Heart of a King

turn your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 11 Hebrews chapter 11 we are going to continue our series titled broken how God uses broken people how God heals broken lives we've taken a long break over the Christmas time for our Christmas messages we're going to move back into this series and we're down towards the end of the series and if you look at Hebrews chap 11 and verse number 32 this chapter Hebrews 11 is the is God's Hall of Fame it it's a list of all the great men and women of Faith but the thing we see with each one of these men each of these women is that they were broken people they were people that were not perfect had their struggles had their problems even uh fell into sin yet God

healed them and God used them for his glory and that means God can use you and I as well in Hebrews chap 11 verse number 32 it says what shall I more say for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and of Barack and of Samson of jeepa and and of David also and Samuel as of the and of the prophets uh he gets down to the end of his chap chapter here and he's gone through a list of a number of different people but he's run out of time which is typical for preachers we we want to we want to give more than we have time to give and so uh he's in this verse here he just kind of names people figuring that you would know who they are and and some of these were very familiar with and some not quite

as familiar with I think most of us know who Gideon is might not know who Barack is and then uh Samson we're familiar with and Jeff do again one that may not be familiar but then David and uh Samuel the first two kings of Israel we know who they are and so today we're going to be looking at David at David and many of the people that we looked at earlier there was very little information we had on them but David is somebody we know a lot about and and how do you narrow the life of David in into just one message I mean David was a Shepherd boy David was Goliath uh fought Goliath David had a great friend in Jonathan uh David wrote most of the Psalms uh David had some great victories and led a

nation uh the nation of Israel was their first great king and and and all of that but you could also talk about David's sin as well and so there's you know what do you narrow David's life down to just and David you know why is he led in this list what is it God wants us to learn from his life I want you to turn over to 1st Samuel chapter 16 1st Samuel chapter 16 now when you try to take the life of David and and put it into just one simple sentence uh this this is the sentence that God used in Acts 13:22 it says and when he removed him he raised up onto him them David to be their King to whom also he gave testimony said I have found David the son of Jesse a man after mine own heart which

shall fulfill all my will this is how God God doesn't talk about Jess David the shepherd boy he doesn't talk about David the one who killed Goliath or David the great king but he talks about David the man after M own heart if if you look at 1 Samuel chapter 16 and look at verse number seven uh Saul had been taken away as the king and and they were looking for another king now or God had chosen to have another king and said Samuel to anoint that King and and in verse number seven says but the Lord said unto Samuel look not on his countenance or in the height of his stature because I have refused him for the Lord seeth not as man seeth for man lookth on the outward appearance but the Lord

lookth on the heart and so right away when he was looking for a new king when he's looking for David he said I'm not looking at what he looks like outside I'm looking for who is on the inside uh skip down to verse number 11 and Samuel said unto Jesse are here all thy children and he said There remaineth Yet the youngest and behold he keepeth sheep and Samuel said unto Jesse send and fetch him for we will not sit down till he come hither and he sent and brought him in now he was readyy which means he was probably redheaded and uh was of with all of a beautiful countenance and goodly look at and the Lord said un said arise anointed for this is he then Samuel took the Horn of oil and anointed

him in the midst of his Brethren and the spirit of the Lord came upon Him David the David from that day forward uh so Samuel rose up and went to ra Rama so here David is anointed king and God says the person I'm looking for is not with the most Talent the person I'm looking for is not the biggest and the strongest I'm looking for somebody that has a heart as he said David was a man after God's Own Heart and David had a heart for God David had first of all a heart of Integrity in First Kings chapter 9 and verse number four and it says if thou will walk before me as David thy father walked in Integrity of heart and an uprightness to do according to all that I've have commanded thee and will

keep my statutes and my judgments now here's one of my problems as I read that verse he says talking about David thy father walked in Integrity of heart and yet isn't David the one who committed adultery and isn't David the one who committed murder uh DAV David had failed in so many ways and yet God called him a man man protect this is after David's dead this is after he's already committed those sins as after all of that God says David was a man of integrity so what does integrity mean Integrity is serious sincerity of purpose and single-hearted devotion not sinlessness to have integrity doesn't mean you've never done anything wrong because none of us can fit that category but it's saying

that you have a sincerity of purpose that this is my purpose in life and your single-hearted devotion towards God see Integrity if you have integrity it's like a compass now you know what a compass is right and you use a compass when you're out in the woods and you want to find your way around you you take the compass and find North and work your way from there to figure out where you're at and integrity is like your spiritual Compass turn over to Psalms chapter 26 Psalms chapter 26 and beginning with verse number one Psalms chapter 2 26 beginning with verse number one it says Judge Me Oh Lord for I've walked in mine Integrity I have trusted also in the Lord therefore I shall not slide

examine me oh Lord and prove me try my Reigns in my heart for thy loving kindness is before mine eyes and I have walked in thy truth I have not sat with vain persons neither will I go in with disassemblers I have hated the congregation of evildoers and will not sit with the wicked I will wash my hands in Ines so will I Compass thine altar O Lord so we see here that David says Lord look at my Integrity he says I I am following you I'm doing what I should do and he says I will Compass your altar in the end of thine altar oh Lord now the word Compass there is not this Compass it's the idea of to Circle or to surround he said I'm going to make your altar the center point of my life you see the

compass is important when you want to find your way around because the compass always points North now I want to see how good you guys are right now so without looking at your compass on your phone without looking at anything else what I want to do is everybody in the aoran when I say now I want you to Point North now don't wait for the person next to you to say oh they must have a right I want everybody to figure out where is north right now and right now I want everybody to Point North go ahead and do it right now okay North is that way you know when we're trying to follow our own wisdom and our own abilities we can get lost can't we and that's why the compass see you can always go back to

Compass and you will never have a lack of knowing where North is and integrity is to have that compass that that Center in your life in John 12 and verse number 32 it says and I will if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men unto me see Integrity is that you are drawn unto the north unto God that he is the focal point of your life and and you're always going to come back to that focal point you're going to set a course in Acts 28 and verse 13 uh Paul was being taken to Rome on a ship and it says and they from then then we fetched a compass now what that means is when they got out to sea uh there was no landmarks to follow they had to figure out where they're going so they they got a

compasses okay that's North then this is the way we need to go and they set their path based upon the compass and U that's what you and I need to learn to do as well in Matthew 6:33 the Bible says seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you you see we need to set God as the compass of our life we need to set God God as the true north of our life and set a course to follow his path in our life in Psalms 26:1 it says Judge Me Oh Lord for I have walked in my Integrity I've trusted also in the Lord therefore I shall not slide it's when we get our Focus off the Lord that's when we get into trouble that's what happened with David and that's

what happens with every one of us in Proverbs 11:3 it says the Integrity of the upright shall guide them but the revers of transgressions shall destroy them you see when you have that compass and and God is your North then that is your guiding a light through life that's the direction we always look where is God and where does God want me to be in my life as well you see when you're out in the woods uh you don't you turn yourself you don't turn the compass see no matter which way I turn this Compass it's still going to Point North and it's not if I'm going the wrong direction it's not so I got to turn the compass so I got the right direction I've got to turn me to the right direction and you

and I need to learn that Integrity is turning to yourself not the compass in 2 Chronicles 7:14 the Bible says if my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and shall turn from their Wicked Ways then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land and so we need to realize that Integrity is realizing that I'm off path I'm not on the path that God has for my life so I need to find God I need to get that North established and get and turn myself back to the right path back to the right direction and so you got to find find your true north in Psalms 75: 6 and 7 it says for promotion come neither from the East nor from the

West nor from the South but God is the judge he put it down one and set up another you see I I use this verse when people get promoted I have a card I sent with that verse on it because we need to realize our promotion is not from the not from the the boss at work not from somebody else but our promotion from the Lord and you know what happens is we get our Focus off the Lord I remember years ago when we first started the church we had a family that came to the church and they got saved and they got going for the Lord and they were so excited about serving God but about a year and a half or so afterwards uh he he he came to a point where he needed to get promoted and and he begin to miss

church because he had to do things for his promotion he begin to miss his Bible study and and more and more he got off path because he got his Focus off of God now I think it's important that you work hard to get promoted and that you work hard to move up that ladder but not to the loss of your path with God and so you always got to keep God as your true north in your life and and we need to keep them established excuse me so that we can not lose our Direction you see the thing is you can't have two nors I've got a magnet here and if I take this magnet put it next to the compass all of a sudden the north is a whole different direction it it it changes the direction so often that's what

happens in our lives the the Bible tells us in Matthew 6:24 that no man can serve two masters for e hate the one and love the other or else you hold the one and despise the other you cannot serve God and manmon you see what is it in your life right now that's drawing you away from the Lord that's drawing your focus away from God in Deuteronomy 30:17 but if thine heart turn away so that thou will not hear but shall be drawn away and worship other gods and serve them see for some people it might be uh job for other people it might be sports for somebody else it might be uh some other activity or might be some person and what happens in our lives is we get somebody that that takes like a magnet

and pulls us away from our true north which is putting God first in our lives so we need to make sure that we're going the right way in John 14 verse number six it said Jesus sayith unto him I am the way the truth and the life no man comth on the father but by me and so we need to make sure that we are going the right way in following God in our lives we need to make sure that we're doing the right thing as well and so we need to follow follow the right way now Proverbs 14:12 says this there is a way which seeth right unto man but the end thereof are the ways of death and so when you know again many of you were real definite when you put your hands up says Norse that way and you were wrong

or Norse that way and you were wrong see sometimes we think we got it right but we don't and that's when we end up lost that's when we end up on the wrong path and so I want to challenge you as begin this new year that you would have the integrity and integrity is having that compass that sets your path that always keeps your focus on the true north on God in your life now you need to have God in your life in Romans chap 10: 9- 10 it says that if Thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and Shall Believe in thine heart that God has raised the dead Thou shalt be saved for with the heart man believeth un the righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation in Romans

10:13 it says for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved and so you need to have Christ in your heart you need to have have that relationship with him in order to find him as the True North in your life and and so you need to have Christ in 1 John 5: 12 and 13 it says he that hath the son hath life he that hath not the Son of God hath not life these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the son of God that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may believe on the name of the son of God when you're out in the woods and you're trying to figure out which way is North uh if you guess you're probably going lost but you got to make sure you

know the right way and and and sometimes we think well I know the way to get to heaven and that's religion or or that's having some kind of a ritual like baptism or catechism or church membership or or it's just having my own righteousness if I just good enough but the Bible says in Ephesians chapter 2: 89 for by grace are you saved through faith then not of yourselves it's the gift of God not of works let amen should most you see Jesus is the way the truth and life he is the north he is your salvation and without Jesus Christ you're not saved you're not going to heaven and you need to make sure that the path of your life will ultimately lead you to heaven when you die to make sure that you

know if you die today that you go to heaven that you know that you have eternal life see that's where it's got to start at us having that that North established in your life and and having that right direction but you also need to establish a compass point now there's another kind of compass that some of you especially young people are familiar with that's one of these right here you know what these things are you had them I think you introduce them like late Elementary early Junior High years and you'd have everybody get the compass and what's the first thing you did when you got your compass you you poked the person next to you didn't you I I know you guys you're just like me but the

purpose of the compass is is you put that point down somewhere and then you can draw a true circle around that Center Point and the same thing is true in your integrity you need to put God as the center point of your life you need to put God as the true compass point of your life life in Psalms 26 and verse number 6 I will wash mine hands in incy so I will Compass thy altar in other words you said I'm going to put your altar as the center of my life in Ephesians 5:15 see then you walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise you see circums secondly means in a circle to put that Circle to say God's the center of my life and everything around is going to revolve around God and we need to put

God in that Center place in our lives we need to put him as our true north we need to establish if in our integrity that we're following the right way in our life but you know what it's easy to lose your way and it's hard to keep your way if you've ever been out in the woods some of you in the military maybe had to do one of those map things where you had to go out and find your way around in the woods and not get lost or maybe you were a Boy Scout and uh you had to go camping and learn how to follow a compass and and you know that it's not easy you got to keep looking back to that compass in job chap 2 and: 9 and 10 it says then said his wife unto him does thou still retain thine Integrity

Curse God and die but he said unto her thou speakest as one of the foolish woman speaketh what shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil in all this did not job sin with his lips see you lose your integrity when you when you let the circumstance of your life take your focus off of God when God is no longer the center of your life and we need to keep God at that Center we need to keep the Focus right you see David he started well in second 2 Chronicles 17 verse number three it says the Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the first ways of his father David and sought not un balum you know as as they look back in David's life they said you know he started

real well but then he sinned then he messed up and that's the way it is for a lot of us we we start out well but then all of a sudden we lose our Focus we lose our direction we lose our integrity and we fall away from the Lord and we get our Focus off of God he's no longer the center point of our life and what we need to do at that point is to put God back in the center you see it's a it's a lifetime struggle in in Hebrews chapter 12 veres 1 and 2 it says wherefor seen we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight and the sin which do so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that set before us looking unto Jesus the author and the

finish of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and sat down at the right hand of the Throne of God you see what happens so often is we we lose our direction we lose our focus and and we it's it's sometimes a lifetime struggle for David he struggled with sexual sin he struggled with immorality and it was a lifetime struggle for him and yet we have to keep coming back to that focus of God in our lives and we need to come come back and get back on that right path when we get off of that path and for for David it was sexual sins and this is something he struggled his whole life when when David was dying in First Kings chapter 1 it talks about

how he's very very sick and and not doing well and he was cold and so they talked about well let's go find a young Maiden to lay with him now they didn't have they could have gotten a blanket they could put some more firewood in the stove why did they think about go and find a young Maiden because David had a reputation of being a ladies man that David had gotten victory over sin I believe that there had come a point where he really realized that I've got to have one woman I think I think after what happened with basba and Solomon and the baby dying I think he really came to that point where he's no longer a skirt Chaser and he's no longer uh in immorality but but you know what sin like this

is a lifetime sin I sometimes call it alcoholic sin if you ever seen an AA meeting they stand up in the meeting and say hi my name is Wayne and I'm an alcoholic because they struggle with these things and even if you're if you're off of alcohol for 20 years you're still an alcoholic because you can fall right back into that now David never laid with that young woman never had relationship but the point is this is how people saw David because this was his besetting sin and and we get to the point in our life where there's things that control us so much they become identities in our lives and and we want to get victory over that and and and especially the sexual sin in 1 Corinthians 6:18 it

says flee fornication every sin that a man doeth is without the body but he that commit fornication sinth against his own body you see uh sexual sin is a sin that affects you uniquely among all the sins remember Sin is Sin there's no with God one sin if you lie if you cheat if you get angry you've sinned all have sinned come short of the glory of God but there are different consequences to sin you get behind the wheel when you're drunk and you slam into somebody else and kill them there's going to be consequences you're going to go to jail for that and so there's different consequences and and sexual sin dealing with pornography and immorality is a sin that will affect you in ways that you

can't even imagine for a lifetime and it affected David and it's something he struggled with all of his life but maybe your sin is not immorality maybe your sin is anger or maybe your sin is depression or maybe your sin is covetousness it doesn't matter what it is When we struggle with those besetting sins they they challenge our integrity and that's why we've got to keep God at the North and we got to keep our focus on God because we lose our focus on God we end up off path we end up going the wrong direction and David's other sin was pride in 1st Chronicles 21 and 2 Samuel 24 um David the devil put in David's heart to number the people and God had told him don't count your people I'll take

care of that uh because the more people you have well look at me I'm a I'm a king of a great nation and and it was his pride that forced him to that made him do that and and so often our pride is what gets us into trouble and in David's case his Pride what got him into trouble and you know there's a fine line between pride and confidence David was a very confident King he was confident I can be Goliath but I think it was also a little bit of prideful we saw that in the story in 1st Samuel 17 you know he talked about isn't there anybody will stand up to Goliath his big brother said hey go back home you know I I think David had gotten a little bit of a swelled head sometimes and sometimes he

got his pride and started thinking look what I've done instead look what God has done in my life and you know Pride will destroy you in Proverbs 16:18 says Pride go before destruction and a hotty spirit for fall when you think I can handle it I'm Different it won't happen to me that's pride and that's what David thought you know I'm the king I can do whatever I want to do I'm Different it won't happen to me I can handle it and that's when we fall into trouble go over to 2 Samuel chapter 24 2 Samuel chapter 24 after David had numbered the people and God had judged him for that in second 2 Samuel CH 24 2 Samuel CH 24 and verse number 24 and 25 David wanted to buy a field to build an altar you

see what what he realizes I sinned and now I need to Compass the altar I need to put the altar back at the center of my life I need to put God back at the compass point of my life and so he wanted to build an altar as man's land and he offered to buy it and the man said I'll just give it to you King in verse 24 and the King said unto Aruna nay but I will Sur surely buy it of thee at a price neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which do cost me nothing so David brought bought the threshing floor and The Oxen for 50 shekels of silver and David built there an altar on the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings so the Lord's in treated for the land and

the plague was stayed from Israel you see David understood if I want to get right with God there's a couple things I have to do and I have to get God back at the compass point of my life at the center of my life I've got to put the altar at that Center and he also realized that I've got to I've got to be willing to pay the price you know when you sin there's a price to pay and David paid the price for his sin not only did he pay the price but the nation and his family did as well there's always a price to pay for sin and there's a price to pay to get right with God and maybe some of you here today that as you begin this new year you realize I need to put God back at the center of my life I

need to get victory over that besetting sin I I need to start following the Lord and you need to put God back at that focal point at that Compass at the center of the altar of your life David had a heart of integrity and even after he sinned now after he sinned he never talked about his Integrity again he didn't feel like he's worthy before he sinned he said God examine me look at my Integrity but after he sin he never said that again but you know who did say it God a number of times he said he's talking to the later Kings and said if you'll be like David in his integrity that's a god of Grace but God also not looking for a heart of Integrity he's looking for a perfect heart go to First

Kings chap 11 First Kings chap 11 and look at verse number four First Kings 11 and verse number four for it came to pass when Solomon was old that his wife turned away his heart after other gods and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God as was the heart of David his father you see David despite his sin he always came back to the Lord and he got his heart right with God and in Psalms 119 if you'll turn over there Psalms 119 this is the longest chapter in the Bible it's got many verses there look at verse number two Psalms 119 and verse number two the Bible says blessed are they that keep his testimonies and seek him with their whole heart look at verse number 10 with my whole heart

have I sought thee oh let me not Wander from thy Commandments look at verse number 34 he says give my give me understanding I shall keep thy law yet shall observe it with my whole heart and again in verse 58 and verse 69 verse 145 over and over again the psalmist and this was David said you know what I need to seek God with my whole heart I need to give God my whole heart if you're going to be a man of integrity if you're going to be a woman of Integrity if you're going to have a heart that's right with God then you need to have a whole heart to give it all to him see God is looking for people with a perfect heart in 2 Chronicles 17 verse number 9 for the eyes of the Lord run to and fro

throughout the whole earth to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards him here and now it's done foolishly therefore from when hence forth thou shal have wars now some of you may be saying but but I'm not perfect and and and you're not neither am I and neither is David and that's why I'm so thankful that God put David in this list in in Hebrews chapter 11 and said David is a hero of the faith even though he was broken even though he had sinned he could still get his heart right with God and you can do exactly the same thing today no matter what happened in 2023 no matter what what happened last year God says it's a new beginning it's a new opportunity Get

Your Heart Right with God and and get a heart that is perfect towards God and it doesn't mean you never do anything wrong but first of all you you're you're sinning less you're working at getting a victory over that sin but also when you sin if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and you want to have that perfect heart towards God but David also had a broken heart in 2 Samuel chapter 9 19 and verse number four it says but the king covered his face and the King cried with a loud voice oh my son absin oh absin my son my son because of David's sin his children rebelled against him and one of his sons ended up uh fighting him to take away the throne and and end up

being killed in battle and and David just wept bitterly realizing not only that he lost his son but it was his fault you know when you get older in life and you look back and you realize all the mistakes that you made and all the things that did wrong and and instead of just feeling guilty you need to get it right with God in Exodus 34 Verse number 7 it says keeping Mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin and that will by no means clear the guilty visiting iniquity of the fathers upon the children upon the children's children of the third and the fourth generation folks realize that your sin affects your children and not only your children but your grandchildren and

the Next Generation after that and the Next Generation after that and and that's why you need to get right with God and get a heart that's broken and get a heart that's repentant towards God in 2 Samuel 12 if you'll turn over there 2 Samuel 12 and verses 21 and through 23 2 Samuel 12 and verse number 21 it says and turn you not aside for then should you go after vain things I'm in first Samuel sorry about that let's try 2 Samuel 12 and verse number 21 it says then said his servants unto him what thing is it that thou has done thou just fast and weep for the child while is alive but when the child was dead thou just rise and eat bread and he said while the child was yet alive I last and wept

for I said who could tell whether God will be gracious to me that the child may live but now he is dead wherefore should I fast can I bring him back again I shall go to him but he shall not return to me you know Paul talked about putting those things which are behind and reaching forth onto those things before it it's good to look back and and to get right with God it's good good to look back sometimes say God I messed up but God wants us to look forward David prayed for his child the baby to be born and to live uh God chose that not to happen and once it once it once the baby died he said you know what I can't change the past but you know I can change the future I can get up and do what's

right from today forward and maybe some of you looking at 2023 and said man I messed up bad I did all the wrong things in 2023 but God says you can get up and move forward and become a man of integrity and come a woman of Integrity if you'll just let your heart be broken if you'll just repent with Godly sorrow and Psalms chapter 32 turn over to there Psalms chapter 32 and look at verses 1-5 Psalms 32 and beginning with verse number one says blessed is he whose transgression is Forgiven whose sin is covered blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity in whose Spirit there is no guile when I kept silence my bones wax old through my roaring all the day long for day and night thy

hand was heavy upon me my moisture is turned in the drought of Summer CA I acknowledge my sin unto thee and my iniquity have I hi I said I will confess my transgressions un the Lord and thou forgave us the iniquity of my sin you see David repented with Godly sorrow he said what I did was wrong and I ask you to forgive me and they said now I want to put God back at the compass point of my life I want to put God back at the altar as the center of my life I want to get my true north and start walking the way that God wants me to walk instead of the way I think is right and and David repented But realize also David reaped what he sow be not deceived God is Not mocked for whatsoever man sth that

shall also reap Galatians 6:7 and when you reap sin you're going to pay a price and David clearly paid a price for his sin in his own life in his family's life in the nation it it hurts but you know what I'm thankful to God even though we have to pay the consequences God is merciful and God is gracious and God is willing to forgive look at 2 Samuel chapter 14 we'll close with just a couple more verses 2 Samuel chapter 14 I want you to look at verse number one 2 Samuel 14 ver1 now joab the son of zero perceived that the king's heart was was toward absolon joab came to warn David said David you're doing the wrong things here and David didn't listen you see you look in David's life he missed a

number of chances to get right at the time that the kings were supposed to be a battle that's when he fell into sin with bash but he wasn't doing what he should have been doing and you and I need to realize in Exodus 34 veres 6 and 7 the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed the Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious longsuffering and abundant in goodness and Truth keeping Mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity and transgressions and sins then that by Will by no means clear the guilty visi iniquity to the fathers upon the children upon the children's children on the third and the fourth gener generation we want to look and say you know what I can't change the past I can't change what's

happened and some of you look back to 2023 and said man I messed up but you can change the future you could decide to to be a man or a woman of Integrity which means somebody that's put God as the focal point as the north of their life that follows the path that God has set in their life has put God as that Center Point the altar in the center of their life and making that commitment to the Lord and then having a perfect heart not that we never do anything wrong but we have a heart that's sensitive to God a heart that is listening to God but you need to have Jesus in your heart in order to do that and then we need to have a broken heart and maybe there's some sin in your life that you need to confess to God and maybe there's some things that you need to get right with the Lord as you begin this new year in the Lord and I want to challenge you to do that