It's great to have Dave and the band back. Don't these guys sound good?

[CHEERING]

Wow. They love you. Now, you got a new bass player back here. Who is this fella?

This is [INAUDIBLE] Jeremiah, the prophet.

Your mic isn't on.

It's Jeremiah, the prophet.

Jeremiah. Now, tell us about Jeremiah. He was in Taos with you. Is that right?

Right. He had gone through the school of ministry and really been involved here. And then he moved up to Taos while I was a pastor up there. And he played on our worship team and taught our youth group and just was a great guy to have. I had the honor of marrying he and his wife almost four years ago.

I thought you were already married.

Well--

Oh, I see what you're saying. You married them.

[CYMBAL CRASH]

OK, I got it.

[LAUGHING]

I wanted to catch you on that one. Well, I tell you, with all the controversy going on now, I feel like we should all stand up and say the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

[CHEERING]

One nation, under God.

[CHEERING]

I just did think if our founding fathers could hear this insane banter going around, they'd-- well, they would set it straight, wouldn't they? They wrote it that way for a certain reason.

Well, tonight, we're going to be dealing with a very important issue of tragedy, as well as opportunity. That is a king, the King, the first king, Saul by name, fails completely. And God's going to replace him with a young boy named David, who was a shepherd. We're going to read that in a little bit.

But what happened to the nation, what happened to Saul, was an opportunity for David, who suddenly will be laden with a whole new set of responsibilities, as well as opportunities. But he'll be suddenly promoted from shepherd to king. Though he won't fulfill the kingship immediately, he will certainly have to face those situations in the next coming years.

And tonight, I wanted to introduce you to a guest who had a tragedy happen to him, and because of the tragedy, found himself immediately saddled with a whole new set of responsibilities with his father's business. So would you please welcome Paul DiLorenzo.

[APPLAUSE]

How you doing? Have a seat. No, in fact, would you just stand up while I have a seat? No, I'm just kidding. Have a seat.

[CHUCKLING]

Paul, you're Italian. I was just in Italy and was probably around some of your kin folks.

I heard you were in Florence, so you must have been.

Florenze. Florenze.

[SPEAKING ITALIAN]

It's a good. Spaghetti is a great.

It's fantastic.

This is a best place for a spaghetti.

OK, did you spaghetti in Italy?

I did. What?

Spaghetti Spaghetti? Did you have some?

Spaghetti.

That's better. That's better.

Spaghetti.

It's Spaghetti.

Spaghetti.

Spaghetti.

Who are you talking about? Spaghetti.

No, I tell you to say spaghetti. You're saying spaghetti. Spaghetti.

Spaghetti. Forget about it.

There you go. Now, we're--

Forget about it.

That's very good. Hey, forget about it. Let's go.

[LAUGHING]

Well, that's about all the time we have. God bless you.

[LAUGHING]

Paul, we have something in common. He's waving at his wife. We have something in common. And that is--

[LAUGHING]

Paul, I need your attention here, buddy, just for a minute.

[LAUGHING]

They're newlyweds. How long have you been married?

Since April 6 of this year.

OK, great.

[CHEERING]

It's the Italian in him, you know?

[LAUGHING]

We have something in common. And it's the common tragedy. Both you and I had our fathers die suddenly. Now, for you, it meant something different. It meant that, suddenly, you are faced with your father's business, who's been well-known in this community. He was a car salesman, a very reputable one. And suddenly, you find yourself saddled with his business, you and your brothers. How did you deal with that? Just describe briefly that transition, what you went through.

Well, certainly, the loss was unexpected. It was tragic and heartbreaking because we-- my father was killed in a motorcycle accident and it happened suddenly. But I think, really, how I can describe the change and the transition that happened was, I had a great supporting cast. Like you mentioned, I have other family members in the business, my brother, my two cousins, and my uncle. And so some planning had been done prior to his death, not knowing that this was going to happen.

But nonetheless, the emotional aspect there of dealing with a loss, tragic-- as losing my dad-- was something that had to be confronted. And taking that into the business environment where we have 162 employees and knowing that they're all experiencing the same kind of grief because my father had been in the business 30 years and much of our employee staff have been there 10, 20, 30 years. And so to see him go like that was something where we're all taken back emotionally.

So certainly it was something we had on the forefront after his death.

And then, no doubt, you faced some challenges as a professional in this business that you probably didn't expect that you'd face, probably many of them. Tell us a little bit about that.

Well, you know, initially after he had passed away, a lot of people want to-- certainly, you want people to confide in and people approach you to really want to bring you comfort and things. And that was encouraging. But one thing really about the challenges is that, at the time when my father died, I was about four years old in the Lord. And I could say, relatively, I was coasting. I was having great quiet times. And worship was great. I saw my mom and dad come to faith in Christ in the four years that the Lord led me to him.

And you don't really know true faith unless you experience a test of your faith. And then, right there, I was faced with an immediate challenge. It's like, am I going to react or am I going to pro-act to what God has laid before me?

So you rose to the challenge. I mean, you saw it as an opportunity.

You know, at first, I thought I was pretty confident and that was where I was headed. But as I found out, what we have to do as Christians sometimes is that it becomes the me syndrome. It's like, God, I've served You, and I've given my life to You, and I've done everything You've required me to do. And it's all about me. And it's, like, all of a sudden, God, this is how You repay me? You take a loved one from me, my dad, who I loved, and groomed me in the business and raised me, and left my mom by herself after 32 years of marriage. Why are you doing this?

And then we look inward. And that was really a challenge because, after several months, that's where I was. But God, as we know, is very faithful. And He brought my brother and I, my mother, and my dad's brother, my uncle, around to that point of receiving it, realizing that God had a plan in this.

We should just kind of underscore something that people may not know. Your Father gave his life to Christ at the Billy Graham crusade, right?

That's correct.

So it was a tragedy, but you should all know, he's in heaven right now, as well. So it's a great joy, as well to know that you're going to meet with him someday, again.

You bet.

[APPLAUSE]

Give us some advice. Speak to people who might be in a situation where they're suddenly promoted. It might be at work. It might be where some tragedy has happened, but suddenly. They're faced with new responsibilities, a whole new horizon. It's not what they expected. They don't know what to do. They're freaking out. Speak to them.

Well, I don't think the advice is really complicated. It's real simple. And it may sound something that we may always say, but the truth of the matter is, is that we got to trust God. You got to be on your hands and your knees, and just allow God, and just be submissive to the Lord. I mean, a lot of us can say we associate with Christ, in the sense that we understand the game plan. But when God used this tragedy in my life, it's like, you know what, now I have you submitted to me. Because I know that my will is perfect.

So what I'm saying is, when you have challenges in life-- notice I talk a lot with my hands. It's an Italian thing.

You're Italian. I understand that. We kind of--

Don't get distracted by this hand. But anyway.

No problem. Go ahead.

Hey, forget about. it. So anyway, the real point I'm trying to make is that you know what, you just got to trust God, and just ask God for direction, ask God for wisdom, and He will grant. I mean, God is faithful to provide our needs for us. And that's where God brought me, is that you know what, Paul? I believe that you're going to be faithful. I'll be faithful knowing that you're going to respond by submitting to me. And that's really where things started to change and that took about a year after my dad died.

Charles Spurgeon once said that God gets His best soldiers out of the highlands of affliction. So if you're facing affliction, and the affliction might be a sudden promotion, one that you didn't want or expect, understand that God has a purpose to craft out of your life His best to get His best soldier out of that highland of affliction.

Before we close this segment, we have an internet question that we want to put up on the screen and answer it. We are interactive here, so people can write in questions, even while we're doing the study. And sometimes, if we see them, we can answer them. And we have an internet question from David D on the internet.

He's asking, what would you tell someone who believes they were subject to a generational family curse?

Well, David, I don't believe in generational family curses. The idea is errant. And it comes from an ideology based upon an Old Testament twisted scripture. The scripture's out of Exodus 20 and, I believe, Numbers 14, where God says that He will visit the iniquity of the fathers to the third and the fourth generation.

So people have heard that and think, oh, I might have some generational curse. My father or mother did something. And now, I'm going to be prone to that kind of behavior. Certainly, there are behavior patterns, habits that parents can do that can pass on sort of a legacy of a habit, by virtue of what we see and hear. But understand that, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation in Christ. All things have passed away. All things become new. You have a brand new slate with God.

And David, if you're facing that kind of an issue, I'd also want you to look up in your Bible when you have time Jeremiah chapter 31. And in Jeremiah 31, the people of Israel were saying, our fathers have eaten sour grapes. And their children's teeth are set on edge. In other words, we are the way we are because of how our parents raised us. They blew it, and we're suffering the consequences. They ate the sour grapes. Our teeth are set on edge.

And God immediately declares, no, each person will die for his own iniquity. And his own teeth will be set on edge who is eating sour grapes. In other words, what he's saying by virtue of an analogy is that you bear the responsibility before God for your own life. You can't blame it on anybody else. And if you feel like you've got a generational curse, you just ask God to erase your past, give you a brand new start. And when you come to Christ, that's exactly what you have, a brand new start.

And by the way, you have the Holy Spirit to help you grow through any kind of habit or problem you have. Well, that's about all the time we have. So we're going to do another song. Is that right, Dave? You sure? Are you sweating? You all right? You guys sound great, don't they? Yeah, they do, don't they?

[CHEERING]

[AUDIO OUT]

[VIDEO PLAYBACK]

- Be careful that you don't accept the thin promises of people and products that are a little more than a mirage. The world is long on style and short on substance. Consider the lesson we are taught through the promotion of David from shepherd to king.

- Imagine what it was like to be alone in the fields one day. Then, suddenly, you'd be standing in front of Samuel and my whole family. What Samuel said was really hard to believe, but it taught me an important lesson. Promotion doesn't come from any man.

- The Bible says that promotion does not come from east or west, but from God. Consider carefully the principals we'll find tonight in 1 Samuel and realize that you don't need to strive for advancement. It's a relief to know that, no matter how obscure your assignment may seem, heaven is watching. And God moves in His timing, according to His standards.

[END PLAYBACK]

You've all heard the saying, "You can't judge a book by its cover." We're going to show you this real close. Moses is going to zoom up on it.

[LAUGHING]

Can you read what it says? It says, "Everything men know about women." I have this book in my library. I have it upstairs. I've had it for a few years. It's like the best book I've ever read. Now, before you-- you're judging it by its cover. Everything men know about women. Now, look inside.

[LAUGHING]

Every page is blank.

[CHEERING]

Appearances can be deceptive. You look at a book. You look at a car. You look at a person. And we make an assessment, which may or may not be accurate. An example would be the disciples of Jesus Christ.

I was just in Italy. And we were in one museum in Florence that showed the great Renaissance artists. And I was very amused at how the disciples were pictured. I was amused because I've read the book. And I know what these guys were like, but they are portrayed-- the halos that occupy a lot of the picture themselves, this luminescent disk over the head of each disciple, who is aged, full of wisdom, and looks anything but Middle Eastern these disciples.

And you see this beautiful picture of the disciples kind of all around Jesus. And you want to go, oh, like it's some great--

[LAUGHING]

--wonderful-- it's very inaccurate. As we look at the disciples, we know what they were like. We know what Peter was like. First of all, they were much younger men than they're generally portrayed. And as you read the book itself, you find out all of the flaws that they had. Peter wasn't always at the Lord's side, leaning inward. he. Was far away sometimes from him, questioning the Lord, sometimes acting as God's personal counselor.

Thomas, very different from how he is portrayed. Judas, certainly. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, also called the Sons of Thunder. I want to share with you an illustration of how wrong we can be about judging people. And let's just, since we mentioned the disciples, comment on them. This is a little piece that says, "To Jesus, the son of Joseph, at the woodcrafter's shop in Nazareth. From, the Management Consultants of Jerusalem. Subject is Staff Aptitude Evaluation." And here's a letter written to Jesus.

"Dear Jesus, thank you for submitting the resumes of the 12 men you have picked for management positions in your new organization. All of them have now taken our battery of tests, and we have not only run the results through our computer, but have also arranged personal interviews for each of them with our psychologist and vocational aptitude consultant. It is the staff's opinion that most of your nominees are lacking in background, education, and vocational aptitude for the type of enterprise you are undertaking. They do not have the team concept. We recommend that you continue your search for persons of experience in managerial ability and proven capability.

Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper. Andrew has absolutely no qualities of leadership. The two brothers James and John, sons of Zebedee, place personal interests above company loyalty. Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would tend to undermine morale. We feel that it is our duty to tell you that Matthew has been blacklisted by the Jerusalem Better Business Bureau. James, the son of Alphaeus and Thaddeus, definitely have radical leanings. And they both registered a high score on the manic depressive scale.

[LAUGHING]

One of the candidates, however, shows great potential. He is a man of ability and resourcefulness. He meets people well. He has a keen business mind and has contact in high places. He is highly motivated, and ambitious, and innovative. We recommend Judas Iscariot as your comptroller and as your right hand man."

That's how the world views things so often. Judas, what a great guy. And the rest of them, forget it, yet, Jesus picked them all. Now, we're dealing with Saul and David, Saul, the first king, David, the second king. Saul head and shoulders, literally, above the people, a man of great aptitude, a man of great resourcefulness, a man of great resources, compared with Davis, a kid, a small kid, tending sheep outside, someone who is really of no consequence at all, really no great background. He was the shepherd, but he had-- now, listen-- the heart of a shepherd.

That's what God was looking at, the heart, not the outward appearance, the heart. That's what we're going to get out tonight. In fact, it's the very crux of our study. God looks at the heart. And David being a shepherd, having the heart for sheep, would partially enable him to one day become the great shepherd over the nation of Israel as its second king.

The scene shifts to Bethlehem. I think chapter 15 dealt with Ramah, where Samuel was from. Samuel was mourning over the loss of Saul, if I can remember a month ago, when was the last time I was here. But now this scene is in Bethlehem. And we're dealing with the great grandson of a famous couple, Ruth and Boaz.

David was the great grandson. And he's out in the very fields where the book of Ruth took place, where great grandma and grandpa met. David is the shepherd. David is ill esteemed by his parents. David wouldn't be the one selected by the prophet Samuel, yet in this chapter, we're going to read that he's anointed as king.

Now, just keep this in the back of your mind because you'll get through it as we go through the book, but there's actually three anointings. We talk about anointings. In fact, we sing, pour you're anointing oil on me. Don't think of a little dab will do ya.

[CHUCKLING]

Anointing oil was a horn of oil, a large amount, that was dumped on the head, ran down the face, got your hair completely oily, beard oily, ran down the garments, and that signified God's spirit was on you. There was a private anointing. Later on, there will be a public anointing, as he is the king of all of the southern kingdom of Judah. And then later on, after that, there will be another anointing, where he is the king over all of Israel.

Now, in verse 1, it says, the Lord said to Samuel, how long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse, the Bethlehemite, for I have provided myself a king among his sons. Now, if I were going to outline verse 1, and I have and I'll share it with you, I would outline it this way, Saul is rejected. Samuel is dejected. But God has selected a new king. That sort of sums up this verse.

Saul was the king. Saul is now rejected by God. Remember why? Saul was the people's choice. They wanted a king to be like every other nation. They got their wish. They got a king who imposed taxes. After all, you've got to pay for your government. You got to pay for your army. And so they're feeling the brunt of this taxation. And to top it all off, this king is not a good ruler. He's puffed up with pride. It's all about him.

So in this chapter, though he is still king, he is king in name only, in outward appearance only. God has rejected him, even though he doesn't get a clue. He should be off of the throne completely. It's going to take a while before David gets there. It's an outward exterior veneer only.

There's an interesting story about a very famous boat. You've heard of it, the Queen Mary. Queen Mary is now a floating museum in Long Beach, California. In 1936, it was the largest ship to sail the ocean, great ship. When they brought it to Long Beach, and they wanted to repaint it and convert it into this floating hotel/ museum, they took off the three huge smokestacks that were on it, and they were going to repaint them.

As soon as they brought them on the deck, the smokestacks crumbled into dust. The 3/4 inch steel had so rusted over so many years, it just fell to pieces. The only thing left, and it stood, were 30 coats of paint in the shape of three smokestacks.

[LAUGHING]

That's Saul. He's just a bunch of paint, but the substance is gone. There's nothing really there. Saul is very much like the Pharisees that Jesus denounced when he said, you are white washed sepulchres. Outside, you're adorned beautifully, but inside, you're full of dead men's bones and corruption. How would you like Jesus to say that about you?

Well, that was the life of Saul. So Saul is rejected. Because of that, the prophet, the instrument God used to anoint the first king is dejected. He's mourning. In fact, chapter 15, he's in Ramah mourning. And in verse one of chapter 16, God says, stop mourning. Why are you mourning? I've rejected him.

I like Samuel. The word "mourn" in Hebrew means "to grieve as if someone had died." Now, some of you can relate to that. You've had a loved one die. You know what it felt like when that person was snatched from this life, and you were left to grieve and to mourn and to cry. That's Samuel.

Now, that period is over, God is saying, but I am impressed with any person who can look at a potential in a man's life that has been wasted and, instead of rejecting that person completely and just say, well, it serves you right. You were a jerk, anyway. All that I did for you. Rather, he grieves for them. He mourns for them. That's a godly person. Godly people are sensitive to sin.

Did you know that your reaction to sin is a barometer of your heart? You know, it's sometimes scary to get movie recommendations. Yeah, you ought to go see this movie. It's really cool. Well, is it OK to see? Oh, it's fine. Was there anything bad? Oh no, no, no, it was great.

And then as I sit in the film, I'm embarrassed, not only that I'm there and about to leave, but that they didn't see anything wrong with it. Our sensitivity to sin is a barometer of our heart. Here's a very sensitive guy to what he had seen going on in this person's life. And so he's dejected.

Now, at this point, I think it's good to bring up a question that we have here on the internet from a guy named Johnny. It's here and it says, why did Saul rely on his own ability? This is a good question. Why did Saul rely on his own ability when God's resources were clearly available?

Here's a guy who was anointed with the spirit of God, had the resources of God, and yet, he comes to a place where he turns inwardly. He's very prideful. He relies on himself. Why? Good question. But I would answer the question with a question and then an answer. Why did Adam and Eve do it? Why did Ananias and Sapphira do it in Acts chapter 5? What about Judas?

You know, the Bible is littered with people who had every opportunity to excel, all of God's resources, only to turn away from God and rely upon themselves. And here's the answer. There can only be one answer. Pride. That's the essence of all sin, by the way. Sin is simply independence from God. I don't need you. I don't need you, God. I don't want one nation under God. It's independence from God, pride, being puffed up.

The Department of Motor Vehicles in Illinois put out a little story that, in one particular juncture of their history, that is when they introduced personalized license plates into Illinois, they had immediately 1,000 requests from the general public to the Department of Motor Vehicles for the license plate reading, number one.

I want to be the first one. I want number one on my license plate. I'm number one. 1,000 people wanted it. Well, it was a dilemma for the official who awards the designation. He didn't want to give it to one person and have almost 1,000 others bummed out. So he assigned it to himself.

[LAUGHING]

It's something we all have to live with, isn't it, and face? Pride, that desire to be independent. I did it my way, God. Now, that leads to something else. When you're prideful like Saul, or Adam and Eve, or Ananias and Sapphira, or Judas and a list of others, it leads to a lack of the fear of the Lord.

And so I would answer that question by saying, number one, pride, number two, a lack of the fear of the Lord. When you're independent from God, you lose a respect, a healthy fear of the Lord, a healthy admiration, love of God. You start forgetting that God's eyes are in every place beholding the good and the evil.

Now, go back to our verse and notice that, not only is Samuel dejected, but God has selected somebody else. He says, fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse, the Bethlehemite, for I have provided myself a king among his sons. I love this. God is never without a plan.

Did you know that God never panics? I know you know that, but do you really know that? Because when something happens to you, and you panic, do you think God is going, oh, no, I feel the same thing. Do you think God is ever, like, without a plan? You think God ever has a question mark in his own mind? God always has a plan. Things are never out of his control.

One of the best stories in the Bible about this is in Isaiah chapter 6, where there was a great king named Uzziah, who had been king, get this, since he was 16 years old, a teenager. He had reigned for 52 long, godly years. And at age 68, he kicked the bucket. He was dead. This godly political ruler, this, let's say, conservative right-wing political ruler, who was a lighthouse, a beacon to the nation, was dead, was gone. And the people were freaking out.

In Isaiah chapter 6, Isaiah, no doubt, with the people freaking out, said, in the year the king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, high and lifted up. And the train of his robe filled the temple. In other words, a godly king may be off the throne, but God isn't off the throne. God is still on the throne. God is still in charge. He still has a plan.

And he has a plan for this replacement of this ruler. Now, notice, he says, I've provided myself a king. Why? Why does God need a king? In fact, literally, I have provided for myself, and by myself, a king. Why does God need a king? Why wouldn't God rather say, I have provided myself to be the king. Move over, Saul. I'm going to do it.

Why would God need a king? Because here's the important truth, God has limited himself to using human beings on this earth to accomplish his purpose, whether it's a ruler of a nation, or the pastor of a church, or evangelizing the world. Listen, God would be a lot better pastor of this church than me. I think everybody can say amen to that. You don't have to say it's so enthusiastically.

[LAUGHING]

Just kidding. Of course he would be. He's God. He's perfect. God would be a better ruler of this nation than any president. God would be a better evangelist than any of us. God could certainly do a better job using angels. He could have miraculous things happen over the earth. Angels come down with loudspeakers, billion or so watts, hang them from the moon, the speakers, announce to the earth to repent. And I bet we would.

But he doesn't do that. Why? Why would he limit himself in getting his work done on earth to human instruments? Because it adds to the mystery. It gives him the glory. When a great God is confined to using poor instruments, we're going to acknowledge his greatness even more.

Picture a jungle. A surgeon is there. He doesn't have a modern operating room. He has a Swiss Army knife. And let's say he's able to do a difficult brain surgery or open heart surgery with a Swiss Army knife. Well, he would be more applauded than a guy in any modern operating room with the full staff and all sorts of antiseptic instruments. So that when there is limited resources, the glory of the worker shines.

And so it is with God. The skill of the one doing the work is more dramatic when God is confined to the instruments like us. So I've provided for myself a king. And you're going to discover very quickly, just in case you have any idea that David was a perfect guy, that he was filled with flaws and troubles, as well. And some pretty gross ones.

And Samuel said, how can I go? If Saul hears it, he's going to kill me. But the Lord said, take a heifer with you and say I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. So the Lord had a great cover story for him. And then invite Jesse to the sacrifice. And I will show you what you shall do. You shall anoint, for me, the one that I named to you. Samuel did what the Lord said. And he went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming.

Why did they do that? Any Clue Remember chapter 15? I know it's been a month. Remember chapter 15? Remember when Samuel got really ticked off what he did? He took King Agag and he took a sword and hacked him to pieces? So just kind of put that in your mind as you read this one. And here's this guy coming to their town, now. And he's not smiling, necessarily. He's the prophet, you know. And they all tremble. Ah!

[CHUCKLING]

The preacher's come to town. This can't be good.

[LAUGHING]

And they said, do you come peaceably? And he said, peaceably, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. And they went, whew. And he said, sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice. And then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and, invited them to the sacrifice.

Samuel is reluctant to go, obviously. He's dealing with King Saul, who is very moody and very insecure, and a couple of chapters back, was willing to kill his own son. And since that event in chapter 15, this prophet has publicly embarrassed the King. So if I'm dealing with a person who is moody and insecure, and is willing to kill his own son, he could do that to me. He's given to fits of temper. I don't want to go. He could kill me.

Now, I want you to notice-- and here's really the heart of the story-- three standards that are used in selecting the king. Two of them are wrong. One of them is right. Two of them belong to men. One of them belongs to God. Three standards, criteria, for determining the next king. Verse 6, "So it was when they came that he--" Samuel-- "looked at Eliab--" he's the oldest-- "and said, 'Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.'" He's thinking in his mind, this is him.

"But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'" So Jesse called Abinadab. This is now the second oldest. Made him pass before Samuel, and he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." And Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, Lord hadn't chosen any of these guys.

Standard number one is Samuel's standard. It's the standard of appearance. It's the standard of appearance. It's odd, but it would seem that Samuel is making the same mistake that, perhaps, he and they, the people of Israel, made with Saul. They looked at him outwardly. Saul was head and shoulders above the people, really good looking guy. He looked like a king.

Abinadab, oldest, tall, good looking, he's thinking, this is king material. Very Schwarzenegger-esque-looking. This is the guy. He's looking at the appearance. God says, eh, I've rejected him. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.

We, meaning, we people, human beings, are appearance-oriented. God said we are. You might say, well, I'm not. I'm really spiritual. No, you're not.

[LAUGHING]

You're appearance-oriented. So am I. We all are. You have a mirror in your house, do you not? You may hate the mirror, but you have a personal relationship with that mirror. You look at it every day. And you look at it, and then, you decide to do something about what you see, right? You put clothes on your body. And you would probably select clothes that tend to flatter your appearance. We all do that. You wouldn't deliberately say, oh, this piece of clothing makes me look really fat and ugly and just ridiculous. Polka dots, yes, I'm going to buy that.

Black is popular these days, because they say it tends to make us look trimmer. So black is always an in-color, they say. It's always in to wear black. We fix our hair or we do makeup. We do certain things to give off an image because we are, after all, appearance-oriented. When we meet a person, we make a judgment. It's unconscious, but we make it.

Based upon what we see, based upon their occupation, based upon their financial wherewithal, we make certain judgments based upon outward appearance. So recognize that's part of being human. But balance that out with being careful.

Because, let's say you're going to choose someone for your life's mate solely based upon appearance, you're going to be really, really in trouble. Because if there's one thing that changes, we know that it's the outward appearance, right? I mean, you don't look the same when you're in your 20s as you do in your 40s. I mean, look at all these crow's feet. Look at all these things. All the sun damage from surfing all those years. And it's going to get worse.

[LAUGHING]

So when you choose a life's mate solely based upon appearance, it's going to be really bad, eventually, because we're not going to stay the same. That's why the Proverbs tells us charm is deceitful and beauty is passing or vain.

Look at the second standard, Jesse's standard, verse 11. It's a standard of age. If Samuel's is appearance, then the father's is how old a person is. Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all the young men here?" Then he said, "There remains yet, the youngest, and there he is keeping the sheep," pointing outside. Samuel said to Jessie, "Send and bring him, for we will not sit down until he comes."

David was Jessie's oh-yeah-I-almost-forgot kid. Now, it's interesting, isn't it? Explicit orders were given. Bring all your kids into the house. And he leaves him out. He leaves David out there. Why? Well, it says he's the youngest. Now, that doesn't just mean in terms of age. The way it is used is that he is the least in my opinion. He is the least.

In other words, yeah, there's a kid out there keeping the sheep. If you're looking for a king, it's not him, man. It's one of these boys. It could be that David heard this all his life. It could be that David was compared to his brothers all his life. You'll never amount to anything, David. You're just going to be a sheepherder. Go out and be a sheepherder. And when his brother, later on, go to battle for Saul, David is the sheepherder. And they rib him, his brothers do, about this very issue.

Parents, may I just say to you, if you're going to give a message to your child, your son or a daughter, you give that child the message that they're special and they're a gift from God. And that they have a call of God upon their lives, and seek to discover that and foster that, cultivate that gift. Don't give them messages like you'll never amount to anything, thinking in your mind, that'll spur him on. That will give him something to shoot for if I just tell him he's really not good. Then, he'll really-- no.

And also don't compare your children to your other children. I grew up as the youngest. I know, oh, you were the baby. You were pampered. Uh-uh, hand-me-downs, getting beat up, and being compared. I remember many times my Father would say, if you were only like Jim. Or did you hear about Rick today? And so often, I felt, like, gosh, I'm just not good enough.

Could it be that it was this experience of being the youngest, the least esteemed in a family, that David had in mind, when in Psalm 127, he writes, when my father and mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. Could be this very experience of anointing. I was rejected. I was the nobody kid. God picked me. Now, let's look at God's standards back in verse 7, it's the heart. It says, "For man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart." Now, they're all looking at the same kid, but they're seeing something completely different. Samuel's looking for appearance. Jesse is looking for age. God looks for heart, heart. What is your heart like before God tonight?

US News & World Report put out an article about how companies are trying to cheat us. Did you know they are?

[CHUCKLING]

Not new news, is it? What they're doing, they're saying-- and it was an article not too long ago-- is that they are giving you the same box on the shelf, the same size box, they're putting less in the box. So that-- for instance, they mentioned a well-known detergent that normally had, on average, 61 ounces of detergent of soap. But now, they're using the same sized box, we're putting 55 ounces in.

And you've all opened up potato chip bags, right? Big bag, open it up, there's like two inches of chips.

[LAUGHING]

What it this? It's all air.

Samuel, Jesse, and God are all looking at the same box, called David, but only God can see the contents. God is interested in the contents, not what a cool box, what a great package, what a great design, but look at his heart. That's what God's interested in.

Now, what does that mean? I look at the heart. Does it mean the actual cardiac muscle? Is God saying, you know, his right ventricle is a little atrophied and I'm worried about it? No, he's not speaking about the physical organism, but the spiritual heart. In the Bible, it means the very core, the essence of what a person really is. It's what we often hide from people.

We are so veneer-oriented, we hide who we really are. We put up walls. We're afraid to be vulnerable in front of people. We hate to be rejected. But God knows the heart. God sees the hear. And the heart stands for the very core, the inmost being of a person, not the outward appearance. That's why, back in chapter 13, you may remember, God says to Saul, through the prophet, "but now your kingdom shall not continue. For the Lord has sought for himself a man after his own heart."

Let me tell you what that means. This is what it means to be a person after God's heart. Saul was not a man after God's heart because Saul was in it for Saul. Saul had I disease, all about I, me, my. How do I look? It was all about him. He was in it for his glory, his reputation, whereas David, being a man after God's own heart, wanted what God wanted. And that is for God, not David, to get the glory. Saul was in it for himself. David was in it for God. David wanted the same thing God wanted. That's what it means to be a person after God's own heart.

Before we finish this chapter, I want to give you a couple of lessons that we've learned so far. I want you just to keep these-- if you're taking notes, all the better. I want you to remember them and pray about these things, especially if you're a young person. Number one, age is deceptive. Age is deceptive. Or let's just back up and say, the outward appearance, be it age, or looks, is deceptive.

Spiritual maturity does not depend on how old a person is, physically. Now, sometimes, it helps to have years under your belt as a Christian. But I have seen, and I bet some of you have seen, young Christians grow very rapidly and become very mature, spiritually, whereas we have all seen people who are old, physically, and have been a Christians for many, many years-- I grew up in the church-- who are stunted, spiritually. They're like babies, spiritually.

Charles Spurgeon even said, in the Church of God, there are children who are 70 years old. But then, he also said, the Lord can cause his people to grow rapidly and far outstrip their years. Remember how old Samuel was when he first started in the Tabernacle? He was grade school age. He's was a little kid, but he had a heart for God.

Joseph, probably a teenager; Daniel, a young teenager in the Bible; Jeremiah, not our bass player, but Jeremiah in the Bible, a teenager; Timothy, remember what Paul wrote to Timothy? Let no man despise your youth. He was a young kid and probably, in the eyes of the church, they thought, what could this kid offer us? He's a teenager. Paul said, don't let anybody look down on you because you're young. In fact, with young, if you have a godly heart and you've got all that energy, go for it.

Lesson number two, your background may shape who you are. Your background may shape who you are, but it doesn't mean that's who you'll become. Your background, whatever set of circumstances you grew up with, whatever dysfunctional home you had, whatever problems you brought alongside of you that is your emotional baggage that defines who you are, that doesn't mean you have to stay that way. It doesn't mean you'll have to become that.

Maybe you're saying, I was always overlooked. Nobody picked me for the teams whenever we had football or basketball or baseball. I was never in the back of the high school annual, except nerd. That's the only picture they gave me.

[CHUCKLING]

Great. So what? Did you know that those who are rejected by man are often those who are selected by God? In fact, did you know it would seem that God is more attracted to weakness than he is to strength? God is attracted not to those who have it all and seem so outwardly together, but remember what it says in Corinthians, God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. You ought to look that scripture up and memorize it and hold on to it.

Now, you might be thinking, well, that doesn't apply to me. I'm not a foolish thing. I have more self-esteem than that. That might refer to you, Skip, but it doesn't refer to me.

[CHUCKLING]

Well, let's go on. It says, God has chosen the weak things of this world to put to shame those who-- well, it still doesn't refer to me. God has chosen those things that are not. Doesn't refer to me. Well, maybe that's why God isn't using you. Because you think yourself so wonderful, when God loves those who humbly come before him and realize, you know what, I'm a sinner, Lord, and I'm weak, and I'm foolish. And God says, great, would you let me use you? I'll take you the way you are. I'll make you different. But who you were doesn't mean that's who you'll become. God can change a life utterly.

Verse 12, so he's sent and he brought David in. He was ready, bright eyes. He was good looking, as well. And the Lord said to the prophet, get up. Anoint him. This is the one. And Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. I love this. Hey, boys! Prophet's coming over today. One of you is going to be the next king. Can you see Eliab, oh, it's got to be me. I'm the oldest. We know how this thing works. Kings usually are the oldest kid in the family. It's me. Get out of my way.

Abinadab saying, not so fast, buckaroo. Could be me. He said one of us. And they're all in line, and they're all rejected. And that one little reject is brought in front of all of them--

[LAUGHING]

--and they look down at him, and the prophet pours oil on him, going, what is happening? In the midst of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward, so Samuel arose and he went to Ramah.

But it's not a good word when it talks about the Spirit of the Lord anointing a person. It means that there's going to be a sharp contrast, now. And there is, indeed, but the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul. And a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him. Saul's servants said to him, surely a distressing spirit from the Lord is troubling you. A keen eye for the obvious, these servants.

[CHUCKLING]

Now, this explains why Saul's life, after this point, becomes so chaotic, right? If you've read Samuel at all, and you know Saul's life, this guy is up and he's off the charts crazy. This explains why. This explains that the rest of his life he's that way because the spirit of God has withdrawn himself from him.

Now, he has to do everything in the energy of the flesh. You want a miserable life, prescription for a miserable life, do the work of God in the energy of your flesh. I know so many ministers and churches and Christian organizations that try to do a spiritual work in their own energy. They think it's all by perspiration. Well, it requires some perspiration, but it requires more inspiration. He had to try to do that his whole life in the energy of his flesh.

Now, it sort of frightens us when we read the Holy Spirit was taken from him. What does that mean? Well, it means that, in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit was temporary and selective. It came upon certain individuals for a certain period of time. The New Testament is different. The Holy Spirit is permanent and pervasive. Every believer, every believer, is baptized by the Holy Spirit and the body of Christ and has access to the power of the Holy Spirit for his or her life.

Now, we can quench the spirit. We can quench the spirit, but it was removed from Saul. No wonder, no wonder, in the Psalms, David prays, oh, Lord, take not the Holy Spirit from me. Because he remembers seeing what happened when that happened to Saul. And he didn't want that experience. And so he prayed for him.

Verse 16, I guess I should at least dab an explanation on what this whole idea about a distressing spirit from the Lord. You say, what does that mean? It makes us a little scared to go to bed at night. It means, plainly, that the Lord allowed-- allowed-- sovereignly permitted an evil spirit to torment Saul. Why?

Number one, to establish David's throne. Number two, as judgment upon Saul. Saul was already rejected. Kingship was over. David's the next king, but it's going to take about 10 years before he gets to the throne because of Saul's jealousy and rantings. So a distressing spirit from the Lord came.

Verse 16, "Let our master now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp." Now, does that sound odd to you, at all? You've got a real spiritual problem, dude. You've got a distressing spirit from God. Crank up the tunes.

[LAUGHING]

Get that stereo, ram it up to 10. Seek out a skillful player on the harp, and it shall be when he will play with his hand when the distressing spirit from the God is upon you, you shall be well. Saul said to his servants, "provide for me, now, a man who can play well and bring him to me." I want to say two things about this.

Number one, they try to use music to cover up the real issue. They were trying to deal with the symptoms, rather than the cause. So he's distressed and he's going to feel better listening to the tunes. But it's a false peace. It's not going to do him any good. Yet, it brings up a secondary issue. Music is an important influence on all of our lives, isn't it? It is. Music influences society, from national anthems that say one nation under God, to folk songs, to commercials.

We don't have the time, and I wouldn't do it anyway, but if we had a small group, we might play a little game and say, how many commercials do you remember from songs that were played on that commercial? You could go way back. It'd be frightening to see how far back some of you could go, remembering those commercials that had little jingles to them. Because it's that tune that stays in your brain and carries you along.

And sometimes, in times of distress and anguish, we want to pull out a song that reminds us of God's bounty and goodness and grace and mercy. It helps carry us along. Music has a very strong influence. And I believe God is musical. I think he built us that way. I love music. I love all of its different forms. In fact, there are even days where I've been known to like country music. Not many of them, but every now and then, I'll go, I can listen to that.

[LAUGHING]

OK, don't stone me, those of you with cowboy hats. It's just a joke.

[LAUGHING]

Verse 18, and then one of his servants answered and said, "Look, I have seen the son of Jesse, a Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, handsome person. And the Lord is with him." And the Lord is with him. So Samuel sent messengers to Jesse and said, send me your son, David, who is with the sheep. That's what he's known for, the shepherd king.

Jesse took a donkey, loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by his son, David, to Saul. So David came to Saul and stood before him, and he loved him greatly. That is, until he threw a spear at him and tried to kill him, but for a while, he loved him greatly. And he became his armor bearer. And Saul said to Jesse, please, let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.

So the Lord used this whole music thing to introduce David into the court of King Saul. So it was when the spirit of God was upon Saul that David would take a harp and play with his hand. And Saul would become refreshed and well. And the distressing spirit would depart from him. So God used the evil that was going on in the life of King Saul to introduce David into the court of the King.

But David will never promote himself. You're never going to read where he says, hey, Saul, let me tell you what happened the other day. A guy named Samuel came to my house and told me that I'm going to take your job. I'm the next king. In fact, David will jealously guard King Saul, saying, I refuse to touch God's anointed. He will love him. He will be loyal to him. He will honor him.

He's just the shepherd kid to everybody else. He is a nobody. To God, this is the next King of Israel. In fact, not only is he the next King of Israel, this boy has a lineage, and my own son, Jesus Christ, will come from the loins of King David.

It's a really beautiful story, isn't it? It's beautiful because, in the very same town, Bethlehem, 1,000 years later, over the same hills, angels are going to sing a song or proclaim a message. And the message is, there is born to you this day, the message goes to who? Shepherds. There is born to you this day in the City of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Why am I telling you that? Because it's funny how history repeats itself. That same drama of David being rejected will play itself over and over again. It will play itself out in the life of Jesus Christ, who comes as the son of David, he is called. That's his sort of messianic name, one of them. He comes as the son of David, born in Bethlehem, and is rejected.

For the Bible says he came into his own people, and his own people received him not. But as many as received him, to them, he gave the power to become children of God to those who would believe in His name. So Jesus Christ is another book that people have misjudged by its cover.

People have looked at Jesus and they've said, oh, yes, he's another guy who's come along, another religious teacher, another good person who started a world religion. But he's more than that. And this person, who's content is the living Christ, the Son of God, can change any life, anywhere, anytime that we open the door and let him, if you give him that chance.

There used to be a bumper sticker, I remember reading it, I remember, years ago. In California, on the back of many cars, it said, "Give Jesus a chance." I have met so many people that are experts on religious things who have never given Jesus a chance. Oh, yeah, I've heard about Jesus. I know all about that. Well, have you ever accepted Christ? No.

Well, that stuff doesn't work for me, you know. Well, have you ever tried Jesus? No. Well, try Him. Give him your life. Surrender your life to Him. Give Jesus a chance to come in and change you. You've already judged the book by its cover. Now, see what this person can do.

Some of you tonight have come, maybe invited by a friend, you've already made your judgment about Christianity based upon your relative, or friend, or a church, or a bad experience you've had. There's so many hypocrites in the church. Let me just officially say to you, on behalf of all Christians for the last 2,000 years, I'm sorry for all the stupid mistakes we made, OK?

Now that that's over with, let's deal with the issue. The issue is, when you stand before God, you can't say, well, there are so many hypocrites. Really, I gave you a chance to be saved. Well, but there are so many hypocrites.

That's not the issue. The issue is, He can save another hypocrite. He did me. Will you give him a chance tonight to come inside and radically revolutionize your life? Let's pray.

Father, we thank you for the undeserved goodness. That's what you are all about. We know that the Bible says, God is love. We also know that many of your people throughout history have represented a God, not of love, but a God of anything and everything but who you really are. But Lord, we remember that in your book, the Lord Jesus never told people, follow my precepts. Though they are important and life giving, he never said, follow my people, some who have misrepresented you, but he said, follow me.

And the issue we must all face is what are we doing personally with Jesus Christ, the son of David, born in Bethlehem's manger, born to set us free from sin. Some of us have already judged him wrongly by a cover, description, an emulation that has been false. But tonight, once again, the strong hand of the life-giving gospel goes out. And we pray that many would receive tonight, who have not personally given their lives to Christ, would do it.