God’s OMNI-Attributes
January 17, 2021
When we think about God . . . how would you describe God? What words and phrases would you use? If you were asked what are God’s character and attributes, what would you say they are . . .
What would that list comprise? That’s part of what we started talking about last week. For the next few weeks, we’re looking at God’s character or attributes.
As I began writing for today’s message, I planned to cover 4 of God’s character traits. By the time I was done writing, I got through a total of 1. So, we’ll be dealing with this longer than I thought.
Today, we’re going to look at God’s attribute of omnipotence. Omnipotence is about God’s power.
People have asked lots of questions about God’s power. One question that is an impossible question is - - “Can God make a rock so big He can’t lift it?”
Have you ever heard of this question? Or maybe you’ve asked that question. On the surface, it seems like a legitimate question, but it’s not. It’s like asking if God can make a square circle. It’s a self-contradiction.
If a circle is square it is no longer a circle. It’s a square. There is no such thing as a square circle or a rock so heavy an omnipotent God can’t lift it.
When we hear questions like that, we should reply that there is no such thing as a rock so heavy God can’t lift it, but if God could create that rock - - - then He could lift it! And by the way, there’s no such thing as a square circle, but if there were, God could make that too!
Some have stated that God is not all powerful and they try to prove it by asking this - - - “If God is all-powerful, why is there so much suffering in the world?” Why do buses crash or tornadoes destroy homes? Why do good people die young? Why do innocent people get injured? Why is there disease in the world? Why the virus? If God were all powerful, then why doesn’t He stop the suffering?
Before we say anything else, there’s a lot of honesty in that question. All of us have wondered about this at some point, usually when we or a loved one has greatly suffered. In a fallen world, it’s a very fair question.
Some years ago Rabbi Harold Kushner wrote a best-selling book entitled Why Bad Things Happen to Good People. I read it in seminary. Some people loved it and found it healing. I didn’t like his premise. In the book, Kushner wrestled with these difficult questions from a very personal point of view. He wrote about his son who died at a young age from a rare disease that caused his body to age rapidly.
After his loss, Kushner came to the conclusion that he could no longer believe what he was taught about God’s goodness and power. Finally he came to the only conclusion that satisfied him. He concluded God is not all powerful. He declared “God can’t do everything.”
He explained God didn’t want his son to die — not like that, not at such a young age. God didn’t want that, but God didn’t have the power to stop it either. There are forces in the universe that are beyond even God’s control.
Many people have found the book healing and consoling. But when you come to the heart of what Kushner says, he does not believe in the omnipotence of God.
At some point in our lives, we all wonder “Why?” So we must face this question
- - - If God is all-powerful, why doesn’t He use that power to stop the suffering in the world?
What Kind of God Do We Believe In?
This leads us back to the character of God. What kind of God do we believe in? If Rabbi Kushner is correct, then there is no hope. If God is not omnipotent, then evil is more powerful than God. In the end we must place our faith on the goodness and power of God. This is a crucial issue in life. Is God good and does He care for us? Is God for us or against us?
You see, if we don’t understand who God is, if even we don’t have a basic understanding of God, then when the tough times hit, we will struggle even more. That’s why reading the Bible is so important to me. In only 4 chapters a day, you’ve read God’s Word - - 15-20 minutes a day!
Last week we looked at the fact that God is eternal and infinite. He is never ending, He is without beginning or ending. He will last forever as He has no limits and is not limited by anything. I also juxtaposed God’s eternality and infinite character with our government, reminding us that the leadership will change, while the writer of Hebrews tells us - - God will not change as He is the same, yesterday, today and forever.
Today we’re just looking at God’s omnipotence. Next week, we’ll look at more of the omni’s of God.
The Bible helps us to see that God is omnipotent! Omnipotent means to have unlimited power. It comes from 2 words omni = all; potent = powerful
When we say God is all-powerful, it signifies He has unlimited power. It’s important because it establishes God’s ability to carry out His sovereign will.
God's omnipotence means God is able to do all that He desires to do. When He plans something, it will happen. If He purposes something, it will happen. Nothing can prevent His plan. When His hand is stretched out to do something, no one can turn it back.
Because God is omnipotent and has infinite power, nothing can stop His decreed will from happening, and nothing can thwart or stop His divine purposes from being fulfilled. There are many verses in the Bible where God reveals this aspect of His nature.
So, let me give you some scriptures to help you see where the Bible is telling us God is all powerful.
In Jeremiah 32:17, Jeremiah tells us - -
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. - Jeremiah 32:17
Jeremiah is attesting to the fact that God created the heavens and the earth. How did He do it? By His great power. And Jeremiah admits - nothing is too hard for God.
King David says this about God in Psalm 24:8 - -
8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle! - Psalm 24:8
When the disciples question Jesus in Matthew 19 asking, “who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said - -
26 “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
We learn that all things are possible with God only because of His power.
The angel Gabriel told Mary -
37 For nothing will be impossible with God. - Luke 1:37
The Psalmist wrote -
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure. - Psalm 147:5
Job confessed to God -
2 I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. - Job 42:2
I can go on and on with passages about God’s power. We can talk about God’s power in the act of creation. Look at Genesis 1 and the creation of the world by God. Psalm 33:6 tells us - -
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host. - Psalm 33:6
But why stop there? Oh, this is fun! I have to tell you this is so much fun. I hope you’re enjoying this . . . This is great, great, amazing about our God.
You see, we can take this even further, when we talk about the birth of Jesus. The miraculous nature of Jesus coming into the world . . . but let’s not stop there, how about the miracles of Jesus.
How about walking on water?
Or bringing the dead back to life?
What about healing the blind, the deaf, the lame?
What about quieting the wind and waves?
Oh, He shriveled up a tree that didn’t bear fruit.
Didn’t He heal the demon possessed?
We could go on with those as well . . .
Now, we can add the fact that Jesus died so we could be forgiven. He shed His blood for us. There’s power in that. Don’t we sing the song with loud voices . . . THERE’S POWER IN THE BLOOD?!
There is wonder working power in the blood of the Lamb
There is wonder working power in the precious blood of the Lamb
Yup, the power of the blood of Christ. His death for you and I. Redemption, forgiveness, grace, mercy, the power of His love.
But the power of God didn’t end there . . . I think there was something called the RESURRECTION!! That’s God showing His power. We find hope in His power, because we know that nothing, absolutely nothing in this world can defeat God. And that my friends brings me so much comfort and joy. Whatever I go through, whatever my lot . . . God has me covered! That’s God’s power at work
The very God who created the world, raised the dead, provided manna in the desert, and split the seas wide open so that His people could walk through on dry ground - is the same God who is with us today. He is fighting for us, covering us with the peace and power of His Spirit, leading us, opening doors, and paving a way for us when there seems to be no possible way.
He is mighty and powerful and is at work in every detail of our lives. His word reminds us that nothing is impossible for Him. Don’t believe the lies that God is limited by time, circumstances, or the weaknesses and brokenness of our own lives. He works right through it all, drawing us closer to Himself and even gives us His power so we can go into the world and bring the light of Christ to a world living in darkness.
As we end looking at God’s omnipotence - listen to the words from 1 Chronicles 29, the writer of tells us - -
11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty,
for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.
12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. - 1 Chronicles 29:11-12
You can hear the power of God oozing through this passage. It’s a reminder of God’s majesty and power. It’s His greatness on display for all to see.
Don’t believe Rabbi Kushner when he tells us God is limited. He gives us the impression God is a kind, old grandpa who is unable to do anything more than smile at nod at you!
Don’t believe the lies! God is powerful beyond our comprehension. Why do bad things happen? Theological answers can only take us so far. There’s sin in the world which leads to some bad, yet, we will never fully comprehend the heart and mind of God. That’s where our faith comes in. That’s where we hold onto God and trust in His goodness.
If I didn’t believe in God’s unlimimted - never ending power - - - I would have absolutely no hope. It means the miracles, the birth, the resurrection could not have happened and this life is all there is. I don’t believe that! God’s power is a blessing! We are blessed by God because when we believe in Him, we have the opportunity to experience blessings in more ways than we can imagine.
It takes trust and faith in God to hold onto those promises . . . to believe in the God of creation. That the God of heaven and earth, the Creator of all, is your creator and loves you and seeks to bless you through His infinite power.
I trust that the all-powerful God is with me. God uses His power on my behalf. Whenever I need Him, and even when I think I don’t, He’s there. He never fails. All his plans for me will come to pass. I can trust Him completely.
To the world the cross was a terrible waste, a tragedy, an enormous mistake. But to those who believe it is a demonstration of the power of God.
Think about that for a moment. In the very place where God seemed to be defeated, we see God’s power. Is the all-powerful God good and does He care for us? Look to the bloody cross and judge for yourself.
He who had all power gave it up and became weak like us. He knows what it is to die young and be cut off in the midst of life. When we come to the cross, we come weak, confused, broken, perplexed, bruised, anxious and frustrated. And there at the cross, in that place where the world sees weakness, there we find the power of God. We come helpless to the God who is our help --- to the God who is our strength.
If God were not omnipotent, Jesus would still be dead. But if God can raise the dead, He can do anything. Let that thought encourage you this week as you face the impossibilities of life. Just remember, you’re not alone for Almighty God walks with you.
