754. Lead In the Everlasting Way

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina.

The school was founded in 1927 by the evangelist Dr. Bob Jones Senior's intent was to make a school where Christ would be the center of everything, so he established daily chapel services today.

That tradition continues with fervent biblical preaching from the University travel platform today on The Daily Platform. Dr. Steve Pettit, president of Bob Jones University is continuing a study series entitled encountering God, which is a study of select chapters in the book of Psalms.

Today's message is from Psalm 139. Steve is going to lead us through the Psalm, which describes an infinite immense God who is intimately aware of every person in the world. Well we have two more really messages from our study on encountering God in the book of Psalms and so this morning I like us is look at Psalm 139.

If you have your Bibles please turn there. I'm not gonna read the Scripture I'll actually read it as we go through the passage today simply because it will take too much time in the reading of it will be doing that together living in the world that we are living in the day.

We've all experienced something today that people and past history never experienced and that is we develop an and emotionally close high or you could say we actually bond together with certain brands that have been created because of technology and this is what they called a David Rand intimacy.

So let me ask you question what do you threaten think are the three top brands today that people bond with their between the eight the ages of those between 18 and 24 your age group. What you think are the three top brands people bond with Apple. That's number one. Thank you very much number two note Microsoft and make Dr. Ansari there's Apple.

And then there's all the other losers. Okay, so they yes Nike, you know, Nike actually did make it. Sorry about that although I like. They keep Nike there there second to Adidas. I like it is better. Number two is Amazon. Amazon makes you happy because you get something from them all the time. And then there's 1/3 one. Netflix actually there in the top 10 but that it would number in the top three Starbucks Starbucks is in the top 10 but not in the top three McDonald's they they made the top 100. I know you could send Chick-fil-A or something like that, the third one, number three is you to say I told you I so water, what are we saying there is an emotional connection to these things. Why, because you are in gauge with them in the course. The concept of intimacy is friendship or familiarity or a sense of feeling close. It's kinda creepy to be honest with you, but it's it's a feeling a sense of closeness to something will this semester. Our whole thing has been entitled encountering God a study in the Psalms. It is through the Psalms that God intends for us to feel close to him or you could say a sense of intimacy with God because the Psalms, give us a direct link up to heaven there like the spiritual IV that connects to the bloodline of your soul. You find yourself in the Psalms.

When you read them. The early church father Augustine said that the Psalms were the reorientation of our life, both spiritually and morally towards God.

So this morning as we look at Psalm 139 we find here a compelling description by David, the author of this Psalm of what God is like in the fact that he has the three nice he is omnipresent he is omniscient and he is omnipotent. Those are three qualities we called noncommunicable Qualities.

In other words, only God can have these we can, for example, we can have love and we can have trying this we can have grace which are God's qualities, but nobody here can be on my present omniscient or nip it and yeah that these qualities about God that are transcendent. That means there beyond us. We can't comprehend them.

They they blow our mind.

If you want to say it that way. Those are also the very qualities in which David says that he feels close to God. We call that God's immanence, Steve Lawson, who authored really some wonderful commentaries on the Psalms entitled this Psalm infinite yet intimate, and I'd like to take his title in use at this morning as we look at what David says about our God who is infinite, and yet at the same time he is intimate he is so close to us and then we come to the end of the song will see Psalm will see how David responded that knowledge about God. So to notice.

First of all three always inspiring noncommunicable characteristics that David describes about what God is like in the first when we find out is what God knows. Look at what he says in verse one, O Lord, thou has search me and known me like a mining company looks for gold deep in the earth. So God is able to go into the very depths of our hearts and our minds. This includes what I think and what I feel God is intimately and thoroughly acquainted with you, since he knows everything he knows everything about me. It's interesting the word no. There, he knows me is the Hebrew word Ya.is the exact same word that describes the intimacy between Adam, who knew his wife Eve. He had a intimate relationship with her and what God is saying is he has an intimate relationship with us. She knows us inside and out. God knows you better than you know your own self. He is omniscient in the notice first. Two.

Thou knowest my down sitting and mine uprising thou understand is my fault of far off.

God knows us like nobody else. God sees us when we get up in the morning, and God sees us when we go to bed at night and God knows everything that happens in your life in between. God is a mind reader. He knows what controls your thought he understand your thoughts of far off what is it mean he knows what you're beginning to think any knows what will happen if you will follow that train of thinking to.

It's very in and then look at verse three he says that outcome passes my path and my lying down your acquainted with all my ways the work and passes there means to winnow weed like when they separated the wheat from the chart chaff and the idea here is this that God knows me so well that he scrutinizes the whole direction of my life when he says my lying down. He talking about what you do when you lie down at night.

How many of you ever get in bed at night and you can't falsely sure.

So what is your brain do well, it's not obviously you not sleeping so it's thinking and what it is that you think about and what that means in your life God scrutinizes it means he knows where were going in our thinking. If it's right or not God is acquainted with. Our habits are false and our patterns of behavior, verse four, for there's not a word in my tongue, but will 00 Lord, thou knowest it all together. God already knows what were going to say before the words ever come out of her mouth because God knows the words as they are forming in her mind and to me that is a shocking reality. How many of you don't say everything you think. Aren't you glad aren't you that when a person says I just speak my mind. I think you're the biggest fool on the planet because of fool utters all his mind. Yet God knows what were thinking we see that in the life of Jesus because Jesus was a mindreader he could know what the Pharisees were thinking in response to the words that he was saying every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

You are responsible for every single word that comes out of your mouth.

If you complain that your fault if you make excuses that your fault if you blame that your fault if you express gratitude.

That's up to you.

You're responsible for your words, God knows my ways God knows my wallet and God knows my words and look at verse five pieces thou hast sent me behind it before and you've laid your hand upon me.

Just like a city is surrounded by its enemy under siege with no place to escape. So God is all around us. God is behind us.

God is beside us. God is above us. God is below us and God is in front of us and Evergreen where he goes.

He is he is there he is placed his hand upon us, so that even if we tried to escape his presence. We can't know that with a little kid put your hand on top of their head and they try to run away and you just hold her head and they can go anywhere you know God's got his hand on top your head, and some of you have try to get out from underneath that hand, I think that's our nature. We try to run from God and everywhere you go. His hand is on top of your head. You can escape him and then look at what David writes in verse six. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high I cannot attain unto it what God knows blows David's mind that God is incredibly mysteriously and in comprehensively initiate folks who we worship God. We can't understand and I'm so thankful that that's true. Romans 1133 out of the depths of his riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out folks we worship a God that we will spend eternity. Learning about and will never come to the end of the knowledge, so God knows everything, but then David said something else about God.

He said knowing what God knows what he speaks about where God goes, whatever, seven. Whether shall I go from my spirit, or whether shall I flee from thy presence. David asked two questions that have the same answer can I avoid God, can I go somewhere. God is not in the answer to both questions is no, you can't avoid God.

If you try to want run away from God, you will discover that God is already where you're wanting to go God is at mom night president verse eight if I ascend up in the heaven thou art there. If I make my bed and held the hold hour there and I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me in my right hand shall hold me. David makes three statements concerning God's presence in extreme places number one if I go to heaven.

God's there.

If I go down into the underworld God is there. If I take wings, you've ever wanted to take wings. I love David statement. Oh, if I had the wings of an that I could fly away I move everyone to fly away from Bob Jones, Lord give Ms. some way's, I will some wings and I will not go to Southern wines by the way, and Lord help me fly way. Well, if I go to heaven. God's thereby go to the underworld God's there.

If I take wings and fly with the speed of light to the corners of the universe. God would already be there to guide me and protect verse 11 if I say, surely the darkness shall cover me in the light about me being naïve and the darkness is not dark to you. The night is as bright as the day for darkness is as light with you. Some people try to hide in the dark, but darkness has no effect on God's vision. Steve Lawson said dark times are like to God, he is present in them, knowing perfectly all that is transpiring and what is in and what his eternal purposes are the darkness is not darkness to God. Why, because God is everywhere present in the notice. The third thing David says about God. God's infinite power, he describes in what God does verse 13 for thou hast possess my reins that was covered me in my mother's womb. David stands in all of the simplest and yet most complex thing that God can do what can God do. He has the power to make a human being. Nobody in this room will ever have that power the text here. This is God form as possess my reins. The word rain there's referring to your inward parts, he's talking about God's creation of you.

Have you ever notice that there are no atheists in the maternity ward of the hospital and given notice that when the baby born to everybody's happy. But you will see a nurse walking up to the mother say oh what a beautiful little organic blob of tissue you had. That's weird. What a beautiful baby a creation how that the hands are so small yet perfectly formed. David is saying that when he was in his mother's womb. He was skillfully woven and knitted together. God made all of your internal organ's major heart your stomach your intestines, your liver, your kidneys, your lungs aren't you glad he made them to work. What would happen if your heart just decided it didn't work or your stomach stopped functioning or your kidneys gave out, God has created you in such a way that he's made it to work. No wonder David said in verse 14. I will praise the for I am fearfully and wonderfully made marvelous are thy works, and that my soul know it's right. Well, we have been made and wonderfully made by our God, whose name is wonder all have you ever said to yourself I'm wonderful. Some you guys do that every morning hey wonderful, but actually we have a tendency you know as Christians, we have a hard time balancing you know humility and pride and blessing and burdens and all those kind of things. But the fact of the matter is that everybody in this room is wonderful.

God has informed you, God has made you and God is created you for his glory. This Sunday yesterday was Easter Sunday and I was able to spend the day with my wife and one of my children. But the the children that I didn't get to spend time with were the ones that I really wanted to spend time with and those were my grandsons and go up with the picture of that. Hey, this is a this is this is grandson checkup has nothing to do with the sermon, but you need to see them anyway so these are judo the lab in Shiloh on the right is the boys get ready go to church. I got up in the morning. They had their Easter basket. No candy their toothbrush, toothpaste, you know those kind of imported things, petted thing and so anyway my my grandchildren got and you know what I mean. I can't tell you how happy they make my wife mean she's like she goes not so mean just just face time and this this this you know in and then she brags about it she says my grandchildren are the best looking boys. God ever made all the rest are ugly, minor, good-looking, and it's like it's like wonderful it. It's awesome. It's God. This is what David is saying. He says in verse 15 my substance was not hid for the when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. David here is been speaking about his inner organs.

Now the word substance he uses in the King James in verse 15 is referring to a skeletal frame is bone. He is intricately woven in fashion in secret in his mother's womb. Spurgeon said that we are embroidered with great skill. Our veins are muscles are nurse our bones are our woven tapestry. Verse 16. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being on perfect and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them the little word substance, there is referring to an uninformed embryo before he was ever conceived. God had already written in his book all the days that David would live only earth including when he was born how long he would live when he would die and what he would accomplish. Jeremiah said the same thing he said before I formed the in the belly I knew the and before thou came us forth out of the womb I sanctified the 10 hour day in the a prophet unto the nations our entire lives are shaped by God's hand. There is no clearer statement in all the Bible that life starts at conception.

You are just as much a person when you are a fetus is when your birthday at full term.

The only difference is time and grow whether you are six months or your born or your year old are five years old is just an issue of time and grow. David is announcing in Jeremiah's announcing how God's providence. His work in his conception.

David sums his thoughts up concerning God's power and presence and wisdom in verse 17 how precious also are thy thoughts in the meal God, how great is the sum of them if I should count them, they are more in number than the sand when I wake I am still with the David found that this way of thinking. In Psalm 139 was extremely valuable for him personally and by the way it be extremely valuable for you because it it helps you have a sense of purpose and comfort and security in your own be this past weekend I got to hear just very blue. Briefly, Mr. Dan Hamilton speak Dan is a South Carolina state senator. He's actually graduate about Jones University and he is running for the fourth district to replace US Congressman Trey Gaudi in our district and I got here some about Dan. I didn't know it was the most memorable thing that he said and that is that he was adopted into the family that he grew up in here in Greenville I did not know that his mother was an unwed teenage mother who, when she was expecting Dan.

She was diagnosed with cancer and she decided to give him up for adoption and not have chemo because she she wanted the baby to be born healthy and she wanted the baby to be put into a Christian home and so she gave up her life. Her own son and she died nine months after Dan was born. Dan was adopted into a family here in Greenville grew up here with the Bob Jones Academy Bob Jones University and now is running for U.S. Congress and he made a statement. I never forget he said, I've always sense I was a little boy, always had a sense that God had a clear purpose and plan for my life but you know you don't have to be born like Dan was born to have that sense of purpose is was just a little clearer. The folks all of us. God has a purpose for life. All of us. God has a plan for our life.

These are the thoughts that David had in his. We quickly conclude what was David's response verses 19 through 22.

David reacts.

He says surely that will slay the wicked of God apart for me. Therefore, you bloodied men, for they speak against the wicked leonine enemies, take thy name in vain do not. I hate them own more than AV and am not.

I agree with those that rise up against the I hate them with a perfect hatred. I count them mine enemy. Sometimes these words are read in their really really harsh, but what David is doing is he's drawing a dividing line between him and those who have an intent on doing evil.

There are those who hate God the wicked, the murderous, the militias, the blasphemous in the rebellious thing. What David is saying to us is that we grow as we grow in the knowledge of God we should grow in our hatred for sin if you love sin you hate God. If you hate sin you love God. If you are developing an appetite for sin, then you are surely drifting away from God for the closer you get to God the further you get away from sin measure question this morning.

Are you getting closer to God that you're getting away from sin. If you're getting in the sin you're getting away from God. You can't have both in the notice. David's final and humble request.

He said search me oh God, and know my heart try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and leave me in the way everlasting.

David goes back to where he started for in verse 20 said God you search me and know me, and now he comes back around any response to what God knows about it and I think the point here should be very clear to us that we can have all this knowledge about God up here but what David wanted to do was a change in writing and David suddenly and light of God's noncommunicable attributes says to God. God, I open my heart, Lord, I want to be transparent Lord of their something in my life. It's not right.

More take it out. I want to give God the right to my heart. That's folks how you encounter God because you do not encounter God based on what you know about you encounter God based on what you open your heart to and David said, Lord, lead me in the way everlasting. Leave me in your way. And Lord protect me from the Sinful Painful Way, Lord on transparent I want to ask you, are you transparent with God. Are you completely open and honest before God and say Lord you know everything I give myself to you. Father, we thank you for this amazing revealing of yourself to us, Lord, we humble ourselves and confess our sins, and yet Lord, thank you that we are wonderfully made, help our lives to count for your glory in Jesus name, amen.

You've been listening to a sermon from Dr. Steve Pettit, president of Bob Jones University from the study series encountering God, which is a study from the book of Psalms we would urge you to get a copy of the study booklet so you can follow along as you listen to the sermons you can get the booklet on Kendall or get a printed copy from our website.

The Daily Platform.com. Thanks for listening and join us again tomorrow as we continue the study of Psalms here on The Daily Platform