[ ] 3/17/2002 #431
A HEART FOR GOD
1 Samuel 16:1-13
INTRODUCTION: The Bible tells us that God was displeased with king Saul. He rejected Saul and appointed His own king. David was God's choice to rule His people. He was a young man who had a heart for God. David would have known what the Lord required for a person to have a heart like His.
And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?
(Deut. 10:12-13)
I. CHARGE OF GOD
A. GOD'S INDICTMENT AGAINST SAUL.
1. His rebellion against the will of God. (1 Sam. 15:22-23)
2. His rejection of the Word of God. (1 Sam. 13:13-14, 15:26)
B. GOD'S INSTRUCTION TO SAMUEL.
1. He was to go to the household of Jesse. (1 Sam. 16:1)
2. He was to anoint the one chosen by God. (1 Sam. 16:3)
II. CHOICE OF GOD
A. WHAT GOD SOUGHT. (1 Sam. 13:14, 16:1)
B. WHAT GOD SEES. (1 Sam. 16:7; Jer. 17:9-10)
C. WHAT GOD SEEKS. (John 4:23)
III. CHARACTER OF DAVID
A. DESCRIPTION OF DAVID'S CHARACTER.
1. His humility. (shepherd boy)
2. His integrity. (1 Kings 9:4)
3. His heart for God. (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22)
B. DEVELOPMENT OF DAVID'S CHARACTER.
1. Communion with God. (prayer, praise)
2. Contentment with God. (Ps. 23)
3. Controlled by the Spirit of God. (1 Sam. 16:13)
4. Confidence in God. (1 Sam. 17:36-37; 2Sam 22:1-4)
5. Courage to stand against the enemies of God. (1 Sam. 17:44-47)
6. Consideration and respect for God's anointed. (1 Sam. 26:1-11)
LESSONS FOR LIFE:
1. As a young boy, David had a heart for God.
2. Young people need to be cultivating a heart for God.
3. David had to be a faithful shepherd of sheep before God would make him king over a nation.
4. David had to learn contentment in obscurity before he could be raised to a place of prominence.
5. The Lord blesses and promotes those who have a heart for Him.
6. The Lord is not mocked. He knows what is in our hearts.
7. Salvation is the first requirment to have a heart for God.
And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul: And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. 2Sam 22:1-4
YOUTH
There's nothing wrong with teenagers that reasoning with them won't aggravate.
Why can't life's big problems come when we are twenty and know everything?
It seldom occurs to teenagers that someday they will know as little as their parents.
Attention Teenagers--If you are tired of being hassled by unreasonable parents, now is the time for action! Leave home and pay your own way while you still know everything.
Parents of two teenagers are worried about their failing eyesight. The daughter can't find anything to wear in a closet full of clothes and the son can't find anything good to eat in a refrigerator full of food.
A mother was overheard talking about her teenage daughter: "She's very indepentent--she lives alone at our house."
PARENTS
I've wanted to run away from home more often since I've had kids than when I was a boy.
The quickest way for a parent to get a child's attention is to sit down and look comfortable.
Among those things that are so simple that even a child can operate them are parents.
"I'm really worried," said one little boy to a friend. "Dad slaves away at his job so I'll never want for anything, so I'll be able to go to university if I want to. Mom works hard every day washing and ironing, cleaning up after me, taking care of me when I get sick. They spend every day of their lives working just on my behalf. I'm worried." His friend asked, "What have you got to worry about?"
And he replied, "I’m afraid they might try to escape."