Lessons from the Pasture, Part 1

I want you to know that there are some God ideas for your life. That's lesson number one from the early life of David. A lot of us are in the business of coming up with good ideas for our lives.

But I've come to tell you there's a difference between a good idea and a God idea. Hello and welcome to Destined for Victory with Pastor Paul Shepherd, always glad to have you with us. Well, he may not have seemed like a good choice, but he was a God choice.

And as the years unfolded, it became clear that he was the right choice. Today, Pastor Paul begins an in-depth look at the life of David, a fierce warrior, an accomplished poet and musician, and most importantly, a man after God's own heart, which is why he was chosen by God to be King of Israel. Stay with us now or visit pastorpaul.net. to listen on demand. That's pastorpaul.net.

You can also subscribe to the podcast at Spotify, at Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get yours. Now, here is Pastor Paul with today's Destined for Victory message, Lessons from the Pasture. First Samuel chapter 16, beginning with verse 1. Samuel said to the Lord, invite Jesse to the sacrifice and I will show you what to do.

You are to anoint for me the one I indicate. Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled. When they met him, they asked, do you come in peace?

Samuel replied, yes, in peace. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me. Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, surely the Lord's anointed stands before the Lord. But the Lord said to Samuel, do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.

Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel, but Samuel said the Lord has not chosen this one either. Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, nor has the Lord chosen this one. Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, the Lord has not chosen these. So he asked Jesse, are these all the sons you have?

They're still the youngest, Jesse answered, but he is tending the sheep. Samuel said, sin for him. We will not sit down until he arrives. So he sent and had him brought in. He was ready with a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, rise and anoint him.

He is the one. I want to spend some time examining the life of David. There's so much written extensively in the scriptures about him, we can't examine every detail, but I want to hit the key highlights of the life of David in this series I'm launching through this message. And I want to do so because there is so much to be gained from a character study of David. I don't want us to just gain the historical information, although the scriptural record of David's life is historically accurate. But I want us to look at it because things written before time, Paul said in Romans 15, are written for our learning. Always remember, although we are people of the new covenant, the new covenant is directly tied to the old covenant. So don't think that God only speaks to you about your life in the last 27 books of the Bible. All 66 books have some key role to play in our understanding of redemptive history and our understanding of God's plan for our lives. And truly that's the case when you look at the lives of people such as David.

There's much to be gained there. So I want to spend some time looking at his life. Now, notice we are introduced to David here in 1 Samuel chapter 16.

And I want you to look at the circumstances surrounding how we come to know who this at that point young boy is. Verse 1 tells us that Saul has been rejected as king. When you read the chapters preceding 1 Samuel 16, you understand that Israel, although it was not God's plan for them, they wanted a king over them. They wanted to be like other nations who had a king. Now, the reason why that was not God's plan was because God was their king. And so it was in the mind of God that they would simply be ruled by judges and by the prophets he would send along from time to time.

But no, that wasn't good enough for them. They said, we want a king. And so in response to their request, the Lord told Samuel, all right, I'm going to have you anoint a king.

And although it's not a good idea, it's not my plan. They think they want a king. I'm a give them a king. And the Lord gave them Saul and Saul disobeyed God and dishonored God and was not forthcoming about his sin. And the Lord rejected him. Now, one of the things you want to notice in this time in redemptive history is we're told that God has rejected him as king. But Saul reigns for years more after this that we just read takes place. The anointing of David after David is anointed. Saul continues to reign. But I want you to know that he was rejected by God.

And it doesn't matter what you keep doing. If God rejects you, you're rejected. Conversely, if God accepts you, it doesn't matter who else doesn't accept you.

If God accepts you, you are accepted. And so the Lord said, I have rejected Saul. Yes, he's going to reign for years more, but he's not going to reign under my anointing.

I have rejected him. So God sends his prophet Samuel to anoint the next king of Israel. He is not going to ascend to the throne for some time. But in the mind and plan and purpose of God, he is to be anointed now. That leads me to the very first point I want us to take away from this study of the early life of David. I want you to know that there are some God ideas for your life.

That's lesson number one from the early life of David. There are some God ideas for your life. A lot of us are in the business of coming up with good ideas for our lives.

But I've come to tell you there's a difference between a good idea and a God idea. A good idea is something that it seems to you this will work out. Seems to you this would be the plan you should follow. Seems to you this is the road you ought to travel in your life.

Seems to you this is the decision you ought to make. But the reality is there are some God ideas that whatever you do, you want to make sure that every God idea is implemented in your life. Because God ideas have to do with the things God has called you to do. They have to do with your spiritual DNA. They have to do with why God saved you in the first place.

And there are some God ideas for all of our lives. Here in 1 Samuel 16 verse 1, we are told that God says, I have chosen one of Jesse's sons to be king. God is sovereign and the sovereign God ordained in eternity past that David would succeed Saul. Now this is noteworthy because Saul had a son who by all appearances should have been his successor.

You are familiar perhaps with Jonathan who later we're going to discover comes to be David's closest friend and ally. And Jonathan from every appearance would have had the making of a king. He would have been a good idea for a king.

But God is trying to get us from the good idea mindset to the God idea mindset. And although it would seem to us looking at it that Jonathan should have ascended to the throne after his father was rejected. God said, no, I have not chosen him. I am sovereign.

And I decided that David is to be the king. Listen, you've got to get used to the idea that we serve a sovereign God. What that means is God doesn't stop by your house and ask you what you think about what he wants to do. He doesn't gauge our opinion. He doesn't take public polls.

He is not interested in what we think. God is sovereign. That means you can't appeal over his head if you don't like what he says.

There's nobody you can go to. You know, we're used to earthly systems where there's always some higher court. There's always some second opinion. If you get a court judgment you don't like or a judgment is rendered against you and you don't like it, you can request an appellate court. And if that's granted, another court will look at what that court did and tell you whether they agree or not. And if you don't like that, you might even appeal to the state Supreme Court. If you don't like that, you might even try to go to the national Supreme Court.

But let me tell you something. In God's economy, when God says it, there is nothing else to be discussed. There is no other opinion that matters. When God says it, he is sovereign.

You can't go over his head. God is sovereign. See, we say God says it. I believe it. That settles it.

That inserts you in it. I know what we mean when we say that. We mean we're in agreement with what God said. That's good. But let me tell you, the truth is God says it. That settles it. If you believe it, wonderful. If you don't believe it, too bad.

It's still settled in heaven. That's the nature of the God we serve. That's why I serve him today. Because I found out one day that every knee would bow and every tongue confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord.

And one day the Holy Spirit told me, since you're going to bow sooner or later, you might as well bow now. Still ahead, the second half of today's Destined for Victory message with Pastor Paul Shepherd, Senior Pastor Destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California. We want to thank all of you who sustained Destined for Victory with your prayers and financial support, gifts that help Pastor Paul share the gospel with a growing audience.

Destined for Victory is a listener-supported ministry, and right now as we enter the busy summer months when donations to the ministry tend to decline, your help is very much needed and appreciated. So as God leads, please prayerfully consider making your most generous gift today. Call us at 855-339-5500 or give securely online at PastorPaul.net.

That's PastorPaul.net. Well, David may not have been the most obvious choice to succeed Saul as King of Israel, but he was God's choice. Let's join Pastor Paul for the rest of today's message, Lessons from the Pasture.

That's what conviction does. It brings you to the reality that Jesus is Lord, and therefore you need to submit to his Lordship right now. But don't be deceived, my friend, if you're sitting here trying to make up your mind as to what you're going to do with the will of God. Let me tell you what the Bible says. It tells you that one day every knee including yours is going to bow and you are going to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

It has nothing to do with what we think. It has to do with what God has ordained. God is the sovereign of the universe. That's why Jesus could make such bodacious statements as remember in John 14 when he was telling his disciples the fact that he was soon to leave this earth and he said don't let your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in me.

I go to prepare a place for you that where I am there you may be also. It goes through that and then he says in verse 6 of John 14, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me. That's a bodacious statement and in today's politically correct climate that is a statement that makes a lot of folk cringe including some Christians. Oh man, that really sounds arrogant.

That sounds so narrow. I am the way. Look at who was talking. Jesus Christ, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the one who will judge the quick and the dead one day.

He's trying to give you a heads up. If you want to get to the Father, you got to go through me. It doesn't matter how that hits your ears. It doesn't matter what you think about that.

It just happens to be true and you can believe it now or you will know it later. Every now and then you see some preacher interviewed. I saw one on CNN one time and Larry King tried to jam him up.

Do you believe that only Christians are going to heaven and the poor fellow just sweated and what have you and tried to come up with an enhancer that wouldn't rock too many folks' boats? Listen, I'm telling you now, if they ever get me up there on CNN, you don't ever see me on there. You won't see me breaking out in a sweat or hemming and hawing or wondering when they're going to commercial break. Neither will I tell them what I think because what I think doesn't matter. We serve a sovereign God and that's got nothing to do with what we think. Who cares what you think? Opinions are like belly buttons.

Everybody has one. It's not about what we think. They ever get me up there, I'm going to say, listen, Jesus Christ, the one I serve, I will tell you what he said. He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me. So the issue is not whether we're the only folk going to heaven. The issue is how many people are getting to Jesus so they can get to God the Father. Now, if you can get to Jesus through some non-churchy system, that's between you.

But I'm telling you now, you got to go through Jesus. He is the Savior. He is the Lord.

He is the one and only. And so every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. We serve a sovereign God. The sovereign God decided in the council of his own will that David would be the next king.

You know what that means? That means when God has a meeting, he's the only one that shows up. We got a decision-making meeting here and in eternity past, in the council of his own will, God met with himself to discuss the fact that Saul was going to be rejected one day through his disobedience and sin and that he would have to be replaced and God asked himself who we are going to pick as the successor. And God told himself that David is going to be the successor and God agreed with himself and they put down the minutes in the meeting and had the adjournment. God makes decisions in the council of his own will. He doesn't negotiate with us. He just decides and it is so.

Now here's the good thing. The good thing is he's done the same thing about your life. It's not just about the heroes of the faith, the Davids. He's done the same thing about your life. The fact that you are called of God means that he has some ideas about your life. He has made some decisions about your life. Some of them are general in nature, but some of them are very specific in nature.

General, what do I mean by that? The reason why you're saved is because God decided that he loved you so much that he would send his son and his son would atone for your sins on the cross and that he would make salvation available to you through Jesus Christ. And so God decided that you would be saved by grace through faith. God made that decision to save you. And that was a God idea.

It wasn't a man idea. Before we knew we needed to be saved, Jesus had come to save us. Before we knew what conviction felt like, Jesus had paid the price for us. So we are saved.

That was a God idea. There's a God idea that having been saved, that you and I will bear fruit under righteousness. That God would develop godly character in us.

It is the will of God that all of us be saved. It is the will of God that all of us bear fruit. God wants you to bear fruit. He doesn't want you to be a Christian in name only.

He doesn't want you to be a Christian that says you're saved but your life defies that. He wants to make you the person he's called you to be. So God is in the business of developing character in us, replacing hatred with love, replacing worry and anxiety with peace, replacing frustration and unhappiness and unfulfillment with joy. He's in the business of replacing impatience with patience. People who can't take anything, he'll give you the ability to take it.

Faithfulness, to stick it out, to wait it out, to go through what you got to go through to get where he's taking you. These are character traits that many of us don't have in and of ourselves, but God says I'm at work in you both to willing to do of my own good pleasure. And so he is at work in us developing that and bearing spiritual fruit. He's also at work in us to make us a blessing to others. He's given us spiritual gifts, he's given us natural abilities that when we dedicate them to him, we can bless the lives of other people.

And God has no intention of having you lead this planet not having touched somebody's life. The reason he saved you was so that you would do good works. See a lot of us know Ephesians 2, 8 and 9 but you need to learn 10 also. Ephesians 2, 8 and 9 says, For by grace are we saved through faith, that not of ourselves.

It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. But verse 10 says, For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do. So God intends to use you.

Don't even think about leaving this planet when you haven't gotten your work done yet. God intends to use you to touch somebody's life. He intends to use you to minister to the needs of people, to serve in ministry, to do the things that he has called you to do. And that's where his calling on our lives goes from general to specific. There are specific ways in which God wants you to bless the lives of others.

That would have to do with your calling. David was called to be king. You and I aren't called to be kings.

We don't even live in that kind of system or in that dispensation. But there is a realm in which you live and operate, and God has a specific calling for you in your life. He has specific things he wants you to do. There are specific roles he wants you to play in the lives of other people. It has to do with your calling. Now, your calling may or may not be related to your vocation.

In David's case, the calling and vocation were going to be one and the same. He's eventually going to become king. That will be his life. That will be his vocation. That will be a calling that encompasses everything he does, his total identity.

That's not always the case. But whether your calling is lined up with your vocation or it is separate, make sure that apart from your vocation, you get your calling fulfilled. You get your calling fulfilled.

What's the difference? Your vocation is what you are paid to do. Your calling is what you are made to do. Your calling is what you're made to do. This is why you're on the planet. This is why you are saved.

Some people are bivocational, so to speak. I know missionaries and people who plant churches and whatever, and they work a secular job. The apostle Paul did that as he planted churches. He was a tent maker by trade. That's the way he paid his bills. That was the way he gave to the needs of others. He was a tent maker. And so sometimes your vocation simply builds into your lifestyle the ability for you to pay your bills so that you can focus on your calling.

So it doesn't have to be one and the same. You can work your secular job and still consider yourself full-time in ministry. My whole life is about ministry, even though I might work for this company or this business firm. But when I am done with that, that is just to facilitate a lifestyle of serving others so that I can fulfill my calling. Whatever you do, get your calling fulfilled. Just as David was called to be king of Israel, you were called by God for a specific purpose, and you are uniquely designed to fulfill it. You may have plans for your own future, ideas that seem right to you and your family, but as you consider the way you want your life to unfold, remember, a good plan can sometimes be the greatest enemy of a God plan. Allow him to direct your path, and you'll experience a lifetime of joy and peace beyond anything you can imagine.

Well, it's a brand new month, and that means it's time for a new special offer. And this month, we have two gifts to share with you, two resources from Pastor Paul that I believe will be a blessing to you and your family. The first is Pastor Paul's book, Why God Created Dads, an insightful and inspirational look at the subject of fatherhood through the lens of Scripture. The second is the audio CD, A Tribute to My Dad, a message delivered by Pastor Paul following the death of his father.

Men and women alike will be inspired by these timely resources. That's Why God Created Dads and A Tribute to My Dad, our gift to you this month for your best donation of $25 or more to Destin for Victory. Call 855-339-5500, or visit pastorpaul.net to make a safe and secure donation online. You can also mail your gift to Destin for Victory, Post Office Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538.

Once again, the address is Destin for Victory, Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538. And if you need prayer today, visit pastorpaul.net. Click contact us and share your request with us so that our ministry team can join you in prayer.

To share online, be sure to ask for Pastor Paul's monthly letter of encouragement, yours at no cost or obligation. I'm here to tell you that because we are called according to purpose, it does not matter who doesn't see you, it doesn't matter who doesn't recognize your abilities, it doesn't matter who doesn't think you're qualified. When you are called of God, it doesn't matter when man overlooks you because God knows exactly what he's up to in your life. If you've ever been overlooked or underappreciated, swept aside or swept under the rug, if you've ever been looked at but not really seen, then tune in tomorrow to hear what God sees. But until then remember, he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. When you are faced, you are destined for victory.