Senior Service 1/9/23

Hey friends,

Happy New Year to you. I hope you also had a Merry Christmas. I apologize we were not able to do a Christmas service with you, but we’re glad to be here today.

Yesterday at church, I shared with my congregation the truth that we are all truly special to God.

That God has uniquely designed us.

That He was intimately involved in the creation of us.

That He constantly thinks about us.

And He has special plans for our lives… our entire lives!

Not just when we are young.

Not just in our prime.

Not just in the latter years.

But in every season, if we still have breath, God has a purpose for our days. Because we are special to Him.

And the reason I believe this is because God says it in His Word - in the Bible. A few thousand years ago, the Holy Spirit inspired King David (one of Israel’s greatest kings) to write a psalm, a poem, a song about how special we are to God. We can find this amazing piece of God-inspired literature in Psalm 139.

And today, I’d like to spend our time reading this Psalm. Because I believe it’s a good way to start off the Year. Many people make resolutions in the New Years. Goals to be a better person or accomplish things they’ve always wanted to do. I like that! I think God likes that. God is a God of new beginnings.

And I believe this year, God has something new for you. Because He’s not done with you yet. He’s got a special purpose for you. But in order for you to experience that purpose, you got to first believe you are special to Him. And that’s where Psalm 139 comes in...

So, let’s read it together...

Psalm 139:1–6 NLT

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!

God knows everything. He knows everything that is going on in the world. He knows everything that happens in the past. He knows everything that will happen in the future.

More than that, He knows everything about us. Even the deepest secrets of our hearts. The things we never shared with anyone. He knows the pain we hide. He knows the worries we have. He knows the joys of our celebration.

God knows everything.

Psalm 139:8–12 ESV

If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

One reason God knows everything is because God is everywhere. That doesn’t mean God is everything or everyone. But it does mean God is not limited by space.

He knows everything. He is everywhere, even beyond the places we can comprehend.

Yet, Psalm 139 goes onto say...

Psalm 139:13–18 NLT

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!

Although God is infinitely beyond us… He knows more than we can ever know… and He’s everywhere even places we could never reach or imagine… He is also very close to us. He is not a distant God. He is a personal God who loves us very much.

Again, He was intimately involved in our creation.

He has a plan - a good plan - for all of your days.

And He thinks about you all the time. If it were even possible to count the amount of times He thinks about you, it would be more than the sand. Some of you may remember that I’m from San Diego. I’ve been to the beach countless time. I’ve been on the sand. It’s impossible to count the sand because it’s too much. God thinks about you more than the sand on the beach. Even when you think no other person thinks about you, God thinks about you… because you are special to Him.

In fact, even when you are sleeping and you are not even thinking about yourself… God is with you, thinking about you, waiting for you to awake, because He loves you and wants to spend time with you.

Psalm 139:19–24 ESV

Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

And finally, God knows you need His help.

He knows you need His help with your personal relationships.

He knows you need His help with your personal struggles.

But here’s what’s awesome… the reason David writes these things is because he knows we’re special to God. He knows that when he cries out to God, God hears him and will help him.

And the same is true for us today...

Do you wonder if anyone thinks about you? God does. Because you’re special to Him.

Do you need help? God is close and ready to help. Cry out to Him. Pray… speak out loud or in your heart. He can hear you. He knows everything.

Do you need a fresh start in the New Year? Have you made mistakes that weigh you down and you need forgiveness. God wants to forgive you - that’s why Jesus went to the Cross. So, that if you will turn from your sins, and put your faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior, you could receive forgiveness and eternal life. Do you need to do that today? Then ask Him. He promises to help you.

And to close, we’re going to do communion together. Communion is a time to remember how much God loves us. It remembers what Jesus did for us on the cross, breaking His body and shedding His blood so we could be forgiven and have new life. Communion tells us we can have a new start, and that we are special to God.

So, as I come by, if you would like to remember these things, put out your hand and I will distribute the elements to you.

Let’s pray...