Thinking About God

Let's read, friends, Psalm 139 together.

I'm actually going to read the whole of Psalm 139 for us.

And this is God's word.

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 altogether.

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 up the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the seas,

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 formed 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 being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depth of the earth.

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.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O 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.

O that you would slay the wicked, O God!

O 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, O Lord?

And do I not loathe 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.

This is God's Word.

Good evening.

And welcome.

My name is David Court.

I'm the associate minister here.

And we're going to be looking together at the psalm that we just read,

a part of which we just sung, Psalm 139.

It's in the bulletin printed there.

It's also in the church Bibles there, page 521.

Now, a long time ago, not long after I became a Christian,

I read a book called Knowing God by Anglican theologian Jim Packer.

And in the book, the introduction to the book,

Packer quotes words from the Baptist preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon,

back in the Victorian age.

And they're taken from a sermon that Spurgeon preached, January the 7th, 1855.

And he was just 20 years of age.

I don't have time to quote the whole thing, but here's a couple of excerpts.

He says,

He then goes on,

Would you lose your sorrow?

Would you drown your cares?

Then go plunge yourself in the Godhead's deepest sea.

Be lost in His immensity,

and you shall come forth as from a couch of rest,

refreshed and invigorated.

I know nothing which can so comfort the soul,

so calm the swelling billows of sorrow and grief.

So speak peace to the winds of trial,

as a devout musing on the subject of the Godhead.

I thought that was a good title for Psalm 139,

A Devout Musing on the Subject of the Godhead.

I thought about calling this sermon

A Devout Musing on the Subject of the Godhead,

but I thought maybe just thinking about God was a little simpler.

Because this psalm of David is, in essence, I think,

a reflection on the character of God.

It's a moving meditation on the nature of God.

David is reflecting and rejoicing in Yahweh, his God.

And the question arises,

Why?

Why has David composed this psalm?

Why is he seeking to…

What is he seeking to share with us?

What has he learned about God?

And what does he want us to know?

I think one of the things that's important to understand about this psalm

is that it was not composed in days of leisure and ease.

David was not, you know, he was lounging,

relaxing by the pool with his harp or lyre,

trying to knock out a few good tunes.

Here, and we'll see this later in the psalm,

David is actually a man under pressure.

He's stressed.

Things are not going well.

He's filled with all manner of anxieties and worries.

Life is not easy.

He's fearful for the future

and what might happen to him.

And frequently, in such circumstances,

our natural response

is to kind of turn in on ourselves,

to look within,

to brood over our problems,

to focus on our wounds and worries,

to go over everything in our minds

again and again and again.

How often?

Anxious thoughts,

sleepless nights

can be almost a kind of nocturnal routine.

And David's response here

to the troubles that he faces

is very different.

Amid all his troubles,

he lifts his eyes to heaven

and he looks to God.

His response to all the turmoil in his life

is a devout music

on the subject of the Godhead.

And this is the biblical answer,

I think,

to times of great stress and pressure.

It is not to look within,

but rather to look to God.

We're not to become kind of navel gazers,

consumed by introspection.

That's a huge temptation,

especially in a culture

that often tends to obsess

and almost deify the self.

To think that all the answers

are to be found within us.

I remember a good friend of ours

sharing some advice,

advice often given by James Philip

from the pulpit of Holyrood Abbey

many years ago here in Edinburgh.

And the advice was this,

don't look in,

look up.

Don't look in,

look up.

And that is what David is doing here.

How should we respond

in anxious and difficult times?

Let's take our cue from David.

Let's look away from ourselves

towards God Himself.

Let's not seek to evade Him

or run from Him,

but instead look to Him

and trust Him.

You'll notice as you look at this,

Psalm 139,

it consists really of four stanzas,

each with six verses.

And in them,

David reflects,

as I said,

on the nature of God's relationship

with His people.

He muses on God's omniscience

and omnipresence

and indeed omnipotence.

But he doesn't do it

in a kind of abstract,

theoretical way.

He thinks through

how these great characteristics

of God's nature

impress and impact on his life,

his problems,

his worries.

And they are,

in a very real sense,

I think,

a healing balm

to his soul.

So, let's look

this evening

at each of these stanzas

in turn

and see what they have to tell us

about the God

we worship.

First stanza,

verses 1 through 6,

we'll call this

the God

who knows.

The God who knows.

The root of the word

to know

appears,

I think,

four times

in this opening section.

And it's,

of course,

a statement

of God's omniscience.

The fact that

He knows all things.

Although,

I think that

the thrust of the text

is more personal.

Not so much

God knows everything,

although He does

know everything,

as God knows me.

Yes,

God knows

every human being.

No creature

is hidden

from God's sight.

All are naked

and exposed

to the eyes of Him

to whom we must

give account.

Hebrews 4.13,

Corey read earlier.

Yet,

even so,

God knows

His own people

in a more personal,

intimate sense.

There's a relationship.

Oh, Lord,

You have searched me

and known me.

You know

when I sit down,

when I rise up.

You discern

my thoughts

from afar.

You search out

my path,

my lying down,

and are acquainted

with all my ways.

Not just some.

Even before

a word is on my tongue,

behold,

oh Lord,

You know it

altogether.

It's interesting.

David is reflecting here

not on his knowledge

of God,

but rather upon

God's knowledge

of Him.

And this is what

strengthens his faith.

This is what leads

him to praise God.

Here is the Lord

who knows

and searches

His people.

And the Hebrew word

there for searched

conveys the idea

of a thorough

investigation

or examination.

Rather,

like something

that's been buried

and hidden away

and then is

diligently sought

after

and then uncovered.

Here is the God

from whom nothing

can be concealed

or hidden.

He searches,

knows every aspect

of our lives,

knows us

completely,

uncovers all.

What we hide

from other people,

sometimes even

from those

closest to us,

cannot be concealed

from God.

He's the God

who knows,

who knows every

hidden area

of our lives,

who's able to discern

our thoughts

and motives,

who's acquainted

with all our ways.

Nothing can be

hidden from Him.

David says,

before even our words

have taken shape

on our tongues,

He knows our intent.

He knows us better

than we know ourselves.

To quote Jim Packer,

he writes this,

I'm graven on the palm

of His hands,

I'm never out

of His mind.

All my knowledge

of Him

depends on His

sustained initiative

in knowing me.

I know Him

because He first

knew me

and continues

to know me.

He knows me

as a friend,

one who loves me,

and there is no moment

when His eye

is off me

or His attention

distracted from me.

And no moment,

therefore,

when His care

falters.

This God is close

and He's close

to His people.

He's so close,

David says,

that His very hand

is upon us.

You hem me in

behind and before.

You lay your hand

upon me.

I recall many years ago,

I was a young Christian,

in our church prayer meeting,

and I can't remember

all the issues,

but for some reason,

I got,

and this is not like me,

I got quite emotional

or upset

while I was praying.

I didn't cry,

but I was upset.

And I was obviously upset.

And when I finished praying,

there was an older saint

who was sitting behind me,

stood up to pray.

And as he did that,

he just put his hand

on my shoulder

as he prayed.

I recall that

to this day.

And it was a touch

that simply said,

I'm with you.

You're not alone.

I understand.

And sometimes,

that is all we need to know,

that we're not on our own.

Our minds are riddled

with anxious thoughts.

We're stressed out.

We feel emotionally

distanced from others.

We long for someone

to understand.

And the psalmist says

that in such circumstances,

the Lord understands.

For the Lord's hand

is on His people.

At times,

we can go through

periods of anxiety

and stress,

and we long,

sometimes,

for the understanding

of other people,

those around us.

It can be true

in our teenage years.

Often,

people can feel

that they're alone.

No one really understands them.

It can be true

when there are difficulties

in a marriage

or in other relationships.

It can be true

in later years

as our physical

and mental powers

start to be on the wane.

It can be true

when we face challenges

and difficulties at work

and that they're hard

to share

and speak about

with other people.

But,

when even those

closest to us

cannot really understand,

there is one

who does understand.

God knows.

He understands.

Jesus Christ

was Himself

touched

by the feeling

of our infirmities,

tested in every way,

yet without sin.

And so,

I can say to you tonight

that

in every dark

and difficult pathway

of life,

He has gone before us.

His footprints

are ahead of us.

And He knows exactly

what we're going through.

because God's omniscience

is not merely

a theological doctrine

that belongs

in some volume

of systematic theology.

It is rather

a truth to live by.

It's a truth

that needs to grip

our hearts and minds.

And that's what we see here.

David says,

such knowledge

is too wonderful for me.

It's high.

I cannot attain it.

He says,

this is absolutely amazing.

That God should be

so close

to His people

that He knows

all about us,

that He should rest

His hand upon our lives,

that He should understand us

better even though

we understand ourselves,

that He should love us.

That is a matter

for praise

and adoration

and worship.

Here's the God

who knows us.

We sang those words,

didn't we?

We ponder anew

what the Almighty

can do,

who with His love

does befriend you.

The God who knows.

And then secondly,

in the second stanza,

let's call it

the God who is present,

verses 7 through 12.

You'll notice

verse 7,

the second stanza

begins with these

two rhetorical questions.

Where shall I go

from your spirit?

Where shall I flee

from your presence?

And these words

are not,

as some suggest,

the words of someone

trying to flee from God.

They're rather

an expression

of someone resting

and relying upon the Lord.

It's not that David

actually wants to flee

from God's presence.

Rather that he understands

that even if he did,

there could be no escape.

There is no hiding place

from this God.

There is no corner

of the universe

where God cannot be found.

Where could I go

where you are not?

If I ascend to heaven,

you're there.

If I make my bed

in Sheol,

you're there.

If I take the wings

of the morning,

dwell in the uttermost

parts of the sea,

even there,

your hand shall lead me.

Your right hand

shall hold me.

David knows

that wherever he goes,

he cannot remove himself

from God's presence.

Travels to the heights

of heaven,

God is there.

Plums the depths

of the underworld,

God is there.

There is no escape

from God's Spirit.

Hermann Bavinck,

the Dutch theologian,

writes these words,

the strength of God

comes not from afar,

but from nearby.

It's an omnipresent strength.

God is present

with all his excellencies

and with his whole being

in the whole world

and in all of his creatures.

In him,

we live and move

and have our being.

He is not far

from any one of us.

He is God at hand

and not God afar off.

I like that.

He is God at hand,

not God afar off.

Maybe that's what someone here

tonight needs to hear.

He's the God who is present.

He's the God at hand.

He's not the God

who is far off.

Many of the pagan religions

of the time,

the underworld,

Sheol,

the abode of the dead,

was considered a place

that really was out of reach,

even for the gods.

But not for Yahweh.

Even in the place of death,

his presence is felt.

God is there wherever we go.

His hand shall lead us

and his hand shall hold us.

He is with us

even through the valley

of the deep shadow,

such that we need fear,

no evil.

Psalm 23,

David says that this absence

of fear is all down to what?

It's down to the covenant

presence of God

with his people.

It's his presence

that brings us comfort,

even in the darkest valleys

of this life.

Verse 11,

Even in that darkness

that sometimes

can envelop our lives,

that occasions,

that darkness

that sometimes on occasions

threatens to swallow us up,

even that cannot hide us

from God.

Even in the dark places

of fear and suffering

and pain and bereavement,

God knows and sees.

Even there,

his light shines.

His people cannot be

cut off from his presence.

And the good news, friends,

is that there is no dark corner

of this world

where God cannot be known

and found

and enjoyed.

About five years ago,

somewhere around Easter 2020,

the wife of a friend

and colleague

who was dying of cancer

and nearing the end

of his life,

wrote these words

in their blog.

They kind of journaled

through their experience

of cancer.

And this is what she wrote.

As we have watched

recent events,

it was really at the beginning

of the kind of COVID years.

And as we reflect

on our own journey,

I offer wonder

what life would be like

facing these evils

without faith.

The evils themselves

are no different

whether you have faith

or not,

but how you read them

and react to them

is very different.

I would want to say

this,

that faith doesn't change

COVID or cancer,

but faith does help you

walk through the valley.

It connects you

to the God

who will be with you

through every moment

of it.

Even when nobody else

is with you,

whether in hospital,

in isolation,

or in the dark,

sleepless hours

of the night,

He is with you.

that's what makes

the difference.

And friends,

the omnipresence of God

means that no circumstance

will separate us

from His care.

He makes all the difference

in the world.

As Paul will declare

at the end of Romans 8,

that nothing in all creation

can separate His people

from the love of God

in Christ Jesus our Lord.

He is the God

who knows us personally.

Here is the God

who is with us

wherever we are

and whatever we have

to go through.

The God who knows.

The God who is present.

And then thirdly here,

the God who cares.

Third stanza,

verses 13 through 18.

We have these words,

For you formed

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 wasn't hidden from you

when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven

in the depths of the earth.

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.

It's an astonishing,

really, piece of writing.

Amazing description

of God's knowledge and care.

David's strength

of conviction arises

because he knows

that God has been involved

in his life

from the very beginning.

He looks back

to his own

prenatal existence

and acknowledges

that God was present

there

even before he was aware of it.

God was caring for him

from the very conception

of his life,

even hidden away

in his mother's womb.

He was seen

and known by God.

And David traces

the very beginnings

of his personal existence

not to

the moment of his birth

or some notion

of viability,

but all the way back

to conception.

You formed

my inward parts.

You knitted me together

in my mother's womb.

And as he thinks back

to his existence

as an embryo,

he understands

that he is the same person

who is now able

to look back

and say,

that was me.

That was me.

Just as each one of us

in this building

can do tonight.

And the language

that he uses,

you'll notice

it's very hands-on.

He speaks of being knitted,

woven together

like a beautiful tapestry

in his mother's womb.

That language conveys

the ideas of care,

attention to detail,

creative skill,

artistry.

David says,

of God,

you were looking over

and caring for me

long before I ever realized that.

And these famous verses,

of course,

underpin the Christian perspective

of life in the womb

as something

or someone

to be valued

and protected.

The very earliest

Christian writing

outside of the New Testament,

the Didache,

written around 90 to 95 AD,

states this,

you shall not kill

by abortion

the fruit of the womb

and you shall not murder

the infant already born.

And the reason

for that statement

was,

of course,

that abortion

and infanticide

were widely practiced

in the Roman Empire.

And that kind of outlook

and worldview,

it seems,

is making a comeback

here in the West

as we retreat

from our Christian foundations.

Changes in legislation

that now permit

abortion up to birth

have just been passed

here in the UK

as I'm sure many of you know.

And it appears

a lot of people

think that's a good thing.

It's an enlightened path

for our society to take.

One where the unborn

are of little or no value

and certainly not worthy

of protection and care.

Just a clump of cells

to be treated

any way we choose.

But friends,

is that really the case?

Do we really think

that is true?

I'm sure some of you parents

will remember seeing

the first pictures

of your children

taken in the womb

by ultrasound.

I recall just last year

my eldest son

and his wife

showing us the picture

of our latest grandson

in the womb.

Just amazing.

You look at the detail,

it's something

staggeringly beautiful.

Wonderful.

The beauty

and intricacy

of human life

and existence

doesn't begin at birth.

It comes into being

long before.

We are indeed

fearfully

and wonderfully made.

And that's why

for many of us

our hearts break

when we read

of thousands

upon thousands

of delicately woven

little lives

being crushed

and destroyed.

Sometimes

that's hard to fathom.

I know

you may be here

this evening,

maybe you're someone

who's compassionately

committed to abortion.

I've spoken with many people

over the years

who are.

But let me ask you

to stop and think

about that commitment

and what is actually

involved in it.

Are such vulnerable

little ones

not deserving

of our love

and care

and protection?

Maybe you're someone

for whom all of this

is very close to home.

Contrary to what

many like to think

abortion often brings

in its wake

feelings of guilt

and shame.

Miscarriage brings

with it great pain.

And so let me also say

that there is forgiveness

and healing

to be found

even for the darkest

of sins

and the deepest

of hurts

in a relationship

with Jesus Christ

who makes all things new.

And the good news

for all of us tonight

no matter who we are

no matter our circumstances

no matter our past

is that Jesus' blood

the blood of the cross

is able to wash

clean all our guilty stains.

The point that David

is making here

is that the God

who made us

who wove us together

in the womb

is the God

who knows us

and is with us

and whose hand

is upon our lives.

Every detail

of who you are

your personality

your gifts

your physical frame

was crafted

by the hand

of God.

You are not

an accident.

You are not

a mistake.

You are fearfully

and wonderfully made.

Your life

has purpose

and meaning

and significance

because you have

a creator.

By God's grace tonight

many of us

I hope

can testify

that the hands

that knitted us

together

in our mother's wombs

are the hands

that are still

upon our lives.

Loving hands

trusted hands

caring hands

hands

that will not

allow us

to perish.

What did Jesus say?

No one can snatch

them

from my hand.

And as David

ponders these things

he's led

to praise

and worship

and wonder.

How precious

to me

are your thoughts

O God.

How vast

is the sum

of them

that if I could

count them

they are more

than the sand.

I am awake

and I'm still

with you.

He's the God

who cares.

I recall

an old

children's hymn

of bygone age

and I'll never

be sung now

but God

who made

all things

on earth

and air

and sea

who changing

seasons

brings

he cares

for me.

God

who sent

his son

to die

on Calvary

he if

I lean

on him

will

care

for me.

The God

who knows

the God

who's present

the God

who cares.

And finally

quickly here

in the final

stanza

the God

who confronts

because this

psalm

closes

doesn't it

with some

extraordinary

perhaps

we might

even say

shocking

words

really an

imprecatory

prayer

David calls

upon God

to mete out

swift

justice

to his

enemies

and we're

reminded here

of the God

who confronts

and challenges

evil and wickedness

oh that you

would slay

the wicked

oh God

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 loathe

those who

rise up

against you

I hate

them with a

complete hatred

count them

my enemies

and maybe

like some

commentators

we might be

tempted just

to raise

these words

or at the

very least

just ignore

them

gloss over

them

but actually

I think

these verses

are a kind

of key

that unlocks

the psalm

in this way

because without

them we don't

really understand

what's going

on here

why was

David thinking

so deeply

about God

knowing him

and being

with him

and caring

for him

this reflection

on God's

character

wasn't formed

in an ivory

tower or an

academic

classroom

it was shaped

by David's

experience of

life and many

hardships

you remember

David was a

man often

in trouble

he was a

man on the

move

a man on

the run

man under

pressure

man with

enemies

his life

was often

under threat

and that's

why this

thought of

God knowing

him

being with

him

and caring

for him

was so

crucial

and that's

no difference

for us

no difference

for us

yes we

may not

face the

same

dangers

as David

did

our

circumstances

very different

but nonetheless

we too can feel

vulnerable and

alone

fearful for the

future

we're concerned

for our

lives

we may be

gripped by

anxieties

and worries

that threaten

to overwhelm

us

and it's

precisely

at such

times that

the knowledge

of God's

presence

is so

precious

and these

somewhat

jarring

closing lines

confront us

don't they

with the

reality of

God's

justice

and judgment

God

David calls

upon God

to vindicate

his name

to put down

his enemies

I don't

think these

are words

as you read

them

they're not

words about

personal

vengeance

or retribution

rather he's

calling upon

God to make

things right

sin and

wickedness

will not

go unpunished

that's something

that we see

right throughout

the Bible

it's something

we see

expressed

I think

by God's

people

in both

the Old

and New

Testaments

Christians

you know

we still

do this

when we

take upon

our lips

the words

of the

Lord's

prayer

your kingdom

come

your will

be done

deliver us

from evil

the Bible

states that

God will

one day

confront

all that

is evil

and wicked

there will

be a

reckoning

we are

accountable

creatures

Acts 17

31

he said

a day

when he

will judge

the world

with justice

and so

amid the

world

sometimes

great evil

great injustice

David says

that divine

justice

will triumph

over all

the wrongs

that are

very much

part and

parcel

of life

in the

here and

now

and yet

notice how

David speaks

not only of

God confronting

the evil

in the world

he also

speaks of

God confronting

the evil

lurking in

his own

heart

he asks

that God

would confront

him personally

search me

oh God

he says

know my

heart

try me

know my

thoughts

see if there

be any

grievous

way in

me

lead me

in the

way

everlasting

it's an

intensely

personal

prayer

he longs

that God

will be

at work

in his

life

he longs

to be

led

in paths

of righteousness

he longs

to do

God's

will

he longs

that God

would have

all of

his life

I wonder

if we might

take those

same words

on our lips

this evening

search me

oh God

know my

heart

lead me

in the

way

everlasting

God

the Bible

is always

challenging

and confronting

us

he's not

he will not

go away

he's not

going to

disappear

he can't

be avoided

forever

we cannot

escape him

and if we

had any

sense

we wouldn't

want to

he's not

the oppressive

tyrant

that some

fear

he's our

creator

he watches

over us

not to

crush

our

independence

but because

he loves

us

he wants

to save

us

he wants

to lead

us

in the

way

everlasting

he wants

us to

come to

him

in faith

he wants

us to

know his

power

and his

presence

and his

loving

kindness

God

dwells

in

unapproachable

light

wrote

Paul

yet

Jesus

is the

image

of the

invisible

God

no one

has ever

seen

God

says

John

yet

he

who

has

seen

Jesus

has

seen

the

father

in other

words

if we

want to

think

about

God

we

must

think

about

Jesus

there's

no

other

way

all

our

thinking

about

God

ultimately

centers

on

him

he

has

come

to

take

the

judgment

our

sins

deserve

he's

come

that we

might

know

God

and find

that

way

everlasting

and he

invites us

to come

to him

with our

sins

with our

fears

all our

cares and

worries

and to

place our

lives

in his

hands

don't look

in

look up

look away

from yourself

to Jesus

Christ

trust

him

and

discover

that he

will

place

his

hand

upon

you

he

will

light

your

path

he

will

lead

you

in

the

way

everlasting

trust

your

life

into

his

hands

tonight

and

know

with

David

that

he

will

hold

you

fast

in

his

love

let

us

pray

Lord

our

God

we

stand

in

awe

of

you

your

knowledge

your

presence

your

wisdom

your

love

we

thank

you

that

you

know

us

better

than

we

know

ourselves

that

you're

with

us

in

every

moment

and

that

you

love

us

with

a

love

that

will

never

let

us

go

search

our

hearts

oh

God

this

evening

and

by

your

grace

lead

us

in

the

way

everlasting

and

may

all

glory

be

to

you

Father

Son

and

Holy

Spirit

Amen