"SEARCH ME O GOD"
Intro: Whole psalm a prayer.
I. BEGINS WITH RECOGNITION; GOD KNOWS ME BETTER THAN I KNOW MYSELF.
A. "O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me."
1. You know my highs and my lows.
2. You know the origins of my thoughts.
3. You surround my life, whether asleep or awake.
4. Before I speak, you know what I am going to say.
5. You totally encompass my life.
B. Such knowledge is too much for me, I cannot attain it.
1. What knowledge? Self knowledge!
a. Socrates said, "Man, know thyself."
2. The hardest knowledge to attain is self knowledge.
3. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and who can know
it?" - desperately wicked
4. The Bible warns many times against being deceived.
a. "Be not deceived, God is not mocked..."
b. "If we say we,, have no sin, we deceive ourselves..."
5. Have you ever asked yourself, "Why did I do that?"
6. Have you ever said, "I don't know why I did it."
a. Sometimes we may use that as a cover because the true motive
was so horrible, we don't want to admit to it.
b. Other times we just don't know.
7. How thoroughly God knows us. Wonder of wonders, He still loves us.
II. "SEARCH ME O GOD AND KNOW MY HEART" IS THE PRAYER OF THE MAN WHO RECOGNIZES THAT HE
DOESN'T KNOW HIMSELF.
A. There is one area I must make certain I am not deceived.
1. Concerning my eternal destiny, "the way everlasting."
2. Recognizing that God will surely destroy the wicked he prays, " See if
there be any wicked..."
3. "There is a way that seemeth right unto man..."
B. Many people are deceived concerning their relationship to God and eternal destiny.
1. They claim to have fellowship with light as they walk in darkness.
a. They feel they are exempt from God's laws.
b. They try to bring light and darkness together.
2. Many people who have spent their life in church will spend their
eternity in hell.
3. The works of the flesh, adultery, fornication, hatred, wrath, strife,
jealousies, envying, drunkenness, revellings, "I tell you again..."
4. You may say, pastor, aren't you getting a little heavy this morning?
a. It's God's Word.
b. I would rather you be upset with me now than later.
C. There is a way everlasting.
1. Straight is the gate, narrow is the way.
2. There is a false way, broad and wide.
3. How can I be sure?
4. Jesus said, "I am the way..."
Search me O God.
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Chuck Smith (1927 - 2013)
Pastor Chuck was used in the Jesus People revival where he was used along with others to minister to the hippy young people. They saw a work of the Spirit where many were added to the church and discipled. He has raised up many pastors who are a part of the Calvary Chapel movement now and where he pastors the large Costa Mesa church in California.The Calvary Chapel movement is based of simple principles that Chuck Smith taught over the years such as: The priority of agape love, Simple fellowship amongst the saints, the breaking of bread, the teaching of God's word chapter by chapter and verse by verse. And lastly and most importantly the principle not by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord.