The King Who Danced: David's Heart for God's Presence

Sermon outline

Like David, make God's presence the one thing you desire: come to Him robed in righteousness, with wholehearted praise and sacrifice that costs you something, and stay anchored in the Word of God.

1. One thing I have asked of the Lord

   David had power and everything at his command as king, yet the one thing he desired most was to dwell in God's house and gaze on His beauty. Nobody can do this for you, but you can train your own heart to love and chase after God. Some people clearly love God, others are lukewarm or Christians only by birth, and God wants us in the first group.

   “You can train your heart to be loving and chasing God.”

   • Psalm 27:4

2. We are God's temple

   Under the old covenant there was a physical temple, but God chose to make believers His temple; the church building is a sanctuary where we gather, but you are the temple of the living God. God wants to bring life, an abundant life to the overflow. We often get the order wrong by wanting God's things without God: chase after God and His righteousness, and everything else will chase after you.

   “Just love God, chase after God, and all the things that you will desire in your heart will chase after you.”

   • 2 Corinthians 6:16
   • John 10:10
   • Matthew 5:6
   • Matthew 6:33

3. David danced before the Lord, robed in righteousness

   In 2 Samuel 6 the ark stayed at Obed-Edom's house and his household was blessed, then David brought it up with rejoicing, sacrificing and dancing before the Lord in a linen ephod, not minding his position as king. The way into God's presence requires a sacrifice of blood, which points to the blood of Jesus. The linen ephod speaks of the robe of righteousness: we are the righteousness of God, so we come before Him with a righteousness-consciousness, not a sin-consciousness, because Jesus our high priest intercedes for us.

   Illustration: He recommends his own book, The Righteousness of God, saying he needed a revelation of righteousness himself.

   “Because when you do not have a revelation of the righteousness of God, you have a revelation of sin.”

   • 2 Samuel 6:5-15
   • 2 Corinthians 5:21
   • Romans 8:34

4. David would rather please God than man

   God is looking for people who will abandon themselves in extravagant, wholehearted praise, however tough the day and whatever the devil throws at them. There was a stark difference between Saul, who wanted to please man, and David, who wanted to please God.

   “David would rather please God than man.”

5. A sacrifice that costs something

   David would not offer God a sacrifice that cost him nothing, and whatever we give comes back pressed down, shaken together and running over. Many do not enter God's presence because they will not pay the price; they pray and give only when they feel like it. Do it all the time, whatever your circumstances, and you will become consistent.

   “And when you become consistent, the devil can't shake you.”

   • 2 Samuel 24:24
   • Luke 6:38

6. A repentant heart and God's overwhelming love

   David was not perfect, but when he was confronted he admitted his sin, and his repentance let God's grace flow into his life; the whole nation knew their king loved God, and God says He will rebuild the tabernacle of David. Every believer is a priest, and we minister to God with singing, instruments, clapping, shouts of praise, dancing and lifted hands. God's love is overwhelming and draws us to Himself, and if David loved God like this under the old covenant, we can love Him by grace.

   “If David loved God the way he loved God, why can't we in the new covenant love God?”

   • 2 Samuel 12:13
   • Acts 15:16
   • Revelation 1:6

7. Stick to the word of God

   He shares something he held back on the Sunday livestream: not everyone on Christian TV is talking sense, and some quote scripture out of context. Stick to your Bible and your church's teaching, and do not get pulled into debates. He and Pastor Zubeda vowed never to deviate from the Word, and with the signs of the end times, when many will fall away and even the elect could be deceived, he urges them to be led by the Spirit and walk in humility.

   “And if I ever teach you anything that's not in the word of God, I give you permission to come and ask me, Pastor, where is that found in the Bible?”

   • Mark 13:32
   • 1 Timothy 4:1
   • 2 Timothy 3:4
   • Matthew 24:24