The Faith Warrior

Introduction

As we read the Old Testament and encounter the military conquests made by the Lord’s people and specific individuals, what may be overlooked is the role that faith played in their success. But it was not lost on them or the discussions of the Old Testament about their victories. I think, first of all, of 1 Samuel chapter 14, when for some reason, unbeknownst to his father the king Saul, Jonathan takes his armor bearer, and the two of them go and confront a garrison of the Philistines. They would be outnumbered in this attack. But it says in 1 Samuel 14 and verse 6 that Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his armor, come and let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. You know, these men represented enemies not just of Israel, but of God himself.

Perhaps the Lord will work for us. For the Lord is not restrained to save by many or by few.

One of my favorites, but even the influence that he’s had on this man who serves him as his armor bearer, that he has confidence in Jonathan and confidence in the God of Jonathan that they can accomplish, and his own God as well, that they can accomplish this victory. And indeed they do, and it begins a route of the Philistines, not without a little hitch in the story, thanks to Saul, but still the beginnings of a victory for Israel. Now I flashed up there a moment ago. This is equally true in 2 Samuel 23, and this intriguing list that I’ve loved since I was a little boy of the list of David’s mighty men. The emphasis of this text is not just that they were great warriors and pulled off astounding victories like the three that most of the others did not attain to.

And he wrought a great victory. And Shamma, the son of Ajay in verse 11, who defended that plot of land. And then, of course, one of my favorites on down in the list, there will be Solomon’s future enforcer, Beniah, the son of Jehoida, who went down into the middle of a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. And of course, you all remember that sermon right now. Well, Hayden does. I don’t know if anybody else remembers Beniah, the son of Jehoiada going down into the pit on a snowy day and killing that lion. But all of these exploits have faith written all over them. They were confident in God as they faced their adversary. And of course, all of this flows out of the respect and admiration that they had for the faith warrior, their king.

King David. And so without question, the spiritual influence of their leader had a great deal to do with their successes in his administration. And of course, all of that harkens back to his first great military victory. The story that we’ve read from our childhood about David and Goliath. Why is David even at the camp? Well, he’s down there visiting his older brothers who are in the army of King Saul. And he hears about the taunts of this giant who is taunting the armies of the living God, and no man would go out before him, not even King Saul, whom I’ve suggested many times to you, should have been the one to go out in faith and conquer this giant. But it is David who takes on the challenge and of course conquers that massive man Goliath in this story.

1. He Will Deliver Me From This Philistine

And I particularly want to look tonight at 1 Samuel chapter 17 and the discussion that takes place with King Saul. When David says, I’ll go out against this uncircumcised Philistine who taunts the armies of the living God. And so he gets an audience with King Saul, perhaps his first audience with the king. And of course, King Saul offers his own armor, which David tries on and politely rejects because it’s too large and cumbersome for him. But he’s going to go out with a few stones and a sling. But I want you to notice the discussion with Saul to David. Look at verse 33. Notice the devil standing in the way here. Then Saul said to David, You are not able to go against the Philistine to fight with him.

For you are but a youth. While he has been a warrior from his youth. First of all, Goliath is far more experienced than you, not to mention he’s about twice as large as you. But David said to Saul, your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock. Okay, now let’s stop here. This doesn’t happen in your circumstances every day, right? Have you encountered a lion or a bear? No, they’re safely behind bars at the zoo. I’ve never encountered one in the wild face to face, or what that well, I would lose. I would be eaten. But there’s a lion and a bear here that he’s talking about that he’s having defend off from his father’s flock.

And then he says, I went out after him. Notice the courage and the valor, and attacked him and rescued it from his mouth. And when he rose up against me, you know that’s the thing about lions and bears, they’re not going to take this lying down. This is supper. And so David would serve as supper just as easily. And so the lion and the bear will rise up against David. I seized him by his beard and struck it and killed him. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God. And David said, listen to this, I’ve got this verse circled.

He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go, and may the Lord be with you. That’s the verse that I want us to focus our attention on tonight in the story of David and Goliath. I like what James and Fawcett and Brown observe in their commentary when they say, but David’s piety sank all consideration of his own prowess and ascribe the success of those achievements to the divine aid, which he felt assured would not be withheld from him in a cause which so intimately concerned the safety and honor of God’s people. And so just as God had provided his victory against the lion and the bear, he is confident that God now will provide Goliath into his hand, and the victory will belong to him and God’s people Israel.

2. The Power That Works Within Us

And of course, that’s exactly what unfolds. And here’s the point that I want to make from this story that David’s faith led to his dependence and confidence in the Lord, and that was essential to both his courage and success. Dependence and confidence in the Lord eventuated in both his courage and success. If we might modernize what is true of the life of David, it was that he was in sync with God’s purposes for his life. He was the faith worker. And now I want to make some application from the example of David to us. I want to talk about the power that works within us. And I don’t want you to miss this in Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 20. We talk about this verse a lot when it says, now to him, in the conclusion of Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians and for that matter, all who believe.

Now to him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think. And that’s the part we like. And talk about a lot. He can do exceeding abundantly beyond all. That’s a lot. Exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or even think according to the power that works within us. There was power working in the life of David. He saw his victory over those powerful and ferocious beasts, the lion and the bear, as God assisting him in battle. And there is, according to Ephesians 3 and verse 20, a power that works within us. And thus God is responding to our prayers in a way that we cannot begin to even fathom. That’s what this passage is telling us. And thus to him belongs the glory in the church.

There’s another passage that I want to draw your attention to here. It’s 2 Corinthians 4. And we were in 2 Corinthians this morning, but 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 7. As we are bond servants for Jesus’ sake, we do not preach ourselves, Paul says in verse 5 and verse 7, but we have this treasure in earthen vessels. That the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves. Okay, there’s a power that works in us. Paul says in Ephesians 3 and verse 20, but the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not of ourselves. Despite the fact, he goes on to say in 2 Corinthians 4, they are suffering affliction in every way. They are perplexed, but despite that, they’re not crushed and they’re not despairing.

They’re persecuted and struck down, but they’re not forsaken and destroyed, and they carry about in their body the dying of Jesus. But still there is power that is working. And I want to emphasize this to say unlike David, sometimes in our walk as a Christian, we develop the mindset or mentality that we’re all on our own. This is all about my own diligence, and it certainly is about diligence and striving. Those words are all over the New Testament. But I’m all on my own here. I did a sermon, oh, several, maybe a year or two ago now, where we talked about the statements, I am with you. And the question that I asked at the beginning of that sermon, in fact, I’ve taken this sermon on the road a few times, but living the promise.

I will be with you. I am with you, the Lord said. David had a sense, an awareness that the Lord was with him. It is the Lord that delivered him from the paw of the bear and from the lion. And it would be the Lord who delivered him against Goliath. Do we have that same sense of awareness as God’s people that the Lord is with us? That there is a power that works within us. If it’s all about what I’m doing, and my diligence and my striving, if that’s all that it’s about, then we would have a reason to boast before the Lord, which we do not have. That’s not the way salvation works. Salvation is based upon faith. Faith is about dependence and trust. We are dependent upon him.

So what then is this power that works within us? Well, as I’ve hinted to, it is about God’s fellowship. And all of the blessings that attend being in a right relationship with God, including his assistants, even the assistance of angels, who are ministering spirits sent out to serve the elect. Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 14. Also, we are being transformed and changed by the awesome word of God, that is what? Living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 12. And then I want you to notice 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, in this regard, according to the power that works within us. And for this reason, 1 Thessalonians 2 and verse 13, we also constantly thank God that when you receive from us the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is.

The word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe. As we bring ourselves into submission to this message, as we pour over its instruction and attempt to embrace it in our thinking and life, let it govern our thinking and behavior, something powerful results. We talk about being lights in the world and being an influence in other people’s lives. That’s a powerful thing. When we are influencing people to consider God in their lives, and the role that he should play as our creator. So this power works in us as God works in our circumstances in ways that we cannot even begin to fathom and answers our prayers in ways that we cannot begin to fathom. And his word is transforming and guiding us. As time passes, I realize more and more and more how dependent I am upon God in my life.

3. The Nature of Our Warfare

I think when you’re younger, you struggle to appreciate and realize that as much as you do when you get older and you’re weaker than you were. And Paul talks about his weakness throughout his epistles and how that led to his greater dependence upon God. You realize your weakness and your frailty and this aging carton that we have, and you realize just how dependent on God you really are. The power that works within us. Now, a faith warrior. What about the nature of our warfare? You know, the New Testament talks about warfare. Christians are involved in warfare, though we’re not out fighting any literal lions or bears. What is the nature of our warfare? 2 Corinthians 10 says it clearly. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal.

We don’t have the weapons at our disposal that David used to kill the lion and the bear, or even to kill the giant Goliath. That’s not the nature of our warfare. It’s not carnal. But that’s not to say they’re not powerful weapons or a powerful warfare, as he says in verse 4. It is divinely powerful. For the destruction of fortresses, we are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God. And we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. As I mentioned the word submission a moment ago, there is a power in reigning ourselves in with God’s help to his instruction. Making our thoughts his thoughts. Bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and being able to cast down everything that is opposed to the knowledge of God by our understanding of his powerful word.

And so this passage talks about our warfare. And in Romans chapter 8. In Romans chapter 8, Paul would further talk about the mind being set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace, as it talks about our spiritual warfare. So, where is the devil involved in all of that? The devil’s schemes are fairly simple as I see it. He’s going to encourage you to not think spiritual thoughts. He wants to discourage you from thinking that this message is what you need to govern your life. He wants you to be excessively devoted and attached to the comforts and pleasure here.

I mean, we have it pretty good. It was good to get away and go hold a meeting in Sarah Land and meet some new brethren, meet some young people that were pretty precious, and then to have a couple of days to enjoy God’s creation a little bit and to get away and to rest and recreate. But I’ll tell you, there’s nothing like home. And we got home and our king-sized bed. I’m not taking that for granted anymore. A king-sized bed is wonderful. And air conditioning, and I can set the thermostat to the exact temperature that I want to sleep in at night, especially. I like it cold. And it’s all these comforts of home, all the foods you like to eat, the breakfast the way you want it.

And we get used to all of those kinds of things. And we sort of like our surroundings. Don’t we? But we must not get too comfortable here. I have to convince and remind myself that God’s surroundings will be far better than these. Far more comfortable. No passing moment that isn’t joyous in his presence. We have something better awaiting us. So the devil is trying to encourage us to love the world excessively.

Okay, to accept a little religion is okay, but he wants us to accept a form of godliness, but deny its what? Power. That’s always been an intriguing expression to me in 2 Timothy 3 and verse 5 about people who hold to a form of godliness. It has some of the right things and characteristics to it, but it denies the power thereof. Perhaps it’s just not the complete package. Perhaps it’s a series of things that we grow comfortable with, but it’s not all that God wants us to be. And it’s a godliness that we’re being compelled to be that embraces all of God’s instruction for us. He wants us to be oblivious to his presence and to these aforementioned aims that a Christian is to have. You know, sin’s desire is for us, as Cain was told in Genesis chapter 4.

It’s crouching at the door, and its desire is for you. And I wonder if we just think that’s something that happened to Cain. After all, I haven’t been tempted to kill my brother, at least not yet. That’s not just something relegated to the story of Cain and Abel. Yes, that’s where the first murder occurs, but that’s what sin does to all of us. That’s why all of us have succumbed. You think about it, there’s of all the people that have ever lived other than Jesus, nobody has done life perfectly. We have seven billion people nearly living on this planet, and everyone at some point, probably throughout their teenage years, is going to transgress the will of God. That’s the pervasiveness of sin. That is sin crouching at the door, and its desire is for you.

4. Develop the Mind of Christ

But what was Cain told? You must master it. We must be aware of the devil’s schemes to derail us in this warfare. This is why it’s warfare. Just like Goliath, we have a formidable foe here who is against us and opposed to us. And what he definitely does not want is for me to go beyond just some forms of religion and to develop the mind of Christ. That represents an ongoing challenge in our lives. I still think, and I can’t be persuaded otherwise, that Philippians 2 is one of the most difficult challenges to me in terms of what discipleship and godliness really means. When he talks about esteeming others better than ourselves, not merely looking upon our own interest, but also the interest of others, and then he says, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ.

What is the Lord looking to produce in our lives? What is the devil opposing? He does not want us to develop the mind of Christ. What was the mind of Christ? He goes on to describe in Philippians chapter 2 that Jesus left the glories of heaven, took upon himself the form of a servant. There was self-sacrifice involved, so that he could redeem us and he died. Yes, even the death on the cross. He says, but what else do we read in the life of Jesus? What’s going on in his example? What have we seen in our study of the Gospel of John? What I have noticed about Jesus, if we’re going to develop the mind of Christ and hold to a godliness and not just a form thereof, but hold to a godliness that is true godliness.

There was an unwavering devotion to the Father. There’s all those communication, all that insight we’re given in John of Jesus communicating to the Father. Like John 17, that lengthy prayer. That is recorded there. Unwavering devotion. In our circumstances. Is it unwavering devotion? There was genuine compassion for people. He saw them as sheep without a shepherd, so he taught them many things. It says in Mark 6 and verse 34, after he had come ashore, as he was had gone away to rest for a while. But here were people who needed instruction. Sheep that needed a shepherd.

Even the Pharisees. You know, we read through that section of Matthew 23, and boy, he’s really letting them have it. To be on the receiving end of those blows. Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. That’s pretty tough. Brood of vipers. Okay. Okay, not just called hypocrites, we’re called snakes. Brood of vipers. And he goes through this entirely. But what follows that in Matthew 23? You know what follows that? Jesus is looking at the city of Jerusalem and said, Oh, how I would have gathered you as a mother hen would its chicks under my wings. But you were unwilling. And your house will be left to you desolate. As scathing as he was, his goal was to reach them. His goal in being so stern with them in contrast to his relation to other sinners like the tax gatherers and publicans, he needed to take a different approach to them.

The Pharisees needed to be jolted to see that they weren’t really being God’s people, holding to a form of godliness, but denying its power. And so, whatever it took, Jesus was serving others. What others? All others. All others. You talk about a challenge. Well, it’s not hard to serve people we like sometimes. What about people you don’t like? What about people that have very little redeeming quality to them? What if they hate you? What if they despise the mere mentioning of your name? Could we serve them? That’s Jesus’ example. Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing. These are people that nailed spikes into his arms, into his hands, into his feet, who have hurled abuse at him. Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing.

Are we exempt from that? I think there’s a reason why a form of godliness is more palatable to people. It’s easier. Let’s establish a good little religion that we can find respectable and be content with that. Who needs to go this far? Real compassion for people. What people? Everybody. Wanting their best, desiring their best. Others serve this. He would go around the room as we notice in John 13 and watch the disciples speak. That was not an easy task, was it? One of them is going to betray him. Another is going to deny him three times, and all the others are going to forsake him and flee in just hours. But here he is, teaching. Serving others. This is a part of our Christianity, folks. That’s what it means.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. And then there was his attitude about his stay here. It was not permanent. We’re urged to be pilgrims and thus abstain from fleshly lust, which wage war against the soul, 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 11. Abraham was a pilgrim and sojourner in the land of promise, and he is the father of the faithful. But Jesus himself approached his life as pilgrim sojourn. In his prayer in John 17, he wanted to go and to have the glory that he had with the Father before the world was. That was his focus. He saw his life here as temporary. Pilgrimage. And this is just the beginning. Really, it’s the entire portrait of what we read in the New Testament.

5. A Confidence in His Will, Not My Own

This is the mind of Christ. This is where real Christianity is tested in us. And as we model him, as we learn about him and model him, and that’s why he said, Come take my yoke upon you and learn of me. As we learn about him, oh, now that’s what that means. That’s what that means in my marriage. That’s what that means in the local church. That’s what that means in my relationship with others in the community. Oh, I’m supposed to think in regard to people and treat people as Jesus did. Yes, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. And as we conform to that’s powerful. And it yields powerful results. That’s being a faith warrior. As David was. And that involves finally a confidence in his will, not my own.

And that’s really the rub a lot of times. And that’s the real test as to whether or not we’re faith warriors. Whose will do you have confidence in most? Yours or his.

You know, that’s where we get in trouble. When the temptation comes, we decide, nah, I don’t think this is the best way. I’m going to act like that’s not there when it says that, and I’m going to do this because that’s what I want to do. And I don’t have to exercise any kind of self-control, I can just do this. And the problem there is we’re not convinced that God’s way is best. And in our early days of spiritual immaturity, we might wrestle with such things as sobriety and sexual purity, controlling our tongues, and commitment. But as we progress, we see even more difficult challenges of humility and selflessness. And the aforementioned regarding others as more important than ourselves. And we learn that our attitudes matter.

The way we think about others, the challenge of loving all men and loving the brotherhood. Yes, even loving our spouses and family members, and that’s sometimes a challenge. How convinced are? That’ll determine your courage and success. As it did David’s. And then this little passage, Romans 12. The conclusion after Paul’s lengthy explanation of salvation by justification through faith. And there is a doxology that occurs at the end of chapter 11, sort of summing all of that up. How amazing God is, how unsearchable are his judgments, how unvaluable his ways. And now he’s going to come to the practical considerations of living the Christian life justified by faith. And he starts with, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God. What flows out of the fact that I have been justified by faith?

Jesus was a sacrifice, and you’re called to be a living sacrifice. And that’s your reasonable service or spiritual service of worship. And then he says, do not be conformed to this world. And again, that’s what the devil’s promoting in this warfare. Do not be conformed to this world. Just because you’ve come out of the world, the devil’s going to want you to start loving it again. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Now, there’s been a lot of thought about that last phrase. What does that mean? Prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. So, okay, if I do the will of God, if I’m transformed, if I’m this living sacrifice, then I prove to other people that God’s word is true.

Not necessarily. I don’t think it’s talking about us proving it to others. That God’s word is true. God’s word is good, acceptable, and perfect, whether I prove it or not. Now we need to be convinced that God’s word is good, acceptable, and perfect, and I’ll tell you who you prove it to. You prove it to yourself. Or it’s proven as you implement it in your life. And as you see the fruits of it in your life, that God’s word is good, acceptable, and perfect. And that’s what the faith warrior does. And that’s an even if thing. You do this even if the whole local church goes to rack and ruin and fights and bites and devours each other, and sometimes that happens. The devil wins. A local skirmish, but the devil wins.

And you pursue the mind of Christ, even if all the other people that you’ve been associated with quit doing that. Even if they think Christianity is just about worship services and not corrupting the worship services, and then they bite and devour one another. And think that’s okay somehow. Even if they develop that kind of thinking and quit pursuing the mind of Christ. It’s even if, even if they do that, I’m not. And even if my spouse doesn’t pursue his or her obligations as God has instructed you. Remember what I said this morning about your will is under your control and yours alone? And how the implications in marriage on that. And all of this is true about being transformed to the renewing of our minds, even if our spouse is a failure.

Even if our spouse gives up spiritually, even if our mouse or spouse either one, even if your spouse is just going through the motions. You know, sometimes spouses quit growing spiritually. They become stagnant. They start going the other direction, they start loving the world, but they’re still attaining services. They leave off in the pursuit of the qualities and principles that must be involved in a successful marriage. Even if.

Them. You know, they may cast insults at you. They may hate your guts. It doesn’t matter. It’s even it. After many years of preaching, I realize sometimes I really need to spell it out. For people to get it sometimes. And 1 Corinthians 13 is one of those areas. When it talks about love is this, love is this, love is love is kind, love is patient, love does not seek its own, and we go through all of that. We laud this passage. It’s a wonderful passage about love. It’s beautiful. Yes, it is. But I want to tell you live and it’s another story. That’s possessing the mind of Christ to do those things. And it’s doing those things even if your brother does it, even if your mate doesn’t.

Spouse is mean, I am kind. Spouse is quick tempered. I am patient. Spouse is serving himself. I’m serving others and serving him. That’s far. That’s not the way our culture works. Our culture says, you serve me, I’ll serve you. The Gentiles do the same. That’s what Jesus was saying in the Sermon on the Mount. What do you do? What do you do more than others? What makes you different? Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. He goes on to say in Matthew chapter 5 and verse 48. Let’s not let our standard be how everybody else says, well, I’ll be a little bit better than other people. Oh, no. The standard is Jesus. What do you do more than others? What about the person who slaps you in the face?

Or ask you for something. Give to it. I don’t believe those are absolutes. I don’t believe in Matthew chapter 5. Everybody that comes and says, Tony, give me $20. I started something, but I know. Everybody on the way out, Tony, give me $20. My wallet’s going to get empty in the hurt. I don’t think he’s saying you give anything anybody asks in any circumstance all the time. I don’t believe any of those things are absolutes. Turn the other cheek in every circumstance of physical violence. I don’t think that’s the point. The point of those illustrations is self-sacrifice and self-surrender. And there must be specific instances in our lives when we take one on the chin. And we give and expect nothing in return. Because that’s what Jesus did.

He gave and gets very little in return. He gave the uttermost. And even from his people.

Okay, how am I going to handle that. Oh, I’m not going to rejoice in unrighteousness. I’m going to rejoice with the truth. And we need to talk about what truth is in this particular circumstance. But love is kind, love is patient, love does not seek its own. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. As much as lies within me, I’m going to be at peace with all men. Romans chapter 12. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. That’s where I’m going, regardless of what others do. In our homes. It can be very difficult. But it’s love regardless.

Conclusion

It is love regardless. We wake up each day. It’s love regardless. And you get two people doing that, and you’ll have the kind of union that God intended when he made Adam and Eve and placed them in the garden. In conclusion, David’s, David’s life was in sync, as I suggested, with God’s purposes. Acts 13, 36 says, David served the purpose of God in his generation. Is your life in sync with God’s purposes? And this may be somewhat like what Steve preached last week as I say this. Well, life’s lions and bears, well, no problem. Because I’m a faith warrior. Like David was. And the Lord will deliver me from the lion of the paw of the bear. And I can survive and be a success and live by my faith, regardless of what others do.

That was the attitude of David, and may it be yours. If you need to respond to the invitation of our Lord tonight, come as we stand and sink.