WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT BEING A PERSON AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART. SOME OF THE THINGS THAT GOD LOOKS FOR THAT BRING PLEASURE TO GOD WHEN HE SEES THEM IN OUR LIVES, AND IT SHOULD BE OUR HIGHEST AMBITION TO BRING A SMILE TO THE FACE OF GOD. YOU ARE LOVED BY HIM, WHY DON'T YOU LOVE HIM BACK? WITH THAT, I HOPE YOU HAVE A BIBLE, GRAB IT. LET'S GET INTO THE WORD TOGETHER I BELIEVE IT'S GOING TO BE A BLESSING TO YOU TODAY. [MUSIC] WELL, I HAVE A MESSAGE TO SHARE WITH YOU TODAY ENTITLED "A MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART". IN ACTS, CHAPTER 13, PAUL IS GIVING A BIT OF A HISTORY LESSON TO SOME JEWS GATHERED IN A SYNAGOGUE. AND WHAT HE'S DOING, HE'S ACTUALLY SETTING THEM UP IN ORDER TO PREACH CHRIST TO THEM. BUT AT ONE POINT HE MENTIONS SOMETHING THAT HAS SORT OF ARRESTED MY IMAGINATION, AND I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT IT. IT'S IN VERSE 22 OF ACTS, CHAPTER 13. HE SAYS, AND WHEN HE HAD REMOVED HIM ("HIM" SPEAKING OF SAUL, ISRAEL'S FIRST KING), 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 WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THAT PHRASE "A MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART". AND THE FACT THAT GOD SAID, "I HAVE FOUND HIM," INDICATES THAT THERE WAS A SEARCH. IN FACT, THE VERSE THAT THAT IS LOOSELY QUOTED FROM IS FIRST SAMUEL 13 AND VERSE 14, AND IT SAYS, "THE LORD HAS SOUGHT FOR HIMSELF A MAN AFTER HIS OWN HEART." IT'S A SEARCH THAT GOD IS STILL MAKING TODAY FOR THE SCRIPTURE DECLARES IN SECOND CORINTHIANS 16:9, "FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD RUN TO AND FRO THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH TO SHOW HIMSELF STRONG ON BEHALF OF THOSE WHOSE HEARTS ARE LOYAL TO HIM." AND I LOVE THE NEW AMERICAN STANDARD: "THE EYES OF THE LORD SEARCH TO AND FRO THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH TO SHOW HIMSELF STRONG OR TO STRONGLY SUPPORT THOSE WHOSE HEARTS ARE FULLY HIS." GOD WANTS TO STRONGLY SUPPORT US, AND HE IS LOOKING THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH FOR A PARTICULAR TYPE OF HEART, A HEART THAT'S FULLY HIS. AND I GOT TO THINKING ABOUT THIS TESTIMONY THAT GOD GAVE REGARDING DAVID: "HE WAS A MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART. (HIS HEART BEAT IN UNISON WITH MY HEART)." WHAT WAS IT ABOUT DAVID'S HEART THAT CAUSED THE EYES OF GOD TO STOP ON DAVID AND SAY, "THAT'S WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR!"? WELL, CERTAINLY, WE CAN SEE FROM THE CONTEXT HERE IT HAD TO DO WITH, NUMBER ONE, OBEDIENCE. HE FOUND "DAVID, A MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART WHO WILL DO ALL MY WILL." AND, IN CONTEXT, IT'S TALKING ABOUT RULING THE NATION; WHEREAS, SAUL, HIS PREDECESSOR, DISOBEYED THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD AND DIDN'T RULE THE NATION BY THE WORD OF GOD AND WOULDN'T LISTEN TO THE PROPHETS AND WAS REMOVED BECAUSE OF HIS DISOBEDIENCE. WHEN IT CAME TO LEADING THE NATION, DAVID'S FINAL AUTHORITY WAS THE WORD OF GOD AND HE DID LISTEN TO THE PROPHETS. AND SO GOD SIGHTED THAT OBEDIENCE AS ONE OF THE REASONS IN LEADING THE NATION THAT HE FOUND HIM TO BE A MAN AFTER HIS OWN HEART. YET WE ALL KNOW DAVID CERTAINLY DIDN'T ALWAYS OBEY IN HIS PERSONAL LIFE, DID HE? I MEAN, HE COMMITTED ADULTERY WITH BATHSHEBA AND HAD HER HUSBAND, URIAH, MURDERED. SO HOW CAN GOD CALL HIM "A MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART"? WELL, I WANT TO ANSWER THAT AS WE LOOK AT AT LEAST SIX OTHER THINGS ABOUT DAVID'S HEART THAT GOD LOVED. AND THE SECOND ONE IS THIS, AND THE REASON GOD COULD MAKE THE STATEMENT, IS BECAUSE DAVID WOULD EMBRACE GOD'S FORGIVENESS. I THINK DAVID CERTAINLY EXPERIENCED MORE OF THE BITTER CONSEQUENCES OF HIS SIN THAN PERHAPS HE NEEDED TO BECAUSE HIS REPENTANCE WAS DELAYED. HE ONLY REPENTED WHEN FINALLY NATHAN HAD EXPOSED HIM. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? WHEN DAVID DID REPENT, HE DIDN'T MESS AROUND. THERE WAS NOTHING HALF-HEARTED ABOUT IT; THERE WAS NOTHING PART WAY ABOUT IT. HE MADE NO EXCUSES; HE DIDN'T SHIFT THE BLAME. HE DIDN'T SAY, "WELL, GOD, IT WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED, BUT THAT LADY WAS BATHING NAKED UP ON HER ROOF, AND SHE SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN DOING THAT, AND I'M NOT COMPLETELY AT FAULT." NO, DAVID SHIFTED NO BLAME. HE THREW HIMSELF COMPLETELY ON THE MERCY OF GOD, AND HE EMBRACED GOD'S FORGIVENESS TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY. YOU KNOW, PSALM 51 IS DAVID'S PRAYER OF REPENTANCE, AND I WANT TO READ TO YOU SOME EXCERPTS FROM IT BEGINNING IN VERSE 1. DAVID SAID, "HAVE MERCY UPON ME, O GOD, ACCORDING TO YOUR LOVINGKINDNESS; ACCORDING TO THE MULTITUDE OF YOUR TENDER MERCIES, BLOT OUT MY TRANSGRESSIONS. WASH ME THOROUGHLY FROM MY INIQUITY, AND CLEANSE ME FROM MY SIN. FOR I ACKNOWLEDGE MY TRANSGRESSIONS, AND MY SIN IS ALWAYS BEFORE ME. AGAINST YOU, AND YOU ONLY, HAVE I SINNED AND DONE THIS EVIL IN YOUR SIGHT THAT YOU MAY BE FOUND JUST WHEN YOU SPEAK AND RIGHTEOUS WHEN YOU JUDGE." AND THEN, VERSE 10, "CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART, O GOD, AND RENEW A STEADFAST SPIRIT WITHIN ME." NOW GOD'S FORGIVENESS WAS SO COMPLETE AND IS SO COMPLETE THAT ONCE A PERSON REPENTS AND RECEIVES THAT FORGIVENESS, FROM GOD'S SIDE OF THE LEDGER IT ERASES THE RECORD OF WHAT HAD BEEN DONE, WHICH IS WHY GOD, WHO KNOWS THE END FROM THE BEGINNING, KNOWING WHAT DAVID WOULD DO, WAS ABLE TO SAY, "I FOUND DAVID, A MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART," BECAUSE HE KNEW DAVID WOULD REPENT AND TOTALLY EMBRACE GOD'S FORGIVENESS. AND FROM GOD'S SIDE OF THE LEDGER, THAT SIN WOULD NO LONGER EXIST. JEREMIAH 31:34, GOD SAYS, "FOR I WILL FORGIVE THEIR INIQUITY, AND THEIR SIN I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE." PSALM 103 AND VERSE 12 SAYS, "AS FAR AS THE EAST IS FROM THE WEST, SO FAR HAS HE REMOVED OUR TRANSGRESSIONS FROM US." FRIEND, THE EAST AND THE WEST NEVER TOUCH. THERE IS A LESSON HERE WE NEED TO LEARN, FRIEND. SOME OF YOU, YOU MESS UP; AND, YEAH, YOU REPENT, AND YOU SORT OF BELIEVE GOD'S FORGIVEN YOU. BUT YOU WALK AROUND WITH THIS CLOUD OVER YOUR HEAD FOR ABOUT A WEEK AND FIGURE, "OKAY, IF I TOLD A LIE AND IF I DO EVERYTHING RIGHT AND DON'T MESS UP, THEN MAYBE I'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE CONFIDENCE TOWARD GOD AGAIN." FRIEND, YOUR WHOLE WALK WITH GOD IS BASED ON WORKS THEN, AND THAT IS NOT THE WAY WE WALK WITH GOD. GRACE IN THE BEGINNING, GRACE IN THE MIDDLE, AND GRACE IN THE END. I HAD A FRIEND, USED TO COME TO COTTONWOOD BACK IN THE EARLY DAYS WHEN WE WERE QUITE SMALL, AND HE HAD A PROPHETIC GIFT ON HIS LIFE. OCCASIONALLY, HE WOULD BRING AN ENCOURAGING WORD IN THE SERVICE AND ALMOST ALWAYS SPOT ON, LIFTED THE FAITH IN THE SERVICE, REALLY ENCOURAGED PEOPLE. AND IT USED TO PUZZLE ME... I MEAN, HE WAS A FRIEND. WE'D HANG OUT SOMETIMES. BUT HE IS WHAT I CALL A SUBMARINE CHRISTIAN. EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE HE'D SURFACE IN CHURCH AND BE ON FIRE, AND THEN IT'S LIKE DIVE, DIVE, AND HE WOULD GO BELOW THE SURFACE, AND HE WOULDN'T BE IN CHURCH FOR MONTHS. AND I KNEW HE STRUGGLED WITH SOME CARNAL ISSUES. AND THEN BUT WHEN HE'D ROCK UP IN CHURCH AGAIN, HE'D BE ON FIRE AND BE PROPHESYING, AND GOD WOULD BE USING HIM, AND I'M THINKING, "GOD, YOU AND I BOTH KNOW WHAT HE'S BEEN DOING. WHAT'S UP WITH THIS?" BUT SOMETHING I FOUND OUT ABOUT HIM. WHEN HE DID REPENT, HE DIDN'T MESS AROUND. HE THREW HIMSELF ON THE MERCY OF GOD; AND HE SO TOTALLY EMBRACED THE FORGIVENESS OF GOD THAT HE SAID, "GOD, IF YOU'VE FORGOTTEN MY SIN, THEN I'M FORGETTING IT, AS WELL." NOW THAT'S NOT A LICENSE TO GO ON WITH A SKETCHY LIFESTYLE BECAUSE IF YOU CONTINUE TO REPEAT A THING, YOU GIVE IT POWER OVER YOU, AND YOU WILL PAY A PRICE EVENTUALLY. BUT FRIEND, GOD'S MERCY IS AMAZING. THE BIBLE SAYS IN THE BOOK OF MICAH THAT GOD WILL TAKE ALL OF OUR SINS AND CAST THEM INTO THE DEPTH OF THE SEA. AND YOU KNOW WHAT HE DOES AFTER HE DOES THAT? HE POSTS "NO FISHING" SIGNS ALL ALONG THE SHORE. LEAVE THEM THERE. EMBRACE GOD'S FORGIVENESS. DAVID WAS A MAN AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART BECAUSE HE BELIEVED IN THE MERCY AND THE FORGIVENESS OF GOD. AND THEN, THIRDLY, I THINK DAVID WAS CALLED A MAN AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART BECAUSE DAVID LOVED THE WORD OF GOD. PSALM 119 HAS BEEN ATTRIBUTED BY MANY SCHOLARS TO DAVID'S AUTHORSHIP, AND YOU WILL NOTICE VERSE... PSALM 105... 119, VERSE 105, "YOUR WORD IS A LAMP TO MY FEET AND A LIGHT TO MY PATH." I GUIDE MY WAY BY YOUR WORD. HE SAID IN VERSE 124 OF THE SAME PSALM, "ALL YOUR PRECEPTS CONCERNING ALL THINGS I CONSIDER TO BE RIGHT." SOME OF YOU WILL BE FAMILIAR WITH THE STORY IN FIRST CHRONICLES WHERE DAVID BECOMES KING, AND HIS FIRST ACT AS KING, HE WANTS TO BRING THE ARK OF THE COVENANT BACK INTO JERUSALEM. THAT WAS THAT BOX THAT MOSES HAD MADE. IT WAS OVERLAID WITH GOLD, HAD THE GOLDEN CHERUBIM ON TOP, AND COVERED BY THE MERCY SEAT. INSIDE THERE WAS SOME MANNA, AARON'S ROD THAT BUDDED, AND A COPY OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. AND IT'S WHERE GOD'S PRESENCE DWELT, LITERALLY, UNDER THE OLD COVENANT. BUT THE PHILISTINES HAD CAPTURED IT. EVENTUALLY IT HAD COME BACK TO ISRAEL, BUT IT HAD NEVER BEEN BROUGHT TO JERUSALEM. AND SO DAVID SAYS, "WE'RE GOING TO BRING THE ARK." AND THEY'RE DANCING AND THEY'RE SINGING AND THEY'RE WORSHIPING, AND THEY PUT IT ON A CART, AND THESE OXEN ARE PULLING IT. AND THE OXEN STUMBLE, AND THIS GUY NAMED UZZA REACHES OUT TO STEADY THE ARK, AND HE'S STRUCK DEAD. AND THE BIBLE SAYS DAVID WAS AFRAID OF GOD THAT DAY. HE SAYS, "WE CAN'T TAKE THIS THING TO JERUSALEM. SOMETHING IS WRONG." THEY PUT THE ARK IN THE HOUSE OF OBED-EDOM, AND IT'S AN INTERESTING STUDY, BY THE WAY, IF YOU LOOK AT OBED-EDOM, HOW BLESSED THEY WERE HAVING THE PRESENCE OF GOD IN THEIR HOUSE. IN FACT, YOU READ ALL THE TIMES IN SCRIPTURE OBED- EDOM IS MENTIONED FROM THERE. HE FOLLOWED THE PRESENCE OF GOD. BUT, ANYWAY, WHAT DAVID DID AND WHAT HE ALWAYS DID WHEN THINGS DIDN'T GO RIGHT, HE WENT TO THE WORD FOR ANSWERS. SO DAVID GOES TO THE WORD, AND HE BEGINS TO SEARCH, AND HE FINDS OUT THAT ACCORDING TO THE LAW, THE PRIESTS WERE THE ONLY ONES THAT WERE ALLOWED TO CARRY THE ARK OF THE COVENANT... VERY, VERY SPECIFIC IN HOW THAT WAS TO BE DONE. AND HE CALLS THE PRIESTS, SAYS, "GUYS, WE'VE DONE THIS THING ALL WRONG. THE WORD SAYS THAT WE HAVE TO DO IT THIS WAY." AND SO NOW HE GETS THE PRIESTS, AND THEY DO EVERYTHING. AND THEY'RE WORSHIPING, AND THEY CARRY IT INTO JERUSALEM, AND EVERYTHING IS FINE. YOU SEE, DAVID WENT TO THE WORD FOR ANSWERS. AND, FRIEND, THERE ARE ANSWERS IN THE WORD. IF THINGS AREN'T WORKING IN YOUR LIFE, HAVE A LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE BOOK. GOD HAS ANSWERS THAT WILL HELP YOU! ALL RIGHT, NUMBER FOUR... IN FACT, TURN WITH ME TO FIRST SAMUEL 23. THE FOURTH THING THAT I THINK GOD SO LOVED ABOUT DAVID'S HEART IS THAT DAVID PRAYED, AND HE SOUGHT GUIDANCE BECAUSE, AS YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO FIND CHAPTER AND VERSE FOR. BUT THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL GUIDE YOU IF YOU WILL SEEK HIM. AND WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT SOME VERSES IN SORT OF RAPID-FIRE SUCCESSION, AND I WANT YOU TO JUST SEE IF YOU CAN GRASP THE PATTERN THAT EMERGES RATHER QUICKLY. FIRST SAMUEL 23, VERSE 2: THEREFORE DAVID INQUIRED OF THE LORD, SAYING, "SHALL I GO AND ATTACK THESE PHILISTINES?" AND THE LORD SAID TO DAVID, "GO AND ATTACK THE PHILISTINES, AND SAVE KEILAH." BUT DAVID'S MEN SAID TO HIM, "LOOK, WE ARE AFRAID HERE IN JUDAH. HOW MUCH MORE THEN IF WE GO TO KEILAH AGAINST THE ARMIES OF THE PHILISTINES?" THEN DAVID INQUIRED OF THE LORD ONCE AGAIN. AND THE LORD ANSWERED HIM AND SAID, "ARISE, GO DOWN TO KEILAH. FOR I WILL DELIVER THE PHILISTINES INTO YOUR HAND." LOOK WITH ME IN CHAPTER 30, IF YOU WOULD... FIRST SAMUEL 30 AND VERSE 8: SO DAVID INQUIRED OF THE LORD, SAYING, "SHALL I PURSUE THIS TROOP? SHALL I OVERTAKE THEM?" AND HE ANSWERED HIM... EVERYBODY SAY, "HE ANSWERED HIM." I WANT YOU TO NOTICE WHEN DAVID INQUIRED, HE GOT ANSWERS. WHEN WE INQUIRE, WE SHOULD EXPECT ANSWERS. ..."PURSUE, FOR YOU SHALL SURELY OVERTAKE THEM AND WITHOUT FAIL RECOVER ALL." LOOK AT SECOND SAMUEL, CHAPTER 2, VERSE 1: IT HAPPENED AFTER THIS THAT DAVID INQUIRED OF THE LORD, SAYING, "SHALL I GO UP TO ANY OF THE CITIES OF JUDAH?" AND THE LORD SAID TO HIM, "GO UP." DAVID SAID, "WHERE SHALL I GO UP?" AND HE SAID, "TO HEBRON." NOW I WANT YOU TO NOTICE, THESE ARE THINGS YOU ARE NOT GOING TO FIND CHAPTER AND VERSE FOR. BUT DAVID IS INQUIRING, AND GOD IS ANSWERING HIM. CHAPTER 5, VERSE 19: SO DAVID INQUIRED OF THE LORD... AND AGAIN IN VERSE 23: THEREFORE DAVID INQUIRED OF THE LORD... IN CHAPTER 21, WE'LL JUST END WITH THAT. I WANT YOU TO LOOK THERE. AND I KNOW SOME OF YOU ARE THINKING, "PASTOR, ONE OR TWO REFERENCES WOULD HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENT." IT'S GOOD FOR YOU TO SEE THESE WITH YOUR OWN EYES. LOOK IN VERSE 1, CHAPTER 21: NOW THERE WAS A FAMINE IN THE DAYS OF DAVID FOR THREE YEARS, YEAR AFTER YEAR; AND DAVID INQUIRED OF THE LORD. AND THE LORD ANSWERED, "IT IS BECAUSE OF SAUL AND HIS BLOODTHIRSTY HOUSE, BECAUSE HE KILLED THE GIBEONITES." GOD LOVES A HEART THAT SEEKS GUIDANCE. AND THEN I THINK A FIFTH REASON THAT GOD SO LOVED DAVID'S HEART IS DAVID TRUSTED IN GOD. WHEN CIRCUMSTANCES WERE AGAINST HIM, WHEN HE WAS OUTMATCHED, WHEN IT SEEMED LIKE HIS WORLD WAS BEING TORN OUT FROM UNDER HIM, DAVID TRUSTED IN THE LORD. HE PENNED THESE WORDS IN PSALM 27:13, "I WOULD HAVE LOST HEART UNLESS I HAD BELIEVED THAT I WOULD SEE THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING." THERE ARE SOME OF YOU HERE, YOU ARE ABOUT TO LOSE HEART. YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE READY TO GO DOWN FOR THE THIRD TIME; AND IF ONE MORE WAVE CRASHES OVER YOUR LITTLE WORLD, YOU DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE IT. FRIEND, YOU NEED TO BELIEVE TO SEE THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING HERE IN THIS LIFE. GOD CAN TURN THINGS AROUND. DID YOU KNOW DAVID WROTE APPROXIMATELY HALF OF THE PSALMS IN OUR BIBLE? THERE ARE 150 PSALMS; DAVID WROTE APPROXIMATELY HALF OF THEM. AND ALMOST FIFTY TIMES IN THOSE PSALMS THAT HE WROTE, HE TALKS ABOUT TRUSTING GOD. HE SAYS, "WHEN I'M AFRAID, I WILL TRUST IN YOU." HE ENCOURAGES OTHERS TO TRUST IN GOD. HE TALKS ABOUT THE FOOLISHNESS OF THOSE THAT TRUST IN MEN INSTEAD OF TRUSTING IN GOD. HE TALKS ABOUT THE BENEFITS AND THE BLESSINGS OF TRUSTING IN GOD. OVER AND OVER AND OVER HE SAYS, "TRUST." AND I'LL BET YOU REMEMBER THESE WORDS THAT DAVID WROTE FROM PSALM 20 AND VERSE 7, "SOME TRUST IN CHARIOTS AND SOME IN HORSES, BUT WE WILL REMEMBER THE NAME OF THE LORD OUR GOD." WHAT ARE YOUR HORSES? WHAT ARE YOUR CHARIOTS? BETTER TO TRUST IN THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD. AND THAT WAS A TRUTH DAVID WAS ABLE TO LIVE OUT AS A TEENAGER BEFORE ALL OF ISRAEL. HE IS SENT BY HIS FATHER TO THE BATTLEFIELD. THE ISRAELITES AND THE PHILISTINES ARE FACING EACH OTHER, AND DAVID IS BRINGING SOME CHEESE TO HIS BROTHERS. AND WHILE HE IS THERE, SOMETHING HAPPENS THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING EVERY DAY. THE PHILISTINE CHAMPION, GOLIATH, WALKS OUT ABOUT NINE FEET TALL, CHALLENGES ISRAEL, AND THE WHOLE ARMY RUNS AWAY FROM HIM. DAVID GOES, "WHAT IS GOING ON? I'LL FIGHT HIM." AND DAVID ENDS UP OUT ON THE BATTLEFIELD FACING GOLIATH, THIS HUGE GIANT IN ARMOR. I THINK OF DAVID'S WORDS. HE POINTS AT GOLIATH, SAYS, "YOU COME AT ME WITH A SWORD AND A SHIELD AND A JAVELIN, BUT I COME AT YOU IN THE NAME OF THE LORD OF HOSTS!" AND DAVID DIDN'T JUST THREATEN GOLIATH, HE THREATENED THE WHOLE PHILISTINE ARMY, SAYS, "I'M GOING TO TAKE YOUR HEAD OFF, AND I'M GOING TO TAKE YOUR WHOLE ARMY DOWN." NOW THAT PHRASE, "I COME AT YOU IN THE NAME OF THE LORD OF HOSTS," THAT'S A REFERENCE GOD USES FOR HIMSELF IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. IN FACT, YOU FIND THE PHRASE, "THE LORD OF HOSTS", SOME 260 TIMES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. IT LITERALLY MEANS LORD OF ARMIES, SPECIFICALLY, LORD OF ANGEL ARMIES. DAVID CERTAINLY WASN'T TALKING ABOUT THE ISRAELITE ARMY. THEY WERE ALL HIDING. THEY HAD RUN AWAY. "I COME AT YOU IN THE NAME OF THE LORD OF ANGEL ARMIES THAT I CAN'T SEE." BUT HE BELIEVED THEY WERE THERE BECAUSE GOD SAID THEY WERE THERE. AND DAVID WENT AND RAN AND SLUNG THAT STONE OUT, AND ONE OF THOSE UNSEEN ANGELS ADDED A LITTLE VELOCITY TO THAT STONE, AND IT DIDN'T JUST BOUNCE OFF OF THE GIANT'S HEAD, IT SUNK INTO HIS FOREHEAD, AND HE FELL TO THE EARTH. DAVID TOOK HIS SWORD AND TOOK HIS HEAD OFF. TRUST! I READ A STORY ABOUT ONE OF OUR SOLDIERS DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR WAS ON AN ENEMY-HELD ISLAND IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC, AND HE HAD BEEN SEPARATED FROM HIS COMRADES. AND THERE WAS A TROOP OF ENEMY SOLDIERS COMING, AND HE'S LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO HIDE, AND THERE'S A SERIES OF THESE NATURAL SMALL CAVES IN THE SIDE OF THIS CLIFF, AND HE WEDGES HIMSELF DOWN INSIDE OF THE LITTLE CAVE. AND TO HIS DISMAY, THE ENEMY SOLDIERS START CHECKING EVERY ONE OF THOSE CAVES. HE WAS A BELIEVER, AND HE SAYS, "O GOD, HELP ME! I PUT MY TRUST IN YOU." AND JUST THEN A LITTLE SPIDER STARTED SPINNING A WEB OVER THE MOUTH OF THE CAVE THAT HE WAS WEDGED BACK IN. HE SPUN THAT WEB AND SPUN THAT WEB; AND WHEN THE ENEMY SOLDIERS CAME, THEY CAME TO THAT CAVE, AND THEY JUST PASSED BY. THEY THOUGHT IF SOMEBODY WOULD BE HIDING IN THERE, THEY WOULD HAVE BROKEN THE SPIDER WEB. SO THEY JUST WENT TO THE NEXT ONE. YOU MAY BE IN DIRE STRAITS TODAY, FRIEND, I WANT TO TELL YOU: OUR GOD CAN TURN A SPIDER WEB INTO AN IMPENETRABLE STEEL WALL IF HE WANTS TO. PUT YOUR TRUST IN HIM; ANCHOR YOUR HEART ON THE PROMISES. HE IS FAITHFUL. SOMEBODY SAY, "AMEN." ALL RIGHT, NUMBER SIX, AND I LOVE THIS ABOUT DAVID. LOOK WITH ME AT PSALM 142. DAVID WAS HONEST. HE HAD AN HONEST HEART. AND I THINK GOD LOVED THAT ABOUT HIM. PSALM 142. WE WANT TO LOOK AT VERSE 2. DAVID SAID, I POUR OUT MY COMPLAINT BEFORE HIM; I DECLARE BEFORE HIM MY TROUBLE. THE NEXT VERSE SAYS, WHEN MY SPIRIT WAS OVERWHELMED WITHIN ME, DAVID SAYS, "WHEN I WAS OVERWHELMED, I COMPLAINED." YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE PSALMS READ LIKE BLUES SONGS. DAVID WAS ALWAYS HONEST WITH GOD, LIKE, "GOD, WHERE ARE YOU? IT SEEMS LIKE THE WICKED ARE PROSPERING AND THE RIGHTEOUS ARE GETTING THE SHORT END OF THE STICK! GOD, WHY ARE YOU SO FAR FROM MY CRIES? WHERE ARE YOU? THIS SEEMS UNJUST." DAVID, HE POURED HIS HEART OUT BEFORE GOD. GOD LOVES AN HONEST HEART. LISTEN, IF YOU'RE MAD AT GOD, YOU MAY AS WELL TELL HIM. HE KNOWS IT, ANYWAY. IF YOU ARE DISAPPOINTED IN GOD, YOU MAY AS WELL TELL HIM. HE KNOWS IT, ANYWAY. IF YOU'RE UPSET, IF YOU'RE OVERWHELMED, TELL HIM. YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE WEAR A FAçADE EVEN INTO THE PRESENCE OF GOD. AND, YOU KNOW, DAVID, HE WAS VERY, VERY TRANSPARENT WITH GOD. BUT ALWAYS YOU WILL FIND WHEN HE TALKED THAT WAY IN THE PSALMS BEFORE THE PSALM IS DONE, HE ALWAYS STAYED IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD LONG ENOUGH TO HAVE HIS HEART INFLUENCED BACK TO A PLACE OF TRUST BEFORE HE WAS FINISHED. AND, FRIEND, THAT'S THE KEY. IN FACT, LOOK AT VERSE 7 OF THIS PSALM. VERSE 2 HE'S COMPLAINING; VERSE 7 HE SAYS, BRING MY SOUL OUT OF PRISON, THAT I MAY PRAISE YOUR NAME; THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL SURROUND ME, FOR YOU SHALL DEAL BOUNTIFULLY WITH ME." SO DAVID IS TALKING ABOUT HIS TROUBLE, HE'S COMPLAINING BEFORE GOD, BUT HE STAYS IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD LONG ENOUGH FOR GOD TO INFLUENCE HIS HEART. AND SOME OF YOU, YOU JUST NEED TO TELL GOD HOW YOU FEEL. BUT THEN STAY. AND HE WILL INFLUENCE YOU THROUGH HIS WORD AND BY HIS PRESENCE, AND IT WILL BRING YOU BACK TO A PLACE WHERE YOU WILL HAVE A QUIET CONFIDENCE IN HIM. AND YOU MAY HAVE WALKED IN COMPLAINING, BUT YOU ARE GOING TO WALK OUT PRAISING. BUT GOD DOES LOVE AN HONEST HEART. WHY DO YOU THINK JESUS SAID IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION, "I WISH YOU WERE HOT OR COLD; BUT IF YOU ARE LUKEWARM, I'M GOING TO SPEW YOU OUT OF MY MOUTH." AT LEAST THE PERSON THAT'S COLD, THEY'RE HONEST. "YEAH, I'M COLD TOWARD GOD. I'M NOT GOING TO CHURCH. I'M SINNING. I KNOW IT; GOD KNOWS IT. OKAY?" GOD SAYS, "ALL RIGHT, THAT'S BETTER THAN THE PERSON THAT'S PRETENDING. AT LEAST I CAN WORK WITH THE ONE THAT'S COLD." ALL RIGHT, NUMBER SEVEN. EVERYBODY SAY, "NUMBER SEVEN." TURN AROUND AND SAY TO YOUR NEIGHBOR, "HE'S ALMOST DONE." I THINK GOD LOVES DAVID'S HEART BECAUSE DAVID LOVED THE HOUSE OF GOD. LOOK WITH ME, IF YOU WOULD, AT SECOND CHRONICLES, CHAPTER 7... SECOND CHRONICLES 7. DAVID WAS A MAN AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART. THE MESSAGE BIBLE SAID, "HE'S A MAN WHOSE HEART BEATS TO MY HEART." SECOND CHRONICLES 7. I WANT YOU TO CONSIDER THESE WORDS OF GOD TO SOLOMON ABOUT THE HOUSE OF GOD, WHICH TODAY REPRESENTS THE PLACE WHERE BELIEVERS GATHER TOGETHER. SECOND CHRONICLES 7 AND VERSE 16. GOD SAYS, FOR NOW I HAVE CHOSEN AND SANCTIFIED THIS HOUSE, THAT MY NAME MAY BE THERE FOREVER; AND MY EYES AND MY HEART WILL BE THERE PERPETUALLY. I KNOW WHERE GOD'S EYES ARE RIGHT NOW. I KNOW WHERE GOD'S HEART IS RIGHT NOW. GOD'S EYES AND HIS HEART ARE UPON HIS HOUSE. JUST LOOK BACK A FEW PAGES AT FIRST CHRONICLES 29. WE WANT TO LOOK IN VERSE 3. DAVID IS SPEAKING. FIRST CHRONICLES 29:3, MOREOVER, BECAUSE I HAVE SET MY AFFECTION ON THE HOUSE OF MY GOD, I HAVE GIVEN TO THE HOUSE OF MY GOD, OVER AND ABOVE ALL THAT I HAVE PREPARED FOR THE HOLY HOUSE, MY OWN SPECIAL TREASURE OF GOLD AND SILVER: DAVID LOVED GOD'S HOUSE, THE PLACE WHERE GOD'S PEOPLE GATHERED TO WORSHIP AND TO FELLOWSHIP AND TO BE INSTRUCTED. AND WHEN HE SAID, "I'VE SET MY AFFECTION, I'VE SET MY LOVE ON THE HOUSE OF GOD," IT WASN'T JUST ABOUT SOME FEELING, "MAN, I JUST HAVE THIS WARM FEELING WHEN I THINK ABOUT CHURCH." NO, HIS LOVE WAS EXPRESSED THROUGH GENEROSITY TO WHERE HE GAVE OVER AND ABOVE. I LOVE THOSE WORDS. I LOVE THE OVER AND ABOVES IN OUR LIFE, THE OVER AND ABOVE GESTURES TOWARD GOD AND TOWARD HIS KINGDOM. AND, YOU KNOW, DAVID GAVE SO GENEROUSLY IT INSPIRED THE LEADERS TO GIVE. LOOK IN VERSE 6: THEN THE LEADERS OF THE FATHERS' HOUSES, LEADERS OF THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL, THE CAPTAINS OF THOUSANDS AND OF HUNDREDS, WITH THE OFFICERS OVER THE KING'S WORK, OFFERED WILLINGLY. AND THE NEXT FEW VERSES TALK ABOUT ALL THE SILVER AND GOLD AND THE PRECIOUS GEMS AND EVERYTHING THAT THEY BROUGHT. AND THEN THE PEOPLE WERE INSPIRED. VERSE 9, THEN THE PEOPLE REJOICED, FOR THEY HAD OFFERED WILLINGLY, BECAUSE WITH A LOYAL HEART THEY HAD OFFERED WILLINGLY TO THE LORD; AND KING DAVID ALSO REJOICED GREATLY. I WISH WE HAD TIME TO LOOK THROUGH THIS WHOLE CHAPTER. BUT I DO WANT TO LOOK AT ONE THING THAT DAVID PRAYED IN CONNECTION WITH THIS, IN CONNECTION WITH LOVING GOD'S HOUSE, GIVING GENEROUSLY TOWARDS IT. DAVID UNDERSTOOD SOMETHING ABOUT THE HEART OF GOD. DAVID'S HEART BEAT IN UNISON WITH GOD'S. LOOK IN VERSE 18 AT PART OF DAVID'S PRAYER: O LORD GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND ISRAEL, OUR FATHERS, KEEP THIS FOREVER IN THE INTENT OF THE THOUGHTS OF THE HEART OF YOUR PEOPLE, AND FIX THEIR HEART TOWARD YOU. "THIS LOVE AND THIS GENEROSITY AND THIS WILLING SPIRIT TOWARDS YOUR HOUSE, GOD, MAY IT BE IN THE INTENT AND THE HEARTS OF YOUR PEOPLE TOWARDS YOUR HOUSE IN EVERY GENERATION FOREVER." DAVID PRAYED THAT GOD'S PEOPLE WOULD NEVER LOSE THIS. [MUSIC] I WAS GLAD WHEN THEY SAID UNTO ME LET US GO ONTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD. I LOVE CHURCH. I LOVE IT WHEN GOD'S PEOPLE GATHER TOGETHER. IF YOU LOVE JESUS, IF YOU'VE GIVEN YOUR HEART TO HIM, IF YOU LOVE GOD, WHY NOT FIND A COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS AND GET PLUGGED IN. IT IS THOSE THAT ARE PLANTED IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD WILL FLOURISH IN THE COURTS OF OUR GOD. GOD HAS A PLACE FOR YOU. HE SETS THE SOLITARY IN FAMILIES, THE SCRIPTURE DECLARES. GOD BLESS YOU.
