Awakened to Grace

Chad Roberts: Welcome to Awakened to Grace. I'm Chad Roberts, and I'm so glad you're joining us today. I believe God has connected us for a great purpose. Today you're going to hear a powerful sermon.

But before we get to the sermon, I want to encourage you to check out my new book. It's called Blind Faith: Seeing God through Darkness. It's published by our partners at Lifeway. And the reason I wrote this book is because I am 100 percent blind. And as I've walked this path of blindness, this path of suffering, I want to teach you how Christians can suffer well.

I say that today my job as a blind pastor is to help people trust a God they cannot see. You can order the book right now anywhere that books are sold in any format. Even if you're not much of a book reader, you can even get it in audio where you can listen to it. I hope you'll go right now to the official website which is blindfaith.life. Again, that's blindfaith.life. And I hope you'll not only get a copy for you, I hope you'll pick one up for someone who needs encouragement in their faith today.

Today we're in 1 Samuel 17. If you'll turn there. You can't really appreciate 1 Samuel 17 without understanding and reading 1 Samuel 16 because they really go hand in hand. So while our focus today is on 1 Samuel 17, we'll stretch back a little bit and look at 16.

Now as most of you know, in this season I am blind. I cannot see anything. So rather than reading the text word for word, I'm just going to walk us through the text today. I've probably listened to the audio portion of 1 Samuel 17 I don't know how many times this week, but I've thoroughly enjoyed it.

And one of the dangers when we teach or listen to a sermon like David and Goliath, for many of us it's so familiar. That can be a danger. For some of you, perhaps you weren't raised in church. Perhaps you don't even really know the story of David and Goliath and today will be the first time that you really hear the story in detail.

But for many of us, we grew up with this and it's quite familiar to us. And if we're not careful, it can be so familiar to us that we really miss what God wants to say. So my prayer today is that God is going to allow us to read and hear and experience the story of David and Goliath in a new way and in a fresh way that gives us fresh eyes and fresh ears.

That God would be able to say something fresh into our life. How many of you are like me? I need God to say something fresh to me. I need something from heaven today. Anybody else like that? And so I want to hear what the Spirit would have to say to me today and I trust however many people are in the room today, however many people are watching online or listening online that God's going to have something unique and something fresh to say to everyone.

So let's begin. 1 Samuel chapter 17. We find that Israel is in a battle with the Philistines. And I want us number one to note the place of the battle. The place of the battle according to the Bible was the valley of Elah. Now the valley of Elah is significant throughout scripture. It literally means the valley of champions.

And what the Bible teaches is that the Philistines were on one side of the valley, the Israelites were on the other side of the valley, and down in the valley was the battle line. Now you would think that they would clash and go to war, but there was a strategy on the Philistines' part. And their strategy was a certain giant who belonged to their ranks.

And the Bible calls him Goliath. Most of us know who Goliath was. We've heard the story, but today I want us to see this story in a fresh way. So I want you to get the picture in your mind if you can. I want you to picture the battle scene in the valley of Elah. And here they are ready for war.

But rather than going to war, the Philistines will send out their giant. And here's what the Bible says. For 40 days and for 40 nights the Philistine took his stand against Israel. Now those of you who are fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, you know how long that is now, right? Because you got 14 days left and you realize 40 days is a long time.

Well, Goliath has stood for 40 days and 40 nights and he has railed against the God of Israel and he has railed against the armies of Israel. Now you have to remember earlier in 1 Samuel, the people chose for them a king. And who did they choose? They chose King Saul. God never intended them to have a king.

The nation was to be ruled by God himself, but the people wanted a king. And God said, "Okay, you want a king? I'll give you what you want." And who did the people choose? They chose a man in Saul that the Bible said was a head and shoulder taller than every other man of Israel. They looked at Saul and they said, "That's our leader because he looks like a leader. He looks like he knows what he's doing."

And I almost find it comical that God would put Israel with their king who is a head and shoulder above every other man and now God's put him up against a giant. And what is Saul doing? Saul is in the boat as every other man in Israel. The Bible said that when the giant Goliath came out and defied the armies and defied the ranks of Israel, his words were so fierce, his words were so strong that every man in the army of Israel was dismayed and greatly afraid.

There's a couple things I want you to note here. Number one, I want you to note that Satan waged war. This is a type of Satan. Goliath is a type of the enemy. He waged war against the people of Israel without ever throwing a spear or thrusting a sword. He did it solely with his words. He paralyzed, he immobilized the armies of Israel simply with his words.

Let me tell you, my friend, the enemy will do the same to you today. He'll try to paralyze you with fear. He'll lie to you. He'll tell you deceptions. He'll tell you things hoping that it would paralyze you. Do you realize that today? It's his tactic. Now on this day, they faced a mighty giant. Goliath was no joke.

Goliath was a giant. Just his armor weighed 125 pounds. Just the head of his spear, I'm talking the part that would go through the body of a man, weighed 25 pounds. We're not joking here. But let me tell you, today in our world in the kingdom of God, I want you to understand you and I face an enemy today that is far more lethal, far more dangerous, far more mighty than any giant or Goliath that you and I would ever face in the flesh.

The Bible says that our enemy is as a roaring lion. He walks about, he prowls about, seeking whom he may destroy. And Satan would love nothing more than to paralyze you today with fear. He would love nothing more than to come and speak lies to you into your marriage. Speak lies into your prayer life. Speak lies into your children.

Speak lies over your family. He would love nothing else. And I'm fascinated that here are two armies set for war and yet for 40 days and 40 nights not a spear is thrown, not a sword is thrust. It's simply a war of words. And in 40 days and 40 nights, Goliath has completely paralyzed the entire army of Israel including their head and shoulder taller than every other man, King Saul.

I want you to note this. It's often in the valley that will be our greatest experiences. The battle happened in the valley of Elah. And if you and I are not careful, what you and I try to avoid in our life are the valleys. But it's in the valleys that God gives his greatest blessings.

I want to say to you, don't be afraid of your valley experiences today. Don't be afraid of the valley. The end of this year, God willing, I'll have a book coming out called Strength in the Valley. Strength in the Valley. I love what Ruth Bell Graham, the beloved wife of Billy Graham, before she passed, I love the quote that she gave. It really is what gave me the idea for the book.

And you know what she said about valleys? She said this, it's so beautiful. "Mountain tops are made for breathtaking views. Mountain tops are made for inspiration. But fruit grows in the valley." Praise God. Don't be afraid of your valley experiences today. Trust God in the valleys because I tell you, he does his greatest supernatural work in the valley.

Don't be afraid of it. Often the times of greatest spiritual warfare, often the times of greatest spiritual attack, often the times of the deepest, darkest, lowest valleys, that's the place that we find God the most faithful. That's the place where we find the supernatural. That's the place where we find God at his best in our life. Amen? It's in the valley.

So now we have the scene in our mind and they're at the valley of Elah, the place of battle. Philistines are on one side, Israel's on the other side. And now we understand David is going to be sent to check on his brothers. Now you can't understand chapter 17 without really appreciating chapter 16. Let's go back there for just a second.

Because in chapter 16, the spirit of God departs from King Saul and God says, "I'm going to find myself a king. The people chose this guy. I'm going to choose the next king." He tells the prophet Samuel, "Go to a certain city and you're going to anoint the next king. I'll tell you. I'll show you who to anoint." He goes where God tells him and there is Jesse the Bethlehemite.

Jesse, according to the Bible, has eight boys. Can you imagine raising eight boys? My little two-year-old boy is an absolute handful. His little two-year-old birthday party was yesterday. Today is his birthday and he fell and we thought he broke his arm. It's still up for debate. Radiologist has to read it Monday. I can't imagine having eight of them. Eight boys. And David was the least. David was the youngest. He was the smallest.

Samuel comes to Jesse's house and he knows the next king of Israel is among Jesse's sons. David is out tending the fields. Remember Psalm 23, "The Lord is my shepherd." He's probably out there writing Psalm 23. And all of Jesse's sons, seven of them, stand before Samuel with Eliab being the oldest.

Samuel says to himself, "Eliab is the older, he's the taller, he's the stronger. That's the king." The Lord said, "No, he's not. I've rejected him. That's not the next king. He's rejected." He goes to the next, Abinadab. "No, I've rejected him," the Lord says. He goes to the next, Shammah. "No, I've rejected him." And on and on down all seven.

Finally, the prophet Samuel has to look at Jesse and say, "Do you not have any other sons? Is this it? Are there any other boys?" And Jesse goes, "Oh, yes. There is one more, David. But surely not David. David's the least. David's not a warrior, he's a poet. David, all he does is play his harp and write these songs and he's out there with the sheep. You wouldn't want him." And Samuel said, "Go get him and we're not sitting down till he gets back."

And when David walks into the door, the Lord says, "That's who I've chosen." And the Bible says that the spirit of God rushed upon David as he was anointed king out of the horn of oil. Praise God. And he was anointed king in the midst of all seven of his brothers. Now we find ourselves back in chapter 17.

David had to pass a series of three tests before he could face Goliath. There were three tests that God was going to take him through before he could really face the giant. And I want us to see how he passed them today because I believe the three tests are in front of us before we face our real battle.

Test number one was a test of obedience. Now read the text carefully. Jesse told his youngest son David, "I want you to go to the battle line because your three older brothers, Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah, they followed Saul into battle." He said, "I've baked bread for them, I have cheeses, I want you to take the breads, the cheeses, I want you to check on your brothers, get a word, bring back a token of their safety and come back and see me."

Now I don't know about you. Can we get real for just a second? If I were David and my dad had forgot about me in the most important family meeting that had ever taken place in the history of our family, do you think I'd be willing to obey? I'd say, "Whoa, hold up. Hold up, Dad. You don't know who's king. I was anointed king. I'm the next king of Israel. Get another son to do it."

Would that have been your attitude? You want me to leave my sheep and run down to the front line of the battle when you couldn't even remember me when Samuel was here? You want me to go? Get another son to do it. I'm getting ready for my kingship. That would have probably been my attitude. But you know what? David was filled with humility.

David was a man after God's own heart. And when his father commanded him and said, "David, take these things. Take them." The Bible says... listen to what it says. He rose early the next morning and did as his father commanded. My friends, I want us to understand, some of us... listen. I don't want to live in this natural realm where medicine says I can't help you and doctors say I can't help you and technology cannot help me.

I don't want to live over here in this natural realm. I want to live over here in this supernatural realm where God is God. God can do anything he wants. God can heal me. God can help me. God can help you. I want to live in that realm. But you know what it takes to get there? Obedience. It takes obedience.

And if there's something in your life today, if there's something in my life that I am not obeying the father, I can't unlock those miracles. I can't live in that supernatural place. Listen, I want you to think about this. What if David was unwilling to obey his father? What if David said, "You know what? I'll do it when I'm ready. I'll do it in a week or two. I'll do it in a month or two."

You know what? He would have missed the timing of God's supernatural blessing. He would have missed the battle. He would have missed Goliath. He would have missed what God intended for him. And I wonder what blessings are we missing because we simply will not obey? In Luke, I believe it's chapter 5, Jesus is teaching the massive crowds.

And after Jesus teaches, he slips into the boat of a man named Simon Peter who's going to become one of his greatest followers. And Jesus... Peter had worked graveyard all night. Anybody ever worked graveyard shift before? I've worked graveyard shift before. It's not that bad at midnight. It's not that bad at two. It starts to get bad about 3:30, about 4:30, right? It starts getting long.

Peter had worked all night long. He'd fished all night long. And do you remember what Jesus said to him? Jesus is in the boat because Jesus... he preached to the crowds, but he really wanted to preach to Peter. Do you understand? And out of all the people in this room today, let me tell you, God has a word for you today.

Out of all the thousands that are going to be listening online, God has a word for you today, something personal for you. And here's what he tells Peter. He said, "Peter, push out a little from the shore." And Peter did that. And when they were out in the deep, Jesus said, "Peter, let your nets down."

Peter was washing his nets. AKA Peter was clocking out. Peter was done. He was finished. And Jesus said, "Peter, let down your nets." And Peter said, "Jesus, we've toiled all night long. There's no fish here. If there were a fish, I would have caught them. I'm a fisherman. I own my own fishing company." He and John, the Bible says he and John owned a company.

P & J Fishing Industry. "Jesus, I know what I'm doing." See, my mouth would have got me in trouble. I think I would have said, "Jesus, if you want to build a table, let's build a table. You're a carpenter. I'm a fisherman. I fish for a living. I know exactly what I'm doing." But Peter said something remarkable.

David did as his father commanded and Peter says something remarkable. Peter said, "But nevertheless, at your word, I'll let down the nets." Hallelujah. How many of you know sometimes God tells you to do something that doesn't make sense? Let me tell you something God's been telling me that doesn't make sense.

My vision has gotten worse over the last month or so. Much worse. Even worse than what it was. There is absolutely nothing in the natural that tells me there's any hope. There's absolutely nothing when I look in the natural that says that God is working. As a matter of fact, it would appear that God is not working. It would appear that things are getting worse and not better.

But earlier this week I was asleep and it was early in the morning and I was waking up and my eyes were closed and the Holy Spirit spoke to me. And the Lord said, "Chad, when you open your eyes, from here on out until whenever he tells me," the Lord said, "when you open your eyes, expect to see." Every morning when you wake up, expect it.

Expect to see. That's what the Holy Spirit told me. Now I could go to God and say, "God, I've been to Duke University and they say it won't happen. God, I've been to the smartest doctors. They say it won't happen. God, there is absolutely no improvement. As a matter of fact, there's quite a bit worsening."

But that's not what God says to do. I have to choose. Am I going to believe the natural? I have to choose. Am I going to do what I think's best? Or am I going to obey God when God says obey? And even when it doesn't make sense, and even when it doesn't sound right, am I going to say, "But nevertheless, God, at your word, I'll do what you say"?

And every morning this week when I've opened my eyes, I expect to see. Not because I see any improvement, but because I believe the word of the Lord. And if we're going to go into this other place of seeing God do the impossible and seeing God do the supernatural, I'm telling you, it's going to take obedience.

Obedience in every part. What if Jesus had told Peter, "Push out a little from the shore," and Peter said, "Jesus, I worked all night, I'm tired"? What if Peter had said, "Jesus, why don't you come see me tonight when I clock back in and then I'll take you as deep as you want to go"?

Imagine if Peter had not had passed that one little minute detail of a test. He would have missed a great supernatural miracle. And what are you and I missing today because obedience is not on our radar? Because obedience is not our priority? Let me tell you, my little children, they're not perfect. They're far from perfect.

They're so much like their mother... that's kind of a joke, sort of. But they are not perfect. But listen... listen. I don't expect them to be perfect. But I do expect them to be obedient. God expects the same out of us. Are we perfect? Absolutely not. But should we be obedient? Absolutely yes. As Peter wrote, "as obedient children".

The second test that David had to pass, when he gets to the battlefield... he gets out here to the battlefield and his older brother, the one who was passed over for king, the one who even Samuel thought should have been king but yet God said, "I've rejected him." Eliab sees him. And he goes up to David and he says, "I know the evil of your heart. I know why you're out here."

In other words, what he's saying is, "You think you're anointed king now. You think you're going to come... I know the evil that's in your heart." And do you know what he says to David? I can't believe it. He says to David, "And what have you done with those few sheep?" I bet those were fighting words. I bet David's blood pressure went out the roof.

"You don't talk about my sheep like that. What have you done? Who have you left those few sheep with?" I bet David wanted to tear into him right there. But do you know how David responded? Oh, this is beautiful. Just like a sibling. David said, "What have I done now?" It's almost as if David's saying, "Eliab, you've picked on me my whole life. What is it now?

This is nothing new. Yeah, I'm anointed king, but this is nothing new. What have I done? This is only a word." In other words, we're just having a conversation. Do you know what you do when people are jealous over you? Do you know what you do when people quarrel with you? When people argue with you?

Do you know what you do when people are bitter toward you and it's their sin, it's not your sin? Let me tell you what to do. You do exactly as David did in the text. You don't let their sin become your sin. You don't let their distraction become your distraction. Do you know what you do? Here's exactly what the Bible says David did. David turned from him and began talking to another.

Now hear me. Say Amen if you're with me because this is big. Satan doesn't want you fighting Goliath. He doesn't want you in the real battle. He wants you distracted over here quarreling, over here arguing, over here defending yourself, trying to get along with who... listen. He wants you distracted today.

Somebody arguing with you? Somebody quarreling with you? Somebody fighting with you? They're in conflict with you? I'll tell you right now what to do. Just turn from them. Don't even pay attention to them. Go on, do what God's called you to do.

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