Beforehand: Be sure to check out Pastor Ben’s message online if you were not able to catch it on Sunday morning.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

Flinch - “Logophobia”

Pretext – 1 Samuel 17:31-32

1 – Friendly Five – 1 Samuel 17:33; 1 Samuel 17:34-37

2 – Curious Cuts – 1 Samuel 17:41-44; 1 Samuel 17:45

Blessing - Isaiah 42:10-13

 

Deep Six Study

Introduction

1 Samuel 17:31-32 – “Then David’s question was reported to King Saul, and the king sent for him. ‘Don’t worry about this Philistine,’ David told Saul. ‘I’ll go fight him!’”

Ephesians 6:10-13 – “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”

1 Peter 3:15 – “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.”

In the whole scheme of existence there are two forces: the forces of evil (darkness) and the forces of righteousness (light). God’s masterful plan has been unfolding through the ages and ultimately the forces of righteousness will prevail over the forces of evil. Until then the forces of righteousness are called upon to contend with the forces of evil. This is seen in David contending with Goliath, Peter and the disciples with the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, Paul with Felix and Festus, Martin Luther with a religious system of works, Wilberforce and Lincoln with slavery, Martin Luther King with racial injustice. But it is also seen in a young person saving themselves for marriage, a man shunning pornography, a woman staying faithful to her husband, a student not cheating on an exam, a family helping the homeless, hungry, hurting people in their community, a believer taking a stand for his convictions, a church that welcomes and embraces all who are spiritually lost, weary, and searching. In whatever there is that we may need to contend with, verbal exchanges are a significant part of the challenge to be faced. How often our fear of what might be said to us or what we might have to say leads to either a lifestyle of being so unengaged with our world that we have no impact or a lifestyle of being so engaged that our lives are indistinguishable from those of the world. David was well equipped to handle the verbal exchanges that came his way because he was not afraid. Becoming ones who are similarly equipped is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study.

Question # 1 – What are some ways that you believe God wants to use you to overcome evil with good?

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Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message

1 Samuel 17:33 - “'Don’t be ridiculous!’ Saul replied. ‘There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.’”

1 Samuel 17:34-37 – “But David persisted. ‘I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,’ he said. ‘When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The LORD who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!’ Saul finally consented. ‘All right, go ahead,’ he said. ‘And may the LORD be with you!’”

Ephesians 4:25-27,29 – “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity …. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

1 Timothy 4:11-12 – “Prescribe and teach these things. Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.”

2 Timothy 3:13-17 – “But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

Comment – David is willing to contend with Goliath and is equipped to handle any verbal or physical challenges that doing so will require. But first, he must handle a verbal challenge from King Soul. It is not unusual to have those who are on the same team as us become our detractors as we seek to be used against the forces of evil. We must always remember that those on our team who are bound by fear will have much to say that will challenge our pursuit of being used by God to contend with the enemies of righteousness. We must not only overcome this problem, but we must overcome our own tendency to let fear similarly cause us to be a discouragement to others who are in some way seeking to contend with evil.

Question # 2 – Can you recall a time when someone tried to squelch your desire to serve God’s kingdom in some way?

 

Question # 3 – Can you think of someway that your words put a damper on those around you who desire to be used more effectively for the Lord?

 

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Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

1 Samuel 17:41-44 – “Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. ‘Am I a dog,’ he roared at David, ‘that you come at me with a stick?’ And he cursed David by the names of his gods. ‘Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!’ Goliath yelled.”

1 Samuel 17:45 – “David replied to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.’”

Psalm 59:6-10 – “They return at evening, they howl like a dog, and go around the city. Behold, they belch forth with their mouth; swords are in their lips, for, they say, “Who hears?” But You, O LORD, laugh at them; You scoff at all the nations. Because of his strength I will watch for You, for God is my stronghold. My God in His lovingkindness will meet me; God will let me look triumphantly upon my foes.”

1 Peter 2:21-23 – “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, Who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.”

1 Peter 4:14-16, 19 – “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name ….Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.”

Acts 4:27-31 – “‘For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur. And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.’ And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.”

Comment – There are no great and involved secrets for how to handle the verbal reactions of those we contend with as we seek to battle with the forces of evil. For David it simply came down to absolute and complete dependence on the Lord. Peter’s admonition captures it well. We must continually entrust our souls to our faithful Creator as we keep going forward in doing right no matter what. David often said in the Psalms, “To You O, Lord, I lift up my soul.” We must regularly come before the Lord, lifting up our souls for Him to fill with His presence. When we are filled with Him we will not be filled with fear. So filled with the presence of God we can go forward in His name and confidently declare God’s words for the moment and then do anything He calls us to in full and complete dependence upon His strength and enabling.

Question # 4 – What are some of the reactions you get from people as they come up against your attempts to live righteously?

Question # 5 – What are some things that you have found helpful for being able to withstand the verbal onslaughts of those who resist your righteous living?

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Conclusion

Isaiah 42:10-13 – “Sing a new song to the LORD! Sing his praises from the ends of the earth! Sing, all you who sail the seas, all you who live in distant coastlands. Join in the chorus, you desert towns; let the villages of Kedar rejoice! Let the people of Sela sing for joy; shout praises from the mountaintops! Let the whole world glorify the LORD; let it sing his praise. The LORD will march forth like a mighty hero; He will come out like a warrior, full of fury. He will shout his battle cry and crush all his enemies.”

Psalm 57:1-7 – “Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by. I will cry to God Most High, to God who accomplishes all things for me. He will send from heaven and save me; He reproaches him who tramples upon me. God will send forth His lovingkindness and His truth. My soul is among lions; I must lie among those who breathe forth fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down; they dug a pit before me; they themselves have fallen into the midst of it. My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!”
God is waiting for us as His people to open ourselves up to him. The battle belongs to the Lord and He will graciously help us to join Him in it and be used by Him in any way He wants. He will show us how to partake of Him so that our hearts are steadfast even in the middle of the forays that we face along the way. He is adequate for the verbal attacks that will come to us and for the verbal empowering that we will have for declaring His words for His purposes.

Question # 6 – Is there something you have become aware of that needs to be addressed and how do you think God wants you to respond to Him in this?

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Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.