Godisnowhere - Part B

Can I just got distance can I just got this would mean I don't have to go to any special place to meet with him to go on a pilgrimage to a special holy place worth trying crawl on my knees body and say something, you know, profound, God is everywhere, thus in my apartment in my house have my job Bible and pray.

I instantly make contact with heaven have God do you remember the popular where's Waldo puzzles sometimes was easy to find and sometimes wondered if he was really the picture at all. That can sum up how some people feel about God today on connect with Skip light Skip continues to explore where it is.

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Okay, let's dive into today's teaching will be its own chapter 139 skin begins to stand.

I believe there's something on McCulloch Neil pantheism.

I think it shows up in earth worship, and hyper environmentalism where people so focus on the environment and the earth, and there's days of worship for it and it's all about the environment because that is the only thing they know that is become essentially there God there slogans like love your mother or the environment is everything is a French teacher who even asked her nephew well will isn't God just mother nature answer now God is eternal and separate. God has no beginning and no end this world, this universe had a beginning. All scientists will tell you that and will have an end.

It's winding down the gutters outside of it but created it and is present in his creation, but is not his creation. That's the omnipresence of God now for us in the New Testament gets even better because it's not just like yeah there's kind of like God is everywhere in his bacon is out there for us it's more personal because Jesus is Emmanuelle God with us and Jesus came to the earth and for 33 1/2 years lived here and I know some of your thinking. You have any left, but he before he left, told his disciples.

It's good for you that I go because if I can't go if I don't go, I won't be able to send the counselor the comforter, who will be with you and then Jesus said I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you and he was referring to the presence of the Holy Spirit of God dwelling inside of the believer.

So that is the rhetorical question, where is God everywhere working you get away from God. Nowhere that's followed in the next few verses by three rational conclusions. The rhetorical question is followed by the rational conclusion and David says three things about the omnipresence of God first death itself can't hide a person from God.

Verse eight if I ascend into heaven here there now. We would take that first part of the verse go me.

That's God's unique dwelling place of God is everywhere present. Heaven is his unique dwelling place.

Even Jesus taught us to pray our father in heaven, hallowed be your name. We understand that HQ forgot that's headquarters that's the base of operations but notice the next part of the verse. If I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there. We see the word hell it's an ancient Hebrew word shipped all 65 times it appears in the Old Testament. It is typically a word that means a grave, the place of the dead.

It's where people get married, it's a general term to refer to the abode of those who have died in ancient thinking.

A person in the grave person and she all was cut off from God, you die, you go down into the earth and you hang up the sign God is nowhere. That's all the ancients thought that David David would say God is now here he is present on this side of the grave on earth. And when you die.

God will be present on that side of the great because death is a transition right as a threshold for the believer wealth. When a Christian dies, you really can't say he died.

You have to say. He moved to be absent from the body pulse that is to be present with the Lord. That's where a person experiences the presence of God. Very special way. Unlike here will be apprehended by faith will be face-to-face in glory, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord but but flip the coin, go to the other side.

What about the unbeliever who his whole life for her whole life is try to get away from God or not believe in God or discount God surely death ends at all. No. Even there, even in the grave believer unbeliever, you can't get rid of God, even to death as the Bible puts it this way it is appointed unto every man wants to die and after this the judgment, not after this you float around that after this your eternally unconscious but after this comes the judge imagine the fate of a man like let's take out all for hated Jews killed millions of killed Christians who protected them and he dies and who does he see Jesus Christ a Jew who is his judge for eternity.

He cannot escape Christ.

You cannot escape this Jewish Messiah. He cannot escape the judgment in the faith, and behold him, death can't separate him from God is a verse of Scripture.

I was looking at early this morning I want to share with you. It is a frightening verse goes along with this for the unbeliever. This revelation 14 verse 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of his indignation, which is poured out on all the earth, and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb is a frightening piece of truth. I have a book in my library. I pull it out from time to time. It's simply called the last words of saints and sinners and what Herbert Lockyer, the author has done is to find people throughout history, believers and nonbelievers and give us the last words before they died. It's a great book of comfort is a great book of terror. Here's a couple of unbelievers. One was all Thomas lived in the 1800s.

He was an agnostic writer, wrote a lot of words not believing in God discounting it.

Be very confident about it, but it is death. He said as for DAT, nothing less than an Almighty could inflict what I feel now remorse for the past throws my thoughts onto the future. Old Val blasphemed an indulgent God hell is a refuge if it hides me from diaphragm. Can you imagine breathing those words as your last words after living that way tragic. Then there was Voltaire, the French atheist who was very vocal against Christ. In fact, while he was alive he said of Jesus Christ, curse the ranch when he died among his last words were, I'll give you half of what I'm worth first six months of life, and then I shall go to hell and you shall go with me. Oh Christ oh Jesus Christ tragic again and powerful, no death can't hide any person believer unbeliever from God and David states that in this poetic language. The second conclusion David comes to is that because God is everywhere distance can't hide us from God within the next two verses nine and 10 of Psalm 139 if I take the wings of the morning and I dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me your right hand shall hold me this is Hebrew poetry. It's a description of distance, especially going west over the Mediterranean. The sunrise in the Easton instantly x-rays permeate everything even out toward the Mediterranean picture were David is writing this and it travels instantly. So if I were to rephrase this David is saying if I could travel the speed of light hundred and 86,000 mi./s and shoot across the universe to any place God is your there.

Even there back in 1968. I do know how many of you were around back then. Usually there's more people first service around back then than second and third service, but 1968 on them Christmas Eve. If you are around you remember Apollo 8 was orbiting on Christmas Eve. They gave a great gift to the United States of America the whole world. The three astronauts aboard Apollo 8 red Genesis 11 through 10.

I remember I was a little kid, I remember hearing in the beginning you know that you know that crackly voice come from space in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and they all three took turns reading the Genesis account from space for the earth. I would a lot of you may not realize, as soon as they got back Madeline Murray O'Hare the atheist sued NASA because they said that they were saying God is now here we we feel it.

This is this is so unique and God is awesome work were here we get it and she would say God is nowhere which you may not know is that in the Apollo 11 mission Buzz Aldrin on the lunar surface brought the elements of communion with him broke bread and fellowship with God and he was also declaring God is now here. Not everybody would agree there were a group of cosmonauts that went up from Russia and one of them came back and proudly said to an audience I was typing up in space and they did not see God and someone in the audience turned to his buddy and said if you stepped out of the spacesuit he would've seen God.

I've always loved that does all this mean to us application only personally, if death can't hide us from God and it distance can hide us from God is what it means I don't have to go to any special place to meet with him. I don't go on a pilgrimage to a special holy place or shrine crawl on my knees and get them bloodied and say something and Oprah found God is everywhere, thus in my apartment in my house at my job I can open the Bible and I can pray and I can instantly make contact with heaven and have God's blessings at my disposal.

We do make a mistake, as human beings, thinking that God is near or far in terms of a place or space back in the Old Testament worship was very geocentric.

They went to a temple as we bring the animal that's where you meet with God you come from your tribe to Jerusalem. That's where God lived even to this day. You can see it in Jerusalem. If you go there. The tour guides will sometimes say tongue-in-cheek, but there's a Aris seriousness of articles they look. You can pray to God anywhere on earth but here it's a Local Call Special Pl. in God will meet with you but that's not really true, is it even Solomon who built the temple didn't even say to God look even heaven and the heaven of heavens can't contain you, much less this temple that I have built. Paul would agree. In acts 17 he addressed the Athenians. He said point-blank God does not dwell in temples made with hands you the temple do the temple all of you who know Christ.

You are the temple of the Holy Spirit members a kid I would run through our church building after service. We are for boys and I was the youngest and I would take the cues of my older brother, so we were kids we run around and I remember hearing my parents and every Sunday as well as the clergyman say this running in the house of God or my parents don't run in God's house.

Then I read the Bible and I discovered hey I am God's house. I am the temple of the Holy Spirit. He dwells in me very uniquely is one committed to him to death can't hide you from God. Distance can hide you from God. And here's 1/3 conclusion, David draws darkness doesn't hide us from God. Verse 11 and 12 if I say Shirley, the darkness shall fall on me, even though light or even the night shall be light about me. Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from you, but the night shines as the day in the darkness as the light. The light are both alike to I was always found it interesting that bars and nightclubs aren't well lit the dark never that I frequent them a lot, but I have noticed the ones I've noticed they're not like the lights turned a bright, very him and that's for a purpose because darkness obscures detail. It hides people people feel better when they're hidden in doing certain things. Most crimes are committed under the cover of darkness Saul in the Old Testament went to meet with the witch of Endor. He knew it was wrong to do it.

The Bible says Saul disguised himself and he went at night when Judas betrayed Jesus Christ in the New Testament. The writer wants us to know the same details. He then went out immediately and it was night.

Jesus used this darkness metaphorically when he said men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. That's really not the issue here.

David is and try to cover up anything, but I when I want you to notice something this is I think the meaning of it. Verse 11 is a very important word. Don't miss this. If I say Shirley, the darkness shall fall on me to the word fall. It's a very singular Hebrew word found only here that literally means to bruise the darkness would bruise me or crush me or oppress me. I don't know your experience with the dark but when it's completely dark.

Your mind is different things. The thoughts come out like that. No other time in you deal with things mentally almost oppressively as at no other time for Savona's dark. I I am that I can know my own house, but I will stumble in the walls every night because I have no control.

I have no frame of reference that's provided by my eyes in the light wild. The idea here is a period of darkness that is oppressive now all of us have gone through dark times and I'm speaking spiritually, emotionally, you might talk to a friend and say something like this season of my life is been really dark. In fact, if you were honest you might've even asked where was God or is it or was it truly a whole another study we want to look at God in times of suffering, but I don't want to sound simplistic.

You know the answer. Jesus said hello I am with you always, even to the end of the age that's a promise for you and for me low. I am with you always. There is a minister on an airplane to sit next to a lady who is obviously nervous to fly.

They were still taxing on the runway.

The Rev. was there lady next to an older lady had a Bible open, head down, she was praying fervently. He could tell she was nervous.

Plane started speeding up more nervous filled with anxiety prayed more fervently.

The plane began to lift off. She grabbed the sides of the seat, sweat pouring down her face in the preacher finally turned to the lady put his hand on her shoulder and said you don't have to worry Jesus said I am with you always. She looked back and snapped at him. He didn't say that.

He said hello I am with you always.

Right now were getting a pretty high up or lady needed a newer translation of the Bible to well this is a great truth is that not the my presence of God.

It really is.

It's a great comfort as well as a great concern depending on who you are and how you live. Think of our comforter was. For instance, to Moses who didn't want to leave the children of Israel out of bondage thought he couldn't do it.

Thought he couldn't speak very well in all God told him is I'm with you that's enough. I'll go with you. My presence will go with you what comforter was later on the Joshua who was in a takeover for Moses and God said, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.

That's enough go where comfortless was to Gideon when he faced the Army of the Midianites and he was outnumbered. The Lord said, you will defeat the Midianites as one man for behold, I am with same promise is where all he needed.

What a great comfort to Paul the apostle, and you know there were times in Paul's life or he must've said he wears God.

This is not the way it's supposed to work out he was going from Athens to Corinth and things didn't pan out very well in Corinth and he must've been very discouraged, for the Bible says the Lord spoke to him at night and said do not be afraid, but speak and do not keep silent. For I am with you.

What about us, what about us in this failing economy wears God, what about us hearing about the Middle East crisis that could explode and get a lot bigger than it is worth God promised to us repeated in the book of Hebrews spoken by Jesus. Our review the Hebrews passage Hebrews 13. Let your conduct be without covetousness very good wisdom for those facing a financial downfall which are likely without covetousness, be content with the things that you have for he himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you Greek it's very emphatic. I will never leave you know. Ever note ever leave you nor forsake God's presence wears God, God is everywhere uniquely dwelling inside the child of God, to give you what ever you need this year if I could just say at the beginning of this year. If there is ever to be a truth that you will filter all of the activities. All of the decisions of your year through B. This one God is there, in the quiet silent places, dark moments times you make your plans filter everything through this great truth. God is now here, but I will also say if you're not walking with him.

If you're not a believer you should be comfort you should be concerned or the old saying goes, be afraid, be very afraid.

The old Roman Empire. These to be saying the whole world. They used to say the whole world is one great prison to the malefactor to the criminal as you might hide under Bush or another place.

But the whole world is controlled by Rome looking to find your and will bring to justice. So no matter how you live apart from God.

One day you will cross the threshold and you will face God is your judge, so let me just imploring you close if you have not surrendered your life to Jesus Christ. I I would ask why not.

What in the world is keeping you back from that port. That's good. The conclusion of the message from the series the biography of God. Now you Skip to tell you about how you can keep encouraging messages like this coming your way as you connect others to God's will that we all know that life is filled with ups and down. But God remains our steady, constant, our heart is to bring people closer to him so they can have a relationship and enjoyed the riches of his word.

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