Omnipotence
Notes
Transcript
Omnipotence of God
Omnipotence of God
What is something in your life that you have done that was very difficult?
Exam, workout, puzzle, book, artwork, driving test
What is something you cannot do right now but you think with enough time and preparation you could do it?
Marathon, learn a new language, read through Calvin’s Institutes
Last week what did Carl teach about?
The Patience of God
In previous weeks we have looked at things like the holiness of God, self-existence of God, omnipresence of God, omniscientence of God
We have looked at these different things and we have to remember, as Steve Lawson put it, these are just shafts of light coming from this great sun. We are looking at but one arm, one aspect of this great God each week and we cannot wrap our mind around this one thing, and yet it is but one aspect, there are hundreds of more. And when you look at it that way, that each of those arms is so great and far more complex then we will every understand than we truly see this great and powerful king, Yahweh, who is worthy of our awe.
I’m sure Mike covered this but what does the word “omni” mean?
All—so omnipresence means? always present; God is everywhere, all the time
Omniscient? all knowing; God know’s all things including your thoughts, your sins, your motives, your desires
Today we are going to talk about the omnipotence of God
I have to say this is the first time that I can remember where I strongly disagree with the definition of a word. According to Oxford it is “the quality of having unlimited or very great power”
I would argue that doesn’t do justice to what it means omnipotence means. First of all there is only one omnipotent one in the whole university; God. Omni meaning “all” so there may be some that our great and powerful, even Satan is powerful, but the one who is “all” powerful is God.
Holman Illustrated Bible defines it as “state of being all-powerful”. Not only is He all powerful, but all power is from him. He is both the most powerful but also the right owner and dealer of all power. God does not have very great power, he has all power, he is more powerful than we will ever know.
God is all powerful meaning nothing is impossible to God, nothing is even hard or taxing. What does that mean for us?
We can lay our petitions at the throne of grace. The God who has the power to create the universe can handle any trial or worry you are going through; first of all he is putting you through it for a purpose, but not only is he powerful enough to sustain us, he promises us he will sustain us; if not in this life then in the life to come.
All power we have is from God, Satans power is from God, he distributes all power!
One of the most popular Old Testament names for God is El Shaddai; what does it mean?
Almighty God!
No student in here will know this but Amy Grant had a song called, El Shaddai
El shaddai, el shaddai, (Almighty God, Almighty God)
El-elyon na adonia, (God Most High, please my Lord)
Age to age you're still the same,
By the power of the name.
El shaddai, el shaddai, (Almighty God, Almighty God)
Erkamka na adonai, (We will love you Lord God)
We will praise and lift you high,
El shaddai. (Almighty God)
It was a clever way to teach people Hebrew. But God is Almighty—all might and strength belongs to God.
AW Tozer once said about the omnipotence of God:
“Since god has at His command all the power in the universe, the Lord God omnipotent can do anything as easily as he can do anything else. All of his acts are done without effort. He expends no energy that must be replenished. His self-sufficiency makes it unnecessary for Him to look outside of Himself for a renewal of strength. All the power requires to do all that he wills lies in Him in undiminished fullness.”
Unlike God, when we do something taxing or hard we have to recover. You have to have things outside of yourself to bring your strength back up—food, water, maybe an IV or electrolytes. God needs nothing; he doesn’t need to recover.
I want to consider five aspects of this great power that God has.
Infinite power.
It is unlimited, boundless. There are many things we have desire to do but don’t have the strength to do (work out, working longer, etc.)
God’s power is so vast and so great that with a simple word he created the universe
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
This wasn’t just a plant or solar system this was everything. You and I can’t speak anything into existence. You can give me every material needed to build something and I still can’t just say something and it appear. God spoke and the heavens were made.
We will never be able to comprehend how amazing that is. With an utterance his voice the sun, the moon, the stars, the earth, the sea, the sky all appeared.
It would take you 500 billion years to circle the perimeter of the universe (to the extent that we know of)
500 billion years seems like a long time, but that is only if you care going at the speed of light which is 186,000 miles per second!
The speed of light would be going all the way around the earth almost 8 times in 1 second, your going that fast and it takes 500 billion years
The suns diameter is 864,000 miles. Over 1,000,000 earths can fit inside the sun.
These are jus staggering numbers to consider just how powerful God is in just creation, let alone the sustaining of the universe.
Someone look up Jeremiah 32:17
‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.
Someone read Matthew 19:26
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Not only are all things possible for God, they are not even difficult.
Application: One very real application for this---raise your hand if you know of someone where you just think there is no way that person could be saved.
There is no one too hard for God to save. Rahab sold herself for profit, David was an adulterer, they stoned Stephen to death and laid their clocks at Paul’s feet for his approval. No situation is too grim, no sin is too enslaving, no lifestyle is too repulsive for the power and strength of the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
We start Acts 2 today—whats the main message of that sermon—this Jesus whom you crucified—you killed him!
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
What shall we do? Verse 38: repent! What’s the call? Not how dare you, wallow in your self-pity for what you have done—no; repent! Every one of you
2. Irresistible Power
He is unconquerable. Kingdoms have risen and fallen, kings, judges, presidents, dictators have all risen and they have fallen, but King Jesus rules and reigns on the throne, he cannot be conquered.
“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
Nothing can get in the way of this great power, no plan of God will be spoiled
For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?
Also henceforth I am he; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back?”
Application: No one can reserve, stop, alter or obstruct the work of God. No supreme court, no president or vice-president, no congress, mayor, governor, activist group, no one can thwart, annul, change, or hinder the purpose and power of El Shaddai
3. Inexhaustible
God’s power is always the same—it has not dewindled or waned over the last thousand years.
He has not grown old, he has not grown tired, it is forever the same. Some read Isaiah 40:28-31
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
How many times have we forgotten this? This is another attribute of God but he is unchanging—he is the same yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever. A giant bon fire may grow huge and be raging but at some point it stops burning. God’s power never wanes, it never dims, it never grows faint.
He gives power to the weak and weary and yet he doesn’t grow weaker when doing that. He cannot be quenched
God’s power is same forever
Application: don’t grow weary. God has not changed, he is not losing his grip. He will hold you fast.
4. Incomprehensible
Thats sort of a funny thing to say while teaching about a subject. Hey were going to learn about how powerful God is, and of by the way it is impossible to understand. But God’s power truly can never be comprehended by our minds.
It is so infinite and so vast we cannot comprehend.
We cannot imagine how powerful God truly is.
Turn to Ephesians 3
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
He is able to do more than we can ask
He is able to do far more than we can ask
He is able to do far more abundantly than we can ask
He is able to do far more abundantly than we can ask or think
It just keeps building, far more abundantly, it is not just more, it is far more, and it is far more many times over that is in abundant, more than enough, plenty.
It more than not only what we ask but more than we can even think, we cannot even wrap our minds around it.
And he is able to do this according to his power at work within us
Application: just because we cannot comprehend it doesn’t mean you give up. The more we learn about God and how powerful he is the more we realize how much we don’t know, but also we learn more about how we should live. The more you saturate your mind with the truth and greatness of who God is in his power, patience, holiness, knowledge, etc. hopefully you are encouraged, convicted and pushed to walk in a manner worthy of the calling.
5. Self-Consistent Power
This is very important
There are actually things God cannot do. We have spent this whole time talking about how powerful God is and yet there are things God cannot do.
What are some things God cannot do?
Lie, act inconsistent to his attributes, not be perfect
God’s power works in perfect conformity with all of His other attributes
His power works perfectly with his sovereignity, his wisdom, his love, his grace, his mercy.
God is not this super strong, super powerful hulk-like character that cannot control himself. He is just so powerful he breaks cars and busts through walls on accident and accidently destroys people because he didn’t know how powerful he was.
No—God’s power works in unison with all his other attributes
God cannot be inconsistent with his own character.
in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began
so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.
Application: how encouraging is that? God cannot lie; if he said he will do something he will do it. He will return for his church. There will one day be a judgement day, there will one day be a chosen group worshiping and praising God forever before the throne because of the great lamb!
What is one way to apply this; praise God for who He is!
We are blessed at this church. We sing and celebrate these truths week in and week out.
I’m going to to take a part of each song we will sing today in the service:
“All in All”
You are my strength when I am weak, you are the treasure that I seek
(I would add he is our strength at all times, we have no strength or power that he has not given us)
“God of Wonders”
Lord of all creation, Lord of water, earth and sky
The heavens are your tabernacle, Glory to the Lord on high
And God of wonders beyond our galaxy, you are holy, holy
The universe declares your majesty, you are holy, holy
“Name above all Names”
The tomb is empty, Christ has risen
Jesus, the Lamb once crucified
The angels never cease to worship
Jesus, in heaven glorified
To Him belongs the power, the wisdom, might and strength (he has it all)
All glory and dominion to the Lord of every age
You are highly exalted, name above all names, worthy of all praise
You are reigning in glory, Jesus, You’re the King over everything
Exalted to the highest place, given the name above all other names
“Reformation Hymn”
By grace alone we have been saved; all that we are has come from you.
Hearts that were once by sin enslaved, now by your pow’r have been made new.
God alone is powerful to defeat sin and death and free our enslaved hearts for his praise and his glory
Glory to God alone
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