David- The Shepherd...Pastor Dave Divine

- Good morning, guys. It's such an honor and a blessing to be able to speak to you right here from Life Fellowship Church in McKinney, Texas. Through your tablet on the Pando app, it's just amazing technology. And we're so blessed to be able to speak to so many of you, thousands of you watching. We're honored, we're blessed. We want you to know that you're part of our church family. You're not just this thing that we do. We love you, we pray for you. And we're about you, man. My heart is so for you. My name's Logan Williams. My TDC number is 1490-218. I got four numbers after that. I just share that with you because I've been there. I've been in the situation that you're at, whether you're sitting in county jail right now and not wondering what's gonna happen or am I gonna get some time? Or maybe you're sitting on a maximum security unit with a bunch of time, like I've been in all of those places and I understand, man, like wanting to get right, wanting to do better, wanting to have a new and different life, but just continuing to get sucked back in. That's the four numbers that I have, round and round and round the system. And it's frustrating, I know, I know, man.

I just wanna encourage you to keep heart, man. Like, don't give up. Don't stop walking this path. The enemy wants you to. And I know it's really easy to wanna fall back into that. Whatever that thing is that you do in the situation that you're at. I know, I can just share, for me, every time I was incarcerated, man, I would go to church. I would check those boxes. You know, I would get baptized, probably been baptized a dozen times, just hoping that this would be the magical time that something changed. But I never tried to change my life. I never waged war against my sin. I never got all the way in. That's why Jesus says, man, there's a narrow path and few find it. Many search for it, but few find it. Guys, I want you to be on the narrow path because when I finally got all in with him, man, my life just took off like a rocket ship. And I'm able to impact his kingdom for him. I'm able to speak to thousands of men and women incarcerated now because I got all in on August 11th of 2021. Because I got all in on that day, I'm able to make much of his name and be used, man. And I'm telling you guys, man,

there's nothing like being used by God, by doing an outreach or speaking to someone or having a moment or affecting someone's life and knowing that, godly, man, God, just use me. There's not a drug, alcohol, a sexual encounter, a pile of money that can buy some stuff that can touch that feeling, man. I'm telling you, man, like, please, please, please, whatever he is asking you to lay down. Man, lay it down, get all in. It's not easy. The narrow road is difficult. It's not easy. Hey, tell your friends and family that they can download the same Pando app on their phone and that you guys can watch the same services, the same teachings, read the same books, the chosen is on there, Bible recap is on there, a whole lot of resources are on there. And you can watch it together. And when you see each other in visitation or when you're talking on the phone or when you're writing, you can talk about it, hey, man, what the Holy Spirit say to you during that message? And y'all can have that. Like, you can do this walk with your family even though you're incarcerated. Don't buy into the lie that you can't do that. You can absolutely do that. And that's what we want you to do.

We want you to still lead your kids even though you're locked up. You can do that. Don't buy into the lie. Don't buy into the lie. I was reading Psalm 16 this morning. I mean, I read it a lot. It's just on, God gives me these scriptures, man. And I like, hang onto them for like a season. And this particular one, starting in verse 10, says, "For you will not leave my soul and shield, nor will you allow your holy one to see corruption. You will show me the path of life." Guys, if you want it, he will show it to you. It says, "In your presence is the fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. In your presence is fullness of joy." Like, how many things do we seek after to try to get joy, to try to get that fullness of joy? Sexual sin, pornography, alcohol, drugs, money, stealing from people, whatever it is. Man, and it promises fullness of joy, right? It promises that this time I'm gonna be fulfilled, but it always leaves us, it always leaves us hungry. Man, I want to encourage you, like there's only one place that you can find the fullness of joy where it's overflowing, like rivers of living water coming out of your heart. And I think that's what we all want, that's what we're all after. I do a lot of work with drug addicts because I've used them for years. I believe every single person that is doing drugs, they're really seeking God, they just don't know it.

Like they're seeking this thing, this presence, this fullness of joy, and Jesus says, "Man, out of them will flow rivers of living water," and I'm telling you when you can experience that. And many of you are experiencing it there, many of you are. I just want to call the ones that are not, I want to call you up, man. Like it's one thing to just go to a church service and pray a prayer, recite after me, you know, but it's another thing to get all in and to have that fullness of joy because man, I know we're always seeking to get to a certain place, right? And if I can just get to this place financially or if I can get to this place, if I can just get this job, you know, when I was incarcerated, you know, we had jobs we wanted, if I could just get to that place, or if I could just make parole, or if I could just get out, all these places we strive for, but there's only one place that matters in his presence. That's where the fullness of joy is. Man, focus on that, fix your eyes on that. Let him take care of everything else. Let him take care of all that other stuff because he will. He will. I can't. I think I can sometimes. I think I can control and manipulate situations. Always falls short. I'm always left disappointed. Why not focus on him being in his presence because check it, he can actually do something about it, the thing that I'm tripping on. He can actually do something about the thing that I'm worried about or the situation circumstance that's going on in my life and I know many of you have situations and circumstances. You're in a tough place. You're surrounded by drugs. You're surrounded by crazy people, man, focus on his presence. Get like-minded people around you.

If you don't have any like-minded people around you, pray, beg God to send at least one person that you can do this walk with, that you can do James 5'16 with and confess your sins to one another and pray for one another and be healed. Like you just need one, but you need community. God never intended us to do this alone. The man I love you guys, man, life fellowship loves you or for you. We have a pretty cool message. It's about to come on. You're going to like it. First, you're going to see this guy and you're going to be like, "Man, what's this man? This is the most energetic, older gentleman I've ever seen. It's pretty cool. I want to be like him when I grow up, but y'all enjoy this message. Let me pray for you. Father, I just thank you for the men and women that you've left 99 for and are chasing after. God, I thank you. Let them know, man, that even the fact that they clicked on this video today, man just shows that you are after them, that it's not a coincidence that they didn't just happen upon this. God, you are chasing them. You are after them. God, I pray that your Holy Spirit would just fall on them, God. I just pray that if there's anyone lost that's watching this, man, that they would be saved right now by the power of your Holy Spirit, let them know, man, that it's just as easy as believing and calling on the name of Jesus, it says you will be saved, Romans 10. God, I pray that over anyone that's watching, I just ask that you would bless them, that you would protect them in the place that they're at, that you would bless their families while they're gone. God, be their provider for their families, be a father for their kids, just be that. That meet that need, God.

I pray that you would meet them right where they're at and that you would bless them. And God, we thank you. We love you. We're so grateful for you for saving us. We're so grateful that we're able to have this community on a tablet with a bunch of men and women that are incarcerated. God, you're so good. You're so good. And so we just ask that you would have your way, man, just we just invite you in to do what only you can do. And we love you in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. You know, I just got one more question for you. Who's house? God's house. Let's give him some praise. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. - Good morning, my fellowship. We're so glad you're here with us this morning. Go ahead and stand up and let's worship together. (upbeat music)

♪ All the chains of light ♪ ♪ Run along the clouds ♪ ♪ Keeps the kingdoms will bow down ♪ ♪ And every chain will break ♪ ♪ As broken hearts declare His grace ♪ ♪ Who can stop the forest on light ♪ ♪ Our God is the light ♪ ♪ The light is the truth ♪ ♪ He's roaring with power ♪ ♪ And fighting our battles ♪ ♪ And every moment he's for him ♪ ♪ Our God is the light ♪ ♪ The light of the flame ♪ ♪ We're the sins of the world ♪ ♪ His blood breaks the chains ♪ ♪ And every knee will bow ♪ ♪ Before the light ever ends ♪ ♪ And every knee will bow before him ♪ ♪ Open up the gates ♪ ♪ Make way before the King of Jesus ♪ ♪ Your God who loves to save ♪ ♪ And is here to set the countless free ♪ ♪ Or who can stop the Lord on light ♪ ♪ Our God is the light ♪ ♪ The light of the truth ♪ ♪ He's roaring with power ♪ ♪ And fighting our battles ♪ ♪ And every knee will bow before him ♪ ♪ Our God is the light ♪ ♪ The light of the flame ♪

♪ We're the sins of the world ♪ ♪ His blood breaks the chains ♪ ♪ And every knee will bow ♪ ♪ Before the light ever ends ♪ ♪ And every knee will bow before him ♪ ♪ Make you Jesus ♪ ♪ Thank you for your blood ♪ ♪ And every knee will bow ♪ ♪ And every tongue will bow back ♪ ♪ Make you Jesus ♪ ♪ Go ahead and thank him for what he's done ♪ ♪ Who can stop the Lord on light ♪ ♪ Who can stop the Lord on light ♪ ♪ Who can stop the Lord on light ♪ ♪ Who can stop the Lord on light ♪ ♪ Who can stop the Lord on light ♪ ♪ No one ♪ ♪ Who can stop the Lord on light ♪ ♪ Who can stop the Lord on light ♪ ♪ Who can stop the Lord on light ♪ ♪ Who can stop the Lord on light ♪ ♪ Who can stop the Lord on light ♪ ♪ Who can stop the Lord on light ♪ ♪ Who can stop the Lord on light ♪ ♪ Who can stop the Lord on light ♪ ♪ Who can stop the Lord on light ♪ ♪ Our God is alive ♪ ♪ The light will shoot up ♪ ♪ He's roaring with power ♪ ♪ And body is our battle ♪

♪ And every knee will bow before him ♪ ♪ Our God is brave ♪ ♪ Well, now we'll sing ♪ ♪ For this is the world ♪ ♪ His blood records the chains ♪ ♪ And every knee will bow before the light ♪ ♪ And the bell ♪ ♪ And every knee will bow before him ♪ (upbeat music) (upbeat music) Thank you, sweetheart. (upbeat music) - Come on, people, as I ever be won't bow and every time confess before the Lord. God, we thank You, Jesus, for all that You've done for us, Lord. We are here to praise You to worship You, to give You all of us, Lord. (upbeat music) ♪ And when I walk with You, Lord ♪ ♪ And when I walk to the fire ♪ ♪ I will listen to You, Lord ♪ ♪ He is the Lord ♪ ♪ And when my soul's tired of me ♪ ♪ And when this feels like it ♪ ♪ I will be calm to live ♪ ♪ He is not finished yet ♪ ♪ Come on, we sing ♪ ♪ God is fighting for us ♪ ♪ He has won the battle ♪

♪ So have faith in what's wrong ♪ ♪ There's nothing that He cannot do ♪ ♪ Oh, He is Lord ♪ ♪ Oh, come on, hope, please, I get this to react ♪ ♪ Come on, sing, we're all dead ♪ ♪ And when we're all dead ♪ ♪ And when we're all dead ♪ ♪ When we're all dead, there's just me ♪ ♪ Oh, with Your seat ♪ ♪ It's free to ask the key ♪ ♪ Who holds the victory ♪ ♪ Yes God is fighting for us ♪ ♪ Oh, He has won the battle ♪ ♪ So have faith in what's wrong ♪ ♪ There's nothing that He cannot do ♪ ♪ Oh, He is Lord ♪ ♪ Yes God is fighting for us ♪ ♪ He's the lightest in them ♪ ♪ He has won the battle ♪ ♪ So have faith in what's wrong ♪ ♪ Oh, He is Lord ♪ ♪ He is Lord ♪ ♪ Lord ♪ ♪ Yes He is, Yes God ♪ ♪ Oh, He is Lord ♪ ♪ We believe in God ♪ ♪ You are fighting for us ♪ ♪ Day to day and day and day and day and day and day and day ♪ ♪ We're not You for the God ♪ ♪ We're not You for the God ♪

♪ Come on right here and just throw it ♪ ♪ If you're feeling any guilt or feeling shame ♪ ♪ Whatever it is that's holding you back this morning ♪ ♪ Right here there's an invitation ♪ ♪ That the Lord has for you to let go ♪ ♪ For you to surrender whatever's on your mind ♪ ♪ Whatever you did last night ♪ ♪ Whatever you did last week ♪ ♪ Whatever you're feeling guilty of ♪ ♪ That's not letting you connect with the Lord ♪ ♪ Right here there is an invitation that He has for you ♪ ♪ To surrender, to connect ♪ ♪ Right here He is fighting for every single one of you guys ♪ ♪ So come on we sing all the shoutos ♪ ♪ All the struggles are to reign ♪ ♪ All the help He gives to say ♪ ♪ I don't listen to this man ♪ ♪ With Jesus in His face ♪ ♪ Come on we sing all the help ♪ ♪ I don't listen to this man ♪ ♪ So come on we sing ♪ ♪ Come on we sing ♪ ♪ All the struggles are to reign ♪ ♪ All the help He gives to say ♪ ♪ I don't listen to this man ♪ ♪ And Jesus in His face ♪ ♪ Come on every battle has been won ♪ ♪ Pray the one who's overcome ♪ ♪ All the she's done ♪ ♪ All the struggles are to reign ♪

♪ All the help He gives to say ♪ ♪ Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus ♪ ♪ Every battle that you want ♪ ♪ Praise the world, this overclock ♪ ♪ We say Jesus, oh it's the Jesus ♪ ♪ Jesus ♪ ♪ God is fighting for us ♪ ♪ He has won the battle ♪ ♪ Come on, He's not finished yet ♪ ♪ So how faith can watch him do ♪ ♪ There's nothing that He cannot do ♪ ♪ He is willing to heal ♪ ♪ Oh we say God is fighting for us ♪ ♪ He has won the battle ♪ ♪ So how faith can watch him do ♪ ♪ There's nothing that He cannot do ♪ ♪ He is willing to call us God to break ♪ ♪ How faith is to share ♪ ♪ How faith is to share ♪ ♪ He is listening to Jesus ♪ ♪ He is finished yet ♪ ♪ Every battle that you want ♪ ♪ Praise the world, this overclock ♪ ♪ Jesus for the Christ will start to break ♪ ♪ And all of hell begins to shake ♪ ♪ At the finishing of His day ♪ ♪ Oh Jesus is finished yet ♪ ♪ He's not finished yet ♪ ♪ Every battle that you want ♪ ♪ Praise the world, this overclock ♪

♪ Oh Jesus, oh Jesus ♪ ♪ Jesus, oh Jesus ♪ ♪ Jesus, Jesus ♪ ♪ Jesus ♪ ♪ He has one battle ♪ ♪ So how faith can watch him do ♪ ♪ There's nothing that He cannot do ♪ ♪ There's nothing that He cannot do ♪ ♪ Oh He is born ♪ ♪ We know God is working for us ♪ ♪ How He has one battle ♪ ♪ So how faith can watch him do ♪ ♪ There's nothing that He cannot do ♪ ♪ Oh He is born ♪ ♪ Jesus, oh Jesus ♪ ♪ Jesus ♪ ♪ Jesus ♪ ♪ Jesus ♪ ♪ Jesus ♪ ♪ There is a reason the angels cry ♪ ♪ Oh Lord ♪ ♪ And there is a reason that has song ♪ ♪ It's all ♪ ♪ And there is a reason the angels cry ♪ ♪ Oh Lord ♪ ♪ And there is a reason that has song ♪ There is no one like you There is no one like you It all came There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you

There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you But only, yeah There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you In all the earth All I could search for is ever All I could search for is ever There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you There is no one like you (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) There is no one like you, nobody, nobody, nobody There is no one like you, hold on to the earth In all the earth, oh, let's search forever forever I'll never find nobody like you, please Forever and ever, and maybe no one like you In all the earth, oh, there is no one like you There is no one like you, there is no one like you

In all the earth, oh, there is no one like you The one and only, holy, holy, holy You know, I was thinking about that word holy You know, we sing it out, we shout it out, we proclaim it We declare it, but let us remember that that word It is not just a word, it's actually describing something It's actually describing someone, someone real Someone that's set apart, someone that's matchless And I just, I want us to fix our eyes on him right now That is endless love, his matchless purity His overwhelming grace and mercy That's who we're singing holy to this morning That's who we're singing, that's who we're crying it out to And we're not the only ones singing holy this morning The angels in heaven have this song on repeat They're not looking for another chorus Like they're not writing new songs in heaven They're simply crying holy, holy, holy Why? Because he is worthy The one and only holy, there's none like him Let us pray, heavenly Father, we love you We love you so much Lord We just thank you for who you are God, we thank you that you're holy We thank you for your presence in this place this morning God And I pray that you would just take the words to this song And just write them on our hearts God, I know that many of us come in here with burdens Many of us come in here with a challenging week ahead

There's distractions, God, I pray that we could lay all of that down At your feet this morning And just receive the fresh manna that you have for us today, God God, I pray that if there's anyone in here that's lost That they would be saved today by the power of your Holy Spirit God, we just invite you in to do what only you can do We love you so much, we give you all the praise and glory In Jesus name, amen Amen Well, welcome to Life Fellowship Church Guys, it's such an honor and a blessing to be in service with you this morning You can take your seat My name's Logan Williams, I'm there Have the honor of running the prison ministry, the outreach and the Overcombers Christ-based recovery group on Mondays It's a pleasure and an honor to be here with you guys There's a lot going on here at Life Fellowship Church If you could just turn your attention to the screen Good morning, Life Fellowship, we're so glad you're here And if you're new here, welcome And please text the word new to 51010 We'd love to connect with you, answer any questions that you have And help you find your next steps here at Life Fellowship and small groups are a great way to find community here at Life Fellowship. There are groups for different seasons of life, interests, and schedules. So there's a place for you. Find a group, get connected, and don't do life alone. - Baptism is coming.

If you've said yes to Jesus, but you haven't been baptized yet, this is your next step. We'd love to celebrate that with you, so go ahead and sign up today. Matthew 28, 19 says, "Before Jesus returned to heaven, "He gave his followers this mission. "Go and make disciples baptizing." Every baptism is a celebration that someone has said yes to Jesus. Those moments don't happen by accident. They happen because people faithfully invest in what God is doing through His church. As we give today, we're investing in more stories of life change and more opportunities for people to take their next step with Jesus. Thank you for responding as God leads you. - We're excited for what God wants to do today. - Absolutely. Let's lead in and get ready for the message. - Hey, good morning, everybody. How are you? Good to see you. Glad you came today to Life Fellowship. Good to have all of you on Pastor Dave. Man, what a wonderful time of worship. Thank you, Leslie and the team, for leading us into God's presence. Holy, holy, holy, holy, there's no one like you. Set apart, Lord, you are.

And what a wonderful time to just worship together. Today, we're kicking off a brand new message series. One of the most famous people in scripture, but somebody that maybe we haven't really dug into and have learned a lot about, but we can learn a lot of lessons, a lot of spiritual truths from the life of David. So we're gonna go there and just minute, get your notepad, your iPad, whatever you're taking notes on. Get ready, I hope you'll lean in, get your Bibles out, or get something to get your device, click open the scripture, and we're gonna dig into this. Before I do, I just wanna say to everyone, hello. Welcome online, thank you for joining with us, and everyone at the Texas Department of Corrections. We're glad that you're leaning in with us today as well. Let's welcome everyone to our church family right now. Good to have all of you today. I hope you'll lean in and take some notes as well. My name is David, so maybe that's why one of my favorite Bible characters is David. I remember a little picture Bible I had as a little kid. That was when they called me Davey. But anyway, a little picture Bible, and it was my favorite picture, and of course was David and Goliath. And that's next week's messy, so I hope you'll be here for that. But one of the most remarkable things I think about the Bible

is that it tells the stories of real people. Stories of broken people. People that are not airbrushed in the scripture, but we get the real thing. We get the real picture there. They are revealed to us and told to us as flawed, conflicted, but courageous people, regular people like you and I. With David, we get the full spectrum of human experience. I mean, he did it all, good and some bad. From worship to warfare, yes. From zeal to lust. From triumph to tragedy. And yet God, in his sovereign grace, chooses to work through David, to reveal himself and reveal himself for his glory, and to reveal his redemptive purposes to all of us, which we all need to hear, we all need to learn, we all need to walk in and experience those redemptive purposes of God. David is a man, the Bible says, after God's own heart. Yes, he's a shepherd, he's a worshiper. I've mentioned he's a warrior, a poet, but also a sinner. And ultimately, the greatest king of Israel until Jesus. And his story is so compelling as it exposes his own struggles, I think. But ultimately, David points us to Jesus, the true and the better king. We're gonna go there through this series. I suppose many of you, some of you may have already

watched the prime series, House of David. Wave your hand if you've seen any of that. If you haven't, I encourage you to go to prime and watch that series, it's amazing. It's engaging. However, it is a movie producer's version. We're gonna give you the Bible version. They're similar, of course, but I hope you're ready for the Bible version today. First, a little backstory to set the stage for us. Israel's first king was, some of you know, Saul. Saul had made an egregious error, a serious mistake, a sin. He didn't keep the command of the Lord. And so consequently, God responded. And the prophet Samuel said to Saul, he said, "The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart "and appointed him ruler of his people "because you, Saul, have not kept the Lord's command." Now, this is a prophetic word given from Samuel to Saul. and Samuel is upset by it, and I would assume fearful of it. And you'll see why in a moment. That brings us to 1 Samuel 16 verse 1. The Lord said to Samuel, look at the Scripture with me, the Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way. I'm sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I've chosen one of his sons to be king." But Samuel said, "How can I go if Saul hears about it? He will kill me." Samuel knows that he would be viewed by the king. This would be viewed by the king as an act of treason. But the Lord said, "Go, take a heifer with you and say, I've come to sacrifice to the Lord, invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate." The one I indicate, right out of the gate, right here, we get a key learning for us as followers of Jesus. And that key learning is that God is sovereign. Say that with me. God is sovereign. The word sovereign comes from the Latin roots, meaning

above all. He's above all. It means that God is the ultimate ruler, above all, overall, who governs all creation without limitation or rival. In other words, God is not a passive observer of human affairs, but he is an active ruler over human affairs. He's involved. He's engaged. And sometimes you may not feel it, but he is there. He's Jehovah-Shama. God is there. And if you think for a second that what is happening around the world today, Israel, Iran, the Middle East, Russia, Ukraine, if you think any of it has escaped God's notice, you're mistaken. In fact, God is working all things toward the fulfillment of his in-time prophetic plan. That's another message for another day. Let's say this after me. God is in control. God is in control. It's not just a Christian cache, but it is truth. God is sovereign over us, and God is in control. And just knowing that alone, I can say for Cindy and I, that brings us great comfort. It brings us great hope, not just for us in the world, but for us with our family, us with our children, us with all the different affairs of life that we're involved in, knowing that God is in control, that God has even assigned us and appointed us to come and be with you, that brings us great comfort, great peace, great hope, because we know that God is sovereign. He sees all, and he knows all. And we can see God's sovereignty clearly here in the life of David. So if you're taking notes, write this down. God calls who he wills because he's sovereign. In 1 Samuel 16, Samuel arrives in Bethlehem. By the way, who else came from Bethlehem? Yes, Jesus also called son of David. We're already seeing the shadow of one who is to come, not just the next king of Israel, but Jesus, king of kings, Lord of lords. David is an old testament shadow of Jesus. An old testament shadow simply means something, someone that serves as a preview or a picture of a greater spiritual reality that is going to be revealed in the New Testament. And David was a shadow of a greater king to come, one who also would be a humble shepherd, a mighty warrior. Let's look at 1 Samuel 16, verse 7. It says, "When they arrived," they mean Samuel didn't arrive at Jesse's house alone. The text actually says the elders of the city joined Samuel at the house. And when they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab, the oldest son, and thought, whoa, I think we've already found him. He certainly looks like a king. Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord. But the Lord said to Samuel, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, slowly on just a second, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him." The Lord does not look at the things that people look at. People look at the outward appearance, say this with me, "But the Lord looks at the heart." If you play sports,

maybe basketball, sometimes a team, they'll run out onto the field or run out onto the court, and they look athletic. They look strong. They might even look a little bit intimidating, and then the game begins, and they're not any good at all. They're not a good team. They're terrible. They pass the looks test. I think we can agree that we're often too quick to judge someone by how they look, or how they act, or by other external factors. But God operates so differently from that. I want you to see, 1st Samuel 16, verse 10. Jesse had seven of his sons passed before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, "The Lord has not chosen these." Jesse's sons looked the part, but that's not what God has chosen. So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" Well, they're still the youngest. Jesse answered, "He's out tending the sheep." Samuel said, "Send for him. "We will not sit down until he arrives." So he sent for him, and he brought him in. Watch how the Bible says how David's appearance was. He was glowing with health. I've never said it that way. I've never looked at someone and said, "Well, they're glowing with health." He had a fine appearance. He had handsome features. Then the Lord said, "Rise and anoint him." This is the one. You could hear the gasp coming from Jesse

and the seven brothers. David, "Rise and anoint him." So Samuel took the horn of oil, anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and watched this from that day on, the spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Rama, he left. How God chose David, though, is so uncharacteristic of us. I want to one point this out. We tend to choose the strongest, the smartest, the most talented, the most popular, the most experienced, the least sinful. And I get that, but what does God do? He often picks the least, the last, the most obscure, to carry out his purposes. Why does he do that? Because he's no respect for persons, first of all. Secondly, he wants to get all the glory for what happens in us. And you know people right now, we've got people our own church staff. They've got a pretty rough past, Logan. I mean, you're people watching online right now, you've got a pretty rough past. But that doesn't mean that God doesn't see you, God doesn't know you, God isn't with you, and that God is not choosing you for a God future, an impacting future for the kingdom of God.

God has a plan for you. For instance, do you remember where I said David and his family are from? Bethlehem. The Bible says in Micah 5.2 about Bethlehem, though you are small among the clans of Judah. Out of you, God's saying, I'm going to choose one out, nobody's going to expect him to come out of Bethlehem. But I'm going to choose, out of you will come for me, one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. First it was David, and then it was Jesus. So with David, God picks the run of the litter from the run of the tribes to usher in a new kingdom. And it's this theme of how God does these things, runs throughout scripture. Look what it says in 1 Corinthians chapter one verse 27. But God chose what? The foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. And so before we see David doing anything of significance in his life, which there was plenty, and there's more to come in the next few weeks, we're going to get into all that. But while David is still just a shepherd, a shepherd boy. He's not proven himself at all. He's not proven himself in battle. He's going to. He's not led the people. He's not governed the nation.

He wasn't even born into a royal family. He's not next in line. He was in fact last in the line of his family. He didn't have a formal education. He was a shepherd. And nobody in everyone's eyes except God's. And sovereignly God selected him out of a nation to lead his people. Some of you might be able to look back at your own lives and say, you know what? God sovereignly selected me. God sovereignly put me in this place. God sovereignly has me here today. God sovereignly has placed me where I find myself today. I would have never thought I could have got. Is there anybody that would wave at me this morning, saying you're talking about me, Pastor Day? There's nobody that would have chosen me for this. There's nobody that would have thought that I would be where I am today. But God, because he loves me and he redeemed me and he pulled me up out of a horrible pit out of my replay. and he's established my goings, and he's put a new song in my mouth, and that new song is praise to my God. And you've shared that praise today, corporately, but you also share it privately, and he sees that. He brought you up out of that place, and have set you into a new place. I hope this is inspiring you just a little bit.

I hope that you know wherever you're at today, wherever you're watching from today, that God sees you, that God knows you, that God is with you. That day in Bethlehem or outside on the farm or the ranch outside of Bethlehem, seven sons are a big no. They looked apart, but the eighth son, that no one saw was anointed as the next king, just a young boy. Verse seven, to first Samuel 16, remember, people look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart, and this is what qualified David. God simply looked at his heart. I know there's some David's here, I know there's some David's watching, and you have felt rejected, you have felt overlooked, and maybe it was your own father, or you feel you've been serving in obscurity, and you're still in obscurity, and then no one sees you. But I wanna tell you, all you need is one thing, a heart for God. If you have a heart for God, God will see you, God will respond to you. Without faith, it's impossible to please God, but he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Just seek him.

Just go after him. He's a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. David had an audience of one out in that field every day. I love that thought. All you need is an audience of one, and that was enough to be called to a huge assignment. Listen to me, being a young man or a young woman seeking after God's heart, it will take you further, it will take you faster into a place of fulfillment, and a place of kingdom fruitfulness than anything that this world can offer you. I'm not minimizing education. Go for it. I'm not minimizing personal development, but there's a God factor here that I'm talking about today. And when God shows up as the precious Holy Spirit and he places a calling on your life, we cannot minimize or ignore what that means. It supersedes everything else. I'm not only referring to a calling to marketplace or excuse me, to vocational ministry, but also to marketplace ministry or to business and education. But he's also still calling our sons and our daughters to be pastors, to be teachers, to be evangelists and missionaries. Can I say something to moms and dads today? You maybe you have children that are still in the home or you have children that's sons and daughters that are in college or maybe even beyond. God is still looking for those he can call to vocational ministry as pastors, teachers, missionaries

and work Christian workers. You say, yeah, but I've got bigger dreams for them than that. Bigger dreams than that. Bigger dreams that God's purposes for them. That's the greatest calling that can be placed on a life is in God. I'm available for you to use me wherever, whenever, however, to whomever. I just got back from Vietnam three days ago, meeting with pastors and missionaries and church planners, a couple who God called there and to Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon, Vietnam. And 20 years ago, they planted a coffee shop called The Cup. And in the last 20 years, a coffee shop on the main floor but on the third floor where we visited. 40,000 people have gone through an English language class and every one of them have been presented the gospel of Jesus Christ. And out of that English class on the top of a coffee shop, God has called missionaries and called pastors and church planners and people who are now not only in Vietnam but in countries around the world that are preaching the gospel and discipling people into the will of God and the work of God. He can do that because he's sovereign. All we've gotta do is make ourselves available to that call and also mom and dad, let me get back to what I was about to say, mom and dad, make sure you're praying over your sons and daughters that if God would see them as just one day.

them and encourage them rather than maybe pull them back from the will of God. If you take notes, we also learn this from David. Walk in your calling now. Walk in your calling now. Whatever you have sensed, God has called you to know that God has called you. God is sovereign. He has called you and go ahead and begin to walk in that calling now, even if you haven't been educated yet for that particular calling. Even if you have not been, the door has not opened for it yet, begin to walk in that calling now. Once that David knew that he had been called, even though he was still a shepherd, he immediately starts walking in that calling and it serves him as preparation for God's purposes. We see it later in chapter 16, the presence of God has left Saul. Saul is being tormented by evil spirits and look who God finds to serve the king. Chapter 16 verse 17, so Saul said to his attendance, "Find someone who plays well and bring him to me." One of the servants answered, "I've seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the liar. He's a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and he's a fine-looking man. He must have been pretty good-looking to keep saying he was a fine-looking guy." The Lord is with him. Verse 19 says, "Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, 'Send me your son David who is with the sheep.'" Years before David becomes king, I mean, David doesn't assume the throne until he's about 30. This is years away, but already he knows who he is. He knows who he is. He knows that God has called him and even as God is not yet opened the ultimate door, God begins to open doors. And David now has an opportunity to serve another king, and God does this. Why? Because he knows there's a day coming when David himself will sit on the throne. And David, this is preparation time, bro. This is some preparation time. You need to be busy now. Walk in your calling now and don't wait until when. When Chapel Hill Church, the church we've pastored for 25-plus years in Atlanta, when we were just a small, obscure church plant. I mean, it was just just in a few people. The Lord kind of spoke to me and he said, "Dave, begin to walk now like you're going to be when." So this is a long time experience of what I'm preaching and teaching you today. We begin to act like a church of hundreds and thousands before we were a church of a hundred. And we begin to do things that maybe churches that size they don't do. We begin to serve people with a heart of excellence, and we just made ourselves available. We went to find out where God was working in the community, and we joined them. We didn't say, "Hey, come over and help us." No, we just went and started helping people, helping other ministries. How can we serve you? How can we be a blessing to you? We looked and raised some

money and gave offerings to other ministries, even when we were in desperate need ourselves. I mean, you know, that's a biblical principle. Givin' it shall be given to you. Good measure, press down, shaking together and over. We begin to act now like we needed to be when. All the way back in 1982, a long time ago, when I sensed God's calling upon my life, I began to act differently. It was something the Holy Spirit was just doing in me. So I began to hang out as much as I could with the youth pastor. I'm just gonna go and serve the youth pastor. We've got young people just feel like God is calling them to something unique and something special. Let's just start hanging out with those who are already there. I started dressing differently. I started dressing like him. My friends are like, "What are you doing dressing?" Well, I feel called to do that. I started hanging out with the worship pastor. I didn't know I was gonna be a worship pastor one day. I just began to do what they were doing. I was walking in my calling before I reached my destiny. That's a word for somebody. But your struggle may be like David's, for instance. How do you deal with the others who don't see you like God sees you? And that may be where you're at today. They see you as just a shepherd. They don't see you as a future king. You're too young or you're too old. You're not too old. Who says you're too old? I mean, people have been trying to talk me into retirement. I'm like, "Shut up, God bless you. I love you." If this is retirement, I don't know where retirement is. No, I'm still available. God, for you to use me, however, Thank you for watching! in God's eyes, that past is forgiven, that past is forgotten. I mean, he loves to take people who have what the world is saying, a past, a sinful past, redeem that person, redeem the past, and take it into a new place of blessing. Maybe they just see you out there with the sheep. You've already been labeled or you've been put in a box. They don't even bring you out when the prophet comes to your house. But my question to you today is this, whose voice are you going to believe? Whose voice are you going to believe? Don't forget when the man or woman of God spoke over you. Don't forget that a youth can't, when hands were laid upon you. Don't forget that mission's trip, when your heart was stirred for the world, but the further away that mission's trip was, the less you even feel for the world anymore.

Don't forget your water baptism day. When you went down underwater one way and you came up a new way, you came up a new creature in Christ Jesus to fulfill the will of God. Don't forget, David remembered when that warm anointing wall had been poured over his head and the spirit of the Lord came upon him. And from that day on, he walked in it, "Listen, I may not be good enough, but God is God enough every single time." Are you still with me? David chose to believe God's word about him and we must choose that as well. I mean, look how long it took. Look how long it took for David to become what he was anointed to be. He was called as a young teenager and it's interesting to me. Don't miss this. David's destiny was locked up in his history. Did you get that? His destiny was hidden, if you will, in his history as a shepherd, his future. You can detect his future by looking back at his history and yours is as well. You may be struggling to find your assignment and to know God's purpose, but just know that God has left clues in your past. What have you walked through? What has been your experience? And here's what I've learned. God never wastes an experience. The good, the bad, and the ugly. He'll take those experiences and he will redeem them and he'll put you in a place that he intends you to be because you've walked through what you've walked through. He shapes us for our God-given assignments through our experiences and wraps them all together. He did it for David. He's done it for me and he'll do it for you.

Say this, cultivate a shepherd's heart. Write that down. Cultivate a shepherd's heart. That's really what this series is about. Let's cultivate a shepherd's heart. Here in week one, let's begin right here. Cultivate a shepherd's heart. The heart that God developed in David and the skills that God taught David as a shepherd board were one day going to be needed, yes, as a warrior, and yes, as a shepherd king. He's working all things together for his good, for our good, and for his glory. Not necessarily for your expected outcome, but for your good, and for his glory. I like to say it this way. God is taking you through it so he can get you to it. He's taking you through it because there's a place he wants to take you. Finally, what is in the shepherd's heart? Write this down. There's three things. In the shepherd's heart and then we're going to worship and pray. Number one, faithfulness in small things. The shepherd's heart says I'm going to be faithful in small things. Let's cultivate that. Do the small things well. Whatever you've been given to do, do it well. No matter what your occupation is, no matter where you find yourself tomorrow, whatever small thing you've been given, do it well for the glory of God. Whatever you do, whether eat or drink or whatever you do, Paul said, do it all for the glory of God. Shepherding was not a glamorous job, but he did it well. He did it for God's glory, for what was ahead. For instance, his consistency in just tending to the flock, just being out there.

Just being there, keeping the flock from harm, caring for the well-being of the sheep and all that would be crucial in leading a nation. Just do it well with a right heart, with a right spirit, taking care of the sheep because one day he would be taking care of Israel's sheep, the sheep, the people. Doing the little things faithfully, prepare David for his destiny. Never forget this. I've said this so many times over the years. It's not what you do all at once that counts. It's what you do consistently. Also, what is in the Shepherd's heart? Number two, right? Humility. I like to say it this way, humility, humility, humility. The five most important characteristics of leadership. Humility, humility, humility, humility, humility. For David, it was years and years of humility, isolated with a herd of sheep, serving on the ranch, serving the king, sometimes simultaneously. He understood that true greatness always comes from serving others. Did you hear that? True greatness does not come when you finally reach the pinnacle, and you're the CEO, or you're the boss, or you're no. True greatness comes from serving people. So whichever way you're pointing with people today, maybe it's horizontal, maybe there's somebody on the flow chart, or the org chart that's below you, or maybe somebody that's above you. It's service, service, service, humility, humility, humility. God sees that heart. Jesus was history's greatest leader because he was history's greatest servant. And then thirdly, because David's heart followed hard after God. His Shepherd's heart was filled with this, passionate worship, passionate worship. I can just picture David out in the field. He's got an audience of one. He's just a shepherd. He's the last of the last. He's the run of the litter. He's the least of the least, but he's got an audience with God. And by the way, we all do. We all have that. We all can find that quiet place and say, "God, this is just me and you." And I can picture David out there walking the field, probably as bored as can be, but he shifts his look upward. And I can hear him sing his Psalm, Psalm 103. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless your holy name, Psalm 103. I will bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name." Or maybe it was something like this, "Here I am to worship. Here I am to bow down. Here I am to pray." Thank you for calling me, Lord. Thank you for seeing me, Lord. Thank you for knowing me, Lord. Thank you for knowing who I am. Thank you for knowing where I am right now. Lord, I just bow down and worship you. Be my audience today, Lord God. Here I am to worship. Here I am to bow down. Here I am to say that you're my God. You're all together lovely, all together worthy, all together wonderful to me. And I'll never know how much it costs to see my sins upon the cross. I'll never know how much it costs to see my sins upon the cross. I'll never know how much it costs to see my sins upon the cross. Here I am to worship. Here I am to bow down. He hears you, he sees you.

♪ Here I am to see ♪ Thank you Lord. Whether you know him or not, he sees you, he knows your name, he knew you before you were even born while you were in your mother's womb, he formed you, he created you. He created you to be a David, to passionately worship him, to know him, to follow him, to walk with him, to be used by him for his glory and praise. No matter what you've walked through to this point, it can just be preparation time for what he's going to, how he's going to use you in your days ahead. So if you're here today with your heads bowed in your eyes closed, I just want to ask, I want to ask you to consider, is Jesus Christ your Lord and your God? He's sovereign, he's all powerful, he's almighty, he's in control, but he's waiting for one thing from each one of us, and that is for us to surrender our hearts. Make ourselves available for his Lordship, for him to lead and guide and direct to every, every part of our lives. Are you willing to surrender to him today? Maybe you've never done that, or maybe you did a long time ago, but you've walked away, and today he's calling you back as his son or his daughter. And today's your day to say, Lord, I worship you, Lord, I want to follow you. If you're here and you want to make sure you know that he's Lord of your life, we're going to pray a simple but a powerful prayer of faith, and I'm going to ask you to join in with me, and you want to be included in that, I'm going to ask you to slip up your hand on the count of your end, if you're watching online, just let us know. On the count of three, slip up your hand, one, two, three, pastor, they pray with me, pray for me. Yes, hands are going up, yes, God bless you in the room today. Those of you watching online just say yes, all you have to do is type that in the chat. Yes, I'm in. With heads bowed and eyes closed, let's pray this together, dear Lord Jesus, I give you my life. I know that I've sinned, I know I've gone my own way, and I ask you to forgive me, cleanse

me, wash me, give me a brand new heart, and a brand new start. Fill my heart with worship for you, guide my heart, Holy Spirit. Jesus, I believe you died on the cross for me, and I believe you rose again on the third day, and today I'm your son or your daughter, and I choose to follow you. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me, thank you for giving me a brand new life, and I pray that you would help me, help me, Holy Spirit, to live for Jesus today. I worship you, and I praise you, come on, let's put our hands together, and thank you for that. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. How many of you would lift up your hand and say, pastor Dave, I want to have a shepherd's heart. I want to have a shepherd's heart. I want to be faithful in the small things. I want to walk with a heart of humility and service. I want to be found faithful as a worshiper of my God. Lord, let us take this spirit of David out of here today. In Jesus' name, amen. God bless you. Just remain standing. Amen. Thank you, pastor Dave, for that word, guys, if you said yes to Jesus today, man, that's the best decision you've ever made in your life, and we want to celebrate that with you. If you would please just text the word 51010, Jesus to the word 51010, and we will reach out to you, connect with you, show you the next step. So it would be our honor to be able to walk with you through that. And man, I was just struck by sometimes we might think, gosh, man, I do want to cultivate this shepherd's heart. But how do I do that? Like I have all these challenges facing me, I have all these anxieties, all these things

that I'm worried about, and I just want to challenge you, man, to remember that God is sovereign over all of that. And maybe we can just take all of our energy and take all of our worry and take all of that stuff and get it off of all of our problems, and we can put it on Him, and we can put that energy into cultivating that shepherd's heart. We want to pray for you. I'd like to invite the prayer teams up right now. And guys, if there's anything going on in your life, man, there is something about mixing your faith. I don't know how God does it in the spirit, but when you get up and move your physical body in response and get out of your comfort zone, he moves in those moments. So I just want to tell you like I tell the guys in the prison, man, don't be shy. Come up and get some prayer. Hey, man, hey, we're going to have baptisms next weekend. If you have it on your heart to be baptized, maybe you've never been baptized, or maybe you got baptized as a small child, and you didn't really know what you were doing, or for any reason. If you just want to publicly declare your faith in Jesus for any reason, man, we want you to sign up, just hit the information desk or the church center app or just get with any of us. Because we want to celebrate that with you today. Hey, man, let me bless you as you go. Thank you, Lord, for today. Thank you for your presence in this room today, God. It was so thick. We just love you. God, I pray that you would bless everyone here as they go about their day. God, that everyone that they would encounter, that they would just see Jesus on them, that they would just see peace and that they would see joy on them. God, I just pray for life fellowship church. I pray that you would just set up divine appointments this week and that you would just move in their lives. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you guys. Have a wonderful Sunday. God bless. [music] (gentle music)