For These Reasons, Lord, We Thank You! (Part One), Part 2

Today from Bible teacher Chuck Swindoll place no God's not here because he is there no matter where no matter how evil setting may be. God knows exactly where you work. God is all about you, no matter how frightening the situation. Maybe God is right there is not frightened. He knows what will happen is in charge. Thanksgiving is a time when we express our gratitude for the things God provide is common to thank God for his provision of food that sustains a home that shelters in a family that loves us today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll urges us to take our gratitude a step further in Psalm 139 David cites several facets of God's character. The prompt is unrestrained worship see when we truly understand the attributes of God.

We are compelled to give him praise Chuck titled today's message for these reasons. Lord we think. Thank you father for your attributes the greatness of your character. The magnificence of your mercy, the glory of your grace. The significance of your plan, your knowledge of us. Your presence with us. Thank you for holding as fast even when we were drawn as we often have your there. We can't escape. We can't hide. We can't ever be in a place where you aren't for you are everywhere at the same time and nowhere more than somewhere else. You are as much here as you are on the opposite part of this globe. You are engaged in things as much in heaven is on earth under the earth around us above us beyond this, you know, our past. Even the things we would love to forget. You know them all those things we are brought before you and confessed you have forgiven and remove them as far as East is from West how good you are. Knowing this so well. You couldn't love us more. Thank you. On the season of the year. We thank you for being you.

For there is no other like you no other God.

No other Lord. No other one to hold fast. We rest in this, we rejoice in it, and this week we pause in a very special way to reflect on it, and to do so solidly, reverently and gratefully.

We worship you today with our horses are silence our words are gifts in the name of Jesus, our Savior. Everyone said site for the search the Scriptures Chuck Swindoll. Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures study going to Insight world.org/studies looking at Psalm 139, Chuck titled his message for these reasons, Lord, we thank you, David, was thankful it seems for four things about the Lord, Lord, I'm thankful you know everything about me. That's in verses one through six. This is called in the theological world. The omniscience of God mission.

It means God knows everything.

He knows it all past, present, future, everything verses one through six.

Focus on his omniscience. When you get to verse seven. Now I can never escape from your spirit. I can never get away from your presence, and that he names several conditions. If I go to heaven if I go to the grave. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost part of the sea. What you talking about God's name presence so he is everywhere at the same time he is no more here in our church meeting that he is on the streets or any street of any place in any village or any city here are anywhere around the world any place, or space in our heaven under the earth in the seas around the earth and have at least he is everywhere at the same time and at all times. He neither slumbers nor sleeps. You never awaken him. You will never ever be away from his presence. You cannot escape on the presence now when we get to verse 13. This is fabulous. Part of saving this for you made all the delicate inner parts of my body. You knit me together in my mother's womb verses 13 through 17 take us, of all places, and the most place the womb of the mother as the baby is being formed.

You and you alone are the only you who will ever be made distinctly and specifically by God and he has the ability to do so because he is no. The potent nipple tent all-powerful, all-powerful, he is frustrated never comes up against something he can't handle never knows an obstacle never encounters something that is beyond him. Not only is he not surprised because he is on mission. Not only is he there, because the zombie present. He's able to take care of whatever it is, should that be his will to take care of it then or later because he is nipple tent on the potent now to get to this fourth section he gets into the details of life. Some of the things that have to do with the wicked and the fact that the wicked go on. God is righteous and the in the psalmist is all concerned that wickedness takes place and struggles with that and he says they're your enemy, so don't have a right to make them my reason and you realize that God is always righteous. He's never wrong. At the end. David is so caught up in acknowledging his God. He says in verse 23 search me oh God, and know my heart try being know my thoughts and then he says at the end and leave me in the past everlasting life that I might live the kind of life you plan for me which is everlasting eternal is not only linked but eternal is a quality lead me in a quality of life that is supernormal, so unusual in the day when I'm surrounded by lies and deceit and wickedness in the end the puzzling events of my time leaving me in your way. Got it. God is omniscient God is omnipresent God is potent. God is on the righteous, always at work forever loving us. He could not love us more.

Even though he could not know us better look at these first six verses, let's dig right in here, I told you what a sword is a sermon on theology.

So, without apology.

Let's think theologically or Lord you have examined my heart.

The Hebrew word means to sift to sift as you would sift flour as you would sift sand to sift it even carries the idea digging through the sand of the dirt as an archaeologist would define something precious. Some vital discovery looking for what you did me.

You dig deeply and be used. Sift through me is describing the greatness of God's omniscience and is not this insist about things. It's about me. You examine the new me.

So show me what you see as you examine me. You know everything about me. There's omniscience. He knows everything before your skirt away from that. All the things that are part of your past that maybe no one else knows completely open and known to God completely. You know every single thing about me private times public times, words said words held back. Reason I said them. Reason never stated you know it all, look at what he says you moaned you know my thoughts even from afar. You know the thoughts before I have you know where they come from, or even if I'm at a distance, it may be that you know those thoughts you see me when I travel. And when I rested home. You know everything I do.

I love the new American Standard version rendering of that verse you scrutinize my pad enter into mentally acquainted with all my way. Scripture you scrutinize my pay. You don't miss a thing. You know everything, Plutarch, one of the early biographers in the first century, wrote man may not see the do onion Playas de God, thy very inmost thoughts can read you know my thoughts even before I saving you will before me and follow me placer and a blessing on my grace in that you don't follow me to slap me in the face you follow me to put your hand a blessing on my head you love me.

One who notices the best, could not love us more.

What what what a marvelous thing that's not true of everybody. Some people who know us really well you know what those people say much. They know everything about you. I read some time ago about a trial in a small town in southern Mississippi local prosecuting attorney called this is first witness.

An elderly grandmother tough looking lady face like that for miles of bad road. She sat down. The witness stand and he approached her and said Mrs. Jones, do you know me, she quickly responded well yeah I know you Mr. Williams known you since you were a little boy and frankly you been a big disappointment to me. You live you cheat on your wife you manipulate people when you do you talk about them behind their backs.

You think you're a big shot when you have the brains to realize you'll never amount to anything more than a two bit paper pusher. Yeah, I know you persuades really well. Well the lawyer was just about the fate know what else to do so. We pond across the room to the prosecuting attorney to the defense. Teresa, do you know the defense attorney. She said Mr. Bradley known him like you, since he was a youngster. He's lazy, bigoted, had a serious drinking problem. He can't build a normal relationship with anybody. So his law practice. One of the worst in the entire state of Mississippi. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women in one of your why yeah I know red.

I know in about that time George leaned over the desk and said you two attorneys, Peter will close the lead over the desk and said in a quiet voice. If either of you idiots asked her. She knows we are going to the gas chamber dollars you don't want to be on the witness stand. God knows it all. The beautiful thing he keeps it to himself and everybody said he gave me great relief is called grace is called grace the shameful things you should never have done and I should never done the dreadful things we should never thought or participated in, he do those thoughts he was right there in fact, you will before me and you follow me in.

Bless me, he adds verse six. I can't wrap my head around it.

This is the way the psalmist says it. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me to understand. We would say today blows my mind. It does it relate us. I've never known anyone else like that as well as my wife knows me she knows me better than I know myself she knows me better than anyone else, but God knows we even better and loves me even more than she. She looks me a lot. God understands this.

He sees through us. We never pull the wool over his eyes doesn't have eyes. He is God is his nature to know he doesn't discover he knows now. The beautiful thing about this wonderful God of ours is he not only knows is fully and completely understanding us. We can never break free from what we can escape. We can try to get away with what he says in verse seven. I could never escape from your spirit I can but I can't hi, I can never get away from your presence. I could never go no place and no dots not here because he is there no matter where no matter how evil the setting may be. God knows exactly where you are.

God is all about you, no matter how frightening the situation may be, God is right there is not frightened. He knows what will happen is in charge someone 15 three.

Our God is in the heavens. He does whatever is pleased to do so. Reason she's engaged to David begins the with several gifts it if I go all the way up to heaven, you know I love the way that appears in the original go all the way to the presence and there is one great you he's all about heaven.

Interesting. When I finish my life on this earth, and on my body is dropped in the grave.

You not alone. Whenever will he's every word what's in all places, no place more than any other, and then he just is really interesting if I take the wings of the dog. What is that mean well about to travel the speed of light hundred 86,000 miles a second, like that of light coming across the horizon. If I could flash across the horizon and go to the remotest part of the see you this little island I could wake up on and not find God. There's no distant relief there's no oasis. There's no place so I loaned that it is without God. One of the books in my shelves is a book named the explorers. I like the book for number of reasons, but one, especially as of the calculation in there and I were some things about dimensions and size regarding the earth which is of course the focus of all explorers found out these things that I think you might find interesting, measured around the equator. It is 24,901.55 miles around is different. By the way, polar mention around the equator.

It's 24,000 901.55 miles the surface they were not the largest by any means among our planets in our galaxy but but it's it's a vast a planet. The surface itself has the head has been measured 196 again 800,000 mi.² in the whole of our servers around the earth. 57,300,000 mi.², or dryland and then that leaves 139,500,000 mi.² covered with water, mind-boggling but very moment. If you travel incognito to the remote. The remotest island, leaving everyone who knows you and your in your past, leaving no forwarding address. Saying nothing to no one and you found yourself in the most remote places in the middle of the vast oceans, even there you could speak with and know for sure that your heavenly father is right know where we can run on the surface of the earth hide from God's presence. The psalmist of God. I can never escape from your spirit, your listening to the Bible teaching of Chuck Swindoll and Mrs. Insight for living in light of the holiday on Thursday the entire week, is devoted to a singular subject title is message founded on Psalm 139. For these reasons, Lord, we thank you and to learn more about this ministry. Please visit us online@insightworld.org before your closing illustration from Chuck will take this opportunity to express our gratitude to all those who support Insight for living through prayer and generous gifts. We couldn't possibly accomplish our mission without the partnership are friends like you. So thanks for standing with us in an all-out effort to carry God's message of grace to 195 countries of the world. Chuck you've often reminded us about the power of God's grace and in our study of Matthew's gospel.

You also showed us the antithesis of grace. That's legalism over and over again. The Pharisees and other religious extremists provided a living example of the damage caused by graceless living well. A few years ago a fresh wind of God's grace swept through an unlikely setting it happen in the courtroom new your home in Dallas, Texas. Those whose other news clips would agree it was an amazing expression of grace yes it was Dave. Let me summarize what happened.

The defendant testified that after returning from her shift is a Dallas police officer. She mistakenly went to the wrong floor of her apartment building and she entered what she assumed was her place of residence. According to her testimony she opened the door some of the apartments rightful resident believed he was an intruder and shot and killed in the jury later found her guilty of murder before she was ushered off in handcuffs.

The victim's 18-year-old brother took the stand face-to-face with the woman who took his brothers life.

This courageous young man told the former officer that he loved her and he forgave her and he didn't even want her to go to jail that he wanted the best for her that the best would be for her to give her life to Christ and that God would forgive her if she went to him. When the young man finished his words. He asked the judge if he could hug his brothers killer. The judge said yes. The former officer ran into the young man's embrace. With tears streaming down her face while I'll tell you. That was a demonstration of grace God's amazing grace is our overarching theme every day on Insight for living. In fact, it's quite possible that God has used our daily program to extend his grace to you and I know is your Bible teacher, I have been a grace recipient as well.

Now it's time to respond in these final days of the year would you join me in helping one more soul unwrapped God's priceless gift of grace. These sacred moments of discovery or orchestrated by God's spirit and brought about through the generosity of people like you world is filled with broken hearted people who were burdened by guilt and confusion and shame, I can think of a better way to celebrate our Savior's birth. Then to give generously so others might hear about God's grace and run into his forgiving embrace. Thank you for being generous with your gift today. Thanks, Jack, and by responding today. You can be the one who delivers this gift of grace to a listener in the please jot down this contact information and get in touch today. It might be quickest to give online insight.org/donate insight.org/donate if you prefer you can call us your listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8881 800-772-8888.

We look forward to hearing from you soon and thank you for your generous support Insight for living.

Wednesday Insight for living. The preceding message for these reasons, Lord, we thank our one was copyrighted in 2020 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles Parks window. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited