1 Samuel 16:6-7 “When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.’ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’”

• Vs. 7b – key verse!

Questions to Ponder:

• Is that good news or bad news?

• Do you spend more time thinking about externals, compared to matters ofthe heart?

• If you spent as much time on your externals, as you do your spirit, whatwould your external look like?

• Are you more worried about other people’s opinions than you are the Lords?

1 Samuel 16:8 “Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, ‘Neither has the Lord chosen this one.’”

1 Samuel 16:9-10 “Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, ‘Neither has the Lord chosen this one.’ And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, ’The Lord has not chosen these.’”

1 Samuel 16:11 “Then Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Are all your sons here?’ And he said, ‘There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.’ And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.’”

• Youngest: “qatan” – small, young, unimportant, least – (the runt)

1 Samuel 16:12 “And he sent and brought him in. Now he was  ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, ‘Arise, anoint him, for this is he.’”

1 Samuel 16:13 “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.”

I. David was ____________________

A. You are __________________ , just like everybody else

B. You are not your ___________________

C. You are not _______________________

• God is not dependent on any one’s talents or abilities

Esther 4:14 “For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’ house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’”

D. Cat and Dog theology

• The dog says, you feed me, you take care of me, you play with me…you must be God

• The cat says, you feed me, you take care of me, you play with me…I must be God

II. God Works in ______________________ Ways through the OrdinaryZecheriah 4:6b “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”

A. God can be extraordinary through you when you:

1. In _________________ , embrace your ordinariness

2. Stop trying to be _____________________

B. Remember, God Will Not Share His _________________________

Isiah 42:8 “I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other”

C. David Saw Himself as a ______________________

Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd…”

III. God Works through the __________________ to Make David Extraordinary1 Samuel 16:13b “And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.”

A. After David is Anointed, He Goes back to the Pasture

1 Samuel 16:19 “Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.” 

B. God Develops David in the Pasture

1. God’s Plan Involves What You Are Doing Now!

2. Be Faithful in the ______________________ Things

IV. _______________ Would Perfectly Exemplify Being Ordinary/Extraordinary!

Isiah 53:2-3 “For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dryground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty thatwe should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

1 Samuel 16:13 “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.”

• Anointed: (Mashiach/ Mashach) – translated Messiah (NT – Christ)

Matthew 3:16-17 “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

• God Has Anointed You!

- 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

- Ephesians 2:5-7

September 1, 2019Pastor Jason West

“An Ordinary Extraordinary Life”

Getting to Know You:• What did God teach you during your worship time with Him this week?

• Have you ever been picked first for something?

• How'd that feel?

• Have you ever been picked last, or even worse, overlooked all together?

• How'd that feel?

Introduction:Most people have had that feeling or experience. God allowed Israel to "play" captain and we saw Saul picked first as Israel's king and then how that ended in defiance, disobedience and rejection. Now in 1 Samuel 16, God is captain, and we see He has a different rule book.

Digging Deeper: (Read I Samuel 16 and discuss the following)

• What is Samuel's reaction to Saul's rejection (review I Samuel 15:8-21, 24, 30, 34 as well)?

- Why is his reaction ironic? (look back at I Samuel 8:6)

• What is optimistic about God saying that He has provided a king for Himself?

- What does God send Samuel to do? (16:1-3; cf I Sam 10:1)

- What concern does Samuel have?

• What is the difference between Samuel's and God's assessment of Jesse's first son?

- How was this similar to Saul's? (see I Samuel 9:2)

- "For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." Read also 1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22. What does this quality mean?

- What could it look like in your own life?

- Of what you know of David, what attributes do you think the Lord saw?

- What do you think is the significance with the description of David's appearance in verse 12 in respect to verse 7?

• What happens to David once Samuel anoints him?

- What happens to Saul in verses 14-23?

- What influence does David have on Saul (specifically v 21 and 22)?

- What contrasts do you observe between David and Saul?

- After God's Spirit came upon David in verse 13 he begins to experience an extended period of difficulty.

- Read Matt 3:13-4:1. What parallels do you see?

Taking It Home:

• Becoming a man or woman after God's own heart is a pursuit--it doesn’t just happen overnight. David reveals his heart throughout the Psalms. Read through these Psalms this week and write down what attribute David describes/displays and what attribute God desires to create in you.

- Psalm 4:7 - Psalm 9:1 - Psalm 18:3 - Psalm 23:6 - Psalm 25:11 - Psalm 27:1 - Psalm 31:9 - Psalm 119:34

• Spend time this week meditating on these attributes and asking God to develop them in your life.

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Community Group QuestionsSeptember 1, 2019