FAITH AND FIVE SMOOTH STONES--1 Samuel 17:45

·         Goliath represents an angry, raging world seeking to destroy all that is good

·         Israel represents a faithless people who believe in God but, through weakness of faith, fail to conquer in His name.

·         David represents the Christian whose faith is in God and whose dependence is in the power of God.

·         David had three things to help him as he faced the giant:

I. COURAGE We admire courage anywhere we find it, whether it be on the battlefield, in the business office, in the school or in society. The need in every field today is for courageous men.

·         We need men of courage in the pulpits.

·         Men of stamina and courage are needed in politics.

·         Danger brings forth courage. We often do not know of its presence in our life until the hour of danger. It was danger of death that displayed the courage of the three Hebrew children. All threats and all danger could not make them bow down before an idol.

·         Danger showed the courage of Daniel. No power on earth could stop him from praying unto God.

·         Danger showed the courage of Paul, the missionary. He did not flinch from any adversary or any difficulty.

·         Danger reveals weakness. King Saul was a big, strong, husky specimen of mankind. He could brag and boast, but his life was not in danger. But in the face of Goliath he began to shake like a leaf in the wind. 

·         Lack of courage quite often is traceable to lack of obedience to God. The preacher or any Christian who lacks courage to stand for God will often be found as disobedient and unseparated from the world.

·         Danger showed Israel to be a cowardly people. They had not walked in the way  which God desired of them. n the hour of danger, they were unable to rest upon His promises and to face the army without fear.

II. MEMORY As David went forth to face the giant THE MEMORY OF GOD'S WORKING THROUGH HIM WENT WITH HIM.

·         David went forth with THE MEMORY OF GOD'S POWER and God's deliverance in former days.

·         THE SOLDIERS OF ISRAEL SHOULD HAVE BEEN REMEMBERING ALSO!

·         Think of the mighty march of God with His people from the land of Egypt to Palestine.

·         Think of God's deliverance from a thousand enemies, His daily manifestations of power and providence.

But in this hour of calamity, Israel forgot, also, the work of God in their behalf Here is one of our serious mistakes as we face our daily trials, temptations & difficulties: we fail to remember what God has done for us.

Christian, remember the salvation of the Lord. The same God who saved you from eternal doom can deliver you from every difficulty.

·         Remember God's provision and protection in the Past.His power has not changed. As He once delivered you, so will He now deliver you.

·         Let memory work for you as it did for David. Remember the power of God and His past performances in your behalf.

·         Remember your past failures because of dependence on self. The Lord who once helped you will help you again. This was the argument which David gave to Saul. Memory was walking with him.

III. FAITH

·         David had faith in God. Though skillful in the use of the sling and stone, it was not his skill that won the battle, but his faith. David believed that God was with him, so he could say, "If God be for me, then who can be against me?"

·         King Saul looked toward himself and his knees trembled.

Israel looked toward human leadership and it is written, "They were dismayed, and greatly afraid."

·         Goliath had faith in himself and soon died. What a monstrous man he was! His height was perhaps eleven feet and four inches. His armor was tremendously heavy. His spear was like a weaver's beam. He trusted in himself and his own power. He did not look to any god, even the false gods of his own nation. He rested in the arm of flesh and soon dropped in death.

·         David had faith in God. He used the means at hand-the stones and the sling. But it was his faith in the Almighty which delivered his people.

·         Think of faith for a moment.

·         Faith cheerfully faces hardships. It does not complain nor find

·         Faith in God overcomes obstacles. David was just a youth, and the giant was a mature man of wide experience.

·         Faith looks beyond all difficulties to God who is greater than all.

·         Faith in God wins the victory every time. " And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."

Have courage-courage born out of faithfulness and of obedience unto God.

·         Remember God's past performances and the failures of the flesh.

·         Remember the Bible stories of victory, and remember that God changes not.

·         Have faith in God. Don't look at the storms and the tempests about you, but look up unto God. It is He who gives the victory. David said, "I come to thee in the name of the Lord.

·         The victorious life is the goal of every child of God. This can be realized today.

·         The story before us is also a lesson to lost people. Goliath, though big and furious and boasting, was weak and ineffectual. Goliath illustrates the need of God in every life. Come to Christ. Receive Him today. Enter into peace and joy now.