God's Unconditional Grace: Part II

Psalm 139:7–12 KJV 1900

Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; Even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; But the night shineth as the day: The darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

Introduction

-A game many kids like to play is hide and seek. In fact, my children love to play this game.

-It’s comical to watch us play hide and seek in our home because we live in a two bedroom apartment so there’s really no place to hide! It doesn’t take long to find the ones who are hiding.

-The point of the game is to hide yourself to where no one will find you. The last person to be found by the one seeking is declared the winner.

I have met many adults that are trying to play a similar game with God. They think that they can hide from Him and escape Him, but God always knows exactly where you’re at!

Last week we saw how God knows everything about us, knows what we’ve done, and knows what we need. He is all-knowing. This week we will see how God is all-present.

Today we are going to look at Three Truths found in this text that remind us of God being ever present.

God’s Presence Is Inescapable (v. 7)

Psalm 139:7 KJV 1900

Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

These two questions in verse 7 set up the topic for the following verses. Where can we go to escape the Spirit of God or flee from His presence? In verses 8-12 David is going to answer that question.

The answer we find to these questions is that God’s presence is inescapable. The fact of God being everywhere at all times is supported in Scripture.

Jeremiah 23:24 KJV 1900

Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.

Proverbs 15:3 KJV 1900

The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Beholding the evil and the good.

Job 34:21 KJV 1900

For his eyes are upon the ways of man, And he seeth all his goings.

God’s presence is inescapable. We cannot be anywhere where He is not. So what does that mean for us? If we can’t escape His presence or find a place too far away where He is not, how does this apply to us?

God Can Lead Us No Matter Where We’re At (v 8-10)

Psalm 139:8–10 KJV 1900

If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me.

No matter if you’re up, down, over, across, God can lead you. God is strong enough to take you where you’re at and turn you around for His glory.

Have you ever found yourself in a place where you wish you could get out?

-My wife and I were travelling several years back from Port St. Lucie, FL to Indiana, where my parents live. We decided to drive the whole 22 hours straight through.

-At the time my wife was pregnant with our first child. We got to a stretch of road where there was nothing. That meant there were no restrooms.

-Her and I both had to go really bad. We came up on this city all of a sudden so we took the exit. I found the first gas station I could. It was around 3 in the morning so a lot of places were closed, but there was a 7/11.

-We were singing, “Oh thank heaven Seven Eleven.” The problem was, they didn’t have a bathroom. I started to drive in the city. I found myself on a very busy road where I had turned on a one way street going the wrong direction!

-I then came up on a stop light where I had to run it so we didn’t lose our lives. Needless to say, we found ourselves in a bad place. It was a nightmare.

Spiritually, emotionally, and even physically, we can find ourselves in a place where we wonder if we could ever be pulled out of what we’ve found ourselves in.

Every moment seems to be a nightmare. Life seems hopeless. It feels like we will have to live like this the rest of our lives. But here’s the hope. Here’s the strength we can draw from when we find ourselves there.

Psalm 139:10 KJV 1900

Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me.

God’s not going anywhere. God can lead us even in the most difficult places we find ourselves. God can lead us no matter where we’re at.

Wherever you are at right now in your life. Maybe you struggle with loneliness, depression, ailments, confusion, God’s strong arm is there to guide you.

We Cannot Find Ourself in A Place Where God Doesn’t See Us (v. 11-12)

Psalm 139:11–12 KJV 1900

If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; Even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; But the night shineth as the day: The darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

David is describing a great darkness in his life. Where he can’t see the way out. But the conclusion is made here that our darkness, to God, is like an LED flashlight.

While the darkness we are facing may seem blinding, God sees right through it. That’s why it is crucial we rest in the Lord. That we trust in Him, because He can see when we cannot.

Conclusion

Illustration of working at Bro. Howard’s house and rope holding me. Learning to trust in the rope.