God Sees The Heart

God sees the heart

1 Samuel 16:1-7

Introduction – It is good to have our online church with us this morning. Pray the Lord speaks clearly to us.

Did you ever think about the way God sees us?

That is both frightening and comforting at the same time.

God sees the heart and knows what is in our hearts.

We cannot fool God when it comes to the heart.

The world may be fooled but not God. Ray Comfort is an evangelist that speaks to crowds about salvation. I have seen him get with some tough people who say that they love people but were ready to rip his head off as he would tell them their thoughts were not Godly thoughts and that they do not line up with the Lord and His word.

1 Samuel 16:1-7 if you want to work your way there.

Illustration-

I was in a restaurant eating lunch at the counter and I strike up a conversation with the guy next to me…that is what preachers do because I like to talk. We begin talking about some life things and current events and then he asks the ultimate question. What do you do? That always goes one of two ways.

After I tell them I am a pastor, they get really spiritual and tell me everything they do for the church. They hide their cigarettes, they stop telling off color jokes, they start singing old hymns. They let me know that they are one of us!

The other side is one of shutting down. They get quiet and they start backing up and only give one word answers.

You can sense that they are attempting to exit as fast as they can and not make it obvious that they don’t want to talk anymore.

Life can get complicated- Amen?

We have to deal with all we have been given- Some of us could relate to having the name trouble because trouble seems to follow us everywhere we go.

Some are waiting for their “big” break in life.

Some feel like they let life slip away and now it is gone to never return.

Which one are you? Are you still looking for the break?

Are you the one that thinks life has passed you by?

Do you think that you have made so many bad decisions that God won’t ever give you another chance?

In our text this morning, God is so big that God helped the one that thought he was washed up and depressed.

How big is your God?

How big is your expectation that God wants to work in your life?

Really if we had the time I would have had you read 1 Samuel chapters 16 through18. Because they all work together to show us how big God is and how much God will accomplish in us if we will let him and we not give up on him or ourselves.

Prayer-

Text- 1 Samuel 16:1-7 Read from bible

The prophet Samuel is not morning King Saul death but is morning his disobedience to God and Samuel the prophet having to go to Saul and tell him that God is removing him as king. 1 Samuel Chapter 15- “Then Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them. Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me so I may worship the Lord. But Samuel said to him, I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel.”

Samuel goes back to his home town (Ramah) and gives up the idea of being a prophet and is content that his work for the Lord is finished because he was given a hard assignment.

Anyone still morning a hard thing the Lord has brought you through and think He is finished using you?

That what is in the past will keep you from having a future?

The Lord speaks to Samuel, in his state of depression, and says how long are you going to stay in this state of mind? (depression)

He doesn’t blame him for morning, morning is normal.

He just said how long you going to do this because this is starting to drag out and I am ready to use you again and get you back in the game.

“Fill your horn with oil and be on your way.”

I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.

With hesitation- Samuel said- “How can I go? Saul will kill me.”

Just in case you don’t know this Lord- I told Saul that you rejected him as king because of the sin and disobedience in his life.