I Left That Out
Jonathan Josephs
Sermon Summary
Most of us have parts of our lives we'd rather keep hidden, even from God. The disappointment we haven't processed. The questions we haven't asked. The fears we don't want to admit. But what if the breakthrough you're praying for is on the other side of the thing you've been avoiding?
Sermon Highlights
Full intimacy requires full access.
To have an intimate relationship with God, to really know him, it requires that I give him full access to my life.
Psalm 139 is divided into three sections:
God is omniscient (He knows everything)
God is omnipresent (He is everywhere)
God is omnipotent (He is all-powerful)
What would it look like to bring the parts to God that we're so tempted to leave out?
Theology that leads to honesty:
Hiding - What’s the point of hiding if God knows everything?
Running - What’s the point of running if God is everywhere?
Pretending - What’s the point of pretending if God’s the One who made me?
When Psalm 139:5 says, “you hem me in behind and before,” some of us view that like a prison. But David wants you to see this as an embrace.
God doesn’t ask questions because He wants information, He asks questions because He wants access.
The enemy will tempt us to view God the wrong way so that we keep things hidden.
Running only works if there’s a place that God can’t go.
Crying out to God is not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of faith.
There is a blessing that you can only receive through being honest. There's a blessing that you can only receive when you decide to be who God really created you to be.
What have you been leaving out that you need to surrender?
Scriptures
Read this week’s scriptures. Ask your group what stands out to them.
Sermon Discussion
Conversation Starter
Open up the discussion with your group:
When someone asks you how your day was, do you typically respond with a short answer, highs and lows, or an hour long play-by-play?
Discussion Questions
When you're struggling, what's your first instinct: bring it to God, tell others, or keep it to yourself?
“Full intimacy requires full access.” What’s one thing you've been tempted to leave out of your conversations with God that you can bring to Him this week?
“What's the point of pretending if God's the One who made me?” Where have you been feeling pressure to have it all together lately, and what would it look like to show up more authentically with God and with people?
“When Psalm 139:5 says, ‘You hem me in behind and before,’ some of us view that like a prison. But David wants you to see this as an embrace.” When have your circumstances shaped how you viewed God's character, and how might you need to see Him differently in this season?
“There is a blessing that you can only receive through being honest.” Share a time you experienced freedom, healing, or growth after being honest about something you'd been hiding.
Prayer Prompt
Ask your eGroup if they have any prayer requests or praise reports they’d like to share, and include them in your closing prayer.
Pray this prayer over your eGroup to close, and/or send it to them throughout the week to let them know you’re praying for them!
Lord, thank You for being a God who sees us and desires intimacy with us. When the enemy tempts us to view You incorrectly and hide, please help us see You for who You really are and be honest with You about what we’re feeling and thinking. Just like David, we pray: Search us, God, and know our hearts; test us and know our anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in us, and lead us in the way everlasting. In Jesus’ name, amen.