His Omniscience

When I was growing up, I really believed my mother was omniscient. Everything I did, she knew. And if you were growing up in a family like that, you would understand more of the omniscience of God, but it doesn't even come close to understanding what the Bible speaks of about God's omniscience. That God knows Everything about you and about me. But as we understand the omniscience of God and as we study it this evening, I want to notice three things with you tonight.

First of all, the magnitude of his omniscience. Then, the manifestation of His omniscience. And then, thirdly, the meaning of His omniscience for you and for me.

First of all, the magnitude of his omniscience. God knows everything. Two areas. First of all, generally, and then, second of all, person.

But first of all, in a general kind of way, listen to what the word of the Lord says. Psalm 147, verse number 5 states this, God's understand is infinite, the text says. Infinite. 1 Samuel 2. 3, in Hannah's song of Thanksgiving, she says, the Lord is a God of knowledge. Elihu said in Job 37 verse number 16, Do you know about the one perfect in knowledge? In 1 Timothy 1 verse number 17 Paul identifies God as the only wise God. God's amazing. He knows everything. But let's move from a general talking about generally talking about his omissions to person that whole aspect.

Because this is very important. The most astounding thing about the knowledge of God is that He knows each and every one of us personally. He knows each and every one of us. He knows everything about us. Think about that. Of all the millions and billions of people that ever lived, he knows everything there is to know about them. That amazes me. But look with me over in John chapter 1. And as we personalize God's omniscience, I want you to see something with me. It says in verse number 44, now Philip was from Betsaida, of the city of Andrew, and Peter.

Philip found Nathaniel and said to him, We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said to him, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Stop right there. There's a question. Can anything good come out of Nazareth? The point is, he doesn't know whether or not anything good can come out of Nazareth. Why? Because he's man. He's finite. Read on. Philip said to him, Come and see. Let's discover. Let's find out together. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and said of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.

Verse number 48. Nathaniel said to him, How do you know me? How do you know me? I've never met you before. I've never seen you before. How do you know me? How do you know my motives are pure? How do you know when I'm an honest man? How do you know I'm a trustworthy man? How does he know? Because he's God. That's how he knows. God knows. Everything. That's the way he is. Turn with me over to Mark chapter 2.

Mark chapter 2. Verse number 1 and when he had come back to Caper several days afterward, it was heard that he was at home. And many were gathered together so that there was no longer room even near the door. And he was speaking the word to them. And they came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And being unable to get to him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had dug an opening, They let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, My son, your sins are forgiven.

Now think about that. Jesus saw the faith of the four, and he forgave the sin of the paralytic. The paralyzed man didn't come to get his sins forgiven. He came to do what? To be healed. He wanted to walk again. But God knew the depths of his heart. The man never spoke to Jesus, but God knew what the man really needed to have done to him. Now read on. Verse number 6. But there were some of the scribes sitting there and reasoning in their hearts. Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming.

Who can forgive sins but God alone? There is men trying to reason in their mind what's going on here. These men were educated beyond their intelligence. They could not even see that Jesus Christ was God in the flesh. But read on. And immediately Jesus, aware in his spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? How did he know that? He's God. That's how he knew. They're off in the corner thinking to themselves, talking to themselves, trying to figure out what's going on.

And God says, hey, what are you guys doing? Reasoning in your hearts about how I did this. He knows. Amazing. Read on. It says in verse number 9, which is easier to say to the paralytic, your sins are forgiven, or to say, ar and take up your pallet and walk. But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, he said to the paralytic, I say to you, rise, take up your palate. Go home. And he rose and immediately took up the pallet and went out in the sight of all, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, We have never seen anything like this they were amazed not so much at the miracle As they were at the man Christ Jesus.

Point number two: the manifestation of God's omniscience. He manifested in several ways. I just want to point out four of them to you this evening. One is in creation. God man his omniscience in creation. Psalm 104 verse number 24 says this, O Lord, how many are thy works in wisdom? Thou hast made them all. The earth is full of thy possession. Then over in Jeremiah chapter 10, it says this. Verse number 12, it is he who made the earth by his p, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understand he has stretched out The heavens.

Now that's amazing. You see, how did God do what He did when He created the heavens? And the earth. This is a fascinating study. I've been doing this the last two weeks in my own private time as I study Genesis chapter 1. How did God do all that? How did he stretch out the firmament like he did? Well, the Bible says he did it through his understanding.

Through his wisdom. That's how he did it. And you think about how God did everything and people have the argument about whether God created everything in six literal days or six periods of time. And I want to ask the other question. I want to ask what took God so long. If the birth was created in six literal days, I want to know why he didn't create it in six seconds. Why did it take him six days? Why not six minutes as opposed to six days? You want to know why? You come in April, I'll tell you. There's a reason.

There's a biblical reason why God didn't do it in six seconds. The question is, could he create the heavens and the earth in six seconds? Amen. Sure we could. So creation manifests the omniscience of God. Number two, salvation, our salvation manifests.

The omniscience of God. Turn with me over to 1 Corinthians chapter 1. 1 Corinthians chapter 1. It says this. Verse number 18, For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the cleverness of the clever. I will set aside. Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God God was well pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

You see, salvation speaks of the omniscience of God. When you speak of the wisdom of God, it's another way of talking about God's omniscience. A. W. To explained it this way: Wisdom, among other things, is the ability to devise perfect ends and to achieve those ends by the most perfect means. It sees the end from the beginning, so there can be no need to guess or conjecture. Wisdom sees everything in focus, each in proper relation to all, and is thus able to work toward Pred goals with flawless precision.

All God's acts are done in perfect wisdom, first for his own glory and then for the highest good, of the greatest number for the longest time.

And all his acts are as pure as they are wise. And as good as they are wise and pure. Not only could his acts not be better done, a better way to do them could not be imagined. That's amazing. God's acts are done so perfectly because behind his acts is his wisdom. And God's wisdom is perfect. God's knowledge is perfect. So every act of God is a perfect act of God. That's amazing, but that's our God. Salvation manifests his omniscience. Creation does, so does the inc. Turn me over to Acts chapter 2.

Verse number 22, men of Israel, listen to these words. Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through him in your midst. Just as you yourselves know, this man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put him To death, God was responsible for the death of Jesus Christ. even though the men he used were ungodly men. God's purpose in this was that his son would pay for the sins of the world on the cross.

Again, the perfected knowledge of God made his act of forsaking his Son the perfect act. To redeem man. Why? Because he was delivered up by the predetermined foreknowledge of God. In eternity past, God had all this planned, had it all mapped out. This is the way things are going to be. Which leads me to our fourth point: predestination. Pred. It says in Psalm 139, verse number 2. He knows where we sit and stand in our thoughts before we think them. That speaks of the predestination of God. That manifests his omniscience.

Psalm 139, verse number 3: He knows all our ways, the course and conduct of our lives. He knows everything we do before we ever do it. Why? Because everything we do has been predetermined in eternity past. God knows everything. Isaiah 46, verse number 10 says, He knows the end from the beginning. He knew Jeremiah before he was born. He knew Jeremiah before he was in his mother's womb. And he called Jeremiah before he was ever born. Same thing with the Apostle Paul in Galatians 1, verses 15 and 16.

He knew Paul before he was born. He knew that Paul would preach Christ to the Gentiles. Why? Because it was all bas on the foreknowledge of God the Father. God knows everything. God did not make his decision Based on your choices. That is heres. That makes you in control of your destiny. God made every choice for you in eternity past. Now you might not want to hear that. You might not even like that. You might not even agree with that. That's okay. The Bible states it. He knows everything because it's all been predetermined in eternity past.

Now we might not think that's fair of God. We might not think that's right for God to do so. But you would have had to be here last week to talk about God's sovereignty, to understand how God works all things out after the counsel of his perfect will. That's Ephesians chapter 1, verse number 11. Follow? Say, no, man, I'm all confused. That's good. Because that'll get you into the Bible and study the Word of God. Which is the point number three: the meaning of God's omniscience for you and me.

What does it mean? What's it mean for the believer? What's it mean for the unbeliever? First of all, for the believer, in the vastness of our universe, You are assured of at least one thing.

You are not ins. You see, you come to our church, and maybe you've been coming for a year. And throughout that whole year, I have never spoken to you. I don't even know your name. You might begin to think that you don't mean much, that you're insignificant, because the pastor of the church hasn't person greeted you or talked to you or called you by name. Now think about that on the on the larger scale in the sense of the universe. The God of the world, the Almighty One, knows you person. He knows everything about you.

I mean, you can come to church every week, and I can know you, know your kids, baptize your kids, and marry your kids, and bury your kids, and do all that kind of stuff, but I'll never really know you. But God does. He knows everything about you. It says in Psalm 56, verse number 8. You number my wanderings and you put my tears into your bottle. Think about that. Turn with me over to Psalm 31.

Listen to this. Psalm 3, verse number 7. I will rejoice and be glad in thy loving kind because thou hast seen my affliction. Thou hast known the troubles of my soul, and thou hast not given me over into the hand of the enemy. Thou hast set my feet in a large place. He goes on to say this in verse number 11: Because of all my adversaries, I have become a reproach, especially to my neighbor, and an object of dread to my acquaintances. Those who see me in the street flee from me. I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind.

I am like a broken vessel. The p said, nobody cares for me. Nobody knows about me. When my neighbor sees me on the street, he turns around and walks the other way. There is no one who cares for my soul, but God does. God does. Verse number 14, but as for me, I trust in thee, O Lord. I say, Thou art my God. My times are in thy hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me. My times are in God's hand because he knows the trouble of my soul. Isn't that good? Friends, your husband, your wife, your mom, your dad, your closest relative are never going to understand nor know what you're going through.

They never will. Because they're not you. But God does. And ladies, next time you get upset because your husband doesn't understand you, maybe it's God's way of telling you. You need to understand that I understand you. See that? God wants you to lean upon Him, His knowledge, His omniscience, His knowing of your trouble and your difficulty. And because he already knows how lonely you are, because he already knows. Your feel, what's he say? You seek first my kingdom and my righteousness, and I will add to you everything you need on the physical level.

But you seek me first. All these things shall be added unto you. Just make sure you seek me. You see, he's driving you back to him. His omniscience should always drive us to him. For the believer, there's always comfort for every crisis and there's always confidence for every circumstance because of God's omniscience. Do you know that? Remember Luke 22? Christ said, Peter, Satan wants to sift you like wheat. But I prayed for you that your faith will not fail. I prayed for you. See, God knew what Satan was going to do before Satan did it.

God knew what was going to happen to Peter before Peter actually had the events happen to him. God knew it. And what was God's solution? Peter, I prayed for you. What does Hebrews 7:2 tell us? He lives to make intercession for us. God 's up in heaven already praying for us because he knows what's going to happen tomorrow. He's praying for our faith. He's praying for our strength. He's praying for us that we would be able to stand strong in the day of adversity. He's already praying for us. That's why it is absolutely impossible for the believer to ever def the faith.

He can't do it. Why? Because Jesus Christ is praying for him. And does God the Father always answer the prayer of God the Son? Always. Why? Because he always prays in accordance with His Father. Always. It's impossible for the believer to ever def the faith, turn his back on God, run away from him, and disown him. Because God is praying for him. Peter didn't. Oh, Peter denied him. But he came back home, didn't he? Why did he come back home? Because God knows all things. What's it say in John 21, verse number 7?

Lord, thou knowest all things. Thou knowest that I love you. See, God knows. That's so good, man. He knows everything. Let me ask you a question.

Let me ask you this. If you thought God didn't know everything and would never find out what you did, what would you feel free to do that you're not doing now? Think about it. If you want to know where your sinful flesh is the strongest, imagine what you would do if you knew God would never find out. And that will tell you how base your nature really is. But God does know. In the same way as God's omnipresence is a deterrent to sin, His omniscience should be a deterrent to sin as well, because everything is laid bare and open before His eyes.

But how about for the unbeliever? What about him? What does God's omniscience mean to him? Well, If you're an unbeliever, you've got to realize you can't play games with God because God unmasks your hypocrisy. God knows everything. God knows whether or not you're really true to Him. God knows those who come to church on Sundays and try to fool everybody about their commitment to God. You can't fool your heavenly Father. All hypocrisy is unmasked before God. It says in Ecclesiastes 12, verse number 14.

God shall bring every work into judgment and every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. Remember Luke 22, 21 and 22? Christ is eating with his disciples. He says these words. Behold, the hand of the one betraying me is with me on the table. For indeed the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed. He knew the hypocrisy in the life of Judas. He knew when the other disciples didn't know. They thought Judas was the true believer. I mean, he was the treasurer.

He kept all the money. They trusted him with the most prized possessions they had. But Jesus knew. And Jesus knew who would betray him, when he would be betrayed, and how it would take place. He knew it all. The unbeliever cannot fool God. Oh, you might fool your friends. You might fool your pastor. But you cannot fool God. The Lord sees not as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. God really does know your heart. It says in Romans chapter 2, verse number 2, We are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth.

The judgment that determines who will be sent to hell for all eternity will be just. Although you might not like the fact the Bible teaches about God's election and God's predestination and God's foreknowledge. and that God is in complete control of who is saved and who is not saved, you must understand that Romans 2 verse number 2 says that the judgments of God are always acc to His Truth. You can never say that his judgments are wrong. They're unfair because they're not. God has absolute knowledge of truth and will judge on the basis of that truth.

It says in Jeremiah 16, 17, their iniquity is not hidden from mine eyes. He knows every person whose sins are unforgiven. He knows whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. That's why he could say in Matthew 7, Depart from me. I never knew you, you who practice lawlessness. Because you can't fool God. So if you're here tonight and you're an unbeliever, God knows. Oh, your friend might think you're a Christian. You might have convinced him you're a Christian, but God really does know your heart.

That's the power of the omniscience of God. He knows everything.