Well, What Do You Know!
Sunday Evening English Worship
August 4, 2019 - 5:00 pm
Messenger: Don Frank
Bible Passage: Psalm 138:1-4 and others
Introduction: The title of my message this evening is Well, What Do You Know! And it's kind of a way of showing that you're surprised about something you heard. I feel like it's truly surprising how much our human knowledge has grown during my lifetime. About 50 some odd years before I was born, scientists discovered the atom in1897. Then just 2 years before I was born, the researchers discovered DNA in 1953! Then, while I watched it on TV in 1971, I saw the astronauts riding around the moon in what we called the "moon buggy." In ended up being the most expensive car ever made for $38 million! Then just 10 years ago in 2009, the tallest building in the world was finished, the Burj Khalifa! Isn't man's knowledge amazing?
And it doesn't show any signs of slowing down. In fact, it seems to be speeding up! The experts tell us that until 1900 human knowledge doubled approximately every century. Then by 1945 knowledge was doubling every 25 years. Currently, on average human knowledge is doubling every 13 months. But IBM is predicting that by the time the Internet of Things is in place, that the doubling of knowledge will be every 12 hours! They say that’s going to happen by the year 2020!
1. You've Been Searched! - Psalm 139:1-4 (ESV)
So, let’s begin tonight as we look at our first point, You’ve Been Searched. I think pretty much all of us use the Internet for searching for answers to our questions and for information. I know I do, daily. We can find so much good information on the Net. And yet it’s kind of surprising to think about this. Some people say that all human knowledge is on the Internet. But is that really true? So, of course, I searched the Net to see if I could find an answer to that question. And I discovered this: that Google has indexed only 4% or 35 trillion webpages of all the pages that are searchable! How much we still don’t know yet!
And our first Bible passage really speaks to the idea that God does indeed know all things, especially about each of us personally:
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
When we think that no one is watching us, this isn’t true. God sees us when we sit down and when we stand up. He knows every thought that we are thinking. And even before we say something, God already knows that we’re going to say it! Talk about complete information! Though human knowledge seems to be growing and growing, God‘s knowledge is perfect! He knows every single thing about us!
2. Even the Tiny Birds... - Matthew 10:29-31 (NLT)
Now, that leads in perfectly to my second point which is Even the Tiny Birds. Ever since I was a kid growing up on the farm in Iowa, I’ve always enjoyed watching birds. We had so many different kinds of birds that I could watch, but my favorite was the sparrow. And scientists tell us that the house sparrow is one of the most common types of birds that you can find anywhere in the world. And that brings us to our second Bible passage, Matthew 10:29-31.
29 What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. 30 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.
So, even back in Jesus day, sparrows were really well-known and fairly common. In fact, poor people could buy a couple of sparrows as a sacrifice at the temple if they could not afford to buy a lamb or a goat. God made lots and lots and lots of sparrows! There are over 35 different types of sparrows just in North America alone! God loves sparrows and he loves us even more! In fact, He loves us so much that He knows how many hairs we have on our heads! That’s amazing to think about. He knows how many shirts you have in your closet. He knows how many skin cells you’ve ever had in your lifetime. He even knows how many breaths you take every day! See! Even Google knows that! So, let’s skip all of our worrying and realize that God knows everything about us and loves us more than all the sparrows of the world!
3. God Knows the Future! - Revelation 21:1-4 (NLT)
And this brings me to my final point about how far God‘s knowledge goes. As we travel along the path of life, God goes with us all the way into the far, far future, knowing every step we will take along the path. And with that, He gives us a really special promise tonight in Revelation 21:1-4...
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
And this is where man’s knowledge falls short. No matter how much we learn and discover and research, no matter how much information we pull together and put on Google, we can’t even come close to God’s knowledge. God is the only one that knows the future. That’s something man will never know. But God is so loving and gracious that here in this Bible passage He opens the door just a bit so we can see what’s coming. God shares with us that He’s going to make everything new including heaven and earth. We’re going to have a new city to live in that will come straight out of heaven itself. He also promises that we are going to live together. And He promises that He will be with us as our God - in person! And then He caps it all off by saying that all the nasty stuff we have to put up with in this life, it’s all going to be gone - no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. These are all going to be gone forever! What encouraging knowledge God shares with us!
Conclusion: Are you excited about what we’re going to know in the near future? Pretty soon the 4G cellular network is going to be finished and 5G will be here before we know it. Then everything digital is going to communicate so much faster and we'll be able to share knowledge at all most supersonic speeds! That’s what’s going to make human knowledge increase so quickly. But as we’ve seen in our Bible study tonight, that’s nothing compared to the knowledge that God has - and wants so much to share with us! That’s the future that I’m really looking forward to!
Closing Prayer: Let's close out our evening by reading our 2nd Bible passage together.
Matthew 10:29-31
29 What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. 30 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.
Now let's look at our closing prayer, based on God's Word and pray it back to Him together:
Dear All-Knowing Lord, thank you so much for this rich fellowship we could enjoy tonight. Thank you for teaching us about Yourself and how You know everything in the universe. We know You have created everything in our world, including the tiniest birds. We give You our thanks for loving us so much that you sent your Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us. May we enjoy studying Your Word more and more in the days ahead. Then we can know You better and better. Please take care of us as we go from this place and bring us back again together safely. We pray this now in Jesus' precious name, Amen.
August 4, 2019 - 5:00 pm
Messenger: Don Frank
Bible Passage: Psalm 138:1-4 and others
Introduction: The title of my message this evening is Well, What Do You Know! And it's kind of a way of showing that you're surprised about something you heard. I feel like it's truly surprising how much our human knowledge has grown during my lifetime. About 50 some odd years before I was born, scientists discovered the atom in1897. Then just 2 years before I was born, the researchers discovered DNA in 1953! Then, while I watched it on TV in 1971, I saw the astronauts riding around the moon in what we called the "moon buggy." In ended up being the most expensive car ever made for $38 million! Then just 10 years ago in 2009, the tallest building in the world was finished, the Burj Khalifa! Isn't man's knowledge amazing?
And it doesn't show any signs of slowing down. In fact, it seems to be speeding up! The experts tell us that until 1900 human knowledge doubled approximately every century. Then by 1945 knowledge was doubling every 25 years. Currently, on average human knowledge is doubling every 13 months. But IBM is predicting that by the time the Internet of Things is in place, that the doubling of knowledge will be every 12 hours! They say that’s going to happen by the year 2020!
1. You've Been Searched! - Psalm 139:1-4 (ESV)
So, let’s begin tonight as we look at our first point, You’ve Been Searched. I think pretty much all of us use the Internet for searching for answers to our questions and for information. I know I do, daily. We can find so much good information on the Net. And yet it’s kind of surprising to think about this. Some people say that all human knowledge is on the Internet. But is that really true? So, of course, I searched the Net to see if I could find an answer to that question. And I discovered this: that Google has indexed only 4% or 35 trillion webpages of all the pages that are searchable! How much we still don’t know yet!
And our first Bible passage really speaks to the idea that God does indeed know all things, especially about each of us personally:
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
When we think that no one is watching us, this isn’t true. God sees us when we sit down and when we stand up. He knows every thought that we are thinking. And even before we say something, God already knows that we’re going to say it! Talk about complete information! Though human knowledge seems to be growing and growing, God‘s knowledge is perfect! He knows every single thing about us!
2. Even the Tiny Birds... - Matthew 10:29-31 (NLT)
Now, that leads in perfectly to my second point which is Even the Tiny Birds. Ever since I was a kid growing up on the farm in Iowa, I’ve always enjoyed watching birds. We had so many different kinds of birds that I could watch, but my favorite was the sparrow. And scientists tell us that the house sparrow is one of the most common types of birds that you can find anywhere in the world. And that brings us to our second Bible passage, Matthew 10:29-31.
29 What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. 30 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.
So, even back in Jesus day, sparrows were really well-known and fairly common. In fact, poor people could buy a couple of sparrows as a sacrifice at the temple if they could not afford to buy a lamb or a goat. God made lots and lots and lots of sparrows! There are over 35 different types of sparrows just in North America alone! God loves sparrows and he loves us even more! In fact, He loves us so much that He knows how many hairs we have on our heads! That’s amazing to think about. He knows how many shirts you have in your closet. He knows how many skin cells you’ve ever had in your lifetime. He even knows how many breaths you take every day! See! Even Google knows that! So, let’s skip all of our worrying and realize that God knows everything about us and loves us more than all the sparrows of the world!
3. God Knows the Future! - Revelation 21:1-4 (NLT)
And this brings me to my final point about how far God‘s knowledge goes. As we travel along the path of life, God goes with us all the way into the far, far future, knowing every step we will take along the path. And with that, He gives us a really special promise tonight in Revelation 21:1-4...
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
And this is where man’s knowledge falls short. No matter how much we learn and discover and research, no matter how much information we pull together and put on Google, we can’t even come close to God’s knowledge. God is the only one that knows the future. That’s something man will never know. But God is so loving and gracious that here in this Bible passage He opens the door just a bit so we can see what’s coming. God shares with us that He’s going to make everything new including heaven and earth. We’re going to have a new city to live in that will come straight out of heaven itself. He also promises that we are going to live together. And He promises that He will be with us as our God - in person! And then He caps it all off by saying that all the nasty stuff we have to put up with in this life, it’s all going to be gone - no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. These are all going to be gone forever! What encouraging knowledge God shares with us!
Conclusion: Are you excited about what we’re going to know in the near future? Pretty soon the 4G cellular network is going to be finished and 5G will be here before we know it. Then everything digital is going to communicate so much faster and we'll be able to share knowledge at all most supersonic speeds! That’s what’s going to make human knowledge increase so quickly. But as we’ve seen in our Bible study tonight, that’s nothing compared to the knowledge that God has - and wants so much to share with us! That’s the future that I’m really looking forward to!
Closing Prayer: Let's close out our evening by reading our 2nd Bible passage together.
Matthew 10:29-31
29 What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. 30 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.
Now let's look at our closing prayer, based on God's Word and pray it back to Him together:
Dear All-Knowing Lord, thank you so much for this rich fellowship we could enjoy tonight. Thank you for teaching us about Yourself and how You know everything in the universe. We know You have created everything in our world, including the tiniest birds. We give You our thanks for loving us so much that you sent your Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us. May we enjoy studying Your Word more and more in the days ahead. Then we can know You better and better. Please take care of us as we go from this place and bring us back again together safely. We pray this now in Jesus' precious name, Amen.