached by Jeff Huber

April 16-17, 2016 at First United Methodist Church, Durango

Scripture: 1 Samuel 17: 1a, 3-11, 16, 26, 32-37

1 The Philistines now mustered their army for battle…

3 So the Philistines and Israelites faced each other on opposite hills, with the valley between them.4 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! 5 He wore a bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds. 6 He also wore bronze leg armor, and he carried a bronze javelin on his shoulder. 7 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.8 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! 9 If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! 10 I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!” 11 When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.

16 For forty days, every morning and evening, the Philistine champion strutted in front of the Israelite army.

26 David asked the soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?”

32 “Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!”33 “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.”34 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, 35 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. 36 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! 37 The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!”

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VIDEO Sermon Intro

SLIDE “Slaying the Giants in our Lives”

We continue today in a sermon series that we began last week in which we are looking at the Old Testament figure of King David and how his story and our story meet. Even though David lived over 3000 years ago, there are insights from his life that speak directly into our lives today and over the next six weeks we will continue to look at those insights from the life of David. We began last week by looking at how King David was selected to be King and that he was an unlikely candidate because he was small and young and he liked music and poetry and art and didn’t seem to fit the categories of what a king would look like in ancient times, however he was a young man after God’s own heart and because of that God chose him to lead the ancient Israelites and become the greatest King they would ever know. We learned about the importance of not judging a book by its cover and about how God looks at the inside, at our hearts, and he longs for us to follow him with a heart that is faithful.

As we continue in this series by looking at one of the most famous stories of David, I invite you to take out of your bulletin your Message Notes and your Meditation Moments. You will find a space to take notes and my hope and prayer is that you hear something that you feel the holy spirit is speaking to you and you would write those things down. Below that and on the backside you will find meditation moments in which you will get a chance to read this story in depth as well as other Scriptures that relate to this story. If you will take a few minutes each day to read some Scripture and reflect upon them I believe they can make a profound difference in your life.

The most famous battle described in the Old Testament was not fought between two armies, but between two people. It was the battle in the Valley of Elah between David and Goliath. Before we look at that fearsome duel, I want to look again at something that occurred prior to that battle, when the Lord said these words to the prophet Samuel as he was meeting David for the first time in 1 Samuel 16:7.

SLIDE But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Being human, we are subject to that very problem. We are impressed with,

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or not impressed with, individuals because we judge on the basis of service appearance. We look at the externals and we form opinions that are usually erroneous. If God statement ever applied, and applied in the story of this battle. Goliath had all the things that would normally impress and intimidate. In this instance, however, David have been given the ability to see as God always sees, and he was neither impressed nor intimidated. Because no matter how big the giant might be, God is greater. And no matter how powerful the giant might be, God is all-powerful. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the battleground and the circumstances surrounding this battle. We read these words in 1 Samuel 17.

SLIDE 1 The Philistines now mustered their army for battle and camped between Socoh in Judah and Azekah at Ephes-dammim. 2 Saul countered by gathering his Israelite troops near the valley of Elah. 3 So the Philistines and Israelites faced each other on opposite hills, with the valley between them.

The Valley of Elah was not a narrow ravine, but more like a vast canyon. The ancient site was probably about a mile wide, and toward the mouth of the canyon it opened up even wider. At the bottom of the canyon or being between the slopes was a streambed where David found the stone for his sling. To one side there was a great slope a half a mile or more in size. Opposite was another vast slope of another half mile, stretching a full mile across. On one slope was the Army of Israel and on the other the Army of the Philistines. On the video screen you will see a map of this part of Israel so you can get an idea of the setting.

GRAPHIC 1 Map of Valley of Elah

You will notice on the right-hand side Jerusalem and Bethlehem and on the left-hand side is the land of the Philistines and Goliath was from the area of Gath.

GRAPHIC 2 Battle of the Valley of Elah

This close-up of the map shows you how the armies may have set up against one another across the valley, with the streambed in between them. The next graphic is a photo of the Valley of Elah. We sometimes think of the stories as fictitious because we can’t picture the place in which they occurred, but this was a real battle which occurred in this real setting.

GRAPHIC 3 Valley of Elah photo

GRAPHIC 4 Valley of Elah with words

As you can see, this is an area of breathtaking beauty, home to vineyards

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and wheat fields and forests a sycamore. It is also of great strategic importance. Over the centuries, numerous battles have been fought for control of the region because the valleys rising from the Mediterranean plane offer those on the coast a clear path to the cities of Hebron, Bethlehem and Jerusalem. This same Valley is where Saladin faced off against the Knights of the Crusades in the 12th century. It played a central role in the Maccabean wars with Syria more than 1000 years before that.

GRAPHIC 1 Map of Valley of Elah

During the time of David and Goliath, the Philistines were from Crete and they were a seafaring people who had moved to Palestine and settled along the coast. The Israelites were clustered in the mountains, under the leadership of King Saul. In the second half of the 11th century BCE, the Philistines began moving east, winding their way upstream along the floor of the Elah Valley. Their goal was to capture the mountain ridge near Bethlehem and split Saul’s kingdom into two. The Philistines were battle tested and dangerous, and the sworn enemies of the Israelites. Alarmed, Saul gathered his men and hastened down from the mountains to confront them.

The Philistines set up camp along the southern ridge of the Elah while the Israelites pitched their tents on the other side, along the northern Ridge, which left the two armies looking across the ravine at each other. Neither dare to move. To attack meant descending down the hill and then making a suicidal climb up the enemies Ridge on the other side. Finally, the Philistines had enough. They sent their greatest warrior down into the valley to resolve the deadlock one-on-one.

He was a giant, 9 feet tall at least, wearing a bronze helmet and full body armor weighing 125 pounds. He carried a javelin, a spear (of which the tip alone weighed 15 pounds) and a sword. And attendant preceded him, carrying a large shield. The giant faced the Israelites...

SLIDE 8 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! 9 If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! 10 I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!” 11 When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.

None of the Israelites moved, because who could win against such a

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terrifying opponent? Pause a moment and allow your mind to picture such an imposing site. Imagine how frightening it would be to take on a giant of this size protected by this amount of armor. Clearly, the R’s are stacked against anyone foolish enough to basement battle.

The Philistines had actually lost the battle previously to the Israelites and the King Saul and what Goliath did was suggest a tactic commonly used in Eastern world, that a representative from each Army battle in a one-on-one fight. He would represent the Philistine army and whoever Israel chose would represent the Israelite army. Whoever one, his army one. And whoever lost, his whole army lost. Goliath didn’t issue this challenge one time and then leave. His challenge went on for 40 days it says and every morning and every evening for well over a month, he marched out there, flaunting his side and his strength, daring someone to take them on.

SLIDE Giants are relentless

Here is a powerful insight for our lives today when it comes to the giants that we encounter. This is the way it is with the giants of fear, depression, anxiety and worry and many others that we face. They don’t just come once, they come morning and evening, day after day, relentlessly trying to intimidate. They come in the form of a person, or a pressure, or a worry. There are fears which hammer on our hearts every morning and every night, day in and day out, yelling across the ravine in our own personal Valley. Few things are more persistent and intimidating than our fears and our worries, especially when we face them in our own strength.

Meanwhile, about 10 or 15 miles away, up in the Judean mountains and a little hamlet of Bethlehem, a teenager named David was keeping his father sheep. He was too young to be fighting in the Army. In fact, at that point, David probably knew very little about what was happening between the Israelites and the Philistines. He may have never even heard of Goliath. All he knew was that his three oldest brothers were off fighting in Saul’s army.

David’s father however, was very concerned about his three eldest sons. Jesse was getting old and probably unable to make the trip through the mountains himself.

SLIDE 17 One day Jesse said to David, “Take this basket of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and carry them quickly to your brothers. 18 And give these ten cuts of cheese to their captain. See

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how your brothers are getting along, and bring back a report on how they are doing.”

David wasn’t going there to fight. He was just sent by his father to bring his brother some refreshments, make sure they were all right, and let them know that their father was concerned about them. The sun rose that morning just like any other morning for both David and Goliath. That’s the way it often is in life. There is no warning. But the truth is, that 41st morning of Goliath challenge will be the last day of his life, and the first day of David’s heroic life. Nobody announced it. No angel blasted a horn from heaven saying, “Goliath, today your history,” or, “David, this is your day.”

That morning, David rose early and, after leaving his flock of sheep with another shepherd, did exactly what his father told him to do. He came to the circle of the camp where the Army was going out in battle array shouting the war cry. I wonder what must’ve been going through David’s mind as he came over the top of the last rise and saw that army spread out below him. I wonder if he stood and stared with his mouth open as he sized up the scene. It must’ve been exciting and frightening all at the same time for this young man who would spend years out on the lonely hillside with only the sheep and the other shepherd for company.

Then, as he gets to the edge of the Israelite camp, he sees the troops heading out for battle and here’s the war cry. You can tell he’s excited and he wants to watch so we can see what’s happening. Any kid would have had that same response I think.

SLIDE 22 David left his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers. 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel.

Theme: Overcoming the "giants" in our daily life - Proper 7 (12)

Object: A small bag containing five smooth stones

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Scripture: Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. 1 Samuel 17:40 (NIV)

What do you think I have in this little bag? Well, let's take a look and see. Hmm... how about that... it is some rocks. Five smooth stones. Do these five smooth stones remind you of a Bible story? When I think of five smooth stones, I think of the story of David and Goliath.

I'm sure you probably know the Bible story of how a boy named David fought and killed a giant named Goliath. Now, Goliath was a mighty warrior who was more than nine feet tall! He was protected from head to toe by a suit of armor made of bronze. His armor alone weighed more than one hundred pounds and he was armed with a sword and spear.

David, on the other hand, was a young shepherd boy. He had no armor for protection. It would have been much too heavy for him to carry. And how about a sword and spear? No, David's weapon was a sling and his ammunition was five smooth stones which he picked up from a nearby stream. And yet, David was able to defeat a giant that all of the soldiers of the Israelite army were afraid to face.

You and I may never face a giant such as Goliath, but we face giants of another kind in our daily life. We face giants such as fear, insecurity, loneliness, and failure. How can we overcome those giants that want to defeat us? These five stones can help us to remember the story of how David defeated the giant he faced. They and also help us to know how we can defeat the giants which we face.

• The first stone represents COURAGE - David was not afraid to face the enemy. "Don't worry about a thing," David told Saul. "I'll go fight this Philistine!" (1 Samuel 17:32 NLT) It also takes courage to fight the giants you will face in your life.

• The second stone represents CONFIDENCE - As a shepherd, David often had to protect the sheep from wild animals. This gave him the confidence he needed to

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face the giant. "The LORD who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine!" (1 Samuel 17:37 NLT) Like David, you can have confidence that God will help you overcome the problems you face each day.

• The third stone represents PREPARATION - David didn't go to face the giant unprepared. He went down to the stream and picked out five smooth stones and put them in his shepherd's bag. Then, armed with his shepherd's staff and sling, he started out to fight Goliath. (1 Samuel 17:40 NLT) It is important for you to do everything possible to be certain you are prepared to face the challenges which you will meet in your daily life.

• The fourth stone represents TRUST - David did not trust in his own ability to slay the giant. When Goliath shouted at David, cursed him, and was ready to kill him, David said, "You come to me with a sword and spear, but I come to you in the name of the LORD God Almighty." (1 Samuel 17:45 NLT) When you face problems, put your trust in God, not in your own ability.

• The fifth stone represents VICTORY - "It is God's battle, not ours," David said. That is why David was able to win the victory over the giant with only a stone and sling. (1 Samuel 17:50 NLT) When you turn your battles over to God, you will have the victory over the giants in your life.

So, the next time you are facing a giant in your life, remember the story of David and Goliath --and five smooth stones.

Dear Father, just as you gave David the victory in his battle with Goliath, we know that when we put our trust in you, you will give us the victory over the giants we face in our daily life. Amen.

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SLIDE Prayer

Lord Jesus, we give you thanks and praise, that you accept our lives when we offer them to you and you give us the only life really worth living. We give you thanks and praise because it doesn’t matter what our parents said about us, what other people say about us, because when your Holy Spirit is working in us you will take our lives and do amazing things through us. Lord, we offer our lives to you and pray that placed in your hands as the master, that you would do something was us that would be pleasing to you. Help us to be like David to trust and obey. We pray all of this in your holy name. Amen.