(Although this message is meant for the entire congregation, it is primarily aimed at the younger children, teaching them that it is ultimately more important what a person is like on the inside rather than what they appear to be like on the outside. And to illustrate this point, we will have the children serve cups of hot chocolate to the adults just prior to giving this message.)
A preacher saw a truck in front of him as he drove down the road one day. That truck was speeding and passing cars. It was getting ready to make a sharp right turn to get on the freeway, and wasn’t slowing down at all.
The driver of the truck had long hair; he wore sunglasses; he was talking on a cell phone; and he wore a black t-shirt. The preacher just knew the driver of the truck was putting himself, and everybody around him, in danger. Just about that time, the truck did a wild U-turn and begin to slow down quickly. The driver jumped out, and sure enough, the preacher noticed the man’s arms were covered with tattoos. The preacher decided that the man was not a good man to be around.
Let me ask you a question. If you had been there that day, and saw how ‘reckless’ this driver was driving, and then you saw him dressed like that and having all kinds of tattoos, would you have liked him or disliked him? Most people would have disliked him, based on nothing more than how he looked and what he seemed to be doing.
Based on outward appearances, this man looked like he was a troublemaker; someone who didn’t care about anybody but himself. But as the preacher watched him, it became apparent why he was driving so fast and why he made a U-turn where he shouldn’t have. There was a car lying on its side, near the ditch. Smoke was coming out of it, and the driver of the truck ran over and pulled a woman and two small children from the car.
The man actually cared very much about others, didn’t he? He turned out to be a hero. And the preacher found out later that the man worked as an Emergency Medical Team member. He drove an ambulance and worked to help others every day. So much for our deciding whether others are good or bad based on just how they look to us.
Have you ever heard the expression; ‘Do not judge a book by its cover?’ That means we should never decide what a person is really like by just looking at how they dress or whether they are poor or rich. The only way to really tell what a person is like on the inside is to spend enough time to get to know them.
I remember when my children were just toddlers. On Christmas morning, we would give them their gifts, and I always noticed something very strange. When they were handed a gift, they would invariably get interested in the paper and bows the presents were wrapped in, and temporarily forget about the present inside the wrapping! Why would they do that? They did that because they were only focused on what they could see with their eyes. They were babies. Later, as they grew older, they just tore right through the wrapping to see how fast they could get to the actual gift inside.
And that describes how Christians are. When we are baby Christians, we look at the outside of a person instead of inside a person. We look at how they dress or how they talk, but we do not look at what kind of a person they are. And we make the decision to either like them or not like them based on what we see, not what we feel.
But as we grow to maturity in Jesus Christ, we take on more of His ways. We start looking at what’s in a person’s heart before deciding what kind of person they are. We always go with first impressions, and first impressions are always made by looking at a person’s outside instead of looking at their inside. There is even a Bible verse that tells us what we do, in comparison to how God does it.
How many of you have been to a doctor? Then you know that doctors checks you out to make sure you are healthy. And they use many tools to help them. They need to check your insides, too, but since they can’t see inside you, they use things like stethoscopes and x-rays. That is because they can only ‘see’ what’s on the outside.
We can only see what’s on the outside, too, but we all-too-often forget about looking on the inside. But God is different than we are. He looks at the inside because He knows that is the most important part of a person; what’s on the inside of them.
1 SAMUEL 16:7 says,
‘The Lord does not look at the things man look at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at what’s in the heart.’
Now what in the world does all this have to do with hot chocolate? Well, did you notice what happened when everyone reached for a cup of hot chocolate? We wanted to drink hot chocolate, but when we had to decide which cup we wanted, we forgot about what was inside the cup and only concentrated on what the cup looked like.
And that shows how we choose our friends, too – by what they look like, not by what kind of person they really are. The Bible mentions the word ‘heart’ over 700 times, and nearly every one those times it is talking about what a person is like on the inside, not how they look on the outside.
And since God looks at the inside of a person, He ends up making different choices about people than we do. Let’s begin today’s message by talking about;
1. HOW GOD CHOOSES PEOPLE
Over 3,000 years ago, there was a young shepherd boy named David. He was a youngest son of a poor farmer who lived in Bethlehem. Even members of his own family looked down on him because he didn’t seem to have anything to offer except watching out over animals.
But God saw something else; He saw greatness in David’s heart. And God ended up choosing David to be the King over all of Israel. And this young boy, who was considered nothing by his family, ended up being the greatest king who ever ruled that nation.
During his life, King David received many blessings from God and he was able to accomplish many great things. But the greatest thing he ever did was become a man after God’s own heart. This is not what he said about himself, but what God said about Him in ACTS 13:22.
But why should we talk about a man who has been dead for over 3,000 years? We talk about King David because we can learn things from his life that will help us be better Christians in our lives today.
David accomplished many things in his life that God wants us to accomplish in our lives today. Don’t get the idea that David was a perfect man, because he wasn’t. He failed to live up to God’s standards many times, and some of those times were great big failures.
That shows us that, even though we make mistakes in life, God will still accept us as His children if our hearts are focused on following Jesus Christ.
As I said, we can learn from the past. And it is always interesting to go back and read the Old Testament; because there are so many things we can learn from what they did way back then. Let’s quickly go over one of those lessons.
God had always ruled Israel by raising up leaders as they were needed. But Israel wanted a king like all the nations around it. They wanted to be like those other nations. In SAMUEL chapter 8, we read where God finally had Samuel anoint a man by the name of Saul to be that king. And as we read the Bible, we find out that Saul turned out to be a bad king; a king who was selfish and only concerned with what he wanted.
So, because of how bad a king Saul was, 1 SAMUEL, chapter 16, opens up with the Lord reminding Samuel that He has rejected Saul as the leader of Israel, and He then instructed Samuel to go to Bethlehem so he could anoint a new king. That new king would be the young man named David.
We can look at how God chose David and see how He likes to pick people who do not seem to be likely candidates for anything, and then raise that person up to where they are considered great in His kingdom. And God will do the same for us. No matter what we have ever done, good or bad, if we have a heart that loves God and tries to live according to His desires, He can use us for many great things! But before He will use us, we must make sure we really do have a heart that loves and wants to be good for Him.
God looks past the outside and looks directly on the inside. And it could be that He is getting ready to use somebody who is sitting here this morning. He might be getting you ready to work for Him. I know He is looking for people who are willing to listen to Him. All you have to have for God to call you into greatness is a heart that is willing to do His will. And don’t worry if you think you aren’t qualified to work for God. When He calls, He doesn’t call the qualified – He qualifies those He calls.
2. GOD IS IN FULL CONTROL
Not only is Samuel told where to go, he is told exactly who to see. God told him to go to Bethlehem and see that farmer named Jesse. And then God tells Samuel that one of Jesse’s sons will be the new king of Israel. And we know now that the youngest son, David, was chosen as that king.
Even when it seems that God isn’t paying attention to things, He is actively working to set things up for His ultimate plans. And part of that is the fact that God will never be mocked and let someone get away with it.
How many of you have ever heard of a man named Napoleon? He was a very powerful General in France’s army about 200 years ago. Someone asked him whose side he thought God was on. He sarcastically replied that God was on whichever side that had the biggest army.
Not long after that comment, Napoleon found himself fighting in the Battle of Waterloo. He was defeated and lost the Battle and his empire. He ended up living the rest of his life as a poor man, living in exile. But his heart became humble to the Lord. One of the last quoted things Napoleon said was, ‘Although man proposes, it is only God who disposes.’
So what are the lessons we can learn from how God chooses and how He is always in control of everything that happens?
First of all, there are no accidents in life. Everything that happens to you is part of a much larger plan, and the end results of what happens depends on what is in your heart. We are told this in;
ROMANS 8:28
‘We know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.’
God is in control. He is in control because His ways are not only different from our ways, but His ways are so much better than how we would do it.
ISAIAH 55:8-9 substantiates this:
‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.’
How can you be sure God is working in your life? The very first way is to know what is in your heart. Do you love God? Do you love Him enough to try and live the kind of life He wants you to live? If the answers to these two questions are ‘YES’, then you know God is working in your life.
And what does He accomplish in your life? It may not seem great and important to the world, but to God’s kingdom it will be extremely important. It might be that you bring others to know Jesus during your life. Now that may not seem big to others around you, but how much more important can you get in God’s kingdom than bringing others to Him?
God is in absolute control over everything, including our lives. When we open ourselves up to doing His will, He opens up our lives to receive many spiritual blessings.
People who do not know God do not understand why we do things for God, or how we feel about Him. God says His ways and thoughts are so much higher than ours. And that leads us right back into the hot chocolate, doesn’t it?
It is God’s plan that we look at who people really are rather than to look at them and make decisions about them based on their outward appearance.
There is a big church in North Carolina that has classes every summer to help train people in different ministries. During one such period a few years ago, a young man appeared on campus where hundreds of others were. But this young man didn’t take part in any classes. He was always there to be seen, but never took an active role in anything.
His hair looked long and uncombed, he needed a shave, and he wore clothes that were older, somewhat dirty, and a little smelly. When they were having outdoor classes, this man always sat away from the others, under a tree. When lunchtime came, he was there in the corner of the cafeteria. He never bothered anyone and he never asked anyone for anything.
Finally, on the last day of classes, the pastor of the church was addressing all of the students in a general assembly. He reminded them that a life in Christ was all about helping others. And then he said he had a very special guest speaker. At that point, the young man dressed in the shabby clothes came in and walked up to the pulpit.
When he addressed the assembly, he told he was a Youth Pastor at a church in another state. He was asked to come to this campus and portray a homeless man who had no money, and to just ‘hang around’ the students who were attending summer classes at that church. He reminded them that he had been there for two weeks, always making sure many people saw him. He said some came up and quickly handed him a few dollars to help buy his lunch, but then they walked off just as fast as they came to him.
He said nobody offered to see if he needed anything, and not one person actually tried to talk to him. He went on to tell them that how they reacted to him was how most people, including Christians, react to anyone who doesn’t look like they are the same kind of person they are.
We always tend to make our minds up about people based only on what they look like on the outside, but we seldom get around to looking past the outside to get to know what is on the inside. That is contrary to what Jesus wants and expects us to do.
God chooses people to do His work on this earth. And it is He who is in total control over everything, not us.
(Before the service, I put a five-dollar bill in a lady’s Bible without her knowing it. At this point, I ask her to come forward and bring nothing but her Bible. When she gets up there, I ask her if she trusts me enough to know I would never ask her to do anything I didn’t know beforehand that she could do. She will always answer ‘YES.’
Then I ask her if she trust me enough to know I would never ask her to do anything that would harm her in any way. Again, she will always answer ‘YES.’
And then I ask her to give me a five-dollar bill. She will always say she doesn’t have one on her and she will start to go get her purse. I will stop her and remind her that I would never ask her to do anything unless I knew in my heart that she could do exactly as I asked. She will then say she has to go get her purse.
I remind her again that she needs to trust me. She will stand there, not knowing what to say or what to do. This is when I ask her to open her Bible to whatever page I put the money in. When she does, there is the five-dollar bill, and she takes it and gives it to me.
I again remind her that I would never ask her to do anything unless I knew beforehand that she could do as I asked. And then I ask her to take her seat and I address the congregation.)
That is what God does. Before He asks us to do anything, He will always make sure we have everything we need to do what He asks of us. All it boils down to is whether or not we trust Him enough to step out in faith to do it.
And what is blind faith? Imagine yourself blindfolded and in an unfamiliar and dark room. You know there are holes in the floor, but you do not know where. And God asks you to walk straight across the room to the opposite side. How would you walk? Would you walk inch-by-slow-inch, or would you boldly step out and walk straight across the room?
Blind faith is knowing in your heart that you can walk boldly across the room, because you know that before your foot hits the floor in front of you, God would make sure it lands on solid floor, and that God would never ask you to do anything that He didn’t know you could accomplish.
LUKE 1:37 reaffirms this by saying;
‘Nothing is impossible with God.’
We should know by now that God chooses people to act in greatness for His kingdom, and that He is in absolute control over everything that happens, so we should submit ourselves to Him and know that He will never harm us.
But sometimes, we find that;
3. GOD TENDS TO CHOOSE THOSE WE WOULDN’T
God sent Samuel to Bethlehem to see Jesse. His instructions were to choose one of Jesse’s sons to be the new king of Israel. And Samuel did as God ordered.
When he got there, Jesse lined all his sons up before Samuel, except for his youngest son David. He was just a teenager who was out tending the animals. Each son took his turn passing before Samuel. And as each one passed, Samuel thought that he would be the one God would choose. But each time, God told Samuel to not pick him.
Finally, after Samuel had rejected each one, he asked Jesse if he had any more sons. Jesse said he had one more, and Samuel asked him to send for him. As the young teenager walked before Samuel, God told Samuel to anoint this one as the new king of Israel.
Talk about unlikely choices! The new king of Israel would be a scrawny under-aged boy who didn’t have any skills at all except tending to and protecting the animals on his father’s farm?
God chooses those we wouldn’t. That is because God looks at the inside to see what a person is really like while we look on the outside and make decisions about people that are mostly wrong.
Samuel was like us; he saw a handsome and intelligent young man and thought God would surely pick him to be the new king. But Samuel could not see the character of the young man’s heart. God could, and God rejected him.
Pastor Jim Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York tells of a similar story. A man came to his church when his church was small and first getting started. That man was a smelly alcoholic, and was everything we think a good Christian should be. At first, Pastor Cymbala did not have a good impression of the man.
But as time went by, God could be seen stirring this man’s heart. That man is now one of the leaders of that church, which now numbers more than 10,000 members.
If you listen to Christian music, you have heard of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. They are among the best choirs in the world, and have more than 100 members. Their music has won many awards for excellence.
Pastor Cymbala’s wife started and continues to lead that choir. This is how God chooses the most surprising of people. Mrs. Cymbala cannot read music! How was she then able to lead a choir into such national prominence? It is because God does not call those who are qualified to do it, He qualifies those He calls so they can do it. And He will do the same for you if you make yourself available to His call, and trust in blind faith that He will keep you from failing.
This is the lesson our churches need to learn today: When we look for people to be leaders in the church, we need to stop looking at only the characteristics we can see with our eyes, or what they may have accomplished in the past. We need to start looking at where their hearts are in relation to what we might want to ask them to do.
We need to stop looking for any previous successes they may have had, and start looking at how close to God they want to be. And we need to start relying more on prayer, asking God to direct us and lead us in choosing the leaders of this church.
And here is the lesson we must learn in our personal lives: We need to stop looking at people who are different and making judgments that we don’t want to be around them. Remember that pastor who dressed like a homeless person and went to a church school. Remember how people ignored him and didn’t want anything to do with him because he was different. Nobody looked past his outward appearance to see what was inside, did they?
We need to start looking at who people really are, and stop looking at just how they look. Remember the longhaired and tattooed truck driver who, at first glance, seemed to be driving very reckless. It turned out he was in a hurry to save a mother and two children. It turned out that this unlikely looking man was really a hero.
When God looks at you, what does He see? Does he see a good-looking person who dresses nicely? In all actuality, God doesn’t care what you look like. What God looks at is whether you have a heart that is willing to serve Him. Again, let me ask you what God sees when He looks at you? We judge people based on what they seem to be, but God judges people on what they can become in Him.
A perfect example is the Apostle Paul. You must remember that Paul wrote most of the New Testament, and did more to convert non-believers to Christ than anyone else. But he started out as a hater of Jesus and a killer of Christians. Here is what he says about himself:
1 TIMOTHY 1:12-14
‘I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has given me strength, that He considered me faithful enough to appoint me to His service. Even though I was once a violent man, a blasphemer and persecutor of Christians, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that only found in Christ Jesus.’
God wants you to be a worker for His kingdom. But before He can use you, you must first decide whether you are ready to work for God. You must decide whether or not you are truly reliable enough to work for God.
If you are ready and find yourself reliable, then you must make a decision. Are you making yourself available to God? I used an analogy Thursday evening. I said most of us want to do something for God, but not badly enough to get our of our comfort zone to actually do it.
Sitting at home in your recliner after a hard day’s work is very comfortable, isn’t it? But while you are all comfortable in that recliner, are you doing anything constructive at all? The answer would be ‘NO.’ It is only when we are willing to get out of our comfort zones that we can be productive workers for the Lord.
Are you available to God?
INVITATION
