Greg Laurie - The Man After God's Heart (02/28/2018)
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In "The Man After God's Heart," Pastor Greg Laurie explores David's unexpected anointing as king in 1 Samuel 16, showing how God chooses ordinary, heart-focused people over outward appearances. David’s life teaches faithfulness in small things, deep devotion to God’s presence, and bold courage when opportunities arise, reminding us God uses humble, repentant hearts to accomplish His purposes.
Opening Prayer and Questions
All right. Well let's grab our Bibles. Who wants to have a Bible study? Raise your hand up. All right. Not everyone raised their hand. Interesting. Okay. 1 Samuel chapter 16. That's where we are in. And the title of the message is, "The Man After God's Heart". 1 Samuel 16. Hurry. Okay. Let's pray together.
Father, as we think about that very title, The Man After God's Heart, or The Woman After God's Heart, Lord, we want to be people after your heart. And we want to know what that means. And we want to know how to do it. So Lord, we pray that you'll bless this time of Bible study as we look at this fascinating character before us. I'll bless this time we would ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have You Ever Felt Overlooked?
Okay. A few quick questions. Have you ever felt underappreciated and unloved? Don't raise your hand. Amen. Have you ever felt as though your faithful work has largely gone unnoticed in life? Here's another. Have you ever faced a problem so large you didn't feel it could ever be overcome? If so, you're going to find encouragement in our message that I'm calling The Man After God's Heart.
David: The Greatest King and Poet
1 Samuel introduces us to one of the Bible's most significant people, David. I mean, David was the coolest cat ever. I mean, he was fearless in battle. He had great wisdom as a leader without pure really. But yet he wasn't some macho dude out there. He had a tender heart. He was a poet and a musician. There's really nobody in the Bible like David. He's a man's man on one hand. But on the other hand, he was so sensitive and had a heart so finely attuned toward God.
David is mentioned more than any other Old Testament character in the New Testament. David, without question, was the greatest king in the history of Israel. And he also was in the family line of the Messiah of Israel, Jesus. You recall that when Jesus had his public ministry, they called him the Son of David. There was that man, Bartimaeus, who was blind and he cried out, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.
David and Goliath, David and Bathsheba
Now if you were going to sum David up with two other words, you could say David and Goliath, and David and who? You guessed right. David and Goliath, his greatest victory. David and Bathsheba, his greatest defeat. And these are things that sort of help us to identify his life.
The Unexpected Choice of David
When you stop and look at his origins and how God called him, he was the most unexpected man ever to rise to the throne. You remember in our last message we looked at the first king of Israel, Saul. And if ever there was a man after man's own heart, in contrast to a man after God's own heart, it was Saul. I mean he was the perfect pick. He was tall. He was charismatic. He came from a great family. He was strikingly handsome. And not only that, but God's Spirit came upon him for the task at hand. And he started out very well and then just began to self-destruct. It started relatively small and only got worse.
And so at this point in Israel's history, God has rejected Saul from being the king. And a new man has already been handpicked by God himself. It is almost as though the Lord said to the people, all right. You wanted a king. And I let you choose someone. And I gave you a man of your own heart. Now it is my turn. I am going to show you what I am looking for in a man.
And I want to point this out. Because God's selection was so unexpected, therefore we should pay careful attention. For in the selection of David, the Lord is showing us what kind of person he is looking for. What kind of man will God use? What kind of woman will God speak to? The answer is in the text before us.
A Man After God's Own Heart
And I want to come back to that phrase, the man after God's own heart. That is unique to David, by the way. Stephen gives it to us in Acts 13:22. He gave a beautiful flyover of the history of Israel before the Sanhedrin. And Stephen points out, after removing Saul, God made David king. And God testified concerning him, I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.
Now stop and think about that for a moment. God said this of David. Now you understand the expression, a man after my own heart. If we say that of someone, oh there is a man after my own heart. That means that guy, he is like me. That person reminds me of me. Okay. So who made this statement? God. God said, now that is a man after my own heart.
Yet as we look at David's life, this was not a flawless man. This was not a perfect man. This is a man who sinned. But as we will see, it is a man who when he sinned realized it and repented and got right with God. A man after God's own heart.
The Anointing in Bethlehem
He was just a boy. But yet he seemed to have limitless potential. And the prophet Samuel was told to go to Bethlehem and choose the next king. But the Lord did not show Samuel who that king was yet. He just said, go to Bethlehem. And I want you to tell the people you are there to offer a sacrifice. Therefore the whole town will turn out. And then I will reveal what you are to do after that.
And so our story picks up in 1 Samuel 16, starting in verse 1. Now the Lord said to Samuel, how long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided myself a king from among his sons.
Samuel said, how can I go? If Saul hears it, he will certainly kill me. And the Lord said, take a heifer with you and say, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. You shall anoint for me the man that I name to you.
So Samuel did what the Lord said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming and said, do you come peaceably? He said, yes, peaceably. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Now sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice. We will stop there.
God Leads One Step at a Time
Now interestingly, the Lord had not revealed to Samuel who the man was to be. This is typical of how God leads us. God leads us one step at a time. I wish I could tell you that throughout my life I have always had a detailed blueprint of everything I should do. Sort of like Mission Impossible, you know. You get up in the morning and there is a little message and the Mission Impossible theme song playing in the background. Good morning, Greg. This is God. Here is your mission for today. You know. No, it is not like that at all.
In fact, for the most part, I have found that it is taking steps of faith based on what I have read in Scripture. So you just do it one step at a time. Listen. God's way becomes plain when we start walking in it. Let me repeat that again. God's way becomes plain when we start walking in it. Obedience to revealed truth guarantees guidance in matters unrevealed.
So if God has already shown you to do something, and you haven't done that, don't be asking him to show you something new to do. Go back and do what you are already supposed to do. Finish that. Get back to that.
So God said to Samuel, just go to Bethlehem. I will tell you what to do after that. It is a step at a time. And that is exactly what he did.
Philip's Step of Faith in the Desert
Remember how the Lord told Philip to go to the desert? I mean, Philip was preaching the gospel. People were coming to faith. The Bible was breaking out. And God says, Philip, go to the desert. Didn't tell him anything else. Didn't say, and when you get to the desert there will be a guy from Ethiopia riding in a chariot. Read him from Isaiah 53. So you better brush up on that. And he is going to say this and you will say that.
God just said, go to the desert. How easily Philip could have said, why? And preached to who? Camels? Lizards? What am I going to do in the middle of the desert? But in Philip's defense he did exactly what the Lord told him to do. So he goes to the desert. Okay. Here I am in the desert. Pretty hot out here.
And he looks up and an entourage is coming his way. And then he sees this stretched chariot with the flags of Ethiopia and secret service guys running on each side. He realizes it is a VIP. He realizes it is a man of great importance. And indeed it is a treasure for the queen of Ethiopia reading out loud from Isaiah 53.
And Philip could have said, okay Lord I can take it from here. I get it. I get it. And he looks up at this man and says, do you understand what you are reading? The man from Ethiopia says, how can I unless someone show me the way? And Philip shared the gospel with him. And that man came to the Lord a step at a time.
So God might lead you to just take that little step of faith. Maybe it is initiate a conversation with a complete stranger. You do not know why. You do not know him from Adam's house cat. Do you think Adam had a house cat? The Lord just gives you that little nudge. Go engage that person. So you go over and you start talking to them. And one thing leads to another and their heart is open to God. Take those steps of faith. The Lord will honor it.
Samuel's Arrival in Bethlehem
So the Lord says, go to Bethlehem. Now you have to understand, Bethlehem was a little place. Prophets didn't just show up unannounced in Bethlehem. Remember it was Micah that said, thou Bethlehem, though you be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth one whose origins have been from everlasting. It was being pointed out that this was a tiny little city. But go there. City isn't even the right word. It is just a little town. You know. One stop sign if they had that.
And so he shows up and he is saying, no the people are going to freak out. Don't worry about it. Just tell him you are there to offer a sacrifice. And sure enough when he shows up the people are saying to Samuel, is everything cool with us and God? I mean why are you here? He says, it is alright. We are going to offer a sacrifice of the Lord.
So they are all gathered there. And now here comes Jesse with his seven sons. And Samuel checks them out. He goes, I know it is from the house of Jesse. And he is looking at his boys. There are seven of them. They are the magnificent seven. Dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun. Do, do, do, do, do, do. That is a theme song. Forget it. Okay.
There was a movie once called Magnificent Seven. How many of you knew that? Raise your hand up. Okay. How many of you have never heard of it before and you wondered what I was just doing? Okay. That explains your lack of response. Alright.
Well that was a theme song to a movie. The Magnificent Seven. The Seven Strapping Sons. And of those seven, one stood out from all the others. It was Eliab. Oh. Samuel thought, I already know. You don't have to tell me God. I know who it is. It is the most handsome.
Why did he think that? Well he reminded him of Saul. You see, Samuel loves Saul. And in his beginning, Saul was a pretty admirable guy. And as I said, a very good looking man. And I think he was sort of like a son to Samuel. You see, the sons of Samuel were a great disappointment to him. That God judged them. So he probably thought of Saul as sort of another son. And when God rejected him, his heart went out to Eliab. Well he reminds me of Saul. Maybe that is the one.
Well it wasn't.
God Looks at the Heart
Let's look at 1 Samuel 16 again. Look at verse 7. Actually verse 6. When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, Surely this is the Lord's anointed.
But the Lord said to Samuel, Don't judge by his appearance or height. For I have rejected him. The Lord doesn't make decisions the way you do. People judge by outward appearance. But the Lord looks on a person's thoughts and intentions.
And Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. Samuel said, This is not the one the Lord has chosen.
Next Jesse summoned Shammah. Samuel said, Neither is this the one the Lord has chosen.
And in the same way all seven of Jesse's sons were presented to Samuel. So Samuel said to Jesse, The Lord has not chosen any of these.
And then Samuel asked, Are these all the sons you have? Well, Jesse replied, They are still the youngest. But he is out in the field watching the sheep.
Send for him at once. Samuel said, We are not even going to sit down and eat until he arrives.
So Jesse sent for him. He was ruddy and handsome with pleasant eyes. And the Lord said, This is the one. Anoint him.
So David stood there among his brothers. Samuel took the olive oil he had brought and poured it on David's head. And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him from that day on. And Samuel returned to Ramah.
What a fascinating story this is.
Principles of the Person God Uses
Father Jesse parades his sons. The Lord says, No, no, no, no, no. And I love how God says, Don't judge on outward appearance. I look at things differently. Oh man, we have to learn that, don't we? Because we make a lot of judgments on outward appearance. We see people as good or bad or appealing or not appealing. God looks differently. God looks on the heart.
So finally Samuel says, Well, I know the Lord said that the next king was coming from the house of Jesse, and yet I have seen all of his sons. Or have I? Are there any others?
Jesse's reply is significant. Verse 11. There remains yet the youngest. And there he is keeping the sheep.
The phrase the youngest doesn't just mean that David was younger than his brothers. It meant he was least in his father's estimation. In fact, so much so that Jesse would not even include him. And he would have even been invited had Samuel not demanded it.
So it wasn't just that he was the youngest. It's that, and we don't know why, Jesse had no place in his heart for David. He loved his other sons. He was so proud of them. But David, he was such a disappointment. The kid's weird, he thought. Just different. Not like my other boys.
Such a big mistake to show favoritism among your children. And by the way, they know you are not as clever as you think you are. And when you favor one child over another, it can create problems that they will carry with them for a lifetime. Same is true of grandkids, grandparents.
And Isaac and Rebecca both did this. Isaac favored Esau. Rebecca favored Jacob. And the result of that was a blood feud that lasted for the rest of their lives.
And I don't know if this sort of hits home with some of you. Maybe you were raised in a home where you were never appreciated. Maybe your father never affirmed you. Maybe your mother never told you she loved you. Maybe you came from a broken home. And you never even knew the love of a father and a mother. So you can kind of relate to this a little bit.
But know this. Those who are rejected of men often become beloved of God. David was beloved to God. You need to know, despite your parents' lack of love for you, you have a heavenly Father who has always loved you.
And David later wrote, When my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.
See, God was getting David ready. Even in this upbringing. Even in this lack of love and nurture. God was whipping his man into shape. Because again, David was going to be the man after God's own heart. He had to learn early on to fend for himself. Literally fighting off lions and bears to protect this flock of sheep.
Because he was sort of ostracized. He would go out in the field. And I guess while the others were partying away, he would be out there singing love songs to God. Playing very skillfully on a stringed instrument. And so this was a character that was being developed.
David the Dreamer and Shepherd
David was a dreamer who recognized no limitations. And guess what? Jesse's son became God's most trusted servant. Jesse's forgotten son became Israel's most remembered king.
Alan Redpath, a great commentator, made this statement. And I quote, The thought of God toward you began before he ever flung a star into space. Then he wrote your name on his heart. It was graven in the palm of his hands before the sky was stretched out in the heavens. End quote.
Maybe you find yourself in this story. Now imagine David for just a moment. He's out there watching the sheep just like any other day. And he gets a message. David, they want you back to the house. Why? I don't know. There is some prophet in town and you have to come right away.
Well David wasn't dressed for the occasion. I'm sure the other sons put on their finest robe and they took a shower and they were looking good. David just came in from the field smelling like the field. Bounding in with youthful energy.
And Samuel looked at him and God said, That's my boy. No question about it. And the next thing David knows the old prophet is pouring oil on his head and saying, This is the next king of Israel.
People are probably standing around watching thinking, Samuel has finally gone senile. Are you kidding me? That's the next king of Israel? And imagine the jealousy of David's brothers, especially Eliab, to have his younger brother, who he looked down upon as I will point out in a moment, be chosen over him.
But David was God's choice reminding us that God sees things differently than we do.
God Uses Ordinary People
Now that brings us to some principles about the kind of person that God uses. Principle number one, God uses ordinary people. You might want to write that down. God uses ordinary people. Isn't that good news?
David in many ways was the very opposite of King Saul. Saul came from a home where he was loved. David apparently came from a home where he was neglected, even disliked. Saul was the most handsome man in Israel. David was a good looking guy too, but an ordinary Shepherd boy.
Saul was attractive on the outside, but inside he was vain, shallow, and devoid of true integrity. In contrast, David had a deep spiritual life and intense devotion to God.
Now, why does God go out of his way to pick ordinary people? Short answer. So he can get the glory. If God only picked the most brilliant, the most handsome, the most beautiful, the most talented, we'd say, well of course he picked them. Just look at them.
But when he skips those people, not because they are talented or handsome, but maybe because they are proud or they are not available. I don't know why. God sometimes picks handsome, talented people like me. That sounded weird saying that, but no. And the fact that you laughed, you understood that was a joke, right? Kind of obvious.
But why does he do this? The answer is 1 Corinthians 1:25. Remember dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world's eyes, powerful or wealthy, when God called you. Instead, God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise.
You know, we get excited when there is a supposed celebrity convert. You know what I'm talking about? Maybe it's somebody that's on television or in the movies, or maybe it's a musician or an athlete. It's always a politician. During election time everyone gets converted for sure.
And we are excited all of a sudden because we say, now we have a celebrity convert. And we will drag him out. And I am amazed at how these people will be in, you know, Christian talk shows. And they will have a Christian book out. And we have them in churches. And then they fall away. And then they embarrass us. And we say, oops.
But yet the Bible told us not to do that. The Bible told us to not raise up a new convert lest they be inflated with pride and fall into the condemnation of the devil.
See, we are looking for the celebrity convert so we can effectively say to the world, see, we are not lame. We are cool too. That is stupid. God raises up His own men and His own women to blow the world's mind and to confound them and say, this is me at work. This is me changing lives. And it gives hope to people who are ordinary and were often overlooked.
God looks on the heart.
Dwight L. Moody: From Shoe Salesman to Evangelist
You know, one of the greatest evangelists that ever lived was Dwight Lyman Moody. D.L. Moody. And you know, Moody, he was just a shoe salesman when God called him. And a man named Edward Kimball had a leading of the spirit to go talk with Dwight about the Lord. And Dwight came to faith and became a powerful evangelist that impacted the world.
So Dwight went from selling soles to saving souls, you know. But just an ordinary guy. They didn't come any more ordinary than Moody. He was somewhat illiterate. He was not an educated man, but he was used in a powerful way.
God Looks for Truly Spiritual People
God is looking for truly spiritual people. God is looking for truly spiritual people. Not holier than thou people, but genuinely spiritual people.
Listen, the most spiritual people I have met have always been very down to earth. Not some phony head in the cloud spirituality. That is just weird religion and mysticism. And it does not impress me.
I have met people that try to come off so spiritual. Even in the way that they talk. You know the Lord. He said to me the other day, Why do you talk like that? What is wrong with you? They just have this spacey way about them.
You know, I have had the opportunity to meet some really godly people and hang out with them. And I have always found that the most godly people are also the most fun. And they are the most real. And they are the most straightforward and honest. And are quick to admit their own shortcomings. And I think that is a virtue. Not a flaw.
And God is looking for real spiritual people.
David's Heart Revealed in the Psalms
And if you want to know what made David tick, you just read a bunch of his psalms. Or songs. Understand David was a musician, right? So a lot of these psalms were originally set to music. But why was he a man after God's own heart? Well, he gives us some little windows of insight.
Psalm 34, he says, I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
We know that David had a deep hunger for God and a strong commitment to do what is right. That was David's heart. Focused, not fickle. Meditative, yet brave and courageous. He kind of dialed in on something and stayed with it.
But in Psalm 27, he really shows us what his life was all about. The thing that was his purpose and his focus and his goal. The one thing of his life. And what was it?
Psalm 27, 4. He said, One thing have I desired of the Lord, and that will I seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, and to behold the beauty of the Lord, and then to inquire in his temple.
Listen. Everybody has the one thing of life. Everybody. I don't care who they are. Believer, non-believer. They have the one thing. What do you mean by that? The one thing. That thing that makes their blood pump. The thing that gets them up in the morning. The thing that they are passionate about.
You can talk about a lot of things and they are disengaged. But once that topic comes up, that is their one thing. There it is. Look at them. Now they are animated. Now they are engaged. What is your one thing? Be honest.
Well for David it was being in God's presence.
Paul's One Thing and Mary's Choice
Paul said in Philippians 3, 13, this one thing I do, forgetting the things that are behind and reaching forward to the things that are before, I press toward the Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
So Paul was saying, my one thing is I am going to forget the past and reach forward toward the future and press toward the goal to win the race.
Remember when Jesus came to visit Mary and Martha. Martha was making a great meal for the Lord, which was very appropriate. I mean ladies, can you imagine if Jesus just showed up at your house? I mean would you want to make him something to eat? Are you going to give him that burrito from three days ago? No. You are going to make him something delicious. Something right there on the spot.
So Martha understandably is whipping up a feast for Jesus. And Mary is thinking, man Jesus is here. I am just going to go sit at his feet and listen to him and hear what he has to say.
Martha is getting stressed out in the kitchen because she is working away and Mary is not helping her. And she wants to make everything from scratch. And she finally comes out and she is frustrated. She probably had her apron on. Food splattered all over her face. And she puts her hands up on her hips. Lord will you tell my sister to come help me?
Jesus looks at her and says, oh Martha, Martha. You are troubled about many things. But Mary has chosen the better part. And then Jesus says to her that she has chosen that one thing.
Martha, one thing you are lacking. Mary got it. You did it. Let's paraphrase. Martha, listen. I appreciate a home cooked meal. Trust me. But there is a time and a place for everything. And the time right now is just right for me to talk to you guys about what what really matters in life.
Our greatest danger in life is permitting the urgent things to crowd out the important things. And that happens a lot.
One thing, David says, I have desired, to inquire in his temple.
Now back in the old covenant they had the tabernacle, which was a tent. And then later the temple, which was envisioned by David and built by his son Solomon. That is where they would meet God.
But really what David was saying, I want to be in God's presence all the time.
Encountering God Anywhere
And that is a wonderful thing to realize, how glorious it is to meet with God's people. That is why I appreciate you guys here on a Thursday night. You know? Not that I don't appreciate people on Sunday morning. Of course I do. But Thursday night this is something you chose to do above and beyond. You said, you know I have been busy. I have worked all day. I am tired. But I am going to go to church. Because I want to worship God and listen to really stupid jokes. With occasional truth woven in.
But you know you made a choice to come here and fellowship with other believers and worship the Lord and hear the Word of God. And I think that was a really good choice. And that was David's heart. You know I just love to be in God's presence. I just can't get enough.
And here is the good news. You know we don't have to go to a building to encounter God. In the old covenant the Jew was represented by the priest, the high priest who would go into the temple and offer a sacrifice. But because of what Christ did on the cross of Calvary we have access to the Lord anytime, anywhere.
Hebrews 10 19 says, Brothers we have confidence to enter the most holy place by the blood of Jesus through a new and living way. So let's draw near to God with a sincere heart and full assurance of faith.
You can enter into God's presence wherever you are. Here is a newsflash. Your car and or truck can be a sanctuary. Did you know that? You know you get in your car, I hate being on the road. I hate being stuck in traffic. Wait, wait. Why don't you turn your car into a sanctuary? What do you mean? I have to put a pulpit in here? What? No.
How about listening to Bible teaching? You know get it on CD. Download it. How about listening to Christian radio? Christian music? Use it to build yourself up spiritually so by the time you have arrived at your destination you have learned something. You have gone through something. You have glorified God.
You know just don't lift your hands. Keep your hands on the wheel while you are driving. But the idea is you can encounter God wherever you are. That was David's heart.
No wonder he was called a man after God's own heart because of that one thing at the forefront of his life.
Faithfulness in the Little Things
Not only was David an ordinary man. Not only was he a genuinely spiritual man. But number three, David was a faithful man.
Now his job description at this time was watching sheep. Sheep are not the most interesting animals on the face of the earth to watch. They are really pretty stupid. By the way, that is why the Bible compares us to sheep. Have you ever noticed that the Bible doesn't say, oh we like dolphins have gone astray? That is too smart. Oh we like dogs have gone astray. Even cats. We do not even get cats. We get sheep. Oh we like sheep have gone astray.
And I think David was sitting around just watching his stupid sheep and thinking, they are dumb but I love them. And man they really need me because if I don't come through for them and defend them, they are leg of lamb right now.
So he is looking at his dumb sheep and he is thinking, you know what? The Lord, He is my Shepherd. Just like I am the Shepherd of the sheep, the Lord is my Shepherd. And I shall not want. And He makes me to lie down in green pastures. And He leads me beside the still waters. And He restores my soul. And even though I walk to that valley of the shadow of death, I know that He is with me. And He prepares a table before me. And the presence of my enemies.
So He is just drawing an analogy. I am just like these animals, these creatures.
And then there were times when there were predators. A lion. A bear. David, the boy, took them on and killed them. He was getting ready. But he did not know it. I do not think he knew he was being tested or prepared. But he was.
And this is how God always works. He preps us. And he is getting us in shape for what is yet to come.
Joseph's Preparation Through Suffering
Now Joseph was being prepared. And he did not realize it. I mean, when he was a young man, he had visions of grandeur. But he was not ready yet. God was going to allow him to go through some suffering first. But Joseph was a dreamer, as you all know.
One day he came to his brothers and said, Guys, I had this dream last night. And in my dream, you were all bowing before me. You know, sometimes it is best to keep your dreams to yourself. You know, you wonder if Joseph would just walk around out in the field and, you know, I dreamed a dream. No, he probably did not do that. But he was a dreamer.
But God was getting him ready for reality.
And so you need to be faithful in what God has set before you.
And I understand, David has been anointed king at this point. He has been. certified as the next king of Israel by Samuel the prophet. That was the gold standard. He had this one, but there was no timeline given. Samuel just showed up, poured oil on him. You are the king. See you. God bless. Goodbye.
Meanwhile, all of the brothers of David are looking at him like, What is happening here? You know what David did? He just went back to the last thing. When you do not know what to do, go back to the last thing God showed you to do.
Just work hard. Be faithful. Do your thing. And the Lord will show you what to do next.
Chuck Swindoll wrote in his excellent book on David, and I quote, He did not go down to the nearest apartment store and try on crowns. He did not order a new set of business cards telling the printer. Change it from Shepherd to king elect. He did not have a bed saying, I am the new man. Shine a chariot for me. He just waited on the Lord.
And that is exactly what he did.
Saul's Torment and David's Music
Now Saul, meanwhile, was unraveling in every way. He was not right with God. And frankly, he was not right in the head either. He had been rejected as king over Israel. And because of his rebellion against God, he was now being tormented by evil spirits.
So he plunged into deep depression, being hassled by some demonic forces. And what he needed to do was repent and get right with God. But he did not do that. He just went deeper and deeper into it.
And someone felt that the remedy would be for. someone to come and sing worship songs in the presence of Saul. And it would somehow lift him out of the doldrums.
And 1 Samuel 16, 18 says, One of the servants said, I have seen a son of Jesse, the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person. And the Lord is with him.
I know just the guy. This kid David. He is an awesome guitar player. He is a strong warrior. He is super good looking. He would be just the right guy.
And interestingly, prudent in speech means that you weigh things in the mind and form a judgment. And David is described as a man who is prudent in speech. That is kind of unusual for a younger man. You know when you are younger, you think you know a lot more than you do. And a lot of times you just blurt things out.
And I think as you get older, you learn to measure your words more. You learn to not always say what you are thinking. You learn that there are inside thoughts and outside thoughts. Some people don't get this memo ever. And whatever comes to their mind they just blurt it out. Oh there I go again. Yeah. There you go again.
It is a good thing to be known as someone who is prudent in speech. Think about what you say before you say it.
Remember when Jesus was transfigured with Moses on one side and Elijah on the other. Peter was up there with James and John. And he was sleeping. And he woke up and he saw this glorious sight. And Peter said, It is good we are here. Let us build three tabernacles. One for Moses. One for Jesus. One for Elijah.
And I love the fact that one of the gospels gives us this insight. This he said because he did not know what to say.
I thought, I know that exactly. Have you ever said something when you did not know what to say? You wanted to say something impressive. And he ended up saying the lamest thing ever. Well that was Peter. Just blurted it out.
You know there is an old proverb that says, Better to be silent and thoughtful than to open your mouth and dispel all doubt. Sometimes when you do not say anything people may think they are very wise. Let them think that. Because the moment you speak you go, No, he is not very wise.
Sometimes when we want to encourage people, we might not say the right thing. I know especially when people are hurting, people will say crazy things. When you have lost a loved one, people will try to comfort you. And they will say things sometimes that actually, instead of comforting, will actually torment a little bit.
You say, Well Greg, I do not know what to say to someone who has lost a loved one. You know sometimes, less is more. And just tell them you love them. And don't try to explain it to them. Because guess what? You can't do that. So don't try. Just say, Man, I am really praying for you. And I love you.
Stephen Curtis Chapman, as you know, his little daughter died in a tragic auto accident. And he said to me that the best thing that was ever said to him was when someone looked at him and just said, There are no words.
So just being there can really mean a lot.
So David was wise. You know, he spoke when he was spoken to. He waited for the right opportunity. And he did not promote himself. He could have gone in there. Now he is in the court of the king. He could have said, Ah, hello. I am the new king. Saul, will you get off your throne now? He could have killed Saul if he wanted to. He was within striking distance. He could have done everything possible to promote himself. But no.
What was his job? You play your musical instruments and sing worship songs in the presence of the king. And that is exactly what he did.
You know, Proverbs 22, 29 says, Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings. I love that.
You know what this means? It means whatever you do for a living, work really hard at it and do your job well. And in time you will be noticed. Don't manipulate. Don't connive. Don't tear others down. Just do your job well. And you will stand before kings.
The word will get to the boss. He will hear about you in time.
All the pastors that are on staff at our church today all started out just doing whatever needed to be done. Helping out in the parking lots, set up chairs, do whatever. But we saw faithful men who were willing to do whatever needed to be done. And in time God raised them up and then we just effectively say, Look, there is another pastor. The cream just kind of rises to the top.
That is how it was with David.
Yes, the Spirit came upon David as he sang these songs. 1 Samuel 16, 23. Whenever the tormenting spirit from God troubled Saul, a spirit from God troubled Saul, David would play the harp and Saul would feel better. The tormenting spirit would go away.
This is very interesting. I don't fully understand it. But I know it. And I have seen it. And you have too. God can work through music. I don't understand it. But I know it.
And I have seen it. And you have too. God anoints these musicians. They get up here with their instruments and they sing and they play for the glory of God. And it helps us. It encourages us. It lifts us. It is used by God.
Music is a gift from God to all of us. Now we know the devils use music. But God uses music. And that is why we feature it so prominently in our harvest crusades. Because we have seen how the Lord can use it to prepare hearts, especially for the preaching of the gospel.
Saul's Temporary Relief
But here is another thing to keep in mind. Sometimes people will reach out to God in quotes when they have a problem. You know, maybe they have a DUI. They have problems with the marriage. Kids are on drugs. So they drag their carcass down to the church. You have to help me.
And you know what? We do. All week long. We help hundreds, thousands of people. We don't charge for counseling. We just help them. We go into hospitals and pray for people that have never been to our church. We reach out to people in convalescent homes, in jails, in prisons. We do everything we can to reach them.
And we will have these people come in and they will come for a while. But then when their problem is maybe not resolved, but it isn't as bad as it once was, then they leave again.
And this is kind of what Saul was doing. Yeah, play that song again. Yeah, I feel better. Okay. Oh, it is back again. Come play your song.
He needed to just repent so he wouldn't have this problem to start with. See, church is not a quick fix. It should be a part of your lifestyle as you are worshiping with God's people.
But that was part of Saul's problem. He never really dealt with the real problem, which was a result of sin.
David Faces Goliath (Preview)
Now we shift gears. And we are only going to touch on this. Because I am going to save the big message for next week. David and Goliath. We will deal with this next Thursday in a message that I am going to call Dealing with Giants.
But the Israelites are facing up with their long time enemies, the Philistines. And they were on each side of the Valley of Elah. Israel on one side, Philistines on the other.
And there was this man from the Philistine side that was a frightening, hulking freak. He wasn't green, but he was big. And he had been a warrior from his youth, and his name was Goliath. He was nine feet, six inches tall.
So that is impossible. No it isn't. The tallest man in recent history was named Robert Wadlow. He was eight feet, 11 inches tall, and weighed 439 pounds. So Goliath was about seven inches taller than Wadlow. But the difference was Goliath was solid muscle. And he was covered in armor. And he had on a suit of armor that weighed around 200 pounds. Then he had a bronze helmet and a huge javelin. The head of the javelin alone weighed 25 pounds.
So now loose paraphrase. Every day he would bellow over to the Israeli side. What's the matter? Are you guys chicken? You won't find the word chicken in the Bible. I said, I'm paraphrasing. You're going to send someone out to fight me or not? I'll make you guys a deal. I'll make you an offer you cannot refuse. Here it is. You send out your best fighter. If he wins, we'll follow you. If we win, you follow and serve us. What do you say?
Well, nobody wanted to take on. Goliath.
Enter the Shepherd boy and anointed king, David. His brothers had all gone to fight for their country. And David was stuck at home with Dad. And so his father sent him on an errand. He said, Son, go see how your brothers are doing. Take him some bread and cheese. Effectively, David was delivering pizza.
What is pizza? Bread and cheese. Hey guys, brought you some pizza. Pizza delivery. A little hat on, you know, uniform.
So he brings him the food. So really it was faithfulness on an errand for his father that would result in David's first great victory.
Now he could have protested and said, Dad, I'm not running an errand for you to take bread and cheese to my brothers. I'm going to go fight with the army. No. He said, Okay, Dad. I'll do what you want me to do.
See, he was faithful in those little things.
Divine opportunity usually, if not always, comes unexpectedly. I think of some of the great doors that have opened up for me and they weren't even expected. They just happened. And when that happens, here is my response. Carpe diem. Which means, I have no idea what it means. No. Seize the day. Seize the day. Seize the moment. Take advantage of it when God opens the door.
So here is this oversized Philistine challenging someone to face off with him. Worse off, he is blaspheming God. And he had done this for 40 days, just walking back and forth, mocking the Israelites, mocking their God openly. And they were paralyzed with fear.
That is until the red-headed stranger showed up. David.
Because that phrase that says he was a fair, and the word is used, ruddish, in the King James, it means red-haired. Probably some freckles. Looked a little different than the other guys of that day. They would all have dark hair and darker skin. David sort of stood out from the crowd, had to use a lot of sunscreen, you know.
So here comes that red-headed kid, strolling in. And David is awestruck by Goliath. Not because of his size, but because of the fact that he is blaspheming God, and nobody is lifting a finger to do anything. And guess what? David was ticked off. This isn't right.
And so he said, someone is going to do something about this.
And he faces immediate opposition. Where does the opposition come from? The Philistines know. From his own brother, Eliab, who lays into him with a vengeance.
1 Samuel 17, 28. Eliab, his oldest brother, heard when he spoke to the men, and Eliab's anger was aroused against David. And he said, why have you come down here? And with whom have you left your few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.
David said, what have I done now? Is there not a cause?
Don't you see the sibling rivalry here? Oh, were you bored at home? You want to come and play with the big boys? Look at you little runt, freckle-faced brat. What are you doing here? That is what he was saying. We don't need you here.
David's saying, what do you want from me? You know, what have I done now? What's wrong now?
Here is his own brother harassing him.
And you know, sometimes the strangest thing is when we go out to do the work of God, we'll be opposed by people. that are fellow Christians. They'll say, well, no, you shouldn't do that. Don't do that. You know, some of my greatest criticism doesn't come from secular critics. It comes from so-called Christians who don't agree with the way I preach, or the way we hold a crusade, or this or that.
You know, it's interesting to me. It's just how we can be sidetracked. I mean, we have a lost world out there, and so often we're quibbling. We're arguing. We're expending our energy, talking about minutiae when we have a world that's on its way to hell.
It was Vance Havner that said, if we're too busy using our sickles on one another, we're going to miss the harvest.
That's why we've got to get our eyes off of that and get our eyes on what really matters.
So here's David. Hey, I'm ready to do something. Oh, get out of here. You can't do that. You could never be the one that would face off with Goliath.
Boldness and Courage When the Moment Comes
Now, who should have fought Goliath? Well, I think King Saul. Isn't he the guy that's head and shoulders above everybody else? No, he's not even going to have anything to do with it.
So David, the Shepherd boy, volunteers to take on Goliath single-handedly. Everybody laughs at the idea. I'll fight him. Yeah, yeah. You and one army. There's no way you can do it. No, I'll do it. The Lord will be with me. The Lord's helped me kill a lion. Helped me kill a bear. I can handle this.
It brings me to my last point. Number four. God uses people who are bold and courageous. God uses people who are bold and courageous.
There's a time for faithfulness, humility, and of course, a spiritual life. But when those doors of opportunity open, they must be seized. And David did that. He was ready to go for it.
Now, I'd love to get into the story of David and Goliath, but I'm going to save that for next time. Because that is a story unto itself with many important truths that we can learn from it.
Closing Thoughts and Invitation
But let me just end this message with these thoughts. We have to be faithful in the little things, and we have to be bold and courageous when the moment comes and then seize it.
But maybe as you look at your own life right now, you can relate a little to David. Maybe you feel you are just always going to be a victim of your circumstances. You know, maybe your parents neglected you, or even abandoned you. Maybe there is a history of alcohol and or drug abuse in your family, and you feel your course is fixed.
I am amazed that people I have met, they say, well, my mom was an alcoholic, and her mom was an alcoholic, so I am just going to be an alcoholic. Really? Oh yeah. You know why my parents are divorced, so I guess I will get divorced. I am already telling my kids to get divorced, and they are only three. You know, it is just like, so you do not have a say so in this? No, no. It is just a cycle. It is just the way it goes.
Well you are wrong. Because God can intervene.
Well what do you know? Well I know from experience. Because I did not have a father growing up. I did not have a father to not love me. I did not have a father, period. So it was not that he mistreated me. He just was not there. My mom had very little time for me. I was left to myself a lot, like David. My mom was an alcoholic. She was married and divorced seven times.
I could have gone that direction. I could have followed that course for a time. I did get into drinking. For a time I did experiment with drugs. But God got hold of me and the cycle was broken. And He can do that for anyone.
I am not saying this, oh aren't I wonderful. No. I am just an ordinary person that took God of this word. It is all about how great God is. And He can do that for you.
And maybe you are trapped in some lifestyle or some pattern of sin or some addiction. God can break that cycle. The question is, do you want Him to break it?
Remember that guy, who couldn't move and Jesus came up to him and said, do you want to be made whole? What kind of question is that to ask someone who can't even move? It is a very good question actually. Because not everyone who is sick wants to be healed. Not everyone who is addicted wants to be delivered. Not everybody who is living in a certain lifestyle wants to get out of that lifestyle.
So I guess the question is, do you really want to change? Do you really want to be free? Because if you do, Jesus is saying, I can make that happen for you. But you have to want it. If you don't want it, all the treatment programs, all the anything else that can be offered isn't going to do anything for you because you will just go right back into it again.
You have to want to change. But if you do, God can change you.
And I don't care what your background is. And I don't care what your parents did, or your grandparents did, or what your dog or cat did. You are responsible for your own actions. And the Bible says, if any man be in Christ, he is an altogether different kind of person. The old things that passed away and everything becomes fresh and new.
And that can happen for you right now.
It comes back to Jesus who died on the cross for your sin 2,000 years ago and paid the price for every wrong you have ever done. And if you will turn from that sin and put your faith in Jesus as your Savior and your Lord, you will be forgiven and you can have a fresh start in life.
Would you like that? If so, I am going to give you an opportunity to get right with God as we close in prayer.
Let's all bow our heads.
Father, I pray for any that have joined us who may not yet know you. Maybe they are trapped in some addiction. Maybe they are trapped by some vice. Or other things they want to be free from and they have tried and failed. Lord, you can change them. But they have to turn from their sin and put their faith in you. Help them to do that if they need to now.
Invitation to Salvation
Now all our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we are praying. If you want your sin forgiven, if you want to put your past behind you, if you want to become a new person and start following Christ tonight, wherever you are, I want you to lift your hand up and I am going to pray for you.
You want God's forgiveness. God bless you. Keep your hand up if you would. Lift your hand. I will pray for you. God bless you. God bless you. You want His forgiveness there in the back. God bless you. You want that fresh start in life. You are ready to turn your back in that old. If you want to follow Jesus Christ, raise your hand up. I will pray for you. God bless you. God bless you. Lift your hand up where I can see it. Wherever you are sitting there in the back. God bless you as well. God bless you. Anybody else? God bless you too.
Lord I thank you now for each one of these. And I pray you will give them the strength to stand up and follow you and receive all that you have for them. We commit them to you now in Jesus' name. Amen.
Listen. Everyone that Jesus calls, He calls openly and publicly. And in a moment our worship group is going to lead us in a song of invitation. And I am going to ask if you raise your hand with me during that last moment of prayer. Saying that you want Christ to forgive you. Saying that you want your sin forgiven. Saying you want that fresh start in life. I am going to ask that when this song begins you would get up out of your seat. Walk down these aisles and stand up here in the front. And when you all get up here I am going to lead you in a prayer.
Maybe you did not raise your hand but you want to make this commitment or listen a recommitment to Christ. There may have been a time when you walked with the Lord as a younger person but you have fallen away and now you need to return to the Lord. So this is an invitation for you to come back home again.
So again if you raised your hand even if you did not. If you need your sin forgiven. If you need a second chance in life. If you need to make a recommitment to follow Jesus. If you want to go to heaven when you die. As the group sings. Get up out of your seat. Walk down these aisles. Stand up here and when you get up here I will lead you in prayer.
Get up and start coming right now. Come on. Get up and walk forward.
a choice set before you now. Living or dying. Blessing or cursing. And know the time has come come around. To turn from your fighting. Rest in His mercy. Choose life. As you might live. The life that He gives. He gives you forever. Choose life. The way that is true. From the one who chose you. your Father in Heaven. Choose life. trust the Lord with all your heart. All of your soul. And all of your being. Hold on. Listen and obey. surrender your life. surrender your life. And to His keeping. Choose life. As you might live. The life that He gives. He gives you forever. Choose life. The way that is true. From the one who chose you. your Father in Heaven. Choose life.
You know, it really is a choice. Just as these guys are singing, choose life. You can choose life. You can choose death. You can choose heaven or you can choose hell. You can choose God or you can choose Satan.
You might say, oh, you are putting words in my mouth. I am not choosing Satan or choosing hell by not choosing God. Actually, you are. There are only two choices in life. And though you may not think you are making that choice, in fact you really are. To not say yes to Jesus is to by default say no to Jesus.
I don't think that is a choice you want to make.
They are going to sing this chorus through one last time. Anybody else who wants to make this commitment or recommitment to Christ, come quickly up here with these folks here and then we will pray together.
In this last moment, anybody else, if you want to come, come now.