Psalm 139: What You Need to Know About the God Who Knows You

Introduction

Things you don’t know:

World’s shortest commercial flight is 1.7 miles - 53 seconds when winds are favorable.

Not one state name has the letter “Q” in it.

Fruit loops are all the same flavor.

Apples from supermarket can be up to a year old.

People used to say “prunes” instead of “cheese” when having their pictures taken.

Empire State Building has its own zip code.

God knows everything. God knows everything about the universe He created. He knows everything about every person He created. Nothing God does not know.

God knows everything. What’s your response to that statement? 1. I already knew that. Big deal. You’ve lost your sense of awe of the greatness of God. 2. A great comfort to you. (No one knows me… God does…) 3. Terrifying to you. (A lot about you that you don’t want God to know.)

Big questions of life: Do you want to know God? Everyone wants to know God, but do you want God to know you?

Psalm 139 is personal. Whether you want God to know you or not, He knows you. He knows everything about you, and I mean He knows EVERYTHING about you.

Psalm 139 - Book V - King David - God will establish His Kingdom forever. Good reminder for people coming out of exile: God knows. He knows how He is going to fulfill His plan.

Four truths you need to know about the God who knows you that I hope will help you grow in your desire to know God and be known by God.

God knows me better than I know myself.

A psalm of David. When David thinks about the Great God of the universe, David realizes that God is much greater than him. So much David does not know and NOTHING God does not know.

The God of all creation knows when you sit and stand - not just you - but every person in the world - He knows every move you make. He knows when you blink your eyes. He knows when you sneeze.

He knows where you’re going. He knows your morning commute better than you do. He knows where all the traffic is on your way to work, and He doesn’t need Waze to get around the traffic.

He knows what you’re going to say before you say it. He knows that gossip that is forming on your lips even before you speak it. He knows the word of encouragement you are about to speak, and He knows how that word of encouragement is going to be a blessing to someone else.

God encircles you. His all-knowing presence surrounds you. His hand is on you. When you realize how well God knows you, the only response: “This is too much...” Our finite brains can’t comprehend how an infinite God can know every detail of our lives.

The truth you believe: “I know me better than anyone else. I know everything about me.” You spend a lot of time with you thinking about what you like and what you don’t like, what you want to do, who you want to become, etc. You know yourself pretty well, but God knows you better than you know yourself.

The reality:

You deceive yourself. 1 John 1:8 - deny our own sin - “I didn’t do anything!” OR, rationalize - “I did it because...” Deceiving ourselves to think we’re not the problem. Jeremiah 17:9 - your heart is deceitful - you’re constantly lying to yourself to make you feel better about your life.

You don’t understand yourself. Either think too high or too little of ourselves. “I’m a good person.” Or, devalue ourselves. “I’m a nobody. No one could ever love me.” Or, think way too much of ourselves. “I’m God’s gift to the world.” Tendency to not really know who we are.

You don’t know what you need. I need… a raise, kids that listen, a spouse that understands, a vacation, etc.

You need a God who knows you, because you can trust a God who knows you. God knows what you really need. He knows you need Him, to grow in Him. He knows you need adversity in your life. He knows you need to be a bit uncomfortable so you’ll learn to trust Him. He knows you need His character.

God knows you and He loves you NOT just as you are. BUT, He loves you IN SPITE of who you are.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/washington-woman-gets-stolen-car-stuck-fresh-concrete-child-bottle-whiskey-officials-say Why? She thought she knew what she needed. Deceived herself.

God is close to me when I am not close to Him.

God knows you, and God is with you. That’s a comfort or a terror.

vs. 7 - “I can’t escape… I can never get away from your presence.”

God is omniscient and omnipresent.

God is present in every place. I’d like to be in two places at once. Boys playing baseball last summer - had to make choice as to which game to attend or which event to miss. Or, talking to Donn on FaceTime with Logan - He was in Japan - Internet brings the world closer. I could see on my screen and talk to someone in real time who was literally on the other side of the world. BUT, I wasn’t there. If I was there, I couldn’t be here.

God is present in all of time. You’re confined by time, God transcends time. He sees past, present, and future. He knows your past. He knows your present moment. He knows your future moments.

We want to be omnipresent, but we’re not. God is. He is ALWAYS close.

David: “Where can I go? To heaven? To the grave, the lowest parts of the earth? The farthest oceans? Can the darkness hide me? I can’t hide!”

Sometimes I want God to be close - to experience His goodness, His comfort, His joy - to know life is going to be ok.

Sometimes I don’t want God to be close. Why would I not want God close? Why didn’t Jonah want God to be close? Because he didn’t want to do God’s will.

Sometimes I don’t want God close because I don’t want to do God’s will.

Sometimes I don’t want God to be close because of my own guilt and shame. I know I’m in the wrong, and I don’t want to repent because I’m ashamed of coming clean before God.

Sometimes I don’t want God to be close because I’m trying escape the consequences of my sin. I don’t want to deal with the relationships I’ve broken or the consequences of my bad choices.

I can never run away from God. This is a good thing! God is present even when you’re running (Jonah) because He is wooing your heart back to Him. He’s present as a loving Father to discipline you. (Hebrews 12:7)

God never takes His hands off your life and says, “I’m done with you.” Instead, He constantly pursues, disciplines, and corrects those He loves.

I can always run to God. He’s present to hear your cries for help. He’s present to embrace you when you turn from your sin and turn to Him. He’s present to forgive, embrace, redirect.

Stop running away from God and start running to God. You know who you are!

God has planned my days for my good and His glory.

“You created my inward parts… knit me together in my mother’s womb.” God knew you before you were born. Your existence didn’t take God by surprise. You weren’t a collection of cells that just happened to come together in your mother’s womb. You were planned by God.

You are remarkably and wondrously made - in His image (Psalm 8:6).

vs. 16 - ALL my days written in your book and planned before a single one began.

In your young age know that God has placed you here and is accomplishing His plan. In your old age know that God is keeping you here and is STILL accomplishing His plan.

Planned your days - "A person’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).

He knows where He’s going to place you. He know how He’s going to grow you. He knows the adversity you’re going to experience and how He is going to use it. He knows the church He has placed you in, the relationships He’s given you. He’s planned it all.

God has the POWER to accomplish in your life EXACTLY what He determines. Why? For your good and His glory. Because God wants to do a work in you and through you so that others might see His grace at work in you. Your life is a miracle of God that He wants to show off.

Sometimes it doesn’t feel like God is at work for my good. Sometimes it feels like God is unfair, unloving, and unkind.

What I feel doesn’t change the goodness of God’s plan. You don’t know what you need and you are limited by time. You don’t see the eternal perspective - eternal perspective - Rom. 8:28, Ph. 1:6.

What I feel doesn’t give me the right to try to dethrone God. Some of you don’t like God’s plan. You don’t like that He’s taking you through adversity. Or, you don’t like where your marriage is right now, so you have a different plan. When we feel like God’s plan is unfair, unwise, unloving, we try to make ourselves the kings of our lives. “I’ll do it my way. I can run my life.”

You’ve done it. When has rebelling against God’s will ever worked out well for you?

Don’t let your feelings stand in the way of the facts. Submit to God’s plan instead of resisting God’s plan.

God has a plan to deal with sin that I need to embrace.

Last few verses seem vengeful. King David wants God to establish His Kingdom.

When the exiles returned from Babylon, they wanted God to establish His kingdom.

David had chosen his side. “God, if you would only kill the wicked. I hate those who hate you. I hate them with extreme hatred.”

David thinking of those who willfully rebel against the all-knowing, all-present, all-powerful God. What fools!

David’s prayer: “God, bring justice!”

And, lay my heart bare (Psalm 139:23-24). See if there is anything offensive in me. I don’t want to be anything like those who oppose you. Seems commendable. The king of Israel wants to see the enemies of his Master fall. What David knows:

No one can oppose God and escape judgment. God is just. He knows ALL - He knows the heart of man. He knows our sin and rebellion. He knows that every person has sinned, and He knows that every person tries to dethrone Him.

God KNOWS all of us, and He loves us not because of us but in spite of us. EVERY person created in the image of God - even that person who staunchly opposes God is made in the image of God.

What David doesn’t understand that we understand:

Anyone can surrender to God and experience grace. 2000 years ago - God brought justice. God laid judgment on His only beloved Son so that everyone who deserves judgment can instead receive the gift of grace.

Jesus - the True King - deals with His enemies not by destroying them but by dying for them.

Luke 23:24: “Father forgive them...”

We KNOW the full Gospel. We know that Jesus died and rose again for those who opposed God. We know that God has provided a way to escape for all people who embrace Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Jesus is the TRUE KING - the King Israel longed for who has come to rescue all who cry out to Him in surrender.

Instead of saying, “God, I hate your enemies, why don’t you kill them?” We can love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44).

Leave vengeance in the hands of God, and pray for grace.

This morning, you can receive grace from the God who KNOWS you and loves you in spite of what He knows. Trust Him today.