Sermon Tone Analysis

Dear Congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ,

DLF -Trumpkin - didn’t belive in Lion’s Well symbolically he did - myths - neat itdy category - like somethingin this world that you know!

Favourtie scene in the book - Lion’s presence truly boring down on him - what do you think now - you you spoke so presumpitiusiouly and knowingly - kind of like Job at end of speech: I had heard of you but now, now I knkow you!

Not that comfortable.

Trembling eaten up - thrown up in the air -roars - buthen shall we be friends?

That is a surprise when something only think a little is true, turns out way more true than ever imagined!

But is more troubling than that.

The Greeks, socrates, teh renaisance and the enlgihtentment, humanity runing from God -says - man is the measure of all things.

Just know thyself!

Think that is actually secret to success!

Live in a world and culture you and I are big, think much about people, their opinions reactoins, stuff of this earth - pepole are big, but God is small.

Idea like Trumpkin’s of a lion.

’s utterly terrifying command from one like you and me to Almighty God - is not know thyself, show me who I am, nor even Go show yourself - but look at the command at the begining and the end:

V.1 O LORD< you have searched me and known me! Search me, O God, and know my heart.

Now obvious question should come to mind - if God already knows - why is he asking this.

Answer this riddle and you’ve got the message of this Psalm: Why command God to search and know you if God already knows and leads me?

The answer I hope you see is that God isn’t the type of being peering down on you and me ass through distant telescope; nor detailed print out of our activity - in fact, before created new us end from beginning.

But this is speaking of YOu welcomiong God’s near presence to totally inspect your life - for Him to what take hold of you in the middle of your darkness, anxiety and uncertainty.

Boys and girls you know that feeling when done something so wrong, parents haven’t found out, then they look at you strange and you think they know it all!

It cahnges you.

And if they ever knew it all and still lvoed you ..came down alngside you - we can face this do this, but got to be compeletly honest an dopen - That’s about God’s active and personal, knwoing and leading you.

Presence bores down on you from the heaven,s like a drill through the skies on to Barrie, into Covenant into your little life - Knowing is aprocess liek that For God - by which he who knows all -personally comes beside and then accomplsihes his plan with us!

And that what is the third word repeated in the begining and the end?

V.3b you are aquainted with my ways - manner of life, habit, inclinations, affections - my path ; and look at the end:

But before we see what we got to do when God’s prsence bores down on us like this.

There is one more orientation to this must give you.

It’s why the Psalmist and you and me and indeed even the One this Psalm ultiamtely speaks of needs the LORD to bore down with HIs presence, knowing us, personally intimately - and leading us - why do you need that experince?

The problem you see inthis Psalm makes you very uncomfortable and it is 19-22 the Lament.

Do you hear his urgent cry - in v.18 he waks up from His time of revealtion from God - prayer, worship, praising - and one rotten reality is still staring in the face!

Not a person whose a thorn in your side at work, family member rubs you wrong way.

even personal enemy who has taken advantage of you, made you look bad!

Problem much deeper than that in our lives, in our world, What is every line about in v.19-22 the wicked - who are they - murderous oprressors - take his name in vain -0 blaspheme the HOly God - and when you hear about adults prositting chidren, hear of kidnapping, atrocity - stomache curls - understand that Enemy in this world that is God’s enemey and those who follow him - perpruaterate desrtuction, pppression - you hate them - not personally , vindictaviely - David’s not crying out save me from them.

Doesn’t even care about his own safety in this - NOt save me Psalm.

- but is crying out Ioathe that evil, afront to your good plan, I stand against it, and I stand against them - Why would the psalmist, David, you me go through this experience - because he wants to offer himself in this battle!

And he can’t do that if there is evil in Him that God will reject Him for needs this experinece of God’s presence boring down on Him, and God knowing all accepting Him as covenant partentr in this pbatrtle, and God pledging HIs loyaty and protection, and intimacy to Him!

Friend whose gone through hard time s young age messed up in drugs.. says one of the most helpful things in my life - compeltely honest with my wife - and with kids - more he shared the struggle sMore we believe that she loves me, less you hide from that person , more we believe God lves us the less we hide from Him ,mand everyone else - ready to live humbly in this battle for the LORD!

So that is what I am asking you today:

Open yourself to God’s Presence boring down on you, and you will be equipped as His covenant partner for the battle!

A. Stop Running From God’s Search Light

How does v.1 make you feel?

By default we resist invasion of pricacy and fears other will find our depravity = fear we will disappoint!

= we set up impenetrable defenses to protect our knowledge from unwanted intruders = people retreat from relationships, mask their reality = entrust ourselves to none but ourselves = islands…

= we try same posture with God, Adam and Eve in bushes with fig leaf.

; To have a relationship with God we must honestly confess that we can't outsmart his active omnisci, omnipres, omni\ficence - divest ourselves of hypocrisy.

; To have a relationship with God we must honestly confess that we can't outsmart his active omnisci, omnipres, omni\ficence - divest ourselves of hypocrisy.

That friend of mine, teachers always said till alst 5th year universtiy: If X would just aplly hismelf- afraid if did - disappoint and fail - faraid with God like that too.

But one prof pulled aside - All D’s got A! “I love you jus the way that you are, .. love will change you - What a risk - to confess and let someone knwo you warts and all.

But the Psalmist shows the horror of how God knows our thoughts:

That word discern - is like winoowing wheat from the chaff - God sepeartes a person’s behaviour - feel exposed, naked before him.

Don’t have to pretentd with God!

Don’t have to pretentd with God!

Like Trumpkin, frightening - what will a friend do with that secret… going to belittle and ridicule you?

God going to condmn you as failure and shut you out?

Psalmist shows in 139:4 that God doesn’t jsut rpeict words, out of our mouths, but knows them competely - he knows motivations that that brought forth the word, knows the thoguhts - and by verse 6 he is trembling in a cold sweat - a God who not only knows all, but know sintimately down on the ground -

Word in v5 for that realization is a miltary word: to lofty = unscalable height

Psalmist is saying, I don’t have the power to scale the heights of your knwoledge… v. 6 it is too wonderful, Pellah for me - awe respect fear, impregnable - so I bow beneath the mystery - overwhelmed with an heavy heart that you know me like this! You’ve got me check mate God - You are the Hound of Heaven.

By way of application, when deism came out - God far away unconcerned - Oxford bleieving men like John Owen, had to teach young men - to think about their lives survey them, mediate on God with God.

So too today young people MTD - God far away idea - or do we curvey our lives - do we consider God’s knowledge of what we do in private and in public - think about what His opnion of us s -thinkg with him about it!

That’s what the next stanza gets us to do not so much about what God knows about us, but about where He is with us:

And this moves us from the anxiety of God knowing us to the great comfort of him knowing us:

B. Stop Running From God’s Search Light and Welcome His Intimate Scrutiny & Presence

v.7 Increases our anxiety - YOu can’t get away from God’s presence - and yet we do flee don’t we - to some pretty bad and darkn and dangerous places - wehere we forget about God, get busy liveing without him, where doubts, sadness, anger - we let them crowd God out of our lives!

If we go up or down - there you are - even if we go to death - there you are also.

v.7 Increases our anxiety - YOu can’t get away from God’s presence - and yet we do flee don’t we - to some pretty bad and darkn and dangerous places - wehere we forget about God, get busy liveing without him, where doubts, sadness, anger - we let them crowd God out of our lives!

If we go up or down - there you are - even if we go to death - there you are also.

But as shows even in death, Lord not abandon His beloved - He is there!

What a joy that oppressive palm of God on us in konwing everything, now becomes a hand that will guide and protect us!

Beautiful picture E where the sun rises, and the races as in a charoit to the sea ( darkness, chaos, unformed … to the West - God’s constantly there!

Beautiful picture E where the sun rises, and the races as in a charoit to the sea ( darkness, chaos, unformed … to the West - God’s constantly there!

Beautiful picture E where the sun rises, and the races as in a charoit to the sea ( darkness, chaos, unformed … to the West - God’s constantly there!

Here is the comfort - there you are in life or even in death - some where between success and fialure, life and dath sickness and health - where eve you are in that ark of your life - God ; He has scrutinized your ways - some of them dark - and yet ther - and what is this no longer anxious taken hold of you like hound of heaven , but Your father’s hand - held -though you might be squirming held tight and stong and sfe and loved - what is this in the midst of this world, as he has come down to know you like this - you are at the Almighty’s right hand - guiding and hold ing you up !

Paradox, fleeing from God thought get out from HIm and instead find HIm hearer and nicer than ever!

Paradox, fleeing from God thought get out from HIm and instead find HIm hearer and nicer than ever!

But it get’s even better!

Our God is active in our darkness!

Need to understand night is not just a time tihing, nor darkness not just the absence of light.

Real evil presence that seeks to destory light and life and the acticvies of the

But it get’s even better!

Our God is active in our darkness!

Need to understand night is not just a time tihing, nor darkness not just the absence of light.

Real evil presence that seeks to destory light and life and the acticvies of the

But darkness can’t compete with God, can’t be in the fulnnes of HIs presence.

So look what happens when God comes down into our darkness.

Notice in what a dangerous place it is for us to livei inthis wrold - the darkness does cover us/the wrod is actually CRUSH/Bruise … like Seed will crush your head, he will bruise your heal!

what a dangerous place it is for us to livei inthis wrold - the darkness does cover us/the wrod is actually

So there we are in our darkness beign crushed, sin despair, depression, death,… All that power of night and darkness threatens the order and goodness - safety freedom, sccuess God wants in us… but look what happens because God’s near graciuos presence is with us:

Understand this Light was God’s frist creation - spoke into chaos darkness - brought freedom and success and life.

But now in you and around you is darkness - and Jesus Christ, Son of God who was active agent in firs creation, sent to you - to transform the darkness again into light!

Have alife of properly directaed action for God’s purposes!

So far I am asking you to acknowedlge God’s omniscience -allknowing power - confess your ways, be knwo by him stop hiding; calling you as God’s prsence bores down on you to acknoweldge HIs hand in your darkness… but before you are equipped for the battle, one more thing you must acknowledge - God’s omnificence.

New wod - means all powerful to create!

Do you know this active and intimate God? Look to HIm in praise and expectation to create something good our of your life!

He makes beatufiul things out of mishapen dust and ashes!

And here we come to the most beautiful metaphor:

C. Give Your Self to the Master-Weaver for A life Embroidered with Gold!

Here is the picture: God as skillful weaver of embroidered cloth dedicated to creating his magnum opus!

Intricately woven = colourful embroidererer of of coloured thread, decorates a colourful cloth with colourful patterns using a needle.

When God sees our unformed substance, sees us pre-born - a fetus, in the womb - that was His workshop.

Our life beginning a conception, was product of His perfect blue print , HIs predestinining lvoe - before even one single day comae to be.

And with the same care brought us like a potter form us in that womb - exactly as He wwnated us ineve in this world with suffering and mishapen - this God who weaves godlen strands in our lives - taking same care withoall the other days that follow from the cradle, to tonight, to the grave.