Chuck Smith emphasizes the often unrecognized nearness of God, illustrating how humanity frequently remains unaware of His omnipresence due to intellectual limitations and spiritual dullness. He discusses the consequences of this unconsciousness, such as limited vision and a corrupted life, and highlights that the discovery of God's nearness is an act of divine revelation rather than human pursuit. Smith explains that God reveals Himself in various ways, including dreams, sickness, tragedy, and moments of joy, and that this revelation leads to a profound new interpretation of life and a renewed appreciation for the beauty of creation.

"THE NEARNESS OF GOD UNRECOGNIZED" Intro: A long journey, a hard pillow, an uneasy conscience, a heavy heart, these are the things that make men dream. I. MAN'S UNCONSCIOUSNESS OF THE NEARNESS OF GOD. A. God is omnipresent. 1. Psalm 139. 2. Acts 17:28 "In Him we live and move..." B. We are not always conscious of His presence. 1. The place of Jacob's dream. 2. "The Lord is in this place and I knew it not." C. Reasons for the unconsciousness. 1. Intellectual limitation. a. "Who by searching can find God to perfection?" b. God will not restrict Himself to the narrow limitations of our minds. 2. Spiritual dullness which is the result of moral failure, "Your sins have separated between you and God." D. Results of the unconsciousness. 1. Limited vision, "sees only that which in near." a. We talk of men with foresight with admiration. b. How far do they see? c. If they do not see beyond the grave and prepare, very short sighted indeed. 2. He loses the glory of the beauty of God 3. The life becomes corrupted. a. The search turns to other things which only destroy the life. II. "THE DISCOVERY OF GOD'S NEARNESS." A. It results from an act of God. 1. Men are not consciously seeking God. 2. The revelation of the nearness of God is a revelation of God. a. Not intellectual consent to the being of God. b. Actual discovery in the soul of the fact of God. B. He uses many ways to reveal Himself. 1. Here in a dream. a. In the morning consciousness came. 1. Morning usually time of disillusionment. 2. You laugh at the terrors of the night. b. That day is not past. 2. Sometimes through sickness or tragedy. 3. Sometimes in hour of peril. 4. In hour of supreme joy. C. God approaches each man individually. 1. Sets aside preacher or priest, or prophet. III. WHAT DOES THIS DISCOVERY MEAN TO A PERSON? A. A new interpretation of life. 1. The ladder that connected earth and heaven. 2. You become aware of the heaven earth relation. 3. Two men in beleaguered city one cries in hopeless despair the other says Lord open his eyes. a. You say "O we don't believe that." B. The world about you springs forth in new beauty and glory.