David Who Brought Down Goliath. 1 Samuel 17:45~47, NIV David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands." I would like to share the grace of God under the title, "David Who Brought Down Goliath." Please repeat after me, "David Who Brought Down Goliath." Both Christians and non-Christians are familiar with the well-known story of David and Goliath. It is a dramatic story that impresses listeners, for the mere boy David defeats mighty giant Goliath. Spiritually, Goliath symbolizes our personal enemies: difficult trials, problems, sickness, pain and temptation. But we cannot overcome the "Goliaths" in our lives by our own power. The boy David defeated the giant Goliath by trusting the Lord. We also can defeat the "Goliaths" in our lives by trusting in God. Let's consider God's grace reflected in today's Scripture. First, I want to talk about the "Goliath" that comes in our lives. 1 Samuel 17:1 says: "Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Socoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah." A war broke out between the Israelites and the Philistines. The Philistines had irritated Israel for generations. The Philistines were gentiles who often attacked the towns of Israel whenever they had a chance, causing serious damage. Once more the Philistines gathered their forces for war against Israel; Goliath the giant was their champion. Who was this Goliath? 1 Samuel 17:4-5 records: "A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over six cubits tall. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels." Goliath was over six cubits tall. One cubit is about 45 centimeters long; six cubits plus amounts to two meters and 90 centimeters. Wow, he was two meters 90 centimeters tall! In addition, he was wearing an armor of bronze that weighed 57 kilograms. The giant, who about three meters tall and wore such a heavy bronze armor, shouted at the Israelites: "Give me a man and let us fight each other." The Israelites were terrified. We read in I Samuel 17:11-- "On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified." Even before the battle with the Philistines started, the Israelites were frightened. We are similar. When we encounter trials and problems, we must guard our hearts. When our hearts are fearful, everything else seems impossible. The truth of Proverb 4:23 reads: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." John Milton, a British Poet, once said, "The mind is its own place, and it can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven." If we fail to guard our hearts, we can easily feel discouraged. Even rich and famous celebrities can be ruined overnight because they failed to guard their hearts. I heard about a man who had a high government position under President Park many decades ago. That man did many good things for the country. One day he broke out in a cold sweat, and felt sick. His advisors said, "Sir, you have important things to do. Please go to the doctor and have a thorough medical check-up." So he went to the Seoul National University Hospital and a doctor examined him. He was diagnosed with liver cancer. This man had never even had a cold. He was an athlete, especially good at martial arts. He had been in excellent health, and never worried about being sick. He was stunned at the doctor's news. He thought, "I never had a cold but now I have a cancer. I am finished." Even though he had enjoyed drinking, he had never even thought that he could have liver cancer. He soon grew hopeless, and died 28 days later. He walked into the hospital as a healthy man, and left the hospital as a corpse. His doctor later said, "If he had not known that he had cancer, he could have survived a year, or at least six months. "But when he was filled with the fear of death, he collapsed. His immune system failed to work, causing the quick spread of cancer that led to his sudden death." Please, guard your heart. I urge you to guard your heart no matter what problems and trouble you have. There is no trouble too big for us to overcome, for the Lord is with us. Guard your heart and live in victory! When trouble comes, our hearts are often filled with fear. Fear came into mankind as a result of sin. When Adam and Eve sinned, they were afraid and hid from God. Adam spoke to God in Genesis 3:10-- "He answered, 'I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.' " Adam hid because he was afraid. When you and I sin, we must quickly repent of our sin. After that, we can march forward with faith and confidence in the Lord. We also need to constantly meditate on God's Word, hold on to it, and continue to march forward with bold faith. Listen to Isaiah 41:10: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." The Lord would say to us today, "Do not fear. Do not be dismayed. I am with you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Hallelujah! Please repeat after me, "I am a victor in the Lord." In John 16:33, Jesus said: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." "I have overcome the world!" The Lord Jesus who overcame the world is now with us. We need Jesus to overcome hopelessness, pain, agony and fear. When I pastored a church in the Washington D. C. area, a cell group leader brought a young couple to church. The wife was the thinnest person I have ever seen. She was taller than her husband, but was literally "skin and bones," with a pale complexion. She held her baby on her back. She told me, "I have not slept for six months." I asked, "Really? It would be difficult not to sleep for one day. How have you survived without sleeping for so long?" She replied, "Even if I take a sleeping pill, it only makes me drowsy. I throw up everything that I eat. I think I am dying." "What happened?" I asked. "Six months ago, a robber broke into our house. Since I had recently given birth to a baby, I was very alert." A new mother is like that. A small noise will wake her up, for she thinks it might be her baby needing something. She was sleeping that night when she heard a noise. Thinking that her baby was awake, she got up. A robber was quietly breaking in their house, and she was suddenly face to face with him. She screamed and the robber screamed, and then the robber ran away. The husband called the police. The police came and filed a report. Even though the robber did not take anything, they had to stay awake throughout the night. Since that day, whenever the sun set, she was seized with fear. She would remember a dark figure coming and standing before her. She would turn all the lights on, and could not fall asleep. Her husband tried to console her, "It is okay now. We reported it to the police. The robber will never come here again." But despite her husband's attempts, she could not fall asleep. Since she was filled with fear, she could not fall asleep the first day, the second day, and so on. Even though she took sleeping pills, she could not sleep soundly. She could not digest her food, so she vomited whatever she ate. This went on for six months. I said to the lady, "Sister, accept the Lord Jesus into your heart. He will solve your problems. He will let you sleep soundly and peacefully--starting tonight." When I prayed for her, she cried. I was convinced that everything would be fine, so I said, "Sister, you will sleep well starting tonight." They went home. I got a phone call from her husband the following morning. He said, "Pastor, my wife fell asleep soundly for the first time in six months." Hallelujah! She could sleep well, eat well, and gained weight. Her faith also grew. Later, she and her husband sang in the church choir, faithfully serving the Lord. When fear was cast out, insomnia was cast out along with it. I want you to cast out the "Goliath" of fear from your life. I want you to cast out the "Goliath" of hopelessness. Our "Goliath" comes to us in various forms. "Goliath" sometimes comes as wounds of the past, tormenting us. "Goliath" sometimes comes as memories of past failure, and we lose confidence and fail again. At other times "Goliath" comes as financial problems, or even lust. What do you think is the biggest "Goliath" to young people these days? I think it is the "Goliath" of the addiction to the Internet. Some kids ditch school and go to PC cafes, and play computer games all day. One young couple played games in a PC cafe so much that their infant baby died. How can parents neglect their baby to the point of death just to play computer games for days on end? It is the "Goliath" of Internet games. It can even be a "Goliath" of gambling. I pray that you will cast out such a "Goliath" in the name of Jesus Christ: "I command you, the "Goliath" of gambling, to leave me in the name of Jesus of Nazareth. You, the "Goliath" of Internet addiction, leave me!" We must reject and cast them out. We need to live in victory in the Lord. We cannot defeat our enemies with our own might. Sometimes, the "Goliath" of a disease like cancer may attack us. However, when we stay in faith, and march forward with boldness, even cancer will leave. In Deuteronomy 31:6 Moses spoke to the Israelites: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you." Let's not look at the problems around us. Instead, let us look to Jesus, who is far greater than the problems. If you keep saying, "I am sick. I am not doing well," then your health will grow worse. Don't look at disease. Instead, look to the Lord with faith. When you march forward with faith, focusing on the Lord, God will perform miracles for you. When you have faith, miracles happen. Great blessing and miracles are given in proportion to your faith: "We leave all our cares with You, Lord. We trust You alone. We look to You. Lord, please work on our behalf." We will have God's miracles when we march forward with faith in Him. Secondly, I want to talk about David's faith and courage. David was a shepherd boy. His father sent him to his older brothers with food, for his brothers had gone to the war against the Philistines. When David came to the camp, he heard Goliath: "As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it" (I Samuel 17:23). The Israelites were frightened by Goliath's shouts, and ran away from him: "When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in great fear" (1 Samuel 17:24). However, David, a boy of great faith, was not afraid. When we become God's people of faith, we also are not afraid of trouble, problems or difficulties. "David asked the men standing near him, 'What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?' " (1 Samuel 17:26) David was not afraid of the Philistine giant. Instead, he wanted to know what reward would be given to the person who killed Goliath. David was confident. His brother rebuked David: "What are you doing here? You came down only to watch the battle." Sometimes people criticize us when we work for the Lord. But we should not listen to their criticism, but rather listen to the Lord and march forward with faith. David went to King Saul: "'Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him' " (1 Samuel 17:32). While all the Israelites trembled with fear at the sight of Goliath, a small boy went to the king and said, "Do not worry. I will fight him." Saul could not believe it. Then David said, "I have been keeping the sheep. When a lion or a bear came and stole a sheep from the flock, then 'I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God'" (1 Samuel 17:35-36). Hallelujah! David declared his victory even before he started fighting the Philistine Goliath: "The Philistine will be like one of the lions or bears I killed. I will never forgive the Philistine who defied the armies of the living God." We must pay attention to the term "living God" in this verse. The God whom we believe and serve is the living God. He is not the God of the long forgotten past, but the He is the God who is the same yesterday and today and forever. The living God is with us: "Our living God, abide with me. Perform marvelous miracles." Rev. Kyum-Il Nah is the senior pastor of Incheon Jooan Presbyterian Church. I greatly respect him. He came to our church last year and gave his personal testimony on the final day of a revival. Many years ago, while he was still young, he overworked; he grew weak and tired doing so much church work. He finally went to see a doctor. He was told he had liver cancer in the final stage. The doctor said, "Pastor, why did you wait so long to come to a doctor? Why have you abused your body like this? There is no medical treatment for you. You have no choice but to wait and die." Rev. Nah was admitted to the hospital. His stomach began to swell. His complexion turned yellow, and then almost black. A patient normally has no hope at this stage. Then he fell into a coma. The doctor said, "It seems that he could not survive through the night." His two little daughters came to the hospital and cried. Even though he was in coma, he could hear everything. His daughters cried, saying, "Daddy, do not die." On his hospital bed, still in coma, Rev. Nah silently prayed, "Heavenly Father, if You give me another chance, I would live for You with the last energy I have to the last moment of my life." But he still grew more unconscious. His church members gathered at church and prayed with all their might all through the night: "Father, save our pastor. Save our pastor." His wife has Full Gospel church background. She held on to her faith and cried out to the Lord. A miracle happened that night. The doctor had said that he could not survive, but something started happening in his stomach. After he had 12 bowel movements, his belly decreased to the normal size. Hallelujah! That morning the doctor came, and was surprised to see Rev. Nah sitting on his bed. Now, after many decades, Rev. Nah still is in good health, actively working for the Lord. His church has grown to be one of the world's largest churches, with a membership of nearly 100,000. God still lives and reigns. When we seek Him with faith, He performs miracles: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). God of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is with us. Thirdly, I want to speak about our God who gives us victory! David took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in his shepherd's bag and approached Goliath. "David said to the Philistine, 'You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied' " (1 Samuel 17:45). "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied." We have the great name of God Almighty. When we go forward in the name of God Almighty, we win in every battle. So do not be dismayed. Do not give up. Do not step backwards. The Lord God Almighty is with you. David claimed victory even before he confronted Goliath. His mind was filled with victory. As Christians, we should not sit down and cry just because we encounter a problem, just because we failed once, or just because we are in trouble. We may have a little trouble now, but we must march forward with faith, believing that better things will happen. Then miracles will take place. When we trust in the name of the Lord, demons are cast out; sickness is healed; and miracles take place: "You may ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it" (John 14:14). How did Peter and John heal the man who had been crippled from birth? Peter told the lame man: "'Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk' " (Acts 3:6). What do you have? Peter said, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." We have the great name of Jesus of Nazareth. We also should shout to the hopeless, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." When problems, pain, or agony come to attack us, we must boldly shout, "I command problems to go away in the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Goliath of hopelessness, leave. Goliath of sickness, leave." God will then give us great victories. Even before the battle, David proclaimed: "All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands"( 1 Samuel 17:47). The battle belongs to God. It is not we who fight. Since God fights for us, all we need is faith and courage. When we march forward with faith, trust in the Lord and cling to Jesus' cross, miracles happen. God's grace and blessing will be on us. God strengthened David when he approached the Philistine giant in the name of God. David took out a stone and slung it, striking the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and the three-meter-tall giant fell face-down on the ground. Then David ran to him and cut off his head with his own sword. 1 Samuel 17:49 says, "Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground." "He fell facedown." When we sling a stone with faith, our enemy will also fall face-down on the ground. It will strike down our enemy because God has already given us victory. The Six Day War of 1967 is one of the most dramatic wars in history. After Israel proclaimed its independence in 1948, there were several border clashes between Israel and its Arab neighbors. The Palestinians wanted to get their land back and formed the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization). The conflicts between Israel and the PLO caused serious problems in the Middle East then, even to this day. In 1967 the Arab countries of Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Iraq formed an alliance and invaded Israel. The total population of the four allied countries was 300 million, while Israel's population was only three million. The odds were 100 to 1. When they were attacked by the alliance, Israel proclaimed, "We have new weapons which should not go public." People were curious about Israel's new weapons. In reality, Israel was confessing its faith that God would be with them. People thought Israel would be totally demolished and disappear from the world history after that war. Do you know what happened? The following morning after the war started, Israeli fighter planes devastated Egyptian air bases. Then those Israeli fighter planes attacked and devastated Jordan air bases. All of Jordan's 410 fighter planes were damaged. Their runways were destroyed, causing Jordan to lose its air force power. Their artillery tanks tried to retaliate but, again, they were destroyed by the Israeli troops. The Arab alliance surrendered to Israel after six days. Many people said, "This shows that God is with Israel. God performed many miracles for them." There are interesting incidents recorded on the video tapes and documents of the Six Day War. An Israeli tank troop was moving when the soldiers inside saw something like a fire burst into flames. So they made a detour. The place they avoided was a land mine field. The Israeli tank troops unknowingly avoided serious damage by making that detour. Behind the many documented incidents of the Six Day War, there is a clear statement: "God was with us. God gave us the victory." Hallelujah! The God of Israel is with us, too. This year is the sixtieth anniversary of the Korean War. At 4:00 AM on Sunday, June 25, 1950, the North Korean army and the Soviets crossed the 38th parallel and invaded South Korea. They were so prepared for the war that they seized Seoul in three days, advancing further south. By September the North Koreans controlled the entire country except the Pusan city perimeter, about 10% of Korea, in a line partially defined by the Nakdong River. God's great mercy was on us. Since the USSR did not participate in the United Nations Security Council, the Security Council decided to send UN troops to Korea. The allied forces of 16 countries were coming to Korea to give their support, but the weather was a problem. It was August, the rainy season in Korea. If it rained, fighter planes could not help the allied forces successfully establish a beachhead in South Korea. President Rhee called all the pastors at Choryang Church and asked for prayer. He said, "We are in great danger. Please pray. Even though it is rainy season, please ask God that it not rain. I will ask General MacArthur to send B-29 fighter planes to bombard enemy territory. We desperately need your prayer." Pastors there fasted and prayed fervently to the Lord. The Lord gave sunny days and the B-29 fighter planes bombarded outside the Pusan city perimeter. The Incheon landing was successful on September 15. Seoul was recovered on September 28. The UN forces advanced towards the north, reaching the Aprok River on October 26. We could have claimed the entire peninsula if the Chinese had not intervened on November 2. The Chinese pushed the UN forces south on January 4, 1951. The war continued until both parties proclaimed a cease fire on July 27, 1953. The Korean War's casualties and losses for three years and one month are as follows: there were total of 620,000 KIAs, WIAs, MIAs, and POWs among the South Korean armed forces and police; 150,000 UN forces; 990,000 South Korean civilians; 2 million North Korean and Chinese forces; 1.5 million North Korean civilians-for a grand total of 5.26 million people. It also left 100,000 war orphans, 300,000 war widows, 3.2 million refugees, and more than 10 million separated families. We should never have allowed such a terrible war to take place on our land. It is time for us to pray. The battle belongs to God: "Heavenly Father, help us. Do not let another terrible war take place on this land. Do not let the Korean people kill each other ever again. The battle belongs to You. We ask for Your divine intervention. Remove the DMZ line and reunite our country by Your Gospel. As Germany was reunited, centered on German churches, reunite our country through our prayers, centered on Korean churches. We must pray whenever we get together: "Lord, help us. Lord, be with us. We believe You do wonderful miracles when we pray. Destroy the communists in North Korea as You destroyed Goliath. Remove the DMZ line. Reunite our country to spread Your gospel." We should pray when we gather together. Do you know how much God blessed South Korea during the past six decades? According to the Korea National Statistical Office, Korea's GNP was $67 in 1953, the year of armistice. In 1954, it was $70. Korea's GNP was $17,175 in 2009. It has increased 240 times! We must give all the glory to God for the marvelous blessings upon us. Hallelujah! We need God's help. There is nothing we can do without Him. Only when God helps us, can we experience His wonderful blessings: "Lord, we ask for Your help. Even though there are huge problems like Goliath in front of us, as long as You are with us, we can be like the boy David who defeated Goliath. Even though North Korea is preparing to invade us, if You are with us, we believe that the Goliath of their evil communism will be destroyed. Lord, please help us." The tension between South and North Koreas does not depend on the weapons we own. We need the help of God for the reunification of our nation. When we pray with faith, the "Goliath" of North Korea will collapse. The country will be reunited by a miracle of God. I pray that you will march forward with faith until that day comes. That is my earnest prayer for you. Let us pray: Our Father of infinite love, grace, and mercy, You are the omnipotent and omniscient God. You always bring great victory and blessing to us. We thank You for helping us understand that the war belongs to You, God Almighty. Help us fight and defeat all the Goliaths in our lives and in our nation, by trusting in Your name. Pour Your grace on us so that we can share Your Gospel around the world. Bless us so that we can live as Your victors. I pray in the Name of Jesus. Amen.