“I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.  They will put you out of the synagogues.  Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.  And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.  But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.”

(John 16:1-4a ESV)

               

            This Sunday we will be looking at the Omniscience of God; the fact that He is all knowing.  This is another attribute that we don’t often understand or appreciate well, because we do not have this kind of knowledge.  We know what we know, but there is much we do not know.  God knows all things and there is nothing that He does not know.  It’s staggering when you think about it, but it should also bring us great comfort to understand that God knows all things.

            In the passage above, Jesus was telling His disciples things that were in the near future that would come to pass, and they were rather dramatically serious kinds of things.  He states then, “I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.”  I’m convinced that this at least part of the purpose behind prophecy, is so that when we see things falling in line when what was predicted by God, that we can understand and appreciate that God possesses this kind of knowledge—that He knows what will happen in the future.

            For someone to be able to predict with exact certainty what will happen in the future and then bring it to pass means that not only do they possess such knowledge, but the power to change forces of nature if necessary to bring it to pass.

            His vast knowledge, (no not just vast knowledge, but omniscient wisdom) should also help us to have confidence in other things He has said.  When His Word states something that might seem difficult for us, or that doesn’t seem to line up with what our culture would suggest, do we assume that man has become so wise now, with degrees, and technology, and experience that God’s Word is put in doubt, or do we still hold to what God has said?

            It really comes down to our faith.  Do we have the faith to believe that though there are things in the Bible that seem physically impossible, (galaxies being breathed into existence, Red Sea parting, Jericho walls falling, fire consuming the sacrifice on Mt. Horeb, etc.,) that God is capable of making the impossible possible? 

            My prayer for you is that if you are not already there, that you will come to be able to trust and believe in the God of Scripture, that if God said it, if the Bible says that God did it, that you will be able to trust and believe that it is true.  Whether that statement is about something relating to us as humans, or to God, I pray that He will grant you the faith to believe it.

            When we come to the place where we can trust Him to that degree, it will bring with it a greater sense of peace in life in general as we can trust Him to know what lies before us, that He will care for us as only He can.  We will be able to trust Him even in the difficult times when things may seem out of control, out of our control, to trust that He is in control, and that He has our best interest in mind in the end. 

            “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.  Amen.”  (Eph. 3:20-21)

By His Grace Alone,

Pastor Bruce Jacobsen

“Where shall I go from your Spirit?  Or where shall I flee from your presence?  If I ascend to heaven, you are there!  If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!  If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right had shall hold me.”

(Psalm 139:7-10 ESV)

               

            We are taking some time to work our way through the Attributes of God in a multi-part sermon series, and this week, taking a look at the attribute of God being Spiritual.  The simple understanding of this is that God is not limited by physical matter He is thus able to be anywhere and everywhere at once.  This should be a source of great comfort for us, for us to know that He is able to be with us right where we are, and at the very same time, be with our brothers and sisters on the other side of the world, or just on the other side of town.  He can be, and is with us wherever we go.

            David helps us understand this with this great psalm about the omnipresent, penetrating nature of God.  Of course, we would expect Him to be there in heaven.  But then David writes, “If I make my bed in “Sheol”, a term used to represent the very center of the earth, or even hell; he was confident God would be even there with him.  Because God is Spirit, He is able to be anywhere and everywhere at once.

            It’s not that David was looking for a way to get away from the presence of God, but stating how completely and comprehensively God looked after him.  Not only was God present with Him everywhere, but David writes in the verses before about how completely God knows him.  “O LORD, you have searched me and known me!  You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.  You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.” (Ps. 139:1-3). 

            While such thoughts can be a great source of comfort to us, that God is so familiar with us to even know our thoughts, that same concept might be very troubling if our thoughts haven’t been so pure.  While we might try to be careful about our actions, and words, the things other people around us may see, we’re not always as careful about our thoughts.  If we were really honest, we’re probably glad that others can’t read our minds, and know what we are thinking all the time.  Our God, who is Spirit has no such deficiencies, and does know our “thoughts from afar”.

            While we may hide such things from friends, co-workers, even family, we cannot hide these things from God.  So it behooves us to guard our minds against the things we know are harmful, impure or unkind that it doesn’t cause us to squirm when we think of how completely God knows us.  David closes this Psalm with a very vulnerable line:  “Search me, O God, and know my heart!  Try me and know my thoughts!  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”

            May that be our prayer; that God would bring those destructive, impure and unkind thoughts to our attention that we could repent of them, and seek to have God lead us in “the way everlasting!”  Also, don’t forget to rejoice in the knowledge of the attribute of God’s spiritual nature that allows Him to be always present with us, and with all those who are His all at the same time.  What a Great and Awesome God we serve!

           

By His Grace Alone,

Pastor Bruce Jacobsen