What God Looks At

I Samuel 16.7

What a great comfort to know that He looks on my heart.

The Word of the LORD to Samuel and to us is
1 Samuel 16:7 “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Samuel was thinking wrongly. He saw Jesse's oldest son and reached a wrong conclusion. We need to be careful as we serve the LORD to avoid this mistake... And yet the church unfortunately continues to blunder in this area.

How taken in at times we are of a handsome, tall, charismatic individual. How impressed we are with the outward qualities. We think, "What a magnificent man!", but God is looking at his heart and saying,"I have rejected him." Time alone proves whether our assessments are correct or not. Unless we listen to God's voice.

Like Samuel we are certain in our own hearts (which can deceive us) that we know what God is thinking. We embrace what God has rejected! This is true about false teachers.

Thankfully Samuel was listening to the LORD.

We need to as well! Often we are like Samuel, looking at the outward and thinking wrongly. We assume a large church means success. One of the greatest missionaries who ever lived was from a small fellowship in England. James Hudson Taylor had a heart for China which was developed in a little independent Bible Fellowship at Hull.

This is true of houses and cars... If I just had this I would be happy when some of the happiest people I know live in little homes and drive older cars.

*The church often is mistaken. We need to seek the LORD.
*The family almost always is. Remember Jesus' words.
Matthew 13:57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.” Family cannot see the anointing on a family member when it is staring them right in the face.
*Sometimes the person themselves are. Moses, Jonah

1. God chose David because he was a man after His Own Heart.

A Shepherd

Psalm 80:1-2 Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock.You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. Awaken Your might; come and save us.

Psalm 78:70-72 He chose David his servantand took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought himto be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

It is sad that today with all our emphasis on leadership in the church that we have focused in on just aspect of the shepherd, who is the example God puts forth for us in His Word and in His Being. We have missed the mark. We have hit the edge of the target. We have missed the bullseye!

A Shepherd:
Loves the sheep
Watches over the flock Luke 2:8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
Feeds the sheep
Loses sleep for the sake of the flock.
Cares
Anoints, brings healing to wounds Psalm 23 He anoints my head with oil.
Protects the flock from wolves
Leads

Humble and Patient
Matthew 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

It takes that for a man to lead people the right way.
David made a wonderful king because of God's anointing.
He was a shepherd in vocation and heart. He was taken from the fields of Bethlehem where he was at work.
1 Samuel 16:19 Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.”
Moses was not ready to lead the nation until He took care of his father-in-law's sheep for 40 years.
Jesus is the Great Shepherd of the sheep.
Hebrews 13:20-21 Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.


2. The LORD looked at the heart of David.

He was a singer, a worshiper of God. He wrote Psalms.
He looks at our hearts today and every day. Each day we ought to be worshiping the LORD. My dad was a worshiper while he worked. He was in Brooklyn and Upstate NY. He was in his garden.

Sing and make music in your heart to the LORD!
David wrote Psalm 101:1 I will sing of your love and justice;to you, Lord, I will sing praise.

He loved His LORD.
We see this in the Psalms.
Psalm 18:1 I love you, Lord, my strength.


He depended upon Him.
Psalm 7:1 Lord my God, I take refuge in you;save and deliver me from all who pursue me,


3. David Had A Wonder Filled Prayer Life.

The nature Psalms: Psalm 8, Psalm 145
The Psalms about God's faithfulness Psalm 26, 40, 57
The National Psalms. Psalm 9, 65
He understood the nation's history and respected God, unlike Saul.

So many times in the Psalms David pours out his soul before the LORD.
Psalm 51

4. David Became a Spirit Filled Anointed Man.

The anointing oil was a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
The power of God's Spirit came upon Him.
From that moment on he was changed, but he always respected the law of God.
Psalm 119:77 Let your compassion come to me that I may live,for your law is my delight.
When he sinned he prayed that God would not withdraw His Spirit.
Psalm 51:11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

God looks at the inner man. Man look at the outward appearance. God is concerned with developing the inner man. Man is concerned with his outer shell.
God is concerned with the eternal, the everlasting. Man is concerned with the temporal.
Proverbs 31:30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Be a person after God's own heart...
Be faithful.
Be humble.
Worship Him.
Be man or woman of prayer.
Be filled and keep on being filled withe Spirit.

The Blessing of Patience

I Samuel 13.11-14


Great damage caused by haste and impatience.

Knee jerk reactions are often destructive.

I have seen people shoot themselves in the foot for not waiting, for being impatient.

Unfortunately Saul is an example of that. What was worse is this involved breaking commandments, dishonoring the LORD. It was so severe it meant the the kingdom was going to another.

If he had just waited one more hour Samuel would have arrived.

Growing in patience is not an easy. It is a battle, in fact. It comes through the trials.
James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.


How To Fight Impatience

* Don't look at situations just through your own eyes. Do not lean on your own understanding. Saul did that.
Don't let that happen to you.

*Beware of panic. Never make a major decision in a time of stress. It is interesting how stress and impatience can go hand and hand. I think just the physical effects of stress call us to act prematurely. We want to get out of the discomfort of it. Just do something. That something will happen.

*Recall the scriptures on the virtue of waiting:

Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength;They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Psalm 27:14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 37:34 Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.

Psalm 5:3 In the morning, Lord, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.

Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.

Psalm 130:6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Isaiah 64:4 Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

Waiting is a way of life for us as believers:
Romans 8:23-25 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Patience is surrender to God's timing, His Will and His plan for your life.

1. Patience Assures Us We Will Not Miss God's Best.

The flesh is so deceitful. It calls on us to act impulsively.
This works even in making purchases. Stores like Target go after the impulse buyers. Be patient! Buyer beware!

What is true in Target is also true in life.

Esau and Jacob are opposite in their relations with women. Jacob was patient, Esau was not.
Genesis 28:6-9 Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Padan Aram to take himself a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,” and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Padan Aram. Also Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan did not please his father Isaac. So Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife in addition to the wives he had.
Esau did not wait for his parent's approval, Jacob did.

Towards the end of time, when Jesus is coming, when the pressure is upon everyone to take the mark of the beast so they can buy and sell, we are told in Revelation,
Revelation 14:12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.

2. Patience Lessens the Friction Between Us and Others.
If you shoot off your mouth, you lose your peace.

Proverbs 13:3 He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.

Proverbs 18:6-7 A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calls for blows. A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.

Proverbs 21:23 Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles.


Waiting for God to work rather than rushing is the best.
Nature attests to this. The sweetest tomatoes are vine ripened. Sugar, sun
all things that take their time. Abiding in Christ takes patience.

Little Helps
*Bring a Book to Read
*Pray
*Redeem the time
*Do something other than watching the clock

3. Patience Is Reflecting the Heart of God.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

I Samuel 14.6-12
Here is an example of a patient warrior of the LORD.
Recognizing God's strength and power
Properly seeing the LORD before rushing into battle. Can you imagine how different Saul's story would have been if he thought, believed and acted like this?

4. Love is Patient.
1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

The lack of patience also brings in the lack of kindness. Impatience is usually is expressed in unkind words, the honking of a horn, etc.

The Greatest is Love.

We are to grow in this grace.
James 1:3-4 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
Patience is developed in the pressure cooker of life. It is a virtue that is hard and difficult to develop but oh what an asset it is to the person in whom it is perfected.

God entrusts much to the patient person, sometimes doubling their blessings as in the case of Job.

We are seeking to be peacemakers, which requires the utmost patience. If we submit to the LORD, He will develop this grace in us.

Take the warning today from this lesson in the life of Saul. (desired)
Be encouraged from the life of Jonathan. (Jehovah has given)

Consider The Great Things God Has Done For You

I Samuel 12.24

Israel had been blessed by God like no other nation.
Look at what Samuel lists here. vs.6-8
Godly Leadership
God's Protection
God's Provisions
God's Purposes
God's Plan

America has been blessed by God in mighty ways.
More people have come here from other nations.
Freedoms.
"America trusts its citizens with so much."

Because of what God did for Israel they Israelites should have held God in an awe and reverential fear. This is also true of Americans. There would be no America if not for God. We unfortunately are following Ancient Israel's history.
v.14 Today, if there was national repentance, God would forgive us. We would still face our consequences but with God's mercy. Billy Graham said this week that he still carries burden for America.

Let's personalize this.
Consider the great things God has done for you.
When you do you will realize how blessed you are.
We share in the same blessings as Israel:
Godly Leadership
God's Protection
God's Provisions
God's Purposes
God's Plan


1. Saved you from sin.
This is the greatest thing in the world, to have your name written down in heaven! Can I repeat that?
The greatest thing in the world is not of this world.

Luke 10:20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Jesus said, "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?"

Eternal life. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Think of the benefits of being free from the consequences of sin! In this life!

The benefits of our salvation are so great!
God's rescue plan from the beginning, from the foundations of the world.

We escape the penalty and power of sin! As we walk with the LORD we escape many consequences of sin. We have heaven waiting for us.


2. Filled you with the Holy Spirit
This is the gift of God for all who believe. This wonderful promise is for you!
Acts 1:4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. "

Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The anointing

Luke 24:49 "I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

The Promised Gift of the Father, to be filled with His Spirit, is one of the great things God has done for us!

The evidence of that gift was love. The power is needed to do the will of God, whether you are a stay at home mom or a missionary in a third world country.


3. Provided your daily bread

We should all think about this daily with prayerful thanks!
We have been given food to eat, so much more than many other places on earth! In Barnes and Noble this week we were talking about that.

Most people don't look at bread as being anything great, unless you are very hungry. May God give us a hunger for Him, His Word, His Spirit, His Will, His Glory.


4. Done miracles in your life.
We all have our stories.

Or stories are really His stories, History of working in us.
I can recall a great numbers of instances where we saw the LORD intervene.
He provides!


5. Ordered your steps

Psalm 139:16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;all the days ordained for me were written in your bookbefore one of them came to be.

When we consider the great things God has done you it puts our life in perspective.

What are we focused on? If we focus on our problems, our struggles, what we don't have we will get depressed. If we focus on the great things He has done, our hearts will be blessed, we will realize how blessed we are!

A Humble Heart

I Samuel 9.1-21

Fit for a king!
Humility is a fascinating virtue.

The more blessings we receive the more humble we ought to become. Sense of unworthiness.
The Words of Jesus in Luke 17:10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

The more honor bestowed on us the more we should seek to honor the LORD.

How beautiful it is to see and hear and observe a person of "high position" with a humble heart, one who is loaded with blessings and has a heart for God.


1. Position Should Humble A Person

It did Saul at first and it did David his whole life.

After David was well established as king we read this account in II Samuel 7. The news God gave him was met with the similar response as that of Saul. Saul lost this understanding. David, the man after God's own heart, kept it his whole life.

This showed up when in time these men, these kings, both sinned. Saul pathetically tried to deny and cover his sin when confronted by Samuel. David freely and with a broken heart acknowledged it, realized its enormity and was granted forgiveness by the LORD.

Blessed are the people, the nation, led by a humble soul.

Unfortunately if the heart is not guarded then pride can come in.
Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

Deuteronomy 17:14-20 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” be sure to appoint over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite. The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.

Saul qualified in the beginning and then was disqualified.
David qualified and finished well.

2. Humility Is Being Satisfied Being A Nobody.

Most people are not satisfied with that. Few leaders are. Thoughts of bring known as a great spiritual leader, having great respect, being greeted in the public places and having seats of honor at banquets are things that in the hearts of many leaders.

Blessed is that person who views position of authority as one which enables them to serve. Servants of the LORD should follow their Master's example:
Matthew 20:25-28 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Giving our lives to help others is true leadership. Washing feet, being a servant, following Jesus.

Why are we surprised when a leader does the menial task? It is because it is so unordinary! But when it happens it refreshing!

Be content to be known by God. Care not who else knows you or what ye think about you. It does not matter. What He thinks of you is all that counts.


3. Humility Is Being Surprised At Honor.
Saul was.
Davis was.
After David was anointed he went back to the sheep. He was a shepherd.
Psalm 78:70-72 He chose David His servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep He brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,of Israel His inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.

When God spoke through Nathan when David wanted to build the Temple for the LORD, we see his humility.


4. God Draws Near To The Humble of Heart.

James 4:8, 10 Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

5. Humble Yourself.
Romans 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.
1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

Humility: to make low, bring low, to level, reduce to a plain
to reduce to meaner circumstances
to assign a lower rank or place to
to abase
to be ranked below others who are honoured or rewarded
to lower, depress
of one's soul bring down one's pride
to have a modest opinion of one's self
to behave in an unassuming manner
devoid of all haughtiness

Pride can be manifested like this, "I am special, I am above the law. I am a leader. I do not need to obey it."

We are really talking about Christlikeness. He humbled Himself. Follow Him. It is not easy but it is a lot more pleasant if we do it rather than having Him do it for us.

Jesus' humility should be our goal.
When I think i am doing well, I look at the Master and realize how much I need to grow.
My deepest prayer, my highest goal, that I may be like Jesus!

Humble yourself. Then you will be fit for the King!