Heart Series: Vision for the Valley - Part 3 | 1 Samuel 17

You're listening to the Bridgetown Church Podcast with

Pastor Casey Kendall, where our vision is Jesus, our mission is

people, and our cause is love. Thanks for tuning in.

Let's dive in. Amen.

Thank you, moms. We, we, we're thinking what

would, what would moms want to hear today?

And I was thinking, this is perfect because we're going

through the valley and if there's anybody who goes through

the valley, it's you, mom, you're probably constantly in

the valley. You juggle, you juggle being a

counsellor and the financial advisor.

You've juggled being ACEO, you've juggled being a Uber

driver and you've you've done interventions, you've done

cleanup and janitorial in your bathroom that you are constantly

walking through the valley. So I just wanted to continue in

the vision for the Valley as we talk about David.

And if you have your Bibles, we're in First Samuel chapter

1 Samuel 17 · chapter mention

17, First Samuel chapter 17. And this message is not just for

1 Samuel 17 · chapter mention

moms, but this is for dads, this is for singles.

This is for people who are younger and older, people who

find themselves in high school, people who find themselves in

middle school, people who find themselves in college, people

who are approaching their finals, people who are in a

marital rejoicing, people who are in marital strain, people

who are single and hunting, people who are single and

content, people who are single and find themselves rejoicing.

Whatever season you might find yourself in, someone once said

that you were either going into a valley, you were coming out of

a valley, or you were smack dab in the middle of a valley.

And so this is for everybody that's come.

But we do want to celebrate you moms.

After the service, there's going to be a gift for you.

We normally do flowers, but flowers fade.

We wanted to give you something that would be lasting and would

give back to you. We will give you Jesus, Amen.

But we're going to give you a tea towel, a spoon, and a

sourdough starter packet. You're going to do great with

it. You're going to feed it, and

it's going to grow. There's going to be instructions

for you on a QR code on how to start this.

And this is going to be something for you that doesn't

fade as quickly as the flowers that we gave you last year.

We wanted it to last because mom, your impact on us has

lasted for the rest of our life and we just want to thank you

for that. So with that being said, if you

would just look at your neighbor and say neighbor, my neighbor,

what happens in the valley doesn't stay in the valley.

If you would turn your attention to First Samuel chapter 17, and

1 Samuel 17 · chapter mention

if you would just look at me, not look at me, but look with me

at verse 47. That was kind of weird.

Look at me, look at the Bible. That's my goal is that you'd see

Jesus today in verse 47. Then all the assembly shall know

that the Lord does not save with sword and spear, for the battle

is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands.

I want to just read that again to you because we're going to

get you out on time for lunch because some of you are you're,

you're preparing your restaurant reservations.

Some of you are barbecuing for your moms today.

Some of you are celebrating these big meals.

We want to get you out of here on time.

I might talk a little bit faster but bear with me.

We got a lot to cover. The Bible says.

Then all the assembly David says shall know that the Lord does

not save with sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord's and

he will give you into our hands. As we are a church that loves to

respond. As we are a church that loves to

respond, I don't want to bother you this morning, but I do want

to move you a little bit into the direction of what God has

called us into. And that is if you would just

look at your neighbor one more time for me and say neighbor, my

neighbor, I can't wear these, I can't wear these.

Once again, I can't wear these. It was just two weeks ago that I

was invited to participate and pray at the Mayor's Prayer

Breakfast for Glendora, CA. It was the first time I was ever

invited to a situation like this and have this opportunity to be

a part of representing Bridgetown Church for the first

time ever in the city of Glendora.

So I prepared my prayer. I pressed my shirt, I chose my

pants, and I cleaned my cowboy boots.

You know, there was an old head and shoulders commercial that

used to say you never have a second chance to make a first

impression. So I thought, I'm going to make

a good impression. I'm going to dress up really

nice. When I drove to the Country

Club, there was a crisis in my heart because I realized as I

pulled into the parking lot that I was underdressed for this

overwhelming opportunity. Everybody, every man had on his

best shirt and his best tie. He had on his best pants and his

best dress shoes. But not only that, they wore a

jacket that I did not have in my possession.

As I pulled into the parking lot, the ladies had on their

best dresses. It was like I was going to a

formal event and I was an anti formal person.

I sat down at my table, which was numbered and organized by

one of the churches here in Glendora and one of the pastors

looked at me, said Casey. Don't worry, he said.

Jesus was a rebel too. I don't know if you've ever been

in a place where you look at your life and you're wondering,

why did I wear this? You weren't really made-up for

that moment. You in your life had found

yourself at a place where your outfit really didn't fit.

You know what I'm saying? Don't leave me up here alone,

men and women, where you've come into a situation or an occasion

in your life and you have come to a place where you had lost

all of your confidence walking in simply because of what you

were wearing into that place. I think sometimes in our lives

we have to understand that David found himself in the same exact

place in the Bible. It's in verse 39.

If you take note biblically and you want to write it down

theologically, the Bible says that David fastened his sword to

his armor and he tried to walk. He tried to walk, for he had not

tested them. And David said to Saul, I cannot

walk with these. Saul had tried to give David his

armor for the battle, but that was not what God had called

David to wear. And David finds himself possibly

in the place that we need to find ourselves today, that in

the valley. Your vision will determine your

victory, but also your vision is not just about what you see.

Your vision is going to be about what you wear into the valley

and I think it's important that we understand what David did and

we do this ourselves in this place today and that is this the

Bible says in verse 39, the last sentence.

So David took them off. I've been hearing this a lot

from my 13 year olds this term. When she looks at me and she

goes into her clothes or closet, she'll often say these words

with a little bit of an attitude.

I I can't wear these. And I think that's something

that we need to say today. I can't wear these because I

believe some of us are wearing things into the valley that

we've dressed ourselves already for defeat.

I think some of us in the valley that we're walking into, that we

have in our own hearts and our own lives, that we have come

into that valley wearing something that's not fit for

war. We have come into this valley

allowing other people to put things on us that God never

called us to wear. We have put things on ourselves

that we were never called to carry.

And I think it's high time that we come to a place in our lives

and we say I can't wear these. You can't wear fear and move

forward. You cannot wear panic and not be

paralyzed. You cannot come into a place and

understand that you in your own heart and your own life, you

cannot wear control and combat the right enemy.

You cannot wear hurt and not be hindered by it.

You cannot in your own life come into this place and understand

that you might be wearing resentment and you think that

you can still find in a place that you will still reach for

the Kingdom of God. You cannot wear comparison and

act like you're going to stay connected.

We cannot wear vindication and have victory in the valley.

Listen, you can't wear the anymore, but you can Where the

Bible says in the book of Romans I could put on the Lord Jesus

Christ and make no provision for my flesh, I can.

Where the Bible says I can do all things through Christ who

strengthens me, I can. Where that I understand that

that that God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of love and

power and a sound mind. I I can wear the armor, the

helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness.

I'm going to gird my loins with truth.

I'm going to take up the shield of faith.

I'm going to shod my feet with the gospel of peace.

I'm going to take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of

God, and Pierce the darkness that is around me.

There are some things to wear, but it's sad to say that in our

lives, oftentimes we are wearing what Christ has not called us to

wear because that is not the right armor for you to have.

And I believe that it is time for us to take it off, take it

off in a way that David was not called to look like the giant,

to beat the giant. He would wear something

different because he served a different God.

He fought a different battle. And when we come to this story,

I think we have to understand that at this place, this is one

man in one valley who would serve one God and make one

decision by faith to conquer one giant.

And multitudes of generations would feel the impact of what

David would wear into the valley.

Mom, listen, what you wear into the valley will determine what

happens many times in response in our homes.

I cannot deal with the outcomes of my kids choices, but I can

determine what I will wear when my kids do make those choices.

I will make a choice that when I go to work, I'm wearing what

Christ has called me to wear, not just the outfit that I have

picked. I will find myself in a place

that I am at this valley where multitudes of people get to reap

from my victory in Jesus. Listen, I love Charles Swindoll.

He said these words he says I wear today the power of God

God's strength to comfort me, God's might to uphold me, God's

word to guide me God's he says I to look before me.

He says God's hand to take hold of me and he says God's a word

again to speak for me. And he says you're, you're,

you're arm leading me and God's way lying before me to protect

me. I can wear these, but there are

some things that you cannot wear going into the valley.

Can you just write them down? Can you write some of these

things down? As David walks into the valley

of Elah, the word Elah, if you're taking note, means

terebinth. The terebinth tree reminded the

children of Israel, the faithfulness of God, the strong

hand of God, the way that God fights on people's behalfs.

David walked into a valley that it was already named after the

character of God. And you might be walking into a

valley and see something radically different than what

God sees in the moment that you're in.

But I want you to write these down.

This is something that you cannot wear.

You can't wear others opinions. You have to wear God's

convictions. No, no, notice you can't wear

others opinions. You have to wear what God's

convictions are through the Bible, the Bible says and all

the men of Israel in verse 24, when they saw the man, they fled

from him and they were dreadfully afraid.

The children of Israel responded radically different than David

would. David sees Goliath and he

stands. The children of Israel see

Goliath, and they run. Now notice if you would, the

Bible says they were dreadfully afraid, meaning that they were

shaken and disturbed to their core.

And they find themselves in this place a lot like us, battling

528 phobias that are listed for us from Psychology Today.

And in this moment of these phobias and these fears, fear

often has, and it's given the power to give a very small

object, a very large perspective.

And that's what fear actually does in my life.

Fear renders powerless the Christian who has the power of

God. Did you get that?

It's important that we understand.

I think every single one of us battle this type of fear.

And so notice all of us might battle this.

I think we all find ourselves a lot like a Cheyenne.

The 8 year old who was in 3rd grade said these words.

My biggest fear is my future 3rd grade.

My biggest fear is my future. Now that I'm in 3rd grade, I'm

afraid of my future and it will start happening too fast.

Soon I will be getting scholarships and enrollments

into different schools. It's just happening way too

fast. They say 85% of your fears will

not happen at all. But that 15% we think will not

happen at all. That God will not come through

for us, That God will not be faithful still, that God will

not meet us in the valley. And here is David, and here's

the children of Israel where they ran.

David stood. And notice David gets in three

conversations before he actually goes into the battle.

Notice he begins to talk to the children of Israel.

So the men of Israel said this. Have you seen this man who has

come up? Surely he has come up to defy

Israel. And it shall be that the man who

kills him, the king will enrich with great riches.

He will give him his daughter and give his father's house

exemption and all of Israel no taxes.

Look at this men marriage and money.

That's the offer, marriage and money.

And here is David in this place. And David spoke in verse.

The Bible says 26 to the men who stood by him, saying, What shall

be done for the man who kills the Philistines and takes away

the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised

Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?

No, no, notice this, no, no, notice the, the, the difference

in, in, in, in opinion. Here stands Goliath.

For 40 days he's taunted and terrorized the children of

Israel. 40 days. This is the 41st day.

You remember the number 40 represents the time and season

of trial and testing. Your 41st day is coming.

Oh, come on, that was a good spot.

Your 41st day is coming. God always brings his shepherd

into the valley and here comes David and the children of Israel

had some opinions about Goliath. And I want you to notice David's

conviction and the people's opinion.

Notice they called him Goliath. This man, David's conviction was

this uncircumcised Philistine. No, notice the difference.

They looked at this man as someone noticed their opinion.

Surely he's come up to defy Israel.

David's conviction is that he was defying the armies of the

living God. Notice David's conviction was

set on a living God and a dead giant.

Their opinion was set on a big giant and an absent God.

And what happens many times in our lives when we're walking

through the valley is that we forget that God is the living

God. We think that God is the absent

God in our lives, that God is the frustrated God of our lives,

that God is the dead God of our lives.

But let me just remind you, a few weeks ago, we celebrated

that Jesus is risen. And if Jesus is risen, Kyle,

anything is possible. And so we've come into this

place today understanding and realizing that that Jesus has

risen, that he's the living God. What does that mean to us?

What does that mean to the children of Israel?

That means this, if you're taking note, the living armies

of the living God, is that God was actively involved in the

affairs of humanity. God is actively involved in the

affairs of humanity. His thoughts towards you

outnumber the sand on the seashore.

He's actively involved in the ways of humanity.

God knows your thoughts before you think them.

God knows when you rise and when you stand and when you sit.

God is constantly thinking about you.

He's constantly thinking about you.

His heart is given over in a place where he's actively

involved in your life. I love what FB Meyer wrote.

He said these words. He said this made all the

difference between David and the rest of the camp.

To Saul and his soldiers, God was an absentee, a name, but

little else. That was good.

They believed that he had done great things for his people in

the past. And then it's the future time.

In the days of the Messiah, He might be expected to do great

things again, but no one thought of him as present keenly.

FB Meyer Wright Sensitive to the defiance of the Philistine and

grieved by the apathy of his people.

David, on the other hand, felt that God is alive, and he had

lived alone with him in solitude of the hills till God had become

one of the greatest and most real facts of his young

existence. And as the lad went to and fro

among the armed warriors, he was sublimely conscious of the

presence of the living God amid the clang of the camp.

And here is David, and he walks into this valley and everyone's

chattering and everybody has their opinion.

And the children of Israel's opinion was Goliath is too big

to hit. Now he gets in a second

conversation. He doesn't just talk to the

children of Israel. He talks to his older brother.

Now, if you have an older brother or older sister in here,

just say Amen. Family sometimes can get a

little tense. Family can get a little bit

intense. Notice that the tense situation

the Bible says in verse 27. And the people answered him in

the manner saying, so shall it be done for the man who kills

him. And now Eliab, his older

brother, heard when he spoke to the men.

You remember Eliab, don't you? He's the oldest from Jesse's

household. He was the first runner that

Samuel passed up in the anointing of the king of Israel.

Samuel's about to say, that's the guy Lord.

And then the Lord says, you're looking at the outward

appearance, I'm looking at the heart.

He passes a lion. Now notice this.

Now Eliab, his oldest brother, heard when he spoke to the men,

and Eliab's anger was aroused. You ever seen two siblings

fight? He was aroused against David.

You ever hear an argument in the house?

You ever have brothers go back and forth with one another?

You ever hear someone sit in the door, get out of the bathroom,

get out of the shower? You ever hear these terms in the

house? Let's get a little practical.

Here's the older brother. Here is the youngest brother.

The youngest brother comes on the scene.

He is the smallest. He is the runt.

He is the 8th one, possibly not even from the same wife as the

other brothers. And here comes David.

And Eliab's anger is aroused. He's angry.

He's frustrated. And listen, he has some

questions for David. Why did you come down here?

What are you doing here, David? Notice the second question.

He comes to David and says this. And with whom have you left

those few sheep in the wilderness?

Dig, dig, dig. Do you ever have siblings?

They have certain names for other siblings.

What are you doing here, David? And where are your few sheep?

Did you leave them in the wilderness?

Goliath wasn't just taunting David in Israel.

Eliab was terrorizing his own brother.

Oh, listen, listen. He comes up and he says these

words. I know your pride and the

insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the

battle. I know why you're here, David.

You have a wicked heart. Oh, that hurts, doesn't it?

David was hurt, but he wasn't hindered.

Say that again. David was hurt, but he wasn't

hindered. Look at look at this.

Look at this. And David said, What have I done

now? I'm the youngest brother.

I brought you guys cheese and sourdough bread and essential

oils and a diffuser, and I brought you all of the

necessities for the battle. What have I done?

Now? Notice what happens.

Is there not a cause? Hear David's conviction.

There's a 'cause that's greater than you, Eliab, and that is the

glory of God. Notice what happens to David.

And he turned, and he gave his brother a beating No.

And he turned and he yelled in his face.

Nope. And he turned any custom out?

Nope. And he turned from him toward

another. I hear how you feel, but how you

feel is not my responsibility in how I obey.

So he turned from him toward another.

You guys are. I know the heat's got you down

today. And he said the same thing.

And those people answered him as the first ones did.

And when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported

them to Saul, and he sent for him.

Now notice if the children of Israel were afraid of Goliath,

it's too big to hit. David's brother Eliab attacked

his character and now he gets in another conversation.

Check this out. Then David said as Saul called

him as Saul heard about David verse 32.

If you have your Bible, then David said to Saul, let no man's

heart fail. Because of him your servant will

go and fight with the Philistine.

And Saul said to David, you are not able.

So the brothers, the children of Israel said Goliath is too big

to hit. Eliab, the brother said you

don't have the right character. Saul, the king said you don't

have the right conduct. Do you see their opinions of

him? Notice this if you would and

you're taking note, you are not able to go against the

Philistine to fight with him. I love it when someone tells me

I can't do something. I love it when they say you're

not able to do that. David, you are too young, you're

too small, you're too weak, you don't have it in you.

I love it this Philistine to fight with him for you are but

notice this a youth and he is a man of war from his youth.

Why do we get down on young people?

Like young people don't have a fire and a passion to follow

after God. Like young people can't do great

things for the Kingdom of God. We think.

I remember one guy telling me as I was praying, I was newly

ordained as a pastor. He was telling me as he came up

for prayer at the church I was serving at.

He told me these words. He's all listen, I'd hair at the

time at this like cool goatee, like a triangle goatee, you

know, from the the late 90s. He's all listen, you're new.

He saw I want someone older and now I'm 50 and people say I want

someone younger like age is like some requisite for the power of

God to flow through you. What it what if just the power

of God flew was flowing through the week and and notice the

power of God came to a place where it didn't matter your age

if you were 80 or 18, but he just met you and moved through

you in a very powerful way. Can I just speak to the young

men and women in the house today?

I heard all the parents said yes, I want to hear the kids.

Can I just speak to the young men and women today?

Dave is just a youth. You can do it by what you wear

in the power of God. Well, I'm just 20.

I'm in my 20. You could do it in the power of

God. I'm just 16.

You could do it in the power of God.

You can do it. God will always make a way.

I just met with two Romanian pastors who have planted a

church in Romania, in the southern part of Romania, 80%

unemployment rate in Romania right now in southern Romania.

And they told me, Casey, we have a vision to see a church thrive

in the southern part of Romania. So we hosted kids clubs on

Friday nights and we brought all the kids in.

And he said when we got the kids, the parents started

coming. And he said from that we bought

a container, a shipping container, and we hosted church

in the shipping container. Think about that when you're

complaining about your church. A shipping container in the

winter in Romania, A shipping container in the summer in

Romania. Why is it so hot in here?

Why aren't these chairs more comfortable?

They're meeting in a shipping container, and they made a

decision in that shipping container that they're going to

worship Jesus no matter what. So he gets there early in the

winter and he starts a fire in the middle of the shipping

container so people have heat that they could worship the

Lord. And in this moment, he told me

we wanted not just a shipping container, we wanted the land.

So they told the guy who owned the land that the shipping

container was on that they wanted the land also.

And so they said to the guy, we'll pay this off in six

months. Unbeknownst to them, Cornerstone

Church up here on Glendora Ave. with Pastor Bruce, an amazing

pastor, an amazing man of God found himself and his missions

pastor saying without knowing the story of this Romanian

church, we want to give $25,000 to this missionary.

He gets the missionary looks at the the his easy tithe app and

he realizes someone just gave 20 thousand $25,000.

So he calls Cornerstone Church. He's like, hey, I think you guys

messed up on the zeros on this donation and Pastor Bruce said

we didn't mess up, this is actually for you.

He said this is exactly what we need to purchase the land that

this container stands upon. Listen, God will make a way.

Now they've built a building on the land that they're

purchasing. God will make a way, moms, God

will make a way. I know you're looking at your

kids going, I don't know if there is a way.

There is a way when God's at work.

You might be saying, I don't know if there is a way at this a

working and the things that I have to juggle as a mom and and

all of these problems that there is a way God is at work and God

is moving. Their opinion was you're just a

youth, Saul said, but David said to Saul, these words your

servant used to keep his father's sheep bad.

And when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the

flock, I went out after it, and I struck it, and I delivered the

lamb from its mouth. Conviction.

Listen. And when it arose against me, I

caught it by its beard and struck it and killed it.

Your servant has killed both lion and bear.

Oh my. And his uncircumcised Philistine

will be like one of them seen. He's defied the armies of the

living God conviction. Did you see the conviction of

David? Listen, moreover, David said the

Lord who has delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the

paw of the bear, he will deliver me from the hand of the

Philistine. And Saul said to David, go and

the Lord be with you. There is no I'm convincing you,

David. You are a man of conviction and

being a man of conviction, here you are at the crossroads.

Not just talking to the children of Israel, not just talking to

your brother. Now the one king who's too

afraid to fight the battle had opinions about David who was

willing to go into the battle. Be careful for those who buy the

cheapest seats of your life to have the greatest opinions of

your life. And here is David in this

moment, and King Saul comes to him and has a comment on

Instagram about what he's going to do.

I can kill a lion, I can kill a bear.

I can kill this giant. And Saul comes into this moment

and says you're not able. I wonder how many times you have

stopped because of the opinions of other people rather than the

convictions of God over your life.

I think we actually live in a cultural moment that we are more

directed by comments than we are conviction.

I think we live in a moment where we're scrolling through so

many screens. Can you imagine if David stayed

on his phone the whole time? Can I just speak to you young

men for a minute? Can you imagine if David was on

his phone the whole time? He would have missed Goliath.

I think sometimes we're so much on our screen that we missed

opportunities that are right before our eyes.

I think we're addicted in an anxious generation to our cell

phones. I think sometimes in our lives

we allow this screen to be more important of what's happening in

a non reality basis in other people's lives than the reality

of our own lives. And this is what I've seen a

generation that is connected to the screen is no longer able to

connect relationally to people in their lives.

That was just a side note. This is often how we live under

comments determining Our Calling, and this is where we

find ourselves. Listen, I'm sure you've been

labeled different things in your life.

I'm sure it came out of their mouth, but it's still in your

heart. You're too small, you're too

weak. You're not good enough for that.

You'll never amount to anything. You're a mistake.

It's time. You have no business in this

family anymore, and we have allowed what other people have

labeled us, whether we're too weak or we're too skinny or

we're too heavy or you're miserable, whatever it might be,

we've allowed that to determine what we are going to enter into.

I remember sitting down with my mom at Kaiser Hospital and I got

there early in the morning with my mom.

She had just collapsed. They didn't know exactly all

that was going on with her. And she said, Hon, she said,

come, come a little bit closer to me.

She's having a hard time breathing.

And my mom, she told me these words.

She said, I still believe in you and I still believe in the God

that the the work that God is doing in you and through you.

I just sat there and I just thought to myself, I keep going

back to this word. My mom had more conviction than

I did in this moment. And this word of conviction from

her to me was something that would infuse me with power

rather than retract me from my calling.

Listen, if the enemy can attack your worth, you will never feel

fit for the war. And I just want to give you this

as it's going to take conviction in your life to do what God has

called you to do. So here's what I want to

encourage you to do as you're taking note, and that is this.

I want you to resist the tendency to live an isolated

life. I want you to resist the

tendency to live an isolated life.

Yes, you might have to live secluded for a little bit, but

not isolated. I want you to get over #2 if

you're taking note, I want you to get over those who have

disappointed you. That there are people than

David's story that had disappointed him.

He had to walk through these, these comments about his life,

learn how to heal and and learn how to trust and learn how to do

what God had told him to do. Even in the disappointment.

I want you to lift up and encourage those who are

recovering from failure. I want you to do that.

I want you to focus on this. I, I want us to be the people

that we're, we're going to let the Lord handle our critics.

We're going to let those and we're going to stay fully

focused on the living God. I can't wear these, not just the

opinions of other people, but notice this.

I can't wear your weapons, Saul. I can't wear your weapons.

God's given me my own weapons, David says.

So Saul clothed David with his armor and he put a bronze helmet

on his head. He also clothed him with a coat

of mail. And the Bible says, and David

fastened his sword to his armor and he tried to walk, for he had

not tested them. And David said to Saul, I cannot

walk with these, for I have not tested them.

And so David took them off. Saul clothes David.

David looks like Goliath, but that's not how David normally

fought. He didn't fight with a bunch of

armor on, he couldn't run in his tactic.

So he takes them off and then he says this.

Then he took off his then he took his notices his staff in

his hand and he chose for himself 5 smooth stones.

Why do you pick five? Why do you have 5 smooth stones?

They say because Goliath had four other brothers.

That's one commentators comment and David what's going to get

them all. Another one was that David would

go into this ravine and pick up five smooth stones because 5 was

the number of grace and it was only by the grace of God, for

the glory of God that David would defeat Goliath.

I don't know why David picked 5 smooth stones.

The text doesn't really say. I can come up with a lot of

opinions but that's not my job. These smooth stones were like

baseball size. They say that David's sling

might have been something that he would use with his hand

running towards Goliath, but they also shepherds during this

time had a sling on top of their staff, so he would run at the

same time he was swinging the staff with the sling on it.

Interesting. He takes these five smooth

stones and a pouch which he had had in a sling in his hand, and

he drew near to the Philistine. The battle's getting intense and

we're about to close this out. So the Philistines came and

began. We still got 30 minutes.

He drug began drawing near to David, and the man who bore his

shield went before him. And when the Philistines looked

about and saw David, he disdained him, for he was buddy

youth, Ruddy and good looking. GQ meeting a giant.

So the Philistines said to David, am IA dog, that you come

to me with sticks. And the Philistines cursed David

by his gods. And the Philistines said to

David, come to me and I will give you your flesh to the birds

of the air and the beasts of the field.

Can you imagine the scene? Come to me, I will give your

flesh to the birds. I just see that like this big

like karate movie, this tense scene.

There was this movie I used to watch in the 80s called The Last

Dragon. Leroy fought this guy name show

enough you all remember that. I just imagine like like here's

David good looking GQ snapping insto photos in the valley of

Elah. He sweats coming down his tan,

ripped body. Who says to Goliath, I'll give

your flesh to the birds? Some of you are like, that's

unkind, David. No, it was very kind because God

always deals with the giants in our lives, and it's unkind for

God not to deal with giants in our lives.

I'm running out of time. And the Philistine said, come to

me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the

beasts of the field. And David said to the

Philistine, You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with

a javelin. But I come to you.

Notice this in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the

armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will

strike you and take your head from you.

And this day I'll give the carcasses of the camp of the

Philistines, the birds of the air, and the wild beasts of the

earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in

Israel. Why are you doing this, David?

Because people need to know that there's a God in Israel.

Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save

with sword and spear, for the battle is the Lords, and He will

give you into our hands. Listen, listen, listen, please.

We'll wrap this up right here. This is so important that you

realize this. You have all the right weapons.

You have all the right weapons. You have the word of God, you

have prayer, you have community, you have all the right weapons.

David had his sling, his staff, he had the stones, he had all

the right weapons. You can have all the right

weapons. And unless you still put the

battle in the hands of the Lord, they will not be utilized

properly. And it's important that we

realize that because we can say we have everything that we need,

but you still don't put the battle in the hands of God.

You still don't put the situation back in the hands of

God. You still fight the way that you

think you need to fight. And David shows us today what

Goliath should have done. You should have hit me before I

called upon the name of the Lord.

You should have taken me down before I lifted up his name.

You should have come at me before I run to you in the name

of the living God. Now this is impossible.

Goliath had a helmet, he had the coat of mail, he had the shield,

the the the he had his own javelin.

This is impossible. David has a sling the size of a

baseball. They they say that if David's a

60 feet 6 inches away like a pitcher to the home plate and

him slinging the sling and throwing the stone would be

about 303,000 lbs of force. But we know that David was a

little bit further and problematic.

So if he had to be a little bit further and because of the draft

of the wind, that would go down to 500 lbs of force.

But if the shield bearer lifted up his shield to block Goliath,

that would be even more of a problem.

That 3000 lbs ended up being 50 lbs of force, but if I have 50

lbs of force with an almighty God, I still win the battle.

Do you see what is impossible in the valley is possible because

the battle is the Lord's. Now why did David live like

this? Why did David do this?

We're told of Jesse's father. Jesse.

He's old, we're told that he went through.

He's left out keeping the sheep. But we're never told about

David's mom except once in the Bible.

I want you to read it with me. Psalm 86, verse 16.

Psalms 86:16

Read it out loud. Turn to me and have mercy on me.

Show your strength in behalf of Your servant.

Save me because I serve you just as my mother did.

Could it possibly be that David went to the valley and fought a

giant because he saw his mom fight giants?

Mom, hide this verse in your heart because the way you live

leads to how they live. I believe David walked through

the valley because he saw his mom walk through the valley.

I believe David faced Goliath because he saw his mom facing

different Goliaths. I believe David fought in this

valley with this giant and believed in this God because his

mother did. Now you might have come into

this place and you might be going, well my mom ain't nothing

like David's mom. That doesn't mean that the past

has to define who you now are. As a mom.

You get to choose how you break that chain and how you build

their lives and your own for the glory and the honor of the Lord.

We hope you enjoyed this message and we'd love for you to join us

in person every Sunday at 10:30 AM.

For more information and updates, visit

wearebridgetown.com. Thanks for tuning in and we'll

see you next week.