Destined for Victory

Paul Sheppard: And so all of us need to understand what it means to be what I want to talk about as a God-pleaser because there are some things that please God and move God, and there are some things that offend God. You and I want to be in the category of folks whose hearts move Him and whose hearts He’s pleased with, as opposed to the people who offend God.

Guest (Male): If you want to know how to please God, it might help to know what displeases God. Hello and thanks for stopping by for today’s Destined for Victory, where we feature the preaching ministry of Pastor Paul Sheppard. Today, Pastor Paul takes us to the story of a man who had everything going for him but who ultimately had everything taken away.

Today’s message is straight ahead, but first, this quick reminder: you can always visit pastorpaul.net, where you can listen to any recent message on demand, including today’s. That’s pastorpaul.net. So, let’s listen closely now to Pastor Paul’s Destined for Victory message, “Anatomy of a God Pleaser.”

Paul Sheppard: Anatomy of a God-pleaser. Anatomy simply means the composition, the structure, the makeup. And I want to talk about the anatomy of a God-pleaser.

I want to remind you that we established in the message, “When Your Stuff Hits the Fan,” that all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And just because you’re saved doesn't mean you always get it right even now. Thank you for those amens. There are times we come short, maybe not in the real big ways. We really got to get out of this business of putting sin in the categories because the Bible is clear, all unrighteousness is sin.

And that’s why the apostle John said in 1st John chapter 2, “I write to you that you sin not.” It is God’s plan for us to live above the practice of sin, very clearly. But he goes right on and says, “And if you sin, you have an advocate.” And thank God there is an advocate. Thank God that your sins, your shortcomings, don't cancel out God’s grace in your life. In fact, you wouldn't need grace if you always did everything right.

And remember, sin is not only action, sometimes sin is attitude. Sometimes sin is what we fail to do. Sometimes sin is in our motivations for doing things or not doing things. And so all of us need to understand what it means to be what I want to talk about as a God-pleaser, because there are some things that please God and move God, and there are some things that offend God. You and I want to be in the category of folks whose hearts move Him and whose hearts He’s pleased with, as opposed to the people who offend God.

When the Bible says things like “God resists the proud,” that’s why you can't afford to be proud because you can't afford for God to resist you. You need to be someone to whom He gives grace and mercy. And that’s why we need to learn lessons like what I want to share in these coming moments. So, I want to talk to you about two case studies in the Old Testament: one, a man who pleases God, and the other, a man who offends God.

Let me talk to you about the offender first. His name is Saul. He’s a tall man, the Bible tells us. He’s a handsome man, the Bible tells us. If you saw Saul, you sisters would say, “Mmm.” Good-looking, a man of tall stature. In fact, the Bible even notices that he stands erect, and he’s just the kind of guy that calls attention to himself.

And when Israel decided they wanted a king—now God didn't want them to have a king. Why? Because He called Israel unto Himself. He made them His own people. If God makes you His own people, He’s your King. But they wanted to be like the other nations. You always get in trouble when you’re not happy being who God made you, and you always try to come out with something else.

And these folks decided, “All the other nations got kings, we want a king. We’re tired of being led by prophets and priests, we want a king like the other people have a king.” And they did that, and they said that to God so much until God said, “Tell you what, I’m going to give them what they think they want.”

That’s why some of y’all need to get up off of some of the things you keep bugging God about because He just might let you have it. And after a while, you’re going to be down on bended knee talking about, “Oh Lord, give me grace. I didn't know what I was getting myself into.”

And so they wanted a king, so God said, “I’m going to give them a king.” And God chose Saul. He sent His prophet to Saul and let him know he’s going to be the first king of Israel, because I want them to let Me be their King, but I’m going to show them what it’s like to have a human king.

And so Samuel goes over, lets Saul know he’s the man, and Saul says, “Cool, I got it. I got it from here.” And he begins ruling. Early on you see in 1st Samuel 11 and 12, he’s doing all right. He’s conquering nations and what have you. He’s doing fine.

But when you get over to 1st Samuel 13, you find him make his first critical mistake. What is that? There is a time when they’re up against the Philistines, their long-time foes. They’re up against the Philistines and the Philistines are gathering themselves, and they’re getting ready to try to take out Israel.

And so Samuel, who is the prophet and the priest among God’s people, says, “All right, I’ll be there, because before y’all go into battle, we need to offer sacrifice to the Lord. We need to let God know that we know He’s got to win this battle for us. And so we’re going to sacrifice to the Lord.”

The only person who can sacrifice is this prophet-priest named Samuel. And so Samuel says, “Y’all wait till I get there, I’m going to offer sacrifice and then God’s going to give you victory in the battle.”

Well, Saul sees his people falling apart. They’re scattering because they hear that the Philistines are really gathering significant numbers, and they’re getting ready and they’re going to come against us. And the people got nervous—some of the folks got nervous and started breaking ranks and started leaving.

And when Saul saw that people were scattering and not hanging in there, he said, “Oh my goodness, we better get this sacrifice made so we can try to keep from losing people.” And Samuel didn't get there when he thought he should be there.

So Saul says, “Tell you what, I’m the king, I’m going to offer the burnt offering myself.” Here’s the problem: a king is not authorized by God to offer sacrifice. That is the sole responsibility of the priest, of the man of God. And Saul says, “Hey, what difference does it matter who offers it? I’m going to go on and offer it.”

He offers the sacrifice. And look at what happens in 1st Samuel 13, verse 10. “Now it happened, as soon as Saul had finished presenting the burnt offering, Samuel came.”

Now here’s the man who’s supposed to be doing it, and Saul couldn't wait a little while longer. “I’m just going to go on and do it myself.” Samuel is coming down the road, and when Saul sees him, he comes out to try to meet him. He comes out and he’s going to make sure that Samuel feels like everything is all right. So he comes out and meets him.

And I love this, this is so funny. And when Samuel looks at him, he knows something’s wrong. And look at what he says: “What have you done?”

You ever remember when y’all were kids and you did something you knew you had no business doing, and one of your parents pops up and you act especially nice? You’re trying to act like, “Everything good!” And your parents knew just by how nice you were being, something is wrong. They start looking around, “All right, what burned up? What happened?”

Guest (Male): Still ahead, the second half of today's Destined for Victory message with Pastor Paul Sheppard. One of the things we love to do for listening friends and partners like you is pray for you when you're in need. So, if you need prayer for any reason, please come by pastorpaul.net and use the contact feature to share your request with us. Our ministry team is always happy to lift you up in prayer.

Of all the things that hurt the heart of God, pride is the one that grieves Him most. Let's get you back to the rest of today's message, “Anatomy of a God Pleaser.”

Paul Sheppard: Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul starts in. “Well, you see what had happened? Our people started getting scared, they started scattering. And see, you hadn't come when you said you were going to be here.” Now he’s going to throw off on the people leaving and Samuel being what he thinks is late. “You hadn't gotten here, so I figured I didn't have any other choice. And I felt compelled to go on and offer the burnt offering.”

Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you.” And then look at what happens. “For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.” God was going to let you be a lifelong king had you understood that though you’re the king, He’s the King of kings, and you never usurp the authority that only He can give.

You and I need to learn that as Christians. Some of y’all think you’re saved and you got it from here. “I got my fire insurance, I’m on my way to heaven.” You know, that’s what some folks act like—that their salvation is just fire insurance, I know I’m not going to go to hell, but now I’m going to live the rest of my life the way I want. No, no, no. You got to understand, He will never abdicate the throne in your life. He is King of kings, He is Lord of lords. He will never serve you.

I get nervous when I see these people acting like they can command God and tell God what to do. There are some people who make their plans, then have the nerve to pray and ask God to bless their plans. God’s not in the business of blessing what you want; He’s in the business of blessing what He wants. We have to learn to follow. Don't lead Him, you must follow Him.

And so look at this pronouncement from Samuel. He says, “Because of this, you haven't kept the command of the Lord. Now I’m going to have to take the kingdom from you.”

I want to tell somebody: never get out in front of God. He knows where He wants to take you. We are people destined to fulfill His purpose. God’s business is not to fulfill ours. Don't ask God to follow you. I heard a gospel song the other day talking about, “God, I want You to follow me.” I spoke out loud to the car.

“Lord, wherever I go, follow me.” No, He’s not following you. You let Him lead and you follow Him. “Lord, I’m getting ready to go over here and do this, now I need You to follow me.” No, He’s not following you anywhere.

You’ve got to learn to let Him lead. That’s why you’ve got to wake up in the morning—I call it “praying your day.” When you’re in the shower, while you’re washing up, whatever you’re doing, start praying right away. “Oh God, I give You this day. I don't know what’s going to happen, Lord, but You already know. You’re out ahead of this. You know the end from the beginning. I don't know anything but what’s right in front of me. So God, I want You to lead me and guide me. Holy Spirit, speak to me. Give me a heads-up if I need to know what’s about to happen.”

Pray your day. Pray while you’re driving. Pray while you’re going through your day. Ask the Lord to lead you. He’s the Shepherd of your soul. And so you have to follow Him. But look at Saul: he thinks he’s in charge. He’s even usurping authority God’s only given to the priest. And it offends God. God said, “Tell you what, I was going to let you be a lifelong king, but you’re showing me that you don't care what I think. You only care what you want to do.”

I want to ask you to check your life and make sure you’re not one of these folks who only cares about what you want to do. I want you to examine your heart, because this is a heart issue. You can see that Saul’s heart is not to please God. He really doesn't care about pleasing God. And you know that because he doesn't repent. If you keep reading, what you find out is he’s like, “All right, no big deal.” And he goes on. And then when you get to chapter 15, you find his second major offense.

In chapter 15, God speaks very clearly through Samuel, and He says, “I’m going to punish the Amalekites for what they did after Israel left Egypt.” Now, He’s talking generations before, but God never forgets. Don't think because you got by, you’re going to get away. God remembered what the Amalekites did to Israel, and God said, “I’m not going to get them now, but I will get them later.”

Any of y’all grew up in the old days back when spankings were permissible in America. And every now and then, your parents would say, “I can't get you now, I’m on my way to something, but I remember.”

Oh, come on, some of y’all who were the victims of remembrances. “I remember.” And sometimes you thought you got away, and they come home and they said, “All right, come on down here.” Well, your parents got that from God.

God said, “I remember what those Amalekites did to My kids.” You can't mess with God’s kids and get away with it. Whoever’s messing with you, don't get bitter, don't get angry with them only. You can be offended by what they do, but don't take matters into your own hands.

The Bible says, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” When people do you wrong, you ought to demand that they do right, but if you have no power over it, give it over to God. God is the kind of parent who doesn't let you get away with messing with His kids.

And so God said to Samuel, “Tell the king I am going to get the Amalekites through them, so I want them to go and destroy.” Look at what God says through Samuel. “Attack and destroy all of them and everything that belongs to them.”

See, you’re talking about the Old Testament. This is without grace. See, that’s why we had to have the cross, because the only way to deal with sin in the Old Testament is to kill the sinner. You better be glad you live in this season, because sinners in those days, you got it permanently.

And the only way to deal with it—and God said, “I want you to destroy every one of the Amalekites and all their stuff. Want you to kill their king, want you to kill the men, the women, the children. And then all of their living things. I want it all utterly destroyed.”

You don't have to discern, “I wonder what God wants.” In this era of law where there’s no grace, God said these people messed with My kids and they’re going to get it. So, we all understand what God wanted. So, what does Saul do? He destroys almost everything. He destroyed everything except the king. Kept the king alive.

And then when it came to the livestock, he looked at the best of the livestock and said, “Oh, we could use this. Oh, this would be good for the next barbecue.”

Come on, somebody. He’s deciding what’s good of the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and the things he has plans for. He said, “I’m keeping that. Everything else going to do what God said and destroy it.”

You see what he just did? He usurped God’s authority once again. He did it in chapter 13, now he’s doing it again in chapter 15. “I don't have to wait for the priest, I can offer the sacrifice. And now I don't have to kill everything, I’m going to keep what I want and kill the rest.” That means he thinks he’s God. He’s in charge.

And he offended God for the last time. Now the word of the Lord came in verse 10 of 1st Samuel 15, “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king.” Anytime you make God say, “Hmm.” “I greatly regret that I set him up as king.” Watch this: “For he has turned back from following Me and has not performed My commandments.” I need you to notice that. “He has turned back from following Me.” He’s backslidden. He’s the king of Israel, the people of God, but he’s backslidden.

In that, he said, “I don't have to do what God wants. This really isn't about following God. God can follow me. He can bless me when I decide what I want to do, because I’m going to do what I want to do.”

My brothers, my sisters, we who live under grace can be in the same state where we try to lead God, where we say, “Lord, this is what I need You to do, and if You don't do it the way I want You to do, I’m going to take matters into my own hands.”

“I want to make money legitimately, but things are kind of tight and You haven't given me the bomb job, so I’m just going to go ahead and make some illegal money and God, You just going to have to understand.”

And you know, that’s just the way it is. You know the economy, God, You got to understand. I know You want me to be married in order to enjoy a sexual relationship with somebody. I understand that. But see, I don't have somebody that I want to live with permanently. I have some people I just want them to be friends with benefits.

Y’all just swallow hard. Swallow hard. You’re going to survive this message.

Guest (Male): You know, ultimately it was Saul’s pride, not his performance, that caused his downfall. Instead of confessing his sin, he justified it. It’s a cautionary tale, one that reminds us that the Lord desires genuine humility and a heart of contrition.

As you know, Destined for Victory’s always been committed to using media to share the gospel with as many people as we can. Well, I want to ask Pastor Paul to talk about why radio is so important, not only to his ministry but to him personally. And here’s what he said.

Paul Sheppard: Well, I want to tell you that it’s important to me as a discipler that my voice is heard and it is used to help people grow in their knowledge of the Lord and in their faith walk with Him. Fact of the matter is, my voice doesn't sound like most of the other folks you hear on Christian radio. I’m well aware of that, and I’m really comfortable with that. I come from my own unique background, both ethnically and in terms of life experience. There are things I share, there are things I say, and there are the ways that I say them that are unique.

I believe that that perspective needs to be heard throughout Christendom. And so while I’m so grateful for all of my heroes—your heroes are mine. I listen to the same people, the guys who have been on the radio for decades and have proclaimed God’s word faithfully. I really do appreciate those guys. But I’ve learned not to be intimidated by them because I’ve got my own way of processing and my own way of sharing and helping people to learn and to grow in their faith.

So it’s quite intentional. Sometimes I like to be really colloquial in what I say and how I say it, because I’m just using who I am and I think God wants to use that. He’s the one who called me. I didn't call myself; He called me. And I believe He knows what He was getting when He called me into the ministry.

And so I’m just trying to make a difference because the gospel really does change lives. And I believe I have a unique calling to help present the gospel from my own perspective. And I pray that that’s resonating with listeners. And I pray that that means enough to them that they’ll make sure my voice can continue to be heard right along with our other heroes who teach the gospel of Jesus.

Guest (Male): And that remains our mission today. Through the preaching ministry of Pastor Paul, we want to bring timeless truth for a victorious life, using every means possible to reach as many people as possible. But of course, we can't do any of this without your help.

So today, we’re asking you to send a generous donation to Destined for Victory. As our way of saying thanks, we’d like to send you our latest booklet, *Clothed in Love: Seven Gifts for the Ones Who Matter Most*. It’s easy to be kind to strangers, but what about the people closest to us, especially our mothers?

In this message drawn from Colossians 3, verses 12 through 15, Pastor Paul Sheppard challenges us to direct our best selves towards the ones who matter most. Through seven powerful virtues—compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance, and forgiveness—you’ll discover what it truly means to honor your mother and how giving these gifts can transform your most important relationships.

That’s *Clothed in Love: Seven Gifts for the Ones Who Matter Most*, a great resource with Mother’s Day right around the corner. And it’s our gift to you today by request for your generous gift to Destined for Victory.

If you’d like to give, we’ve got several options. Stop by pastorpaul.net to make a safe and secure donation online. Option number two, call us at 855-339-5500. That’s 855-339-5500. Or option number three, you can mail your gift to Destined for Victory, Post Office Box 1767, Fremont, California 94538.

Paul Sheppard: Saul’s problem is not just that he come short, disobeys God, but his heart doesn't care. By contrast, David is called a man after God’s own heart. He’s not called a man who’s perfect. He’s called a man after God’s own heart. That’s what he was called when he was first established, when this same prophet Samuel goes to Jesse’s house.

Guest (Male): That’s next time in our continuing message, “Anatomy of a God Pleaser.” Until then, remember, He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.