Evans, Our God is Awesome: God's Omnipresence

Proverbs 10:14
The wise
store up
knowledge
Friday 11 February 2011

The
Omnipresence
of God


Evans deﬁnes this as,
“God’s complete essence is
fully present in all places at all
times”
God’s omni attributes work together
- e.g. he can do any thing he wants to
anywhere he wants to - he knows all
there is to know as everything
happens somewhere and he was
there at that time - etc.


God being omnipresent is a
problem - it means we are not
in control, so resorting to idols
can be easier as we are in
control then.
We can create theologies which
make us the control -
pantheism states God is an
impersonal force - like in Star
Wars - often we call it nature
and therefore depersonalise
God and limit his power and
effect


In pantheism everything is part of
God - trees, mountains, lakes,
streams, and of course, people - so
there is no sin and no one is
separated from God - so no need
for salvation.
God becomes a sum of all the
elements, without any morality.
Deism is another option - we have
seen God’s power but do not know
him personally - God set the
universe in motion and then left it
alone to work out - laws are ﬁxed
but he then watches what goes on

Deﬁnition of PANTHEISM
Deﬁnition of DEISM
1: amovement or equates of
doctrine that system
:a
God with the forces and
thought advocating natural
laws of the universe
religion, emphasizing
2: the worshipin the gods of
morality, and of all 18th
different denyingcults, or
creeds, the
century
peoples indifferently; also :
interference worship of all
of the
toleration of
Creator at certain laws of
gods (as with the periods
the universe empire)
of the Roman


1: a doctrine that equates
God with the forces and
laws of the universe
2: the worship of all gods of
different creeds, cults, or
peoples indifferently; also :
toleration of worship of all
gods (as at certain periods
of the Roman empire)


Both pantheism and deism
1: a doctrine that equates
are heresythe forces and
God with
laws Omnipresence of God
The of the universe
says he dwells intimately in
2: the worship of all gods of
history and yet exists totally
different creeds, cults, or
outside of it. He is also :
peoples indifferently;
transcendent worship of all
toleration of and imminent
at the samecertain periods
gods (as at time.
of the Roman empire)


1. God is set free of
limitations
1 Kings 8:26-27 - the temple
is built and at the dedication
Solomon prays...
And now, God of Israel, let your
word that you promised your
servant David my father come
true.
“But will God really dwell on
earth? The heavens, even the
highest heaven, cannot contain
you. How much less this temple I
have built!

1.a. No Limitations of Space
God’s presence is in the sphere
of immensity and infinitude:
Immensity refers to that which
cannot be contained
Infinitude refers to infinity,
that which is without limit
God fills everything - even that
which we don’t know about -
we put on weight and burst out,
God so fills the universe that
Solomon says he bursts out of it


Although God’s presence cannot
be contained, the whole universe
is full of it - still it is not
weakened, it is the same all the
way through
The good thing about Jesus
leaving the earth is that he was
limited by his physical human
body and was thus in one place
at one time - Holy spirit is not,
so he can be with all Christians
all the time


John 14:16-17 - And I will ask the
Father, and he will give you another
advocate to help you and be with you
forever— the Spirit of truth. The world
cannot accept him, because it neither sees
him nor knows him. But you know him, for
he lives with you and will be in you.
The idea that God cannot be divided
and therefore must be in every place in
the same way is described by
theologians as God’s simplicity - he
cannot be divided up into parts - he
cannot be broken down or
decomposed into simpler parts for he is
not composed of parts in any way.

1.a. No Limitations of Flesh

God is spirit - he is an
uncompounded being - therefore
everything everywhere is
surrounded by the being of God.
The fulness of God - omni
whatever you like - is in all places
at all times.


Evans suggests it is like one drop
of water and the ocean - both
contain the same components -
the idea is that God is like this, in
being fully with us all the time.
There is a problem in that
sometimes you don’t feel God is
around you - it doesnt mean that
he isnt! You don’t see the wind or
cold, but you know they are
there.


God is with us

In saying this we should
realise that satan is no
omnipresent - he commands
demons under his rulership -
Eph 2:2
1 Jn 4:4 -You, dear children,
are from God and have
overcome them, because the one
who is in you is greater than the
one who is in the world.


My God Is So Big
by Ruth Harms Calkin
My God is so big, so strong and so mighty
There's nothing that He cannot do
The rivers are His, the mountains are His
The stars are His handiwork too


My God is so big, so strong and so
mighty
mighty
He's called you to live for Him every
day
In all that you say and you do
mighty

2. God is intimately involved
with creation
Psalm 139:7 -Where can I go
from your Spirit? Where can I ﬂee
from your presence?
David speculates in 8-10
If I go up to the heavens, you are
there; if I make my bed in the
depths, you are there. If I rise on
the wings of the dawn, if I settle
on the far side of the sea, even
there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

2.a. Too big to avoid
There is nowhere you can run
to to avoid God - in all events
and circumstances he is there
- Ps 139:11-12
If I say, “Surely the darkness will
hide me and the light become
night around me,” even the
darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
God will sustain and be with
you in all places


2.B. Too close to ignore
He is so close you cannot get
away from him - no matter
how you try.
Acts 17:28
‘For in him we live and move and
have our being.’
Jonah - God used a whole
range of techniques and tactics
to make sure that Jonah, no
matter how hard he tried,
knew that God was right
there with him involved in
everything that happened

2.c. Too caring to ignore us

God knows where he wants
us to go and how he wants us
to get there.
This means there is nothing
God is not aware of and
therefore nothing he does not
want us to talk with him about
and bring to his attention.


3. God’s Omnipresence brings special beneﬁts
God is everywhere equally - bit not
equally related to everyone and
everything.
God has a different relationship with
people.
Isaiah 55:6 - call on him whilst he is
near.
Isaiah 29:13 -The Lord says: “These
people come near to me with their
mouth and honor me with their lips, but
their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me is based on merely
human rules they have been taught.

God has not moved physically but
the relationship has changed - see
also Jesus on the cross, forsaken by
Father.
Isaiah 43:1-7 - shows how much
God takes care of those who
belong to him, of his children
But now, this is what the LORD says
— he who created you, Jacob, he who
formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you
are mine.


When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and
when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over
you. When you walk through the ﬁre, you will not be burned;
the ﬂames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD your
God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your
ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. Since you are precious
and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give
people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life.
Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children
from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the
north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them
back.’
Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of
the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I
created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

3.a. Guidance

As a child of God you get his
special guidance in your life.
Jacob - Genesis 28:13-15 - He
had a dream in which he saw a
stairway resting on the earth, with its
top reaching to heaven, and the
angels of God were ascending and
descending on it. There above it stood
the LORD, and he said: “I am the
LORD, the God of your father
Abraham and the God of Isaac.


I will give you and your descendants the
land on which you are lying.Your
descendants will be like the dust of the
earth, and you will spread out to the
west and to the east, to the north and to
the south. All peoples on earth will be
blessed through you and your offspring. I
am with you and will watch over you
wherever you go, and I will bring you
back to this land. I will not leave you
until I have done what I have promised
you.”
God is there if you feel him or not,
sense him or not, when things seem
to be going wrong or right - always!

3.b. Victory over temptation
1 Cor 10:13 No temptation has
overtaken you except what is common to
mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let
you be tempted beyond what you can
bear. But when you are tempted,he will
also provide a way out so that you
can endure it.
Why? 1 Cor 6:19
Do you not know that your bodies are
temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you,
whom you have received from God?
God is with you - always!

This should also lead us to live
holy lives.
We are in-dwelt by the Holy
Spirit - and we are not our own -
in effect God asks,
“How could you do that
with me standing with you?”
This makes it important to
confess sin as soon as possible -
God already knows about it and
wants the relationship restored.


3.c. Provision for Needs
Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of
money and be content with what you
have, because God has said,“Never will
I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
So we say with conﬁdence,“The Lord is
my helper; I will not be afraid. What
can mere mortals do to me?”
Evans says that this means God will
pay your bills - and you need to
trust him to do it in whatever way
he chooses - if you don’t you
end up in bondage to money

It is easy to love money so much
that you can’t go to church, or
can’t give - because you need
your money.
God wants us to be content with
the money he gives to us, and
more importantly with his
presence.
Php 4:19 - And my God will meet
all your needs according to the
riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
What is the context here?


Liberal, generous, giving.
Evans suggests not that it is wrong to
improve or get ahead in some way - but
more importantly God wants us to be
content with his presence.
Php 4:11-13 - I am not saying this
because I am in need, for I have learned to
be content whatever the circumstances. I
know what it is to be in need, and I know
what it is to have plenty. I have learned the
secret of being content in any and every
situation, whether well fed or hungry,
whether living in plenty or in want. I can do
all this through him who gives me strength.

Evans reminds people who struggle of Hagar - cast out
of her home whilst pregnant, yet God reveals himself
as ’El Ro’i - the God who sees, Genesis 16, and
then when she leaves for good in Genesis 21
Hagar is impressed by the perceptiveness of God as
revealed through his angel-messenger. This is seen in the
name she gives to the Lord; she calls him God of seeing
(Hb. ’El Ro’i). “here I have seen him who looks after
me”...her remarks may be interpreted as denoting an inner
perception; she perceives that God sees or “looks after” her.
ESVSB


3.d. Freedom from Anxiety
Often rather than run to God we
look for other people.
Isaiah 41:10 - So do not fear, for I
am with you; do not be dismayed, for I
am your God. I will strengthen you
and help you; I will uphold you with
my righteous right hand.
When you face challenges - God is
still omniscient, omnipresent and
omnipotent - he is with you
God specialises in working when
we think we can’t.

Moses said he couldn’t lead or
speak, Exodus 3-4
Elisha’s servant didn’t realise
God was already there
surrounding Dothan, 1Kings 6
God’s relational presence is with
you all the time - no matter
what life throws at you, no
matter what difﬁculties you
experience.


The bottom line for Evans is
Php 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about
anything, but in every situation, by
prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests
to God. And the peace of God,
which transcends all
understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus.


Responding to God’s Omnipresence

1. Make sure that God doesn’t have
to battle for your attention - as he
did with jonah
2. Deal with your frustration, anger
disappointment - especially if it is
with God - talk with a friend,
pastor etc.
3. Renew your prayer life - God is
there, and he is listening
4. Clothe yourself in the armour of
God

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