Intro: Our planned revival time is drawing close. September 14 through 17 is our scheduled fall revival. I have some important questions to ask you this morning. Is it enough to place the revival meeting on the calendar? Is it enough to contact radio stations and hand out flyers and contact the local churches in the area? Is it enough to invite an evangelist to come?
I would answer no! There is something that I believe is wrong with the church today. Many of you, older than me, remember 2 week revivals. At the Associational meeting last week we heard from several who remembered protracted meetings, revival meetings that lasted 5 and 6 weeks. I said maybe its because people are so busy that we don’t have long revivals any more. To which a wonderful lady said no, its because we are too busy with the wrong things!
What did Jesus say that His house would be? Mark 11.17 is it not written that my house will be a house of prayer. Let me give you Bro Bills translation. My house will be a place where I am central. My church is a place where people’s relationship to God the Father through Jesus Christ the son is the main aim. Everything else will flow naturally from that close connection.
Prayer is the main way we connect and communicate with our heavenly father. We see in Psalm 139 David offering to God a prayer with many different parts. However, I like to call it the prayer of examination. I believe that when God’s people do as David did and see the greatness of God and respond with a cry for deep examination revival will come.
I. Our recognition of God’s Greatness
David begins the psalm blown away with God’s complete knowledge.
A) God’s Complete Knowledge. (Psalm 139.1)
God digs us! The Hebrew word used here is a word used for deep digging as you would in a mine. God doesn’t stop at the surface of who we are He gets down deep.
He has complete knowledge of our character, our thoughts, our words, our actions. Someone once said God is like your teenager. You can’t tell Him anything because He already knows it all. He is not fooled by outward appearances. 1 John 3,20 This is one thing I have tried very hard to communicate to Perche. Man looks at the outward God looks at the heart.
David was completely blown away by God’s knowledge. How much God knew about David not even David was honest about.
The message translation says, it’s too much I can’t take it all in. God knows us all perfectly.
B) God’s continual presence (Psalm 139.7-12)
David was also blown away at God’s ability to always be present. No matter the place God was always there. God promises His children that He will never leave nor forsake us. God does not go back on His promises. He is always near. If you are missing God’s presence in your life who is it that moved?
C) God’s complete care for creation (Psalm 139.13-16)
David said you knit me together in my mothers womb. Can you not see the caring hands of An almighty God carefully and lovingly making and molding the little baby that would one day be the Greatest king of Israel, other than Jesus Christ. If God takes that much care of us in the womb He must have a wonderful purpose for us in the world.
It is the overwhelming greatness of God that causes David to make the next request. Search me God. I will not be honest about my own condition search me. We need a deep extraction team to search the depths of my heart and see if there is any wickedness there. Sin is displeasing to God and distracts from His purpose.
II. Our request for deep examination
Search me oh God. The word here means to dig down into. To get to the bottom of . God has no problem digging past the layers of secrecy. Why would David ask God to search Him?
As men and women of fallen nature our hearts are deceitful. The Bible says only continually evil. David is asking God to get out the spiritual drill, the spiritual backhoe, the spiritual strip miner. Father remove the layers of religion and pomp and circumstance and reveal who I am down deep.
You know me God, you know the real me. I pray oh God reveal to me the deepest dirtiest dankest part of my heart and soul. What could have possibly been going on in David’s life to make him pray this prayer? Was it the persecution of Saul that made him request the deep examination? Was it the revolt and or death of his beloved son Absalom? Was it the death of his and Bathsheba’s child born out of adultery?
First David got down to business with God search me. Show myself and the world what is really in me.
Then David asks God to do business with him. Try me see if there is any wicked way in me. David really said God try me. How do we act when trials come our way. Oh whoa is me! Not David, he says bring it on God! Try me, as gold and silver are tried by fire to prove their purity. God turn up the heat!!! Is there any compartment of your life you don’t want God to search?
Are we as God’s people willing to say search me Oh God! Dig up whatever in me is displeasing to you! Try me Oh God! Turn up the heat so that you might come out for the world to see.
When revival happens in us as we draw close to God and ask him to work in our lives and reveal it to the world, God will impact others around us.
Dig it up God and clean it out.
III. Our request for divine direction
David doesn’t stop with deep examination. 139.24b “and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Here is the end and aim of the prayer of examination. Lead me. Here am I lead me lord make my life useful to thee.
Here is a great sign of submission. Lead me. There is a wonderful saying that anyone who has ever had a boss or multiple bosses will appreciate, “too many Indians not enough chiefs.”
Here though David is a king he needs direction in the way everlasting.
The Godly king of Israel needs the good hand of God to leading through this life. Here is a invitation to all of us to submit to the leadership of God.
God I desire your direction in my life. I am not going to head out in my own direction and ask you to bless my endeavors. I will instead allow you to be my compass, my map, and my guide.
A) Personal Guidance
“lead me”
God is available to us all. It is for personal guidance that David says lead me. Not lead us. If we are to lead others to God there must first be a personal discipleship. What do we do to get this guidance? Simple Lead me Lord. Then surrender your heart, head, and future to the Lord Jesus Christ.
B) Specific Guidance
“in the way”
Did you know God desires to guide all your steps? NIV readers version. Help me in the way that is always right. Always lead me in the everlasting way. God I will come to you for specific guidance regarding every area of my life. There is no area to big and no area to small for you to lead. Department store mentalities must be thrown out the window. Ok God lead me in the religious are of my life but stay out of the financial, marriage, job, and other areas. No Jesus is either Lord of all or not Lord at all!!
C) Eternal Guidance
“ever lasting”
The ultimate reason that God is guiding us, is for us to know Him. Eternal life is defined in
John 17.3 “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent”
Jesus came to this earth, God in flesh to guide us to God the father.
Conclusion: Is it enough to put up posters and tell people about the revival and invite the evangelist. I say no! Let us prayer the prayer of examination. Asking God to show us what we miss. Then allow God to lead us in the way everlasting, eternal, forever.
