WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.760 Good morning everyone. 00:00:05.139 --> 00:00:12.980 This morning we are continuing our theme looking at names for God, of which I am sure you have already realised there are many. 00:00:14.160 --> 00:00:20.480 And a couple of weeks ago in youth group we were chatting about the meaning behind a name. 00:00:21.140 --> 00:00:26.640 We talked about how a name tells you about who a person is, it speaks to their identity. 00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:32.280 We reckon that when someone is called Dr Something it usually means they're pretty smart. 00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:38.320 Or we call teachers Sir or Miss because most of the time that commands some sort of respect. 00:00:39.659 --> 00:00:46.719 And we all thought about how nicknames signify a friendship or a personal relationship with a person. 00:00:47.859 --> 00:00:55.420 Perhaps names like Mum, Dad, Granny, Grandad, Aunty or Uncle provoke some sort of emotional response within you. 00:00:56.640 --> 00:01:05.019 And we can probably all agree that when your parent calls you by your full name, you know you've done something wrong. 00:01:05.239 --> 00:01:07.340 Although that was more my brother than me. 00:01:07.340 --> 00:01:16.460 This morning we're looking at a name for God that is found in the story of David and Goliath as Deb has just read for us. 00:01:17.380 --> 00:01:20.320 Where David calls God the Lord God Almighty. 00:01:21.320 --> 00:01:26.680 The Lord God Almighty is the English translation of the Hebrew name El Shaddai. 00:01:26.680 --> 00:01:32.440 And when we unpack that we find that it means God who is mighty. 00:01:32.960 --> 00:01:36.160 Or the God who is the overcomer, the overpowerer. 00:01:36.760 --> 00:01:41.640 Simply put, it means that our God is God above all things. 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:45.860 He is the God who has the victory over and through everything. 00:01:45.859 --> 00:01:57.140 Now before we unpack our Bible passage from this morning, I want to take a moment to talk about the significance of this name for God. 00:01:57.920 --> 00:01:58.980 The Lord God Almighty. 00:01:59.780 --> 00:02:05.700 See, this isn't the first or the only time that El Shaddai or the Lord God Almighty is used in the Bible. 00:02:06.120 --> 00:02:10.360 In fact, it's used over 40 times in the Old Testament alone. 00:02:10.360 --> 00:02:17.820 The first time El Shaddai is used is actually by God himself when he introduces himself to Abraham. 00:02:18.740 --> 00:02:25.580 In Genesis 17 verse 1, God speaks to Abraham who is 99 years old, soon to be renamed Abraham. 00:02:26.000 --> 00:02:29.060 Married to Sarai who had become Sarah and without a son. 00:02:30.100 --> 00:02:33.620 And God says, I am God Almighty or El Shaddai. 00:02:34.660 --> 00:02:36.900 Walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 00:02:36.900 --> 00:02:42.860 Then I will make my covenant with you and will greatly increase your numbers. 00:02:44.180 --> 00:02:52.240 See, right at the beginning of the Bible, we see the faithful, promise-making, promise-keeping character of El Shaddai. 00:02:53.599 --> 00:02:59.960 And the Lord God Almighty then becomes a name that's used by God and by his people right the way through the Bible. 00:03:00.099 --> 00:03:01.560 All the way through to Revelation. 00:03:01.560 --> 00:03:07.060 And in Revelation, we can read of John's vision of eternity. 00:03:07.379 --> 00:03:09.120 John was one of Jesus' disciples. 00:03:09.340 --> 00:03:14.800 He called himself the disciple Jesus loved because he was clearly very secure in his identity in Jesus. 00:03:15.479 --> 00:03:19.219 And we read in chapter 4 verse 8, the chorus, 00:03:19.219 --> 00:03:35.259 For eternity, day and night, we will sing the declaration that God is the Lord God Almighty. 00:03:36.159 --> 00:03:39.539 That he is the one who is mighty and above everything. 00:03:39.539 --> 00:03:44.159 And as I was spending some time pondering on this in preparation for this morning, 00:03:44.259 --> 00:03:48.419 I thought, gosh, there is something so significant about this name, isn't there, 00:03:48.419 --> 00:03:51.239 that we would sing it for eternity in heaven. 00:03:51.479 --> 00:03:53.159 So what is that significance? 00:03:55.379 --> 00:03:58.979 And I think perhaps it's found in our passage from this morning, 00:03:59.219 --> 00:04:01.039 from our story of David and Goliath. 00:04:01.879 --> 00:04:05.519 It's a long passage, so believe it or not, we did cut it down this morning. 00:04:05.520 --> 00:04:08.520 But if it's okay with you, I'm going to retell it in my own words. 00:04:10.360 --> 00:04:15.800 See, David and Goliath is one of those children's storybook Bible stories that I grew up with. 00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:19.579 And my understanding of it was that there was this little shepherd boy called David 00:04:19.579 --> 00:04:25.300 who went and fought a tall, big giant called Goliath with just a slingshot. 00:04:25.699 --> 00:04:28.879 And even at a first glance, it's pretty impressive, isn't it? 00:04:29.079 --> 00:04:31.120 But there's so much more to it than that. 00:04:32.420 --> 00:04:34.960 See, contextually, David was a Philistine. 00:04:34.959 --> 00:04:37.019 The opposition to the Israelites. 00:04:37.579 --> 00:04:48.819 And Goliath was this 9'11", or 3-metre tall giant. 00:04:48.979 --> 00:04:50.379 And he was the one to defeat. 00:04:51.319 --> 00:04:54.000 The agreement was that if the Israelites killed him, 00:04:54.319 --> 00:04:57.060 the Philistines would become subject to the Israelites. 00:04:57.579 --> 00:05:01.719 But if Goliath won, the Israelites would become subject to the Philistines. 00:05:01.720 --> 00:05:07.020 And for 40 days, Goliath came and stood his ground before the Israelites, 00:05:07.940 --> 00:05:09.860 waiting for someone to challenge him. 00:05:10.140 --> 00:05:12.980 And for 40 days, no one came forward. 00:05:14.540 --> 00:05:19.220 Meanwhile, David, the scrawny shepherd boy, the youngest of Jesse's family, 00:05:19.620 --> 00:05:22.980 recently anointed to be king of Israel in the future, 00:05:23.400 --> 00:05:26.100 was tending to his family flocks in the wilderness, 00:05:26.700 --> 00:05:30.260 whilst running back and forth to the battleground to see what was going on. 00:05:30.259 --> 00:05:34.680 One day, his dad sends him with some bread and cheese, 00:05:34.759 --> 00:05:37.060 which is clearly an excellent battle snack, 00:05:37.500 --> 00:05:41.860 to find some news from the front line about how his brothers were getting on. 00:05:43.180 --> 00:05:44.339 And whilst he was there, 00:05:45.019 --> 00:05:48.639 David asked what would happen to the person who defeated Goliath. 00:05:49.159 --> 00:05:51.319 He gets his answer, which, by the way, 00:05:51.699 --> 00:05:53.719 includes marrying the king's daughter, 00:05:54.120 --> 00:05:57.379 great wealth and being excluded from paying taxes in Israel. 00:05:57.379 --> 00:06:02.920 And aside from an argument with his big brother about his motivation for being there, 00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:04.459 David is inspired. 00:06:05.379 --> 00:06:08.939 He heads back to Saul, the current king and David's boss, 00:06:09.259 --> 00:06:13.560 and he says that he, the little shepherd boy, will fight Goliath. 00:06:14.759 --> 00:06:17.500 Saul protests, reminding David, in case he'd forgotten, 00:06:17.939 --> 00:06:20.779 that he is young and inexperienced. 00:06:20.779 --> 00:06:25.839 But David pulls out the big guns in verse 34, 00:06:26.019 --> 00:06:26.199 saying, 00:06:26.199 --> 00:06:28.560 Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. 00:06:28.879 --> 00:06:32.139 When a lion or bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 00:06:32.259 --> 00:06:36.199 I went after it, struck it, and rescued the sheep from its mouth. 00:06:36.699 --> 00:06:39.099 When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, 00:06:39.480 --> 00:06:42.000 struck it, and killed both the lion and the bear. 00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:45.180 The uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, 00:06:45.919 --> 00:06:48.680 because he has defied the armies of the living God. 00:06:49.419 --> 00:06:53.039 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear 00:06:53.040 --> 00:06:55.879 will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine. 00:06:59.260 --> 00:07:03.319 In this moment, David recognised that being a shepherd in the wilderness, 00:07:03.540 --> 00:07:04.980 fighting off bears and lions, 00:07:05.100 --> 00:07:08.000 had been his training ground for this very purpose. 00:07:08.760 --> 00:07:12.400 And he knew that Goliath's weakness was that he had defied 00:07:12.400 --> 00:07:14.360 and rebelled against the living God, 00:07:14.740 --> 00:07:18.740 and that the Lord God Almighty would be on the side of his faithful servant David. 00:07:18.740 --> 00:07:24.280 Saul gives David his coat of armour, 00:07:24.379 --> 00:07:26.400 but after trying it on and walking around on it, 00:07:26.439 --> 00:07:28.079 he finds it's too heavy, it doesn't fit. 00:07:28.600 --> 00:07:31.160 So he decides to go to battle in his own clothes, 00:07:31.319 --> 00:07:33.019 with his slingshot for a weapon. 00:07:34.280 --> 00:07:37.379 When he gets back to the battleground and approaches the giant, 00:07:37.639 --> 00:07:40.420 Goliath doesn't think very much of David or his slingshot, 00:07:40.579 --> 00:07:41.000 and says, 00:07:41.400 --> 00:07:44.019 Am I a dog that you come at me with sticks? 00:07:44.019 --> 00:07:48.859 But David reveals his true weapon in verse 45. 00:07:49.859 --> 00:07:54.359 And I think this is a great verse for us to remember in our own spiritual battles. 00:07:55.500 --> 00:07:55.779 He says, 00:07:55.879 --> 00:07:58.620 You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, 00:07:58.879 --> 00:08:02.859 but I come against you in the name of the Lord God Almighty. 00:08:04.319 --> 00:08:09.779 David goes to battle in the authority of the name of the Lord God Almighty, 00:08:09.779 --> 00:08:13.319 and he has total confidence in the power of God. 00:08:14.599 --> 00:08:16.539 In verse 47, David declares, 00:08:16.939 --> 00:08:21.959 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves, 00:08:22.239 --> 00:08:24.939 for the battle is the Lord's. 00:08:27.219 --> 00:08:30.159 With just a slingshot, David brings down Goliath, 00:08:30.239 --> 00:08:31.639 kills him and wins the battle. 00:08:32.360 --> 00:08:34.699 David might have been the smallest of the bunch. 00:08:35.120 --> 00:08:37.079 He might have been young and inexperienced. 00:08:37.080 --> 00:08:40.360 He might only have had a slingshot as his physical weapon. 00:08:40.740 --> 00:08:44.139 But he was fully armed with his spiritual weapons, 00:08:44.180 --> 00:08:50.000 because he had total confidence in the knowledge of exactly who God is, 00:08:50.160 --> 00:08:51.400 and he won the battle. 00:08:54.820 --> 00:08:59.000 I think this is such an important story for us to hear today. 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:02.379 As I was writing for this morning, 00:09:02.519 --> 00:09:06.879 I was reminded of a song from Elevation Worship called Same God, 00:09:07.159 --> 00:09:12.000 and it talks about the way that God moved for some of the heroes of faith in the Bible, 00:09:12.419 --> 00:09:16.100 how he moved then and how he still moves for us today. 00:09:16.919 --> 00:09:18.340 And there's a lyric that says, 00:09:18.659 --> 00:09:22.000 I'm calling on the God of David who made a shepherd boy courageous. 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:27.120 I may not face Goliath, but I've sure got my own giants. 00:09:29.620 --> 00:09:34.559 And we know, don't we, all too well that we face giants in this life. 00:09:35.259 --> 00:09:40.120 Those things that feel huge, insurmountable, completely impossible. 00:09:41.559 --> 00:09:45.580 Maybe it's a particular project that we've got to do that feels endless and impossible. 00:09:46.100 --> 00:09:49.799 A particular relationship that feels really hard work. 00:09:49.799 --> 00:09:55.679 Maybe it's our sin or our shame or something that feels like it's chaining us up, holding us back. 00:09:56.259 --> 00:10:02.559 It could be spiritual battle that makes life and faith feel just really like a battle. 00:10:03.719 --> 00:10:08.799 Maybe it's our mental or physical health that is preventing us from living life to the full. 00:10:11.479 --> 00:10:16.179 Whatever the giant, whatever the time or the season where we face those giants, 00:10:16.179 --> 00:10:22.939 the good news of the gospel is that we can choose to fight in the name of the Lord God Almighty. 00:10:24.259 --> 00:10:28.139 With him as our authority and our weapon against the enemy. 00:10:28.859 --> 00:10:32.120 Because God is the same today as he was with David. 00:10:32.859 --> 00:10:34.679 And he will be for all eternity. 00:10:35.799 --> 00:10:39.039 God is still the Lord God Almighty who fights our battles. 00:10:39.039 --> 00:10:47.599 Now, I know that Harry Potter references in church are a little bit risky. 00:10:48.240 --> 00:10:51.259 So, please forgive me if you're not a fan. 00:10:51.599 --> 00:10:55.620 I am a fan and I think there are some great gospel messages in Harry Potter. 00:10:56.419 --> 00:11:01.459 Like the fight against good and evil and love will always win and we're not called to fight on our own. 00:11:01.460 --> 00:11:05.200 And my parents and I have been re-watching the films recently. 00:11:05.379 --> 00:11:09.980 And we recently, the other week, watched film five, The Order of the Phoenix. 00:11:10.379 --> 00:11:12.040 And I'm really sorry for any spoilers. 00:11:12.860 --> 00:11:18.900 But in this film, Voldemort, who is the enemy, he represents all that is bad and evil. 00:11:19.639 --> 00:11:24.060 He's come back in full power and he is on a mission to kill Harry Potter. 00:11:24.800 --> 00:11:26.980 Who represents all that is good and love. 00:11:26.980 --> 00:11:35.620 And Voldemort, by the end of the film, has killed off Harry's godfather, his only remaining wizarding family. 00:11:35.879 --> 00:11:38.860 And he has all but overpowered the good wizarding world. 00:11:40.620 --> 00:11:49.379 And Harry, at the end of the film, just as it's closing, he's been deep in reflection about this fight with Voldemort that they have ahead of them. 00:11:49.379 --> 00:11:56.740 And he says to his friends, even though we've got a fight ahead of us, we've got something Voldemort doesn't have. 00:11:57.279 --> 00:11:59.720 Something worth fighting for. 00:12:01.060 --> 00:12:08.480 And Harry Potter references aside, we have something worth fighting for. 00:12:08.600 --> 00:12:11.320 We have someone worth fighting for. 00:12:12.680 --> 00:12:15.580 And I think it gets even better than that. 00:12:15.580 --> 00:12:21.580 Because God doesn't just stand on the sidelines cheering us on from the side, telling us that we can do it. 00:12:21.620 --> 00:12:23.879 Because he fights for us. 00:12:23.879 --> 00:12:31.759 I'm reminded of Moses in Exodus chapter 14. 00:12:32.399 --> 00:12:35.159 Where he and the Israelites are faced with the Red Sea. 00:12:35.220 --> 00:12:37.220 And they're not quite sure how they're going to get across. 00:12:38.159 --> 00:12:39.879 And he speaks to the Israelites and says, 00:12:39.879 --> 00:12:56.939 Perhaps today we could say in faith, 00:12:56.940 --> 00:13:00.760 The giants we see today, we will never see again. 00:13:00.900 --> 00:13:03.600 Because the Lord God Almighty will fight for us. 00:13:03.820 --> 00:13:05.180 We need only be still. 00:13:06.140 --> 00:13:07.800 We need only trust in him. 00:13:07.840 --> 00:13:12.580 Because the Lord God Almighty always has and always will fight for us. 00:13:12.580 --> 00:13:21.520 Before we wrap up this morning, something that really caught my attention about this passage 00:13:21.520 --> 00:13:27.520 is that when David goes to Saul and says that he's going to go and fight Goliath, two things happen. 00:13:27.519 --> 00:13:31.879 First, Saul says something I think probably went along the lines of, 00:13:32.500 --> 00:13:33.220 Are you mad? 00:13:33.519 --> 00:13:37.019 You're small, you're too young, and you have no idea what you're doing in a battle. 00:13:38.120 --> 00:13:42.740 And the second thing is that after David convinces Saul that God will protect him, 00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:45.779 Saul gives him an ill-fitting coat of armour. 00:13:46.199 --> 00:13:50.019 And as we've already mentioned, once David had tried walking around on it, 00:13:50.019 --> 00:13:52.840 he takes it off, he goes in his own clothes with his slingshot. 00:13:55.000 --> 00:13:59.579 God is a much better advocate than Saul is, thankfully. 00:14:00.519 --> 00:14:04.360 Because when we face giants and battles, unlike Saul, 00:14:04.579 --> 00:14:07.240 God gives us encouragement that we can do it. 00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:14.199 He fights with us, and he gives us an armour that fits us. 00:14:14.519 --> 00:14:17.799 One that we can walk in, one that we can do life in. 00:14:17.799 --> 00:14:21.419 We find details of that armour in Ephesians 6. 00:14:21.899 --> 00:14:25.639 It's made up of a belt of truth, a breastplate of righteousness, 00:14:25.979 --> 00:14:29.659 boots of peace, a helmet of salvation, a shield of faith, 00:14:30.019 --> 00:14:32.519 and the sword of the Spirit, which is alive and active, 00:14:32.719 --> 00:14:35.059 and sharper than any double-edged sword. 00:14:36.199 --> 00:14:39.740 And prayer, always prayer, persistently and faithfully. 00:14:41.679 --> 00:14:46.639 And recently I've been learning that another part of the armour that God gives us is people. 00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:51.240 People who support and encourage us as we face our giants. 00:14:51.819 --> 00:14:55.319 People who tell us that we can do it, that nothing is insurmountable, 00:14:55.639 --> 00:14:57.620 that nothing is impossible with God. 00:14:58.659 --> 00:15:02.740 People who pray with us and point us to the Lord God Almighty. 00:15:03.919 --> 00:15:09.399 They're people who remind us that giants might come against us with sword and spear and javelin, 00:15:09.399 --> 00:15:13.819 depression, anxiety, fear, and so many other things. 00:15:14.019 --> 00:15:17.079 But we fight in the name of El Shaddai. 00:15:19.879 --> 00:15:25.000 Maybe those people are your close friends, your partner, your home group, your parents. 00:15:25.679 --> 00:15:27.500 Those people are God's gift to you. 00:15:28.860 --> 00:15:32.679 They are part of the armour that God gives you to protect you from the giants, 00:15:32.679 --> 00:15:35.000 because when the Lord God Almighty fights for us, 00:15:35.120 --> 00:15:39.139 he has us protected on every level, every side. 00:15:43.459 --> 00:15:48.319 I started this talk by saying that a name tells us something about a person. 00:15:48.659 --> 00:15:52.099 I'm pondering on the significance of the name El Shaddai. 00:15:52.100 --> 00:15:55.659 So to conclude, perhaps you would agree with me, 00:15:56.320 --> 00:15:59.960 that the Lord God Almighty is our powerful weapon against the enemy 00:15:59.960 --> 00:16:02.420 and against the giants he puts in our way. 00:16:03.360 --> 00:16:07.920 And not only that, but the knowledge of who he is can give us great confidence, 00:16:08.519 --> 00:16:09.440 great comfort. 00:16:09.740 --> 00:16:11.600 As we remember, verse 45, 00:16:11.820 --> 00:16:14.820 the enemy comes at us with sword and spear and javelin, 00:16:15.120 --> 00:16:17.580 but we fight in the name of the Lord God Almighty. 00:16:17.580 --> 00:16:22.100 And the Lord God Almighty is just that. 00:16:22.240 --> 00:16:25.139 He is above and mightier than all things. 00:16:25.460 --> 00:16:28.620 He has the victory over sin and shame and death. 00:16:28.700 --> 00:16:32.020 He has the victory over the enemy and all the giants he puts in our way. 00:16:33.120 --> 00:16:36.560 And so forevermore, he is worthy of our song. 00:16:36.740 --> 00:16:39.639 Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty 00:16:39.639 --> 00:16:42.940 who was and is and is to come. 00:16:43.500 --> 00:16:43.800 Amen.