I mean, was he walking around as a self-labeled giant killer? You got a giant? Good, I take care of him. Call 1-800-KILL-GIANT. He got here simply doing what was expected and asked of him. He was obedient. No, preacher, obedience brings blessings from God, and it does, but obedience will also bring you in the path of a giant. So notice, what was he doing? Preacher one, he was consistent in his shepherding. In verse number 15, he asked leave of Saul to go back and feed the sheep at his father's house. And even in the palace, even his promotion did not get to him so much that he forgot where he came from. And he forgot what his father had asked of him. He goes back and he's feeding those sheep. Here's the future king of Israel, the current armor bearer for Saul, heading back home to take care of his sheep. Aren't you glad that he didn't forget about his sheep? Aren't you glad that the Lord doesn't forget about his sheep? There was seemingly nothing that was gonna completely take David away from his sheep. Let me ask you tonight, what is taking you away from your sheep in your life? Those that God has put under you. Those that God has entrusted to you to teach and to raise and to do right with. What's pulling you away? Is it a promotion? Is it a job? What is it that's pulling us away from the sheep? As a pastor, my obligation, I don't wanna say my obligation, but my order is my family. Well, actually, excuse me, my order is the Lord first, my family, then the church. And if anything gets between two and three, that ought not to be there, it needs to be dealt with. And so tonight, I wanna learn from David that no matter where I go, no matter what I do, no matter how big my name may or may not ever get, God's given me some sheep. And you ought to be one of the most important things in my life. See his consistent shepherding, but we see his consistent obedience as well. Verse number 17. Verse number 17, where Jesse has asked him, his father has asked him to go and to take an epod of this porch corn and these 10 loaves and run to the camp with our brethren. He's supposed to take cheese to the captain David wasn't perfect, but we see time and time again, he's obedient, he's obedient, he just did what was asked of him. Obedience does not grow with promotion, it grows with repetition. Doing it over and over and over and over again. Where our kids are doing their school and Raelynn's learning her times tables and somehow one way or another, I missed out on that on my education. When we were living in Colorado, I was in the third grade, we were just starting them. We moved down to Georgia during that summer, and I started the fourth grade, everybody already knew them. So what'd you do, preacher? I was thanking the Lord that there was a thing on the wall that had the multiplication tables on it. So when it came test time, But to this day, I still have to go through my mind. And so what we're teaching, Raylan, it's repetition. It's doing over and over and over again. The more you do it, the better you know it. The same thing is true in our Christian life. When me and you just say, no, I'm going to obey. I'm going to obey. I'm going to obey. I'm going to obey. Not because it's convenient. Not because I necessarily want to. I just know it's right. And so I'm going to do that. I'm going to crucify my flesh. And I'm going to obey the word of God the more you do it. I don't wanna say the easier it gets, but the less of a struggle. It'll be because you're not, this is right, this is right, this is what I'm supposed to do. And so David was consistent in his obedience. David was faithful to Israel. Was David faithful to Israel when he became a king? Yes, why? He was faithful to his father when it was just cheese and parched corn. He learned obedience at a young age. He learned obedience when he was small and it carried over to when he was big, so to speak. We see his consistent separating. We see his consistent obedience. We see his compassionate concern in verse number 20. He's not just told to go and drop off these supplies, but he's told to go and check on his brothers and take their pledge and see if they need anything. Literally, they ask if they have any concerns. Now David could have used his sheep as an excuse. Dad, I can't leave my sheep. They need me. Who's gonna feed them if I leave? But he didn't use that excuse. He could have easily used his comfort as an excuse in verse number 22. And David left his carriage. He simply could have called out from the carriage and said, hey boys, dad told me to drop this off, hurry up and come get it. But I'm not getting out of my place of comfort. This carriage is too nice. But he didn't use that excuse of comfort. He didn't even use the situation as an excuse. Rolling up and there's a battle about to commence. And I've got parched corn. And cheese, I obviously am not ready to fight. I need to get out of here before it goes down. That's not David's mentality. We see his compassion that in spite of all the excuses he could have made, he made sure to check in on his brothers. He made sure to do what his father had asked him to do. David could have dropped the stuff off and left, but then he would have been disobedient. His father told him to check on his brothers. Let me ask you, what is the excuse we give out of showing, excuse that we give so me and you don't have to show compassion? We don't have to show concern for others. Well, preacher, I would, but you know my job. Preacher, I would, but you know, it makes me uncomfortable to get in and to deal with people and those kind of things. It's a tense situation, preacher. I just don't wanna get involved. There's a lot of people that say, I just don't wanna get involved. I understand, we're not gonna get involved with sin. We're not supposed to go and participate in it, but sometimes if you're gonna show concern and help people, you're gonna have to meet people where they are. You're gonna have to deal with them where they are. You're gonna have to get involved and be compassionate to them. No, preacher, I'm just gonna tell them Jesus loves you. That's a true statement, but sometimes it takes more than that. of willing to show compassion and concern to them. Here's the thing, we must realize, David's doing all this right, and he still ends up in front of a giant. He still ends up in this battle, so to speak. We must realize that doing right does not exempt us from facing a giant, but more than likely, it'll put you in the face of one. It'll place you right in front of us. Why? Because Satan does not like obedient, compassionate, concerned Christians. So if he can knock you off, he's gonna do everything he can to do it. Let me ask you now, are you willing to do right even if it means you're gonna face a giant? Notice number one, we see David's approach to the fight. Then we notice number two, we see David's attitude towards the fight. Verse number 23 through 36. Now, we know David could fight. We have the complete canon of scriptures. If I was pinned against David, I'm thinking twice, three times, four times about it. David was, he was a man of war, he was a valiant man. We know that about him. And that he wasn't scared to fight. But I don't think David was walking around just picking fights. Want some of this? Come get you some. He wasn't picking fights. But he was not afraid to fight in the times called for, when it was necessitated, when it was needed. And I think he would have been perfectly fine if somebody would have stood up to Goliath. But nobody was. Nobody was standing up to Goliath that day. And just by what he says, we can see David's heart and attitudes towards this. One, he wasn't even in it for the reward. Look at verse number 25. And the men of Israel said, have you seen this man that has come up? Surely to defy Israel has he come up. And it shall be that the man who killeth them, the king, will enrich him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free. It is real. So what did you get if you killed Goliath? You got rich, you got a wife, and your father's house was free. The mortgage was paid for, so to speak. There was no more having to pay on your father's house. Here's the thing, what we can learn from Saul is what you're not willing to do yourself will cost you. I think Saul should have led by example and said he will not defy the God of Israel. He will not defy the armies of God. Saul should have been out there, but he wasn't. And so in order to find somebody in his place, he had to pay some things. He had to give up some things, one being his daughter. How would you like to have been the daughter of Saul? Hey, honey, I'm about to give you away, because somebody's gonna defeat Goliath. What's their name? I don't know. Nobody's stood up yet. You know, that's one of those things, what you're not willing to do yourself that you expect somebody else to do for you, and I've said this before, convenience always costs you. Convenience will always cost you this. We're building that shed. I've been asked at least a million times. Why don't you just go buy one? I said, have you checked the price of a shed here lately? And one person was telling me, when I bought mine, it was only $2,000. They failed to mention that was 25 years ago. I said, I bet it was $2,000 25 years ago. But nowadays, building it myself, yes, it requires effort. Yes, there was a time, I think yesterday, day before that, I was up there and I was putting the decking onto the roof and I was holding, it was dangerous, I was on the ladder holding the decking up with my neck so I could grab the nail gun to shoot it in. Right then I thought, I probably should have just bought one. But hey, we got the decking on and I still have a head tonight. And that is evident, you can't see anything behind me. But we learn from Saul, what you're not willing to do, you're gonna have to pay for. But notice David's response to this. In verse number 25, they told him, hey, whoever kills Goliath, they get rich, they get a wife, and they get their father's house free. Look at verse number 26, and David spake to them that stood by them, saying, what shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine and taketh away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine? That he should defy the armies of God. or the armies of the living God, the people answered him after this matter saying, shall it be done to him that killeth him? Yes, David said, what's gonna be done? But here's a bigger problem, he's defying God, folks. That's what David's saying, he's standing up against God. Listen, if I don't get rich, if I don't get a wife, if my father's house isn't free, I'm willing to fight because it's the right thing to do. He wasn't in it for the reward. He wasn't in it for the recognition. Look at verse number 28. His brother, and Eliab, his eldest brother heard when he spake unto him, and Eliab, anger was kindled, he was so mad, here's what he had to say to David. Why camest thou down hither, and whom hast thou left, those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride in the naughtiness of thy heart. You ever been so mad you used the word naughty? Man, sounds like Santa Claus here tonight. You've been naughty, David. I'm taking you off the nice list. But I did realize that big brothers always have something to say. And I'm speaking as a middle brother, and I'm speaking as, I'm the older brother myself, and there's some times in my life where I got some things to say. My sister, bless her heart, she lives in Nebraska with my mom, and she posted a picture here on Facebook or Instagram, one of those two, and she had a big cup of sweet tea, and said, this Georgia girl has had to learn how to make sweet tea because the people up here don't know how to make it. The big picture of sweet tea has nothing to do with my message, but I laughed at this. And she posted this picture, and underneath it, northerners, Yankees, said, what is the recipe for sweet tea? I thought to myself, hmm, tea. Sugar. You mix them together, you have sweet tea. But what is the recipe? So my sister commented back, she said, I really don't have a recipe. I brew the tea, I put some sugar in the pitcher, and then I pour it in there. Sweet, how does that happen? But David's brother, he mocks David. Who's with your sheep, David? As if to say, hey, David, this is men's business. You should go back home and play with your sheep. Little boy, we're here to fight. Now, if I'd have been David and this was me right here, this account would have been a little bit different. Because I would have said something. Who's fighting? I don't see anybody fighting. I see a lot of people standing around scared. I don't see anybody fighting. David doesn't do that. But Eliab said, you know, he mocks him. Then he falsely accuses David, thy pride and the naughtiness of thy heart. You've only come down here so you can gain recognition. I think Eliab's still mad that he wasn't anointed king. You're just down here to boast yourself, build yourself up. David's like, I brought bread and cheese because daddy told me to. That's what I'm here for. But I'm getting tired of whatever that man's saying over there. Somebody needs to do something about it. Here's the thing, what me and you must remember, just because somebody accuses you doesn't mean it's true. Just because somebody accused you doesn't mean it's true. I've learned this with my kids. One of them's blaming somebody else, and then they accuse them of this, and it's not even true. And before you know it, the one who's been accused is so upset because they've been accused, we've had to stop and say, is that true? Well, no. Then don't worry about it. Move on with your life. Go on. That didn't stop David. All right, Eliab, say what you want to say. I know why I'm here. And I know what brought me here, and I know what's working in my heart. That giant, someone's gonna go fight the giant, and if nobody else is gonna do it, sign me up. Let me go after the giant. He falsely accuses David. David wasn't there out of selfish pride. David wasn't there because he had a naughty heart. He was there, David had this attitude because there was a cause. Look at verse number 29. And David said, what have I now done? Is there not a cause? Is there not a cause? Does that not bother you? That's what David's saying. Are you okay with that? And sometimes in our Christian life, I'm not saying walk around and be a jerk all the time in your Christian life, but it's absolutely okay when it's necessitated to step and say, I ain't gonna deal with that. I ain't gonna take that no more. You're not gonna talk about my Savior like that. He's been too good to me. If you give me about 10 minutes, I can tell you how he could save you and change your life. But he's falsely accusing David. He wasn't in it for recognition. He wasn't in it for the reward. He even understood it wasn't reasonable. Look at verse number 34. And David said unto Saul, finally the word gets to Saul, that harp player, that man that takes care of the sheep, that plays that music real well, is fixing to fight Goliath. So Saul calls him in, and as if to talk him out of it, David, have you thought about this? And David said unto Saul, thy servant kept his father's sheep, or you go verse number 33, and Saul said to David, thou art not able to go against this Philistine, to fight with him, for thou art a youth, but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. David, he's been doing this a while. Look how ugly he is. Look how big and tall he is. Look at that spear, David. Doesn't that scare you? And David said, let me tell you a couple stories real quick. I understand that I'm not a man of war. I understand that I'm just a youth. I understand that, but let me tell you a couple stories real quick, Saul. And David said unto Saul, thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion and a bear and took a lamb out of the flock. And I went after him and smote him and delivered it out of his mouth. And when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and smote him and slew him. The servant slew both the lion and the bear. And this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them. So I understand that it's not a match up on paper, but God has proven himself when a lion and a bear showed up. He saved me and he protected me, but he also let me take them out. He let me get that lost sheep back. It's amazing that lost sheep was in the very, very snares of the lion. And David went and got them back. How many could testify tonight you felt like you was in the snares of hell? when Jesus found you and he saved you this evening. But notice he falsely accuses David, and David understood it wasn't even reasonable. He tries to talk him out of it. David gives him a reassuring testimony. I'm not sure if it reassured anybody else, but it reassured David. What is a giant if you already have a bear and a lion on your resume? Let me ask you that. What's your attitude towards the giant? Are you willing to still fight even if you're mocked, falsely accused, and doubted? There is a cause. Somebody's got to stand up, and even if everybody else stands against you, even if your own family says you're crazy, go back home. There is still a cause this evening. So we know David's attitude towards the fight. We see David's approach to the fight, how he got there. Then notice number three tonight, David's actions during the fight. 51 verses in 1 Samuel. or of this account in first Samuel, 51 verses 58 total. But 51 verses of this battle takes place. The fight lasts one. One verse of this entire book is actually the fight. It was literally, I've said this before, it was literally a one-hitter-quitter. Just one stone is all it took. But notice the actions of David leading up this fight during, leading up during and after the fight this evening. Notice David chose a proven method. So finally Saul says, I ain't talking you out of this, but if you're gonna go, here's my sword and my armor. And David puts it on and I remember we were back in the back classrooms back there and Evan, Evan Hunter-Sheaf was about this tall. And I had brought some baseball clothes, a baseball helmet, a bat, and I had brought some of my jeans and one of my shirts. And I was illustrating this and I told Evan to put it on. Put on my shirt and my pants, it was hilarious. It was absolutely, my pants was as tall as he was back then. And he put all that on and I said, now you try to swing that bat. It was, I couldn't do it. I said, I kind of picture that's what David looked like. He had all the right stuff on him and he's marching out and he can't even walk in it. And finally he tells Saul, he said, listen, I thank you for the opportunity, but no thank you. I've not proven it. This isn't how, I've never fought like this, Saul. This isn't the method that I've done. I have a proven method. I have a method that God has used already in my life. God has already given you everything you need to fight the giant tonight. You don't have to fight him like the preacher. You don't have to fight him like your great hero. Fight him like God wants you to fight him. Be you. Be who God created you to be. You don't have to be like somebody to take down a giant. You just have to trust that the Lord can do it through you. David chose a proven method. David wasn't intimidated, verse number 41. They begin to almost talk trash one another. They begin to jar back and forth, and it's initiated by Goliath, verse 41. Then Philistine came and drew near unto David, and the men that bear the shield went before him. And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. And the Philistine said unto David, I am a dog that thou comest me with staves. And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said, David, come to me and I will give thy flesh into the fowls of the air and to the beasts of the field. And David said, hold on a second, I got something to say too. Then in verse number 45, then said David to the Philistine, thou comest to me with a sword and with a spear. He's trash talking to that man who's twice his size. Your words don't scare me. Because I've got a greater truth. I've got a greater realization that the God that is fighting for me, the God of Israel, is greater than the God you just cursed me by. I have nothing to be scared of, you ugly giant. If I'd have been David, I'd have said, yes, you are a dog. Answered his question for him. But no, he wasn't intimidated. So many times, all Satan has to do is threaten us. We lay down. I don't want to fight. You're going to do what to my family? You're gonna do what to my mind? You're gonna come at me at full force? Well, I'll just sit here and I'll let you go find somebody else. Please don't have that testimony. God is worth fighting for. God is worth standing for. Even if all of hell assails against you, he's still worth it. He's still worth it and the blessing is that he will fight for you. He will fight for you. David wasn't intimidated. Verse number 46 and 47, David wasn't arrogant. David didn't say, hey, look at me. I'm the only one standing up for the giant. I'm the only one willing to fight. You better be scared of me, you giant. He said, no, you better fear my God, because he's gonna do the fighting for me. You got a spear and a sword, that's wonderful, that's great, but I got a God who can open up a Red Sea. I've got a God who can literally open up the earth and swallow people up in it. Better watch where you're standing, Goliath. I've got a God who will fight for me. He wasn't arrogant, but he knew who his God was. The Lord's gonna do this, I can't do it by myself. When it's all said and done, the earth will know that there's a God in Israel, is what David said. What a prophetic statement. Because today, we could talk about David and Goliath. And people know that David had something different. That David, when he fought, it was the Lord that fought for him. The whole earth does know and does know because of this account there is a God in Israel. There is a God, a true and living God. He wasn't arrogant, but notice this, David went on the offensive. Verse number 48, and it came to pass when the Philistine arose and came and drew nigh to meet David, David ran away and hid. David hasted. David ran towards the fight. David, what me and you would say was crazy. He was going towards the fight. When everybody else is running away, there was somebody that was telling me the one time, he said, I don't understand how you pastors do it. How you pastors do it. He said, you guys run into situations that everybody else is running out of. I thought that's a true statement, but it ought not to be just the pastors. It ought to be all the Christians. They're saying, I'm willing to go and fight for God. I'm willing to go into the situation even though nobody else is willing to go because these people need Christ. He went on the fence. David didn't wait for Goliath to get to him. He ran to the battle. He ran towards the man with the spear. He ran towards that man with all the armor on. And here's the thing, we've bought into this lie that we have to fight Satan on the defensive. That we have to wait until he comes into our camp. We have to wait until he comes into our life. We have to wait until he gets all over us, then we can start to fight. And normally we fight like this. If he can't see me, he's not gonna find me. Now we ought to follow David's method that when we sense he's around, step on the offensive, start to quote the scripture to him, start to remind him that he's already a defeated foe, that he's already lost the battle, that the one that dwells inside of you is greater than him. That if he's gonna come for a fight, he better be ready for one. But you're not gonna fight me, you're gonna fight my God. You're gonna fight my God. He went on the offensive. He had to realize this. You know, we think about the armor of God. Yes, we have a shield of faith, but what do we have a sword? A sword can be used defensively, but its primary use is offensive. How do you know that, preacher? My son proved that the other day. He got one of those fake swords from, I think his aunt gave it to him. He was running around the house. He wasn't saying, all right, Dad, punch me so I can block. I said, Dad, do something so I can use this sword to knock you away. No, what was he doing? He was trying to stab me with it. You ever been stabbed with a plastic sword at full force? Said, I don't got nothing, quit. But he was using a sword how it's supposed to be used. The same thing is true, we and you have a sword. But it's more than just defensive. It is absolutely okay to go on the offensive with it. And to use it for the glory of God. But notice this, David went on the offensive, but notice this, David didn't leave any doubt. David didn't leave any doubt, verse number 50. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone and smote the Philistine and slew him, but there was no sword in the hand of David. Goliath was dead in verse number 50. The stone had killed him. Really, the Lord had killed him. Interesting story. It went in this way and he fell that way. Heard one old preacher say it this way, that when the stone hit him, God slapped him in the back of the head and killed him. Knocked him down. Sounds good to me. I'll run with that, but notice this. But he was already dead in verse number 50. But David removed all doubt in verse number 51. He ran up there, grabbed Goliath's sword, and took his head off. Preacher. It's in there. It's what he did. But notice when he raised up the head of Goliath, what'd the enemy do? They fled. Their champion was dead. Can I say tonight, Satan's already a defeated foe. But there is coming a day, we'll watch and watch him for that final time, be cast into the lake of fire. To never bother me and you again. He's already defeated now, but hey, there is coming a day. There's coming a day, Revelation 20 10, the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. Hey, look, I know he's a defeated foe because the word of God tells me that, but I'm looking forward to that day where he will never accuse us again. He will never stand out and call us out. He'll never stand up and try to pull us away from God because he won't be able to. So not David didn't leave any doubt. We know Satan's already a defeated foe, but thanks be to God, there's coming a day when all doubt will be removed. Let me ask you, when it comes time to fight, will you fight like Israel or will you fight like David? Israel was there standing in array, but not fighting. David wasn't part of the formation, David probably wasn't even part of the plan, but David showed up and David fought. And David was willing to stand and trust God, and what a battle that was won that day in Israel. There was no doubt that there was a God in Israel. Here's the thing, when me and you stand up and let God fight through us, it'll show somebody around us that what we have is real. What we have is an actuality that we have a real relationship, not just a head knowledge, but a real relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. When it comes to fight, will you fight like Israel or will you fight like David? Let's all stand this evening.