Although He Wasn't Perfect, David Was A Man After God's Own Heart

James Greer: 00:00 Happy Father's Day. Hey man, if you didn't get one of these and you want one, they're back in the kiosk. We've started a journey of hope, and those that we're praying for many of them have cancer, but you can use it for somebody that's comes on your mind, you look down at it, and it just reminds you. And the verse is Romans 15:13, it says, "Now may the God of hope..." The God of what? Hope. "Fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope and the power of the Holy Spirit." So if you want one of those. Also after that, we actually had prayers where we prayed for the sick, and you just put their name in there. And it says, I pray that you will heal blank, oh Lord, and blank shall be healed. And if you need one of those, just let us know. You can email, and the secretary will get you, or message me, and we'll get you one. Okay.

James Greer: 00:50 All right, man, we continue our series called "Bad Boys, What You Gonna Do When The Lord Comes For You? And man, we started out with bad boy Abraham. And what bad boy Abraham taught us is, you're never too old to be used by God. Anybody that can start his family at hundred years old, start having kids, he is a bad boy. Amen? And then we had Gideon. Gideon was fearful and afraid, but yet Gideon became fearless, and he led 300 men to defeat 134,000. But what Gideon did, he not only struggled with fear, he struggled with blaming, and he would always blame everybody else for his problems. Until Gideon came to the point where him and Israelites accepted their own blame, that was the beginning of God sending somebody to deliver. So if you need to start again, you need to go back and listen to the message on Gideon, it online, and you can just go back to do that.

James Greer: 01:44 And then we're going to talk about bad boy David today. That David was a bad dude, both ways. Amen? Sometimes David was doing things he shouldn't do, and then sometimes David was doing things he should do. I mean, Acts talks about David, he said, he was a man after God's own heart. I mean, anytime you're a young man, and you can defeat a Goliath, who's about nine foot nine inches, you're still a bad boy. Amen? And then next Sunday, we're going to do Saul and Steven, so you want to be here.

James Greer: 02:14 Now as a father, especially, I want you to listen. Today we're going to look at David, and David in the Bible says, that he was a man after God's own heart, because he would do God's will. But I'm going to give you some insights, because we won't have time to touch on all of them about David. David was a really rejected young man. And you might be here and feel like you've been rejected, he was rejected by his parents, he was rejected by his brother, he was rejected by the King, and he was later rejected by his son. David overcame some of the sins of rejection, and some of the sins he passed down through generational curses by not dealing with the sins in his life, and in his boy's life.

James Greer: 03:00 David basically raped Bathsheba and killed her husband. His son, Amnon, raped his sister Tamar. David didn't really deal with it. I don't know if David felt guilty because maybe they had heard the stories about what he had done, and so he didn't deal with it. And his other brother felt rejected, because David didn't deal with the rape of his sister. So Absalom, the other son, the apple of his eyes, so to speak, led a rebellion against his dad and he was killed. He rejected his own father, who his father loved very much, and leading the rebellion got killed. What I want you to know, David was a man after God's own heart, but David had some issues as a father that he didn't deal with. And because he didn't deal with them, they were passed down to the second and third generation. Dads, if there's something you need to deal with, today's a good day to deal with them. Amen?

James Greer: 04:07 Now, even though you don't deal with them, that does not justify your kids doing the same thing. Because I'm going to tell you later on, Jesus Christ came to break the curse of that generation. Amen? Alright, man, if you don't get anything today? I want you to understand, when you learn to sling the rock, you kill the enemy. David could sling the rock, and when he slung the rock, the enemy had to fall.

James Greer: 04:32 Acts 13:22 has a very interesting insight, it says this, "And they found David, the son of Jesse, a man after God's own heart, who will do all my will." That's so important. There's something stuffed in there that's really, really powerful, that every man, woman, boy, and girl in here is going to want to know. God's never going to stop loving you, but I believe there's times that we can have the heart of God. We have the heart of God, listen, when we do the will of God. And when we have the heart of God, and we do the will of God, we get to experience the power of God. That's what's cool. David is a picture of a man that had the heart of God, the will of God, and experienced the power of God.

James Greer: 05:27 Let me give you an example. Let me give you an example of when you have the will of God and you get to experience the power of God, how they work hand in hand. And in First Samuel 17:45, you'll see it. David answered, he says, you come out to fight me with a sword and a spear and a dagger. Guess what? I'm going to come out and fight you in the name of the Lord, all powerful. Man, I love that. Every time I see, the Lord, all powerful in the Bible, I think about how God's power rested upon David. And he is the God of Israel's army. When he's the God of Israel's army, Israel can't lose. You've insulted him too. Now see, I don't think God likes you to insult God. God doesn't like to be insulted, he didn't like him taking his name in vain. And I think the same person can be saved, I believe the Israelites that were standing on the other side, I think many of them were a type of saved Christians, but they're missing out on the power of God. I believe that so many people come to church, and I glad for the ones watching online and the ones outside, and you come to church and you hear the word, but you miss out on the power of God. God has so much power. It's unbelievable.

James Greer: 06:48 David got to experience the will of God, and the power of God. The main reason people get discouraged to stop coming from church is because they say, man, there must be more. There is. And the real truth is it's not God, it's you. Rejection can be repeated, or it can be regenerated into power. See what you might know about David is all the rejection that he went through. But I know couples in our church that their parents rejected him. Next service Jeff Bennett, he'll be sitting right over there where you are Richard, and I know that his parents rejected him. One time he lives, after they rejected him, and moved to his grandfather's house. And his parents would even, every now and the, walk down the street and never stopped to speak to him. But he lived through the rejection, and because of the rejection, he's turned out to be a wonderful father and husband. So you don't have to repeat the sins of your father.

James Greer: 07:46 See David went from a shepherd boy to King, to a mighty King. And in fact, I think some of some of his rejection is what led to him being willing to fight Goliath. I think he wanted to be accepted so bad, he wanted to say, look, here I am. He wanted to be accepted by God, and he wanted to be accepted by others. His brothers rejected him, his son rejected him, the King rejected him. The truth and the power of the story is, God will not reject you. See when you read Abraham, and Gideon, and David, if you're not careful, they become the heroes. They're just instruments in the hand of God to give God the honor and glory, God is the hero. See, God did not reject David, and God will not reject you. Even if your parents reject you, your mate may have rejected you and left you, school friends, people on the job, they may have all rejected you, but you can take that and you can have God regenerate it into a power to be displayed by God. You can go from rejection, to rejoicing, to regenerated.

James Greer: 08:55 See what you need to do, over your friends, you need to find your identity and acceptance in Christ. So many couples are having problems because they're trying to, you ready, you're trying to find your identity in your mate, or you're trying to find your identity where you work, or you're trying to find your identity and acceptance in something else. When you finally truly get your identity and acceptance from Christ, you're the happiest you'll ever be. I used to do it at school, I tried it in high school. I mean, how else, when these people are wearing these crazy clothes, and you're regularly wearing jeans, everybody should just wear jeans, but they started wearing those plaid, wide bottom, ugly britches. I bought some, ugly as could be, I just want to fit in. Amen? I mean, you'll do almost anything, I still do. But what I'm trying to tell you, when I finally got an acceptance and identity in Christ, I no longer had to look to people or things to find my identity. You'll be happy married. You'll be happier in your job. You'll be happier in everything else. So many young people, you grow up because your parents love you and they're doing the best they can, but you're trying to find your identity through your parents. And you're still, there's comes a point in time you have to go from them, to find your identity in Christ.

James Greer: 10:13 Let me show you how bad he was rejected, even his brother. In First Samuel 17:28, It was his older brother Eliab, he heard him...When he said he heard him talking, he's talking about David. He heard him talking to a soldier, and it made him mad. He said, Eliab got angry with him, and he said, what are you doing here anyway, who's taking care of your little bitty flock of sheep? You know, he's already making fun of him, out in the desert. He called him a spoiled brat. One of the other [inaudible] said, you you're just a cocky, spoiled brat. You really just came out to watch us fight didn't you? That's really why you're here. And David answered, man, can I even ask a question? What was his brother's so upset about, that his brother got angry, and said, you're nothing but a spoiled brat, you're nothing but a cocky brat, you're really here just to see what you could watch. Well, what he was doing is, in 26, he was just asking what was going on. He was simply, David asked some of the soldiers standing there, he just said, Hey, what does this man get if he kills the Philistine, and he stops him from insulting our people. I mean, who does this worthless Philistine think he is anyway. You know, he's making fun of the army of the living God. He's not dead a God.

James Greer: 11:41 See, there is something about David, David had this connection with God. He didn't see him as dead God, he saw him as a living God. I want to tell you, when you really get excited about God, God is not dead, God is...God is what? Alive. Well live like that. Amen? So his brother got mad because, listen, this is really important. David's brother got mad because he was afraid. Oftentimes when we're afraid that doesn't have to be about somebody, it could be about our finances, our job, about something else. We often get frustrated, and then we say ugly things. This is you, your wife comes up to you and says, honey, what do you think about how are we going to make it on the bills? Why are you worried about that? She thinks, are you crazy? And you go in and say, Hey honey, is the meal ready? We'll fix it yourself, if you don't like it. I don't know how to cook. You should've learned a long time ago. And you really didn't mean to upset them, but you just asked a question, and you get a real ugly response. And everybody that has ever done that, do not say anything, because it happens. Amen? You've done it, I've done it, we've all done it.

James Greer: 13:01 But what you might not know is what's going on behind the scene. There's something that's frustrating you, and there's something you're fearful of, and it's causing you to react in the wrong way. What we're going to do in a couple of weeks, we're start an emotional monsters. And till you learn to recognize why you're reacting the way that you are, you'll never move past who you are.

James Greer: 13:24 See, they didn't really want to though. And First Samuel 17:24 says, "When the Israelites soldiers saw Goliath, they were (What?) scared and ran off." That's why his brother was acting like that. Many times, that's why your mate acts like that. Many times, that's why I act like that. Parents, listen, I missed it, but you don't have too. Many times, that's what our kids are acting like that, and we see it as rebellion, and we don't see past that. With all that, get in and get understanding, see past the front, and see what's really wrong. See it in your marriage, see it with your kids, what are they really upset about that we may not know?

James Greer: 14:12 But anyway, some of the soldiers, they heard him talk, and they heard David talking. In 31, and they said, "I heard David talking, so they told Saul. They just went and told him, you know, what David had said. Saul sent for David, and David of course, he came. It's a good idea if the King sends for you, it's probably a good idea to come. Amen? And he says, your majesty, he said, this Philistine shouldn't turn us into what? Cowards. See as Christians, we should not be afraid of any person. In fact, the Bible tells us in Proverbs 29:25, "The fear of man is going to bring a snare into your life." Fear is an automatic indicator that God's trying to build faith in your life. I didn't say we don't face fear, I face it and you face it. But when you understand that fear is an indicator that God's trying to build faith in your life, it changes the way that you look at faith. He says, "I'll go out and fight him." Can you believe it? He's ready to go out and fight him.

James Greer: 15:20 Then of course the King says, you the man. No, you don't have a chance against him. Boy, that'd give him some self-confidence. Saul replied, you're only a boy, he's been a soldier all his life. Now this is what the world says. All right? The world says, David, you do not have a chance against Goliath. Amen? They're looking at how big, how bad he is. A big mouth, whatever. Well, it is a big mouth. Anyway. A spirit filled Christian doing the will of God says, Goliath, you, ain't got a chance against David. See, so it's all in your perspective. It's all on what side you're looking at. This all depends on If you're on the world side, or if you're on God's side, and God's on your side. Because God's on your side, who can be against you? A lot of people, but they can't win. Amen?

James Greer: 16:13 See rejection can lead to the repeat of the same sin, it can be passed on to your family and your boys, and your boys can inherit the sins of the father. Rejected, and not dealt with properly, will do that. Dealt with properly, it can actually lead to rejoicing, like when he kills the Goliath. It can lead to a new, regenerated power. You do understand that genes and environment do matter. Genes are stronger than environment, apart from transformation. You can take somebody that had come from a family that had really bad genes, put them in a really good environment without transformation of God, they'd go back to the gene. They have to choose, you. can't choose that for them.

James Greer: 17:07 And that's what Exodus chapter 20, when God was telling them about genes in it. And now you see all this on TV, let me run your genes. Exodus 20 verses 4 and 6. It says, "For I am the Lord your God." He's a jealous God, meaning he jealously loves you, that's what he's talking about, he's talking about how much he loves you. And he says, "I visit the iniquities of sin to fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me." Now you got to understand what he's saying, because in verse 6 of Exodus 20, he says, 'But if you love me and obey law, I'll be kind to you, your family to a thousand generations." One of them says, I want to show mercy to you, I want to give you what you need, not what you deserve. We all have known families that we've seen that had the same problems, same addictions, the same personalities that their parents did. You'll say, they're just like their parents, they act like their parents, they live like their parents. That can be good, and it can be bad. Generational curses, if not broken will be repeated. They'll just have the same addictions, same problems, the same ugliness, the same personality. I do believe that genes and environment have a pull on you anyway, but you do not have to live there. It's called predisposed sin. If your parents had a real problem with drinking and alcohol, or anger, you don't need to go that way because you're already predisposed to do that. Does not mean you can't overcome it, it means you're predisposed, you have a pull to go that way. There's a lot of things that we're born predisposed to, it does not mean we have to give into it. And that's, what's so important, that's what society is not teaching today, saying they were just born like that. Well, everybody's born with some predisposed sin, you just don't have to follow through it.

James Greer: 19:16 I mean, look at David, David turns all this around and he says, I'll fight Goliath. I've been rejected, but I'm not going to let Goliath talk about my God that way, I saw the living God. In First Samuel 17:41, Goliath, he came to David, and he was walking behind the soldier who was carrying his shield. If y'all don't understand, Goliath was about nine foot, nine inches tall, his armor alone was about 125 pounds, the tip of his spear was 15 pounds. He is a big, mean machine. When Goliath saw David, he's just a healthy, good looking boy, he started making fun of him. Who do you think I am a dog, Goliath asked him, is that why you're coming after me with a stick? He cursed David in the name of the Philistines God. See, this is a battle about gods. You're going to find out the next couple of weeks, most of the real battles and they're still going on today, we're about who's God's God. You're going to find out what Saul and Stephen who's God's God. You're talking about the battles in the East right now, is who's God's God. And he shouted, come on, when I'm finished with you, I'll feed you to the birds or the wild animals. Well, that sounds good, but that may not be the end of the story.

James Greer: 20:42 See, we've got to be careful, really careful, because we can see Goliath and we don't see ourselves. See, what Goliath has started doing is depending on who he was, how big, and how bad, and how strong he was. He started depending on his own strength without the God. I see people do it all the time, and I'll do it. If you're not careful, we'll say, Hey, I'm dependent on who I am, because I'm not worried about them. Look at them, look at what they look like, look at what they say, and you start feeling powerful. You become self-confident, we should be godly confident. Listen, then if you're not careful we start allowing what we see, and what other people say, determine how we feel. Anytime you allow what other people say, and what you see, determine how you feel instead of God it's wrong.

James Greer: 21:46 But David had a word for him. Verse 45, David answers him, hey man, you come to fight me with a sword and a spear and a dagger. But guess what? I've come out to fight you in the name of the Lord all powerful. I love that. And he's also the God of Israel's army, and you've insulted him. He didn't like him to insult his God. He said, you know, today, the Lord he's going to help me defeat you. I want to knock you to the ground, I'm going to cut your head off. He just told Goliath, that's what he was going to do. And I'm going to feed your body, and the other Philistine soldiers, to the birds in the wild. What do you thinking about that Goliath? Then the whole world is going to know who's God's who's. See when a Christian is filled with the Holy Spirit, and he's in the will of God, he has the power God, everybody will know there's something different about him. You're not worried about where you work, you're not worried about what somebody else says, because man, God's on your side. That's the kind of life we should be living. God wants to give us victory, where it gives God the honor and glory, not you. He says, everybody here, everybody here will see, that the Lord, he doesn't need swords, he doesn't need spears. In other words, he doesn't need your physical strength, he doesn't need your money, he doesn't need your might. The Lord always wins his battles. The Lord does what? He always wins his battles, and he's going to help me defeat you. I love that. He always wins his battles, he's going to help me to defeat you.

James Greer: 23:11 Then Goliath started for David, and David ran from him. Nope. What did David do? Okay. Say too many Christians are running away from their problems instead of running to their problems. And when you run from your problems, your problem just gets bigger, they last longer. Some of you are here today, listen, and you need to say, God, I need to start running to my problem. I got a family problem, I got a finance problem, I got a friend problem, I got a future problem, I got frustration problem, I got a fear problem, and today I need to quit running from it and I need God's help to run to it and have victory over it. Amen? That is good Brother James, I'm preaching, y'all just don't know it. Y'all better be listening, I'd be taking notes. I take notes to my own self, that's all right, I probably need it more than y'all.

James Greer: 24:04 Verse 49, I love this. he put a rock in his sling, and he slung that sucker. I don't think it says that, it's kind of like that. Anyway, he did put a rock in the sling, and he did sling that thing, and he hit Goliath in the forehead and cracked his skull, and that sucker fell to the ground. That's James paraphrase. This is my other paraphrase, Jesus is my rock, and the word is what I need to be slinging. I think there used to be a song, Just the Slinging. Something like that, no. Anyway, if it is, that's what I need, just a slinging. Anyway, maybe it's singing, I don't know, I never was good with songs. Anyway, Jesus is my rock, I need to take the word, and I need to sling it at the enemy. If I sling the word at the enemy, he has to fall, cannot stand, it's impossible. We can't just know it, we can't just think it, we've got to sling it. Not only is Jesus my rock, when we sling the word at the enemy, he has to fall. That same rock, who is Jesus Christ, walked into a grave, they killed him, and he walked out and defeated the devil, and death, for me and you. Amen? I mean he is the man. He is the rock. He is the one we need to stand on. He is the one we need to be slinging at the enemy, not ourselves, and nothing can stand.

James Greer: 25:31 Verse 50, David defeated Goliath with a sling and aa? What did he defeat him with? A sling and a what? Rock. Who's our rock? Jesus Christ. He killed him without using a sword, I mean, that's a mean motor scooter. And then David ran over and pulled out Goliath's sword, and cut his head off. He said, you [inaudible] something. I'm not only going to knock you on the ground, I'm going to cut you off. You know what it's a type of? There's no problem too big for a Christian. I mean, you get God's word, and you use it and speak it the right way, and there's nothing that can stand against you. He can have a victory over it, he can cut the head off the snake, and you can keep going forward. Amen?

James Greer: 26:11 When the Philistines saw it, and heard it, I'll guarantee you what happened, happened to their hero. They started running. I love that part. When it happened to their hero, let me tell you what, Goliath went from a hero to zero. David went from a zero to the hero. Amen? And that's what we need, we to have more heroes. John 1:14 says, "The word became flesh." Matthew 6:18 says, "Upon this rock, I'll build my church. See, how did he defeat the enemy? He took the rock, Jesus Christ and the word, and he slung it. Isaiah, you ready, Isaiah 55:11, "My word will not return void, but it will accomplish its purpose. Can't do it. Second Corinthians says, "Thanks be to God, who is always causes me to triumph.

James Greer: 27:09 I've got to move fast, y'all got to listen. Rejection can lead to the release, unbelievable release in your life, and a great recovery. It's so nice, just when you finally release your rejection, and your feelings of hurt in the past. The Psalmist said in 27:10, 'When my father and my mother forsake me, reject me, the Lord takes care of me." David was pretty well taken care of, I think, Amen? I mean, took care of Goliath, he'll take care of you. And that's what he wants. The Bible taught us, don't fear, man. He said, you know, he says that we're fearfully and wonderfully made. He tells us over in Galatians, if you're worried about the sins of your parents. He tells us that Christ redeemed us from the curse. So there's nobody, if you're a Christian, that can't be redeemed from the curse of past generations. He tells us in First John, that we've been re-gened. When you get saved, do you know what happens? Did you know that you get your parents' genes when you were born? But do you know that whosoever has been born of God, does not sin, for his seed remains in him. He says, he's re-gened. So when you get saved, you got two genes, now you've got God's genes, and you've got your parents' genes. And that's why it's so important to stay in the word of God, because you activate the genes that you have within you.

James Greer: 28:42 In closing, I want you to know when you do the will of God, you've got the heart of God. When you have the heart of God, you've got the power of God. To have the heart of God, and the power of God, you have to have the Son of God living in you. If I was here today, there is no way I would go home without asking the Son of God to come live in my heart, so that's what you need to do. Some of y'all have been rejected, not might have, but really have. You grew up in a rejected family, maybe by one parent, maybe by both. Some of you may have had a mate that's rejected you. Maybe you're living in rejection now with friends, at school, on the job. You can allow God to turn the rejection around, and he can regenerate it into the unbelievable power of God. Don't let the rejection lead to a misplaced identity, where your trying to get your identity in something or somebody else. Get your identity from Christ, he'll never reject you, he'll accept you.

James Greer: 29:59 And then listen, learn to fight to win. I hear so much talk today about the devil's doing this, the devil's doing that. The only power the devil has over you, is for you to believe a lie. Learn that Christ is your rock. Believe Isaiah 55:11, I have it written in front of my Bible, "So shall my word that goes out from my mouth." How does it go out? I didn't think about it, I didn't even just read about it, it went out from my mouth. In other words, I'm going to sling it, I'm going to speak, it is not going to return void. It shall, it's going to accomplish what I please, it shall prosper in the things for which I sent it. In other words, when I send God's word out, and I do it the right way, it's going to accomplish its purpose. The enemy is going to fall.

James Greer: 30:56 Jesus gave us illustration, after illustration, after illustration. Matthew 4:10, it says, "Jesus said." It didn't have to say that, it could have said, Jesus thought this, Jesus wanted this. It said, "Jesus said to the devil, go away from me Satan. For it is written in scripture, I must worship the Lord thy God only. And the devil had to leave, because he said so. The Bible says, "When you say unto this mountain, it has to be moved, when he said to it." Matthew 8:16, "The evening came, and it brought many, many with him. There were demon possessed, and he cast the spirits out with the word." The word of God, is the power of God, man. This is the power of God. "And he healed them." He cast out the [inaudible] with the word.

James Greer: 31:54 Some of you need a word of God today, it's here for you. Some of you need to start speaking the word of God, some of you need to start claiming the word of God. Some of you don't have a never again list, and don't know how to use it, need to get one. But there's one thing for sure, nobody has to go home living a continued, defeated life. No one has to go home repeating the sins of their fathers and mothers. No one has to go home not knowing the son of the living God, that's a choice that everybody here can make today.

James Greer: 32:26 So if you'd stand and let me pray with you, and pray for you. Hey God, you're awesome. God, I thank you that we serve the God of a living God, not a dead God. The God that's the all-powerful one, the God that's over all of the army's, the one that says, hey man, you need to use the word of God, the power of God. And the enemy has to fall, or he has to leave. And God today we bind him through the power and the blood of Jesus Christ. I pray for those here, God, today that have felt rejection, that they could know that you'd not reject them, that they could feel your love. I pray for those that may not have the son of God, Jesus Christ, in their heart. I pray that they would just pray that they acknowledge that they're a sinner, they believe that Jesus died for their sins, and they'd like Jesus to come and live in their heart, and be the Lord of their life. I've pray for those that who seem like they're in the battle of their life. And they see the battle, see their Goliath, but I want them to see David. I want them to see that when God's on your side, and he is, that no battles too big. I want God's word to encourage you, I want you to claim it, I want you to apply it. Maybe you need to join the church today, today's a good day for that, don't put it off. Maybe you want to follow through in public baptism, this is a wonderful time to do that. Maybe need somebody to pray with you, and pray for that. Darrell's going to come up just a moment, and he can tell you how we can do that. Whatever God's laid upon your heart, let him have his will and his way. It's in the precious name of Jesus we pray. And everybody said, amen.

Darrell Ingram: 34:10 On behalf of Pastor James, we're so glad you joined us in worship this morning, and we want to extend a time of prayer to you. If you want someone to pray with you or for you click the link below, we have people waiting right now to pray with you and for you. I want to also just ask you right now to give to the ministries of Journey Church, click on the link below, and whatever the Lord has laid on your heart, simply give. Also if any time during this message, the Lord has touched you, and you want to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, click the link below, and allow Pastor James to walk you through the plan of salvation. Also, we have a dynamic children's service. It's never too late, just click the link below, join us for our children's service. And you know what? We will see you next Sunday. God bless.



Recorded in Pineville, Louisiana.