What Does a Man / Person After God’s Own Heart Mean?

A Man After God’s Own Heart – March 17th, 2019

On Sunday March 17th, Pastor Eric shared a powerful message. “Have you set your heart to do everything God asks you to do?”

We looked at the story of David and how his example of being a man after God’s heart is to encourage all God’s people to live a life seeking God more deeply.

What is a man after God’s heart?

1. Faithful in the little things
2. A giant slayer
3. Obedient to the Will of God

Video Transcription

If you have your Bibles, I would invite you to turn with me to Acts 13

This morning I want to talk about what it means to be:

A man (or a person) a man after God’s own heart.

What does that mean?

Acts 13:22

“After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart…

What does a person after God’s own heart look like?

Well, to answer this question let’s first look at what it does not mean.

To be a man after God’s own heart does not mean:

A-Perfection

It doesn’t mean that we never make a mistake.

You know, it’s interesting to me that God described David in a one-liner.

One-line to describe his entire life.

And He could of used many words.

We could have read this differently today, it could have read “David the great king” or “David the musician”

“David the adulterer”, or “David the murderer”.

It could of said that but instead, it says “David a man after God’s Own Heart”.

When I read this, I see hope. That whatever you did in your past does not have to be you’re one liner that describes you.

Now it’s important to say here that although David wasn’t perfect he was repentant of his sins.

But from David’s life, we learn that we don’t have to be perfect to be a man after God’s Own Heart.

It seems that David possessed characteristics that override those very ugly stages in his life.

It was Chuck Swindoll who said:

When God scans the earth for potential leaders, He is not on a search for angels in the flesh. He is certainly not looking for perfect people, since there are none. He is searching for men and women like you and me, mere people made up of flesh. But He is also looking for people who share the same qualities He found in David. God is looking for men and women “after His own heart”.

Something else that being a man after God’s Own Heart does not mean and that is someone who appears to be:

B-Floating On the clouds all the time

Someone who has no problems, no trials, easy life, no stress, no pressure.

You know what I call that?

That’s not someone after God’s Own Heart, that’s someone after comfort.

That’s someone who chooses never to get out of the boat.

That’s someone who will never see the Miracles, who will never walk on water, who will never see the impossible because they choose comfort over God’s plans.

There are times where David ran for his life. There were Times people made a conspiracy, times he needed to fight.

Being a man after God’s Own Heart is not trial-free. It’s not pressure free or disconnected from reality and problems.

Another myth about being a man after God’s own heart is that:

c-David was born that way

You know there’s a saying that if you’re good with plants you have a green thumb.

The saying seems to indicate that you don’t need to learn the skills or develop yourself in this, you’re born that way.

You have that ability from birth.

Well,  not with David. He grew into a man after God’s own heart.

The same is true with other great people in the Bible like Elijah.

A man of many miracles, God used him in great powerful ways. Yet James describes him in

James 5:17 ESV

“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours…”

So in other words, he wasn’t born that way. 

So what does it mean based on the life of David to be a man after God’s own heart?

1-It Starts with Being Faithful in the Little Things

Being a person after God’s heart starts with who you are when no one is looking. The little things.

It starts with what you do with the things that people consider insignificant.

When you look at David’s life on the surface, there doesn’t seem to have much to impress God.

He was a nice looking person, but what he did, his job title wasn’t exciting.

He wasn’t jumping out of airplanes saving people. He was a very young shepherd taking care of sheep in a little village of Bethlehem.

Yet the Bible says he was doing this for his father, he was keeping his father’s sheep.

And He was doing it well by protecting them.

1 Samuel 17:34-35

34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.

David Was doing the job no one else wanted to do and he did it well.

When everyone was out where the action and the excitement was he was at home taking care of the sheep.

And protecting them. This young man had true courage. He would not run from the lion and the bear, he would run towards the lion and the bear to protect the sheep.

He was able to do the dirty job no one wanted to do.

Today there are christians who miss this. They will only serve if its exciting. They will only get involved if its fun.

Jesus talked a lot about seeking the first places or helping only those that could repay you back.

He talked about not looking for those things that are exalted and prestigious.

He even said that in regards to spiritually.

Don’t do things that only brings a sensation to you.

Don’t do things that only gratifies your senses and only things that are exciting.

Don’t do things that only boost your ego learn to do things that don’t build your ego.

Be willing for God’s sake to do the job no one else wants to do.

Even if its the least significant job out there that no one considers important

A man after God’s heart is willing to get his hands dirty.

He will have the same attitude that Colossians talks about

Col 3:23

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,

Although David’s father and family did not value this insignificant task or recognized how well of a job he did, God recognized it and God rewarded it. And God Was preparing him and training him to true leadership. To be a Shepherd for his people.

Never underestimate what you do in secret.

Even if it appears to be insignificant.

When you’re out there cleaning out the toilets, or mopping the floors or taking out the trash, cooking dinner and no one is looking, no one thanks you, God is taking notice.

When you’re working at your job and you’re putting stuff on the shelves and your boss is away on vacation and all your coworkers are slack and they’re taking it easy because the boss is not watching,you are saying, no! I’m going to continue my work, its not going to change because my boss is not watching me I’m going to continue to work at it with all my heart and im going to do a good job.

I’m going to be a trustworthy person. Because God is watching.

God notices the little things.

Being a man after God’s own heart, starts with being Faithful in the little things.

#2, David was called a man after God’s heart because he:

2-Didnt allow FEAR to Stop him from Slaying the Giants

1 Sam 17:37 

“‘The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’

I love this attitude that we see in David because this is not the first time David faces this. What you’re about to see in the public, in the spectacular.

David learned to do this in the secret. This is an important lesson.

Don’t try to do in the public what you don’t first do in the private.

Don’t try to get involved with public battles if you don’t have victory over your private battles.

Don’t try to lead people if you cant lead your self.

This is so important.

The preparation of David for the public for the stage for the spectacular.

Started in the secret.

Started In the insignificant.

And because of the preparation in the secret he is a able to face this giant.

David had a track record that no one knew about.

He had personal victories in the secret with the bear and the lion.

And Im sure he times where was afraid but he did it anyways.

There will be times where you will face a giant in your life and you will feel fear.

But faith is not letting your fears control you.

Faith is doing things even if you are afraid.

Faith is not letting your fears limit you.

And David didn’t let his fears or the fears of others limit his potential.

And when you take the path God has set for you.

Thirdly, and this is the big reason why he was described that a man after God’s own heart by God

3-He was Obedient to the Will of God

Acts 13:22 says,

“After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.‘”

So on one hand we a have a Saul who disobeyed orders, he stepped out of his boundaries.

God himself says this in:

1 Sam 15:10

10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.”

*Everybody say disobedient.

His heart had started to wander far from God and he was not paying attention to God’s instructions.

Let me say it this way, when your heart is far from God, your actions wont line up with the will of God.

As Saul’s heart begin to wander far from God his actions reflected that.

In the New Testament, Paul writes a letter to Titus and describes a similar people. So in other words, what you see in Saul in the Old Testament, now you see in New Testament times with a different people.

in Titus 1:10, 15-16

For there are many who are insubordinate empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party…

15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

As Saul’s heart grew far from God his actions don’t line up with the will of God.

The people Paul talks about in Titus, they Professed to know God but their actions denied him.

They professed to know God but they were insubordinate, disobedient, defiant, not listening to God’s instructions.

So here we have a Saul at the end of his rule who God describes.

This is important because Saul did not described himself that way but God did.

Saul didn’t see a problem, Saul thought he was close to God, he was God’s man, God’s chosen one but God didn’t see him that way.

We have a Saul who God describes as one who ignores God’s instructions.

And on the other hand we have a David, a David we know wasn’t perfect but God says:

‘I have found David a man after my own heart; he will do everything (say everything) I want him to do.‘”

David was willing to do everything for God.

That is what a man after God’s own heart is.

A person who is willing to do everything God’s wants him to do.

And if he wants you to do it, your not on your own, He will help you.

Just ask him to help.

David has set his heart to do everything God wanted him to do.

*Will you set your heart this morning to do everything God wants you to do?

Charles Swindoll puts it this way:

“What does it mean to be a person after God’s Own Heart? Seems to me, it means that you are a person whose life is in harmony with the Lord. What is important to Him is important to you. What burdens Him burdens you. When He says, “Go to the right,” you go to the right. When He says “Stop that in your life,” you stop it. When He says, “This is wrong and I want you to change,” you come to terms with it because you have a heart for God.”

A man or a woman after God’s Own Heart is a person that if he sees there is something or if he reads something in the word of God that doesn’t line up with his or her life.

He doesn’t adjust the Bible.

He changes and adjusts himself.

He will repent where he needs to repent he will adjust his life to match what God’s will is.

So in other words, If God says I want you: to quit smoking you stop smoking.

If God says I want you to stop cursing you stops cursing. That’s what a man after God’s own heart is.

You adjust your life, your walk your actions with the will of God. If God says I want to start tithing then you tithe.

If God says I want you to stop stealing you stop steeling.

If God says I want you to stop lying you stop lying.

If God says I want you to get married and stop sleeping with your girlfriend or boyfriend

before you make a covenant before Me and witnesses than you get married.

If God says I want you to live your life with integrity then you live your life with integrity.

If God says I have given you gifts to serve the body of Christ and I want you to use them to serve the body of Christ then you do it.

David was a man after God’s heart because he has set his heart to Obey God’s will.

Will you set your heart to obey God’s will?

Jesus said in John 14:23

“Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.”