Who is God?
God is Omnipotent!
Jeremiah 32:17
17 "Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. NIV
Series introduction
Slide
Good morning.
Who is God? I know that each of us have conceptions about God, but have you ever really taken time to think about and meditate on who He is and what He is like?
I think sometimes that we get an idea about God in our minds and we no longer think about Him.
For instance, I think there are some that may picture God in their minds as a Santa Claus like person who is kind and gentle and forgiving with nothing ever bothering him as He sits in His throne like rocking chair watching over humankind as a celestial grandfather.
Others may have a view of God as a strict disciplinarian head master of a boarding school, just waiting and watching for you to make one wrong turn so He can punish you.
Others may think of god as an absent grandfather who is confined to a home for the senile, who has little involvement in the day to day workings of the world or your life.
Others may have a view of God as a friend whom you can turn to at any time or in any situation and is there to walk through that situation with you, but that will never tell you when you are wrong or hold you accountable for your actions or words.
Others of us may have different views of God in our minds at different times.
Affects our Living
Now, no matter what your view of God is, it will affect how you live your life.
For instance, if you just think of God as just a good buddy, you might think that God doesn’t care so much about your sin, just what is going to make you happy, and therefore you just do what makes you feel good in the moment.
Or if you think God is just a disciplinarian, you might be afraid to confess your sin to God but instead just flee from Him.
Our view of who God is affects every one of us in our everyday life, so it is vitally important that we have a correct view of God, or we are never going to be able to live in the full freedom and joy that comes from trusting and following the one true God.
So this morning, we are beginning a series that I hope will help us all know God better so that we can live better and more fully in the increasing knowledge of who He is.
Sermon intro
So this morning, we are going to begin by learning that
God is Omnipotent
Slide
What does omnipotent mean?
Well, Omni means all, and “potent” means power.
So Omnipotent means “all powerful.”
God is all powerful.
This is an important attribute of God for us to understand. I am sure there are many here who know this truth in your minds, but have you ever really contemplated that and what it means?
In our minds sometimes, if we think of all powerful, we might think of someone like a Superman, who is able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, or fly through the air and overcome the laws of nature.
I remember seeing the first Superman building and Superman was always there to save people just in the nick of time. I remember in the first movie a bus full of people about to plunge off a bridge and Superman coming to the rescue and using his strength and straining to put the bus in a safe place. I think many of us apply the qualities of Superman to God, in being able to save us just in the nick of time due to his power and might.
And while there is some truth to the perfect timing of God’s works in our life, God is not Superman. God’s power is such that He will never strain to accomplish what He desires.
He does not need to get more power.
He does not need to work out.
There is no kryptonite that will reduce God’s power.
He is all powerful, all the time
Slide
Jeremiah 32:17 - "Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.
This morning I want to take some time to contemplate what the fact that God is omnipotent actually means and then seek to understand what this means in our life.
This is important because when we live with a view of God that is only a shadow of the reality of who He is, we live only a shadow of a life.
Now, none of us here have a complete view of God or His character, no matter where you are on your spiritual journey, so each of us, in some sense, are living with a shadow of the reality of who God is.
So that means that we can all grow in the knowledge and truth of who God really is and as that view of God becomes more clear and accurate, we can live better more joy filled and peace filled lives.
So let’s begin and ask
What does it mean that God is omnipotent?
Slide
We have already said it means He is all powerful, but what I want us to consider is how might recognize today, just a little more of what being omnipotent means.
So, what does it mean that God is omnipotent?
First, It means that
God is more powerful than Anything
Slide
Our limited human minds are unable to grasp things that are infinite. God’s power is infinite, but we can only think of it in terms of things we seen or somewhat understand.
So, when we think of God’s power, we start by thinking of some of the most powerful things we can understand.
Hurricane or Tsunami
When I think of something powerful, I often think of a hurricane or some other natural disaster like the tsunami in Japan that devastated that country.
Tsunamis have the power to destroy in moments things that have taken years and years to build.
God is more powerful than any force of nature. In fact, he is in control of the forces of nature.
Slide
Jeremiah 10:13
13 When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar;
he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
Mark 4:39-41
Slide
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
41 They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"
God is more powerful than all the forces of nature.
But even as I think of how powerful the forces of nature are, those are things that are confined to our own little planet.
The power of what we call the forces of nature are nothing compared to the power and energy contained in our own sun!
And the power and energy of our own sun is nothing when compared to the power and energy contained in all of the stars of the milky way.
And all the energy and power contained in all the stars of the milky way is nothing compared to all the stars in all the galaxies of the universe!
And all of that energy and power contained in the entire universe has been created and is sustained by God.
Jeremiah 32:17 - "Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. NIV
God has infinitely more power than all of what he has created.
Transition
Now this means something. I think sometimes we can begin to grasp and understanding that God is more powerful than inanimate forces, but the fact that God is infinitely more powerful than anything also means that
God is more powerful than Satan
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And infinitely so.
Satan is a created being. He is an angel that rebelled against God due to his pride. While Satan is powerful, he is not more powerful, or slightly less powerful than God.
God is infinitely more powerful than Satan and Satan is in fact subject to God. He cannot do anything apart from what God would allow.
Now, we may not understand or may never understand this side of heaven, all of why God allows certain things, but one thing we do need to understand as a Christian, is that we have the power of God indwelling us in the Holy Spirit, so we do not need to fear Satan.
1 John 4:4
Slide
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.
So the fact that God is omnipotent and that God indwells the one who has received Jesus, means that we do not need to fear Satan. In fact, God tells us that when Satan attacks, we can resist Him by the power of God in us and Satan will flee.
So, even though we are created beings and while Satan is more powerful than us, He is not more powerful than God who indwells the Christian and we can rely on His omnipotence to overcome Satan’s attacks.
The problem for many of us, is we fail to grasp God’s power and the fact that He is indwelling us, and we rely on ourselves and our own strength to resist Satan. That is a losing battle.
Rely on God and His infinite power and we will be able to stand strong against Satan.
Transition
So God is more powerful than anything including Satan.
But one last area, I want to focus on before we look at the implications of God’s power and that is
God is more powerful than our Circumstance
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Throughout scripture we see that God is not confounded by circumstance, but in fact is using our circumstances for His glory and our ultimate good.
I want to consider 2 examples in scripture of circumstances that God controlled in His omnipotence.
Joseph
First, is the example of Joseph.
Joseph was one of the 12 sons of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel.
God gives Joseph a dream that his family will one day bow down to him, but his brothers will have none of that. So they seek to make sure that will never happen and they decide to kill him, but instead they get rid of him by selling him into slavery!
Take that God, bet you didn’t see that coming.
To make matters worse for Joseph, after he becomes a slave to Potiphar, he tries to be the best servant he can and then gets wrongly accused by Potiphar’s wife and gets thrown into jail! There he sits for a number of years until he finally interprets a dream for Pharaoh and gets exalted to second in command! Joseph leads Egypt to stock pile food for a coming famine and the famine hits Israel and Josephs brothers come to Egypt to get food and bow down before Joseph!
Whoa did God get lucky or what?
No, God did not get lucky.
God is infinitely more powerful than our circumstances because He is the author of all time!
It does not matter what others try to do to us. We serve a God that is in full control of every circumstance that anyone can place us in.
When we start to worry about the circumstances we find ourselves in that are out of our control, remember that God is omnipotent.
Sun Stand Still
Not only is God powerful enough to control the circumstances people place us in, but God is able to overcome any circumstance due to the normal workings of the laws of nature that He has designed.
Once, as Joshua in obedience to the Lord was leading Israel in their conquest of the Promised Land was fighting against the Amorites.
Israel, after marching all night long, engaged them in battle, but there was not enough time in the day for Israel to defeat all of the Amorites.
So Joshua prayed and said
Slide
Joshua 10:12-13
"O sun, stand still over Gibeon,O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon."
13 So the sun stood still,
and the moon stopped,
till the nation avenged itself on its enemies,
as it is written in the Book of Jashar.
The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day
Now if you have not noticed, the sun rises and sets everyday. It does so so regularly that you could probably even set your clock to it. (that is a joke because we do set our clocks to it!)
But God is omnipotent and can supernaturally control his own creation and halt the usual laws of nature that He has designed to accomplish His purposes!
That means whatever we are facing in life, even things that seem like there is no hope, there is hope.
Listen to what God says in
Slide
Isaiah 46:8-11
8 "Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels.
9 Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
10 I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say: My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.
11 From the east I summon a bird of prey;
from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that will I bring about;
what I have planned, that will I do.
God is able to accomplish whatever He says because He is more powerful than anything. He is more powerful than Satan and he is more powerful than any circumstance we may find ourselves in.
Transition
Ok, so God is powerful. He can do whatever he says and accomplish whatever he desires. He is omnipotent. I believe it. So what?
How does knowing God is omnipotent affect my life?
Slide
It means that
I can trust God to keep His Word
We just saw in Isaiah 46:11 that God said
Isaiah 46:11
What I have said, that will I bring about;
what I have planned, that will I do.
God will do what He says. He has the power to keep His word.
Because He is omnipotent, He can accomplish everything He says.
That is very good news, because God has given us many great and precious promises.
Slide
And Paul tells us that “no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 1:20)
So, let’s get a little practical here and examine some promises of God we find in His word.
Now, we can only go through a few, but I want to encourage you, that as you read Scripture, meditate on God’s power and what the promises you read in Scripture actually mean to you and how you can live in light of knowing that and believing that.
So, if God says…
Believe and Be saved
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You can believe Him
That is what he tells us in Romans 10:9
We are told that
“if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
That means that our salvation is totally dependent upon God and His word and His power.
It does not depend on how good of a person we are.
It does not depend on if you have been baptized in water.
It does not depend on your ability to overcome sin.
It depends solely on the ability and power of God to keep his word.
Now, when God saves us by His own power, he does not just leave us as we are, but He indwells us by His Holy Spirit to transform us so that we can live lives that bring glory to Him through our obedience to Him.
But our obedience is not what saves us. We are saved by God’s power and might and ability to keep His word when we believe in Jesus Christ and receive Him as our Savior.
Have you believed and received Jesus? If you have, you can be sure of your salvation.
That is why the Apostle John can say
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1 John 5:13 - I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
I know I have eternal life because I am confident not in myself, but in the power of God to keep his word.
That gives me great peace in this life.
Transition
Not only can you trust God to give you salvation when you believe, but
If God says…
I will provide for your needs as you seek My Kingdom
Slide
You can believe Him
Matthew 6:31-33
31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
That means that I need to be focused on the Lord and doing what He wants me to, and that I don’t have to worry about how I am going to provide for my needs.
This doesn’t mean that I can just lay on my couch watching TV and God will provide someone to feed me grapes.
That is not seeking after the Lord’s kingdom and righteousness or keeping our focus on what God wants me to do. That is focusing on my own kingdom and own desires.
If I am focused on the Lord, then I am going to doing things that will glorify Him and expand his kingdom.
When my eyes are on the Lord, I will be a great and godly husband or wife to my spouse.
When I am focused on the Lord, I will be a great employee or a great boss, whichever He is wanting me to do, because as I pray, and as I seek Him, He will lead me well and I will follow and He will take care of my needs.
If, however, I take my life into my own hands, following my ways, doing what I want, I have no assurance of my needs being met. It is then that I have much to worry about!
But when we believe and know that God is omnipotent, we can trust Him to keep his word and provide for our needs as we seek His kingdom.
And
If God says …
He will be your strength when you are weak
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you can believe him
Paul says in
2 Corinthians 12:9a that God said
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
This is really where God can show his power and his might in our lives.
And this is the place that it is so hard for us when we have a view of God that is less than what is true and real.
You see, we often think that God is so powerful and mighty, and He is, but we think that his power and might is only shown through stopping our suffering, ending our pain, making our life easy, etc.
I would argue that God’s power is truly shown by His work at giving us His strength and His power to endure suffering, to endure hardship, to endure when we don’t have a shred of strength left, and yet He gets us through.
That is why Paul continues after that verse and says
Slide
2 Corinthians 12:9b-10
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
God shows His power and might in our lives through giving us the strength to endure hardship, suffering, and difficulties. In those times it may seem like we can’t do it.
This is why we must have an accurate view and understanding of God’s power!
If we have the view of God that He is only powerful enough to get us through or beyond a situation through the way we think He should, we have only viewed God as a genie with some power, but not with knowledge to use that power as wisely as us.
God is all Powerful. God is completely Able.
And because He is powerful and because we can trust Him to keep his word, we can find true joy, peace and contentment as we depend on Him.
Paul tells us the secret of this peace and contentment in
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Philippians 4:12-13
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. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Conclusion
No matter what kind of circumstance you are facing, Realize that God is omnipotent and has all power and authority.
He is able to keep His word and give you the strength you need to endure the situations and circumstances you find yourself in, and provide you peace and contentment
as you depend on Him,
as you keep your eyes on Him,
as you seek after His kingdom and righteousness.
Don’t live with a false or inferior view of God that only recognizes His power to get you out of your circumstance.
Glorify Him and find real contentment as you live with a growing knowledge of God’s power that is able to get you through your circumstance with peace and joy.
Let’s pray and ask God to help us see Him clearly.
Pray.
How Great is our God
