Well… I just wanna welcome everyone here to Embrace…
Whether you’re in Tea… or at St. Croix…
Whether you’re… in Downtown Sioux Falls… or at Sertoma.
Whether you’re in Salem, South Dakota…
or at the McCrosson Boys Ranch.
Whether you’re at 57th Street… or you’re joining us Online.
We are just so glad that you are here!
My name is Adam… I’m one of the pastors here…
and as always…we are just so excited… that you are with us…
I mean… we’re truly overjoyed…
also know… that each week…
know that we’ve prayed for you as well.
Last week… after one of the services… there was a lady… that was crying…
And I came up to her… in her chair… and just asked if she was okay…
Because she was just covered in tears…
And she said… actually… these are good tears…
and I’m crying… because I’m just in awe of God… and who He is.
And is that not awesome… or what?
And all I could think was…
this is exactly what we pray for… each and every week.
That we’d all… just encounter God today…
and that He would move in us.
And so again… we’re so thrilled that you are here…
And next week… I just wanna say… that you’ll wanna come back…
Next week… we have Nick Hall joining us…
A guy that’s impacting the world for Jesus.
He lives in the Twin Cities… and this summer…
He gathered a half million people together to pray in Washington DC.
I mean… only a half mil… right?
And so you won’t wanna miss that…
And then the following Sunday… October 16th…
we’ll be starting our new series called Waves.
Talking about what it looks like to follow Jesus…
and to walk by faith… when the waves come.
And on that same Sunday…
I’ve heard that there’s tickets… going on sale for our Ladies Night event…
that we haven’t mentioned until right now…
Ladies get excited… like seriously… this is going to be awesome…
And the speaker is… INCREDIBLE… I honestly can’t believe that she’s coming!
And I’m not a lady… but I’m so excited…
that I plan on sneaking in… to the event myself.
It’s going to be an awesome night… and next Sunday we’ll share… who the speaker is…
And then… again the tickets go on sale the 16th…
and at all campuses… we expect them to go fast!
but once again… I just wanna say that we are so pumped…
that you are here… with us.
And now… jumping into things for today…
Just over a year or so ago… Bec and I moved into a different house…
And we did so… because our last house…
was technically a 2 bedroom home…
And with 4 kids…
it was getting a little crazy…
and by crazy… I mean…
I was tempted to sleep in my Chevy Aveo.
So we got a new house… and we absolutely love our new place…
and I don’t ever wanna move…
I love my home…
But I do have to say… that our neighborhood…
does get interesting… from time to time.
Like we haven’t really had that much happen since…
But the very first week we lived there…
was kinda rough.
I mean… in one week… the window got shot out of my car…
which is great…
And another day… there was a couple of guys…
that passed out on our sidewalk…
And another day… I came out of my house…
And in the middle of the day…
there was a guy peeing on my front yard.
Which was just awkward… like excuse me sir…
I’m gonna go back into my house…
So you can finish… peeing on my lawn.
And be sure… to flush…
Again… the first week was a little rough…
And because of it… my wife Bec…
she started to get a little nervous…
Like… where did we move to?
and why did we buy this house?
And what are we doing…
And so I decided it was time to buy…
what every man buys to defend their family…
and their home right?
I bought 2 shiny… nest cams… of course.
And so I got my nest cams…. and I just gotta say…
that these nest cams are crazy…
I mean… they are rolling… 24 hours a day…
And 7 days a week.
And so… nothing is hidden from them.
and I can see… everything.
Like everything.
Using my phone… if my dog moves.... I can see it…
and during the day… if my kids are trying to kill each other…
I can see…
And now I can even watch people…
peeing on my front lawn…
from anywhere in the world.
And again… nothing is hidden from these cameras…
and I can see… everything…. Truly everything…
which is awesome…
but it’s also slightly scary…
to think that someone could be watching me…
in my own home…
Thankfully though… these days…
technology… is completely hack proof… right?
But again… at all times…
these cameras can see everything…
and nothing… like nothing…
is hidden from them.
Now for the last couple of weeks…
we’ve been looking at one of my absolute favorite psalms… psalm 139
which is a psalm…
written by a guy named David….
the same David who killed Goliath…
the same David… who had an affair…
with a lady named Bath-sheba…
ya know.
and really this psalm… is a prayer of his.
It’s a prayer from David… to God…
and it’s filled with words…
describing… who our God is.
Again it’s this prayer… and throughout it…
it’s just describing…
all these crazy wild… things about God.
And in the verses… that we’ve covered so far…
and what we’ve already looked at in this psalm…
David’s just made 2 things… really clear…
First off… that God knows us…
and that He knows everything about us.
And also… secondly… David’s made it clear…
that God is everywhere…
and that wherever we are…
and wherever we go…
that God is there… with us.
And so that’s what we’ve looked at so far…
and now today… we’re gonna look at the last part… of this psalm.
And starting in verse 13… here’s just a part of what it says…
David says: God, you created my inmost being;
And you knit me together in my mother's womb.
And I praise you… because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…
And I love that…
it’s like David is praying… but he’s also kinda bragging…
I mean… dear God… I just gotta say…
that you did pretty good with me.
And Jesus I’m wonderfully made.
And thank you for doing such a good job with me.
No but seriously… David’s praising God…
And then in verse 15… he continues on to say:
And God… my frame… my body…
it was not hidden from you…
When I was made in the secret place... you saw me.
I wasn’t hidden… when I was woven…
together in the depths of the earth.
And your eyes… they saw me before I was even born…
In the message translation… it says:
God… like an open book…
you have watched me grow… from conception to birth…
And all the stages of my life are spread out before you.
And so… just to sum this up for us…
David’s saying…
that God… you are the one who gave life to me…
and you saw me… in my mother’s womb.
And at no point… have I been hidden from you…
I mean… your eyes…
they saw me before I was born…
And from conception
which is kinda strange to think about…
and I thought this was church.
from conception to birth…
you have watched me grow…
And I mean… like the ultimate nest cam…
God… you have seen everything…
you’ve seen it all.
and nothing’s been hidden from you…
And my whole life… your eyes…
my whole life… you have watched me.
And so this is so powerful…
and again… I just love this psalm.
And now… that we’ve gone through most of the psalm itself.
I just wanna give us the deeper meaning of David’s words.
Here’s the bigger picture of what’s happening.
David…is saying and praying this psalm to God…
Why? Because he’s been wrongly accused by someone.
He’s been wrongly accused of something…
that he didn’t do.
I mean… have you ever had someone judge you…
Or blame you…
Or misunderstand you…
Or accuse you…
of something… that you didn’t do.
Or have you ever had someone… make an assumption about you…
And who you are…
And it’s just like… that’s not who I am.
This is what David is facing… and struggling with.
And that’s why He’s saying all of this to God.
Again… He’s just like… God… you know me….
And you know everything about me…
And you’re everywhere...
And God you’ve seen everything…
you’ve seen it all.
and nothing’s been hidden…
And my whole life… you’ve watched me.
And because of this… God… you know the truth…
and you know who I am… like every part of me.
And I mean… you even saw me in my mom’s stomach…
And you’ve seen everything I’ve ever done...
Again… God you know me…
And that’s what really matters…
You know me… and so instead… of living to be seen by others…
and instead of being controlled…
by what others have to say... about me.
God I wanna live my life… for you.
Once more… instead of living to be seen by someone else…
God, I wanna live…
to be seen… and watched... by you.
Okay… so this is great right…
but now switching to us…
I know for myself… living to be seen by God…
instead of living to be seen by others… is so much easier said then done.
Isn’t it?
I mean… it’s crazy the things that we’ll do…
and the extent that we’ll go to…
in order to impress… and be validated by others.
And when we’re wrongly accused by someone…
Or when a person makes a wrong assumption… about us.
Well… it just drives us crazy…
and few things… are worse.
Because we do care so much about what others think…
and so often… we are living for the approval and attention of others…
And when something’s a flat-out lie…
it’s like everything in us…
it’s like we have to set things straight.
And yet… if we haven’t figured it out yet…
when it comes to others… and trying to live for others…
there’s a few things…
that will always be true…
and I just wanna contrast these things with…
what our psalm tells us about God…
and living for Him…
And so first off… when it comes to living for others…
something that we all know…
and yet it’s like we forget it or something…
is the simple truth that:
it’s impossible to please everyone… right?
it’s just impossible…
I mean… there will always be people… someone…
that you just can’t please…
from your kids & your relatives…
to your neighbors… to your boss…
to the people behind you… in line at Starbucks…
there will always be people…
who are frustrated or upset with you.
There will always be people
who just don’t like you.
And this is so hard for the people pleaser in me…
to come to terms with…
but it’s just impossible to please everyone…
And yet when it comes to God though… this isn’t how He is…
You see… it might be impossible to please everyone…
But God… He sees us…
and His thoughts about us… are always good.
As we said earlier… David says:
God… my frame… my body…
it was not hidden from you…
and your eyes… they saw me before I was born…
And then listen to what he says in verse 17…
David says: and how precious to me…
are your thoughts about me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand…
on this earth.
He’s like… God… you see me…
and you never stop thinking about me…
Like my whole life…
God, you’ve just been thinking about me…
and your thoughts about me…
are precious to me…
and you have so many thoughts about me…
that they can’t be counted.
Again… It’s impossible to please everyone…
but with God… His thoughts about us… are always good.
And so that’s the first thing to mention…
And then secondly… when it comes to living for others…
another thing… that we most likely… already know…
is that… it’s completely exhausting…
to try and please everyone.
Again… it’s impossible to do… and it’s also exhausting….
trying to live for everyone.
I mean… the minute that one person is satisfied with us…
the next person isn’t…
and one decision… will make one person happy…
And upset the next.
and one person will see and hear one thing…
and another will see and hear…
something completely different.
And this person will think you should have done this…
And another… will criticize us for doing that.
And it’s like trying to keep… a bunch of plates spinning…
at the same time…
and if I just would have said this… or done that…
and if I just would have done so…
then everything would be good.
And yet it never is…
But it’s just never enough…
And there’s always someone… unhappy.
Again… trying to live for… and please everyone... it’s exhausting…
But that’s not how it is with God…
that’s not how it is with Him…
You see… when it comes to living for Him…
It’s not exhausting…
instead… it’s life giving.
Living for God… and being seen by Him…
It’s life-giving…
and it fills us… and our lives…
with His joy… and His goodness…
and His peace…
And in this psalm you can hear this…
David’s like… God, you are my creator…
You’re the one who gave me life…
You’re the one who knit me together.
And what you think… is all that really matters.
What you think… is all that I’m concerned about.
Instead of trying to live for everyone else…
instead of trying to keep everyone happy…
which is exhausting…
God I just wanna live… to be seen…
and watched by you.
God… You’re my one true audience.
and you’re the One that I wanna live my life for.
Because with you God… I don’t have to keep the plates spinning….
And I don’t have to try and meet an endless list of expectations…
Instead… I just have to focus on you…
and faithfully following you.
and God… all you want from me... is to love you…
and become more like you…
And I’m so thankful God…
that your thoughts about me… are precious.
And I’m so thankful that you never…
stop thinking about me…
Again… it’s exhausting trying to please everyone…
but living for God… is life giving.
And so again… when it comes to living for others…
it’s impossible to please everyone…
and it’s exhausting… trying to do so.
And then the last thing to share…
is that it’s crazy to think…
that we can control the thoughts of others.
And again… it’s crazy to think…
that we can control… how others think…
and the thoughts that others have…
specifically… about our selves.
It’s crazy… and yet we try to do so… daily… don’t we?
Constantly trying to look and act a certain way…
to make people think… that we’re funny… or successful…
or popular…
or that we’re a good parent.
Or a good Christian.
Constantly managing our image…
It’s why Instagram is so great…
because with a little cropping…
and a filter…
you can make your life look awesome.
And if someone misunderstands us…
Or accuses of something…
Or has a wrong assumption about us…
We try our hardest… to set things straight…
We try our hardest… to control…
what someone else thinks.
But it’s just crazy to think that we can do so…
when the truth is... we have so little control.
And with this… one of the things… that always scares me…
is the mob mentality of humans…
I mean… it’s like if one thing is said on Facebook… it’s true right…
And if one thing is said on the news…
Or even within a group of friends…
If one thing is said…
It’s automatically true…
and it’s like the whole world turns…
on that one person.
And whether the person…
at the center of the mob is guilty or not…
I always just grieve for them.
Because… they have so little control… of what others think.
and they have zero ability to set things straight…
But now here’s the Good News though…
it’s crazy to think that we can control the thoughts of others
BUT with God… hear this… we don’t have to…
Why? Because He sees us… for who we truly are.
And it’s what we’ve been saying all along…
and it’s what David is trying to say in our psalm:
He’s saying:God… you know me….
And you know everything about me…
And you’re everywhere... and God you’ve seen everything…
you’ve seen it all.
and nothing’s been hidden…
And my whole life… you’ve watched me.
And because of this… God… you know the truth…
and you know who I am… like every part of me.
I mean… you even saw me before I was born..
And you’ve seen everything I’ve ever done...
And just to quickly remind us…
David is the one who wrote this psalm…
The same dude who had an affair…
and then he tried to cover it up by having a guy killed…
Like let’s just say… that the dude’s... is far from perfect…
And yet David is inviting…
and really he’s begging God…
to look at… the depths of who he is.
I mean… just listen to his words… in verses 23 & 24…
He says… 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.
And again… David’s inviting God…
And He’s just like… God I truly wanna live… to be seen…
and watched by you.
And I have nothing to hide…
And I want nothing to hide…
And so search me… and look at my heart.
Look at every part of my life.
Because God… I can’t control what others things…
and it’s crazy to think I can…
And it’s impossible to please everyone…
and it’s completely exhausting to even try…
But thankfully… God… you see me for who I truly am.
and before you…
God… there’s just so much freedom in knowing this…
God… there’s just so much freedom…
in knowing… that you know me… like you do.
Again… I just live… to be seen… and watched by you… and only you.
And now… closing things up today….
over the last 3 weeks… as I’ve just been reading through this psalm…
over and over again…
There’s been so many times…
where all I can think is that…
God is crazy…
and that He’s completely irrational.
It’s like… God you’re nuts!
I mean… we’re told that
God knows everything about David… like everything…
From his shortcomings… to his affair…
to trying to cover up his affair…
to his mistakes…
I mean… God has seen everything in David…
since his conception…
And yet what does David say?
David says that God’s thoughts about him…
are wonderful… and precious…
and that God is constantly thinking about him…
and that it’d be impossible to count… all of these wonderful thoughts that God has about him.
And in hearing this… I just wanna say… Really?
I mean… You’re not disgusted with him God?
And you still love Him… that much God…
And you still wanna be with him and know him?
Because that’s irrational… to do so.
And it makes no sense.
And it’s just crazy.
And yet… all I could think… is that on totally different scale…
that it’s the same kind of irrational…
insane… love… that I have for my kids.
A parent’s love is irrational… just like God’s… isn’t it?
It’s like… I have literally seen everything…
my 4 terrorist have ever done…
And I pretty much go everywhere they go…
And I know everything about them…
and yet… for some reason… I still love them.
It’s crazy.
And they take all of my money…
And they eat all of my food…
And I still haven’t seen 1 check for rent…
Not a single month.
And yet I still love them.
It’s nuts.
And on a daily basis… they destroy my house…
And our minivan looks like we’ve had a pack of gorillas eating in it…
And they’re the only reason…
we had to get a minivan… in the first place…
and yet I still love them…
It makes no sense…
And even worse… they’ve spit up on me…
And they’ve yelled at me…
And they’ve peed… not only on my grass…
but also on my floors…
And yet I still love them.
It’s irrational.
And the truth is… is that more than anything…
that I want from them…
More than anything… they could ever give me… or offer me.
More than anything else…
I just simply… wanna be with them…
I just wanna see them.
And all I’d ever hope… is that they’d wanna know me.
The same way that I know them
Again… it’s crazy… and irrational…
And this is the same exact way… that God sees us…
He sees and He knows everything about us…
everything about you… and me.
And yet for some crazy reason… He still loves us…
And He longs for us… to know Him…
the same way that He knows us.
One last time…
O Lord… you have searched me… and you know me.
Let’s pray.
