Subject – ONLY YOU LORD KNOW WHO I REALLY AM!
Text – 1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Samuel 12:9-10; Acts 13:22-23
“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 (KJV)
“Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.” 2 Samuel 12:9-10 (NIV)
“And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will. Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:” Acts 13:22-23 (KJV)
INTRODUCTION –
When many of us think of David, we think of a young man tending his father’s sheep, a young man who’s Harp playing brought sense to King Saul’s insane mind. We might think about a young David who was so enraged by the Giant Goliath insulting GOD that he slayed him with just a stone from a slingshot. Then there are some of us who think about David as the King who took another man’s wife and had her husband killed as part of his plan to cover his terrible sin (expound).
Do we not judge a man’s character by the things he has done? Did not GOD say that man looks on the outer appearance of men, but GOD looks on the heart? Let’s face it; we look at a person’s accomplishments, the things they have done as well as the things they are doing, and then we determine what type of person they are. Who else but GOD can look at the heart and mind of a man and know who they really are? David was so confident about how he felt about GOD that he even asked GOD to search his heart and mind:
“Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. 20 For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. 21 Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? 22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:19-24 (KJV)
When we look at our text for today we will understand why we can say to the LORD:
“ONLY YOU LORD KNOW WHO I REALLY AM!”
POINTS –
- “. . . For the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” – As I have stated already, we tend to judge a person’s character by what they own, what they have done, and what they are doing; but the Lord is concerned about the reasons WHY a person does what they do, and only HE can look into person to truly answer that question (expound).
- “. . . Therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.” – When GOD judges our deeds, being the righteous judge that He is, He will reward or punish us accordingly (expound).
- “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will.” – GOD looked into the heart of David and found someone who had a mind that was focused on understanding and considering GOD’s wishes (expound).
CONCLUSION –
Even though we may appear to be useless, worthless and of no account to many, isn’t it good to know that the Lord can look at us and know who we really are?