I Know How This Story Ends

Summary

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Podcast Summary: "I Know How This Story Ends"

Elevation with Steven Furtick – iHeartPodcasts
June 12, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Pastor Steven Furtick explores the power of perspective and faith when facing life’s uncertainties and battles. Drawing from the familiar biblical narrative of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:50, Pastor Furtick emphasizes how knowing the end of a story can change how we endure its middle. Through humor, personal anecdotes, and practical application, he encourages listeners to see that God is writing their story—and that with God, their ending can be one of victory and purpose.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Knowing the End Changes the Story

• Personal Story: Furtick shares a family rule: his wife, Holly, must reveal the ending when recounting negative stories so he knows the emotional outcome beforehand.
• Quote: "It's different when you know how it ends." (03:30)
• Spiritual Point: If we know God's faithfulness and ultimate victory, we can navigate the challenges and suspense of our lives without succumbing to fear.

2. It Could Have Ended a Whole Lot Different

• Video Anecdote: Furtick shows a humorous family video where a kayak is rescued by a stranger, reinforcing how easily events could have turned out much worse.
• Quote: "You obviously have the leisure of laughter because you know how it ends... but if the man on the jet ski hadn't come by, it could have ended a whole lot different." (08:59)
• Application: Many moments in our lives "could have ended a whole lot different," but God’s unseen intervention leads to grace.

3. Lessons from David’s Story

a. Obeying in the Ordinary

• Reflection: What if David had responded to Jesse’s errand with teenage reluctance?
• Quote: "If David refuses to be faithful in his present because he's too focused on his future, this story ends a whole lot different." (14:05)
• Insight: Miraculous opportunities often arise from routine obedience and faithfulness in the mundane.

b. Handling Offense and Distraction

• Eliab’s Accusations: David’s older brother attempts to distract and offend him, risking David missing his divine appointment.
• Quote: "If he stands here and argues with his brother, he will never even see his enemy. Some of us are defeated simply because we’re distracted." (26:40)
• Action: Don’t allow offense or the need to defend yourself to derail you from your true calling or battles.

c. Rejecting Limiting Labels (“Only”)

• Saul’s Doubt: Saul tells David he’s “only a boy.”
• Quote: "Do not say, I am only… You mess up the name he gave you by diminishing it in your own sight." (34:13)
• Point: Don’t let others—or yourself—limit what God can do through you.

4. The Real Ending: God's Redemptive Power, Not Just Victory

• Twist in the Story: Victory isn’t just about defeating Goliath; it’s using what you gain (Goliath’s sword) for future battles and growth (see 1 Samuel 21: David retrieves Goliath’s sword).
• Quote: "He started with a sling, he ended with a sword. The difference was the enemy he was willing to confront." (44:12)
• Application: The battles you overcome equip you for challenges ahead; your past victories become tools for the future.

5. Encouragement for Listeners—Your Story Isn’t Over

• New Endings: Furtick urges listeners not just to expect new beginnings—but new endings, even after setbacks or pain.
• Quote: "What about new endings? What about putting two more periods behind that one you thought ended the sentence and making it an ellipses?” (37:51)
• Faith Declarations:
  • “I know how this story ends. Because I know who wrote it. He is the author and the perfecter of my faith.” (36:21)
  • “It could have been a whole different story. But the grace of God stepped in just in the nick of time.” (39:27)
  • “No weapon that is formed against me shall prosper. Now, the Bible doesn’t say the weapon won’t be formed. It just says it won’t work.” (50:45)

6. Final Application: Perspective Through Faith

• Practical Invitation:
  • See your battles in light of God's authorship.
  • Embrace the reality that your present struggle may equip you for your future.
  • Declare and believe in a victorious ending, regardless of your “middle.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Perspective: “David never read 1 Samuel 17:50. It’s different when you know how it ends.” (12:21)
• Overcoming Distraction: “Some of us trip over an offense so we never defeat the real opponent. Because we stand and argue with Eliab and we never even get to Goliath.” (27:26)
• On Identity: “When you say, ‘I am only,’ you mess up the name he gave you by diminishing it in your own sight.” (34:13)
• On Grace: “It could have been a whole different story. But the grace of God stepped in just in the nick of time.” (39:27)
• On Transformation: “He started with a sling, he ended with a sword. The difference was the enemy he was willing to confront.” (44:12)
• Declaration: “I know how this story ends. Because I know who wrote it.” (36:21)

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Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Highlight | |------------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:27 | Intro to main scripture, title, and message theme | | 08:03 | Family video anecdote about how "it could have ended" | | 12:21 | The perspective of not knowing the ending—David’s uncertainty| | 17:35 | The ordinary as opportunity; attitude in obedience | | 23:00 | David’s reaction to Goliath—fresh perspective vs. defeat | | 26:40 | Dealing with offense and fighting the right battle | | 34:13 | Rejecting “only”—don’t limit what God can do | | 36:21 | Declaring faith in God as the author of our story | | 39:27 | The grace of God changes what could have been | | 44:12 | From sling to sword: Transformation through trials | | 50:45 | Faith declaration: "No weapon formed shall prosper" |

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Conclusion

Pastor Furtick’s message is a call to faith and attentiveness to God's authorship in our individual stories. By highlighting the twists and possible alternate endings in David’s journey, he encourages listeners to see beyond present struggles and to trust in a victorious, God-written ending—no matter how uncertain the present may be.

“It’s not over until the light overcomes the darkness… It could have been a whole different story. But the grace of God stepped in just in the nick of time.”
— Steven Furtick (37:26, 39:27)

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Summary prepared to capture the core message, memorable moments, and practical application from Steven Furtick’s impactful sermon on faith, perspective, and the redemptive authorship of God.

Transcript

[Steven Furtick]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human what's up y'?

[Narrator/Podcast Host]

All?

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[Steven Furtick]

hey, this is Steven Furtick. I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank you for joining us today Hope this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith. Hope it gives you perspective to see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. First Samuel, chapter 17, verse 50. Just one scripture today that I want to share with you, but it's a good one. It says in 1 Samuel 17:50 so David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone. Without a sword in his hand, He struck down the Philistine and killed him. There's power in the mighty name of Jesus. Every war he wages, he will win. So David triumphed over the Philistine. I'm not backing down from any giant. With a sling and a stone. Without a sword in his hand, he struck down the Philistine and killed him. Would you look at your neighbor and sing my sermon title? Tell him I know how this story ends. Come on, tell your other neighbor, the saved one. Tell him I know how this story ends. Father, we thank you for your word, the power of it, and that he who began a good work is faithful to complete it. In Jesus name, Amen. You may take your seat. God bless you. I know how this story ends. Holly and I have a rule in our marriage that when she's telling me a story, if it's a negative story, then I need her to tell me the ending before she gives me the details. Sometimes she tells expanded stories. You like how I said that that was really PC How I said that that was really cautious how I said that she tells stories and puts in all the deleted scenes. It's the director's cut. But sometimes I just need to know. When she says today was a terrible day, I need to know how this ends. How was your day? Oh, then she starts with breakfast. But I need to know how. Well, how much does it cost at the end of it? Is it $7,000? Do we both have to go to the kids school this time? Or just one of us? I need to know how this ends or I'll just get lost in the middle. It's different when you know how it ends. If you tell me how it ends. Don't worry, it's not that bad. We've got it all worked out. Well then I can follow you on all of the the twist. But I just need to know how it ends. I need to know that this is going to be all right. I need to know it's not fatal. I need to know that they didn't quit, you just had a bad meeting. Because she'll be telling me something about something at the office and she'll want to put It. You know, she has good storytelling technique. She's a great storyteller. But that works against us in marital communication. Because I'm not looking for suspense and drama. I just need the bottom line. She'd be like, oh, I had a meeting with so and so today. It went terrible. I'm thinking, are they moving back to Nebraska, where their family is from? Do we have to replace them on staff? But just tell me how it ends, then you can give me all the details. Then you can tell me that eggs were on sale when you went back home on the way to the thing, and then the thing with the thing, and then the car cut off, but then it cut back on, and it's not in the shop. Just tell me how it ends, and then I can listen to the story. I want to show you something real quick. This is a picture from our summer vacation a few weeks ago. Just a picture of some family time we had. Yeah, See, that's how it ended. I don't know. Can they see it at the campuses? Yeah, that's how it ended with Graham Smilett, with everybody breathing, Elijah making some questionable sign with his hand. Notice there is only one oar. There were two when we set out and embarked on this family adventure. But it ends like this. Thankfully for me, as I've already mentioned, I have a great wife who, when she saw us struggling on the kayak, because contrary to my knowledge, sandbars are temporary. They don't just stay there. The sandbar that is there one minute might be gone in 30 minutes. There's this thing called the tides. You'd think I would know this stuff. You would think you would drag the kayak further than just the very edge of the sandbar before you walked all the way out to the middle of it to have a family memory. But thank God for my wife, because when she saw us struggling when the tide came in. How many know when God gives you a great wife? When she sees you struggling, she picks up the iPhone and records it. So check out this video she took real quick from the shore.

[Narrator/Podcast Host]

Here's the boys paddle out to this sandbar. But the tide is coming in. It's just minutes away, hours away from floating. No minutes. And they're not even. They don't know, and they're not even worried about it. Oh, there's Graham. He's running.

[Steven Furtick]

I don't think it's floating.

[Narrator/Podcast Host]

Wait, I lost that. That's not Graham. Yep, that's Graham running. How could they not realize that they're stuck? You're gonna Need a boat.

[Steven Furtick]

So Graham said it best. He said when we got back and we were telling everybody what had happened, he said, that could have ended a whole lot different. You obviously have the leisure of laughter because you know how it ends. I mean, well, hey, pastor, it's pretty funny, actually. The binoculars, you're dry now. You're not dead. Because it's different when you know how it ends. But if the man on the jet ski hadn't come by, it could have ended. This is what Graham said. It could have ended a whole lot different. Or if he wouldn't have had southern hospitality to go get my kayak and bring it back to me with his jet ski, it could have ended. It could have ended a whole lot different. How many know there are some things in your life that could have ended a whole lot different. That drunk driver swerved right into your lane. But some kind of angel just pulled that car back over. It could have ended a whole lot different. Come on, you know I'm right about it. If you had got stopped by the police at the wrong time when you were in college, it could have ended a whole lot different. Some of us, it's not that we never did anything wrong. We just didn't get caught. If we would have been at the wrong place at the wrong time, it could have ended a whole lot different. Polish your halo if you want. I'm going to turn to the heathen section. This is where the heathen sit. It could have ended. Come on, stand up and testify. If it could have ended if it had not been for the Lord on my side. You better give him praise right now before he pulls up your search history. It could have ended a whole. I'm right. Tell somebody. You know that preacher is right. So it's funny now when I read David and Goliath as my text, there's some Bible nerd sitting out there, maybe watching online, going like, really?

[Audience Member/Interjector]

David and Goliath, all the stories in the Bible, you want to pick this one? Oh, boy, I already know this one. David kills Goliath. Goliath goes down. Every time you read it, I already know about the slingshot in the stone. He had five smooth stones. But the only nigga mine, the giant king, had a big heavy helmet. Jesse called. David said, take this bread down to your brothers. Jack on them. And David got down there, and Goliath was shouting, and David heard it, and David said, you don't want no smoke. And David grabbed a slave and he threw a stone at the giant, and the giant went down. I Already know how this story ends.

[Steven Furtick]

Since you already know how it ends, let me suggest something to you. David never read 1 Samuel 17:50. It's different when you know how it ends. So we can shout. But David was shaking. Shaking in his sandals, holding his sling, trembling, wondering how this ends. Wondering, will this Jet Ski get my kayak? Wondering, I'm preaching to somebody today, and you have not read 1 Samuel 17:50 yet about this situation in your life. You are still looking at a giant that is bigger than you. Since we know how David's story ends, I want to spend just a few moments today thinking about how it could have ended. Because it could have ended a whole lot different had I gone to that one school and married that other girl. How many know it could have ended a whole lot worse for Holly. She could have missed the whole buffet. But now think about it. If David makes some different decisions, the story ends a whole lot different. See, God is writing your story right now. For your family, right now, for this season of your life, right now. Although we know Goliath goes down, David has to do it in the face of uncertainty. Yet no matter how many sermons you hear about David defeating Goliath, you must recognize there were three things David had to face before he even ever got to Goliath. If any of these three things had gone differently, it could have been a whole lot different. If David had been a typical teenager when his father came and said, he's only 17 when he kills Goliath, if he had had a response to Jesse's instruction when Jesse said, I want you to run these snacks down to your brothers. If David had rolled his eyes, you know God, Dad. Seriously, I'm like a future king. Dad. Samuel has already anointed David. He already knows he has a great future. But now, if David refuses to be faithful in his present because he's too focused on his future, this story ends a whole lot different. How many of you heard the story of David and Goliath? Raise your hand. Yeah. No, because it's even a sports analogy. People use it in the NBA, the NFL. It's an archetypal story. It's so famous. It's so wonderful. It's so fun to preach. I bet I've preached it 50 times. At least 50 times in this one church. But watch how the story could have gone. It could have been a whole lot different. Jesse wakes David up one morning. He says, I have a task for you. I want you to run this cheese and bread down to your brothers on the battle lines. They're in the Valley of Elah fighting with Saul. David wakes up slowly. David rolls his eyes. David checks his phone. David posts on his Instagram story, the fake account, the one Jesse doesn't follow. David puts that on Instagram. God, my dad makes me sick. This is ridiculous. God, I hate my parents. I hate my life. David goes to the battle line, but he gets there 45 minutes late. He gets there after Goliath came out to shout his usual defiance. He didn't know Goliath was on the battle line. You don't know what day God wants to use you. You don't know what conversation is going to turn things around. You don't know what moment is going to be holy. You don't know when a bush is going to burst into flames and spontaneously combust with the presence of God and the direction for the next step of your life. You don't know this. But if you don't show up and do the ordinary with a good attitude, it could have ended a whole lot different. Do you really think they would have taught us this Bible story in Bible school, in Sunday school, if the story went like this? Jesse woke up David and David got up. David went down to the battle lines with a bad attitude, dropped off the food, threw it at his brothers and went back home. Yet it could have ended like that. That could have been the very end of the story. It could have ended with David feeling slighted because he was asked to do something he deemed insignificant. You know who I am, dad?

[Congregation Member/Chorus]

Really?

[Steven Furtick]

You're asking me to be a delivery boy to take this food down to my brothers? Are you serious right now? God, dad.

[Audience Member/Interjector]

Okay, okay. O go.

[Steven Furtick]

But I'm not going to run to the battle lines and I'm not going to have my eyes open for opportunity. I. Okay, I'll go. But I don't have to like it. Okay, I'll go to church, but I'm not lifting my hands.

[Audience Member/Interjector]

That's what the weird people do.

[Steven Furtick]

Okay, I'll go, but we're leaving early. That parking lot gets crazy and I want to be at the restaurant before the Methodist church lesson. Okay, it could have been a whole. Come on, work with me. With a vowel sound. It could have been a whole. You don't even have to buy a vow. Just say it. It could have been a whole lot different. I'm David. I'm not doordash. What do you think I am? Uber Eats? I'm not dropping nothing off. My name is David. Say my name. David King. David Crown David Samuel, put the oil on My head, David. It could have been a whole lot different if David had tripped over the ordinary. Here's what I'm learning. Opportunity presents itself as ordinary. There is not going to be I want to kill my Goliath. I want a great breakthrough in my life. I want to whatever. We use Goliath to mean anything. By the way, in church, if you're new here, Goliath could mean anything. It could mean we want a good parking space. It could mean we want a healing in our body. It could mean we want to stop eating so many chips. Goliath can mean almost anything. In this particular instance, it means anything that opposes the purpose of God. He was standing against the people of God, opposing the purpose of God, defying the armies of the living God. That's what Goliath was. It usually won't be physical, but before David ever got to the real battle, he had to face the ordinary. There's not going to be one conversation with your kids that is going to change their life. It is going to be picking them up and dropping them off and trying to get them to say more than three words to you at a time that is going to change their life. It's three words on top of three words on top of three words on top of three words on top of 3 words. You are not going to take your son on one trip to Ireland and reenact Braveheart or Scotland or wherever that overrated movie happened. He's going to come back shouting freedom. And he's a warrior. Warrior now for Jesus Christ. It's not going to be one trip. When he turns 16. It's going to be many trips. It's going to be many. Back and forth and back and forth. David went back and forth and back and forth and back and forth. See, we know how the story ends. David didn't. He didn't even know there was a giant in the Valley of Elah. Not when he sets out that day. If he refuses to do the ordinary. It could have been a whole lot different. What a boring story this would have been. David's dad said, go. David went, did it with a bad attitude, came home, slept for eight hours. It could have been a whole lot different if David had been typical. So then he gets there. He does the ordinary. In fact, the Bible says this is amazing. He ran to the battle lines. He left his things with the keeper of supplies. He's very responsible. He runs to the battle lines. So he's there in position with the attitude to see the opportunity. When he hears Goliath shouting See, if David goes down, like most of us go around and just gets through his day, he's not going to be in the frame of mind to seize the opportunity. Even when he gets there and gives the brothers the food he brought for them. One of his brothers has such a bad attitude with him that the second thing David had to deal with before he even got to the real opponent was a fence. I want to show you this. It's very powerful how some of us are fighting the wrong battle. We are fighting a preliminary battle and missing the real one. Because when David gets there, he's like, what's up, guys? David is that dude. He's like, hey, guys, what did I miss? They're like, it's nothing new, man. This dude is 9 foot 2. He keeps coming out every day and keeps saying the same thing. He keeps telling us, send your best man. I'll kill him. And you will be our slaves. But we can't do anything with him because, I mean, look at him. Look how big he is. David is like, look how big he is. One country preacher said this. He said the rest of the army saw Goliath and said, he's too big to kill. David looked at Goliath and said, he's too big to miss. I wonder what's your perspective today. I'm preaching for 15 people. God said, this challenge in front of you is an indication of the power within you.

[Narrator/Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Steven Furtick]

David's like, so what do I get if I kill him? It's like, well, Saul said at first he was like, does anybody want to fight him? But it's been 40 days now. So Saul keeps upping the ante, like the airlines do when they have an overbooked flight. We need two volunteers for from the kindness of your heart to give up your seed. We need two volunteers. We'll give you two hundred dollars. We're going to need two volunteers. We'll give you five hundred dollars. We need two volunteers. We'll give you a thousand dollars voucher for travel. The more desperate they get, the more the reward becomes. You can only use the $1,000 every 17th Thanksgiving on this voucher, and blackout dates apply. But now Saul has gotten so desperate, he got to the point where he says, look, I give you my daughter in marriage, the hot one, and you don't have to pay taxes. David's like, for real now. Somebody verified this. Here's the difference. Here's the difference. It could have been a whole lot different, but David hadn't been out there 40 days, and he hadn't gotten used to the dysfunction, and he hadn't gotten used to standing there defeated in a dead lock. So he comes up and to them, Goliath just sounds normal, but to David, it sounds different. Wait a minute. He's not supposed to talk like that. You know, you can get comfortable in your dysfunction when you've been in it long enough. When all your sick friends are lying around in five covered colonnades, it can be easy for you to start making excuses. David was like, hold on. So he said, what about God? And I get, what if I kill him? I love this, though. This is what always happens when God is trying to do something in your life. The enemy will always present another enemy that is not the real enemy to keep you distracted from fighting the one you're called to defeat. In David's case, it was his brother, his big brother. His name kind of sounds like Goliath, but it's not Eliab. He was tall for a minute. Samuel thought he was supposed to be the king because Saul was tall. And Samuel saw in Eliab what he had seen in Saul, which is height, not heart. God said, don't look at his height, look at his heart. Stop judging your situation externally. It's what's inside that counts. It's what's inside that counts. Eliab starts judging David's motives. He's like, look at this in verse 28. He goes, why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep? Now, all of these things David had taken care of. He's a very responsible young man. But really what's happening here is I believe the enemy is trying to trigger David to get him to fight the wrong person. If he stands here and argues with his brother, he will never even see his enemy. This might be the whole sermon for somebody. Just look straight ahead. If you're married, sometimes you're fighting against what you're supposed to be fighting for. You have to call a timeout sometimes. You have to sometimes be like, wait a minute, you're not my enemy. Wait a minute. You're not who I'm supposed to be fighting. If David gets caught up fighting Eliab, he never sees Goliath if he gets distracted. Some of us are defeated simply because we're distracted. You know how the story ends, but think about how it could have ended. David, for the next two hours, defends himself to Eliab. I was the other day checking on some Instagram posts, seeing if they were touching people's lives. I would like to say that I always do it with a pure heart. But sometimes I'll scroll to look for people who say mean things. To me, that's a dysfunction. I'm not saved all the way yet. I am saved. I was saved.

[Congregation Member/Chorus]

I'm being saved.

[Steven Furtick]

This is the part that's in progress. Sometimes I just like to imagine the response I could send. Do you know what the spirit of the Lord told me the other day? First of all, it's one out of 300 people who say something negative. That's number one. Number two, if you would invest a fraction of the energy into blessing people you put into defending yourself, you would be Mother Teresa, you would be St. Paul. You could change the world if you would stop trying to defend yourself. I'm coming right for you. Because some of us trip over an offense so we never defeat the real opponent. Because we stand and argue with Eliab and we never even get to Goliath. Isn't that so powerful? It could have had a whole different ending. It could have been a whole lot different. I bet Aunt Jackie wouldn't have taught me that Bible story in Sunday school if David had stood there and argued with Eliah. Here's the thing that's practical about this. Some of you are fighting Eliab today because you're fighting Eliab. Goliath continues to go unchallenged in your life. You know you're fighting Eliab if you're still blaming people. David did this move. I want to learn how to do when I realize I'm fighting the wrong enemy, when I realize I'm fighting something outside, when I really need to be dealing with something inside, when I realize I'm trying to control how other people are versus trying to have self control the fruit of the spirit for myself. This is a word today. This is a word today. It said that David did something very strategic. This is the turning point of the story. It said in verse 30 that when Eliab was going back and forth in David, David hit him really quick with an insult just to let him know I'm not a punk. Then after he said what he had to say when watch what he did, David turned and asked somebody else, watch this. When he turns away from Eliab, it positions him to face Goliath, Whoever it's for. You'll never even get to Goliath. You will never even get to the insecurity that is causing the issue if you keep blaming the people who are bringing it out for you to look at. Eliab wasn't the giant. Eliab wasn't the enemy. Eliab was his brother he was supposed to fight for. Now we've watched David. Two different alternate endings. If he argues with Eliab, then he misses Goliath. If he doesn't obey his father in a simple thing, then he misses Goliath. Graham was so prophetic. He said it could have ended a whole lot different. I was so mad at my mom for forgiving my dad. I didn't think he deserved it. What would that funeral have been like if she had listened to me rather than listening to God? If we weren't even on speaking terms when he died? It could have ended up. I only bring it up because every story in this room is still being written. Sometimes you think you know how it ends. But what if it's not over yet? What if it's not over yet? I'm going to preach it through that little facade you have right now. What if it's not over yet? What if you've wasted a lot of time? But what if God really is able to redeem the years the locusts have eaten? What if it's not over yet? I'm just posing a question. What if it's not over yet? What if your best days are not behind you?

[Congregation Member/Chorus]

What if the devil is a liar?

[Steven Furtick]

What if everything you have been through can serve a greater purpose? What if a generational curse was being

[Congregation Member/Chorus]

broken through your battle? What if God brought you to the Valley of Elah because he's the God of a turnaround, the God of a second chance, the God of a new beginning and the God of a new ending?

[Steven Furtick]

Mary and Martha said, I know how this story ends. But one thing they didn't know is that Jesus doesn't provide resurrection. He is resurrection.

[Congregation Member/Chorus]

So if he's on the scene, watch this. When David showed up, he said, I come against the you in the name of the Lord.

[Steven Furtick]

Now, one more thing I have to show you. Y' all calm down. It's a Bible study, not a football game. It's not a basketball game. There's nothing to be excited about in here. It's not like the blood of Jesus is enough for you. It's not like depression is defeated.

[Congregation Member/Chorus]

It's not like the devil has to back up when you call on the name of your God. It's not like worship can push back darkness. It's not like praise can bring change.

[Steven Furtick]

Y' all sit down. Because now he has to go through Saul, the one who should have been celebrating him, the one who should have been supporting him.

[Audience Member/Interjector]

David kills Goliath.

[Steven Furtick]

Stop being so boring when you read The Bible.

[Audience Member/Interjector]

The Bible is boring. You're boring.

[Steven Furtick]

Read it better. This thing could have had so many endings. It could have ended when David had a bad attitude toward the ordinary. It could have ended when David was fighting against who he was supposed to be fighting for. He could have gotten offended. It could have ended with ordinary. It could have ended with offense. And it could have ended with only. Do you know only the spirit of lack and limitation? Do you know only what Saul said to David? David was like showing Saul his resume. He was like, I'm pretty good at beating stuff that's bigger than me. I beat a lion one time. I beat a bear. Put me in, coach. Saul said, you're only a boy. I wonder what. You're only in your own mind. Remember, Saul wasn't the enemy. Saul was supposed to be the friend. Have you ever had something inside of you turn on you? You're only. I had it this week. I was thinking, I'm just a preacher. I was thinking how really influencing culture is done through rappers and fashion and others. I was thinking about changing a generation, and I felt discouraged about it. Like, I'm only a preacher. But there's this one verse that always comes up when I think that way. God told Jeremiah one time, he said, do not say I am only. While I was thinking about that, I know this isn't exactly what the text means, but I was thinking how God's name is I am. So when you say, I am only, and you're supposed to take God's name, you mess up the name he gave you by diminishing it in your own sight. I am only. Do not say I am only. Do not say I am only. I'm only a boy. But David said, no, no, no. I've never faced this giant before. Get ready to shout. But I brought the same God to this valley that I brought to the last valley. The only reason I'm preaching it is because you're standing in front of something right now. Now, you've never seen this before, but David said, here's the common pattern I've noticed. I dropped the lion. I dropped the bear. It only stands to reason that if the lion didn't stand a chance, if the bear didn't stand a chance because they opposed my father's business. If this giant opposes the purpose of purpose of God, I predict an upset victory over everything in your life that

[Congregation Member/Chorus]

is bigger than you, that opposes the purpose of God within you. Come on. He's the God of a turnaround. Somebody shout. I know how this story ends. Because I know who wrote it. I know who wrote it. He is the author and the perfecter of my faith.

[Steven Furtick]

She looked at me last week on our date night and this movie was going to have a nice ending. But then she remembered that the writer of this particular movie is noted for everybody dying in the end. She looked at me. I want you to get this when I say it, okay? She said, it can't be over. I just remembered who wrote it.

[Congregation Member/Chorus]

You know, it's a word for you.

[Steven Furtick]

You know, there are some things because

[Congregation Member/Chorus]

we tell ourselves these stories. But if God wrote it, it's not over until we win. It's not over until the light overcomes the darkness. Come on, Nairobi. Come on, Gaston. Come on, Ballantyne. It's not over.

[Steven Furtick]

It could have been a whole different story. I want to suggest that maybe it still can be. I know in church we talk a lot about new beginnings, but what about new endings? What about putting two more periods behind that one that you thought ended the sentence and making it an ellipses? What about new endings? What about to be continued? What about the third day? What about Sunday morning? What about Jesus? I know how the story ends. So when I see him on the cross, I'm not worried. The disciples didn't know that. This is the challenge, to know how the story ends. Even when you don't know how it's going to get there. It might not be a straight line. It might not be perfect. It might not look like somebody else's situation. You get in the worst trouble of your life trying to wear Saul's armor, trying to fight like everybody else fights. Yours might be messier. Can I say something for somebody God put on my heart? Yours might look laughable. I'm only high school educated. Good. God is going to get that much more glory because you didn't have a college degree. Now when people look at you, they're going to have to know. It had to be God. I know your gp. It had to be God. God's purpose advances. I know your gpa. You weren't smart enough, good enough, pretty enough. You didn't pray enough. You didn't do the right things.

[Congregation Member/Chorus]

It could have been a whole different story. But the grace of God stepped in just in the nick of time.

[Steven Furtick]

Spoiler alert. Goliath goes down. Plot twist. Goliath goes down. Guess what? That's not how the story ends. I'm sorry. I know it looks great on the flannel graph. David is awfully cute with a slingshot. Especially when it's one you pull back like it's a spitball. Like it's a spiritual spitball. Boom. I know it's the cartoon version. Here's the grown up version. Are you ready? David never read 1 Samuel 17:50. Most of us never read 1 Samuel 17:51. All apologies to all the children's Bible teachers. But you don't really know how the story ended. David. When he hit Goliath with the rock, it stunned him. But then David had something else he had to do. In the spirit of Mortal Kombat, look at your neighbor and say, finish him. The Bible says that after he knocked him down, some of us are content just to stun our enemy. Do you know what I'm saying? Just to come into church, feel good for a few hours, get a little word, go home, forget about it. Go right back into the same stuff. Go right back into the same cycle. Go right back into the same deadlock. Go right back into the same pretending. Go right back into the same image. But David said something. I didn't just come down here to bring cheese and bread. See, I always thought David was the delivery boy. But it turns out that the way the story ends, David wasn't the delivery boy. Goliath was. I'm going to preach a song. Are you ready? What did Goliath have that David needed? That David didn't know he would need? It's right in verse 50. It's right in verse 50. It said he came to the battle without a sword in his hand. Spoiler alert. He left with one who was carrying it. His enemy. Come on, y'. All. I'm trying to be good.

[Congregation Member/Chorus]

But I declare I know how this story ends. Goliath has got your sword. Goliath has your grace. If you want to see the victory,

[Steven Furtick]

you're going to have to defeat what's standing in front of you. But you don't have to do it on your own. Come on, let's stir something up. All over the whole church, University, City, Blakeney. I want every single warrior, every single

[Congregation Member/Chorus]

worshiper to declare, I know how this story ends. Tell the person next to you, I know how your story ends. Tell them your story ends with glory. God is going to get the glory out of every situation in your life.

[Steven Furtick]

I know how it ends. Some jet ski is going to bring me the kayak. I don't know who God has got in the water, but even now, somehow the sister said to Jesus, God will give you what you want. So David stands over the giant. I always read it as being the final sequence in the battle that after he knocked him down. Look at the verse. He took the sword from the scabbard. Anybody ever said scabbard in the last 10 years? He took the sword. Little things like that keep me preaching. After he killed him, he's already dead. He cut off his head. Why did he do it? For a trophy? Because this wouldn't be his last giant. I always thought the story was over when David cut off his head. How much more savage can you be? The head is off, the giant is down. But that's not how the story ends. See, we only think we know how it ends. You tell your story and you're like, and then I got a divorce. That's not the end of your story. That's not the last time you can love or be loved. That's not the end of your story. They were doing pretty good and then they did this. That's not the end of the story. That's just character development. It can't be over because I know who wrote it. I said it can't be over because I know who wrote it. It's not the end of my story. I know how this story ends. I know how I'm leaving this battlefield. I'm not leaving empty handed. I'm leaving with a sword. I'm leaving with a lesson. I'm leaving with a testimony. I'm leaving with a brighter day on my mind. I'm leaving with a new praise in my spirit. I'm leaving with a prophecy. I'm leaving with a word from God. What's so crazy is that the whole point of the story has nothing to do with David to begin with. It says that after Goliath died that all of the Philistines. Do you see it? When they saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. Your story is not even about you. What you're going through right now might not even be about you. Do you know how many people I've seen come out of grief and release their greatest gift from their greatest grief? Goliath has got your sword. Goliath has got your sword. Sword. You're going to be sitting across from somebody who needs it in five years and telling them I've been right there in the battle. But here's what I found out. The sword that came to kill you is going to be the one God uses to deliver you. He killed Goliath with his own sword. Your giant has got your sword. But that's not how the story ends. Cuts off his hand, sends the sword to the temple at Nob which was where Ahimelech was the superintendent. A little while later, David goes back to Saul's palace. Saul starts going absolutely crazy trying to kill David. David has to run from Saul. Remember now, Goliath was not the last giant David would face. You don't want to stay stuck in just one victory of your life. The Bible says he leads us from glory to glory, from strength to strength. Stand up. I'm trying to close. I'm trying so hard. Don't leave, but stand up and clap your hands if you know this is not my last one. This is not my last. My last victory. I come against midlife crisis in the name of the Lord. There's more for you to do. You have a legacy to pass on. You're going to make a bigger difference in your future days. Your latter days shall be great. Okay, hang on a second. So David runs down to the temple, he's running from Saul. He's already killed Goliath. And he has to leap so quickly that he doesn't have a sword. He runs to the temple attendant and says, hey man, I need a weapon. How many of you need a weapon to fight something in your life today? You need a strategy, you need an insight. Come on, you need a breakthrough, you need a turnaround. David said to Ahimelech, don't you have a spear or a sword here? I haven't brought my sword or any other weapon because the king's business was urgent. The priest said, man, I'm sorry, David. I mean, I have one sword. It's the sword of Goliath, the Philistine. At least it used to be until you killed him. But now, the very weapon you took from your enemy, the very strength you gained from the thing you survived. The sword of Goliath. The word God spoke over your life. How many know his word is a sword? It's sharper than any double edged sword. Hebrews 4:12. The sword of Goliath, who you killed in the valley of Elah, is here, is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want it, take it. There is no sword here. But that one. David said there is none like it. Give it to me. He started with a sling, he ended with a sword. The difference was the enemy he was willing to confront. I don't know exactly how long this story is going to take, and I don't know all the details of it, but I know how this story ends. We got the drop on David. We read verse 50. We got the drop on David. We've been to the empty tomb. We have the drop on David. We know how this story ends. I know that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy. Do you hear me preaching to you right there in your living room? Do you hear me preaching to you right there in your kitchen? Do you hear me preaching to you? You're in a hospital room with a loved one right now.

[Congregation Member/Chorus]

But the God of all healing, Jehovah, Rafika, is in the hospital room with you. I know how this is story.

[Steven Furtick]

I know no weapon that is formed against me shall prosper. Now the Bible doesn't say the weapon won't be formed. It just says it won't work. The weapon was formed by my enemy. Isaiah 54:17 is on the screen right now. The the weapon was formed by the hand of my enemy. What you're going through might not have been from the hand of God, but you have to read verse 16 to understand verse 17. God says, behold, I have created the blacksmith who made the weapon.

[Congregation Member/Chorus]

So God said, the enemy might have formed the weapon, but I formed the enemy. And there is nothing that enemy can bring against you. Come on. There is nothing. Cause I know. Get your hands up. Get your hands up. Get your faith up.

[Steven Furtick]

Come on.

[Congregation Member/Chorus]

Tell Goliath you come against me with addiction. You come against me with anxiety. But I. I come against you in the name of the Lord.

[Steven Furtick]

Thank you for joining us. Special thanks to those of you who give generously to this ministry. It's because of you that this ministry is possible. You can click the link in the description to Give now or visit elevationchurch.orgpodcast for more information and if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. You can share it with your friends. You can click the share button, take a screenshot and share it on your social stories and tag us evationchurch. Thanks again for listening. God bless you.

[Sean Duffy]

I'm U.S. transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. We all get distracted when we drive, whether it's from our phones or kids in the back seat bickering. But how we handle these distractions can be a matter of life or death. Before you get on the road for your next road trip, please put your phones on silent and take a mental note to focus on driving. Paid for by nhtsa.

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[Steven Furtick]

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