SPEAKER_00: Can I begin with a statement that might surprise you a little bit?
SPEAKER_00: One that might come off as a little controversial, perhaps, but I'm gonna say this.
SPEAKER_00: God doesn't really care if you're here this morning.
SPEAKER_00: And now, before I get in trouble for saying that, I get called out by the elders in an afternoon meeting, let me explain myself a little bit.
SPEAKER_00: God doesn't care if you're simply sitting in the pews, because his desire is not your attendance.
SPEAKER_00: His desire is not that you're checking a box, that you show up each week.
SPEAKER_00: His desire is that your heart is here.
SPEAKER_00: His desire is that you're truly seeking him.
SPEAKER_00: And if you're just here to check off the box, if the only reason that you made it to worship service this morning is just to sit in the pew, then you're missing the whole point of what we are as Christians.
SPEAKER_00: You're missing the whole point of what this worship service is about.
SPEAKER_00: It's not here just so we can show up, it's not here just so we can mark another checkbox in the row of being obedient to him.
SPEAKER_00: If that's the case, you might as well be out playing golf or out on the lake fishing for big bass or whatever it may be.
SPEAKER_00: Because there's a lot more fun things to be doing than sitting here listening to me rumble on for uh 30 minutes or so.
SPEAKER_00: So why are we here?
SPEAKER_00: We're not here just to show up.
SPEAKER_00: We're here to seek Him.
SPEAKER_00: We're here to open our hearts, we're here to worship our God.
SPEAKER_00: Let me tell you this: God certainly cares about that.
SPEAKER_00: God certainly cares about the posture of your heart.
SPEAKER_00: He's not looking at whether you're sitting in that pew, he's looking at where your heart is directed.
SPEAKER_00: What's on your mind, what's on your heart this morning?
SPEAKER_00: Are you truly seeking him?
SPEAKER_00: And I think that is the real question as we enter into this message this morning, as we think about what God sees within us.
SPEAKER_00: This quarter, we're talking about growing in favor with God.
SPEAKER_00: And I struggled with this sermon a little bit.
SPEAKER_00: In fact, this morning I just kind of scrapped everything and kind of rewrote everything again as I'm just thinking about how to present this lesson.
SPEAKER_00: Because I think if we just take it as, take a look at David and the way that he sought God, then it's one that you've heard dozens of times, perhaps hundreds of times in your life.
SPEAKER_00: So, what's provocative about that this morning?
SPEAKER_00: What really gets us thinking?
SPEAKER_00: And as we enter into these thoughts, I want you to really think about what God sees.
SPEAKER_00: Why, David?
SPEAKER_00: Why, out of all the people in Scripture, does God describe David as the man after his heart?
SPEAKER_00: Again, Acts 13, 22, when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, to whom he also testified, I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who will do my will.
SPEAKER_00: And I think sometimes when we talk about this message, we have this sermon, we immediately go to David's repentance.
SPEAKER_00: That is certainly part of the answer.
SPEAKER_00: We go to Psalm 51, where he says, Create in me a clean heart because I have wandered away from you.
SPEAKER_00: And that is certainly revealing of who David is and what his heart is seeking.
SPEAKER_00: That is certainly a heart that we must possess, but I think there's more to it than that.
SPEAKER_00: God identified David long before that moment.
SPEAKER_00: He saw in him, as we talked about in the introduction to this worship service, while he was sitting out in the fields.
SPEAKER_00: He knew he was the king that would be after his heart, long before Bathsheba, long before Psalm 51, and even before David became king.
SPEAKER_00: So the question is not merely how did David respond after he failed.
SPEAKER_00: The deeper question is what did God already see in David's heart?
SPEAKER_00: So we have four quick points this morning, and I know I used some of my time earlier, so we'll make our way through here quickly.
SPEAKER_00: We see there in Acts 13, 22, I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after my heart.
SPEAKER_00: So that naturally leads us to God sees beneath appearances.
SPEAKER_00: God sees beyond what everyone else sees.
SPEAKER_00: So Samuel arrives at Jesse's house, and you all know the story.
SPEAKER_00: He comes to anoint the next king.
SPEAKER_00: And so he rolls out all of his top candidates, right?
SPEAKER_00: He's got them all lined up there for Samuel to come in.
SPEAKER_00: And I'm imagining this moment.
SPEAKER_00: Jesse's the proud father standing in the corner.
SPEAKER_00: One of my sons is going to be the next king.
SPEAKER_00: And he looks over each one.
SPEAKER_00: He says, Oh, that it's probably gonna be this one or that.
SPEAKER_00: And if not him, surely this son.
SPEAKER_00: And he has them all standing there in a row for Samuel to come in, and he's waiting for that moment.
SPEAKER_00: We say, That's right, that's my boy.
SPEAKER_00: So Samuel comes in and looks at each one.
SPEAKER_00: 1 Samuel 16.
SPEAKER_00: If you have your Bibles, I encourage you to join us in this journey.
SPEAKER_00: Like I say, we made some changes last minute, so not all the text is up on the screen this morning.
SPEAKER_00: So I want you to follow along as we make our way through.
SPEAKER_00: 1 Samuel 16, verses 6 and 7.
SPEAKER_00: We read this.
SPEAKER_00: When they had come, he looked at Eliab and he said, Surely Yahweh's anointed is before him.
SPEAKER_00: So even Samuel thought, man, this is an impressive lineup.
SPEAKER_00: It's gonna be one of these guys that's standing here before me.
SPEAKER_00: But Yahweh said to Samuel, Don't look on his face or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him.
SPEAKER_00: He says, For I do not see as man sees.
SPEAKER_00: For man looks on the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.
SPEAKER_00: Samuel walks in and he sees the height.
SPEAKER_00: Samuel comes in and he sees an impressive-looking young man.
SPEAKER_00: But God saw the heart.
SPEAKER_00: Now, I don't want you to get this wrong.
SPEAKER_00: Samuel was not foolish.
SPEAKER_00: Eliab looked like the next king.
SPEAKER_00: He was impressive.
SPEAKER_00: He was tall, he was strong.
SPEAKER_00: He may have looked a great deal like Saul.
SPEAKER_00: But God was not looking for another Saul.
SPEAKER_00: God was not seeking another man who would merely look like a king.
SPEAKER_00: He was looking for something beneath the appearance.
SPEAKER_00: So think about this.
SPEAKER_00: Think about how we choose people.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe even in a job opening.
SPEAKER_00: Like, who are you seeking to run your company or be a part of your company?
SPEAKER_00: Who are you seeking to be a friend or whatever it may be?
SPEAKER_00: How do we evaluate people?
SPEAKER_00: I think oftentimes we look at experience, we look at education and confidence.
SPEAKER_00: Oftentimes we look at appearance, let's be honest.
SPEAKER_00: We take into account communication skills and accomplishment and certainly charisma.
SPEAKER_00: Is it someone that's engaging?
SPEAKER_00: Is it someone that's gonna make a difference?
SPEAKER_00: Don't get me wrong, those things certainly matter, but those are not the things that count as God's primary measurement.
SPEAKER_00: He walks into that interview room, and what you find impressive, God may not be impressed at all.
SPEAKER_00: So think about this.
SPEAKER_00: How much of my life is spent improving the things that God is not even worried about?
SPEAKER_00: Think about it.
SPEAKER_00: How much time do we spend on our education, on our competence?
SPEAKER_00: How much time do we spend on our appearance?
SPEAKER_00: How much money do we spend on our appearance?
SPEAKER_00: How much time do we spend improving our communication skills to list off our accomplishments and say, look at all these impressive things that I've done?
SPEAKER_00: Man, how much of our lives are spent chasing these impressive things?
SPEAKER_00: We can spend enormous amounts of energy managing the exterior while ignoring our very own heart.
SPEAKER_00: Because the truth is we want to look successful.
SPEAKER_00: We even want to look spiritual or strong.
SPEAKER_00: We want everyone to believe that we have everything together.
SPEAKER_00: But what I want you to see this morning is God sees beneath the appearances.
SPEAKER_00: He's not simply looking at what you've accomplished or how good you look this morning.
SPEAKER_00: God is seeking the heart.
SPEAKER_00: He sees the motive behind the ministry, he sees the pride that's behind the accomplishment.
SPEAKER_00: He sees the fear that's truly resting in those moments where we think we have to have everything under control.
SPEAKER_00: God sees the longing behind our worship.
SPEAKER_00: Are we just going through the motions this morning?
SPEAKER_00: Are we just looking at the words and singing them?
SPEAKER_00: Or is it something that is stirring inside of us?
SPEAKER_00: Are the words that are coming out of our mouth when we gather together to sing praise to Him, truly coming from our hearts?
SPEAKER_00: That is what God is seeking.
SPEAKER_00: That is what He sees in each and every one of us.
SPEAKER_00: God sees the quiet faithfulness that no one else notices.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus did not call David into the room.
SPEAKER_00: Excuse me.
SPEAKER_00: Jesse did not call David into the room.
SPEAKER_00: You know the story.
SPEAKER_00: Jesse didn't even have him there.
SPEAKER_00: When he knew Samuel was coming to pick one of his sons, he left David out in the field.
SPEAKER_00: He didn't think he qualified.
SPEAKER_00: He looked at him, the tough, rugged kid.
SPEAKER_00: The one that is out tending the sheep.
SPEAKER_00: He's not king material.
SPEAKER_00: God saw something different in David.
SPEAKER_00: 1 Samuel 16, 10 through 13.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus made I keep seeing Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel.
SPEAKER_00: And Samuel said to Jesse, Yahweh has not chosen these.
SPEAKER_00: Samuel said to Jesse, are all your children here?
SPEAKER_00: He said, There remains yet the youngest.
SPEAKER_00: Behold, he's keeping the sheep.
SPEAKER_00: He's just, Samuel says, Are these all of them?
SPEAKER_00: God hasn't revealed any of these.
SPEAKER_00: And Jesse said, Well, there's one more, but you probably don't really want to see him.
SPEAKER_00: He's out with the sheep.
SPEAKER_00: He's dirty, he's nasty.
SPEAKER_00: He's the shepherd of the family.
SPEAKER_00: Samuel said to Jesse, Send and get him, for we will not sit down until he comes here.
SPEAKER_00: He sent and brought him in.
SPEAKER_00: Now he was ruddy with a handsome face and good appearance.
SPEAKER_00: Yahweh said, Arise, anoint him, for this is he.
SPEAKER_00: Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the middle of his brothers.
SPEAKER_00: God's spirit came mightily on David from that day forward.
SPEAKER_00: See, God saw something in David that everybody else missed.
SPEAKER_00: But what did he see?
SPEAKER_00: Well, I think we discover that answer as we watch David, what repeatedly came out of his heart.
SPEAKER_00: I'll give you one little caveat or one little thing to notice as we work our way through here.
SPEAKER_00: What I want you to tell you, this sermon is not about David.
SPEAKER_00: And we'll reveal that more in the end.
SPEAKER_00: But think about that as we make our way through.
SPEAKER_00: This sermon is not about David.
SPEAKER_00: So what is it about, you ask?
SPEAKER_00: We'll get there.
SPEAKER_00: Number two on your list.
SPEAKER_00: God sees the direction of the heart.
SPEAKER_00: Think about David himself.
SPEAKER_00: He was definitely not flawless, but his heart had a settled direction.
SPEAKER_00: What happened when he was under pressure?
SPEAKER_00: What happened when he was in temptation and in worship?
SPEAKER_00: Even when he wandered, his heart continually turned toward God.
SPEAKER_00: When he stepped out onto that field, when he stepped out into the battlefield, he was simply bringing his brothers lunch, wasn't he?
SPEAKER_00: Just bringing some supplies.
SPEAKER_00: Let me take care of my brothers for a little bit.
SPEAKER_00: And there was this giant that was standing out in the field day after day, calling out Israel, saying, You can't handle me.
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna take you out.
SPEAKER_00: Send somebody.
SPEAKER_00: You don't have anybody that can stand up to the likes of me.
SPEAKER_00: And David steps out there and he says, What is this guy talking about?
SPEAKER_00: Like, are you serious right now?
SPEAKER_00: He's trying to call out our God?
SPEAKER_00: He doesn't stand a chance against our God.
SPEAKER_00: You know the text.
SPEAKER_00: 1 Samuel 17, 32 through 37.
SPEAKER_00: David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him.
SPEAKER_00: Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
SPEAKER_00: Saul said to David, You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.
SPEAKER_00: Even the king, even Saul looked at David and said, You're crazy.
SPEAKER_00: You can't take this guy on, but look how he answers.
SPEAKER_00: Um David said to Saul, Your servant was keeping his father's sheep.
SPEAKER_00: And when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after him.
SPEAKER_00: I struck him and rescued it out of his mouth.
SPEAKER_00: When he rose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him.
SPEAKER_00: Your servant struck both the lion and the bear.
SPEAKER_00: He says, This uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, since he has defiled the armies of the living God.
SPEAKER_00: Look what David says.
SPEAKER_00: Yahweh, who delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.
SPEAKER_00: Saul said to David, Go, Yahweh will be.
SPEAKER_00: David looks at this Philistine.
SPEAKER_00: This guy that's trying to call out God, and he says, Man, he doesn't have a chance.
SPEAKER_00: And it's not because I'm strong, but it's because the one who I follow is strong.
SPEAKER_00: And I want to invite that attitude into your heart this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Because the truth is, you are going to face challenges, you are going to face storms as they come into your vicinity and take over our lives at times.
SPEAKER_00: But I want you to see there's no storm that's going to overcome your God.
SPEAKER_00: You hear that?
SPEAKER_00: Where is your foundation in those moments?
SPEAKER_00: David said, All I gotta do is look back and see how God delivered me before.
SPEAKER_00: He says, I know when that bear came, he didn't stand a chance.
SPEAKER_00: I took him out.
SPEAKER_00: When that lion came, I grabbed him by the beard and I slaughtered that lion because God was on my side.
SPEAKER_00: So who is this guy to call me out?
SPEAKER_00: And I think we have to carry that same attitude in our lives.
SPEAKER_00: Look back at your life.
SPEAKER_00: I want you to look back at the times that God has showed up over and over and over again.
SPEAKER_00: In those moments where you thought there's no way I can make it through, who got you through?
SPEAKER_00: Who was the one that was standing by your side?
SPEAKER_00: No matter what came your way, God was there.
SPEAKER_00: You don't have to have all the answers.
SPEAKER_00: You just have to have the trust in Him who has delivered you before.
SPEAKER_00: And even in those moments that come our way, when the giant is standing there, there's no way I can accomplish this.
SPEAKER_00: There's no way I can overcome this.
SPEAKER_00: But God is standing right there.
SPEAKER_00: And if we carry this attitude that David has, the same God that delivered me from the lion, the same one that delivered me from the bear, will be triumphant in this moment.
SPEAKER_00: Let me tell you this.
SPEAKER_00: If you're a Christian today, there was a time where death had overcome you.
SPEAKER_00: If you were in sin, the wages of sin is what?
SPEAKER_00: You can say it's death.
SPEAKER_00: There's nothing you could do.
SPEAKER_00: But who stepped in for you?
SPEAKER_00: In that moment when Jesus went on that cross, he was there to rescue you in a moment that was so bleak that there was nothing you could do.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus took your sins upon the cross and he offered a way out.
SPEAKER_00: He offered deliverance, he offered repentance, he offered salvation to you.
SPEAKER_00: Talk about a bear and a lion, you were dead, and God saved you.
SPEAKER_00: So what in this world can he not overcome?
SPEAKER_00: What in this world and pull you away from him?
SPEAKER_00: Scriptures tell us nothing.
SPEAKER_00: And he is going to walk beside you every step of the way.
SPEAKER_00: Depending on the direction of the So, what does this reveal about us?
SPEAKER_00: 1 Samuel 17, 45 through 47.
SPEAKER_00: I want you to let's read.
SPEAKER_00: I think it's really neat.
SPEAKER_00: Then David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin.
SPEAKER_00: But I come to you in the name of Yahweh of armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defiled.
SPEAKER_00: He says, Today Yahweh will deliver you into my hand.
SPEAKER_00: And listen to this.
SPEAKER_00: He says, I will strike you and take your head off of you.
SPEAKER_00: Think about that.
SPEAKER_00: I know this is a little graphic.
SPEAKER_00: But he says, I'm going to strike you and take your head from you.
SPEAKER_00: When David walked onto that battlefield, what was he carrying?
SPEAKER_00: A sling and some smooth stones.
SPEAKER_00: And in that moment, he looks at Goliath and he says, Not only am I going to take you out, but I'm going to take that head from you.
SPEAKER_00: How's he gonna do that with a sling and some rocks?
SPEAKER_00: You know the story, you know how that plays out.
SPEAKER_00: But I want you to see the confidence that he has because he knows he doesn't have all the tools to carry out what he needs to accomplish in that moment, but he knows that God will provide.
SPEAKER_00: And I wanted you to look at your own life.
SPEAKER_00: And I think there's sometimes we get into a situation, we say, I don't have enough knowledge, I don't have the talent, I don't have the ability to accomplish that.
SPEAKER_00: There's no way I can make it through.
SPEAKER_00: But even when he didn't have the tools, David said, I'm going to win, and I'm gonna win in a fantastic way.
SPEAKER_00: Not because of me, not because of the tools that I possess, but because God is on my side.
SPEAKER_00: You may be walking through life with a sling and some stones, but if God is on your side, there is no weapon that's fashioned against you that will stand.
SPEAKER_00: Do you see that?
SPEAKER_00: So before that was ever written, this is what God, this is what David was proclaiming about his God, because his heart was so fixed in that direction that he knew God would deliver him no matter what came his way.
SPEAKER_00: Yahweh is on his side.
SPEAKER_00: Today, God will deliver you into my hand.
SPEAKER_00: I will strike you and take your head off of you.
SPEAKER_00: I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines today, to the birds of the sky and to the animals of the earth, that all the earth may know there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know, Yahweh does not say with sword and spear, for the battle is Yahweh's, and he will give you into our hand.
SPEAKER_00: David did not deny the giant strength.
SPEAKER_00: He didn't look at him and say, You're you're wimpy.
SPEAKER_00: He didn't say that you haven't accomplished a bunch.
SPEAKER_00: I think we have to be very real about the storms that come our way.
SPEAKER_00: They hurt, they're challenging, and they're hard to get through.
SPEAKER_00: But just because of that, we don't have to lose heart.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because what we possess in him, when our heart is fixed on our God, when it is pointed in his direction, is something that cannot be overcome by any storm that comes our way.
SPEAKER_00: David placed the giant beside the greatness of God.
SPEAKER_00: And what did he see?
SPEAKER_00: That God towered above this giant.
SPEAKER_00: David's confidence was not in his sling, his confidence was not in his experience, his confidence was in the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna come back to a point that we've made over and over again throughout this year.
SPEAKER_00: Pressure does not create the heart.
SPEAKER_00: Pressure simply reveals what's within us.
SPEAKER_00: When you become afraid, where does your heart go?
SPEAKER_00: When life becomes uncertain, what do you reach for first?
SPEAKER_00: Do you turn to control or money or anger?
SPEAKER_00: When things get hard, do you get mad?
SPEAKER_00: Do you seek distraction?
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you go to Google, I don't know.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's another person.
SPEAKER_00: But what had David been preaching to himself in the pasture before he ever preached to Goliath in the valley?
SPEAKER_00: Think about all those days where he would sit out there watching the sheep, learning about himself and directing his heart to our God.
SPEAKER_00: That's what I want you to hear from this point.
SPEAKER_00: And I know I got two more, I'll try to hurry.
SPEAKER_00: What you repeatedly tell yourself in private eventually becomes what you believe under pressure.
SPEAKER_00: Did you hear that?
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna say it again because I think it's really powerful.
SPEAKER_00: What you repeatedly tell yourself in private eventually becomes what you believe under pressure.
SPEAKER_00: You're walking around in your quiet moments and you're telling yourself that you're not enough, I can't handle this, there's no way I can get over this moment, this sickness, this this challenge in life is too much.
SPEAKER_00: When the pressure comes, guess what?
SPEAKER_00: You're gonna wilt under that pressure.
SPEAKER_00: But in those quiet moments, if you point your heart to him, if you're seeking him, if you're constantly reminding yourself that God is in control, when those storms come, when the challenges hit hard, your heart goes back to him.
SPEAKER_00: What you tell yourselves in those private moments is what comes out when the storms come.
SPEAKER_00: Everyone saw an opportunity.
SPEAKER_00: David saw obedience.
SPEAKER_00: Saul had been hunting David.
SPEAKER_00: You know how the story progresses?
SPEAKER_00: We go from here, and David was living in caves because Saul had turned on him.
SPEAKER_00: There was this moment where the people were chanting before Saul and David, Saul has killed his thousands, David has ten thousands.
SPEAKER_00: Saul got jealous and he says, I gotta take this guy out.
SPEAKER_00: Then Saul unknowingly entered a cave, another story, where David and his men were hiding.
SPEAKER_00: And David, his men saw an opportunity.
SPEAKER_00: Let's read it together.
SPEAKER_00: 1 Samuel 24, verses 3 through 7.
SPEAKER_00: He came to the sheep pens by the way where there was a cave, and Saul went in to cover his feet.
SPEAKER_00: Now David and his men were staying in the innermost parts of the cave.
SPEAKER_00: David's men said to him, Behold, the day which Yahweh said to you, Behold, I will deliver you your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him what shall seem good to you.
SPEAKER_00: It says then David arose and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe secretly.
SPEAKER_00: Afterwards, David's heart struck him.
SPEAKER_00: It struck him because in that moment he had an opportunity.
SPEAKER_00: In that moment, David's mighty men said, This is where God has led you.
SPEAKER_00: This is the moment that's been handed over to you to take Saul out.
SPEAKER_00: David's men believed the opportunity had come from God.
SPEAKER_00: They even used spiritual language to justify it.
SPEAKER_00: This must be the day God promised.
SPEAKER_00: What I want you to hear, an open door is not always permission from God.
SPEAKER_00: Just because the door came open does not mean that God has put that opportunity before you.
SPEAKER_00: David could have killed Saul, and most people would have understood.
SPEAKER_00: In fact, many people would have celebrated him.
SPEAKER_00: But David's heart struck him simply for cutting Saul's robe.
SPEAKER_00: Just because he cut his robe, he felt bad.
SPEAKER_00: His conscience was sensitive to God.
SPEAKER_00: Here's the question: Have you ever had an opportunity to do something wrong and known that almost nobody would have blamed you for it?
SPEAKER_00: It makes sense.
SPEAKER_00: You probably should do it.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you were mistreated.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you were angry.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you had a chance to retaliate.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you could exaggerate an expense.
SPEAKER_00: You could hide that income.
SPEAKER_00: You could send that message.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you could entertain that relationship.
SPEAKER_00: Nobody's gonna know.
SPEAKER_00: You could pass along the gossip.
SPEAKER_00: You could justify bitterness because of what someone did to you.
SPEAKER_00: But David did not merely ask, can I do this?
SPEAKER_00: David asked, would this bring honor and glory to God?
SPEAKER_00: And I think when our hearts begin to focus in on him, when they begin to turn to his direction to God, then our response is not, can I get away with this?
SPEAKER_00: But does this bring honor and glory to him?
SPEAKER_00: That's what we seek.
SPEAKER_00: That's where we should be.
SPEAKER_00: David did not have to disobey God to receive what God had promised him.
SPEAKER_00: In that moment, he could have, but God had a different plan.
SPEAKER_00: And then later on in the story, and I'm gonna go through this one pretty quickly, I'm gonna skip over some of this, but everyone saw embarrassment, but David saw worship.
SPEAKER_00: You know the moment when the ark was brought into Jerusalem.
SPEAKER_00: David celebrated openly before God, and even his wife called him out man, you look silly out there.
SPEAKER_00: David said, I don't care.
SPEAKER_00: I'm worshiping God, and that is the direction of my heart.
SPEAKER_00: What I want you to see over and over again about David.
SPEAKER_00: In the valley, David's heart turned towards God as he faced Goliath.
SPEAKER_00: In the cave, David's heart turned towards God when he had an opportunity to step outside of his will.
SPEAKER_00: In worship, David's heart turned towards God.
SPEAKER_00: Different circumstances, but always the same direction.
SPEAKER_00: And I think this is what God had seen in that shepherd boy.
SPEAKER_00: Not perfection, but direction.
SPEAKER_00: Two more points, real quick.
SPEAKER_00: God sees the heart that comes home.
SPEAKER_00: And we'll go back to our point from Psalm 51.
SPEAKER_00: Again, I'm not telling you anything new.
SPEAKER_00: You know the story.
SPEAKER_00: David sinned in an incomprehensible way.
SPEAKER_00: Took a man's wife, tried to cover it up by killing that man.
SPEAKER_00: But I'm sure you've heard this lesson before.
SPEAKER_00: The sin didn't happen when David was standing on that roof.
SPEAKER_00: It began long before that.
SPEAKER_00: If you look back in the text, it says when he should have been out with his army, he was there at his palace.
SPEAKER_00: And I think that same principle applies to us.
SPEAKER_00: I don't think anybody sets out or maybe wakes up and says, today I'm gonna go out and destroy my marriage.
SPEAKER_00: Nobody wakes up and says, I'm gonna ruin my integrity today.
SPEAKER_00: Let me see how I can do it.
SPEAKER_00: Nobody wakes up and says, I'm gonna embarrass Christ or I'm gonna wound everybody who trusts me.
SPEAKER_00: Nobody makes that conscious decision.
SPEAKER_00: But the truth is we drift before we fall.
SPEAKER_00: And when David allowed himself to be to get comfortable in the things of this world, he says, you know what?
SPEAKER_00: I'm not gonna be out where I'm supposed to be as king.
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna hang out here at the palace for a little while.
SPEAKER_00: And then one decision after the next led him to utter failure.
SPEAKER_00: And I think the same is true for us.
SPEAKER_00: We drift before we fall.
SPEAKER_00: David saw Bathsheba, he took what did not belong to him, he lied, he manipulated, he arranged Uriah's death, and then all of a sudden the shepherd became the predator.
SPEAKER_00: You know the story?
SPEAKER_00: He's confronted by Nathan and he says, You are that man.
SPEAKER_00: So what's God?
SPEAKER_00: What is David's response to all this?
SPEAKER_00: Psalm 51, what we read before.
SPEAKER_00: Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving kindness, according to the multitude of your tender mercies.
SPEAKER_00: Blot out my transgressions, wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, cleanse me from my sin, for I know my transgression.
SPEAKER_00: My sin is constantly before me against you, and you only have I sinned.
SPEAKER_00: Then verse 10 through 12 Create in me a clean heart, O God, renew a right spirit within me.
SPEAKER_00: Don't throw me from your presence, and don't take your Holy Spirit from me.
SPEAKER_00: Restore to me the joy of your salvation, uphold me with a willing spirit.
SPEAKER_00: Notice what David fears.
SPEAKER_00: What is it that he doesn't want to lose?
SPEAKER_00: He says, Protect my he doesn't say.
SPEAKER_00: He doesn't say, Let me stay as the king, protect my throne, save my public image, give me my respect again, remove every consequence.
SPEAKER_00: No, David says, Don't throw me from your presence.
SPEAKER_00: I think in those moments where we do fail, our first thought is, I need to cover this up.
SPEAKER_00: Nobody needs to know what I've done.
SPEAKER_00: And instead of turning to God, we turn inward to ourselves.
SPEAKER_00: But look at David's heart.
SPEAKER_00: It's a heart that comes home, and even when he fails spectacularly, he comes back to God and says, Save me and don't throw me from your presence because you and you alone is who I have sinned before.
SPEAKER_00: Must carry that same attitude.
SPEAKER_00: And I think it's within these moments where we gather, where we gather together to worship him that we have an opportunity to seek him together and lay our heart down before him as we look to each other for strength.
SPEAKER_00: Now everybody has seen a compass before, right?
SPEAKER_00: You know what Philip can probably bring one, show you if you don't know what it is.
SPEAKER_00: But a compass, you know the general idea, it always points north.
SPEAKER_00: You take that compass, and if I were to hold it over here, it would be pointing north.
SPEAKER_00: And I'm trying to think north, that way, right?
SPEAKER_00: Something like that.
SPEAKER_00: So north is that way, compass is pointing that way.
SPEAKER_00: I do it like a 360 and I spin around and I'm holding that compass and I hold it over here.
SPEAKER_00: Which way is that compass going to point?
SPEAKER_00: North.
SPEAKER_00: I take that compass and like I throw it up in the air, maybe I hold it up high and hold it back here.
SPEAKER_00: Where's that compass going to point?
SPEAKER_00: North.
SPEAKER_00: It always returns to north, no matter where you take it, no matter where it goes.
SPEAKER_00: The whole point of a compass is to know which way is north.
SPEAKER_00: David's life moved dramatically.
SPEAKER_00: Faith, fear, courage, pride, worship, lust, victory, failure, even brokenness.
SPEAKER_00: But the settled direction of David's heart was always north.
SPEAKER_00: It was always God.
SPEAKER_00: It was always seeking Him.
SPEAKER_00: Sin pulled David away, but love brought him back home.
SPEAKER_00: And finally, point number four God still searches hearts today.
SPEAKER_00: This sermon is not ultimately about analyzing David.
SPEAKER_00: I told you this sermon is not about David at the end of the day, but it's about God searching us, allowing him to seek you.
SPEAKER_00: And even more so, it's about Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: We'll get there in just a second.
SPEAKER_00: So 2 Chronicles 16, 9, for Yahweh's eyes run back and forth and forth.
SPEAKER_00: We read this earlier, um, back and forth throughout the whole earth to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards him.
SPEAKER_00: Jeremiah 17, 10.
SPEAKER_00: I, Yahweh, search the mind, I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.
SPEAKER_00: John 4, 23 and 24.
SPEAKER_00: But the hour comes, and now is when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshippers.
SPEAKER_00: God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
SPEAKER_00: You see, God is still searching today.
SPEAKER_00: He's looking at your heart.
SPEAKER_00: What is it you truly desire?
SPEAKER_00: He's not looking for impressive people or talented people or successful people.
SPEAKER_00: He's looking for hearts that belong to him, those that are seeking him.
SPEAKER_00: So what do you daydream about when nobody's directing your thoughts?
SPEAKER_00: Where does your mind go?
SPEAKER_00: What disappointment shakes your identity?
SPEAKER_00: What do you protect at almost any cost?
SPEAKER_00: What do you fear losing the most?
SPEAKER_00: What would be hardest to surrender if God asked you to give it up?
SPEAKER_00: I know that I'm kind of random, I'm kind of going through these questions quickly, but I want you to let one of these land on your heart.
SPEAKER_00: Be honest about it, because we could give the church answer, you all could, but truly, what does this reveal about your heart?
SPEAKER_00: When pressure comes, where does your heart run?
SPEAKER_00: When you fail, do you hide from God or do you return to Him?
SPEAKER_00: What is the settled direction of your heart?
SPEAKER_00: I think some people in this room are exhausted, some are pretending.
SPEAKER_00: There's some people in this room that are hiding sin.
SPEAKER_00: There are some people that are simply angry with God.
SPEAKER_00: Some have not prayed honestly in months or even years.
SPEAKER_00: Some believe they have wandered too far to come home.
SPEAKER_00: But the beautiful truth of David's story is not merely that David went looking for God.
SPEAKER_00: It's that God came looking for David.
SPEAKER_00: Do you see it?
SPEAKER_00: God sent Samuel to the pasture.
SPEAKER_00: God preserved David in the valley.
SPEAKER_00: God pursued David through Nathan.
SPEAKER_00: And God refused to leave David in his sin.
SPEAKER_00: Over and over again, it's God that shows up and reminds him where his heart should be pointed.
SPEAKER_00: We celebrate David and the wonderful king that he was and the heart that he had for God, but who was it that was there for him every single time?
SPEAKER_00: God directed him.
SPEAKER_00: God delivered him.
SPEAKER_00: God reminded him of his sin and pointed him back in the direction of obedience.
SPEAKER_00: The wrong application to all this would be hey, I need to be more like David.
SPEAKER_00: Because Christianity is not ultimately about becoming a better David, because David's not the hero.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus Christ is.
SPEAKER_00: David gave into temptation.
SPEAKER_00: But Jesus resisted temptation.
SPEAKER_00: David abandoned his responsibility.
SPEAKER_00: But Jesus completed the work that the Father gave him.
SPEAKER_00: David took the life of an innocent man to cover up guilt.
SPEAKER_00: But Jesus was the innocent man who gave his life to cover your guilt.
SPEAKER_00: See the difference?
SPEAKER_00: Jesus is the good shepherd.
SPEAKER_00: He's the one who laid down his life for his sheep.
SPEAKER_00: John 10, verse 11 tells us David needed forgiveness.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus was the one who purchased it at the cross.
SPEAKER_00: Don't worry.
SPEAKER_00: Still got time for your life.
SPEAKER_00: What does God see when he looks at your heart?
SPEAKER_00: I hope you've explored that question as we worship together.
SPEAKER_00: I hope you opened up your heart as we sat around this table and partook of the Lord's Supper together.
SPEAKER_00: I want to ask you again, what does God see when he looks at your heart?
SPEAKER_00: The question is not, have you ever failed?
SPEAKER_00: Because David did.
SPEAKER_00: Every single person in this room has.
SPEAKER_00: The question is not, have you ever wandered?
SPEAKER_00: David has.
SPEAKER_00: David did, and my guess is you have as well.
SPEAKER_00: The question is, what direction is your heart pointing?
SPEAKER_00: Are you seeking him?
SPEAKER_00: God does not ask you to clean yourself up before returning.
SPEAKER_00: He calls you to turn towards him.
SPEAKER_00: And for those of you out there today that have never obeyed the gospel, look at Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Look at what he laid on the line for you.
SPEAKER_00: Look at how he carried your sins to that cross.
SPEAKER_00: Endured a painful death for you.
SPEAKER_00: Turn to Christ in faith.
SPEAKER_00: Submit to him in baptism.
SPEAKER_00: Those of you that have wondered, man, stop hiding.
SPEAKER_00: I got stop hiding.
SPEAKER_00: And I'm preaching to myself as much as anybody else.
SPEAKER_00: But when we wander, when we turn from him, man, the worst thing you can do is hold it in.
SPEAKER_00: The worst thing you can do is keep it to yourself.
SPEAKER_00: Because God's saying, return to me, come home.
SPEAKER_00: And we stand up here in just a moment and we say, anybody that needs to turn back to God, anyone that needs to recommit their lives to him, please come forward.
SPEAKER_00: And over and over again, I'm standing up here twiddling my thumbs, waiting.
SPEAKER_00: Let me tell you this.
SPEAKER_00: We need that reset sometimes in our lives.
SPEAKER_00: If you've never given your life to Jesus Christ, please come.
SPEAKER_00: Please listen to me.
SPEAKER_00: If you don't know Jesus, death is headed your way.
SPEAKER_00: If you haven't been baptized for remission of your sins, you have no hope.
SPEAKER_00: It's only Christ that can deliver you.
SPEAKER_00: It's only him.
SPEAKER_00: And we make that commitment in this watery grave.
SPEAKER_00: If you've never been baptized, please do that this morning before we leave here.
SPEAKER_00: Because I care about your soul.
SPEAKER_00: Wandered away.
SPEAKER_00: Come back to him.
SPEAKER_00: Let's work on it together.
SPEAKER_00: Let's point our hearts to Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: If you need to respond in any way, please come.
SPEAKER_00: The greatest thing about David was not that he never lost his way, it was that his heart always knew where home was.
SPEAKER_00: Did your heart know where home is?