We Have Been Taught Not to Discern - Part 5 — Andrew Strom

David’s Holy Indignation Against Goliath

Like it. But here's the thing. That's what God is waiting for. He's waiting for the little lad with the five. You know, what was David in the in the situation of Goliath? He was the most unlikely guy you've ever seen in your life.

He was almost just a kid. He shouldn't have been up, you know, I mean as soon as he opened his mouth and said, I want to fight. They should have said, no, no, no, don't worry, don't worry. I'm going to handle it.

That's what they should have said. Instead they just let him go out like a lamb to the slaughter. They probably all figured he was going to die. Nobody, not even his brother stood up and said, I'll take your place, David.

Don't worry about it, buddy. King Saul didn't move a finger. They just offered him his armour, which was useless. Thanks for that. So, David, why is David's reaction different? I tell you, David had something incredibly valuable that is the thing that gives courage to many prophets and has to do so.

Many who speak up for God, I won't say prophets, many who will give God's message in this hour and in any hour that we look through history. And what is that thing? It's a kind of indignation. It's a holy indignation.

David came along and what does he say? He says, this is completely unacceptable to God. We cannot have this. This is the moment at which we just say, no, I'm sorry, I'm willing to lay my life down and risk everything to stop this garbage going on.

This we cannot have. We're put up with all of the other junk and all of the deterioration of Israel, but I must do something now. He didn't even think, that process didn't even enter his mind because immediately he saw Goliath threatening the people of God and mocking God.

His heart rose within him and he came out with it before he even thought. God needs people like that. Those are the people who stand up and make a difference and you say, can I do that? Yeah, I want to say, you're the very person.

God Uses the Unlikely and Willing

Didn't it just say, a little lad with five loads? Who preached the sermon to Balaam in the Old Testament? Well, it's a donkey. God didn't complain. He says, at least I've got somebody. Most of the guys that are used by God, I want to say this to you, you could write a list of faults about them and their detractors used to it.

You know, John Wesley. I mean, you can just, you know, you go back and find the records of what people said about the guy. Just running him down and talking about his, you know, useless at this and useless at that and went over to America and failed at being a missionary and, you know, got himself into all kinds of trouble.

Had to rush back home on the next boat and everything like that. Left in a terrible state and, well, it's all true, you know. God just used that guy to bring one of the greatest awakenings England's ever seen.

He wasn't a perfect man. He was just the little lad with the five loads. What are the five loads? The willingness to stand up and speak. What does David have? He just has five little stones. I think, again, maybe this is representative of something that God is bringing forth, but he brings it forth in such a humble way.

He uses humble people. He doesn't use people that are God at all together. He doesn't use the smooth and the slick. He just looks for someone that is willing. And most of us have not been willing to open their mouths because we know the cost.

And, in fact, quite often it's the idiotic guys who just open their mouth anyway. Notice that? Sometimes I look at myself and say, maybe it's, maybe you're just kind of like more idiotic or something.

Why do you keep opening your mouth and getting yourself into trouble? Wouldn't it be easier just to stay silent? These temptations are there for all of us, are they not? Every one of us in every situation we're in.

It might be a group of five people. It might be a group of 200 people. It might be on the internet in front of 10 ,000 people. I don't know what your situation is. I want to say to you, unless God can find the little lad with the five loaves to bring forth in this hour, America is finished.

America’s Famine of the Word of the Lord

America is suffering at this moment. A worse famine than any recession. A worse famine even than food. I want to tell you, she is suffering the, I would say, the worst famine in her history of the hearing of the Word of the Lord.

It is so hard to find preachers that are preaching the full and true gospel. So hard. The false is everywhere. And it sounds right to people because it's all humanism. Let's let's just finish with, you know, let's head towards the end here.

The Advertising Culture and the Modern Gospel

What is being preached in the churches, the reason it sounds right to people is because we live in an advertising culture. Did you know that? And a lot of the preaching that comes forth today sounds so right to people because it sounds like advertising.

It's like, Jesus will make your life better. You know, Jesus is just really a new brand of toothpaste, isn't it? Isn't that correct? Jesus will make you happier. We used to have Colgate commercials in New Zealand where you'd see the lady and she would use Colgate and it would go, ding, and she'd get what was called a little ring of confidence.

I don't know if you had those adverts in America. Very exciting adverts, I've got to tell you. You know, I had to rush out and buy Colgate as soon as I saw that. So there's all of these bombardments. How are they advertising cars to people?

They're saying, oh, this will make you seem so much more successful. People will envy you when you're driving this car. Look at how sleek and smooth it is. All of these subtle messages are going on through all the advertising and so the preachers have adopted this exact approach to trying to bring people into the kingdom and they think it's wise and modern and everything else.

I want to say to you, they've stripped the gospel completely of all its power and in fact the essence of the gospel has been lost. Because Jesus didn't run an advertising campaign. He said, if you come to me, you're going to die.

Death to Self and the Cost of Discipleship

You can say goodbye to your life, pal. You come follow me, it's all over. So unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it cannot bring forth fruits. He says, unless you fall on the rock and are broken, you're worthless to me.

You'll get crushed to powder the other way around. But if you choose, if you choose to come to me and be broken, fall on the rock and be broken, then I can use your life. Then I can bring you with me.

Then you become a disciple of mine and if you're willing to lose everything. He says to his disciples in Luke chapter 14, he says, unless you give up all that you have, you cannot be my disciple. Wow.

Popular preaching 101, isn't it? Now here's the difference. I'm just preaching Jesus' words there. Here's the difference. Your best life now. God has a wonderful plan for you. It's all advertising jargon, isn't it?

God is going to fulfill you. He's all over you. It's kind of like cuddle theology. Now a lot of people are missing something in their lives. They actually are missing the love of God. Do you know how you get the love of God in your life?

This is so important. You cannot get the resurrection of Jesus without the death. You cannot. You cannot. And what we're promising people all the time is we're saying, here's how you get resurrection life.

Just build yourself up to it. Just come up here. Just listen to our advertising campaign. We're going to be preaching the most positive things to you to build you up into this. How do you truly get the life of Jesus?

You've got to go down. Your old life has to die. Everything in you that is all of man's strength, it's got to go down. It's got to go down to the grave with Jesus. He says, if you would follow me, any man would follow me.

He says, let him take up his cross. The exact opposite message. Exact opposite. And we've got to choose whether we listen to modern advertising methods disguised as gospel, which is no gospel at all. What does it produce?

Lukewarm Christianity and False Conversion

It produces lukewarm Christians who are always after their next fix of happiness. You notice that? And always complaining to the pastor if things are not quite right. You go and ask the pastor who's making his life hell, which is usually a truckload of people.

You know, pastors have the most miserable job on the earth, just about. And I say that straight out to pastors. Most of the people you think are saved are total non-Christians. They just sit in your church.

They're never truly converted. They don't bring any forth any of the fruits of conversion, true conversion in the Bible. They're totally unconverted and they complain at you every day. And you put up with them because you think they're Christians.

And they're not.