Send us Fan Mail THE HEART GOD CHOOSES After God’s Own Heart | Part 1 Senior Pastor Keith Stewart September 27, 2026 This Sunday, we begin a new series on one of the most fascinating, celebrated—and complicated—people in the Bible: David. He was a shepherd, warrior, poet, king, worshiper and giant-slayer. But he was also deeply flawed. He made terrible decisions, hurt people he loved, failed spectacularly and lived with the consequences. And yet, remarkably, David is the one person Scripture describes as “a man after God’s own heart.” How can that be? Maybe we’ve misunderstood what God is looking for. We tend to evaluate people from the outside in—appearance, accomplishments, credentials, success. But when God chose David, He made something unmistakably clear: “People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” —1 Samuel 16:7 If you’ve ever wondered whether your failures, weaknesses, background or imperfections could keep God from using your life, I hope you’ll join us. Because David’s story reminds us that God has always done extraordinary things through remarkably ordinary—and imperfect—people. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. Read 1 Samuel 16:6–13. Samuel initially assumed Eliab must be God’s choice because of what he saw on the outside. What are some of the outward qualities our culture tends to associate with significance, leadership, or success? How can Christians fall into the same trap? 2. David was overlooked even by his own father, yet God saw something in him that others did not. Have there been seasons when you felt overlooked, undervalued, or forgotten? How might knowing that God sees differently change the way we experience those seasons? 3. The message describes David as having “a heart like a shepherd.” Much of his character was developed while doing an ordinary, largely unnoticed job. What might God be developing in us through responsibilities that seem insignificant or unimportant? 4. One of the sermon’s statements is, “Character is always built in faithful obscurity.” Why can obscurity actually be valuable? What becomes dangerous when recognition or opportunity arrives before character has been developed? 5. David and Saul both failed seriously, but the message emphasizes a difference in how they responded when confronted. What is the difference between being sorry about consequences, defending ourselves, and genuinely repenting? Why is defensiveness such an obstacle to spiritual growth? 6. The message says, “Being a sinner is not what disqualifies you from leadership. Pretending that you aren’t is what dooms you.” What does healthy ownership of our failures look like? How can a community of grace make honesty and repentance easier rather than harder? 7. David also had “a heart that was centered on God.” The sermon suggests that work, busyness, efficiency, schedules, and even ministry can gradually move into the center of our lives. What tends to compete with God for the center of your life? What practices help you continually re-center yourself on God? 8. The message summarizes the heart God chooses as a heart willing to serve when nobody is watching, a heart capable of breaking when confronted with sin, and a heart that continually re-centers itself on God. Which of those three qualities do you most want God to develop in you right now, and why? 9. David’s story reminds us that we are both saints and sinners—people genuinely loved and used by God who remain deeply imperfect. How does that truth challenge either perfectionism on one side or complacency about our failures on the other? 10. The message ends by saying that when David’s story is told rightly, we see Jesus—and that God wants Jesus to become visible through our imperfect stories as well. What might it look like for someone to see Jesus through your life, including through the places where you are still unfinished? Closing prayer prompt: Ask God to show you where you are concentrating too much on the outside while He wants to work on the inside, and invite Him to form in you a heart that serves faithfully, repents readily, and continually returns to Him.