http://bible.com/events/49258675

Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg

The Power of Prayer Part 2

Search me, test me, uncover my sin, and lead me.

Today we are continuing in our teaching series called “The power of prayer” based on Psalm 139.

Prayer like we find here in Psalm 139 is very vulnerable. It’s a complete opening of ourselves to the Lord.

In Psalm 139 David is inviting the Lord behind the curtain, behind what even David himself knows, to search him, to test him, to uncover hidden sin, and to lead him. As David sought the Lord in these areas, we want to do that as well.

Throughout this series we are exploring and praying these four petitions: Search me, test me, uncover my sins, and lead me.

Today we continue with “Test me and know my anxious thoughts”

Psalms 139:23-24

Search me, 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.

This psalm sets a scene of tension. Evil, violent, malicious antagonists surround the psalmist and blaspheme his God. The abrupt shift in tone is jarring, but it reflects reality—especially for the leader of a nation with mixed loyalties. The psalmist, devoted to God, cannot stand those who hate God and pervert his ways. Yet he knows that he too is fallen, and in his current state he needs God’s searching light to expose the hidden darkness in his own soul. The psalmist concludes by asking God to search his heart and lead him on the right path.

-(NIV Grace and Truth Study Bible)

Psalm 139:23

Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong— then guide me on the road to eternal life.

1 Peter 1:7

I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.

Know My Anxious Thoughts

(thoughts that are troubling)

tribos = thoughts- well-worn paths

know the paths of my thoughts.

Excerpt from “Am I Really Okay” by Debra Fileta

“We all have automatic thoughts—things we think without a conscious decision to think those things. The thing we have to be most aware of about our automatic thoughts is that sometimes we’re not really seeing the big picture. Sometimes what we’re thinking isn’t accurate or complete. Sometimes we find ourselves thinking thoughts because it’s the easiest way to think. It’s the way we’ve always thought. It’s easy and superficial and doesn’t take too much work. When it comes to our thought process, our brain loves the path of least resistance. What I’ve done most often is the easiest thing to do again because it takes the least amount of work. Thoughts included. The problem with that response is that too often our default patterns of thinking are unhealthy and often untrue.”

Tests are our opportunities to trust God to help us take a different path…

James 1:2-4

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Bottom Line:

We must ask for help if we want the Healer to heal.

Updates on the new Waynesboro campus

God is inviting us to step out in faith to plant a Spanish-speaking campus in the Waynesboro community. Join us on the journey! Check out the link below for more information and for frequent updates throughout the journey.

Waynesboro

Giving at COTN

If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@cotnaz.org Thank you for your partnership in building the Kingdom of Christ as you impact others!

Giving

Establish COTN as Your Church on the App

In this YouVersion Bible app, we encourage you to set up COTN as your church. It’s a simple process and will open up opportunities to stay connected to us!

https://help.youversion.com/l/en/article/y03uerubo8-mychurch

https://www.bible.com/events/49256128

Church of the Nazarene – East Rock

The Power of Prayer Part 2

Search me, test me, uncover my sin, and lead me.

Today we are continuing in our teaching series called “The power of prayer” based on Psalm 139.

Prayer like we find here in Psalm 139 is very vulnerable. It’s a complete opening of ourselves to the Lord.

In Psalm 139 David is inviting the Lord behind the curtain, behind what even David himself knows, to search him, to test him, to uncover hidden sin, and to lead him. As David sought the Lord in these areas, we want to do that as well.

Throughout this series we are exploring and praying these four petitions: Search me, test me, uncover my sins, and lead me.

Today we continue with “Test me and know my anxious thoughts”

Psalms 139:23-24

Search me, 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.

The word in the original language for “test me” means to examine thoroughly, to scrutinize, to try, or to investigate. It can be used figuratively of proving precious metals such as gold or silver.

David is asking for the Lord to conduct a thorough investigation, to give him an examination, a test run, to arrange his circumstances to reveal his true character and nature.

Having already revealed that God is omniscient, why is David asking for a thorough evaluation from the Lord to know his thoughts again?

The answer is twofold-

Here in this prayer, it’s personal. David is inviting the Lord into his story. It’s no longer a long-distance relationship David wants, but close intimacy.

Second, the testing will reveal to DAVID what is really in his thoughts. While the Lord already knows, David may not.

So, David is signing himself up for an examination to open himself up before the Lord, to allow him behind the curtain- for what? So that his anxious thoughts would be revealed.

“Anxious thoughts” here is a translation of one word in the original language, and it’s a bit difficult to articulate. It’s most literal translation is “disquieting thoughts”

Disquieting is defined by Websters as:

to take away the peace or tranquility. To disturb or alarm

a lack of peace or tranquility- think anxiety.

It suggests a lost sense of security or peace of mind.

So, David is asking the Lord to test him, to arrange his life circumstances, to reveal the things that shake him up, that upset him, that disturb his peace, or make him feel insecure, things that cause him to worry or be anxious.

In this verse David is praying that the Lord would test him, would put something before, him that would reveal the things that throw his mind out of order.

He wants to know those default paths that his mind always takes, those thoughts that have worn and old familiar groove in his mind. Un-productive, disturbing, frustrating, ruminations-He wants them to be cut-off in his mind.

To be made aware of the impact those thoughts are having in his relationship with the Lord. Test me and know my anxious thoughts.

The value in praying along with David in this psalm is that he is asking the Lord to help him get in front of these thoughts- before they get out of control, and before they consume his focus.To help him realize what triggers are there, what’s really happening behind those thoughts, to help him recognize what’s happening in this thinking before it gets to far.

Here’s the thing about the anxious thoughts. When our minds go into this spiral, without even knowing it, we are shifting our focus away from the Lord and onto our circumstances.

We are turning in on ourselves through our own thinking, and that’s a fruitless and hopeless endeavor. When that happens, we cannot hear the Lord’s voice, we don’t consider the truth and promises of his word. We are consumed in our own head- and our thoughts hold us captive.

That may be for a few minutes, or a few hours or days. Perhaps it even lasts for years.

As nervous as it might make us to ask the Lord to test us, it might just be how he frees us from the prison of our thoughts.

James 1:2-5

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Psalms 139:23-24

Search me, 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.

We began last week with the simple prayer “Search me, God, and know my heart.” We invited the Lord to explore the shadowy depths of our inner heart and life- places that only he can go.

Today, we want to open up our thinking to him- Not just that he would explore our mind- but that he would reveal the real condition and health of our thoughts.

Test me and know my anxious thoughts.

Asking the Lord to test you is not to be taken lightly, because he will do it. There will probably be situations this week even that arise and send your mind down an old familiar spiral- Except this time- you might sense the Lord asking you something like:

“What are you thinking?”

“Don’t you want to slow down?”

“What’s really behind your reaction right now?”

If you ask the Lord to test you and know your anxious thoughts- He will answer.

Let’s pray together!

Test me and know my anxious thoughts

Updates on the new Waynesboro campus

God is inviting us to step out in faith to plant a Spanish-speaking campus in the Waynesboro community. Join us on the journey! Check out the link below for more information and for frequent updates throughout the journey.

Waynesboro

Giving at COTN

If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@cotnaz.org Thank you for your partnership in building the Kingdom of Christ as you impact others!

Giving

Establish COTN as Your Church on the App

In this YouVersion Bible app, we encourage you to set up COTN as your church. It’s a simple process and will open up opportunities to stay connected to us!

https://help.youversion.com/l/en/article/y03uerubo8-mychurch

http://bible.com/events/49254919

Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg 

The Power of Prayer

Search me, test me, uncover my sin, and lead me.

Today we are beginning a new teaching series titled “Power of Prayer.”

Our series is based out of Psalm 139, where David prays four very specific petitions asking the Lord to do a deep and thorough search of his heart and inner life.

Throughout this series, that’s our desire too.

Psalms 139:23-24

Search me, 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.

SEARCH ME, AND KNOW MY HEART

C.S. Lewis

We must lay before him what is in us; not what ought to be in us.

Jeremiah 17:9

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

John Wesley

There is nothing so false and deceitful as the heart of man; deceitful in its apprehensions of things, in the hopes and promises which it nourishes, in the assurances that it gives us . . .

One commentary notes:

David came to the God of perfect knowledge and constant presence knowing He was also a God of love, and could be trusted to search him and to know him at the deepest levels.

This is also an admission that God knew David better than David knew himself, and that he needed God to search and know him.

It is not the challenge of a person protesting his innocence or righteousness.

Rather it is the confession of one who has been in the presence of the Lord and is convicted of his own sinfulness.

He realizes that he is not cognizant of all his sins and wants the Lord to point them out so they can be dealt with effectively.

The searching isn’t fun,

but the surgeon is faithful

Warren Wiersbe

We must never dispute with God, for He loves us and wants only the very best for us.

Updates on the new Waynesboro campus

God is inviting us to step out in faith to plant a Spanish-speaking campus in the Waynesboro community. Join us on the journey! Check out the link below for more information and for frequent updates throughout the journey.

Waynesboro

Giving at COTN

If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@cotnaz.org Thank you for your partnership in building the Kingdom of Christ as you impact others!

Giving

Establish COTN as Your Church on the App

In this YouVersion Bible app, we encourage you to set up COTN as your church. It’s a simple process and will open up opportunities to stay connected to us!

https://help.youversion.com/l/en/article/y03uerubo8-mychurch

https://www.bible.com/events/49253188

Church of the Nazarene – East Rock

The Power of Prayer

Search me, test me, uncover my sin, and lead me.

Today we are beginning a new teaching series called “The power of prayer.”

Our series is based out of Psalm 139, where David prays 4 very specific petitions asking the Lord to do a deep and thorough search of his heart and inner life- Throughout this series, that’s our desire too.

Psalms 139:23-24

Search me, 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.

Search me, test me, uncover my sins, and lead me.

David is inviting the Lord to go beyond the normal places, to the deep places of his very heart.

Prayer like this is vulnerable. It’s a complete opening of ourselves to the Lord. To allow him access not just to the places we know, to places we might be comfortable with, but beyond, to the places that only he can know.

And that can cause serious disruptions in our relationship with the Lord.

Just ask Peter, one of Jesus’ closest friends.

Mark 14:27-31

“You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written: “ ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.” But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.

Can you imagine the shock of these words? They had been together for 3 years now. Seen and done some amazing things. Now, Jesus turns to them and says “Boys, you are about to walk out on me. Every one of you”

“No way Jesus- not gonna happen. I would never do that, even if everyone else does.” The Apostle Peter cannot see it, he doesnt know that about himself.

You probably already know the rest of the story. Peter really didn’t know himself as well as he thought, did he? He would deny Jesus, not just once, but three times. Cussing, fussing, and swearing that he had never even met Jesus. It turns out Jesus knew Peter’s heart better than he did, and he knows your heart better than you do.

Just like Peter struggled to see beyond his own perception of his loyalty, we too struggle to see and know what lays deep within our hearts.

In Psalm 139 David is inviting the Lord behind the curtain, behind what even David himself knows, to search him, to test him, to uncover hidden sin, and to lead him. As David sought the Lord in these areas, we want to do that as well.

Throughout this series we want to explore the four prayers: Search me, test me, uncover my sins, and lead me.

Before we dive right into verses 23 and 24, we need to journey with David through the rest of the Psalm. There we find David’s heart and mind turning to the Lord in worship and praise, which is a critical part of our journey in seeking to engage God through prayer.

Psalms 139:1-6

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

The text opens examining God’s limitless knowledge. This attribute of God is often called his omniscience. This simply means there is nothing outside of God’s knowledge, there is no thought he doesn’t know, no action he isn’t aware of, no word spoken he hasn’t heard, even before its uttered.

God’s knowledge of you goes far beyond your reputation or your actions- he knows your very thoughts.

As we begin to think about opening ourselves up to the Lord, there is nothing he doesn’t already know- nothing will surprise him.

God knows us better than we know ourselves.

Psalms 139:7-12

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

David here recognizes God limitless presence- His omnipotence. Not only does the Lord know everything in his omniscience, but he is also everywhere in omnipotence.

That means there is nowhere you can go to escape God’s presence.

That’s a great comfort for those who are seeking him, but it’s a great challenge to those who think they can hide form the Lord. Everyone in Scripture who tries to hide from the Lord, fails. And you can’t do it either.

Psalms 139:13-16

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

God is everywhere in Omnipresence, all knowing in omniscience, and all powerful in his omnipotence. There is no limit to Gods creative power- The power that even created you.

And then, just when you think you know where David is going, he makes a hard, skidding left turn. Hold on tight.

Psalms 139:19-22

If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.

True to life and the experience of our world, David addresses the sin and brokenness of our world by appealing to God’s justice.

With honest and vivid language, David doesn’t hold back his feelings. He doesn’t plead his case as much as he declares his desire to side with the Lord- those who are an enemy of the Lord, would be an enemy of his.

With the wicked in mind, David now says, essentially, O Lord, don’t let me fall into the trap in which they find themselves. Don’t let me by a hypocrite.

Psalms 139:23-24

Search me, 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.

If David was going to take the sin of others seriously, he knew he must first take it seriously in his own life. He would need to invite the all-knowing, ever present, all powerful and just God to search the deep recesses of his heart.

Search my heart, test me, uncover my sins, and lead me.

“Lord, I know it won’t be easy…and I’m a little hesitant as I ask but, please, SEARCH ME.”

The prayer of Psalm 139 is powerfully intimate- It goes behind the façade we put on for people, the one that says everything’s all right.

It sees through the stories we tell ourselves about who we are, even the story we tell ourselves of how good we are.

It’s a prayer that goes beyond the very words that make it up.

It’s a prayer that reaches for the very heart of God, and welcomes him in.

Will you allow him to work in your life? No matter what he finds?

When you ask the Lord to search you, you may not like what he finds, but you will love how he redeems it. Will you trust him today?

Will you pray “Search me, God, and know my heart”?

Updates on the new Waynesboro campus

God is inviting us to step out in faith to plant a Spanish-speaking campus in the Waynesboro community. Join us on the journey! Check out the link below for more information and for frequent updates throughout the journey.

Waynesboro

Giving at COTN

If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@cotnaz.org Thank you for your partnership in building the Kingdom of Christ as you impact others!

Giving

Establish COTN as Your Church on the App

In this YouVersion Bible app, we encourage you to set up COTN as your church. It’s a simple process and will open up opportunities to stay connected to us!

https://help.youversion.com/l/en/article/y03uerubo8-mychurch

http://bible.com/events/49251326

Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg

Holiness as Wholeness, Part 4

Holiness is living the abundant life.

Holiness as Wholeness

The idea behind this teaching series is that Holiness, rather than being a heavy burden of impossibility placed on believers, is a healing and freeing effect of Christ’s sacrifice.

Holiness is good for us; it restores to us the design of God for our lives. The enemy wants us to believe it is a chain placed upon us, so we dread its requirements so that we’ll turn our back on it or roll our eyes at it. But, in essence, holiness brings all that we really want into our lives. It makes us whole with all of the attendant beauty of that idea.

The Nazarene understanding of Christian Holiness or Entire Sanctification is freeing, not binding. Through this sermon series then, we want to see Holiness as Wholeness.

James Pedlar

…God’s mission is not only for those outside the church but for believers as well, who are currently experiencing the ongoing healing work of God in their lives. In other words, mission is not only “outreach” but also includes the corporate life of the church. Cultivating holiness, spurring one another on in our response to God’s ongoing work in our lives, teaching, catechizing, discipling – all these things which help to form people as disciples are part of the church’s mission.

John 10:9-10

I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

John 10:9-10

Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. “I’ll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep rustlers, every one of them. But the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.

John 10:9-10

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

This word “abundant” in the Greek is perisson:

Meaning “exceedingly, very highly, beyond measure, more, superfluous, a quantity so abundant as to be considerably more than what one would expect or anticipate.”

Oswald Chambers

We must never measure our spiritual capacity on the basis of our education or our intellect; our capacity in spiritual things is measured on the basis of the promises of God. If we get less than God wants us to have, we will falsely accuse Him as the servant falsely accused his master when he said, “You expect more of me than you gave me the power to do. You demand too much of me, and I cannot stand true to you here where you have placed me.” When it is a question of God’s Almighty Spirit, never say, “I can’t.” Never allow the limitation of your own natural ability to enter into the matter. If we have received the Holy Spirit, God expects the work of the Holy Spirit to be exhibited in us

Change (transformation) is not the absence of temptations, it is holiness in the midst of temptation.

THE WAY OF CHRIST

IS THE ABUNDANT LIFE

C.S. Lewis – Mere Christianity

“Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favorite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end: submit with every fiber of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.”

ONCE GOD SETS YOU FREE YOU HAVE TO DECIDE TO LIVE FREE!

John 14:6a

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.

Holiness and the Church of the Nazarene

Former Nazarene General Superintendent Dr. J.K. Warrick discusses the distinctiveness of the Nazarene Church with a focus on Holiness.

Updates on the new Waynesboro campus

God is inviting us to step out in faith to plant a Spanish-speaking campus in the Waynesboro community. Join us on the journey! Check out the link below for more information and for frequent updates throughout the journey.

Waynesboro

Giving at COTN

If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@cotnaz.org Thank you for your partnership in building the Kingdom of Christ as you impact others!

Giving

Establish COTN as Your Church on the App

In this YouVersion Bible app, we encourage you to set up COTN as your church. It’s a simple process and will open up opportunities to stay connected to us!

https://help.youversion.com/l/en/article/y03uerubo8-mychurch

Additional Scriptures:

John 15:9-11

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

1 Timothy 6:6

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Psalm 16:11

You make known to me the path of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence,

with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

John 8:36

36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Hebrews 12:14-15

14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.