A sermon on the omniscience of God

1.      During some previous Sunday nights we have studied some of the material from Acts 4.

2.      From these studies we know that a lame man was cured.

3.      This healing caused Jewish religious officials to put some Christians on trial.

4.      After hearing the facts in this case, the authorities asked for some time alone.

TONIGHT WE WANT TO PICK UP WITH THE INFORMATION IN VERSES 15-18 – READ.

a)      Notice if you will that the apostles were not at this meeting.

b)      Luke, the writer of Acts, certainly was not present.  Yet, Luke knew what these men said.

c)      How did he get access to what these leaders talked about?

d)     How was the author of Acts able to write about when these men said in their private meeting?

2)      The answer is not that someone who was present later told him or someone else.

3)      God knew what these men said and God helped Luke record what was said.

4)      A word that describes God’s knowledge is omniscience.

5)      This word means that God knows all.

6)      No matter where something is said or done, God knows about it.

7)      No matter how well people try to shield something, God sees it.

8)      This past week I found an interesting example of omniscient knowledge.

9)      This example is in the scripture that was read (Lk. 7:36-40).

10)  Jesus had been invited to a party (a banquet).

11)  The host of this party was a Pharisee named Simon.

a)      Most who are familiar with the Bible know that the Pharisees loved attention.

b)      These people managed to get attention in a variety of ways.

c)      They stood out because of the way they dressed.

d)     People knew who they were because they bragged about their fasting.

e)      These were the people who showed off when they prayed.

f)       These men also stood out because they threw parties.

g)      If we have a party, we expect the attendees to be people that we invite.

12)  In this culture it was common for uninvited people to come to banquets.

13)  The Pharisees welcomed uninvited guests to their parties.

14)  Uninvited guests came into these gatherings to watch and talk with those who were invited guests.

15)  This makes sense if we remember that the Pharisees loved attention.

16)  The uninvited guests would come, see the great party, and then go tell others about the big event.

17)  Allowing uninvited to guests to their banquets was one more way the Pharisees promoted themselves.

a)      At the banquet described in Lk. 7 a woman entered.  People considered her to be a “sinner.”

b)      We do not know what she was guilty of, but people thought bad things about her.

c)      This woman came to Jesus and paid attention to Him.

d)     She touched Him.  She cried on His feet and then wiped the tears with her hair.

e)      She poured some perfume on Him.

18)  All of these things were seen by Simon the host.

19)  What Simon saw got him thinking – verse 39 – READ .

20)  Notice this key point in 39a:  “He spake within himself.”

21)  Simon kept this information to himself.  This information was in his heart.

22)  He was silently thinking these things.

23)  Bearing this fact in mind look at the first part of verse 40 – READ .

24)  Jesus answered Simon.

25)  Is this not an amazing statement?

a)      Simon had not said a word (he was only thinking things).

b)      Yet, the Bible says that Jesus “answered Him.”

c)      How could Jesus answer Simon when he had not said anything?

d)     The answer is omniscience. 

e)      Members of the Godhead are all-knowing.

THE BIBLE MAKES THIS POINT IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS.  ONE OF THE OTHER PLACES WHERE WE SEE A CLEAR DEMONSTRATION OF GOD’S OMNISCIENCE (HIS KNOWING ALL) IS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT – PS. 139.

a)      This Psalm gets to the heart of things.

b)      Some think of God as a being who is way out in space and is not too interested in us.

c)      David said that God is very interested in man.

d)     God gets on a very personal level with each person.

e)      He probes the innermost parts of each person on the earth.

f)       Let’s look at the first six verses of this psalm – READ  Ps. 139:1-6.

2)      David said that God had “searched” him.

3)      This has been compared to a doctor who gives someone a physical.

4)      Each part of the body is examined (put under the microscope and thoroughly checked).

5)      Others have suggested that the description is like a psychiatrist’s examination.

6)      God had thoroughly examined David, just as He examines all other people.

7)      In the second verse David commented on various “positions.”

8)      No matter where David was, God knew what he was doing and thinking.

9)      Even when he was laying down (verse 3) God knew what was in his mind.

10)  God had “searched” (comprehended) his path and was “acquainted” with “all his ways.”

a)      Verse 4 is very similar to Lk. 7.

b)      Simon’s words were unspoken but the Lord knew them.

c)      He knew them so well He responded to what was in Simon’s heart..

d)     David said that there was not a word in his thoughts that God did not know.

e)      This Psalm and Luke 7 show that we cannot shield our thoughts from God.

f)       What we say is just as clear to God as what we think.

g)      Psalm 139 indicates that God is always aware of our thoughts and our communication.

11)  The nature of God is further described in verse 7 – READ.

12)  Suppose that David had not wanted God to know Him as thoroughly as He did.

13)  Where could he have gone to screen himself from the Almighty?

14)  David said that no such place exists.

15)  He and His thoughts could not be hidden from God.

16)  David had apparently given some thought to the matter – verses 8-9 – READ.

17)  God’s presence and God’s knowledge are infinite and perfect.

WHAT IS SAID IN THIS PSALM IS ABSOLUTELY CONSISTENT WITH INFORMATION IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.

a)      Think about what Jesus said in Mt. 6.

b)      In this part of the Sermon on the Mount He told people to avoid being like the Pharisees.

c)      He said “Do not sound a trumpet when we do good deeds” (verse 2).

d)     He said that our good works should be done in “secret” (verse 4).

e)      There are times when we may try to hide a good deed.

f)       We may engage in a “secret” activity that is good.

g)      No matter how successful we are in hiding our activity, there is always one other who knows.

h)      Nothing can be hidden from God.

2)      Heb. 4:13 is another instructive passage.

3)      The writer said that “no creature” is hidden from His sight.”

4)      This is true.

5)      If we deal with the creature at the bottom of the deepest ocean, God knows about it.

6)      Whether something is large or small, it does not escape God’s notice.

7)      In Mt. 10:29 Jesus spoke of a sparrow falling to the earth.

a)      Each day thousands of things die in our world.

b)      From insects to people, there are deaths everywhere.

c)      When we consider the verses that describe God’s knowledge must say that He knows about each one.

d)     We sometimes talk about the resurrection.

8)      The principle from Mt. 10:29 suggests the immensity of God’s knowledge.

9)      Consider all the animals, insects, fowl, and other creatures that have died since the creation of the world.

10)  God knows about each one.

11)  He knows where they lived, where they did, and how they died.

12)  The same is true for every plant, tree, flower, and everything else that has ever existed.

13)  God’s knowledge is absolutely perfect and infinite.

14)  All things are “naked and laid open before Him” (Heb. 4:13).

a)      Because His knowledge is perfect God is qualified to judge man.

b)      Since God has a perfect record of what have done and even our thoughts, He can judge us.

c)      When the day of judgment comes, many will be shocked..

d)     In 1 Cor. 4:5 Paul said that on this day God will “bring to light” the deeds people have done.

15)  At the end of time there will be some people who thought that their sins were hidden.

16)  Many will appear before God thinking that no one knows about what they did.

17)  The Bible shows that some try to hide some of their activities.

18)  In places like 1 Thess. 5:7 New Testament writers spoke of things that people do “at night.”

19)  People sometimes try to use the cover of darkness to hide their activities.

20)  People may try to choose a time or location when no one will see them.

21)  God is never asleep and never absent from any place.

22)  In Num. 32:23 it is said, “Be sure your sin will find you out.”

a)      In many cases people are found out in life.

b)      I am reminded of the butcher at a meat shop.

c)      A lady was preparing for some guests and she needed some chicken.

d)     She asked for a large bird.

e)      The man only had one left so he brought it out.

f)       He put it on the scale and said “It weighs four pounds.”

g)      The shopper thought for a moment and said, “That will not be large enough.  Let’s try another.”

h)      Since the man only had one bird he pretended to take it back and then returned with him.

i)        This time he pushed down on the scale with his hand.  That moved the scale to six pounds.

23)  The woman thought for a few more moments and then said, “I will take both of them.”

24)  The consequences for being caught in sin in this life can be devastating.

25)  The consequences when we appear before God will be eternal.

26)  We must always remember that God knows every single that we do.

27)  This is one more incentive to live as a Christian.

28)  Is this what we are doing?

29)  Are we a child of God who is trying to please our heavenly Father?

30)  Have we been forgiven of every sin—the things that people know about and what they do not know?