God Knows All About Me (Part 2 of 2) - 06/28/23

[Music] thank you [Music] we read the Bible it's clear that God is all-knowing and all-powerful and yet this same almighty God is deeply intimate in fact he knows us better than we know ourselves today on Truth For Life we're finding out why this realization can be either terrifying or comforting Alistair beg is teaching from the opening verses of Psalm 139 but he begins with an illustration from psalm 135. [Music] let's just look at verse 13 your name O Lord endures forever you're Renown oh Lord throughout all the ages Abram Isaac Jacob Joseph all the rest Ruth all the way through Peter James John Eric Little Jim Elliott Helen rosefier all the way through and here we are in 2023 for the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants and then look at what he says in verse 15. the idols of the nations are silver and gold the work of human hands they have mouths but don't speak they have eyes but don't see they have ears but they don't hear nor is there any breath in their mouths those who make them become like them so do all who trust in them so the contrast is vast and what he is pointing out as he goes through and writes in this way is the absurdity and it is an absurdity for men and women to seek Ultimate answers from substitute gods but that's what we do you see when we turn away from God as he has made himself known we don't trust in nothing we trust in all kinds of things because we are made in order to worship to worship the true and living God and when the peoples turn back and when they turn aside where did he end up well let me just read it again the Folly of it all graphically portrayed the iron Smith makes his peace the carpenter makes his peace he shapes it into a figure of a man with the beauty of a man to dwell in a house he cuts down Cedars or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and he lets it grow strong among the Trees of the forest he plants a cedar the rain nourishes it then it becomes fuel it takes a part of it and warms himself he Kindles a fire he bakes bread so far so good but wait a minute also he makes a God and worships it he makes it an idol and falls down before it half of it he burns in the fire over the half he eats meat he rose it and is satisfied he warms himself and says aha I'm warm great fire and the rest he makes it into a god his Idol and he falls down to it and worships it he prays to it and says deliver me for you are my God now I look back at psalm 139. oh Lord you have searched me and you know me now here is the fascinating and vitally important thing and I've read this Psalm ever since I was we but I'm not sure that I really focused on this till I began to look at it this past week the knowledge of God is as I have said comprehensive it spans the globe but the point that he's making here is not the comprehensiveness of the knowledge of God but the fact that David says you know me you know me is one thing to say you know everybody in the world He's Got The Whole World in His Hands true but David says you have searched me and you know me so you're going to be able to say to these things to our teenagers we'll go on through the psalm and see how vital it is that they understand that they're not a product of chance that they're divinely put together and that God knows them and he knows us now let's just look at how he outlines this some of you will remember War and weirsby what a wonderful man he was I met him in the early days of my life here and enjoyed him very much and he always had a funny story but he was masterful at outlining passages of the Bible and when I found out what he did with this section I said that's that's for me that's for me and now it's going to be for you because this is how he worked his way through it the the the heading some of them are his and some are a corruption but there you look at this in verse 2. first of all you know what I do you know what I do you know when I sit down and when I Rise Up so the psalmist says you know my actions and you know my movements you know whether I brush my teeth or whether I didn't you know everything you know what I do to be you discern my thoughts from afar not only do you know what I do but you know what I think you know what I think all that goes on in my mind is known to you almighty God in other words David is acknowledging the fact that it is impossible for him to deceive God because God knows even our secret thoughts God knows the motives of my heart as well of the actions as well as the actions of my life you know what I do but I'm moving around but I'm sitting up or lying down but you know my thoughts you know them from afar distance is no issue to God then in verse 3 you know what I do you know what I think you know where I go you search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways we sang it didn't we all my ways are known to you do you actually believe that all my resting spots all the lay-bys all the spare time in the airport you search on my path you're acquainted with all my ways you following this you know what I do you know what I think you know where I go verse 4 you know what I say even before a word is on my tongue there's a behold remember we said a few weeks ago we don't often say behold there is McDonald's it's uh so when you come to behold like this he's saying is is an exclamation mark almost he says you know even before a word is on my tongue behold think about this he says you know it you know it all together behold you know everything you know it all together in other words what he's saying is you know me better than I know myself it's quite staggering isn't it it's wonderful unless you're scared by it there's a threat to the unbeliever for sure that God knows all this um in other words I may be a master of disguise before you you can conceal where you go during the week so can I you and I can cover up our pasts if we choose you and I can exaggerate what we do how clever we are what we have achieved you and I can cover our hearts Secret longings from those who sleep in our own beds but we cannot before the searching gaze of almighty God and that is the point that he's making you know what I do you know what I think you know what I say you know me better than I know myself you know where I go you have searched me and known me this is quite wonderful a god from whom we could before whom we could conceal all these things would be a would have to be one of these made up gods I mean it's like Augustine says a God who doesn't know the future is not God I mean a God that didn't know this it wouldn't be much of a god so that's why you see we want to make a God in our own image we want a manageable God you know a God who kind of looks after things generally so that the floods don't finally overwhelm us that the the the equilibrium of our existence is is managed and so on so that we can get by but surely not a guard like this yes he says and sixthly you know what I need verse 5 what do I need I need your presence every passing hour you hand me in behind and before and you lay your hand on me now we do not know in what context David wrote this Psalm I've thought about it a lot and perhaps you will later on today as you think of all your way back through first and second Samuel at all the points and places along the journey where we followed his life that he might have sat down and written this particular psalm if there is any indication of a context or occasion Perhaps it is to be found in the verses to which we'll come uh in the end of this study or that you would slay the wicked o God the man of blood depart from me if then the occasion is that he is confronted Again by those who oppose God who oppose David as God's covenant King you remember we said that David's response to things like this not to anticipate the final study but David's response was the response of he who was the Covenant King he was the Lord's anointed and David who writes this Psalm sings This psalm and he recognizes verse 5. that he needs the Sheltering protection of the hand of God you hear me in behind and before it's like being hedged around it's uh protected I don't think that we ought to read it although some of the commentators do in terms of restriction so the picture of one is being hammed in by way of restriction I don't think so but rather by way of protection um I don't want to go to the same old analogies I always use about grandchildren and put in putting pillows around them to stop them from collapsing and so on but the picture of being hemmed in of the hand of God of being watched over is wonderful you think about it as just mentioned Elliot he was in my mind this week somebody sent me a picture from a notice board of a church in the north of Ireland and it had Jimmy Elliott's picture from Wheaton College and it had the dates of his life he died at 29 as a martyr as you will know and the great statement from his diary he is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose and if you know the story that uh his wife Elizabeth Elliot wrote of him you remember that before they encountered the forces that finally took their lives they stood on the beach and they sang we rest on thee our shield and our Defender we've gone up forth alone against the foe strong in thy strength and safe in thy keeping tender it's in your name we go you hammers in behind and before you say about how does that work they lost their heads as for God his way is perfect we'll see later on in the Sun that all the days that he ordained for us were written in his book before one of them came to be and again you have that lovely picture of the hand of God don't you the psalmist mentions it frequently the prophets mentioned it always I am the Lord I will take you by the hand I will keep you if you've started to to read a Nehemiah sorry in Ezra this past few days of the year and then you know that that was a recurring word concerning all of the kindness of Arctic Xerxes towards the people of God and Ezra says on more than one occasion and he was aware that the hand of God rested upon me [Music] you think about hands think about God's hand God doesn't have a hand you think about it when a child takes a father's hand the tiny hand inside a big hand you lay your hand upon me you protect me you're watching over me we sing of it don't we help me Lord when Toil and Trouble meeting so to take as from a father's hand Jesus sang the 139th psalm as a boy he sang this Jesus not only sang it but in many ways he fulfilled it he lived it we can't import Jesus back into the psalm but the psalm will always send us ultimately forward to Jesus and maybe your mind goes where my wound when I start suffer a while thinking about the hand of God and then I said well isn't that what Jesus said from the cross father into your hand I commend my spirit well just a few closing thoughts but let me let me give you a paraphrase of the six verses see if this helps to register it David says I'm an open book to you even from a distance you know what I'm thinking you know when I leave and when I get back I'm never out of your sight you know everything I'm going to say before I start the first sentence I look behind me and you're there then up ahead and you're there too your reassuring presence as I come and go now look at verse six what is his response to all of this his response is Wonder it's Wonder he says this is actually beyond my ability to fathom such knowledge is too wonderful for me this is I I ca I've never completed this course I can't complete this course very clear isn't it that David as represented of this of the Psalms and the psalmist thinks very differently about God than we are prone to do I said to myself as I was reading it this week you know I think in many ways I've become a practical atheist you know my thoughts you know the words before I even get them on my lips that's that's somewhat daunting in fact Jim packer in a wonderful little statement in in his book knowing god he says living becomes an awesome business when you realize that you spend every moment of your life in the sight and Company of an all-knowing Ever present God he's got that data it becomes an awesome business awesome so there's two ways to look at this you see you can look at it and say oh this is a terrifying reality or you can say this is an unbelievable privilege almighty God you got what eight billion people to look after and you know my every thought you care about me that much you watch over my coming and going you're interested in all my ways you know my fears you know my failures you know my starts my stops my missteps my disasters and yet you love me I said sue through the last few days I said she said are you ready for Sunday I said well I know how to start but I don't know how to finish she said well I think it's pretty important that you get to a finish so here's the best I can do with the Finish I was thinking about it just this morning when I woke up he said well you're running close to the deadline aren't you well there's nothing like the thrill of that scare I tell you I woke up thinking about Nathaniel not my son-in-law but that's his name one of them not that one no the Nathanael of John 1. philippus found Nathaniel and he says to him Nathaniel we have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote Jesus of Nazareth the son of Joseph and Daniel Nathaniel says to him this is not very complimentary he says well hey wait a minute can anything good come out of Nazareth Philip said to him come and see so he says okay I'm going to go see Jesus Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him behold an Israelite indeed in whom there is no deceit Nathaniel said to him how do you know me Jesus answered him before Philip called you when you were under the fig tree I saw you how could he do that because he's the Messiah because he's God because he's The Shepherd of the Sheep which brought me to by concluding observation I hope is helpful to you I am the Good Shepherd the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the Sheep he who is a Hired Hand remember David was a shepherd He is a Hired Hand not a Shepherd it does not own the Sheep sees the wolf coming leaves the Sheep fleas the wolf snatches them scatters them he flees because he's a Hired Hand and cares nothing for the Sheep now listen I am the Good Shepherd I know my own and my own know me I know my own and my own know me just as the father knows me and I know the father and I lay down my life for the Sheep and that further down and better be further down yeah my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me I give them eternal life and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand fantastic isn't it he knows we sing it sometimes in that song you know all the things I've ever done and yet your blood has canceled everyone oh God oh God this is wonderful father it's high it's beyond our ability to comprehend thank you for giving us an inkling of it help us to live in the light of it [Music] you're listening to Aleister Begg on for life the more we learn about the immensity of God's love for us the more we want to tell others about Jesus and share with them the good news of the gospel and that's our mission at Truth For Life to teach the Bible with Clarity and relevance every single day we trust God's spirit we'll work through the teaching of God's word to bring unbelievers into the faith making them faithful followers of the Lord Jesus Christ to strengthen the faith of those who are already believers and we pray that our ministry will help pastors be encouraged to preach the Bible clearly and as a result local churches will grow if that sounds like a mission with which you resonate we'd love to invite you to join your fellow listeners who are called Truth partners and come alongside us with prayer and monthly giving when you become a monthly truth partner you join the team that brings alistar's teaching to listeners all around the world and joining is easy simply visit truthforlife.org truth partner or call 888-588-7884 as a truth partner you're invited to request the books we recommend each month and today we're suggesting a book called confronting Jesus it's a book that will help you grasp the historical reliability of the gospels and give you a clearer understanding of the many facets of Jesus identity can also request a copy of confronting Jesus when you make a one-time donation at trickforlife.org donate I'm Bob lepine tomorrow we'll find out why trying to play hide and seek with God is a futile exercise Bible teaching of Aleister Begg is furnished by Truth For Life [Music] the learning Is For Living [Music]

Channel: Alistair Begg

Views: 8,001

Keywords: christianthinking, loveofgod, trustinggod

Id: UNlOwE2Odq4

Length: 25min 0sec (1500 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 28 2023