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Well, go ahead and praise him this morning. If you're thankful for the blood of Jesus, Lord, we praise you, over our families, over our marriages, over our children and our children's children. To God be the glory.
Well, we're so glad you're here today. God bless you. Why don't you take a moment and just welcome people around you. We don't do that a lot, but I just want you to just have a old-fashioned hi, how are you? Good to have you here. You're sitting in the right place. Glad you're here. God bless you. Thank you, choir. Thank you, team. That was powerful.
Well, today is Father's Day and uh I like I like the little gifts. They have some they have some air fresheners uh that are NASCAR air fresheners for the men. So, and they got some good hats. Yeah. So, God bless you. Get those hats. You'll love those. And they're very comfortable. I'm a hat guy. I wear a hat almost all week. And cuz I'm hiding from y'all when I go out. Amen. But but I I like to wear wear hats and and I like how these hats fit. They're not like cheaply done or something. They they fit your head good. And so you'll enjoy enjoy that very much. Thank you for being with us.
I want every father in the house to stand and we want to tell you how incredible you are. God bless you. Look at the men. Look at the fathers. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful fathers. God bless you. And I mean, I hope you treat them great today. I hope you just get them a rod and reel and a gun. Amen. Uh whatever it is they like and throw in a pickup truck. Amen. But that is wonderful. God bless you. We appreciate you. We remember the fathers that are in heaven today. And I got one up there that I'm going to see one of these days. What a great father my father was.
I want you to open your Bibles with me for just a few moments. Great News Forward Conference is sold out. To God be the glory. And it's going to be incredible. But I'm begging you for prayers this week. I'm I'm asking you as a church if you consider Free Chapel your home. This should not be a normal week. But you should pray short prayers every time you think about us. Just utter a prayer. God strengthen them, bless them, God anoint them, Lord save souls in those services. Three services a day uh there are or Friday and Saturday. two two services I guess two services a day and then we'll be right back here on Sunday morning next Sunday. How many of you will pray for this conference? We dare not we dare not try to do this in the flesh. We've rehearsed and people have done their thing and bands are ready and stage and all the stuff but that is not the main thing. The main thing is his presence and his word and his power. And we're believing for a mighty, mighty move of God. God surely would bring 12,000 plus young people from all over all 50 states are represented in this one. And many foreign nations even. And we are believing God for great great things.
I want you to look with me in uh 2 Samuel chapter 21 and I'm going to take a few moments and read some verses. It's a great story uh that I'm going to share today. Great multiple stories of things that happened that are relevant to us today.
When the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David and his servants went with him down and fought against the Philistines. Listen, and David grew faint. Now, he's not the young David that slew a bear and slew a lion and fought Goliath. He is now an older man and he still has the heart of a lion, but physically he is out on the battlefield and he's fighting a giant. He's fighting a giant and I want to tell you about that giant. Then Ishbanob, who was one of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose bronze spear was 300 shekels, who was bearing a new sword, thought he would kill David. And he would have. The Bible, the next text, proves it. It was so close that all the men gasped for breath when they saw what was about to happen to their hero, the light of Israel, David. The next verse says, "And Abashi, the son of Zyra, came to his aid and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, "You shall go out no more with us to battle. We're taking the keys to your truck. You're not You are 98 years old." I'm just making this up, but this is literally what they're saying. They're saying you're too you you can't get out there like a young man and you are you can go with us no more to battle less the lest you quench the lamp of Israel. I love that when he was about to be taken out, David is the only giant killer in in the history of Israel. But in that moment, a young man rose and ran and killed the giant that was about to kill David. I love that mental picture of a new generation of giant killers running out. Watch this. And you and verse 18. Now it happened afterward that there was another again a battle and the Philistines at God. This is where many of the giants were from a place called God. Gob. And Coci the Hishite killed Seph who was one of the sons of the giant. So here's a here's a second here's a second giant killer. Now this there it started with one giant killer, David. Now here's another one. And the other one said, "Well, if he can do it, I can do it. I'm going to go kill me a giant. Verse 19. And again, there they were at war at Gob with the Philistines. And Elhan, the son of somebody from Oregon, it looks like. Amen. The Bethleamite. Well, you can't pronounce him either, so let's just skip it. I ain't preaching on him. Amen. The Bethleamite killed the brother of Goliath. Isn't that cool? Isn't this a cool story? So, here we have in a row three new giant killers and now they're taking out Goliath's brothers. He had four brothers who were giants. They killed the brother of Goliath who whose spear was like a weaver's beam. Notice the details. Yet again, there was war at Gath. This is where a lot of giants came from. Where there was a man of great stature who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, 24 in number. Can you imagine a man with six fingers and six toes? 666 all over the place. You can't even play. This little piggy went to the market and it turned out right. Everything's messed up. This is wild. 24 in number. He also was born to the giant when he defied Israel, Jonathan, the son of Sheima, David's brother. In other words, he was the nephew of David. He ran out and slew him, killed him. These four were born to the giant in Gath and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
I won't preach along this morning, but I do I do believe I have a message for you today. David was wearied. David was older. David was faint. David was used to going out and and and winning and and fighting. and he fought this giant and something began to happen. He began to wear him down and it became obvious that he was about to die. And in that moment when that giant girding a new sword, saying to himself, I can take him. Oh, he raised that sword and said, I'm going to be a hero in the Philistines world. They'll make a statue out of me. I'm about to kill the man they hate the most, David. But here comes a nephew of David running out and takes that giant and takes him down. I don't know how he did it, but he killed him. And that began a mighty giant killilling expedition that David started. But another and another and another and another giant killer kept going.
The Bible has a lot to say about giants. It's very interesting. The book of Amos chapter 2, it talks about the Amorites who many believe were giants and many theologians believe because the scripture says they were as tall as cedars and strong as oaks. And then in Deuteronomy chapter 2, the Bible describes giants from the Emans, a tribe or group of people who produced giants. The scripture said, it says in that same chapter of Deuteronomy 2, the Zam Zumans produced a lion of giants. These are particular areas where these people were and there was something going on there that caused giants to be in those territories. And then in Genesis 6 and verse 4, we have the Nephilims. According to the scriptures, they were giants. And there's been a lot of talk about that online and stuff about this this race of giants and where they came from and and how in the world if the Bible says they were there and they were giants, they were giants. In Deuteronomy chapter 3, it talks about the king of Bashan whose name was Og. And it says that he had a bed that was 13 and a half feet long. We know that Goliath of Gath was 9 and 1/2 ft give or take a little 9 and 1/2 ft tall according to what we know and and see in scriptures. Still, there are giants today that have spiritually that have territories in the unseen world. I'm not getting weird or strange, but you can go into some cities and you can know the history though. There's been a giant principality. The Bible said, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but principalities and powers in high places, and they're giant spirits." You go to Vegas, there's a giant spirit. You go to New York, you go to LA, you go you go to Atlanta, there there are absolutely principalities and powers that are giants.
There's certain characteristics about giants that all of them had these things in common. Number one, giants are big. They are large, extra large. They are massive. And that is designed to bring intimidation. They were large in the Bible. Every one of them, a 13 foot bed, that is a large person. They occupy big space. Secondly, giants are loud. The Bible tells the story in 2 Samuel about Goliath and how that every morning and every evening, twice every day for 40 days, he would get up and with his mouth loudly defy the army of Israel and blaspheme God and say, "Send me a man to fight and if I win, you serve us. If he wins, we will serve our people will serve you." And he did this morning and evening. He did it day after day. And the Bible said with a loud voice, this giant would scream these threats of intimidation, the chatter, the loudness. Satan is the accuser of the brethren. The Bible said that that that that every morning Israel would wake up to the voice of that giant. And this is how the enemy does it. He finds a little inroad. You get a problem in your life and the first thing you hear when you wake up, he'll he'll be chattering and talking trash and it's going to be awful today. It's going to get worse. Things are going to be terrible. And every night when he would go they would go to bed, they would hear Goliath walk out into that valley where the army of Israel was on the other side and they would hear his voice laughing and mocking and making fun. I'm going to feed your I'm going to do this to your family. I'm going to kill your children. I'm going to attack. I'm going to burn your houses down, your farms down. And they would hear it every morning, every night, waking up to the voices of defeat. And some of you are listening to me today, and you're facing spiritual giants. And that voice is loud and it's saying, "You're not going to ever break that addiction. You're never going to get free. You're never going to see a happy family. You're never going to see the blessing of God." and you hear it every morning and you hear it every evening when you go to bed. And you may be facing a health problem. You may be facing a financial crisis. You may be facing something with one of your children and it feels so overwhelming. It's a giant and it's come suddenly and it's come to kill, steal, and destroy. But I want you to know that the enem is voice is loud and it's intimidating. But you have to remember something about God. He is a God who knows how to deal with giants. God has not God has not given us a spirit of fear. Do you believe that >> he has not given us a spirit of fear?
Listen to this. Giants are big. Giants are loud. And giants have powerful weapons. It's amazing. Every time the scripture paints a picture in different places in the Bible of a giant, it goes into details of what weapons they have. It talks about Goliath and he had a shield of brass. It talks about his his armorament and how that he had a coat of nails. It talks about how he had a spear and he had a shield that another man, an armor bearer, had to carry for him. He had a massive sword. the scripture said. And then we read about Ishban and how that he carried a new sword. Very detailed. The enemy loves to intimidate us with weapons of warfare that he brings against us. And his shield, notice the detail, 300 shekels is how much it weighed. In the book of 2 Samuel 23, there is an Egyptian giant. And the Bible said he was so big that his spear was like a weaver's beam. And you can read in 1 Chronicles 11 some of the giants that it talks about and the the detail every one of them had mighty mighty weapons. Giants and their mighty weapons. But I've come to remind you this morning that Isaiah 54:17 said, "No weapon, no weapon formed against you shall prosper. Every tongue that rises up, thou shalt condemn." For this is the heritage of the Lord, and it our righteousness is of him, saith the Lord. no weapon. I don't care how big it is. I don't care how mighty it is. You've forgotten who is mighty and who is strong and who is able. It's not you, but it's the God in you. And he says, don't be afraid of that. You know the victory over the giants many times has to do with the fact that the fourth thing about giants. Giants are frightening. They come and suffocate us with a blanket of fear and panic and anxiety. When giants show up, you feel you can feel it. Have you ever had a problem so severe news so dark and so bad that instantly you could feel your whole body go through like a shock of what you're what you're going through. You feel it. How many of you know what I'm talking about? The anxiety, the fear, it can overwhelm you. But the Bible said in 2 Timothy 1:7, you know, this is the power of the word of God because I know the devil's got some weapons, but we've got some weapons, too. And the Bible said Jesus when the devil, you talk about a giant, the devil came to him in the wilderness in Matthew 4 and Jesus pulled out the sword of the spirit. You see, the Bible said in Ephesians 6, our weapons are not carnal, but they are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. So when the giants begin to emerge and when the giants come with great fear and panic and anxiety, 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." Even when I'm looking at something that can kill me, I can have a sound mind. I can have a spirit of faith that overcomes the spirit of fear. And I say I walk by faith, not by what I see.
Giants are all sizes. They're massive. They're big. Giant killers, we don't ever hear about giant killers. Now, let me do a contrast right quick. Let me tell you about giant killers and what they have in common. They're never mentioned in all those four that I just read you. None of them, including David, are we given any of their measurements of their height or their muscle mass or anything like that. It didn't matter how tall David was. It didn't matter because he's not fighting on his own. The one inside of him is the giant slayer. And it's not man against giant. It's the giant in him against the giant out there. I'm telling you that we have supernatural help. And that help is in the Lord. I love the fact that God never used giants in the kingdom of God. There's not one giant in this Bible that God raised up. I know that Saul was a head and shoulders above every other man. But the Bible said on the day that he should be fighting Goliath, he was afraid and trembling in his tent. But here comes this little guy named David. And he doesn't look like he's been working out in the gym necessarily, but you got to watch those little wiry guys. Amen. Because he'd been doing some jitsu something. Jew ju whatever you call it. He knew how to handle a lion. He got one in a choke out one time. He killed a bear. And he said, "I'll take you. You come to me with a sword and a shield, but I come in the name of the Lord most high." He had a name and he knew how to use that name. Giants are big and giants are loud. when you understand that there are no giant giant killers. >> But there are giant killers. >> You can't find one of these giant giant killers who killed a giant killer. If God sent you on the field, he sent you on the field to win. If you're facing a giant, he didn't send you out there to let it take you out. He said, "I knew this was coming, and I've given you the power, but it's greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world." No giant can stand when you stand for Jesus. It doesn't matter how tall, how big. It's not about the size of the giant killer. Giant killers don't talk a lot. Giants are loud, but giant killers, David just said, "You are coming at me with a sword and a shield, but I've got a name, and I'm going to take your head off, and I'm going to do it with your own weapon." Hallelujah. I'm going to take the very sword you thought you would kill me with. And what you meant for evil, God's going to make me famous in Israel, and I'll become eventually the I'll sit on a throne, but I my path has to go through you. Nobody had ever heard. Nobody would have ever heard of David if he hadn't faced a giant. So quit whining about your giants. God says, "I'm going to use them to lift you where I want you to go and put you where you'll give me the glory and people will know your God is alive. Giant killers are not big necessarily. Giant killers are not loud except in praise. >> In worship, he was a loud worshipper. >> Giant killers, listen, are not into fancy weapons. Oh, oh, oh, Saul said, "Here, take my armor. It's the best. I got it down at the uh probass show down there. I'm telling you, it you you need to get it. It's the best money can buy. He said, "No." He said, "I'm going to go fight him and he's got all that stuff, but I'll just take my slingshot, my five stones, and I'll go in the name of the Lord. I don't have to have fancy weapons cuz I've got a name above every name. I've got the blood of the cross. I've got the power of the Holy Spirit. I've got prayer. And if that doesn't work, I'll get two or three together with me." We've got to learn how to fight this battle. I'll fight my battle with praise. I'll fight my battle with worship and with the word. Giant killers, let a spirit of faith overcome the spirit of fear.
And here's what I want to get to. Just like those giants came from certain territories, it's so amazing that giant killers in the Bible came from the same specific certain areas where the atmosphere of that city and that place created giant killers. It was something about these certain, can I call them spiritual hot spots that it was, it's more than coincidence that four came out of Bethlehem. David and then three others came out of Bethlehem. And every time you read of giant killers in the Bible after that point, they're coming out of just a few places where the atmosphere was right to produce giant killers. David was born in Bethlehem. Abashi was from a Bethleamite. The scripture said Elhan was a Bethleamite. There's just something in the water in Bethlehem. >> I mean, just like they had giant areas where like gaff were giant after giant. I mean, everywhere you looked, can you imagine walking into one of those cities and seeing the giant babies? And I said in the first service, giant mamas. I'm not going to say that again. Amen. But but but but but can you imagine giant babies just even the little toddlers? They they're walking around like big old men probably got some hair on their chest. Just a big you just never and and then and then you go and there's something that it seems like in Bethlehem that is in the water. Maybe that's why David said, "Oh, when he was in a battle that I had a drink of the water from Bethlehem." as well. You see, I believe that they were doing something unusual in Bethlehem that caused them to produce giant killers. I believe that we need to be producing giant killers in this age. As a as some of us like David are getting older, I want to see another generation of giant killers that are just as anointed and just as powerful, if not more so. And they will say, "We're ready." I believe they're coming up in this church. I believe that just like there were territories that became giant killer country became giant killer territory that if the enemy knew stay away from there probably the giant uh the giant mo the I'm saying it again the the mothers that had giants they probably if they couldn't get that big cornfed kid to to to go to bed she'd say if you don't behave I'm going to take you down to Gath. No, I'm going to take you down to Bethlehem. You understand my point? Because I'm sure that they were told, "Stay away from that place. They keep producing giant killers." Hallelujah. I just agree in Jesus name that Gainesville is going to be one of those cities where giant killers come up. Gwynette and Brazleton and Spartanberg and Midtown and Alpharetta and Orange County, California and Metro Re-entry and all those prisons, Hayes, Witworth, Hall County in Jesus' name. Let giant killers come up wherever we're preaching the gospel all over the world. Create an atmosphere.
Now, now what was special and I'm and I'm I'm almost where I want to be and we won't be much longer. But if you want to know about Bethlehem and how and why the atmosphere was right for producing giant killers, read the book of Ruth, this four chapters, but it's about and centered on the city of Bethlehem. Naomi takes Ruth, a Moabitete, and goes back to Bethlehem. She's a type of a backslider. and she comes back to the house of bread and she brings a Moabitete girl, which means the Jews would have nothing to do with her normally. But notice the atmosphere of this city called Bethlehem. The Bible said that when Ruth went out into the field to get the free food that was left over, they were to leave the corners unharvested so that the poor people could put enough food in her bag to have a meal. And she was by happen chance, the Bible said, in a man's field by the name of Boaz. and she's picking it up and Boaz sees her. She doesn't know that he's watching and he turns to the reapers in Ruth chapter 2. Now listen to the language of Bethlehem. And I'm making a point here. What we say and speak in our homes to one another and to our families. The language of Bethlehem is pretty powerful and unusual. Notice what what was said in in Ruth chapter 2. He says to the reapers, "The Lord be with you." Now, I've never gone up just out in the community. And this is an employer talking to his employees right here. The Lord be with you. Ain't that encouraging? The Lord be with you. The Lord be And notice how they replied. The Lord bless you. There's something about us speaking and how we talk to one another and believe in one another and encourage one another that produces an atmosphere that causes giant killers to come up. We have too much negativity. We have too much going on in our lives. We need to start saying, "The Lord be with you. The Lord bless you. >> It's pretty powerful. I thought you'd get more out of that point. I I thought that was a big point right there. But turn to somebody and you know, you need to you need to stop running down your own family and start saying, "The Lord is going to be with you and the Lord is going to bless you and the Lord has got some good things for our family." That's how you I've never seen a giant killer come out of negativism. >> But when you make up your mind, I'm going to bless and not curse my family. I'm going to bless and not curse my husband. I'm going to bless and not curse my wife. I'm going to bless and not curse my children. God says, I can take what's in that house. It's the right atmosphere to produce giant killers. Get the arguing out. Get some positivity in there. Get some kindness in there. The Lord be with you. Turn to somebody and say, "The Lord be with you." Turn to somebody on the other side and say, "The Lord bless you." You know, when the lost come into this church, they don't need a bunch of negaholics. They don't need a bunch of old sour look like you ate a pickle sitting there. And why you sitting near me? You ought to look at them and be kind and say, "The Lord, I don't care where they come from. You don't know what they've just walked out of." And there needs to be an up spirit in here. There needs to be a positive spirit in here. There needs to be a bless you and be with you and you're going to make it spirit in here. Hallelujah. I don't care who you are. I don't care where you came from. The Lord wants to bless you and the Lord wants to be with you.
And then it really gets crazy. Do you know when when uh Boaz saw her and liked her and started uh dating her and he he was a rich man, a wealthy man, and he started blessing her and all the women saw it. And she's an old Moabitete. >> She's not even of our faith and not even of our household. And and I'm afraid some of the some of the saints in the church would She got she won the Bachelor. Amen. I mean, she won. She got it all in this guy. He's a whole package and they aren't bitter and they aren't mad and they aren't judgmental. You know what they said? Throw it up in Ruth 4. They said, "And the people that were at the gate, the elders said, we are witnesses. The Lord, this is this is a this is a Moabitete. You understand the whole tribe of Moabitete came out of incest. So you need to understand that that's that's not even that's that's no one goes all the way back. Moabitete. The Lord make this woman that is to come into thine house like Rachel and Leah. Who was Rachel and Leah? The matriarchs of the faith. The most holy famous women of that day were Rachel and Leah. And they weren't bitter. They were Look at that huzzy. I tell you, look at the size of that. Look at that skirt. Have you ever She's a Oh, no. It was a spirit of the Lord. You're in the See, this is what makes giant killers. Don't talk people down. They They need to know, hey, God still has a plan for you. God still has a place for you. God still has a family for you. God sees what you've been through and he loves you and he cares about you. And then they said something crazy and they said, "May the Lord make you be famous." >> Wow. Turn to somebody and say, "The Lord bless you." >> Turn to somebody and say, "The Lord be with you." >> And now say, "The Lord make you famous." >> And see, I like this. I'm gonna get in trouble. I told him the internet's going to take this one clip right here. I'm not talking about just famous among humans. Famous in the kingdom, famous in worship, famous in gratitude, famous in testimony, famous in what you used to be, but look at you now. My goodness, what a testimony. What a miracle of God. May you be famous. I think we need to start saying that to our children. May the Lord bless you. May the Lord be with you. Hey, and it's all right with me if God makes you famous as long as when you get there, you give God the glory and you give God the praise. This is a house that is raising up giant killers and may you be famous in it in Jesus name.
I want to say to all the young people, God wants you to have a big dream. >> And that's right. Give me Give me 500 young people to get up on your feet and shout, "I want God to bless me and to be with me. I want to be famous for the kingdom of God. I want to be a Billy Graham. I want to reach a soul. I want to I want to be a missionary. I want to be a songwriter for Jesus. And I want my songs to touch the kingdom. Amos, I want to build a business >> that's Christ centered >> and let it bless the whole world. >> Ain't that beautiful?
Now I got to close. This is the closing. And if you run for the door to get to the buffet, I got something waiting on you. I read something this week and it blessed my socks off. It had the word buffet. B U FF T. Big ugly fat friends eating together. Amen. I love that. Oh, I'm so sorry. Now, I love buffets, too. So, I'm right there with you. But, but but but but if you're going out the door right now, that's you. I've waited all my life for that revelation right there to match this very moment. Turn to somebody and say, "I hope you're not going to the buffet cuz you're too good-looking to be there. But I got to close this because it's too good. Remember what they prayed. The Lord be with you. The Lord bless you. The Lord make you famous to Ruth, a Moabitete.
Well, guess what? There was one more. There was one more giant killer that would come out of Bethlehem. Micah chapter 5 puts it like this in a prophecy. Thousands of years before Christ was born in Bethlehem. But thou Bethlehem Epherta, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, say you're not a giant. It doesn't look like nothing good can come out of there. Yet out of thee shall come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel whose going forth have been from old from everlasting. Something's going to be born in Bethlehem. Matthew chapter 2. And the Bible says clearly that that in the genealogy of Jesus, here's how it goes. So Boaz married Ruth and produced a child named Obed. You never heard of him, but Obed had a wife and they had a son and his name was Jesse. You might have heard of him, but don't don't panic if you haven't because Jesse and his wife had a son and his name was David. And from the house of David was the ultimate giant killer born out of Bethlehem because when he went to the cross when he shed his blood on that cross he cut it. It's called the place of the skull. He cut the devil's head off. The body's still wiggling, but he has defeated He defeated the giant of sin. He defeated the giant of death. He defeated the giant of addiction. He defeated the giant of being lost in your sins. When he rose from the dead, death, hell, and the grave were conquered by the giant killer named Jesus. >> And he says, "And whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, I'll come running to you. I'll save you. And if you've got a giant of addiction, I'll give you the grace to take it down. And if you've got a past, I'll conquer it. My blood is more powerful. And I'll use you for my glory. >> I'll make you famous in praise for what God has brought you through to where you are and where you will be. You will not believe it. And people will talk about the change that has happened in you. You'll become famous in the kingdom. He'll bless you. He'll be with you. And he'll use you for his glory. Heat. Heat. N. Hey. Hey. Hey. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. N. Hey, hey, hey.