No Time to Sit on the Sidelines by Dr. Rod Mattoon

About this sermon

When David ran toward Goliath, I was thinking today: "I wonder what was going on in the minds of the army of Israel when they watched him?" Some may have thought, ‘That kid is crazy.' Others may have said, "Look at him go!" Do you think some may have been encouraged by his courage and boldness? I think that is very possible. When David ran toward the giant, he demonstrated by his actions that there was No Time to Sit on the Sidelines. He got in the battle. He literally ran toward Goliath. In the same manner, beloved, there is no time for us to sit on the sidelines. We are to be engaged in living and serving Jesus Christ. We are in a race. The writer of Hebrews said that we are to run with patience the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1). What are we racing? We are racing against time, aging, sickness, opportunities that are here then gone, death, and possibly the Rapture. Like a race, there are things we are to flee to and to flee from. We look at several principles laid out in the Bible. We then proceed to examine the lessons that David taught by reaching into his bag to get out a stone. That decision revealed his attitude, lessons from his past, and insights about the people that God uses to do His will. It also reveals important lessons about “Faith” and “Being Prepared”. When David jumped into the battle, he demonstrated that there is no time to sit on the sidelines. He got involved. We face the same urgency today as people are dying without Christ and spending eternity in Hell. Christians need to live for God and serve Him because there is no time to sit on the sidelines. This message was preached on Wednesday night, September 9, 2026, at Lincoln Land Baptist Church.