The Ups & Downs & Ups of a World Changer: How God Uses Imperfect People

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Go to harvest.org forward slash virtue. See, God isn't looking for talented people. God is looking for available people, and God can do extraordinary things through very ordinary people, people just like you.

This is the day, the day when life begins. We all know people who are talented, ridiculously talented. Maybe they play a musical instrument, or they paint.

Maybe they have an eye for decorating or for fashion, or they can hit a baseball into the next zip code. And us, we're spectacularly average. Well, today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points out we're just who God is looking for, because where we can't, God can. And the Lord loves to do ridiculously remarkable things through people like us.

This is the day, the day when life begins. Well, everyone knew his story, and it's interesting, because in Hebrews 11, very little is said about him. In fact, his name is mentioned, but everyone knew the story of this man I'm talking about, King David. King David. In battle, he was fearless. In wisdom, he ruled his kingdom without fear. So it's not surprising to find him in the hero's hall of fame, because he really was a world changer. But David was like the perfectly balanced man.

Ok. He was masculine. He was tough as nails. He was a warrior. He was a poet. He was a musician. He had a tender heart toward God. He was really the greatest king in the history of the nation of Israel. And he also found himself in the messianic line of Jesus Christ.

And listen to this. God himself said of David, he's a man after my own heart. Oh my. That's quite a compliment. To have the Lord himself say it. That's an interesting expression. I might see a guy chowing down on a burger, and I'll say to my wife, now that's a man after my own heart.

I mean that's what I like to do. That guy is like me. So the Lord is saying, David, he's a man after my own heart.

Incredible. In fact, when our Lord walked this earth, he identified himself as Jesus, the son of David. He could have just as easily said Jesus the son of the descendant of Abraham or the son of Noah or the son of Adam.

But no. Christ identified himself as the son of David because that was his lineage. He connected back to David. He said all these nice things about him. I have to also say David was far from a perfect man.

Far from perfect. In fact, two names come to mind when you think of David. It's David and Goliath.

And David and? Yeah. You know.

We all know. One was his greatest victory. The other his greatest defeat. And that sort of sums his life up. So let's look now at the ups and the downs and the ups of a world changer. Let's look at the rise of David. He was the least expected man or the most unexpected man I should say to ascend the throne of Israel.

But here is what happened. God chose a guy named King Saul. Maybe I should say the people chose him. He was the people's choice. They liked Saul. Saul had a chiseled face. He had great height. He stood taller than everybody else. He was sort of charismatic.

And he looked like he would be a good king at first. But it wasn't long until he was filled with pride and was blatantly disobeying God. And the Lord warned him. And Saul kept disobeying. And finally the Lord said, You are done.

I am going to replace you. So the Lord directed the prophet Samuel to go to the city of Bethlehem because there in this little city was a man named Jesse that had some sons. And the Lord said to Samuel, One of his sons is the next king of Israel. I will tell you who when you get there. So Samuel shows up in town. Everybody turns out.

They didn't have Internet or television. This was a big thing. A prophet is in town. So they are all there watching him. And there is Jesse with his seven incredible sons.

The magnificent seven right there. So Samuel is figuring ok it is one of these boys. And he looks at each one and the Lord said, It is not him. It is not him.

It is not him. And then finally Samuel stops in front of Eliab the tallest of the sons of Jesse who probably reminded him of Saul. And Samuel thought, This is surely the one. And the Lord said, Will you stop judging according to outward appearance.

I look on the heart. He is not the one. So after he is done looking at all of the sons Samuel says, The Lord hasn't chosen any of these sons. Do you have any other sons?

Yeah says Jesse. One other but he is a little weird. He hangs out on the field. He watches his little flock of sheep. He is a musician.

That explains a lot. He sings songs about God. Well bring them in here. The prophet demands. So in comes David. Reddish hair color. Probably freckles on his face. Full of vim and vigor.

I don't even know what vim and vigor are but I am sure he had it. And the Lord says, That is my boy. And so right there on the spot Samuel pours oil on David said symbolizing this is the next king of Israel.

The people watching probably thought that Samuel was going senile. Are you kidding me. Him.

I am not Eliab or one of the other sons. You are choosing David of all people. But it shows that God sees things differently than we do. And that brings me to my first point about being a world changer.

God uses ordinary people to change the world. Contrast David with Saul. Saul was loved by his parents.

Stable home. David was forgotten and ignored by his parents. He was the polar opposite of Saul.

Saul stood head and shoulders above everybody else. David was just an ordinary shepherd boy but chosen by God. Why do you think God seems to go out of His way to choose well the most unqualified people.

It is a very simple answer. So He will get the glory. See God isn't looking for talented people or gifted people or handsome people. I am not saying He won't use those people. But I am saying God is looking for available people. God can do a lot with a little. And God can do extraordinary things through very ordinary people.

People just like you. So that was David. And why does the Lord do it this way? 1 Corinthians 1.26 gives the answer.

It says, "'Remember brothers and sisters, very few of you are wise in the world's eyes, but God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those that think they are wise.'" Listen. You have nothing to say about what family you were born into. You have nothing to say about the circumstances you are facing right now. You have nothing to say about the hand you have been dealt in life. But you have a lot to say about how you will react and what you will live for. See you can't control your circumstances. I have tried.

It doesn't work. But I can control my reaction to the circumstances. I am the one who decides if I will honor God or if I will be angry with God. I am the one who decides if I will be better or bitter. And David said, you know what? My family doesn't care much about me.

My dad won't even acknowledge me. But I am going to honor God. And that brings me to point number two. World changers are focused on what really matters in life.

World changers are focused on what really matters in life. For a real insight into who David was just read the Psalms. Understand Psalms were songs. Ok. So think of David as a singer-songwriter.

Alright. You know walking around with his guitar, harmonica, Bob Dylan style, whatever. Whatever person you want to insert there that you would think is a good singer-songwriter. And he wrote songs about God. In fact he would express his love for God. Psalm 34 he says, I will bless the Lord at all times.

His praise will continually be in my mouth. And he was focused. He wrote in Psalm 57, my heart is fixed oh God.

My heart is fixed. Which meant that he had fixed his heart on God or he knew where he was going. He knew what was most important.

He put the Lord first in his life. Do you remember that film that was out in the 90s called City Slickers. Anybody remember that film?

Billy Crystal was in it. He played a character named Mitch who was looking for meaning and purpose in his life. Having some friction in his marriage. So he goes to a dude ranch. And he is herding cattle. And there while he is doing that he meets a living, breathing cowboy named Curly.

Very effectively played by Jack Palance. And you know Curly is as tough as nails. And they are out riding one day and Curly is up there on his horse.

You know in his cowboy hat on. And Billy Crystal is on this smaller horse with a little baseball cap on. And Curly turns to Billy's character and he says, do you want to know what the secret of life is? And Billy's character looks and then Curly does this. He says, it is just one thing. Just one thing. And Billy's character says, one thing. What is the one thing? And then Curly says, that is what you have to find out.

But I thought Curly was onto something wasn't he? It is just one thing. And David knew what that one thing was. And he wrote about it in Psalm 27. He said, one thing I desired of the Lord and that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

He had that one thing going and he knew what really mattered in life. In a moment we will see this world changer named David had moments of triumph and moments of defeat. What we can learn from the ups and downs of David in just a moment. We hear from so many people who find Christ through these studies.

Some in tough times. Pastor Greg, 32 years ago, I lost a great job, which included many material things. I was following my own path and not God's will. I ended up in jail and after being released, I became a trucker and have now recommitted my life to Christ through your ministry. Thank you, Pastor Greg, for your teachings. Since my recommitment, I've been able to lead my son and other children to Christ. I now believe that the things that happened in my earlier life have brought me closer to God. His will is better than mine. I will lift my hands high and thank the Lord every day for his word and for your teachings. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. We're so happy that these daily studies are touching and changing lives. And if your life has been changed, would you tell us your story? Call 1-866-871-1144.

That's 866-871-1144. We're considering the example of the world changer named David today, as Pastor Greg brings us a message with an interesting title, The Ups and Downs and Ups of a World Changer. Let's continue. Point number three, world changers are faithful in little things, so God gives them bigger things. World changers are faithful in little things, so God gives them big things. Ok. What was David's responsibility? Watching his flock of sheep.

I mean think about this. You're David. You're out in the field tending your flock. You're called in. You meet the prophet Samuel. He pours oil on your head. He says you're the next king of Israel. Now your brothers hate you even more than they did before. And then he'd just go back to your flock of sheep. No crown was given to him. No stretch chariot with Secret Service protection was waiting.

Just everything back to normal. So David's around. Go back. Watch the sheep. And he was a good shepherd. And I think as he'd watch those sheep that's where a lot of his psalms would come from.

I'm sure watching him one day just thinking about how dependent they were on him. How he needed to take them to the streams to get them to drink. He thought, you know what? The Lord is my shepherd.

I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. He anoints my head with oil. He's thinking about these things. Watching the sheep. And I'll tell you what.

Any predator comes along that predator is going down fast. David would take it out. He was very adept with that sling and that stone. And he would kill bears and lions and he was faithful. So one day his dad says, son I want you to go visit your brothers.

They are out there in the military on the front lines facing off of the Philistines. The father says, take some bread and cheese to your brothers. So effectively David is making a pizza delivery. What is pizza? It's bread and cheese. Very artfully done I might add.

Throw in a little pepperoni. It's even better. But really he is delivering pizza. So he shows up and his brothers see him.

And Eli I have his older brother who is still ticked off that he wasn't anointed. He says, oh have you left your little flock of sheep to come see what the big boys are doing? And David is looking around going, who is that guy down there? And there down in the valley of Elah was this oversized man. Nine feet six inches of solid muscle covered in body armor with a massive sword asking for someone to come fight him. Saying, come fight me. And if I lose we will serve you.

But if you lose you will serve us. And everyone was terrified. Including David's brother Eliab. Including King Saul. David says, I will take him on.

You in what army? Oh me and the Lord. Because I am looking at that giant in the light of God.

I am not looking at God in the light of that giant. David picked up that stone. He got it slinging around.

And he got the momentum and let it fly and it hit the giant in the forehead. And Goliath came crashing to the ground. That was the rise of David. Now the fall of David. 2 Samuel 11.

The following spring. The time of the year when kings go to war David sent Joab and the Israelite army to destroy the Ammonites. And in the process they laid siege to the city of Rabbah.

David stayed behind in Jerusalem. Late one afternoon David got out of bed after taking a nap and went for a stroll on the roof of his palace. He looked over that city and he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. He sent someone to find out who she was and he was told she is Bathsheba the daughter of Eliab and the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Then David sent for her and when she came to the palace he slept with her. Then she returned home and when Bathsheba discovered she was pregnant she sent a message to inform David.

We will stop there. David was around 50 at this point. He had been ruling Israel for 20 years. He had gone from victory to victory. He had distinguished himself in so many ways. Man of God. Skilled musician. Gifted poet. Writing psalms of praise.

A wise and compassionate ruler and a man of great courage. He was on an absolute roll and that is when the devil hit him. He knew this. When things are going really well that is usually when the devil hits. See when you are going through crisis you are dependent upon God.

But here is the problem. When there is no illness, when there are no unpaid bills, when there is not a crisis you are facing sometimes we are not hanging to the Lord as tightly as we were before. See you are in a hardship and you think this is bad. Maybe this is one of the best times of your life because you have never been closer to Christ.

Think about it that way. So when David was facing a giant he was trusting in the Lord. When David was running through Saul who was hunting him down like a wild dog he was calling out to God. And when he was anointed as the king and ascended to the throne he prayed for God's help.

But 20 years have gone by and things have gone well. And David is kind of kicking back and taking sort of a spiritual vacation from God which never works. So the devil hits him. When will the devil hit us?

When we are the most vulnerable. But let me point out David had set himself up for this particular attack. Because 2 Samuel 5 tells us in direct disobedience to God David took concubines after he became king.

Now if you are young and you don't know what that is ask your parents later. In Deuteronomy 17 the king was told, never do this. Never take concubines.

Why? Because the Lord said, because your heart will turn away. And that is what was happening to David. His heart was slowly but surely turning away from God. He had lost sight of that one thing. Now it was too many things and most of those were the wrong things and he was being consumed by lust.

Listen. God gave you a sexual desire. He created sex.

I think we know this right? And he wants to bless sex. And he will bless it in the safety of a marriage relationship.

You see. And the Scripture even says, drink water from your own well and be satisfied with the wife of your youth or the husband of your youth. Be faithful to your partner.

Live in a monogamous relationship. The Lord will bless. But David was filling his mind with lust. And so when you do that it is just going to get worse. Listen. You don't feed lust.

You starve it. And David had been feeding his lust with all these concubines. And one thing was leading to another. And so one warm spring night when the soldiers went to war David went to bed. He was in bed when he should have been in battle.

He was staying up late sleeping in and being physically and spiritually lazy. And now the attack comes. He sees the beautiful Bathsheba bathing herself. Who is that woman? So one of his servants comes up. Verse 3.

She is Bathsheba the daughter of Eliim the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Man you got to give this servant credit. He knew exactly what was going on with David. You know what. Here is an interesting thing to consider.

Sometimes other people have a better sense of what we are doing than we have. See this servant knew David. He knew David was a womanizer.

And he knew what David saw. Excuse me sire. She is the wife of Uriah the Hittite. In other words she is married and you are married. So forget about it. Yeah whatever.

Bring her up here right now. He gave the order. God was putting a roadblock in David's life to not sin. And God puts roadblocks up in our life. Have you ever noticed when you try to do something wrong God doesn't make it easy for you.

He makes it hard. That is why I think it is so ridiculous when someone says, I just fell into adultery. Really just like that. Kind of like tripping over a rug. Whoops there I am in adultery. How did this happen? How did I end up in the bed of another person? How did this happen? Did you just fall into the hotel room or wherever?

I mean give me a break. You didn't fall into anything. You planned it. You plotted for it. And you executed it. And then you lied to cover it up over and over again. You don't just fall into it.

You got to jump through a lot of hoops to end up in this situation. And David did. Pastor Greg Laurie pointing out what led to David's great fall.

But thankfully the story didn't end there. And there is more to come in this message called, The Ups and Downs and Ups of a World Changer. But if you would like a permanent copy of the full message presented today here on A New Beginning, you can do that at harvest.org.

You can download the full MP3. Or ask for the CD when you call us at 1-800-821-3300. That is a 24 hour phone number.

So call right now 1-800-821-3300. Well Pastor Greg I was thinking the other day about power steering. You know what a marvelous invention it is.

You know you can change the direction of a two ton car with just a one finger turn of the steering wheel. Well Christmas is coming when the mega billion dollar retail industry is poised to steer our kids toward the latest toy or gizmo. And we might need a little power steering to turn them back toward Christ. You might have a suggestion for us today. Well I just happen to have a really good suggestion.

Oh I thought you might. And it's called the Jesus Storybook Bible Christmas Collection. Stories, songs, and reflections for the Advent season written by our good friend Sally Lloyd-Jones. And this is absolutely delightful. Sally is a prolific writer and is especially effective in communicating with the little ones. And she has done it again in this amazing new project which actually has some interactive features. So it kind of addresses that need for gadgetry a little bit. Because not only do you have her text as she tells the Christmas story in a way that only she does.

It's just so simple and profound and at times you smile and it's just very effectively written. But there are interactive moments where you can press a little button and you hear the voice of the tremendous actor David Suchet. Am I pronouncing his name correctly Sally?

Yes you absolutely are. And he plays, Kathy what is the role, I'm here with my wife Kathy and Sally. What does he inspector, how do you pronounce his name? Hercule Poirot. Hercule Poirot.

Yes. Poirot. Poirot. Poirot. Poirot.

Poirot. And the guy's a great actor and he has faith in Christ and he lends his impressive voice to this project. So here's how, it's a beautifully illustrated piece of work, illustrations by Jago. And he's worked on, he also did the illustration for the Jesus Storybook Bible, did he not?

Yes absolutely. Right so beautifully illustrated, written so perfectly and then you push the button and you hear this voice say the following. I'll push the button right now. Everything was ready. The moment God had been waiting for was here at last.

God was coming to help his people just as he promised in the beginning. But how would he come? What would he be like?

What would he do? That's the voice of renowned actor David Suchet. One of the interactive features in this new resource we're making available called the Jesus Storybook Bible, a Christmas collection by Sally Lloyd-Jones. And we'd like to send this your way for your kids, your grandkids, really any child you know who needs a touch of wonder and needs to know God cares for them this Christmas season. We'll send it to say thank you for your generous donation to help keep these daily studies coming your way here on this station. So contact us today at a new beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514. Or call 1-800-821-3300. We can take your call around the clock 24-7 at 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to Harvest.org.

Visit home at Harvest.org. Well, next time, Pastor Greg comes back with more insights from the life of King David from a series called World Changers. Hope you'll come back to join us next time here on A New Beginning with Pastor Greg Laurie. This is the day, the day when life begins. The preceding message from Greg Laurie was made possible by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God. Sign up for Pastor Greg's free daily email devotions at Harvest.org.