Campus Camp 2007 Sermon Notes

10 December 2007
Morning Service: “Shaped for the Future”
Speaker: Pastor Ong Sek Leang

Acts 13: 36
“For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed.”

o A person is shaped the most during university.
o A person is also shaped the most during the ages between 45 and 50 (midlife crisis—heart is the softest).
o David served his generation by the will of God.
o If you are shaped by circumstances, your life will never be stable because circumstances and people are never stable.
o If you are shaped by God, you will go from one level to another.

1 Sam 16:1-13
You might be nobody to some, but a somebody to others.
Even the best prophets can be wrong.
But God always has us in His radar.
David was not within the spiritual radar of his father.
But God saw David. It doesn’t matter whether others think well of you if God sees you.

Psalm 139: 13-16
You don’t have to drag yourself through life. God knows your destiny.
People might not know the details. You might not know the details. But you know the destination—to do the will of God, so that when the time comes, you will be able to go to heaven willingly, knowing that you have done the will of God in your life.

Three kinds of people who would shape your future
1 Sam 8:1
“When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges for Israel.”
1. Prophet, who represents the religious system
o Prophets and religious systems are not perfect. Some people never rise up to become champions because they have been hurt by people in the house of God. You can choose to let the imperfect religious system shape you or you can choose to let God shape you.
o Every word you speak has the power to hurt or to edify someone.

1 Sam 9:1-2
“There was a Benjamite, a man of standing, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. He had a son named Saul, an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites—a head taller than any of the others.”
2. Saul, who represents image, authority
We live in a world which places a lot of emphasis on image and looks.
Saul was very handsome, but he failed.
I have to decide what kind of authority I want to be shaped by. Do I want to be shaped by the authority of looks, fashion, personality, education, image?
The authority of my life should be God.
I can enjoy the things that other people do or create—music, clothes, etc. But I should not give them the authority to shape my life.
Do not allow your vocation to shape your future. If you are studying to be a doctor, be the best doctor that you can be, but don’t let your education have authority over your life. God’s wisdom is greater than your education.
Authority—that which has the final say in your life.
You might not fit the stereotypes of success (as defined by people). In human conceptions of success, there will always be something that is considered second-class, third-class. But not in God’s conception.

1 Sam 13:14
“But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.”
3. God’s representative
God appointed David because He knew David’s heart. Saul was the people’s choice—if you press God hard enough, He will give you what you want. Only the devil does not give choices.
During the time of the Old Testament, when the prophet came, there was great ceremony. Everybody would know. (referring to 1 Sam 16:1-13)
God looks at your heart. Man looks at the external things.
Am I headhunted by government agencies, companies, or am I headhunted by God?

Three characteristics that God wants to develop in us
Psalm 78:70
“He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens;”
1. The reason why God chose David was because David was responsible to his sheep.
o We must learn responsibility in silence and isolation.
o A lot of people are responsible only in front of other people.
o We must learn responsibility in little things. David killed the bear and the lion to protect his sheep, when nobody saw it. We are not doing things for others to see. But God sees everything that we do.
o Young people need constant supervision, inspiration. We have to learn to do things not for people to see, but for God to see.
o When we blame others, most of the time we’re right. But we have to decide whether we want to be right or whether we want to go forward. We cannot allow the imperfections of others to control our lives. We have to take responsibility—personal responsibility.

2. Characteristic of solitude
David led a lonely life. Successful people are successful not because they are always surrounded by people, but because they can handle loneliness and isolation.
Am I willing to wait alone for years?
David knew within his heart that God would use him. He was willing to wait in solitude and isolation. Leadership is always lonely, though leaders always seem to be surrounded by people, people who want to get something from them.
Saul could not handle isolation, could not wait patiently for God, and he would be influenced by people’s opinions.
Leaders love people, but they are not driven by people. They are driven by God, God’s will.
Can you handle isolation, when you fail, when everybody avoids you? Can you still be a worshipper of God in times of failure? It is in isolation that you are most willing to make mistakes.

1 Sam 17
3. The ability to handle difficulties
Young adults nowadays cannot handle difficulties. They have a low threshold of hardship.
We should never be afraid of difficulties.
David was just doing a simple chore—taking cheese to his brothers.
Saul must have been at his wits’ end—that’s why he was willing to consider David as a candidate to kill Goliath.
David did not know that there was a difference between the fight with the lion and the fight with Goliath.
If I learn to handle the difficulties today, I will be able to handle the difficulties in future, because I would be so full of God.
People who can handle difficulties have a sense of holy recklessness.
1 Peter 4:12
“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.”
o You should not be shocked at difficulties and stress. You should expect them.
o We break down easily because when stress comes to us, we are not ready for them.
o God did not create us to be broken by stress. The same power that resurrected Christ can strengthen my will and emotions.
o I must excel in the ability to withstand difficulties.