WEBVTT 00:00:09.419 --> 00:00:14.279 Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is 00:00:14.279 --> 00:00:16.579 an international church in Bangkok, Thailand, 00:00:16.739 --> 00:00:19.820 with dozens of nationalities worshiping together. 00:00:20.120 --> 00:00:22.980 We invite you to connect with us from wherever 00:00:22.980 --> 00:00:27.219 you are through our website, ecb .asia, or our 00:00:27.219 --> 00:00:31.059 mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed 00:00:31.059 --> 00:00:35.200 by this week's sermon. Well, today we continue 00:00:35.200 --> 00:00:39.659 our sermon series from the Psalms called Songs 00:00:39.659 --> 00:00:44.119 for the Journey. The book of Psalms, as you may 00:00:44.119 --> 00:00:48.539 know, is called the songbook for the church. 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:52.880 And the word psalm even means that. It means 00:00:52.880 --> 00:00:59.100 song sung to harp music. Well, the harp has kind 00:00:59.100 --> 00:01:01.020 of vanished from our contemporary music. Well, 00:01:01.020 --> 00:01:03.320 here's a funny story, by the way. When I was 00:01:03.320 --> 00:01:05.420 eight years old, my mom and dad put me through 00:01:05.420 --> 00:01:08.260 a music course so I could taste and see musical 00:01:08.260 --> 00:01:12.120 instruments. And after a year of that, I knew 00:01:12.120 --> 00:01:15.040 it. I wanted to play the harp. So on the day 00:01:15.040 --> 00:01:16.719 that I came back home and I told my mom and dad, 00:01:16.760 --> 00:01:19.219 I want to play that. I couldn't even finish because 00:01:19.219 --> 00:01:24.680 they bought me a piano. So anyway. The harp has 00:01:24.680 --> 00:01:26.540 kind of left the stage. It's still a great instrument, 00:01:26.599 --> 00:01:29.319 by the way. Kind of left the stage for the singing 00:01:29.319 --> 00:01:32.159 of worship songs and psalms. And like here at 00:01:32.159 --> 00:01:35.099 ECB, we have replaced it for more contemporary 00:01:35.099 --> 00:01:39.019 music. But forget about the musical accompaniment 00:01:39.019 --> 00:01:44.140 for a moment. The psalms includes language to 00:01:44.140 --> 00:01:47.200 express our deepest thoughts and emotions to 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:50.400 God. Whether those are feelings and thoughts 00:01:50.400 --> 00:01:54.359 about praise and thanksgiving, or about pain 00:01:54.359 --> 00:01:58.420 and desperation, even our complaints to God, 00:01:58.519 --> 00:02:02.459 it's all captured there in the Psalms. Songs 00:02:02.459 --> 00:02:06.019 written by people like you and me, inspired by 00:02:06.019 --> 00:02:09.759 the Holy Spirit. Well, those of you who don't 00:02:09.759 --> 00:02:12.960 like to sing probably don't want to hear this, 00:02:13.060 --> 00:02:15.479 but did you know that God commands us over and 00:02:15.479 --> 00:02:22.099 over and over in Scripture to sing to Him? It's 00:02:22.099 --> 00:02:24.569 true. Even for the grumpy ones who don't like 00:02:24.569 --> 00:02:27.449 singing and worship like this all the time, God 00:02:27.449 --> 00:02:30.949 commands us to sing. Like here in Colossians 00:02:30.949 --> 00:02:34.550 3, which says, Let the message of Christ dwell 00:02:34.550 --> 00:02:37.629 among you richly as you teach and admonish one 00:02:37.629 --> 00:02:40.490 another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, 00:02:40.490 --> 00:02:44.490 and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with 00:02:44.490 --> 00:02:48.169 gratitude in your hearts. Apparently, to have 00:02:48.169 --> 00:02:52.159 the message of Jesus dwell in us, come alive 00:02:52.159 --> 00:02:57.120 in us we have to sing songs why is that well 00:02:57.120 --> 00:03:01.680 it's because god made us embodied people so next 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:05.300 to a mind and a heart and a soul god has given 00:03:05.300 --> 00:03:09.900 us a body and when we sing we use our vocal cords 00:03:09.900 --> 00:03:13.259 and our hands in clapping and lifting up for 00:03:13.259 --> 00:03:16.419 our body to announce to our mind and our heart 00:03:16.419 --> 00:03:19.759 and our soul, hey, there is some truth coming 00:03:19.759 --> 00:03:22.539 and it really needs to land in the deeper parts 00:03:22.539 --> 00:03:28.080 of your being. So songs and music enable that 00:03:28.080 --> 00:03:30.939 what we know with our minds that we are so good 00:03:30.939 --> 00:03:34.599 at to really enter those places where it really 00:03:34.599 --> 00:03:37.419 has to land, you know, in our convictions, in 00:03:37.419 --> 00:03:40.580 our feelings, in our emotions, the deepest level 00:03:40.580 --> 00:03:46.060 of our being. That's what songs and music are 00:03:46.060 --> 00:03:49.620 capable of. That's why God is commending us over 00:03:49.620 --> 00:03:55.300 and over to sing. Songs connect our head and 00:03:55.300 --> 00:04:00.360 our heart and our souls and aligns them on truths 00:04:00.360 --> 00:04:04.639 about God and ourselves. If you ever had those 00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:06.919 moments when you were singing a worship song 00:04:06.919 --> 00:04:10.449 by yourself or in church, And you were just overwhelmed 00:04:10.449 --> 00:04:13.849 by the goodness of God. And all you wanted to 00:04:13.849 --> 00:04:16.490 do was shout your praises to him. Have you had 00:04:16.490 --> 00:04:20.370 those moments? It's what songs and music do to 00:04:20.370 --> 00:04:22.730 you. Have you had those moments where you were 00:04:22.730 --> 00:04:27.329 singing a song and you became so vividly, vibrantly 00:04:27.329 --> 00:04:30.649 aware of your desperation and need for God and 00:04:30.649 --> 00:04:34.350 tears began to flow from your eyes and you cried 00:04:34.350 --> 00:04:37.290 out to God. Have you had those moments? It's 00:04:37.290 --> 00:04:42.110 what songs do. This is why God commences over 00:04:42.110 --> 00:04:50.550 and over to sing. We just need to make sure that 00:04:50.550 --> 00:04:53.930 we sing the right songs. And I mean this now 00:04:53.930 --> 00:04:57.949 more in a proverbial sense. The playlist we sing 00:04:57.949 --> 00:05:02.050 along with every day has more songs on it than 00:05:02.050 --> 00:05:06.089 just God -inspired songs, you know? And that's 00:05:06.089 --> 00:05:08.509 confusing. I mean, God says this about him and 00:05:08.509 --> 00:05:10.730 me, but my friends tells me this, and my spouse 00:05:10.730 --> 00:05:13.850 has a different opinion. And the influencer I'm 00:05:13.850 --> 00:05:16.850 listening to in my podcast series says something 00:05:16.850 --> 00:05:18.850 completely different, and the culture around 00:05:18.850 --> 00:05:23.370 me sends me messages that are different all together. 00:05:25.089 --> 00:05:27.230 Here's a nice experiment for you to do when you 00:05:27.230 --> 00:05:29.980 get home today. Collect a few mobile phones. 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:32.860 If you only have one in your home, ask your neighbors 00:05:32.860 --> 00:05:34.680 or friends. So a couple of mobile phones, put 00:05:34.680 --> 00:05:37.660 them on your table. Open YouTube or Spotify on 00:05:37.660 --> 00:05:41.620 those phones. Select different songs and then 00:05:41.620 --> 00:05:44.800 play them all at the same time at the same volume. 00:05:45.339 --> 00:05:50.319 Okay? And then try to sing along with one of 00:05:50.319 --> 00:05:54.120 these songs. Well, let me spare you having to 00:05:54.120 --> 00:05:57.000 go through the hassle of that experience. You 00:05:57.000 --> 00:06:00.209 cannot. When all those songs are playing at the 00:06:00.209 --> 00:06:03.029 same time, at the same volume, you will not be 00:06:03.029 --> 00:06:05.529 able to sing along with the song that you want 00:06:05.529 --> 00:06:08.029 to sing along with, even if you know that song 00:06:08.029 --> 00:06:10.670 really well. Why is that? It's because of the 00:06:10.670 --> 00:06:13.009 noise of all those other songs. It's very confusing. 00:06:13.329 --> 00:06:16.430 You will not be able. However, when you turn 00:06:16.430 --> 00:06:18.670 up the volume of that one song on your playlist 00:06:18.670 --> 00:06:21.370 that you desire to sing, you turn down the volume 00:06:21.370 --> 00:06:25.680 of all the other songs, the words. and the melody 00:06:25.680 --> 00:06:28.379 becomes clear, you can sing along with that song 00:06:28.379 --> 00:06:32.800 and allow the truth of that song to really land 00:06:32.800 --> 00:06:38.100 in those places where it needs to land. So that's 00:06:38.100 --> 00:06:40.360 what we want to do in this sermon series, Songs 00:06:40.360 --> 00:06:44.149 for the Journey. So we are journeying through 00:06:44.149 --> 00:06:47.449 life as followers of Jesus. We want to put together 00:06:47.449 --> 00:06:50.790 a really good playlist of songs. And although 00:06:50.790 --> 00:06:53.769 we no longer have the melodies of the original 00:06:53.769 --> 00:06:55.550 Psalms, that would be cool, right? Hearing also 00:06:55.550 --> 00:06:57.810 the melody. We don't have the melodies, but we 00:06:57.810 --> 00:07:02.110 do have the incredibly rich truths of the words 00:07:02.110 --> 00:07:04.410 of those Psalms. And because those words are 00:07:04.410 --> 00:07:08.209 inspired by the Holy Spirit, they are alive and 00:07:08.209 --> 00:07:13.649 active, and they're able to change us. So that's 00:07:13.649 --> 00:07:16.449 what we're doing, songs for the journey. And 00:07:16.449 --> 00:07:19.069 today I want to have a look with you at Psalm 00:07:19.069 --> 00:07:24.310 139, a psalm that may be a favorite to some of 00:07:24.310 --> 00:07:28.569 you. And when you know Psalm 130, you know that 00:07:28.569 --> 00:07:32.509 it is packed with some really incredible things. 00:07:32.670 --> 00:07:35.870 It speaks of God as the all -knowing one, an 00:07:35.870 --> 00:07:38.810 ever -present one, an almighty one, and the holy 00:07:38.810 --> 00:07:41.509 one. How do you pack that in a 40 -minute sermon? 00:07:42.810 --> 00:07:45.569 You don't. Actually, I don't because I don't 00:07:45.569 --> 00:07:48.550 think I can, which is why I chose to just focus 00:07:48.550 --> 00:07:54.970 on the first 10 verses of Psalm 139 that address 00:07:54.970 --> 00:07:59.730 a very specific attribute of God that needs to 00:07:59.730 --> 00:08:02.769 be on repeat on our playlist, and that is this, 00:08:02.810 --> 00:08:08.610 God knows me. Let me read the first 10 verses 00:08:08.610 --> 00:08:14.860 of Psalm 139 for you. Oh Lord, you have examined 00:08:14.860 --> 00:08:20.060 my heart and you know everything about me. You 00:08:20.060 --> 00:08:22.579 know when I sit down or stand up. You know my 00:08:22.579 --> 00:08:26.060 thoughts even when I'm far away. You see me when 00:08:26.060 --> 00:08:29.439 I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything 00:08:29.439 --> 00:08:34.240 I do. You know what I'm going to say even before 00:08:34.240 --> 00:08:37.539 I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. 00:08:38.090 --> 00:08:41.850 You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such 00:08:41.850 --> 00:08:45.429 knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great 00:08:45.429 --> 00:08:50.169 for me to understand. I can never escape from 00:08:50.169 --> 00:08:52.850 your spirit. I can never get away from your presence. 00:08:53.129 --> 00:08:56.149 If I go up to the heaven, you're there. If I 00:08:56.149 --> 00:09:01.129 go down to the grave, you're there. If I ride 00:09:01.129 --> 00:09:04.009 the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest 00:09:04.009 --> 00:09:08.429 oceans, even there your hand will guide me. and 00:09:08.429 --> 00:09:13.450 your strength will support me. That's a good 00:09:13.450 --> 00:09:19.169 song, isn't it? That's a rich song. And do you 00:09:19.169 --> 00:09:23.350 see the intimacy that's going on between David 00:09:23.350 --> 00:09:28.429 and God? And what is underlying this song and 00:09:28.429 --> 00:09:33.129 the way David addresses God is that God personally 00:09:33.129 --> 00:09:37.289 knows David. and personally knows us, you and 00:09:37.289 --> 00:09:39.769 me, for the matter. We're going to look at this 00:09:39.769 --> 00:09:42.429 a little bit later, but before that, we first 00:09:42.429 --> 00:09:46.809 need to address another important reality about 00:09:46.809 --> 00:09:51.409 God, and that is this. God has ultimate knowledge 00:09:51.409 --> 00:09:56.909 of everything. One of the key themes in Scripture 00:09:56.909 --> 00:10:02.250 is that God is omniscient, all -knowing. God 00:10:02.250 --> 00:10:06.440 knows everything. about everything. Psalm 147 00:10:06.440 --> 00:10:11.399 says that God's understanding has no limits. 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:15.779 Go figure. Did you know that God never has to 00:10:15.779 --> 00:10:20.019 learn any new thing? That he never needs to sweat 00:10:20.019 --> 00:10:22.460 to go through an exam because he already knows 00:10:22.460 --> 00:10:26.419 everything? God knows more about astronomy than 00:10:26.419 --> 00:10:28.580 the best astronomer. He knows more about biology 00:10:28.580 --> 00:10:31.700 than the best biologist. He knows more about 00:10:31.700 --> 00:10:34.720 theology than the best theologian. He knows more 00:10:34.720 --> 00:10:37.679 about leading nations than the best world leader. 00:10:38.120 --> 00:10:40.779 By the way, God knows more about women than men 00:10:40.779 --> 00:10:44.360 do. And he knows more about men than women do. 00:10:44.779 --> 00:10:47.100 And he knows more about teenagers than parents 00:10:47.100 --> 00:10:50.779 do. God knows everything about everything. God 00:10:50.779 --> 00:10:54.580 has ultimate knowledge of everything there is 00:10:54.580 --> 00:10:56.720 to know. Don't you ever dare God for a game of 00:10:56.720 --> 00:11:01.120 trivia unless you want to be crushed. Because 00:11:01.120 --> 00:11:06.440 he will beat you big time. And when we need to 00:11:06.440 --> 00:11:10.179 go through an often painstaking process of learning 00:11:10.179 --> 00:11:13.220 new things and putting a lot of time and effort 00:11:13.220 --> 00:11:15.840 in learning those things and doing research here 00:11:15.840 --> 00:11:18.360 and there to come to know things only to forget 00:11:18.360 --> 00:11:20.179 them when we get older because our brains are 00:11:20.179 --> 00:11:23.879 no longer able to remember those things. Not 00:11:23.879 --> 00:11:28.539 so with God. God's knowledge is immediate. God's 00:11:28.539 --> 00:11:31.139 knowledge is comprehensive. It has no limits. 00:11:31.740 --> 00:11:33.860 And God's knowledge is without deterioration. 00:11:33.860 --> 00:11:37.600 He never forgets anything. That is, he only forgets 00:11:37.600 --> 00:11:39.440 our sins when we have confessed them. That's 00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:42.320 also true about God. That's the only thing that 00:11:42.320 --> 00:11:44.740 he decides to forget. Other than that, his knowledge 00:11:44.740 --> 00:11:51.139 doesn't deteriorate ever. That what Google and 00:11:51.139 --> 00:11:54.840 AI can tell you about a certain topic, God already 00:11:54.840 --> 00:11:57.879 knew that. And by the way, God already knows 00:11:57.879 --> 00:12:02.549 that what Google and AI... Don't know yet. God 00:12:02.549 --> 00:12:06.009 has ultimate knowledge of everything. That's 00:12:06.009 --> 00:12:08.389 impressive, isn't it? And if that doesn't blow 00:12:08.389 --> 00:12:11.149 your mind yet, here is one more thing about God's 00:12:11.149 --> 00:12:14.710 knowledge. God's knowledge transcends time. Whether 00:12:14.710 --> 00:12:17.210 it's things in the past, things in the present, 00:12:17.429 --> 00:12:21.490 things in the future, God knows it all at the 00:12:21.490 --> 00:12:26.570 same time. In Isaiah 46, God tells us about himself 00:12:26.570 --> 00:12:32.340 that he knows the end. From the beginning. So 00:12:32.340 --> 00:12:37.720 God knows things even before they exist. God 00:12:37.720 --> 00:12:40.860 knows every single day that you and I will live 00:12:40.860 --> 00:12:43.659 before we have ever lived those single days. 00:12:43.720 --> 00:12:47.340 David speaks about that later on in Psalm 139. 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:49.159 That's the verse that we haven't read and will 00:12:49.159 --> 00:12:55.379 not read today. God knows the past, the present, 00:12:55.559 --> 00:13:00.840 and history. all at the same time. Why? Because 00:13:00.840 --> 00:13:07.120 he is outside of our concept of time. It's impressive, 00:13:07.240 --> 00:13:11.919 isn't it? If this is too much for you to understand, 00:13:12.019 --> 00:13:14.759 that's okay. It happens to me all the time. But 00:13:14.759 --> 00:13:19.100 just realize it. God has ultimate knowledge of 00:13:19.100 --> 00:13:23.460 everything. And as we learn from David in Psalm 00:13:23.460 --> 00:13:31.000 139, not just everything, also, God intimately 00:13:31.000 --> 00:13:37.259 and completely knows me, knows you. This is how 00:13:37.259 --> 00:13:40.519 David opens his song with these words, O Lord, 00:13:40.659 --> 00:13:45.019 you have examined my heart and you know everything 00:13:45.019 --> 00:13:48.580 about me. David addresses God with an understanding 00:13:48.580 --> 00:13:54.279 that he was personally known. It's one thing 00:13:54.279 --> 00:13:57.519 to believe and say that God knows everything 00:13:57.519 --> 00:14:01.059 about everything. It's something else to believe 00:14:01.059 --> 00:14:06.059 and say that God knows everything about you. 00:14:07.220 --> 00:14:10.200 And as we learn from David today, the fact that 00:14:10.200 --> 00:14:13.860 God knows everything about you is not an unsettling 00:14:13.860 --> 00:14:20.899 thing. It's a deeply fulfilling thing. As human 00:14:20.899 --> 00:14:25.679 beings, One of our deepest longings is to be 00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:31.539 seen, to be known, and to be accepted. We crave 00:14:31.539 --> 00:14:34.100 it, one of our deepest cravings. This is why 00:14:34.100 --> 00:14:38.080 we ask people, even total strangers, to follow 00:14:38.080 --> 00:14:41.179 us on Instagram, and we hope that many will like 00:14:41.179 --> 00:14:44.480 what we post or retweet, so much so that every 00:14:44.480 --> 00:14:47.139 15 minutes we're on our phone to check how many 00:14:47.139 --> 00:14:50.500 likes or hearts or whatever emojis we've got 00:14:50.500 --> 00:14:55.320 on our posts. This explains why we're often devastated 00:14:55.320 --> 00:15:01.139 when people ignore us and reject us and unfriend 00:15:01.139 --> 00:15:04.980 us. Because it fuels the fire of our insecurity. 00:15:05.080 --> 00:15:08.120 We want to be seen, we want to be known, we want 00:15:08.120 --> 00:15:12.679 to be accepted. When the youngest of four, four 00:15:12.679 --> 00:15:16.299 siblings, and with quite an age gap with my older 00:15:16.299 --> 00:15:18.779 two brothers and my sister, and as I grew up 00:15:18.779 --> 00:15:22.570 as a child and a teenager, I often felt as the 00:15:22.570 --> 00:15:26.590 left out one, especially when we had family dinners 00:15:26.590 --> 00:15:30.049 on Sunday afternoons and my older siblings were 00:15:30.049 --> 00:15:32.809 talking about things that I had no idea about. 00:15:32.889 --> 00:15:34.830 I mean, they were in their 20s. I was in my early 00:15:34.830 --> 00:15:38.370 teens. I mean, jobs didn't mean anything. I couldn't 00:15:38.370 --> 00:15:41.429 relate to their stage of life. And as they didn't 00:15:41.429 --> 00:15:43.789 show any interest in my life and the things that 00:15:43.789 --> 00:15:47.580 were making my day tick. I would often withdraw 00:15:47.580 --> 00:15:51.500 from those family gatherings to be by myself 00:15:51.500 --> 00:15:54.860 in my room, allowing all those negative notions 00:15:54.860 --> 00:15:59.120 to get to me, feeling miserable, to be honest 00:15:59.120 --> 00:16:01.279 with you. And this turned out to be one of the 00:16:01.279 --> 00:16:05.019 major areas of discipleship in my years of following 00:16:05.019 --> 00:16:08.159 Jesus. And I came to understand that if I don't 00:16:08.159 --> 00:16:12.879 seek to be first known by God intimately and 00:16:12.879 --> 00:16:16.049 completely, I get all these unhealthy emotional 00:16:16.049 --> 00:16:21.870 attachments which make me feel miserable. We 00:16:21.870 --> 00:16:25.149 crave to be known, to be seen, to be accepted, 00:16:25.309 --> 00:16:29.149 to be recognized. And God is the only one who 00:16:29.149 --> 00:16:34.090 can fulfill that longing in us. Don't expect 00:16:34.090 --> 00:16:37.350 it from anyone else, will you? Expect it from 00:16:37.350 --> 00:16:41.649 God because he does intimately. and fully knowing 00:16:41.649 --> 00:16:45.610 you and knowing me, and shaping us into people 00:16:45.610 --> 00:16:51.350 with a healthy identity. So what is it that God 00:16:51.350 --> 00:16:54.509 knows about you and about me? Well, David tells 00:16:54.509 --> 00:16:59.590 us. For starters, God knows our actions. You 00:16:59.590 --> 00:17:02.870 know when I sit down or stand up. You see me 00:17:02.870 --> 00:17:05.849 when I travel and when I rest at home. You know 00:17:05.849 --> 00:17:09.490 everything I do. Whatever you undertake, God 00:17:09.490 --> 00:17:12.069 knows it. Whether it's the mundane things like 00:17:12.069 --> 00:17:13.970 brushing your teeth or eating your breakfast 00:17:13.970 --> 00:17:16.349 or playing board games. Or the bigger things 00:17:16.349 --> 00:17:19.009 in life like who to date and what job to take 00:17:19.009 --> 00:17:21.609 and where to move to. He knows about the things 00:17:21.609 --> 00:17:25.970 that you do in broad daylight. But he also knows 00:17:25.970 --> 00:17:28.950 the things that you do in secret in the darkness 00:17:28.950 --> 00:17:33.170 of the night. God knows it all. God knows our 00:17:33.170 --> 00:17:38.369 actions. God also knows your motives and my motives. 00:17:39.240 --> 00:17:42.180 As David says, you know my thoughts even when 00:17:42.180 --> 00:17:47.960 I'm far away. What we do, our actions, are motivated 00:17:47.960 --> 00:17:51.460 by our motives, right? By our thoughts. That's 00:17:51.460 --> 00:17:56.140 how we work. And where actions are visible, our 00:17:56.140 --> 00:18:00.700 motives are often not visible. And let's be honest, 00:18:00.740 --> 00:18:03.779 we often like to keep it that way, right? We 00:18:03.779 --> 00:18:08.319 act a certain way toward people, but boy. If 00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:10.519 they would only know what we were thinking, if 00:18:10.519 --> 00:18:12.900 they would only know our motive behind it, well, 00:18:13.039 --> 00:18:16.059 let's not get there. I'm so glad that my motives 00:18:16.059 --> 00:18:22.140 are not visible. Well, they are to God. God knows 00:18:22.140 --> 00:18:26.440 your thought life. God knows your motives. God 00:18:26.440 --> 00:18:29.019 knows your intentions even while they are still 00:18:29.019 --> 00:18:32.319 developing in you. That's what David means by 00:18:32.319 --> 00:18:38.180 far away or afar. God knows our motives. God 00:18:38.180 --> 00:18:42.440 also knows our words. Even before they come out 00:18:42.440 --> 00:18:45.400 of our mouth, God already knows what we're going 00:18:45.400 --> 00:18:48.460 to say, whether it's words to people or words 00:18:48.460 --> 00:18:51.160 to him. Did you know that you cannot tell God 00:18:51.160 --> 00:18:55.680 anything that he doesn't already know? You can't. 00:18:55.980 --> 00:18:58.920 You can't share anything with God that makes 00:18:58.920 --> 00:19:02.059 him say, huh, I didn't know that. By the way, 00:19:02.099 --> 00:19:04.180 it makes some people wonder about their prayer 00:19:04.180 --> 00:19:06.460 life. Here's how the wandering goes. Well, if 00:19:06.460 --> 00:19:08.200 God already knows what I'm going to ask for, 00:19:08.240 --> 00:19:10.880 we're going to tell him, why should I even bother 00:19:10.880 --> 00:19:14.460 about praying? You know why God still wants you 00:19:14.460 --> 00:19:18.700 to pray and me to pray? Because he loves to hear 00:19:18.700 --> 00:19:22.839 and enjoys it so much when his kids share about 00:19:22.839 --> 00:19:26.119 what's going on in their lives. A couple of months 00:19:26.119 --> 00:19:29.079 ago, two of my daughters, Elisa and Norcia, they're 00:19:29.079 --> 00:19:31.740 on the basketball varsity team of their school, 00:19:31.859 --> 00:19:34.140 and they had a tournament in Penang, Malaysia. 00:19:35.019 --> 00:19:37.440 And the school, the organizing school, Dalat, 00:19:37.579 --> 00:19:41.259 they offered a live stream to parents at home 00:19:41.259 --> 00:19:45.099 from the schools that were traveling in. So you 00:19:45.099 --> 00:19:47.420 could watch the basketball games of your kids, 00:19:47.519 --> 00:19:49.720 which Chanukah and I did while we were doing 00:19:49.720 --> 00:19:54.170 ministry. We also watched the games. So every 00:19:54.170 --> 00:19:56.490 game we watched, and we saw our girls' moves 00:19:56.490 --> 00:20:00.230 and scores. We saw their joy and disappointment. 00:20:00.349 --> 00:20:03.210 We saw their excitement after winning the tournament. 00:20:03.250 --> 00:20:07.190 Go Eagles! We saw all of that. So by the time 00:20:07.190 --> 00:20:11.289 they got home and began to share about what they 00:20:11.289 --> 00:20:13.829 had experienced during those days in Penang, 00:20:13.829 --> 00:20:17.029 Malaysia, we knew everything that they were going 00:20:17.029 --> 00:20:20.349 to tell us. But do you think that as a dad I 00:20:20.349 --> 00:20:24.740 said, skip it? A little bit faster. I know that. 00:20:24.799 --> 00:20:30.559 I mean, I saw you play. Boring. Of course not. 00:20:31.559 --> 00:20:35.119 Because I'm a dad who loves my girls. I'm deeply 00:20:35.119 --> 00:20:38.960 interested to hear what's going on. And I desire 00:20:38.960 --> 00:20:44.400 to be invested in their lives. The same with 00:20:44.400 --> 00:20:50.180 God. God is so interested in your lives. God 00:20:50.180 --> 00:20:54.799 desires to be so invested. In your life. That 00:20:54.799 --> 00:20:57.259 he loves to hear you share the things that he 00:20:57.259 --> 00:21:00.400 already knows. The things that you're excited 00:21:00.400 --> 00:21:03.400 about. The things that you're worried about. 00:21:04.180 --> 00:21:06.359 The things that excite you. The things that you're 00:21:06.359 --> 00:21:09.380 dreaming of. The things that are hurting you. 00:21:09.799 --> 00:21:14.279 He loves to hear you say it to him. Because he 00:21:14.279 --> 00:21:17.279 is a really, really good father. Who is deeply 00:21:17.279 --> 00:21:22.029 interested and invested in your life. So God 00:21:22.029 --> 00:21:25.670 knows your actions, he knows your motives, and 00:21:25.670 --> 00:21:31.549 he knows your words even before we do. It's crazy, 00:21:31.589 --> 00:21:35.470 right? Not only is it crazy, for some of us, 00:21:35.470 --> 00:21:39.670 knowing this can be a very unsettling reality. 00:21:41.009 --> 00:21:46.009 Because hey, if God knows everything about me, 00:21:47.109 --> 00:21:49.829 Even those things that nobody knows about me, 00:21:49.890 --> 00:21:53.190 even those things that I'd like to keep hidden 00:21:53.190 --> 00:21:58.210 and in secret, what is he going to do with that 00:21:58.210 --> 00:22:03.269 information? I mean, knowledge is power. Is God 00:22:03.269 --> 00:22:07.349 going to expose me? Is God going to use that 00:22:07.349 --> 00:22:12.559 information against me? Is God going to... beat 00:22:12.559 --> 00:22:14.859 me up because he now knows what I'm doing and 00:22:14.859 --> 00:22:19.000 thinking and speaking and all of that. Some of 00:22:19.000 --> 00:22:21.460 you have been raised with the idea, with the 00:22:21.460 --> 00:22:27.019 concept that God is an angry God. A God who is 00:22:27.019 --> 00:22:30.240 always watching over you, waiting for that moment 00:22:30.240 --> 00:22:33.299 where you fail, when you fall, so that he can 00:22:33.299 --> 00:22:37.460 beat you up and he can say, ha, I got you again. 00:22:39.630 --> 00:22:42.410 Others of you, because of your experiences in 00:22:42.410 --> 00:22:47.150 life, have a view of God as someone who is distant 00:22:47.150 --> 00:22:51.170 and indifferent. He couldn't care less about 00:22:51.170 --> 00:22:54.849 your life. And perhaps you're even blaming yourself 00:22:54.849 --> 00:22:58.309 because of the things that you have done or you 00:22:58.309 --> 00:23:02.009 have not done. And therefore you think, hold 00:23:02.009 --> 00:23:07.009 on, God. If you are all -knowing, I'd rather 00:23:07.009 --> 00:23:14.759 hide from you. than to engage with you. If that 00:23:14.759 --> 00:23:18.759 is how you view God, I want to tell you today 00:23:18.759 --> 00:23:24.059 that this is not who God is. God is not surveilling 00:23:24.059 --> 00:23:29.339 you, okay? God doesn't use CCTV cameras in hidden 00:23:29.339 --> 00:23:32.859 places to watch over you. God is not planting 00:23:32.859 --> 00:23:35.940 secret bugs behind the curtains to hear everything 00:23:35.940 --> 00:23:39.349 that you're saying. so that he can really beat 00:23:39.349 --> 00:23:41.430 you up whenever there is something that you say 00:23:41.430 --> 00:23:45.990 or do wrong. God is not surveilling you. You 00:23:45.990 --> 00:23:49.789 know what he is doing? God is lovingly watching 00:23:49.789 --> 00:23:54.369 over you, ready to place his hand of blessing 00:23:54.369 --> 00:23:58.990 upon your head. That's how David says it in verse 00:23:58.990 --> 00:24:03.529 5. You go before me and you follow me. You place 00:24:03.529 --> 00:24:09.299 your hand of blessing on my head. Wow. God is 00:24:09.299 --> 00:24:12.420 surrounding you, yes. Hemming you in, as other 00:24:12.420 --> 00:24:17.579 translations say. But not to control you. Not 00:24:17.579 --> 00:24:21.819 to squeeze the life out of you. But to guide 00:24:21.819 --> 00:24:25.779 you. To care for you. To love you. To strengthen 00:24:25.779 --> 00:24:31.359 you. To place his hand of blessing upon your 00:24:31.359 --> 00:24:35.789 head. That's how God wants you. To view him. 00:24:35.930 --> 00:24:38.450 And how you view God, it's the most important 00:24:38.450 --> 00:24:40.950 thing in your life. I think A .W. Tozer said 00:24:40.950 --> 00:24:43.869 it once. How you view God is the most important 00:24:43.869 --> 00:24:48.690 thing in your life. And I like it how the theologian 00:24:48.690 --> 00:24:53.130 J .I. Pecker once said it. Living becomes an 00:24:53.130 --> 00:24:56.509 awesome business when you realize that you spend 00:24:56.509 --> 00:24:59.490 every moment of your life in the sight and the 00:24:59.490 --> 00:25:03.589 company of an all -knowing and an ever -present 00:25:03.589 --> 00:25:08.849 God. That's life. That's the amazing business 00:25:08.849 --> 00:25:13.130 of life. When you know that God knowing everything 00:25:13.130 --> 00:25:16.250 about you is not a threat, it's not unsettling 00:25:16.250 --> 00:25:21.549 at all, deeply fulfilling. God knows you and 00:25:21.549 --> 00:25:26.829 God lovingly watches over you, ready to bless 00:25:26.829 --> 00:25:33.970 you. It's overwhelming, can be overwhelming. 00:25:35.690 --> 00:25:38.950 And you're in good company if this is too much 00:25:38.950 --> 00:25:41.549 to understand. Oh, you're in good company because 00:25:41.549 --> 00:25:45.829 David fell dead. I see a claim, exclaimed in 00:25:45.829 --> 00:25:49.190 verse 6, such knowledge is too wonderful for 00:25:49.190 --> 00:25:53.589 me, God. Really? Wow, it's too great for me to 00:25:53.589 --> 00:25:57.430 understand. It's overwhelming, right, to think 00:25:57.430 --> 00:26:00.779 that God knows everything about you. and still 00:26:00.779 --> 00:26:03.559 wants to hang out with you. It's overwhelming. 00:26:05.279 --> 00:26:08.519 Don't try to understand it, will you? Did you 00:26:08.519 --> 00:26:13.059 know that God has never ever asked us to understand 00:26:13.059 --> 00:26:17.279 Him? Never ever do we find in Scripture a command 00:26:17.279 --> 00:26:21.339 from God saying, hey, your job is to figure me 00:26:21.339 --> 00:26:25.019 out so that at some point you can say, ah, that 00:26:25.019 --> 00:26:29.720 makes sense. God has never asked that. God will 00:26:29.720 --> 00:26:33.400 never ask us to understand him. Why? It's impossible 00:26:33.400 --> 00:26:36.660 to understand him. His ways are so much higher 00:26:36.660 --> 00:26:39.480 than our ways. His thoughts and plans are so 00:26:39.480 --> 00:26:42.539 much bigger than our thoughts and plans. So don't 00:26:42.539 --> 00:26:46.900 try to understand him. You know what God is asking 00:26:46.900 --> 00:26:54.000 of us? Know me and trust me. So if what you're 00:26:54.000 --> 00:26:56.440 hearing this morning is too much to comprehend 00:26:56.440 --> 00:26:59.519 like it was for David, like it is for me, can 00:26:59.519 --> 00:27:01.759 I encourage you, don't try to understand it, 00:27:01.839 --> 00:27:05.299 but receive it, believe it, appropriate it, and 00:27:05.299 --> 00:27:08.619 live it. Will you? Allow that what you hear and 00:27:08.619 --> 00:27:11.740 understand with your mind to really land in those 00:27:11.740 --> 00:27:15.019 deep places of your soul where it is supposed 00:27:15.019 --> 00:27:20.579 to land. Well, as David continues his song in 00:27:20.579 --> 00:27:25.420 verse 7, of Psalm 139, he reveals another aspect 00:27:25.420 --> 00:27:29.440 of God that I want to briefly talk about. This 00:27:29.440 --> 00:27:32.240 is what David says. I can never escape from your 00:27:32.240 --> 00:27:35.660 spirit. I can never get away from your presence. 00:27:36.660 --> 00:27:40.200 If I go up to heaven, you're there. If I go down 00:27:40.200 --> 00:27:44.039 to the grave, you're there. If I ride the wings 00:27:44.039 --> 00:27:46.779 of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, 00:27:47.759 --> 00:27:51.099 Even there, your hand will guide me and your 00:27:51.099 --> 00:27:57.859 strength will support me. If you box in those 00:27:57.859 --> 00:28:01.259 verses like I have done on this slide, and when 00:28:01.259 --> 00:28:05.279 you read them out of their context, you can come 00:28:05.279 --> 00:28:09.440 to a conclusion that David felt like a prisoner 00:28:09.440 --> 00:28:14.430 of God. Boy, he's always there. Can I really 00:28:14.430 --> 00:28:16.569 not shake him off my back? I mean, I go there, 00:28:16.650 --> 00:28:18.950 God is there. I go there, God is there. I go 00:28:18.950 --> 00:28:23.089 there, God is there. What is up with this God? 00:28:24.829 --> 00:28:28.069 You can interpret that. And maybe you even feel 00:28:28.069 --> 00:28:31.490 like that. Oh, God is always there. But that's 00:28:31.490 --> 00:28:33.950 an out of context interpretation of what David 00:28:33.950 --> 00:28:36.470 is saying. These are not the words of someone 00:28:36.470 --> 00:28:40.309 who felt like a prisoner of God. These are words 00:28:40.309 --> 00:28:43.630 of a guy that sought the presence of God and 00:28:43.630 --> 00:28:47.670 found the presence of God in his everyday experience 00:28:47.670 --> 00:28:52.970 of life. In the first and second Samuel, those 00:28:52.970 --> 00:28:56.349 are really including the storyline of David. 00:28:56.450 --> 00:28:59.910 We understand the experiential side of things 00:28:59.910 --> 00:29:02.809 that David is proclaiming here. Lord, wherever 00:29:02.809 --> 00:29:07.369 I go, you're there. Wherever I am, you're there, 00:29:07.490 --> 00:29:11.839 God. You're always there. What David wants us 00:29:11.839 --> 00:29:15.980 to know is wherever I am, God is there. And wherever 00:29:15.980 --> 00:29:21.119 I'm going, God is already there. Not only does 00:29:21.119 --> 00:29:26.599 God know everything about you, he is also with 00:29:26.599 --> 00:29:30.329 you. all the time he surrounds you by his presence 00:29:30.329 --> 00:29:33.170 today tomorrow next week next month next year 00:29:33.170 --> 00:29:35.210 whether you're here in bangkok when you're on 00:29:35.210 --> 00:29:37.549 vacation when you're traveling for business and 00:29:37.549 --> 00:29:41.509 when you're leaving this part of the world to 00:29:41.509 --> 00:29:46.650 go and live somewhere else god is omnipresent 00:29:46.650 --> 00:29:48.809 that's the word that theologians give to this 00:29:48.809 --> 00:29:51.029 you can leave it to a theologian to make things 00:29:51.029 --> 00:29:54.210 complex right omnipresent which means is god 00:29:54.210 --> 00:30:00.339 is ever present god is always there. What is 00:30:00.339 --> 00:30:04.160 he doing? Guiding you with his hand, as David 00:30:04.160 --> 00:30:12.019 says, supporting you with his strength. Knowing 00:30:12.019 --> 00:30:17.119 this is a very deep and significant truth for 00:30:17.119 --> 00:30:20.000 me and my family in this season of transition 00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:24.319 that we're in. We're three weeks away from our 00:30:24.319 --> 00:30:27.730 last Sunday. with you here at ECB. June the 1st 00:30:27.730 --> 00:30:30.250 is the last time that we get to worship with 00:30:30.250 --> 00:30:34.529 you before we do our final packing and then leave 00:30:34.529 --> 00:30:39.309 this you, this place, this city, this country 00:30:39.309 --> 00:30:44.869 that we consider our home. And there are days 00:30:44.869 --> 00:30:48.609 where that reality hits us, deeply so. It unsettles 00:30:48.609 --> 00:30:55.009 us. It overwhelms us. It's hard. To say goodbye 00:30:55.009 --> 00:30:58.750 to the people that we love and the place of ministry 00:30:58.750 --> 00:31:00.990 where we have seen God at work in incredible 00:31:00.990 --> 00:31:05.009 ways over the past years of ministry. I mean, 00:31:05.009 --> 00:31:08.710 it's hard to see our girls, our daughters, maneuvering 00:31:08.710 --> 00:31:11.809 through this season of saying goodbye. So yeah, 00:31:12.009 --> 00:31:16.990 truth be told, it's hard and it unsettles us. 00:31:17.869 --> 00:31:21.650 You know what helps us? Significantly so in this 00:31:21.650 --> 00:31:26.000 season? It's knowing that God is the one who 00:31:26.000 --> 00:31:30.799 is calling us out into this new place of being 00:31:30.799 --> 00:31:35.299 and ministering. And it's experiencing God's 00:31:35.299 --> 00:31:39.799 presence in big ways and in small ways in our 00:31:39.799 --> 00:31:43.880 moments of unsettledness, overwhelmedness, and 00:31:43.880 --> 00:31:50.539 sadness. God shows up all the time, making sure 00:31:50.539 --> 00:31:54.089 that at least most of the times, we experience 00:31:54.089 --> 00:31:59.750 deep peace amidst the unsettledness. It's God, 00:31:59.789 --> 00:32:04.009 loved ones. Jesus is able to give the kind of 00:32:04.009 --> 00:32:06.890 peace that no one else is able to give. It's 00:32:06.890 --> 00:32:12.250 God's presence that gives you the peace. So I 00:32:12.250 --> 00:32:13.990 want to encourage you because I know that we're 00:32:13.990 --> 00:32:16.430 not the only ones in a season of transition. 00:32:16.589 --> 00:32:19.829 In a community like ours here at ECB, transition 00:32:19.829 --> 00:32:23.410 and change and moving in and moving out and the 00:32:23.410 --> 00:32:26.529 unknowns and the uncertainties, it's a reality 00:32:26.529 --> 00:32:30.690 to many of you. But I want you to know, God is 00:32:30.690 --> 00:32:33.509 with you where you are right now. God is already 00:32:33.509 --> 00:32:36.109 there where you will be going, looking after 00:32:36.109 --> 00:32:38.390 things that you didn't even have the time for 00:32:38.390 --> 00:32:42.789 to look into. And God will be with you every 00:32:42.789 --> 00:32:45.869 step of the way from here to there because he 00:32:45.869 --> 00:32:49.730 is an ever -present God ready to bless you, ready 00:32:49.730 --> 00:32:52.390 to guide you with his hand, ready to give you 00:32:52.390 --> 00:32:55.950 his strength, his comfort, and his peace. That's 00:32:55.950 --> 00:33:03.769 our ever -present God. Amen? So those were the 00:33:03.769 --> 00:33:10.000 first 10 verses of Psalm 139. but I don't want 00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:13.799 to finish yet. Because there is this response 00:33:13.799 --> 00:33:17.000 of David at the end of the psalm, after he has 00:33:17.000 --> 00:33:19.299 acknowledged God as the all -knowing one and 00:33:19.299 --> 00:33:21.859 the ever -present one, and there is some more 00:33:21.859 --> 00:33:24.359 in the psalm that we had no time for today to 00:33:24.359 --> 00:33:28.180 look into, but at the end of his song, David 00:33:28.180 --> 00:33:32.140 responds with a prayer, and it's such a good 00:33:32.140 --> 00:33:35.950 prayer. that I don't want us to miss out on that 00:33:35.950 --> 00:33:38.690 part of the psalm. This is what David prays. 00:33:38.970 --> 00:33:43.210 Search me, O God, and know my heart. Test me 00:33:43.210 --> 00:33:46.470 and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything 00:33:46.470 --> 00:33:49.910 in me that offends you and lead me along the 00:33:49.910 --> 00:33:57.450 path of everlasting life. That's a good prayer. 00:33:58.450 --> 00:34:03.930 Ever prayed that prayer? Maybe? It's the kind 00:34:03.930 --> 00:34:09.389 of prayer that takes David's understanding of 00:34:09.389 --> 00:34:13.829 God, his theology, to a place of real life, raw 00:34:13.829 --> 00:34:16.730 discipleship. By the way, this is Discipleship 00:34:16.730 --> 00:34:20.389 101. And write it down, if you will. Discipleship 00:34:20.389 --> 00:34:23.789 101 is this. Theology only becomes profitable 00:34:23.789 --> 00:34:27.630 if you make it personal. One more time. Theology 00:34:27.630 --> 00:34:30.769 only is profitable when you make it personal. 00:34:31.340 --> 00:34:34.599 It's exactly what David is doing here. What does 00:34:34.599 --> 00:34:36.880 this look like for David? Well, knowing that 00:34:36.880 --> 00:34:39.880 God knew everything about him was not at all 00:34:39.880 --> 00:34:45.179 alarming to David. As a matter of fact, knowing 00:34:45.179 --> 00:34:48.940 this was reason for David to honestly reflect 00:34:48.940 --> 00:34:52.119 on his life with God. Lord, if there is anything 00:34:52.119 --> 00:34:56.039 in me that offends you, I need to know it. Would 00:34:56.039 --> 00:34:59.099 you tell me, Lord, if there is any anxiety in 00:34:59.099 --> 00:35:01.599 me because I trust my ways more than I trust 00:35:01.599 --> 00:35:04.519 your ways, let me know, Lord, because those are 00:35:04.519 --> 00:35:07.519 things that get in between you and me, and I 00:35:07.519 --> 00:35:10.260 don't want that. So after letting me know, would 00:35:10.260 --> 00:35:13.190 you help me? Would you lead me? along the path 00:35:13.190 --> 00:35:15.989 of everlasting life. Help me get rid of those 00:35:15.989 --> 00:35:20.510 things. That's discipleship. That's bringing 00:35:20.510 --> 00:35:25.329 our commitment of following God to a place of 00:35:25.329 --> 00:35:28.929 getting real with God. So no, the fact that God 00:35:28.929 --> 00:35:32.789 fully knows you is not threatening. It's not 00:35:32.789 --> 00:35:35.809 unsettling at all. Not only is it fulfilling, 00:35:36.230 --> 00:35:41.269 it's also an invitation for us to get real with 00:35:41.269 --> 00:35:46.219 God. It's an invitation to us to get our theology, 00:35:46.320 --> 00:35:49.420 our knowing of God, knowledge of God, to a place 00:35:49.420 --> 00:35:52.719 of real and raw discipleship. And discipleship 00:35:52.719 --> 00:35:56.539 requires change. And change requires honesty 00:35:56.539 --> 00:36:01.559 with ourselves, often brutal honesty with yourself. 00:36:03.500 --> 00:36:06.840 And there's no better place to get real about 00:36:06.840 --> 00:36:10.500 yourself than with God because God is a safe 00:36:10.500 --> 00:36:13.639 place. God already knows everything there is 00:36:13.639 --> 00:36:16.800 to know about you. Yes, also the ugly and the 00:36:16.800 --> 00:36:19.539 dark stuff, he already knows. You don't need 00:36:19.539 --> 00:36:22.159 to be ashamed. You don't need to feel guilty. 00:36:22.219 --> 00:36:28.019 You just need to get real with him. God is a 00:36:28.019 --> 00:36:32.260 safe place, loved ones. So let's get real with 00:36:32.260 --> 00:36:34.920 God. Shall we? And by the way, for the better, 00:36:34.960 --> 00:36:37.960 let's get real with each other as well. Discipleship 00:36:37.960 --> 00:36:41.280 is a bit raw and is a little bit messy. No, not 00:36:41.280 --> 00:36:44.860 a little bit. It's very messy. Let's get real 00:36:44.860 --> 00:36:51.280 with God. Let's get real with one another. You 00:36:51.280 --> 00:36:53.860 know what will be the result? If you make this, 00:36:53.940 --> 00:36:58.039 that what we just read, your daily prayer, change 00:36:58.039 --> 00:37:01.980 in you. will be the result, increasingly so. 00:37:02.099 --> 00:37:04.820 You know what else? The experience of freedom 00:37:04.820 --> 00:37:08.739 and fullness of Jesus will be your experience, 00:37:08.980 --> 00:37:15.019 increasingly so. Okay, so we're getting toward 00:37:15.019 --> 00:37:18.519 the end of this study, of this song. And for 00:37:18.519 --> 00:37:21.400 those of you who like quick summaries, I mean, 00:37:21.440 --> 00:37:23.099 we have some practical people here right now. 00:37:23.440 --> 00:37:26.440 Maybe you're now asking, well, Pastor, What are 00:37:26.440 --> 00:37:28.480 a couple of truths, maybe two or three, make 00:37:28.480 --> 00:37:32.260 it simple and concise, that you want me to have 00:37:32.260 --> 00:37:35.579 on my playlist on repeat after what you have 00:37:35.579 --> 00:37:37.400 said this morning? Well, thank you for asking. 00:37:37.500 --> 00:37:41.139 Here are two truths that I really would like 00:37:41.139 --> 00:37:45.300 for you to have on repeat on your playlist. Ready? 00:37:46.199 --> 00:37:48.920 Here we go. Truth number one, God knows your 00:37:48.920 --> 00:37:52.559 worst and your best, and he loves you the same. 00:37:52.579 --> 00:38:00.179 Can you say that? Can you now make it personal 00:38:00.179 --> 00:38:02.900 and change the you's and so with the me's? Here 00:38:02.900 --> 00:38:08.139 we go. God knows my worst and my best and he 00:38:08.139 --> 00:38:16.119 loves me the same. Do you believe that? The author 00:38:16.119 --> 00:38:19.320 Jerry Bridges in his book, The Discipline of 00:38:19.320 --> 00:38:23.829 Grace. explains the good day, bad day mentality 00:38:23.829 --> 00:38:26.610 that is going around in Christian circles. What 00:38:26.610 --> 00:38:29.449 is that mentality? Well, let me explain. Good 00:38:29.449 --> 00:38:33.630 day is a day on which you had spent time with 00:38:33.630 --> 00:38:37.130 God, you made godly choices, you resisted temptation 00:38:37.130 --> 00:38:40.849 really well, and so on and so forth. And because 00:38:40.849 --> 00:38:44.449 it was a good day, you believe that God loves 00:38:44.449 --> 00:38:48.809 you a lot. Because it was a good day. The bad 00:38:48.809 --> 00:38:51.329 day, on the other hand, is a day on which you 00:38:51.329 --> 00:38:53.769 didn't keep your spiritual disciplines. Actually, 00:38:53.809 --> 00:38:56.869 you fell for temptation. You treated your friend 00:38:56.869 --> 00:39:01.530 or your spouse not so rightly. You did all kinds 00:39:01.530 --> 00:39:04.190 of stuff. And because of that, God is really, 00:39:04.309 --> 00:39:07.550 really disappointed in you. As a matter of fact, 00:39:07.730 --> 00:39:10.750 he gives you a couple of challenging circumstances 00:39:10.750 --> 00:39:15.690 to teach you a lesson on this bad day. That's 00:39:15.690 --> 00:39:20.570 the good day, bad day. And by the way, it has 00:39:20.570 --> 00:39:24.090 found its way in a lot of Christian circles. 00:39:24.849 --> 00:39:27.889 Maybe after hearing this, you recognize yourself, 00:39:27.909 --> 00:39:32.210 hold on, that's kind of how I see God as well. 00:39:32.250 --> 00:39:35.750 On good days, he loves me a lot. On bad days, 00:39:35.929 --> 00:39:39.909 I'm not sure if he would approve of what I'm 00:39:39.909 --> 00:39:43.090 doing. And therefore, he probably loves me a 00:39:43.090 --> 00:39:48.949 lot less. This is not the gospel, friend. If 00:39:48.949 --> 00:39:53.289 this is your mentality, that's not the good news 00:39:53.289 --> 00:39:59.289 of Jesus, okay? This is the good news of Jesus. 00:39:59.409 --> 00:40:03.630 God is so rich in mercy and he loved us so much 00:40:03.630 --> 00:40:06.630 that even though we were dead because of our 00:40:06.630 --> 00:40:10.050 sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from 00:40:10.050 --> 00:40:13.989 the dead. It is only by God's grace that you 00:40:13.989 --> 00:40:18.880 and I have been saved. What you do or don't do 00:40:18.880 --> 00:40:22.800 doesn't change God's love for you. That's the 00:40:22.800 --> 00:40:26.219 good news of the gospel. Even while you and I 00:40:26.219 --> 00:40:30.300 were in our most unlovable condition, dead because 00:40:30.300 --> 00:40:32.880 of our sins, that's pretty unlovable if you ask 00:40:32.880 --> 00:40:38.179 me, God already loved us. And God's love for 00:40:38.179 --> 00:40:42.019 us, even in that unlovable condition, was His 00:40:42.019 --> 00:40:46.650 motivation. forgiving us jesus to save us and 00:40:46.650 --> 00:40:51.869 the application of that is called grace okay 00:40:51.869 --> 00:40:55.610 there is nothing that you can do that will make 00:40:55.610 --> 00:40:58.289 god love you more or that will make him love 00:40:58.289 --> 00:41:02.869 you less that's good day bad day mentality that's 00:41:02.869 --> 00:41:07.429 not the gospel okay nothing that you will be 00:41:07.429 --> 00:41:11.619 able to do can make god love you less The same 00:41:11.619 --> 00:41:14.940 Jerry Bridges that I referred to earlier said 00:41:14.940 --> 00:41:18.860 this. I love what he says. Your worst days are 00:41:18.860 --> 00:41:23.000 never so bad that you are beyond the reach of 00:41:23.000 --> 00:41:28.500 God's grace. And your best days are never so 00:41:28.500 --> 00:41:32.539 good that you are beyond the need of God's grace. 00:41:33.139 --> 00:41:45.030 This is grace. This is grace. is grace and God 00:41:45.030 --> 00:41:51.369 continues to apply grace to our everyday life 00:41:51.369 --> 00:41:56.389 and therefore you're never too far away not to 00:41:56.389 --> 00:42:01.630 receive it grace and you're never too close not 00:42:01.630 --> 00:42:07.320 to need it let me also say this the fact that 00:42:07.320 --> 00:42:10.360 God loves you on your worst day and your bad 00:42:10.360 --> 00:42:15.239 day, worst day and your best days, doesn't mean 00:42:15.239 --> 00:42:17.619 that he condones, that he approves of all your 00:42:17.619 --> 00:42:20.000 actions, all your motives, all your thoughts, 00:42:20.079 --> 00:42:23.639 and all your words, okay? That's why he wants 00:42:23.639 --> 00:42:27.039 us to get real with him. Because when you're 00:42:27.039 --> 00:42:32.929 out of shape, spiritually, emotionally, God loves 00:42:32.929 --> 00:42:35.789 you too much to keep you in that shape, and he 00:42:35.789 --> 00:42:38.690 wants to get you back into shape. That's why 00:42:38.690 --> 00:42:43.989 he invites us to get real with him. Which brings 00:42:43.989 --> 00:42:47.929 me to the second thing, the second truth for 00:42:47.929 --> 00:42:51.869 all of you who like quick summaries. God knows 00:42:51.869 --> 00:42:55.949 your potential, and he is transforming you toward 00:42:55.949 --> 00:43:01.349 that goal. God not only intimately knows who 00:43:01.349 --> 00:43:06.730 you are today, he also intimately knows who you 00:43:06.730 --> 00:43:12.010 are becoming. God is changing you. You know that, 00:43:12.070 --> 00:43:16.449 right? And we're called in scripture God's workmanship 00:43:16.449 --> 00:43:21.630 or God's masterpiece. And when you know how artists 00:43:21.630 --> 00:43:26.150 work, like painters and, what's it, sculpture? 00:43:27.550 --> 00:43:28.889 People who make sculptures, what is it called? 00:43:30.489 --> 00:43:34.769 Yeah, hard word for someone who is ESL. When 00:43:34.769 --> 00:43:38.110 you know how artists work, you know that they 00:43:38.110 --> 00:43:41.889 begin with the finished product in mind, right? 00:43:42.469 --> 00:43:45.630 When a painter begins to paint, he or she already 00:43:45.630 --> 00:43:49.130 knows, that's the outcome. That's the finished 00:43:49.130 --> 00:43:51.630 product I'm working on. But when you walk into 00:43:51.630 --> 00:43:53.710 the room where the painter is painting, in the 00:43:53.710 --> 00:43:56.210 process, you know what you see? Some broad strokes 00:43:56.210 --> 00:43:58.730 of paint, some blobs of green, yellow, and red, 00:43:58.809 --> 00:44:01.449 and it makes you wonder, it looks like nothing. 00:44:01.909 --> 00:44:04.969 It's a mess. What are you doing? And the painter 00:44:04.969 --> 00:44:08.989 would tell you, hold on, hold on. I know the 00:44:08.989 --> 00:44:12.590 stages I need to go through to get to that place 00:44:12.590 --> 00:44:17.480 of finished. I know the potential of that painting, 00:44:17.539 --> 00:44:20.960 what I'm still making. That's a picture that 00:44:20.960 --> 00:44:26.000 God wants us to have of him. God is an artist. 00:44:26.800 --> 00:44:31.300 God is a painter or a sculptor. God is an artist 00:44:31.300 --> 00:44:35.099 making us into something. You know who is the 00:44:35.099 --> 00:44:38.739 finished product that he has in mind? It's Jesus. 00:44:39.440 --> 00:44:42.300 That's the prototype that he is looking at. Like 00:44:42.300 --> 00:44:46.139 Romans 8 .29 says, God knew us in advance and 00:44:46.139 --> 00:44:51.280 he also chose us to become like his son. That 00:44:51.280 --> 00:44:55.599 is Jesus. So that's our potential, becoming like 00:44:55.599 --> 00:44:59.340 Jesus. And yeah, that takes time to get there, 00:44:59.380 --> 00:45:02.889 right? We're talking Jesus here. So God goes 00:45:02.889 --> 00:45:06.650 through the stages. God transforms us every step 00:45:06.650 --> 00:45:10.550 of the way. And you may be wondering, like wondering 00:45:10.550 --> 00:45:12.789 when the painter's making this painting, say, 00:45:12.949 --> 00:45:15.670 well, God, I don't think it's going anywhere. 00:45:15.809 --> 00:45:18.130 What I see is a blob of green and yellow on a 00:45:18.130 --> 00:45:22.070 canvas and a couple of broad strokes. It's messy 00:45:22.070 --> 00:45:25.389 what you're doing. If you feel like that about 00:45:25.389 --> 00:45:28.949 your journey of discipleship, can I just encourage 00:45:28.949 --> 00:45:33.239 you, trust the process. Because the process is 00:45:33.239 --> 00:45:37.420 being undertaken about the master artist. And 00:45:37.420 --> 00:45:41.960 his name is God Almighty. God knows what he is 00:45:41.960 --> 00:45:44.599 doing. God knows the stages that he needs to 00:45:44.599 --> 00:45:47.360 be taking you through. Stages of transformation. 00:45:47.420 --> 00:45:50.039 Some are a little bit easier than the others. 00:45:50.260 --> 00:45:53.780 But he is forming you. He is shaping you into 00:45:53.780 --> 00:45:57.280 becoming like his son Jesus. Do you want to become 00:45:57.280 --> 00:46:00.079 like Jesus? I do. Anyone else here wanting to 00:46:00.079 --> 00:46:03.219 become like Jesus? Let me encourage you, God 00:46:03.219 --> 00:46:06.199 is doing it. Let me also encourage you in saying, 00:46:06.360 --> 00:46:10.099 we'll get there after a lifetime plus one day. 00:46:11.320 --> 00:46:14.639 Or the moment Jesus returns and right thereafter. 00:46:14.980 --> 00:46:20.039 That's when we will be like Jesus. While we're 00:46:20.039 --> 00:46:22.679 here, God is working. He's a master at it. He 00:46:22.679 --> 00:46:27.199 knows what He is doing. Every stage, every step 00:46:27.199 --> 00:46:36.650 of the way. What a song, right? Psalm 139, put 00:46:36.650 --> 00:46:38.750 it on repeat on your playlist. There is also 00:46:38.750 --> 00:46:41.949 songs made about this psalm, so there is melodies 00:46:41.949 --> 00:46:46.090 and all of that, but make sure that these words, 00:46:46.170 --> 00:46:49.449 these truths are on repeat on the playlist of 00:46:49.449 --> 00:46:52.409 your life so that your soul and your heart can 00:46:52.409 --> 00:46:55.769 be immersed with what your mind already knows. 00:46:57.110 --> 00:47:00.619 As I close, I want to ask you one question. Are 00:47:00.619 --> 00:47:06.400 you allowing God to know you? Is it possible 00:47:06.400 --> 00:47:08.420 that God has been speaking to you this morning 00:47:08.420 --> 00:47:13.900 about your reservations to fully engage with 00:47:13.900 --> 00:47:17.239 Him? Because the idea of being fully known by 00:47:17.239 --> 00:47:23.179 God threatens you and unsettles you. Could it 00:47:23.179 --> 00:47:27.170 be that you are hiding for God? Because your 00:47:27.170 --> 00:47:32.349 view of him is one of he is surveilling me, he 00:47:32.349 --> 00:47:35.590 is watching over me, ready to beat me up whenever 00:47:35.590 --> 00:47:38.690 I go wrong in my actions, my motives or my words. 00:47:39.150 --> 00:47:41.829 Could it be that this morning you've become aware 00:47:41.829 --> 00:47:46.130 that you are actually doubting God's love for 00:47:46.130 --> 00:47:50.090 you and with that his motive for him wanting 00:47:50.090 --> 00:47:56.840 to know you? If these are things you are struggling 00:47:56.840 --> 00:48:00.019 with, you're wrestling through at this moment, 00:48:00.119 --> 00:48:06.059 we're here for you to help you. We're here for 00:48:06.059 --> 00:48:10.980 you to pray with you. So if the Lord has been 00:48:10.980 --> 00:48:14.780 speaking and revealing to you things in this 00:48:14.780 --> 00:48:17.699 realm, I encourage you to come after this worship 00:48:17.699 --> 00:48:20.840 service. We're here. For as long as we need to 00:48:20.840 --> 00:48:23.360 be here to pray with you, to be there for you, 00:48:23.420 --> 00:48:26.199 to be still with you, but I invite you, come. 00:48:27.559 --> 00:48:32.800 God desires to be invested in your life. So come 00:48:32.800 --> 00:48:37.360 and allow Him to know you. I want to ask all 00:48:37.360 --> 00:48:40.719 of you to bow your heads and let's quiet ourselves 00:48:40.719 --> 00:48:49.980 for a couple of moments before I pray. Father, 00:48:50.000 --> 00:48:55.559 you are here. And your presence is evident this 00:48:55.559 --> 00:49:07.159 morning. Lord, you have used me to speak words 00:49:07.159 --> 00:49:13.000 that I believe you wanted me to speak. But I 00:49:13.000 --> 00:49:17.280 acknowledge that my teaching was incomplete as 00:49:17.280 --> 00:49:21.269 it always is. And that there is more that you 00:49:21.269 --> 00:49:29.929 want to unpack and reveal to us. So would you 00:49:29.929 --> 00:49:36.349 do that, Holy Spirit? Make us aware of those 00:49:36.349 --> 00:49:40.530 things in our lives that are offensive to you. 00:49:42.769 --> 00:49:46.889 Make us aware of any anxious thoughts we pray 00:49:46.889 --> 00:49:54.829 with David. And Lord, help us to follow you on 00:49:54.829 --> 00:50:00.949 your way of life everlasting. So Lord, as we 00:50:00.949 --> 00:50:07.289 bow before you and quiet ourselves, continue 00:50:07.289 --> 00:50:12.869 your ministry, Holy Spirit. In this moment, in 00:50:12.869 --> 00:50:15.489 the hours and the days to come, Holy Spirit. 00:50:17.400 --> 00:50:24.900 Minister to your people. Minister to me. Thank 00:50:24.900 --> 00:50:30.519 you for wanting to be involved deeply into our 00:50:30.519 --> 00:50:33.019 lives. Thank you for intimately and completely 00:50:33.019 --> 00:50:45.239 knowing us. Father, your grace is enough. There's 00:50:45.239 --> 00:50:49.079 nothing that we can do To make you love us more 00:50:49.079 --> 00:50:54.059 or make you love us less, your grace is enough. 00:50:56.179 --> 00:50:59.519 Thank you, Father. It's in the name of Jesus 00:50:59.519 --> 00:51:15.199 that we pray. Amen. If you are looking for community 00:51:15.199 --> 00:51:19.099 or are in need of prayer, we welcome you to engage 00:51:19.099 --> 00:51:23.920 by sending us an email to office at ecb .asia 00:51:23.920 --> 00:51:27.559 If God is calling you to support our ministries, 00:51:27.579 --> 00:51:30.280 you will find giving options on our website. 00:51:31.079 --> 00:51:34.519 And remember to join us next week. God bless 00:51:34.519 --> 00:51:34.760 you.