Spoken Sermon on Psalm 26
Here is a spoken-style sermon on Psalm 26, just as it might be preached from the pulpit:
“Lord, Examine Me” — A Sermon on Psalm 26
Beloved, there is something both bold and humbling in the words of David in Psalm 26.
He does not run from God—he runs to God.
And he says something that many of us would hesitate to say:
“Judge me, O Lord… examine me… prove me.”
Now think about that for a moment.
Most people want to be excused, not examined.
We want mercy—but not inspection.
We want blessing—but not testing.
But David says, “Lord, look at my heart.”
Why?
Because he understood something—God sees what man cannot see.
Man looks on the outward appearance,
but God looks at the heart.
And David wasn’t claiming perfection—no, no—
he was claiming integrity.
There’s a difference.
He was saying,
“Lord, I am not sinless, but I am sincere.”
“I am not perfect, but I am pursuing You.”
David goes on to say he has not sat with the deceitful,
nor walked with hypocrites.
In other words,
“I have been careful about the company I keep.”
Let me say this plainly—
who you walk with will shape how you live.
If you walk with compromise, you will drift.
If you walk with deception, you will weaken.
But if you walk with God, you will stand.
David made a decision—
he would not sit where sin is comfortable.
And today, we live in a world where sin is not only accepted—
it is celebrated.
But the child of God must still say,
“I will not sit in that seat.”
“I will not join in that path.”
“I will not laugh at what God calls evil.”
Then David speaks of worship.
“I will wash my hands in innocence…
so will I compass thine altar, O Lord.”
Do you hear his heart?
He’s not just avoiding sin—
he’s drawn to God’s presence.
He loves the house of God.
He loves the place where God dwells.
And let me tell you something—
when your heart is right,
you don’t have to be forced into worship.
You don’t drag yourself into the presence of God—
you run there.
There is a hunger…
a longing…
a love for the presence of the Lord.
But then comes a serious plea.
“Gather not my soul with sinners…”
David knew something—
there is a judgment coming.
And he says,
“Lord, don’t let me fall with the wicked.”
That’s a sobering thought.
Because one day, God will separate—
the righteous from the unrighteous,
the true from the false,
the clean from the unclean.
And the question is not what you claim—
but how you live.
And then he finishes with confidence:
“My foot standeth in an even place…
in the congregations will I bless the Lord.”
In other words,
“I am standing on solid ground.”
Not because of who I am—
but because of where I stand.
And where does he stand?
On truth.
On integrity.
On a life that is open before God.
So let me bring it home to you.
Can you say tonight—
“Lord, examine me”?
Not your neighbour.
Not your family.
Not the world.
But you.
“Lord, search my heart.”
That takes courage.
That takes honesty.
That takes a real walk with God.
Because when God examines,
He doesn’t just look—
He reveals.
But here’s the hope—
He doesn’t reveal to destroy you…
He reveals to refine you.
So today, don’t fear God’s examination.
Invite it.
Say,
“Lord, if there’s anything in me that shouldn’t be there—
take it out.”
“Clean my heart.”
“Strengthen my walk.”
“Keep me from falling with the wicked.”
And like David, you will stand—
not in your own strength—
but in the mercy and truth of God.
Because a life examined by God
is a life established by God.
Amen.
GOD IS A GOOD GOD
GOD KNOWS GOD LOVES GOD CARES
WRITTEN FOR GEORGES WEB MINISTRIES
1 st May April 2026