Welcome to the sermon this week. I hope that you are all have a great start to the new year. I am still not in the best of health, so please keep praying for me. I would like to thank the Lord for the opportunity to post the message this week.
Last week, we began a new series of messages for the new year focusing in on the attributes of God. In last week's message, we saw that God has revealed Himself as one God in three persons namely the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
In today's message, I want us to look at the attribute of God known as His omnipresence and what the implications of that attribute mean to us.
When theologians say that God is omnipresent, they mean that God is present everywhere at the same time. There is no place without the presence of God. Now, there are a couple of things that we have to understand. When we say that God is omnipresent, that does not mean that God is in everything or that everything is divine since God is in it. God is transcendent. That means that He stands apart from His creation. However, He is also immanent meaning that He is with us and everywhere present.
One of the passages in the Bible that speaks to the omnipresence of God in a very understandable way is found in Psalm 139:7-12. In this passage, the Psalmist tells us that there is no place that he can flee away from the presence of God. If he goes to the heavens, God is there. If he goes to the depths of the sea, God is there.
There is a book of the Bible called Jonah that demonstrates that omnipresence of God. In the time that Jonah occurred, many believed that deities were localized and only cared about what happened in a particular area. Jonah thought that he could disobey God and get away from Him if he fled to the uttermost part of the known world. However, Jonah soon saw, that God is everywhere. He could not flee from the presence of the Lord.
We also see the idea of God's omnipresence in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. The Word became flesh the Bible tells us. Jesus, the second person of the Holy Trinity, took upon Himself humanity. However, all that is God did not become localized in the person of Jesus. God in His fulness was still everywhere present.
So, what does this attribute of omnipresence mean to us. First of all, knowing that God is present everywhere should give us comfort and caution. As far as comfort is concerned, Jesus told us that He would always be with us and that He would never leave us. Jesus is God and therefore in His omnipresence He is with each and everyone of us as we go through the struggles of life. In our joys and in our sorrows, Jesus is with us in order to both encourage us and to help us. He is our constant source of strength even in the most difficult of times.
On the other hand, the omnipresence of God should be a caution. God is not out of the loop so to speak. He knows what we are doing at every moment. Some people sin and do what is displeasing to God without much of thought. However, everyone of us needs to realize that the Lord is everywhere. He sees those things that we think we are getting away with. He knows when we are doing what is right and when we are doing what is wrong. That should give us pause and cause us to always want to do those things that are pleasing to the Lord.
The omnipresence of the Lord also has implications for ultimate justice. There is a lot of wrongdoing and injustice in this world. But the Lord is everywhere present. Nothing is getting by Him. One day, all will be brought to light. No one is going to get away with wrongdoing, because the Lord sees all. He will one day call to account those who have acted unjustly to those who are the least among us in this world.
We serve a mighty God who is everywhere and yet individually with each and every one of us in the person of Jesus Christ. Let us live in such a way that we please the one who is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Amen.
Prayer Requests
As I previously mentioned, I am still dealing with health issues. I am going to the doctor on Monday to see why I am still have so much trouble with my breathing. Please pray that I will improve.
Continue to pray for an end to all of the sickness and disease that is in the world right now.
Pray for peace in the world. Ukraine, Syria, Yemen and Congo all need our prayers right now.
Pray that the weather will improve in the western US. There is a lot of flooding there right now.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Cambodia and Ghana. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Next week, we will continue with our current sermon series. I will post the verses on Monday. I hope to have a midweek post, but I cannot guarantee it. May God bless you all.
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