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Guest (Female): Welcome to PowerPoint with Jack Graham. Is your heart devoted? Have you decided to follow Jesus? The Bible says if we confess with our mouths the Lord Jesus and believe in our hearts that God has raised him from the dead, we will be saved. On today's PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message about why being overlooked by people doesn't mean you're being overlooked by God. Now here's Dr. Graham with his message: "You've Gotta Have Heart."

Jack Graham: This is the beginning of a brand new series of messages on the life of David. The life and story of David. One of the most dramatic, adventurous stories in all of the Bible. I look back on my boyhood and remember reveling in this story about this shepherd boy who became the king, who killed the giant, and became such a great man of God. And it was all because he had a heart for God.

So begin finding in your Bibles 1 Samuel chapter 16. The theme comes from actually earlier in 1 Samuel 13:14 which says, "The Lord has sought a man after his own heart." God was looking for a king in Israel after his own heart and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people. This is repeated concerning David in Acts 13 when it says, "He raised up David to be their king of whom he testified and said, 'I have found in David the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who will do all my will.'" So the story of David.

Certainly the story of David is a keynote in the Scriptures. His name means "beloved" or "beloved." And above all, David was a dynamic, devoted follower of the Lord. He loved the Lord like few people before him or few people after him. We see his heart so often in the Psalms. This man, David, he's paradoxical in one sense because he was a great saint, but he also became, in one episode, a dreadful episode of his life, a great sinner.

He had highs in his life, great highs, victories, but he had the lowest of the lows, defeat. And sometimes when you read the Psalms, you hear his broken heart, his depressed soul. He's famous among all men in history because of his faith and his courage. He was a shepherd, he was a singer, a psalmist, a songwriter. He was a servant of God. He served God's purpose in his own generation.

He was a sinner, for sure, not a perfect man, a sinful man like all of us. And we all can relate to the fact that his heart was flawed because all of our hearts are failed and flawed, desperately wicked according to Isaiah the prophet. So he was a singer, a shepherd, a soldier who won many great victories in the name of the Lord of hosts, and then of course he was a sovereign. He was the great and famous king of Israel. And so when we look into the heart of David through the lens of Scripture, we see why God chose him because of his heart.

So let's talk about how God chose him. The first point of this message is David's selection. And we're going to read it from 1 Samuel chapter 16 beginning at verse 1: "The Lord said to Samuel," Samuel was the prophet, the last judge of the Old Testament period, "How long will you grieve over Saul?" Samuel was losing sleep over Saul's dismissal. God said, "I have rejected him from being king. Fill your horn with oil and go, and I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons, the sons of Jesse."

And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me." And the Lord said, "Take a heifer with you and say, I've come to sacrifice to the Lord." That is, God would use this symbol of a heifer and a sacrifice to cover this man. And verse 3: "And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I will declare to you." Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, "Do you come peacefully?"

Trembling because remember this man was a judge and typically when the judge comes to town, it's not a good thing back then. "Are you here to arrest somebody? Is this a judgment upon our city? Have you come in peace?" And he said, this is verse 5, "I've come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." And he consecrated Jesse, that is, he set them aside and devoted them, and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.

And when they came, he looked at Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed is before him." Now Eliab is one of these sons of Jesse, the firstborn. And he had the resume, the firstborn. He was handsome, he was strong, he looked the part. And on the outside he appeared to be the one. "Surely," Samuel said. No. Verse 7, key verse: "But the Lord said to Samuel, Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature because I have rejected him. He's not the one. For the Lord sees not as man sees, but man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."

And then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel and he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." Nope, not you. And then Jesse made Shammah pass by, the third son. And he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." Not you, not you, not you. And then Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen these." What a scene. Not you, not you, not you, not you, not you, not you, not you. None of you.

So Samuel is obviously puzzled because the Lord said to him the new king will be among the sons of Jesse. And so what did Samuel do? Samuel said to Jesse, back to verse 10, "The Lord has not chosen these." And then Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he's keeping the sheep." And so you have to ask yourself the question: why did Jesse not bring this son to stand in line to be the king? Somehow he was an outcast. He was the youngest.

Don't bypass this. When it just says he was the youngest son and he's out tending the sheep as though he was not a part of the crew, not a part of the family. Some believe that this was because David was not Jesse's son with the mother of the other sons, that David was born out of wedlock, as it were. The son of shame. David would later reflect that he was a man conceived in iniquity. We don't know this. Maybe it was simply because he was the youngest and that was his job, tending sheep. But be that as it may, this young man, about 16 years of age, is outside the family here and he's a shepherd.

And notice what happened. Samuel said, "Go get him, and we're not even going to sit down till he comes here." And he sent and he brought him in. Now he was ruddy, which could mean that he was fair complexioned, that he had red hair. And he had beautiful eyes and he was handsome. And the Lord said, "Arise, anoint him, for this is he." And then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him. And the spirit of the Lord rushed, rushed upon David from that day forward. He was so full and so powerful in the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

And then Samuel rose up and he went down to Ramah. This man, David's selection. It happened at Bethlehem. Bethlehem was a nothing town like hundreds of villages like it all over Israel. I mean, Bethlehem is famous now because Jesus was born there and perhaps some who know that David is from there. But this town where they lived was a small little hamlet. So he picked him at Bethlehem. No one knew his name.

But here he is, standing before the man, Samuel, and called and chosen to be the king. Why? Because he had a heart for God. Because God doesn't look when he's choosing those to lead and choosing those to serve, he doesn't look on the outward appearance, but he looks on the heart. He was chosen not by the people. The people chose Saul. Now God agreed with it, of course, and allowed it to happen. But the people of Israel, they wanted to be like the other nations and they cried out for a king. Give us a king. So God allowed Saul to be the king.

And at first it was going really well. Saul looked the part. He was central cast as well. I mean, head and shoulders above everyone else and he seemed humble and he seemed honorable. But it turned out that he was a man who was fatally flawed. He had no character. And when you have no character, your reputation can get you places and your ability can get you places, but it's your character that keeps you there. And Saul did not have character.

And so God, because of this man's disobedience, set him aside. His failure, his flaws, his sin was so great that he was even seeking the counsel of the witch of Endor. And so God set him aside and that's when the need for a king, a new king, God's king, would rise. So the people, in effect, chose Saul. And when God set Saul aside because of his sin and failure, God himself chose David.

Guest (Female): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, "You've Gotta Have Heart." We're excited to share that we have a new way for you to connect with us. It's our texting service designed to keep you connected with everything happening here at PowerPoint. You'll be the first to know about upcoming events, special announcements, and truly enriching content. To join, start a new text conversation by texting "CONNECT" to 59789. Again, text "CONNECT" to 59789.

Every day people are hearing the truth of Jesus Christ through PowerPoint's broadcasts, podcasts, and digital outreach. Some are discovering the truth of the gospel for the very first time. Others are learning to trust God more deeply. And friends like you help make it all possible through your support. That's why this month we want to say thanks for your gift of $10 or more by sending you Dr. Jack Graham's book, Choices.

In this encouraging resource, Dr. Graham shares practical wisdom from God's word to help you make decisions with confidence, clarity, and faith. To give your gift and request your copy, text "AUGUST" to 59789. Please limit one per household. Again, text "AUGUST" to 59789. Now let's get back to today's message, "You've Gotta Have Heart."

Jack Graham: As I was looking at the Psalms this week, as I do most every day, Psalm 63 came to mind when David writes and he sings it out, "Earnestly, early do I seek you, O God." That comes early in the morning at times. It comes deep into the darkness of the night at other times, but earnestly he sought God. One of the big points of this passage is to remind us that God sees and knows us. We look at people's faces, but God looks at people's hearts.

We wear masks that Jesus called hypocrisy. We play a part, but God knows the heart. God knows what's beyond the externals and what's in the eternals and internals. God looks beyond when he comes to choosing those who serve him and choosing those that he can use. God looks beyond our ability and sees more of our availability and our expendability and our durability as we walk with him.

What kind of person does God use? 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verses 26 through 29: "For consider your calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise according to worldly standards. Not many were powerful. Not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, and God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God."

What kind of person is God looking for? Not the mighty, not the great typically. He says not many mighty are called. I'm glad he didn't say not any mighty are called because God can use the mighty as well who humble themselves, but for the most part God uses people like David, like you and me. And over and over again in the Scripture, we see the unsung and the unheralded and the unnoticed who are called out and separated to do something great for God.

God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things for him and that includes you if your heart is with him. Don't dare say God can't use me. God takes us even in our weakness, even in our failure. And he restores us and he renews us and he makes us like himself. God sees hearts like we see faces. Don't ever judge a person by their appearance, by their attractiveness. We even judge ourselves like this. We take a selfie and make sure it's just right, the lighting is just right where we'll look good.

I think we worry way too much about looking good in this generation instead of being good. This man was good man because he was God's man. And so Samuel himself, he laughed, he was amazed, he was amused. But this teaches us the importance of humility. Even later when he was to become king, over in 2 Samuel, David would reflect and say, "Who am I? Who am I to be the king of Israel?" God chose him because he had a heart for him. God sees you for what you can become, not what you are, but what you can become if your life is yielded to him.

2 Chronicles 16:9 says, "The eyes of the Lord are searching to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless before him." And if you feel like someone who is left out, you didn't get all the talent, you didn't get all the skills that maybe your brother, your sister, or people in the church, you say, I'm just a, you see yourself as a loser. You see yourself as someone who's not capable, someone who's not good enough or great enough. Sometimes we look at people like David and these great heroes of the faith of the Bible and we wonder, how can I even relate to this? How can I relate to a man like David who was so great?

Well let me give you a scripture about David. 1 Kings 15:5: "Because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite." Wow. Here's the story of David in a sentence. The man after God's own heart. He did what was right all the days of his life, all that God commanded him to do, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

Uriah was the husband of Bathsheba. And that adulterous affair remains with David's legacy. And Uriah, he set up to have killed, he virtually murdered this man who was his friend. So that's a big exception. But, but it was an exception to the rule. David found forgiveness and restoration because he repented. And you can read about it in Psalm 51 as he repented. And so what's the point?

The point is, if you think God has forever set you aside, think again because if you will repent and be forgiven and changed, though the consequences of David's sin remained with him for the rest of his days and throughout all of history, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite, it stayed with him. And yet God used him again and greatly all the days of his life. So I'm saying to you that while men may reject you, God will receive you if you will turn to the one who is named the son of David, Jesus the Lord.

Of all the names chosen of Jesus, in the legacy of the lion, David, comes our Lord. And David's story points us to the redemption story, the salvation story, and the cross and salvation in Christ. Your heart is not just your physical heart, of course. The physical heart has valves and veins and ventricles, but the spiritual heart is deeper. It's the part of you that knows and sees and relates and loves God. It's the part of you that thinks different.

The Hebrews did not think of the heart as the seat or the place of emotions. When you read about the heart so often in Scripture, it has to do not with emotion but contemplation. "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." So the heart is a place of desire, it's a place of discernment, it's a place of decision, it's a place of dedication. Is your heart dedicated, devoted? Have you decided to follow Jesus? The Bible says if we confess with our mouths the Lord Jesus and believe in our hearts that God has raised him from the dead, we will be saved. This is salvation that comes from the heart.

You say, "Well I've got a good heart." No, nobody has a good heart. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. The heart needs to be born again. You need a heart transplant. Well what happened after David's selection is we see his connection. We see the heart of David because you know what he did? Says in the Scriptures that Samuel left and went to Ramah. But what did David do? Well we find out in the next chapter that David went back to the sheep.

What do you do in a situation like that? I mean, it doesn't come along every other day. God's ways are so marvelous, aren't they? I mean it was just an ordinary day in David's life, just another day in the shepherd fields. And the breakthrough came just like that. And could I just say that some of you have been praying, you've been waiting, you've been worshipping God for your turn, for your time, and your breakthrough may come just like that.

It may come quickly and suddenly like it did for David. So be ready. Are you ready for this powerful breakthrough in your life when God says, "I'm calling you to do this or that?" And it may be something very simple, not to be a preacher, but to be a faithful Christian, a man, a grandfather who's leading, living, and loving a legacy of love in your family. I could give you all kinds of things that God would have you to do.

You know in your heart of hearts what God wants you to do with your life. To do what David did, to serve God's purpose in your own generation. To be a man or a woman after God's own heart. David's legacy stands because it was a legacy of love, of love for God. You know what a legacy is? It's your love for God. That's the legacy you want to live and give to the generations around you and those yet to come.

Guest (Female): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, "You've Gotta Have Heart." Let me remind you about an encouraging resource Dr. Jack Graham created to help you navigate life with biblical wisdom. It's his book, Choices, which comes as our thanks for your gift of $10 or more. This practical and insightful book explores how everyday decisions shape our lives and how God's truth provides the wisdom we need to choose faith over fear, truth over compromise, and obedience over convenience.

When you give today to support the outreach of PowerPoint Ministries, you'll help share biblical truth and the life-changing hope of Jesus with people around the world through broadcast, podcast, and digital ministry. To give your gift and request your copy, text "AUGUST" to 59789. So that everyone has a chance to take advantage of this limited offer, please limit to one per household. Again, text "AUGUST" to 59789.

We're excited to share that we have a new way for you to connect with us. It's our texting service designed to keep you connected with everything happening here at PowerPoint. You'll be the first to know about upcoming events, special announcements, and truly enriching content. To join, start a new text conversation by texting "CONNECT" to 59789. Again, text "CONNECT" to 59789.

Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today?

Jack Graham: I want you to imagine this scene with me. You're 17 years old. You're out in a field doing the job nobody else wants to do. Your brothers are inside the house with the famous prophet and nobody even thought to call you in. You're used to being forgotten. You're used to being the least, the leftover, the one who doesn't quite fit. And then suddenly someone runs out to the field. They're calling for you. The prophet wants to see you.

You run inside, still smelling like the sheep you've been tending. Your brothers are standing there, impressive, qualified, ready, and you're just you, dusty, young, unprepared. But then the prophet walks past all of them, past the tall one, past the strong one, past the one with the perfect resume, and he stops in front of you. He pours oil on your head. And in that moment, everything changes, not because of who you were, but because of whose you were. That's the story of David. But I believe it could be your story too.

Here's what I need you to hear today. God is not impressed by what impresses people. He's not looking for the most qualified. He's not looking for the one with the best credentials or the most Instagram followers or the most powerful connections. He's looking for a heart that's fully his. That's it. That's the whole requirement.

So maybe you're sitting here today feeling inadequate, feeling like you don't measure up, feeling like God could never use someone like you. And I'm here to tell you, you're exactly the kind of person God loves to choose. Because when God uses the unlikely, the overlooked, the underestimated, nobody can take credit but him.

But here's what you have to do: don't wait for the moment to prepare. Prepare for the moment while you're waiting. David didn't become a great king the day he was anointed. He became a great king in the years before, when nobody was watching, when he was just a boy worshipping God in a field with sheep. He was developing a heart for God in the hidden place.

So when the public moment came, he was ready. So whatever field you're in right now, whatever obscure, unglamorous, unnoticed place you find yourself, worship there, pray there, seek God there, develop your heart for him there. Because I promise you, if you'll do that, when your moment comes, and it will come, you'll be ready. God sees you. He knows your name, he knows your heart, and he's not finished with your story yet.

Guest (Female): And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember, when you give a gift of $10 or more, we will send you Dr. Graham's book, Choices. Just text "AUGUST" to 59789. And join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about how our giants aren't too big for God. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.