Sunday Morning Worship Service "Watch God Work"

Devotional

Day 1: Stones from the Brook, Confidence from the Past

David chose five smooth stones not from an armory, but from a brook—a reminder that God’s provision often comes through ordinary, tested tools. His confidence didn’t come from Saul’s armor but from remembering how God delivered him from lions and bears. Giants loom largest when we forget what God has already done. Trust grows when we recall past victories, not when we borrow others’ methods. What worked in hidden battles prepares us for public ones. [59:48]

Then David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth. And when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” (1 Samuel 17:34–36, NKJV)

Reflection: What “lions” or “bears” has God already brought you through? How can those memories strengthen you to face today’s giant?

Day 2: Armor That Doesn’t Fit, Calling That Does

Saul’s armor clanked and restricted David because it wasn’t designed for a shepherd. God equips uniquely: slings for shepherds, stones for the faithful. Others may pressure you to adopt their strategies, but God’s anointing flows through your authenticity, not imitation. Your tools may seem unimpressive, but they’re sanctified by the One who shaped you in hidden places. [58:08]

So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head. He also clothed him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off. (1 Samuel 17:38–39, NKJV)

Reflection: Where have you tried to “wear someone else’s armor” instead of trusting how God designed you? What’s one “sling” in your hand He’s asking you to use?

Day 3: Transition’s Giants, God’s Chessboard

Giants rise during transitions to intimidate, but God uses them to showcase His sovereignty. Israel shifted from judges to kings, Saul to David—chaos to humans, order to God. Your current battle isn’t a detour; it’s a divine setup. Every Goliath is a pawn on God’s chessboard, proving He’s authoring your story. [47:30]

And all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands. (1 Samuel 17:47, NKJV)

Reflection: What transition are you facing where fear shouts louder than faith? How might this giant be part of God’s larger plan?

Day 4: Ruddy Cheeks, Anointed Heart

David’s brothers saw a ruddy-faced boy; God saw a king. Man’s eyes fix on externals—pedigree, polish, or position. But God anoints hearts trained in obscurity. Your resume may lack luster, but your private obedience has prepared you for public purpose. The battlefield reveals what the pasture has refined. [49:45]

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7, NKJV)

Reflection: What part of your “heart preparation” feels overlooked? How is God using your hidden season to ready you?

Day 5: Ridiculous Faith, Ridiculous Victory

Goliath mocked David’s stick and stones—until the stone flew. What seems foolish to the world is faith’s currency. God’s “ridiculous” methods—a sling, a Savior on a cross—topple giants. Your breakthrough may defy logic, but it will declare His glory. Stop explaining your tools; start expecting His triumph. [01:10:31]

Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. (1 Samuel 17:49, NKJV)

Reflection: Where is God asking you to trust His “ridiculous” way over human wisdom? What praise can you offer before the stone even flies?

Sermon Summary

First Samuel 17 stands in the middle of transition, and God is moving pieces on the chessboard like only God can. God is transitioning priesthood from Eli to Samuel, government from judges to kings, and monarchy from Saul to David. Samuel lets Israel see that when transition hits the land, human power, human structures, and human institutions cannot carry the weight. God has already planned the outcome before the event ever starts, because what God wants, God gets.

The giant in the Valley of Elah rises up like those giant sized problems that show up when God is taking His people to another level. Goliath is big, bad, and bold enough to say Israel cannot go where God has promised. The armies are scared, the king will not step up, and the nightmare keeps coming for forty days and forty nights. David only shows up with food, like the first Uber Eats delivery, but God has him walk right into destiny.

God has already shown David what He can do through him. Saul looks at David’s age, size, and resume, and says he cannot fight. David looks back at lions and bears and remembers that God delivered before. The lion and the bear were not wasted battles. They were proof that the same God who worked in the wilderness could work in front of the whole nation.

Saul’s armor shows that what worked for somebody else may not work for the one God is using now. David tries it on, but he cannot walk in it because it has not been tested. God has shaped David with a staff, a sling, and five smooth stones. The shepherd boy does not need to impress the crowd, because God has already curated him in private for what He is about to reveal in public.

Goliath sees a pretty boy with sticks and disdains him, but God sees the anointed one. The package may not look like much, but treasure is on the inside. Between the anointing and the appointing, God gives apprenticeship, and David’s wilderness practice becomes public deliverance.

Jesus stands as the greater Deliverer when sin and Satan rise up like giants. Jesus comes from a manger, grows up in Nazareth, dies like a common criminal, and rises with all power. The battle belongs to the Lord, and the word over frightened hearts is simple: watch God work, and look for the ridiculous.

Key Takeaways

1. God governs every transition. God is not reacting to history, scrambling to fix what got out of hand. God is already on both sides of the chessboard, moving kingdoms, institutions, and individuals according to His purpose. Transition may feel unstable to people, but it is never unstable to the One who planned the outcome before the event began. [46:20]
2. Past deliverance builds present courage. David’s courage does not come from hype, ego, or denial of danger. David remembers the lion and the bear, and that memory becomes evidence that God can handle this Philistine too. Faith gets stronger when the child of God stops rehearsing fear and starts rehearsing what God has already brought through. [55:21]
3. Borrowed armor may not fit. Saul’s armor is real armor, but it is not David’s assignment. God may use another person’s method for another person’s battle, but David has to walk in what God has tested through him. Spiritual maturity can say, “I appreciate the advice,” while still refusing to carry what God never shaped that person to carry. [58:08]
4. Private practice becomes public power. David was not wasting time in the wilderness with sheep, lions, and bears. God was curating him, developing him, and getting him ready between the anointing and the appointing. What looked small and hidden was actually apprenticeship for a moment that would make others ask where all that strength came from. [64:52]
5. Jesus defeats the real giant. Goliath points beyond one battlefield to the bondage of sin, Satan, fear, and death. Jesus is the true Deliverer who enters lowly, suffers shamefully, and rises victoriously with all power in His hand. Because Christ has won the battle that no sinner could win, every lesser giant stands under His authority. [68:23]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[41:43] - First Samuel 17 Reading
[45:12] - Watch God Work
[45:32] - God Is a God of Transition
[48:53] - God Has Shown His Power Through David
[52:52] - Naysayers Say David Cannot Fight
[56:55] - Saul’s Armor Does Not Fit
[62:26] - God Shows Others What He Can Do
[64:52] - Apprenticeship Before Appointment
[67:00] - Confidence in the Name of the Lord
[68:23] - Jesus, the True Deliverer
[70:31] - Look for the Ridiculous
[75:41] - Invitation to Trust Jesus

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

1 Samuel 17:31-47
“Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul, and he sent for him. Then David said to Saul, ‘Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.’ And Saul said to David, ‘You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.’ But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.’ And David said, ‘The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’ And Saul said to David, ‘Go, and the LORD be with you!’ Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, ‘I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.’ So David put them off. Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine. And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. And the Philistine said to David, ‘Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?’ And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David, ‘Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.’ Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This 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 and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.’” [41:43]

1 Samuel 16:7
“But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.’”

Philippians 2:9-11
“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Observation questions

In 1 Samuel 17:34-37, what earlier battles does David bring up when Saul says he cannot fight Goliath, and what do those memories lead David to believe about this new battle? [55:21]
In 1 Samuel 17:38-40, what does David do with Saul’s armor, and what does he choose to carry instead?
In 1 Samuel 17:42-44, how does Goliath describe David when he first sees him, and what does that show about the way Goliath judges the situation? [01:02:58]
In 1 Samuel 17:45-47, what contrast does David make between Goliath’s weapons and his own source of confidence? [01:07:59]

Interpretation questions

David’s confidence grows out of remembering the lion and the bear. Why does remembered deliverance strengthen faith for a present crisis, and what does that reveal about how God prepares His people over time? [56:31]
Saul’s armor was real armor, but David refused it because he had not tested it. What does that suggest about the difference between good advice and God-shaped assignment? [58:08]
First Samuel 16:7 says that the Lord looks at the heart, while Goliath only sees David’s outward appearance. How does that tension help explain why God often uses unlikely people in public moments? [01:04:14]
David says, “The battle is the LORD’s,” and Philippians 2:9-11 points to the exalted name of Jesus. How does David’s victory point forward to Jesus as the greater Deliverer over sin, fear, and Satan? [01:08:23]

Application questions

Transition often brings giant-sized problems with it. What transition is happening in life right now, and what “giant” has tried to convince the heart that God’s promise will not happen? [47:53]
Past deliverance builds present courage. What is one “lion” or “bear” season God has already brought through, and how could remembering it change the way today’s struggle is being faced? [55:21]
Borrowed armor may not fit. Where is there pressure to fight somebody else’s way, copy somebody else’s style, or measure worth by somebody else’s method? What might it look like to walk in what God has actually tested personally? [56:55]
Private practice becomes public power. What hidden work of obedience, prayer, discipline, or service may feel small right now, but could actually be preparation for something larger later? [01:04:52]
People may look at appearance, résumé, age, background, or polish, but God looks at the heart. What outward label or insecurity has been too loud lately, and how does God’s way of seeing challenge it? [49:45]
“The battle is the LORD’s” does not mean passivity; David still stepped forward in faith. What would taking one faithful next step look like in a situation that feels overwhelming right now? [45:12]
Jesus defeats the real giant. When fear, guilt, temptation, or shame rises up, how can trust in the name of Jesus become more than a church phrase and become a real source of confidence this week? [01:09:33]

Sermon Clips

62s

“``You got a spear, you got a javelin, and you got a sword but I come to you in the name of the lord. See, you got all of that equipment and you got all of that stuff but I got the most important weapon on the battlefield and that is the power of the almighty and so when we look at the barriers in our life and when we look at the fact that sin and Satan were the giants in our lives that kept us in bondage to fear and terror. We recognize that we needed a deliverer who could come and rescue us from the servitude of sin and Satan and there's only one person that comes to mind and his name is Jesus”

50s

“see what God wants you to understand is you gotta know what's in you because David was already practicing for Goliath when he was out there in the wilderness with the lions and the bears. See, see, what you must understand is that everything you have been doing in private, god is about to expose to other people in public. See, you were complaining about not having a large environment. You you were complaining about not being in front of a large audience but god had to curate you. He had to develop you because between the anointing and the appointing, there must always be an apprenticeship.”

72s

“And so David says, now what he has done to the bear, what he has done to the lion, the god that I serve is able to do the same thing to this uncircumcised Philistine. In other words, I'm in relationship with god that this soldier, this warrior has no relationship with the god that I'm in relationship, and so it doesn't matter how big he is. It doesn't matter how bad he is. It doesn't matter how bold he is. My god is big, so big, so strong, mighty. And so he says, point number one, that god has shown you what he can do through you. So there's a history that I have with god that gives me confidence not in myself but what god is able to do through me. The second thing we see in this text is that god has shown you what works for you.”

57s

“And sometimes you have to understand that even though people may give you stuff that work for them, it doesn't mean that it will work for you. I appreciate the advice. I will take it under advisement, but just because you were successful with that strategy or that tactic doesn't mean I will be successful with that strategy or tactic. And so instead of using what works for other people, what I'm going to do is rely on what God has worked for me in the past. Oh, you missed that. I didn't say what has worked for me in the past, but what God worked for me in the past”

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Sunday Morning Worship Service "Watch God Work" | June 28, 2026