God Loves You, But Does He Like You?

When we were at camp meeting the other night, Brother Tom Sexton preached a message titled God Loves You, But Does He Like You?

The title alone was enough to make you stop and think. It was a great sermon! His text was I Chronicles 28:1-4, but the text verse was verse 4, "Howbeit the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever: for he hath chosen Judah to be the ruler; and of the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he liked me to make me king over all Israel."

Why did God like David?

1. God liked David because David had faith in God. Psalm 40:1-3 "I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall trust in the LORD." He gave his testimony of his faith in Christ.

2. God liked David because David was willing to follow. II Samuel 7:8 "Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:" David was a good leader because he had learned to follow God. God will never use us as a leader if we do not learn to follow Him first.

3. God liked David because David found a purpose to life and a reason to live. God has a plan for each of us. What is God's plan for you? I Samuel 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." David was going down to kill Goliath. The purpose was that God wanted the whole earth to know there is a God in Heaven!

It's not looking for God's will in
life that matters. What matters is giving our life for God's
will.

Romans 12:1-2 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Are you going to keep that life of give it to God?

4. David was liked by God because David was willing to fight. We need to fight the good fight of faith. When we've done all we can do to stand, stand some more! And do NOT stand behind the man of God. Stand WITH him. We should rather die than compromise.

5. David was liked by God because David didn't want to end his life as a failure. The devil may have gotten in David's life, but he found forgiveness. Psalm 51 was written by a broken man that found forgiveness and he knew he would die knowing God liked him.

This is Brother Sexton's son-in-law singing We'll Walk Through the Gate.