The Eye of the Lord

Let me ask you frankly this morning...."Have you ever doing something you knew was WRONG and felt as though nobody was around to see it?" Then you may have done one of two things: tried to make amends in whatever way necessary, or continued to keep it a secret --thinking no one will ever find out what you have done. Well, I would like to show you in scripture this morning that God sees everything you do, for good and for evil. AND--one way or another, you will account for those deeds on a future judgment day.

Hebrews 4:12-14 (NIV):

"For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

I will admit right now that I have done some things that were downright evil. I have done them in front of others, and behind their backs. I have been engulfed in sinful living, and it almost overtook me....save the Lord's wisdom to keep me alive! (Of which I am very thankful for). I used to commit one evil deed after another, believing that no one would find out...if only I was good enough at lying to keep it a secret. There is a variety of problems with this kind of living, but some of the major problems can present in forms of guilt, depression, lack of peace, and a deep knowledge that one day your wicked deeds will be discovered. I am here to show you through scripture that your deeds will INDEED be exposed in the Light of God. You cannot run, and you cannot hide from the Lord's Presence.

To start:

Psalm 33:13-19 (NKJV):

"The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. From the place of His dwelling He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works. No king is saved by the multitude of his army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy, To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine."

So a few points from this scripture are:

1. ) The Lord sees ALL sons of men -- Ladies, this includes you too, scripturally.
2.) He fashions their hearts individually-- He works differently in each of us.
3.) He considers ALL by their WORKS.
4.) Not even a king is saved by an army or any strength -- of himself or a horse!
5.) The eye of the Lord is on those who FEAR Him
6.) Only these people that FEAR God are delivered from death and famine.

As to speak of God's quality of being omnipresent, He is able to look down from heaven and see ALL of man's works. He fashions (and sees) the heart of every person. So, when we commit evil deeds...God is watching!

Let me take you into a hypothetical scenario to tell you what I mean. Let's say there is a woman who is in the United States military. It is commonplace that men and women in military service are sent to other places than their home base -- this is called TDY or deployment. Let's say that this person is deployed to Japan. This woman goes away from her family and husband and she decides to go out for a night with a group of male coworkers, just to get a drink. One drink turns into two -- two turns into six. You get the picture. Next thing you know, a casual friendly outing with coworkers has turned into a drinking fest, and men are flirting with this woman who has become more flirtatious and less inhibited. This woman might even be a woman of God who has just made a bad decision in life. So, in the heat of the moment, this woman goes to a hotel with one of the men and commits adultery. Now, she has a problem....but she thinks it could work in her favor, because she is in a foreign land and she can just keep it a secret from her husband, family and friends. If she works hard enough in her mind, she thinks she might be able to forget the whole thing ever happened. She goes home to her husband a week later, and tries her hardest to pretend that everything is OK. Do you know anyone who has been in this situation? It is not an uncommon situation in military life. There's only one problem....as hard as she tries, she just can't FORGET that it happened.

Now, this could go two different ways. If she is a God-fearing woman, and continues to go to church and be around other Christians (the Light), things are going to get pretty uncomfortable inside the heart of this woman. God is going to chasten her for being unrepentant and secretive about her sin. She is going to feel great pressure to confess, yet Satan is going to tell her to keep it a secret forever. She is in a real serious predicament spiritually. If she does repent, her sin is going to lead to death. If she repents and comes clean about her sin, she is going to have to face consequences in her life and family, and church for one totally wrong night of fun. It's a difficult decision to say the least.

On the other hand, it is much easier for a person who does not fear the Lord to semi-forget the situation and write it off. A nonbeliever will probably end up in that same situation again, and it will become a continual cycle of "bad" nights, and trying to forget them. There is NO peace in this cycle, but this person has never known true and lasting peace, so it is nothing new. The world is cruel and evil, and this person knows that "it is just the way it goes." If this person encounters God's Presence, there is going to be a lot of unresolved hurt and guilt in their lives, and this is usually when a person receives salvation through Jesus Christ. Their sinful living is exposed against the truth of God's Word, and they begin to realize the truth that their punishment is eternal death in hell. They deserve it. We ALL do!

So once again, there is a fork in the road. Admit sin, repent (turn from sinful living) and accept salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ (OR) continue to live in sin and try to stay as far away as possible from those crazy Christians who keep telling you that you are going to hell! You still won't be able to forget all the mistakes you have made, and true peace will never a part of your life, but you will get through and make the best of it until the day you die. And your body rots in the ground forever -- dust turns to dust. The person who makes this second choice will die, but their body will not rot in the dirt. There is another ending for them...all because Satan managed to deceive them into believing that they did not need God, or His forgiveness for all their sins. This is what the Bible says will happen to the second person.

Isaiah 51:7-8 (NASB):

"Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have my law in your hearts: Do not fear the reproach of men or be terrified by their insults. For the moth will eat them up like a garment; the worm will devour them like wool. But my righteousness will last forever, my salvation through all generations."

Isaiah 66:23-24 (NASB):

"From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,' says the Lord. 'And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind."

Mark 9:47-49 (NASB):

"And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 'where the worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched.' Everyone will be salted with fire."

Maybe you think that God does not see your sinful living. Let me show you what God has to say about that. I know this is a long Psalm, but if you want to know what God sees in your life, PLEASE take the time to read it:

Psalm 139:1-12 (NASB):

1 O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise up; you understand my thought from afar.
3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down; you are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before there is a word is on my tongue, Behold, O Lord you know it all.
5 You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit, where can I flee from your Presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
11 If I say, 'Surely, the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,"
12 Even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day, Darkness and light are alike to You.


So, according to scripture, there should no longer be any question as to whether God sees EVERYTHING we do. He even knows our thoughts before we speak them. So...going back to our military woman scenario. There is a better decision for her than to hide her sin from God and from those she loves. It is absolutely amazing how God forgives us for our sins, simply because we ask Him and believe we are forgiven because of the goodness of His Word. It is also incomprehensible how God will enable those around you with the ability to forgive you as well. The voice telling you to keep your sinful living a secret (which it is not anyway), is the voice of the father of lies -- Satan. He is only trying to keep you from the Truth (Jesus) because the Truth will set you free, and you WILL HAVE PEACE! The moment you humble yourself in prayer before God and ask Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior, admitting the things you have done to break His law, He WILL forgive you completely. The Bible says that He will remove your sins from you, as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). He will also turn you from crimson to white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). He will give you PEACE.

Romans 5:1 (NASB):

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

I know that many of you, like I was, may be sitting there realizing that you have sinned and fallen short of God's standard of living. Instead of allowing Satan to keep you in death any longer, pray today before God and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. He will forgive your sins immediately and give you peace in your heart that is beyond any comprehension. This is my testimony of what the Lord did for me, and He will do it for you too. I no longer have to struggle day in, and day out with the guilt of my great sins. He carries the burden of my sin, and I live freely in peace. If I sin again, which I have since accepting Christ, I pray to God and He is faithful to forgive me....AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN! The key is being humble and realizing that you NEED Jesus to save you from your own sinfulness. Choose Him today!

I thank you all for spending a moment of your time today with me, in God's Word. I pray that God blesses you with knowledge of salvation, peace, and understanding of His Word. I thank Him that He is Truth, and I no longer have to walk in darkness. I thank Him that His Spirit has come to live in my heart, and to teach me to walk in all truth of the Light of Jesus. He has enabled me to live righteously, and He has blessed me beyond measure. He has taken away any fear of death in my life, and has given me assurance that I will be with Him forever! I thank Him for His great sacrifice on the cross, and I ask for His peace and grace to rest on each of you today in the name of Jesus! Amen.

Thankful for God's Salvation,

Sarah