A Person After God's Own Heart
David's example shows us that we can be a person after God's own heart by inviting God to search and know our heart, and by trusting in what God has done for us in Christ.
John Wesley emphasizes the profound relationship between God and humanity, as illustrated in Psalm 139, where David acknowledges God's omniscience and omnipresence. He reflects on David's plea for God to search his heart, revealing the importance of self-examination and the desire for a pure heart. Wesley highlights that true humility and spiritual poverty lead to a deeper understanding of oneself and a closer relationship with God. He encourages believers to invite God to reveal their inner thoughts and sins, assuring them that through Christ and the Holy Spirit, they too can become people after God's own heart. The sermon challenges listeners to seek purity and authenticity in their spiritual journey.
Text
"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23&24) If you have the time, try and read the whole of Psalm139. The Interpreter's Bible calls it "one of the glories of the Psalter" and as you read it you will find many verses that sound familiar. It is a Psalm of David and it speaks of the God who knows all things, the God who is in all places, and the God who creates.
It speaks of the God who sees all creation (and today we understand more than ever just how huge creation is) and at the same time sees into the womb and watches over the formation of a little person. Theologians might use words like Omniscience and Omnipresence to describe these mysteries but the Psalmist just uses words of praise and joy and wonder. The intriguing part of the Psalm is that it begins with the words, "Oh Lord, you have searched me and you know me" and ends with the words, "Search me, oh God and know my heart."
He is asking the God who knows him, to get to know him. Why is this so? Here we see David at his best, spiritually poverty stricken and crying out for a pure heart. David is fully aware that it is possible to not know your own heart, so he asks God to show him what He sees in his heart. He invites God to test him knowing full well that God tests by fire and by water but he is prepared to risk it because he wants a pure heart. No wonder David is called a man after God's own heart.
The good news is that because of what God has done for you in Christ and because of the power of the Holy Spirit at work within you, you can be a person after God's own heart as well. Do you want to be? Show me, as my soul can bear, The depth of inbred sin, All the unbelief declare, The pride that lurks within; Take me, whom thyself hast bought, Bring into captivity Every high aspiring thought That would not stoop to thee. (348)
Sermon Outline
- I. The God Who Knows All Things
- A. Omniscience: God sees all creation and the formation of a person
- B. Omnipresence: God is in all places
- II. The Psalmist's Praise and Wonder
- A. Words of praise and joy for God's mysteries
- B. The Psalmist's awareness of God's all-knowing nature
- III. David's Spiritual Poverty and Cry for a Pure Heart
- A. David's recognition of his own spiritual shortcomings
- B. David's invitation for God to test and reveal his heart
- IV. The Call to be a Person After God's Own Heart
- A. The good news of God's work in Christ and the Holy Spirit
- B. The possibility of being a person after God's own heart
Key Quotes
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” — John Wesley
“Do you want to be? Show me, as my soul can bear, The depth of inbred sin, All the unbelief declare, The pride that lurks within;” — John Wesley
Application Points
- We can ask God to search and know our heart, and invite Him to test us by fire and water.
- We can trust in what God has done for us in Christ and rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to make us a person after God's own heart.
- We can be spiritually poverty-stricken and cry out for a pure heart, just like David, and invite God to reveal our heart.