God's Power is Bigger Than Your Biggest Problem
Do you know the story of David and Goliath? Not the claymation cartoon from the 1960s (as us old people may remember) but the boy who slay a giant that struck fear into the Israelites. There are some points to take home from 1 Samuel 17.These points were taken from a message by Pastor Kerry Shook from Woodlands Church (link at the end of the blog).
First, we you must attack the giant in your life. We do not do this with reckless abandon, but with God's power and direction (1 Samuel 17:45). How do we know what God wants from us? We must read His word. We must talk to Him. We also have to look at who we are and how we are designed in order to carry out the plans God has for us. David did not cower in fear or pretend like it wasn't there. He faced it head on. What is your biggest fear right now? Is it a relationship? Is it health? Money? Job?
David's instinct after knocking Goliath down was to cut his head off (1 Samuel 17:51). He did not celebrate and pat himself on the back. He wanted to be rid of the Goliath and the fear he was causing in the battle. David didn't want the giant to only be knocked down, but wanted to be rid of the fear and problems Goliath caused. How can you cut off your giant's head? Are you spending too much money? Cut up the credit cards! Are you always getting drunk with your friends? Find new friends that can keep you accountable. There is something major in your life that is causing a problem that needs to be severed from your life. Extreme measures are needed for extreme problems.
David also had an expectation of more giants to come. Life has issues that will not always be the same thing over and over again. But what do we learn by doing the same thing over and over again. 1 Samuel 17:40 tells us that David selected 5 stones from the stream. Why 5 stones? We learn in 2 Samuel 21:15-22 that there were 4 more giants that were related to Goliath. David may have known this before hand which is why he could have selected 5 stones in stead of just one. He was preparing for what else may be around the corner. Once one giant is destroyed we must be ready to face more in the future.
If you would like to see the message from Kerry Shook on David and Goliath in a message called "Giant Killers" please click here.
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Fresh Start with Jesus
No matter where you are in life, that is not the end. It is not over. There is still another chance when you bring Jesus in. He will not force his way in and make you submit to him. It is your choice to bring him in and let him work through your life. I have had people tell me that they 1) are not good enough to go to church and 2) are not good enough to go to Heaven. They have missed the point. You don't earn church attendance or Heaven. You don't earn Jesus. You cannot read scripture and come away with that belief. Please do not be misled. Seek Jesus and begin again with him.
Before Paul wrote many books from the New Testament, he was not the Christ loving individual we have come to understand him to be. In Acts 9, we are taken through Paul's transformation and experiences with Christ. Paul was responsible for the stoning of Stephen (a new disciple). Paul was responsible for pulling men and women out of their homes and having them killed for following Christ which stepped on the toes of the Jewish faith. On the road to Damascus, Paul has an encounter with the voice of Jesus who asks why Paul was persecuting believers. When Paul rose from the encounter he was blinded and instructed to go a temple to meet someone. Once he meets that person his sight will be restored. Paul followed through and had his sight restored. Paul began to proclaim Jesus as the son of God in the synagogues. It did not matter what life Paul had before he came to know and follow Christ, but what mattered was his dedication to Christ after deciding to serve him. Paul didn't have to be good enough. He just had to have a fresh start which including repentance for his sins.
I will say it again, you do not have to earn your way into God's good graces. God's grace is free. It does not cost any money. Grace is not connected to any good deed. Grace is not connected to any church or denomination. Grace is given to us freely from God and all we have to do is accept it (Ephesians 2:1-10). I was watching a video last night from Ray Comfort who was evangelizing (preaching the word of Christ) on the streets of Huntington Beach, Ca. He explains to people that their set of beliefs is opposite to what scripture teaches. Check out the videos below:
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Paul's Defense with Truth from His Story
King Agrippa let's Paul defend himself (again) and Paul tells his story. Before Paul starts telling his story, there is one thing he does twice that many of us would not do in this situation. He humbles himself. In verse 2, he says he considers himself fortunate to be in front of King Agrippa. And in verse 3, Paul once again expresses his humility by saying "I beg you to listen to me patiently." Paul would have every human right to be ticked off and yell and scream, but not once have we seen him during this ordeal lose his temper even after he was punched in Acts 23:1-5.
In verses 4-11, Paul retells his story of being a Pharisee and persecuting Christians and tried to make them blaspheme all to oppose the name of Jesus. Once again, Paul does something that many of us would not do. Paul "tells on himself." It wasn't that people didn't know what he had already done to oppose the name of Jesus, but he was humble (there is that word again) in seeking favor in the eyes of the court. Basically he is saying I did these horrible things as a Pharisee, but what you are accusing me of things that I did not do as a Christian (Christ follower).
In verses 12-23, Paul tells of his conversion. He says how the voice of God asked why Saul (Paul's former name) was persecuting him. He continues by further explaining that he was arrested and plotted against to be killed because he was telling people to repent and turn to God. His final words in his defense to Agrippa speak of unity in regards to the word being spread to Jews and Gentiles. Those words also acknowledge the Holy Spirit's involvement when Paul needed help.
In verse 24, Festus tells Paul that his great learning is driving him out of his mind. The funny thing is, Festus did not really say anything with what he said. It is almost like he is a shock jock just saying something to incite the crowd. Paul almost converts Agrippa to become a Christian. He asks Agrippa is he believes the prophets. He asks this because if he were to ask Agrippa about Jesus, he might get defensive with his answer where when asked about the prophets he is more likely to welcome conversation. Paul says that aside from his chains he would want for all to be like him, having freedom in Christ. When they were done speaking, Agrippa and those sitting with him stated that he had done nothing wrong and could have been set free had he not appealed to Caesar (Acts 26:27-32).
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Paul, Barnabas and The Message
Exit Saul and enter Paul (Acts 13:9). Saul was his real name but in another language names are used sound similar and maybe even have a different meaning. We know that Paul had been one to commit evil acts against Christians, but in verse 4 Paul, Barnabas and John (who was assisting) were led by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Word of God in the synagogues. They encountered a false prophet named Bar-Jesus who was cursed by Paul via the Holy Spirit and stricken with blindness (Acts 13:6-11).
Paul and Barnabas (now without John who had gone back to Jerusalem) were sent a message in a synagogue on Sabbath day. The synagogue needed a word of encouragement. Paul stood up and gave a very quick yet detailed account of how Christ came to be but also not forgetting Moses and prophecies from the Old Testament about the life of Christ (Acts 13:13-47). Paul also informed people that through Christ we are forgiven from our sins and that the law of Moses could not forgive us of all of our sins (Acts 13:38-39). When the gentiles heard all of this they began rejoicing, but the religious leaders drove Paul and Barnabas out of their district once the leaders caught wind of the word of God spreading through out the region. But, the disciples "shook the dust off their feet" and were filled with the Holy Spirit and joy (Acts 13:48-52).
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Two Deaths and a Rescue
King Herod was committing violent acts against members of the church including killing James (brother of John) with a sword. He saw that the Jews were happy about this and then went and arrested Peter as well. Herod is obviously not a man that was seeking God's will. (Acts 12:1-5).
The night before Herod was to have Peter killed, Peter was rescued by an angel of the Lord. The angel tapped him on the side, told him to get up and the chains came off. Peter got dressed and was led out by the angel. The gates to the city opened and the angel disappeared. Peter knew at that point that he was rescued by an angel of the Lord. Peter appeared to others and told them to be quiet about his rescue so that he would not be found. Then he went off to another place. When Herod found out that Peter was no longer in prison, he had the sentries (guards) killed (Acts 12:6-19).
Herod was upset with the people of Tyre and Sidon and they sought for peace with Herod because they got their food from Herod's country. They needed him. The day that he gave an oration (speech) them, the people shouted "The voice of God and not of a man." Herod took pride in that. They were saying that Herod was like a god and was not like a man. Herod took all the credit and God struck him down. The word of God continued to spread and Barnabas and Saul came back from serving and brought back Mark (Acts 12:20-25).
What I learned in this chapter is that a person seeking to do God's will (like Peter) can be rescued. Also, just because you are doing God's will does not mean evil people won't hate you and come after (like James). Lastly, I learned that evil men will be struck down by God as Herod was.
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Further Development of the Church
Peter met with the members of the church and told them about the Gentiles (non Jewish people) who had received the word of God. The brothers and sisters accused Peter of not being a faithful Christian Jew because he ate with Gentiles and they were uncircumcised at that. Peter tells them of the vision he had that allowed him to see that God had no distinction or partiality when it came to who could receive the word of God. Through this the church members were able to understand that everyone, including Gentiles, could receive the word of God. No partiality (Acts 11:1-18).
The Church in Antioch (which was far away) was growing. While there Barnabus and Saul met with other believers and taught for a year and it was also there at Antioch where the disciples were first called Christians. A prophet named Agaubus warned of a great famine that was coming to all the earth. he disciples determined to send relief to the brothers in Judea and they sent that relief by Barnabus and Saul., Everyone pitched in according to their ability (Acts 11:19-30).
From this chapter I have pulled out that when it comes to the word of God and the life and resurrection of Christ, there is no partiality. It does not matter what you look like. You can receive the word of God regardless of the outside. The word will stick based on the inside. I also learned that this was the the first recorded relief effort from one group of people helping another group of people. That takes love and concern and selfless care for others. We need that when there is a national or worldwide disaster. We need that kind of selfless giving on weekdays, weekends and holidays. We need that more often. Love takes no days off.
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Saul's Turn of Faith
Saul is the same man who was imprisoning Christians and he is the same man who had an apostle stoned to death. You would not say that Saul was a man after God's heart. You would not say that Saul was a "good person." But, you also can't say Saul's story is over and he has no chance for redemption.
While he was still searching for more Christians to imprison, a light from Heaven shone down on him. A voice started speaking and asked why Saul was persecuting him. Saul did not know who it was and the voice revealed itself to be that of Jesus. The men Saul was with heard the voice too but did not see anyone just as Saul did not. Saul was blinded and could not eat or drink for three days (Acts 9:1-9).
A man named Ananias was told by God to go to Damascus (where Jesus sent Saul). Ananias was told to go there because Saul (whom Ananias knew of) was there praying and had a vision of a man named Ananias who was to lay hands on him and heal his sight. God said in verse 15, "he is a chosen instrument of mine." God also said that Saul would have to suffer in God's name. Ananias did as he was told and Saul's sight was restored, he was baptized and finally was able to eat and drink.
Saul began proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God to people in Damascus and the people plotted to kill him. He escaped out of Damascus and tried to join the disciple who of course did not believe him. Barnabas spoke up for Saul and told of the light being shone on him and of Saul spreading the word of Christ in Damascus (Acts 9:19-31). When God wants to use someone, he will not pick someone who is perfect, but He will choose those whom He sees as able, even one who had persecuted and murdered Christ followers.
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Persecution and Simon's Repentance
Saul was a man who was the supervisor of Stephen's execution in Acts 7:54-60. In Acts 8:1-3, Saul continued making life hell for church members in Jerusalem. Saul was going into people's homes and committing men and women to prison. They were imprisoned simply for being members of the church. That is called being persecuted.
Now, we have seen that there are people who when they heard the word of God and they hear about Jesus they either chose to believe or not believe. It is their choice. In Acts 8:9-25 we have Simon the magician who had gained prominence by practicing magic and making people believe he was somebody great. As other Samaritans came to believe the gospel of Christ, Simon believed as well, but he did slip up. He saw that Peter and John were empowered by the Holy Spirit and lay hands on the people of Samaria that received the word of God. Simon saw this power and thought he could buy the ability from Peter and John. Peter said to Simon, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God." Simon repented and said "Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me." Repentance is part of our reconnection with God.
We can give up when things seem hopeless. or we can stick to our old ways and pretend to be changed people, but when you have the Holy Spirit with you it can keep you grounded in order to do God's will.
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