In two previous sermons we have discovered from the scriptures that the GOD OF THE BIBLE IS;
1) Omniscient (He knows ALL things) Psalm 139:1-6
2) Omnipresent (He is everywhere ALL at the same time) Psalm 139:7-18
But today in this sermon we will be dealing with another attribute that the God of the Bible is also OMNIPOTENT we read about in Psalm 139:19-24.
In these verses of scripture David is praying for the Omnipotent God of heaven to help him in two ways:
(1) To deliver him from his enemies
(2) To search him to make sure he did not have the wrong kind of hatredness in his heart for those who were his enemies. His hate for them was not personal but they hated the God He loved and serve which cause him to hate them. Some people are filled with hate and they personally hate everyone!!!
The Omnipotent God of the Bible is able to help us with our enemies.
What does the word “Omnipotent” means?
The word Omnipotent means He is “all-powerful" and refers to the fact that God’s power is infinite and unlimited.
• He can do with power anything that power can do
• God has the power to do all He wills to do
• He has both the resources and the ability to work His will in every circumstance in the universe.
That is, there is NOT anything He cannot do!!!
If you prefer a simple definition, just think of these three words – "GOD IS ABLE."
No matter what you and I can imagine, GOD IS ABLE TO DO IT!
Now many say they KNOW THE GOD OF THE BIBLE but an examination of their life proves otherwise.
Illus: Listen, you would be surprise the people who say they believe in the God of the Bible but when a problem comes up in their life you cannot tell any difference between their life and the life of an atheist in how they react to their problems.
That is, if you listen to them talk as they deal with their problems in life, they say the same thing the lost world say, “I do not know what to do.”
If they knew the God of the Bible (which they claim to know) they would know what to do!!!
God’s Word tells us“…Casting all our cares upon him, because he cares about you.” (I Peter 5:7)
They do not know the GOD OF THE BIBLE!!!
Let me illustrate:
Illus: They remind me of a humorous story that former president Ronald Reagan use to tell of a man who fell off a cliff.
• As he fell off the cliff he grabbed a limb of a tree on the way down.
• He hung on that limb and looking down below about 200 feet below he saw a pile of rocks.
• He started crying out to the Lord for help.
• He heard the voice of the Lord say, “I hear you my son, if you have faith turn loose and I will catch you!”
• The man hanging on the limb and looking down 200 feet below the rocks said, “IS THERE ANYONE ELSE UP THERE!”
Those who do not know the GOD OF THE BIBLE will trust in ANYTHING AND ANYONE before they will trust in the OMNIPOTENT GOD OF THE BIBLE!!!
Let me illustrate…
Illus: They can go to a surgeon that they have never met in their life and he will tell them he has to operate.
• He tells them he is going to cut them open like a water melon and lay their body parts on a table. (It seems to me if a man tells you he is going to cut you open like a watermelon a person in their right mind ought to run out the room)
• What is their response?
• They say, “Doctor, When are you going to do this?
He tells them when he is going to operate and they willingly submit their body to this surgeon they did not know two or three days ago.
But they have a hard time submitting their life to the OMNIPOTENT GOD OF THE BIBLE.
• He is able to do everything He Wants to do…I CAN’T BUT HE CAN!!!
• He is able to do everything whenever He wants to do…I CAN’T BUT HE CAN!!!
WHAT AN AWESOME GOD WE SERVE!!!
No wonder David tells us in Psalm 139 that this GOD OF THE BIBLE IS TO MUCH FOR US TO COMPREHEND!!!
DO YOU KNOW omnipotent GOD OF THE BIBLE?
HE IS AWESOME!!!
Let me illustrate…
Illus: Did you hear about the elderly woman that just returned to her home from an evening worship service and was startled to find an intruder in her house?
Catching the man in the act of burglarizing her home, she yelled, "STOP! Acts 2:38!"
That verse says, "…Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,…"
The burglar did not have any idea of what Acts 2:38 said, but later in prison his partner in crime, said to the man driving the getaway car, “If you had not stopped we could have gotten away. WHY DID YOU STOP?”
He said,
“When she said, ‘STOP! Acts 2:38’ I thought she said, ‘Stop, I have an ax and two 38's!’
So I just stopped in my tracks.”
When you start getting into the scriptures and see what the Bible says about God being OMNISCIENT, OMNIPRESENT, and OMNIPOTENT, it will cause you to stop in your tracks also!!!
But before we get too far into the sermon let me say something about this OMNIPOTENT GOD OF THE BIBLE that may sound contradictory from what I have been saying about this ALL POWERFUL GOD WE SERVE.
That is, we need to consider that there are some things God cannot do.
Let me illustrate…
Illus: A Baptist Sunday school teacher was teaching a lesson on the Omnipotence of God to her class of boys and girls.
When she thought she had gotten her lesson across…
• She asked, "Is there anything God can't do?" All was silent.
• Finally, one boy held up his hand. The teacher, on seeing this, was disappointed that they had missed the point of the lesson.
• She sighed and asked, "Johnny, what is it you think God cannot do?"
• The boy replied, "He can't please everybody."
Johnny was right!!!
Illus: When I first went into the ministry I thought I could make everybody happy. I REALLY TRIED!
I later learned trying to make everyone happy is like a forest fire, when you get one of the fires out another one pops up somewhere else.
Little Johnny was right even God cannot make everyone happy. And if God cannot it is for sure no pastors can.
What I learn in life that the best way to deal with some people is to KEEP AWAY FROM THEM AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE! There are too many good people you can spend your time with.
Sometime it is difficult just to make our mates happy.
Illus: Let tell you about an old grumpy man and his wife.
While on a road trip, an elderly couple stopped at a roadside restaurant for lunch. After finishing their meal, they left the restaurant, and continued on their trip.
When leaving, the elderly woman unknowingly left her glasses on the table, and she didn't miss them until they had been driving down the road about forty miles.
She told her husband and he started GROWLING!!!
• By then, to add to the aggravation, they had to travel quite a distance before they could find a place to turn around.
• They had to return to the restaurant to retrieve her glasses and her old GRUMPY husband was GRUMBLING ALL THE WAY!
• He fussed and complained, and scolded his wife relentlessly during the entire return drive.
• The more he chided her, the more agitated he became. He just wouldn't let up for a single minute about her leaving her glasses in the restaurant.
• To her relief, they finally arrived at the restaurant.
• As the woman got out of the car, and hurried inside to retrieve her glasses, the old geezer yelled to her, "While you're in there…you might as well get my hat and the credit card I left there."
Illus: I like what someone said years ago, “Don't feel bad for making decisions that upset other people. You're not responsible for their happiness, you're responsible for yours." —Unknown
It may be useful to know that there are at least four things the Bible says that God cannot do.
• He cannot deny himself (2 Timothy 2:13)
• He cannot lie (Titus 1:2)
• He cannot be tempted to do evil (James 1:13)
• He cannot change his basic nature (Numbers 23:19)
In short, God will never act contrary to his own righteous, holy, unchanging character.
Let’s look at several things about the Omnipotence of God, such as –
A. NOTHING IS TOO HARD FOR GOD
Aren’t you glad we serve a GOD THAT NOTHING IS TO HARD FOR GOD?
• Look at Jeremiah 32:17, we read, “Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:”
• In Luke 1:37 we read, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
Illus: Years ago they had a television program called “Mission Impossible”.
This 7-year series chronicled the adventures of the Impossible Mission Force, a team of government spies and specialists who were assigned "impossible missions" by the unseen "Secretary".
The series is best known for its opening mission assignment (assigned on a pre-recorded tape), that gave them a mission that seemed virtually impossible to achieve, and then the tape would self-destruct.
But week after week, viewers sat in amazement watching them do the impossible. Of course, they knew in real life they could never do such things.
When it comes to real life, THERE IS NOTHING ALMIGHTY GOD CAN NOT DO!
Let me give you an example…
Illus: Look at the life of Abraham and Sarah.
Among the many titles given to God in the Old Testament is one that relates directly to his Omnipotence. He is called El Shaddai!
In Genesis 17:1 God speaks to 99 year old Abraham, who has been promised a child by God. By this time his body is "as good as dead."
Look at Romans 4:19-22, we read, “And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.”
In the face of all his very understandable doubts, God reassures him by calling himself El Shaddi, which means Almighty God.
God was saying to Abraham: "Don’t look in the mirror, Abraham, look at me!”
That is exactly what he did!!!
Look at Romans 4:19, we read, “And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:”
God was saying to Abraham “If I say you’re going to have a son, you are going to have a son.”
Look at Romans 4:20-21, we read, “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”
• God was saying that age means nothing to Him. He is “El-Shaddi” (Almighty Omnipotent God of the Bible)
• God was saying to the person that has cancer, cancer means nothing to Him. He is “El-Shaddi” (Almighty Omnipotent God of the Bible)
• God was saying to the person in sickness, sickness means nothing to Him. He is “El-Shaddi” (Almighty Omnipotent God of the Bible)
God can do anything He wants to do anytime He wants to do it!!!
Let me illustrate…
Illus: Doing the impossible, reminds us of a man that advertised he had a talking dog for sale.
• A man saw the sign and stopped to inquire.
• The man said, “Before I buy him I would like to hear him talk.”
• He took him out to the dog pen and he said to the dog, “How are you doing?”
• The dog said, “I am doing fine, how you are doing?”
• The man heard this conversation taking place and he was amazed at the dog talking, and he decided he
would join the conversation.
• He said to the dog, “Tell me something about yourself.”
• The dog said, “Years ago I used to work as an undercover agent for the CIA. After many years I transferred
over to the FBI and this is where I retired and I met my owner.”
• The man was greatly impressed and he said to the owner, “How much do you want for this talking dog?”
• The owner said, “I will sell him to you for $10.00.”
• The man was shocked, he said, “That’s all you want for a talking dog? Why are you willing to sell him so
cheap?”
• He said the reason “I am willing to sell him for $10.00 is because all the things he told you about working for
the CIA and the FBI, are all lies, you can not believe a thing he says”.
Listen, if you and I could hear a talking dog, that would shock us because we know it is impossible for a dog to talk.
But God can do things that are so IMPOSSIBLE that would make a talking dog seem insignificant. NOTHING IS TOO HARD FOR GOD.
Illus: Infact in Numbers 22:28 God made a donkey to talk.
NOTHING IS TOO HARD FOR GOD.
But also
NO ONE CAN STOP GOD FROM DOING WHAT HE WANTS TO DO…NO ONE!!!
Look at Job 42:2, we read, “I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.”
WHAT IS JOB SAYING?
Those who oppose Him do not stand a chance; He knows every evil thought that enters their mind.
NO ONE CAN STOP HIM!
Illus: When the military invaded Iraq it was an amazing victory. But once the military victory was achieved, trying to locate Saddam was more difficult.
To achieve this goal, they started using INTELLIGENCE to find out where he might be.
• Some of the INTELLIGENCE was good INTELLIGENCE and they captured some of his top leaders.
• Also, with good INTELLIGENCE they killed his two sons.
• And good INTELLIGENCE led them to capture Saddam Hussein.
No country in the world has PERFECT INTELLIGENCE, but I am here to tell you that the OMNIPOTENT GOD OF BIBLE IS OMNISCIENT AND HE IS OMNIPOTEN and no one can stop Him from doing what He wants to do.
He has perfect intelligence, and this is why Job said, “I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.”
He does WHATEVER HE PLEASES, WHENEVER HE PLEASES, and no one can stop Him.
In Psalm 115:3, we read, “But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.”
Let’s think together about three implications of God’s Omnipotence.
DID YOU KNOW…?
(1) NO POWER CAN EVER CHANGE HIS PURPOSES
Job has some questions for God concerning the things that stormed into his life.
The Book of Job ends with God interrogating Job in a most humbling fashion.
• "Job, where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
• Were you there when I put the stars in their places?”
• “By the way, have you ever tried to make a crocodile?
• What about a rabbit? A simple rabbit, Job, how are you at making rabbits? That’s what I thought."
In the end, Job bows in silence before a God whose ways are beyond human comprehension.
God’s Omnipotence teaches us that no power in the entire universe can stop God or impede His plans.
• Not evil men
• Not natural catastrophes
• Not even Satan can hinder God’s plan in the least
Let me explain…
Illus: In the words of Martin Luther the reformer, “The devil is "God’s devil" because he serves God’s purposes.”
When it comes to trying to comprehend the OMNIPOTENCE of God, we also need to consider-
(2) WHAT GOD STARTS, HE ALWAYS COMPLETES
This is a most comforting thought, because we live in a world where all our best work is unfinished.
Illus: Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Hemingway, Wright, and Edison - they all left behind unfinished paintings, unfinished manuscripts, plans for buildings that were never built.
That’s the way it is in this world.
Even when we finish something, it’s never really finished.
• That’s why houses must be repainted.
• Beds have to be made every morning.
Did you know all the people who have ever lived on planet earth, only Jesus could truthfully cry out at the end of his life, "It is finished" (John 19:30).
When God starts to do something, He stays with the job until it is completed.
(3) NO MATTER HOW GREAT THE NEED, GOD’S RESOURCES ARE NEVER INADEQUATE
That’s why you can safely cast all your cares on Him. He not only cares for you, He’s got unlimited power to carry your burdens and to solve your problems.
Let me illustrate…
Illus: A little boy was asked by his father to pick up a heavy rock that was in their way.
• The boy tried, but couldn’t,
• And he said, "Daddy, I can’t lift it!"
• The dad said, "Yes, you can"
• The boy tried again: "Dad! I can’t lift it!"
• The father said once again, "Yes, you can."
• This went on a few more times, and finally, the father put his arm around the boy and said, "Son, you don’t understand. You didn’t use all your resources. You didn’t ask me."
God can pick up the rocks in our life. "Without me," Jesus said, "You can do nothing".
Illus: Let’s suppose that one day you are walking down the street and you are surrounded by the meanest gang in the South East and they are fixing to hurt you like you have never been hurt before...
As you look at this gang in the other direction, you see this huge man coming toward you from the other direction.
• Let’s suppose he’s really big—say 35 feet tall
• Let’s say he weighs in at about 1500 pounds, all muscle
One glimpse of his face tells you he is there to help you.
WHAT WILL YOU DO?
You will stay as close to him as you can.
That’s why Psalm 23:4 says, "I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;"
If God is walking by your side, you have nothing to fear. The all-powerful God is with us. He exercises His power on our behalf.
Conclusion:
I. THE OMNISCIENCE OF GOD
II. THE OMNIPRESENCE OF GOD
III. THE OMNIPOTENCE OF GOD
