Sunday, 8/23/2026

MOVING FROM ORDINARY TO EXTRAORDINARY: THE TRUTH ABOUT

BEING GREAT IN GOD’S EYES

1 Samuel 16:1–7 (NLT) Now the Lord said to Samuel, “You have mourned

long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask

with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there,

for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.” 2  But Samuel asked,

“How can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.” “Take a heifer

with you,” the Lord replied, “and say that you have come to make a sacrifice

to the Lord. 3  Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his

sons to anoint for me.” 4  So Samuel did as the Lord instructed. When he

arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town came trembling to meet him.

“What’s wrong?” they asked. “Do you come in peace?” 5  “Yes,” Samuel

replied. “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come

with me to the sacrifice.” Then Samuel performed the purification rite for

Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice, too. 6  When they

arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s

anointed!” 7  But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or

height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see

them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

God says greatness is determined by character, not by reputation.

“The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart.”

What impressed God was David’s heart.

Acts 13:22 – God said of David: “I have found in David the son of Jesse a

man after my own heart, who will do all my will.”

Four Great Tests of the Heart

1. Sin

2. Stress

3. Service

4. Success

David’s Response to Sin: A repentant Heart

Psalm 51:1–3 (NKJV) Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions 2 Wash me

thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.

The Bible paints David “warts and all”—great sinner and great repenter.

You do not have to be perfect to have a heart after God; you just have to be

a great repenter.

David focused more on God’s forgiveness than on his own failure.

David’s Response to Stress: A trusting Heart

Psalm 118:5–6 – “Out of my distress I called on the Lord… The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.”

Courage is not the absence of fear; courage is moving in spite of your fear.

Psalm 73:26 – “My health may fail… but God remains the strength of my

heart.”

Psalm 116:10–11 – “I kept on believing, even when I said, ‘I am completely

crushed.’”

David’s Response to Service: A servant’s Heart

Acts 13:22 – “He will do everything I want him to do.”

Characteristics of a Servant’s Heart:

1. Wholehearted Psalm 119:10a – “With my whole heart I seek you.”

2. Focused Psalm 119:37 – “Turn away my eyes from looking at

worthless things.” The good is the enemy of the best. Some things are

not wrong; they are just not necessary.

3. Sacrificial 2 Samuel 24:24 – “I will not offer to the Lord sacrifices

that have cost me nothing.”

Greatness always requires sacrifice.

David’s Response to Success: A humble Heart

1 Samuel 18:14 – “In everything David did, he had great success because

the Lord was with him.”

Psalm 75:6–7 – “Exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west

nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts

another.”