Sunday October 16, 2022
Acts 13:22- “….‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.”
1 Samuel 16:7- “…..The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
A woman or man after God’s heart!
heart- Intellect, awareness, mind, inner person, inner feelings, deepest thoughts, inner self.
Jeremiah 17:9-10 – “The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be.”
Guys have you ever tried to figure out a woman’s heart?
“God promised men that good and obedient wives would be found in all corners of the world…..then He made the world round and laughed and laughed!”
THE HEART….A PUZZLE THAT NO ONE CAN FIGURE OUT.
BUT THERE’S NOTHING LIKE A GOLIATH TO REVEAL WHAT’S IN YOUR HEART.
1 Samuel 17:11- “When Saul and his troops heard the Philistine’s challenge, they were terrified and lost all hope.”
So why did Saul and the army of Israel experience fear? Why were they terrified and why did they lose all hope?
Because fear was in their heart! Hopelessness was in their heart!
Goliath exposed what was in their heart!
In fact Goliath doesn’t mean giant. Goliath means exposer! It means reveal, uncover!
A “Goliath” will expose what’s been hiding behind the curtain of your heart!
DAVID’S RESPONSE TO THE GIANT:
1 Samuel 17:26- “David asked the soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?”
What was in David’s heart is exposed. Courage and confidence in His God!
So David is brought to Saul.
1 Samuel 17:33- “And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”
Fear always says, “You’re not able.”
1 Samuel 17:37- “Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”
NOW LOOK WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
1 Samuel 17:38-39- “Then Saul outfitted David as a soldier in armor. He put his bronze helmet on his head and belted his sword on him over the armor. David tried to walk but he could hardly budge. David told Saul, “I can’t even move with all this stuff on me. I’m not used to this.” And he took it all off.
ONE POINT TODAY TO HAVE A HEART TO SERVE
1. To have a heart after God’s heart, a heart to serve, I may need to take some
stuff off!
WE NEED TO GET THE STUFF OFF! SOME OF US CAN’T EVEN MOVE!
WHAT MIGHT WE NEED TO TAKE OFF?
(a.) I need to take off pride.
pride- when someone shifts their confidence from God to self! They set themselves above others.
1 Peter 5:5- “In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
How do we know David put on humility and not pride?
After being anointed to be the next King of Israel David went right back to tending sheep and bringing supplies to his brothers! Serving his family!
He even started serving King Saul with a talent God had blessed him with.
1 Peter 4:10- “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.”
I need to take off pride and just serve others!
Matthew 20:25-28- “But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
I NEED TO TAKE OFF PRIDE!
(b.) I need to take off the past.
Saul and his armor represented the past.
David taking Saul’s armor off is saying God’s NEW DAY, NEW THING, is here.
I’m taking off the past and say God TODAY sign me up to serve others!
Isaiah 43:19- “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”
If I’m going to serve others today I need to take off the old and put on the new!
(c.) I need to take off comparison.
Do you frequently compare yourself to others? Are you trying to wear someone else’s armor?
We have a tendency to compare our talents with the talents of others.
Sometimes we obsess over the things we can’t do instead of improving on the things we can do.
Galatians 6:4- “Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.”
Comparison is a thief of your joy! You are unique my friend, created by God to bring glory to him on earth!
You have gifts and talents that God has given to you to make a difference in the world, to serve others!
YOU NEED TO BE THE BEST YOU THAT YOU CAN BE! DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF WITH OTHERS!
Have you ever heard of guy named Thaddaeus? He was one of Jesus 12 disciples that’s only mentioned a few times in the Bible.
I wonder how he felt about Peter, James and John? About Luke and Mark?
Do you think he compared himself or was he just so humbled that Jesus chose him to be one of His disciples?
Conclusion:
Do you know Jesus chose you! The Creator of the universe chose you as one of His children.
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through this message. “GET THIS STUFF OFF OF YOU, I CAN’T USE YOU WITH ALL THIS STUFF ON!”