TITLE: God is All-Knowing

TEXT: Psalm 136THEME: God’s Omniscience allows Him to know how suffering is used for His eternal plan.

LESSON

All experts are amateurs outside their role of expertise. None of us is an expert in everything and sometimes our expertise even blinds us to realities outside our field.

LESSON

The reason this is important is that many people have placed unwarranted value on the knowledge of experts even when they speak outside their field of expertise.

How does God’s omniscience give us hope in times of trials and hardship?

God knows more about us than we know about ourselves (1-7)

Psalm 139:1-7

1 You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.4 Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.?

Psalm 139:1-7

5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

I. God knows more about us than we know about ourselves (1-7)

A. His knowledge of use is comprehensive: God knows all things. His knowledge is unlimited. He knows everything on all possible topics.

I. God knows more about us than we know about ourselves (1-7)

A. His knowledge of use is comprehensive: God knows all things. His knowledge is unlimited. He knows everything on all possible topics.B. His knowledge of us is personal and active. He knows about us in an intimate way. His knowledge is not impersonal or uncaring.

I. God knows more about us than we know about ourselves (1-7)

A. His knowledge of use is comprehensive: God knows all things. His knowledge is unlimited. He knows everything on all possible topics.B. His knowledge of us is personal and active. He knows about us in an intimate way. His knowledge is not impersonal or uncaring C. Omniscience means God knows all possible options past, present and future.

Roman 8:28

“All things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to His purpose.”

How does God’s omniscience give us hope in times of trials and hardship?

II. God knows about everything that happens to us (8-12)

Psalm 139:8-12

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

Psalm 139:8-12

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you

II. God knows about everything that happens to us (8-12)

A. We cannot flee from His loving presence. There is a close relationship between God’s omniscience and his omnipresence.

II. God knows about everything that happens to us (8-12)

A. We cannot flee from His loving presence. There is a close relationship between God’s omniscience and his omnipresence.B. Because He is everywhere God can know all about everything and vice-versa.

II. God knows about everything that happens to us (8-12)

C. He knows our suffering and has a plan to use it for our ultimate good and his glory. God is never caught off guard and responds out of panic and lack of being properly informed.

Sample Passages on God’s Omniscient.

• 1 Samuel 2:3: “…the Lord is a God who knows…”

Sample Passages on God’s Omniscient.

• 1 Samuel 2:3: “…the Lord is a God who knows…”

• Psalm 147:5: “Great is our Lord…His understanding has no limit.”

Sample Passages on God’s Omniscient.

• 1 Samuel 2:3: “…the Lord is a God who knows…”

• Psalm 147:5: “Great is our Lord…His understanding has no limit.”

• Proverbs 5:21"For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord, And He watches all His paths."

Sample Passages on God’s Omniscient.

• Proverbs 15:3: “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.”

Sample Passages on God’s Omniscient.

• Proverbs 15:3: “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.”

• Ps 33:13-15 "The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; From His dwelling place He looks out On all the inhabitants of the earth, He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works."

Sample Passages on God’s Omniscient.

• Proverbs 15:3: “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.”

• Ps 33:13-15 "The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; From His dwelling place He looks out On all the inhabitants of the earth, He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works."

• 1 John 3:20: “God…knows all things.”

How does God’s omniscience give us hope in times of trials and

hardship?

III. God knows everything about us because He made us (13-18)

Psalm 139:13-1813 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

Psalm 139:13-18

16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God! How vast is the sum of them!18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.

III. God knows about everything that happens to us (8-12)

A. God saw you in your mother’s womb.

III. God knows about everything that happens to us (8-12)

A. God saw you in your mother’s womb. B. God ordained your days before you were born.

III. God knows about everything that happens to us (8-12)

A. God saw you in your mother’s womb. B. God ordained your days before you were born. C. Because we cannot understand his purpose does not mean God does not have one.

If you can’t see a lasting purpose in what you’re doing, then why

do it? Why waste your time?

Ephesians 2:10

"We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do." God did advance planning on your life.

How does God’s omniscience give us hope in times of trials and

hardship?

IV. God knows our adversaries and hardships. (19-23)

Psalm 139:19-23

19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.21 Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?

Psalm 139:19-23

22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

IV. God knows our adversaries and hardships. (19-23)

A. Our hatred of our suffering should be motive by zeal for God- not spite.

IV. God knows our adversaries and hardships. (19-23)

A. Our hatred of our suffering should be motive by zeal for God- not spite.B. We should be aware of the evil within ourselves and confess it before God.

IV. God knows our adversaries and hardships. (19-23)

A. Our hatred of our suffering should be motive by zeal for God- not spite.B. We should be aware of the evil within ourselves and confess it before God.C. In eternity God’s Holiness will bring justice to everything that happens.

APPLICATION:

1. It has been well said that God’s omniscience is a comfort to believers and a terror to unbelievers. The comfort is easy to see. If he truly knows all things and if he ordains all things, then everything that happens to me or to those I love must happen as part of his plan. F. B. Meyer has written, “It is in proportion as we see God’s will in the various events of life and surrender ourselves either to bear it or do it, that we shall find earth’s bitter circumstances becoming sweet and its hard things easy.”

APPLICATION:

2. We can know the truth Romans 8:28 in our head for many years, but only when we face suffering or hardship is our ability to trust that will bring good out of it is it tested. We know that since He cares for the sparrows, He surely is caring for us.

APPLICATION:

3. God’s sovereignty means “He knows what He is doing, and He is doing it.” That sums it up, doesn’t it?

APPLICATION:

4. Although Andrew Murray lived almost 100 years ago, many of his books are still in print, including the classic With Christ in the School of Prayer. During a low period in his own life, he wrote the following words: “He brought me here. He will keep me here. He will make this trial a blessing. He will bring me out again. Therefore, I am here by God’s appointment, in His keeping, under His training, for His time.”

APPLICATION:

5. We often hear it said that “disappointment is His appointment.” But that can only be true if God is in charge of the details of life.

But what we need to understand is that God holds every one of those shells in His hand. He

knows it all! He is Omniscient!