Voice of the Nazarene 6-11-23

I'm coming to you from North Central Ohio, we share with you the voice of the Nazarene, a week by week venture into the Word of God sponsored by the Bucyrus, Ohio Church of the Nazarene. We join our Pastor Ray LaSalle, and the voice of the Nazarene.

We started a short series on David. And I want to continue for a few minutes this morning.

It's First Samuel chapter 17, verse 47. And it's that scene of a giant by the name of Goliath.

1 Samuel 17:47

And David being willing to take him on. These are the words of David and all this assembly shall know that the Lord Savior not with a sword, and spear for the battle is the Lord's. And it's taken me a long time to try to get my head around the fact that it's his battle, not my battle. And I'm still learning.

The battle is the Lords and he will give you into our hands.

May I begin by saying the giants will show up in your life.

Giants will show up. John Maxwell used to give large church growth conferences and hold them across the country.

Bring in special guest speakers.

I just begun pastoring in Brazil, Indiana, I was about 20 some miles from my friend Rich Hurles, he was pastoring nearby.

And he said, Ray, you're a new pastor, you ought to go to one of these church growth conferences. And I didn't know anything about pastoring. I'm not sure I still do. And so we went together. And among the speakers, they had a guy by the name of Mike Reichard, Mike Reichard had one of the fastest growing churches in America at the time, good speaker. Mike and his wife Cindy, really wanted to have a child. They wanted to have a child so much they begin to pray and they prayed and they prayed that God would give them a baby. And it happened. And the day came when they had gone to the hospital. And they were all greatly expecting this beautiful child. The baby died and Cindy died. And Mike Reichard asked the question, Why? Why did this happen to us? Why did this happen to me? And if you live long enough in life, all of us will have a why question? Why did it happen? And then he said it moved from the why to why me?

I know this happens to people, but why did it happen to me? And then it moved from the why to the why me to the what. God, What are you wanting to do with me now?

Let me clarify the Bible says this, that man is born of a woman is a few days and full of trouble. Would that be you? I know that I was born of a woman.

And the reality is if you're born of woman, it says that your years are going to be few and they're going to be full of trouble.

Now I know there's people to say name it and claim it, blab it, grab it believe it, recieve it, health and wealth. And I haven't taken a lot of Greek but the little bit of Greek I had there's a word for that. It's called hog wash. We're in a real world. We're normal people we're going to have trouble but here's what you need to understand. If you live long enough, you're going to have trouble but every once in a while there will be a giant that'll show up. And a giant showed up in Mike Reichard's life and a giant will show up. It may be death, it may be divorce, it may be abandonment, it may be that affair, it may be termination, it may be a doctor's report, it may be a child saying, I'm addicted, it may be your child coming out of the closet and saying, I'm going with an alternative lifestyle, it may be the betrayal of a friend, it could be bankruptcy. But every once in a while in life, a giant will show up. So how do you handle when a giant shows up in your life? Now I want us to look at this story and see if we can see some things. The first thing that I see, David came against a vicious enemy, a vicious enemy.

Now as I've studied the life of Goliath, kind of amazed, happened to notice for the first time that the Bible said he was six cubits tall. Now most of my Bibles and the marginal reading, share at least 11 feet, but I read one the other day that said he was only 10 feet, so it really made me feel bad for him.

That's three feet shorter than Shaquille O'Neill. He's a big boy. And I'll tell you, there's some big things. But not only that, the Bible said that he had six pieces of armor that he wore, carried with him to battle, then the Bible said that the head of his sphere weighed 600 shekels of iron. Did you catch that? Now, this may be just coincidental but there you have three things that said was six, six, six. And we know that numbers in the Bible represent things. We know the number six is mans number we know the number three is God's number and when you try to combine it three times as 666. Well, it's man trying to become god. It's what it's all about. And I want you to see something. First of all, I want you to see that Goliath had the mind of Satan. And the problem that you're facing right now has less to do with the people than it does with the demonic world. You may not believe that but I believe we're in a spiritual warfare. And I think when we face problems, it's easy to equate that with people rather than the devil.

You need to understand something when you try to step out and you try to do more you try to live better and you try to live closer to God always remember at new levels are new devils. Put that down. The devil doesn't care about you being lukewarm.

He doesn't want you to climb to a new level. And a new level means a new devil. But not only the mind of Satan, I noticed Goliath had this method of Satan. What's Satan's method?

Look at what he said in First

11. When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine they were dismayed and greatly afraid. Now what does the devil want, He wants us controlled by fear. He wants you controlled by fear. He wants me controlled by fear. Now, I don't want you to write anything into what I'm gonna say right at this moment. But this thing we came through for several years called Covid. Somebody asked me the other day pastor, how did you handle Covid? I don't know that I handled it or it handled us but I made up my mind I'm going to pray about it. And I refused to panic. I didn't run around licking doorknobs don't get me wrong. But at the same time I refuse to be controlled by fear.

Now this is not a message on wearing a mask. So don't start dividing up here and taking sides, okay. It's not about wearing masks, but I did long for the road Paul found Jesus on, Damascus. Listen, God doesn't want us to be controlled by fear. And they're in Second Timothy one seven. God hasn't given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Two things you need to look at it first of all focus. So why for 40 days did Goliath come out and said, just send me a man and as soon as he said it, I'll tell you all Isreal fled to their tents trembling, and frightened and afraid. And I'll tell you why.

Because their focus was on the giant and Davids focus was on God. Focus is a huge thing. And when he came against that giant they said, Hey, he's so big, he's gonna hurt you. And he said, he's too big to miss.

David's focus was on God. And there's another word you ought to think about. And that's the word freeze. What does spirit do to us? It causes us to freeze in our tracks, that's what it'll do. You go through a bad relationship. And guess what?

You freeze up and you don't want to try the other relationship.

You go through a bad marriage, and some folk will say, I'll never marry again. And fear causes us to freeze. Now, Mark Twain said that if a cat sits on a hot stove he'll never sit on a hot stove again. Then he went on to say, the cat will never sit on the cold stove again. The cat don't like stoves now. Am I going too fast? Sometimes people are frozen, because of fear.

Couples will say, well, we'd have children, but we just can't afford it right now. Hey, I had to two and I still can't afford it. I think ever so often how much I would have had if I hadn't. Somebody says Well, I can't afford the time. Sometimes you just have to man up and put on your big boy britches. Like some of the rest of us. Somebody said, Well, I can't afford to get married. And this might be you. The bride, bent with age leaned over her cane, her steps uncertain needing guiding. While down the church aisle with a warm, toothless smile, the groom in a wheelchair gliding. Who isn't a elderly couple less wed you'll find it when you closely explore it. That this is the rare, most conservative pair who waited until they can afford it.

The mind of Satan, the methods of Satan and look at the motive of Satan. And you'll find it right here in First Samuel 17:9.

1 Samuel 17:9

Goliath said these words, if he be able to fight with me, and kill me, then will we be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then shall ye be our servants and serve us. Now, here's what the enemy wants. He wants you to be a slave, to whats controlling you. And it could be guilt, it might be greed, it might be anger, it might be public opinion, it could be credit cards, it could be bitterness.

But I want you to know something, the whole plan of the enemy is for you to be a slave.

And for him to control you with that. And if he can take that addiction and rule it and control your life. If he can take that vice and make you captive to it, he has you right where he wants you. Understand something catch this now. The children of Israel were slaves for 400 years under Pharaoh down in Egypt. And while they were slaves for 400 years, may I say to you, they were still the children of Israel. And you may be in the family of God, you may be in church. But yet you're slaves to something. You say I'm a slave and this thing is really bending and controlling me and grouping me, you may be a slave to gossip.

I know people who are around the church that I met who were a slave to bitterness, a slave to a grudge, a slave to anger or whatever somebody else thinks about me. So I buy things with money I don't have to please people I don't like. What a way to live. But not only did David encounter a vicious enemy but David engaged in a vicarious encounter. What do you mean, let me explain. When David defeated the giant all Israel won. And when Jesus defeated the devil all humanity won. When David took that wooden sling, he won the battle against the enemy.

And when Jesus Christ took a wooden cross, he won the victory over the enemy. And that's why the Bible says in first

57. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. It's why Romans 8:37 we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. What does that mean, more than conquerors?

Romans 8:37

It means over conquered. Jesus over conquered the enemy. Now I want you to get this. The battle has been won. We're still trying to figure out how we're going to win the battle. Jesus already won the battle, he won the battle over worrying over perplexity and over anxiety and over inferiority or addictions over fear, the battle is won, all you got to do is come and surrender your life to Him and reach out and claim the victory.

Jesus won the battle, the battle is not mine, the battle is the Lord's. And he's already won the battle. A guy that I know, had gotten saved from a real life of sin and didn't have much money.

And then immediately he was called to preach and began to get calls because he had such a testimony. Everybody wanted to hear it. And he would run around sharing his testimony and preaching and the only way he could get dressed up was go to yard sales. And he picked up a number of old used pinstripe suits. Preaching in these funny fitting pinstripe suits, yard sale style. And one family really liked him, they said, Hey, preacher, you know that men's dress shop up the way? Ya, I know it's in that little town?

Yes. Why don't you go up there get you a suit. We want you to go up there and get a suit. He admitted he didn't have any money for a suit except for yard sale suits. So he didn't do anything about it. Two months went by and finally the suit store called him and said preacher, when you going to come up and claim your suits? What do you mean, I don't have any money? He said it's already been paid for, the suits waiting on you. If you'll come, we'll measure you up and fit you up and we'll put you in a suit.

Said it's already paid for. And let me say what Jesus did, it's already been paid for. The victory of my life is paid for, all you have to do is pick it up. And there's nothing in life that you cannot overcome through the Lord Jesus Christ. Here's the third thing I want to say.

David provides us with a victorious example. Pastor, I've got this big old giant in my life that frightens me every time I really want to serve God.

How did David handle that big old giant in his life? I mean, he lived under discouragement.

His dad tried to discourage him and didn't think he ought to be a future king. His brothers made fun of him and discouraged him.

Saul said you're too young you don't know anything trying to discourage him. He had a wife that never did encourage him.

Fact of the matter if you read the account his children robbed him of any courage. You know that many times our discouragement comes to us from the closest people that are in our lives. Sometimes the very closest to you don't see any future in you. And they discourage you. And you don't want David did. He kept right on going. And I told you the other morning persistency is what got the snail on the ark. Winston Churchill, I like reading about Churchill and I don't know if any of you do. He was over in England and a reporter came and said Sir Winston Churchill, how was it that you were able to leave Britain through the awful Second World War when Germany's seemed to dominate on the Western Front? Well, he said the class that I repeated in grade school helped me to do it. And the reporter said you flunked?

No, he said I didn't flunk I was given a second opportunity to get it right. You say Pastor, I failed. My marriage failed. No, no. No, perhaps you've been given a second opportunity to get it right. Some of you may have gotten the third opportunity. It may be that some of you are working on your fourth opportunity. And by the way before we get real hard on everybody. The only reason I'm standing in this pulpit this morning is because my own mother got a second opportunity to get it right in life. And the only reason I'm here is because the man that married my mother, his name was LaSalle, I wasn't born with that name. But he got a chance, a second chance to get it right in life. Because of that divorce back in those days, you couldn't get credentials to pastor and to preach. Dad didn't even seek credentials, he knew living with that divorce over his head. Dad poured himself into this guy. And wore old suits and drove used cars and put me through college. And that's why I'm standing here today. So sometimes just hang in there. When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, the road you're traveling seems all uphill. When funds are low, and debts are high, you want to smile but you have to sigh. When carers are pressing you down a bit, rest if you must, but don't you quit. Success is failure, turned inside out, the silver tint of the clouds of doubt, you will never tell how close you are, it may be near when it seems so far. So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit.

It's when things go wrong, that we must not quit. I'm giving you just a couple of quick words here, if you don't mind, before I close out. I don't know if you know it, but David had five stones that he used. I'm just gonna give you five words, ones persistence, I just touched on it. Another is preparation you know what David did. He said I'm not worried about this giant because God delivered me from the paw of a lion. Why should I worry God delivered me from the paw of a bear. And he's going to deliver me from this giant to.

And this is what I'd like to challenge you with. I'm just throwing this in for a moment.

It might be good to start journaling. I've never done that through all of my ministry.

Sitting in the home of Paul Anderson here a while back and he had shown us the house and how they literally doubled the size of the house. He's a contractor. But it costs a lot of money. And he said we begin to pray about prices about buying this and that and paying as we went and he said I just got me a notepad and begin to write down what I needed and what I prayed about, and it came right back. And God answered his prayer. And he said pastor, I've gotten at least 50 prayers since I started remodeling this thing that we prayed about and God answered. And I'm simply saying, you can look back and you can read the date of the time you prayed the prayer and then the date when God answered the prayer, you talk about something that will build faith. It'll do it every time. Prayer journaling. I wish I could sing, I'm a good singer. But it sounds bad. That's song Amazing Grace, it's written by that slave trader named John Newton.

There's a line in it that goes like this, Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far and grace will lead me home. And you're gonna look back and you can see how the grace of God and the answered prayer led you through all these pressures of life.

There's a third word and that is power.

Ladies and gentlemen, our power is the Lord. Our power is not our strength. David understood that his strength was the Lord and whatever is pulling you down, let me just say this, but you can't overcome it on your own. You need the help of God.

Here's another thing was proven equipment. When David went up against this giant. He had never fought a giant before. I don't think anybody else had it either. And Saul said you need to use my armor. And you got to understand Saul was head and shoulders taller than any other man in Israel. Can you imagine how comical it must have looked with David with that armor on?

And he said I can't use your armor, I haven't proven it. But he said I'll tell you what. He says I've got equipment. I've got my own weaponry. And by the way, the same way that David defeated that giant with his weaponry is the same weaponry that you and I need when we fight the giants in our lives, Now look at this, it's important. Genesis 17:13. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: in my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And so if a boy was circumcised according to Jewish law on the eighth day, A child was circumcised, it symbolizes the blessing of God.

Genesis 17:13

David knew that. And I told you the other day that David never called this Goliath a giant.

That's not what he called him.

26, David spake, to the men that stood by him saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach for Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine?

He didn't say anything about the giant. That he should defy the armies of the living God. And he called him an uncircumcised Philistine. Now, when I read that, and told me what his view was, he simply was saying, he knew from God's word that the blessing of God was not on that man. He knew this man did not have the hand of God on his life. And he knew that he did.

And he knew that if God be for us who can be against us, now all I'm going to say is our weaponry is the word of God. And your weaponry is prayer. In Exodus chapter 17, the Amaleks were fighting against Israel, and they were cleaning the clock of Israel, they were losing the battle men were dying by the hundreds. And two men, Aaron and Hur came up to Moses, and held his hands up there on the mountain. And when they lifted his hands to the battle, the tide of the battle turn, and they begin to win. And it symbolizes prayer. And I want you to understand that the battle going on down here, it's not won or lost down here, it's won or lost up there. We win, or we lose in the prayer room.

Exodus 17 · chapter mention

That's how powerful prayer is.

And then the next word I would use, and I'll quit using any words is praise, David, had not defeated the giant yet. And here in First Samuel 17:46, he said, this day, will the Lord, deliver thee into my hand; and I will smite thee, and I'll take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcass of the host of the Philistines this day, under the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, he's praising God in advance. He said, The Lord is going to deliver you into my hand. Now get this, the giant still standing in front of him. He's still there. He's still standing 10 to 11 feet tall. And he didn't go away. But before he defeated him, David, praised God. Not afterwards. But before.

1 Samuel 17:46

You say, Well, pastor, I'm walking through hell right now.

I don't know how life can be any worse than its turned on me.

What would you recommend? I'd recommend keep on walking. Keep walking, and keep praising God.

Some say that David killed a giant through God, no, no, God killed the giant through David.

If you listen now, just for a moment, the only one that can kill the giant in your life is God. The only one that can handle the giant in your life is God. The only one that can defeat the giant in your life is God. I'm no match for the giants. And you're no match. But the good news is God is a match for the giants. And the giants will show up. And if you go to God, when the giants shows up, they will show up. Amazingly, God will show off and he'll win the battle every time. You're wrestling over that boy, you're worrying about that daughter, you're worried about your marriage, you're worried about your job, you're worried about this and that other giant. Why don't you turn them over to God, they're gonna show up in life.

That's when God shows off and turns the tide and brings us to victory.

thanks for being a part of the voice of the Nazarene. Visit us every Sunday at 9am with BNC's pastor Ray LaSalle. For more information regarding BNC, visit Bucyrus nazarene.org.