DAVID AND GOLIATH: THE SPIRIT OF FAITH AND THE SPIRIT OF FEAR – CHAPTER 12FRIGHTENED SHEEP AND FEARLESS SHEPHERDS01-02-05
1.
(Mat 24:21,22) For then
shall be great tribulation [pressure: trouble], such as was not since the beginning of the
world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened,
there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. 2
12-31-04 CNN News: “Earthquake effects: Scientists say the earth is
spinning faster, and the day is shortened.” 3.
12-31-04 St. Petersburg Times Newspaper: “Did the earthquake really
affect the Earth’s rotation? Yes. This quake was strong enough to affect the
Earth’s rotation slightly. It also redistributed Earth’s mass, moving the
North Pole 1 inch and causing the length of a day to
shrink permanently by 3-millionths of a second, according to geophysicist
Richard Gross of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.” 4.
The last message, which was delivered on 12-26-04 entitled “Talking Heads: David, Saul, Goliath” was unfinished. We
therefore open by summarizing commentary on the third “talking head” which
is Goliath. GOLIATHGoliath
is the “head” of the antichrist body of uncircumcised Philistines
(representing all the unsaved of the world) 1.
(1 Sam 17:4) And there went out a champion
[Dict: one who fights for or defends any
person or cause] out of the camp of
the Philistines [rolling,
migratory /// to roll (in dust): roll (wallow) self], named
Goliath [exile /// to denude (esp. in
a disgraceful sense); to reveal: uncover],
of Gath [(in the sense of treading out
grapes); a wine-press], whose
height was six cubits and a span. [and
six pieces of his armor are noted, “and his spear's head weighed six
hundred shekels of iron” 1 Sam 17:7 = the “666” unsaved man of Rev
13:18]. 2.
Just as all the saved of this world are the composite Body of Christ,
Goliath is the huge composite body of all the unsaved of this world.
Satan, through Goliath, is attacking the church universal, effectively
nullifying and neutralizing what appears to be the primary earthly source
of salvation. Goliath personifies the
dominating spirit of fear who has subjugated and enslaved the present day visible
church (Saul’s church – walking by sight) into servitude and subordinate
apostasy, nevertheless there remains on this earth a most viable invisible
church (David’s church – walking by faith). Interestingly, everybody
except David, i.e. the Israelites (1 Sam 17:24) and the Philistines (1 Sam
17:51), “saw” Goliath. 3. (2 Cor 5:7) (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) KING SAUL’S PRESENT DAY CHURCH UNIVERSAL IS IN APOSTASYAND IS SUFFERING GREAT TRIBULATION. WHY?“BEHOLD, I STAND AT THE DOOR, AND KNOCK”The core principle doctrinal error, or manifested “heart” of the visible church’s apostasy, is that they have become notably unheeding to “The Great Commission” (Mark 16:15) and are therefore powerless and immobile in evangelical pursuits, i.e. King Saul and the Israelite army were/are definitely not feeding their Father’s sheep – but instead they were/are standing about, entranced, captivated, in bondage, watching and listening to Goliath. 1.
(1 Sam 17:3) And the
Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain
on the other side: and there was a valley between them. 2.
(1 Sam 17:8-10) And he [Goliath]
stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come
out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and
ye servants [bondmen] to Saul? choose
you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me,
and to kill me, then will we
be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then
shall ye be our servants, and serve [worship] us. And the Philistine said, I defy [blaspheme] the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we
may fight together. 3.
Why is the battle for the church? Because
whom you serve is whom you worship, and Satan monomaniacally (fervently,
fanatically, frenziedly, rabidly) aspires to be like God. 4.
(Isa 14:14) I will ascend
above the heights of the clouds [saints];
I will be like the most High. 5.
Fallen angels and unsaved men already serve Satan, but godly angels and
saved men (saints) do not. 6.
(Mat 4:8,9) Again, the devil
taketh him [Jesus Christ] up into an
exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the
glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. KING SAUL’S PRESENT DAY CHURCH UNIVERSAL CONSISTS OF CARNAL CHRISTIANS,FRIGHTENED SHEEP(1 Cor 3:1-3) And I, brethren, could not speak unto
you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal
[pertaining to the flesh, fleshly -
worldly], even as unto babes
[infants, fig. immature Christians] in
Christ. I have fed you with milk,
and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now
are ye able. For ye are yet
carnal [fleshly - worldly]: for whereas there is among you envying, and
strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal [fleshly
- worldly], and walk as men [vs.
saints and children of God]? 1.
Sheep do not eat meat, but shepherds do eat meat. 2.
Obedience come before command. 3.
Sheep make more sheep. Baby sheep
do not reproduce at all. “Be fruitful, and multiply” (Gen 1:28). 4. (Heb 5:10-14) Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec. Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers [i.e. mature], ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles [i.e. basics] of the oracles [utterances] of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth [drinks] milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe [an infant, an immature Christian: child]. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age [mature], even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised [practiced, trained] to discern [judicial estimation] both good and evil. HOWEVER, THOSE FEW WHO ARE OBEDIENT NEW CREATURES IN CHRIST AREFEARLESS SHEPHERDS
(2 Cor 5:17) Therefore
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature [creation]:
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. [Exactly
what is this “new creature” commanded to do?]. 1.
(Mark 16:15) And he said
unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach
the gospel to every creature. [The
Great Commission] 2.
If we obediently feed (preach) our Father’s sheep (with the rightly
divided word of God), we shall receive “the increase” (1 Cor 3:6), i.e. more sheep – healthy well-fed sheep beget lots of healthy sheep
(“much fruit” John 15:5,8); sickly poorly fed
sheep beget a few sickly sheep. 3.
(John 15:5-8) I am the vine,
ye are the branches: He that abideth [dwells]
in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide
[dwells] not in
me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather
them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide
in me, and my words [rhema] abide
in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein
is my Father glorified, that
ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples [i.e.
servants (OT) and friends (NT)]. 4.
(John 15:13-16) Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life
for his friends [i.e.
shepherd his Father’s sheep]. Ye
are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not
servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have
called you friends; for all things
that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not
chosen me, but I have chosen you, and
ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and
that your fruit should remain [i.e.
eternal fruit]: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he
may give it you. Amen |