Thursday, February 1, 2018

All Knowing God.

January 21, 2018. MBC & NBC

o   Who immediately comes to mind when you hear these words?

o   “He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake. He knows when you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake.”

o   Santa Claus, of course.

o   For generations, young children have looked forward to receiving gifts from Jolly old St. Nick at Christmas time.

o   Before Christmas, I was visiting Len Ferber at Carleton Manor, and he shared with me the story of a little girl who insightfully asked her mother, “Mama, is Santa Claus God?”

o   Because of the lyrics of that song, Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, the girl concluded that Santa was God having the God like quality of omniscience, being all knowing.

o   Having unintentionally taught the child that Santa was real, what could she do?

o   She risked ship wrecking her daughter’s childlike faith.

o   This mother’s dilemma is much like the dilemma we live with each day.

o   We live in a culture that has relegated God to the likes of Santa Claus, a fantasy character of childhood dreams.

o   As parents, we need to be aware of potential pitfalls to the faith of our children.

o   Much influenced are we by our culture’s rejection of an all-knowing God.

o   It is a daily struggle for us to believe and apply the reality that we serve an all-knowing God to our hearts, minds, and lives.

o   Can we imagine what it would be like to know and understand everything?

o   All music, art, science, and law; all persons and relationships; all cultures and languages; all hearts and minds.

o   Is it not simply beyond all comprehension?

o   However, just because I cannot comprehend the vastness of the ocean or of the universe, for example; does not mean they do not exist.

o   We can gaze upon the ocean and upon the universe and, although we cannot have a full or complete understanding of them, we can appreciate their presence.

o   Our Western culture ranks an all-knowing God with Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, and the Easter Bunny, because it refuses to imagine, understand, or believe.

o   Why? If there is an all-knowing God, then he knows my heart, my mind, my sins, and he will hold me accountable.

o   Contrary to the ever-increasing cultural belief that there is no God, Christians not only believe in God, but we believe God truly does know all things.

o   That is what we are going to look at this morning, our all-knowing God, God’s omniscience.

o   The omniscience of God is one of five natural attributes that describe the power and range of his reign.

o   Omniscience comes from two Latin words which mean all knowledge.

o   When we say God is omniscient, we are saying God knows everything.

o   The Bible, the inspired written word of God, has much to say about God’s omniscience.

o   Psalm 139 for example, “Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up; you understand my thoughts from far away. You observe my travels and my rest; you are aware of all my ways. Before word is on my tongue, you know all about it, Lord. For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well. My bones were not hidden from you when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began.” (Psalm 139:1-4, 13-16, CSB)

o   These two sections of this Psalm show us that King David was convinced that God knew everything about him and God called David a man after God’s own heart.

o   Psalm 147:4 says, “He counts the number of the stars; he gives names to all of them.” (CSB)

o   Astronomers estimate that there are between two and ten trillion galaxies.

o   Multiply either of those by the number of stars in our own Milky Way Galaxy, one hundred billion, and we come up with factors that are beyond our ability to comprehend.

o   The all-knowing God, however, counts them and names them.

o   The gospel of Luke 12:6-7 records the words of Jesus, “Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. Indeed, the hairs of your head are all counted. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (CSB)

o   God is aware and concerned with every detail of every creature he has made from the least to the greatest.

o   That kind of attention and awareness needs to inspire us to trust him.

o   We serve a God who is not amazed or surprised by anything.

o   God does not make discoveries; he doesn’t wonder; he doesn’t lose things.

o   He totally understands everything. All this begs a question.

o   Why is God’s omniscience important to us?

o   Here is the big answer: God’s all-knowing love calls us to celebrate and imitate his love always.

o   Let’s break that down.

o   First, God’s omniscience displays his love for us. (In a few ways)

o   He saves us regardless of our sins.

o   Romans 5:8, “But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (CSB)

o   In our relationships with each other, we often wear masks because we are afraid that something about us, perhaps our secret sins, might destroy our relationships, so we often try to put our best foot forward.

o   But God sees behind our masks, knowing the things we wish to hide, however, he loves us anyway.

o   God sees our faithfulness even when others can’t.

o   Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.”

o   God sees our hearts; he knows our motives.

o   We do not need to serve him to win his approval because we already have it.

o   Since we already have God’s approval, then neither do we need the approval of others for our faithfulness.

o   We don’t need to put on a show.

o   We have nothing to prove, so we can serve God freely.

o   God also sees his purpose for us.

o   God’s purpose for each believer is that we become just like Jesus.

o   “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” (Romans 8:28-29, CSB)

o   He sees what he’s making of us, to be conformed, reshaped, into the image of his Son.

o   God is making us to bring him glory, to be just like Jesus.

o   No matter what happens, we can trust God to accomplish his plans for us because we are now members of the family of God in Christ.

o   God will use all events, situations, and circumstances in our lives until each facet reflects the image and glory of Christ. Hallelujah!

o   God’s omniscience also comforts us in trials.

o   James 1:2-4, “Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience in various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” (CSB)

o   Not every event or situation in our lives is pleasant.

o   Hardships are difficult, and we find it all but impossible to enjoy pain and suffering in our lives.

o   We forget that God, being omniscient, really knows what is best for us.

o   “All things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

o   God will use all events, situations, and circumstances in our lives, buffing and polishing until each facet reflects the image and glory of Christ.

o   “I am sure of this, that he who started the good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6, CSB).

o   So, when we stand before him face-to-face, no matter what, God will complete what he began, and we will be just like Jesus.

o   God’s omniscience inspires us to depend on his wisdom.

o   It is human nature to assume we know what is best for us.

o   We naturally gravitate to the Paul Anka song so famously sung by Frank Sinatra, My Way.

o   But God says in Isaiah 55, “your ways are not my ways.”

o   God’s ways are higher than human ways; his ways are the best ways.

o   It makes the best sense to trust in the One who knows all things to show us the way we ought to go, rather than insisting on going our own way.

o   Proverbs 3:5-7, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight. Don’t be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil.”

o   When we need wisdom, we need to ask God expectantly and he will provide it (James 1:5).

o   God’s omniscience also deters us against betraying him.

o   Psalm 139:12, “even the darkness is not dark to you. The night shines like the day; darkness and light are alike to you.” (CSB)

o   because we cannot see in the dark, it is natural for us to assume the things we do in the dark, in secret, remain hidden, but nothing remains hidden from the sight of God.

o   That is a tremendously sobering thought.

o   Not one of us ever wants to imagine ourselves in a situation where we are caught in the middle of sin by one we love.

o   I once read a story of a young man who was receiving counselling for a growing addiction to pornography.

o   At one point in the session the young man rationalized, “but nobody saw me.”

o   To which his counsellor replied, firmly but gently, “Ah, but Someone did see you.”

o   It did not matter that no one else saw because God saw.

o   Our secret sins damage all our relationships with God, ourselves, and others.

o   The knowledge that we cannot hide our sins from God must help us when we are faced with temptation.

o   The apostle John wrote, “This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows all things.” (1 John 3:19-20, CSB)

o   God’s all-knowing love calls us to celebrate and imitate his love always.

o   What would God have us do? How must God’s omniscience transform our lives day-to-day?

o   #1. Repent of sin immediately.

o   Harboring sin displays unbelief in the all-knowing nature of God, so we must repent right away when we are alerted to sin.

o   We must put aside anger, defensiveness, and pride which keeps us from repentance, confess our sin to God, thank him for his forgiveness, and do the next right thing.

o   Repent of sin immediately.

o   #2. Practice thankful prayers.

o   A thankful heart is a joyful heart and thankful prayers are the key.

o   A thankful heart is also free from complaining, critical, cynical, or negative attitudes.

o   A thankful heart knows and trusts that God is in control and rests in that wonderful truth.

o   A thankful heart trusts God through trials and in difficult circumstances knowing he is working for our good and his glory.

o   Practice thankful prayers.

o   # 3. Be inspired to celebrate.

o   We have much to celebrate because of God’s omniscience.

o   He saves us regardless of our sins.

o   He sees our faithfulness even when others can’t.

o   He sees his purpose for us.

o   God’s omniscience also comforts us in trials.

o   It inspires us to depend on his wisdom.

o   God’s omniscience also deters us against betraying him.

o   Hearing all that, doesn’t it make you want to celebrate God?

o   It makes me want to invite the neighbourhood and throw a kitchen party for God, singing, dancing, shouting and praising his name.

o   Be inspired to celebrate.

o   #4. Be inspired to imitate.

o   Our neighbourhoods and our communities need to know and experience the all-knowing God and his great love.

o   As Toby Mac sings, “You and me, we gotta love. Hold nothing back! If it’s real, we gotta show it, ‘cause if it’s not, they sure gonna know it.”

o   We must let God’s omniscience inspire us to imitate his love and display his love in us.

o   People need to see his love in us for it to be real to them.

o   Be inspired to imitate God’s love.

o   God’s all-knowing love calls us to celebrate and imitate his love always.

All Present God


Sunday, January 28, 2018.


o   I can hear a certain weariness in that song, can you?

o   Most of us don’t spend our lives on the road touring and making music like Johnny Cash did.

o   While I like to imagine travelling to exotic locals or historic places, I cannot imagine taking the time and energy to travel all the time, all over to make a living.

o   I can just manage the long drive to visit family.

o   I’m not sure I’d want to be able to sing that song, as Johnny Cash did, and mean it.

o   Last time we looked at the limitless knowledge of God and today we’ll touch on the limitless presence of God.

o   God’s personal take on that old Johnny Cash song might be, “I am everywhere, man.”

o   God is everywhere present or all present. Theologians call it omnipresence.

o   God more than sees everywhere; he is everywhere.

o   There is no place where God is not present.

o   As hard as it is for me to imagine living the travelling lifestyle of a full- time music legend, who travels everywhere, it’s even harder for me to imagine being like God who is everywhere.

o   Though I have often wished I could be in two places at once, I can barely imagine that because having an earthly, physical body limits me to being in one place at a time.

o   Being an eternal spirit, however, God’s presence is not limited to any one place, his presence is limitless.

o   God promised to his faithful servants in the Bible over and over that he would be with them.

o   Often throughout the Bible God said to the patriarchs, prophets, and apostles that he was with them.

o   He promised Jacob to be with him wherever he went: “Look, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you” (Gen 28:15).

o   He gave the same promise to Joshua before the conquest of Canaan: “Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Josh 1:9).

o   The living presence of God flies in the face of humanistic doctrine which proclaims that God is dead, or that he does not exist.

o   The knowledge and awareness that God is present has the potential to turn the unbelieving world upside down.

o   Not only is it fearfully embarrassing to be aware that God knows my sin, it is terrifying to know that he is present as I sin.

o   Let’s briefly look at more of what the Bible has to say.

o   Psalm 139:7-12

o   Where can I go to escape your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol (where dead rest), you are there.
If I live at the eastern horizon
or settle at the western limits,
10 even there your hand will lead me;
your right hand will hold on to me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me,
and the light around me will be night”—
12 even the darkness is not dark to you.
The night shines like the day;
darkness and light are alike to you. (CSB)

o   According to King David, who sought after the heart of God his whole life, God’s presence is unavoidable; outside the uttermost ranges of anywhere David could imagine.

o   Jeremiah 23:23-24, 23 “Am I a God who is only near”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and not a God who is far away? 24 Can a person hide in secret places where I cannot see him?”—the Lord’s declaration. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?”—the Lord’s declaration.

o   When the Scriptures say anything three times in one passage, we can be certain that it is extremely important that we stop and take note.

o   The prophet Jeremiah said three times that what God was saying in these verses was the Lord’s declaration.

o   God through Jeremiah wants us to know for sure that because his presence fills heaven and earth, then there are no secret places from God.

o   Jesus gave the promise of his presence to his disciples in Matthew 28:20, “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (CSB).

o   Not only is Jesus with us always, the promise of God’s presence through faith in Christ runs even deeper.

o   John 14:15-17, 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. 17 He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be in you” (CSB).

o   Not only is the promise of the gospel of Jesus Christ that he is with us, but through the Holy Spirit he is also within us.

o   Revelation 6:15-17, 15 Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 because the great day of their wrath has come! And who is able to stand?” (CSB)

o   As I mentioned earlier, not only is it fearfully embarrassing to be aware that God knows my sin, it is terrifying to know that he is present as I sin.

o   Sadly, on the day God will shake the heavens, some would rather die than face the judgment of Christ.

o   It is a comfort to us that one day we will see our Lord face-to-face, but not to others.

o   Why is God’s omnipresence important for us?

o   God’s omnipresence gives us comfort and courage.

o   John 14:18-20, 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you. 19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live too. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, you are in me, and I am in you” (CSB).

o   A few minutes ago, we looked briefly at the first part of this passage where Jesus said he would send the Holy Spirit, the Counsellor, to his disciples to be with them and within them.

o   That God would be with those who love him in this intimate a way is a great comfort and encouragement in the daily trials of life.

o   The overwhelming victory is ours through the presence of Christ in us.

o   The very presence of Christ in us assures us of the hope of glory that we will see him face-to-face and live with him throughout eternity.

o   If God is for us, who can be against us? Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord! (Romans 8:31& 39)

o   God’s omnipresence gives us comfort and courage.

o   God’s omnipresence assures us that our security is in him.

o   Hebrews 13: 5-6, Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you. Therefore, we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

o   The significance of our lives is not bound up in money or stuff.

o   In Christ, we have everything we need.

o   Because he is always with us, we can lose everything yet lack nothing.

o   Our security is in the God who never leaves us.

o   God’s omnipresence also warns us to flee temptation.

o   We learned earlier from Jeremiah 23 that there are no hidden or secret places where a person can hide from God because his presence fills heaven and earth.

o   Whenever we are tempted to do the opposite of what we know to be good, right, and true, we must turn from sin toward God’s presence.

o   I must keep in my heart and on my mind the truth that when I choose sin it is in the very presence of God.

o   God’s omnipresence warns us to flee temptation.

o   God’s omnipresence assures us that our security is in him.

o   God’s omnipresence gives us comfort and courage.

o   The challenge before us each day is to learn to live in the light of God’s omnipresence.

o   Practice God’s omnipresence well through daily silence and stillness.

o   Practising his presence equips us to flee temptation, assures us that our security is in him, and gives us comfort and courage.

o   In First Thessalonians 5:17, the apostle Paul gives a simple command: pray continually, constantly, without ceasing.

o   In other words, never stop praying.

o   I think perhaps this is one of the greatest struggles of the Christian life, to learn to pray constantly.

o   At least, I know it is one of my greatest struggles.

o   However, because God never leaves us and is with us always, we need to learn to see his omnipresence as a gift.

o   Practice God’s omnipresence well through daily silence and stillness.

o   I think one of the biggest things I’ve had to learn about prayer is that prayer is about a relationship.

o   We all know that healthy relationships include several things, but one of those things is being together.

o   We also know that there are many things we can do to spend time with God. The key is not what we do but how we do it.

o   It is the spirit in which we practice a spiritual discipline that makes it a channel for prayer, our relationship with God.

o   While practising his presence equips us to flee temptation, assures us that our security is in him, and gives us comfort and courage, those are not the goal.

o   The goal of prayer is to be present with God.

o   Practice God’s omnipresence well through daily silence and stillness.

o   For most of us, it is going to require slowing down our busy lives enough to take time to be still and silent.

o   It’s just that important. Jesus said, “On that day you will know that I am in my Father, you are in me, and I am in you” (John 14:20, CSB).

o   It is probably what we need the most in our noisy, busy, screen filled, over commercialized world.

o   Practice God’s omnipresence well through daily silence and stillness.