March 23, 2023
The Heart of the Matter – 1 Samuel 16
Listen to last week’s sermon titled: The Heart of the Matter found in 1 Samuel 16.
Introduction
The sermon entitled “The Heart of the Matter” by Pastor Eric discusses the importance of the heart and its value to God. The heart is a person’s true character, thoughts, and emotions, and it matters to God because it touches a person’s motives, thoughts, and emotions. The sermon focuses on 1 Samuel 16 and provides three lessons.
The first lesson is that:
God will not work with a person if their heart is not right.
Saul was rejected as king of Israel by God because of his disobedience towards God’s commands. Saul was instructed to remove all of the Amalekites and their belongings, but he spared the Amalekite king and kept some of the spoils. When Samuel the Prophet confronted Saul about this, he made excuses and blamed his soldiers. His disobedience was fueled by his pride and desire to please the people instead of God. God rejected Saul as king because of his heart issue.
The second lesson is that:
God looks at the heart, not the outward appearance.
When Samuel went to Jesse of Bethlehem to anoint one of his sons as the next king of Israel, he was impressed by Eliab’s appearance, but God told him not to consider his appearance or height because He had rejected him. God looks at the heart, not the outward appearance, which is something people often focus on. Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel told him that the Lord had not chosen any of them. When Samuel asked if Jesse had any other sons, Jesse said that his youngest son, David, was tending the sheep. David was anointed as the next king of Israel because God had chosen him, and he had a heart for God.
The third lesson is:
Whatever God calls us to do will require the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit.
In the story of David, we see that whatever God calls us to do will require the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit. Even the youngest and seemingly insignificant person, like David, can be used powerfully by the Holy Spirit when their heart is right. When Samuel anointed David in the presence of his brothers, the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him, which shows that the HS can use a person powerfully when their heart is in the right place.
To see what God sees, we must value what God values. Our own values and judgments can often cloud our ability to understand and follow God’s plan. Additionally, whatever God calls us to do will require the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit. We see this in the story of David, where the HS used him powerfully when his heart was in the right place. Therefore, to fully fulfill God’s purpose for our lives, we must strive to align our values and actions with God’s will and be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.