Marked and Chosen by Brother Curtis Hansen

           I want to begin this morning with a statement to some of our newer converts. You are chosen of God. If you want to go through the Bible, you can start at the beginning of the book in Genesis and read the story of Abraham. In chapter 12, Abraham arrives in Israel and God makes him a promise. As long as Abraham walked before God and was upright in his ways in keeping God's covenant, Abraham would be blessed. The sermon this morning is going to be a start point for some of you all fresh and new in your walk. Being chosen of God is not justification for all your actions. You can have the anointing to a position in life or in the church, and not live anointed.

        David was marked by God while Saul was anointed. A thing I want to stress this morning is what the enemy cannot destroy he can distract. Imagine if you will being with a familiar spirit for decades in your life. You're fine to the point you know the smell, the sound of that spirit's voice. If you aren't rooted in study of the Bible, studying to understand the process of the scripture you may see familiar spirits as a good thing.

        The problem with King Saul was he grew tired of waiting on God, and tried to make things happen himself. There are some things in your life that don't require prayer, they require obedience. Just because you may be in a position with some power, you may not have the anointing. In fact, like Saul, you could have had the anointing and lose it. 

        We are going to be in the book of 1 Samuel this morning. We will be reading in chapter 16 and start at verse 6.

        6 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab and said, Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.

        7 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 sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

        8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this.

        9 Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this.

        10 Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The Lord hath not chosen these.

        11 And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remains yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will nor sit down till he come hither.

        12 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.

        13 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.

        Now, before the events of our scripture Samuel had anointed Saul to be Israel's king. God was reluctant for this but the people demanded to have a king like their neighboring countries. Saul looked the part, and was the part the people needed at first. However, because of his lack of patience, he would lose that anointing. Nothing hits you harder in life than getting hit by something you don't see coming. Too many christians get drawn into conspiracy theories because they know the end of the story. That in mind, it is easy to get negative minded and paranoid as the world waxes worse and worse. If get into that negative head space, you don't get any positive in life. There are 5 points I want to stress to you this morning in this sermon I'm calling marked and chosen. 

        My first point is you will be approved and in private by God. As a new child of God, you will be called into a purpose. It is easy to kill off basic sin in the baby stage. God wants you to hold the conversations between him and you both to yourself. Don't go telling everyone, posting on social media for attention. Go back to the scripture we read. The brothers went to get David from where he was tending sheep. If you are anointed and called, they will send for you. You don't need to seek it out. David was with God in all his seasons of life. There will be times and seasons where you may feel you have lost touch with God. In that case, you go back to the last place you were with him, back in your pasture.

        The second point is anointed before your position. You have work and duties you still need to do even if you are anointed. Going back to the story of David. After Samuel had anointed David, he didn't take him to the kingdom. David went back to the pasture to tend to the sheep. If you cannot get your life right first, God will remove some obstacles. If you can't shepherd the sheep, how are you going to lead the people? How are you waiting on God? Are you like King Saul and impatient? Or are you waiting as a servant? Will you allow God to make you and send you somewhere unfamiliar to help you grow? A sad statement to make is there are some Christians who never leave the pasture. If you are not working on your life, you are not leveling up.

        The third point this morning is Be an answer to a problem. If you are lost in a wilderness or dry season, trace your step and do the last thing you did when you were last connected to God. You need practice in the pasture working your faith out. King Saul was tormented by demons after the anointing was removed, and David tormented those demons. Your life and walk should torment some demons. God has never subscribed to drawing up a plan, making connections, or networking. If you can't practice in the pasture, you won't perform in the palace. The reason why some of us get stuck in the same spot is because we don't do the basics of what our faith calls.

        The fourth point is opportunity will be wrapped in your obedience. It is about stewardship and humility in your life. Going back to the story of David, in 1 Samuel chapter 17 verse 17 David was asked by his father to take some loaves and parched corn to his older brothers. The brothers were sitting in a trench while the giant Goliath was taunting the Israelites. This action of David brought him to the battlefield and meeting Goliath. Look at verse 20.

        20 And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle.

        God will never call you to another spot in your walk if your last spot is still a chaotic and unfinished mess. God doesn't reward incomplete work. 

        The fifth and last point this morning is God will elevate you up over obstacles. On the battlefield, Goliath was running his mouth about God and David took offense to it. What made David step forward to face Goliath? Many of us would say faith or God but it was confidence. This situation was not new. David had been training for this moment tending sheep as it was written he had killed a bear and a lion. That's not just being a crack shot. How long did it take to get good at slinging stones with a sling shot? You could see the lion and bear as practice for the moment with Goliath. You have to be ready when God elevates you to the next stage. God will use you where you are at in life.

        Let's look at King Saul's armor for a second. As a young boy, David could not wear all that. It didn't fit him. Some christians try and fit something on them for public appearances as great faith and look foolish as it doesn't fit them. You must be you and not someone else. The giants we face in life are challenges in front of us, or they are untouched generational curses in our bloodline behind us that haven't been overcome. 

        So to recap the points this morning; 1) You will be approved and private 2) Anointed before your position 3) Be an answer to a problem 4) Opportunity will be wrapped in you obedience and 5) Elevate up through obstacles. Know that there are going to be people you are intervening for in prayer where they may turn on you and dismiss you. Do you fight in response? No. As David said in 1 Samuel 24:6 when he and his men had Saul dead to rights, David declined. Saul was still the king and anointed by God. In all things in life, you are to live in the same manner.