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• 17:11 On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.

• 17:24 “When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in great fear.

• 17: 32-33 David said to Saul. “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go fight him.” Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.”

David vs Goliath:Facing our deepest fears with the power of God

1 Samuel 17

Does God promise victory over all our “goliaths”?

• I don’t know what your intimidating giant is today. It may relate to your job, your roommate, or your school. Maybe it is a person, a lawsuit, unemployment, a disaster…maybe even your own partner in life. God is saying to you right now, “All I ask of you is five smooth stones and a sling of faith. I’ll take it from there.”

Charles Swindoll, pg 48, Chapter 4, David: A Man of Passion & Destiny.

Who does David represent?

I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.

1 Sam 16:1b

• Lack of courage.• Worldly courage.• Spiritual courage.

Lack of courage springs from a self seeking faith.

17:11 On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.

8:20 “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and go out before us and fight our battles.”

Lack of courage is revealed in how we handle responsibilities.

23 Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give his daughter in marriage and will exempt his father’s family from taxes in Israel.”

Lack of courage encourages subtle intimidation.

• 8 “Choose a man and have him come down to me.”• 23 Goliath…stepped out from his lines..25 “Do you see how

this man keeps coming out?”

Lack of courage results in lack of rational thinking.

38 Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. 39 David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.

Lack of courage is not easily discernible.

37 Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”

Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you”. Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times! John 13:37-38

characteristics of fear.

• Breeding fear: a self serving faith.• Symptoms of fear: when our problems become big

and God becomes small.• Effects of fear: overwhelms our thoughts through

constant intimidation.• Rooted in fear: when we are more concerned about

solving our problems then honoring God.• Deception of fear: using spiritual clichés to cover our

empty lives.

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear….Romans 8:15

Enter the Giant

5 He was over nine feet tall. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor and bronze weighing five thousand shekels; 6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves

Goliath’s combat arsenal

• Sword• Spear• Javelin• Full body shield

42 He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him. 43 He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred chosen men who were left handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.Judges 20:16

Then he said, “This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”

But God said to him ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded of you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?

Luke 12:18-20

Worldly courage

1) Confidence in self.2) Foolishness.3) Hate and anger.

Spiritual courage 1: imputation

8 “Choose a man and have him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects: but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.”

Spiritual courage 2: transformation

52 Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout an pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron.

Spiritual courage comes from the Gospel.

When David overcame the great Goliath, there came among the Jewish people the good report and encouraging news that their terrible enemy had been struck down and that they had been rescued and given joy and peace; and they sang and danced and were glad for it. Thus this gospel of God or New Testament is a good story and report, sounding forth into all the world by the apostles, telling of a true David who strove with sin, death, and the devil, and overcame them, and thereby rescued all those captive in sin, afflicted with death, and overpowered by the devil.

Martin Luther, pg 358, Vol 35, Word and Sacrament.

Spiritual courage turns weakness into strength.

45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty”

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, ....34 whose weakness was turned to strength: and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Hebrews 11:32,34

Worldly courage is external, spiritual courage is internal.

“Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

1 Sam 16: 7

33 Then Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth.

Spiritual courage is not the absence of fear.

Going a little further, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible. May this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will. Matt 26:39

When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? Psalm 56:4

1.Focus on Jesus, not your fears.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12: 3

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came towards Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Matt 14:30

2.Submit your fears to God.

1God is our refuge and strength, an ever –present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way, and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. 10 Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth

Psalm 46:1-3, 10

3.Step outside your comfort zone.

37 The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. John 10:11-12

4.Love deeply

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

1 John 4:18

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want,He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me besides quiet waters, he restores my soul.He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, you rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.You anoint my head with oil: my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 23