How God Builds A Servant-Leader Series

HOW GOD BUILDS A SERVANT-LEADER

Samuel 16:14-23

At one point in his life, King Saul had been used of the Lord to accomplish great things. Yet, these verses find the king living through desperate days. Because of Saul¡¦s rebellion, God removed His Spirit from the king and allowed an evil spirit to torment him. Saul was gripped by depression, v. 23, and violent mood swings, 1 Sam. 18:8-12; 19:9-10. In an effort to help their master, Saul¡¦s servants suggested that he find someone who was skilled on the harp. It was thought that music might calm the spirit of King Saul, v. 16. It has been said that, ¡§music hath charms to soothe the savage beast,¡¨ and apparently it worked with Saul, v. 23. It is against this backdrop of depression, madness and spiritual tragedy that David is once again thrust onto the stage.

While David had already been anointed to be the next king of Israel; Saul was allowed to occupy the throne until his successor was fully trained. God even used the madness of King Saul to help train the young shepherd boy for his future role as king of Israel. In fact, God used four very specialized tools to train young David for his role as the king of Israel. David probably would have never chosen these four tools for himself, but they were used of God to prepare him for the work that lay ahead. God¡¦s use of these four tools in the life of David reveals to us How God Builds a Servant-Leader.

In the same four tools God uses to train us. God did not save us to leave us as He found us. He saved us to change us, 2 Cor. 5:17. Specifically, He saved us to transform us into the image of His Son, into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ, Rom. 8:28; Eph. 4:11-13. To accomplish this, God uses certain tools in your life and mine. These tools are perfectly suited to the work of transformation. Let¡¦s take a few minutes this evening to look into these verses and observe the tools God uses as He seeks to build Himself a king. I want to preach on the subject: How God Builds a servant-Leader.

I. GOD BUILDS A SERVANT-LEADER IN SOLITUDE (v.19)

A. It was on the lonely hills of Judea, with a flock of sheep for his companions; the starry sky as his cathedral; and the vast expanse of nature as his classroom that David learned some of the most valuable and basic lessons of life. He learned how to be alone with God and with himself. Away from the distractions and noise of others, David learned how to hear the voice of God. David learned how to commune with God. David learned how to worship the Lord. David learned how to be at peace with himself. There is no value that can be placed on those kinds of lessons. They are priceless!

B. Of course, many in our day have no idea what its like to be alone with God. It seems they have trouble being alone. They cannot survive without noise, without activity and without the company of others. I would suggest to you that if you have trouble being alone with yourself that you probably have some issues with your inner life that need to be dealt with.

C. Jesus Christ sought time to be alone with His Father.

„« Mark 1:35, ¡§And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.¡¨

„« Luke 4:42, ¡§And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them.¡¨

„« Luke 6:12, ¡§And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.¡¨

„« John 6:15, ¡§When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.¡¨

D. If the Son of God saw the value and needed the benefit of being alone with the Lord, how much more do we need that kind of intimacy with the Father? We should not fear the times of solitude, when God shuts us off with Himself. It is in the times of solitude that we learn to hear His voice and walk with Him. It is in the times of solitude that God prepares us for greater things! Therefore, make the time and take the time to get alone with God, away from the hustle and bustle of life. Find you a place where you can commune with God in secret; a place where you can hear His voice without all the distractions of life clamoring for your attention. God uses the tool of solitude.