Our Omnipotent God
I heard recently about a 747 jetliner that was halfway across the Atlantic when the captain got on the loudspeaker and said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have lost one of our engines, but we can still reach London with the three we have left. Unfortunately, this will make us one hour late.”
An hour later the captain made another announcement, “Sorry, but we lost another engine. No need to worry because we can still make it on two. However, this will make us two hours late.”
A short while later, the passengers heard the captain’s voice again, “Guess what folks? We just lost our third engine, but rest assured -- we can fly with only one. We will now arrive in London three hours late.”
At this point, one passenger became furious and shouted out, “For Pete’s sake, if we lose another engine we’ll be up here all night!”
Like a plane losing power, many of us are running on only one engine as well. While we desire power in our lives, if we’re honest, we’d have to admit that we’re losing altitude and experiencing a power failure.
We’re more than halfway through our series called, “Getting to Know God.” I trust that you’ve gotten to know Him better as we’ve shined the spotlight on various aspects of His glorious character these past weeks.
This is the third and final message on the “omni” attributes of God. These attributes are a bit difficult of us to grasp because we have nothing to compare them with in our minds. You and I are limited in space but God is omnipresent. Our knowledge is limited but God is omniscient. We are more aware of our weakness, than our power and God is omnipotent, or all-powerful.
The word omnipotent is derived from Latin and refers to the fact that God’s power is infinite and unlimited He never loses an engine or runs out of gas. The word omnipotent is defined by the biblical word, “Almighty,” which occurs 345 times in the Bible, and is never used of anyone but God. He alone is Almighty as Psalm 89:8 says, “O Lord God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O Lord, and your faithfulness surrounds you.”
God can do with power anything that power can do because He has the strength to do all He wills to do. He has all the resources and the ability to work His will in every circumstance in the universe. I love how A.W. Tozer puts it: “God possesses what no creature can: an incomprehensible plenitude of power, a potency that is absolute.”
Here’s an easier definition to remember: “Nothing is too difficult for God.” As we sang earlier, God is able to do everything he needs to do or wants to do.
As a passing note, it may be helpful 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 evil (James 1:13)
-He cannot change His basic nature (Numbers 23:19)
Biblical Survey
The doctrine of God’s omnipotence is assumed everywhere in the Bible. Although the word is not used in our modern translations, it is found in the King James Version of Revelation 19:6. The Apostle John heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and loud peals of thunder shouting out: “For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.” Handel composed his majestic Hallelujah Chorus around this verse.
In 1983 I had the opportunity to serve as a summer missionary in Zimbabwe, Africa. At the end of the summer, our team took a sightseeing tour to Victoria Falls. If you’ve ever been to the Niagara Falls, you’ll have an idea of what I experienced. When I got out of the bus, I heard a loud, thunderous noise that seemed to be coming from the sky and the earth at the same time. As I walked closer to the falls, I could barely think. My heart was racing within me, my head was pounding, and my ears were ringing. It was deafening and breathtaking.
What John experienced was so much greater than that. Job writes of a similar incident in Job 26:12-14: “By His power He churned up the sea…by His breath the skies became fair; His hand pierced the gliding serpent. And these are but the outer fringe of His works; how faint the whisper we hear of Him! Who then can understand the thunder of His power?”
That’s our challenge this morning to attempt to understand and experience the thunder of His power! Psalm 68:28 reflects my prayer for this message: “Summon your power, O God; show us your strength, O God, as you have done before.”
Implications of Omnipotence
1. No power or will can ultimately thwart His purposes. No power in the universe can stop God or impede His plans. No natural catastrophes. No airplane crashes. Not fate or luck or chance. Nothing.
2. What God starts, He always finishes. When God starts to do something, He stays with the job until it is completed. There is never a divine engine failure, never a black out, a brown out, or a meltdown. Our eternal security rests on the truth of God’s omnipotence. 1 Peter 1:5 teaches that we are kept secure by His power, not ours: “Who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”
And Philippians 1:6 reminds us that God won’t stop halfway through His work in our lives: “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Nothing is Too Hard for God
Choosing a text this morning was difficult because there are so many rich passages that can help us better understand the depth and thunder of God’s power. I wanted to find one that both establishes His power and one that will give us practical hope so that we can experience that same power in our lives. If you have your Bibles, please turn to the Book of Jeremiah. We’re going to focus on chapter 32.
Let me set the context. The prophet Jeremiah, despite his initial reticence, was commissioned by God to proclaim a very unpopular message that Judah was about to be destroyed by the powerful country of Babylon. That was his job. You can see why people didn’t want to have him around.
We know from reading the book of Jeremiah that he had a very timid nature and felt very inadequate for the task. At first, he rejoiced when God spoke to him. Take a look at 15:16: “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God Almighty.” But soon these words of the Almighty and Omnipotent God became a source of pain and suffering for him. He was put in stocks and thrown into a well.
Jeremiah 15:17-18 give us some insight into how this made him feel: “I never sat in the company of revelers, never made merry with them; I sat alone because your hand was on me and you had filled me with indignation. Why is my pain unending and my wound grievous and incurable?”
He then went through a time when he wanted to just be quiet. He reasoned that it would be better to just keep his mouth shut. Have you ever felt like that? Shortly after I became a Christian 20 years ago, I memorized Jeremiah 20:9 in the New American Standard Version because I didn’t want to ever be quiet when God was telling me to say something.
I remember being out on our patio and making a commitment to always speak about God when He nudged me. Here’s the verse, which reveals a turning point in the prophet’s ministry: “But if I say, ‘I will not remember Him or speak anymore in His name,’ then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones; and I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot endure it.”
Beginning in chapter 30, Jeremiah looks beyond the impending judgment to Judah’s restoration and salvation. God’s people will be conquered and then deported to Babylon but they will return 70 years later! Take a look at 31:10, “Hear the word of the Lord, O nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch his flock like a shepherd.’”
God will once again repopulate the united nation. By the way, the survival of the Hebrew people, long after their neighbors have perished, can only be explained on supernatural grounds the Almighty, Omnipotent God continuously has demonstrated His power on behalf of His people.
When we come to Jeremiah 32, we read that the prophet has been imprisoned again. The king was ticked off because Jeremiah was advocating that they surrender to the Babylonian army. We see in verse 2 that Nebuchadnezzar and his army were right outside the walls of Jerusalem.
Jeremiah Buys a Lot
Amazingly, in the midst of all this chaos and uncertainty, God tells Jeremiah to buy some property from his cousin. This is strange when you think about it because the entire land was about to be subjected to years of desolation, filled with darkness and despair. And yet, Jeremiah is told that his cousin would come to visit him and try to sell him a chunk of land. God tells the prophet to buy it.
Doesn’t it seem ridiculous to buy property when the city was about to fall into enemy hands? It would be like purchasing a lot in your hometown that flooded every spring, that had gasoline tanks buried under it, and was located right next to the railroad tracks. To top it all off, when you were growing up, you remember that this chunk of land had a big fence around it, with a sign that read, “Keep out! Condemned property!”
This lot was already in the hands of the enemy and Judah’s future was in jeopardy. Faith often seems foolish, doesn’t it? Many times it just doesn’t make sense. There’s often a risk side to it. Noah built an ark when there was no water. Abraham went on a journey without a map. Moses left the treasures of Egypt to wander in the desert.
I doubt if Jeremiah’s cousin was acting by faith. He simply was taking advantage of the situation it was a chance to unload his land before the city fell. You can take money with you into captivity, but you cannot take real estate.
So Jeremiah sends his buddy down to the title company and has him bring a deed to be signed. God then makes it clear to Jeremiah that the land ultimately would be restored and the deed would once again be valid. He was to then put it in a safety deposit box.
After making everything official and notarized, Jeremiah breaks out into prayer and praise in 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.” Jeremiah knew that God was omnipotent that He could do anything He wanted. Since He created the heavens and the earth, He can literally do anything.
He then recounts some highlights from history that demonstrated God’s omnipotence beginning in verse 18: “…O great and powerful God, whose name is the Lord Almighty, great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds…you performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, both in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still yours.” (32:18b-20)
Jeremiah reminds himself of the God of power who made the heavens and the earth nothing is too hard for the One who has done great wonders among mankind, and whose miracles stand embedded in history.
Not surprisingly, Jeremiah begins to have some doubts. He’s probably thinking, “This is crazy! What did I just do? This makes no sense at all.”
In verse 27, God answers his prayer and addresses his doubts rather dramatically: “Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ‘I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?’”
With great kindness, God urges Jeremiah to greater faith by taking up the prophet’s own statement in verse 17: “Nothing is too hard for you” and asks it of Jeremiah in the form of a question, “Jeremiah, do you really believe what you have just said? Is anything too hard for me?”
This is what God said to Sarah when she doubted God’s promise that she would have a son. She knew her body was past childbearing, so she laughed. God said to Abraham in Genesis 18:13, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Though it’s hard to find in the text, I think Sarah had a little plaque made and put up right over her kitchen sink. And every time she did the dishes she looked at it: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
And so, as God said to Jeremiah, He also says to us this morning: “Is anything too hard for me?” Let’s boil this down to where we live. Most of us, if we were honest, would admit that God is all-powerful. Our problem is more like Jeremiah’s: “Do we really believe it? Do we live in light of His power? Do we experience His power on a daily basis?
God’s Power Fleshed Out
I want to take the rest of our time this morning to help you flesh out the doctrine of God’s omnipotence in your own life:
NOTHING IS TOO DIFFICULT FOR GOD DO YOU BELIEVE IT?
1. Power for Witnessing. I want to start by reminding you of the mighty power that is available to believers when they are called to witness and share the gospel with those who do not yet know Christ. Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
We are witnesses, who have been infused with Holy Spirit power, for the task of communicating the gospel in our community, our county, our country, and on the continents. Friends, God equips us for the task. He gives us His power.
Just this week, I talked to two PBC members who are serious about wanting to witness and I’m praying that they would have the opportunity with a certain family in the days to come. God doesn’t leave them to figure it out on their own. He gives them power.
One of our missionary families has recently experienced this witnessing power. Let me read from a recent email from Ken and Dawn Hohulin, missionaries in the Philippines.
Yesterday our teacher called us with great excitement saying her two sisters had come to her saying they see some difference in them and they wanted to know how to become a Christian! Last night they came, and for 3 hours we shared the Gospel with 2 of the most open, tenderhearted searching souls I have ever seen. We did the bridge illustration and when they saw how they were separated from God because of their sin, they said, "OH MY GOD, I am so far away from Him, how can we ever get to Him.
They were experiencing the power available for witnessing. A couple days later, I received another email:
Guess what! To our party we invited the two gals that we shared the gospel with. They confirmed they are now followers of Jesus Christ and they would see us Sunday in Church! We were so excited we could hardly see straight! It was a grand night in so many ways.
And, this is from another email that came Friday: In a few minutes we will begin our FIRST Bible study with our friends! We are so excited to see how God has worked all of this out after much prayer.
Have you been accessing this power in your life? Have you been mixing it up with non-Christians for the express purpose of sharing Christ with them? Or, like me, do you sometimes think that some people are too hard and too set in their ways to come to Christ.
Friends, we need this reminder:
NOTHING IS TOO DIFFICULT FOR GOD. DO YOU BELIEVE IT?
2. Power for Living. We need power for witnessing. Second, we need power for living. Here’s the rub. Many of us have settled for a mediocre Christian life. We’ve fooled ourselves into thinking that we can never change. We say things like, “That’s just how I am. I just have a bad temper. I can’t help myself. Take me or leave me.”
Many of us give lip service to God but live our lives in our own strength. We operate in our own energy probably 80% of the time. That’s not the way God intends for us to live. Listen to these strong words from Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:18-20: “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms.”
Can I ask you some questions? Do you experience that same power that raised Jesus from the dead in your life? Do you access this power in your marriage, or do you believe that it can’t get any better? Are you convinced that your kids will never change? Do you assume that your parents will never understand you? Have you lost hope that your finances will ever stabilize? Do you need to trust our omnipotent God with a physical problem?
Friends, with God, all things are possible. There is no circumstance, no attitude, and no person outside of God’s power. Remember, you don’t need to necessarily have great faith in God, but rather faith in a great God who is omnipotent.
2 Timothy 1:7 says that we have been given “a spirit of power” and 2 Peter 1:3 reminds us that “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness…” Let me say this strongly: The normal Christian life is to be characterized by power for living. It’s normal to experience and tap into God’s power on a daily basis. Conversely, it is abnormal to not access His power.
Here’s the good news. You don’t have to be strong to get this power. In fact, you need to be weak. 2 Corinthians 12:9 is written to people like you and me: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power my rest on me.”
Are you a candidate for God’s power this morning? All you need to do is admit that you’re weak and needy. When you do, God’s power will come flooding into your life. When we get out of the way, and let God have control, His power will flow!
NOTHING IS TOO DIFFICULT FOR GOD. DO YOU BELIEVE IT?
3. Power for Salvation. I’d like to address my comments right now to those of you who are not yet believers in Christ. Some of you are still checking Christianity out. That’s good. I hope you continue your search. I want you to know this morning that your life can be radically changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I can remember when I was a teenager that one year my buddies and I got hold of some firecrackers. We were having a blast. We put them inside bottles to see what would happen and even experimented with an unfortunate frog. The more we lit off, the more daring we became. I’ll never forget what happened. I was holding an M-80 in my hand; with my arm cocked ready to throw it after my friend lit it. Unfortunately for me, it was a windy day and when he held the lighter up to the wick, it started burning right next to the M-80 and it exploded in my hand. My ears were ringing, and I couldn’t feel my fingers for a while. Those things are really powerful.
Romans 1:16 refers to the gospel as the “power of God.” This word power is from the Greek dunamis, from which we get the word, dynamite. The Gospel is the dynamite of God. It can blow away sin and bad habits. It can knock off those hard edges. It can burst through a hard heart.
Are you ready to be dynamited by God this morning? You see, you can’t really experience the power of God in your life until you first respond to the power of the gospel. You do not have the power to change yourself and the good news is that you don’t have to clean up your act before coming to Christ. Put your faith in Christ and He’ll unleash His cleansing power in your life.
NOTHING IS TOO DIFFICULT FOR GOD. DO YOU BELIEVE IT?
Connected to God’s Power
Just before WWII in the town of Itasca, Texas, a school fire took the lives of 263 children. When the war ended, the town began to expand and eventually built a brand new school, which featured the finest sprinkler system in the world. Civic pride ran high. Honor students were selected to guide visitors on tours of the new facilities, pointing out the most advanced sprinkler system ever developed. Never again would Itasca experience another tragedy.
Well, the town continued to grow, and seven years later, it was necessary to put an addition on the school. When they added the new wing, they discovered that the sprinkler system had never been connected!
What a tragedy it is when we fail to hook up to the power of God available to us. It’s a double tragedy when we consider that all we need to do to get this power is to surrender to Christ.
To help you connect with the thunder of His power, I’m going to ask the trio to come back up and sing that song again. While they are singing, I want you to think about what kind of power you need today. Do you need witnessing power? Do you need power for living? Do you need power for salvation? When the song is finished, I’m going to ask you to stand as an indication that you’re tired of running on just one engine.
Closing Song “Ah, Lord God”
Invitation.
Anyone this morning ready to stand to indicate that you need witnessing power?
Anyone need power for living?
Anyone need power for salvation?
Closing Prayer Read from Jude 24-25
“To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
