Love Worth Finding

Guest (Male): How can we know our motives are sound? Listen to Adrian Rogers.

Adrian Rogers: I know some of you want to win the battle but your motive is wrong. You’ve got a financial problem, but you don’t want to win for the glory of God. You just want more money in the bank. Some of you have got a social problem. You don’t want to win for the glory of God. You just want to be happy.

You see, look, when we get serious about wanting God to be glorified, then God’s going to move. There is power in a sanctified, Spirit-filled person who says it doesn't matter whether I live or die so long as God is glorified.

Guest (Male): Welcome to Love Worth Finding, featuring the powerful, convicting messages of pastor, teacher, and author Adrian Rogers. In part one of today's message, we learned that the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 is also a victorious example of God's power.

As Jesus fought that battle against sin so long ago, there is a continuing battle. In one sense, it's already won, but in another sense, it needs to be fought day by day. How can you and I fight the good fight? If you have your Bible, turn to 1 Samuel chapter 17, as Adrian Rogers shares three principles to live like a king in victory.

Adrian Rogers: We all have some giant-sized problems, some king-sized problems, some ugly and some cruel giants that have threatened us and threatened our loved ones. Goliath-like problems. Many people who are listening to me tonight are living lives of quiet desperation because of some problem in their life: giants of temptation, giants of fear, giants of jealousy, giants of covetousness, discouragement, heartbreak, financial reverse. Problems. Real problems. That's what we're talking about.

God's plan for His people is victory always and in every circumstance. Thanks be unto God, who causes us always to triumph in Christ Jesus. In all these things, we are more than conquerors, super-conquerors, through Him that loved us. And so, dear friend, just as David defeated Goliath so long ago, you should have, can have, bless God, will have wonderful, wonderful victory.

Now, I want you just to imagine the giant in your life. Is it lust? Is it envy? Is it materialism? Is it laziness? Is it fear? Is it greed? Is it hatred? Is it doubt? What is it? What is it that stands between you and God's will for your life and the joy, the victory, that God wants you to have?

There's victory in Jesus, and there is a victorious example in this story so that you can live like a king. Are you ready? The three principles that are here. First of all, there is a principle of persistence. Any battle is going to be won by those who are persistent. I want you to look if you will in verse 32 of this chapter, chapter 17, verse 32. And David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him. Thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine."

David purposed in his heart he would do it. And when he purposed in his heart, he was not deterred by anything. There was the dismay of others. Others were frightened. Look if you will in verse 11, chapter 17, verse 11: "When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid." And look if you will in verse 24: "And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, for they were sore afraid."

Fear is infectious, but David wasn't daunted by their fear. You see, in your battle, you're going to find that you're surrounded by a bunch of cowards, a bunch of weak-kneed people, a bunch of people who feel that it really cannot be done. And if you're not careful, their fear's going to infect you. And the marvelous thing about David is this: that he was persistent in the face of the dismay of others. The fear of man made Saul a coward. The fear of God made David a hero.

David had his eyes upon God, and therefore he was filled with a purpose. There was a persistence in spite of the dismay of others. Look if you will in verse 28. Eliab, the eldest brother, heard when he spake unto the men, and Eliab's anger was kindled against David and said, "Why camest thou down here? With whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness?" Can you hear him as he curls the lip in disdain? Sonny boy, this is for the big boys here. You don't have any right down here. Get on back there in the wilderness. Go on back there with those few sheep.

And not only was there dismay, there was disdain. They looked down upon David. They're going to look down upon you. Did you know that the devil has laughed many a man out of victory? That people have just sneered at us and we fold up and just run away? They laughed at little David, and doubtless, their laughter cut him to the quick, but he refused to let up or back up or shut up.

How about you? Some of you at high school, are you going to let somebody ridicule you for your faith? Are you going to carry your Bible to school? You ought to bow your head and thank God for your food there in the lunch hall just like you would at home. Are you going to stand up for the Lord Jesus when someone else takes His name in vain? Or are you afraid what they might think?

David had a purpose. He said, "I'm going to do it." And not only was there dismay, and not only was there disdain, but there was also discouragement. Look if you will in verse 33. And Saul said to David, "Thou art not able to go against this Philistine." Who was that that said that? That was Saul. And who was Saul? He was the king, and more than the king, he was a warrior. He was an expert. Of course, the classic definition of an expert: an "ex" is a has-been, and a "spert" is a drip under pressure.

But he was an expert, and he said it can't be done. I want to tell you, when you get ready to live for God, and when you get ready to get out of the boat with both feet, or when you get ready to take a smooth stone and a sling and cross that valley against your Goliath, you're going to face those same three enemies. You're going to face those who are in despair. They're going to be howling calamity. You're going to face those with disdain. They're going to be laughing at you. And you're going to face those with discouragement saying it can't be done.

You'll face the same thing little David faced. And you better learn to close these people out and get alone with God and get in the secret council halls of the Almighty and get your eyes on God or you're going to lose the battle. You listen to what these people say, "it can't be done." You listen to what these people say, "you haven't got what it takes to do it." They laugh at you, they ridicule you, and the rest of them are scared to death themselves. You're not going to win the battle.

I believe one of the reasons that David was mighty for God is that he spent time alone with God. We were over there in Israel and I watched a shepherd had a transistor radio up to his ear. I thought, oh, if David had had one of those, we wouldn't have the 23rd Psalm. Had his eyes on God. "The Lord is my shield, my strength, my buckler." And I don't care what Saul says. I don't care what Eliab says. I don't care what anybody says. I want to know what God says.

And so, there was a purpose. The principle of persistence. "I will go." Do you know why some of you don't win the battle? You never show up. You don't even say, "I'm going to do it." One man was bragging about what a great Christian he was. He said, "Oh, I'm not afraid of the devil." That's not even the question, ladies and gentlemen. Is the devil afraid of you? Is the devil afraid of you? The Bible says resist the devil; he's to flee from us.

All right, but now there's another principle. Not only was there the principle of persistence or purpose, either way you want to put it, but there was also another principle. There was the principle of progression. I want you to look if you will in verses 34 through 37 of this same chapter. Now, Saul said to David, "You can't do it." And David said unto Saul in verse 34, "Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion and a bear and took a lamb out of the flock. And I went after him and smote him and delivered it out of his mouth. And when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God."

Now, what is the principle here? It's the principle of progression. You see, David before he fought Goliath, fought a lion and a bear. And he won those victories. And because he had won those victories, he was ready for another victory. You see, David had learned to go from victory unto victory. And before Jesus met and defeated Satan at Calvary, He met and defeated Satan in the wilderness. And Jesus had gone from victory unto victory.

This brings up another point. The reason that some of us are not winning our big battles is that we're losing our little battles. And the Bible says, "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in that which is much." And some of you are not going to be ready when the Incredible Hulk comes along because you haven't been being faithful in those little things. You see, if you want to know what a man is made out of, watch him in the little things.

You see, God could use a David because the first time it's just a little sheep out there, but he's a shepherd. He says, "I'm going to take care of my sheep." One little lamb. Maybe Daddy wouldn't know, maybe no one else would know, but I'm going to be faithful in this which is least. And he slew a lion, and he slew a bear. And when time came for Goliath, he slew him. What I'm trying to tell you is this: that we need to trust God in the small things. There's a principle of purpose. I'm going to do it. There's a principle of progression. You be faithful where you are. You be faithful in that which is small and that which is least, and God will help you to be faithful in that which is much.

Now, there's one last principle and I'm going to be finished in this victorious example. There's also a principle of power. Now, David did not go against Goliath in spite of his purpose and in spite of his progression without any power. He had tremendous power. And what was his power? Let's begin reading in verse 38 as we continue to read here.

All right, in verse 38: "And Saul armed David with his armor, and he put on a helmet of brass upon his head, and he armed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon his armor, and he assayed to go, for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, 'I cannot go with these, for I have not proved them.' And David put them off him. And he took his staff in his hand and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David, and the man that bare the shield went before him. And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth and ruddy and of a fair countenance. And the Philistine said unto David, 'Am I a dog that thou comest to me with staves?' And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, 'Come to me and I will give thy flesh to the fowls of the air and to the beasts of the field.'" That is, sonny boy, when I get my hands on you, I'm going to break you in little pieces and feed you to the pigeons.

"Then said David to the Philistine"—now don't miss this—"Thou comest to me with a sword and with a spear and with a shield, but I come unto thee in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand, and I will smite thee and take thy head from thee, and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls 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 in those verses, the principle of power is delineated.

What was the power that rested upon this man? What enabled a teenage boy, the sanctified, sent, and saving one, to do what he did? First of all, he had powerful methods. He refused King Saul's armor. King Saul was a huge man, much taller than I. David was an ordinary-sized man. And they put all this armor on little David. There he is; he's just a boy anyway, hadn't even grown. Here's this great big breastplate and here's this heavy sword and this shield sitting lopsided. I had to play football one time with a helmet a couple of sizes too big; that's tough. Here's little old David out there. My goodness! He said, "Take it off. I can't use it."

Then he went back to his proven methods. What is this telling us? It tells us, ladies and gentlemen, that when we fight Satan, we cannot use unsanctified armor. The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 4, "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds." You're not going to overcome Satan with psychology. You're not going to overcome Satan with the power of positive thinking. You're not going to overcome Satan with education. You're not going to overcome Satan with money. You're not going to out-organize him. You're not going to out-publicize him.

Do you know the saddest thing I believe in our nation are many churches wearing the armor of Madison Avenue trying to outdo the devil? The world can out-world us every time. And had David put on armor just like old Goliath had, David would have been ignominiously defeated. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal. we have the shield of faith, we have the sword of the Spirit, and we have the armor of righteousness. And so, there must be a powerful method.

There must be a powerful Master. "Then said David to the Philistine, 'Thou comest to me with a sword and with a spear and with a shield, but I come unto thee in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.'" You see, David came in the power of a name. Did you know that we as Christians come against Satan in the power of a name? It's the name of Jesus. The devil's not afraid of the name Adrian. But oh, the name of Jesus! "I come to thee," David said, "in the name of the Lord of Hosts." And the Lord of Hosts is Jesus Christ Himself.

Now, let me go on and tell you one other thing about this power, and then I'll be finished. First of all, there was this purpose, then there was this progression, and then there was this power. Power what? A powerful method, a powerful Master, and a powerful motive. Look if you will in verse 46. Look at it. What was the motive of David that day? David said, "This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand, and I will smite thee and take thy head from thee, and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel." Not that there's a David in the camp, but there is a God in Israel.

His motive was for the glory of God, and that's why he won the battle. You know that some of you want to win the battle, but your motive is wrong. You've got a financial problem, but you don't want to win for the glory of God. You just want more money in the bank. Some of you have got a social problem. You don't want to win for the glory of God. You just want to be happy. You see, look, when we get serious about wanting God to be glorified, then God’s going to move. When we get the right method, when we get the right Master, and when we get the right motive, we've got power.

There's power. There is power in a sanctified, Spirit-filled person who says, "It doesn't matter whether I live or die so long as God is glorified." Do you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit? You reduce all your goals and your aims to one thing: that Jesus be glorified. And you will automatically be filled with the Spirit. Somebody says, "Oh Lord, fill me so I'll be a great preacher." Holy Spirit says, "I'm not interested." "Oh Lord, fill me so I can be a soul winner." Holy Spirit says, "I could care less." "Holy Spirit, fill me so I can live a clean life." Holy Spirit says, "Ho-hum." "Holy Spirit, fill me that Jesus will be glorified." "Oh, you want Jesus glorified? So do I. I'll fill you."

Incidentally, I may make you a preacher and help you live a clean life and make you a prayer warrior and all those other things, but not as an end in themselves. Only that Jesus will be glorified. Is that what you want? There is a principle, ladies and gentlemen, of purpose. Have you made it? There are those going to laugh you out of it. There are those going to discourage you. There are those themselves who are going to be so afraid they say it can't be done. There's a principle of progression. You may not have a Goliath out there. It may be that person that dented your fender when you get out to the parking lot. Or that fellow that picked up your topcoat. Listen, if you're not going to handle those things, what are you going to do when the big ones get here? It’s a principle of progression. Then there's a principle of power: the right method, the right Master, the right motive.

Guest (Male): So if we want to live in victory, we must reduce our aim to one thing: that Jesus be glorified. If you'd like to learn more about that and how to have a relationship with God through Christ, we'd love to offer an insightful resource. Go to our Discover Jesus page at lwf.org/radio. You'll find answers that you may need about your faith. There's a response section as well. You can share how this message has helped you. Go to lwf.org/radio and click the tab that says Discover Jesus. We can't wait to hear from you today.

Hi, this is Cary Vaughn, and this program has been brought to you by Love Worth Finding, a non-profit ministry showcasing the powerful preaching and teaching of pastor Adrian Rogers. We operate solely through the generous gifts of individual supporters just like you. To give a gift today, call 1-877-LOVEGOD. That's 1-877-LOVEGOD. Or write to us at Love Worth Finding, Box 38-600, Memphis, Tennessee 38183. You can also connect with us online by going to lwf.org/radio.

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