For those who have faith in Jesus our ultimate destination is the new heavens and new earth the Bible speaks of. Revelations 21 describes what the new Jerusalem with be like…
Revelation 21:10-27 NLT [10] So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. [11] It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone-like jasper as clear as crystal. [12] The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates. [13] There were three gates on each side-east, north, south, and west. [14] The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. [15] The angel who talked to me held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. [16] When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles. [17] Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick (according to the human standard used by the angel). [18] The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass. [19] The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve precious stones: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, [20] the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. [21] The twelve gates were made of pearls-each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass. [22] I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. [23] And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. [24] The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. [25] Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. [26] And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. [27] Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty-but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
This description sounds amazing, too glorious to fully comprehend! My finite mind cannot fully grasp it. I can only live in the joyous hope knowing that I will see it because what Jesus has done.
My heart is that everyone who reads this blog will trust Jesus for their salvation and have their name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
In Acts 2:42 we see what the early church was devoted to. It says, “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.”
We see the early church was devoted to four vital things. The teaching of the Apostles, to meeting together in fellowship, to sharing meals with communion together, and to prayer.
These four things are a great foundation to build upon. And as we see in verse 47, “…the Lord added to their number those who were being saved”.
As a follower of Christ, what are you devoted to? I think we should aim for the four things the early church did – teaching, fellowship, communion and prayer.
I was reading Psalm 139 this week. As I read four things really stood out to me. As I thought about them I realise they are four things that are important for us to know if we really want to be all we can be for the Lord. Hence, the title of my message is Four lessons from Psalm 139.
Before I read the chapter I want to have a quick overview of David’s life as he is the one who wrote many of the Psalms.
Overview of David’s life
God raised David from humble origins as a shepherd from Bethlehem to rule as Israel’s second king. According to Bible Scholars David was born 1040 BC and lived to 970 BC. He was 69 or 70 when he died. He was the youngest of Jesse’s eight sons. David led Israel to its pinnacle of power and glory and as history tells us David’s descendant was Jesus.
David showed success in various roles, including Shepherd, Military leader, King, Covenantal recipient, Poet, Musician and a Religious example to us.
David also had his failures too (you can read about a major one in 2 Samuel 11). David’s failures as a father and king show him as an imperfect man whom God both disciplined and blessed. After all his failings, to hear God describe as a man of His own heart is amazing. It says a lot about David and even more about God.
Bible Reading – Psalm 139:1-24
Message Points
As I read through this passage four main ideas spoke to me.
1. God really knows us
“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.” (v1-2)
Verses 1-6 tells us that God really knows us inside out. He knows our thoughts and our daily actions. He knows all about us like no one else. He knows us better than our parents or our spouses. And He loves deeply. He cares for us deeply”, even though He knows all!
It is reassuring to remember that God knows us personally and intimately. If the very hairs of our heads are numbered as it tells us in Matthew 10:30, then God does not need a birth certificate or a social security number to prove who we are; to know who we are, and where we are, and what we are deep down inside!
As humans, we naturally only show our good sides to people. We fall into the trap of wearing masks to conceal who we really are. We figure if people knew the real us, they would not like us or they would reject us. Not so with God. He knows us inside out. He knows us warts and all. Yet He still loves us and He chooses to be our friend.
2. God is always with us
“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” (v7)
“You go before me and follow me. You place Your hand of blessing on my head.” (v5)
Verses 7-11 tell us that God is always with us. There is nowhere in all creation that God is not present with us. There is no place we can flee to escape His presence. This gives me great comfort knowing God is always there.
God always being with us is a recurrent theme of the Bible”:
Deuteronomy 31:8 “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
1 Kings 8:57 “May the LORD our God be with us as He was with our ancestors; may He never leave us or abandon us.”
Matthew 28:20 “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Hebrews 13:5 “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
1 Corinthians 3:16 “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?”
God is always with us. He goes before us when we are on the move. He promises to be with us like He was with those before us who called on His name. When we are doing His work of making disciples, He is with us. We don’t have to fear for the future and His provision, He will never abandon us. Finally, His Spirit dwells within us. God is always with us”: in all situations of life. He is not going anywhere.
3. God made us wonderful
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (13-14)
Verses 13-18 tells us that God made us. He knitted us together in our mother’s womb. He was right there at the beginning. He created exactly as He needs us to be”: and it is flawless. We are fearfully and wonderfully made.
You were chosen before the world was made (Ephesians 1:4-5)
You were created and equipped for good works (Ephesians 2:10)
You are adopted into His family (John 1:12)
You have the Holy Spirit living inside you (Romans 8:11)
You are no longer condemned (Romans 8:1)
You are seated with Christ (Ephesians 2:4-7)
You were knit together in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13)
You are truly loved by God (1 John 4:9-10)
You are free in Christ (John 8:36)
Today I just want to remind you that God made you wonderful. You are amazing. You are special. You are loved.
4. We need God to search our hearts
“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (v23-24)
In the last section of verses 19-24 we see that David wanted God to search his heart. He didn’t want any wrong attitude or thought to be in his mind. He didn’t want his hatred for his enemies to blind him or be something between him and God. He wanted a clean and pure heart. We need to ask God to search our hearts too.
Jeremiah 17:10 talks about God searching our hearts too. “But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”
If we want to walk closely with the Lord, we need to ask Him to search our hearts like David did. We want God to create a clean heart in us too. Asking Him to search our hearts is a key to learning if our attitudes and desires are wrong in His eyes.
As I said a few weeks ago, that when we sin we can be like Adam and Eve and hide from God, but God went searching for them. He also sent His Son to die for our sin and Jesus now is our Advocate in heaven.
It is better to be like David and ask God to search our hearts, then we can be right with God and walk with Him with a clean heart.
Conclusion
God knows us inside out and He still loves us. God is always with us wherever we go in this world. God the Master craftsman, created us wonderful. We need God to examine and pinpoint any offensive ways in us so we can confess and walk in purity and holiness.
Here are seven Bible passages to help if you are prone to worry. I would encourage you to read them every day. Allow them to sink deep in to your heart and mind and try to memorise them.
Philippians 4:6-7 NLT [6] Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. [7] Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Psalm 29:11 NLT [11] The LORD gives his people strength. The LORD blesses them with peace.
Psalm 55:22 NLT [22] Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.
Isaiah 26:3-4 NLT [3] You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! [4] Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock.
John 14:27 NLT [27] “I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 NLT [7] “But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. [8] They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.
Proverbs 3:24-26 NLT [24] You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly. [25] You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, [26] for the LORD is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.
Am I saved and going to heaven? This is a very important question and probably one that most people ask at some time in their life. Christmas and Easter are one of those times of the year that this question is probably reflected on a little bit more than usual.
To be saved means to be rescued from the penalty of sin – which is eternal separation from God in hell – and to be assured that you are going to heaven when you die. In the present tense it also means that you are in relationship with God, He is with you wherever you go and He is able to guide you and help you in all situations.
Essentially God’s plan of salvation can be explained in four simple points. At PASSION Australia we pray you will take a few minutes to read the following information and God will reveal His personal plan for salvation today.
1. God loves you and He wants to be a part of your life.
We get a glimpse of God’s love for mankind and His desire to be a part of our lives by looking at the Garden of Eden. When God created the heavens and the earth (see Genesis 1:1), He created mankind (Adam and Eve) and placed them in a garden. He provided for all their needs and walked and talked with them daily.
We see in God’s original plan, His heartbeat is to be in relationship with each of us and walk and talk with us daily. His greatest desire way back then was, and still is, to get to know each of us personally.
Question – If God loves us all so much and wants to be a part of our lives, why do many people not have God in their life?
2. Man sinned and was separated from God
God gave mankind rule over all creation, but because God is a holy God He gave them some rules to follow. One of them was not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (see Genesis 2:15-17).
Unfortunately, Adam and Eve chose not to obey this command and because of this sin entered the world. Because of their disobedience they were caste out of the garden paradise God had created for them. Since this time all mankind has been separated from God (see Isaiah 59:2). The Bible tells us that not only did Adam and Eve sin, but all mankind have sinned and fallen short of God’s standards (see Romans 3:23).
We may feel that we live a good life and mostly we do. However, if we take a moment to look at God’s Ten Commandments (see below), we soon realise that at some time we have broken at least one of them. God says in James 2:10 that if we break one we are guilty of breaking them all.
Question – If all mankind have sinned and are separated from God, is there anything that can be done to remedy this?
3. Jesus Christ died on the cross
Many people know the Easter story – that Jesus died on the cross on Good Friday and He rose to life on Easter Sunday. This is celebrated every year in most parts of the world. But why did Jesus have to die? Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for our sin that separates us from God (see Romans 5:8).
Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, the reason for our separation (see Hebrews 10:10) has now been removed and we can now approach God and be in relationship with Him.
Question – If Jesus has died to remove our sin, is there anything we have to do?
4. Faith in Jesus Christ restores the relationship between God and man
Each of us must respond personally to God’s plan for our salvation. God played His part by giving His Son to pay the price for our sin. Our part to receive what Jesus has done for us (see Revelations 3:20). God requires us to do three things to find salvation. They can be described as the A, B, C of salvation –
A – Admit. We need to admit to God that we have sinned and fallen short of His standards and to ask for His forgiveness.
B – Believe. We need to believe in Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sin.
C – Commit. We need to commit our lives to Jesus Christ and ask Him to come into our lives and guide and lead us in all we do.
How can I do this?
Responding to God is as simple as praying a short prayer that expresses our thanks for what He has done, confessing your sin and asking Jesus into your life. You can pray this prayer right now.
Dear God, I thank You that Jesus came and died on the cross for my sin. Right now I ask for Your forgiveness. Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God and I ask You to be a part of my life. Please come and be my Lord and Saviour. Please guide me and lead me in all I do and help me to live for You. Amen.
If you just prayed this prayer, please visit our Discipleship page to find some helpful tips on starting your new life with Christ.
Footnotes
Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,…” Genesis 2:15-17 – The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” Isaiah 59:2 – “Rather, your iniquities have been barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear”. Romans 3:23 – “since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. Romans 5:8 – “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us”. Hebrews 10:10 – “And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all”. Revelations 3:20 – “Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me”. 1 John 5:13 – “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
The Ten Commandments (extracted from Exodus 20:1-17 – New Living Translation)
Do not worship any other gods besides me.
Do not make idols of any kind.
Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God.
Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
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