Sermon Tone Analysis

A Life Foretold

prophecies about the coming Messiah.

One of the names stated for Jesus is “Prince of Peace”.

This morning we lit the Advent Candle of Peace because we recognize that Jesus brought the way of peace with God.

God told His people that Jesus would come.

The people should have recognized Him based on the scriptures that had told of His coming.

The Nation of Israel had been waiting 400 years for a Messiah.

Many thought that the Savior would come with a sword to destroy the Roman Empire and give rise to nation of Israel once again.

They were not looking for a humble servant who would do battle with the darkness of this world, defeat it, and offer peace to all who call Him Lord.

Jesus was the physical embodiment of the peace God promises throughout His Word.

This morning we are going to explore one of David’s psalms, which I believe gives us a great understanding of what peace can look like for Followers of God called according to His purpose.

Let’s Pray

We often talk about God’s Omniscience (His All-Knowingness).

We recognize His Sovereignty over all things and at least verbally acknowledge that He knows all things.

God Knows…Omniscience

.

1 LORD, you have searched me and known me.

2 You know when I sit down and when I stand up;

you understand my thoughts from far away.

3 You observe my travels and my rest;

you are aware of all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue,

you know all about it, LORD.

5 You have encircled me;

you have placed your hand on me.

6 This wondrous knowledge is beyond me.

It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.

My Situation...

My Inclinations...

.

.

1 LORD, you have searched me and known me.

2 You know when I sit down and when I stand up;

you understand my thoughts from far away.

3 You observe my travels and my rest;

you are aware of all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue,

you know all about it, LORD.

5 You have encircled me;

you have placed your hand on me.

6 This wondrous knowledge is beyond me.

It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.

1 LORD, you have searched me and known me.

2 You know when I sit down and when I stand up;

you understand my thoughts from far away.

3 You observe my travels and my rest;

you are aware of all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue,

you know all about it, LORD.

5 You have encircled me;

you have placed your hand on me.

6 This wondrous knowledge is beyond me.

It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.

Christian Standard Bible.

(2017).

(Ps 139:1–6).

Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

God Knows Me...One of the great areas of stress, frustration, and heartache in our world today comes from people who don’t know who they are, why things are happening to them, or how to respond to their situations in life.

We’ve all heard someone say, or said ourselves, “if only God would drop and directional book in my lap and let me know what He wants, then life would be so much easier.”

David begins this Psalm of worship and praise by pointing out that God Knows him.

He recognizes that God knows him better than he knows himself.

Verse 1 says “You have searched me know known me.”

God’s knowledge is perfect and David trusts that God’s knowledge is perfect.

There is no question about whether God knows any part of David.

David might not know everything there is know know about himself, but he believes that God has that knowledge.

David recognizes that God understands his situation.

In verses 2-3 he says “When I sit down , stand up, travel, or rest, You are aware of all my ways.”

I think most of us have found ourselves in situations where we look up and wonder “How did I get here?”

I can remember a couple of times early in my driving years, before I had started paying attention to where things were, I found myself in areas of town that I didn’t recognize, even to the point of getting on the interstate going the wrong direction one time.

Even when David didn’t fully understand his situations and all that was happening around him, he knew that God was fully aware of each step he took.

David also praises God for the fact that God knows David’s inclinations and responses.

“Before a word is on my tongue” “You understand my thoughts from far away”.

Do you ever wonder why you react the way you do?

Do you ever wish you had reacted differently?

David tells us that God is not surprised by any of our responses to life.

God is fully aware not only of what we do but why.

On a side note…isn’t it amazing that God loves us still?

He knows us and yet he loves us.

David ends this first section of his psalm by acknowledging that God’s knowledge astounds him.

I am often amazed by the sheer amount of knowledge we have access to through the internet.

From Google to youtube to facebook, you can find out what is going on in the world, look up a recipe to fix for dinner, and find out what your best friend had for lunch all from the smart sitting in your pocket.

And yet with all this available to us, God’s true knowledge of all things in the entire Universe dwarfs any knowledge we may possess.

God is There…Omnipresence

Psalm 139:7-

7 Where can I go to escape your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;

if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.

9 If I live at the eastern horizon

or settle at the western limits,

10 even there your hand will lead me;