If you have your Bibles, if you'll take and turn with me to 1 Samuel chapter 17 is where we will be for a good portion of our time today. Let me say this, David, as we come to 1 Samuel chapter 17 is interesting. David has been anointed by Samuel to be the next king over Israel. But it hadn't happened yet. The timing for his taking the throne in Jerusalem has not come. Matter of fact, David wouldn't go to Jerusalem right at first. Matter of fact, David, when he eventually takes the throne, will take the throne in Hebron, not in Jerusalem. And so this is the same David that we're going to come to in 1 Samuel 17. And 1 Samuel 17 is an interesting chapter because most folks, when we think about Daniel, or when we think about David, one of the first things that goes through most folks' mind when you say David is David and Goliath. And we're all pretty familiar with that account. But today I want to give you this account from a little bit different perspective. Because so often we get hung up on this giant of Goliath, this giant of a man that was there. And true, he's there. But I think the account is much deeper than what we often see with just Goliath and David. Because there's some real issues that is in the heart of David. And I believe it speaks tremendously to the fact that David is a man with a heart after God's own heart. And matter of fact, we're getting ready to get another glimpse inside of David as to probably why David has been chosen to be the next king over Israel. And it's because of his heart. It's because of what's on the inside. It's not what's on the outside. David was a handsome individual. That's true that we read from scripture, but that's not the reason. The reason is his heart and what God saw on the inside, not on the outside. So we come to 1 Samuel 17, wars raging in a wide valley on the western front, about 15 miles west of Bethlehem. That's where they are. It's referred to as the Valley of Elah. So if you go to 1 Samuel 17, I want you to notice verse 1 and verse 2. And now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at Soko, which belongs to Judah. And they camped between Soko and Azekah. Ephes and or in Ephes demean. Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and camped in the valley of Elah and drew up in Balaray to encounter the Philistines. So let me kind of set the scene for you. The valley of Elah is a pretty wide valley. It's about 15 miles outside of Jerusalem. The Philistines have set up on one side of this valley and the nation of Israel is set up on the other side. And so they're all in battle array against each other, preparing and in preparation for a battle that's getting ready to ensue. And so this morning for all of us in this building, all of us who find ourselves here today, Matter of fact, if you're a believer today, let me just share this with you. You might as well get ready because battles will come in our lives as well. What we pull out of 1 Samuel 17 is not so much that David defeated Goliath, which he did, but it's all of those things surrounding that I think that we often miss in the details. Why did he defeat Goliath? Was it for the sole purpose here of defeating Goliath? No, don't think so. I think the reason is much deeper than just defeating this Philistine. The Philistines were the enemy of Israel anyway, and they were in skirmishes all the time. As a matter of fact, this won't be the last time that they will have a confrontation with the Philistines. But they find themselves in battle array, they find themselves in the place and in the point where a battle is going to ensue. So for the first point today that I want to share with you, it's this. Warfare is a key element in the spiritual life of the believer. It is. Warfare is something that we're all going to deal with. It's something that is just a part of our life as a believer. Satan is not going to quit. And Satan will use everything and anything he can to try to bring defeat in your life. Matter of fact, every day that we live, we are faced with, we're confronted with different things in our life and decisions in our life that we have to make and those things that we have to be associated with and those things that we're part of that makes life difficult. And so we find ourselves sometimes struggling in these battles. But one of the things that you need to understand is this warfare is a key element in the life of the believer. What's important is how we deal with it. How do we work through it? How do we make ourselves to the place that we can confront them when they come? Well, turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter number 10, 2 Corinthians chapter 10, one of the things that was read earlier for you, 2 Corinthians chapter number 10, and I want you to notice specifically verse 3 and verse 4. This is key, understanding that we live in this life, we live in the flesh because that's what we are. I can tell you right now, if you pinch yourself, it's going to hurt. If you stick yourself, it's going to hurt. That means there's life there, okay? And we live in the flesh. And I want you to notice what Paul said in verse 3 of 2 Corinthians chapter 10. For though we walk in the flesh, and we do, we do not war according to the flesh. The issue is not using weapons of warfare that is used in everyday battles and everything in this physical life. What Paul is trying to get across here is there is a spiritual battle that takes place inside of us. Paul spoke of this in Romans chapter number 7. He says, there is this war going on inside of me. And as a believer, we all experience that. It happens in our lives each and every day if we're a believer, if we're a child of God. And so verse 4, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh. but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. For we are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we're taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience whenever your obedience is complete. It's a struggle, it's a battle, we all go through it. The question is, is how do we deal with it? Well, flip over to Ephesians chapter number six. We're all familiar with this passage of scripture. Ephesians chapter number six, where it talks about the armor of God. Putting on the armor of God. But I want to just deal with verse 12. I'm not gonna go through the armor of God this morning, but I want you to see verse 12. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood." That's not where the struggle is. Even though we have those sometimes, if we look down at the culprit behind many of them, it is not something that's physical necessarily. It's something that takes place on the inside. So Paul said, for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness. against the spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places. My dear friend, listen to me. Satan knows the clock is ticking. And Satan is gonna do everything he can to bring as many with him as he possibly can. And for believers, one of the things that he is going to attempt to do is to get you to the point that you become absolutely ineffective and of no influence to any of those around you. My dear friend, please listen to me. If we're gonna fight this battle and we're gonna be present in the warfare that we have, then we have to stand up and we have to fight in the right manner. Because if we don't, we're going to lose. Let's go back to 1 Samuel chapter 17. David was given the task of going to the battlefront to check on his older brothers, please listen to me, not to fight. That's not why he's going back. David knows that there's a conflict going on, but as far as David is concerned, listen, David is not leaving from his father's house to go check on his brothers in anticipation of being on the front line in this battle. He's still a young man at this point in time. And so David is going to be obedient to his father and he's going to go. First Samuel chapter 17, notice with me beginning in verse 17 through verse 30. Picking up in verse 17. Well, I'll tell you what, let's start in 16. So the Philistine came forward morning and evening for 40 days and took his stand. That's Goliath. Not just one time, not just one day, not just for an hour, not just for 30 minutes, but for 40 days he's done this. 40 days taunting Israel. So here comes David. Verse 17, then Jesse said to David his son, take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these 10 loaves and run to the camp to your brothers. And bring also these 10 cuts of cheese to the commander of their thousand and look into the welfare of your brothers and bring back news of them." In other words, go check on them, take this food to them and then come back to me. And bring me the news or bring the news to me about how they're doing. Verse 19, for Saul and they and all the men of Israel are in the Valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines. And so verse 20, so David rose early in the morning, left the flock with a keeper and took the supplies and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the circle of the camp while the army was going out in battle array shouting the war cry. Israel and the Philistines drew up in battle array, army against army. Then David left his baggage in the care of the baggage keeper and he ran to the battle line and he entered in order to greet his brothers. And as he was talking with them, David with his brothers, behold, the champion, the Philistine from Gath, named Goliath, was coming up from the army of the Philistines, and he spoke these same words, and David heard them. When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were greatly afraid." You ought to underline that. They're cowered down. They're absolutely afraid at the magnitude of this one named Goliath and the Philistine army that has arranged themselves in battle array against them. They're afraid. That's where they are. They're afraid. And I will tell you, oftentimes we can find ourselves when confronted with a battle in our own lives as a believer, if we're not careful, we can find ourselves in that same place of being afraid and cowering down to the attacks that's being brought against us. And so that's where they are. Verse 25, the men of Israel said, have you seen this man who's coming up? Surely he is coming up to defy Israel and it will be that the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel. Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him saying, what will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should taunt the armies of the living God? Notice what David said, who in the world is this uncircumcised Philistine that's gonna taunt the very, who's gonna taunt the very armies of the living God? Who does he think he is? The people answered him, verse 27, in accord with this word saying, thus it will be done for the man who kills him. And now Eliab, his oldest brother, heard when he spoke to the men, and Eliab's anger burned against David. And he said, why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart, for you've come down in order to see the battle." You know, just like Eliab, the older brother, because the oldest brother would have thought probably he'd have been the one been chosen as the next king of Israel, not David, the last and final young man who was out watching and tending his father's sheep on the backside in the wilderness. So yeah, there may be some animosity here between his brothers and David. David, why are you here for? So David's gonna respond to them in verse 29. But David said, what have I done now? In other words, what have I done? I simply came here to bring some food, to give it to you, to check on you, to take word back to my father, and boy, I tell you what, y'all are crucifying me here. Was it not just a question? Then he turned away from him to another and said the same thing, and the people answered the same thing as before. In other words, David says, I only ask a question, or here's, let me put it in another way. He looks at them and says, is there not a cause? Is there not a cause here? This uncircumcised Philistines taunting the very living armies, or armies of the living God himself, is there not a cause here to stand up against them? You know, few things in life are more persistent and intimidating than our fears and our worries. Let me say that again. Few things in life are more persistent and intimidating than our fears and our worries, especially when we face them in our own strength. Fear. can be debilitating. When we consider our lives, our worries, did you know worry can be intimidating? And it can be debilitating. Worry can be. Now I know there's nobody in this building that ever worries. Nobody. None of us would ever worry. You know, isn't it interesting that Jesus himself said, why are you concerned about tomorrow? Why are you going to worry for? You can't add one cubit to your statue by worrying. Because keep this in mind, tomorrow may never come. Let me ask you a question. Is David worried here? Does it appear that David's worried? No. Does it appear that David is fearful here at this point? No, he looks at him and he basically said, who in the world does he think he is? Let me tell you something, here's the difference. David knew something he didn't. David knew something that army didn't know. And for you and I today, here's what I want you to understand. I know something today. I know my Redeemer lives. I know where I'm going when I die. I know the God that holds it all together. And I know the God that one day is going to bring it all to judgment. There's no reason for me to have to fear. There's no reason for me to have to worry. There's no reason for me to be intimidated by what He has to bring. But then we come to the second point. And I think this is what we lose sight of. Battles are not won in the flesh. They are not won in the power of the flesh. Because let me say something to you this morning. You don't have enough power in the flesh to win them. You can't win them on your own. So what about David? So what do we see about David here? Well, notice with me, I'll tell you what, hold your place here in 1 Samuel 17, flip to 1 John chapter four. Let's go all the way back to the New Testament. 1 John chapter number four. 1 John chapter four and verse four. I want to give you something today to help you. I want to give you something today that you can find encouragement in. Many of us know this verse. Matter of fact, many of us have quoted it. But I just want to remind you with it this morning. Notice what John writes for us in his first letter. 1 John 4, 4. You are from God, little children, and you've overcome them. because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. My dear friend, let's live like it. Greater is he that's in me than he that's in the world. Let's live like it. Listen, my dear friend, he does not have the power over God himself. So in our lives, when we face battles and we face these difficulties, we need to understand we're never going to combat them in the flesh, in the power of the flesh, because there ain't enough power there. So how do you fight them? In other words, how do you fight those battles? How do you get to the place that you can be confident when those battles come and when we find ourselves in the middle of them? Well, I think Jeremiah gives us some good insight. Jeremiah, the prophet. Turn with me to Jeremiah chapter nine real quick. Jeremiah chapter number nine. Poor Jeremiah, we often say, but I'm going to tell you something, what a great prophet Jeremiah was. In all the difficulties that Jeremiah faced, thrown into a mucky, mire, lowest part of the dungeon he could be put into. All of the things that were said about Jeremiah. But I want you to notice with me, Jeremiah chapter nine, verse 23 and verse 24. Jeremiah chapter nine, verse 23 and verse 24. Thus says the Lord, let not a wise man boast of his wisdom. And let not the mighty man boast of his might. Let not a rich man boast of his riches. But let him who boasts boast of this." If you're going to boast, I'm going to tell you something. I'm going to tell you what you're getting ready to see. You're getting ready to see David. He is going to find his confidence, his boasting, and his power is going to be in God, not in anything else. So notice verse 24. But let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows me. Let me tell you something, did David know God? He did. And he knew him in a very personal way. That I am the Lord who exercises loving kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for I delight in these things, declares the Lord. Now let's go back to 1 Samuel 17. David's courage. came as a direct result of his faith in God. How many times have we seen God work over and over and over and over again? Let me tell you what it ought to do in our lives. When we see God work over and over and over again in our lives, our faith ought to grow. And so when we're confronted with these battles in our lives, we have the confidence to say, by the help of God and the Holy Spirit, I will make my way through this. And whatever God's will is at the end of it, may God's will be done. Let me share something with you this morning. The emphasis of 1 Samuel 17 is not David defeating this giant. In fact, that he did, but it was for a much greater and deeper reason than just defeating Goliath. Look at verse 34 through verse 37 of 1st Samuel 17. We must stand on what God says and what we know. Not on what we can see or how we feel. 1st Samuel 17. Beginning in verse 34. Notice what it says. But David said to Saul. Your servant was tending his father's sheep. Now Saul had told him, David, you're unable, you're not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him. You can't do it, David. Let me tell you why. He says, because you're still a youth. You're too young, David. But watch what happens. But David said to Saul, your servant was tending his father's sheep, verse 34, when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock. I went out after him and attacked him and rescued it from his mouth. And when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the, and notice what he says, since he's taunted the armies of the living God. And David said, verse 37, the Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, he will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, go and may the Lord be with you. This is not, please listen to me, this is not an unfounded self-confidence or presumption on the part of David. It's an expression of faith in God who is able to act regardless of how the human eye may see it. Sometimes we get blinded by what our human eye can see. failing to remember that God is above all that we can see. God is above all that we can put our hands on. My dear friend, listen to me. I serve the God that is alive today, the living God, who knows, hears, and answers, and will fight battles for me. Church, listen to me. It is time for us to quit cowering down to everything that culture has to say, and everything that the world has to say, and just trust God who's able to deliver us and carry us through to the end. Like Paul said, I know whom I have believed in, and I'm persuaded that he who, he's able to keep that which I've committed to him against that day. That's who my faith and trust is in. That's who I turn to, that's who I look to. And then finally, point number three, confidence and boldness are found in the power of God. That's where they are. You see, David made it clear that the purpose of this victory was not only to defeat Goliath, but to bring glory to God. Let's pick it up in verse 40. So Saul says, here, David, put on my armor. Take all the stuff I have. David went to put it all on. David couldn't move. David took it all off. And he said, you know what? And he said, I'm not going into this battle with these weapons because they've not been tried. So he takes everything off. He takes in his hand a staff and a sling, and he heads out to meet Goliath. Verse 40. So he took his stick or staff in his hand and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had, even in his pouch, and the sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine. Let me tell you what, David took the same weapons that he used to defeat those animals in the wilderness while he was tending the sheep, he took those same things with him to fight Goliath. My dear friend, listen to me. We need to stand true and take the same thing that's tried and true that has been proven all along in the middle of the battle that we need to go into today. We need to stand on the word of God. Why? It's tried, it's true. The power of the Holy Spirit of God, that's what we need. Not in the power of our might, not in the power of our own strength, but in the power of God himself. Verse 41, then the Philistine came on and approached David in the shield bearer in front of him. And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him for he was but a youth. Yeah, and he was ruddy. Yeah, he looked good on the outside. He had a handsome appearance. And Philistine said to David, he said, am I a dog that you come to me with sticks? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. Then the Philistine also said to David, come to me and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field. Boy, I tell you what, Goliath sure is taunting David here. Matter of fact, you come on, I'm gonna give your flesh to the birds, let them feast off of you. You come out here with sticks against me as if I'm some dog that you're gonna beat off with these sticks. And David's sitting here taking all of this on. And so next, David is going to speak. And then David said to the Philistine, you come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin. In other words, you come to me with all of those fleshly weapons for a battle that is not about the flesh. And so, matter of fact, you bring all of this against me. But notice what David says. David says, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. Not me personally. Let me tell you who you have attacked. You've attacked the very God of Israel. That's who you've attacked. Not me. My dear friend, please don't think for a moment today that these battles that we incur are directly against, let me tell you what, they're in defiance of the very God that we serve. That's what they're about. Verse 46, this day, the Lord will deliver you into my, he looks at Goliath and he says, oh, by the way, today, God's going to deliver you into my hands. Really? Verse 46, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army, the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in it. Please underline that, that is the purpose. So that Goliath could be defeated, no. So at the end of the day, God would receive all of the glory for what's getting ready to occur because David did not have it with inside of his own physical strength to defeat Goliath. All Goliath would have had to do is step on him. But my dear friend, please listen to me. David stood in the power of the living God of Israel. And he stood on that. Was there fear? Was there worry? We're not given any details about it here. I don't see any. Verse 47, and that all of this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hands. At the end of the day, the victory of this battle belongs to the army of God, not to the army of the flesh. Church, listen to me. The victory today belongs to the army of the Lord, not to the army of the flesh. Do we believe that? Just go back to verse 11 of 1 Samuel 17. Go back to verse 11 real quick. When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. You know something we see missing there? There's no mention of seeking God or anything else. They're standing in a battle against the Philistines. And they're dismayed and greatly afraid. And here's a young man. with a heart after God's own heart is willing to stand up to this one called Goliath and stand toe-to-toe with him in the power of God. Mighty friend, listen to me. How many of us are willing today to stand toe-to-toe with what the world has to sling at us and stand in the power of God himself? Now, we know the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would say, now for the rest of the story. But I'm not going there. I just want to share some things with you in closing. You can go read the rest of it for yourself. Please listen to me. There was deliverance in the past. There is deliverance in the present. And there will be deliverance in the future. David saw deliverance in the past. He also witnessed deliverance in the present. knowing that God's going to deliver in the future. For me, I don't know about you, I've seen deliverance in the past. I've seen deliverance in the present. Why in the world would we think anything else other than there's going to be deliverance in the future as well? Huh? Church, it ain't over. We haven't come to the end yet. People still need the gospel today. People are dying without Jesus Christ in their heart and life. Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day. The urgency of the hour, the clock's ticking. It's time for us to be bold with our faith, to find our courage and confidence in the Holy Spirit of God and the Word of God, not to stand with inside of our own flesh. Remember what is most real. What is that? The character, the power, and the rule of God. So as one writer said, and I just, this has been, okay, ever since I've read this, it's just stuck in my mind, and here's what he said. We are between the already and the not yet. We're in between the already and the not yet. So my question for you today is what motivates us each day to fight the good fight of faith. Where do you turn to for strength and confidence in the difficult events in life? Where do you go? I'll tell you where David went. David went to the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel. My dear friend, please listen to me. The same God that David served. is the same God we serve today. He has not changed. So my question to you, do you want to continue to battle and fight all that the world has to throw at you? You want to do it by yourself and on your own? You want to try to make sense out of what's going on? Let me say something to you this morning. You never will. Because it's chaos and it's confusion. Satan is the author of confusion and chaos. Order and peace and contentment and joy and love and life comes as a result of Jesus Christ, not Satan. So my question to you today is, so who are you going to choose? Who do you want to follow? You want to keep following the world? I have a simple question to ask you. What's it got you so far? More confusion? More heartache? Does a Christian life mean we'll never face battles? No. But we can face them with the power through the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. So it's very simple to you today. Who are you going to follow? Jesus Christ or yourself? That's the choice you have to make.