The Stone Of Destiny Series

DAVID—A MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART

08—THE STONE OF DESTINY

TEXT: 1 Samuel 20:18-22

1 Samuel 20:18-22 KJV Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty. [19] And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel. [20] And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark. [21] And, behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find out the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come thou: for there is peace to thee, and no hurt; as the LORD liveth. [22] But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way: for the LORD hath sent thee away.

1 Samuel 20:33-38 KJV And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David. [34] So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame. [35] And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him. [36] And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. [37] And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee? [38] And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.

I. INTRODUCTION—DESTINY

-Every single person that you meet has a mark of destiny on him. That destiny has been implanted into his life by God but the reality is that it takes several factors to get that man into shape for the destiny that fits in his heart.

-There are some positive aspects that move us toward that place such as well-disciplined routines, commitments to doing the hard tasks, and having a toughness to deal with obstacles. There are also some very negative and trying things that often come into the path of a man who is on the path of destiny. There will be circumstances beyond your control that you will not be able to change except by patience. There are painful choices that you will have to endure the consequences of. There will be critics who will do their best to pull you down because your success makes them uncomfortable with themselves.

-But we have to know that when God has us marked out for a place of destiny that we will get there if we are faithful and committed to the cause. I am sure you are aware that we have a man here in David who has already been anointed to fill the role as the king of Israel but there will be a thousand weary burdens he has to contend with before he gets there.

A. General

Unknown—I was never of any use until I found out that God did not intend to make me to be a great man.

Unknown—Don’t worry about doing something great. Be great by doing what you can where God has placed you. It will pay off after a while.

Winston Churchill—It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.

B. John P. Kee, Black Gospel Singer

Friday morning when I was working on this message, I did something a little out of the ordinary for me. I put on my Pandora radio channel to the Mississippi Mass Choir and began to listen to them while I was studying. It is not something that I normally do because I have a tendency to start listening to the music and then singing along with it and when all is said and done, the sermon and the songs have gotten all mixed up in a terrible jumble. That is the curse of only having a single track mind.

While I was listening to the music, a very powerful and stimulating song came on by John P. Kee. Pandora is designed so that you can read about the artists who is singing the song and I read an intriguing story about this famous singer on the black gospel circuit.

John P. Kee was born the 15th of 16 children in Durham, North Carolina. At an early age he began to develop his musical talent both instrumentally and vocally. He attended the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem and at 14, he and his brothers Wayne and Al moved to California where he began attending the Yuba College Conservatory School of Music in Marysville, California. During this time, he began playing with various groups such as Cameo and Donald Byrd and the Blackbyrds.