Scripture calls David "a man after God's own heart." This message will explore the qualities and characteristics that led to describing David in this way, including his answer to God's call, his confession of sin, his delight in God's law, and his praise of the Lord.

I'd like to ask you to open your Bibles with me to the 19th Psalm, Psalm 19 this morning. It is truly a delight to be back at this conference. I always look forward to being here and happy to have my family here with me and we're happy to be here with G3 Ministries as well. Josh, Virgil and I are so grateful for the friendship and partnership we have with Scott and with Church and Family Life and it is just a joy to be able to be here for these three days for wonderful teaching from God's Word as well as the great fellowship with like-minded believers. Well I do have the privilege this morning of talking about David.

When King Saul, you remember, sinned against the Lord and forfeited his right to rule over God's people, the Prophet Samuel said to him in 1 Samuel 13, but now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you." And of course the Lord did find that man after his own heart. We read in Acts chapter 13 the Apostle Paul is relating this and he says, and when God had removed Saul 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." Think about that description. David a man after God's own heart. A man whose heart followed God's heart.

This was a man who truly knew God. And so the question before us this morning is this, What would it take for that to be a description of you? What kinds of qualities characterize David such that God himself characterized David as a man after his own heart? Well we know it certainly wasn't external qualities that characterized David this way. When God sent Samuel to anoint a new king from among the sons of Jesse, You remember that Samuel assessed the sons on the basis of their outward qualities.

Certainly, Eliab, the eldest, is the Lord's anointed. But the Lord said to Samuel, do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees. Man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart." God was not seeking height of stature, he was not seeking someone who was mighty, invisible appearance, he was seeking a man whose heart followed his heart. And he found such a man in David.

So what were the qualities that characterized David as such? Well, we could go to 1 Samuel and look at some of the narratives of David's life to discover these qualities and we'll do a little bit of that this morning. But the narratives focus mostly on what David did, the outward appearances. And if our goal is to truly discover David's heart, then there is no better way to do that than to look at the God-inspired window into the heart of David, which is the book of Psalms. At least 73 of the 150 Psalms are attributed to David.

David is a major focus of the Psalms. But this is not just a randomly collected compilation of songs by David and a few others. I think Christians today don't often recognize that the hundred and fifty Psalms were intentionally organized by Ezra or somebody like him following the Babylonian exile into five books and these five books were arranged to teach us some very important truths largely centered on David and David's relationship with God. The Psalms don't trace David's life chronologically, that's the purpose of the historical books. David did write these Psalms in particular experiences in his own life and we will explore some of those this morning but the Psalms primarily unfold David's inner life they communicate David's heart to us and so if our goal is to uncover David's heart to discover David's deep inner knowledge of God then it is fitting that we explore his heart in the Psalms And so what I intend to do this morning is to dip into one of David's Psalms in each of the five books.

And in so doing, we can begin to discover what let God to characterize David as a man after his own heart. Almost every psalm in book one of the Psalter, the first 41 Psalms, was written by David. Most of these Psalms are characterized by songs of lament about the wicked, conflict, uncertainty. The wicked are surrounding David, they're prospering and the righteous are suffering. I mean think about the experiences of David's life that could characterize these sorts of circumstances.

King Saul is chasing David through the mountains intent upon killing him. Bloody battles against the Philistine armies. David's own son Absalom tries to kill his father and take the throne. And children, what's the story about David that is most well known in all of Scripture? David and Goliath.

He's fighting this mighty giant who is threatening God's people. These kinds of experiences are the ones that are the focus of the first book of Psalms. In fact, as we'll see, it's really the focus of the first three books. But these Psalms don't relate all of these particular events per se, rather the Psalms focus on David's heart in the midst of adversity and wickedness and these Psalms show how God preserved David as His anointed one despite the threats of Absalom and Saul and the Philistines and Goliath. And the turning point in book one of the Psalms is found here in Psalm 19.

This psalm reveals the first key quality of David that characterized him as a man after God's own heart. This psalm is all about God's revelation and the second half of the psalm beginning in verse 7 focuses on God's special revelation, God's inspired word. And notice how David describes God's Word in verse 10. He says this, More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb." You see in the midst of trials, in the midst of uncertainty, in the midst of attacks from wicked people, David, this man after God's own heart focused first and foremost on one primary thing. David's heart delighted in God's word.

In Psalm 19 here, David uses six different terms to describe the Word of the Lord law testimony precepts commandment fear and rules and then he further describes God's Word with six characteristics it is perfect sure right pure clean and true And then David describes six benefits of God's Word. It revives the soul, makes wise the simple, rejoices the heart, enlightens the eyes, endures forever, and produces righteousness. What is David doing here? Is he trying to give a technical theological essay on the Word of God no not here what David is doing is he is poetically stacking on layers of six terms with six characteristics and six benefits to communicate the perfect comprehensiveness of God's Word. God's Word is all-encompassing.

God's Word is sufficient. And God's Word is the first absolutely necessary component to truly knowing God. Without God's Word we would not know God. The first half of this Psalm does talk about the way in which God's natural revelation, the things that he has made, displays his glory and reveals his handiwork. Paul does say in Romans chapter 1 that God reveals himself to all people in one sense through what he has made but creation can only give us enough knowledge Paul says to condemn us it is on the basis of natural revelation that Paul says in Romans chapter 1, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

God's natural revelation can condemn us but it cannot lead us to truly know God. Not like David did. Creation cannot lead us to be a people after God's own heart. Only God's Word can do that and this is why David is communicating these things with these benefits and characteristics of special revelation that he lists in Psalm 19. David truly knew his God because David knew God's word.

When David faced Goliath he did so because he knew God's Word. He knew God's demands and he was appalled that this uncircumcised Philistine giant would defy the armies of the living God. Why was David so concerned about that? What made him step up when the king would not and none of the king's soldiers would step up to fight this giant? What made David so fearless?

It was his knowledge of God's Word. David wasn't recklessly fearless. He was fearless because he knew what God had promised in his word. He knew that God is the sovereign ruler of all things. He knew that God had promised that he would preserve his people.

The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine David told Saul he knew that God promised to destroy any who would stand against his anointed king and that gave him confidence David didn't try to defeat Goliath in his own strength he confronted Goliath in God's name he said to Goliath you come to me with sword and spear and javelin but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts the God of the armies of Israel whom you have defied this day the Lord will deliver you into my hand and I will strike you down and cut off your head so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel and so that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into my hand." David trusted in the promises of God's Word and that gave him confidence, it made him fearless. But again it's important to recognize that David's knowledge of God's Word was not only an intellectual knowledge.

As he expresses in verse 10 here of Psalm 19, David doesn't just know God's word, David's heart delights in God's word. As Psalm 1 states, David delighted in the law of the Lord and meditated on it day and night. Folks this is very important for us to understand. You cannot truly know God apart from his word. You cannot truly delight in God apart from his word.

David knew that a blessed man is one who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night. If you want to truly know God then delight in his word that is the first step. There is a great danger today when Christians talk about knowing God apart from his word as if they have some sort of mystical experience or they think they can simply know God in nature or through some sort of direct magical connection or or through their own reason no we come to know God first and foremost through his word if you want to truly know God if you want to be a man or woman or child after God's own heart then love his word read his word meditate upon his word delight in his word this comes first this comes before all the rest But verse 11 of Psalm 19 then leads us into the second quality that characterized David as a man after God's own heart. Look what he says in verse 11. Moreover, by them is your servant warned, in keeping them there is great reward.

You see, not only did David delight his heart in God's Word, but second David cleansed his heart through confession of sin This is what David does in the following verses in response to his delight in God's Word. Look at verse 12. Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults, he prays. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins.

Let them not have dominion over me, then I shall be blameless and innocent of great transgression." He cleanses his heart through confession of sin in response to the word of God. And there is perhaps a no more well-known confession of sin in all of the Psalms than what we find in Psalm 51 which is found in book 2. I'd like to ask you to turn there. Psalm 51 in book 2. Book 2 of the Psalms is all about the extension of David's rule over the nations.

We remember the stories of David's exploits, those against the Philistines, those against other pagans in the surrounding nations. Saul has slain his thousands but David his ten thousands we remember. But on one of those occasions David didn't go to battle with his soldiers like he normally would have. Instead he stayed back in his palace and he committed a terrible sin of immorality with Bathsheba. And to make things worse, he then arranged for the death of her husband so that he could have her all to himself.

You see, David was a man after God's own heart, but David was no perfect man. David sinned greatly, but as Psalm 19 made clear, when God's Word confronted David's sin, David responded by cleansing his heart through confession of sin when the Prophet Nathan the mediator of God's Word confronted David's sin you are the man David immediately responded this man after God's own heart immediately repented of his sin his sin was in direct opposition to delighting in God's Word this is exactly what Nathan said why have you despised the word of the Lord to do what is evil in his sight and so confronted with God's Word David replied I have sinned against the Lord he cleansed his heart through confession of sin look at what look at look at David's heart of confession in Psalm 51 have mercy on me Oh God according to your steadfast love. According to your abundant mercy, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin for I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me against you you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment." You see, a person who truly knows God is not a perfect person.

A person after God's own heart is not perfect. There are few sins more terrible than murder and adultery I mean if you think about it David's sins were from one perspective far worse than Saul's but the difference is that David a man after God's own heart a man who truly did delight in God's Word, when his sin was confronted by God's Word, he immediately confessed his sin to the Lord. To obey is better than sacrifice, Samuel had told Saul, and David knew that. He prays in verse 16 of Psalm 51, for you will not delight in sacrifice or I would give it. No, David knew that God wants a broken and contrite heart.

That's what Saul lacked. But David, a man who truly knew God, cleansed his sinful heart through confession of sin. And notice again the importance of knowing God through his word before this can even happen. David only knew of his sin because God's word confronted his sin. As Paul says in Romans 7, if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin.

And David knew also then that forgiveness was possible only because he knew God's character through his word he knew that God would be merciful to him because of his steadfast love David knew that God would blot out his transgressions according to his abundant mercy he knew that God is just and blameless he knew that God delights in truth in the inward being he knew that God would not despise a broken and contrite heart David knew that God would cleanse his sin if he confessed his sin. And so he prays in verse 10, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit." How did he know these things? He knew them because he knew God And he knew God because he delighted in God's Word.

If you want to truly know God, then first and foremost you must delight in God's Word, and when God's Word confronts your sin, don't ignore it, don't quench that conviction. No, cleanse your heart through conviction of sin. Book three of the Psalms is the darkest of all the five. It reflects upon the destruction of God's people by the Assyrians and the Babylonians. Book three expresses doubt that God will keep his promises to David and his offspring.

In fact, David is largely absent in book three of the Psalms. He has only one Psalm, Psalm 86, and this Psalm is a prayer in response to the enemies of God rising up against his people. Turn with me to Psalm 86. Again, this kind of adversity characterized most of David's life, wickedness surrounding him, and look at how David describes what his life was characterized by in Psalm 86, look at verse 14. Oh God, insolent men have risen up against me.

A band of ruthless men seek my life and they do not set you before them." Again, think about David's life, think about all of the stories you know about David. After Saul anointed him, after Samuel anointed him king, David spent about five years on the run from Saul. And then finally after David became king of Judah, for about seven years he had to continue fighting before he controlled all of Israel. And then for at least ten years he was engaged in battles against the Philistines and then his son Absalom revolted and chased David out of Jerusalem and again he's on the run and then after Absalom is defeated 2 Samuel 21 verse 15 said there was a war again between the Philistines and Israel and David went down together with his servants and they fought against the Philistines and listen to this and David grew weary. I bet he did.

And then another giant comes and tries to kill him. I mean over and over and over again through David's life he is faced with adversity and wickedness and enemies. It is not really until the very end of his life that the Lord finally delivered David from the hand of all his enemies. For most of David's life, he knew only adversity. How does a man after God's own heart respond in the midst of that kind of adversity?

How does someone who truly knows God respond? Well as we can see in this prayer of David in Psalm 86, David's heart called upon the Lord with trust in the midst of adversity. Look at how Psalm 86 opens. Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Preserve my life for I am godly.

Save your servant who trusts in you, you are my God. Be gracious to me O Lord for to you do I cry all the day glad in the soul of your servant for to you O Lord do I lift up my soul you see a person who truly knows God will not wallow in self-pity when adversity comes A man after God's own heart will not try to drown out all of his sorrows with distractions or stimulants or entertainment, no. One who truly knows God will trust in God. And this is not a baseless trust this is a trust rooted in a deep knowledge of God's gracious character look at how David expresses the basis of his trust in verse 5 for you O Lord are good and forgiving abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you. And really most of the rest of the Psalm is simply recounting who God is.

It is David reminding himself of what he knows about God because he delights in his word and meditates on it day and night. God is good and forgiving abounding in steadfast love he answers his people verse 7 there are no gods like him verse eight he is great and does wondrous things verse 10 he is merciful and gracious slow to anger and abounding and steadfast love and faithfulness verse 15 God helps and comforts his people verse 17 this is who God is and it is only through a deep and experiential knowledge of who God is that we can come come to truly trust him no matter if kings and giants are trying to kill us or our own children rebel against us. No matter if nations destroy God's holy city and take his people captive, no matter if the culture around us views us as intolerant and immorality is celebrated and persecution is on the rise and people are literally screaming in the streets about the right to kill unborn babies no matter any of those circumstances we can pray with confidence save your servant who trusts in you, you are my God. Because adversity is coming, God has promised it.

Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. Sometimes we get the idea that a blessed life, a blessed Christian life, the kind of life Psalm 1 promises is a life free of adversity. If we just commit to being people after God's own heart then everything will be perfectly peaceful for us. Wrong! And the Psalms demonstrate this I mean much of the book of Psalms up to this point the first three books the first 89 Psalms over half of the Psalms have been filled with lament after lament after lament the enemies of God seem to be prospering and the people of God seem to be crushed as David says in verse 1 I am poor and needy a phrase that appears multiple times throughout the Psalms.

Do you ever feel that way? You look around you and wickedness seems to be everywhere and you wonder where is God in all of this? And not only that, the wicked are prospering, they seem to be defeating God's people you see that kind of thing over and over and over again in the Psalms and we experience it all the time in our lives don't we the only hope the only hope in the midst of the reality of a sin-cursed world is for our hearts to cry out to God with trust. Not baseless trust, but trust rooted in our experiential knowledge of Him as we have come to learn of Him in His Word. A moment ago I quoted from Paul's words in 2 Timothy 3 that promise things are gonna get worse and worse, but what does Paul say next in response to that?

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, the holy scriptures, the inspired Word of God which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." Again, our knowledge of God and our trust in God are fundamentally rooted in our delight and meditation upon God's Word. So what does it take to be a person after God's own heart? Well David delighted his heart in God's Word, he cleansed his heart through confession of sin, and his heart called out to God with trust in the midst of adversity. But we move then to book four.

Book four of the Psalms is all about girding up that trust in the Lord by reaffirming that the Lord is the ruler over all. When adversity comes, when it seems as if God is far away, people after God's own heart remind themselves as Psalm 90 says that the Lord has been our dwelling place in all generations before the mountains were brought forth or ever you had formed the earth and the world from everlasting to everlasting you are God. When it seems as if pagan kings are controlling things, God's people remind themselves, Psalm 96, the Lord reigns. Yes, the world is established, it shall never be moved, he will judge the people with equity. God's people remind themselves like Psalm 100 verse 5 says, the Lord is good.

His steadfast love endures forever and his faithfulness to all generations. And after all of that reaffirmation in Psalms 90 through 100, we find David's response in Psalm 101. David says, I will sing of steadfast love and justice to you, O Lord, I will make music. I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh, when will you come to me?

I will walk with integrity of heart within my house." What is the central focus of the psalm here? What is David's response to all that we've seen and to a reaffirmation that the Lord reigns? Well he is, verse 2, pondering the way that is blameless. I will walk with integrity of heart he promises. The words translated blameless and integrity here are related they refer to a completeness a wholeness and uprightness of heart.

You see in response to all of what David experienced, the adversity from wicked people, his own sin, all of that, here is the fourth characteristic of David. David consecrated his heart to the Lord. What else could be more fitting? David knew that the way to true blessedness that Psalm 1 promises, the way to dwell in the presence of God is the way that is blameless, walking with integrity of heart. David asked in Psalm 19, who shall sojourn in the Lord's tent?

And he answered, he who walks blamelessly. It's the same word translated blameless here. He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks the truth in his heart. David asks the same question again in Psalm 24. Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord and who shall stand in his holy place?

And David answers, he who has clean hands and a pure heart who has not lifted up his soul to an idol nor sworn deceitfully he shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. And so David commits to this kind of blamelessness. After David slew Goliath, he consecrated himself to serve the Lord and to defeat the Lord's enemies. After David confessed his sin to the Lord and suffered the consequences of his infant son dying, he went into the house of the Lord and worshipped. He consecrated his heart to God.

David's entire life in service to the Lord was a life, was the fruit of a heart that delighted in God's Word, that was cleansed through confession of sin and that cried out to the Lord in trust. If you want to truly know God, if you want to be a person after God's own heart, then this fourth characteristic must be true of you. Consecrate your heart to the Lord. Commit to blamelessness and integrity before a holy God. And yet when we read David's statements of consecration here in Psalm 101, his commitment to be blameless, which we have seen from Psalm 15 and 24 are requirements to dwell in God's presence, and we compare those commitments to David's life which we've already seen in Psalm 51 we very quickly come to recognize that David was far from blameless He actually did not walk with integrity in his house.

Verse 3 he says, I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. Well he did that when he looked upon Bathsheba. Verse 4, a perverse heart shall be far from me, he commits. I will know nothing of evil. What about Uriah's murder?

You see David often did not walk blamelessly, did not do what is right, did not speak truth in his heart, his hands were not clean, his heart was not pure, David actually did not qualify to ascend the hill of the Lord and stand in his holy place. Even this anointed one of God, this man after God's own heart, this man whose heart delighted in God's Word, who cleansed his heart through confession of sin, who cried out to the Lord with trust, even he did not qualify as a blameless one who had the right to ascend into God's presence in fact no one does just before Psalm 15 David said in Psalm 14 there is none who does good they have all turned away together they have become corrupt there is none who does good not even one. You see with all of these characteristics of a man after God's own heart that we've explored in these Psalms this morning, we have overlooked one central important necessary quality, but it has been in every Psalm that we've looked at. David prayed with confidence in Psalm 86 verse 5, for you O Lord are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.

How did he know that? How was he so sure that his lack of integrity, his failure to be blameless, how did he know that that would be forgiven? His whole prayer of confession in Psalm 51 was rooted in that kind of confidence. On what basis could David presume that God would blot out his transgressions, wash him from iniquity, and cleanse his sin? How did he know that?

Well, consider again the first Psalm we looked at Psalm 19. Psalm 19 falls right in between Psalm 15 and Psalm 24 those Psalms that ask the same question who may ascend the hill of the Lord and they answer in the same way only someone who is blameless Psalm 19 falls right in the middle of those two Psalms and Psalm 19 is the key to David's dilemma that he is indeed not blameless he's not qualified Psalm 19 this Psalm that that expresses David's delight in God's Word also includes all of the other characteristics that we've seen. We already saw that David confesses his sin in verse 13 and David consecrates himself to the Lord in verse 14, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight O Lord. And then how does he describe the Lord? O Lord my rock.

That's the the third characteristic we saw David puts his trust in the Lord but then notice the other way he describes the Lord. O Lord my rock and my what? My redeemer. You see, David was fully aware that he was not blameless. He was not qualified to ascend the hill of the Lord.

He knew that. He knew in fact that no one is qualified except one, David's Redeemer. In Psalm 24 after David asked the question who may ascend the hill of the Lord and he answers only one who has clean hands and a pure heart he then continues by identifying the one man who has ever lived who qualifies to ascend the hill of the Lord lift up your heads Oh gates and lift them up Oh ancient doors that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts.

He is the King of glory." And this leads us to the final characteristic of this man after God's own heart which is really the central and most important characteristic. The fifth characteristic is this, David submitted his heart to Jesus as Redeemer and Lord. Now you might say what? Well, David didn't know about Jesus. Jesus wouldn't be born for another thousand years.

But he did. In fact, many of these Psalms of David that we've looked at and many more are not simply the songs of David, but they are prophecies. They are prophecies of David's greater son, Jesus, the anointed one. These are the songs of Jesus that we find in the Psalms, and there are many places that we could see that, but perhaps the best is in the Psalm that is most quoted in the New Testament, which appears in the fifth and final book, Psalm 110. Look with me at Psalm 110.

This Psalm of David begins, the Lord said, and that word said in Hebrew is often used to introduce a prophecy. So literally this Psalm of David begins, the prophecy of Yahweh to my Lord. Now pause for a moment. Here is David, God's anointed king, prophesying about somebody that he calls my Lord. The sovereign King Yahweh is speaking to an earthly king who is even greater than David.

David prophesied that someone would come after him who would be even greater than he was. One of his descendants would be God's anointed one, his Mashiach, his Messiah, in a way even greater than David. David didn't call Solomon his lord and yet he is willing to call this future prophesied son Lord. Yahweh speaks to this anointed one, David's Lord, and he says sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. You see in Psalm 110 David is prophesying of his coming son who would have dominion not just over Judah, not just over Israel, not just over the pagan nations, but over all the earth.

And this is why Psalm 110, verse one is the most quoted verse from the Psalms in the New Testament. As Peter makes very clear when he quotes this verse in his sermon on the day of Pentecost, David isn't talking about himself here. No, Peter says in Acts chapter 2, let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ. Who? This Jesus whom you have crucified.

Jesus of Nazareth is the one that David calls Lord in Psalm 110. He is David's son but David's Lord. As Paul says in Acts chapter 13 the passage that we began with this morning, and when God had removed Saul 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." But then he continues, of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. Jesus is the Anointed One, this King of glory who will walk in the way that is blameless, he will have clean hands and a pure heart, he will qualify to ascend the hill of the Lord. Jesus lived a perfect life in obedience to God's law, something that David never did, Solomon never did, he died on the cross, he rose from the dead, and he ascended the hill of the Lord to be at God's right hand in all of his glory.

And this is very important, David also affirms in Psalm 110 that this blameless king will also be a perfect priest. Verse 4 says, the Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Why is this important? Well it's important because this is the only basis on which David, this man after God's own heart but one who himself was not blameless can have any hope of ascending the hill of the Lord, of truly knowing God. He can do so only because he submitted his heart to Jesus as Redeemer and Lord and because Jesus is a perfect priest and because he is the King of glory all who submit to him in faith can ascend in him to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

And really the rest of book five of the Psalms is all about this. Ascending the hill of the Lord. Not on the basis of David's own blamelessness, but through the blamelessness and sacrificial atonement of the suffering Savior, the perfect King Priest, Jesus the Messiah." You see that this is so important for our focus in this message and really for this entire conference. If you want to truly know God then you must delight in his word that has to come first, you must confess your sins, you must trust in the Lord in the midst of adversity, you must consecrate your heart to the Lord. But if you want to truly know God, then the central golden thread running through all of these characteristics of a man after God's own heart is submission to Jesus as Redeemer and Lord.

Really, these qualities that characterize David as a man after God's own heart, delighting in his word, confessing his sin, trusting in him, consecrating himself, This is the gospel. The gospel begins with God's revelation of himself as holy creator and judge and of ourselves as sinners deserving of God's wrath. So delight yourself in his word which reveals the gospel and the gospel continues with repentance and confession of sin trusting in this perfect king priest and his sacrifice on our behalf So cleanse your heart through confession of sin and receive assurance of pardon and forgiveness in Christ. And the gospel results in a life that trusts in God in the midst of adversity and a life consecrated to the Lord's service. So trust in him and consecrate yourself to him.

To know God, to be a man or a woman or child after God's own heart, is to be in Christ as Redeemer and Lord, delighting in his word, cleansing your heart through confession of sin, trusting in him in the midst of adversity, and consecrating yourself to his service. And one day, as Book 5 of the Psalm, Psalms concludes, one day David's greater son will come again. And on that day, we will be fully known and we will know Him as we are fully known. And our response can only be what David sings in his last psalm, his final psalm, Psalm 145. My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord and let all flesh bless His holy name forever and ever.

Oh that we would know God through Christ like David did.