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Word of the Week - Unlocking Omniscience: Understanding God's All-Knowing Nature
The focus of this week's podcast is on the attribute of God known as omniscience, which signifies that God is all-knowing. Pastor Josh Massaro delves into the profound implications of this truth, emphasizing that God possesses complete knowledge of our past, present, and future, including our innermost thoughts and intentions. He reassures listeners that, despite our human limitations, we can find comfort in knowing that God is aware of our struggles, needs, and the details of our lives. The episode explores how this understanding encourages authenticity and transparency in our relationship with God, urging us to seek His wisdom when we are uncertain. Ultimately, listeners are reminded of the beauty and assurance that comes from trusting in a God who knows all and cares deeply for each of us.
Pastor Josh Massaro presents an engaging exploration of omniscience in this enlightening episode of the 'Word of the Week' podcast series. He articulates that God's omniscience signifies an all-encompassing awareness of every detail of existence—past, present, and future. This profound attribute of God is not only a theological concept but a source of comfort for believers. Drawing on biblical passages, including Matthew 10:29-30 and Psalm 139, Pastor Josh emphasizes how God's intimate knowledge extends to our innermost thoughts and needs. He paints a vivid picture of a God who is aware of the struggles we face and the desires of our hearts, offering reassurance that we are never overlooked or forgotten.
Throughout the episode, Pastor Josh delves into the implications of God's omniscience for personal faith and spirituality. He encourages listeners to embrace transparency in their relationship with God, challenging them to confront any hidden fears or sins. As he discusses the potential discomfort that may arise from God’s ability to know all, he skillfully redirects the conversation towards the hope and grace that can be found in acknowledging our vulnerabilities. By referencing 1 John 3:20, he reassures listeners that despite our shortcomings, God’s understanding of our nature leads to unwavering love and forgiveness.
In a compelling conclusion, Pastor Josh urges believers to lean into God’s omniscience during times of uncertainty and decision-making. He highlights James 1:5 as a directive to seek divine wisdom, reinforcing the idea that God delights in providing guidance to those who earnestly ask. The episode not only elucidates the nature of God's omniscience but also serves as a powerful reminder to trust in His perfect knowledge and love, encouraging listeners to find peace in the assurance that God knows and cares for them deeply. This insightful discussion wraps up with an invitation for listeners to reflect on how they can actively seek and rely on God's wisdom in their daily lives.
Takeaways:
- God's omniscience means He knows everything about our lives, including our thoughts and struggles.
- Even when we face the unknown, we can trust God's all-knowing nature for guidance.
- Scripture reassures us that God cares deeply about our needs and future circumstances.
- We should approach God with honesty, knowing we cannot hide our sins from Him.
- In times of uncertainty, asking God for wisdom is essential, as He provides generously.
- God's love and grace are evident in His omniscience, as He sent Jesus knowing our flaws.
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Transcript
Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church Podcast, where we are proclaiming the truth to the world.
Pastor Josh:In this podcast series, we're going to be looking into biblical words that have great significance to our faith.
Pastor Josh:The name of this series is called the Word of the Week, where once a week we will dive deeper into these words that we are familiar with in Scripture.
Pastor Josh:So come along with me.
Pastor Josh:Let's study the Word of the week.
Pastor Josh:Pastor Josh here.
Pastor Josh:The Word of the Week is omniscient.
Pastor Josh:We have started a study last week on the attributes of God.
Pastor Josh:We talked about the attributes of God that we can mirror in our own lives and live out to a degree in our own lives.
Pastor Josh:Obviously not to perfection, but to some degree follow.
Pastor Josh:But then we also talked about the attributes, the incommunicable attributes of God in which we cannot obtain.
Pastor Josh:And one of those would be what we talked about last week.
Pastor Josh:Omnipotence.
Pastor Josh:God's all powerful nature.
Pastor Josh:No limitations.
Pastor Josh:He is all powerful.
Pastor Josh:This week we're going to be studying the word omniscient, which means all knowing.
Pastor Josh:It means that God knows everything.
Pastor Josh:He has complete knowledge of past, present and future.
Pastor Josh:He knows what we think.
Pastor Josh:He knows our intentions.
Pastor Josh:He knows the answer to every question.
Pastor Josh:Ultimately, we know that God is not limited in his strength, but God is not limited in his knowledge.
Pastor Josh:All of us to some degree, are limited.
Pastor Josh:Some know more things than others about different topics.
Pastor Josh:But all of us are limited in the concept of knowing different ideas or solutions or even facts.
Pastor Josh:And so we can see in Scripture that it talks about God not just being wise.
Pastor Josh:God is more than just wise, and he's more than just being of knowledge, but he is the God of all knowledge.
Pastor Josh:Over and over again in Scripture, we see that God knows everything.
Pastor Josh:I think of the passage of Scripture in Matthew, chapter 10, verses 29, 30.
Pastor Josh:Obviously, the Lord's talking here about individuals that are worried or there's some anxiety about the unknown.
Pastor Josh:And Jesus is talking about the understanding that God he knows even when the sparrows fall.
Pastor Josh:He says, are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?
Pastor Josh:And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father, but the very hairs of your head are numbered.
Pastor Josh:And so there's this beautiful thought about the fact that God knows everything about us.
Pastor Josh:And if he cares about the future of a sparrow, we know that he cares about our own life.
Pastor Josh:And so he's talking here about this understanding that God knows everything about us.
Pastor Josh:He knows the hair on our heads.
Pastor Josh:He knows the thoughts in our heart.
Pastor Josh:And so we can know that God knows about our struggles.
Pastor Josh:He knows about our needs.
Pastor Josh:We don't even have to tell him now.
Pastor Josh:He wants us to tell Him.
Pastor Josh:In that relationship of a father and child, he wants us to tell him.
Pastor Josh:But he knows all of our needs.
Pastor Josh:The Bible says in First John, chapter three, verse 20.
Pastor Josh:For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and he knoweth all things.
Pastor Josh:So there's another statement here of the understanding that God knows all things.
Pastor Josh:He knows our heart, he knows our thoughts.
Pastor Josh:And even In Isaiah, chapter 46, it says this in verse nine, Remember the former things of old, for I am God and there is none else.
Pastor Josh:I am God and there is none like me.
Pastor Josh:Declaring the end from the beginning, from the ancient times, the things that are not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.
Pastor Josh:So God knows everything in the moment, but God also knows everything about the past.
Pastor Josh:He knows everything about the future.
Pastor Josh:He knows what's going to happen in our life.
Pastor Josh:Now that doesn't mean that we.
Pastor Josh:We are without choice and that we're forced to do things.
Pastor Josh:It just is God's living outside of space and time and he knows our decisions.
Pastor Josh:And so as, as a Christian, we can take comfort in that, that God knows our heart, he knows our failures, he knows our struggles, but yet he still loves us.
Pastor Josh:And we have a God who cares about us.
Pastor Josh:We'll talk more about his attribute of love later on in the study.
Pastor Josh:But ultimately it's a.
Pastor Josh:It's a wonderful thing to know that God knows where we are.
Pastor Josh:He understands our struggles, even if we don't even know what our struggles completely are.
Pastor Josh:He knows what's coming in our future, and he's preparing us for that.
Pastor Josh:I think of Psalm 139, 4.
Pastor Josh:In this verse, we see that he knows our very thoughts even before we speak it out.
Pastor Josh:Psalm 134, verse.
Pastor Josh:Excuse me.
Pastor Josh:Psalm 139, verse 4.
Pastor Josh:For there is not a word in my tongue but lo, O Lord, thou knowest it all together.
Pastor Josh:And so what we can tell from this passage is that God knows what we're going to say even before we say it.
Pastor Josh:He knows our hearts from a distance.
Pastor Josh:He knows our wants, our, and more importantly, our needs.
Pastor Josh:And he provides for our needs.
Pastor Josh:And so this is just one element of God's perfect character, is that he is all knowing.
Pastor Josh:And we even see this in the life of Jesus, in His Deity on this earth.
Pastor Josh:I mean, there are times where he understands the thoughts of people.
Pastor Josh:He discerns their hearts.
Pastor Josh:And that's not just Him.
Pastor Josh:Feeling it.
Pastor Josh:That's him knowing it.
Pastor Josh:And we know that God, even in the case of.
Pastor Josh:In John chapter 1, Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and saith unto him, behold, an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile.
Pastor Josh:Nathaniel said unto him, whence knowest thou me?
Pastor Josh:And Jesus answered and said unto him, before that Philip called thee.
Pastor Josh:When thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
Pastor Josh:And so Jesus is exercising his omniscience by saying, hey, I knew you before you knew me.
Pastor Josh:I saw you under the fig tree.
Pastor Josh:And there's a lot of speculation on what that means.
Pastor Josh:Most people believe, most commentators believe that Nathaniel was probably having some kind of moment where he was calling out to God and seeking after him and trying to struggle through something.
Pastor Josh:And what Jesus essentially tells Nathaniel is, I saw you there.
Pastor Josh:I saw you in your deepest, darkest moment.
Pastor Josh:I saw you thinking through those things and contemplating and asking God.
Pastor Josh:And so this is a beautiful reminder that God knows all.
Pastor Josh:Now, for some people, depending on where you stand before him, the fact that God knows all can maybe even be a fearful thing.
Pastor Josh:Because if we're hiding iniquity in our hearts, if we're harboring sin in our lives, or maybe we are trying to hide something from somebody else, or trying to hide something for God, what we can tell through this attribute is that we can't hide anything from God.
Pastor Josh:We might be able to hide it from others around us.
Pastor Josh:We might even be able to lie to ourselves, but the truth is that there's nothing that we can hide from God.
Pastor Josh:And so instead of trying to run away from him, instead of trying to hide things from Him, I think that this truth brings us to a place of authenticity before him, transparency before Him.
Pastor Josh:And I think that this can, like I said before, if this is a truth that makes you uncomfortable, it might be time for us to inspect our own lives, to say, what am I trying to hide from God?
Pastor Josh:Is there something in my life that I'm ashamed of?
Pastor Josh:If so, the Beauty is that first John 1, chapter 9 tells us that if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Pastor Josh:And so Jesus knows our thoughts.
Pastor Josh:And so therefore, and this is another beautiful thing, that if you think back to Romans chapter 5, verse 8, it says, but God commendeth or demonstrate his love towards us.
Pastor Josh:And that while we were at sinners, Christ died for us.
Pastor Josh:So the beauty here is that the Lord knew our thoughts, Jesus knew that we would rebel, but nonetheless, he died on the cross.
Pastor Josh:For our sins because of his love for us.
Pastor Josh:So God loves us so much he sent his only begotten Son, knowing that we would fail, knowing the future, knowing that we would sin, but yet still because of his love, he shows his grace in sending Jesus for us.
Pastor Josh:And so that plays all into the understanding of God's omniscience.
Pastor Josh:He knows all.
Pastor Josh:He knows everything in this world.
Pastor Josh:He knows what is done in private.
Pastor Josh:He knows what's done obviously in public.
Pastor Josh:And so he knows not only the smallest details of our life, but those that are surrounding our life.
Pastor Josh:He knows what people have done to us.
Pastor Josh:He knows what's going to happen tomorrow.
Pastor Josh:He knows the outcome of, you know, elections, he knows the outcome of sicknesses.
Pastor Josh:And he knows all of these things.
Pastor Josh:But yet still we as Christians sometimes struggle with the unknown.
Pastor Josh:And understandably so, because we are humans and so we don't know the future.
Pastor Josh:But I think what we can do with this is with many of the attributes of God rely on faith to know that God has it under control, to rely in faith in God, that He knows my needs and will provide my needs in the midst of the loss, in the midst of brokenness, in the midst of confusion.
Pastor Josh:And so we humbly have to seek after the Lord in this.
Pastor Josh:And to know God's omniscient nature is to know that we have a God who is not limited by circumstance.
Pastor Josh:I can tell you that there are many times in my life where I come to a scenario and I don't know what to do.
Pastor Josh:I don't know what the right decision is.
Pastor Josh:And even if I sometimes know that, hey, this decision here is going to go this way, or this decision here might go this way, ultimately I am limited in my wisdom because ultimately I'm not God.
Pastor Josh:And what I have to understand that as a Christian is when there are times in my life when I don't know what to do.
Pastor Josh:The Bible actually tells us what we should do, and that's found in the book of James.
Pastor Josh:I have a sermon entitled what to do when you don't know what to do.
Pastor Josh:And there's going to be times in our life where we have hit our wall as a human, we have hit our wall as a finite, limited creation of God where we don't know what to do.
Pastor Josh:And in James chapter one, verse, verse five, it says, if any of you lack wisdom, right?
Pastor Josh:So if any of you lack wisdom, which for me that happens quite frequently, he gives us what we are to do, what we are to do when we don't know what to Do.
Pastor Josh:He says, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and abradeth not, meaning he doesn't get upset with us when we do this, and it shall be given him, but let him ask in faith, nothing wavering, for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Pastor Josh:And so what the Bible tells us here is that when we do lack wisdom, when we don't know the answers, we go to the one who does know the answers.
Pastor Josh:And the Bible says, let him.
Pastor Josh:When we ask in faith, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally, meaning giveth wisdom liberally.
Pastor Josh:God pours that out to us as generously, and he doesn't hold it against us.
Pastor Josh:When we go back, and we go back and we go back, we can go as many times as we want for that wisdom that well does not run dry.
Pastor Josh:The Bible says when we do that, he will give it to us at the end of that verse, in verse 5, and it shall be given him.
Pastor Josh:But it does tell us that we have to ask in faith, and that's what we mentioned before.
Pastor Josh:Knowing that God is omniscient leads us to a place of faith, leads us to a place of trust.
Pastor Josh:Like, if he knows what he's doing, okay, if God knows what he's doing, which we must believe that he does, then we can trust in Him.
Pastor Josh:Through this process, I recently had an opportunity to ride in a Tesla car.
Pastor Josh:Now, I don't know what your opinions are on these electric cars these days, but one of the.
Pastor Josh:One of the things that the car does is actually automatic driving.
Pastor Josh:Now, you got to pay attention.
Pastor Josh:You can't sleep at the wheel or read a book at the wheel.
Pastor Josh:Your eyes have to be up on the road.
Pastor Josh:But I had to get in the car, and the person that was taking me on the ride said, okay, you just got to trust it.
Pastor Josh:And so I didn't have my hand on the steering wheel, didn't have my feet on the gas.
Pastor Josh:And it was very interesting because everything in me wanted to step on the brake.
Pastor Josh:Everything in me wanted to turn the wheel.
Pastor Josh:But the way that the car was designed, it handled it itself, and that took a lot of trust.
Pastor Josh:I had to trust the person that designed that car.
Pastor Josh:And whether that trust was in the right place or not, I don't know.
Pastor Josh:I ended up safe at the end.
Pastor Josh:But the truth is that sometimes, as Christians, we have to trust our designer.
Pastor Josh:We have to trust our creator to go through that process and to say, lord, you know better than me.
Pastor Josh:So therefore I'm not going to question, I'm not going to doubt, I'm not going to try to figure this out on my own.
Pastor Josh:Like so many other folks in scripture, we see that God tells them something, tells them to trust him, but yet they try to figure out on their own, try to make it their own way.
Pastor Josh:Obviously a great example of that would be Abraham.
Pastor Josh:But you know what?
Pastor Josh:I have been Abraham in my life.
Pastor Josh:When God has told me to go through something, or at least allowed me to go through something, I've not trusted in Him.
Pastor Josh:I've tried to figure it out on my own in my limited knowledge, my limited wisdom.
Pastor Josh:And so therefore the lesson of God's omniscient nature is this.
Pastor Josh:I can trust in him because he knows the outcome, he knows the answer.
Pastor Josh:He knows what's best for me, even when I don't know what's best.
Pastor Josh:And so what an amazing truth it is to know that God is all knowing that he sent his only begotten Son for us.
Pastor Josh:Knowing yes, that we would sin, but knowing that love is this amazing, amazing character trait of God.
Pastor Josh:And we will talk about his love later on.
Pastor Josh:But this lesson today was about his omniscient nature.
Pastor Josh:So I encourage you to rest in that wonderful truth of his omnipotence, his all powerful nature and then today his omniscience, his all knowing nature.
Pastor Josh:We're going to come back next week and look at his omnipresence, which means he's everywhere all at once.
Pastor Josh:And these omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent attributes all tie in together into his attributes and his character.
Pastor Josh:So looking forward to studying that with you next week.
Pastor Josh:Thank you for listening this week.
Pastor Josh:Remember, God is omniscient.
Pastor Josh:He knows all.
Pastor Josh:And that is a beautiful truth that we can take in our lives.
Pastor Josh:And to go to him according to James Chapter one and ask him for that wisdom that he has and he will give that to us with no limit.
Pastor Josh:I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week.
Pastor Josh:Thank you for listening to the podcast.
Pastor Josh:We look forward to talking to you next week on another Word of the Week episode.
Pastor Josh:God bless you.
Pastor Josh:Take care.
Pastor Josh:We'll talk to you soon.
Pastor Josh:Hey, I really appreciate that you listen to the Word of the Week podcast.
Pastor Josh:If you have any questions about the podcast or about our church, Middletown Baptist Church, you can find more information about us on Facebook or YouTube or you can find the podcast on NBCpodcast.org you can contact me directly at Josh Massaro at Middletown Baptist Church dot org.
Pastor Josh:Stay tuned for future Word of the Week episodes where we dive deeper into words that impact our life according to scripture.
Pastor Josh:Thank you so much.
Pastor Josh:God bless.
Pastor Josh:We'll talk to you soon.
