Read 1 Samuel 17.55-58 and 1 John 5.4-5.
The main issue I want us to look at today is that of identity. Whose son is this? In the scriptures, genealogy is very important. When you mention your name, you mention your father’s name. For example, Simon Barjona, that is, Simon the son of Jona. When Jesus’ genealogy was given, his ancestry was traced to Abraham. Sonship explains identity. 1 John speaks about anyone who is born of God overcoming the world. It says this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. The one who overcomes is the one who has believed in Jesus Christ as his savior. So, I would like to appeal to you if you have not given your life to Christ that this is the time. The passport to constant victory is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
You remember the meeting Jesus had with Nicodemus who was concerned about these things and Jesus told him that except a man is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. Jesus also told him that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. So sonship and paternity are very important in the Bible. The reason is that you can determine the character of the son from the father. If the father is a conqueror, the son is a conqueror. If he is a lion, the son is a lion.
James 1.18 says,
Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (ESV)
1 Peter calls it the incorruptible word. (1 Peter 1.23) When you turn your life to Jesus he will turn you around and make you a champion, a conqueror, and an overcomer.
In the story in 1 Samuel 17, King Saul asks his army commander, “Whose son is this?” The boy himself shows up after killing Goliath and is asked whose son he is. Abner said he didn’t know. David had been in the palace for a while doing an internship but for some reason Abner didn’t know. Maybe he was not around. David answered forthrightly that he was the son of Jesse, a Bethlehemite. Jesse was a faithful and righteous man, a generous man. David was tracing his DNA to him. Can you say confidently whose son you are? That you are son of God, born again, bought by the blood of Jesus Christ? Some of us are ashamed of our lineage. We don’t want to say where we come from or where we go to church. I am told that some time ago it was not an honorable thing to be associated with this church but yesterday I was at PCC for the launch of the Pentecost Professionals’ Network (PPN) and it was beautiful how far the Lord has brought this church, but we need to carry this identity into the world. How do you know the father of the son? If you see the son you’ve seen the father. What the father does is what the son does.
In 1 Samuel 17 the Philistine army was gathered for battle. The Philistines are one of the major threats to the nation Israel. To date, in the name of Palestine, they are still an issue. They are a clear and present danger to them. They had several battles in the Bible. When you get born again there are threats, but it doesn’t matter the opposition you face; God will give you victory over your enemies. The Philistine army came to attack Israel. They had a champion called Goliath, a very huge man who had been a warrior from his youth. Goliath is a type of Satan—scary, huge, intimidating but he has got soft spots. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit you can identify these spots.
It doesn’t matter what confronts you; greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. David had been sent to deliver logistics to his brothers in the battlefield. He had only recently been anointed by Samuel and even that was under miraculous circumstances but that is how we get born again. We are brought from the back. The Bible says to consider our salvation, how not many of us were wise by worldly standards but God chose the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. (1 Corinthians 1.26) David was obedient to his parents. When he was sent, he left the sheep with a keeper and went. He was responsible. When he came to the battlefield he heard Goliath boasting and wondered who it was. If the Holy Ghost is working inside of you there are certain things you can’t stand. He inquired what the king was going to give to the one who would kill the giant. He was told the king would give his daughter and exempt his family from taxes. When David was taken to Saul, he was worried for him and told him Goliath had been a warrior from his youth.
In a church like this there are many generations. The kingdom is multigenerational. There are fathers and sons, grandparents, and so on. The Bible describes the armor of Goliath as a metal armor. Saul gave the same to David but he said he hadn’t proved it. You can imagine that Saul and Goliath were from the same generation. I want to plead with the older ones among us to make space for the young people. And, young people, when David was going to fight, Saul blessed him. That was the impartation of the father into the son. The blessing of the Lord comes from the head down the robe to the feet. When Saul spoke into David’s life, that grace prepared him for the battle. Eli did the same thing for Hannah. Thus, we need every generation to play its part in taking the nations for Christ.
Let’s look at the armor David used. Anyone born of God overcomes the world. God gives the same type of weapons to every generation. Ephesians 6.10-18 talks about seven weapons we should have. The belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, helmet of salvation, feed shod with the gospel, the sword of the spirit, the shield of faith and then prayer. We see a picture of this in the Old Testament. In Samuel 17.40 and 45, David took is staff, five smooth stones from the brook which he put in the shepherd’s pouch, and moved towards the Philstine in the name of the Lord. There are links from this to the New Testament. When anybody comes to Christ, the Lord saves, forgives, transforms them and sends them out as champions. They may be insignificant at the time of their calling but the Lord does something in their lives. The Lord sends them out to take out giants. Today God wants to prepare you and send you out to make an impact. David was going to battle and these were his weapons:
1. His staff
His staff was a symbol of authority. Every shepherd has a staff. If you are a Christian there must be something you have. What authority does a Christian have? The first is that they are born again. They have the helmet of salvation. My sins are forgiven; I am a child of the living God. You know of the story in acts when the sons of Sceva went to cast out a demon. Those men did not have a staff. Moses had one which he used to confront Pharaoh. Your staff is something that convinces you that you belong to Christ. Are you born again? Are you a church goer or a Christian? The Bible says that anyone who is born again has this witness in his heart. (1 John 5.10) So if you are here and you don’t have this witness I want to invite you to give your life to Christ. If you don’t pay tithe, for example, there are some matters concerning finances for which you won’t have confidence. There is somebody called the devourer. We didn’t know this but the Bible told us. (Malachi 3.11) He has been anointed by God to devour the goods of those who don’t pay tithes. It is just like the blood in the Old Testament when the angel of death had been sent to kill all firstborns. By revelation, God told Moses the anathema of that angel and it was the blood.
2. Five stones
David took five stones. We don’t know why he picked that number but in the end it was only one which did the Job. The stones could represent the word. We talk of Jesus being the rock. In Matthew 4, during Satan’s temptation of Jesus, he told Jesus to turn stones into bread. Stones, bread, word—you must see the connection. Jesus said we don’t live by bread alone but by the word. David collected stones. The Bible says we ourselves are like living stones being built into a house. (1 Peter 2.5) We need to chip our stones from him. You must carry these everyday; they could be memory verses. You never know when you many need them.
3. Pick your stones from the brook
The brook refers to the Holy Spirit. There are a number of symbols of the Holy Spirit in the Bible: dove, dew, water, well, rain, river, cloud, oil, wind, voice, wine. The Spirit himself is not oil or wine or wind. They are used to describe how he works. David collected his stones form the brook. 2 Timothy 3.16 says all scripture is breathed out by God. The word and the spirit always work together. If you need stones go to the brook and the Holy Spirit will tell you the appropriate stones you need for the battle. Some say they are word-based while others say they are Spirit-based. If you get the Spirit without the word you become arrogant and when you get the word without the Spirit you encounter many problems.
They Holy Ghost is so essential in our lives. If you are going to get born again it is he who is convicting you. After that, he is the one who baptizes you and gives you the gifts of the Holy Spirit and gives you eternal hope. So, as a believer, you cannot separate yourself from the Spirit. You must always find time to spend by the water of God.
4. He placed his stones in a shepherd’s pouch
Psalm 119.11 says, “Your word have I hidden in my heart that I may not sin against you.” Every Christian has a shepherd’s pouch. The Lord wants our bag to be empty so when you pick stones you will have a place to put them. Some have their bags filled with bitterness, anger, lust, and so on. The Bible says concerning Jesus that, “You have loved righteousness and hated iniquity so God has anointed you with the oil of gladness.” (Psalm 45.7) So if you are going to walk in victory one of the places you must watch carefully is your heart. The heart must be open to receive stones. Jesus says out of the heart comes everything. May the Lord clear everything in your heart and fill it with righteousness. That can shield you against every attack.
5. He took his sling
A sling is a tool for delivering your arsenal. It is like a catapult. The sling is the instrument for delivering your weapon. The sling represents spiritual disciplines such as prayer, fasting, worship, giving, tithing, and all the things we do consistently that keep us spiritually healthy. If you don’t know how to deliver your stones, Satan will defeat you. The sling gives you the velocity, momentum, power, and direction for your stones. The Bible says some issues don’t go away but by prayer and fasting. So don’t just sit down. Sometimes you need to wind your sling to deliver your weapon. Take your fellowship, prayer, fasting, worship, singing and all the disciplines seriously. These provide effect to your stones. This gives direction, power, and impact to your stones.
6. He approached
That is boldness; faith. By faith we are able to quench every attack of the enemy.
7. He spoke in the name of the Lord
The Bible says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower.” (Proverbs 18.10) Philippians 2.11 also says Jesus’ name is exalted above every other name.
When David had gone to kill Goliath and was returning, Saul asked Abner whose son he was. If you get born again, you receive victory over the world. Further, God gives you spiritual weapons to overcome the world. When you exercise them, others who are born again can identity you and when they ask you, be bold to say that you are a son of God. It was those who were in debt and distress who joined David in the wilderness but later, they all became mighty men. May that anointing come upon you to give you the boldness to deal with giants. We must go and possess the nations. If you have not jet believed in Christ I want to market him to you. If you give your life to him, you will be saved.
Main references
1 Samuel 17.55-58, 1 John 5.4-5