{"id":8436,"date":"2015-09-15T08:34:47","date_gmt":"2015-09-15T12:34:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=8436"},"modified":"2015-10-13T13:52:08","modified_gmt":"2015-10-13T17:52:08","slug":"dont-wear-the-emperors-clothes-9615","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=8436","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Wear the Emperor’s Clothes! (9\/6\/15)"},"content":{"rendered":"

When “Goliaths” stand before us and threaten us, what do we see?\u00a0 Hopelessness or Victory?\u00a0 How do we proceed?\u00a0 God wants\u00a0 to give us Victory!\u00a0 Pastor Jim explored these truths during his sermon on September 6, 2015.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Click the below “Play” button to start listening to the recording, then scroll down and follow along…<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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The scripture reading was from 1 Samuel 17 (starting at verse 31)…\u00a0 Click the below drop down box to “open up God’s Word”…<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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David vs. Goliath<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
1 Samuel 17:22-39<\/p>\n

22 David left his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers.<\/span>\n 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel.<\/span>\n 24 As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright.<\/span>\n 25 “Have you seen the giant?” the men asked. “He comes out each day to defy Israel. The king has offered a huge reward to anyone who kills him. He will give that man one of his daughters for a wife, and the man’s entire family will be exempted from paying taxes!”<\/span>\n 26 David asked the soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?”<\/span>\n 27 And these men gave David the same reply. They said, “Yes, that is the reward for killing him.”<\/span><\/p>\n

28 But when David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. “What are you doing around here anyway?” he demanded. “What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle!”<\/span>\n 29 “What have I done now?” David replied. “I was only asking a question!”<\/span>\n 30 He walked over to some others and asked them the same thing and received the same answer.<\/span><\/p>\n

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31 Then David’s question was reported to King Saul, and the king sent for him.<\/p>\n

32 “Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!”\n33 “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.”\n34 But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock,\n35 I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death.\n36 I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God!\n37 The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!”<\/p>\n

38 Then Saul gave David his own armor\u2014a bronze helmet and a coat of mail.\n39 David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. “I can’t go in these,” he protested to Saul. “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off again.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

This story is so familiar that we have become anesthetized to it.\u00a0 We’ve turned “David and Goliath” into a cliche; even hard fought football victories have been referred to as “A David and Goliath Story.”\u00a0 It’s so easy to miss the powerful truths that are in this account.<\/p>\n

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Who or What is YOUR Goliath?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Have you ever met Goliath?\u00a0 Perhaps you have met him in the past, or maybe Goliath is troubling you even\u00a0 this morning.\u00a0 Perhaps Goliath is a vague fearsome yet unseen figure in our future.<\/p>\n

Most of us have had or know of a “Goliath” or two in our lives.\u00a0 Sometimes we get to the point where we allow the giant dictate our lives.<\/p>\n

I want to encourage you today that those “Goliaths” are already defeated by the Power of Jesus Christ!\u00a0 Like David of old, as we confront Goliath, God will defeat them and allow us to live a life\u00a0 with hope and joy.\u00a0 Check out God’s promises in these verses (New International Version)…<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t

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