A Heart for God

Welcome to this edition of Power Point with Jack Graham. A little later in the program we'll tell you how you can get a copy of Dr. Graham's book, Man of God. But first, here's the message, A Heart for God. Say, have you ever wondered why there is so much biography in the Bible? Have you noticed that these men and women that we meet in the Bible are not perfect men and women?

By no means are they perfect. So many of these have foibles and failures in their lives, and yet God used them and still uses them today. Well, certainly that's true of David. David was such a variegated man.

He was a man of many talents and many abilities. He was a singer, that is a psalmist, and most of the psalms that you read in your Bible were written by David, who is called the sweet singer of Israel. And so David was a mystic in one sense, and a musician. David was a soldier. We're all familiar with the conquest of David as he fought Goliath and went on to lead the mighty men of God of Israel and ultimately became the leader of the nation. He was anointed as king and he ascended to the heights of leadership in Israel.

And so not only was he a singer and a soldier, but he was a statesman. And so many lessons on leadership are learned in the life of David. Of course, he was a shepherd.

We know him as a shepherd boy, and he was raised in the fields outside of Bethlehem. And as a result of his rural life he was a worshiper of God. Israel was in need of a great leader. Israel had desired a king and God acquiesced to their desire for a king. And Saul, a man by the name of Saul, was chosen as the leader of Israel, the king of Israel. And yet Saul, this man failed in this high calling of king.

He failed God because Saul was a man's man. He stood tall and strong and powerful. He was head and shoulders above most men in Israel. He was handsome. He was bright.

He had so much potential. He was literally a man's man, but he wasn't God's man. And because he was a man of personal foolish choices, he had so much potential, so much promise, and yet he did not fulfill his promise. He was physically endowed. He was mentally strong.

He possessed great gifts for leadership. He was willing to serve, and yet he disobeyed God on several fronts in his life. And so God chose to set him aside because of disobedience, because of unwillingness to know and to do the will of God was disqualified from service. So, God tells a prophet by the name of Samuel to go to Bethlehem and to find a new man to lead the nation. And that's where we want to pick up in our reading. Now the Lord said to Samuel, how long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel?

Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse. Jesse was the father of David. I'm sending you to Jesse, the Bethlehemite, for I have provided myself a king among his sons. Samuel said, how can I go if Saul hears about it? Now Saul was still in power, you see.

If Saul hears about it, he will kill me. But the Lord said, take a heifer with you and say, I've come to sacrifice to the Lord. Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice and I will show you what you shall do. You shall anoint for me the one I name to you. This was to be a king of God's choice, not man's choice. So Samuel did what the Lord said and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming and said, did you come peaceably?

They knew that Samuel was a great prophet. And so, you know, the guilty flee when no man pursues. That's why when you are driving down Dibbity Bop, you see a police officer sitting on the side of the road just over that hill.

What do you do? Slam on your brakes. You don't know if you're speeding or not. But the guilty flee when no man pursues. And that's sort of the way these guys were, these leaders of Bethlehem. They said, what have we done? Have you come with a message of judgment or peaceably? He said, I've come to sacrifice to the Lord, verse 5.

Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice. Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. So it was when they came that he looked at Eliab and said, surely the Lord's anointed is before him. Eliab was the first son of Jesse and he looked at him and he said, this has got to be the man. Look at this guy.

He is obviously the one. Verse 7. But the Lord said to Samuel, do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see, and here's the key verse. For the Lord does not see as a man sees.

For man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. So Jesse called Abinabab and had him pass before Samuel and he said, neither has the Lord chosen this one. Then Jesse made Shammai pass by and he said, neither has the Lord chosen this one. Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel and Samuel said to Jesse, the Lord has not chosen these. And Samuel said to Jesse, is this it?

Are all the young men here? And then he said, there remains yet the youngest. And there he is, there he is right over there keeping the sheep, the smelly one over there who's been hanging out with the sheep.

That's him, that's the youngest one. And Samuel said to Jesse, send him and bring him for we will not sit down till he comes here. So he sent and he brought him in and now he was ruddy. That meant he was a fair complexion.

He had bright eyes and was good looking. And the Lord said, arise and anoint him for this is the one. And then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David. That is the anointing of God's Spirit came upon him from that day forward. So Samuel rose and went to Ramah.

Now, what an exciting story this is. God says, when you're choosing a leader, don't look at the externals, but look at the internals. Look at a man's heart. And David is described in the scripture on two occasions as a man after God's own heart. Now, if God is going to choose you and me and use you and me, several facts will be true. Number one, God's choice is contrary to human reason. David was not the human choice.

His father ignored him when Jesse's sons were paraded before the prophet. He was the youngest and in a Hebrew family the youngest was not expected to do very much. He was just a teenage boy.

He was out there keeping sheet. In fact, maybe he was considered a little bit weird because he played an instrument. He wasn't an athlete. He wasn't apparently a man's man.

He was young. Some considered him a mystic. He was always gazing up into heavens and contemplated things beyond himself, trying to comprehend incomprehensible things. He seemed to be a religious fanatic because he was always meditating day and night on the Lord. He found God in every little bush, and in every star, and in every valley, and in every hillside, and in every stream, and in every brook.

He seemed to find God in everything. And so he wasn't the chosen one in the minds of men. You see, when God wants to build a man for himself, when God wants to raise up a leader, he uses different timber. Keep your place there in 1 Samuel 16 and turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 1. Here the Apostle Paul is talking about the kind of people that God uses.

Look down at verses 26 and following, chapter 1 of 1 Corinthians. For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called, but God has chosen the foolish things of this world to put to shame the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty. And the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen.

And the things which are not to bring to nothing the things that are. So God chooses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. God chooses the weak, the base. God chooses the nothings of this world.

And why is that? Well He tells us in verse 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. In other words, God chooses those of us who don't have much to offer so that He can fill us with what He has to offer and empower us so that when great things happen everybody knows that guy didn't do it, God did that. And this is what you love about David. David was so humble and therefore he was so usable. One of the problems of Saul was his inordinate pride and selfishness and carnality. And God will use us when we are humble and available to Him.

God's choice is contrary to human reason. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and today's message, A Heart for God. Our world desperately needs men of God, strong men who model gentleness, lead with humility, and speak the truth in love. We want to help you identify the traits of a real man of God by sending you Dr. Jack Graham's insightful book, Man of God.

Our thanks for your gift today. In it, Dr. Graham gives you biblical insights to what a true man of God looks like to his spouse, his family, and the world. To request your copy of Man of God, call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627.

You can also text PowerPoint to 59789. And don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop our e-store, give a gift online, or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional. Our website, again, is Jack Graham.org. Now let's get back to today's message, A Heart for God. God's choice is contrary to human reason, but it is conditioned upon a heart response. You see, this wasn't the first time God had dealt with David, this teenage boy. The public anointing, the platforming of David was set along before that day when David was recognized and anointed. What happened between David and the Lord was going on for a long time. And out there in those shepherd's fields, out there in those quiet nights and those long days when nobody was looking, when nobody was watching, David was cultivating his character and his walk with God.

I don't know what those other guys might have been doing. All the stalwart sons of Jesse. But we know what David was doing, don't we? He was worshiping, he was seeking God.

Just read the Psalms. And the fact that a young man would have such a great heart for God. There came a time when David looked up into a starry night and discovered the god of the galaxies. There came a time when David looked at a sunset and believed in the son of righteousness. When he looked up into the heavens and he saw the glory of God, when he watched those sheep and he led those sheep and he said, you know, the Lord is my shepherd.

I shall not want. And this young man had grown in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and ultimately with man. God knew all about David. And David knew about God and not just about God, he knew God. He was a worshiper of God, he was a walker with God.

So he had a heart for God. Did you know when people look at us externally, there's not a lot that can be seen. Now here's what we try to do.

You know, we sometimes try to fake it to make it, don't we? And we take our reputation and substitute it for character. So we've got this reputation the way people see us. You know, reputation is what people think about us.

It's good to have a good reputation. But that's what people think about us. Character is what God knows about us. Character is what we are when no one else is looking but God.

And when God was looking at David he saw man after his own heart. But so often we want to take something that we're not and we want to package it. We want to promote it. We want to project it. We want to pretend it.

A lot of people are pretending and packaging and posturing and styling and profiling. But they don't have a heart for God. David responded in his heart. What kind of heart did David possess? Well, you see it in Psalm 23.

Very familiar. You know Psalm 23, right? The Lord is my shepherd. He had a believing heart. He said, the Lord is my shepherd.

I shall not want. Not just a shepherd. He said, He's my shepherd. He had a quiet heart.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He had a pure heart. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His namesake. He had a courageous heart. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. He had a grateful heart. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemy.

My cup runs over. And He had a sure and settled heart. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. That was David's heart.

We're going to be looking at his heart in the days ahead. Now, none of these things were natural. You say, well, David, he was just one of those guys who just had it from birth.

No. David would admit in the Psalms, in sin did my mother conceive me. This man was a sinner.

We know that. There came a day, however, when God gave this man a new heart, and David cultivated that relationship with him and uniquely prepared him and positioned him and then anointed him by the Holy Spirit for service. So search your heart, men. Do you know that you're saved? Do you know that God has given you a brand new heart in Jesus Christ? And then will you pray like David prayed in Psalm 139? Search me, O God, and know my way.

See if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. David was a man whose heart responded to God. God looks at the heart, not the head. Does your heart love the Word of God? Does your heart seek after the will of God?

Does your life reflect the obedience of God? Is your heart hot for God? You see, David had a humble heart. He was a shepherd boy.

He knew the smell of sheep was upon him. His was a human heart. I mean, he was a man just like you, and I are men, but he had a hot heart for God.

And that's what set him apart. God's choice is contrary to human reason. God's choice is conditioned upon a heart response. And finally, God's choice is characterized by a heavenly recognition. God picked him. God chose him.

It's doubtful that anyone that day understood exactly what was happening. Not Jesse, not David's brothers, perhaps not even Samuel, but there are, I believe, two who knew. God knew and David knew. God knew and David knew.

David knew that one day he would be king, and the oil was placed upon him as a symbol of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. And the calling of God comes with the provision of God and the anointing. When God guides, he provides.

And ultimately, the man who had been out there with the sheep, the man who had been tested and tempered by God in the secret places and the quiet places rose to national and international and historical prominence for one reason. God chose him. And when God chose him, he was ready.

He was prepared. And God wants to use you. God wants to choose you in great ways. But he chooses and uses those people who have a heart for him. Not the most famous, not the most powerful, not the best educated, not the most handsome, but men who have a heart for him. Do you have a heart for Jesus Christ?

Do you have a heart for the things of God? Is it in you? I love those Gatorade commercials that are in black and white. And these athletes, you know, sweating and training, you see them in black and white, and then they gulp the Gatorade.

And then they start sweating in purple and in orange and in yellow. And then the ad says, and I should add, is it in you? Because you see, what is in you will come out of you. And if God is in you, if your heart is full of him, you will profusely sweat the grace and the glory of God.

What is in you will ultimately come out. And if God is in you, and if your heart is for him, the whole world will know to the glory of God that you are his man. Let that be our prayer.

Let that be our purpose. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and today's message, A Heart for God. Today's culture has so distorted the concept of masculinity that some even reject it as toxic. But our world doesn't need less manly men. We need more men of God, men who love Jesus, make loving husbands and fathers, and lead as servants. We'd like to help you uncover what God says about true masculinity by sending you Dr. Graham's book, Man of God.

You'll gain biblical insight into how you or the men in your life can live with purpose and passion, putting Christ first and living radically for him. Man of God is our thanks for your gift to help proclaim God's word through PowerPoint. So request your copy when you call today. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text PowerPoint to 59789. And don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop our e-store, give a gift online, or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional. Our website again is Jack Graham.org.

Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today? The heart of anything is that part that makes everything else possible. When you lose the heart, you lose everything. Say a sports team.

They can have the highest payroll, the greatest talent, but if the team has no heart, then there'll never be anything more than a bunch of overpaid superstars. And when it comes to being a champion for Christ, it's really the same. It all starts with the heart. We're all aware of people who spend most of their time taking care of the externals, the things that people can't see, dressing in the right way, saying the right things, going to all the right places. And some may say that, well, I'm just taking care of my reputation. But you know a reputation is what people think you are. Character, which is really the state of your heart, that's what God pays attention to, and His opinion is ultimately what matters forever, for eternity.

So when God looks at you, what does He see? In times of war you'll often hear the priority is to knock out the enemy's command and control center. Do you know what that is? It's the place where the leaders are, where the decisions are made and the orders are determined. What happens there will spell victory or defeat for the entire army. Well, let me just say that your heart is the command and control center of your life, of your inner being.

What goes on there will spell victory or defeat for you as well. And when God comes looking for leaders, for those who will stand and live for Him, He first looks at the heart. Listen to Psalm 119 and verse 2, Today I want to challenge you to seek God with all of your heart.

As Jeremiah 29, 13 says, And when you seek Him and find Him, then you will be able by His Spirit to be a champion for Christ. And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember when you give a gift to PowerPoint we'll send you Dr. Graham's book, Man of God, as our thanks. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 59789. And join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about what it takes to overcome the obstacles in your life. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.