Psalm 139 - God knows us

 1. The difficulty of intimacy a. Today is mother’s day, as we should all know. i. and I hope you have been in touch with your mother, or are planning to be. ii. I’ve always had a very good relationship with Janet’s mum and dad, and for the past 29 years, she has been my only mum. (1) I give them a shout out today as they join us on Zoom, I love seeing them, and I rejoice in the fact that I have such a lovely mother in law. b. But that does of course reveal a hidden pain for me about mother’s day. i. My mum died 29 years ago. (1) Now, I was not the model child. I was certainly rebellious, and pretty much always frustrating. Perhaps I haven’t changed that much… (a) but I did love my mum, and miss her still. ii. In so many ways we owe our life to our mothers (1) mothers nurture us from conception to birth. After that it’s different for everyone. iii. Nonetheless mothers often know us way more than we want to acknowledge. (1) they are our first intimates, we share a body with and we bond with them iv. they were the first ones who gave us everything we needed. They seemed to know everything (1) and as we grew up we realised we were actually made and formed inside them. Our connection can be so close with them. v. Psalm 139 doesn’t compare God with our mothers but it picks up those connections and explores how our relationship with God is far more intimate than that with anyone else - even our mothers. 2. He knows me a. first i. You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. vv1–2 ii. God knows us: it’s a really important idea in theology. (1) there are three aspects of God - the three big omni’s - this is the first one. God is OMNISCIENT. He knows everything. (a) in particular - he knows us. (i) You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. vv3–4 (b) Every step, every idle action, every wish of our heart. (i) He knows us even better than ourselves. (c) now just let that roll around in your head for a moment. When you felt misunderstood - not by God. (i) When you felt you weren’t listened to - God listened. iii. but isn’t that also bit terrifying? That he really *knows* us (1) the things we hide from everyone else - he sees clearly (a) the things we are ashamed of - he doesn’t miss. (2) Our evil thoughts, lies, gossip, the dark secret corners of our hearts that we ALL have, God is thoroughly aware of. We can’t hide any of it from him. iv. and yet - what a comfort that is, because despite those dark secret places, he still loves us. He still wants us to come back to him. (1) even though he knows everything. That’s amazing! 3. He’s with me a. but it’s more than that - as wonderful as that is - as the psalmist says ‘such knowledge is too wonderful for me (v6) i. there is also no escaping from his presence. We can’t hide from God however hard we try. (1) Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. vv7–8 (2) It’s our second OMNI - OMNIPRESENT - he’s everywhere. (3) We would like to think that we can escape God, but we can’t. (a) some think they can escape God by pretending he’s not there. (4) But there is nowhere to escape. You can’t avoid God by closing your eyes and putting your fingers in your ears. (a) however you try to hide - God is there. ii. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, v9 (1) because God is the God of the whole earth, not just the God of Israel, or the God of the Christians. (a) He’s not the same as the other gods of the world. (i) The God of the Bible, who revealed himself in Jesus Christ, is over the whole world. He is the God of everything and of everywhere. (ii) as Paul says 1) The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. Colossians 1:15–16. (iii) there is no way to God or true understanding of God apart from Jesus. (b) and that’s true for everyone! (2) but the great news is also in v10 (a) If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. vv9–10 (3) In the same way that God knows you completely, he cares for you everywhere. (a) wherever you go he is there and will guide and hold on to you (i) even in the darkness of v11, because to God, darkness is like bright day. v12 (4) because the light of God shines into all our dark places. Showing us the way in even the most frightening or hidden places. 4. He made me a. but along with that intimate knowledge, comes profound power. i. It goes along with being god that you are powerful. And certainly the God of the Bible is that - he made all the universe as we see it, ii. but his power is also intimate (1) For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. vv13–14 iii. every molecule of our being, every twist of our DNA, every part of us, deeply known and ‘knit together” by God. (1) He wove us. And then we have subsequently been in this frustrated sinful world, slowly decaying throughout life. iv. but God’s power is not just immense, it’s so vast that it can be comprehensively subtle and complex. (a) who would you like to operate on your brain? (i) this guy (ii) or this guy (b) personally I don’t want either - one’s a cartoon character and the other an actor. (2) but we don’t usually associate great power with great subtlety. But God is so powerful, he can be supremely detailed. (3) from the time we start (a) Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. v16 (4) He sees everything about us. And even more than that. his hand is on all of our life. Even though we are small in the world - (5) just one of 7 billion. (a) and then one of billions of stars in the Milky way galaxy which is but one of billions of galaxies. (i) and God is controlling the celestial mechanics of all of that, the galaxies in their dance, and the sun and the planets in their orbits (b) but also knows every intricacy of each one of us. (i) Now that’s real power - that’s our third omni - OMNIPOTENT. v. and that power gives us life and breath and being. (1) but the next bit is where some people get it wrong. Christianity doesn’t say the universe is just made for humans. The universe is made for the Lord Jesus Christ. (a) Do you remember that in Col (i) all things have been created through him and for him. Colossians 1:16 (2) the universe is not anthropocentric- centred around humans, (3) it is Christocentric - centred around a human - Jesus Christ. 5. He’s not like me a. which brings us to the final part that may have made us feel uncomfortable. i. If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, LORD, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. vv19–22 b. we feel uncomfortable about this because it feels different to what we think is a civilised society. i. As Christians we remember the words of Jesus. (1) “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, Matthew 5:43–44 ii. that feels right to us - because we have been so deeply affected by the Bible’s teaching. (1) I want to suggest that we *should* be mourning over the sin of the world, and hating that God’s name is ridiculed over and over again. (a) that people live in ignorance and defiance of God. (i) but we shouldn’t be acting in hatred toward them, but doing something completely unnatural and acting in love. (2) which means at times saying something because you love God and his glory more than you like being liked. (a) and so prayerfully, gently, respectfully there are times when we speak up about what is going on around us in the sin of the world. And seek to love people by sharing the reality of Jesus with them (3) because God is OMNISANCTIS - (4th unexpected one) (a) all holy, and will judge all sin, all evil, all rebellion. iii. so at the end, David turns to God and prays: (1) “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” vv23–24 (2) a prayer we should pray, and pray often. In utter need of God’s forgiveness, and leading to eternal life. Not from our goodness, but all from God. 6. The surprising God of Psalm 139 a. so we have an amazing picture - one that takes your breath away i. it astounds us because of the magnitude of the picture of God here. (1) the exploration of his intimate knowledge of us, and how deeply and perfectly he knows us, in all our sin, and our flashes of goodness. (a) and how he still loves us, and still wants us to be his, despite all the rejection, rebellion and failure in our lives. (2) he still calls from his heart to ours - be my children ii. it overwhelms us with the fact that we are never far from God. (1) Not only can’t we hide from him (even if we wanted to) - but he will be with us - even to the end of the age. (2) God is our constant companion through life’s darkest and lightest places. iii. it dazzles us with the picture of God’s expansive, but also deeply personal control over the details of us. (1) that he is SO big and SO powerful, that he can control even the tiniest things in life. iv. and finally it humbles us, as we are confronted by the utter holiness of God, and the deep sinfulness of our world. (1) and how far our hearts and world view are from his. His justice, his righteousness, his holiness and his love. (a) knowing he will judge all rebellion and sin, but that his judgement has actually been delivered upon and expended by his Son Jesus Christ. (2) that is the great news: that the Son saves the world. Through his death for our sins. Taking our punishment for us. v. and that’s a wonderful message for all of us on Mother’s day - in fact on any day. That God’s Son - Jesus Christ - saves us all who trust in him. (1) Will you put your trust in him today? Are you ready for that step? (a) now that would be a good Mother’s day conversation to have with each other.