Psalms 132:23
The sermon emphasizes the importance of recognizing God's knowledge of us and seeking His guidance to avoid deception and ensure our eternal destiny.
Chuck Smith emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and the need for God's guidance in understanding our true selves. He highlights that God knows us intimately, including our thoughts and motivations, and that this knowledge can be overwhelming. The prayer 'Search me, O God' reflects a desire for divine insight into our hearts, especially regarding our eternal destiny. Smith warns against self-deception, particularly in relation to our relationship with God and the dangers of living in darkness while claiming to walk in the light. Ultimately, he encourages believers to seek the narrow path that leads to eternal life through Jesus.
Text
"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.
Sermon Outline
- I. Recognition of God's Knowledge
- A. God knows me better than I know myself
- B. The hardest knowledge to attain is self knowledge
- II. The Prayer of Recognition
- A. Search me O God and know my heart
- B. Concerning my eternal destiny
- III. Deception Concerning God and Eternal Destiny
- A. Many people are deceived concerning their relationship to God
- B. The works of the flesh lead to eternal destruction
Key Quotes
“You know my highs and my lows.” — Chuck Smith
“The hardest knowledge to attain is self knowledge.” — Chuck Smith
“Search me O God and know my heart.” — Chuck Smith
Application Points
- Recognize God's knowledge of you and seek His guidance to avoid deception.
- Be aware of the false way and its consequences, and choose the true way everlasting.
- Make sure you are not deceived concerning your relationship to God and eternal destiny.