WEBVTT 00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:03.279 Jeremiah chapter 23. 00:00:03.359 --> 00:00:04.240 That's where we're going to be. 00:00:04.320 --> 00:00:10.080 Kind of just like last week though, we're in a doctrine series, and we're going to be, you know, moving around to a bunch of different passages. 00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:16.559 And so it's totally your call if you want to be flipping around with me and and seeing if you can keep up and flipping pages really quickly. 00:00:16.960 --> 00:00:19.359 But we're going to be looking at a couple of different passages for sure. 00:00:19.440 --> 00:00:22.559 But if you want to start off with that first one, we'll get to it in a little bit here. 00:00:22.640 --> 00:00:26.719 But as you're getting turned there, we got a picture for you up on the screen here. 00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:30.079 Anyone know what this is? 00:00:31.039 --> 00:00:31.920 Specifically. 00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:32.799 Okay, specifically. 00:00:33.039 --> 00:00:33.840 I know it's a taco. 00:00:34.079 --> 00:00:38.799 Okay, I know it's a taco, but anyone tell me what taco this is? 00:00:40.079 --> 00:00:40.799 I heard it. 00:00:40.960 --> 00:00:47.439 I heard the Taco Supreme from Taco Bell for sure. 00:00:47.600 --> 00:00:48.719 That's exactly what that is. 00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:51.200 I know some of you have that as a guilty pleasure. 00:00:51.359 --> 00:00:54.640 And uh and you go to that and you tap into the Taco Supreme for sure. 00:00:54.719 --> 00:01:15.280 Now, listen, with all due respect to the fine folks at Taco Bell, um, does it seem to you like using the word supreme uh to describe that is maybe overselling it, like just a touch? 00:01:15.519 --> 00:01:15.760 Right? 00:01:15.840 --> 00:01:17.519 Like maybe, maybe just a bit. 00:01:17.760 --> 00:01:22.560 Like surely, surely uh, you know, a taco from Chipotle, right? 00:01:22.640 --> 00:01:23.760 Have you ever been to Chipotle? 00:01:23.920 --> 00:01:25.680 That's like my favorite place on earth, right? 00:01:25.840 --> 00:01:29.280 Chipotle, or you know, an authentic Mexican restaurant. 00:01:29.359 --> 00:01:36.959 We got you know a few in our area for sure that are really great, or maybe even it's just like your own home recipe, and you guys have taco night, taco Tuesday, or something like that. 00:01:37.120 --> 00:01:38.400 You've got that that going. 00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:42.480 Surely one of those examples would be superior. 00:01:42.560 --> 00:01:47.280 Again, all due respect, but but be superior to that. 00:01:48.239 --> 00:01:49.840 Would we agree with that? 00:01:50.239 --> 00:02:01.519 I mean, it's kind of interesting, you know, how how that word supreme, you know, gets tossed around to the point where it essentially loses its meaning, doesn't it? 00:02:01.760 --> 00:02:04.159 It loses its its significance. 00:02:04.400 --> 00:02:36.800 And and I and I think that because the meaning of the word supreme has been cheapened somewhat, because we we tend to use it, we apply it to things like tacos and and other things that we call supreme, because it's been cheapened when when we hear it used to describe the you know uh the very character of God, okay, the the gravity, the the impact of it can be kind of lost on us, can't it? 00:02:37.680 --> 00:02:51.039 Okay, but when we when we stop for a moment and and we really kind of just consider and think about how vastly supreme the Lord Almighty actually is. 00:02:51.439 --> 00:02:51.599 Right? 00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:58.719 And we consider the the weight of that of that word, it you know, that word begins to make to make sense again. 00:02:58.960 --> 00:02:59.360 Right? 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:10.400 The true sense of that word supreme, it's perfectly applied to him because it actually fits perfectly. 00:03:10.719 --> 00:03:26.159 Okay, according to the scriptures, and some of you know this very well, there is nothing, there is no one better, higher, greater in all creation than the Lord. 00:03:26.400 --> 00:03:29.199 Okay, it's it's it's not an exaggeration. 00:03:30.080 --> 00:03:34.159 We're not overselling it when we when we call him that. 00:03:34.319 --> 00:03:38.240 He he truly is above all things. 00:03:38.400 --> 00:03:40.639 I mean, we just we just sang it. 00:03:40.800 --> 00:03:40.960 Right? 00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:42.960 God of all, right? 00:03:43.199 --> 00:03:44.639 He is supreme. 00:03:45.120 --> 00:03:55.039 All right, so as we continue in our in our doctrine series today, we're gonna spend these next few moments here uh looking into the character of God. 00:03:55.599 --> 00:03:59.280 The character of God, who he is, some of his, some of his attributes. 00:03:59.520 --> 00:04:14.159 Because much like we talked about last week when we looked into uh the doctrine of the Trinity, the understanding who our God is, it is just so, so critical for us as Christ followers and as the church. 00:04:14.400 --> 00:04:14.960 Now, why? 00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:16.399 Why, why is that the case? 00:04:16.560 --> 00:04:18.480 Why is it you know important? 00:04:19.040 --> 00:04:36.639 Well, I can tell you it's not not just because you know we're we're we're trying to uh observe some things about him and and and and dissect it, maybe like you would you know dissect a frog in biology class or something like that, just you know, to learn some some facts and all of that. 00:04:36.720 --> 00:04:42.000 That's not what that's what not that's not what studying and knowing doctrine uh is really all about. 00:04:42.160 --> 00:04:42.800 Do you understand that? 00:04:42.879 --> 00:04:52.000 Doctrine isn't just some some heady, you know, coarse material that we are trying to get into our brains so that we know a bunch of you know right answers. 00:04:52.160 --> 00:04:52.879 That's not it. 00:04:53.040 --> 00:04:56.480 Okay, so again, why why look into his attributes? 00:04:56.639 --> 00:04:59.759 Why look into the character of God today? 00:05:00.720 --> 00:05:01.920 Well, well, simple. 00:05:02.079 --> 00:05:03.680 It's because we're to know him. 00:05:04.319 --> 00:05:06.079 Okay, we are to know him. 00:05:06.240 --> 00:05:10.399 Our relationship with God is to be deeply personal, right? 00:05:10.639 --> 00:05:27.439 Deeply personal and understanding doctrine is to drive us further and deeper into a faith-filled and and intimate and deeply fulfilling relationship with Him. 00:05:28.079 --> 00:05:38.720 All right, so that's where we're going today, and we're gonna dive deep into this here, but uh before we get into this and into Jeremiah 23 specifically, let's let's bring these things before the Lord. 00:05:38.800 --> 00:05:39.519 Let's pray. 00:05:40.959 --> 00:05:43.279 God, we do worship you, Lord. 00:05:43.360 --> 00:05:48.079 We come before you, and and already so much great ministry has taken place here today, Lord. 00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:52.079 You have drawn near to us, you have encouraged our hearts, you have blessed us, Lord. 00:05:52.160 --> 00:05:56.240 You have you have shown us that you're at work in your church. 00:05:56.399 --> 00:06:04.800 Lord, we've seen that through Mackenzie's testimony, through Jasmine's testimony, and Father, our response is to rejoice, our response is to praise you, Lord. 00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:13.839 And now as we you know open up your word and we talk about some very important things, Lord, I pray that that we would not just worship a God that we don't really have the first clue about. 00:06:14.079 --> 00:06:20.800 Lord, I pray that we would understand who you are, Lord, understanding that our finite minds will never be able to fully grasp an infinite God. 00:06:20.879 --> 00:06:30.160 Lord, we get that, but Lord, we want to press into you, we want to know you clearly, we want to know you as you are, we want to know you as the scriptures teach us. 00:06:30.240 --> 00:06:32.000 And so, God, help us today. 00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:39.199 Bless your church, draw near to us, Lord, glorify the mighty, matchless name of Jesus Christ. 00:06:39.519 --> 00:06:42.000 God, we pray all of these things, and it's in his name. 00:06:42.240 --> 00:06:43.120 We pray them. 00:06:43.439 --> 00:06:44.079 Amen. 00:06:44.639 --> 00:06:45.040 Amen. 00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:46.319 All right, well, here we go. 00:06:46.480 --> 00:06:46.959 Here we go. 00:06:47.120 --> 00:06:47.519 First thing. 00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:50.079 My God is vastly supreme. 00:06:50.240 --> 00:06:56.560 He's vastly supreme, and and I'm astounded by his omnipresence, by his omnipresence. 00:06:56.720 --> 00:07:03.360 Now, we're gonna be looking into three kind of major areas of God's character here this morning. 00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:10.240 We're gonna be looking at his omnipresence, his omniscience, and also his omnipotence. 00:07:10.480 --> 00:07:17.519 Okay, and so next time I'm with you, we're gonna spend some more time looking into the character of God and looking into his attributes. 00:07:17.600 --> 00:07:20.399 And so today is kind of God's character part one. 00:07:20.560 --> 00:07:30.240 We're gonna get to part two later on down the road because it's far too much uh to tackle in just one message, and so we're gonna spend the next little bit here looking at who our Lord is. 00:07:30.399 --> 00:07:31.279 Love it, love it. 00:07:31.519 --> 00:07:32.240 Excited for that. 00:07:32.399 --> 00:07:40.800 Now, listen, these these three omni words that I just mentioned, um, they may or may not be words that you are used to hearing. 00:07:40.959 --> 00:07:47.600 Maybe you've never heard those words before, and uh you don't even understand what they are, and maybe they're not really a part of your vocabulary. 00:07:47.759 --> 00:07:57.759 Well, listen, I think it's good that that we we make them part of our vocabulary, we make them part of our understanding, and we we unpack these and know them, know them well, okay? 00:07:57.839 --> 00:07:59.680 And so we're gonna explain these things as we go. 00:07:59.839 --> 00:08:04.240 But here, first thing here, you know, what do we mean by that by that word there that you see? 00:08:04.399 --> 00:08:05.279 Omnipresence. 00:08:05.439 --> 00:08:06.480 Okay, what do we mean by that? 00:08:06.560 --> 00:08:07.439 What does it mean? 00:08:07.680 --> 00:08:15.759 All right, well, that prefix omni that you see there is is from the Latin and it it means all. 00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:16.720 It means all. 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:22.959 And so so omnipresence literally means um everywhere. 00:08:23.279 --> 00:08:25.199 It literally means everywhere. 00:08:25.519 --> 00:08:30.240 God is present everywhere at all times. 00:08:30.480 --> 00:08:32.240 Okay, you at Jeremiah 23? 00:08:32.399 --> 00:08:32.799 You ready? 00:08:32.879 --> 00:08:35.120 We're gonna look at uh verses 23 and 24. 00:08:35.200 --> 00:08:42.320 So take a look at that here, and we're gonna see this uh that that the Lord makes that really clear, that he is present everywhere at all times in his word. 00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:43.919 Here it is, verse 23. 00:08:44.240 --> 00:08:50.799 He says, Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? 00:08:51.039 --> 00:08:55.120 Okay, so you see that he is he is near and he is also far. 00:08:55.279 --> 00:08:57.519 He is he is everywhere. 00:08:57.759 --> 00:09:03.120 And then he says, Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him, declares the Lord. 00:09:03.360 --> 00:09:07.279 Do I not, I love this, fill heaven and earth. 00:09:07.519 --> 00:09:09.600 Do I not fill heaven and earth? 00:09:09.840 --> 00:09:23.919 Alright, so because God is spirit and he's not limited by by a physical form, all right, it means that he's not limited by spatial constraints. 00:09:24.159 --> 00:09:26.000 And how do we how do we know that? 00:09:26.159 --> 00:09:32.480 How do we know that he's not limited by space like you and I are in the material physical world is? 00:09:32.559 --> 00:09:33.519 How do we know that? 00:09:33.679 --> 00:09:42.639 Well, well, it's because Genesis 1, okay, right in the very beginning of the Bible, it tells us that he created it. 00:09:42.799 --> 00:09:43.039 Right? 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:44.080 He created space. 00:09:44.240 --> 00:09:48.559 It says that he created the the heavens and and the earth. 00:09:48.720 --> 00:09:56.960 So so listen, he exists outside of space, he exists outside of time for uh as well. 00:09:57.279 --> 00:10:01.679 He exists outside of it before it even began. 00:10:02.799 --> 00:10:13.039 Okay, if your mind is turning to mush as you know even begin to try and comprehend that, listen, I'm right with you there, and uh that is even that is even a good thing, right? 00:10:13.120 --> 00:10:14.559 He exists outside of all of it. 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:23.120 I mean, we really see that reflected in Samuel's prayer in the Old Testament, you know, when he says, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you. 00:10:23.519 --> 00:10:24.720 He cannot contain you. 00:10:25.039 --> 00:10:29.039 We see that there in 1 Kings 8, verse 27. 00:10:29.600 --> 00:10:40.000 Now, now this doesn't mean that he is merely bigger than the space that the universe occupies. 00:10:40.159 --> 00:10:40.480 Okay? 00:10:40.720 --> 00:10:44.000 We have to be really careful that we understand this properly. 00:10:44.240 --> 00:10:48.639 It means that we can't think of God in spatial terms at all. 00:10:48.799 --> 00:10:51.360 Okay, and we can't think of him in that category. 00:10:51.759 --> 00:10:55.840 We spent a bunch of time you know talking through some some Wayne Grutham quotes. 00:10:55.919 --> 00:10:58.240 I feel like he's just a personal friend of our church now. 00:10:58.320 --> 00:10:59.919 Um, but this is what he says here. 00:11:00.080 --> 00:11:06.399 He says, God is a being who exists without size or dimensions in space. 00:11:06.879 --> 00:11:11.919 Okay, another thing to be careful of is that we don't drift into pantheism. 00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:12.960 Okay, pantheism. 00:11:13.039 --> 00:11:14.960 Now, pan, that that prefix. 00:11:15.039 --> 00:11:20.960 Uh if if if omni is the Latin for all, pan is the Greek for all. 00:11:21.039 --> 00:11:22.559 It means all uh as well. 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:26.000 So all creation is divine. 00:11:26.159 --> 00:11:29.360 Okay, now if you've ever seen that movie Avatar, right? 00:11:29.600 --> 00:11:33.360 Highest grossing movie uh of all time, came out a few years ago, I guess. 00:11:33.440 --> 00:11:45.919 And maybe you remember that scene with you know with the tree where they were kind of saying that like all, you know, you know, God is in the very fabric, you know, the very life of creation itself. 00:11:46.000 --> 00:11:51.279 And it was it was teaching that that that it was in that tree, inside that tree. 00:11:51.440 --> 00:11:56.000 Everything that exists is in fact God. 00:11:56.639 --> 00:11:58.320 Okay, that's pantheism. 00:11:58.559 --> 00:12:02.559 Okay, but that's not okay, that's not what what the Bible teaches. 00:12:02.799 --> 00:12:12.320 Okay, it teaches us that that God is everywhere, absolutely, but that he is also separate or distinct from his creation. 00:12:13.039 --> 00:12:26.799 Okay, something else that we should understand when we're thinking through God's omnipresence is that while he's present everywhere at all times, he does act differently in different places. 00:12:26.960 --> 00:12:28.320 Okay, does that make sense? 00:12:28.879 --> 00:12:34.879 He moves in in different ways at different times and places within creation. 00:12:34.960 --> 00:12:43.279 He's not doing the exact same thing here in this room as he is doing, you know, a thousand kilometers in a different direction. 00:12:43.440 --> 00:12:44.720 Not necessarily, right? 00:12:44.799 --> 00:12:46.720 He's doing different things in different places. 00:12:46.799 --> 00:12:55.919 Okay, a lot of guys, Grudom included, have noted that God can be present at any one place for kind of three, you know, three major purposes. 00:12:56.080 --> 00:13:00.559 It could be to punish, it could be to sustain, or it could be to bless. 00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:09.519 Okay, so for example, maybe you've heard that, you know, maybe you've heard people say that that hell is where God is not. 00:13:10.080 --> 00:13:10.399 Okay? 00:13:10.879 --> 00:13:18.799 Or hell will be void of the of the presence of God, and that's what makes it so awful. 00:13:19.039 --> 00:13:20.639 Okay, have you ever heard that before? 00:13:20.879 --> 00:13:22.159 So God will not be in hell. 00:13:22.240 --> 00:13:24.320 Well, listen, I don't believe that that's accurate. 00:13:24.559 --> 00:13:25.440 I really don't. 00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:28.399 Okay, Revelation 14 makes it pretty clear that it's not accurate. 00:13:28.480 --> 00:13:39.440 It says this it says that he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur. 00:13:39.600 --> 00:13:46.320 Okay, so it's talking about the wrath poured out on sinners in hell, fire and sulfur. 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:51.759 And then it says this, in the presence of his holy of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. 00:13:52.159 --> 00:13:53.600 In the presence of the Lamb. 00:13:53.919 --> 00:14:06.240 God is God is everywhere, including hell, but but in that in that location, in that place, specifically it's it's to punish, right? 00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:10.399 It's it's his wrath, which is an awful thing to try and comprehend and think through. 00:14:10.960 --> 00:14:18.399 Okay, but in in Colossians 1, verse 17, we see that that God's presence is to sustain. 00:14:18.799 --> 00:14:20.399 We've talked about this verse a few times. 00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:22.639 He sustains the very creation itself. 00:14:22.799 --> 00:14:23.440 This is what it says. 00:14:23.519 --> 00:14:28.799 It says, He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 00:14:29.519 --> 00:14:30.960 In him all things hold together. 00:14:31.519 --> 00:14:45.279 His very presence in creation, in the universe, keeps everything from just blowing up, imploding, ceasing to exist, and however you want to look at that. 00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:48.720 Okay, he sustains creation. 00:14:50.399 --> 00:14:58.879 Most of the time when it talks, when the Bible talks about God's presence, it's usually referring to how he blesses us. 00:15:09.039 --> 00:15:12.960 At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. 00:15:13.200 --> 00:15:29.519 Okay, it's not that God isn't present everywhere, it's just that there are certain times and situations where God is present, you know, specifically to maybe punish or or or or sustain for sure, or to or to bless. 00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:33.039 Okay, God's God's omnipresence. 00:15:33.360 --> 00:15:37.279 When you begin to look at it, I mean we're barely scratching the surface on this here today. 00:15:37.519 --> 00:15:41.840 But when you begin to look at this, it's astounding. 00:15:42.799 --> 00:15:43.759 It's nothing less than that. 00:15:43.919 --> 00:15:52.799 When you when you stop and consider the these passages and and the reality of this, our response is really wow. 00:15:53.759 --> 00:15:54.399 Wow. 00:15:55.440 --> 00:16:04.320 Now that's all good and that's all great, but but what what exactly does this mean for for you and I? 00:16:04.559 --> 00:16:04.879 Right? 00:16:05.039 --> 00:16:14.080 Because God's omnipresence, uh, you know, it's not something that has no bearing on on our lives or anything like that. 00:16:14.240 --> 00:16:16.960 It it absolutely does have an impact. 00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:18.960 And we've got these things on the screen for you. 00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:22.000 Five ways God's omnipresence impacts my life. 00:16:22.080 --> 00:16:23.519 You can jot these down if you like. 00:16:24.080 --> 00:16:32.159 Okay, and these are, of course, somewhat related to each other here, the five things that I wrote down, and this is not all, you know, this is not an exhaustive list, of course. 00:16:32.320 --> 00:16:33.840 Okay, but the first one there, you see it. 00:16:34.000 --> 00:16:36.960 Nothing I do is truly in secret. 00:16:37.519 --> 00:16:49.360 When you think about God's omnipresence, okay, you realize my thoughts, my actions, I I'm not hiding that. 00:16:49.679 --> 00:16:51.600 I I I may have fooled some people. 00:16:52.399 --> 00:17:02.960 I I may have I may be pretty good at putting on a show for you know for this crowd, maybe, or you know, to to my spouse or to my kids or to my boss or to whoever it might be. 00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:06.160 But listen, the Lord, the Lord sees it. 00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:07.680 Nothing is truly a secret. 00:17:07.839 --> 00:17:16.480 Now, if they are dishonorable things that that we are hiding, that brings that might bring some fear. 00:17:16.799 --> 00:17:17.119 Right? 00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:29.119 And that might bring conviction that you need to, you know, to get those things out in the open and to be maybe a little bit more transparent and and and and to ask the Lord to make you a person of integrity and all of that. 00:17:29.599 --> 00:17:36.559 Okay, but maybe for you it's it's honorable deeds and and you're doing things and and people aren't seeing them. 00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:38.319 Well, listen, that's okay. 00:17:38.799 --> 00:17:39.599 That's all right. 00:17:39.680 --> 00:17:47.839 You don't you don't need we don't do things, we don't serve in the church, we don't we don't bless other people, we don't follow the Lord so that people give us a pat on the back. 00:17:48.079 --> 00:17:54.559 But sometimes we can feel like, well, I'm not getting the attention that you know I kind of want for what I'm doing, and people aren't praising me for it. 00:17:54.640 --> 00:17:55.440 No, that's okay. 00:17:55.599 --> 00:17:56.799 The Lord sees it. 00:17:57.119 --> 00:18:00.079 The Lord sees it, He will, He will bless you. 00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:02.000 It's not a secret from Him. 00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:07.200 You don't worry about what people think of you or the praise that you get from man. 00:18:07.279 --> 00:18:08.240 You're doing it for the Lord. 00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:12.000 Okay, nothing I do is uh is truly a secret when I consider God's omnipresence. 00:18:12.319 --> 00:18:15.200 Here's the second one I'm never truly alone. 00:18:15.519 --> 00:18:16.720 I'm never truly alone. 00:18:16.880 --> 00:18:20.559 How much of a how much of a comfort is that to us? 00:18:21.039 --> 00:18:48.880 You know, when we feel when we feel alone, you know, and and and and be really careful here, and and we've talked about this kind of thing before, but we're really careful when you you know feel alone, and and and those those feelings of of loneliness and and and emptiness are you know bubbling up and they're starting to make you think that you know maybe God isn't here and and maybe God doesn't care, and I've been crying out to him, and and it feels like he's a million miles away. 00:18:48.960 --> 00:18:51.200 So I guess that means that he is, and God doesn't care about me. 00:18:51.359 --> 00:18:53.759 No, listen, listen, be so careful in those moments. 00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:59.839 Don't let your don't let your emotions be the thing that drives the bus. 00:19:00.400 --> 00:19:02.960 Let your emotions be the trailer. 00:19:03.519 --> 00:19:08.640 Okay, allow God and his word and the truth to drive you in all of this. 00:19:08.960 --> 00:19:11.920 God is there, you're not alone. 00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:14.400 You're not there, you're not alone at all. 00:19:14.720 --> 00:19:15.519 He is with you. 00:19:15.680 --> 00:19:18.400 Take comfort in it, even if you don't feel it. 00:19:18.559 --> 00:19:24.160 Trust the truth, lean into the Lord, cry out for him to come close. 00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:26.079 Here's the third one. 00:19:26.319 --> 00:19:27.839 I can't run away from him. 00:19:28.319 --> 00:19:29.359 I can't run away from him. 00:19:29.519 --> 00:19:33.599 I mean, how many of us in this room have spent far too much of our lives? 00:19:33.839 --> 00:19:41.599 You know, sometimes it's been years, it has been decades, in some kind of lame and pathetic way, trying to run away from the Lord. 00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:46.559 Well, I I don't I don't want to face that thing that I sense the Lord wants to press me on. 00:19:46.720 --> 00:19:51.440 That that sin that I'm kind of enjoying right now that's bringing me some sense of pleasure. 00:19:51.519 --> 00:19:57.279 I I I don't wanna I don't wanna face you, Lord, and I know that you wouldn't really like that, so I'm but I'm gonna give myself into that. 00:19:57.359 --> 00:20:01.519 I'm I'm gonna try and run, spiritually speaking, I'm gonna try and run away from him. 00:20:02.240 --> 00:20:08.079 Well, if God is omnipresent as the scriptures teach us, we can't do that. 00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:08.640 Right? 00:20:08.720 --> 00:20:13.039 We can't we can't run away from from him, him, not actually. 00:20:14.160 --> 00:20:18.000 Now that might fill you with some dread as you think about that this morning. 00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:20.720 And I would encourage you, just surrender it to him. 00:20:21.279 --> 00:20:27.759 He is good, he is faithful, he is kind, he wants to forgive you for whatever that thing is that you've been going after. 00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:31.839 He wants to turn your life around, he wants to do some great work in your heart. 00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:34.720 Okay, turn your life over to him. 00:20:35.920 --> 00:20:40.000 You know, for those of us who are, you know, maybe walking with the Lord and we're in a good place. 00:20:40.160 --> 00:20:43.920 I mean, the fact that we can't run away from him, does that not bring us joy? 00:20:44.240 --> 00:20:45.440 How great is that? 00:20:45.680 --> 00:20:52.480 Maybe you had a pretty cruddy week, you know, and I didn't follow the Lord very well, and I, you know, I sinned, I fell into some old patterns. 00:20:52.559 --> 00:20:53.759 Isn't it amazing? 00:20:54.000 --> 00:21:00.559 Isn't it amazing that ultimately you can't run away from him because he's the one that holds your salvation secure. 00:21:00.799 --> 00:21:02.400 You can't lose it. 00:21:02.720 --> 00:21:10.559 Not if you're a true Christ follower, and he is always there ready to welcome you back in and to forgive you and to make you new and to transform you. 00:21:10.640 --> 00:21:11.759 You can't run away from him. 00:21:12.240 --> 00:21:13.200 Not actually. 00:21:13.519 --> 00:21:16.880 Here's the fourth thing He's accessible to me. 00:21:17.519 --> 00:21:18.880 He's accessible to me. 00:21:19.759 --> 00:21:27.279 It means when you're when you're needy, when I'm needy, we can cry out to him, and and and he's not he's not a million miles away. 00:21:27.359 --> 00:21:28.160 He really isn't. 00:21:28.400 --> 00:21:30.720 He is everywhere, he is everywhere. 00:21:30.799 --> 00:21:31.440 So he is there. 00:21:31.599 --> 00:21:47.440 Now again, it might it might not feel like he's there, and perhaps that's because there's been some kind of sin in your life, or you know, you've allowed a root of bitterness to grow, and so that's kind of ruined some of the intimacy and and the sense of closeness that you have uh with him, but he is there. 00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:52.079 His actual presence in your life is real. 00:21:52.960 --> 00:21:56.160 Again, if you're a Christ follower, whether you know it or not. 00:21:57.200 --> 00:21:59.759 Okay, fifth way God's omnipresence impacts my life. 00:22:00.799 --> 00:22:03.200 When I pray for people, I know he's already there. 00:22:03.519 --> 00:22:04.799 Isn't that cool to think? 00:22:05.599 --> 00:22:13.680 You pray for your family who you know lives in a different country or in a different continent, or you know, you're praying for a loved one or for a church or something, right? 00:22:13.839 --> 00:22:15.759 And and they're far away, or they're not right with you. 00:22:15.839 --> 00:22:17.599 Isn't it amazing to know that the Lord's right there? 00:22:18.640 --> 00:22:21.599 He's hearing you where you are, he's acting right there simultaneously. 00:22:22.079 --> 00:22:23.119 How awesome is that. 00:22:23.839 --> 00:22:24.079 Right? 00:22:24.240 --> 00:22:24.720 Love. 00:22:26.880 --> 00:22:28.799 God's omnipresence is astounding. 00:22:29.680 --> 00:22:30.880 Alright, let's keep going here. 00:22:31.039 --> 00:22:37.519 God's my God is vastly supreme, and I'm astounded by his omniscience, by his omniscience. 00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:43.440 Okay, if you want to turn in your Bible to 1 John chapter 3, we'll get to that uh in a minute. 00:22:43.680 --> 00:22:45.680 Now, omniscience, what does that mean? 00:22:45.920 --> 00:22:47.680 Okay, well, it means all-knowing. 00:22:47.839 --> 00:22:48.799 Okay, all-knowing. 00:22:48.960 --> 00:22:50.000 God is all knowing. 00:22:50.079 --> 00:22:52.559 I like this quote here by Nate Sullivan. 00:22:52.640 --> 00:22:54.880 This is how he defines God's omniscience. 00:22:55.039 --> 00:23:00.240 He says, God is omniscient in the sense that he is aware of the past, present, and future. 00:23:00.480 --> 00:23:02.640 Okay, nothing takes him by surprise. 00:23:02.799 --> 00:23:03.440 Nothing. 00:23:03.680 --> 00:23:05.359 His knowledge is total. 00:23:12.720 --> 00:23:25.279 In Job 37, verse 16, uh Elihu, one of Job's friends, and if you know that book at all, uh Job's friends don't always get it right, but here in this case, I love it, and he nails it. 00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:32.799 He says, Do you know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge? 00:23:33.119 --> 00:23:34.400 Perfect in knowledge. 00:23:34.640 --> 00:23:38.000 1 John chapter 3, take a look at verse 20 there. 00:23:38.319 --> 00:23:47.440 It says this for whenever our heart condemns us, your heart ever do that, you're no good, you're worthless, you're broken, it'll never be okay, right? 00:23:47.519 --> 00:23:48.160 Our heart does that. 00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:51.680 Whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart. 00:23:52.319 --> 00:23:56.160 But then this part, and he knows everything. 00:23:56.720 --> 00:23:58.319 He knows everything. 00:23:58.880 --> 00:24:08.640 It's amazing, again, to think, to know that God is fully aware of everything all at once. 00:24:09.119 --> 00:24:30.079 Like, put it this way, like if we ever had the opportunity to ask the Lord, like, you know, how many people have ever existed before you know, since the beginning of time, and and whoever will exist to the end of the uh of all of time, if we have the opportunity to ask him that, you realize that he would have the answer like that. 00:24:30.480 --> 00:24:30.640 Right? 00:24:30.799 --> 00:24:44.160 He wouldn't have to be like, well, hold on a second, I need to like grab a piece of paper and scratch out some some math here and carry the one, and you know, or my my you know, my administrative assistant should have to go back and do a file and and hold on, just wait in the waiting room, we'll get that information. 00:24:44.400 --> 00:24:46.640 No, he's got it immediately. 00:24:46.799 --> 00:24:51.680 He he doesn't have to go back into his files, it's it's there in his conscience. 00:24:51.839 --> 00:24:55.680 Every single thing that there is to know, he's got it totally. 00:24:56.079 --> 00:25:01.519 Okay, he doesn't forget, okay, his memories don't fade. 00:25:02.079 --> 00:25:04.640 He is omniscient, he's he's all knowing. 00:25:05.839 --> 00:25:12.079 Now, in the person of Jesus Christ, you know, who we we know, he's fully God. 00:25:12.240 --> 00:25:14.160 Jesus is fully, fully God. 00:25:14.319 --> 00:25:17.279 We we talked about that just last week alone, right? 00:25:17.519 --> 00:25:24.160 But but in the person of Jesus Christ, there appears to be some you know, somewhat of a paradox there. 00:25:24.400 --> 00:25:33.680 Okay, in John 4.18, we see we see Christ's omniscience on display when when he he talks to the woman at the well. 00:25:33.759 --> 00:25:34.559 You remember this? 00:25:34.720 --> 00:25:40.000 And and he says to her, he says, You are right in saying, I have no husband, right? 00:25:40.240 --> 00:25:42.559 Because you have had five husbands. 00:25:42.880 --> 00:25:47.039 And the one you are with now is not your husband. 00:25:47.279 --> 00:25:47.599 Right? 00:25:47.680 --> 00:25:48.400 Well, how do you know that? 00:25:48.480 --> 00:25:49.759 She didn't tell him that information. 00:25:49.920 --> 00:25:57.759 It's because he's omniscient, he is all-knowing, he knows her life, he knows every single detail about it, about about our lives as well. 00:25:58.319 --> 00:26:11.519 In in John chapter 11, okay, he knew that his friend Lazarus had had died, even though no one had had told him or the disciples that uh at that point. 00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:20.240 And later, when the disciples were, you know, were choosing somebody to replace Judas as a disciple. 00:26:20.319 --> 00:26:25.759 And in Acts 1.24, they they prayed to Jesus, who had already ascended and was with the Father. 00:26:25.839 --> 00:26:29.759 And he says, You Lord, who know the hearts of all. 00:26:30.319 --> 00:26:36.079 Okay, so so clearly we see there that Jesus is omniscient. 00:26:36.960 --> 00:26:40.799 Okay, so then, remember, we mentioned paradox here. 00:26:41.920 --> 00:26:58.400 So, so what are we to make of some of those other places in Scripture, you know, where it says, for example, in Luke 2.52 that Jesus increased in wisdom and stature. 00:26:59.519 --> 00:27:01.759 It's talking about Jesus as a young boy. 00:27:01.920 --> 00:27:03.599 Well, I thought he possessed all of it. 00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:06.640 How is it that he he grew in this? 00:27:07.039 --> 00:27:13.359 That seems to not quite line up with some of the other things we even just looked at. 00:27:13.519 --> 00:27:25.440 Or in Matthew 24, okay, verse 34 to 36, where we learn that even Jesus doesn't know the exact time that the world would come to an end. 00:27:25.599 --> 00:27:26.400 You remember that? 00:27:26.640 --> 00:27:26.960 Right? 00:27:27.119 --> 00:27:30.400 Only only the Father knows all of this. 00:27:30.880 --> 00:27:32.720 Okay, what are we what are we to make of this? 00:27:32.799 --> 00:27:37.359 What are we supposed to do when we when we come up against this in God's word? 00:27:37.680 --> 00:27:44.160 It it kind of seems to show in those cases that maybe Jesus isn't omniscient. 00:27:45.200 --> 00:27:46.880 Right, what do we do with this? 00:27:47.680 --> 00:27:54.400 Well, probably the best way to understand this is through Philippians chapter 2, if you want to jot that down there. 00:27:54.720 --> 00:27:57.839 And where it says that it talks about Jesus. 00:27:58.400 --> 00:28:00.960 It says, though he was in the form of God. 00:28:01.119 --> 00:28:11.119 Okay, though he was in the form of God, he did not count, listen, equality with God, a thing to be grasped or or held on to. 00:28:11.279 --> 00:28:12.720 Okay, that's what that means. 00:28:12.960 --> 00:28:24.480 But but rather he emptied himself, meaning he he he let go of of that equality with God by taking on the form of a servant. 00:28:24.640 --> 00:28:31.680 He took on, he took on humanity there, being born, it says, in the likeness of men. 00:28:32.160 --> 00:28:50.319 Okay, so so recognize here that that Jesus, he he willingly, voluntarily restricted or or limited, or he might even say veiled his some of his divine attributes when he came to earth as a man. 00:28:50.400 --> 00:28:53.279 Like, like knowledge in this case. 00:28:53.920 --> 00:28:54.960 And and why? 00:28:55.200 --> 00:28:55.920 Why did he do this? 00:28:56.000 --> 00:29:01.519 Why I believe the main reason was to really identify with us in our humanity. 00:29:01.759 --> 00:29:04.640 We have we have a human nature. 00:29:04.880 --> 00:29:07.279 Jesus had two natures. 00:29:07.440 --> 00:29:11.119 He was both divine and human. 00:29:11.920 --> 00:29:19.200 In God's omniscience, in his great wisdom and his willingness to limit that at times. 00:29:19.359 --> 00:29:21.440 Listen, we should be astonished. 00:29:22.000 --> 00:29:26.160 When we just we picture the humility of our God. 00:29:27.279 --> 00:29:27.680 Right? 00:29:27.920 --> 00:29:33.039 When we get so proud and so full of ourselves, we should look at that and just be like, man, who am I? 00:29:33.359 --> 00:29:33.680 Right? 00:29:33.839 --> 00:29:35.599 God is God is supreme, right? 00:29:35.680 --> 00:29:38.000 He's nothing short of that whatsoever. 00:29:38.880 --> 00:29:46.240 Now, just like we looked at with God's omnipresence, what is his what does his omniscience mean for us? 00:29:46.400 --> 00:29:47.599 What does it mean for you and I? 00:29:47.759 --> 00:29:48.319 Well, here we go. 00:29:48.480 --> 00:29:51.839 Four ways that God's omniscience impacts my life. 00:29:52.160 --> 00:29:53.359 Four ways. 00:29:55.200 --> 00:29:58.480 Okay, first one, I can trust him with my future. 00:29:59.119 --> 00:30:00.880 I can trust him with my future. 00:30:01.440 --> 00:30:01.759 Right? 00:30:01.839 --> 00:30:10.720 When we believe that God is truly all-knowing, that he has all wisdom, that he knows the beginning from the end, that he's got all of it. 00:30:10.960 --> 00:30:12.799 Listen, we can we can relax. 00:30:13.279 --> 00:30:17.680 We can we can trust him with our future. 00:30:18.240 --> 00:30:31.279 We don't need to stress and wring our hands and and and worry about ourselves or worried about other people and all of that, and all of us are you know on the spectrum of figuring out how to do that and to surrender more of that to the Lord. 00:30:31.359 --> 00:30:35.599 But again, at the end of the day, God's omniscience means that we can trust him. 00:30:37.039 --> 00:30:40.319 We can trust him with our future. 00:30:41.200 --> 00:30:42.640 Here's the second thing. 00:30:42.880 --> 00:30:44.960 I know his wisdom won't fail me. 00:30:45.200 --> 00:30:46.720 His wisdom won't fail me. 00:30:47.039 --> 00:30:50.160 He knows everything, which means his wisdom is perfect. 00:30:50.319 --> 00:30:55.440 It's not flawed, it's not broken, he's not gonna misdirect you in anything like that. 00:30:56.319 --> 00:31:07.200 If you believe that God is omniscient, you you will come to him in prayer and you will wait on an answer and you will you will believe that he knows what's best. 00:31:09.519 --> 00:31:14.319 Another way that God's omniscience impacts me, I can be okay with not knowing everything. 00:31:14.720 --> 00:31:16.559 I can be okay with all of that. 00:31:17.440 --> 00:31:17.759 Right? 00:31:17.839 --> 00:31:31.279 We often we often stress, again, I said it a little bit earlier, but we stress so much about all the things that we don't know, and all the things that we we can't control, and and all the things that we'll probably never know in some cases. 00:31:31.759 --> 00:31:33.920 Well, listen, he does. 00:31:34.480 --> 00:31:35.920 And it's enough. 00:31:36.799 --> 00:32:07.279 I think sometimes as Christ followers, a lot of times, as Christ followers, we carry this massive sack of anxiety and fear and doubt and dread around us, and we sort of like learn how to live with it, only we do such a brutal job of it, and we carry it with us, and and we don't sleep, and we're kind of miserable and our and and and we're short in our tempers and our attitudes with people, and we care more about ourselves than anybody else or anything else. 00:32:07.359 --> 00:32:11.279 And and listen, at the end of the day, all of that anxiety, call it what it is, it's sin. 00:32:11.680 --> 00:32:12.240 It's sin. 00:32:12.319 --> 00:32:18.640 At the end of the day, I think, because it we don't believe that God truly knows it all, and therefore we can we can just chill out. 00:32:19.680 --> 00:32:21.920 We can be okay with the fact that we don't know everything. 00:32:22.000 --> 00:32:23.440