Introduction
There is a glorious kingdom which the Lord wants to construct in each of our lives; a kingdom of His purpose and His peace. 1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
Beyond a future inheritance given to each believer in the Heavenly Kingdom, God extends His rule, favor, and blessing - His Kingdom - to our lives in the here and now. There are many important things for us to grasp and apply that we might experience God's destiny and purpose now, and His accompanying peace.
Last week we witnessed King Saul forfeit the kingdom God had begun in his life by significant flaws in his character. As I read I Samuel 13 again this week, the Lord so challenged my heart concerning the kind of person He wants to appoint to the kingdom. God is looking for people who will obey His will. This becomes our introduction to just such a person, David, a shepherd boy, a giant slayer, a future king.
Saul was the people's choice, but David was God's choice, elect servant to be king of Israel. Of all Biblical characters aside from Jesus Christ, David is written of in Scripture the most. 66 books in the OT and 59 references in the NT pertain to his legacy. On 2 occasions, God had something very special to say about David: He's after my heart.
Acts 13:22 "And when He had removed Saul, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.'
I believe with all my heart that God wants to say that about each of us, whether you may be a new believer, a non-believer, immature believer, or veteran in the faith. He wants to say, I have sought you out and I have found in you someone who will accomplish my will. You are a person after my own heart and I am going to build my kingdom of purpose and peace in your life, your family, your relationships, your business, your job, your ministry.
Every building contractor and engineer realizes that any house or industrial complex can only become as large and enduring as its foundation. The building may be destined to become a 30 story high rise, but its foundation better be able to support it. At Cornerstone Church in New Bern, NC where I previously served as youth pastor suffered from a foundation problem. The concrete slab, which supported the 350 seat sanctuary had actually cracked. Being a coastal community, it didn't take a great deal of rain to saturate the ground. When this happened, the water would seep through the crack in the foundation and flood the altar area of the sanctuary floor! (I've often wondered about the theological implications of that). Many times, we had to get the shop vac out and clean up the water, especially during hurricane season. With so much water damage, the musty odor would linger. Fortunately that crack was repaired.
The same principle can be applied to us. The kingdom which God desires to build in our lives will not outgrow, nor can it outlive spiritual foundations in our lives. It starts with the formation of spiritual foundations
Theme: God builds a glorious kingdom of purpose and destiny into our lives upon the bedrock of personal character.
David's life models five character footings necessary for kingdom construction.
Footing #1 - Passionate Spirituality
Having rejected Saul as king, God directs Samuel the prophet to the house of Jesse... There, he finds David, having one by one, passed over Jesse's oldest sons. David was called from the fields, tending his father's sheep and Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward.
God appoints people after His heart to the kingdom. We are not left to guess at what it means to be after God's own heart. It's someone fervent about a right and proper relationship to God. That is the kind of person that will discover personal peace and divine purpose in their lives. It is a person who has a life in harmony with God.
If you are after God's heart, then what is important to Him becomes important to you. What burdens Him, burdens you. When He gives directions, you follow. When He says, Stop that in your life, you stop it. When He says, This is wrong and destructive in your life, you come to terms with it because you have a heart for God. It's simple, bottom line obedience.
Psalms 27:4 One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple.
There are three things that build passionate spirituality in one's life.
1) A desire to know God - One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life,
If we could ask this future king what his ambition in life was, we may ask him if it was to rule a great army, expand the borders of the kingdom, create a lasting legacy for his namesake. David would have said, No, my ambition has always been to be where God is and to know His heart.
There are two places we can find God, both places where we can cultivate spiritual passion and a desire to know God; wherever you are & wherever the people of God are. David knew God's presence in the tabernacle, but he also knew him alone in the pasture with the sheep. He is a picture of the NT believer, having the presence of God's Spirit upon his life at all times.
1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Secondly, to cultivate spiritual passion, have...
2) A delight to worship God - To behold the beauty of the LORD, It was his heart to devotionally meditate upon and worship the Lord
Psalms 27:6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.
3) A duty to inquire of God - And to inquire in His temple. David sought the Lord's counsel and direction and it revealed who God was to David; His will, His heart, His commands.
I want to say something about our gathering together as a church. We have two priorities every Sunday; Worship and The Word. We enter and experience the Lord's presence when we worship… We come to inquire of the Lord in the counsel of His Word...
If anyone thinks that the service is compartmentalized according to preference, that person is mistaken. In other words, one comes solely for the worship at 10:45 am because they like the worship the most, or one comes at 11:00 am because they are just not into all this singing we do - both are miss out. We don't do things like that here.
Promptly at 10:45 am, we need to have made ourselves ready to come and worship wholeheartedly and prepare to hear what God's Word has to say. We come to cultivate a passion for the Lord Jesus Christ together, because we want His kingdom built into our lives, our families, and our church.
Footing #2 - Persistent Integrity
Psalms 78:72 So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.
What did God see in David that would make him a candidate for the kingdom? Integrity. God could say, I've found someone with integrity. Integrity is the virtuous character of complete innocence and honesty of heart. I can trust him with my people because he will lead them in wholeness of heart. It's the quality of genuinely honest-to-the-core people.
Having integrity also means that a person is unified in his or her loyalities. There is no duplicity or mixture in their character. It's authenticity. It's who you are when no one is looking. Image and reputation are what people think we are. Integrity has to do with what we really are. Understand this principle: We are who we are no matter who we're with.
People without integrity pick their spots. The embezzler steals when no one is looking. The unfaithful spouse acts when no one is looking. The liar lies when he knows no one has seen what really happened. But the truth is that we always have at least an audience of One.
2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth, that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.
God sees every act and he knows the thoughts and intents of the heart, but our world says, If you just make a good impression, that's all that matters. We can never be a man or woman of God if that's our philosophy. No one ever faked it with the Almighty. He is not impressed with the externals of one's image. A heart of integrity, completely His, is what He's looking for; no locked closets or things swept under the rug.
1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
God doesn't look for a slick public image, but rather looks for the deeper quality...
Footing #3 - Positive Humility
Humility is the mark of a servant and it's what delighted God's heart in David that made him the future king. Psalms 78:70 He also chose David His servant, And took him from the sheepfolds;
Servants don't concern themselves with anything but pleasing the one they serve. A servant doesn't care for glory because they have one goal and that is making the one whom they serve look better and more successful. They do a job with commitment and gratitude because the boss' eyes, the teacher's eyes, and the parent's eyes are not the only one's viewing their work.
Servants are faithful to the task regardless of the circumstances. They stay the course with commitment until they are released from it or promoted beyond it. They personify whole-hearted and single-minded commitment. Consider: Do I embody whole-hearted, single-minded commitment as a parent and husband or wife? Am I reliable on my job? Have I committed myself to the very best job I can in my ministry as a servant and leader?
Servants will realize God's reward and promise in their lives when they approach life with a humble spirit of servitude. 1 Peter 5:6-7 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
Psalms 89:20-23 I have found My servant David; With My holy oil I have anointed him, With whom My hand shall be established; Also My arm shall strengthen him. The enemy shall not outwit him, Nor the son of wickedness afflict him. I will beat down his foes before his face, And plague those who hate him.
A true servant knows God's favor and allows God to defend them. It's not up to us to defend ourselves. A true servant will possess...
Footing #4 - Personal Security
Please get this crucial point. David was anointed in I Samuel 16:13. David walks in smelling like one of the sheep from the pasture. Samuel pours the oil upon his head and perhaps whispers in David's ear, David, you're the next king. What was David's response? Did he make his way down to the department store and begin sizing up a crown? No. He didn't order his new business cards with a title change from servant to king-elect. He didn't engrave a badge with his name or order a personalized license plate that said, KING ME.
David's response is found in vv. 14-19... David was right back with the sheep, the servant's heart still faithful with a few smelly sheep. You ask what's the point? David wasn't impatient with the advent of his new position because he was secure in God. He knew something very important about God's promotions; They come in His time. He didn't organize up some cause to remove King Saul. He didn't assume the throne without God's timing. You don't see David with a new ad campaign announcing that he was God's choice. He opts for faithful service of a shepherd boy in the field.
The most secure people you and I know are the ones who have the least amount of trouble serving. Personal security flows from a clear understanding of God's favor. Once we become secure in knowing who we are and what God intends for our lives, we can become secure in any circumstances we face, any crisis on the horizon.
Don't allow people to determine your value. It's a vicious cycle that robs us of peace. If we measure our value by the words or feelings of others, we fall into the trap of seeking acceptance from people based on what we can give them. What happens is we allow the fluctuation of their feelings toward us to dictate our value. Let God determine your value for you. Real value flows from God. Personal security is strongest when we know God's favor toward us because He loved us enough to send Jesus to die for us and that He truly wants to build a glorious kingdom of great possibility, purpose, and peace in our lives.
Personal security is an essential companion of one final character footing...
Footing #5 - Proper Relation to Authority
God has begun a process that will further train David for the kingdom. The process became a proving ground to see how David handled responsibility to authority. God saw his faithfulness tending the sheep, but now it's time for a difficult test. God placed him in the kingly courts of a madman named Saul in vv. 21-23.
Remember Saul from v. 14? He has been tormented by an evil spirit and he's about to subject his perverted rule upon David, who is now very close to him in ministry and service. Often, the Lord will place us in the difficult condition of having to submit to difficult authority, so we can learn the value of exercising godly authority.
Nothing changed for David in his responsibility. He faithfully served the tormented king in his appointment as an armorbearer and a musician.
The Armorbearer carried the defensive equipment and weaponry for the king in battle. David served faithfully as a moving shield for Saul. He could have easily allowed Saul to be killed in battle. Yet, David is committed to His task and personally secure to follow the authority of Saul.
As a musician, David's talent became a soothing, refreshing essence for the king. Remember that God's Spirit is upon David. His anointed gift brought healing to the tormented King Saul, while he could have withdrawn from Saul and allow him to burn out into, perhaps, a hopeless, suicidal depression.
Proper relation to authority allows God to use us. God uses authority over us to invoke our surrender to His will. The rebellious heart, consumed with jealousy for position and obstinate toward authority will never be able to completely fulfill God's will.
Later, in I Samuel 18:10-14 Saul turns against David... His madness turned him into an angry spear thrower in authority. When spear throwers are in authority, people will suffer under such leadership. Proper leadership can be a healing balm to people, strengthening them to live in confidence and faith. Yet, some in this room today have suffered the injustice of an abusive authority figure in their life and face the torture of those memories and the personal issues that bind them in current relationships and ventures.
We cry, Injustice! Foul! How could they do that to me!? Or we plot to get revenge.
On more than one occasion Saul hurled spears at him and never did David return the favor. Why? Was he some kind of a super man? No he was only a man after God's heart and he could rest in God's favor and calling. He was secure and the Lord would fulfill all that was in His kingdom design for David's life.
Conclusion
God has designed a glorious kingdom of purpose for each of us today. Personal character becomes the footings for its construction; spirituality, integrity, humility that enables us to serve, personal security, and the proper relation to authority.
Through the course of this message the Holy Spirit has pointed out some areas where we may lack these necessary footings and some of us may want to come to terms with the Lord, that He might forgive and strengthen us for His kingdom. Others may suffer from the memories of abusive authority in their past and need to pour out their heart to God - He knows your hurts and wants to extend His loving leadership to your life today.
