God’s Vision vs. Ours: Learning to See with the Heart

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Thank you for watching!
[00:00:37] In Jesus name we pray.
[00:00:59] Amen.

[00:01:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
All who are thirsty, come and drink Come to the table All who are hungry, come and feast Those who are weary, those who are needy
[00:01:45] Come to the river, come to the river, taste and see.
[00:02:41] The Lord is with you.

[00:03:51] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Christ the Lord

[00:04:19] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Let us pray.
[00:04:57] I will taste and see who are good I will taste and see who are good I will taste
[00:05:24] I will taste and see that you are good
[00:05:52] I will taste and see that you are good I will taste and see that you are good

[00:06:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Good morning.
[00:07:04] I want to welcome you to Center Church this morning.
[00:07:06] We gather here every Sunday morning like most churches in our community, in our country, and around the world because we want to worship the living God.
[00:07:16] Amen.
[00:07:18] And so this morning I want to remind you that Center Church is making room for everyone to experience joyful, life-transforming connection to Jesus and His people.
[00:07:30] That happens by the power of the Holy Spirit as we come and we meet with God and we meet with each other.
[00:07:36] It starts today and it continues throughout the week.
[00:07:40] In your bulletins you're going to find prayer cards.
[00:07:43] We really want you to
[00:07:45] Write your name on those.
[00:07:47] Write down any concerns you have.
[00:07:49] Our prayer group meets every Tuesday and we are delighted to pray for you, pray for your needs.
[00:07:55] We believe that God answers prayer.
[00:07:58] Our bathrooms are right outside this door inside the next building over if you need it.
[00:08:05] And if you are a mom with a young child, that is also a space where you can go still hear the worship, the prayer, everything part of the service.
[00:08:15] Be able to nurse your baby, change your baby.
[00:08:17] It's right next door.
[00:08:19] There are a couple of new opportunities for moms with young kids, and I don't actually see them sitting here in the room.
[00:08:26] So if you're in the other building or you're listening online, check out our website and look at Joyful Journeys.
[00:08:33] And then there's a new monthly craft club starting up.
[00:08:37] The dates are actually not correct on our slides.
[00:08:41] If you're a mom with a young kid, look at the website for those things.
[00:08:45] Our next middle school girls group is gonna be on Friday, November 14th at 5 p.m. And then lastly, and the first time we've mentioned this, I believe, is our Thanksgiving potluck is coming up.
[00:09:00] It's going to be Sunday, November 23rd.
[00:09:04] That is a wonderful time that we get to
[00:09:07] Fellowship together, eat delicious food that we each contribute and just enjoy being with each other, giving thanks to the Lord and sharing with one another.
[00:09:16] That's also the same day that your Samaritan's Purse boxes are due.
[00:09:22] We only have two left that need to be filled.
[00:09:24] This is an opportunity that we get to give to children in different parts of the world who don't get to experience the joy of receiving gifts at Christmastime.
[00:09:34] So take advantage if you haven't picked one up and you would like to.
[00:09:37] I believe they're in the back of the sanctuary in that little front room.
[00:09:41] Now having all the business out of the way, the real reason why we are here is to encounter the living God and connect with Him.
[00:09:52] So I want to invite you, if you want to close your eyes, if that helps you to be more mindful, close your eyes and just recognize how you have come in this morning.
[00:10:08] What might you be bringing in with you this morning?
[00:10:14] Could be heaviness, sadness, could be excitement and joy.
[00:10:18] But just become aware.
[00:10:32] The Lord wants to meet with each one of us this morning right where we are, and He wants to meet with us corporately as a body of believers.
[00:10:43] He is the Lord of this church.
[00:10:46] Amen.
[00:10:48] So I want to invite you to stand, hear this call to worship from Psalm 95.
[00:10:58] Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord.
[00:11:01] Let us shout aloud to the rock of our salvation.

[00:11:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.

[00:11:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.

[00:11:19] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Come, let us bow down in worship.
[00:11:22] Let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker.

[00:11:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
For He is our God.

[00:11:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
And we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care.

[00:11:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Father God, we are here not just to be at a different place one time a week, but we are here to encounter you again.
[00:11:43] Our hearts need to encounter you again.
[00:11:47] This space is set aside for you.
[00:11:50] Each one of us, regardless of how we've come, or even if we're looking for you, in the name of Jesus, we ask that you would come and dwell here.
[00:11:59] We ask in the name of Jesus.
[00:12:17] Amen.

[00:12:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
I'll praise in the valley Praise on the mountain I'll praise when I'm short I'll praise when I'm dying I'll praise when I'm hungry
[00:13:09] Praise when surrounded Cause praise is the water My enemy's drowning As long as I'm breathing I've got a reason to praise The Lord of my soul

[00:13:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Praise the Lord of my soul I'll praise when I feel I'll praise when I know I'll praise when I know You're still in control

[00:14:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
My praise is a weapon that's more than just a sound My praise is the shout that brings Jericho down As long as I'm breathing, I've got a reason to praise the Lord, O my soul
[00:14:29] The Lord is with you.
[00:14:49] He is with you.
[00:14:49] He is with you.

[00:14:59] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
How great's cause you're sovereign, great's cause you reign, great's cause you rose and defeated the grave, how great's cause you're faithful, great's cause you're true, great's cause there's nobody greater than you, how great's cause you're sovereign.
[00:15:19] Praise cause you rose and defeated the grave.
[00:15:42] Praise cause you're faithful.

[00:15:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Praise cause you're true.
[00:15:43] Praise cause there's nobody greater than you.
[00:15:44] Praise cause you're solid.
[00:15:44] Praise cause you reign.
[00:15:45] Praise cause you rose and defeated the grave.
[00:15:46] Praise cause you're faithful.
[00:15:47] Praise cause you're true.
[00:15:47] Praise cause there's nobody greater than you.
[00:15:50] Praise the Lord O my soul Praise the Lord O my soul
[00:16:05] God is alive, how could I keep it inside?
[00:16:29] Oh, I won't be blind, my God is alive, how could I keep it inside?
[00:16:30] So I'm gonna praise the Lord, oh my soul Praise the Lord, oh my soul
[00:16:36] God is alive, how could I keep him inside?
[00:17:02] So I'm gonna praise the Lord, oh my soul So I'm gonna praise the Lord, oh my soul

[00:17:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Praise the Lord, oh my soul Oh I won't be quiet, my God is alive Oh how could I keep it inside So I'm going to praise the Lord

[00:17:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
I've seen your goodness on a mountain I've felt your love within the valley
[00:18:20] And your grace still surrounds me.
[00:18:24] You've been good to me.
[00:18:27] You've been good to me.

[00:18:34] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
And my soul sings.

[00:18:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
My soul sings with all my heart.
[00:18:50] I love you Lord You're my first love You're my reward And through the years
[00:19:23] So good to me.

[00:19:51] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
So good to me.
[00:19:51] Oh, you've been good to me.
[00:19:52] I have breath within my body.

[00:19:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
I'll have life inside my bones And I cannot help but praise you Oh God you've been good to me Oh you've been good to me My soul sings My soul sings
[00:21:18] So good to be So good to be You've been so good to me I've seen your faithfulness through the years You've been good
[00:21:53] And I'm dancing on the rising sun to the hopeful future for dreams to come and when seasons change
[00:22:27] In Jesus' name we pray.

[00:22:43] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Amen.

[00:23:18] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
I love you, Lord You are my first love You are my reward And through the years You've been good to me
[00:23:51] So good to me.

[00:24:14] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
So good to me.

[00:24:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Please be seated as we continue our worship.
[00:24:30] It's appropriate as we think about the words to the songs we just sang.
[00:24:37] With all my heart, I love you, Lord.
[00:24:41] You're my first love.
[00:24:43] You're my reward.
[00:24:46] Father, I confess that I often get my heart's priorities mixed up.
[00:24:52] We all do.
[00:24:53] It's why we have to come back every week.
[00:24:56] It's why we have to remind ourselves of the truth of the gospel every day.
[00:25:02] We wander away.
[00:25:05] We forget that you have loved us so much that you sent Jesus to die for our sins so that we would be free, free from our sin, free from our shame, to love you and love
[00:25:22] others around us the way you've loved us that's what we're created for that is how we worship you in our day-to-day life that is how the world sees who you are and how your kingdom mission moves forward through your church so i don't know how you have wandered away like i have this week
[00:25:50] Isaiah 53 6 says all we like sheep have gone astray we have turned everyone to his own way so take a few minutes quietly you can alter your posture in whatever way you feel is appropriate to confess the ways you've wandered away from the Lord this week to confess that you
[00:26:20] Have fallen into unbelief?
[00:26:22] That He doesn't really love you?
[00:26:24] That His grace is not sufficient?
[00:26:26] That you've had to look for other things to satisfy you?
[00:26:30] Just take a minute and confess those now before the Lord.
[00:27:07] Now please join me in this corporate confession.
[00:27:11] Almighty God, so many of King David's psalms show a heart out of tune, sighing, crying, and breaking with sorrow, yet still clinging to faith in you.
[00:27:28] So too, O Lord, are our hearts.
[00:27:31] In Jesus Christ, you have given us what we need most.
[00:27:37] His cross makes our forgiveness possible, and His Spirit tunes our hearts again to sing your praises.
[00:27:47] Humbly we ask your pardon for our sins.
[00:27:52] Eagerly we plead your help to enthrone in our hearts David's Son, Christ Jesus, King of the universe, our Savior and Lord.
[00:28:06] And with King David, we declare our trust in your unfailing love.
[00:28:14] Amen.
[00:28:16] Hear now the truth of the gospel for you and for me.
[00:28:20] Our sins are forgiven.
[00:28:23] Let us declare the truth we believe.
[00:28:27] I believe that God, because of Christ's atonement, will never hold against me any of my sins, nor my sinful nature, which I need to struggle against all my life.
[00:28:43] Rather, in His grace, God grants me the righteousness of Christ to free me forever from judgment.
[00:28:55] As we transition to a time of giving back to the Lord, this is a continuation of our worship.
[00:29:02] If you are here this morning and you have not yet known the love of God for you, if you don't know that He has given up everything to love you and make you His, He's not interested in your money.
[00:29:16] He's interested in your heart.
[00:29:19] But if you know Him,
[00:29:21] And you know His abundant love for you, His mercy, His grace, His forgiveness.
[00:29:28] This is an invitation to give back to Him for the work of His church.
[00:29:32] I think there's a QR code on the screen.
[00:29:34] There's envelopes in the back of the pews to give as He leads you to give generously.
[00:29:39] This is also a time you can drop your prayer card in the little bag as it goes by.
[00:29:47] Father, accept our gifts as offerings of praise.
[00:29:51] Use them to accomplish your purposes in this community, in our country, and in the world.
[00:29:59] Let your kingdom come, we ask in Jesus' name.
[00:30:02] Amen.

[00:30:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
We may have noticed that we have these cards here again in our bulletins this week.
[00:30:10] We've been using these the last few weeks to talk about our vision as a church.
[00:30:17] We've already shared our mission statement but each week we're also talking about some of the things that we value here.
[00:30:25] One of our core values is that we want to be a church that is authentic.
[00:30:29] we want to be authentic in our worship on Sunday morning and we want to be authentic in our lives throughout the week and I've been challenging you all to take this list it's called my list of five and to think of five people that God has put in your life people who don't know the Lord people who maybe don't have a church community that they belong to and to to list them here on the top of this page
[00:30:54] Then on the end list them a second time on the bottom with your name on the back and we're collecting those at the end so that I can pray along with you for those people you've listed.
[00:31:07] Each week we've had a little challenge of what to do with these names and this week I want to challenge you to embrace that value of authenticity.
[00:31:16] That gospel reality that you and I we don't have to wear masks.
[00:31:21] If we've been covered by the righteousness of Christ, we don't have to pretend like we are something that we're not.
[00:31:27] And so I want to ask you to take one person, one name on this list, and I want you to give them a call this week and tell them how you're doing.
[00:31:36] Share some of the things that you might be wrestling with, and even if you're so bold, share how you might be praying for yourself and ask how you might pray for them as well.
[00:31:47] And so take some time, think about this, consider this, and we'll collect this at the end of the service in a little basket as you head out the door.
[00:31:55] And now I want to invite you to stand with us as we sing our next song.

[00:32:16] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
In Christ alone my hope is found He is my light, my strength, my song This cornerstone, this solid ground Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
[00:32:38] What heights of love, what depths of peace When fears are stilled, when strivings cease My comforter, my all in all Here in the love of Christ I stand
[00:33:12] Who took on flesh the fullness of God in helpless babe This gift of love and righteousness Scorned by the ones He came to save Till on that cross as Jesus...
[00:33:39] There in the ground His body lay Light of the world by darkness slain Then burst He forth in glorious day Up from the grave He rose again And as He stayed
[00:34:05] In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
[00:34:23] Amen.
[00:34:32] No guilt in life, no fear in death This is the power of Christ in me From life's first cry to final breath Jesus commands my destiny No power of hell, no scheme of man
[00:35:00] In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
[00:35:13] Amen.
[00:35:16] No power of hell, no scheme of man Can ever pluck me from His hand Till He returns or calls me home Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

[00:35:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Well, as we've heard the gospel proclaimed over us already this morning, as we've received the peace that comes only through Christ, I invite you now to turn to one another and pass the peace of Christ to your neighbors.
[00:36:07] The Children's Church.

[00:36:22] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
.
[00:36:41] .
[00:36:41] .
[00:36:41] .
[00:37:05] .
[00:37:05] .
[00:37:05] ... ... ... ...

[00:37:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Okay, kids, make sure you come all the way down here.
[00:37:35] If you would please join with me as we sing the doxology together.
[00:37:58] Praise God, come to me.

[00:38:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

[00:38:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Please remain standing for the reading of God's word.
[00:38:36] Our passage this morning comes from 1 Samuel chapter 16, and we're going to read verses 1 through 13.
[00:38:44] The Lord said to Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel?
[00:38:53] Fill your heart with oil.
[00:38:55] Fill your horn with oil and be on your way.
[00:38:57] I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem.
[00:39:00] I've chosen one of his sons to be king.
[00:39:03] But Samuel said, How can I go?
[00:39:05] If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.
[00:39:08] The Lord said, Take a heifer with you.
[00:39:10] Say, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.
[00:39:12] Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do.
[00:39:17] You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.
[00:39:20] Samuel did what the Lord said.
[00:39:22] When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him, and they asked, Do you come in peace?
[00:39:29] Samuel replied, Yes, in peace.
[00:39:31] I've come to sacrifice to the Lord.
[00:39:33] Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.
[00:39:37] And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
[00:39:42] When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord.
[00:39:50] But the Lord said to Samuel,
[00:39:52] Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.
[00:39:56] The Lord does not look at the things people look at.
[00:40:00] People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
[00:40:05] Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel.
[00:40:09] But Samuel said, The Lord has not chosen this one either.
[00:40:13] Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, Nor has the Lord chosen this one.
[00:40:18] Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, The Lord has not chosen these.
[00:40:25] So he asked Jesse, Are these all the sons you have?
[00:40:29] They are still the youngest, Jesse answered.
[00:40:31] He is tending the sheep.
[00:40:33] Samuel said, Send for him.
[00:40:34] We will not sit down until he arrives.
[00:40:37] So he sent for him and had him brought in.
[00:40:40] He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.
[00:40:44] And then the Lord said, Rise and anoint him.
[00:40:48] This is the one.
[00:40:50] So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers.
[00:40:55] And from that day on, the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.
[00:41:01] Samuel then went to Ramah.
[00:41:05] All flesh is like grass, and its beauty like the flowers of the field.
[00:41:10] The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.
[00:41:16] You can be seated.
[00:41:18] Father, we open our time with you, with your word, and we ask God that you might move in this place.
[00:41:29] We recognize that without your power, Lord, none of us have the eyes to see or the ears to hear what you might say.
[00:41:37] God, would you make this word come alive?
[00:41:40] In this moment, would you allow us to lay all of our distractions aside, trust you with the worries of our lives, trust you with the events of this day, and God, would this be a holy and sacred moment set apart for you?
[00:41:55] We ask this in Christ's name.
[00:41:57] Amen.
[00:42:00] Well, there is a man, a 41-year-old, named Ronald Wayne.
[00:42:10] and he started a small business with two other guys who were in their 20s but as he started to think about it he quickly started to get nervous about some of the financial risks of going into this new kind of business and so less than two weeks after the business was founded on April 12 1976 he sold his stake back to his other partners for eight hundred dollars
[00:42:39] Fortunately for Ronald, his business partners were named Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs.
[00:42:49] And that new business was called the Apple Computer Company.
[00:42:53] If he had kept his stake, that $800 share that he originally owned would be worth about $300 billion today.
[00:43:04] That's a rough story.
[00:43:06] That's hard to hear.
[00:43:08] But as we look at this passage this morning, I think sadly what we're going to learn is that the way Ronald went about making his business decision is kind of similar to the way we approach the world in general.
[00:43:26] We find out here in this passage that it is our nature to look at the wrong factors.
[00:43:34] It is our nature to weigh the incorrect data.
[00:43:38] It is our nature to value the wrong things and to make decisions with those wrong choices.
[00:43:50] But as we open our passage this morning, I really believe that God, He wants to open our eyes to a different set of values.
[00:43:57] He wants us to see the values of His eternal kingdom, and He wants to show us
[00:44:03] How to live for the things that really matter.
[00:44:08] And so we're going to go through this passage and we're going to look at it under three headings.
[00:44:12] I want us to talk about the way we view things, the way things really are, and then the way to see clearly.
[00:44:24] Okay, the way we view things.
[00:44:27] Last week, if you were with us, we read about the Lord's condemnation of Saul.
[00:44:32] Saul was the first king of the nation of Israel.
[00:44:37] And in that passage, because of his disobedience, Samuel, who was the famous prophet that had been in charge of Israel before them, he said to him, Your kingdom will not endure.
[00:44:52] The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart.
[00:44:57] and appointed him to be the ruler of his people because you have not kept the Lord's command.
[00:45:05] And so today, as we open up chapter 16, the time has now come.
[00:45:10] The time has come for Samuel to anoint this man that God has chosen, the man after God's own heart.
[00:45:19] and in verse 1 God tells him he says fill your horn with oil and be on your way I'm sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem because I've chosen one of his sons to be this new king Samuel
[00:45:33] had been mourning for Saul.
[00:45:35] He was distraught over the state of his heart.
[00:45:38] He was having a difficult time getting over things, and yet we read that when Samuel finally gets to Bethlehem, when he arrives at this feast and Jesse is there with all of his sons standing before him, Samuel suddenly gets it.
[00:45:57] He lays his eyes on Eliab.
[00:46:01] Eliab, Jesse's oldest son.
[00:46:03] He sees him, and wow, this guy, suddenly everything makes sense.
[00:46:11] If you remember back in chapter 9 when we first learned about Saul, we heard Saul was an impressive guy.
[00:46:18] Chapter 9, it described him as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than everybody else.
[00:46:30] Saul was impressive, but Eliab, man, this guy, he must have been on a whole other level.
[00:46:38] He was tall and he was handsome, but as soon as Samuel looked him in the eye, he could tell that this guy had something.
[00:46:47] This guy, he was going to be the perfect leader.
[00:46:50] Eliab, he was the kind of man who looked like he would be able to inspire all the people of Israel, and not only that, he could defeat all of their enemies in combat.
[00:47:03] Eliab, according to Samuel, he was basically like Abraham Lincoln and John Cena, like all rolled into one.
[00:47:10] And in case you might be wondering what that would look like, don't worry, AI, he has us covered.
[00:47:22] As soon as Samuel laid eyes on Eliab, he thought, it tells us in verse 6, surely the Lord's anointed stands here.
[00:47:35] But immediately, as soon as he thought it, God speaks.
[00:47:41] He stops Samuel from going any further.
[00:47:45] He says, do not consider his appearance or his height, for I've rejected him.
[00:47:54] The Lord doesn't look at the things people look at.
[00:47:57] People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
[00:48:03] In making that statement, God is rebuking, he's correcting, he's redirecting Samuel.
[00:48:11] But he's also making a statement about each of us.
[00:48:15] He's talking about the way every one of us are.
[00:48:20] He says,
[00:48:22] Look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
[00:48:29] That's what we do.
[00:48:31] Every single one of us, that is what we do.
[00:48:36] It is our natural human tendency to focus on the wrong things.
[00:48:42] We don't value
[00:48:45] The things that God values.
[00:48:47] We don't prioritize the things that truly matter.
[00:48:51] And of course on a very literal level, we understand that this is still very obviously true today, right?
[00:49:00] As a society, we are fixated on the externals.
[00:49:04] We are always fixated on appearances, on popularity, on wealth, on physical prowess.
[00:49:14] We look at what's on the outside.
[00:49:17] I heard somebody joking about the music industry, saying, wow, isn't it incredible how all the best singers in the world also just so happen to be all the most beautiful people in the world?
[00:49:31] Right?
[00:49:32] Of course it's not true, but for some reason it's the most beautiful ones that become famous.
[00:49:39] And now, thanks to autotune, we don't even have to worry about talent, right?
[00:49:42] We can just adjust what our ears hear to make it match what our eyes see.
[00:49:49] We value the wrong things, and we do it constantly.
[00:49:53] We decide what we think of people just by looking at what they wear, or maybe by how we interpret the look on their face.
[00:50:03] And so at the simplest level, when God speaks to Samuel here, he's saying that, okay, what truly matters to me, what truly matters about a person is not how they look, it's not what's on the outside, but it is their character.
[00:50:18] It's about what's inside.
[00:50:21] And I think we get that idea.
[00:50:24] But if you take it a little bit further, when you look at that statement just a little bit deeper, you realize it's not just about the way we view other people.
[00:50:34] But it's about the way we view life in general.
[00:50:37] It's about the way we look at the world and everything around us.
[00:50:41] In 2 Corinthians, when Paul talks about what it means to live a life of faith, he says, God's people fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.
[00:50:54] Since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
[00:50:59] He says that's the nature of faith.
[00:51:03] But human nature is just the opposite.
[00:51:05] Human nature is to fix our eyes on what we can see right in front of us and then just to react to it.
[00:51:14] We look at our circumstances and we let those circumstances dictate our choices.
[00:51:20] We let our reason alone, our intellectual capacity decide everything.
[00:51:28] What job we're gonna take.
[00:51:30] What town we might live in.
[00:51:33] Who we're gonna date, how we're gonna spend our money, how we're gonna spend our time, what we're gonna do with our lives.
[00:51:43] Or when we get bad news, when we find out about bills that we need to pay, or a diagnosis we didn't expect, or downsizing that is coming at work.
[00:51:53] It is our nature not to approach these things prayerfully,
[00:51:59] Looking to God for guidance and discerning their purpose and what His will might be.
[00:52:05] But instead, we just do what we think makes the most sense.
[00:52:10] Like old Ronald Wayne, right?
[00:52:12] We look at the risks and then we make our choices based on the facts that we see in the moment.
[00:52:22] But when God speaks to Samuel, the point of this statement
[00:52:28] is clear.
[00:52:31] Our way is the wrong way.
[00:52:36] Our way of seeing things, our way of viewing things is not the way that God intends.
[00:52:41] And the result of living our lives like this, in this kind of human-centric, godless way of viewing the world
[00:52:51] The result of living our lives in a place where everything is simply what you see is what you get, the result of living our lives faithlessly is actually disastrous.
[00:53:05] We observed that kind of life last week.
[00:53:07] Do you remember as we looked at those several chapters telling the different stories about Saul?
[00:53:11] What was Saul's life like?
[00:53:14] It was filled with insecurity, right?
[00:53:17] Instability.
[00:53:18] He was constantly anxious.
[00:53:20] He was always second guessing himself and what he was doing.
[00:53:23] He was uncertain about his standing before the Lord.
[00:53:26] He was worried about the future.
[00:53:30] Saul was living in survival mode, just trying to get from one battle to the next, hoping he could keep the people's support behind him and never once considering how his life might fit
[00:53:45] into a bigger story.
[00:53:48] I wonder if anybody can relate to that.
[00:53:52] I wonder if anybody else can relate to that kind of life that Saul was living.
[00:53:59] I wonder if any of us can relate to being in Samuel's position that morning, looking at Eliab, this strong guy who looks exactly like the answer to all of our problems, and then just hastily reacting
[00:54:14] Based on what our eyes see, based on what we can make sense of.
[00:54:19] I wonder if any of us are approaching the world that way.
[00:54:23] As if God's not really in it.
[00:54:25] Just looking at surface facts and proceeding in our own strength.
[00:54:32] As you think about it, I wonder where maybe in that God might be calling you to look a little deeper.
[00:54:38] To learn to seek Him and trust Him.
[00:54:42] To allow him to show you not just what's on the outside, but what really is at the heart of the matter so that you can follow him by faith.
[00:54:52] See, when we look at the world, it's our nature to see the wrong thing.
[00:54:57] But thankfully, in this passage, God also shows us the way things really are.
[00:55:04] Okay, so Eliab wasn't the guy.
[00:55:09] But then, as you keep reading the story, you find out neither was the next brother or the next brother.
[00:55:13] In fact, none of those seven sons that Jesse had with him that day were the man of God's choosing.
[00:55:22] But I think even in that number seven, God might be trying to teach us something.
[00:55:28] Seven in the Bible, it's a number that represents this idea of completion.
[00:55:35] Maybe you remember the seven days of creation, for instance, or the seven seals and the seven scrolls in Revelation.
[00:55:45] It's this notion of a completeness of everything.
[00:55:48] And you see, as these sons go by, the whole complete number of them passes by, and none of them are the right one.
[00:55:56] How could that be?
[00:55:58] Samuel, he's confused.
[00:56:00] He has to ask, you got any other sons?
[00:56:03] What's going on?
[00:56:06] And of course there was one more son.
[00:56:09] It was David.
[00:56:10] David, the son who was so far down the list that in the culture at the time it was unlikely David would even have an inheritance from his family.
[00:56:22] So far down the list that he needed to learn a trade.
[00:56:25] He needed to prepare himself for life because he would be out on his own.
[00:56:32] Jesse hadn't even bothered to bring him to the banquet where the prophet of God had said, bring all your sons.
[00:56:40] Because in Jesse's mind, David, he wasn't the king in the bunch.
[00:56:46] No, he was the one that watched the sheep.
[00:56:50] But of course, we know David was God's man.
[00:56:55] and when he showed up finally in verse 12 God says to Samuel rise up and anoint this one he says and it says so Samuel took the horn of oil and he anointed him in the presence of his brothers and from that day on the spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David look closely at that just imagine the scene that moment for a second because when when
[00:57:25] Samuel anoints lowly number eight instead of powerful number one or lucky number seven.
[00:57:35] He's actually showing us the true power, the true pattern of the kingdom of God.
[00:57:43] God already said, the Lord doesn't look at the things people look at.
[00:57:52] In Isaiah 55, very similarly, he said, My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways.
[00:58:02] Your ways, declares the Lord.
[00:58:06] Over and over again, if you start to study scripture, you start to realize that the kingdom of God subverts our expectations.
[00:58:17] The kingdom of God, it is a reversal of what we think is right.
[00:58:23] Scripture says the reason that our ways are not God's ways is because our lives have been twisted and they have been distorted by sin in our hearts.
[00:58:36] It's because each one of us, when we're born into this world, we are now born with hearts wired to rebel against our Creator and to seek independence from Him and to try to live as the Lords of our own lives.
[00:58:52] And so as a result of that, we live in a world where everything is broken.
[00:58:59] We live in a world where everything is backwards.
[00:59:03] And because it is our fallen nature to focus on all these wrong things, that means that God's values, often when we look at them, it looks like they're the ones that are backwards.
[00:59:18] It looks like they're the ones that are broken.
[00:59:20] It looks like they are the ones
[00:59:22] that are upside down.
[00:59:25] That's why Jesus, when he came preaching about his kingdom, he said, in his kingdom, the first, the last will be first, and the first will be last.
[00:59:38] In 1 Corinthians, it said that God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.
[00:59:45] God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
[00:59:50] God has chosen the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are.
[01:00:04] And so as we see here in this chapter of Samuel, it is a reversal.
[01:00:11] In God's kingdom, it is
[01:00:13] Not the mighty firstborn, but in fact the mighty firstborn is the one who gets passed by and it is the humble shepherd out in the field that becomes the anointed one.
[01:00:29] See, David's anointing shows us the way things really are.
[01:00:36] It shows us that our way of seeing is what's backwards.
[01:00:42] And it's true.
[01:00:44] We don't see clearly.
[01:00:47] You know it.
[01:00:49] We're born into this world and we believe that everything is all up to us.
[01:00:55] We look at the circumstances around us and we say, well, I've got to find the way forward.
[01:00:59] I've got to find a way to be happy.
[01:01:02] I've got to find a way to be successful.
[01:01:04] I've got to find a way to make my life feel meaningful, like it has purpose.
[01:01:10] Everywhere we look, we're taught to value strength and power and
[01:01:14] And in the process, we look at those things and we anoint them.
[01:01:25] We exalt them.
[01:01:26] We exalt the things, the people, the experiences, maybe even the addictions that we believe will give us what we want, will give us the things that we have been taught to value.
[01:01:42] But when you live like that,
[01:01:44] but when we live for the world like that well it just doesn't work it always leaves us empty it always leaves us longing because well because we weren't made for this world we were made for the kingdom of God we were made for this other kingdom
[01:02:10] that God is presenting to us here in this passage and and the true path to that fulfillment that you want the true path to that abundance that all our hearts desire well it comes not by looking at outward appearances not by looking at the things that we've been taught to value but instead it comes when we look beyond them it comes when we start to learn to to look deeper see
[01:02:39] We were made for more than this world has to offer.
[01:02:43] We were made to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.
[01:02:52] And surprisingly, that means we were made not
[01:02:58] To live by our own power, not to live by our own strength, not to live by our own pursuits, but actually, when we live in his kingdom, the first step is to live in our weakness.
[01:03:12] To learn, like Paul says in Philippians, that apart from God, we can't do anything.
[01:03:19] And when we see that about ourselves, when we start to really understand what's in our hearts and we actually come to God,
[01:03:28] like David and we let him anoint us with his strength and with his power when he let him pour out his spirit upon ourselves well that's the one we really can start to see so that's the way things really are the way of God's kingdom is a reversal it's upside down it's the opposite of what we expect and we can't really see it on our own which brings us to the third thing we got to look at this morning and that is
[01:03:59] What does it take to see things clearly?
[01:04:02] What's it going to take for us to be able to perceive this reality around us, right?
[01:04:08] We've been talking about responding to this world with the values of God's kingdom versus just seeing and reacting to this world with our own values and our own strength.
[01:04:24] We've been talking about valuing the same things that God values, looking at the things that God looks at.
[01:04:31] And if you're like me, that's a lot easier said than done.
[01:04:37] It's easier to talk about the values than it is to live them out.
[01:04:43] Honestly, it's a tremendous struggle.
[01:04:46] It's hard to believe God's promises when you're constantly living in a world that's telling you just the opposite.
[01:04:56] It's hard to follow the Lord faithfully when you're constantly being pulled in the opposite direction.
[01:05:03] In fact, maybe some of you, as you look at this story and you hear about David, this man after God's own heart, who the Lord has chosen to be the king and who the Lord anoints with his spirit, maybe you look at him and you look at yourself and you think, I'm not sure there's any hope for me.
[01:05:24] If it's true that God looks at the heart like he says...
[01:05:28] If it's true that there is a God out there who can see everything that's in here, I don't know.
[01:05:42] How can any of us measure up to that?
[01:05:45] Well, on our own we can't.
[01:05:50] In fact, not even David could.
[01:05:53] If this story of 1 Samuel, if it were a fairy tale,
[01:05:59] In this moment, when the Spirit comes on David, we would see Saul kind of devolve into this evil monster.
[01:06:08] And David, he would rise up as this pure and valiant hero.
[01:06:14] The story would be Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker.
[01:06:17] It would be Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort.
[01:06:21] But that's not how it goes.
[01:06:23] You'll see as we keep reading these pages, David, the man after God's own heart that we've been waiting for to show up for 16 whole chapters now, well, he's not a flawless saint.
[01:06:38] In fact, he's quite flawed.
[01:06:41] He'll go on to commit some grievous sin.
[01:06:47] So grievous that in his remorse we read Psalm 51 where he cries out to God and says, Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love, according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.
[01:07:04] Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
[01:07:08] And this man, after God's own heart, he prays, Create in me a clean heart, O God.
[01:07:17] and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
[01:07:21] See, David, he was called a man after God's own heart, not because he did everything well, but because he knew that in his failings, in his weakness, that his hope didn't rest in himself.
[01:07:37] It didn't rest in the things of this world.
[01:07:39] It didn't rest in all the things around him, but it rested in the power of God and his kingdom alone.
[01:07:46] David was a man after God's own heart because he could see the ugliness of his own heart.
[01:07:52] He could see his need for a Savior.
[01:07:57] And so, if you come to this text and you're wondering, what about my own heart?
[01:08:02] What about me?
[01:08:03] Well, here's the promise that God has given to anybody who would be like David and come to him and see their need.
[01:08:12] In Ezekiel, he says, I will give you a new heart.
[01:08:16] and I will put a new spirit in you.
[01:08:19] I will remove from you your heart of stone and I will give you a heart of flesh.
[01:08:24] That was a promise from a prophet deep in the Old Testament and it is a promise that has been fulfilled for us by Jesus, David's descendant, David's greater son, Jesus, the true anointed one.
[01:08:43] We've heard that word a lot this morning, haven't we, right?
[01:08:45] Anointing, anointed, the Anointed One.
[01:08:48] In English, we blow right by it, but you may not realize that in Hebrew, that word, Anointed One, is the word Messiah.
[01:08:58] In Greek, it's Christos, or Christ.
[01:09:05] And just like we see in this moment at the end of our chapter as the Spirit is poured out on David and he has the Spirit with him for the rest of his life, well, we read in the Gospel of Luke that something similar happened with David's greater son.
[01:09:27] In Luke chapter 4, at the beginning of his ministry, we read that when Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up,
[01:09:36] On the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom, and he stood up to read the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, and he handed it to him.
[01:09:45] Unrolling it, Jesus found the place where it is written, The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because God has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
[01:09:58] He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind.
[01:10:05] to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.
[01:10:11] And it says that as he read it, he rolled up the scroll and he gave it back to the attendant and he sat down and everyone's eyes were fixed on him.
[01:10:18] What is he gonna say next?
[01:10:21] And Jesus said, today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.
[01:10:30] See, our vision, it's marred by sin.
[01:10:35] We don't live naturally by the values of God's kingdom.
[01:10:39] And yet, because of that, Jesus, the king, came into this world.
[01:10:48] And as you might expect, when the king of that greater kingdom came into the world, he wasn't the one we were looking for.
[01:10:56] He didn't come like Eliab, strong and powerful, but he was humble and lowly.
[01:11:04] He didn't come riding in on a white stallion.
[01:11:06] He came on a donkey.
[01:11:10] He wasn't celebrated and seated on a throne, but we read that he was despised and rejected by men and hung on a cross.
[01:11:20] He wasn't a powerful warrior, but he was a good shepherd, and he gave his life for the sheep.
[01:11:28] And that's the good news of the gospel.
[01:11:31] The Son of God has given his perfect heart in the place of our sinful broken ones.
[01:11:42] And when we come to him by faith, when we trust in him, when we receive the good news of his kingdom, then our hearts are made new.
[01:11:56] That means that the only thing
[01:12:00] that can really make us see clearly is to come to him and to keep coming back to him over and over and to confess to him that our way of doing things, our way of seeing the world is just not working.
[01:12:16] And to ask him again, or maybe today to ask him for the first time, Lord, restore my sight, set me free, renew my heart.
[01:12:28] And so as we close right here,
[01:12:31] I want to do something you know just just as on that day God spoke to Samuel and he told him not to anoint Eliah he told him not to judge by what your eyes can see but instead to see the reality of God's kingdom and to live out of those values that matter I want to invite us now just to take a moment and Shannon if you'll come up I want us also to listen I want us to take a moment
[01:13:02] and hear what God might be speaking to us about our lives.

[01:13:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
To hear what he might have to say.
[01:13:17] Just take a deep breath, take a moment and pause.

[01:13:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Lord, where am I trusting in only what my eyes can see?

[01:14:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Lord, where have I allowed my heart to stray?

[01:14:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
What are those things in my life that I value so much that I've anointed them, trusting them to solve my problems, hoping that they'll save me?

[01:14:51] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Lord, in the powerful name of Jesus, we offer these things back to you.

[01:14:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
We turn to you in confession, and we pray with David, create in us a clean heart.
[01:15:06] Renew a right spirit within us.

[01:15:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Give us eyes to see what really matters.
[01:15:20] and give us your spirit so we could follow you in your ways.

[01:15:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Amen.
[01:15:30] I want to invite you to stand now and sing with us this closing song.

[01:15:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
You're worthy of every song we could ever sing You're worthy of all the praise we could ever bring You're worthy of every breath we could ever breathe We live for You Oh, we live for You, Jesus

[01:16:25] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Jesus, the name above every other name.
[01:16:35] Jesus, the only one who could ever stay.

[01:16:43] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe.

[01:16:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
There is no one like you There is none beside you Open up my eyes in wonder And show me who you are and fill me
[01:17:29] You're worthy of every song we could ever sing You're worthy of all the praise we could ever sing
[01:17:52] Jesus, Jesus, the name above every other name
[01:18:27] There is no one like you
[01:18:59] There is life beside you Open up my eyes in wonder And show me who you are And fill me with your heart And lead me in love to those around me
[01:19:34] And I will build my life upon your love It is a firm foundation I will put my life upon your love
[01:19:56] You alone and I will not be shaken I will build my life upon Your love It's a firm foundation
[01:20:26] and I will not be shaken.
[01:20:45] Holy, there is no one like you.
[01:20:46] There is none beside you.
[01:20:46] Open up my eyes, dear Lord.
[01:21:06] Life upon your blood is a firm foundation I will put my trust in you alone And I will not be shaken I will build my house
[01:21:35] I will put my trust in you alone And I will not be shaken

[01:22:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
There is none beside you.

[01:22:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Open up my eyes in wonder.
[01:22:16] Show me who you are and fill me with your heart and lead me in love to those around me.

[01:22:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
You are thankful for this good news of God's kingdom.
[01:22:36] Would you just clap with me?
[01:22:39] God is good.
[01:22:40] His kingdom, the good news of His kingdom is wonderful.
[01:22:46] It's something that we shouldn't just keep to ourselves, but it's something that we should share with the world around us.
[01:22:52] And so I want to invite you this week to continue praying for your neighbors, praying for those He's put in your life.
[01:22:58] Head out from this place, rip off the top of that card and throw the bottom in the basket so that we can be praying with you.
[01:23:05] The Lord by the power of His Spirit has opened our eyes to see the truth of His kingdom and so I offer you this blessing in His name.
[01:23:14] May the God of hope fill you with all hope and peace as you trust in Him so that you may abound with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
[01:23:27] Amen.
[01:23:27] Go in peace.