LESSON
4
Character vs. Personality
Part 2
King David
Saul was rejected by
God. Saul lost his kingdom because he didn't
have the character to handle the power and authority. Saul went from a nobody
to a king in a very short period of time.
Quick
exaltation almost always leads to self destruction!!!
I Tim. 3:2,6 A bishop
then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; ...Not
a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the
devil.
This is what happened to
Saul. He lacked the character to handle
the pressures of being in authority. He
was a novice.
David on the other hand
was called because of his heart, not his abilities. Before he realized the calling on his life
and became king, he allowed the character of God to be formed in his life. He was not a novice.
I Sam. 16:6-7 And
it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab,
and said, Surely the LORD'S anointed [is] before Him. 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.
I Sam. 16:12-13 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.
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.
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David was the youngest, the
least of his family. His family looked
on him so lowly, as to not even consider him when Samuel asked for the sons of
Jesse. They left him to tend the sheep.
David was called and
anointed to be king of
David had a pure heart; Now God was going to refine it so that David could handle
the test of success.
Personality
can come overnight, but character takes TIME.
There are things in your
life that you can only learn through experience. Even Jesus learned this way.
Heb. 5:8 Though He were a Son,
yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered.
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David learned total
SURRENDER to God through the things he suffered at the hand of Saul. In the midst of his afflictions, he learned
what it is to walk with God.
We will also learn
through the things we will suffer. But
praise God! He will be there to see us
through them and give us peace.
Psa. 34:4 I
sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Psa. 34:6 This
poor man cried, and the LORD heard [him], and saved him out of all his
troubles.
Psa. 35:10 All
my bones shall say, LORD, who [is] like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him,
yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth
him?
When you stand strong as
a person of character, God will meet you right there. He will deliver you from those who are strong
and try to take from you. He will
restore back to you everything they try to take.
Psa. 91:1-7 He
that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the
shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, [He is] my refuge and my
fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, [and] from
the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers,
and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth
[shall be thy] shield and buckler. Thou
shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; [nor] for the arrow [that] flieth by day;
[Nor] for the pestilence [that] walketh in darkness;
[nor] for the destruction [that] wasteth at
noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy
side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; [but] it shall not come nigh thee.
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You will not learn this
place of the protection of God, until you become a man or woman of God, who
will not be swayed by what the world says or by fear, but choose to obey the
Word of God.
Psa. 91:14-16 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him:
I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me,
and I will answer him: I [will be] with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and
honour him.
With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
It is through trials and
tribulations that much of the nature of Christ will be formed in your life.
II Cor.
4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. [We
are] troubled on every side, yet not distressed; [we are] perplexed, but not
in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always
bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of
Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
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David and Saul are
examples of the right and wrong way to move into leadership. David took the time to allow God to build in
him depth of character. Saul was
suddenly plunged into leadership and the end result is only too well known.
We are to learn from this example.
DON'T
SEEK QUICK EXALTATION, SEEK TRUE CHARACTER TRANSFORMATION
Let
God build in you true spiritual character so that you can be that child of God
who lasts.
In Review:
1.
Complete this sentence.
Quick ______________________ almost always leads
to self ______________________.
2. Why
was King David called?
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3. How
long did David wait to be king from the time he was anointed?
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4.
Complete these sentences.
______________________ can come overnight, but ____________________
takes
time.
The nature of Christ will be formed in your
life as you go through __________
and
_______________________.
5. What
were some of the differences between King Saul and King David?
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6. What did you learn from these two examples
of leadership?
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