Psalm 139
Notes
Transcript
Game
Game
Moose - Moose
Beef - Beeves
Lasagna - Lasagne
Focus - Foci
Formula - Formulae
Sphinx - Sphinges
Biceps - Bicepses
Niece and Nephew - Niblings
Octopus - Octopedes
Prius - Prii
Hippopotamus - Hippopotami
Intro
Intro
This summer we are going to be going through some of the most famous Psalms
Throughout the 5 Psalms that we go through you’ll see that we need God in every aspect of our life
We will see how the author of each Psalm shows us a different reason for why we need God
The first week we looked at Psalm 23 — and saw how the Lord is our Shepherd, how he guides us and protects us
The second week we looked at Psalm 32 — where David tells us to confess our sins quickly and God will forgive us
Last week we looked at Psalm 91 — where we saw that the Lord will provide us with protection and security
Today we are going to be talking about Psalm 139
This Psalm is going to teach us three very important truths about God
God is Omniscient
God is Omniscient
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. 5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.
David is the author of Psalm 139 and he is telling us that the Lord knows him
He tells us that the Lord knows all his ways, he knows the words David will speak before he speaks them
He knows the paths that David will take
Here is the first truth about God:
God is omniscient
The first truth that David is telling us is that God is omniscient
Omniscience means that you are all knowing — that there is nothing that God does not know
David tells us that God knows everything — God knew what he was thinking
God knew what he was going to say
God knew everything about David
God didn’t just know what David was going to do — He knew the very motives that caused David to do the actions that he was doing
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Jesus in Matthew 10 is telling the disciples that the Lord knows the number of hairs that are on their head
That there is not a single thing that the Lord does not know about
That means that everything you have ever done — God knows about
The good things you have done — He knows about
The bad things you did that you think no one saw, that no one knows about — God knows
The thoughts that you have that are evil in nature, and though you would never actually do them, God knows about them
We cannot even imagine the reality of God knowing everything — every thought, every action, every motive, every word
He is all knowing — there is nothing that God does not know about!
God is omnipresent
God is omnipresent
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” 12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.
David is now telling us that there is no where we can go to escape the presence of God
David said that if he traveled up to heaven, or to Sheol — the deepest parts of the earth — or anywhere in between he wouldn’t escape the presence of the Lord
There is no where for David to go, the Lord will always be there
Here is the second truth about God:
God is Omnipresent
He is omnipresent — meaning He is everywhere at all times
David said we cannot escape the presence of God for He is everywhere at all times
He is considered eternally present — eternally with everyone, eternally everywhere
23 Do you people think that I am some local deity and not the transcendent God?” the Lord asks. 24 “Do you really think anyone can hide himself where I cannot see him?” the Lord asks. “Do you not know that I am everywhere?” the Lord asks.
The Lord is speaking telling us that He is everywhere!
He is not local — only in certain places, no He is everywhere!
In the book of Acts we are told “the Lord doesn’t dwell in man made temples”
The Lord is everywhere!
But more importantly He is always with us
There is no where outside of God’s reach
There is nowhere we can go that is to far away from Him, He is always there!
God is Omnipotent
God is Omnipotent
13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.
David then moves on to tell us how the Lord formed him
How God created David and put him together in his mothers womb
That God was in total control of the entire process
Here’s the third truth about God:
God is Omnipotent
God is omnipotent — which means that He is all powerful
He can do anything that He wants to do
He is greater than anything and has all power over everything
26 Jesus looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, but for God all things are possible.”
God is all powerful — Jesus tells us that there is nothing that is impossible for God
He can do anything
When you were born — God meticulously formed you
He knew everything about you before you ever took your first breath
He spoke in Genesis 1 and created everything that we see
He is all powerful
What should we do?
What should we do?
Because of these three truths about God that should lead us to asking the question: What should we do?
God is all knowing, He is everywhere, and He is all powerful
Listen to what David concluded
19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! 20 They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain. 21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? 22 I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
What should we do with the knowledge of who God is?
Follow Him
David tells us that after concluding all this about God he realized that the only course of action is to follow God
He said I go against who you go against
I follow where you lead
We should realize who God is and follow Him
He is the one that created us, He is the one that is sustaining everyone everywhere all at once, He is the reason we exist
So we should follow Him
Conclusion
Conclusion
God is all knowing — He knows everything
God is everywhere — He is eternally present
God is all powerful — He can do anything
Once we realize that about God we should humble ourselves and start following Him
