The Eyes of the Lord
Griffith Baptist Church – 7/20/08
P.M. Service
Text: Psalm 38
Main Verse: Psalms 38:9 - Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee.
The Introduction
God’s Retribution - 38:1-3
Sin’s Ramifications - 38:4-10
Other’s Reactions - 38:11-12
Personal Repentance - 38:13-20
Protective Request - 38:21-22
Trips to the library or the bookstore are always interesting. You can find books on all kinds of subjects; fiction, non-fiction, science, how-to, history, geography, politics, law, medical, etc. All books, no matter what, convey one thing. INFORMATION. Even if the information is fictitious, it is still relating some type of knowledge to your mind. Information is defined as knowledge derived from study, experience, or instruction. So when you go to the library or bookstore, you are in a storeroom of knowledge. Most interesting is the biographical section, stories of other people about their lives. Sometimes, even going into great detail about the way that they think, lived, whether it was good or bad. So, you pick up that book and read about that person to gain knowledge of them. Your eyes and your mind interact to glean something from what you are reading.
For a moment, you are watching them, looking at them, studying them and learning about them.
Did you ever feel like someone was watching you?
When you were all alone?
GOD is watching us and our lives are like an open book to Him - Proverbs 5:21 – For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.
This kind of watching means that God is aware - Proverbs 15:3 – The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. (Ps. 139:12)
The psalmist said that in verse 9:
o He is aware of our desire – what we long for
o He is aware of our groaning – our hurts, pains, secret and unutterable troubles
o He is aware of the good and the bad and everything in between
o The desire and groaning are like two bookends
o We are going to fill in the gap between – the library of books about us that God looks at.
Transition Statement: Book One tells us that God is aware of what we do.
Body
1. God Is Aware of What We Do
A. This is the most obvious aspect of His omniscience
i. Our daily activities
ii. Our sleep – Psalms 4:8 – will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety. and Proverbs 3:24 - When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
iii. The use of our time and resources
iv. When we lie and when we tell the truth
v. When no one else sees or even senses a wrong motive or attitude, God does.
B. Watching over His children - Psalms 34:15 – The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
C. He knows our direction before we take the first step - Job 23:10 – But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
Transition Statement: Book Two tells how we think
2. God Is Aware of How We Think
A. Psalms 139:1-6 - 1O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 4For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. 5Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. 6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
i. Verse 1 – intimate knowledge of how we work
ii. Verse 2 – close proximity or distance mean nothing
iii. Verse 3 – our activities and personalities are completely known
iv. Verse 4 – even before we know what we are going to say, God does
v. Verse 5 – as close as a touch and surrounded by His presence and knowledge
vi. Verse 6 – Conclusion: There is no way to grasp, even remotely, what God knows about me, my life, and anything to do with me.
B. There is a story of a photographer who went to the docks to take a picture of the "The Great Eastern". Its hull was black, having been coated with tar. That same day the man went to his own darkroom to develop the film and print it. As the picture of the ship began to take form, the word "Lewis" appeared on the hull. Immediately the photographer returned to the wharf to see whether that name actually was on the vessel. But it wasn’t visible. Astonished, he contacted the office of the shipping company and inquired about this strange phenomenon. He was told that the word "Lewis" could be found underneath the tar. The camera’s powerful lens and the sensitive film had picked it up.
C. Nothing eludes Him - Hebrews 4:13 – Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
D. Future judgment of all things, even our motives, whether good or bad - 1 Corinthians 4:5 - Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
Transition Statement: Book Three lets us know that God knows where we are at all times
3. God Is Aware of Where We Are
A. Watching all of creation - 2 Chronicles 16:9a – For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.
B. Ps. 139:12 says that darkness and light are both alike to God
i. His eyes do not need to adjust to see you in the dark
ii. He does not need to go looking for you to find you
iii. There is no “hide and seek” with God
C. There is no “alone” for the Christian
Transition Statement: Book Four is information of what we need and want
4. God Is Aware of What We Need and Want
A. There is no limit to what He understands - Psalms 147:5 – Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
B. Our needs are already in His sight (Matt. 6:8, 32)
i. God promises those supplies
ii. He has already taken care of them
C. Our wants (desires) are before Him
i. A fifth grade boy who had heard a sermon on persistence in prayer was praying by himself in his room one night. As his dad passed his door, he heard the boy praying over and over again, "Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo." The next day, the dad asked his son what we was doing. The boy replied that he had given the wrong answer on a test for the capital of Mexico, and he was praying that God would make Tokyo the capital of Mexico.
ii. God knows our desires better than that and knows what is good or bad
iii. The goals we have that we want to accomplish
iv. The desires that we would like to see fulfilled
Transition Statement: Our instruction is pretty simple.
5. What Should We Do?
A. If the fact of God seeing and knowing everything about you disturbs you, find out what is wrong and forsake it.
B. If the fact of God seeing and knowing everything about you comforts you, continue to walk in His way and please Him.
C. Watching our obedience - Deuteronomy 13:18 – When thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD thy God.
Conclusion:
When God opens the book of your life, how does each page read?
