Here, There, and Everywhere - Part B

The psalmist says. Even their darkest place you can think of the furthest place. You might find yourself even there your hand shall lead you feel like you have no direction. There is a God willing to take you by the hand and lead you to the apostle Paul wrote to the room. I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God in today on connect with skip-Skip talks about intimate relationship you can have with God because he is present everywhere but first want to share about what you can hear even more uplifting teachings from Skip what I want you to know that because of support from listeners like you. Our media ministries expand our weekly half-hour TV program is continuing to grow.

In addition to our we can broadcast on the worldwide health song channel we are now being seen each week on the Trinity broadcast network. Thank you for your donations that make this expansion even possible. It's a joy to see the teaching of God's word reach even more people there are the viewing details for health song and TBN lots connect with skip. I think on a hillside channel on Saturdays at 4:30 PM Mountain orchids and TBN consummate at 5:30 AM Eastern sentencing in mind here more solid Bible teaching from Skip play a vital role in sipping the power of Scripture on-air for you and so many others call right now to get hundred 9218 892, eight visit.com/donate.connectwithskip.com/donate. Thank you. Now we're in Psalm 139. As we dive into the teaching with Skip Heitzig. I've had tour guides in Israel address our group and tell people now you know when you pray in Jerusalem.

It's a little bit different. As you might be from the Rocky Mountains and have beautiful vistas of the mountains or you live on a lake in Ceuta magnificence of God's creation, but I want you to know, though you can pray anywhere in the world. When you pray here in Jerusalem it's a local call. It's a local call as if to say, you just get a little more direct line to God when you pray here, but because God is on my present everywhere present in the totality of his beings. I don't need to go to a special place. God doesn't dwell in special places and that means that that'll save us from sort of this pseudo-moral's appear. Already that some people have what God is an American.

God is not an American.

God is not a Republican is not a Democrat. He's not an American.

God is available anywhere in the world for all people of all races, of all times.

That's the beauty and truth of God's omnipresence where he answers there.

Now let's look at the explanation of that. Let's kinda drill down a little bit because David poetically says three different things he he says death can't hide us from God. Distance can hide us from God.

Darkness can't hide us from God.

All three of those truths are in this song go back to verse eight if I ascend into heaven, you are there not make sense obviously got our father in heaven but now the only way you can get to heaven you are sure from the rapture of the church happening in your lifetime you are waiting to get there is hell. Death you'll.you'll die, but you'll be instantly alive in his presence.

Okay so if I go to heaven you're there, but he continues if I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there other were here for hell is the Hebrew word she all you might have that in the margin of your Bible shoal and Sheila literally means the grave.

The grave the ancient belief system is that when a person dies and is buried in the grave. She all he is cut off from God is cut off from God so in the ancient belief system. You die you get buried in the grave and the ancients would say God is nowhere. David says they're wrong when you die, God is now here is on this side of death. He's on that side of death. He's on the side of death. If you're a believer or nonbeliever, you'll be ushered before the final judgment of God for him to make an evaluation on your life now for an unbeliever. It's not too pleasant. The Bible says it is appointed on the man once to die, and after this the judgment. I don't know if you've read much about Voltaire, the French atheist couple hundred years ago, but he was such an outspoken critic against God against belief in God and in particular against Jesus Christ. He absolutely hated the Lord Jesus Christ. He said publicly of Jesus Christ that he was a wretch, but he couldn't get rid of God even when he died. When Voltaire was on his deathbed, he cried out to God, I'll give you half of what I'm work for six more months of life, and then he said, then I shall go to hell and you shall go with me. Oh Christ of Jesus Christ and with those final words he died. He died in misery. But calling out to the God he said he didn't believe in now turn the coin or turn the page for a believer for a Christian death is glorious. It's a homecoming it's it's where we go from the real world to the really real world in heaven. The presence of God far different than it is now for us. Yes, God is present with us now. But in heaven the presence of God will be direct, visible, unmitigated, unfiltered will be directly in his presence. When a believer dies. I'm always hesitant to say he died or she died. I'd rather say because I think it's more accurate.

He moved, she moved what he means she moved yeah. She went to heaven. That's where she is. She is very much alive right now in the direct, unfiltered, unmitigated presence of God.

They graduated the been coordinated to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, said Paul.

So death can hide us from God. A second part of the explanation. Not only can death not hide us from God. Distance can't hide us from God. That is, you can't go anywhere in the world were God's presence is not now look at verse nine. If I take the wings of the morning and I dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, the Mediterranean Sea was there for David. At that time, even there your hand shall lead me in your right hand shall hold me this phraseology is a poetic description to describe a long distance. A far distance going west, especially west of Israel, which is all Mediterranean Sea. The term the wings of the morning is a reference to the rays of the morning sun cresting over the horizon and filling the early morning vistas so it's as if David is saying if I could get on a ray of light and travel 186,000 mi./s and go from one end of the visible horizon to the other and in an instant I can get rid God I can't travel anywhere like Jonah thought he could to escape the presence of the Lord.

If I take the wings of the morning, you are there. I can't escape God if you go to the moon, God is there. In fact, couple of our astronauts who landed on the moon. You know how long that I was 1969 we landed on the moon in our astronauts from the moon from the space capsule. Looking back at the earth. Some of you are too young to remember this so YouTube it, but they read out of Genesis chapter 1, they opened up the Bible and they read and it was broadcast all over the world as a look back over the earth in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep they read that creation account. They were saying God is now here. What's interesting is sometime later a cosmonaut went up in the space and on his space mission.

He came back afterwards and addressed the crowd and he said I went into space and I looked around and I didn't see God. He said boastfully. A man in the audience turned to his friend said if you were to step out of the spacesuit he would have seen you got a cosmonaut saying God is nowhere you have an American astronauts in God is now here. David is saying God is now here. Death doesn't hide us from God. Distance doesn't hide us from God. And finally, darkness doesn't hide us from God. Verse 11 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. A good number of people are afraid of the dark might surprise you just how many 11% of American adults. Children might be always afraid of it I put 11% of American adults are afraid of the dark. That's a higher percentage than those who are afraid of heights so it ranks up there pretty pretty far. People who are afraid or have a phobia so people are afraid of the dark and if you asked him why it simply because they feel in the dark, more vulnerable, they can't see as far they can't make judgments of where they're going or who's watching them or who's coming at them. So it's that sense of vulnerability that causes them to be afraid of the dark. So David is saying, though, people might be afraid of it.

There's really no reason to be. Because though you can see in the dark God can see you in the dark.

Your covered here. Okay, let's take this thought and and apply it metaphorically. Have you ever gone to a dark time emotionally dark time spiritually. A dark season of your life. Perhaps this season that we have been in for some of you have been has been depressing and dark. I know for a lot of people it has. We have seen a spike in suicides a spike in depression during this time and people are sensing darkness and some are even saying God I feel far from God. I feel like God is distant and I want to say to you if you are feeling that way you can't believe your feelings, your feelings are lying to you and when you start feeling God is far from you. Tell your feelings you're a liar that's not the truth, because the God that I love and follow in the Scripture is a God who is near at hand. So some people are afraid of the dark.

Their people are not afraid of the dark. They wait for the dark. They love the dark.

They go out after dark. Why, because for the same reason. The darkness hides them from people, people can't see them. They want to commit a crime they want to steal something they want to attack somebody there to wait till it's dark. Usually every major city after 6 PM. The crime starts spiking and peaks at about two in the morning, pitch black artist story of a thief who was casing a house from his car across the street watching it. He knew the family was going on vacation when the family left for vacation at about two in the morning he left his car walked over the house picked the lock walked into the kitchen as he walked to the kitchen in the dark. He hears a voice in the voices. Jesus sees you and so do I. O takes his flashlight out looks around and see anything keeps walking.

He hears the voice again.

Jesus sees you and so do I, and he goes what's going on. He goes over he flips the switch to's two in the kitchen to get a light and he looks over across the kitchen on the counter in a cage is apparent.

So he's thinking that's all it is up ^ saying that this is not a big deal but then he notices just below the parent below the counter on the floor is a Doberman pinscher with his teeth, glistening in in a crouched mode her and just then the parrot says attack Jesus attack was a dogs name.

Some people are afraid of the dark. Some people wait for the dark but now let's bring this to a conclusion. If I can. I want you to go back to verse 10 because there's a couple words that I think just bring us to the place we need to be with this beautiful attribute of God. Verse 10. The psalmist says even there the darkest place you can think of the furthest place.

You might find yourself even there your hand shall lead me if you feel like you have no direction. There is a God willing to take you by the hand and lead you.

I love this this picture a little child walking across the street takes hold of the parents hand know the parent, the parent, the smart will not rely upon the grip of the child to hold his or her hand. The parent will grab a hold using the parent strength. Grab a hold of that child's in my right, that parent is not to let that child make a judgment of cannot hold or not I'm going to hold you as we walk across. God is going to hold you because he is everywhere. He'll hold you, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me so if you're feeling unstable know that your God, who is readily available is there to lead you direct you direct your steps give you direction in life and stabilize you. Last week I gave you three takeaways for the attribute of God's omniscience. Today I want to give you three takeaways for this attribute of God's omnipresence number one if God is omnipresent and he is means I am never alone that's that's that's pretty obvious I'm never alone. God was with me when I got out of bed today will be with me when I go to bed tonight.

He was with you this week when you got into the little fender bender you did look out her rearview mirror well enough and you got no Little Rock God was there when you went to the doctor and the doctor said I'm sorry it's a positive result for cancer.

God was there or cultivated God was there. God was on your first birthday will be there in her 65th birthday will be there on your 91st birthday.

It means you are never alone to put up the Scripture. I want this just a wash over you this morning. Let this be sort of a take away for you. This is Isaiah chapter 43 verse two and the new living translation when you go through deep waters and great trouble. I will be with you. Make that your promise today when you go through rivers of difficulty.

You will not drown when you walk through the fire of oppression you will not be burned up. The flames will not consume you. Will you go through them, yes. Will it take your life and ruin.

You know, because God is with God is with you where the last promises. Jesus ever made was this low, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. He told his disciples member that and of Matthew and Mark low. I am with you always, even to the end of the age where there was a minister on an airplane sit next to a woman who obviously didn't like to fly.

She had a Bible out.

She was praying. She's was getting nervous. The plane started his engine started taxing toward the runway.

She got even more nervous.

Grab the armrest and started sweating profusely and the ministry could tell this this poor gal needs a little comfort so he turned to her and said sister I can tell you're a believer sister is going to be okay. I've done this a thousand times, and besides Jesus promised these words I am with you always, even to the end of the age. She slipped back at him and snap. He did not say that Jesus said hello I am with you always, even to the end of the age. She knew she was about to go pretty high. She thought that promise wouldn't apply whether your higher low. Whether it's dark or light, whether you're in America or Arabia. God is present is the second take away because God is omnipresent. I can travel courageously.

My cell like an odd application, but hear me out, because God is omnipresent.

I can travel for I can go places I can travel courageously we have for years sent missionaries out all over the world in dangerous places were in some cases, it would be life-threatening. And if we were to say don't always danger the go you can't God call me there, but you might die. They say, let me revise that I will die someday and I'd rather die doing that. Then sit back at home because God is coming. They feel very strongly about their calling to the mission field this last year my wife went over Iraq and was in Isys tunnels two days previously, Isis warriors had occupied those temples, they dug them out and I did know she was doing that till afterwards a progress that you're not doing that which you she knew that God called her to build playgrounds for kids impacted by terror, so she did it. I mean if the earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof, then yes.

Be cautious, take precautions in your life but don't live with fear. Christians should be fear less.

We should be fear less, I have a friend is travel all throughout the Middle East for years for his whole life is that guns pointed at his head, life-threatening knives stuck in the side and he is the most confident, joyful person I have ever met. Over time, and with them I think I want to grow up and be like Sammy dagger he is fearless. He is filled with happiness the joy of the Lord is a strength because God is omnipresent.

I can travel courageously, you might feel it's easy to stay cocooned and stay at home and there is no risk at all and that and I understand what all that implication is but you know all of life is mitigated risk. All of life might be permit a bicycle.

I was a risk made when I got on a skateboard that was a risk all the different motorcycles that I've done and bicycles amount by crash. 11.

All of those risks and I understand the risk and but as a believer I think you can live courageously and fearlessly. Isaac Watts wrote many many hymns, one that he wrote that was a poem goes like this within thy circling power. I stand on every side, I find thy hand awake asleep at home abroad, I am surrounded still by God, O made these thoughts possess my breast where'er I roam wherever I rest, nor let my weaker passions dear consent to sin for God is there brings us to our third take away and that is because God is omnipresent.

I am accountable you see the presence of God is a good thing but for some people it can be a bad thing.

If you are living your life as though God doesn't exist on a daily basis.

If you're running from him. Like Jonah, or like Adam and Eve that said they tried to flee the presence of God one day that will catch up with you.

Let me say today, if you feel far from God.

Guess who moved was in God, it must be you. Maybe you are running in the wrong direction. Aren't you glad that God doesn't do social distancing God, and God sees me, you have to stand six particle feet apart from God brings you close to him. He is with you now and will always be with you in darkness and light in anywhere you travel through a positive or negative test, God said to Moses I'm with you guys said to Joshua as I was with Moses all be with you. God said to Paul the apostle in prison when he did know if you would live or die.

So don't be afraid speak boldly for I am with you. My encouragement as we close, as if you are running from God, stop turnaround, that's called repentance in the Bible and one to him that my subscription message from the series 2020 want to share about an exciting resource that will help you rediscover the power of prayer. Sincerely, the great missionary to China said it is possible to move men through God by prayer alone, and then owns the other nine books on prayer said God shapes the world by prayer, the more praying. There is in the world, the better the world will be in. Billy Graham said to get nations back on their feet, we must first get down on our knees in tears stabilizing you know the Bible says that we will experience God's peace. When we pray, and it tells us to pray about everything. We want to help you know how and what to pray and what to expect. That's why were offering. Lord, teach me to pray in 28 days by King Arthur you give to support this ministry.

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