Psalm 139 - Known by God

OVERVIEW & PURPOSE

• Today we will be looking at Psalm 139.  We will specifically be looking at how we are known by God and need to find our identity in that fact!

Set the scene

• This week we will be continuing in our series Psalms!
• Last week Scott taught on Psalm 30
• Joy is real — but it is not cheap
• The night is real… and God is in it
• Morning always comes and it demands a response 
• Today we will be discussing Psalm 139
• Read Psalm 139

Body

1. God knows us!
2. Verses 1-6 CSB
3. God Knows you!
4. He knows every single thing about you.  The good, the bad and the ugly.
5. He knows your thoughts, your ways, how you speak, how you move.  Even the things we would consider mundane about ourselves God knows!
6. Luke 12:7 CSB - God even knows how much hair you have!
7. Our God is a relational God!  
8. God is always with us!
9. Read verses 7-12 CSB
10. No matter where we go God is always with us!
11. He is omnipresent!
12. David writes “if I ascend to heaven you are with me”
13. In our best moments God is with us!
14. David also writes “If I make my bed in Sheol”
15. Sheol can refer to the depths of the earth or Hell.
16. I believe David here is saying, In our absolute lowest moments in life God is with us.
17. What an incredibly uplifting message.
18. Story of going back to Eastern Michigan for graduation and remembering all of my worst moments.
19. Asking God where He was in those moments.
20. Felt like a movie showing the past where I kept seeing myself in my worst moments and could hear God saying “I was with you”
21. I have never felt so loved by God.
22. God pursues us no matter what.
23. While we were sinners, Christ died for us.
24. When Adam and Eve sinned and then hid, God pursued them.
25. Parable of Jesus leaving the 1 for the 99.
26. We see this throughout scripture.
27. This truth should lead us into a deeper relationship with God.
28. When we sin or mess up, we need to realize that we should go right back to God rather than run from Him.
29. He is not disappointed, but rather quick to forgive us our sins.
30. God is our creator!
31. Read verses 13-17 CSB
32. God knit us together in our mothers wombs.
33. God has always been intentional about creating humans.
34. Look back at the original creation in Genesis.  God spoke everything into existence, except for man.
35. He creates mankind in a much more intimate way.
36. Man was made by God breathing into Him.
37. The woman was made from the man's rib which God himself took and placed into her.
38. In this Psalm we see that God is creating us in our mothers wombs from the start.  He is a part of the process from the very beginning!
39. God cares for the unborn
40. He is involved in a person's life while they are formless.
41. The psalmist says all his days were written in God’s book and planned before a single one of them began.
42. Again God knit them together in the womb, and He made them remarkably and wonderfully made.
43. Ephesians 2:10 CSB says that you are his workmanship!  
44. Think of all that God has created.  Think of the most beautiful sight you have ever seen.
45. God says you are His workmanship, not that.
46. This means that since God is the one who has created us, He is the one who gets to tell us who we are.
47. Our identity is found in what He says.
48. Satan has always tried to attack identity
49. Satan says to Eve “You will be like God if you eat of this fruit”
50. Eve was already made in the image of God.
51. He constantly challenges Jesus' identity in the wilderness.
52. “If you are the son of God”
53. “All this will be yours”
54. Satan is still doing this to believers today.
55. “You are unworthy”
56. “You are a failure”
57. “You are alone”
58. “You are a horrible person”
59. “You will never be forgiven”
60. Etc…
61. Remember only God should be allowed to speak into your identity!
62. God knows our hearts
63. David, like most people, wants Justice for the wicked.
64. Again God is everywhere and sees all things, so He is not unaware of what is happening.
65. We see this cry for injustice happening a lot today.
66. Internet access has allowed us to see a lot of the wickedness happening in the world today.
67. Wanting justice is not a bad thing unless it is coming from a bad heart.
68. Seeking revenge
69. Cancel culture - calling for people to be held accountable for their actions is not a bad thing.  Unfortunately culture a lot of times takes this too far and will ultimately destroy people's reputations online with little knowledge of the actual situation.
70. We see this all the time.  People see one video on social media and jump to conclusions without knowledge of the whole situation.
71. Wanting the worst for wicked people, while not holding ourselves accountable for our own mistakes.
72. David understands that his heart could be wanting the wrong thing, so he makes a profound request of the Lord before closing this psalm.
73. “Search Me, Know Me, and Test Me”
74. We constantly should be asking God to do this in our own lives.
75. We need the Lord to check our hearts to make sure the desires we have are coming from the right heart.
76. Are you living as one who BELONGS to Christ?

Conclusion

• Our God is a personal God who loves us more than we could ever imagine!
• God Knows us!
• God is always with us!
• God created us!
• God knows our hearts!
• Take communion
• God so deeply cared for us that He sent Jesus to die for us.  As we take part in communion, let us remember that this sacrifice was out of God’s abundant love for us.

Questions

1. Psalm 139 opens with the truth that God knows everything about us (verses 1-6).
2. What part of being fully known by God is most comforting to you? What part, if any, feels uncomfortable or challenging?
3. God knows even the “mundane” details of our lives.
4. How does that change the way you view your everyday, ordinary moments?
5. In verses 7-12, we see that God is always present.
6. When have you most clearly felt God’s presence in a high moment? What about in a low moment?
7. The sermon mentioned asking, “God, where were you?” in painful seasons.
8. Looking back, can you identify ways God may have been present even when you didn’t realize it at the time?
9. We often respond to sin by hiding from God instead of running to Him.
10. Why do you think we tend to withdraw from God after we mess up? What would it look like to go to Him instead?
11. Psalm 139:13-17 reminds us that God intentionally created us.
12. How does knowing you were “fearfully and wonderfully made” impact your view of your identity?
13. The sermon emphasized that God defines our identity, not culture, not our past, not our failures.
14. What are some lies people commonly believe about themselves? Which ones have you personally struggled with?
15. Satan often attacks identity (as seen with Eve and Jesus).
16. How can we practically recognize and reject those lies in our daily lives?
17. When it comes to justice and wickedness, David invites God to search his heart.
18. In today’s culture (especially online), where do you see the line between seeking justice and having a wrong heart
19. David’s prayer: “Search me, know me, and test me.”
20. What would it look like for you to regularly invite God to examine your heart? Is there anything you feel prompted to surrender or realign?

QUESTIONS TO ASK WHILE READING SCRIPTURE

What does this reveal about God?

What does this reveal about you in relation to God?

What do you need to do about it?