IMPACT Recap

Overlooked & Unseen

August 15, 2022 · 0:56:54

IdentityPurposeHope

Recap

Pastor Travis Hearn opened by encouraging the congregation to follow the church's new Instagram account, then launched into a passionate message for those who have felt overlooked or unseen. He began with the foundational truth from Romans 8:28 that God works all things for the good of those who love Him, emphasizing that God's most beautiful gifts often come in difficult packages. The sermon centered on the story of David's anointing from 1 Samuel 16, where David was overlooked by his own father, Jesse, yet chosen by God. Pastor Travis declared that being 'the world's last pick' means being 'God's first pick,' and that seasons of feeling hidden are often God's protection and preparation for His perfect timing. He provided three key takeaways for those wrestling with these feelings. First, to remember that God sees you intimately, as described in Psalm 139. Second, to guard your heart against bitterness and offense, as God looks at the heart, not outward appearances. Third, to keep working diligently for the Lord, not for human approval, as instructed in Colossians 3:23. The message wove in other examples like Gideon, who felt weak and insignificant but was called a 'mighty warrior' by God. Pastor Travis challenged the congregation to shift from people-pleasing to God-pleasing, to allow God to build character in unseen seasons, and to trust that He sees their sacrifice, tears, and dreams. He closed with an altar call for salvation and a prayer for those feeling undervalued, declaring that God is about to open new doors for them.

Main Points

  • When you feel overlooked or unseen, remember that God sees you intimately and has chosen you for His purpose.
  • Guard your heart against bitterness and offense, because God values the condition of your heart above outward appearances.
  • Continue working faithfully for God's approval, not man's, trusting that He rewards diligence done for Him.

Verses Mentioned

  • Romans 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (NIV)
  • 1 Samuel 16:7 - "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'" (NIV)
  • Psalm 139:1-8 - "You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there." (NIV)
  • Deuteronomy 28:13 - "The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom." (NIV)
  • Proverbs 4:23 - "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." (NIV)
  • Jeremiah 17:9 - "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (NIV)
  • Psalm 51:10 - "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (NIV)
  • Matthew 15:8 - "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.'" (NIV)
  • Ezekiel 36:26 - "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." (NIV)
  • Acts 13:22 - "After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'" (NIV)
  • Colossians 3:23 - "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters." (NIV)
  • Galatians 1:10 - "Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." (NIV)

Daily Action Plan