The Great King

David Series: Part Four

Rick HendersonDecember 10, 2017

Think About It: Perhaps the greatest measure of our maturity is how we handle INFLUENCE and AUTHORITY.

1 Samuel 16:6-11When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord 's anointed stands here before the Lord." 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

11 So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" "There is still the youngest," Jesse answered, "but he is tending the sheep. "Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives."

Observation: David had at least three opportunities to leverage his own WILL in his own WAY and in his own TIME.

➢Scene 1: David and Saul in the Cave

1 Samuel 24:12-15 May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you. 13 As the old saying goes, 'From evildoers come evil deeds,' so my hand will not touch you. 14 "Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea? 15May the Lord be our judge and decide between us. May he consider my cause and uphold it; may he vindicate me by delivering me from your hand."

➢Scene 2: David and Saul in the Desert

1 Samuel 26:8-11 Abishai said to David, "Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of my spear; I won't strike him twice." 9 But David said to Abishai, "Don't destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord's anointed and be guiltless? 10 As surely as the Lord lives," he said, "the Lord himself will strike him; either his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. 11 But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord's anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let's go."

➢Scene 3: David and the Divided Kingdom

2 Samuel 4:7-11They had gone into the house while he was lying on the bed in his bedroom. After they stabbed and killed him, they cut off his head. Taking it with them, they traveled all night by way of the Arabah. 8 They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, "Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, your enemy, who tried to take your life. This day the Lord has avenged my lord the king against Saul and his offspring."

9 David answered Recab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, "As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of all trouble, 10 when a man told me, 'Saul is dead,' and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news!11 How much more — when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed — should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!"

Summary Idea: David refused to violate the WORD of God to accomplish the WILL of God.

2 Samuel 5:1-2All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, "We are your own flesh and blood. 2In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns.And the Lord said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.'"3When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.

Note: David understood “I am Aking, but I’m not THEKing. He understood that leadership is STEWARDSHIP.

John 13:1-5It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.,,, 13-15"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

Next Step: When you’re the most POWERFUL person in the room, leverage your power for the benefit of the otherPEOPLE in the room.

Discussion Question

  1. Talk about a leader, boss, or coach that was influential in your life. What was it about that person that made him or her influential?
  1. Read 1 Samuel 16:6-11 To what extent do you think our culture looks at outward appearance as a qualification for leadership instead of the heart?

This is a really important question for us in the USA. We normally vote for the taller person over the shorter person in Presidential elections. That’s a fact. Why do we do this? This question forces us to look at what kinds of thinking the world is delivering to us through media, the educational system, and other influences. We have to make a concerted effort to push away from thinking that is “normal or natural” to us, and instead think Biblically. Now have fun answering this question. Some ideas might be; we are naturally impressed with family status, wealth, winners, beauty, power, and intelligence – but rarely character.

  1. Talk about a time when you were given authority and didn’t lead well? What happened?

These stories should be fun… any parenting stories qualify.

  1. In the message we learned that when we wield authority, it should be based on God’s will, God’s way, and in God’s time. Do you agree? Why or why not?

Try to think of what happens when we try to do something that causes us to sacrifice our integrity. When we are talking about God’s will here, we are talking about God’s revealed moral will that all of us live under.

  1. Read John 13:3–15 If you had been in that room with Jesus and his disciples, how do you think you would have responded to what Jesus did? Why would you have responded that way?

Again – no right or wrong answers here. Try to imagine the King of the Universe washing your feet. Can anyone spell AWKWARD / HUMILIATING?

  1. In what area of your life do you currently have authority? What is one thing you can do this week to leverage your power for the benefit of the people you lead? How can this group support you?

You are the King in a little Kingdom – it is wherever your word counts as authoritative. Your Kingdom is where your will is done.