THE GOD WHO IS THERE

“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, 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 hand shall hold me.” (Psalms‬ ‭139:7-10‬)

We try to be everywhere through technology.  When I first came to Pole Creek Baptist Church, almost a quarter of a century ago, I had a pager.  If the church office needed to reach me, they dialed my pager, and I knew to find a phone to call in.  That seems such an antiquated method. Now I can connect worldwide with a click.  Most everywhere I go, I can be reached on my cellphone or call someone by taking it out of my pocket and hitting a button. I don’t even have to do that. My iPhone can be in the cup holder of my car and I say, “Siri, call so and so...” and almost instantly I am connected with someone as I drive down the road.

This Sunday afternoon, I plan for our mission team to Albania to talk with the Wagners—our missionaries there—about our upcoming trip. We will see and speak with someone halfway around the world on the FaceTime app. Then, there is Zoom, and other apps, that allow for meetings of people not even in the same room. It has been said that, “We project a presence everywhere but aren’t present anywhere!”

That is never true of God!  He is ever present. He is always there.  If you are a lost lamb, God comes seeking you!  You are never too far for Him to reach you. If you are a hurting child, He comes to you.  A sparrow, hit by a semi-truck, flutters to the ground, and as it weakly takes in its last breaths, the Creator comes and comforts it. Jesus said, “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke‬ ‭12:6-7‬). As the old Gospel song affirms, “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.”

He is the God who is there!

THE PRACTICAL EFFECTS OF GOD’S OMNISCIENCE

There are at least seven blessings that are the practical effects of the omniscience of God.

• There is consolation for us in difficulties.  In an unemployment line, hospital room, funeral home, wherever—you are not alone!

• There is direction for us in decisions.  The Good Shepherd walks with His sheep.  Having a Guide by our side is better than even a map in our hand!

• There is protection for us in dangers.  We may say with. David in Psalm 23, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”  Why? “For You are with me!”

• There is companionship for us in desertion. “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take care of me.” (Ps.27:10). The Lord has promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Heb.13:5b)

• There is encouragement for us in depression.  At our lowest point, God is there.  Corrie Ten Boom who was locked away in a Nazi concentration camp, where her sister would die, testified, “There is no pit so deep, that God’s love is not deeper still.”

• There is provision for us in witness.  “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.”  That was our Lord’s promise to His church as we have been given the Great Commission to reach the world with the Gospel. We can’t do that in our power, and we need not, for He goes with us.

• There is conviction for us in temptation.  We may stand with conviction and not surrender to compromise with evil.  “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (I Peter‬ ‭5:8-11‬). Yes, Satan is a roaring lion seeking to devour you, but we have the Almighty Lion of Judah standing to deliver you!

Embrace these promises of His presence today and they will make a difference in your life—the reality of God with us!

BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES CONCERNING GOD’S OMNIPRESENCE: SOME CRITICAL TRUTHS DESCRIBED

The Psalmist makes clear that God is in all places at all times.

“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, 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 hand shall hold me.” (Psalms‬ ‭139:7-10‬)

This is the attribute of God called His omnipresence. As we look into the Word of God today, there are some critical truths described for us as we focus on John’s Gospel.

The first truth to ponder is ILLUMINATION.

“That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.” (John‬ ‭1:9‬)

Everyone, everywhere has some light of the knowledge of God.  If we respond to the light that is given, then more will be given.

The second truth to consider is INCARNATION.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John‬ ‭1:14‬)

The ever present God in spirit came to manifest His presence in time and space in the incarnation. Jesus came to walk among us that we might know the Father and see God.

The third truth to weigh is INDWELLING.

“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” (‭‭John‬ ‭14:16-18‬)
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This is the presence of God ever with the believer—the Spirit within us.  We are never alone!  God is there.

The Triune God is with us.  The Father is ever-present. The Son came to live among us, now ever lives to intercede for us, and is coming again so we may live with Him always. The Spirit is in the child of God and will never leave us.  These are some of the wondrous truths of the omnipresence of God!

BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES CONCERNING GOD’S OMNIPRESENCE: SOME KEY WORDS DEFINED

Creation itself speaks of God’s existence and His power.  There is enough evidence to make us accountable to seek Him, but we must look to the Scripture to truly know Him.

Paul, addressing a pagan audience in Acts 17:22-28 points to the general revelation and then proclaims the specific application.

“Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, ‘Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, “For we are also His offspring.”’”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭17:22-28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Let me share with you some key words—theological terms you should know.

The first is IMMANENCE—God is fully present in His creation.  Wherever He is, all that He is as God is fully present.  Yet, He is not some mere Star Wars “Force.”  God is the source and sustainer of all matter, yet He is not composed of matter.  Deism sees God as distinct from creation and detached from it.  God’s immanence means He is directly involved in His creation.

The next word is TRANSCENDENCE—Though fully present in His creation, God is wholly independent of His creation.  Pantheism sees God as part of the creation—that He is in the water, the trees, and so forth.

Next, consider God’s PROVIDENCE—God is actively directing His creation.  God rules and overrules all that occurs, directing everything in every time to the fulfillment of His perfect will. the hymn writer, Isaac Watts wrote: “Within Thy circling power I stand; On every side I find Thy hand; Awake, asleep, at home, abroad; I am surrounded still with God.”

Finally, there is SUSTENANCE—God is continually preserving His creation.  “For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” (2 Pet.3:5-7). Without God’s omnipresent grip, all things would fly apart.

Find comfort today that, “He’s got the whole world in His hands.”  Such a profound truth in a simple childhood tune!

THE OMNIPRESENCE OF GOD

“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, 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 hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall fall on me,’ Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.” (Psalm 139:7-12)

Where can you go to get away from God?  The Psalmist says, “Nowhere, for God is everywhere.”  Go to the most extreme height—heaven—and He is there for saints to enjoy His worship.  Go to the most extreme depth—hell—and He is there for sinners to experience His wrath.  Go as far east as you may—to where the sun rises in the morning or as far west as you may—the uttermost parts of the sea—and you will find God.

This is what we call the omnipresence of God.  God is always present.  So, let’s learn about God’s omnipresence this week.  That will be our course of study.