Going After God's Heart | Elder Rose

You're listening to a message to go from axt church.

We hope this message will light up your day.

What are you chasing? After you think about it? What

is the one thing you know that causes you to

wake up every morning? You know? What would drives you low?

You know, that's a question that people like to ask.

So if I can hear some response, what would drives

you every day? Don't tell me your tesla? Okay, your vision? Okay,

all right, there is a vision that drives you. Would

you want to share with a check what your vision is? Haha? Right? Yeah, amen, Amen,

let's give around applause to a young lady who has

a vision for her future. Good. There is something that

drives you, wakes that makes you wake up every morning?

What else? What about the rest of you? What drives you? Chilen,

He's like, hmm, deep question, now, deep question, deep question?

Just on top of your head? Wow, okay, okay. One

thing to be good stewards of what God has given

him and that could mean a lot of things. Right,

it's family, it's wife, it's kids, it's work, it's ministry,

write all of those. Yeah, okay, okay, what else? What

else drives you? What keeps you going, oh, look at me, like,

don't want to answer, Like, nothing drives me. I just

live what drives me, date lines, what drives me, my kids,

you know. And I think it's important to just do

a little bit of that hid shape already in August, yeah,

August this year. And sometimes when we don't take time

to just really think about some of these more important

questions in life, you realize that time will pass you by,

you know, and eventually ten years will pass you by.

You're like, what's my life? You know? What is it

all about? I don't know? Right I can do, I

can seem to do all the right things, and yet

nothing seems to sort of hit at what I want

to get at. Okay, And so just have that in mind,

what is your driving force? Think about it. It's something

that you will have to ask yourself and be very

honest with it. And let's see if the word of

God can help us find what that answer is. Immen, Okay, Okay, cool.

So I want to start off by saying, and I

think the first slide, let's see, what was the first light?

I still can remember, ah, going okay, next on the

next light, next light. This is like giving you answer ready, Okay,

I just want to start by saying that God wants

to set us up for success. Do you agree? Do

you agree that God wants all of us to be successful?

Of course, if you ask me what is the definition

of success, then we can have a whole debate or

over what that looks like. Right, Some of you might say, debate,

success is, oh, I can reach my first million, you know,

when I'm thirty years old. That's my brother's ambition. You

you always used to debate or you know, talk about it,

and he's like, yeah, for me to be successful, I

need to hit my first million when I'm thirty years old.

Then when he became thirty five, I say, you hit

your first Millionairely not no yet? No yet? So maybe

not so successful? Right? What is successful to you? Right?

I don't know. For some of you, maybe no problem anyone?

You would define success as no problem in life? Anyone? Anyone? Oh,

you're too realistic. You're too realistic to say I to

say no problem in life? Is you You've gone through

so much like no impossible? Oh, definition of problem? Okay,

how would you define it? My wife? Oh? No, no, no,

I didn't say that. I didn't say that. Yeah, so

it's good. Actually it's good. How do you define problems right?

What is a problem right? And how do you what

is your perspective on problems? And so I just want

to say that God really wants to set us up

for success in our life, as believe us. He's called

all of us to this life of faith. And the

first understanding that we must have is that God wants

us to be successful. All right. If you don't believe that,

I think God purposally want to you know, trip us up,

then nolah that that is not the God that we serve. Okay,

So I'm gonna be reading a lot from the book

of First Samuel. So I let's open up to the

word of God in First Samuel, and we're gonna see

what God is doing in the lives of people that

he uses, right, And I like what Julen said, you know,

it's like to be good stewards of what God has

given us. And so we're gonna see how two people

became stewarts of what God has given them, right and

what God has called them to be. And so let's

see the first part. Okay, let's let's go to chapter ten.

First Samuel chapter ten. Now you know, okay, who is

the main character in the Book of Samuel? Oh, I

heard the right Answercio, Samuel and God Samuel got Samuel

got Okay, who which other characters are in the Book

of Samuel? That's very important, very important? Saw and then David,

Saul and David in that order. Right, okay, So now

let's go with Okay. So the thing was was it

a good thing to have a king or not? I

heard yes, no good not a bad idea, not God's idea.

Whose idea was it? Man's idea? Why? Why did why

did God think it was not a great idea? Because

they will look to me, you're CPC, can come, I

appreciate it. La. Essentially that was it right. God wanted

to be king in their lives. That that's it right.

And so but the man's in you know humans that

Israel like tribes. They say, oh no, but our nations

they also got king. We also want a human king, right,

and say God said, are you sure? Are you sure

you really want a human king to rule over you?

They's like, yes, we want and say God, Okla, I

will give you a human king. And so this was

the selection of the first king for the nation of Israel.

So we follow that, you understand, and who's the first king?

So okay, so we are there, all right, So let's

go to see the anointing of Saul. All right? Now?

In verse chapter ten, verse one, it says, then samuelso

Samuel was a prophet annointed by God, took a flask

of oil and poured it on his head and this

is salted, and kissed him and said, is it not

because the Lord has anointed you commander over his inheritance? Wow.

When you have departed from me today, you will find

two men. And then it goes on to say you

will do what, and you'll do what, and they will

greet you, and then you'll come to this hill. And

it goes on to say after that, right in verse six,

I'm interested more. In verse six, let's go to verse six,

and this is what it says. Then the spirit of

the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesie

with them and be turned into another man. Wow. So

big the words I like you you can see, right, Okay? Now,

what is very interesting to you about this verse? Yeah?

Do you know all this one? When I read the

word I never saw this part before ro Suddenly, when

I was studying this story, now, I'm like, oh wow.

I knew that he was gonna be prophesying, but I

was a bit surprised with this. You'll be turned into

another man. Hmm, okay, what kind of another man? All right,

so let's continue on. Let's continue verse seven, and let

it be when this signs come to you, that you

do as the occasion demands. For God is with you.

You see this, God is with you. All right, Let's

move on a little bit. Verse eight essays you shall

go down before me to guild gall and surely I

will come down to you to offer burn offerings and

make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days. You shall wait

till I come to you and show you what you

should do. And so it was when he had turned

his back to go from Samuel that God gave him

another heart, and all those signs came to pass that day.

Do you see that verse so again it's reiterated that

God gave him another heart. What what do you understand

by God gave him another heart? Change of heart, softening

of heart? What else? What else do you gather from this?

Is it a good thing? Okay, do you agree that

it's a good thing? So I you know, remember I

said that God wants to set you up for success.

So God has anointed soul. Now and what what did

God God give Saul to set him up for success?

Another heart? What else? What else? What else? Think about it?

What else did God promise to Saul in order for

him to be successful? The spirit of God? Do you

realize that in the Old Testament there was no do

you know before X chapter two, the ex chapter one,

there was no outpouring and infeeling of the Holy Spirit

upon the people. In the Old Testament, the spirit of

God rests upon a person, and when once that person

has done his or her job, the spirit leaves. Yeah.

Do you see that? So what it means is that

the spirit can come and rest upon someone right now

to do that job and then after that leave you

right and then so you'll be like, oh, the Spirit

of God can come and go. That's why concept that

we have to understand, all right, Okay, So but this

is what God had promised him. He had promised him

three things. Okay. Firstly, God promised him his presence. Do

you see that the presence of God? Do you have

God's presence with you? We have to ask ourselves do

we really understand what the presence of God is? Does

that mean that God's presence is only here in the

ballroom in Klang in Premier Hotel on Sunday ten to

twelve pm? After that? Normal God's presence is it you

think about it? Is it based on a locality or

a place? What is God's presence? Tell? Okay, so explain

to me what is God's presence? Oh? Okay, you can

teach that the next way. Okay, the next time you're

preaching omnipresent omnipresent. Now that there's this, you know terminology

that you might have heard before. It's called omnipresence, right,

meaning God is everywhere, right, and He's everywhere anytime? Okay?

The question is are we with God? God is present

with us, but we may not be present with him.

You know, It's like having a guest at home. How

many of you all have homes, right, and then you

have many rooms, and then one day I'm gonna invite Jess.

It's gonna be like the Holy Spirit. She entered my home, right,

and I keep her in the storeroom, I keep her

in the storeroom, and I talk to her on Sunday

only he signed, hey Jess, thank you you know, and

please help me. And then I keep her locked up

in the storeroom and I don't think about her at

all until the next Sunday comes. Oh, when I'm in trouble.

Did you see that? That's sometimes how we treat the

Holy Spirit? But how how? What is a better way?

You know? What is one way that you think would

be better to have this relationship with the Holy Spirit?

Constant communion? Right, it means we are we're talking to

each other, we know each other. It's not like a

distant relationship. It's like I don't know what sadly after

one Holy Spirit change readily. I so don't know, right,

change color, I don't know. So. But you see, the

thing is this constant communion. It's the presence of what

meaning as believers of God today we have the Holy

Spirit with us and we bring the presence of God

wherever we go. You see that because we are the

temple of the Holy Spirit. So it means even when

you go out later into the restaurant, guess what the

Holy Spirit is there in that restaurant, And what is

the Holy Spirit one thing to do. So that's what

we want to get. Okay. So the presence of God.

So God promised saw his presence. He gave him a promise.

The promise is that God is with you. You see that.

And he said that you will be turned into another man,

which is you like? And but you see the thing

is when he set it up for Saul, there was

also a precept or a commandment that God gave to Saul.

What was the commandment given? What was the commandment given? There? Yeah,

so God promised his presence as a promise given. And

then there is a precept. What was the precept that

Saul told Samuel told Saul? What was it? Can you

see that there was a condition? What was that condition?

You can open your bible? This is the open book test, Okay,

it's the Bible. What is the one commandment that's Damiel

gave to Saul before he left him? What was that commandment?

You read that out loud? Mm hmmmm amen? Thank you?

So did do you understand that that was a commandment given?

So what was Saul supposed to do? He was supposed

to go to a place what was that place called Guilga? Okay,

we'll talk a little bit about what Gilgirl is. And

then after that, what was he supposed to do? No, no, no,

you're reading it wrong. What was Saul supposed to do?

He's supposed to wait? Who was the one who was

going to offer the burns offerings and sacrifice? Sacrifice? Samuel? Okay,

so we have to be very careful with the explicit instruction.

Samuel told him, you go down to Gilgal and then

I will come to you and offer you the burn

offerings and sacrifice. You wait seven days, you wait, and

I will come and tell you what to do. Okay.

Now did this happen immediately after Saul was ordain as king?

If you read the following verse, it might be a

bit misleading. Let me let me show you what I mean.

So it says that in verse nine, so it was

when he had turned his back to go from Samuel

that God gave him another heart. Yay, And all those

signs came to pass that day. You see that, So

this was one of the signs. It might seem as

though that this sign came to pass as well. And

so after that when they came you read on a

following after that, there was a group of prophets who

came to meet him, and then he started to prophesy

and all that, okay. And then after he found the

sheep and then yeah, he was ordained as king already. Okay,

So but it didn't happen that immediately. Now, Okay, first

few things I want to just tell you. Number one,

why was gigle? Okay, let me just move on first.

Then you will see what I mean. Okay. So okay.

Then in verse let's move on. So there's chapter ten,

chapter ten, and then there was another thing that happened

in verse chapter eleven. Okay. So after Saul was ordained

as king already, then there was a crisis. There was

a crisis. Let's go to chapter eleven. Are you there

in chapter eleven? Okay, Let's go to chapter eleven, and

it says that there was then Nahash. The Ammonites came

up and then came against Jebbiesh Gilead, and all the

men of Jebbish said to Nahajh, make a covenant with us,

and we will serve you. And this is what the

enemy said, Okay. Nahash is the Ammonite, which is the enemy. Okay,

So this is what the enemy is telling to Jabbish Giliad,

which is one of the tribes of Israel. He says,

and verse two a number Nahash the Ammonite and answered him,

on this condition, I will make a covenant with you

that I may put out all your right eyes and

bring reproach on all Israel. Okay, do you see that?

What that means is okay, you want to have peace

treaty with me, all of you. Take out your right

eye right now, gouge out your right eye. Talk about gory,

right and you want to lose your right eye for peace?

No way? Okay? That that's what the enemy threatened one

of the tribes of Israel. What what what is the

response today? What do you think will happened? What was

the response of the Jabbish guild tribe to this? What

do you think they say? No way, we will fight you.

What was the response? Yeah, let's read on to their response.

Look at this are very interesting. In Verse three says

then the elders of Jabesh said to him, hold off

for how many days? Interesting? Hold on for seven days,

that we may send messengers to all the territory of Israel,

and then if there's no one to save us, we

will come out to you and give you all right. Aye,

that is their response, because they knew that they could

not fight against the Ammonites. And so they said, okay,

give us seven days. We will ask for help. We

will at least help. And so the messengers came and

came to Saul that time, and of course everyone lifted

up their voices and wept in chapter in verse four. Uh.

And then of course, and let's go to verse six. Now,

then the spirit of God, remember, spirit of God came

again upon him. So it comes when it's need, when

when the Holy Spirit is needed. Then the spirit of

God came upon Saul when he heard this news, and

his anger was greatly aroused. Okay. So Saul was now angry.

Now he's angry, righteous anger. So he took a yoke

of oxen and he cut them into pieces, and then

he sent them out and says, if you don't come

and fight for your brother, I will do this to

all your oxen, and I will cut them up into

pieces as well. So everybody, okay, boss angry rety king,

angri reity. And so they came and then they fought

and they won. Okay, conclusion is they won. Yay, praise

the Lord. Okay, now, okay, So that that was the story,

and then let's go to all the way it goes

on to say in verse fourteen. Now, chapter eleven, verse fourteen,

then Samuel said to the people, after the victory, come,

let us go to Guilgall and renew the kingdom there

in verse fifteen. So all the people went to Guilgall,

and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgau.

There they made sacrifices of peace offerings before the Lord

and their Saul, and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly. Amen.

So Gilga was this place where they anointed Saul as king.

Do you know? Interestingly, interestingly, Gilgel is also a place

where do you know, the children Israel after they entered

the Promised Land. Remember that after forty years of slavery

in Egypt, they entered the Promised Land. They crossed the

Jordan River where was the first encampment, Guilgaal So Gilga

has this significance of this place. Okay, Now has a

seven days thing happened? Yet not yet? Okay, So because

let's go to chapter thirteen. Now, let's go to chapter thirteen.

Because let's go let's see what happens. Then in chapter thirteen,

now we're moving along the story. Are you following the

story so far? Saul was anointed as king and then

he fought jebbish Giller anointed him at Gilgah. And then

in verse thirteen he says, it's now saw rain one

year and when he had reigned two years, so there's

some time that had passed, sometime that had passed after

he was reigning. And then he chose three thousand men

of Israel for himself, and then two thousand men were Jonathan.

Now what happened was Jonathan is his son, and because

they are in a new territory, he attacked the Philistines. Okay,

so now Philistines, Philistines, Philistines. What do you know about

the Philistines and Israel? Are they good best friends? Yeah?

They're best enemies. Okay. You will notice that in the

history of Israel there's always the Philistines is always causing

trouble for them, right, troublemakers. When you look at your

own life, do you have Philistines or not? Got right?

Your Philistines could be finances, Your Philistines could be your boss,

It could be I don't know. Health, maybe something that

always seems to come and attack us, right, and you

try to attack back, and then they try to attack

you back. Okay. So we all have Philistines in our life,

and so the Israelites have philistines as well. And so

now look at verse four. Let's go to verse four. Now,

all Israel heard that Jonathan had actually attacked, that Saul

had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, right, and that

Israel had also become an abomination to the Philistines. And

the people were called together to Saul at Gilgal. Look

at this. Now, look at your enemy. Okay. Then the

Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel. How many How

many did Saul have? Two thousand? Just now, right, three thousand,

and then Jonathan had two thousand. Now let's look at

the enemies count. Then the Philistines gathered together to fight

with Israel. How many thirty thousand chariots? This is not

one or two more, you know, this is many, many

times more. Thirty thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen. This is

with equipment some more, okay, and people as the sand

which is the seashore in multitude. And they came up

and came in Micmash to the east of bed Evan.

And when the men of Israel saw that they were

in danger for the people with distressed, then the people

hid in caves, in tickets, in rocks, in holes, and

in pits. And some of the Hebrews crossed over the

Jordan to the land of God and Gilliad. As for Saul,

he was still in Gilgel, and all the people followed

him trembling. Now let's look at the next verse is

very important. Okay, read verse eight. Then he waited how

many days? He waited seven days, according to the time

set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal,

and the people were scattered from him. Okay, I'm just

gonna pause there for a bit. So we understand that.

So now, as a king, he's under some pressure. Right,

when the enemies come, when your philistines come at you,

when whatever troubles come at you, what is our response? Okay,

when philistines come, and we can recognize that he went

into panic mode. Did do you understand panic? Have you

ever been there? You're like, ah, there's so many more.

The challenges is overwhelming, right, it's over overwhelming, So you

go into a state of panic. What would you do?

Usually when you're in a panic mode, you react, right,

you react to whatever that you know the situation is. Okay.

I had to give it to Saul, though. Do you

know that now? When when Samuel gave the commandment to

go down to Gilgall, so he was already at Gilga, right, Hey,

those days don't have what set one not. They didn't

say now you are there, Idia, I rite already. I

don't know how they communicated those days. They didn't have

the internet. They I don't know whether they had snail mail.

I don't know how did Samuel know that Saul was

already at Gilger. Have you thought about it? Actually? How

did Samuel know? How did Saul know? Now I'm going

to wait seven days coming from today? When would you know?

You don't know? Right. So when I did a little

bit more research, I recognized that in the earlier part

that we read, when Samuel anointed Saul and gave him

the commandment go down to Giga and wait for me

seven days, it was more of like saying, when the

next national crisis happens, this is what you do, okay.

It was more preparing him for his role as a

sovereign as a king. Right, So whenever there is a

national crisis, go down to Gilgall. Wait seven days and

I will come and I will offer the burn offerings

and then tell you what to do. You see the sequence,

Go down to Gilgall, wait seven days for me to

come to offer burn offerings and sacrifice, and I will

tell you what to do. Four things correct? Okay, great,

Now in the midst of panic. Now enemy come at you, like, come,

you haven't pay your bill yet? How come you haven't

met your deadline yet? Right? All these things come at you.

Do you remember what the commandment was? Right? So we

have to give it to Saul. He actually went down Okay,

let's yeah, he went down to saw, went out to saw.

We're not to wear Gilgall Number one? Check? And then

after that what he had to do next? Wait for

how many days? Wait? Seven days? Did he do that?

He did? So it looks like he's on the right track.

New hat ma right, new hot on the right track.

One usually Okay, let's see where what happened next? Now

this is verse I read against you Vers eight, and

then he waited seven days, So go second thing. Check

according to the time set by Samuel. But do you

see the butte? But and our lives go a lot

button right? Oh, God gave me a promise. But how come?

So let's see what happens here. But Samuel did not

come to Gilga, and the people were scattered from him.

So four things that he was supposed to do? Two

things did ready in the times of your pressure and

panic mode? Would you be able to follow through everything

else that the Lord say? Oh you say, hey, I

really followed the first two. Then the rest is history.

The rest is what I think is best. What would

you do in a panic mode? And this is of

course very human, and this is what Saul did. Verse nine.

So Saul said, bring a burn offering and peace offerings

here to me? And he offered the burn offering? Was

that wrong? On what counts? On what counts? Was it wrong? Firstly,

it was only a priest that can offer the burn

offerings and sacrifice? Okay, So clearly he was in violation

of the role he was king, not priests. Hello. Sometimes uh,

we do things that we are not supposed to do,

though it may seem very godly, we have to be

very careful. Okay. So what else was that wrong? How

else was that wrong? Firstly, he did something that was

not supposed to do. Secondly, he didn't wait who was

supposed to offer the burn of rain? Samuel, Why do

we do things that someone else is supposed to do

because he didn't come. You didn't come, like you said,

what you're so late? So I appreciated, right, And when

you and we have to learn this principle when we

do something that we are that God didn't ask us

to do. Can I say that it was more of

the commandment of the Lord, that the underlying biggest mistake

that saw it was he did not obey the commandment,

clear and simple as that. He did not obey the commandment.

And you see him the type. The thing is right.

There will be delays in our lives. And I want

to say this, delays are usually a test. Do you

think you know? I found it very interesting that, you know,

when I read the part where God gave him another heart,

God gave make him into another man. But God giving

another heart, and you know he gave you at the start,

but he will test it whether it really is a

changement or was it a temporary You know, you can

have like well, suddenly you come and you're like convicted

by the Lord, and like, yes, I'm going to be

a new man. And then you go out the door

and your students sy, you know, where is where is

that change? How did that that? Your heart? Another man

suddenly lost this right? And so so delays Many times

in our lives, delays are a test from the Lord.

He's like, I gave you the promise. Would you still trust?

Would you still trust even when after the seven days

are up, I'm still not supposed to do what I'm

not supposed to do. I'm still supposed to just wait

a bit more, tarry on a little bit more, Church,

Can I encourage you? You have to just tarry on

a bit more. Whatever that you're praying for, whatever that

you're not seeing your breakthrough. It's a test. Can you

see that? Because God is interested, like I said, just now,

not in the changing your circumstances. He's testing your heart.

Do you trust him? Do you trust that? That is

the bottom line? Do you trust God? Do you trust

the man of God? You see now, Samuel was the

man of God, the authority of God. Do you trust

the band of God? To say, if I say wait,

would you just wait? If I say go, would you

just go. Some people are like, you know, you asked

me to go. I wait first. Sometimes we were not

quick to obey, and that that is the human conditioner,

that's our heart, right and so and of course do

you know what as usual what happens is after we

fail the test. This is worse ten now. It happened

as soon as he had finished presenting the burn offering

that Samuel came. What you think Samuel was? They didn't know.

You know, it takes quite a while to reach Gama

for those days. They don't have mrt Lart no cow okay,

they had to walk. So it seemed as though Samuel

was just there waiting, you know, you think about it.

How come he immediately showed up on this on the

scene right after saw had presented the burn offerings. It

means that he was around somewhere in the corner waiting.

And you might think, yo, why did you know? Why

did he wait for him to fail? He wasn't waiting

for him to fail. He was waiting for him to

pass the tests. It's two different things. Ah, if I'm waiting.

Sometimes we think of God as like, oh, I think

God just wants me to feel this. But God is

just wanting for us to pass that test. That that's

what the test is for. He's waiting for us to

pass to make the right decisions. Now. As soon as

that happened, and Samuel said, what have you done? What

have you done? And Saul said, when I saw you

see that is the problem with us. Okay, let's see

what is the problem with us. And this is what

Samuel Saul says. When I saw that the people were

scattered from me, and that you did not come within

the days appointed, and that the Philippines Philistines gathered together

at make mash, then I said, the Philistines will now

come down on me at Gilgall, and I have not

made supplication to the Lord. Therefore I felt compelled and

offered a burn, offering that. Now, tell me, what do

you see? It's something that we can learn from this.

What is the mistake that we should not repeat with Saul?

From Saul making excuses, thank you very much. The first thing,

you see, you didn't come right. It's very easy to

blame others on that you didn't do this, you didn't

do that. You you you you okay. So number one

is he shifted the blame making excuses. What else what else, Sorry, feelings, Yeah,

I felt compere. Oh that's a good one. Many of

us walk our Christian life base on feelings, not faith.

I want to say that again. Many of us what

our Christian life based on how we feel, not on

faith and not upon the word of God. That's more important. Okay,

not just faith, but upon the word of God. The

word of God was given very clearly, and he felt

compelled my feelings. You know, you have to validate my feelings.

Do you see that? Thirty thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen,

do you see not? I'm so scared my feelings. Can

I tell you feelings, your feelings, it's not God. God

has to be gone. Don't glorify your feelings. Yes, acknowledge

that you have feelings. Yeah, God gave us those feelings.

But feelings need to be subdued in obedience to God.

Can I say that? Can Can we learn to say yes,

I feel like I was, Yes, I feel lazy. Yes,

I feel this is so inconvenient to me. But yet

my faith causes me to take the next step because

it's not about feelings. I'm here to really just obey

the word of God. Amen. Amen. So there were so

many things right, And one more thing that I can

pick up from this his eyes? What was his focus?

What was his focus? What do you think Paul was

looking at? Look at the verse? What was Paul's focus?

What was his eyes on? What was Saul's eyes on?

Philistine's was one? Yes, he was looking always at the enemy?

What was the other thing that he was always looking at?

Think about it? Look look look at verse eleven. What

was Saul's eyes on? Let's go, Yeah, you see that

when I saw what? Do you see that? The people

were scattered before me? Now? Can I also say something

that we sometimes care too much about what people think

about us or what people around us do. Yeah, we

are so concerned about what other people are doing, what

people are saying, that we forget that it is God

whom you should be focused on fully. Yeah, so that's

something that you can really say, Like God, do am

I like? That? Is that true for me? When I

make decisions, when I'm in a panic zone, when there

are Philistines coming at me? Do I look at people?

Do I look at their responses? Or do I act

on my feelings? Everything that you know you can see

from here his feelings, his compulsion towards one thing to

do what he wanted to do. And so this is

the repercussion of that inverse the thing. And Samuel said

to Saul, you have done foolishly. You have not kept

the commandment of the Lord, your God, which he commanded

you for now. The Lord would have established your kingdom

over Israel forever. You see, he had if he had

passed that test, if he had just waited another two hours,

maybe Samuel would have come, offered the burn offerings and

tell him what he should have done. That's it, do

you know? This test of obedience things right is the

key to all of our lives, and we will constantly

be tested on this where our hearts are is it?

You can give all kinds of excuse you like, you

never do this, You never do that. You know. The

circumstances were like that, God, you know you delayed that Dada.

All kinds you can give, And then my feelings was

like that, you can give all kinds. But at the

end of the day, the Lord will say, did you

obey when I asked you to go and feed the poor?

Did you obey clear, clear commandment? And that was what

God is always looking at. Are we willing to obey

him at the cost of everything else. You know, it

could have caused Saul's life, You could have cost his kingship.

But what is that one thing that you desire do?

I just is obeying God. My greatest purpose in life

is what drives me every day, just obeying God. Right,

And you can see that this was sealed later on

in first Samuel chapter fifteen. The cause he also had pride,

and many of us is for sub This is particularly

for Mela pride. We have a very prideful respon And

this was I wouldn't have time to go through to

you with you. But what happened was there was another

enemy attack, right, and this time it was the Amalekites. Okay, Amalekites.

And what did God say? Okay, go and destroy everything? Yes,

destroy everything, killed the king a heck as well. Okay,

So what was the commandment? What was the commandment that

God gave to saw the king destroy everything? Okay? Now

let's go to what he did. Okay, Now, okay, let's

go to chapter fifteen. For Samuel, chapter fifteen, verse nine.

This is what saw the king who became another man did,

but saw and the people sped a gag, which is

the king and the best of the sheep, the oxen,

the fat links, the lamb, and all that was good,

and were unwilling to utterly destroy them, but everything despised

and worthless that they utterly destroyed. Now the word of

the Lord came to Samuel, saying, I greatly regret that

I've set up Saul as king. What a said verse

to reader that God is saying, I regret something, You know,

I greatly regret that I set up Saul as king,

for he has turned back from following me and has

not performed my commandments. And he grieves Samuel. And he

cried out to the Lord all night. Do you see

her when we turn away from the Lord, The Lord

grieves the most. You know. You might think like, oh, yeah,

it's okay, it doesn't matter. You know, I'll disappoint some people,

but it's okay. But can I tell you that you

are grieving the Lord when we disobey him? So Samuel

in verse twelve, So sam So when Samuel rose early

in the morning to meet Saul, it was told Samuel saying,

Saul went up to colonel and indeed he has set

up a monument for himself. Wow, talk about pride, okay,

because he probably did. He did a good thing, you know.

He's like, yes, you can see by his response after this,

in a short while, and he has gone on around,

passed by and gone down to Gilgal. Then Samuel went

to Saul, and Saul said to him, blessed are you? Okay?

So this is Saul seeing Samuel come to him, and

he said, whoa blessed are you of the Lord? I

have performed the commandment of the Lord. Can you see

in Saul's eyes of what he think he did. He's like, hey,

I think I did good. Eh, give me a pat

on the back. I did what you asked me to do.

I even set up a monument on the side because

I think I did a great job. So hey, so

good to see you, las, Samuel bro okay, And that's

what he's thinking, right. Can you see from his response

he's thinking that. He's like, I did a great job.

But then Samuel said this, what then, is this bleeding

of the sheep in my ears ba ba all arounda

and the lowing of the oxen which I hear. And

Saul said, they have been brought from the Amalekites, for

the people spent the best of the sheep and the

oxen to sacrifice to the Lord, your God, and the

rest we have utterly destroyed. Give me a paedal back,

give me a five star. And then Samuel said to Saul,

be quiet, and I will tell you what the Lord

said to me last night. And he said to him,

speak on. So Samuel said, when you were little in

your own eyes, were you not the heat of the

tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord annoying to you,

king of for Israel. Now the Lord sent you on

a mission. Everyone saying mission, Let's do that. The Lord

send you honor mission. All of you got mission. Don't

your neighbors said, you have a mission. God is sending

us on a mission. All of us have a mission.

And he said, go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites,

and fight against them until they are consumed. That's our mission.

Why then, did you not obey the voice of the Lord.

Why did you soup down on the spoil and do

evil in the sight of the Lord? Verse twenty And

Saul said to Samuel, but but but I've obeyed. The

voice of the Lord sounds familiar. But I obeyed and God,

on the mission on which the Lord sent me, I

went and brought back the king, exact king of the Amalkite.

I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But who took the plunder?

Not me? It's the people, you see, let's go, he says,

it's verse twenty one. But the people. The people took

off the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the

things which should have been utterly destroyed. And blame the people,

don't blame me. To sacrifice to the Lord your god,

It's not my God, it's your God. In Gilgel So

Samuel said, this has the Lord as great delight in

burnt sacrifices, offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice

of the Lord. Behold to obey is better than Let's

read that to get together together, behold to obey is

better than sacrifice, and to heat than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is as the sin of which, and stubbornness

is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the

word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from

being king Church. Let's take this very solemnly. That many

times we think that little disobedience, that little you know,

I obeyed, but I obey fifty percent the commandment of

the Lord. God calls that rebellion. He calls that for

rebellion is as sin of witchcraft. That's as bad as witchcraft.

You know, your partial obedience is as bad as witchcraft.

And your stubbornness. This is the second time. Yes, you see,

God gave soul a second chance, a second chance at this,

and he failed again. He feel again and is stubborn.

Many of us are stubborn. We say, everybody, you change,

you change, you change God, You change the circumstances, and

God is just waiting. No, I'm waiting for you to change,

and we don't, and we are like stubborn. Take God, No,

you must convict everyone else except me, change everybody else,

change all the circumstances. Then I will be good. No.

God is saying no, everything will become worse. You become good,

you become better. And it's and that's why he was rejected,

because when we reject the word of God, God rejects

us for the mission that we're supposed to do. Do

you see, do you see how how great this is

our response to the word of God, and then I

want to give you quickly. And you know this that

there is a marked difference between Saul and the king

that was to come after him. And his name is David, right,

do you know that I just put this simply? Firstly,

is day it as a person? Do you know as

a young boy, what was Davish occupation? Shepherd? He was

tending to the sheep, right? And then when you know so,

so there's something about tending to the sheep that causes

a heart of care. Do you know? Sheep are very

foolish creatures? Do you know that? And what does God

call us? He's sheep? Ah, welcome by me and you

we are sheep and we are foolish creatures, very foolish.

Do you know when they drink water? Right, it has

to be still? Do you know why when some grain

tree says he has to be steel waters because when

it's choppy water, their nose they will chok on it

and you can die from that. That's how silly ships are, Okay,

very gentle, very fragile, you know, never mind, let's you

know sheep lah? You know yourself? Okay, yes, okay, I

know me also very foolish people. So so David as

a person, he had a shepherding heart over the week,

the one that needs help. And do you know that

when Samuel went to annoying David again again, the spirit

of the lot came upon him, right, spirit of the Lord. Now,

what is the difference between Saul and David and unlike this,

Let's read just this verse. Let's go to First Samuel

chapter sixteen. First Samuel, chapter sixteen. Okay, he says this

in verse thirteen. Then Samuel took the horn of the

Oil and annoyed him in the midst of his brothers.

And the spirit of the Lord came upon David from

that day forward, and Samuel arose and went to Rama.

But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and

the distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him. Do you

know this spirit thinger? Sometimes God can send on, you know,

a distressing spirit. And I prayed him will not invite

this distressing spirit. Okay, okay. I wanted to draw us

to one part of David's character, which I think is

very important, that talks about his person. Let's go on

to First Samuel chapter seventeen. Okay, I will wrap up

shortly First Samuel, chapter seventeen. Let's look at this. Okay,

So now they are at war. Remember David and Goliath,

David and Golad. They're supposed to fight. And none of

the army guys are ready to fight Goliath because he's

a big guy. Again, the philistine, he's a philistine. Sometimes

the philistine in our lives can be that Goliath, big giant.

We don't know what to do. We can pray God,

kill that Goliath, kill that Goliath. And then God is saying,

be the David, Be the David. Do you see that?

Not We are praying, God, you kill you, remove that Goliard.

And God is saying, be the DV. Be the dv.

Use what you have in your hands. God. It's not

gonna bring down the enemy. God, it's gonna give you

what you need to bring down the enemy yourself. You

see that. So so let's not just say God, you

know you remove and I don't do anything at all.

And God is say, be the David, use what's in

your hands. Five stones and a sling. You can't kill this.

In fact, with one stone, Golia's head it will roll.

Do you see that? God? God has empowered us with

everything we need. But sometimes we go into into the

press of God and say God, you change everything else

God and say no, you rise up, Spirit of David

in ex Church, Amen would be all rise up with

the spirit of David and says God, I can't I've

got this. I am small, but I have a big God.

I am small even in the eyes of the world,

but I know my God and my God will save me. Amen.

Because it says it's because remembers saw it's now with

David and say, oh yo, so young boiler, you got

no experience, milit you want to fight this, you know,

cheesy na see right, crazy, I don't think you can

do this because we always look outwardly, we see you

got no experience, no skill, no training out okay, and

humanly we only want to see you got experience, You

got MBA, DBA, you know, PhD, whatever, all the lists

and then you oh you study Australia, UK and everything. Oh,

then okay, you can do the job. None of that.

God doesn't see any of that. He's looking at your

heart and that's why it says you know okay, and

you know in this conversation between Saul and David, he's like, Oh,

but you are a young man. And David said to

Saul in verse thirty four, Chapter seventeen, vers thity four.

But David said to Saul, your servant used to keep

his father's sheep. And when a lion or a bear

came and took a lamb out of the floor, I

went out after it and struck it, and delivered the

lamb from its mouth. And when it arose against me,

I caught it by his beard and struck and kill it.

Your servant has killed both lion and bear. And send

this and this uncircumcised philistine will be like one of them,

seeing how he has defied the armies of the living God.

Now watch this verse thirty seven. Moreover, David said, Now

this is his perspective. What is our perspective of God?

This is David's perspective, he says. Moreover, David said, the

Lord who delivered me. Remember earlier he said I killed

the lamb, and ill I killed the lion and the bear.

But this is the underlying Moreover, David said, the Lord

who delivered me from the paw of the lion and

from the paw of the bear, he will deliver me

from the hand of this philistine and Saul say to David,

go and the Lord be with you. Do you know

that this is recognition that David always has whatever I have,

it has been the Lord. You know it's impossible for

anyone of you try fighting a lion before your bad hands.

And David recognized that it was always God in his life.

And you can see the person of Saul, even though

he was changed into another man, and the person of David,

who cultivated And do you know that most majority of

the Psalms are written by David and you can almost

see like his personal quiet time in the whole of Psalms.

Did you see that? If you want to talk about

quiet timer, read the Psalms and then you will see

how David did his quiet time every day, meditating upon it,

always going into the presence of God. Compared to Saul,

whom God wanted to appoint, gave him a new heart,

changed him to another man. But but you see, God

can give you a new heart, but if you don't

cultivate that heart to follow after God, it's very easily

changed back into our old hearts, very easily. So as

I was asking the lot, Lord, but why did you

then give him in your heart. Isn't that like a

guarantee that's Saul will be successful. No, there is no

guarantee ununtil and unless we put in the work like

David did, the constant being in communion with God, with

the Holy Spirit, always saying God. You know that the

person of David is one that is always saying He's

not perfect. Can I tell you David's not perfect? There

are many sins, many, many, many scenes. He broke a

lot of the commandments. Okay, but you see it's not

about him being perfect. It was about him recognizing that, yes, God,

I sin, and I quickly come back to you and

I repent, and I ask you God, because you know,

you know, when David committed adultery, he says, it is

only against you, I have sin. He didn't say, oh

I sin against the husband. I say no, no, I

sin against the Lord. I wonder how many of us,

when we sinner, we actually come to this place that God,

I'm wrong. You know, things like unforgiveness, things like stubbornness,

things like gossip, things like I'm not happy, complaining, bitterness,

all these things. You're not sinning against one another. You're

sinning against the Lord. Because God, this isn't like that,

you know. And when we can recognize, oh my gosh,

I'm sinning against you, then the change of heart begins.

And I want to end with this. I want to

end with how David's person, his perspective. And finally, the

thing that made David different, and this is my prayer

for all of us, is his pursuit of God all

the days of his life. You know, as we're going

to enter into a time of any cf you know,

prayer and fasting. I pray that your greatest desire is

to pursue God, not even asking for your Birthain. Yes,

you can have your prayer list your things that you're

asking for, praying for, But can I encourage you? Can

I beseech you, brethrens, brothers, and sisters that the greatest

thing that we want to ask for is a hut

for the Lord Psalms twenty seven, verse four. One thing

this is David, one thing I have desired of the Lord.

That will I seek that I may dwell in the

house of the Lord all the days of my life,

to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire

in his temple. Amen, I'm gonna ask the worship team

to come on. If there's one thing that you would

ask from the Lord, what would that? And this is

David's prayer. If you want to say, what is the

secret of David's man, the person that he is? He says,

one thing I've desired of the Lord? That will I seek?

That's something that he's always seeking, that he may dwell

in the house of the Lord all the days of

my life. Do you long for that? Do you long

to be in God's presence all the days of your life?

Every day? And friends, can I tell you that you

have that? We just need to learn to enter into

that presence. God is there whether we enter his presence

or not. And so for many of us who say, yes,

I desire this, I desire for the presence of the Lord.

To behold the beauty of the Lord. How many of

you have come into church this morning and you came

to say, God, I came to behold your beauty. I

came to behold your majesty. I came to behold your

sovereignt your power, your beauty. Lord? Have we lost this?

Have we not seen the beauty of the Lord? Then

we're want to say, God, would you give me new

eyes and to inquire in his temple. Do you know

one of the things that I learned from David, and

I try to do it daily, is every time before

David made a decision, an important decision, he always inquired

of the Lord. You've written the verses, you read the stories.

Before David want to go for a war, he will

inquire of the lot, Lord, shall I fight or not fight?

Because he knows victory or non victory is depending on

the Lord. Amen. It's not about your military might, or

your power or your experience. Is what the Lord says. Lord.

If you say go, I will go. Lord. If you

say don't go, then I will stay. That is obedience.

That is the difference between Saul and David. David did

not make excuses. Do you know when when the prophet

Nathan came and confronted David with his sin, he straight

away repentant and said, I am guilty. I repent. Look

at Saul. Saul gave orchestra excuses. Right They people lah

you Lah. They wanted this. Lah. I thought you were Laila.

But David was like, I it was me. I was wrong. Amen,

a man, can church? Can I invite you to stand

as you think about and meditate on the word of God.

And what is the Lord speaking to you? Do you

desire this new heart? What is the one thing? I

started by asking you, what is the one thing that

drives you? What is the one thing that causes you

to live every morning? For me, my desire is to

do His will each day, every day. Not my will,

but your will be done. That's what Jesus said, not

my will, you don't go into the cross was probably

the hardest thing that Jesus had to do. It was painful,

it was lonely, it was full of sacrifice. People betrayed him,

beat him, flogged him. And yet in that moment of

weakness and tiredness and despair, Jesus was having that conversation

with his ab father and he said, God, let this

cut pass me by. I don't want to do this.

It's so difficult. It's hard. Yet, not my will, but

yours be done. Hallelujah, even as we worship. Would you

would you surrender and just say, God, let this be

my heart cry, not my will, but yours be done.

Whatever that you're looking for, whatever circumstances, whatever it is

that you're thinking about right now, would you there would

you dare to say, God, I want to obey you,

not my will, but yours be done. Hallelijah, Let's let's

worship the Lord your Hey, you would you say this

as a prayer? Hell me? Let's say that again, hallelujah.

Should your love it? But love hell me? God, I

just want to pray for you, those who desire this

new new heart, new heart from the Lord Father. You

see the hands and the hearts that lifted before you God.

Many times in our lives, we have so much souliness,

the soul in us that one stinks our way, one

thing's quick, one things to Lord, promote ourselves, maybe our

own agenda. Lord, there's so much souliness. And yet Lord,

you want to put the spirit of David in us. Lord,

and we say, we want the spirit of David. Lord,

we want to be Do you know what they call David?

A man after God's own heart? Do you want to

be a man or a woman after God's own heart?

Say yes, Lord, this is me God, I want to

be a man or a woman after your own heart.

And that means not my will but your will, Oh God,

not my will but your will. I know it's not easy,

but can I tell you that as you make this

your prayer, as you make this your desire, as you

make this your purpose in life, you will begin to

see God move and change you and transform you. When

you begin to transform that things around you begin to transform.

I know this because I am a product of that.

Things around me don't change. But when I change, I

see things differently. I have a different sense of purpose. Man, Lord,

would you renew the heart and the minds of your

beloved but sons and daughters in this house of God. Lord,

we don't want to let this pass us by God,

but we want to be serious of God. Let not

another day pass us by without us acknowledging you or

God to behold your beauty, to inquire of you in

the Temple of the Lord, to seek after your presence

like never before. Let this be our prayer. Thank you, Jesus,

Thank you Lord, Jesus name Amen. Church. Every Sunday we

give an opportunity for you to respond in initiating a

relationship with the Lord. God is already here, but we

many times have to take that step towards Him. And

if you've never had a personal relationship with the Lord,

you say, God, yes, you know how David knew his God.

Saul kept saying your God, your God, your God. But

saw David said, my God. And this is how we

acknowledge Jesus as my God. Firstly, we admit that we

need him. We need Jesus in our lives. Without Jesus,

our lives will be meaningless. Purposeless is to believe that

Jesus died on a cross to pay for your sins

and my sins. And because of that we are able

to have that spirit of David. We are able to

walk in accordance with the commandments of the Lord and

to love him, to obey him, to serve him. God

will give us that and then to commit to walking

all the days of our lives with the Lord, to

see us grow into the perfection that God has for us.

And if this is you, the Count of Tree, I

want to invite you to raise your hand.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

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for you.

God bless