Category: 2021 Sermons

Sermon Audio: David and Goliath (Part 1)
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: I Samuel 17:1-30
Duration: 23:45
Size: 16.3 MB

The Life of David
David and Goliath (Part 1)
I Samuel 17:1-30

Then, perhaps sensing that Saul was not the man he once was, the Philistines once again gathered for battle against Israel. This is the context for the battle between David and Goliath.

The triumph of good over evil is the quintessential theme of great stories. Whether it is found in children’s stories or in real life events, we love to listen to stories of the good guy beating the bad guy.

Everything in the Old Testament somehow points us to the coming Jesus, whereas everything in the New Testament somehow points us to the life and ministry of Jesus.

I. The Setting for the Battle (I Samuel 17:1-3)
This battle would serve as a watershed for Saul’s reign, being the first battle, he would face after being rejected by the Lord and abandoned by the Holy Spirit.

II. The Superman in the Battle (I Samuel 17:4-11)
Because of the geographical location with the two armies on each side of a mountain with the valley between them, everyone had a clear view of Goliath.

The entrance of Goliath onto the battlefield was designed in part to show us that Saul was no longer the Lord’s chosen leader.

III. The Savior in the Battle (I Samuel 17:12-30)
Behind Goliath was the same devil who wages spiritual warfare today. The issue is always the same: “Do you really trust in a loving God of power and grace?”

The Lord sent David to show the fearful people of God that the Lord is indeed the living God, and that he provides a savior for his people.

Sermon Audio: David in Saul’s Service
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: I Samuel 16:14-23
Duration: 20:30
Size: 14.0 MB

The Life of David
David in Saul’s Service
I Samuel 16:14-23

After the anointing, David went back to the fields to take care of the sheep, and Samuel returned to his home in Ramah.

David quickly learned that Samuel had been sent by the Lord to provide for himself a king from among Jesse’s sons.

I. Saul’s Troubled Soul (I Samuel 16:14)
The first result of God’s rejection of Saul as king over Israel is that the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul.

The second result of God’s rejection of Saul as king over Israel is that a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented Saul.

That is why we need the Armor of God, and we need to learn to walk in the Spirit. God has given us the spiritual weapons to not sin and win the righteous battle.

II. Saul’s Servant’s Solution (I Samuel 16:15-18)
The lesson for us is this: superficial solutions will not address spiritual problems. We live in a fallen world, and things are constantly going wrong.

III. Saul’s Faithful Servant (I Samuel 16:19-23)
In God’s providence, David was now getting a front-row seat observing Saul as king over Israel. He saw how Saul governed his people.

He was able to observe first-hand the administration of kingship. And he was also able to see the necessity of repenting of sin before God.

Sermon Audio: David Anointed King
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: I Samuel 16:1-13
Duration: 23:52
Size: 16.3 MB

The Life of David
David Anointed King
I Samuel 16:1-13

David’s story begins in 1 Samuel 16, where we read that God sent Samuel to anoint David as the next king of Israel.

However, God’s rejection of Saul paved the way for the selection of a new king, a man after God’s own heart (I Samuel 13:14).

I. Samuel’s Grief (I Samuel 16:1-3)
Literally, the Lord said to Samuel, “I have seen for myself a king among his sons.”

There is a lesson for us here: The Lord is in sovereign control over everything and, even when events seem most dismal, he is preparing marvelous displays of his power and glory.

II. Samuel’s Obedience (I Samuel 16:4-5)
But Samuel’s obedience did not mean that things went entirely smoothly for him.

III. Samuel’s Surprise (I Samuel 16:6-10)
“A man after God’s own heart” has been taken in popular Christian jargon to mean a particularly godly man, a man with a heart like God’s.

IV. Samuel’s Anointing (I Samuel 16:11-16)
The Lord had selected David, and so Samuel anointed him, that is, he messiah’d him, as king over Israel, although it would be many years before he would actually begin serving as king.