Day at DTS: Facing the Giants - Charles R. Swindoll

you're listening to dallas theological seminaries chapel podcast our speaker probably doesn't need an introduction but for those around the world who may not yet have heard him who will tune in to us at great distances with our chapel casts that go all over the world let me introduce him he is our chancellor at Dallas Theological Seminary he's also the senior pastor of the Stonebriar Community Church and he's the voice of insight for living ministry chuck is known around the world and is known especially here at home as one who desires to establish the church with solid biblical exposition and application of God's Word his vision includes the importance of corporate worship an emphasis on small group ministries that provide encouragement and accountability in the body as well he served as our fourth president here at DTS and he's known by what his ministry is called insights for living he is the author of more than I would say 50 to a hundred books I can't keep track he writes one about every other day his ministry has heard around the world over 2,000 times a day as the Word of God is faithfully proclaimed via radio and now internet he's married to his wife Cynthia who works alongside of him obviously in the ministry here in the Metroplex they love to spend time with their four children their 10 grandchildren and now one great grandchild Chuck thanks for your life for your ministry for your encouragement to us here at DTS would you join me in welcoming dr. Chuck Swindoll good morning special welcome to you who are looking at the school for the first time and we pray that God will lead you in the way you should go now if we had a chance to lead you there would be a no other choice but if he leads there may be and we urge you to be sensitive to his leading let me ask you who are married to also pay attention to your spouse it's amazing how much the voice of the Holy Spirit sounds like your spouse and you need to you need to listen I always ask students who have just come and if they're married always look at their husband or wife and say how do you feel about this it gets some interesting answers I remember when we were struggling with it and I was speaking with a registrar on the phone and I told him I would really be praying about God's direction Cynthia said in the background you pray while I pack so that took away all the pressure that was there so having your spouse alongside you if you are married makes all the difference in the world nowaday I want to talk about facing your Giants Giants it's easy to talk about Giants as long as they're lumbering over someone else's landscape but when you find them at your doorstep or discover that one has invaded your home or even more dangerously come inside your head you realize how intimidating a giant can be they have several names these giants of ours if I had the time I would rattle off twelve or fifteen just just a few to start our thinking there's a giant called fear fear even though most of us don't want to admit it most of us entertained phears if you're among those who are looking at the school one of your fears would probably be financial circumstances the fear of inadequacy the the fear of academic demands I spoke with the first-year student just before coming up to my little office here shortly ago and and I said to her how's it going she said it's more difficult than I thought it would be and you who have not yet begun your courses here perhaps entertained fears of the academic demands and they are certainly there though there is no reason to fear as we will learn and there's always the fear of the unknown not knowing what looms out there on the horizon and you think about it your imagination kicks into gear and before long you're off and running and feeling again intimidated there's another fear unresolved conflicts maybe there are some going on in your marriage maybe in a friendship that was once strong and close but now because of the conflict you're at a distance from each other you feel fractured sometimes these conflicts lead to bitterness someone wrote that bitterness is like drinking poison thinking it will kill the other person we are some of people are eaten up with bitterness you may be in that category it is easy as we get older to have a list of enemies that we stack up if not written down at least in the back of our heads then there is the fit there is the giant of jealousy and envy I used to battle with that quite honestly most folks don't know that Cynthia could tell you when we were dating I was I was filled with jealousy I I worried about the most stupid things and as I look back it still feels embarrassing but I don't know if any sin that attacks the ministry like envy or jealousy when you realize that God's blessing rests on certain individuals and doesn't feel like it rests on you in the same capacity or they may have a church that's larger than your church or their ministry may have extended beyond what yours ever will how easy it is to feel jealous and the giant of envy moves in and steals what could otherwise be joy and a sense of confidence and gratitude that God is using any one of us for his purposes and of course my list has to include lust the fire of lust that burns in the chest of all of us it often smolders in secrecy it hides behind a pornography on the internet or are the hidden secrets of our hearts some of you today are addicted to this a giant and it's the best-kept secret no doubt those in your own home don't even know that that giant has you cornered and has brought you under his thumb it's frightening when you think about what that might do in the future as it gets a grip on your life and and one day it will be found out or maybe the lust is simply the the kind of lust that attaches itself to greed another giant and finally I would list discouragement which leads to depression I come across that often when I speak to fellow ministers or talk to students and talk to people in our church to struggle with just discouragement that knowing giant that that that eats away at you in unguarded moments and you can't always in fact you rarely can just explain how it how it got started but there it is again and it hits you at the most unusual time when you would least expect it you fall into the into the valley of discouragement or as the old book says the slough of despond whatever may be your giant let me let me tell you that I've learned over the years that Giants work most effectively in valleys when we have hit a valley that's when the giant begins to march toward us and intimidates us the most there's a giant that appears in the pages of the scriptures in the seventeenth chapter of First Samuel a story you have heard since you were a child in Sunday school I returned to this story in all honesty once or twice a year and I just sit down and I read the 17th chapter of first sight every time I read it I see I see more and more we read in verse 2 of 1st Samuel 17 that Saul and his men the men of Israel had gathered and camped in the valley of Eila and drew up in battle array to encounter the Philistines if you're ever in Israel you must visit this valley the thing I noticed when I was first there way back in my first visit to Israel is how vast it is I thought it would be a small Valley with a little creek but it's it's it's enormous huge sloping on one side and then at the base where apparently at one time a stream ran through and then on the other side the slope that's where they are and what makes the valley intimidating is not the landscape it is that it is the presence of a champion he's called that more than once in his chapter in fact the emphasis always falls on the externals when you deal with Giants in this case we read that the Philistines stood on the mountain on one side and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side and the valley between them then a champion came out from the armies of the Philistines named Goliath I know you know the story and know you're familiar with where it's going but I want to ask you for a few moments too to put yourself in that valley and to imagine looking across the way and seeing this huge imposing individual and full armor we read that he was about nine feet seven inches tall I've never known anyone that tall I know a number of people over seven feet tall but I've never seen anyone even eight feet to say nothing of almost 10 feet in height as if that isn't enough we read that he wore a bronze helmet on his head and was clothed with what's called scale armor that weighs about 150 pounds just the coat of mail that went from his shoulders to his knees and then he has these bronze leggings and then a bronze javelin slung between his shoulders and in addition to that the shaft of a spear may have been like a club and the head of it was about 25 pounds and he had a shield carrier who walked before him that's the most nervous job of the whole group the guy that's the shield bearer for Goliath it was by the way a full-length shield so he not only is armored he has a shield to protect him self from whatever you may throw at him or so he thought and he stood and he shouted he he continues this we read in the chapter verse 16 for forty days and nights he is screaming these words of threat I've often looked on Goliath as the cross-eyed discus thrower he didn't set any records but he sure kept the crowd awake and that's that's Goliath I mean he's he is I he's marching up and down on the other side of the slope sake yet send me whoever you wish and whoever wins will gain the mastery over this country this nation you win you you own us we win you're you're our slaves Giants are like that they're full of intimidating words and when they get inside your head you you hear the screams over and over again even though you pray even though you are aware and are warned of this in a message like this one there they are and and and you hear their voices and he verse eight stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel and so what why don't you come out to draw up in battle array am I not the Philistine and you servants of Saul by the way the tallest one on the Israeli side is Saul but he's not out there fighting him Saul's a celebrity he's not a hero there's a real real difference we're going to meet a hero in a moment but he says choose a man for yourselves and let him come down if he's able to fight with me and killed me we will become your servants and and vice versa again verse 10 the Philistine said I defy the ranks of Israel and I'm sure there were a few curse words thrown in as well he took great delight in it that you could just hear the Farmar he was wearing clanging for one day after the next after the neck and we read they were intimidated to the point into verse 11 that they gave way to dismay and fear see it greatly afraid there he is for everyone to see that mean as a as a junkyard dog he's out he's a warrior from his earliest years and he is he's nobody to mess with and Israel knew it and all retreated to their to their tents now suddenly the text moves us about 10 15 miles due east to a little hamlet named Bethlehem and there at Bethlehem there is a family several of the boys are already deployed in the army and they're fighting with Saul or they're afraid alongside Saul but there's one that remains and the father whose name is Jesse says to this young man David I want you to take this to those who are in battle and he gives him gives him some supplies some food verse 14 tells us that David was the youngest and the three oldest followed Saul they are they are named up here in verse 13 Elia AB the firstborn of been adapt the second and Shama apparently old enough to fight in the army so he's got three boys in battle and now he's saying to David this teenager run this errand and take us over to them understand David has never seen the battle he's been keeping his father's sheep and he could have been a hundred miles away and and not known less about it and so he he hears his father he understands the responsibility and so he he runs the errand and he comes on the scene and he sees this situation for the first time this this is a marvelous part of the story he he's talking there with the with the soldiers he's near his own his own brothers and and he hears the voice of Goliath as he screams across the distance and David who is unintimidated fresh out of the field having protected the sheep as we will read from from wild animals which by the way that is never recorded when that happened so all of this is happening in his private world but that's his background he's he's a man of the field he is a he is a lover of God and and his heart is pure and so verse 24 tells us when the men of of Israel saw the man that is Goliath they fled from here and and and were afraid and they said to him have you have you have you seen this man who is coming up surely he's coming to defy Israel everything is external there's not a word about the power of God there's not a word about the protection of the land of of the people of Israel it is all about the giant this happens by the way when a giant assaults us and so verse 26 there's a nice refreshing change David spoke to the man who were standing by him said or what will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel for who is this uncircumcised Philistine that that he should taunt the armies of the Living God how beautiful is that just a just a brief spontaneous response who does he think yes does he know who our god is of course he doesn't and and and the people said well this what will happen thus it will be done for the one who kills him and and and they describe to him the reward which by the way wasn't all that great it was Saul's daughter has another story but anyway Elia I like them I like the brothers we all got older brothers don't we Elia AB his oldest brother heard him speak and Ely abs anger burned against David of all things Elia was not out there fighting that dude he's back with his knees knocking in the tent but his young runt of a brother shows up and says who is this this uncircumcised philistine Ely AB has a choice word for David he said why have you calmed down those are this and with whom have you left those few sheep on the field makes you want to cut his lips off when you hear a guy say something like that I'm surprised David been slugging but of course he's not the enemy and that is not the main enemy there'll always be people who will bring you down there will always be folks who want to make you look foolish especially when you decide you're going to walk by faith and not sight especially when you determine you're going to have a ministry that's different it's not based on what everyone else is doing and saying and communicating it's based on what you know the Word of God teaches and that's what you're going to be doing you're committed to it and in come the Giants and in come the Friends of the Giants and who with whom have you left those few sheep in the world I know you're insolent your insolence and the wickedness of your heart you have come down in order to see the battle there's a suggestion that it might even say be seen at the place of battle you've come so fo'c'sle think you're a big shot David said I was not just asking a question I like the way the old King James renders is is there not a cause you know don't don't realize that there is a there's a cause to fight for yet the giant war scales but believe me that the more obvious scales were those on the eyes of everyone in Saul's camp who focused on the giant the giant it's all about the giant David's focus is on the Lord as God as we're going to see verse 32 David said to Saul let let no man's heart fail on account of him your servant will go and and and will fight with listings now listen to Saul Saul said to David you're not able to do it hadn't that encouraging I mean it's always not doing it you think if he won't have anybody go and give it a try but of course this young teenager standing in front of him he says your budding youth and and he's been a warrior from his youth David said to Saul your servant now listen to this only time you'll know about it David said oh no you don't understand King Saul back when I was keeping my dad sheep there was a lion and a bear that came and took a lamb from the flock and I went out after him and attacked him what's the last time you visited a zoo and got a real good look at a lion or been up in Alaska and seen a bear you want to have a lot of distance between you and that bear you're looking at that there the top of the food chain they're the baddest things around and he said what a lion comin and look at what he how he puts it he said I went after him I went after him and attacked him and rescued it that's the light lamb from his mouth and when he rose up against me I seized him of the beard struck him and killed him Oh no one ever would have known it if it hadn't been for that verse of scripture he says your servant has killed both a lion and the bear this uncircumcised Philistine is nothing compared to those four-legged animals I've fought with and God has given me a victory over David said the Lord who delivered me look at his eyes these eyes are on the Lord what a wonderful way to deal with Giants as the Lord delivered me from the Paul the line the Paul the beer but he'll deliver me from the hand of this Philistine and Saul said go and God bless you that crazy okay okay but that's not all Saul says look at the next scene saw clothe David with his armor huh Saul is a fifty eight long and David is about a thirty six regular and so he puts all of this on him he looks like a walking garage sale from an army navy surplus store he's got a helmet looking out the ear hole of it he's got big old Saul's armor and and got big old boots on and David look at how it reads I love this he clothed him with his garments and put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with his armor and girded his sword over his armor and David tried to walk for he had not tested them so David say I cannot go with these may I add that you cannot fight in someone else's armor you got armored men and women sitting on his platform whose lives we all respect they don't walk on water but I'll tell you what they're about the best around it's easy to think that something about them will somehow become yours by osmosis it doesn't work like that someday you're going to be on your own you won't hear the voices anymore and you're going to be out there in your own Valley and you'll realize I can't fight in their armor and even though I respect them their stuff doesn't fit me David said I've got to go with what the Lord is equipped me with he said I've not tested them and and so David took him off he leaves it all in a pile and look this isn't good he took a stick in his hand is that great as a giant take a stick in his hand chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had even in his pouch so he takes this he takes this pouch he's got hanging from his waist and he puts his stones in his pouch and and and we read and he approached the Philistine the Fliss team came and and approached David with shield bare in front of him and he disdained him he was but a youth and bliss teen verse 43 says am i a dog what is this as a matter of fact your am i a dog that you come to me with sticks and the Fliss teen cursed David by his gods how dare he do that to God's anointed it all flies by David it doesn't in any way hit him David stands there with the stones rattling in the bag on his hip and a stick in his hand and David says to him you come to me with a sword and a spear and a javelin I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts the god of the armies of Israel whom you have taunted champions never heard words like that by the way you got to stand up the face of a giant especially if the Giants name is legalism you'll fight it throughout your ministry I've learned that if I don't deal with legal is straight on face to face with strong words they don't hear you and they do their best to tear your church apart or to put people under their control and david says to him this day the Lord will deliver you into my hands and I'll strike you down and and remove your head from you is that a great line I'm going to knock you down I'm going to remove your head from your body okay just just want to set it straight before I do it verse 49 David put his hand into the bag took from it a stone kitchen full folk hit him right between the running lights I'm he fell like a sack of salt just like that gone are you talking that's really all it takes in fact the simple statement is verse 50 David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone and struck the Philistine and killed him but there was no sword in David's hand he didn't fight with swords he had learned to fight with stones and a staff that's what worked for him and he had cultivated it and the men of Israel and Judah rose and shouted and and and pursued the Philistines as far as the valley and the digging to the gates of Ekron and we go back to David David verse 54 liked this part took the Philistine head and and brought it to Jerusalem so David stands over the champion cuts that old head off holds it up like that yes I mean it make every marine salivate there it is look at that there that's what he really is he's nothing he's nothing in comparison to the Lord our God and he brought that he brought the head to to Jerusalem and notice in verse 54 he put the weapons in his tent Davids 10 don't go too quickly over this wrap-up of the battle a significant what else is in David's tent about the paw of a bear how about the mane of a lion or the tail just a reminder of those lion and bear moments when God brought a victory through him he put the weapons in his tent my time is up but I brought along a bag of stones which came from the Valley of Elah that's right when I first used this little bag of stones I uh I was here at chapel and dr. Pentecost was sitting over here looking at me over the top of his glasses he's been to Israel as much as Jesus and so he's he he listens to me as I as I say uh you know I I'm down there fingering fingering these stones and I'm thinking boy maybe maybe David look past some of these and chose the ones he chose how great is that doc Pentecost said to me later hey Chuck yeah so you need to know that about every month tel Aviv sends a dump truck down to the valley and for the sake of the tourists drops all those stones in there leave it to Pentecost to mess up a great illustration huh so I tell people these are not David stones but these are stones that at least were right where he got he is let me give you five things to remember about giants here we go number one all Giants seem larger than they really are all Giants seem larger than they really are you think you'll not be able to get control over whatever that giant is one I named or maybe one I didn't name it seems larger than it really is it's not larger than our God it's not larger than your Savior here's the second success in facing Giants depends on how well you prepare for them by the way you do that in private well we're not a little icon sitting on public shelves we ministers we do our best work while no one is looking or we should that's where you prepare your heart that's where you pour out your soul that's where you cry out for God's help and remind yourself that the battle is his it's in private so success in facing your giant depends on how well you prepare for that giant three never forget your own lion and bear stories every one of you has some I have some they have been entered into my journal so I'll never forget them that's why I say to you don't don't ever forget what God has done for you as a little cliche count your many blessings you can put it that way but think of them as God's powerful working in and through your life never forget your own lion and bear stories remember that magnificent impossible situation that God turned around for you remember that prayer that you offered in a weak faith and and by the grace of God he answered most of you never dreamed of sitting in this place two three years ago and here you sit some lion and bear stories that have gone into that number four when the crucial moment arrives remember these five words the battle is what the Lord's the battle is the Lord's the day you take on a giant in your own flesh is a day you will face defeat all the way through this this episode this this brief battle David's focus is on the Lord his God the wonder he's called a man after God's own heart everybody else focused on the Giant David realized that his God was greater than any giant so when the crucial moment arrives remember those five words learn to say them to yourself how many times I've said the words to to my own self or to Cynthia's we're driving some we're going through a tough time let's remember honey the battle is the law let's remember this isn't our battle this is the Lord's battle he's the warrior he's the triumphant one he's the majestic one we're nothing without him number five following every giant victory place a reminder in your mental trophy case following every giant victory place a reminder in your mental trophy case I hope you journal I hope you have a place where you record you literally write down the way God handle whatever and slew your giant years ago all of us remember the very effective life of Corrie ten Boom remember remember her words when she would describe what she was going through with Betsy before Betsy's death and then finally standing there in that death camp not knowing what tomorrow was going to bring she came to realize there is no pit so deep but that he is not deeper still may I play on that for what I'm trying to say today there is no giant so great that he is not greater still please bow with me whether faculty member or student or guests we all have them secret Giants that haunt us and could defeat us unless we remember greater is He Who is in you then he who's in the world a father you are the powerful one we are the weak ones you are the Potter we are the clay you are the master we are the slave the bond slave of your son Jesus you know the end from the beginning we don't even know what the next hour will include you are infinitely majestic and we are finite mere human beings filled with the flesh forever focusing on what is seen rather than the unseen begin to deliver us from that habit I pray and build within us a strong determination to take on whatever may be a giant in the power of your spirit and in the majestic name of Christ we pray everyone said

Channel: Dallas Theological Seminary

Views: 35,104

Rating: 4.7818184 out of 5

Keywords: Dallas Theological Seminary, DTS, Dallas Seminary, Charles Swindoll, Chuck Swindoll, giants, students, bible, jesus, depression, struggle, fear, lust, greed, anger, God, tackle, Senior Pastor, Stonebriar Community Church, church, Christianity (Religion), Day at DTS, admissions, Samuel, Goliath

Id: 9I4m27Efgo0

Length: 40min 57sec (2457 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 12 2012