But our subject this morning is simply this.
I, says the Lord, fill the heavens and
the earth.
Now we refer to this as the omnipresence
of God.
He is everywhere.
And not only is he everywhere, but he
fills every place where he is.
Now let's read together from Psalm 139.
O Lord, thou hast searched me and known
me.
Thou knowest my down-sitting and my up
-rising.
Thou understandest my thoughts afar off.
Thou compassest my path and my lying-down,
and art acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word in my
tongue but lo!
O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
Thou hast beset me behind and before, and
laid thine hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me.
It is I.
I cannot attain unto it.
Whither shall I go from thy spirit?
Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up unto heaven, thou art
there.
If I make my bed in hell, behold,
thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uppermost part of the
sea, even there shall thy hand lead me,
and thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, surely the darkness shall cover
me, even the night shall be light about
me.
Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee, but
the night shineth as the day.
The darkness and the light are both alike
to thee.
For thou hast possessed my reign.
Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
I will praise thee, for I am fearfully
and wonderfully made.
Marvelous are thy works, and that my soul
knoweth right well.
My substance was not hid from thee.
When I was made in secret and curiously
wrought in the lowest parts of the earth,
thine eyes did see my substance yet being
imperfect.
And in thy book all my members were
written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as
yet there was none of them.
How precious also are thy thoughts unto me,
O God!
How great is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they are more
in number than the sand when I awake.
I am still with thee.
Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God!
Depart from me, therefore, ye bloody men, for
they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies
take thy name in vain.
Do not I hate them, O Lord, that
hate thee?
And am not I grieved with those that
rise up against thee?
I hate them with perfect hatred.
I count them mine enemies.
Search me, O God, and know my heart.
Try me, and know my thoughts, and see
if there be any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
One other passage that I want to ask
that we turn together to and read from,
Jeremiah chapter 23.
This is one of the most moving of
all the Old Testament portions.
If you have not done so recently, I
urge you to read through the entire 23rd
chapter of Jeremiah's prophecy, where Jeremiah takes to
task those pastors that destroy and scatter the
sheep of God's pasture.
But at verse 23, there is a special
word that is tremendously significant in our considerations
this morning.
Jeremiah chapter 23, at verse 23, Am I
a god at hand, saith the Lord, and
not a god afar off?
Can any hide himself in secret places that
I shall not see him, saith the Lord?
Do not I fill heaven and earth, saith
the Lord?
We're used to knowing where things are.
In our minds, everything has its rightful place.
We expect to see the sun in the
sky.
We don't expect to see it lying, steaming
on the bottom of some lake.
We expect to see trees growing out of
the earth.
We do not expect to see them hanging
down from the bottom of clouds.
We expect to see birds in the air,
or in their nests, or snatching a worm
from the lawn.
But we don't expect to see them seated
at our dinner tables with napkins about their
necks and the knives and forks in their
wings.
In our minds, everything has its place.
Every substance of which we know anything is
somewhere.
And we don't know anything, really, about anything
that is everywhere except God.
He is everywhere.
He fills every place.
This room is filled with God.
But this room cannot contain God.
This entire building is filled with God.
But this building cannot contain God.
This city is filled with God, but it
does not contain Him.
Our nation is filled with God, but it
cannot contain Him.
Nothing can contain Him.
And yet He can and does fill everything.
Now, God cannot be described as being somewhere.
You are somewhere.
I am somewhere.
Your possessions are somewhere.
Your friends and your family are all somewhere.
But God is not somewhere.
God is everywhere.
Now, a child was told that God said
concerning Himself that He filled the heavens and
the earth.
And the child responded by saying, Well, if
God is everywhere, how is there any room
for us?
That's not a bad question, really.
I dare say some children have thought more
about the fact that God is everywhere than
some of us adults who have still to
come to grips with any degree of adequacy
with the plain-stated fact of Scripture that
God does indeed fill the heavens and the
earth.
We do not expect to see the sun
everywhere, but somewhere.
We do not expect to see the trees
everywhere, only somewhere.
We don't expect to find the birds everywhere,
just somewhere.
We're so used to seeing things somewhere and
never seeing anything everywhere that it greatly catches
our simple little minds to conceive of anything
including God being everywhere, filling all places at
the same time.
And yet that's what we must do.
We must stretch our minds.
We must let them reach out as far
as they can go and seek to comprehend
the fact that God is everywhere.
And He fills absolutely everything with His presence.
Now, to try and assist you in comprehending
this matter of the omnipresence of God, I
want to give you in advance the outline
that we will follow this morning so that
you won't feel lost, that you will know
precisely the direction that my remarks are to
take.
First of all, we want to deal with
the biblical doctrine itself.
We want to see the biblical teaching of
omnipresence, that God himself is present.
Secondly, the ramifications of this doctrine of God's
omnipresence are to be discussed.
And then thirdly, we want to see the
application of this omnipresence as they should be
drawn forth in our minds and in our
hearts.
May I say to you very directly that
there is no way, no way, that one
can really worship and serve God as they
are if they remain in ignorance concerning His
presence filling all things at all times.
Some of us, if we had occasion to
stand now before this group and to make
testimony of our own lives, would say, if
we were speaking with 100% honesty, I'm
ashamed of the fact that I have never
worshipped and served God as I ought.
And the major reason we have not worshipped
and served God as we ought is because
we have yet to embrace God in the
fullness with which He reveals Himself.
We know too little about Him.
That, of course, is the reason for this
series of twelve lessons on God.
Now then, coming to the first of these
matters, the biblical teaching on the omnipresence of
God.
I've put this under six points.
Number one, the heavens and the heavens of
heaven and the earth itself and everything that
the earth contains and all the space out
yonder all belongs to God.
In Deuteronomy 10.14 we read, Behold, the
heavens and the heavens of heaven is the
Lord thy God.
And the earth also and everything that is
therein there is nothing anywhere that does not
belong to Him.
Secondly, it is impossible to build any building
large enough to contain God.
I know that almost sounds foolish to say
and yet honestly most people give evidence of
the fact that they think God can be
contained in buildings.
Now, take this foolish notion I often hear
expressed.
We're going to church to worship God.
Now that is ridiculous.
Why should we come to church to worship
God?
Is God here in this place?
Look at this lovely room we're in.
Is God here?
Well, of course He's here.
But is God any more here than anywhere
else?
And everywhere else?
Well, if you think He is, let me
say to you plainly, you are wrong.
If you have any notion whatsoever that God
inhabits Sunday school rooms and sanctuaries more than
He inhabits the woods and the fields and
the bedrooms of our homes, you're mistaken.
God is everywhere.
And one cannot build a building to contain
Him.
In 2 Chronicles 2, 6 we read, Who
is able to build God a house?
For seeing that the heavens and the heaven
of heavens cannot contain Him.
And Solomon then proceeded to ask, Who am
I that I should build God a house?
And everyone who thinks they're building a dwelling
place of God ought to ask, Who am
I to build God a house?
In 1 Kings 8, 27 we read, Will
God indeed dwell on the earth?
Behold, the heaven and the heavens of heavens
cannot contain thee, how much less the house
that I have built.
And these interesting words are found in the
book of Acts, chapter 7, verses 47 to
50.
Solomon built God a house, howbeit the most
high dwelleth not in temples made with hands.
As saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne,
the earth is my footstool, what house will
ye build me?
What is the place of my rest, saith
the Lord?
Hath not my hands, So if God made
all these things, if God made everything, how
could any of us, or all of us
together, turn around and make something for Him?
You see what an absurd notion it is
that you could even begin to make something
for God that He already made.
Number three, God exists everywhere, but in addition
to existing everywhere, He exercises authority over all
places.
In Matthew 5, verses 34 and 35, in
the midst of the Sermon on the Mount,
our Lord said, I say unto you, swear
not at all, neither by heaven, for it
is God's throne, nor by earth, for it
is His footstool, neither by Jerusalem, said Jesus,
for it is the city of the great
King.
Where is God?
Well, He's in heaven, and He's on earth,
and He's in Jerusalem, and He's in all
the places in between, and all the places
far removed.
In Isaiah 66, we read, Thus saith the
Lord, the heaven is my throne, the earth
is my footstool, where is the house that
ye build me?
Where is the place of my rest for
all these things have my hands made?
All these things have done, saith the Lord,
but to this man, oh, get these words,
but to this man will I look, not
to this house, not to this sanctuary, but
to this man will I look, even to
him that is poor and of a contrite
spirit, and assembleth at my word.
Furthermore, we need to add, as our fourth
consideration, that it's impossible to find any place
where God is not to flee to.
If you want to escape God, you've got
an impossible task.
Notice these words in Amos chapter 9, verses
1 to 4, I saw the Lord standing
upon the altar, and he said, Smite the
lintel of the door that the post may
shake, and cut them in the head, all
of them, and I will slay them.
The last and the least is a sore.
He that fleeth shall not flee away.
He that escapeth of them shall not be
delivered.
Though they dig into hell, or seal, thence
shall my hand take them.
Though they climb up to heaven, thence will
I bring them down.
Though they hide themselves in the top of
Carmel, I will search and take them from
thence.
Though they be hid from my sight in
the bottom of the sea, then will I
command the serpent, and he shall bite them.
And though they go into captivity before their
enemies, thence will I command the sore.
It shall slay them.
I will set my eyes upon them for
evil and not for good.
Now the sum and substance of all those
hard words is it is impossible to hide
them.
And we read very similar words already from
Psalm 139, and let me repeat again the
crucial portion of that Psalm.
Whither shall I go from thy spirit?
Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art
there.
If I make my bed in hell, behold,
thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost part of the
sea, even there shall thy hand lead me.
Thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, surely the darkness will cover
me, well, even the night shall be light
unto me.
Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee, but
the night shineth as the day.
The darkness and the light are both alike
unto thee.
Can any man hide from God?
Well, obviously not.
And to try is to be perfectly observed.
And notice also that for those that seek
God, he is readily found.
Observe these words in Acts 17.
God that made the world and all things
therein, seeing that he is the Lord of
heaven and of earth, dwelleth not in temples
made with hand, neither is worshipped with men's
hands.
As though he needed anything, seeing he giveth
to all life and breath and all things,
and he hath made them all of one
blood, all the nations of men to dwell
together on the face of the earth.
And he hath determined the times beforehand appointed
and the bounds of their habitation, that they
should seek the Lord.
If, happily, they might feel after him, though
he be not far from any one of
us.
For in him we live and move and
have our due.
And let me add also in the words
once more of Jeremiah, who filled the heavens
and the earth, Am I a God at
hand?
saith the Lord, and not a God afar
off?
Can any hide himself in secret places that
I shall not see him?
saith the Lord, do not I fill the
heavens and the earth?
saith the Lord.
God does indeed fill all places, and he
is consigned in none.
Now this doctrine has not really been understood
by all people at all times.
Whereas virtually everyone acknowledges that God is holy,
not everyone admits or realizes that God is
everywhere.
I think some of you will immediately call
to mind this passage when I refer to
it, 1 Kings 20, 36.
The Syrians are in a fight with the
Israelites and the Syrians are in trouble.
So the Syrians are discussing among themselves what
they should do.
And this is what they conclude.
The God of the Israelites is the God
of the mountains.
The God of the Syrians is the God
of the plains.
If we fight the Israelites in the mountains,
their God will fight for them.
But if we fight the Israelites on the
plain, our God will fight for us.
So let us bring the war down to
the plains.
Of course, in that they acknowledge that they
have no sense whatsoever of a God who
fills the heavens and the earth.
And some of you will also immediately recall
that passage in 1 Kings 18, especially verses
27 and 28, where the prophet Elijah is
in that great contest with the prophets of
Baal.
And you remember that Elijah mocked the worshippers
of Baal.
And he says to them, cry aloud to
your God.
Maybe he's on a journey.
Maybe he's asleep.
Now did the prophets of Baal protest and
say, stupid, stupid?
God is everywhere?
No, you know what they did.
They raised their voices in loud cries and
they beat themselves and cut themselves and sought
to get the attention of the God whom
they worshipped who for all they knew was
on vacation or had gone on a journey
or was asleep and could not hear them.
And in that they acknowledged also they knew
nothing of the omnipresence of God.
But let us be certain we have the
matter straight.
God is everywhere, wholly present.
He is in this room right now.
He is in every Sunday school room in
this building.
And he is in the sanctuary of this
building.
He is in every church in this city
at this moment.
He is in every church in every city
right now.
He is in every home in Wheaton every
day.
And he is in every home everywhere every
day.
He is in every room of every home.
He is in every palace and in every
harbour.
He is in every school room and in
every business office.
He is in every store and in every
warehouse.
He is in every dormitory and in every
domicile.
He is in every tavern and every night
spot.
He is in every place of amusement and
in every den of iniquity.
He is on every mountain and in every
valley.
He is in every car and every plane
and every bus and every boat.
He is in every beautiful place and in
every ugly place.
He is with every race and with every
tribe.
He is in every hospital and in every
funeral home.
He is in all the places we expect
him to be.
And in all the places we don't expect
him.
He is there.
He is on every planet.
He is on the sun and the moon
and the star.
And if there are a million Earths scattered
throughout the vast reaches of space, God is
as much there as he is here.
If you could board a spaceship tomorrow morning
and commence to travel outward at a speed
of 5000 miles per minute and if you
travelled steadily for the next five years or
ten years or fifty years or a hundred
years or a thousand years, you would not,
in all that time or in all that
distance, pass one single place where God was
not as fully present as he is right
here, right now.
He is in all the places that we
have ever heard about and in all the
places of which we have never imagined and
of which we have no ability really to
conceive.
God, the great God, whom we profess to
worship is always present in all his fullness.
Don't forget it.
But there are certain ramifications of this doctrine
which are difficult and which will stretch the
mind if you will think about that.
Now God fills every place, but does he
fill every place exactly the same?
Does God dwell on earth in the same
precise manner that he dwells in heaven?
Does God dwell in animals just exactly like
he dwells in men?
Does God inhabit Christian men exactly as he
inhabits non-Christian men?
You don't have to think very long before
you see there are some serious questions that
those matters raise.
Now we know that the nature of sin
is that it separates men from God.
Now how far does sin separate men from
God?
Completely.
If you fall into sin today, does that
mean that God is nowhere around you?
Consider these important words in Isaiah 55, 6.
Seek ye the Lord while he may be
found.
Call ye upon him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way and the
unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return
unto the Lord.
For he will have mercy upon him and
to our God, for he will wonderfully pardon.
My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are
your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the
earth, so are my ways higher than your
ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Would you see the key words there?
Seek while he may be found.
Call while he is near.
How can we then say that God is
everywhere, fully present, and at the same time
say sin separates from God and the sinner
must call upon God while he is near?