Theme: True Life
Series: Perceive
Scripture: Proverbs 29:18 (The Message): 18If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.
Definition of Perceive: become aware or conscious of (something); come to realize or understand.
Thesis for series: For us this month of Jan. we are seeking to become more aware of Truth – actually we are seeking to become more conscious of what is truth and what is deception. This all has to do with perceiving and understanding truth. When we understand truth it’s easier to discern what is deception and therefore it’s pitfalls. When we understand truth as Jesus taught then we will not fall prey to deceptions or lies. If we cannot discern truth from deception then we live a life which is called a “Deceived Life” not a “True Life.” Our goal is perceive what is “True Life.”
Sermon 4: Perceive Passion
Thesis: We need to decide what we are going to be passionate about in life. David was passionate for the Lord. The truth is you are passionate about something! The Bible encourages us to be passionate for Jesus like David was!
Scripture Texts:
1 Samuel 16 thru 2 Samuel 24 (The Life of David)
1 Samuel 16:7, 11-21:
7But 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.”
11So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered, “but he is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”
12So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one.”
13So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah.
14Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.
15Saul’s attendants said to him, “See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.
16Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the harp. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes upon you, and you will feel better.”
17So Saul said to his attendants, “Find someone who plays well and bring him to me.”
18One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the LORD is with him.”
19Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.”
20So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul.
21David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers.
1 Samuel 17:26b
Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
32David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”
33Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.”
34But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock,
35I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.
36Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.
37The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you.”
38Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head.
39David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off.
40Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.
41Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David.
42He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him.
43He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
44“Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”
45David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
46This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.
47All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
48As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.
49Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
50So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
51David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.
Questions to ponder:
1. What is your definition of passion?
2. Based on that, what are you passionate about?
3. How are you living life for God with David’s passion?
Introduction:
God takes nobodies with a right heart that is filled with passion for Him and makes them into some-bodies.
Mike Bickle States, “Nothing in all creation is more significant to God than the soul of a human being. It is the seat of affections where love and true worship flow. Who and what will possess people’s affections are of grave concern to the Father. We were made in His own image and likeness, fashioned and uniquely designed for His holy purposes. God would not send His beloved Son to die for anything in all creation except priceless, eternal souls. God designed the human soul to be passionate, abandoned and committed. That is the way the soul functions best. It sinks into relentless, boredom, passivity and frustration if it has nothing worthy of giving itself to or sacrificing itself for. In other words, if we have nothing to die for, then we really have nothing to live for. God intended our souls to be captured, consumed and enthralled with Jesus. Our highest development and greatest fulfillment lie in worshiping Him and serving Him with an abandonment that will sacrifice everything” (Passion for Jesus, page 54).
So what are you passionate about? Is it yourself – is it another person – is it football – is it sports – is it Jesus?
Illustration: A group of High School students were asked recently “If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be?” Do you know what they said?
Was it I wish “I had better grades?”
Was it I wish “I was healthier?”
Was it I wish “I had more money?”
Was it I wish “I had more athletic ability?”
Was it I wish “I was more popular?”
Was it I wish “I was holier?”
Was it I wish “I was more patient?”
No it was none of the above – 90% responded in this survey with this answer “I would change my physical appearance.” This was the overwhelming response of some of today’s High School students. Pastor Erickson states this about our study, “The girls wanted to be thinner, the boys wanted to be taller, and both wanted to be free of acne” (2).
This obsession with appearance though is not just a teen fad. The Pioneer Press noted how diet fads are causing major health problems in the U.S.. People are actually damaging their bodies internally even to the point of death to look better on the exterior surface. People have an unhealthy passion about how they look!
Other reports have observed that today people are spending millions on face lifts, tummy tucks, lipo suction, plastic surgery and other cosmetic surgeries so they appear better looking. You could realistically say that America is obsessed with their exterior appearance at the risk of damaging their internal organs.
Pastor Erickson reiterates the problem, “It is not that people are merely dissatisfied with how they look, many are depressed by their appearance and obsessed with finding a way to change it. Many of us have totally forgotten that it is not the outside, but the inside, the inner character, that really counts” (2).
Recall what I Samuel 16:7b states, “…The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
The heart is where your passion is! David had passion!
There are 66 chapters that speak about David in the Old Testament. As a matter of fact, there are more references to David in the Bible than any other person. David’s name means, “beloved” and God says this about him in Acts 13:22-23:
After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him; ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do’ “From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised.
Yes, David was noted as a man after God’s own heart – passionate for God. David fit the description in I Samuel 13:14 “… the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him leader of his people…”
In the Old Testament the term heart, implied emotions, the reason, and the will (Vine, 547). So when God raised up David, He raised up an individual whose heart was directed by God’s emotions or we could say God’s desires and dislikes, God’s reason of right and wrong, God’s will to be done and not David’s will. A heart filled with passion for God.
The term heart in the New Testament and Old Testament comes to mean a man’s entire mental and moral activity, both the rational and the emotional elements. Vine notes, “the heart is used figuratively for the hidden springs of the personal life.” (547). Ephesians 6:6 refers to those who “do the will of God from the heart.”
David sought God with his whole heart and his life reflected it. Remember, David’s epitaph given to him by God was, “I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.”
Could God say about you? “______________is passionate for me and will do everything I ask!’ Can God say that about you?
Is your heart passionate and in this life for God?
Illustration: His heart in it!
A manufacturer in Philadelphia once told a friend the story of one of his superintendents.
Many years ago a boy applied to him for work. He was employed at low wages. Two days later the awards of premiums were made to manufactories at the Centennial Exhibition. Says the manufacturer:
“Passing down Chestnut Street early in the morning, I saw Bob spring over the bulletin board in front of a newspaper office. Suddenly he pulled off his cap with a shout.”
“What is the matter?” asked one.
“We have taken a medal for sheetings!” he exclaimed.
“I said nothing, but kept my eye on Bob. The boy who could identify himself in two days with my interests would be of use to me hereafter.”
“His work was to deliver packages. I found that he took a real pride in it. His wagon must be cleaner, his horse better fed, his orders filled more promptly, than those of the men belonging to another firm. He was zealous for the house as though he had been a partner in it. I have advanced him step by step. His fortune is made, the firm has added to its capital so much energy and force.” Central Christian Advocate
This individual’s heart was in his work and he was proud of it. David’s heart was wrapped up with God. Note what Apperly says, “The heart of a man is like a creeping plant, which withers unless it has something around which it can entwine.”
God designed you and I for passion and purpose for Him and for His Kingdom.
Jesus warned us in Luke 12:34, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” David’s heart was engulfed with passion for God!
T.S. - David teaches us how a nobody becomes a somebody - He had three essential character traits we must have to go from a nobody to a somebody. They are start from within the heart:
I. David first of all had a fully devoted heart to God – He was passionate about the Lord (I Samuel 16).
a. To be somebody you need to have a fully devoted heart to God – it’s not an option but an essential quality God is looking for. David’s heart was wrapped up in God! God cares about what’s on the inside of you not the outside appearance! What drives your heart?
i. David’s heart was blazing for God! It burned Hot. It burned intensely. It sizzled for the Lord. His heart was burning passionately for God!
ii. Passion- is defined as an intense emotional drive or excitement.
1. Swindoll notes, “The first quality God saw in David was spirituality. ‘The Lord has sought out …a man after His own heart? Seems to me, it means that you are a person whose life is in harmony with the Lord. What is important to Him is important to you. What burdens Him burdens you. When he says, ‘Go to the right,’ you go to the right. When He says, ‘Stop that in your life,’ you stop it. When He says, this is wrong and I want you to change,’ you come to terms with it because you have a heart for God. That’s bottom line Biblical Christianity” (6).
a. That is passion for the one you love!
2. David had a passion for God and everyone saw it.
iii. Do you want to be somebody? Then let your heart burn passionately – completely for Him. He is looking for individuals who are completely sold out to Him. David was so engulfed in God that his life in public and in private reflected his love for the Lord!
1. Would people say that about your life? Does your heart burn passionately for the Lord!
b. When you study David’s life you discover that he came from an isolated place where no one knew his name. But it was back on the fields where he developed a fully devoted heart of passion for God (I Samuel 16:11-13, and 19 – after his anointing). He knew the importance of solitude with the Lord!
i. David’s one on one encounters with the Lord in the fields developed his mature passionate heart. It was in solitude where he grew spiritually. His early life encompassed private time with the Lord. To become fully devoted to God happens first in your private time with the Lord. It’s amazing how the Lord trains a lot of leaders in solitude. Just research this out for yourself – Just a few – Moses, David, John the Baptist, and even Paul. David worked out in the fields mostly in isolation from others but this time alone with the Lord helped Him become somebody. In reality this was David’s training ground to help him to handle the future public life that was coming.
1. His passion grew in His times alone with the Lord!
ii. Jesus himself reflects the importance of solitude with God and how important it is to sustain you in public life. This time helps to re-kindle your passion for God.
1. Swindoll states, “Solitude has nurturing qualities all its own. Anyone who must have superficial sounds to survive lacks depth. If you can’t stand to be alone with yourself, you have deep, unresolved conflicts in your inner life. Solitude has a way of helping us address those issues”(9).
2. Swindoll adds, “Men and women of God, servant-leaders in the making, are first unknown, unseen, unappreciated, and unapplauded. In the relentless demands of obscurity, character is built. Strange as it may seem, those who first accept the silence of obscurity are best qualified to handle the applause of popularity”(10).
c. In the daily grind of life – God was at the center of David’s life! In the lowly tasks of shepherding he still served God – he shepherded for God with passion, he protected the sheep for God, played praise worship to God while working all with a deep passion for the Lord.
i. It’s important to realize that to be fully devoted to God in your heart means He is a part of your life in private – this is what thrusts nobodies into some-bodies.
1. This is what ignites passion in us!
ii. David saw God in his mundane day to day tasks and he used those opportunities to become more saturated in God.
iii. He did not serve God to be seen of men – he just loved God - No show! No way! No how! God was David’s central focus in his teen years. God was his passion!
iv. Seems impossible – a teenager! But it was true!
1. To you remember the video we played this morning?
v. David’s heart was exactly what the Lord was looking for and desiring in His people.
1. God looks for individuals who are fully devoted to Him and then he turns them into somebody. It’s important to remember- David was chosen for the character of his heart not his outward appearance- not his credentials- but his faithful passionate heart.
a. David’s desires aligned with God’s desires!
b. David did not live for David – no - He lived for God!
c. His heart was aligned to beat with the Fathers beat!
d. David’s heart beat in rhythm with God’s heart beat!
T.S. - David’s thrust into the forefront came from a heart that was saturated in God. David went from a nobody to a somebody because his heart was fully devoted to God. Because of this deep intimate relationship with the Lord it set up his other character trait of being in tune with God.
II. David became a somebody because his heart was tuned into God with a driven passion to please God in worship (I Samuel 16:14-23).
a. His heart was so in tune with God that when he ministered in music the demons ran for the cover of darkness. When you are passionate about someone like David was with God you become in tune with what you are passionate about.
i. David was not an observer in worship standing by and watching it happen – no he entered into it wholeheartedly and engulfed himself in God. He knew what pure worship was all about.
1. Worship honors God for who He is!
2. Worship is love songs written to God!
ii. He worshipped the Lord in spirit and in truth.
1. – it was genuine
2. – it was from the heart!
3. –It was done with passion
a. 1 Cor. 10:31: So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
b. Jesus emphasized how important this was in the Gospels.
b. Psalm 24:3, 4 reflects how David approached worship to the Lord: “Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?” Then he sheds light on his question. “He who has clean hands and a pure heart.”
i. David learned from an early age that to approach God in true authentic passionate worship came from one with a pure heart dedicated to Him. He knew that the power to overcome the enemy came from a pure heart dedicated to worshipping the Father.
1. Pure is defined as free from defects. You may ask what made David’s worship so powerful that demons ran for the cover of darkness yelling, “In Coming Praise!”?
2. If you take the time to read through the Psalms you discover that worship was one of David’s priorities in life.
ii. Psalms reveals David’s heart of worship to God:
1. David’s kind of worship was his life- He lived to worship God and he enjoyed it. Listen to what he says in Psalms 27:4, “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”
2. This verse shows his total commitment to God and his uncompromising love for the Lord.
iii. David loved to worship – Do you?
1. David’s kind of worship was an in your face no compromising attitude – It’s for God – it’s wholehearted it’s focused on Him and Him only.
a. Reference Vineyard Conference the last couple of days!
2. His worship was wholehearted – not 80/20 it was 100% sold out to God.
a. It’s like a football fan type of worship for their team.
i. It was that passionate!
ii. It was done with not thought about others only God!
b. He did not care how others thought – He worshipped with intensity and with passion.
i. Like many football fans do.
c. This is why demons ran for darkness when he worshipped.
iv. How about your worshipful attitude is it a “Sold out attitude “? Or is like how Steffaniak describes it, “Drive thru Worship?”
1. You enter into the drive thru and you order from God “3 worship songs and two choruses” and you say,” Please make that a rush order I’m very busy and in a hurry!” She challenges us to evaluate where our heart is in worship. “What exactly am I giving to God as I worship? When I rush through worship, I do so for one of the same reasons I visit a drive-thru at a fast-food restaurant: because it is cheap. I may believe I’m willing to focus on the Lord; but if I speed through worship, I’m probably looking for an experience that really won’t cost me much” (92).
a. This is not the type of worship that will make you somebody- this type of apathy will keep you a nobody!
b. This type of attitude will not create a passionate heart in you for the Lord.
c. David learned to give his heart completely to God in worship and that act thrust him into becoming somebody.
i. This act of worship ignited and kept a passion for God alive in David.
ii. Play a few worship songs and pray that God would ignite a passion in the people for him.
T.S. - David’s second character trait that made him somebody was his heart of uncompromising worship to God. This attitude of worship was so powerful it drove demons into the darkness. This also leads us to a third character trait of David and that was fearlessness in the face of giant enemies.
III. David’s heart was fearless for God-no giant scared him off (I Samuel 17)!
a. His heart was so in tune to God that he feared nothing because he knew where his strength came from to slay any giant foe (I Samuel 17:32-37).
i. You may be thinking, “How did he do it?”
1. You know kill bears?
2. You know kill lions?
3. You know kill giants?
4. You know evade a King and his army without having a nervous breakdown?
ii. Have you ever heard the phrase “Perfect love casts out fear!”
1. NIV 1 John 4:15-18 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
a. His fearlessness really goes back to his relationship with God.
b. His passionate love for God drove out fear!
c. He knew God-He experienced God in an intimate way-he did not doubt God’s strength or ability. He was absolutely convinced that Goliath was toast! Why because God –NOT -David was going to deal with this giant.
iii. David knew and realized that Goliath was not challenging him or even Israel’s army but he was literally challenging the Living God the one he was passionate about - The Champion.
1. He knew where his strength came from – He had a reality check as to who God is and who Goliath was (I Samuel 17:40-50)!
a. Swindoll states, “”So often, when facing our own giants, we forget what we ought to remember and we remember what we ought to forget…Not so with David! He says, ‘You know why I can fight Goliath, Saul? Because the same God who gave me power over a lion and a bear will give me power over Goliath. It is God who will empower me…so just let me at him” (44).
b. David said on one side of the ring is Goliath-big, tall and ugly. On the other side of the ring was God – The Great I Am! The Beginning and the End, The creator of the universe, the all powerful one, the one who was everywhere, Jehovah, Yahweh, the one who holds the world in His hand. Not a spear but the whole world!
c. This is going to be a slaughter – Goliath You going down with a big thud! This is an attitude filled with passion for the Lord!
iv. This is why a nobody became a somebody-He knew God was his protector and provider because God also had a passionate love for David!
Conclusion:
Do you want to be somebody? Then learn David’s secrets to success. Do you want to make you mark in history? Live like David did. Act like David did. Have passion like David did for the Lord!
Have the three character traits that David had–these will be the traits that will thrust you from a nobody to a somebody.
Let’s recap them:
1. Have a heart that is fully devoted and passionate to God!
2. Have a heart tuned into God’s station through worship and are you passionate about worshipping Him!
3. Have a heart that is fearless for God and passionate to stand up for Him!
Pastor Erickson gives us a reality check today: …maybe you looked into the mirror today and thought, “Wow! I’m a 10! People are going to be impressed.” If that, or anything like that, happened, remember it is not important. Now, if you are one of those folks blessed with great natural physical beauty, you can certainly praise God for that. But if our outward beauty is a product of hours and hours of work, maybe we need to check our priorities. If we have been working more on the outward appearance then on our inner character, we have forgotten and important truth. What’s on the inside is what really matters (5).
I Samuel 16:7b “…The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
