The victory of young David over the giant Goliath is one of the most well known events of the Old Testament (1 Sam 17). This epic struggle thrills the hearts of children as well as adults and continues to encourage and secure the hearts of God’s faithful. Here are few, brief lessons for us to remember from that historic event.

Fear debilitates. The men of Israel “were dreadfully fearful” as the Philistine champion taunted and defied the armies of Israel (1 Sam 17:24, 11). King Saul and the men of Israel quaked before the giant. Fear and weakness of faith prevented them from meeting the challenge. It was only after they saw David courageously kill Goliath that the men of Israel pursued the enemy (1 Sam 17:51).

We must not be afraid of the opponents of truth and righteousness, regardless of their size and strength. Our God is greater than the “giants” around us (1 Jno 4:4). The sinful giants of worldliness and immorality, of religious error, of stubborn pride and more – none of these are stronger than our King and Defender. God’s word assures us that “we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Heb 13:5-6; Matt 10:28-31)

Is there not a cause? Even the brothers of David were skeptical and condescending toward him when he showed his desire to fight the giant. David’s reply remains a battle cry of the faithful: “Is there not a cause?” (1 Sam 17:26-32)

A battle is raging for your soul and you must be strong in the Lord to stand and be delivered from the devil (Eph 6:10-13). Immorality is infiltrating the church; doctrinal error is minimized and accepted while spiritual apathy increases among Christians. Yes, there is a cause for which Christians must stand and fight! (1 Tim 6:12; Jude 3-4)

Faith is the victory. David trusted God. We hear it in his words to Saul: “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear; He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Sam 17:37). Similarly, “this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith” (1 Jno 5:4).

David did not defeat Goliath because he was physically stronger but because he trusted God, who is stronger than all. The battle is the Lord’s, not mine and not yours (1 Sam 17:47). Trust and obey Jesus; He will save you (Acts 4:12). Christians are “more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom 8:37, 31-39).

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God, not affected by time, saw that it was time to send His only begotten Son into the world to die for man. “for while we were weak, in due season Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5: 6). It was time in God’s eternal existence to execute the plan. In the “fullness of time”, God sent his son to be born of woman and take on flesh and blood to live under law (Galatians 4:4, Heb. 2:14). Also, it had become “due season” or the time for him to die to save man, for man could not save himself.

     Jesus once said that there is no greater love shown than for one to lay down his life for his “friends” (John 15:13). What must we think of God’s love when we fathom the truth of Jesus dying for His “enemies”? But this is exactly Paul’s point in Romans 5: “But God commendeth His own love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved by His life” (Romans 5:8, 10). What love!

     Paul helps us grasp God’s love by applying it in human terms. “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: for peradventure for the good man someone would even dare to die” (Romans 5:7). Oh, he is a just man who is fair and follows what is right in his life, but I probably will not give up my life for the righteous man. The good man. . .? Yes, he not only does what is right, but always goes beyond his duty in seeking my well-being. Such self-sacrifice might bring me closer to my own self-sacrifice for him. But I cannot begin to fathom what it would take for me to give up my life for my enemies. It takes the love of God, which He manifested when Jesus died for all the sinners in the world.

     This fact of God’s love has been perverted by various forms of the “Social Gospel.” James Cone, the father of “Black Liberation Theology” has said that Jesus died for “the victim”. No, man was not a victim when he sinned. He stood guilty before God for his sin. Jesus’ death for the guilty, allowed God to be “just” with the sinner while achieving His goal of “justifying” man from his sins (Romans 3:23-26).

     Yes, Jesus died for the “weak”, in that once we had sinned, we were powerless to extricate ourselves from the judicial wrath of God. But we were no victim. We were “ungodly” sinners at enmity with God. (Romans 5:6-10, I Jn. 4:10).

     Knowing for whom Jesus died, we have a basis in having hope for such men as Jeffrey Dahmer. Yes, the Jeffery the Dahmer who strangled and dismembered 17 boys and men, cannibalizing some of them. He certainly fits in the “ungodly” category. But sometimes men of such heinous crimes are not allowed into our category of those who can ever be forgiven.

     While in prison, Jeffery Dahmer completed a correspondence course where he learned of God’s love, and He responded by obeying the Gospel. Roy Ratcliff, an evangelist for the Madison church of Christ in Wisconsin baptized Jeffrey Dahmer into Christ on May 10, 1994. After his conversion, he asked for 25 copies of the correspondence course to be sent to him so he could share them with others. Just a few months later, November 28, 1994, Jeffrey Dahmer was killed in prison while cleaning bathrooms. “Let him fry in Hell!” some say. What would Jesus say?

-From Glad Tidings, XX:36, Sept 5, 2010

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You can find the complete outline of this sermon plus PowerPoint and MP3 Audio files at BIBLE ANSWERS

Longsuffering is self restraint that does not hastily retaliate against a wrong (opposite of wrath and revenge), Jas 1:19-20; Col 3:12.

I. LONGSUFFERING IS FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT, Gal 5:22.

  A. Long-Tempered (makrothumia).
  B. Longsuffering Focuses on our Attitude and Expressions Toward Our Fellow Man.

II. THE LONGSUFFERING OF GOD.

  A. Longsuffering is God’s Character in Dealing with Man, Exo 34:6-7; Neh 9:16f.
  B. What God’s Longsuffering Accomplishes, Exo 34:7; 1 Pet 3:20; 2 Pet 3:3-7, 9, 15; Rom 2:4; 1 Tim 1:15-16.

III. OUR LONGSUFFERING, 2 Pet 1:4.

  A. The New Man has a Long-Temper toward Others, Col 3:8-10, 13; Eph 4:1-2.
  B. Mark of Discipleship, cf. 2 Cor 6:4-6.
  C. Specific Areas Where We Must be Longsuffering, 1 Ths 5:14-15.

IV. HOW DO WE DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN LONGSUFFERING?

  A. Give Ourselves Fully to Christ, Col 3:1-2, 8 (12)
  B. Increase Love, 1 Cor 13:4.
  C. See the Wisdom and Power of Longsuffering, Prov 14:29, 17; 16:32; 15:18.

Conclusion

1. Longsuffering of God waits today as in the days of Noah, calling sinners to repentance and salvation (1 Pet 3:20; 2 Pet 3:9, 15)
2. We must live as new people in Christ and be longsuffering toward others in every relationship and situation of our lives.

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1. Does a good conscience protect one's teaching and practice from being judged in the light of God's word?
2. No: He said he ranked first (chief) among sinners, 1 Tim 1:15.
3. Sin comes from the heart, Matt 15:19-20.
4. Question: Can a sincerely wrong teacher be a false teacher? Bible answer: Yes.

I. PAUL WAS A MAN OF GOOD CONSCIENCE, Acts 23:1.

  A. Paul was Sincere in His Convictions and Conduct, Acts 26:9; Phil 3:6; 1 Tim 1:13, 15; Jno 16:2.

II. GOD’S WORD JUDGES A SINCERE SINNER TO BE LOST IN HIS SINS.

  A. Paul was a Blasphemer, 1 Tim 1:13; Matt 15:19-20; Acts 13:45 (Gal 1:14); Jno 7:24; Lk 12:57; 1 Tim 1:18-20 (1 Cor 11:1).
  B. Paul was a Persecutor, 1 Tim 1:13; Acts 26:9-11; Gal 1:13-14; Acts 9:1; 8:1 (7:58).
  C. Paul was Insolent (violently arrogant), 1 Tim 1:13; Acts 26:11; 9:1-2; Rom 1:30.

III. APPLICATIONS FOR US.

  A. We Commanded to Try the Spirits, 1 Jno 4:1.  Examples: Gal 2:3-5; 2 Tim 2:16-18; 1 Jno 4:2-3 (2 Jno 7).

Conclusion

1. Do not be silenced from rebuking error by the unfounded charge that you are judging hearts when you judge teachings and practices by the word of God.
2. God will judge hearts; judge righteous judgment, cf. Jno 5:30.

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NOTEWORTHY NEWS
(Current events in the light of Scripture)

Sympathy Grows for Sinful Marriages
Joe R. Price

The subject of same sex marriage continues to be in the news, reflecting the immoral culture of these United States. The Bible emphatically teaches such conduct dishonors marriage, destroying the family as God designed it as well as the souls of those engaged in this lustful distortion of love (Heb 13:4; Matt 19:4-6; Rom 1:24-29; 1 Cor 6:9-10).

     A poll released by the AP in early October shows for the first time that more than 50% of Americans think the federal government should give legal recognition to same sex couples (52%, +/- 4.5%) (The AP-National Constitution Center Poll). The tide for so-called “marriage equality” has turned and may well become a flood of apathetic acceptance of perversion (Rom 1:26).

     The question posed here is simple: why stop at homosexual marriage? There are as many of 30,000 polygamist marriages in the western United States (Utah, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Arizona). One polygamist household even has a TV show now. They want to be recognized – mainstreamed – and why not?? (I speak as a madman!) Sin’s corruption of souls and society will inevitably grow worse and worse as the divine arrangement of marriage of one man and one woman for life is compromised and distorted by the lustful impulses and sinful choices of men and women (2 Tim 3:13).

     As for polygamy, the life of one of the Bible’s most famous polygamist – Solomon – does not give a ringing endorsement of the practice, that’s for sure (read 1 Kgs 11:1-13). He would write, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov 14:34). The sin of polygamy became the reproach of Solomon and ancient Israel. Sin is the reproach of our nation, too.

     Respect for God and His design for marriage must be upheld by Christians (2 Tim 3:14). We cannot compromise with sin; we must stand with Christ and call sinners to repentance (1 Cor 16:13; 6:11; Acts 26:18-20).

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Created by Chuck Sibbing.  10/23/2010