His Omnipotence

Many times we ask this question, is God so great to make a mountain so big that it cannot move? You've heard that question before. What's the answer to that? Well, the answer to that is absolutely not. You can't pit God's attributes against them. Can 't do that. There are certain things, though, God cannot do. God cannot lie. The Bible says that in Titus chapter 1, verse number 2.

The Bible also says that God cannot deny him. That 's 2 Timothy, verse number 13. And the Bible also says that God cannot be tempted with evil, nor will he tempt any man. So there are certain things that God cannot do because they would be contrary to his nature, contrary to his attributes, contrary to his character. But what God can do is anything he wants. That's God. So let's look at the extent of his power in two ways.

Number one, it is unique. And number two, it is. Unlimited. Psalm 62, verse number 11 says that power belongs to God. It doesn't belong to anybody else but to God. He is the essence of power. It belongs to Him. God's power is unique. God's power is unique because God Himself is unique. You can see God's power in His control of time. You can see God's power in the creation. You can see God's power in His care for His people. But also, I want you to notice that his power is unlimited.

There is nothing too h for him. Over in Isaiah chapter 40, listen to what it says. Verse number 28. Do you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth? Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary and to him who lacks might. He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord shall gain new strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles.

They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not become weary. Because God Is eternal. Because God is everlasting, His power is unlimited. If God Himself is unlimited, then His power is. Unlimited. Over in Psalm 147, verse number 5, it says, Great is the Lord and abundant in strength. His power is unlimited. And I think Job is a good reminder that no matter how many counselors come your way, there is none who can counsel you better than God. That's what Job's all about. In fact, Job calls them miserable counsel.

And they had some good things to say. I mean, they weren all bad. But they just didn't deal with the problem that Job had. Only God can really deal with your problem. And only God knows the solution to your problem. And what God does with Job is unlike any counselor you have ever heard speak. It says in Job 40, verse number 1, Then the Lord said to Job, Will the fault-finder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it. Then Job answered the Lord and said, Behold, I am insignificant.

What can I reply to thee? I lay my hand on my mouth. Once I have spoken, and I will not answer, even twice, and I will add no more. Lord, I should have never said a thing. I should just keep my mouth shut. And God says, You're right, Job.

Are you ready to listen? And so God begins to speak to Job. You know what God does? God gives great counsel. His counsel centers around dinosaurs, Leviathan and behemoth. And he takes Job back to help him understand what God did at creation. When God created the beasts of the earth, it was such a powerful, awesome thing. And he takes Job through a detailed description of behemoth and Leviathan. And when God's all done describing the dinosaur, when God's all done describing the characteristics of the dinosaur, listen to what Job says in Job 42.

Verses 1 to 6. Then Job answered the Lord and said, I know that thou canst do all things, and that no purpose of thine can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore, I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me which I did not know. Hear now, and I will speak. I will ask thee, and do thou instruct me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes Seize thee. Therefore, I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes. God's counsel was about dinosaurs and the great creative act of the beasts of the earth.

And when Job began to comprehend creation, He then realized that there was nothing he could ever complain to God about amidst the fact that he had lost his kids. He had lost his livestock. He had even lost his health. And everything was deteriorating. He had no complaints because he realized the greatness of God just because God created the dinosaur. Boy, do we have a lot to learn about our God? We complain about everything. We complain about a hangnail. We complain if we're late. We complain if the lines at the grocery store are too long.

We complain if we want a green light and the light's red. Job says, I got nothing to say. What can I say, God? Everything is too great for me. You are too wonderful. I can't comprehend you. You are awesome. God's counsel takes you all the way back to creation. And when we study Genesis beginning next year in April, you understand the significance of the creation of God. And if you understand God's creation, Then God expects your life to totally change because it talks about the omnipotence of our God and who He is.

God's power is unlimited. All things are possible with him. Point number two: the expression of God's power.

I just want to point out four areas to you. They're in your notes. One is the area of creation. Over in Romans chapter 1, listen to what it says. Verse number 20. For since the creation of the world, his inv, visible attributes, his eternal Power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. Psalm 33, verse number 6: By the word of the Lord, the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth, all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap.

He lays up the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. The psalmist says, if you understand what God did at creation, the only response is to fear him, is to stand in awe of him, because it was with the power of his word that everything came into existence. God's power is expressed in creation. Number two, it's expressed in the preservation.

That creation. Over in Hebrews chapter 1, verse number 3, it says that God upholds all things by the word of his power. Present tense. God is continually upholding the things of the world by the word of his power. Everything is perfectly held together by God. One author said it this way: if God were to stop maintaining the law of gravity, we wouldn't be able to stay on the earth and we would surely die. Or consider the sun. It has a surface temperature of 12,000 degrees Fahrenheit. If it were closer to the Earth, we'd burn if it were further.

we'd freeze. Furthermore, our globe is tilted on an exact angle of 23 degrees, which enables us to have four seasons. If it weren't tilted, vapors from the ocean would move north and south, eventually piling up monstrous continents of ice. If our atmosphere suddenly thinned out the meteors that now harmlessly burn up when they hit our atmosphere would constantly bombard us. If the moon did not remain a specific distance from the earth, the ocean tide would completely inundate the land. Twice a day.

If the ocean floor merely slipped a few feet deeper, the carbon dioxide and oxygen balance in the Earth's atmosphere would be completely upset and no vegetable or animal life could exist on Earth. God holds everything perfectly together. That if one thing is messed up, everything comes apart. God preserves our lives. God preserves the world. That is the power of God being expressed in a moment-by-moment basis. Number three, redemption.

His power is expressed in creation, it's expressed in preservation, it's expressed in redemption. Now think about it for a moment. When God created the world, there was no opposition. There was nobody but him. When God decided to redeem man, all hell opposed him. And yet, It was no big thing to God because God is omnipotent. In redemption, the devil had to be subdued. Death conquered and sin dealt with. And God did it all in a miraculous fashion so He could save the soul of man. Over in Mark chapter 10.

There's a discussion between Christ and his men after Christ had had a discussion with a man that was very, very rich. And it says in verse number 23 that Jesus, looking around, said to his disciples, How hard it will be. For those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God. And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

And they were even more astonished and said to him, then who can be saved? Looking upon them, Jesus said, With men it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God. You see, it's possible for God to redeem you because He is the omnipotent God. He did everything necessary to provide for you the framework of eternal life. Because he is the all-powerful one, the al one. And fifthly, or excuse me, fourthly, resurrection. This probably expresses God's power more than anything. The ability to raise himself from the dead.

John chapter 10. Verse number 17 and 18. For this reason the Father loves me, because I laid down my life that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from me, but I lay it down on my own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from my Father. Folks, that's power. That's power. God says, I lay my life down.

Nobody kills me until I say it's time to kill me. Don't you wish you had that kind of power? You can't touch me unless I say you can touch me. And that's the way God was. When I'm ready to die, I'll die. And when I'm done dying, I'm going to raise myself back up again. Why? Revelation 1:18 tells us that he holds the keys. To death and Hades. When you hold the keys, you have control. When you hold the keys, you have all the power. And God holds all the power over death and Hades. God raises whom He wants, when He wants, and how He wants.

That is the expression of the power of God. And that power. Is made available to you and me. The question is: have you experienced that power? Do you experience any power? We spend the rest of our time on point number three.

What does it mean to experience the power of God? Let me give you some ways you experience the power of God.

Number one, He saves you. Maybe here tonight and you never gave your life to Christ. Maybe here tonight and you feel like you can't be a part of Christianity because your life is so bad. God's powerful enough to save anybody, no matter who you are. It says in Hebrews 7:2 that he is able to save. Forever, those who draw near to God through Him. He is able to save you forever. If you draw near to God, he will draw nigh to you and he will save you forever. And Paul would say over in 2 Timothy 1, verse number 12, I know in whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him.

See, once he saves you, he secures you. You are kept, 1 Peter 1:5 says, by the power of God. You see, these people who believe that you can lose your salvation do not understand the omnipotence of God. You can't believe in an omnipotent God and believe that you can lose your salvation. Why? 1 Peter 1:5. You are kept by the power of God. If you had to keep yourself, you'd lose. It wouldn't work out. God keeps you. It's all of God's work. God saves you. God secures you and God keeps you. It's His work.

He does it. He has the power to save you. He has the power to secure you. That's our God. He wants to save your soul. If God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ever ask or think, He is able to save you. Number two, He is able.

To supp all your needs, He is able to supply all your needs. Turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 9.

It says, And God is able. God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good Deed. Paul is speaking to Christians who have honored God with their first fruits.

Point number three: He's able to save you. He's able to supply your needs. He's able to shield you. He's able to shield you. Daniel 3, verse number 17. You know the story: Shad, Meshach, and Abedneg. If you're with us on our men's study on Monday night, we talked about it. I mean, here are these guys. Where, man, they stood firm on their convictions, man. These men were, they never compromised. You got to love guys who don't compromise. You know, you've got to just admire them. Daniel was that way.

For 70 years, Daniel never compromised his stand for God. Shad, Mesh, and Abednego, man, they didn't compromise. And they stood firm on their convictions. And whenever you stand firm on your convictions, it will cost you. Don't think that you can stand on your convictions and it not cost you anything. People are just going to bypass you and wave and say, hello, how are you today? That doesn't happen. If you stand on convictions, number one, you will make enemies.

People won't like you. People will speak ill of you, all right? And some will write you off completely. But what's more important? Truth or relationships? Truth is always more important. Shad, Mes Abedneg, man, they knew truth, man. They knew that they should not bow down to any graven image. They knew that they should honor their God only. And boy, Nebuchadnezzar was upset. He was so furious. That boy, his face was just all wrinkled up, and he heated that fire seven times hotter as if he could melt the shield of God.

Threw those three men into the fiery furnace, and what happened? The guys who threw them in burned up. They died. Shad, Mes and Abedneg Man, they were walking around in there. And so was the Son of Man. Amazing story. Nebuchadnezzar called them out. They said, Our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire. That's our God. He's able to deliver us, Nebuchadnezzar. Now, the important thing about this is that they weren't sure they were going to live. But they were sure of one thing: God would deliver them.

And my friends, God wants to shield your life because that's what He is able to do. See that? Let me ask you again, have you experienced the power of God in your life?

Number four. He's able to sustain you. Jude 24. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and make you stand in the presence of his glory blameless with great joy. God is able to sustain you. He's able to sustain you amidst an attack. He's able to sustain you so that you don't fall into sin and fall into apostasy, so you turn your back on God and that you will not one day see him. He keeps you from doing that. You see, it's impossible for the true believer to apostasize. The faith. It cannot happen.

It is biblically impossible for that to happen because we are sustained by the power of God. Sure, there's times we fall into sin. Sure, there are times we sin, but there is no one who is a true believer who will turn their back on the faith, def the faith, apostasize the faith. And walk away from God. Why? Because you are kept by God's power. He sustains you, He protects you. He is the one who protects you amidst the attack. That's what the Bible teaches. God is powerful enough to do that. It's not your responsibility to do that.

It's God's power to keep you, to sustain you. And lastly, this is my favorite. He's able to satisfy you. He's able to satisfy you. God can do so many things. He can do anything he wants. He can save you. He can supply every one of your needs. He can shield you from any enemy so that you're protected. He can sustain you. But probably the most important practicality of God's power is that He can satisfy you. I wonder if you can honestly say that this very night you have a satisfied life. God speaks to that.

Matthew chapter 9, turn there with me if you would for a moment. Christ emerged from the house where he just raised Jair's daughter from the dead. The supreme demonstration of his power while he was on earth. And it says in verse number 27: And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him. Crying out, saying, Have mercy on us, son of David. And after he had come into the house, the blind men came up to him, and Jesus said to them, Do you belie I am able to do this? Now, stop right there.

Here are two men who are blind, and they followed Christ from one house to another. They recognized the fact that he was the Messiah, that he was a son of David, although they could not see him because they were blind. But they had heard about the miraculous power of God. And Christ asked them one question: Do you believe that I am able? God asked you that question this evening. Do you believe that he is able? And they said to him, Yes, Lord. Then he touched their eyes, saying, Be it done to you according to your faith.

They believed. God knew they believed. And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, See here, let no one know about this. But they went out and spread the news about him in all the land. The question I want to ask you tonight is: Do you believe that God can heal whatever it is you're facing? Do you believe that He's able? So that your life is satisfied in God. He does not always heal. What did God give Paul? A thorn of the flesh. Paul's thorn, are you ready for this? Was a gift from God.

Maybe you have a gift you don't want. God gave it to you. Maybe it's a can spouse. Maybe it's a rebellious child. Maybe it's a malignant tumor. Maybe it's financial stress. I don know what it is. My grace is sufficient for you. What does that mean? Does that mean that in the midst of my storm, in the midst of my affliction, I have just enough to get by? Most of us think that's what it means. God will give me just enough to get to the next day, just enough to make it to the next day. That's not what God's grace is about.

God's grace is sufficient. Remember when he fed the 5,000? And the disciples said that 200 denarii would not be enough to feed this many people? And God performed a great work. And the Bible says that everyone was filled to the brim, and there were 12 basket of fish and bread left over.

Wow. That's God's sufficiency. That's how God works. My grace is sufficient. For you. Listen very carefully. The omnipotence of God is demonstrated in your weakness more than anything else. That's where his power is revealed. Paul says, I'm going glory in my weakness because I want the power of God to take up residence in my life. It would demonstrate itself on a continuous basis. Now, listen very carefully. God Could take your spouse and give you a new spouse. God can make you rich. God can do many things for you.

He can do anything he wants. But always remember Psalm 106, verse number 15. He gave them the desires of their heart, but sent leanness to their souls. There are many people who pray, and God says, okay, I'll give it to you.

But their souls are barren and they're empty. Paul's soul was never barren or empty because God's power was revealed in his life. God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ever ask or think. That's the way God is. And the Bible tells us. Over in 2 Corinthians 16, verse number 9, that the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth, that he may strongly support those whose heart is completely his. God wants to strongly support your heart. But as it is, wherever your weakness, if you want God's satisfaction in your life, Glory in that weakness.

Satan wants you to grumble in the weakness. God wants you to glory in the weakness. So the power of God will be manifested in your life.