Changing our world part 2

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.

INTRODUCTION

Good evening, Southpointe we are on the second part of this mini series, titled Changing our world.

This whole sermon series is coming off an idea, about you can’t lead others to places you have never been.

So in this sermon tonight we are going to deal with search me and know me and again just as the first part, without this we can’t change our world.

In my text tonight this is one of the most dangerous prayer to pray as Christian because it lets the guard down around your heart and it gives God complete access to your life.

The thing about this prayer “search me and know me” is words that we would never pray without having a desire to go somewhere and to be used for greater things.

A person who didn’t believe that God has a purpose for their lives wouldn’t pray this.

So to be more than a conqueror we must be willing to let God search our lives to get us to the next level in our walk with God.

I like the Eugene Peterson translation in the message Bible:

—God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. I’m an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking. You know when i leave and when I get back; I’m never out of your sight. You know everything I’m going to say before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there too, your reassuring presence coming and going.

Investigate--To follow up step by step by patient inquiry or observation; to trace or track mentally; to search into; to inquire and examine into with care and accuracy;

This is what God does when we invite Him into our lives. He will very careful and very loving go step by step searching.

So first thing we want to talk about is:

1. Search me

If your heart had a a search bar, and God typed in any word, what would come up.

For instance:

What if God typed, dreams? Hopes? Fears?

Talk about dreams, talk about hopes, talk about fears.

But what if God got real with us and typed in Lust? selfishness? Addiction? anger?

When we pray for God to search us and know us, God searches us and He sees what comes out of our hearts.

It is kinda like how we search something online.

Because when we run a search online, just as God does on our heart when you really pray this then there will be three things that you will find.

a. You will find that what you are looking for isn’t there.

b. You will find something you forgot about.

c. You will find that what you have been searching for has been there all the time.

(NIV) For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

God knows the plans He has for you so when you pray “search me and know me, you are praying for God to dig all the garbage out of your life so that you can step into God’s plan for your life.

2. Know me

The know part of this prayer is the best part of the entire verse.

It is like a lawyer examining a witness.

God investigate my life; get all the fact firsthand. I’m an open book To Him.

(NIV) You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

1 You have searched me, Lord,

and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise;

you perceive my thoughts from afar.

When you pray this prayer, it is like you are taking the stand in God’s courtroom.

The Father is the Judge and Jesus is the lawyer. When Jesus asks you questions about yourself and you answer honestly those issues you buried, that garbage that you stuffed deep inside begins to come to the surface.

Instead of allowing you to be embarrassed by it, Jesus takes all your hurt and all your pain and all the ugly and looks you in the eye and says to you .

I paid for that on the cross, it is mine.

Then you begin to realize that whenever you pray “search me and know me” that God is not coming into your life to condemn you for your garbage but to save you from it.