The Character of God: Here, There, and Everywhere
Intro story: God is missing!
Psalm 139:5-12 You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. 7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. 11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
I. God is everywhere & in every situation—even when we cannot see him. (vs 8 & 9)
Example: Goodbye, God.
A. Heaven & Depths—highest and lowest. Rising of sun & Sea—East & West. Everything is covered.
B. Just because we cannot see God doesn’t mean that he isn’t there. Faith is the evidence of things unseen. Visibility & Presence are not the same.
2 Kings6:16,17 "Don’t be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 17 And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
II. Because God is everywhere, he is not affected by circumstances of place & time. (vs, 11 & 12)
A. Light is good circumstances; darkness is bad circumstances. However, God is in both of them.
B. In fact, because God is in them, and he is light, David can say that “the night will shine like the day.” – Darkness does not penetrate light. Light penetrates darkness.
C. God doesn’t promise we won’t go through bad circumstances, but that he will be with us through them. There may be storms, but Jesus will always be in the boat.
ISA 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
III. God presence is our protection and our care.
Example: Volunteer fireman/insurance agent
A. God’s promise in the covenants has always been a promise of personal presence—and his omnipresence makes it possible for him to keep this promise.
Matthew 28:20b And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
B. And it is because of this presence that God assures us that we will be protected.
Deut 31:8 The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."
Acts 18:9,10 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city."
Just as in the days of Elisha, God assures Paul that he still has many more who are for him than against him. Not only that, but God himself is present and “if God is for us, who can be against us?”
C. Moses recognized the futility of trying to go without the presence of God & that the presence of God is what sets us apart.
EX 33:14 The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." 15 Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?"
IV. Because God is everywhere, we cannot flee from him—that is in either a positive or negative sense.
A. Regardless of where you are or what happens, your enemies cannot hide you from God.
Romans 8:39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
B. If you want to escape God or his ways, it is impossible to flee to a place where he cannot find you.
Example: Jonah
V. Application:
Psalm 139:23,24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
A. Search me, O God, and know my heart. God is everywhere. However, there is one place—not a physical place—where God needs to be invited in order to be present—and that is your heart. Not because he’s limited, but because he doesn’t force himself upon us.
Revelation 320 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
We must invite God’s presence into our hearts and our lives—so that we can experience the following blessings:
B. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. Because God is everywhere & in every circumstance, we can take comfort and our anxieties can be relieved, because we know that God is also there. And surely, we know that where God is, we are safe. The presence of the shepherd comforts us, the sheep.
Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
C. See if there is any offensive way in me. Because God is everywhere, only he is able to judge accurately. Why do we need to call in witnesses in the courtroom? Because the judge was not there to see what happened himself. However, God is an eyewitness to all that you have done. And as we discussed last week, we ought to examine ourselves so that we don’t come under the final judgment.
D. Lead me in the way everlasting. It is interesting that the word “lead” is used here. Because shepherds in the area of Israel always lead their sheep. [Illustration of shepherd vs. slaughterer] God is able to lead us precisely because everywhere that we could possible be brought in life—not only has he been there already, he is there right now. And because he is everywhere, he also has perspective we don’t have. You may think that one way is the right way to go—but God can see more than we can.
