When the young shepherd boy went out to fight the giant named goliath, many people thought “Poor David, I hope his death is quick and relatively painless.”  But really they should have been saying “Poor Giant.”
Sometimes we look at life and see all that stands against us and we feel like we don’t have a chance. Perhaps we need to look again through the lens of God’s inevitable victory.
We need to banish the phrase “poor me” and embrace a new phrase – “Poor Giant. You never stood a chance.”

Champion 5 – Poor Giant from Redemption Church on Vimeo.
 
Champion 5 – Poor Giant
Champion Bumper 5
Hello Champions! My name is Chris Fluitt. I am blessed to serve as Lead Pastor here at Redemption Church.
Champion
We are the 4th week of our Champion Series. We have been looking at the epic story of David & Goliath.

* Week 1- Promise trumps Pedigree.
* Week 2- Servants are Champions.
* Week 3 – You need to see More than a Problem.
* Week 4 – The Full Court Press

Today I want to preach to you, but I also want you to preach with me.
I have titled this sermon Poor Giant – You never stood a chance.
When you hear me say “poor giant” I want to hear you say “you never stood a chance.”
 
Do you like underdog stories? Do you like to see the little guy overcome the great odds and win the victory? I really like that.
Every March in the NCAA Basketball tournament there is a team that comes out of nowhere to defeat a highly ranked team. As these surprising teams make their way through the tourney they often referred to as “Cinderellas.” Cinderella was not invited to the royal dance but with some magic she made her way to the dance floor and won the heart of the prince.
Last March the Michigan State Spartans were ranked #2 in the NCAA Tourney. Michigan State is a well-respected basketball program with a hall of fame caliber coach named Tom Izzo. This program has won championships and is often seen playing in the final four, and this year they are ranked high. Michigan State was a GIANT team.
The #2 ranked team always draws a small team that just barely made the tournament. A #15 ranked team does not have any all American players. There are usually no future NBA players on these teams. The fans of these teams are just usually glad to have made the tournament and consider it a moral victory if they don’t lose by more than 30 points in the game they are likely to lose.
More people bet money that the Michigan State Spartans would win the entire tournament than any other team.
Michigan State was the giant, and they would play against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders.  The Spartans entered the court like this 1st round game was a mere formality, but those Blue Raiders had different plans.
Poor Giant – You never stood a chance
That #15 team played with fierce tenacity and an offense that would not be denied. No matter what the Spartans tried the other team was just better on this day. It wasn’t that the Spartans didn’t play a good game, they shot 55%, but the Blue Raiders just played better.
The rankings don’t matter. It does not matter how highly or how lowly someone thinks about you.
Goliath stepped onto the battlefield ranked #1. He was chosen by his nation to be their champion. He was undefeated.
David stepped onto the battlefield completely unranked. Israel did not choose David. No one would have described him as a champion. In fact this was his first appearance on a battlefield. He had never stood before a warrior before, especially against a warrior like Goliath.
I am sure more than one person in the crowd that day thought “Poor little D...