22 Jul God is SOVEREIGN

Psalms 139

 

¹ O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

² You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from afar.

³ You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.

⁴ Even before a word is on my tongue,
    behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

⁵ You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.

⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is high; I cannot attain it.

⁷ Where shall I go from your Spirit?
    Or where shall I flee from your presence?

⁸ If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
    If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

⁹ If I take the wings of the morning
    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

¹⁰ even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me.

¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and the light about me be night,”

¹² even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light with you.

¹³ For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

¹⁴ I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them.

¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!

¹⁸ If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
    I awake, and I am still with you.

¹⁹ Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
    O men of blood, depart from me!

²⁰ They speak against you with malicious intent;
    your enemies take your name in vain.

²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
    And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?

²² I hate them with complete hatred;
    I count them my enemies.

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart!
    Try me and know my thoughts!

²⁴ And see if there be any grievous way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting!

Whenever we go on holiday, I’m always the one who organizes the itinerary. Two years ago, we went on a one-month trip to Europe. When I prepare the itinerary, it is quite detailed. I plan what time we need to go for breakfast and what time we need to leave the hotel. I prepared if one restaurant closed, I am ready for second and third options. One time, when we were catching a train in Europe, there was an earthquake in one of the cities, which affected our train. I was not prepared for that and started panicking. I realized that I can’t predict everything that will happen in the future. No matter how detailed I make the itinerary, there are always limitations.

How comforting it would be to have someone who knows exactly what will happen and is never surprised by anything. This person could make the best decisions because he has all the facts and know all possible outcomes and effects. It would be like going to Disneyland and knowing it won’t rain and you won’t have to queue.

That is our God. He is a Sovereign God. God knows everything we do, even before we plan it. I like to plan my days. Sometimes, unexpected things happen, but nothing is a surprise to God. He knows when things will happen.

God’s sovereignty is one of the most important principles in the Bible.  Charles Spurgeon says “There is no attribute more comforting to His children than that of God’s sovereignty. On the other hand, there is no doctrine more hated by the world.” Why don’t we like the idea of God being in full control? We will learn more about this later today.

What is God’s sovereignty? God’s sovereignty means He has complete control over everything. Nothing in the universe happens unless He either causes or permits it. God’s sovereignty is a natural result of His all-knowing (omniscience), always present (omnipresence) and all-powerful (omnipotence) nature. That’s what we are going to learn from this periscope; these 3 points.

1- God Knows Everything About Us (omniscience) (Verses 1-6)

¹ O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

² You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from afar.

³ You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.

⁴ Even before a word is on my tongue,
    behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

⁵ You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.

⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is high; I cannot attain it.

Think about a close friend or family member who understands you really well. Imagine someone who knows everything about you—your thoughts and actions. Now, imagine that knowledge multiplied infinitely. That’s how well God knows us. This is how well God knows each of us. In the first six verses of this psalm, David is amazed by God’s incredible knowledge.

In the verse 1 – David said that God had thoroughly searched him. ¹ O Lord, you have searched me and known me! The word ‘search’ means searching thoroughly. It’s like God knows every detail of David’s life. In verse 2, ² You know when I sit down and when I rise up; it says that God knows every move David makes, whether sitting down or standing up. Do you ever think about how many times you sit down or stand up in a day? I’ve never really counted. But you know who does? God does. He knows and he cares about every little thing. Jesus even said that God knows exactly how many hairs are on your head—He’s got every single one counted. Isn’t that amazing?

God knows everything David does each day. Every thought David has. And, listen to this – God knows every words David will speak, even before he says it. This is reminder for us, church. Knowing that God hears and knows every word we speak should influence how we talk. If we say we follow Jesus Christ but use bad language or speak with full lies or gossip, we should remember that God is listening to every word.

He knows every move we make. At our place, we have two security cameras inside our apartment. I installed them mainly to see what Ellis and Eleana are doing when I’m at work. But Ellis doesn’t like the cameras because she’s afraid someone is spying on us. I reassured her that even if someone is spying on us, they are just wasting their time. We are a family that still relies on ozbargain and cashback. We have nothing and we are nobody. After all, we are not Bill Gates’ family.

Sometimes, knowing that God knows everything we do, it can make us uncomfortable. That might feel a bit creepy, right? But God’s knowledge is different—it’s combined with His love. In this psalm, David is not afraid, but he is actually praising God for knowing him so intimately. He loves that God understands him so well. He knows that God’s intention is good.

Look in verse 5, ⁵ You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. It’s not creepy or dangerous. God’s knowledge keeps you safe. The word “hem” here means protective barrier. It means that God surrounded David on all sides, so nothing could harm him without God allowing it first. It says, “He surround us behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.” This brought great comfort to David. He had enemies chasing him most of his life, like King Saul and others who wanted to kill him. But at night, he could rest easy knowing he was surrounded and protected. God was watching over him. Knowing this truth also should comfort us. The good news is this protection wasn’t just for David—it applies to everyone who trusts in the LORD.

Feeling like you’re always being watched can be uncomfortable. But that feeling often comes from not trusting the people watching us. Think of it like a kid who feels safe knowing their caring parent is keeping an eye on them. When we believe in God’s love and care for us as our Father, His constant knowledge of us becomes reassuring, not something to be afraid of. It becomes our source of comfort.

This is the response from David as he realized this : ⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. David couldn’t fully grasp it. He was amazed and overwhelmed by this truth. David realized that God knew him better than he knew himself. And David also realized that it’s not just that God knows everything; He knows me personally. ¹ O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

So, what it means that God knows everything about us. We don’t need to pretend. David was honest with God about his messy thoughts and feelings instead of hiding them. He invited God to his life. When life gets tough, remember that God knows what’s best and God is the safest place to share our disappointment, and anger. When we remember that who ‘God is’ we can be vulnerable with Him. It means that we can be real. We don’t have to fake it with Him.

Young people, as teenagers, you’ve got some big decisions to make. Should you go to college? If so, which one? What job should you take? Should I stay here or going back to Indonesia? It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and you feel like you’re not in control of your life with so many decisions ahead. But remember, God knows everything and has a plan for you. Trust Him, and you’ll find peace knowing that the Creator of the universe is in control of your life.

2- God Is Everywhere (omnipresence) (Verses 7-12)

⁷ Where shall I go from your Spirit?
    Or where shall I flee from your presence?

⁸ If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
    If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

⁹ If I take the wings of the morning
    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

¹⁰ even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me.

¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and the light about me be night,”

¹² even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light with you.

Kids often ask this question: “where is God?”. This is normally our answer – “God is everywhere!”. But do we know what it means? We take it for granted that God is “everywhere,”. We do not really understand what that means.

Not only does God know everything about us, but He is also present everywhere. David said in verse 7:  Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? David ponders if there is any place he can go where God is not there. The answer, of course, is no. We can’t run away from His Spirit, no matter how high or low you go, or how much we try to hide in the dark. You can’t escape from God; He is always there.

You may think that if you go to the moon or to empty space in the galaxy, God is not there. Listen to verse 8 – 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!. His presence is unaffected with space. There is no corner in all creation where God is not there. God is everywhere, and there is no place He doesn’t know or have control over.

How about if I run very fast so God cannot track me? Even you are Usain Bolt, the fastest human on the earth and you ran thousands times faster than him, you cannot run from God. This is what David says in verse 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. This is basically what David says: If I could travel as fast as light and fly from the east to the west, I still couldn’t get away from God. David understood that no matter where he went, even to the far side of the world, God was always with him. God would lead and comfort him no matter where he was. Even if we went as far as country side of Australia where no internet connection, God’s hand would guide us. Even in the quietest places where you think no one is there and you feel lonely facing all your troubles, you know what? God is there. Listen to this – Even if you’re hiding inside your pillow, dark, very quiet – with tears in your eyes, God is there. Aren’t we grateful for His constant presence in our lives, church?

Omnipresence does not mean that God is scattered around the world. It doesn’t mean that God is split into different parts. Instead, all of God is present in every place. Imagine this: When I look out from here, I can’t focus on each of you individually, but God sees each of us perfectly, like He’s looking at just one thing even though He sees everything. God sees you like you’re the only person in the world to Him. He sees you everywhere, whether you’re in public or alone. He’s always with you. He sees everything about you. He knows you better than anyone else ever could.

What does this mean? It means that God is never out of reach. He is always available to us wherever we go, 24/7. We always have His full attention. We don’t need to make an appointment. He’s never too busy to hear us when we pray, and He’s never distracted by other problems.

Can you imagine if we prayed and an angel said, “I’m sorry, but God is busy with a big IT Outage yesterday. Leave your name and number, and someone will get back to you as soon as possible”? That will never happen because God is always fully available to you no matter where you are. Even if there were a thousand big disasters. happening in a thousand places, our God hears you as if you were the only one praying.

Sometimes, life feels tough and unfair, like we’re lost in the dark. But remember, it’s never dark to God. He sees everything clearly, even when we can’t. Trust that He is helping you, even when you can’t see it. This truth should bring us great comfort. No matter where life takes us, we are never alone. God is always with us.

“God is onipresence” means that God is everywhere at the same time. This also means that God is with your loved ones when you can’t be. For example, if your parent is back in Indonesia and you are far away, God is with them too. He can protect them even when you are not there. We can always ask Him to look after our loved ones, no matter where we are. When we pray, God hears us and takes care of those we love, even if we can’t be there ourselves. This is a great comfort because it means our loved ones are never alone, and neither are we.

For some of you who never put your faith in Christ. Whenever you do something wrong, no matter where you are or what you’re doing, remember that God sees it.  You can ignore God but you can’t avoid him. This should be a serious warning. Think of it! (Repeat) Every sin you commit is committed in the presence of God. He hears every lie, he knows when you cheat on your taxes. If you don’t stop and turn away from your sins, God will bring you to justice. He sees everything. But you have a chance to repent. Turn away from your sins and turn to Jesus.

3- God is all-power (omnipotence) – verse 13-24

¹³ For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

¹⁴ I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them.

¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!

¹⁸ If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
    I awake, and I am still with you.

Now we get to verse 13. Here, we see God’s power shown clearly, especially in the creation of each person.

Listen to verse 13-16. 13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me,  when as yet there was none of them.

 

In verse 13, david says, 13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. Imagine a knitter carefully creating something beautiful, stitch by stitch. That’s how God made us. He didn’t just throw us together; He carefully and lovingly put us together in our mothers’ wombs. This shows His incredible power to create life. Imagine God like a master artist, putting together every little detail of who you are – your body (grey hair here and there), your personality (created him with broken English), everything!

Think about it: we have unique fingerprints. This shows that we are not just ordinary; we are made in a special and detailed way by God. Our bodies can heal – did you know our bodies are constantly fighting toxins that enter through the air we breathe or the food we eat? Most of this goes unnoticed by us because our bodies deal with it. Our minds can think and dream. One biochemistry professor once said that the human brain is “the most complex and orderly arrangement of matter in the universe.” That’s how awesome and powerful our God is! Our bodies are God’s masterpieces. Each one of us is a masterpiece of His creation.

 

Verse 15 also highlights some aspects of God’s power:. Verse 15 – when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. ¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them,    the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. When the Bible mentions the “depths of the earth,” it doesn’t mean the womb is literally “inside the earth.” Instead, it’s a way of saying the womb is a very secret and hidden place. Back in ancient times, before X-rays and modern technology, no one could see what was happening inside the womb. But God could see everything, even in that hidden place. When you were just a tiny speck, God knew what was happening and saw it all. This shows how powerful God is. He saw you growing in the womb and knew all the days of your life before they even happened. This demonstrates that God is all-powerful.

This passage also shows that God formed us in the womb. We are not a result of chance or nature, but of God’s powerful work. God created each person in their mother’s womb to be unique. We exist because of Him, not by accident. If you are here now, it is not accident. Because of this, human life is blessing both before and after birth. An unborn child is not just tissue that can be discarded.

Parents, nothing tests our trust in the sovereignty of God quite like entrusting our children’s lives to Him. It’s hard. We are worried so much about the future of our children. Do we choose the right school for them? Why are my kids always sick? Is she okay? We are parenting with fear. So often we feel guilty as parents. Remember, we have a sovereign God. Nothing can stop Him. Whatever challenge we face today must remind us of His complete control.

The question now is how do I know I’m making the right decisions for my kids? What if I make a mistake? Do your best with what you know at the time, pray, and surrender to Him. Trusting in God’s control is a great comfort for us. God can turn our mistakes into blessings for our children. Every night, we can sleep peacefully knowing that God is working everything for His glory and our good.

Going back to quote from Spurgeon that says, “There is no attribute more comforting to His children than that of God’s sovereignty. On the other hand, there is no doctrine more hated by the world.” Why do people struggle with God’s Sovereignty? Why is this? Well, even though knowing that God is in control can give us comfort, many people, including Christians, find it hard to accept.

One of the main reasons is suffering and bad things that happened to us or to our loved ones. We ask this question: “If God is sovereign, does it mean God ordain suffering?” Cancer. Pain. Money problems. The deep sadness of losing someone. As we know, we are not immune to this. So, what do we do with this? God’s Sovereignty should comfort us. But how in the world is it a comfort? Shouldn’t it disturb us that God ordains suffering?

The easy answer for this and this is the common answer to give comfort to hurting people “God didn’t cause your pain. He hates it, and he grieves with you.“ This is not good answer. Why? If God isn’t in control of suffering and all the bad things in the world, then He isn’t the God of the Bible. Instead, He would be a god we made up, one we think we can manage. He might seem kind and good, but He wouldn’t be a god worthy of our worship.

If God is not sovereign/in control of everything, even if His intention is good, we can’t trust Him to make the best decisions. If God is sovereign but isn’t good, we can’t trust His intentions when bad things happen. But if God is in control and He is good, then even when His plan includes pain and suffering, we can trust Him completely. We can find comfort in the suffering He allows. How do we know His intention is good? How can we trust His intention is good? We know this by looking at the cross.

 

At the Cross, His goodness is most clearly shown in His plan to save us. We all mess up. We all sin. And because of that, we deserve to be separated from God forever. But God had a plan. He sent His only Son, Jesus, to take the punishment for our sins by dying on the cross. Then, He raised Jesus from the dead, showing that He has power over sin and death. God is holy, which means He is perfect and pure, completely set apart from sin. But He is also our loving Father. He cares for us deeply and personally, more than we can imagine. He loves us so much that He couldn’t stand to see us lost in our sins. When we see this and look to the Cross, we can confidently say that “Our God is not just powerful; He is good God”.

When we see what God has done for us, we can’t help to trust Him and praise Him. Whenever we doubt about His sovereignty (whenever we doubt about His plan on our life), look at the Cross, remember that God’s plan for our salvation came from His good heart. He is a loving Father who did all of this for His glory and our joy. So, let’s trust Him, love Him, and share this amazing news with others. God is for us. The proof is Jesus. We take comfort in his cross.

This psalm starts by saying that God knows me very well. It ends with a prayer, “²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart!
    Try me and know my thoughts!

²⁴ And see if there be any grievous way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting!

Are you brave enough to ask God to look into your heart and show you any worries or wrong ways? Are you willing to let Him have this kind of freedom in your life? To let God take control and guide your life, because we are not in charge—He is in charge.

Let me close with this. Most of you know that I am a big fan of Manchester United soccer club. I try to watch their games. There have been times when we lost important games, and when I went to sleep, I dreamed that my team won. When I woke up, there were moments when I asked myself, “Did we win?” and then realized it was just a dream.

Or it might happen to you in different situations. You face big problem in your life, like losing a dear family member. You cry a lot until you are tired and fall asleep. In your sleep, you dream that you are still talking to them. When you wake up, you wonder, “Are they still here?” You look around and realize that it was just a dream. It crushed you.

Remember this, church!

• God knows everything about me. He knows my struggles, my fears, my hopes. (verse 1-6)
• God is always with me. (verse 7-12)
• My God is all powerful (verse 13-18)

As we realized who God is, He is Sovereign God, even though the problem did not go away, we can say like what David said; I am okay because ^18b I am still with you. Even my situation does not change, I am okay because I am still with you; who are sovereign.

Let’s remember that because of Christ, God is always with us and will never leave us. Because Jesus died and rose again, and because we are in Him, God is always by our side, no matter what happens in life. This is a core belief of our faith: God is always present with us and will never abandon us. This truth brings us peace and security. No matter what challenges we face, we know God is with us and will provide the support we need to overcome them. This gives us the peace and confidence to face any suffering with hope.

 

 

Discussion questions:

1. What struck you the most from the sermon?
2. Why is the truth that God is all-knowing both terrifying and comforting?
3. How does God’s omnipresence encourage you to pray?
4. Why do you think many people have problems with God’s sovereignty (especially the all-powerful part)?
5. How does the gospel assure you that God’s sovereignty is working for you?