Attributes of God Pt6

It's good to be settled. It's good to be established because, again, all the things in this world will one day vanish away, as Peter says, one way or another, depending on how you see the consummation of things.

But the truth is that all that will remain is the being of God.

But God is never changing. So, anyway, we looked at God's omnipotence last week, and this morning

I'm going to look at God's omnipresence. So, omnipresence, what does that mean?

He's everywhere all at once, okay? Is there anything else we can say about that?

In other words, omnipresence, and I agree, God's omnipresence means He's all -present. He is everywhere at all times.

Is there anything else that we could attach to that to bring out even further understanding of that?

Okay, yeah, certainly nothing happens outside His knowledge, and we're going to look at that, God's omniscience, in just a few as we deal with this.

But let me ask you to think about this. When we say God is everywhere at all times, we really need to attach to it the understanding that He is there in completeness, right?

That it's not like God is able to be everywhere at every time and in one way or another or in one portion or another, but rather that God is, in the truth of it,

God is ever -present in totality, right? And that brings it to even a higher level, because if you think about it, and one of the things

I want to show this morning, and we might just start that way, is the distinctiveness of God's being versus, certainly man, right?

Because none of us can be in two places at one time, right? None of us would disagree with that.

Let me read to you, before I look at a scripture, and I think it'll help us, I want to read what Sproul said concerning the fact that God is omnipresent.

And he says this, when we speak of God's omnipresence, we usually mean that His presence is in all places, as you said.

There is no place where God is not. Yet, as Spirit, God does not occupy any space in the sense that physical objects occupy space.

He has no physical qualities that can occupy space. The key to understanding this is to think of it in terms of another dimension.

The barrier between God and us is not a barrier of space and time.

To meet God, there is not a where to go or a when to occur.

To be in the immediate presence of God is to step into another dimension.

Now, that might sound a little bit like the Twilight Zone, if you're old enough to remember the Twilight Zone. How many people here remember the

Twilight Zone? Yeah. You already remember that? Who was the guy,

Rod Sterling? You were entering another dimension. This was the Twilight Zone, and then somebody would live in a picture or some crazy thing like that.

But here's the thought. The thought is that when we do think about God's omnipresence, that God is everywhere at all times, it's very hard for us because we're subject to space and time.

God is not subject to space and time. God has subjected everything and everyone else to space and time.

So it's important for us to understand that. And then he says this, there's a second aspect of God's omnipresence that we often overlook.

The omni relates not only to the places where God is, but also of how much of him is in any given place.

God is not only present in all places, but this is what I said. God is fully present in every place.

This is called his immensity. Believers living in New York enjoy the fullness of the presence of God while believers in Moscow enjoy the same presence.

His immensity then does not refer to his size, but to his ability to be fully present everywhere.

Now, again, I don't know about you, but that kind of, I could take that so far in my mind, but then

I can't go any further, right? And the reason is because we are subject to space and time.

Now, that thought struck me as I was just thinking about some things.

I want you to go to the book of Job for a minute. There's a couple of verses in Job, but before we do that, go to the book of Job and go to Job chapter two.

So hopefully we all remember at least in part the story of Job and all the afflictions and all the issues that came up in his life and all his confusion and misunderstandings, and yet he retained his integrity.

But do you remember how the book opens? And we spent two years on a Bible study in the book of Job.

I'd like you to go to chapter two. We could go to chapter one, but nevertheless, because here's what I want to do.

I want to try to draw a distinction, not only from man, right?

That we can't be in two places at one time, but even of the principalities and powers and the invisible things of the universe, right?

First of all, we have to understand that there are things that are what? Unseen. There are thrones, there are principalities, there's powers, there's dominions.

At least that's what Paul says. And you and I have to understand that the only one who is outside of all of that is

God himself. And he has always from all eternity been outside of it.

Again, remember he created space and time and all that we can comprehend.

So let's look at the first verse in chapter two of Job. God had the, if you will understand it that way,

God had the angels come and they presented themselves before God in chapter one. And you remember

Satan came before God and God had said to him, where do you come from?

And his answer was, I came from walking to and fro on the earth.

And remember he, he said that he, Satan said to God, you have hedged Job in and you've given him possessions and all these things.

And, and because of that, he serves you. But if you take all those things away, he'll curse you.

And so God says, you can have all that is in his possession. And so he does that and he loses his family.

He loses his stock, his, all his animals, his servants and the whole thing. And then it comes to chapter two and here is where we jump in.

So verse one of chapter two, again, there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the

Lord and Satan came also among them to present himself before the

Lord. And the Lord said to Satan, from where do you come? So Satan answered the

Lord and said from going to and fro on the earth, from walking back and forth on it.

Then the Lord said to Satan, have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears

God and shuns evil and still holds fast to his integrity. Although you incited me against him to destroy him without cause.

So Satan answered the Lord and said, skin for skin, all that a man has, he will give for his life, but stretch out your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh and he will surely curse you to your face.

So the Lord said to Satan, behold, these in your hand, but spare his life. Now, the reason why

I asked us to look at this is there's some stark contrast between what we are considering of God's omnipresence and of matter of fact, all the three things that we've looked at in the last couple of weeks concerning God's omnipotence, which means

God can, what does omnipotent mean? All powerful, right. And so omnipresence means always present.

And then we're going to look at omniscience and that means all knowing. But I want you to see, because there are people who, there are some who think that there's, there's a great controversy going on in the universe and that there's

God and then there's Satan or the devil or whatever, with the adversary, whatever way you want to use the term and that one's trying to overcome, outwit, outpower the other one.

But as you read what I just read, you see a couple of things. Number one,

Satan is not ever present, is he? Look what it says. He came from, where have you come from?

From walking to and fro on the earth and walking back and forth on it. God is the only one of all the angels and even the angels had to come and present themselves.

So they're not ever present. Nothing is ever, no one, no thing, no principality, no angel, nothing is always present in absolute completeness but God.

So that's one thing that when people say, well, Satan's fighting against God and God's fighting against Satan, that's not true.

And then it says, so he says, where are you from? He says, I was walking up and down on the earth.

And then he says this in verse three, have you considered my servant Job? There is none like him on the earth, a blameless and an upright man.

And Satan answers the Lord and he says, skin for skin, all that a man has, he will give for his life.

So not only is Satan a creature of time and space, but he's also limited in his power.

Because do you not think that he would have taken Job out if he could? He absolutely would have.

And so the first time God says you can touch everything that he has, you can't touch him.

And then the second time he tells him you could touch him, but you can't take his life. And so when you think about it, not only is he not omnipotent, he's not ever present.

And guess what? He's not omniscient, which means all knowing, because it says, if you think about it, he says to God, the reason why

Job was serving you is because you've hedged him in. And then he tells him in chapter two, the reason why he's serving you is because you haven't touched him in his own body.

So not only does he not know, not only is he not all powerful, he's not ever present.

And guess what? He's not all knowing. Only God dwells in the light.

That's first Timothy 6 .16. Remember that verse? It says that God alone has immortality dwelling in the light that what?

No one approaches. You see, that's the reality of God.

And we're going to spend some time as we think about the holiness of God, but God is, and I still like this term.

And so I say it as many times as I can. God is the great other, right?

God is beyond, outside of everything.

And he has subjected everything according to his omnipotence, according to his purpose and plans, according to the fact that he knows.

Acts, I think I put it up there, Acts 15 .18. It says, known unto

God are all his works from where? He knows the end from the beginning.

So you see, when people talk about the devil and how God is trying to overcome him, the

Puritans had a saying, and I just think it's cool. So I'll say, the Puritans used to call the devil an ape on God's leash.

Because again, you see what it says, he had to ask permission to touch

Job. He had to receive permission to touch

Job, and there was still a limitation attached to it. So again, when people talk about spiritual things or things that are unseen,

God is truly the only one who is the great other. He is separate, apart, distinct in all his attributes and all his ways and all his workings.

And I don't know about you, but that's a comfort. It should be a comfort. Although I will say this, it's only a comfort to those that are in the right relationship with him.

Agree? Because if you're in a wrong relationship with the God who the

Bible proclaims, you're in big trouble. Not only are you in big trouble, you're in eternal trouble.

And so again, that's why when people think of God as, you know, the man upstairs and all these foolish things that people say, they really have no idea who this

God is that spoke this whole universe into existence. And again, that's an anchor for me, isn't it for you?

That the God who says that he cares for us is not just some two -bit

God of man's imagination, but he's the God who's overall, he alone truly dwells in the light that no man can approach.

And I will say this, I don't believe we'll ever get there. I believe we'll get closer.

I believe we'll grow in our understanding of the immensity of God. But I don't believe, now you might disagree and we can talk about that.

Will we ever get to the point where we can say, I fully understand who

God is? I don't believe so. Because again, it's almost chasing something that can never be overcome because he alone is the great other.

And what a thought that is, if you think about the Lord Jesus Christ, who what? He came and came in the form of a servant.

You see the tremendous, if you will, condensation of God in sending his son, that he who is the eternal son, he who has the same essence as, if we will, the father, yet took himself and allowed men to nail him to a cross and permitted men to mistreat him and misuse him and speak despite spitefully against him and do all those things.

So when you think about that, what a condensation it was on the part of the eternal

Godhead, if you will, to have purposed redemption, purchased redemption, and completed redemption, right?

And so thinking about that, and again, that's why I so enjoy the fact that that God is the great other.

So I want to add to that too, that as you think about this, and you consider it that when we talk to people, and when we talk to them about the very character of God, we ought to seek to cause them to try to look outside of the things that we abound by.

And that's not easy, right? Because you and I can't say that we can fully comprehend it. How can we possibly try to comprehend, try to convey?

So what do we have to convey? What is it that we can use to convey the truths that are so hard to comprehend?

That's it, right? So here's something about the omnipresence of God. Let's just read it again.

I'm sure many of you know it's Psalm 139. Let's just go there for a little bit. Because to me, this is one of the most distinct and clear passages concerning the fact that God is everywhere at all times in absolute completeness.

And that to the believer, it's a great comfort, and to the unbeliever, it's a terror.

Why do you think people resist the truth so much?

Not only do they love their sin, the very thought of an incomprehensible and almighty sovereign

God is frightening if you're not right with him. So look what it says in Psalm 139.

And I'm going to read it for a little bit because it's better to hear God's word than me, for sure. Oh Lord, you have searched me and known me.

You know my sitting down and my rising up. You understand my thought of far off.

You comprehend my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.

There is not a word on my tongue, but behold, oh Lord, you know it all together.

You have hedged me behind and before laid your hand upon me. Now look at verse six.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high. I cannot attain it.

Now you begin to think about what the Psalmist is saying here, and that's what we have been just talking about in the last few minutes, right?

It is, it's mind -boggling. Matter of fact, it's beyond mind -boggling.

And then he says in verse seven, so where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, 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 othermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me.

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.

I saw like the end of the first 12. The darkness and the light are both alike to you.

Isn't that cool? And when you think about that, so the creation can't separate from God.

The thoughts of men can't be hidden from God. The reality of everything that we have can always be seen by God.

Verse 13, you have formed my inward parts. You have covered me in my mother's womb.

I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are your works and that my soul knows very well.

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in secret and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Your eyes saw my substance, look what it says now, being yet unformed and in your book all were written.

The days fashioned for me when as yet there was none of them. What does that not speak about the sovereignty of God and the power of God that every one of us has what, numbered days?

Every one of us, there isn't one that can escape. Then he says, how precious are your thoughts to me,

O God, how great is the sum of them. If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand.

And when I awake, I'm still with you. Oh, that you would slay the wicked,

O God. Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men, for they speak against you wickedly.

Your enemies take your name in vain. Do I not hate them,

O Lord, who hate you? Do I not loathe those who rise up against you? I hate them with a perfect hatred.

I count them my enemies. Search me, O God, know my thoughts. Try me, know my anxieties.

See if there's any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. To me, again, that's one of the clearest ways in which you and I can consider

God's omnipresence and that God not only is all -powerful, not only is

God everywhere in completeness at all times, but God knows it all. Remember how often the scriptures will say, where can you go to hide from God?

And that's what he said. I mean, who in the Bible was somebody who thought he could hide from God?

Absolutely. Right. And that's such an interesting truth for us to think about.

And again, is God all -powerful? Well, I think someone's all -powerful when they can have a whale swallow someone, whether you want to say it wasn't a whale or it was just a big fish, whatever way you want to understand it, that's not the point.

That someone is of such great power that he can have someone swallow something, swallow a man, and then spit him out.

I don't know about you, but that's a God to be reckoned with, isn't it? We try to hide from God also, man, when we're in sin, even as Christians, which we don't understand how powerful and how mighty our

God is, right? And then when we are in sin, we're hiding from him, thinking that he does not see everything that we do.

Yeah, when you think about it, I do believe that men have many issues being apart from God, but two of the things that always sticks out in my mind is that men really believe that God doesn't see them.

Or, and that if God sees them, he can't do anything about them.

That men can do whatever they please, and either God can't see or God can't stop them.

And neither of those are true. As a matter of fact, those are both opposite, right?

That's the reality. So, when we do the things that we do, and isn't it cool?

And just think about that, because here's the thought too. It's one thing to think about God being ever present and that God sees me no matter what, but there's a comfort in that.

And yet I realized that neither the devil, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, no, whatever there is to be considered in the universe, the only one who sees me absolutely is

God. And I think that's a comfort because I'm trying not to be, when

I'm in my most awkward place, God sees me.

And I'm trying to be general about that, but all of us, would we not all agree that we all have awkward places in our life, right?

And isn't it good to know that God sees it, God knows it, and in that sense, only

God and only us. And so, who should we serve?

Should we serve anyone or anything else when everything else is made to serve him?

I just find it, in a way, a search that I can never really, you know how people will say sometimes they get bored?

Well, I'll tell you what, the next time you get bored, start to think about that. Start to think about someone who's all -powerful, all -knowing, everywhere at all times, who's outside of space and time, who has created all things for his pleasure.

You know what it says in, what is it, Proverbs 16, 4, that God has made all things for himself, even the wicked for the day of wrath?

Again, you get bored in your mind, start to let that work in your mind and in your heart, and it'll change you.

It'll change you. That's why I say the character and attributes of God is life -changing, it's life -altering.

Okay, here's another one. I want you to enjoy this one with me, and if you would, in Jeremiah chapter 23.

And again, one of the reasons why we're looking at these scriptures is that it would begin to work in us in a way, and as we talk to people, we're able to at least point them to certain scriptures, because again, we're not talking about simple truths, we're talking about glorious things, and isn't it great to be able to lead people to understand who our

God is? And so in Jeremiah chapter 23, in verse 23, look what it says.

Am I a God near at hand, says the Lord, and not a God afar off?

Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him, says the

Lord? Do I not fill heaven and earth, says the Lord? Again, another description of the very character and reality that God is everywhere at all times in absolute completeness.

When you and I think about these things, it should truly encourage us.

So let's go to, you and Jeremiah, just flip back to Isaiah for a minute, Isaiah chapter 4, and again, familiar passage,

I believe to some, it certainly is, but I want you to see in the context of what we're talking about right now, that God is ever present everywhere in completeness at all times.

And so in verse 28 of chapter 40, he says this, Have you not known, have you not heard that the everlasting

God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary?

There's no searching of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and those who have no might.

He increases strength, and even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall.

But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles.

They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not be faint. Again, something to give us comfort, and yet something to cause, if you will, terror.

And I don't mean terror in a bad way, but just awe again, that no matter where I am, no matter what

I'm doing, no matter what my situation is, whether I'm in the light or in the darkness, whether I'm in the fiery furnace or I'm up on the mountaintop,

God is there. And not only that, then let's just take it and add another layer.

God has always been there, not only just today, but God has been in absolute completeness since eternity.

Before time began. Yeah, before time, and then when time began. So, you know, Sproul mentioned the whole thing about you could be in the

U .S., you could be in Russia, and God's presence is fulfilled and totally there. And I agree with that, but then add the layer on top of it that God was ever -present when the

Romans were here, and God was ever -present when the Egyptians were here. And guess what?

If the Lord Jesus tarries for 10 ,000 years, God will be ever -present again. In whatever way, everything changes, but God.

God is the great other. And so, again, that should be a true comfort.

Okay, a couple more, and then if we can, we'll start on the fact that God is not only ever -present, but he knows it all.

Job chapter 11. You know, one thing about the book of Job, and I realized it when we were doing the

Bible study, it could be a little redundant, if you will, because it kind of follows the same movement as far as his friends and the things.

But there are some scriptures in the book of Job that are just tremendous. They really are.

But I want you to look at this in, well, let me just read it from verse one, because I don't think we'll get to the next portion right now.

So, Zophar, the Namathite, answered. This was one of the supposed friends of Job's, right?

And the three of them basically telling Job, you know, you got it all wrong, Job, and we're the ones that can help you if you'll just listen to us.

And so, it says, then Zophar, the Namathite, answered and said,

Should not the multitudes of words be answered? And should a man full of talk be vindicated?

And should not empty talk make men hold their peace? And when you mock, should no one rebuke you?

For you have said, My doctrine is pure. He's speaking about Job because Job was defending his integrity. And I am clean in your eyes, but oh, that God would speak and open his lips against you.

Then he would show you the secrets of wisdom, for they would double your prudence.

Know therefore that God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves, which is a pretty interesting verse, right?

God takes less than what you're obligated to pay.

So, in verse seven though, can you, speaking of Job, can you search out the things of God?

Can you find out the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than heaven.

What can you do? And they're deeper than Sheol. What can you know?

And their measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea. If he passes by in prisons and gathers to judgment, then who can hinder him?

For he knows deceitful men. He sees wickedness also.

Will he not then consider it? For an empty -headed man will be wise when a wild donkey's colt is born a man.

So, again, there's no place to go from this great other.

And for the Christian, we should always go there, right?

I mean, again, that's the great divide. It's so interesting if you think about the great divide, because it's really, listen,

I know you'll agree, there's only two kinds of people, right?

I don't need some professor at Harvard to tell me there's 32 different genders.

And there's 32 different types of people. And every month or two months, we have another.

There's only two kinds of people. There's either you're part of the sheep or you're a goat, which is what?

Saved? Is? See what

I'm saying? And even a little kid can understand this when

God reveals it to him. Either you're his or you belong to the devil. We don't need all these philosophies.

Here's what we need. This is a path. What does the psalmist say?

This is a light onto my path and a lamp for my feet. So when people say, you people, that's all you do is read the

Bible. You're absolutely right. You're absolutely right.

Because in this is not only in here is life, there's comfort, there's hope.

And there's restoring. I remind you again, what Augustine said that God has made

God has made man for himself. And man is restless until he finds his rest in God.

And isn't that true? How many people that we know are going through their lives, and they're hanging on to this and they're trusting in that and their understanding of things is based on on a certain philosophy or a principle.

And yet, here's the simple scriptures. God created us, God sustains us, and ultimately,

God's going to take us out of this world. And the cemeteries prove that God has not forgotten how to do that since the beginning.

So interesting scriptures. And I can ask you to read in Job 26, it says that hell is naked before him and destruction has no covering.

And we let me just since we're in Job, I'll read one more and we'll stop. Go to Job chapter 23.

I believe that's yeah, go to Job chapter 23.

And let me just let me just read the chapter. And like I said, and then we'll close.

Just listen to what Job says. Then Job answered and said, even today my complaint is bitter and my hand is listless because of my groaning.

Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come to his seat.

I would present my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments.

I would know the words which he would answer me and understand what he would say to me.

Would he contend with me in his great power? No, but he would take note of me.

There the upright could reason with him and I would be delivered forever from my judge.

Then he says this, look, I go forward, but he's not there and backward, but I can't perceive him.

When he works to the, on the left hand, I can't behold him. When he turns to the right hand,

I cannot see him, but he knows the way that I take. And when he has tested me,

I shall come forth as gold and my foot has held fast to his steps. I have kept his word, not turned aside.

I have not departed from the commandment of his lips. I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

Look at verse 13. He is unique. Who can make him change whatever his soul desires that he does.

For he performs what is appointed for me and many such things are with him.

Therefore, I am terrified at his presence. And I don't believe he meant it in a wrong way, but it was in a way in which it caused him to worship.

It caused him to praise God for who he is. For God made my heart weak and the almighty terrifies me because I was not cut off from the presence of darkness and he did not hide deep darkness from my face.

Again, that was one of the things that Job found comforting was the fact that although his friends misunderstood him, he knew

God understood him. He didn't understand God. And certainly at the end of the book, what happens?

God reveals himself. Remember the whole thing. And we've read that many times. God says, stand up.

I'm going to ask you a few questions. See if you can answer them. Where were you? Where were you when

I created the heavens? Where were you when I planted the creation? So next week, we'll look at the fact that God is all knowing.

And I want to just look at some more scriptures to deal with that. And then comes the holiness of God, the goodness of God, and a couple of the attributes.

And then we're going to, like I said, then we'll move on to Christ and then we'll move on to the

Holy Spirit. And then we will move on eventually to various different topics that are worthy of consideration.