In this lesson, I will be talking about the subject of the power of God. But there is an issue that we run into when we talk about this and pretty much every attribute of God: “How can a little finite mortal describe the power of our Creator? It is impossible to do it adequately, for God is so powerful and great and vast that our little minds cannot take it all in.” God only gives us glimpses of His power and glory in the scriptures. We only see the fringe of the garment. But with what the Lord does reveal to us, we will try our best to describe His power.
How would you define power? Power often in the scriptures signifies authority and dominion, and it is true that the Godhead has total authority over everything. This is what people mean when they say God is Sovereign. He reigns over everything He has created. Some other words that the Bible uses to refer to His sovereignty is Lord, Master, King, Potentate, Ruler, Reigns, etc.
Another way God’s power is defined in the Bible is God’s strength and ability.
Whenever we think of strength, we usually think of huge armies or big body builders that have a ton of muscle. But God has the strength to crush all of them with a touch of His finger. He possesses the ability to do whatever He wants to do. He can bring about whatever He pleases. The Bible refers to His strength often in the Bible, many times referring to it as His mighty hand and outstretched arm that we are seeing. One example is in Deuteronomy 26:8:
“And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders.”
With these definitions of what God’s Power is, Let’s ask the question: “How much authority and strength does God have? It is limitless. He is all-powerful. We cannot have a right conception of God unless we think of Him as all-powerful. This is how the Bible reveals Him.
The term we usually hear describing this idea of God being all powerful is “Omnipotence,” which is a Latin word that means “all power.” As often as we hear this word being used to describe God, you would think that we would see it used a lot of times in the Bible to refer to God. But this is not the case. It is used only once in the Bible, in the King James and New King James Versions.
Revelation 19.6 - "And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!"
Here is one verse that uses this term. Most other translations use a different term: Almighty. This word is used over 50 times in the Bible in reference to God.
(Psalm 91:1) He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
(2 Cor. 6:18) "And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me," Says the Lord Almighty.
Revelation 1:8- "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (speaking of Jesus)
Here are two more verse that speak of God’s limitless power:
(Numbers 11:23). And the LORD (YHWH) said to Moses, “Is the LORD’S power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not”
(Jeremiah 32:17). “‘Ah Lord GOD (YHWH)! Behold, Thou hast made the heavens and the earth by Thy great power and by Thine outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for Thee’”
Let’s look at some examples of the amazing displays of God’s power in the scriptures. Let’s look at some instances of God showing His mighty hand and outstretched arm to us.
IN CREATION
The earliest manifestation of God’s power is seen in the creation of the world in which we live:
Romans 1:20 - "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse."
Throughout Scripture, the creation of the world is cited as a compelling testimony of the power of God.
Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
This is a simple statement that gives us a historical fact. God created. On each day (24hr day) of creation, we are told that “Then God said,” then He spoke something into existence. Can you fathom that? His word is so powerful, he can just speak everything into existence.
God "spoke and it was done, He commanded and it stood fast" (Ps. 33:9).
How powerful is your voice? Can you do that? Can anyone under heaven do that? NO! Only God can. By His word, He gives to all life, breath, and all things (Acts 17:24-25).
It is just so hard to wrap our minds around how powerful One must be to create the universe as we know it!
I have here a short 3 min video from Francis Chan that shows us just a glimpse of what God created with His voice. (SEARCH YouTube for "The Awe Factor of God" by Francis Chan)
I could stop the sermon right here and just stand in awe of the power of God.
We tend to look at the earth as being so big and so amazing. But it pales in comparison to our powerful God.
“Thus says the Lord: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool” Isa 66:1
SUSTAINING THE UNIVERSE:
Not only did God in His power create all of this, we are also told that God is sustaining it.
Speaking of Jesus, the Hebrews writer says, “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”(Hebrews 1:3)
The only reason why things are continuing as they are each day is because God is keeping it going. This is why it is so idolatrous and proud to think that we in some way can destroy this earth with all of our pollution causing global warming. This world is going to keep going until the day God says it’s time for Christ’s return. Global warming is just stupid!
THE EXODUS:
We also see God’s great power in the Exodus when God delivered His people from bondage in Egypt. Along with creation, this is the one event that the Israelites always referred back to to remind each other of the power of their God. God also refers to this event many times to remind His people of His power.
"Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them. And He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power (Deut 4:37)
"But the LORD, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall bow yourselves down, and to Him you shall sacrifice. (2 Kings 17:36)
All of the plagues showed God’s power over nature and over the so called “gods” of the Egyptians. And we know that God completed the deliverance of His people by showing His power in parting the Red Sea so His people could walk through it on dry ground.
Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 And when Israel saw the great power which the LORD had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in His servant Moses (Exodus 14:30-31).
PROVIDENCE:
God’s power was also displayed in providing daily sustenance to His people in the wilderness. He gave them manna on a daily basis. He provided water. He gave them quail to eat for a month. He gives to all men everything they need for life. (Acts 17)
JESUS' MIRACLES:
We see Jesus’ power so clearly within the Gospel accounts. There are so many miracles that show that He is God.
Power over diseases: He healed the lame, Healed leprosy, Made the blind see, Made the deaf hear, Made the mute speak,
Power over nature: Calmed the raging storm, walked on water, multiplied the fish and the loaves, filled nets with fish more than once
Power over the Spiritual realm: Forgave sins, cast out demons, Made the dead rise
You can see in all of these things that Jesus did that there is not anything that God cannot do if He wants to.
THE RESURRECTION:
One of my two favorite displays of God’s power in scripture is the resurrection of Christ.
“…His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 1:3-4)
“in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:19-20)
God raised Christ from the tomb. Death could not keep Him. Sin and death were defeated with the resurrection! This display of God’s strength and power is what gives us the hope that we have. This display of God’s power is crucial to our faith.
THE MOST AMAZING DISPLAY OF GOD'S POWER:
God’s Power to Forgive; to give salvation to sinners. How does He do this? Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ; through the cross. Everything in God’s nature has a tie to the glorious Gospel of Christ.
The Gospel - “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the POWER of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16). The preaching of the gospel is God’s power and strength that He uses to tear lost people away from the enemy and to make them members of Christ’s church. The gospel, and the gospel alone does this.
Why did God display His power in creation? The gospel is the purpose of His revealing His power through creation. The gospel is the reason why He has displayed His power in the flood and in the Exodus. It is all about men seeking Him to the praise of His glory.
“He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him” (Acts 17:26-27).
So here is the important question: what does all of this mean for you and me?
Do we really realize Who it is that we belong to! Do we really understand who is on our side and will not forsake us? The God of heaven is. The all-powerful, sovereign God is with us.
Sometimes I think to myself that my faith is so weak in this all-powerful God. I too often am just a big wimp spiritually. But there is no need to be if we really believe the power of God is with us!
We need to understand that this amazing God promises to be with us! The Bible says that this God is working in us, even using us to work in the lives of others. The Bible says that the power that raised Christ from the tomb is working in us and is offered to us.
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what …the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe, in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:18-20)
This power of God that raised Christ from His tomb can do the same for us. It can raise us out of any sin. It can work in us to stamp out temptation. This power is what raises us into a new life. The God who created us recreates us into His image when we become Christians.
His power will resurrect us on the last day. The voice that created the universe will call us out of our tombs.
Application: God’s Power towards us
He will protect us and sustain us also.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5)
If God sustains His creation, can He not sustain and protect us as His people? He can, but there is a condition to it. God’s power is only accessible to us and will only protect us if we have faith. Peter says that we are “protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Application: God’s Power towards us
Our faith must not rest in ourselves and our strength. If that is the case, we will not have much hope. Our faith must rest solely on the power of our God to save us from our sin and to deliver us from evil in this world, and to bring us to our home in Heaven. We cannot do any of these things on our own strength and power.
Ephesians 2 teaches that we are saved by grace through faith when God by the power He displayed in the resurrection of Christ raises us up together with Him. The question is, “when does this happen? When does God raise us up with Christ. When does He raise us into a new life as a new creation?
Comparing Ephesians 2 and Colossians 2 gives us the answer.
1 Timothy 6:13-16 - “I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.”
This verse describes God as the Great Ruler and King that has eternal dominion over everything. This is one way the power of God is described in the scriptures.
