“And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.” (Acts 13:22) These are the words given by the apostle Paul to the citizens of Antioch in Pisidia. On this occasion, the rulers of the synagogue asked Paul and Barnabas, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” (Acts 13:15) At this moment, Paul proclaimed the message from Acts 13:16-41 starting with Egyptian bondage and ending with hope in Christ. In the middle of this message, Paul mentions the testimony of God regarding David in 1 Samuel 13:13-14. Paul cites this verse, which helps to determine the meaning of, “a man after God’s own heart.” A person after God’s own heart is one who will seek out the will of God and do it. King Saul was not a person after God’s own heart because he was faithless, did not seek after God, and failed to do God’s will. For this reason, he lost the kingdom, lost the Spirit of God, lost his mind, and lost his life. However, David received the testimony that he was a person after God’s own heart because he pleased God, diligently sought God, and obeyed God. Here are a few points we can draw from, “A man after God’s own heart.”
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Acts 13:22 — Character over reputation
God’s opinion is fact and it is the only thing that gives lasting value to us as a people. Reputation is important, but it is possible to have a bad reputation with people, but an outstanding reputation with God, which is called character. Reputation is what people think about you, but character is what God knows about you. Let our character be one in which God says, “This person pleases Me, seeks Me, and obeys Me.”
Acts 13:15 — All of God’s word is encouraging
Many are looking for a place of worship where the word presented is encouraging. By encouragement, they are seeking a message that motivates, gives practical illustrations to assist them in their selfish pursuits, condones everything, condemns nothing, and makes them feel good in their sins. This is not God’s definition of encouragement. God is looking to stimulate people spiritually. Notice what Paul does:
1. He silenced the crowd
2. Preached the word
3. Used Scripture
4. Proclaimed Christ
5. Exhorted the audience not to be scoffers, but believe the message or perish
Today, many would classify this message as harsh, rude, boring, uninspiring, narrow, and troubling (Acts 13:45 and 50), yet it was encouraging to others (Acts 13:42-44, 48-49, and 52). In sharing God’s word, let us not be discouraged by the negative retorts, but encouraged by the positive responses (Acts 13:51).
1 Samuel 13:8-14 — Partial obedience is disobedience
What separates Saul from David is that Saul did some of what God said, but David did all of what God said (1 Samuel 13:13, 1 Samuel 15:11, 1 Samuel 15:19, 1 Samuel 15:22-23, 1 Samuel 15:26, 1 Kings 9:4, and 1 Kings 14:8).
May we be a people of character, encouragement, and obedience; a people after God’s own heart!
Tucson faith leaders, we would like to include your original sermon or scriptures of encouragement. Sermons must be written by the person submitting them, not borrowed from another source or writer. If you are a faith leader from any religion or denomination, please contact Sara Brown at sbbrown@tucson.com.
Antoine N. Holloway
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