Sunday AM Sunday, July 26, 2020

Psalms 139:1-12

Rev. Larry Mills

Service Outline & Sermon Notes

Service outline and sermon notes automatically generated from video content.

Order of Service

Sermon Title: From Lonely to Loved — Knowing God Is Always Present

Scripture: Psalm 139:1-12

I. God Knows Me Intimately

A. He knows who I am — "You have searched me and known me" (Psalm 139:1) B. He knows what I do — when I sit down and rise up (Psalm 139:2) C. He knows what I think — "You discern my thoughts from afar" (Psalm 139:2) D. He knows where I go — "You search out my path and my lying down" (Psalm 139:3) E. He knows what I say — even before a word is on my tongue (Psalm 139:4) F. He knows what I need — "You hem me in, behind and before" (Psalm 139:5) G. This knowledge is not cold or distant — it is personal, beloved, and caring

  1. David seeks the limits of God's love and understanding
  2. The psalmist marvels: "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me" (Psalm 139:6)
  3. The great news: we are never alone; the Lord is always with us

II. God Is Present Everywhere — There Is No Escape

A. The psalmist asks where he can flee from God's Spirit or presence (Psalm 139:7) B. God is present in death — in heaven and in Sheol (Psalm 139:8)

  1. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord
  2. The soul continues for eternity — there is no annihilation
  3. Whether in blessing or judgment, God will meet every person at death C. God is present at the farthest distance — "the uttermost parts of the sea" (Psalm 139:9-10)
  4. Illustration: Jacob, who thought God was a local tribal deity, could not escape Him
  5. Illustration: Jonah fled to Tarshish but could not outrun God (Jonah 1) D. God is present in darkness — "even the darkness is not dark to you" (Psalm 139:11-12)
  6. We are tempted to sin in the dark, thinking God will not see
  7. There is no hiding our sin or our thoughts from God

III. God's Omnipresence Brings Warning and Comfort

A. Warning for those outside of Christ

  1. God hates iniquity and cannot look upon sin with approval
  2. Those who hide from God will face judgment in this life and the next
  3. Our deeds are exposed and our words overheard — there is no escape B. Comfort for the believer in Christ
  4. Though we are sinners, we are clothed in Christ's righteousness, not our own (2 Corinthians 5:21)
  5. Our sins are removed as far as the east is from the west — salvation is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9)
  6. Illustration: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace — a fourth figure, like the Son of God, was present with them
  7. Illustration: Sir Ernest Shackleton crossing 800 miles of Antarctic ocean felt another presence with him; his testimony was grounded in Psalm 139:9-10
  8. Hymn of assurance: Abide with Me (Henry Lyte) C. The ultimate confidence of the Christian
  9. "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21)
  10. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus — not COVID-19, not death, not any circumstance (Romans 8:38-39)
  11. God is sovereign, omnipresent, and all-knowing — nothing surprises Him; trust Him for now and for eternity
Older Rev. Bob Schwanebeck Newer Rev. Bob Penny