Triumph of Weakness: David, Goliath, and Christ

"so not only is he described for us so that we can get a picture of him but then he speaks for us and we have the record of what he said verse 8 he turns and challenges Israel he stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, why have you come out to draw up for battle, that was a very good question wasn't it why have you actually come out here to draw up for battle, that was the question that some of the soldiers in the in the camp of Israel must have been asking themselves you know every morning we get up put the shoes on and everything and then out we come and we just stand there, why have you come out here, if you're not planning on fighting, why do you even show up" [00:60:19]

"you see God is not in need of the big tall handsome quarterback the advance of his church is not that he picks out amongst the cheerleaders from school they have a place some have a significant place but the story of God's Redemptive purpose is not a story of Might triumphing over might but it is a story of weakness triumphing over strength and it is that which is being said up here in the battle lines in the emergence of the Philistine and in his cries of defiance this went on for 40 days" [00:293:46]

"now In fairness if you remember in the prayer of Hannah which takes us all the way back to chapter two Hannah's Prayer which was in some measure prophetic announce the fact in verse 10 of first Samuel 2 that the adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces the adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces but an I shall fight the reverse was apparently the case it seemed that the soldiers of the Lord were at least psychologically and emotionally broken to pieces they were a threadbare outfit they were neutralized on the side of the mountain and not just for a moment or two but for what almost six solid weeks and still the taunt still the cry I defy you I defy you" [00:404:22]

"now of course what we're about to discover is no surprise to us if we know our Bibles and that is that God Saves his people not by might but through weakness personally we're about to see that in the victory of David over Goliath on the first floor we're about to discover that God's purposes for his people Israel are going to prevail the story is nowhere close to being finished but also what we are about to discover is that not simply on the level of the personal or the national but on the the level of the the international if we let's just stay with the idea but but of the the whole Redemptive purpose of God we're about to see that the power of darkness which appears to Prevail is going to be defeated" [00:609:83]

"the encouragement that this contained for the people of the day is an encouragement That Was Then enjoyed by the generations that followed and it is an encouragement that is here for us today in our cities in our homes in our nation in our world God is defied God is defied God's law is defied on multiple levels you don't need me to articulate the ways in which the Defiance of our world opposes almighty God and the church this little group here in the midst of the vast area of Greater Cleveland seems to be so insignificant so impoverished so unable to do anything about it at all tempted to stand aside and simply be dismayed" [00:668:45]

"and the reason that we have for Samuel the reason that it is there if you like the message of first Samuel is to teach us that God triumphs and saves not through might but through weakness in other words it brings us inevitably and wonderfully to the Lord Jesus see what is the what is the great challenge that is to be faced by us all well it is the challenge of Darkness the darkness into which Jesus came as the light of the world people love Darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil but the darkness seems to be so prevailing it seems to be so successful it seems that it's about 47 nothing and we're only in the first quarter of the game that's how it feels and we're confronted by sin we're confronted by death and we are confronted by hell" [00:741:07]

"Goliath was if you like the embodiment of the evil one's attempt to destroy God's plan from all of eternity in other words he's in line with for example the pharaoh of Egypt who wanted all the boys killed he's in line with Herod the Great who wanted in Bethlehem all the children killed that on a personal level is tragic on a national level is significant and in terms of God's ultimate Redemptive purpose it makes perfect sense that God now is going to Triumph through this apparent weakness God will accomplish his purposes in the world that's the message of for Samuel if you like that he will do what he has planned to do" [00:799:51]

"and so when the Army in verse 11 finds itself dismayed and greatly afraid the music just changes ever so slightly and as the story is about to unfold now David was the son of an Aphrodite of Bethlehem and Judah named Jesse who had eight sons in the days of all yeah yeah what's that got to do with anything it's got everything to do with everything because he is about to step his feet onto the valley as Heaven's champion Heaven's champion" [00:852:83]

"and the wonderful story of the Gospel is that just in the same way as David was raised up in that personal historical context so that David's greater son the Lord Jesus was being raised up and being set aside he was going to die in weakness nothing looked less like a messiah than the bloody story of the man on the tree people mocked him is this your the best you can do that's what they were saying the answer is of course it was God's plan he was doing what no one else could do in his sinlessness he bore sin the fight that he was almighty God allowed him to triumph over death itself and to arise Victorious" [00:979:07]

"so that those who are caught up in his victory like at the end of this story and I can't resist getting to it like at the end of the story you've got all these soldiers in the Army all running down the street going this is great this is great look at this this is fantastic who did that well God did it how did he do it through David how do the people of God run out in Triumph not because we become Heroes as a result of our own doing but because we have one in Jesus now here's my question let me ask you as if I was talking straight to you over a coffee can I ask you who or what stands between you and an eternity in which you have decided that you're going to have it your own way" [00:1028:28]

"that is why you refuse to believe in Jesus that is why you dismiss stories like this that is why you stand up on the sight of Goliath and say a pox on all of this stuff oh you come along I never understand why but it's mysterious to me but there you are listen here's what hell is you say I'm going to have it your own way my own way and God says go ahead and have it now let me ask you who or what stands between you and your grave the dates religious attendance multiple religious Notions spirituality my dear friends there is only one who has triumphed over the grave there is only one savior there is only one who is able to save" [00:1078:91]

"the hymn writer puts it majestically when describing the way in which God keeps all of his appointments at the cross of Jesus Christ and he Paints the picture of the Cross and in the third verse of the hymn he says there Lies Beneath its shadow that's the shadow of the Cross but on the farther side the darkness of an awful grave that gapes both deep and wide and there between us stands the cross two arms outstretched a safe like a Watchman set to guard the way from that Eternal grave the cross of Jesus Christ stands there saying don't go there I died so that you don't go there turn from yourself don't be such a proud arrogant dressed up Goliath receive all that comes by way of my torn body and my nail pierced hands" [00:1133:28]