They Don't Know Who You Are!

They Don’t Know Who You Are! – By Minister Russell M. Rillie

1 Samuel 16:18-22; 17:55-58

Does anybody know who you REALLY are? Yeah, you look nice in your suites & your dresses… but do they know who you REALLY are? When nobody’s looking at you? Who are you? When the lights are off? Who are you? Yeah, they USED to know you….but somehow, somewhere between THEN & NOW….they seem to have FORGOTTEN who you are! Do YOU even know who you are anymore?

Our text this afternoon is pulled from one of the greatest Bible Stories of all time. That great Biblical Story of David & Goliath. Does anybody have their OWN story of all time? Does anybody in here have a battle that they fought, or are still fighting against a giant that torments them daily? In chapter 16, the Lord says to Samuel, How long will thou morn for Saul, seeing that I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill thy horn with oil, and go…I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided me a king among his sons. MBI….How long…will thou morn for Doctor Boyce, seeing that God has provided the ram in the bush to reign during this time? How long…will thou morn over that no good man, that wasn’t your’s anyway? How long, will thou morn over the job….How long will thou morn over that breast or that limb that I cut off….if you didn’t cut it off…you’d be DEAD! HOW LONG! The battle has already been fought…and the victory has already been won for most of us. But still yet others, with our stubborn selves….we want to do it OUR way & we’ve gotten so high faluting that we dare to QUESTION the ALMIGHTY GOD! Isaiah received his call, accepted his call, got his assignment and the 1st thing he says is….HOW LONG...Here’s the answer for somebody today….UNTIL!!!!....Until God says it’s over! But in the mean time….Fill your horn with oil, fill your heart with love, fill your mind with peace, fill your mouth with this word & go…I will send thee, I have provide me a Shepherd, I have provided me a Pastor, I have provided me a king among you.

So we know the story, Samuel goes to Jesse’s house to anoint unto God the next King, because Saul has fallen out of favor with God. I wonder who in here like Saul, has fallen out of favor with God. And they don’t even know it! 1 by 1 they come before Samuel…., Elihab, Abinadab, Shammah, Nethanel, Raddai, Ozem and finally David. They all had great features, but God said…look at the heart. I came by to encourage someone that God sees you on the hillsides of your lives. He smells the dung & manure of the people, animals & beasts you hang around, and he still wants you…he still wants to anoint you. It may not be your season YET…but you WILL be the future. Wait on the Lord, be of good courage and he shall strengthen…your heart.

As soon as Samuel anointed him in the midst of his brethren, the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. At the very same moment, verse 14 says that the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. Stop blaming the devil for everything…Sometimes it’s direct, special delivery from God Himself!

Saul, the King, now needs something…or somebody to soothe his spirit to make him feel better, he needs a pick-me-up. He needs just a little bit of help to get him through the day. Look, one of his servants says…I know of a man. I have seen him. (I also know a man). Sometimes, people may not know you personally, but they know OF you. They know of your work! They know of your service. That’s nice, but it’s so…inpersonable. I don’t want to know OF God. I don’t just want to know OF Jesus. I don’t want to know OF the Holy Spirit. I want to KNOW them for myself. I want to know GOD, that’s why I read HIS word. He sent his son for ME to die….I want to know HIM. To know Jesus is to know His Father! No man cometh unto the father, but by me! I want to know Him in the Power of his Resurrection. When I’m preaching and / or ministering, I want to KNOW that touch, that dew, that spiritual residue that drops in my spirit that lets me know that I can FORGET about this paper….I want to know the Holy Spirit so that he can BREATH into my sermons & take it in the spiritual realm for final editing & processing.

Maybe that was the issue with Saul & the Army of Israel….they knew OF God…but they didn’t know GOD himself. They didn’t have a true & real relationship with him. David, the shepherd boy, who was just anointed as King is now sent by his father to work for Saul as his armor bearer & found favor, in the eyes of Saul.