The Disciples of Jesus Christ

 Jesus Called Disciples and More Healings

 Book of Luke Chapter 5

 

 In the time of Jesus, every teacher had his own company of disciples.

 Jewish Rabbis had theirs, Pharisees had theirs, John the Baptist had his, but the difference in the disciples of Jesus Christ was that He chose twelve men Himself.

 This inner circle of men had to forsake their lives and follow the Lord Jesus wherever He went.

 They also continued the ministry of Jesus after He returned to Heaven.

 The most important thing was that they were trained to carry the ministry of Jesus forward after He was gone.

 They changed from disciples to Apostles.

 That word apostle has a similar meaning to ambassador.

 We should realize that the Lord Jesus also appointed another seventy men and commissioned them.

 Luk 10:1  After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.

Luk 10:2  Therefore said he unto them, the harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. 

Luk 10:3  Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. 

 A disciple of Jesus Christ will submit to baptism, submit to the teachings of God's Word, and obey all the Lord Jesus has commanded.

 The Lord has told all His disciples that He will make us fishers of men: Mrk_1:17  And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

 Jesus would have all mankind caught in the Gospel net!

 *****Luk 5:1  And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 

 Lake Gennesaret is the same body of water known as the Sea of Galilee.

 The call of men is needed more today because the world has more than eight billion people in it who need to hear the truth of the Gospel and make a decision for themselves.

 We can see that these people wanted to hear what the Lord Jesus had to say.

 They wanted to hear the Word of God!

 They had a hunger and thirst for things that the Lord Jesus was saying.

 Mat 5:6  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 

 We need that same hunger and thirst today for the truth.

 *****Luk 5:2  And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them and were washing their nets. 

Luk 5:3  And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. 

 Have you ever noticed how sound travels so well when you are on the lake?

 I believe the Lord Jesus had a booming voice that could be heard from a great distance, but no man can talk over a large, disorderly crowd hanging all over him.

 Simon Peter makes his fishing boat available to the Lord Jesus, so Simon participates in the work of the Lord.

 Like a pastor preached recently, "What do we have in our hands to give unto the Word of the Lord"?

 Do we make available our resources to the work of the Lord?

 *****Luk 5:4  Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 

Luk 5:5  And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. 

 The work of the Lord is not all drudgery; the work of the Lord can be rewarding.

 Now, this is not saying that Jesus teaches a prosperity Gospel, but God will reward those who are on the battlefield of the Lord, but it is rarely financial, other than meeting our needs.

 Peter and those with him had fished all night and had taken nothing.

 This is the outcome I have most of the time, but catching fish is not the main reason I go fishing.

 Here again, the Lord Jesus had a reason for the miracle that He was about to perform.

 The title Master comes from the Greek word meaning teacher.

 Sometimes the same Greek word for teacher is used as the title doctor.

 Peter was an experienced fisherman, and he knew if the fish did not bite in the night, they were not going to bite in the daytime, but the Lord Jesus wanted to start working on Peter's faith.

 The Lord also wanted Peter to accept Him as the Messiah who has control of all nature.

 The lesson from the Lord Jesus was out with the old and in with the new.

 A New Covenant was beginning, and it would have better results than the Old Covenant.

 The lesson for us all is that we can place our faith in the infallible Word of God.

 As we build on our Christian lives, doubt must be replaced with obedience.

 There are no hopeless situations for the child of God.

 The results of obedience will always be a blessing.

 When we are drawn to God, we need to obey our hearts.

 I can remember a few weeks before I came to this church, I was walking in my yard, and the Holy Spirit asked me why I was throwing my life away because of the way I was living.

 I only knew the truth of that day when I came through the doors of this church.

 Peter was having a similar feeling on this day with the Lord Jesus.

 *****Luk 5:6  And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 

Luk 5:7  And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. 

 The miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ showed that He could do things that only God could do.

 There are many charlatans out in this world today, but none of them can do what only God can do. And we must not be fooled by them. 

The Holy Spirit will not allow their lies to be true.

 Those who claim the power to heal should go to the closest hospital and stop the suffering of those on the inside.

 If Peter had only caught a few fish or even a net full of fish, he would have thought little about it.

 The Lord Jesus wanted Peter to feel the willingness to serve the Lord.

 If Peter thought he was exhausted, he was about to find out what true exhaustion was all about.

 Peter's net could not hold all the fish, and he called for another boat to come to help. Both boats had so many fish in them that they were in jeopardy of sinking, which the Lord would not have allowed because it would have defeated His purpose.

The Lord Jesus knew exactly how many fish it would take to sink those boats!

 When we make decisions in this life, we must make those decisions according to the Word of God and our faith.

 Peter's faith began to rise.

Peter's faith rested on the Words of Christ, "At Thy Word". No one else could have talked Peter into letting down his nets he had just cleaned.

Peter's faith led to obedience without questioning.

 Many of us are disappointed at what this life offers, but we find that as we walk in step with Jesus Christ, we learn what blessings are all about.

 Peter became overwhelmed because of his own sin of doubt.

 *****Luk 5:8  When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 

Luk 5:9  For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: 

 Peter understood exactly what had happened!

 Peter was overwhelmed by his own unworthiness!

 Peter understood that he had just witnessed a miracle.

 The people on the shore are not mentioned, but they were there, many of them, because they had witnessed or heard of the many miracles of healing that the Lord Jesus had performed.

 To Peter, the Lord Jesus was no longer Master but now Lord. We know Him as Lord of lords.

 Peter came to the Lord Jesus upon his knees in confession of his sins.

 1) Peter confessed to his sin of unbelief. He had questioned the Lord's will. He had to acknowledge that the Lord's power was not of this earth.

 2) Peter confessed that Jesus was indeed Lord. In this verse, the Greek word "kurios" means supreme in authority.

 1Co 12:3  Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 

 Peter acknowledged that the Lord Jesus was the authority that must be obeyed, and we had better understand this also.

 3) Peter confessed his fear and his reverence as Peter was in awe of the miracle that the Lord Jesus had just shown him.

 This reminds us of the Prophet Isaiah: Isa 6:5  Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

 Peter was close to salvation as we know it:

 Rom 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 

Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 

 And others had witnessed this miracle.

 *****Luk 5:10  And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

Luk 5:11  And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him. 

 This passage tells us when these men realized that Jesus is Lord of all, and they were determined to follow Him.

 This passage tells us something else.

 We know that in typology, this fishing boat is in type the Church, and the Church cannot do anything without the Lord Jesus Christ being onboard.

 Jesus Christ challenged these men to follow Him and become fishers of men.

 It is the job of the Church to produce and train fishers of men with those who answer the call of Christ and are filled with the Holy Spirit.

 To Peter, it was now obvious that the Lord Jesus was indeed the Messiah come from God, and he had what we all need.

 A reverent fear of God and an actual fear of the Almighty God and the Lord Jesus, sensing this fear, said, "Fear not".

 The Lord Jesus had not come at this time for "judgment". He will judge this world when He returns the second time.

 So, we too can "Fear not".

 In actuality, the world has already been judged, and we are judged as sinners.

 This is the reason the Lord Jesus came to earth the first time.

 Rom 3:10  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

 Rom 3:21  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 

Rom 3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

 What do we know of our own calling?

 Joh 15:16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

 There were two of the disciples of Christ who were named James.

 Here we have James, the brother John was the son of Zebedee.

 It is this James with his brother John and Peter who become the Lord's inner circle.

 This James is never mentioned apart from John.

 This is the James that King Herod had killed with a sword. As far as we know, the first Christian martyr.

His brother John was the only Apostle of Christ who was not murdered.

 There is another James, the son of Alphaeus, called James the Less, because he was shorter than James, the brother of John.

 There are also two other men named James.

 James, the half-brother of the Lord, who later became the pastor of the Church in Jerusalem.

 It is this James who wrote the epistle of James.

 Then there was James, the father of Judas Iscariot.

 Those who are called of God will forsake all and follow the Lord.

 Luk 9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 

 *****Luk 5:12  And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 

 There are some things we should see here.

 Leprosy is a type of sin in the New Testament.

 In the salvation plan of God, we must first acknowledge that we are sinners.

 Then we must acknowledge the cleansing.

 In reality, we are not healed from our sin; we are cleansed from our sin.

 Only the Lord Jesus Christ can cleanse us of our sin.

 We must be washed to become clean.

 Rev_1:5  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

 Is the Lord Jesus also the Great Healer? He certainly is, and He can heal us from any ailment.

 Mat_14:14  And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

 He will do neither without a show of faith.

 Luk_9:11  And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.

 This leper, who came to Jesus, was sustained by his hope. He saw hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our only hope in this world!

 He called Jesus Lord because he knew that Jesus is Lord of lords.

 1Co_12:3  Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

 We must realize just how dirty and defiled we are on the inside and on the outside before we can be cleansed of that defilement.

 We must humble ourselves before the Lord, who only can cleanse us!

 Leprosy was the most terrible of diseases in the day of Jesus and was greatly feared by the people, and we should see sin in the same way today.

 It would cause disfigurement, and many times it was fatal; again, sin causes these same things.

 It is no wonder that leprosy is a type of sin in Scripture.

 The leper was considered unclean.

The leper was judged to be the walking dead.

The leper was an outcast and banished from society.

The leper was considered polluted and incurable.

 Sin will cause these same things, but because of the mercy and grace of God, He looks deep into our hearts, and He knows there can be something special in each of us if we will only trust Him.

 The leper had asked the Lord Jesus if He could be willing to help him, and the Lord said; 'I will".

 *****Luk 5:13  And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. 

 We see that the Lord Jesus Christ is willing to help anyone if they show faith in His powers.

 The Lord Jesus is always moved with compassion for those who are hurting in any manner.

 This leper acknowledges that he is hopelessly lost and the only thing that can help him is God's "Grace".

 Only "Grace" can heal a leper because only "Grace" can cleanse us of our sin!

 So many have become desperate in our world today because this world cannot help them, and if it could, it refuses to help them.

 The Lord Jesus reached out and touched this man when no one else would ever touch a leper for fear of getting the disease.

 Every leper was considered untouchable!

 The Highest of all God's could go low enough to touch the unclean leper when no one else would.

  The Lord Jesus Christ will reach out and touch all who are considered untouchable in our world if they trust Him.

 The Lord Jesus is always willing to help those who have faith that He will help them.

 How did Jesus heal this leper? It was that sword in His mouth. He just spoke the words "be thou clean," and this man was cleansed.

 We can all be cleansed by the Word of Jesus Christ.

 What did the Lord Jesus do throughout the time He was upon this earth the first time?

 Mat 9:35  And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 

Mat 9:36  But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 

 For this, He was crucified!

 *****Luk 5:14  And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. 

 What did this man need to do next?

 This man needed to worship and offer thanks to God and learn to obey the Word of God before doing anything else.

 Remember, this man did not have a place on his body that was not covered with leprosy.

 In typology, he was deep in sin. He wanted to run and tell the world that he was now.

 We must understand that the Lord Jesus had come to this earth as a lowly servant, and He did not want people to think more of Him than this.

 Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 

Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 

Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

 Jesus Christ did not do the things He did for self-exaltation.

 Jesus wrote all prophecy, and He knew some would try to make Him king, but it was not the time for this to take place.

 It was highly unlikely that any lepers were healed in those days. A priest had to go through a detailed list of laws to ever confirm that any leper was cured.

 This leper still needed a certificate from a priest saying he had been cleansed.

 Book of Leviticus, Chapters 13, verses 38-59, and Chapter 14, verses 1 through 32 will give us some idea about the cure of leprosy.

 *****Luk 5:15  But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. 

Luk 5:16  And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.

 The fame of our Lord actually interfered with His ministry so much that Jesus had to withdraw to the wilderness and talk to His Heavenly Father.

 This is another great example for us.

 When the world interferes with our relationship with our Savior, we need to get alone with God and tell Him what we are going through.

 Jesus had the message of salvation and the power to heal, but the message of salvation is much more important!

 It was God and prayer that were the source of His power, and He needed much time alone with God, just as we all do.

 *****Luk 5:17  And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.

 As the fame of the Lord Jesus grew, the old religionists came to investigate.

 Above all, the Lord Jesus Christ was at this time Teacher, and it is His message that is of greater importance.

 This committee had representatives from all over the country. Every major area was represented.

 These people could not get along with each other, but they came together to critic the Lord Jesus.

 These critics did not come to help Jesus in His ministry of salvation, and they certainly did not come to learn from Him.

 They came to investigate and observe Him. They were like spectators at a ball game, except salvation is not a game. Salvation is a God thing, and God sent His Son to show us the only path to Salvation.

 What did the Lord Jesus do? He just kept on doing what He was doing and paid them no attention.

 Rom 14:4  Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. 

 We are not here to judge any minister who is serving in the name of our Savior.

 We were never called to be judges but witnesses!

 *****Luk 5:27  And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. 

Luk 5:28  And he left all, rose up, and followed him. 

Luk 5:29  And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. 

 When the Lord Jesus Christ began building His disciples who stayed with Him, He chose those who were the outcasts of society.

 This man called Levi is the same as Matthew, who wrote the Book of Matthew.

 Levi was a dreaded tax collector.

 The tax collectors of that day were normally Jews, and it was Rome who set up the tax standard, but most of the tax collectors were rich because they collected more than was required.

 For this reason, they were hated because they worked for the Roman government.

 To the Lord Jesus, Matthew was just a sinner like we are all sinners, and we should see other people as sinners just as we are sinners.

 We may be better off than those who reject the Lord Jesus, because He has made a way for us to get to Heaven, but we are not better than anyone we meet, lost or saved.

 In fact, Christian Pride can interfere with the job the Lord has given us to do.

 We should have a testimony about what salvation has done for us, but the message we have is the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 The Lord Jesus went forth, whether it was from a house or a city, because it was time for Him to be busy about His Father's business.

 What is the business of our Heavenly Father? 1Ti_2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

 By associating with a man such as Levi, Jesus was exposing Himself to ridicule and acceptance by the upper class of Jerusalem.

 These outcasts were not acceptable to the social network of society, but Jesus loved them.

 We must understand that we were all outcasts from Heaven until we accepted the truth of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Just as the Lord Jesus humbled Himself before these outcasts of society, we have to humble ourselves before Him.

 Everything that the Lord Jesus did was an example for us to learn as we are to be more like Him in all His ways.

 Matthew made a great feast in his home, and there were many more of the tax collectors there because they were each other's only friends.

 Matthew's heart was now filled with joy, and he wanted all his friends to learn of God's Messiah.

 Matthew forsook his riches and became a disciple of Jesus Christ.

 The Lord Jesus wants us all to do the same thing today.

 2Co 5:19  To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 

2Co 5:20  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 

2Co 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 

 As always, the super religious crowd found faults in the way that the Lord Jesus worked His ministry, and these outcasts of society were not wanted in their religious circles.

 They were not acceptable!

 *****Luk 5:30  But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? 

Luk 5:31  And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 

Luk 5:32  I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 

The religious crowd saw Jesus Christ only as a person who associated with the rejected of society.

Today, this would be the drunks, those who consume drugs, those who have addictions to all sorts of illegal substances, those who are in jails, and anyone else who accepts the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus called us to witness His truths and not be like those who only judge people to see if they think they are acceptable.

If you did not keep the laws of the religious crowd on that day, you were ceremonially unclean and rejected.

Thank goodness we are not under the law, but under grace, God's Amazing Grace.

The Lord Jesus said to this crowd that only those who realized they were sinners needed a Savior.

All those who are righteous in their own eyes do not need anything.

These are those who are sick, but they do not know it.

They will never call the doctor, so they can never be healed.

The Lord Jesus came to save sinners.

The Lord Jesus died to pay the sin debt of all sinners, even those who think they are not sinners.

The Lord Jesus gave His life for the life of all sinners!

The righteous crowd does not accept the fact that they need repentance!

They say they do not need saving.

Those who trust in some false god say they do not need saving.

Those who are rich think their money can buy them salvation, so they do not need saving.

Those who trust in the ways of the world say they do not need saving.

What does God teach us? 

Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 

Joh 3:18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

And God the Father adds: Psa_2:4  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Pro_6:15  Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.

Pro_1:26  I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

Today is the day of salvation, don't wait until it is too late to call upon the Lord!

Amen

Appearances Are Deceiving

 God Looks Into the Heart

The Book of 1 Samuel Chapter 16 through 17

We must clearly understand that when God rejects a person, or some law, or anything else He has rejected, we are to trust that God has a reason and respect God's decision. God is always, ALWAYS, right!

God list all the things that He rejects in the Word of God, the Received Hebrew and Greek Text.

Because of his disobedience, the Lord rejected Saul to be King of Israel.

This meant that upon the death of Saul the monarchy would be removed from the family of Saul.

This would mean a shift of power for the nation of Israel.

In fact, this shift in power of the nation of Israel will one day lead us to King Jesus to fulfill the prophecy given to Samuel before the death of Eli the High Priest that had ignored the Word of God.

What was King Saul's problem? He ignored the Word of God!

God's "Judgment" is severe, and we have yet to see the wrath of God since the time of the flood in Noah's day.

Rom_1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

God has said His children will not see His wrath!

Rom_5:9  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

1Th_5:9  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

King Saul was rejected, and, in his place, God again chose another young man named David, a Son of Jesse from Bethlehem.

I believe if America is to be saved it will be saved by our young people.

Those old politicians need to be pushed out of the way, the swamp must be drained, to make room for fresh water and fresh blood.

From the day of David's secret anointing till the death of Saul, David would be a threat to Saul's claim to the throne of Israel!

It was God who sent Samuel to anoint a young David and as an old man, even Samuel feared King Saul.

*****1Sa 16:1  And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. 

1Sa 16:2  And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD. 

We can be sure that if the Lord tells us to do something, we will be safe at least till we get that thing done.

We as Christians today are harmed more for what we do not do, rather than for what the Lord sends us to do!

Being in the will of God is the absolute safest place we can live and take our stand!

Samuel mourned for King Saul, but the Lord had rejected Saul.

We may find ourselves mourning for our own government, but God has rejected all such men who rule being against the Word of God.

We would be far better off mourning for our children and our family who are rejecting the Word of God, and doing all we can to reach them with the Gospel.

God's Word has described to us in detail, how He will manage this world and He said for us to come out from among this world and be separate from it.

When we refuse to come out from this world we will be judged with this world!

Certainly, Samuel had wanted Saul to be a great king, but this was not going to happen, because like so many others in leadership positions, he had set himself above the people and above Jehovah the God of Israel.

We should understand the God's wisdom is infallible!

God's wisdom and God's providence are paired together by His love for us!

What God does is in the best interests of His children and God is always right!

If Samuel had time to mourn for Saul, then Samuel had the energy to do a service for the Lord and God gave him something to do.

We cannot just sit around and mourn for what we see in this world and in our nation, the work of God is never complete, and God still needs workers for the harvest is still white.

By committing to the Lord Jesus Christ, we are in service to Him until He takes us home!

God does not forbid tears, but God still expects obedience and to fulfill our duty to the Lord Jesus Christ.

We must understand that we have more to live for than our own interests!

Mourning for this world is not a place worthy of our feelings or our tears!

A world that is given in to corruption and immorality is doomed to destruction and not worthy of our tears!

It is the death of a soul that needs to move us into the work of the Lord!

By the anointing of David, David would not then be made king.

David remained a subject of Saul's kingdom at this time.

No one knew what would happen if Saul were to die and only then would the anointing of David become important, especially because it was Samuel who anointed him.

Saul was a king that the people provided.

Saul was the product of sinful desires!

Sounds just like our president of today.

David would be a king that Jehovah provided, to fulfill the will of God and to serve for the Glory of God.

A king after God's own heart.

*****1Sa 16:3  And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee. 

1Sa 16:4  And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?

It was time for Samuel to stop his mourning for Saul who God had rejected, and to get busy serving the Lord.

Jehovah was ready to begin preparations for a new king and the path to our eternal king, the Lord Jesus.

We should remember the prophecy given to Samuel for Eli who was High Priest at that time.

Notice the Lord never waits to the last minute to decide anything!

The Lord has a plan with every date locked in like on a calendar, and He does not ever change His mind.

God has written everything down for us so we can know His plan!

We may not know the days or the times, but we do know what God's plan is!

Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 

Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 

Mat 24:36  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 

Mat 24:37  But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 

Our Lord Jesus stated that we cannot know the day or the hour because He keeps these things to Himself.

The Lord also states that when wickedness has reached a point similar to what the world looked like in the days of Noah, then this is when the Lord will return.

Our world cannot be far from this day with what we see going on in our world today.

Those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ must not wait till God shuts the door to the Ark before they try to be saved, for it will be too late.

It was a dangerous mission for Samuel to anoint some other king while Saul was still living.

Samuel was to go offering a sacrifice and this would not arouse suspicion.

Remember the Tabernacle was destroyed by the Philistines, so the people still worshipped but their worship was more localized.

Much like people worship in North Korea and China and other places where Christianity is banned.

The people of Bethlehem feared that Samuel had come to hold court and execute some judgment, but this was not why Samuel had come.

Notice sinful people always feel guilty because they are!

Just a note to remember. If we remember the story of Ruth and Boaz.

Boaz was the grandfather of Jesse, and we will begin to see how God works things out for our best interest.

*****1Sa 16:5  And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. 

Samuel assured them that he had only come to sacrifice to the Lord for their sin.

Samuel advised them to sanctify themselves and to come to the sacrifice.

Each person that was sanctified by taking a bath, putting on clean clothes, abstaining from sex, and avoiding contact with a dead body.

More important than any of these things, these people were to seek the Lord for a Spiritual cleansing, confessing, and repenting of their sins.

It is while these things were going on that Samuel sought out Jesse and his sons.

You see God does not want any of us to live in sorrow. 

Certainly, things happen that can cause sorrow, but we are not to remain this way.

We are more than conquerors and are to overcome the tragedies of this world.

This world we live in is not fair to anyone and world leaders want it this way and they try to keep it this way!

The Lord Jesus will bring us victory over the ways of the world by encouraging us to live victorious lives.

Samuel made it to Jesse's house.

Here is where we see the theme of our lesson.

*****1Sa 16:6  And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD'S anointed is before him. 

1Sa 16:7  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. 

We keep thinking that we can base our decisions about people on their appearance, but the Lord has proven that to be the wrong way, over and over again.

Samuel thought Jesse's oldest son would make a great king, but God said no to him.

Remember God had given Israel their first king based upon looks and it was not working out for them.

Saul was a man they would have chosen themselves.

Jesus Christ said it this way:

Luk 16:15  And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. 

God knows what is in the heart of every individual!

Now we may say ,"How could He" but it is still a fact.

Act 15:8  And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; 

Act 15:9  And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 

We can see that it is our faith that purifies our heart!

This is why we can never be justified by our heart, and we can only be justified by our faith!

Psa 143:2  And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. 

God's judgment comes because of what is in our heart!

A heart without faith in the truth of the Lord, cannot be justified!

*****1Sa 16:8  Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this. 

1Sa 16:9  Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this. 

1Sa 16:10  Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these. 

1Sa 16:11  And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.

1Sa 16:12  And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. 

Jesse presented all his sons but one, before Samuel and though each son had his own attributes, God had not chosen any of them.

If the choice of a new king were up to Samuel, any one of these sons of Jesse would have been the future king of Israel, but God said no to them all.

Keep in mind that neither Jesse nor his sons knew why Samuel was doing these things.

Jesse did not consider David to be eligible because he was still a teenager.

Here again we see that God can use our young people to do many wonderful things.

David was God's choice!

Not the choice of Samuel and not the choice of Jesse.

David was a young man "after God's own heart".

It was what was in the heart of David that made him a better choice than Saul!

This was a secret anointing unknown to King Saul.

We must notice something else that is important.

*****1Sa 16:13  Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. 

1Sa 16:14  But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. 

While David was being anointed, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and would remain with him all his life.

In fact, the anointing oil in typology represents the Holy Spirit, the Divine presence of the Lord.

After our salvation, the greatest of all the gifts of God is the Holy Spirit who will then live within us forever.

We must approach God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, for this to take place.

It is the Holy Spirit who will convict us when we do wrong.

It is the Holy Spirit who gives us the assurance of our salvation.

It is the Holy Spirit who cleans us up to make us presentable before the Lord. 

The Holy Spirit is the influence that causes us to repent!

He also guides, teaches, protects, and provides the necessities of life, meeting all our needs.

It is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to conquer all the trials and tribulations of life in this world!

At this very moment, the Spirit of God departed from King Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord began to trouble him!

Saul wanted to be on his own and God obliged him by removing the Holy Spirit.

Notice the Holy Spirit did not live within Saul, but He did guide King Saul up until this time.

When we are disobedient to the words of the Lord, we will find that this world we live in is not such a wonderful world!

God had given up on Saul so he could live as he wanted to live.

Saul went back to doing things his way!

It is here that we find that David had a heart after God's own heart and that he was a good musician also.

David began his service in the court of King Saul and became his armor bearer.

It should be obvious that God moves things around to meet His sovereign plan for this world.

This is known as the Providence of God.

We next meet David when he confronts Goliath the giant giving his services to the Philistines.

We all will confront some giant in our lives some day!

*****1Sa 17:34  And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: 

1Sa 17:35  And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. 

1Sa 17:36  Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. 

1Sa 17:37  David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee. 

We should understand that King Saul was the tallest man of the Israelites and if any one fought Goliath, then it should have been Saul but even God would not allow this to happen because God wanted a victory and God began by causing the fame of David.

For forty long frightful days and nights the mighty giant Goliath defied the armies of Israel.

Every morning this giant of a man would stand and challenge the armies of Israel.

Every evening before some would sleep, this giant would tell Israel how he was going to kill them all, so they would have restless sleep.

He instilled fear into the army of Israel with every breath he took!

David was still a teenager when Jesse his father sent him to take some supplies to his brothers and to see how they were doing.

David felt shame when he saw this army of Israel so full of fear.

David was ashamed of his own brothers who were caught up in this same fear.

David witnessed the paralyzing effect that Goliath had upon the armies of Israel.

Remember God had sent the Holy Spirit to be with David.

God did not give us the spirit of fear, so David was full of courage because the Holy Spirit instills the Spirit of Power into us.

Fear will break the strongest of us!

King Saul wanted to talk to this young man who said he could kill this giant.

David told King Saul that he had the experience necessary to overcome this giant!

David was angry with his brothers, but he did not allow his anger to overcome him.

Anger is not wrong when the cause is justified!

In other words, we should be angry with what is going on in Washington.

We should be angry with what is going on in our schools.

We should be angry with the immorality that is forced upon us.

But we cannot allow our anger to bring forth sin!

The confidence of David came from his experience with lions and bears and he saw this giant Goliath as no bigger nor more dangerous than these wild animals.

David knew the Lord had delivered him and he knew the Lord would deliver him again!

1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 

1Jn 5:5  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

We should have these same traits of David as we face the giants in our lives.

*****1Sa 17:38  And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. 

1Sa 17:39  And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him. 

Saul made a feeble attempt to honor David by giving him his own armament, but Saul was a large man and David was on the small side compared to King Saul.

David's faith made him realize that this armor would not suit him, and he removed it, for he knew he needed to be able to move about freely to avoid Goliath.

David also knew he needed to choose weapons that Goliath was not familiar with.

David knew Goliath was well trained in the use of a sword and a spear.

David chose five smooth stones out of a brook and with his sling, David could fight Goliath from a distance.

David also carried his shepherd’s staff for Goliath had never been a shepherd, he had always been a bully.

*****1Sa 17:40  And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. 

1Sa 17:41  And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him. 

1Sa 17:42  And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. 

1Sa 17:43  And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 

1Sa 17:44  And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. 

A scrip is a small bag that was usually tied to the girdle of a man's clothing and in it would be things he thought would be needed such as a meal.

Today we men usually carry a wallet and you women usually carry a purse.

Goliath was wearing the items needed for hand-to-hand combat and some armor that could protect him from the blows of his opponent.

He was certainly a giant of a man, but the faith of David made this giant to appear no more than a mere man who bragged a lot, a bully.

David went straight at this giant showing no fear and Goliath was not use to such a tactic.

Everyone had always been afraid of Goliath.

Goliath's main weapon was the fear he caused in all those who faced him!

Goliath showed contempt that the Israelites would even send such a young man as David to challenge him.

But David was high on faith!

Psa_22:20  Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.

David went forward in the name of the Lord, his Master.

*****1Sa 17:45  Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 

1Sa 17:46  This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 

1Sa 17:47  And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands. 

We should understand the God knows every little detail about us, all our strengths and all of our weaknesses.

Goliath trusted his man-made weapons and David trusted in his faith in Jehovah.

In typology, we can say that Goliath is a type of Satan, the devil.

See how the Devil attacks.

He assaults openly, trying to convince people how strong he is.

He harasses the people of God, especially those who are babes in Christ.

He hides behind those who will carry his armor.

He will make great railing accusations and attack our faith.

He will use our friends and our family against us.

David as a type of our faith, shows us that our faith must hold! 

We must cling to our faith. Faith is our greatest strength!

This passage also teaches us that we need to stand unmovable when someone dishonors our God.

Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 

Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 

Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 

Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 

Those in the will of God will gain the victory!

*****1Sa 17:48  And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 

1Sa 17:49  And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. 

1Sa 17:50  So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. 

1Sa 17:51  Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

Just as quickly as this battle began, it was suddenly over.

The Lord God of Israel had provided the victory because the battle was His, not David's.

Quickly David ran to the giant Goliath and took his own sword, and the head of this snake was removed.

The Philistine army could not believe what they had witnessed, and they became full of fear, and they began to run from this battle.

The army of Israel had a crushing victory on the day that Jesse sent his son David to the battlefield to bring encouragement to his other sons and a home cooked meal.

We get the picture of David as a little man, but it seems he was not so little.

Saul's armor may have been too much for him, but David said he had not proved it.

David was strong enough to take the sword of the giant and cut off his head.

We can assume that when Goliath fell, he was not completely dead, and David would not give him time to recuperate.

We should know that God is glorified when His proud enemies are cut off with their own sword.

This is a picture of Armageddon when the enemies of God will destroy themselves with their own weapons because the fear of God will have overwhelmed them!

Israel had a great victory this day, yet they still refused to return to the Lord.

As David had said, this battle with the giant Goliath did make him famous.

We must realize that the battle with Satan, is the Lord's battle and we must cling to our faith and remain in the will of God.

Amen