IMPACT Generation Leadership Retreat

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IMPACT Germany

Henrik Jensen

Lessons From David and Goliath


Father, we thank you so much for this new day, Father, we thank you for this group and for this time we can enjoy together. Father, I just pray that you will speak through your word this morning. I ask that in Jesus' name. Amen. The title of today's presentation, we have 14 minutes.

So if I speak too fast, please tell me to slow down. I call it Lessons for Impact from the Life of David. Now, this is a well-known story to a lot of us, and therefore I'm not going to, of course, read the whole thing. We're just going to dig into a few verses and see what this story has for us. And why did I choose the story of David?

Well, it's clear that David, he really made an impact on Goliath and also on his whole generation. And therefore I think there's many good things for us to learn. But I want to start with a quote, this is such a good quote, it has really helped me a lot, it's from Alan White's Selected Messages, and it simply says that the Bible was given for practical purposes. What does that mean? That simply means that the Bible has answers for the practical questions and the practical problems that we have.

The Bible was given to us in order to help us with our everyday life. So whether it's relationships, it's family, it's economy, it's school, it's whatever, the Bible has the right answers to that. And so I think the Bible also has answers and practical solutions for whatever occurs with impact mission trips. And so we're going to look into that a little bit. Let's go to the first chapter, chapter 17.

Read the story. First chapter, chapter 17. The universe force of 7. First Samuel chapter 17, the book of Hebrews chapter 47. And it says here, And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath of Gath, whose height was 6 cubits in span.

And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of metal, and the weight of the coat was 5000 shekels of brass. And he had crevices of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his spear's head weighed 600 shekels of iron, and 1 bearing a shield went before him. So here we have a very detailed description of the appearance of the giant of Goliath. And I just have to ask you a question.

How did the Israelites know that the spearhead weighed 600 shekels of iron? Do you think there was a sign on the spearhead saying, spearhead weight 600 shekels or 7 kilos as it would be today. How did they know what you think? Do you think it's God just brought it in the Bible to fill out the space? No, It's a little bit too early for such difficult questions like this.

Maybe they took it afterwards and created it. That is the only reason. That's the only way they could have found out, right? They must have taken the armor after they had slain the giant and weighed every piece to see how much it weighs. Now why on earth would they do that?

Why do you think? Why would they do this? Because they could afterwards write it in the Bible. To celebrate the victory. I think they were just curious.

Yes, maybe I said this already. But most of these medals, they are actually useful medals. So that could also be practical purposes. Yeah, practical, for sure. I think maybe there is also another reason, but that's a good 1.

I think it's because that was the biggest armour they had ever seen in their life. And so they just wanted to see how big it was and just to know everything about this. And I think this was exactly the problem of the Israelites. They were so amazed by the size of their problem that they just lost courage. When they saw the giant, they were like, oh man, his spear is long like we haven't seen before, you know, he has just, this is just too big for us.

And so they lost the courage. Now, When David went out to meet the giant, had he grown any smaller after 40 days? He was still the same, right? The giant, yeah. The giant was the same.

But David, he didn't look at that. He had another focus. And we're going to look into that a little bit. So this leads me to principle number 1. Lesson number 1 that we can learn from this story.

If we become preoccupied with the size of our problems, we lose faith. Is this relevant for Impact? Oh yes it is. You all know it. When we make Impact mission trips, we always face problems, we face trials.

Sometimes they come from surprising sources. And we think to ourselves, if we become preoccupied with the size, you know, how insurmountable our problems are, we'll lose courage. We should not look at the size, we should look at the solution. You know, we had a big problem in Denmark this summer, where we had 40 people registered and we did not have a car to drive them around. We did not have enough spaces.

So what to do? The health expo was like 20 kilometers away and they couldn't walk. So we didn't know what to do and got, you know, 2 weeks before, 1 week, was it 1 or 2 weeks? I think it was like 40. Yeah, maybe even 40.

So we got a car suddenly, you know. It was an old 1, it was a rusty 1, you know, you couldn't turn it on with the keys, you had to use a screwdriver. But it worked, you know. And it was, you know, the suspension was almost gone, it felt like driving, you know, a horse on fire from the 1800s. But it worked and it took us where we had to go.

And so God, he came through and he helped us in the last minute. But see, if we had just looked at the problem and we would have lost courage. But by God's grace, He showed us that he wanted to help us. Now let's go to the next message. It's verse 20.

Oh, this is a good 1. This is such a good 1. I just love this 1. Verse 20. 1 John chapter 17, verse 20.

I cannot see my notes, so I hope I remember everything. I don't know what happened to this computer. Verse 20, it says, And David rose up early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper, and took and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the trenches, the horse was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle. I want to focus on the first part of the verse.

It says that David rose early in the morning, just like you guys did this morning, and he left the sheep with a keeper. Now that is very, very significant. David he had a responsibility, and that was to take care of the sheep. And suddenly he received another commission, and that was to go to his brothers. And he could not be obviously both places at the same time.

So what he did was that he delegated responsibility to another person, to a trustworthy person, a keeper. And so he went. Is that relevant for impact, that principle? Oh yes it is. You don't know how many problems arise, of course maybe you do.

Many problems arise from The fact that leaders are not able or not willing to delegate responsibility to other people. Oh I have seen it. You know, you have leaders and they are like, you know it has to be my way and if it cannot be my way, it shouldn't happen. And this is just killing any organization. David, he knew.

He had learned the lesson. Imagine if he had thought, you know, I take care of the sheep in this way and no 1 else can do it in another way. And if they cannot go to this pasture and drink from this water, you know, it's not going to happen. No, he left the sheep with the keeper. Do you realize that if he hadn't done that, there would not have been a story of David and Elias in the Bible.

As simple as that, such small things are important. And that's also relevant for impact. So he left the sheep and he did not worry about the sheep. Imagine if David would have stood before the giant just about to throw the stone and you thought, oh man, I sure hope this guy is not messing up with Shiva. You know, he would have been distracted.

So he just left it and he just gave full responsibility and he went for his new mission, and he did that mission, he solved it perfectly. So lesson number 2. Delegate, delegate, and delegate. Don't be afraid, just do it. Of course you need trustworthy people.

You can pray to God that he will send it to you. And trustworthy people, there are more of them than you might think. And show confidence in the people you are dedicating to. Okay. Lesson number 3.

We are going to read 3 verses. Verse twenty-eight is the first 1. There are 3 people who talk to David. There are more people who talk to David, but 3 people, it's recorded what they say in this story. And let's read it.

Elias is the first 1. Listen to what he says to David when David is about to go on his mission. He says, Elias' anger was kindled against David in verse 28, and he said, Why camest thou down hither, and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride in the naughtiness of thy heart, For thou art come down, that thou mightest see the battle." Okay, that was a line. Now comes Saul, verse 33.

And Saul said to David, thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. And Goliath, the last 1. And the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his guards. And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air and to the beasts of the fields.

So these were the 3 people. Now, let me ask you a question. Did David receive much encouragement from his input when he was about to do his mission. What do you think? Much encouragement?

No. It was like criticism. It was like discouragement. You cannot do it. This is not possible.

You are too young. You see, Eliab and Saul, they were actually supposed to be David's allies. They were supposed to support him. And they were just, you know, bringing him down. So Eliab said, you know, what are you doing here?

You should be home with your responsibility. This is too big for you. Get back to your sheep. And Saul, he said, you know, you're too young. How old, by the way, was David at this time, what do you think?

How old was he? Do you know? The best guesses, the most qualified guesses is from between 16 and 18. Maybe closer to 18 and 16. 17, man, is not a bad number.

We don't know for sure, but he was a teenager. You understand? A young adult. Yes. He was a...

I have to stop it over there. So he was a teenager. He was not supposed to do anything. And so you see, Saul didn't expect much from him, as we saw yesterday. He said, you know, you're too young for this.

You're just a stripped man. And so that was not much encouragement. Of course, we could not expect much from Goliath. He was not very kind to his mother. So the point is this.

David received only criticism and discouragement from the people around him as he was about to do his mission. Is that relevant for impact? What do you think? Oh yes it is. You see, we face many times, as I said before, we face challenges and criticism from places where we did not expect it always.

Many times it's from within, just like David experienced. And so this is difficult. And we see how David did it. He just had a mission, and he would not be discouraged If David would have listened to all the people telling him what to do and what not to do, he would never, ever have gone out to meet the Germans. Is that clear?

So friends, we need to be like David. If we have a mission, We need to go for it, whatever people say. Now, of course, we need to also receive good advice, if we get something like that. So, I'm not just saying that we should go solo, but criticism and all of this, we should not be surprised when it comes, and we should not become discouraged. Lesson number 3.

Don't be scared by what people say, even though it's your friend or your family that you say about your mission. Good. Now, Let's go to the last 1. How much time do we have? Oh, we have, oh, we have much time.

Can we take 5 minutes? Yes. Alright, great. Verse 37. I hope it will not be 5 prophetic minutes.

I still have a little bit left. Alright, 1 Samuel 17 verse 37. This is David, this is the key to David's success. David said, moreover, the Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, go and the Lord be with you.

David, he had implicit trust that God would help him. Now my question to you is this. How did David know for sure that God would help him? He had never slain a giant before. How did he know?

Based on his previous experiences? Based on his experience from the past with smaller trials. Now some of you would say, you're killing a lion, I'd bear him, he's not a small child. But nevertheless, it was his experience from the past, his trust, he saw that God had helped him in the past and therefore he would also help him in the present. He knew that God was faithful, and that's why he was confident.

And I think this is important for all of us as impact leaders. Our key to power, our key to success, is trusting in God that he is faithful. And also the way we can do that is to think about how he has helped us in the past. That of course means we have to be faithful in everyday life. It is everyday duties, the faithful doing of everyday duties that enables us to do big things.

Now I have to ask you this question, how much applause did David get when he stood in line at the bear and the feathers? How much attention did he receive? Did the newspaper write about it? Was there a post on Facebook? The sheep, you know, sheep are unintelligent, you know, they didn't care, They didn't care.

You see, he received absolutely no applause. And this is also with us. The everyday duties, the everyday trials, we receive no applause for them. Most of the time. Should that lead us to be discouraged?

Many times it does. We just work, we just do our duties and we think, you know, I'm just struggling, I'm just working and no 1 cares. And it seems like no 1 really thinks that it's a good idea. But you see, these very experiences out in the lonely hills prepared David for the big things that he was to do. And so it is the same for us.

Lesson number 4. It is the faithfulness in the daily duties and obstacles, though often unrecognized and unhonored by those around us, that strengthens our faith in God and prepares us for the greater trust. Actually, there's an Ellen White quote. These are my own words, but I have an L-like quote that says almost the same as good-minded. But I know it's there.

So this is kind of a paraphrase. Yes. Last thing. I've always been amazed when I go some chapters on in 1st Samuel, actually 2nd Samuel, and I read about the heroes. Have you ever been amazed when you read about the heroes of David?

Yes. His men, his mighty men. These guys were incredible. I mean, they were almost supernatural what they did. You know, I have Adino, the Isenite, killing 800.

I have a, I listed a few of them here. Look at this, this guy he killed a lion in a pit and he killed an Egyptian who had I think 12 fingers and 12 toes, I don't know why that was so intimidating. Anyway, he was a big guy, he was probably some soldier. These guys, they did amazing things. Never before, never afterwards, do we see a generation like this.

It seems as if, you know, finally slaying giants became some everyday discipline. You understand? There's numerous accounts where these people, they go in and they kill the giant. 1 giant after the other. It was no problem anymore.

They just did it. Now why do you think they did it? Why suddenly this emergence of a generation of heroes? What do you think? Why did it happen?

It happened because they had a leader, Eugen Skoyen, who went before. Who was the first 1 to kill Adalai? Who was the first 1 to kill the giant? It was David. So you see friends, 1 person can have an enormous influence.

David proves that. Because he had a connection with God. He had implicit trust in God, which led him to do what he did. And that inspired a whole generation. Now, did these people do it in their own power, his heroes?

I don't believe so. I believe that God was helping them also. I believe that God inspired David also inspired these people to do great things. But it all happens, they all finally understood, oh, if David can kill a giant, I can kill a giant too. And so this whole generation came up, and these guys, they never lost a battle.

They never lost a battle. They just went from victory to victory. And it was all because of 1 guy. And he was a teenager. He was not supposed to be anything.

He decided to do the right thing and had trust in God. How did he have trust in God? It was because in his daily life he had been faithful and he knew that God would help him. And so he did this. And all of a sudden he became a man of God.

So To me this story is just incredibly inspiring and it just shows me that we as Impact, we're not 1 person, we're many people. And if we all choose to be like David, and we can, I believe, all of us be like David, because God hasn't changed, he still has the same power as before, as in that time? We just need, like David, to find out what is the source of our strength. We can have an enormous influence on this entire generation. So That is my wish, that is my prayer.

Is that your wish? Is that your prayer? To be like David, to be an inspiration for a whole generation. This is my prayer. Alright, let's finish with a prayer.

Father in heaven, we thank you so much for these amazing stories that you put in the Bible, designed to inspire us when we feel weak, when we feel down, when we feel overcome with obstacles and problems. Father, we thank you that you show us that you can work through the weakest vessels. Father, we admit that we are weak, and I especially. I just want to thank you that you have shown us that even weak people, Even insignificant people, they can have an enormous influence for good in this world through your power. Father, I just want to tell you that we all want to have this experience.

And Father, therefore we pray that you please give us this experience. Help us to be faithful in our daily life with the insignificant duties that we receive no applause for. Help us to know that we have to do them with fortitude anyway because we know that you are preparing us for greater trust. Father, I thank you so much for this group and I pray that you'll be with them in a special way. You know the trials they face in various countries, but the impact especially also in the personal lives.

Father, I just pray that you'll be with them, that you'll help them, help us all to receive power from you and to be like David. Thank you so much for that. May we pray for you to bless the rest of this day. May God bless you, God bless you. Thank you for just listening.

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Lessons From David and Goliath

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