David, God’s Hero

JD Greer this book we talk about every week. This book 1st and foremost is not a book about you. It's not even a book about your life is a book about it is not written to give you a bunch of heroes whose examples are supposed to emulate as much as it is to give you a Savior. You're supposed to adore and hope it.

The Bible teaching ministry Greer. I'm your host Molly benefits you love a good underdog story, the protagonist is up against impossible odds, yet somehow manages to pull through. No wonder Hollywood is always doing a take on this theme. The awkward guy gets the girl.

You know, the last athletic team wins the championship.

The small-company beats the giant. So when most of us picture David and Goliath, that's kind we think of it as another inspiring story about overcoming obstacles, but today Pastor Janie suggests that actually been missing the main point. Let's join Pastor Janie in a message he titled David God Bible as you are opening their say the last year I read a book called undaunted courage by Stephen Ambrose is about the Lewis and Clark expedition of the early 1800s Lewis and Clark and set out to find what Vegas thought was one contiguous waterway that connected the Atlantic and Pacific oceans for two years. This these two men and 13 battle to hunger and fatigue enemies desertion all the information they receive. Up to this point made them think that there was once across the Continental divide, they would face about 1/2 days walk down to the Columbia River which they would then be able to ride Conoco's lazily downriver all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

The story goes that as they approach the Continental divide. Meriwether Lewis was the first in the group to run up ahead to try to be the first one to get a glimpse of this unit is this huge claim he thought it would lead to the Pacific Ocean. Instead, he didn't see the Columbia River. I see a gradual downward glide. He became the first non-Native American delay his eyes on what we now call the Rocky Mountains. Can you imagine what that moment felt like to him, Stephen Ambrose, the author of the book shows how somehow Lewis and Clark were able to deal with disappointments and setbacks like that and keep pressing on. And because of that on November 5, 1805 Lewis and Clark put their feet into the Pacific Ocean and then he turned around and started the journey back. Here is what I want you to consider as we get into things today.

How do you are there places in your life that you feel like that like you just encountered a Rocky Mountain moment when you were not expecting.

Maybe it's up Rocky Mount moment in your marriage. Maybe you suddenly got a helper for that. You just were not prepared to receive.

Maybe it's a Rocky Mount moment in your job but maybe it is an unexpected delay that's taken place in something and you can't figure out why things are happening more quickly. Or maybe it was a sudden problem that you develop with your kids that you just didn't see coming.

What I want to show you today is that God has a very special way of preparing his people and that these kinds of things. These Rocky Mount and experiences are always part of this plan we want is an easy.downriver waterway into eternity what God usually does is he sends us into the Rocky Mountains instead. I know that frustrates us. I know it frustrates you and frustrates me, but God sees these things totally different than we do hardships and mountains are never a problem to God. God can fling them out of the way whenever he wants. God's biggest objective in this journey is not to get you to a destination you just right for you out anytime he wanted. His biggest objective in this journey is preparing you individually like I've often told you his primary objective is not just to get you into heaven is to get the heart heaven and to you is to put his heart into you and so what is the use of these moments like this in your to see that for several 16 and 70 I let me just take a moment to catch you up on the bigger story after the terrible downward cycle of the book of Judges, Israel, the nation of Israel decides what they really need is a king, and God says to them, but I was supposed to be your king and they said well yeah but we want one that we can see and touch somebody will make us proud somebody will take care of us and lead us in the battle God says you know you're going to end up regretting that he agrees to it. So he tells a prophet named Samuel to go find a king, and Samuel chooses a man named Saul. Now Saul really was an obvious choice for King, he was tall he was charismatic. He was good-looking. It would've been a great warrior.

He was a great warrior.

He was very smart, he would've gone on full scholarship.

Any college that he had chosen nobody was surprised when Saul was chosen to be king started out pretty good, but he turned out to be king. Like most kings. Power corrupted his heart. He became proud and self-willed. He used his position of power not to serve the people he was leading, but to serve himself to begin the use and abuse people rather than serve them and he bent the laws of God.

Whenever it would serve him and so God rejected him as king and he told Samuel to go look for a new king, and so God sent Samuel to the house of a man named Jesse to anoint want to his sons to be king that is Jesse, the grandson of Ruth the Moabite what Jesse answers the door there. Samuel and Samuel says God told me Jesse that one of your sons are supposed to be king and Jesse things out. I know exactly which one you're talking about.

If there were one of my king's outward signs are to be a king.

It's going to be my oldest Elia and so he went gets Elia brings amount for six when they came. Samuel looked on Ellie Abbott. He thought surely the Lord's anointed is before him. Elia look tingly.

He was tall in a commanding presence. He had the blue steel eyes. I know you're expecting you to put up a picture of Nicolas Cage year, but I'm not going to do it. Verse seven but the Lord said to Samuel do not look on his appearance, the height of his stature, because I have rejected him to the Lord.

Samuel sees not as man sees man looks on the outward appearance, but God the Lord looks on the heart. Now all Samuel really should have known better. Should he not Samuel.

Don't you remember Saul remember Saul, are you really going to make that mistake again. Samuel to choose Elia just because he looks tingly.

If you trace the story of Ellie about from here you can see that he turns out to be really critical and arrogant and very untrusting of God. God says is saying all looking for something different. My king listen all when God looks for leaders. Look at what we will get any rarely values what we typically value is not out of the pretty face God never looks at somebody and says wow that is a great dresser or impressive resume, or deny nice body he looks at the beauty here is the only place he looks out of the beauty here and here alone living this ask you before we move on how much time you spend preparing the beauty of this right here under some of us spend so much time working on the exterior part of our lives which has no value at all to God. We spent our time working out, making sure we dress correctly saying all the right things. Some of you spent a significant amount of time this morning getting that bar ready you come in today with this prepared is what God looks at his purity and humility and compassion. People who are quick to ask for forgiveness, quick to admit when the wrong quick to forgive others when they have been wrong while I got sent Samuel should've known all this, but even the best prophets forget things from time to time, so God says the Samuel note not chosen this one. And so Samuel then says to a very surprise Jesse. Well, God is not chosen this one you have another son burst in and Jesse made seven of his sons passed before Samuel and Samuel said to Jesse, the Lord is not chosen any of these single-sided Jesse are all your sons here, not counting like a dumb question to me. Are there any kids that you have forgotten about, and eyes. Jesse says research studies gathers one more, but he is no king. I promise you, there remains the youngest in bold. These keeping the sheep now youngest in the Hebrew is the word Hockett tone, which Hebrew scholars say literally means what he was wimpy and skinny as a got a kid that had a run around in the shower to get wet and he's out keeping the sheep which was the lowest of all the low jobs in Israel. This was the equivalent of the toilet cleaning job single-sided Jesse send and get them we will not sit down until he comes here now. Is it me or does Samuel strike you as a little bit ornery is an older man is like how many sons and I asked you to get Jesse all of them. We sit down to you. This will not stay right here until you bring them to make some progress here and out across the field. Yvonne David gets in verse 12.

Since an brings a man now.

David was ready and he had beautiful eyes and was handsome writing. Some say this means in Hebrew that he was redheaded and freckled. Others say that that word means that he was dirty, disheveled tan and smelled like a pastor how one word could potentially mean both things. I have no idea, but we release that we had pretty eyes. The point is, you look like a king.

He doesn't look like a ferocious man-of-war, which is what they wanted and again he looks like a runt kid with a baby face think Justin Bieber or bowwow or Jonas brother for our own Jonas brother that we have really Justin Bieber. This is king David verse 12 the Lord said, arise, anoint them for this and see verse 13 and from that day on the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David. David strength was not going to come from any inward awesomeness that he has, in fact, he doesn't have that much inward awesomeness. God chose him because he was going to be weak in himself and therefore he could be full of the spirit of God because when you're full yourself not only for the spirit of God when you're emptying yourself. You can be full of him and that's why God uses them for single 17. This brings us now to be most famous Bible story of all time. The story of David and Goliath know everybody thinks they know the story. Everybody thinks they know the main point of the story but I'm telling you, there are some deep Bible things hidden in this story that will unlock not just the meaning of the Bible. The entire meaning of your life and in my experience not to be critical, but very few people understand what's actually going on in this passage. First Samuel 17 verse one out of listings gathered their armies for battle by really quick, who the Philistines. The Philistines were the bad guys at the short answer, but there were a group of people still living in the land of Canaan that Israel had failed to drive out. Ironically, in our culture we say so-and-so is a Philistine weenie that they are culturally backwards.

That's ironic, because in those days the Philistines were the most culturally sophisticated advanced civilization of the time there were the first ones ever work with metal that's why was the Iron Age and they were at the forefront of that. So they had metal for their weapons. They had metal for their chariots, which gave them superior weapons, the Israelites are all fight with rocks and wooden slingshots, so Israel was intimidated by them. Verse three the Philistines stood on the mountain, one-sided Israel settlement on the other side of his big Valley between have actually been to this place is a pretty unbelievable spot.

Verse four there came out from the camp of the Philistines, a champion named Goliath whose height was six cubits and a span which would've made him in our measurements.

About 9 foot six he would have barely missed the basketball goal with his head when he walked by. Verse five he Goliath had a helmet of bronze on his head and he was armed with a code of mail which did mean that he had a bunch of postcards attached to them meant that he had a shirt on, that was made out of metal and know in case you didn't know that and that weight of the coat was 5000 cycles bronze in the bronze armor in his legs in a job. One of Ron Sloan between his shoulders.

Why did you bring a bronze medal to Israel and have any of that at this point.

This guy is superior in every possible way. The shaft of his sphere was like a weaver's beam and he stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, why have you come out to draw up for battle, and I'm not a Philistine… This is meet the Philistine right here and are you not just servants of Saul choose a man for yourself.

Let it come down to me and if he is able to fight with me and tell me and will be your servants but if I rebel against him and kill him. Then you shall be our servants. This is what they called representative warfare. One person fights on behalf of the Army and if your representative wins you when verse 16 says it every morning and every evening. Goliath did this for 40 days every morning at breakfast. Verse 10.

Give me a man that we may fight together and a night when around the campfire roast and s'mores or smoking a pipe for doing whatever humanity comes out says it is really intimidating. Verse 11 we sold all Israel heard these words, the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid right meanwhile back at the ranch. Verse 20. Jesse sends ready David out to see his brothers of the battle with some crackers and cheese all David's brothers were in the Army, which is how we know by the way David was a teenager because the cut off for the Army agent is age of 20 years old to David Sato dumping the Army, which means he was a teenager it teenage David rises up early morning. He leaves the sheep with a keeper. He found a sheep center like a responsible young man would and he takes that the lunch of bulls that his daddy had given him and takes into his brothers. He is essentially a teenager making a doughnut run for his daddy. That's what's going on here. So he brings the snacks to his seven older brothers who were doing the fighting and to be technical here fighting is probably not the best term because up to this point there fighting consist basically of yelling insults of the other team verse 23 has David talk with them. Behold, the champion, the Philistine of death Goliath by name came out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before, but this time David Arden jumped on verse 32. And David said to Saul that no man's heart fail because of him, your servant me ready. Little David out if I can Philistine. And Saul said to David, you got here, the condescension in this. You were not able to go against this Philistine. A fight with them, for you are but a youth and he is been a man of war from his youth. In other words, David. This guy has been fighting and killing people for longer than you have been alive.

He's got socks older than you, David. Verse 34 in Rio, but David said to Saul, your servant used to keep sheep for his father used to.

I mean this morning I was the receiver. My father and then there came a lion and a bear enter the land from the flock and I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth when he arose against me. I caught him by his beard that struck him and killed him.

That first appeared what it bears look like in those days is the question I asked him verse 37 the Lord who delivered me from the ball. The lion from the ball of the bear will deliver me. Also, from the hand of the Philistine. And Saul said to David go in the Lord be with you. In other words, good luck Diane man have a good time without verse 42, when the Philistine looked and saw David. He disdained them, for he was but a youth with his freckles and his floppy hair.

Verse 43 the Philistine said to David, and my dog my dog to come out to me with sticks seriously.

You set out Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang theory to come and fight me what you think. This was a so you think you can dance contest verse 44, the Philistine said to David come to me and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and of the beast of the field.

Then David said to the Philistine. See the problem there is you come to me with a sword in the spirit of javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, you have defied answered this very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand and I will strike you down and cut off your head, and I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air to the wild beasts of the earth that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel notice by the way there's your audience.

Number one, all the earth.

Verse 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and was fear. Notice the two audiences. One is the world to know that God exists and that he answers prayer. The other is the church approved other people in the church all the cowards on the sidelines that God is trustworthy for the battle David says is the Lord's and he will give you and our enemies and approve that right here verse 48, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to me, David. David ran quickly for the battle line amenability David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his four head. The stone sank into his four-headed Goliath fought well. This was the last thing to ever enter my mind and he felt she what I did there and he fell on his face to the ground.

Then David ran, and stood over the Philistine and took assorted drew it out of his sheath David and you have a sword. All the children. Many cut off his head when the Philistine saw their champion was dead.

They fled the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout, and pursued the Philistines and they plundered all their camp. All right, here's the big question what's is the main point of this story. I know you heard the storm was the main point out that the bigger they are the harder they fall literally is probably comes right from the sword of the will get about. There's always hope for the underdog. So never stop believing in yourself. Don't stop believing hold onto that fee will enter whatever is either a boy or how about about this if you trust God. Gotta give you victory over all the giants in your life. Like maybe a really good football team that you're about to plate or maybe a lousy job, or maybe cancer or this is the main point God is appointed you to conquer the giant of mediocrity and dominate in your workplace I've heard all of these as the explanation for this story right.

Are those the main point of the story. What you think, ladies and gentlemen, this is the audience participation part of the program. What do you think no. We teach you something about Bible interpretation.

This is a mistake. The people most often make with the Bible the story of David, like all stories in the Bible is not David you that's not the way goes in the Bible. It is David Jesus you don't ever cut out the middleman. At least in this form will cut out the middleman.

But this book we talk about every week. This book 1st and foremost is not a book about you.

It's not even a book about your life.

It is a book about him is not written to give you a bunch of heroes whose examples are supposed to emulate as much as it is to give you a Savior that you're supposed to adore and hope it Jesus was the small unassuming shepherd boy who fought the real giant Satan. Our sin and the curse of death. He fought as our representative on our behalf while we all stood on the sidelines like cowards doing nothing to help it as our representative.

Jesus live the life we were supposed to live and that he died the death that we were condemned to die in our place and just like David Jesus was opposed by all of his brothers and he was abandoned by everybody at the moment battle. He walked out on that field all alone any conquer the giant all by himself, and now we his brothers stood like cowards on the sidelines while he went and did it.

We get to share in the plunder of his victory.

Even though we did not even lift a finger to help the real giant in our lives are real. Goliath was our alienation from God and the penalty we owed because of our sin and that is something that Jesus knocked out for us on the field of battle all by himself to David. Jesus now you might not we do that now you can understand what it means for your live number one because Jesus is taken out, the real giant of my life I can bravely face all the lesser giants to write this down to take a note still little A here in Christ.

I want to be afraid of death noise cancer comes in for some of you has if cancer columns ultimately I don't have to be afraid of it because even if it kills me. Jesus is taken the sting out of death in the moment of death, I can say like Paul for me to live is Christ and it dies nothing but gain King David righted himself this way gave though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou are with me. The valley of the shadow of death, all I will ever go through is the valley of the shadow I would even go to the Valley of death out of the valley of the shadow of death during which the start until just before is one my favorite illustrations and probably use of double times a year to restore the little girl whose mother died when she was 12 years old. She's on her way from the funeral to graveside and of course you just overcome with grief and she's thinking about the pastor said the funeral he quoted the 23rd Psalm wears a gate all over the valley the shadow of death over no evil germs were daddy and she said that was it mean to go through the valley of the shadow of doubt or dapple fermented about how to explain it to her knees and just at that moment a semi tractor-trailer went on the right-hand side when the sun was shining and it shadow come across her newborn not turned up my daughter and I said said Vanessa, sweetheart you had to choose, would you rather get hit by the drug or get hit by shadow is what rather get him on the shadow of course he said yeah is and Jesus was hit with the trunk of your mom's death so that all the whatever Passover is the Mrs. to care for you no matter what happens to you.

It is not the end of the world with God's watchful eye, you'll never be alone.

You're listening to Summit life and message from our teaching series titled the whole story. So Janie really great resource that were kicking off today that goes along with this series and it will help us get the full picture of God's overarching plan. Can you introduce it to our listeners and tell them a little bit about it yet in this series the whole story. Religion of the Bible is what it really is 66 books written by different authors. 40 different authors into one continuous story that is the story of Jesus destroy the gospel from Genesis to Revelation. Every page points Jesus said to go along with the series. We got a new resource of wood called the books of the Bible cars.

It's a set of cards that will help you as you read the Bible to make connections with the context of the original audience. Each card there's one for each of the 66 book is going to include a great illustration that just represents the book give you details about the books and historical must knows the ill give you at least three key truths that you can glean from the book to get your mind around it to show you where the book points to Jesus and the good news of the gospel so that you can read it to a gospel lens and Nineveh give you are a reflection question help you apply the books message to your life. I'd love to give you this resource as a reference for any time reading to a book of the Bible be a great stack Or wherever you daily meet with God.

You can find out more about this card and this offering. Janie went to get this new resource to you by reaching out Janie Greer.com right now. Today is the first data requested when you support this ministry with a donation of $25 or more member. We need to send it right here not just supporting really getting this program to your fellow listeners making sure you stay on your station and on the lab this amazing set of cards is just our way of saying thanks for your support member to request your set.

The Bible card, I teeth cleaning. I think think think 520 easier you can get online.com I'm only bit of it inviting you to join us again tomorrow when Janie continues our study of King David next Friday on my Janie Greer ministry