good morning. It is great to be home, and it is always a joy to be back with you. Sometimes you write sermons and then you go back to them some time later, sometimes years later, and you look at what you wrote. You know, everybody that’s true. But I missed the point. Probably the first year that I was preaching. I wrote a sermon on Psalms 1 39 If only we believe everything I wrote in that sermon was true. Entitled it the Our Missions of God in Psalms 1 39 verses one through six,
The Psalmist writer describes what God knows. He describes God’s knowledge in the best terms that human humanity can can conjure and truly got his arm nish it that is all knowing God knows beyond what we know. He sees beyond what we see, and he knows this from beginning to end. Jesus described his existence when he spoke to those Jews in relationship to Abraham and said before Abraham Rose, I am not I waas not I will be. I am. He has existed and has always existed and will always exist.
There is no point in time where you look it God. And you go well before that? No, there is nothing before that. Well after there was nothing after that. And God, not bound by time, understands us in our being bound by time in ways that we simply cannot comprehend. He knows are sitting down and are rising up. He knows what we will do, how we will live. He knows the powers that we can take the paths that we will take. He knows our thoughts before we think them.
The Psalmist writer says he knows our words before we speak them. And so as I rode that sermon, I was thinking about what God knows and the on missions of God and truly there is a point to be made from someone 39 concerning the ah missions of God, and certainly God is Amish int. But in writing a sermon about the ah missions of God, I missed the point of someone 39 and it’s not because it’s not clear. It’s because I was looking for something else. And we do that sometimes with Scripture,
we come to a passage looking for something in the passage. Instead of looking for what’s in the passage we bring to our interpretation what we want the passage to stay to say, instead of allowing the passage to speak for itself. Sometimes we do so when we don’t do damage to the scripture and we learn things and let we don’t fully grasp what’s there. Someone 39 Verse one. Oh Lord, you have searched me and known me. This sewn declares the on the presence of God. God is everywhere. It declares the our missions of God.
God knows everything. It declares the power in the mind of God. Daughter is all powerful. It declares all of those things. The Psalmist writer isn’t writing an academic description of God. Somis writer is declaring God, you know me and the Psalmist writer is declaring his relationship to the God who is. We don’t have a relationship to a God who is not. We do not have a relationship to a God who might be. We have a relationship to a God who is and who is there in every aspect of our lives,
who knows are sitting down and are rising up. We don’t go through a day except we know that he knows us. As we discussed in the Bible class this morning as we discussed this passage. That’s a fearful thing for a wicked person. For an individual bent on doing iniquity. Bent are living his own way, bent on serving himself instead of God. It’s not a wonderful being. A bit of news to say God knows you, he knows you From the end of your day to the beginning He knows what you will do And he knows what you will think And he knows what you will say.
And that is not a calming fought for wicked individual before righteous one for a person of God For one who loves the Lord with always hard with all his mind, with all his strength. Such an idea has great strength and great hope. Lord Jehovah. Yeah, way the self existing What the I am that I am. You have searched me and known me. You know, my sitting down in my rising up You understand? My thoughts are far off And that’s where I want to spend our time this morning in a series of westerns were going to consider the idea.
God knows me and we’re gonna begin with our thoughts The soonest writer says. You understand my thoughts, you discern my thoughts. The S V says You comprehend my thoughts of fall. You know what I’m thinking before I think it. You know what I’m wanting before I want it. Jesus will describe to his disciples as he tells them concerning prayer as he speaks to them concerning their relationship with the father. He says, Ask and it shall be given to you. Seek and ye shall find knock and the door shall be opened unto you.
And he describes a child relationship with the father. He says, What child asks of his father a slice of bread and receives a stone? What child asks for a fish and receives a soap in’t? If you being are three, I know how to do good things to your Children. How much more does the father know what you need before you even ask it? But Jesus Point is God still wants you to ask. He knows you. He knows you more than you know you, but he still wants a relationship with you.
God! Oh Lord, you searched me out. God, Ron’s a relationship with you. He wants a relationship with your thoughts for Samuel, Chapter 16 In first, same attractor 16 God send Samuel his profit to go anoint a new king. He wants a king who will serve him, who will obey him because in first aid, which after 15 so said, I’ve done everything that God commanded me to do everything he told me to do. I’ve obeyed. And Samuel said, What’s the bloom of the sheep that I hear?
Why’s kilo bag standing here? You were told to go and to annihilate that people and to destroy everything that I have. You were told to bring about the judgment on them that God had pronounced all the way back in the Book of Exodus and you didn’t do it. And yet you claim to. So in Chapter 16 God send Samuel, you go and find and anoint a new king and saying they will go to the house of Jesse and he will see their David’s older brothers. You go to the house of Jesse,
Jesse will bring your sons before Samuel and the very 1st 1 looks like a king. That’s what a king looks like.
Remember, that was the description of Soul. He was hand and shoulders about all the people. He looked like a king,
but his heart wasn’t. Sam Will believes. He’s found the right one in Jessie’s older son. And God tells Samuel no and the next one?
No. Then the next one. No, wait a minute. Jesse, Do you have any more sons?
Well, yes, the youngest one. He’s out tending the flock Send for him. But in first stable Chapter 16 we find this statement made by God to Samuel as he is helping Samuel to understand why he’s not choosing the way Samuel is in first.
Same a chapter 16 and in verse seven, we read. But the Lord said the Samuel do not look at his appearance or his physical stature because I have refused him.
That says, I’m a who I want. I know neither one is that I’ve chosen, and he’s not it.
He might look like a king, but he’s not lying, for the Lord does not see as man sees for.
Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. We’re related to read of David’s brothers who were soldiers,
and they will be with you or me of God. They will be standing across the valley from the Philistine Sze and one philistine would come out.
His name was Goliath and he would stand before the armies of the Lord and he would blast team their guard and he would declare to them You send out a man and we will do battle.
And if we win, you serve us. But if you win, will serve you. But Goliath was a giant.
When you look at the outward man, when you look at the statue of Goliath he’s an intimidating man,
David Young man that he waas sent by his father to go check on his brothers to bring supplies to them.
And he hears the words of the philistine and he can’t understand why the army of God isn’t doing anything about it.
He can’t understand why. So the king, the leader of the army of God, isn’t going out to meet this uncircumcised philistine because in David’s mind,
he knows God is the run who will defeat Goliath and not the soldier. And so, David, a man who thinks the world God does goes out to meet him,
not with armor, not with m battlements, not with great swords. and protection, but with five stones.
God knows me, David writes. You searched me out. You know, my Stanley happen by sitting down.
You know what I think before I think it acts. Chapter one as Jesus has ascended back in the heaven and the apostles are preparing to preach the gospel.
They’ve been told by Jesus. You remain in Jerusalem until power comes from on high. And while they’re there and they’re gathered together,
they appoint one to take the place of Judas. They appoint Warren to serve in the place as an apostle who will take the place of the one who betrayed Christ.
And as they’re seeking to appoint this individual, they do not take it upon themselves to determine who it is they do set forth of criteria.
Peter speaks up and says it has to be one who’s been with us from the beginning. It has to be one who walked with Jesus.
It has to be. One who saw him while he was here has to be well, in whom is the spirit of God.
But it comes down to two individuals in acts. Chapter one, we raid around Verse 21 therefore of these men who have accompanying accompanying us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out of oneness,
beginning from the baptism of John to that day when he was taken up from us. Rum of these must become a witnessed rumors of his resurrection.
And they proposed to Joseph called bar service, whose surname who was surname, Justice, and Mathias. And they prayed and said you were a Lord who knows the hearts overall show which of these you to you.
Which of these two you have chosen? Isn’t it interesting? They examined their deeds, examine their life.
They examine their faithful Mr Christ, they saw on their actions. And they said we can’t choose between the two based on actions.
But God, you love the heart. When you can’t determine the life based upon the actions, God still knows the heart.
And it was the heart that qualified Mathias over Barsa bus. I don’t know anything about bar service. I don’t know that he had a problem in his heart.
But the apostles knew God could choose the right one, and he knew that it was in their hearts in their thoughts in their mind that the difference would be made.
When the apostles went out, it will make taut. And when they were persecuted and when they were imprisoned in just a few chapters,
they would come away rejoicing that they were counted wrongly to suffer with Christ. How is it that people who are enduring pain and affliction and anguish and persecution can say,
what a joy to have gone through, that it’s not because they think like most of us, it’s because they think differently than most of us.
Most of us go through life and will be struggling where we have difficulties when people do harmful to us.
Hopeful things to us were made mistreated, as we think we need to get them back. For that,
I need to treat them the way they treated me. The apostles prayed to God and thanked him. What is that?
But an expression of the thoughts and heart that was in them. God knows me, he knows my thoughts.
He knows my heart, and he knows yours, too. As we consider that idea, we would understand that.
Jesus says the thoughts determined the person, not the other way around. Is that right? I mean,
no I I controlled my fault. That’s true. But your thoughts determine who you are. Totally Matthew,
Chapter 15 Jesus will be confronted by the Ferris ease from Jerusalem. They will come and they will question him.
Why don’t your disciples wash their hands hands according to the traditions of the elders? Why no, they cleanse themselves before they eat.
Jesus will confront then concerning their traditions and how their traditions opposed the very word of God and transgress the word of God.
They will call them hypocrites. And then Jesus will separate himself from them, having record of them. It’s not what goes into the body that the files a man.
But what comes out? That the files A man we read in verse 10 of Matthew, Chapter 15.
We’ll make hope. When he called the multitude to himself. He said to them here and understand, not well goes into the mouth of files.
A man. But what comes out of the mouth that the files a man, then his disciples came and said to him,
Do you know that the fair seas were offended when they heard this saying, Jesus, do you not understand that when you called them hypocrites when you called them those who were guilty of the same thing.
That the people as a cz day. We’re guilty of that. They were offended by that. Jesus replied.
Every plant which my heavenly father is not planning, will be uprooted. Let them alone. They’re blind leaders of the blind.
And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into the ditch. Then Peter answered and said to him,
Explain this parable to us. So Jesus said, Are you still also without understanding? Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and has eliminated the bottling process of eating food?
But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart. And these are they defile a man for out of the heart proceed.
Evil thoughts, murders, adulterous fornication steps, false witnesses, blasphemies. These are the things which are rich.
The file a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not. The file A man Jesus says your heart produces who you are and what you do.
You look a individual. He’s committed murder. You reveal individual who’s blushing. You look at an individual is doing evil to his fellow man.
And you know it’s not just his actions, it is his heart. That is the problem. It is in his mind where that evil resides that causes those actions to come to pass.
Jesus says it is the heart that determines the man, not the other way around. Seven. God knows me,
God knows what I think Before I ever think it God knows who I am in my heart whether anyone sees it or not,
that might be a scary thing for us. But for the sole miss writer, it was a very interesting thing because if we turn back to someone 19 he introduces this psalm about God knowing him Where have you searched me?
And I have known me You know, my sitting down in my rising love You understand my thoughts of far off You come for him My half to my lying down You’re a corner with all my ways For there is not a word on my tongue But behold the Lord you knew it all together But he closes the psalm with search me Wait a minute.
I thought I thought you already said he did. I thought you said he searched for you in the past.
Search me Oh God, and know my heart Well, we come to a relationship with God. We’re all right with God.
When we love God love one another When we serve him with our whole heart it is non a fearful thing to say.
God examined me, Test me, try me and know me he says. Search me Oh God and know my heart trying move And no,
my anxieties. This all these writers not saying I never struggle. He’s not saying I have nothing to fear.
He’s not saying I don’t have difficulties. He’s saying, God, when you know me, you can help.
May overcome May and see if there’s any wicked way in me and lead me in the war of everlasting total of problems.
Chapter three. They did, son. Well, right to David’s grandson. Verse five. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean Not on your own understanding in all your ways.
Acknowledge him and he will direct your pass. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
Salomon learned from his father. That is your thoughts. The direct your path unless you turn your thoughts over the God and let him direct your path.
Let’s examine that idea in three passages as we close second Corinthians Chapter 10 Paul writes to the church in Corinth,
and, as he is writing to them, this deeply emotional book, This is probably one of the most emotional letters that exists in all the New Testament as a personal relationship that Paul had with this church.
It Corrine, he says. Chapter 10 in Verse one. Now I, Paul myself, I’m pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ who in presence and lonely among you but being absent and burned toward you.
What’s he saying? He’s saying, I’m writing to you with boldness so that when I can come to you in person,
I can come to you in humility in meekness because we have unification and unity and oneness and fellowship in Christ.
So I write to you and boldness to correct the problems before I get there. He says first, too.
But I beg you that when I am president, I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some who think of us as if we walked according to the flash.
For though we walk in the flash, we do not war according to the flash, Paul says. Weird.
In this life we walk in this life. We deal with the anguish and the difficulty and the pain and the temptation in the soil of this life.
But we don’t walk according to flesh. Those four for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
Paul says. We don’t walk after the flesh because our weapons in this world fair aren’t material. They’re not fleshly.
They’re not carnal Christians don’t own themselves with swords and staves and guns and bombs because they’re warfare isn’t in the flesh,
he says. Verse tanto verse five, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God,
bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, he says. Our weapons aren’t call all raw fairs and choral warfare is fighting.
Excuse me. A battle of nudge or warfare is fighting a battle of the one who doesn’t know God bringing his thoughts captive to Christ Asians.
Chapter six describes the word of God as the sword of the spirit. Hebrews speaks concerning the word of God being that which that can cut away the sin from our lives.
Paul says our warfare, our battle is against spirituals, things with a spiritual sword, which is the word of God.
So if we’re going to bring our thoughts captive to Christ, if we’re going to allow God to be able to search our hearts,
it is because we have a heart. That fire is God. Turn the Philippians Chapter four Philippians chapter forward.
We often read Verse eight about the things that we can can and should think on. But we just read Verse eight.
We missed the force of verse eight. Go back to verse five. Let your gentleness be known to all men.
The Lord is at hand. The words the Lord is at hand is to say God is very near and everything that follows that phrase is because God is very near.
And what is it that the service in someone 39 was trying to convey? Wherever I go God, you are there.
Whatever. I think you know me. Whatever I say, you know it already. The Lord is at hand.
Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving that you request be made known to God,
he says, Because God is there. Be gentle because God is their prey. Ask for what you need and the peace of God.
Verse seven, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus when your gentleness is known and when you understand the God is there and when you pray instead of worrying,
then God’s peace can be with you and can guard your heart. Then he says, Verse eight. Finally,
brother and whatever things are true. Whatever things are noble, whatever things are just whatever things are pure,
whatever things are lovely. Whatever things were, good report. If there’s any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy,
meditate on these things. Think about these things, make your heart your thoughts, your mind about these things.
But he doesn’t stop there. The things which you have learned and received and heard and saw in me when he tells them thing on things that are lovely,
think of things that are praiseworthy thing on things that are true. Think on things that are of good report,
think on these things that are our virtue Then, he says, and you saw be doing its things that you have seen in me.
These do and the god of peace will be with you. So if we put second really, is she?
After 10 verses ones we find together with Philippians, Chapter four versus 5 to 9, we find that God has a weapon that is in our hands to control our thoughts.
And it’s his word. And we think on his word and his deeds and his actions and the things that he has done through even the examples of those who are righteous before us.
And then we do those things and his peace protects us, but then turned the first John Chapter two,
first John, Chapter two, beginning in verse 12 John writes as the elder, the elder in the church,
the old man, Maybe at this time the only apostle still alive. We don’t know, and he says,
I write to you verse 12 of Chapter two little Children, because your sins are forgiven you for his namesake.
I write to you little Children because your sins are forgiven. He’s not writing the little toddlers spiritually. Children.
I write to you because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. I like to your father’s because you have known him.
Who is from the beginning. I write to you young men because you have overcome Rick. It one I write to you little Children because you have known the father I have written to your father’s because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, Young Lynn, because you are strong in the world of God abides in you and you have overcome the wicked one.
He reassures them over and over and over again. I’m writing to you because you know God because of your relationship with him.
And then he says, Do not love the world because you’re forgiven because you’ve overcome because the word of God abides in you because you are who you are.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world of love, of the father is not in him,
for all of it is in the world. The rest of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father but is off the world and the world is passing away and the lust of it.
But hey, who does the will of God abides forever. Jesus said, not everyone that says to me,
Lord Lord, she’ll enter the kingdom of Heaven. But he who does the will of my father, who is in heaven.
But it begins with the thoughts we have the ability to overcome. We have the ability to control our thoughts.
We have the ability to set our minds on right things and from those things produce a right life where we can say to God,
search me and try me. But we can also know this, that if we are faithful to him and obedient to him and abide in his word and do what he says and think on what he says to think on,
that we can know him because here it is. Full circle Psalms 1 39 says God, you searched for me and you know me God search me and know me.
And in First John, Chapter two and in verse three, John writes Now by this we know that we know him.
John How is it that we know that we know him? Is it because we have a feeling in our heart note?
Is it because we have an emotional attachment? Oh God, no. Is it because we just got this assurance and clarity of mind that we’ve done everything that he said?
No, John, how do we know that we never heal now by verse? We know that we know him if we keep Hiss Commandments.
He who says I know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar. And the truth is not in him but whoever keeps his word true.
The love of God is perfected in him by this. We know that we are in him. So as we examine our thoughts and our relationship with God,
do we remember that God knows us whether we’re righteous or not? God knows us here knows our thoughts.
He knows our ways. He knows our speech. He knows our deeds. The question is, do we know him?
Have we kept his commandments? But it begins in the heart. It begins with turning our life over to him and obeying him,
getting rid of self and serving God. But to do that, you have to die. You can’t live anymore.
If God’s going to live in you, you have to die. You have to die with Christ Galatians,
Chapter three You have to be crucified with Christ. Roman’s Chapter six. You have to die with him and you have to be buried with him.
Romans, Chapter six. But if you’ve done that, you can be raised with him in newness of life.
And that happens in baptism. Roman’s chapter six verses three and four. When were baptized with him we rise again to walk in newness of life.
And not before then and hereby do we know that we know him. If we keep hiss Commandments. If you’re here this morning,
you’re outside the body of Christ. Don’t delay come to a relationship with God. Know him as he knows you make your life right with him.
If you have a need, any need, why not come forward now is we stay in and as we sing yeah,