Well, good morning, Valley Creek. It is so good to see you guys. Hey, let's do this. Let's go ahead and welcome in all our campuses. So, come on. Let's welcome each other. And it is so good to be here with you. If we haven't gotten to meet, my name is Caleb. I get to serve as one of our student directors here at the Flower Mound Campus. And man, we have had an amazing summer so far. And we've been in a series called 60 Days of Overcoming. 60 Days of Overcoming, where we've been taking a look at different men and women throughout the Bible, because in reality, they were just like us. And we've been coming back to the verse that Elijah was a person just like us. And not just Elijah, but every person throughout Scripture. Each man and woman throughout Scripture, they were people just like us. Ordinary people with ordinary problems, with all the doubts, all the insecurities, all the disappointments, and all the fears, but they were able to overcome them in spectacular ways. They were people just like us. They're the underdogs. You know, based on a true story, the ones that we can all relate to, ordinary people with ordinary lives just like us. And I don't know about you, but sometimes when I read the Scriptures, and I look at people like Elijah, it doesn't seem like his life is any bit like mine. Like, if I'm honest, like, Elijah's pretty different. The dude prayed, and it didn't rain for three and a half years. He literally called down fire from heaven. Like, I'll let you in on a little secret. I've never called down fire from heaven. Like, how is he a person just like me? Or we're taking a look at a different character each week. Like, how about this week, King David? Like, how is that a dude just like me? Have you read his story? He's like one of the most significant guys in all human history. Like, he killed lions and bears as a teenager. He killed Goliath, a literal giant, with nothing but a sling and a few stones. He leads the most elite group of mighty warriors in all of Israel. He himself is a mighty warrior, like a really gifted warrior. And he's not just a warrior. He's also a musician and a songwriter. He wrote half of the largest book in the entire Bible. He actually dreamed of plans for the temple, like the temple. He's the second most used name in the entire Bible, only second to Jesus. He has a throne that endures forever. And Jesus himself is proud to be called the son of David. Like Jesus is a descendant of King David. He's a person just like us. Yes, right. But the Bible says it, so it must be true. I don't know about you, but I haven't killed any lions or bears or giants or any other NFL mascots. So, how is David a person just like me? How is David just like us? Well, long before he became significant, David had to overcome the feeling of significant insignificance. How is David just like me? He had to overcome the feeling of insignificance.

See, David overcame the feeling of insignificance. There's a story. One day, when David was a teenager, the prophet Samuel came to visit his family to anoint the future king of Israel. And the prophet Samuel, if you don't know this guy, he's like the most famous guy in all of Israel at the time. And he comes to this little town of Bethlehem to eat dinner with David's family, to literally anoint the future king of Israel. And so, what happens is David's father, Jesse, lines up all his sons to visit with the prophet Samuel. And Samuel takes a look at the firstborn, Eliab, the like tall, handsome, luscious hair, a chiseled jawline, and a D1 commit. And he's like, "This is it. God, I found your king. Here he is, like right here. Look at this guy. How about that, God?" He's like, "No. I don't look at what you look at. I don't look at the physical appearance. I look at the heart." And so, Samuel goes down the line, all seven brothers. And he's like, "Jesse, is this all you got? You only got seven? Like, you have another one?" He's like, "Well, I have David, but he's not tending the sheep. In other words, I actually didn't think he was worth inviting in this moment." See, the prophet Samuel comes to visit, and David's not even allowed to join the rest of the family. And if he was forgotten about in that one moment, which, by the way, would have been the highlight of Jesse's entire life. That's like the king of England and Taylor Swift coming to your house for dinner, and you forget your kids are out in the backyard. Like, if he was forgotten about in that one moment, then you know he was forgotten about in family dinners and birthday parties. He wasn't invited to the prom. He was the one left out. He wasn't picked for the team. He was left out of the group chat. He didn't get the promotion. He was fill in the blank. David, just like us, struggled with feeling insignificant, the feeling that we're not worthy, we're too unfit to even be worth consideration. And all of us at some point in our life have struggled with the feeling of feeling insignificant, the feeling of rejection, isolation, that what I'm doing doesn't really matter, that no one really sees me or pays attention to me. And if we're honest, it's not a great feeling, is it? Like, we hear that story about David being left out, and it leaves this weird feeling inside of us because we can all relate to it. All of us at some point in our lives have struggled with feeling insignificant. And I just say to you, if you've ever felt like that, if you've ever felt insignificant, if you've ever been rejected, overlooked, or unseen, I am so sorry. You are so significant in Jesus' name. Your significance doesn't come from what the world says about you. It comes from what God says is true about you. Students, can I just speak to you like students? If you've ever felt like that, if you've been told that you're insignificant, that you're not worthy, that you're unfit, man, that is a lie. The truth is that God says, "I chose you. I love you. I redeemed you. You are my favorite. You are my first pick." And then, when we think we're not worth consideration, God says we're worth Jesus, that He would send His one and only son for us, that we are worth Jesus. I think what's ironic is we think we need to overcome insignificance, but there's never actually been a moment where we've been insignificant. Let me say that again. I think we feel like we need to overcome insignificance, but there's never actually been one moment where you've been insignificant. Why? Because God says, "You were made in my image and my likeness. You're a chosen people, a royal priesthood. You're my special possession. You've never actually had a moment where you've been insignificant. So, what are we overcoming? For most of us, I think myself included, we need to overcome the feeling of insignificance. See, it's not an external issue. We're not insignificant. It's an internal issue. We feel insignificant. And so, what's so powerful about the story of David, a man after God's own heart, is that, while the world treated him as insignificant, he was able to overcome the feeling of insignificance in his heart.

See, David was a man just like us, and he overcame the feeling of insignificance. And there isn't like a verse or a chapter that summarizes how he did it, but there are a handful of principles threaded throughout his life that we can see how he overcomes the feeling of insignificance. And the first principle that we see all throughout the life of David was that he was really secure in who he was. He was so secure in his identity that to overcome the feeling of insignificance, you have to be secure in your identity. You have to know who you are. See, David knew what God had spoken of him, and that was enough. He knew who he was. He knew God had appointed him as king of Israel, so he didn't have to earn it. He didn't have to prove it. He didn't have to spend his life trying to chase it. He knew what God had spoken of him, and he was secure in his identity. That's why he's able to write things like, "For you created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Pause. Talk about identity. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Valley Creek, you are fearfully and wonderfully made. And then it goes on to the part we usually skip over, my personal favorite. "Do I not hate those who hate You, Lord, and abhor those who are a rebellion against You?" That escalated quickly. It goes from happy and cheerful to dark and intense real fast. But what does that show us? He was so secure in who he was, he had no room for fear of man. He was so secure in who he was. He didn't have room for the people who weren't following God with all their hearts. He was so secure. He knew that he was fearfully and wonderfully made because identity always overcomes the feeling of insignificance. See, when you know you're fearfully and wonderfully made, there's no room for fear of man in your life. There's no room for the feeling of insignificance because all of a sudden, the voices that say, "I'm not enough, I don't measure up, I'm not chosen, I'm not worthy," don't compare to the one that says, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I am chosen. I love you. I have redeemed you. You are mine." If I know who I am, insignificance has no hold on my life because the only one who can define me is the one who created me. The one who says, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made," identity always overcomes the feeling of insignificance. So, what identity are you speaking over yourself? We see it all throughout David's life. He was secure in who he was. That's why we read things like David literally being chased and hunted by King Saul but never once trying to take his throne. And so, if you ever thought you had a bad boss, David had it way worse. Like, the dude literally tried to kill him for a decade. So, we have it pretty good. But you see, what most people don't realize about David is that before he became king, he actually served the current king. So, when Samuel came to anoint David as king of Israel, Israel already had a king named Saul. And in a lot of ways, Saul's kind of like the opposite, like the antithesis of David. They both start out being treated like and appearing as insignificant to the world around them. So, David was a shepherd. Saul herded donkeys. They were both in very lowly positions. And then the prophet Samuel comes, and just like he did with David, he anoints Saul as king of Israel. He elevates him from this lowly position to the king of all of Israel. And while God says he's king, Saul spends most of his life acting like an orphan because he never overcomes the feeling of insignificance. See, that's what's different about the life of David and the life of Saul. Saul never overcomes the feeling of insignificance. And so, while God says he's king, he spends his life acting like an orphan, trying to earn, trying to prove, trying to perform for the things that he already had in God. And because he never overcame that feeling of insignificance, he spends his life taking on identities that aren't his. Like, he acts as a priest, trying to prove himself through his popularity. He acts as a dictator, trying to prove himself through his power. He acts as a rebel, trying to prove himself through his performance. Have you ever seen that in people? Have you ever seen that in yourself? I have. But none of the striving was able to overcome that deep feeling of insignificance because we can't overcome the feeling of insignificance on our own. And what happens to Saul? "Now the spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit tormented him." If you don't overcome the feeling of insignificance, it literally torments you. Undealt-with insignificance always leads to pride, to sin, to resentment, to people-pleasing, to fill in the blanks. See, if we don't overcome the feeling of insignificance, it literally torments us. We get stuck in the endless cycle of performing and proving and striving and trying to earn and trying to prove to the world around us, and it literally torments us. And we see it all the time, don't we? Why do people on social media feel like their voice needs to be heard? Like, why do they go to extreme measures to make sure their voice is heard because they feel so insignificant? So, they have to yell as loud as they possibly can. Why? They are significant. Or why do we see people with all the money in the world constantly chase more money? Because no matter how much they have, it doesn't overcome the feeling of insignificance. Or why do we see dictators with all the power they can dream of chase more power? Because it doesn't overcome the feeling of insignificance. Because when we do all the things and when people finally acknowledge how great we are on the outside, it doesn't overcome the feeling of insignificance on the inside, does it? Because it doesn't change the heart. There's always someone better. Always someone greater. Always someone more significant. Striving never satisfies. Striving never satisfies because we were created for so much more than we could ever earn or prove or strive for on our own. See, Valley Creek, we were created for more. "We are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." Is there anything more significant than this? We're God's children. We're heirs. We're co-heirs with Christ. We share in his glory. It's saying that we were literally created for significance, that your desire for significance is a great desire. You were created for a life of significance. That's why our souls crave the desire for significance. You were created for it. But how do we get it? If we are children, if we remember who we are, and if we are beloved sons and daughters, then we are heirs. If we are children, then we are heirs. Order matters. If we live first as children, then we are heirs. Identity always leads to significance. And so, what identity are you speaking over yourself? Are you secure in who you are? To secure is to like to fasten something, to latch onto it, to grab hold of it. So, maybe what identity are you grabbing hold of? Are you grabbing ahold of what the world says is true about you? Are you grabbing ahold of what God says is true about you? How did David overcome the feeling of insignificance? He grabbed ahold of the identity that God had spoken over him. And we were created to do the same. David was secure in his identity. 

And another principle we see throughout the life of David is that he sought after the Lord's heart. To overcome the feeling of insignificance, you have to seek after God's heart. It's what David was known for. He was known as a man after God's own heart. That's why God says, "I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want to do." He found David, a man after His own heart. He said He doesn't look at the outward appearance. He looks at the heart. And He found David to be a man after His own heart. That while he had nothing of significance to the world around him, he had everything of significance to God. He had heart. He was a worshiper. Like, David's one of the greatest worship leaders in all of human history. He wrote half the book of Psalms, which is literally a book of praise and worship. He was able to take worship and turn it into a weapon against any insignificance he faced because the most significant thing he could do was spend time with the one who was the most significant. Why? Because what we worship dictates our feelings. We become what we behold. The direction of our heart will determine the direction of our life. That's why it says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." Everything flows from our heart. The direction of our heart determines the direction of our life. And so, if worship is whatever has our heart's attention, like the affection, the direction of our heart, then worship will determine all the feelings and everything else in our life. Whatever we worship will define what's significant in our lives. So, could it be that we feel insignificant because we're just worshipping the wrong things? Could it be that the reason we struggle with feeling insignificant is we're just setting our hearts on the wrong things? So, we weren't supposed to set our hearts on the things of this world. We were supposed to set our hearts on things above, to set our minds on things above, because whatever we choose to worship, whatever we seek after, is what gets to define significance in our lives. Like, if I spend my life worshipping money, then money defines significance in my life. And the moment I don't make enough, I can't afford that thing, I don't get that promotion, and I begin to feel insignificant because money is what defines significance in my life. Or if I worship athleticism and sports, then athleticism and sports define significance in my life. The moment I don't make the team, the moment I don't win the game, the moment I miss that week of the workout, I begin to feel insignificant because athleticism and sports are what define significance in my life. Or if I worship myself, then I am the most significant thing in my life. And the moment I'm not the most significant thing in your life, I begin to feel insignificant because only I define significance, right? If I worship performance, performance defines significance. If I worship intelligence, intelligence defines significance. But if I worship the Lord, if I worship God, then only God can define significance in my life. It doesn't matter what they say. It doesn't matter what's happening over here. It doesn't matter when things change. Only God can define significance in my life. The thing I'm seeking after is God. Only He can define significance in my life. "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." It's literally what Jesus says. That when we seek first His kingdom, when we seek after God, when we worship Him, when our hearts are pointed towards Him, it doesn't matter what's going on. We get everything else as well because only He defines significance in our life. Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Could it be that we're finding insignificance because we're just seeking the wrong thing? Could it be that we just have to seek God first, and He defines our significance? How did David overcome the feeling of insignificance? And he was secure in who God said he was, and he sought after God's heart. Only God could define significance in his life. He sought after God's heart, and we were created to do the same. 

And then the last thing, the last principle we see all throughout the life of David, was that he was a significant servant. To overcome the feeling of insignificance, you have to be willing to serve. See, David was a servant. He served. He wasn't out to go and claim the throne. He served the king who was on the throne, and us too. We're not supposed to go and claim our own throne. We're supposed to serve the king who was on the throne. See, long before he became king or anything of significance to the world around him, David was a significant servant. He was a shepherd. He served his flock. He laid down his life for them. He himself said, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or bear came and carried off the sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it, and rescued the sheep from its mouth." He literally laid down his life for his sheep, for sheep. He laid down his life for his sheep. Why? Because he's a servant. That's what servants do. They lay down their life for those around them. He doesn't say, "Your warrior, your king, your leader, your servant." Who he was determined what he did because he was a servant. He served. That's what we were created to do, to serve for 30 years of his life. David had to learn how to serve, to shepherd, and to lay down his life for his sheep. So, when he became king, his desire wasn't to dominate. It was to serve, to shepherd, to lay down his life for the people he was entrusted to rule. Because he was faithful in the pasture, he could be faithful in the palace because whoever can be trusted with little can be trusted with very much, right? Serving set him up for success. What's fascinating in the story of David is that in overcoming insignificance, the feeling of insignificance, he never once became proud. You don't see him lash out in anger or demand payback. He's not out to get his father and brothers for leaving him out, no. He laid down his life. He served. He laid down his reputation, his pride, his preferences, his dignity, his expectations, and his fill-in-the-blank, so it never once got in the way when he was on the throne. See, I think our problem s when we finally get that role, that position, that thing that we're chasing after, we end up using it to serve ourselves because we never overcome the feeling of insignificance by being willing to lay down his own life. David found his life. By being willing to set aside his significance, David found his significance because whoever tries to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life, whoever serves, whoever dies to themself will find it. See, because he was faithful in the pasture, David had nothing to prove when he was in the palace, and he had everything to serve. Serving literally purified his heart. That's why it says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart." He's working for the Lord, not for human masters, because serving's never about the task in front of us. It's becoming the kind of person with the kind of character who can do incredible things with God. Serving's never just about the task in front of us or the human masters. See, what feels like a significant step backward in the world is a significant step forward in the kingdom of God. Serving is what trains us to become godly. Maybe I'll think of it like this. Serving is like the wax on, wax off of the kingdom. Yes, that's a Karate Kid reference. But serving is like the wax on, wax off of the kingdom. What does that mean? It means no one's watching. It's just you in the car. Mr. Miyagi's eating dinner. Serving is the wax on, wax off of the kingdom. Serving is what trains us to become godly. Serving is what trains us to become kings and queens. Serving is what trains our heart, what purifies our hearts, and makes sure that all of our heart is for the Lord. Serving literally purifies our hearts. Just like you can't become great in sports or in music without practicing, you can't become great without serving in the kingdom. "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant." It's literally what Jesus said – that we choose a life of significance by choosing the life of a servant. If we want to become great, we must be servants. We have to serve. That we're significant no matter what, right? It doesn't define our identity, but we can choose to live a very insignificant life. Like, there are some very significant people who choose to live very insignificant lives because nothing in their life is arranged around serving others. So, are you living a life of significance? Are you serving? What's your life arranged around? Serve the people around you. Because whoever wants to become great must be your servant. If you really want to feel significant, you have to be willing to lay down your life because servants don't have a reputation. They're not offended when things go wrong, when no one sees them, or when no one pays attention to them, when no one gives them credit. Why? Because they're just there to serve. They don't have a reputation. At some point in his life, David had to make the choice to say, "Include me or not, invite me or not, leave me out in the pasture. I don't care. I'm just a servant. I'm here to serve. Serving is what gives me significance." See, David was secure in his identity. He sought after the Lord, and he served. He was secure in who he was. He remembered what God had spoken of him, and to him that was enough. He sought after the Lord. He worshiped him. He was a worshiper, and he served. He was a significant servant. He shepherded and laid down his life for his flock, and all along he was known as a man after God's own heart. If we want to overcome the feeling of insignificance, we have to remember who God says we are. We have to be willing to seek Him and His kingdom. We have to be servants. We have to arrange our life around serving others and we can be known as a man, as a woman after God's own heart. 

And if we're honest though, while all of that sounds great and while we can know it like all up here, it doesn't always change how it feels in here, does it? Like, I can speak to your head all day long, but it won't change how you feel in your heart. So, can I just speak to your heart for a moment? Because when you feel insignificant or alone or rejected or unseen, it's not a great feeling, is it? I know that. Actually, the reason David's story resonates with me so much is it actually reminds me of my own story. You see, for some reason, I've always struggled with feeling insignificant. I'm in the middle of six kids in my family, who, for some reason, is the most talented family in the world. They have like cheer captains, varsity athletes, top 10%, and college athletes. And so, I felt like I had to be great at just about everything to at least be noticed. And then my friend group was the same. For some reason, they were really good at everything, too. And I always seemed to be the one that was left out of the group chat. For some reason, they forgot to add me in, or for some reason, they always forgot to invite me to things. And I wouldn't have been able to put words to it, but I felt significantly insignificant. I actually spent a lot of time just in my room, like feeling too insignificant to actually ask to be included in things. And then I tried all the things. I tried to perform. I tried to make the team. I tried to get the grades. I tried to prove everyone wrong, but none of that changed how I felt on the inside. None of that changed the feeling of insignificance. And I remember, like, wrestling with God, like, "God, what is my thing? Like, what am I going to be good at? Where am I going to prove them wrong? Where are they finally going to see me? Where am I going to be significant?" Finally, I remember coming back to Jeremiah 29:13. "You will seek me and you will find me when you seek me with all your heart." You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. And I can't explain it. I just felt like God was saying, "What if I was the thing you found your significance in?" Like, what if I was the one thing that defined your significance? What if I was the thing you sought after? What if I was the thing that you found? What if you sought after me with all your heart? What if you had a relationship with me like no one else? Because you were just willing to seek me like no one else. And long story short, seeking Him led me here to a job I never thought I would have, doing things I never imagined I would be doing, and my comfort from the life of David is that if he can overcome the feeling of insignificance, then I can, too. If I remember who I am, if I seek after God's heart, and if I serve others, he was a man just like us, and he taught us that it is possible to overcome the feeling of insignificance. And really, it's a story we all relate to because the story of David is the story of Jesus. David's an Old Testament prophetic picture of Jesus, who came to his own, and his own did not receive him, who was rejected and despised, who had no beauty or majesty to draw us to him, and who was born in a manger. Jesus knows what it feels like to feel insecure, to feel rejected, to be left out, and to be unseen. But Jesus overcame insignificance, and He overcame it once and for all. You see, just like David, Jesus was secure in who He was. When He was baptized, a voice from heaven said, "This is my son whom I love, with Him I am well pleased." And He lived every day of his life like it was true. He remembered what God had spoken of Him, and to Him that was enough. He was secure in who He was. He sought after the Lord's heart. He only said what He heard the Father speaking. He only did what He saw the Father doing. He constantly withdrew to quiet places to be with God. He said things like, "Not my will, but yours be done." He sought after God's heart, and then He served. He didn't come to be served, but to serve. He washed the feet of his disciples. He laid down his life, his reputation, and his pride. He was secure in who He was. He sought after God's heart, and He served. And on the cross, Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" He became insignificant, rejected, and unseen so that we could become significant, accepted, and seen once and for all. See, Jesus overcame the feeling of insignificance, and He overcame it once and for all so that you and I could always live a life of significance. It might require us to be reminded of who we are, to seek after God's heart, and to serve, but we were created for significance. If in this world we are like Jesus, then we can overcome insignificance as well. "You will seek me, and you will find me when you seek me with all your heart." And so, in Jesus' name, may you overcome the feeling of insignificance, and may you be known as a man or as a woman after God's own heart. So, would you close your eyes with me? 

Jesus, thank You that You overcame insignificance once and for all, that we were created for significance. That is a great desire. And so, I pray, will we be reminded of who we are, that we are Your beloved sons and daughters in whom You are well pleased? Will we seek You, and will we find You when we seek You with all our hearts? And will we be servants? Would we be willing to lay down our lives for the people around us, to be willing to be significant servants? And would You remind each and every one of us that we are significant, that we were created for significance, and in Jesus' name, may we overcome the feeling of insignificance. In Jesus' name, amen.<br>