A Father Who Calls & Assigns

The Father Series

1 Samuel 16:1–16 ESV

The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.” Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” 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.” Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

Today we are blessed to see God’s call and assignment being issued out.

Proverbs 16:9 “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

Here we see that God has rejected Saul because Saul listened to the people. Plus Saul did not obey the Lord so God rejected Saul. God is always watching and looking to who is really obedient to Him. Who really loves Him and searches for Him. The bible says that David was known as a man after God’s own heart. Jeff as I have been watching you I have seen that you are one who is chasing after God’s heart. Don’t ever stop chasing Him because in the chasing there is blessing and anointing.

When I received the call from God to pastor his people I had no idea where to go or what to do. I was pulled in two directions one to have a Bishop who I was following ordained me or have an organization ordained me. A pastor friend of mines came and said that a man ordains a man. The Lord then took me to this passage to see how the call of God works. In the end the license may come from an organization but the call is carried from man to man.

Here in this passage we see the call of God and we see the assignment of God. You see David was called long before the assignment came. David was keeper of the sheep, in other words he was a shepherd. He was learning how to look after the sheep. He was learning how to be a shepherd of God’s people. In reality that is the role of the Pastor to shepherd God’s people. So David was called by God and what we see here in this passage is the assignment that accompanies the call.

That God put’s our assignments in the hands of men is crazy, but true. The assignment of God is usually put into the hands of a man or woman. We see it with Eli to Elijah, from Elijah and Elisha, and we see it with Samuel to David. There is this system in effect where God calls the person directly then He calls man to confirm what He has called.

The reason I say this is because God gave me the call through a dream, but it was confirmed through two men Bishop Gerald Nelson and Pastor Mike Capparelli. The Lord understands man’s heart so He makes sure to confirm what He has decreed.

Deuteronomy 19:15 ““A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.”

I know that this verse is concerning punishment or accusations made against someone. But the Lord aslo uses this when confirming His call in someone’s life. So Jeff what I do here today is something that the Lord has already done in you and through you. I am just the one confirming it before the people. The Lord has sent down your assignment for you. The assignment always accompanies the call. The different is that the assignment can change but the call is irrevocable. My assignment has changed but the call has always remained.

The reality of it is that people see it in you before you see it in you. People were calling me pastor way before I ever was ordained as a pastor. That is why if someone says to me that they are called to something I look for the proof. Because the Lord will give proof of His call on someone’s life.

Here is the thing Jeff the Lord put it on my heart long before I spoke to you about it and long before I knew your story. For me it was about seeing the proof. The Lord has shown me that you’re a man that has gone through the fire. You have struggled with God and you have left with a limp. This is the indication that someone has struggled with God. I have a limp and everyone who has struggled with God leaves with a limp. This is the indication that God is in their lives. I was once told by a fellow man who is a brother in Christ to me. That if I did not have a limp, in other words if I have never gone through anything then he could not follow me. It is ours experiences in our lives that prepare us for the call and the assignmennt. So Jeff hearing your story only solidified what the Lord had put on my heart.

We are all given a calling from God. It comes at different times in our lives. Truth be told it depends on your willingness to be developed by the Holy Spirit. If we are stubborn it takes longer if we are willing it comes sooner. But it won’t come before God’s timing. When the physical and the supernatural align the assignment is given.

The problem we have with the assignment is that we still have to wait on God. David was anointed king over Israel when he was about 12 years old but did not become king until much later. Most times we get the call before we are assigned to do the work.

When I was in the army and we would change duty stations our orders would come months before we actually moved. We see in the bible that the Lord would tell the Israelites before it was time to move so they were ready when the order to move came. Today the Lord has made it public that He has called you Jeff. But this is just one step of many steps that you will have to make in this assignment from God. We do not know where this will take you, but I can say with confidence and experience that if you follow the steps that the Lord has it will be a great adventure.

I know that today we are speaking to Jeff but know that this applies to us all. Can we talk about what makes up the Father’s call and assignment. Can we talk about A Fathers Plan. Can we talk about A Father’s Discernment. Finally can we talk about A Father’s Choice.

What makes up the Father’s Call and assignment?

A Father’s Plan:

1 Samuel 16:1–16 ESV

Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”

Do you know that the Father has planned for you? Here we see that God send Samuel to go to Jesse’s home. The had a plan as to who would be King. He had a plan not just for the nations well being but He had a plan for David.

This plan has been in the making for thousands of years. Listen God did not start to create creation until He had planned everything out.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Ephesians 1:4 “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love”

Somebody say God has a plan for me. As we read this passage we see the plan being acted out, but God has chose David before the foundation of the world. God chose you Jeff and everyone else in this room and within the sound of my voice before the foundation of the world.

So we should not be surprised about what God is doing in our lives. God’s plan for you is fundamentally rooted in his personal knowledge and loving intention toward you. God declares, “I know the plans I have for you, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” This isn’t generic providence—it’s intimate, purposeful, and directed toward your flourishing.

Scripture establishes several dimensions of this plan. You are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand for you to walk in. (Eph 2:10) Your existence isn’t accidental; you were designed with purpose. Additionally, for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those called according to his purpose. (Rom 8:28) This means even difficult circumstances serve God’s redemptive purposes in your life.

Listen God’s ways are higher than ours ways. We can trust what He is doing even when we can’t see it. There were times in my life that I could not see this place I am in now. No one could have told me and I would have believed it, but God our Father had a plan and He will see it through. Our Father God is not like us in that we make plans then let them fall away or never pursue them. God makes a plan and follows through to the point of the small, minuscule details. Meaning when God is through there are no leftover screws or bolts. How many of you men when your finished putting something together have left over screws and bolts? Thank God the manufactures started realizing that and they started to put extra screws and bolts in the packaging.

Psalm 37:23 “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way;”

Today we some of the plan God has for Jeff. But He also has a plan for each and every one of you. We have to be obedient and willing for follow every step He lays down and we will find ourselves walking with God into our calling, into our destiny in Him. Just like in our passage David is about to walk into God’s plan, God’s destiny for Him.

Our Father called me a long time ago and I never answered the call in a formal yes or no. What I did was to follow every step He laid out for me. Along the way I have had many assignments from the Lord which in turn lead me here. Listen so many times we see people in the pulpit or doing ministry and we just assume that it was just given to them. They don’t know what that person had to go through to be where they are at. I have gone through much over the years. There has been many trials and struggles that I have had to go through to be here. Jeff I know you have had to go through many struggles and will go through many more.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: When Jesus calls a man He bids him to come and die.

Luke 9:23 “And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

So at the end of the day Jeff the plan that the Lord has for you is to die for Him and to glorify Him. In doing so He will bless and anoint you in all you do. This is His plan for you and for everyone else.

Look at your neighbor and say “If He did not m are a plan for me I would be a mess.”

2. A Father’s Discernment:

1 Samuel 16:1–16 ESV

When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” 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’s choice does not come from what we say, or do. His choice comes from how we are in our hearts. In a mans heart is evil and tends towards evil. But we serve a discerning God, who is always looking at our hearts. The word discern means to perceive or recognize something. Discernment isn’t merely intellectual analysis but spiritual perception—the ability to recognize God’s truth and distinguish it from deception, whether in doctrine, relationships, or circumstances. It requires both knowledge of Scripture and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit’s guidance. It is what allows us to see beyond what is in front of us.

We see God’s discernment immediately in Genesis. After each creative act, God evaluates his creation, and this evaluation determines his blessing or judgment. When God looks upon humanity specifically, he examines not just external behavior but the deepest motivations. God saw that human wickedness was great in the earth, and every intention of the thoughts of the heart was only evil continually. This penetrating vision extends beyond surface actions to the inner orientation of human hearts.

God’s discernment reveals itself through his relational engagement with humanity. God knows about humanity, reveals things including himself to them, speaks with them, listens to them, and even calls them when they are separated from him. This attentive awareness isn’t detached—it’s deeply personal. God is characterized by graciousness, doing good, healing, protecting, and walking with his people; in the midst of troubles, even if the result of our own inappropriate actions, God remembers humanity.

Ultimately, God’s discernment of you isn’t primarily about judgment but about recognition. He sees you completely—your failures, your potential, your deepest needs—and responds with both honest evaluation and steadfast care. His discernment serves his redemptive purposes rather than mere condemnation.

This is why God tells Samuel not to look at Eliab because God saw something in his heart that He did not like. This is why I say to you all that why you do something matters. You can feed the multitudes and pray over the sick but if it is with the wrong heart God sees it and there is no reward for it. Also you are not glorifying God through it. Our Father is a discerning Father and He is always looking beyond the action to what you’re doing. This works the other way as well. What I mean is that someone could do something that is evil or wrong but God sees the good in their hearts. It is amazing that we have a Father that is so good that He sees our hearts, He is a Father who discerns.

So our Father discerns for us and is making a plan for us. This is how He is making your path straight. So we must walk in it like Him with discernment, and with the right heart. Discernment comes from the Holy Spirit and it impossible to discern the things of God without the Holy Spirit of God. Jeff always make sure to seek the Spirit of God when making your decisions. This is what chasing after God looks like.

When I was in Israel the first time the Lord told me to always ask Him. I was looking at the way that David always asked the Lord questions. He asked to eat the bread in the tabernacle. He asked if the Priest would tell Saul he was there. The Lord said to always ask me before you do it. This is where discernment comes from and how we get it.

Look at your neighbor or and say He sees your heart.

3. A Father’s Choice:

1 Samuel 16:1–16 ESV

And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers.