FIVE SMOOTH STONES
2 CORINTHIANS 10:3-6, 1ST SAMUEL 17
PASTOR PETE CROPSEY / FIRST LOVE CHURCH
As Christians we have come to understand that we are I a
battle.
We are in a war that began in heaven when Lucifer, the highest
ranking archangel and worship leader in of all the heavenly host
rebelled in pride against God thinking he should be on a level
with God and that he himself was worthy of worship.
He was wise and beautiful, in fact his name Lucifer means,
“Bringer of Light.”
So this war has raged throughout the millenniums and down
through the centuries, a war between God and the devil, truth
and lie, good and evil, humility and pride and finally in us it
rages in the battle between the Spirit and the flesh.
So the thing that as Christians we need so desperately to
understand is that this battle that we fight cannot be won on
the strength of our own good works or sterling character but
must be fought and won in the power of the Holy Spirit.
We all are familiar with the passage that Peter penned in his
first epistle;
1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the
devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to
devour.
So I am going to suggest something here.
Is this really what the devil wants to accomplish, derailing the
faith of weak and vulnerable people?
Well yes, but it is not his goal or even his motivation it is just his
method.
His real goal or motivation is to destroy the glory of God.
That is why our number one concern is to be that we do all we
can do to bring God’s glory down.
As a church our number one focus isn’t even getting people
saved it is ushering in the glory of God.
Salvation and transformation cannot help but take place in a
huge way when the manifest presence of God is upon us and
His glory is pouring down like a river.
We went to see James McDonald Thursday night and he is
doing a forty city tour called, “The Vertical Church”.
He taught from Isaiah 64:1
Isaiah 64:1 Oh that you would rend the heavens and come
down, that the mountains might quake at your presence—
Verse 2 is equally as provocative.
Isaiah 64:1-2 Oh that you would rend the heavens and come
down, that the mountains might quake at your presence 2 as
when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil
to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the
nations might tremble at your presence!
That is the manifest glory of God and we cannot call ourselves
Christians and settle for anything else.
The passages we are going to devour today, that we are going
to get fed from and nourished in the things of God are 2nd
Corinthians 10:3-6 and 1st Samuel 17.
We will begin with 2nd Corinthians 10.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not
war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare
are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself
against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into
captivity to the obedience of Christ.
Now I was under a misconception concerning this passage and
where it says we are to bring every thought into captivity to the
obedience of Christ.
I had at one time thought that it was speaking to taking bad
thoughts, unhealthy thoughts and casting them out of my mind
and of course this is something we should definitely be doing
but the thrust of what Paul is saying became clear as I was
reading about David’s conquest of Goliath in 1st Samuel chapter
17.
Lets read from there and I will show you what I mean.
First let me explain something about giants.
David saw a giant in front of him that was a threat to the
people of God.
Goliath represented bondage in that the deal he had proposed
was that if Israel sent out a champion and this champion won
then the Philistines would be slaves to Israel but if Goliath won
then Israel would be enslaved by the Philistines.
1 Samuel 17:4-11 And there came out from the camp of the
Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height
was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a helmet of bronze on his
head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of
the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.6 And he had
bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between
his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam,
and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And
his shield-bearer went before him. 8 He stood and shouted to
the ranks of Israel, "Why have you come out to draw up for
battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul?
Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9
If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your
servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall
be our servants and serve us." 10 And the Philistine said, "I defy
the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight
together." 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the
Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
And of course Goliath would win because Israel was full of fear.
Along comes David, young and full of faith and he sees Israel
quivering in fear and his comment is this;
1 Samuel 17:26 For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he
should defy the armies of the living God?"
It is so important that we understand what has been said right
here.
Uncircumcised Philistine.
Goliath is not in a covenant relationship with God.
As Christians we are in a covenant relationship with God and
when we see Giants before us represented by temptation,
trials, obstacles or suffering our reaction can be the same as
David’s;
1 Samuel 17:26 For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he
should defy the armies of the living God?"
In fact I will say this, if you are going down the road and you
don’t see giants out the windshield then you are probably on
the wrong road.
But the Lord is faithful and He wants you to look out the
rearview mirror and see dead giants strewn about the highway.
So now I am going to begin to draw the parallels out between
out passage in 2 Corinthians and our passage in 1st Samuel.
2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not
war according to the flesh.
1 Samuel 17:38-39 Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He
put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat
of mail, 39 and David strapped his sword over his armor. And
he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David
said to Saul, "I cannot go with these, for I have not tested
them." So David put them off.
Saul who at this point has fallen out of fellowship with God
thought that what David needed was an earthly defense.
David quickly realizes that this will be insufficient for the fight
he is about to engage in.
Earlier in his discussion with Saul who had doubted David’s
ability to prevail against Goliath David had said this;
1 Samuel 17:32-37 And David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart
fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this
Philistine." 33 And Saul said to David, "You are not able to go
against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth,
and he has been a man of war from his youth." 34 But David
said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father.
And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from
the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it
out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by
his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has
struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised
Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies
of the living God." 37 And David said, "The Lord who delivered
me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will
deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to
David, "Go, and the Lord be with you!"
See David put his trust in the Lord and not the armor of an
earthly king.
2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not
war according to the flesh.
So moving on;
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 For the weapons of our warfare are not
carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting
down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against
the knowledge of God
David recognized that it takes God’s strength for us to fight the
giants that come against us and wants to take us as slaves but
we have weapons available to us that are mighty and they are
mighty in God Himself.
They are not mighty in angels or mighty in saints, they are
mighty in God Himself.
They are mighty for pulling down strongholds.
A stronghold is a place in our lives where the enemy has been
able to claim some territory.
It may be in any area that causes us to bow down to the flesh
and give it victory and God says He wants to tear these down by
His power.
Verse 5 says He wants to cast down arguments and every high
thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.
We can only cast down the arguments by calling down the
glory!
He calls these arguments high things, meaning they have some
power of persuasion and it is essential that we are able to fight
the persuasive nature of these arguments thus.
Again I’ll say that we can only cast down these arguments and
high things by calling down the glory of God.
Cast down, by calling down.
So we come to the part of this story that I adore.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not
war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare
are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself
against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into
captivity to the obedience of Christ,
Bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ!
As I said at the beginning I had at one time thought that it was
speaking to taking bad thoughts, unhealthy thoughts and
casting them out of my mind and of course this is something we
should definitely be doing but the thrust of what Paul is saying
became clear as I was reading about David’s conquest of
Goliath in 1st Samuel chapter 17.
So lets read the verses that opened my eyes to what I really
think the passage is saying.
1 Samuel 17:38-40 Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He
put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat
of mail, 39 and David strapped his sword over his armor. And
he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David
said to Saul, "I cannot go with these, for I have not tested
them." So David put them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his
hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put
them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he
approached the Philistine.
Commentary.
Philippians 4:8-9 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is
honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is
lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if
there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9
What you have learned and received and heard and seen in
me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with
you.
Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all
things work together for good, for those who are called
according to his purpose.
Galatians 5:22-26 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, selfcontrol; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who
belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions
and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the
Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another,
envying one another.
1 Peter 1:22-23 Having purified your souls by your obedience
to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another
earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born
again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the
living and abiding word of God;
Colossians 1:13-14 He has delivered us from the domain of
darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
I am running out of time.
I want to just provoke you to take a look at something as we
get ready to close.
I want to look at two pictures of Israel, one when they are living
in the manifest presence of God and one where they are not.
Turn to Joshua chapter 1.
Joshua 1:3-9 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread
upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 4 From
the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the
river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea
toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. 5 No
man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life.
Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave
you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall
cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their
fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous,
being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my
servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand
or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you
go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth,
but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be
careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you
will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good
success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and
courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for
the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not
be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you
go."
Manifest presence of God!
Talk about Aaron’s calf and the anger of the Lord.
Moses grasp of the need of God’s glory, His manifest presence.
Exodus 33:16 Is it not in your going with us, so that we are
distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face
of the earth?"
So Joshua sends spies into Jericho to assess a plan of attack.
Listen to the reaction of Rahab the harlot to the encounter she
has with God’s people who are under the spout where the glory
comes out.
Joshua 2:8-11 Before the men lay down, she came up to them
on the roof 9 and said to the men, "I know that the Lord has
given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us,
and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.
10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the
Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you
did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the
Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11
And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was
no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God,
he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.
Now lets go back to the Goliath and his encounter with God’s
people.
1 Samuel 17:8 "Why have you come out to draw up for battle?
Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose
a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.”
Rahab recognized the Lord in the Jewish spies.
Goliath sees only the fearful cowering servants of Saul.
Rahab saw the servants, the warriors of the Lord.
1 Samuel 17:26 For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he
should defy the armies of the living God?"
1 Samuel 17:43-47And the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog,
that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed
David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, "Come to me,
and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts
of the field." 45 Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to
me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come
to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies
of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will
deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off
your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the
Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts
of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in
Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord
saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and
he will give you into our hand."
So who do we want to be?
Men and women who live under the spout where the glory
comes out or who live under the fear of uncircumcised
Philistines?
We can bring down God’s glory by the way we praise Him.
By the way we pray.
I mean we want God to be moved by our prayers but are we
moved by our prayers.
Turn up the heat!
Finally we can bring down God’s glory by settling for nothing
less than the real, physical, earth shattering manifest presence
of God.
Isaiah 64:1-2 That you would rend the heavens and come
down, that the mountains might quake at your presence— 2 as
when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil—
to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the
nations might tremble at your presence!
Close in the Lord.