i invite you to turn uh this morning with me to psalm 139 this is our sort of essential bible text series and we're doing a two -part psalm 139 as last time we looked at uza touching the ark really this helps us in our study really of knowing God and the attributes of God, and this morning we'll be looking at some of those from this psalm, page 618 in the Bible that is in front of you, Psalm 139. To the choir master, a psalm of David, O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up. You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it all together. You hem me in behind and before and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high. I cannot attain it. Where shall I go from your spirit or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the utmost parts of the sea even there your hand shall lead me and your right hand shall hold me if I say surely the darkness shall cover me and the light about me be night even the darkness is not dark to you the night is bright as the day for darkness is as light with you for you form my inward parts you knitted me together in my mother's womb I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works. My soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and your book were written every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. How precious to me are your thoughts oh God how vast is the sum of them if I would count them they are more than the sand I awake and I am still with you oh that you would slay the wicked oh God oh men of blood depart from me they speak against you with malicious intent your enemies take your name in vain do I not hate those who hate you oh Lord do I not lo those who rise up against you I hate them with complete hatred. I count them my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts, and see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. May the Lord bless the hearing of His Word. Well, we are living in one of the most anxiety -filled ages, it seems to me, that I can recall, some might say ever. I'm sure if we survey those gathered today, all of you struggle in many ways at times, in different ways with worry and with fear and disappointment, and maybe just confusion about life, confusion about this whole thing that leads to moments of despair or even depression. Part of that might have something to do with the fact that we live, have never lived in an information age like ours. Constantly streamed to us, just all the time streamed to us, are the worst reports. And we carry this stuff around in our pockets. Every evil happening under the sun from all over the world is beamed in, Scotty, to your phone. I watch Star Wars. At any point in the world, it's constantly coming. Are we made to take all this in like this? I don't think we're constructed to manage it. I don't think we're able to handle it. It takes a serious discipline to know how to manage yourself with all this because it leaves people constantly in a state of anxiety and worry all the time. We know this is what it does. They know this is what it does to you. They know it's how to keep you with this stuff. They know how to drive your life with this stuff. We don't realize how much carrying around the devices affects the mind and the heart. but even more so that's one factor i suppose it's the sense of aloneness that marks our age it's the sense of emptiness that marks our age a sense of of of being alone through this life and the irony is it's an aloneness that we often choose isn't it something with so much resource you know having running water is quite a thing in your homes you ever stop and think about that toilets washing machines so much convenience and yet so much anxiety the result has been that we're always looking for a way of escape we just want to escape for a time we just that's why i say get outside hike a mountain it's good for you we want meaning we want love we want happiness we want purpose we want to understand all this we want to know that that somebody in this life really loves us and really cares about us in the superficial age in which we live and well voila do i have a song for you today if last week i made the statement that god is certainly good but he is not safe when the touching of the ark that should have stuck with you it wasn't a complete statement i didn't intend it to be it was a statement to draw out the kind of reverence and awe for god that should be there but let me be clear that what this psalm is describing is safety in christ and you need that more than ever i think in this age this is the psalm for this age this is a help to you in this age and with that i want you here today with me to know your god more that's the intent of this to understand him and that's what psalm 139 is doing for you it's a psalm in this psalm which is remarkable it's so tender and and confident and sweet it's a beautiful psalm it's something in life though at least that had driven David to these thoughts and by the inspiration of the Spirit to record these thoughts because something great had failed him. And you could go through life, his life, and study in Samuel and you could look at his life and think what that might be. Maybe it was his son Absalom turning on him and dying. Imagine that. maybe it was just a sense of overwhelming failure due to his sin. Maybe it was a sense that everyone around him, he just didn't seem like he could trust. He had so many enemies. That's what he describes constantly in this altar. And it seems to me that Psalm 139 describes where he found an answer to this form of emptiness and loneliness and depression that he experienced in life. is there anyone who truly cares in this life is there anyone who doesn't fail in this life and he expresses this in psalm 139 the circumstance has caused him to reflect and ask the great question this is what i think we have to do again is begin to ask questions the right kind of questions in life to have any kind of meaning of life is the question of where is the true source of safety? Where is the true source of stability in this life? What is stable? Who is the one who will never fail? And David here is, to get to the answer to these questions, he's thinking a lot about what we call the attributes of God, the very important qualities that are revealed of him in his word. And this is always a solution. When we have certainty of his greatness and his goodness, it does have the real effect of pulling us out of often the sorrows that we have faced in this life for we have here described the very love of the creator of heaven and earth. Let's look at this beautiful psalm first part this morning. Three attributes are here highlighted of God. The psalmist praises him. David praises him for his number one omniscience and then his omnipresence and then his omnipotence third one will really zero in on next week and he describes what life should be in response to this truth and i think it you can make the case that in our age of as i said last time a mile wide christianity an inch deep of really no knowledge of god has produced the anxiety that often comes people do not know him and it was our lord who said that what he delights in in this life is not those who have great wealth and this and that and all the things we're often pursuing. He said that we would know him, said Jeremiah. He takes delight in these. Do you know him? Whatever he is about to say in the study of God, David has an application at the end and the great application to this psalm at the end after relishing in these thoughts of God is that then, oh Lord, that you would, since I know these things about you, lead me in the way everlasting. Lead my life. Guide my life. To a life that is actually meaningful. To a life that is fulfilled. To a life that has real purpose. You won't be able to walk that until you know Him. Now, let's look at verse 1. Beautiful psalm begins, O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know know when I sit down and when I rise up, you discern my thoughts from afar. He is caught up in this thought of God, and it's something about God, and it's a quality about God, something about God in his greatness, and this quality of God that mesmerized David is that he is all -knowing. and we don't know very much but here we call this his great omniscience that he knows everything and it was this power that thrilled david this power that thrilled david this quality this attribute what overwhelmed him was that god knows everything about him exhaustively there is nothing about him that god did not know and you think about the greatness of god how many people exist think about how great that knowledge is you can't even fathom it and so you notice what he does you've searched me you know me what does god know about us what does he know about you and he categorizes it here beautifully in three ways he says every path that i take every single thought that i have ever made every word that i have ever spoken you know it all together notice verse 2 you you know my sitting down am i rising up everything that i've ever done in life you know you understand my thoughts afar off you comprehend my path my lying down you're equated with all my ways there's not a word on my tongue. Oh, Lord, you know it all together. Do you ever feel like you don't even know who you are? You really don't even know who you are. You've yet to figure that out. There's something unique about every single one of you created in the image of God. I'm so glad we all don't look alike. This would be no fun. He formed you. Every one of you has your own unique, unique you're your own unique person made in the image of god and and how we live and what we do and the words that we think and how we function and how we're made how we're constructed the way we are that nobody else understands about us and that we don't even understand or feel no one understands you the psalmist is david is is is taken by this thought the lord knows every bit of me, intensely, personally, individually. God knows every matter of your heart, every thought that has come into your mind, every little word that you've ever spoken to anyone, every desire, every bit of your personality, every bit of the neighbor sitting next to you. He knows it all. None of it escapes him. None of it gets past him. Not one thing in everyday life he will forget. David feels someone truly knows him. Now, I think you have to approach this and ask sort of a question. As some of you are looking very intently about at me, thinking, is that a good thing? That's the question the psalm's pushing you to. Oh, see why? Why do I ask that question? Because you hide your life. We are the last people. You are the last one that wants to open up your life to anyone. You do not want to tell your problems to anyone. you don't want people to really know what's going on in there come here today well -dressed but this is the very place you don't want to know let people know what's really going on in that heart what you're thinking privacy is your pursuit because you want to escape all this stuff we're often hiding precisely because there is an emptiness in us we want nobody to know about what David is describing here is the thing that will most set you free in this life by the way. How could he find the attribute of God's omniscience to be the most comforting and wonderful truth that he could sing about? It's good to sing these truths. God knows everything about you. And there's only one way to explain that. It's because David came, and this is so important for us, to a place. It wasn't always the case in his life. David came to a place of certainty that this knowledge of God meant that he could never hide his life from the one to whom it matters. You see, it's one thing to hide one's life and live in rebellion and live in unrepentant sin and then put on the suit. That's hypocrisy. I would think that if that's the case, these are the most terrible words in all of the Bible, right? Because you have no privacy. There is nothing of your life that is private and David tried that David David tried that path and found out that with this knowledge when he made his choices in life and he tried to run and he tried to do his thing and ended up in terrible sins of adultery and murder that what he found was even then he didn't escape you read the psalm of his repentance he said all those days every bit of those days listen to the statement the lord's heavy hand of chastisement was upon me he didn't let him rest now i don't know if any of you are there it's not a it's not a fun place to be you're running and you can't well this is exactly what david described in the psalm but what this psalm describes is that this knowledge became the most wonderful and safest truth to him. Not only can you not hide from your creator, but how could you get to a place where this knowledge, which includes a knowledge of the wickedness of the human heart, be a place of safety? And it's because there's something that the Lord describes all over the scriptures for his people, something for you today that you have to cling through throughout the whole course of your life and it is indeed this great truth that is given in various ways and described in various ways that he hides us in himself that you're hid in the cleft of the rock that he dresses you with rich robes of righteousness that he covers your shame it was David who would say in the psalm blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin. And you see, that's the place of happiness. We all must come. The Lord is a shield for you that what can actually be enjoyed and celebrated in this life, which is a life of true happiness, by the way, which is a life of true fulfillment, since everyone wants that, is that God's knowledge of us is only used because He's covered us to uphold us, to strengthen us, to help us, to encourage us, to bless us, to lead us, as this psalm talks about, precisely because we have a certainty in this life. You've come to a place of certainty that he is for you and not against you. Now, I don't for a minute think everyone lives this way. I don't for a minute think in this room that it's just full of people who just automatically live this way. It means that his knowledge is no longer a weapon, and this lets your guard down. This allows the truth to come out in your inward parts, as David would say. You see, many of us have to come here. We hide our lives, and it's a fool's errand to begin with when this kind of safety is understood because you know that God is for you and loves you what can man do to you right if God is for us who can be against us and that's what opens up life it's beautiful in verse five did you notice he hedged him in behind and before I want you to think of your life this way because this is how the scriptures describe it as believers in christ you you know that this was exactly what satan realized about job in all of his afflictions then satan answered the lord and said does job fear god for no reason oh he's he's not fearing you for just any he he knows exactly why he fears you because you do all this good to him here's what he says have you not put a hedge around him do you see verse five you hedged me in behind and before has he not put a hedge around did you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has on every side hedged in you have blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land do you realize that that that all around you who are in christ and trust in him there's like a giant hedge around you all through life life nothing can touch you apart from his will nothing can harm you apart from his will that's how good he's been that's what moves me about the psalm is that the whole thing breathes absolute confidence and assurance of peace with god and that's why he moves to omnipresence verse 7 where can i go from your spirit when in first samuel speaking about david then samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers and the spirit of the lord came upon him from that day forward the spirit never departed from david he was sealed with the spirit just as much did the true as the true believer indwelt by the spirit in the old is in the new it's just magnitude in the new to the ends of the earth what david experienced in life was that when God had anointed him and came to him, he hedged him in all around, behind and before, sealed him with the Spirit. Then he celebrates that. God not only knows everything about him and understands him, but that the Lord guides him wherever he goes. Where can I go from your Spirit or where can I flee from your presence? To which again, you stop and ask, well, why would you try to do that? Because you have no peace. that's why people run from the church all the time that's why they stay away all the time they have no peace inside Joshua 1 have I not commanded you be strong and courageous do not be afraid do not be discouraged why why for the Lord your God will be with you wheresoever you go. No one escapes God. He made you. He formed you. People running from him never escape him. That's the fool's errand of it. You know, we think we're just going to hold our cards close to our chest. He sees every card. Now, Dr. Godfrey would say don't use card analogies because we shouldn't be playing poker to begin with, but he's not here today, so I can say that. His promise is i will never leave you nor forsake you that's the promise of the covenant of grace you are a saint walking with god in christ he gives three circumstances to describe it three of the most radical things you might face in life to prove it what are those things even notice this first even if i ascend into heaven you're there if i make my bed in hell behold you are there. I think he's describing here the most radical extremes possible in life, to make the point. That's all he's doing. But I believe he's describing here, at the heart of it, death itself, which is what we're all afraid of. I suppose if we really understand the implications of this, he's overwhelmed by the fact that even in the greatest extremes of life, God is there. And that's an assurance when he's facing the most threatening of circumstances. Nothing shakes him because nothing can separate him from God. Verse 18, when I awake, I'm still with you. You realize not even your deaths take you away from him? It's immediate entrance into his presence. Only because of Christ, he's the mediator. You have not Christ, you have none of this assurance. if you deny him as the Messiah you are alienated from him from where David was when he looked over to the west he saw nothing but see to the east was the dawn David says wherever I look wherever I look wherever I go you're with me that was by the way for our young people that was the most comforting truth when I went away to college to me I went up to up north and you know California is the center of everything and I thought I was on the end of the earth I thought the earth was flat. No, I didn't believe that, but it felt like that, and it comforted me. He was with me, no matter where I was. The Russians went into space one time, remember? We're high in the sky, and I don't see any God up here. Fools. Can you imagine living your life like that? Completely with no sight of God, within no sight, no help, no certainty, no confidence. Christians have tried to taste this and tried to run. The prodigal did it, and he wakes up and says, what am I doing? My father's house is way better. Jonah did it. Jonah ended up at the bottom of the ocean. God was still there. He tried to get as far from God as possible to the bars of Sheol, and God surrounded him and brought him back wherever I am your hand will lead me your right hand shall hold me that's the hand of power and strength so in verse 11 he says if surely darkness should fall on me even the night shall be light about me even the darkness shall not hide me from you but the night shines as the day the darkness says and the light are both alike to you darkness and light here do not affect him as they affect us. How much darkness often in life? How much darkness in the world? How much darkness do you face daily? How much wickedness? How much sorrow? As I have to report today on that thing, even the darkness is light to him. He doesn't abandon you. with him there's light there's always light he is light i suppose until you realize just how much he's protected you from the darkness you don't even realize when it comes upon us we realize how immensely consoling it is to realize he's always with us guiding us in his light and bringing us home see psalm 91 celebrates as we sing you might of saying that psalm sounds like nothing evil is going to happen in this life. That psalm's describing our future. He will cover you with his feathers. Under his wings you shall take refuge. His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor the destruction that lays waste at noonday. He gives peace, and your future is with him. Let me put it all together today to close this out. I am convinced that neither death nor life, the closing hour of death, everyone scares of that process, which we think would separate us. No. Even though we are not separated, notice this says, not death nor life, nor all life's experiences, trials, angels or principalities what we're warring with nor things present nor things to come what is it nor height nor depth nothing above you not the raging of hell below you nor any other created thing shall be able to separate you from the love of God which is in notice this in Christ Jesus our lord that's the only way it's possible he's the mediator a love given to you grace as paul would say before time began a love manifested when jesus came here and stood in your place and satisfied the wrath of god a love that declared you're forever righteous in his presence a love that continues with you that is kind and merciful suffers long bears all things believes all things hopes all things endures all things a love that never fails and so the psalm will end saying he's even going to lead you the whole way through in the way everlasting what is your relationship to him do you know him it changes an attitude that's the first thing it changes an attitude against him and his ways and his church and his people you no longer have to hide your life which is what you're doing. You can delight in his omniscience. You can delight in his omnipresence. You can delight in his omnipotence. That's next week. Because you have the Son of God by faith. And you have a steadfast covenant love that cannot be taken. That's where the Christian must come to begin to live. Upheld by his gracious, omnipotent hand, we sing. i pray that all of you today have the joy of that comfort it's his intention for his people peace lasting peace because he's that good to us let's pray heavenly father thank you for such mercies and such truth thank you for caring for us this way thank you for not giving us what our sins deserve. Thank you for the confidence that we have in Christ of such blessing and not curse. So turn hearts back to you to see why would we even attempt to run from you? We can't. And yet in your presence there is fullness of joy, inexpressible. Psalm 16. Thank you for such words of comfort and peace. Bless your people with them today in the light of the darknesses we experience in this life. In Jesus' name, amen. Let's sing together number Psalm 139b. One through five, first half of the Psalm 139b. Following the benediction, we'll sing the 11th stanza of that psalm and invite Jesse forward so that you can welcome him to the family here. Receive the Lord's parting benediction and blessing to you. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift his countenance upon you and give you his peace. Amen.