A Heart For God Series

Opening Illustration

(a story built on one by A. Stanley)

While in college, Dave came home with me for a Winter Break. Unknown to my parents, though, was what Dave brought in his extra large suitcase: a 40 pound python named ‘Squeeze’. I really never liked snakes, but he told me he had no where to keep in during the break and that he would take total care of it. I cringed, but OK’d it.

Then it happened, Dave had unlocked that large suitcase, walked out of the room to come up for dinner, and….by the time he had come back down….Squeeze was no where in sight! We all c a r e f u l l y searched the house right up til midnight, checked all the heating vents, the laundry basket, the bathtub, but could not find him. Well, my folks thought that he might just might have found a nice warm spot next to the furnace and with that they decided to go to bed because they were tired.

WAIT FOR THIS TO SET IT THEN CONTINUE

Transitional Statement:

I wonder how many people would be able to sleep well knowing that a snake was loose in their homes!

But the fact of the matter is, that many people would go right to sleep and do go right to sleep even though snakes are loose……….

……snakes of sexual impurity

…....snakes of murder

…....snakes of greed

My friends, today we are going to learn that one very influential man, who had been called by God to a very high position of leadership did not rest until he made sure the snakes in his life were captured and contained.

After reading his life in God’s word, one scripture that summarizes his entire life is:

7 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."

1 Samuel 16

This Scripture refers to King David’s life, and today as God leads us during this time, we will learn the importance of having a heart for God.

We will find that it takes a person who is willing to do whatever in order to have a heart for God, in order to be passionate for Him.

ILLUS:

Derek McGinnis, a 29 year old war vet, lost his left leg to a suicide bomber in Iraq, but he became determined not to let that stop him from his passion of surfing. With that determination, he gathered other war amputees around him to teach them how to surf.

Transitional statement for Illustration:

He would not let anything get in the way of his passion.

And neither do you!

God’s word tells us that King David suffered looses, great looses, but he did not give up on on his passion for God.

To best show this, I want you to turn in your Bibles to Psalm 51, a Psalm of David written after a trusted friend confronted him with sin!

As we look at this psalm we will find a process through which this man travels from his state of sin back into the presence of God

ILLUS

Who are you accountable to, my friend! Who would you allow to come up to you in order to help you through a difficult time?

But too often we confuse love with permissiveness. It is not love to fail to dissuade another believer from sin any more than it is love to fail to take a drink away from an alcoholic or matches away from a baby. True fellowship out of love for one another demands accountability.

Found at sermonillustrations.com accountability

King David, through, the advice of Nathan was willing to be held accountable for his sin of adultery and murder. well know King found trust in a friend to lead him back to God, Notice first his..

DESPERATE CONDITION

Though he had commited adultery, and then had that woman’s husband murdered, notice how he is gripped by how the ugliness of his sin has destroyed his relationship with God!

Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.

Ps 51:4 NIV

Though sin cripples our relationship with others, first and foremost it destroys our fellowship with God. Until we hear again from God, it is best that we wait for Him to speak into our lives before we seek attempt to right the wrong we have made with another.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.

Psalm 51:13 NIV

Again, David shows us one who was passionate to serve God…not just during the times when life was going well, but even during the times when he sinned.