Let Faith Arise

Let Faith Arise

1 Samuel 17:31-40

Introduction

1.What are you afraid of?

ILLUS – Top Five Most Common Fears

2.Fear is a powerful weapon in Satan’s arsenal.

3.Is it possible to conquer our fears? If so, how?

4.Tonight, we’re going to study a passage that is familiar to us all – the epic battle between David and Goliath.

5.But we’re not going to study David’s defeat of Goliath.

6.Rather, we’re going to look at David’s example before he ever put a single stone into his sling and discover important biblical principles to encourage our hearts when giants stand against us.

1 Samuel 17:31-40

Context

1.God rejected Israel’s first king, Saul, because he failed to obey God’s commands through the prophet Samuel.

2.God searched Israel for a new king and found “a man after His own heart”, his name was David.

3.By the time we read 1 Samuel 17, the prophet Samuel had already anointed David as king. Yet David didn’t begin his reign immediately because David and Israel needed divine preparation for the transition.

4.God allowed Saul to remain on the throne to reveal that:

a.Saul was disqualified and rejected as Israel’s king.

b.David was qualified and anointed to be the next king.

5.At this point, the Philistines have barged into Judah, occupied the land, and added an “intimidation factor” by sending out their champion warrior, Goliath, with a “winner-takes-all” challenge.

a.If Goliath defeated Israel’s warrior, then Israel would serve the Philistines.

b.If Israel’s warrior defeated Goliath, then the Philistines would serve Israel.

6.Day and night, for 40 days, Goliath taunted the men of Israel’s army with the challenge. But the army of Israel retreated each time in fear, no one took the challenge.

7. Then David arrived at Israel’s camp, and his heart was stirred when he heard Goliath mock the God of Israel and taunt men of Israel. Something had to be done.

I.Let Not Your Heart Fail (31-37)

A.God won’t fail you(31-32)

1.When David heard the taunts of Goliath and

saw the fear in the hearts of Israel’s soldiers,

something rose up within him – a righteous

indignation. (26)

a.Who will rise up and defend God’s honor?

b.Who will remove this reproach from Israel?

2.David’s words made it back to King Saul because it was the first-time words of faith had been spoken in Israel’s camp in 40 days. (31)

3.David was just a teenager when he met Saul and proclaimed, “Let no man’s heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” (32)

4.How could David be so bold, so confident?

David trusted God and knew that His

God never fails!

5.Simply put, David trusted God.

a. Faith wasn’t just another word in David’s vocabulary.

b.David’s faith was real, alive, and active.

6.David viewed life and the trials that life brings through the eyes of faith.

a.David saw the problem, but he also knew answer. His God.

b.David didn’t pick a fight but when the challenge came, he answered the call because he knew God was for him and not against him.

c.David lived this way his entire life!

1 Chronicles 28:20, Then David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.”

APPL – When trials come, what’s your first response?

• Let not your heart fail. God won’t fail you.
• Let Faith Arise!

B.God has been training you for this giant (33-37) 

1.Saul’s words to David were far from encouraging. (33)

2.Saul basically told David…

a.“Look at yourself. Now look at Goliath.”

b.“You’re just a youth. Goliath has been a champion-warrior since he was a youth.”

c.“You can’t win!”

APPL – Notice Satan’s tactic here…

• Satan will use others to extinguish our faith and so that we see trials without the hope of God’s presence, protection, and provision!

ILLUS – Launching a new church in Dallas, Texas

• Not all counsel is good counsel.
• Not all counsel is godly counsel.
• God’s counsel is pure, true, and inspires faith in the hearer.

Psalm 12:6, The words of the Lord are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.

3.David’s rebuttal revealed that he believed God had been training him “for such a time as this”.

a.David wasn’t trained by Israel’s elite forces.

b.David’s training was far superior because God was his trainer and mentor! (37)

i.David had defeated a lion and a bear while tending his father’s sheep.

ii.By faith, David saw God’s hand in those victories.

iii.God used each battle to prepare David for the day he would face Goliath.

4.When David looked at his past, he saw God’s hand guiding him, instructing him, and preparing him!

APPL – When you look at your past, what do you see? How has the Lord been preparing you “for such a time as this”?

• Don’t underestimate or devalue what God has been doing in your life.
• See God’s hand on your life and know that He is creating something in you that’s far more precious than gold; a faith that conquers Goliath!

1 Peter 1:6-7, In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ

II.Put on the Full Armor of God (38-40)

Ephesians 6:10-11, Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

A.Don’t settle for cheap imitations (38-39)

1.Maybe it was motivated by guilt or a desire to

get some credit. Either way, Saul’s attempt to

clothe David with his armor was not motivated

by faith.

2.David wisely walked around with Saul’s armor on and it didn’t take long for him to realize it wasn’t going to work.

a.Saul was a tall man.

b.David must have looked like a little boy wearing his daddy’s coat.

3.David knew he needed to be agile to defeat Goliath.

4.Saul’s armor would get in the way and slow David down, making him an easy target.

APPL – Here is another tactic of the enemy, to lure us into fighting battles the world’s way, which guarantees our defeat. What does that look like?

• Anger or Intimidation

James 1:19-20, But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

• Manipulation

Romans 14:23, … whatever is not from faith is sin.

• We must put on God’s armor and fight God’s way.

APPL – Battles are won when we trust the Lord and His ability to save.

Zechariah 4:6, This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord of hosts.

B.God will fight for you (40)

1.David wisely and boldly took off Saul’s armor.

2.David picked up his stick, selected 5 smooth stones from the brook, put them into his shepherd’s bag and with sling in hand approached Goliath.

3.I believe David received divine insight and knew there was only one place for that small stone to be effective, Goliath’s forehead.

4.By faith, David knew God would direct it all.

APPL – There is a boldness, a confidence, a strength which comes over a person when their faith is more than just words, more than just a theory; it’s a reality. They trust God.

Proverbs 28:1, The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion.

• David didn’t need Saul’s armor; God was his protector.
• David didn’t need a Saul’s shield; God was his shield.

Psalm 18:1-2, I love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

• Why was this true for David? David had made the Lord his Shepherd and he completely trusted His leading, even when it meant facing a great giant named Goliath in the valley of the shadow of death.

Psalm 23:1, 4, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Conclusion

ILLUS – The African Impala

APPL – I believe the Lord wants us to hear a word that will encourage our faith to rise up and be strengthened!

• Let faith arise… The Lord is your shepherd!
• Let faith arise… God won’t fail you!
• Let faith arise… God has been preparing you!
• Let faith arise…

1 Samuel 17:47, … the battle is the Lord’s

APPL – There is a boldness, a confidence, a strength which comes over a person when their faith is more than just words, more than just a theory; it’s a reality. They trust God.

Proverbs 28:1, The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion.

• David didn’t need Saul’s armor; God was his protector.
• David didn’t need a Saul’s shield; God was his shield.

Psalm 18:1-2, I love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

• Why was this true for David? David had made the Lord his Shepherd and he completely trusted His leading, even when it meant facing a great giant named Goliath in the valley of the shadow of death.

Psalm 23:1, 4, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Conclusion

ILLUS – The African Impala

APPL – I believe the Lord wants us to hear a word that will encourage our faith to rise up and be strengthened!

• Let faith arise… The Lord is your shepherd!
• Let faith arise… God won’t fail you!
• Let faith arise… God has been preparing you!
• Let faith arise…

1 Samuel 17:47, … the battle is the Lord’s