The God Who Created You is a Powerful God

The God Who Created You is a Powerful God

Text: Revelation 19:6 (KJV)

6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

Introduction:

1. The God Who Created You Is a Just God.

2. The God Who Created You Is A Holy God.

3. The God Who Created You Is A Faithful God.

4. The God Who Created You Is An Eternal God.

5. The God Who Created You Is A Changeless God.

6. The God Who Created You Is A Powerful God.

7. The God Who Created You Is A Good God.

8. The God Who Created You Is An All-Knowing God.

9. The God Who Created You Is A Sovereign God.

10. The God Who Created You Is An Ever-Present God.

11. The God Who Created You is a Loving God.

12. The God Who Created You Name.

* This morning we resume our study of the “Attributes of God” with the Omnipotence, or the “All Powerfullness” of God.

A young boy was standing around waiting to meet his family after church when the pastor happened by. Knowing this youth was regular attendee in Sunday School, the pastor thought he would quiz the youngster to see what he had been learning. “Billy,” the pastor began, “if you can tell me something God can do, I’ll give you this apple.” Without a moment’s hesitation, Billy looked back at the pastor and said, “Pastor, if you can tell me something God can’t do, I’ll give you a whole box of apples!”

* The young boy was the more astute theologian, wasn’t he? He knew that God’s power is unlimited.

* Revelation 19:6 says: “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!”

* Omnipotent is a theological term for the great and awesome power of God. Literally, it means “all Powerful.”

* Fifty-eight times in the Bible we are told that God is almighty.

* “El Shaddai,” in Old Testament terms. Daniel 4:35 puts it this way: “No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’ “

Daniel 4:34-37 (KJV)

34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: 35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? 36 At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. 37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase * “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” That is, when humans acquire power, they often abuse it.

* That may be true with man, but not with God. He alone has absolute power and only uses it in a manner consistent with His righteous character.

* The power of God in the Bible is not for power’s sake but for the sake of carrying out His plans and purposes. Nothing can stand in His way.

I. What the Bible teaches about the All-Powerful God.

A. God can do all things.

* Nothing is any harder for God than anything else.

* lifting 100 pounds is definitely harder than lifting 10 pounds. That’s because our power and strength are limited.

* Job echoed this truth in his reply to God-

Job 42:1-2 (KJV)

1 Then Job answered the LORD, and said, 2 I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.

* Jesus used the same kind of comparison when speaking of God’s unlimited power.

Mark 10:23-27 (KJV)

23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? 27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

B. Nothing is too hard for God.

* The Bible gives us an illustration that nothing is too hard for God in Genesis 18.

Genesis 18:9-14 (KJV)

9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. 10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? 13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

C. God never gets tired.

* Listen to the declaration about the power of God from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah…

Isaiah 40:28-31 (KJV)

28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

D. God cannot violate His character.

* God’s power is always governed by the constraints of His character.

1). God cannot lie.

* The Bible doesn’t say He would not lie but that He cannot lie.

Titus 1:1-2 (KJV)

1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; 2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

* The Bible says there is no darkness in God at all which means that He cannot lie.

1 John 1:5 (KJV)

5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

* If God ever lied about one little thing, His entire character would implode; He would no longer be trustworthy.

2). God cannot deny himself.

* “If we are faithless, He remains faithful: He cannot deny Himself”

2 Timothy 2:13 (KJV)

13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

* This means He cannot be, nor will be, anything that is contrary to His own perfection.

3). God cannot be tempted, or tempt anyone.

James 1:13-15 (KJV)

13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

* Satan tempted Jesus to do certain things solely for the purpose of demonstrating His power, and Jesus refused because it was not consistent with His character (Matthew 4:1–11).

* God is not a show-off. It’s not consistent with His character.

* Sometimes we wonder why God doesn’t exercise His power on our behalf. The answer is that God only exercises His power in accordance with His purposes.

* How many times have we asked God to do things for us. that now we are sure glad He didn’t do i-, even though He had the power to do it?

* God doesn’t exercise His power at times because He can see the future and knows what’s best.

II. How can we know God is powerful?

* Here are three dominant categories by which we know that God is powerful.

A. The power of God is evident in creation.

Romans 1:20 (KJV)

20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

* With powerful telescopes and space probes, we are learning more and more about our universe.

* Astronomers estimate that the Milky Way contains over 30

billion suns.

* Many of these suns are immensely larger that our sun, which is a million and a half time larger than the earth.

* The Milky Way is 200,000 light years across.

* A light year is the distance that light travels in a year at the rate of 186,000 miles per second.

* There are at least 100,000 galaxies like the Milky Way. Some are millions of light years apart.

* All this may only be a tiny speck in what is beyond us in the infinite, endless reaches of God’s Universe.

* Paul, even with his limited knowledge, says that what is visible with the naked eye is enough to convince an observant person that a powerful God exists.

Psalm 33:6-9 (KJV)

6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. 7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 9 For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. * When Job was arguing (foolishly) with God, God asked him, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?”

Job 38:1-40:5 (KJV)

1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, 2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding (Job 40)

1 Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said, 2 Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it. 3 Then Job answered the LORD, and said, 4 Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. 5 Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further. * The same God who created a ring 100,000 miles in diameter around Saturn created a tiny colored feather in the wing of a hummingbird.

B. The power of God is evident in preservation.

* What if God had created the world and then withdrawn, allowing it to be preserved (or not preserved) by itself?

* The same power of God that created the world keeps the world together. Everything is upheld “by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3).

Hebrews 1:1-3 (KJV)

1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

* Jeremiah 10:13 gives testimony to the ongoing activity of God in His creation:

Jeremiah 10:12-13 (KJV)

12 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. 13 When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.

Psalm 104:1-35 (KJV)

27 These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. 28 That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good. 29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. 30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

31 The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works.

* What do you think would happen if, for one moment, Almighty God withdrew His sustaining and renewing hand from this universe?

* The same God who created all things is also the God who holds them together.

Colossians 1:16-17 (KJV)

16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

C. The power of God is evident in resurrection.

* The most powerful demonstration of God’s power is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

* The same power that was at work to choose and save us is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.

Ephesians 1:18-20 (KJV)

18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

* The same power that raised Jesus from the dead, will also raise all of us that have believed on Jesus for salvation, form the dead.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (KJV)

51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (KJV)

13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

* The same “All Powerful” God that keeps and preserves creation, is the same “All Powerful” God that keeps the “new creation.” This same “All Powerful God preserves you and keeps you saved.

* Remember the illustration I started out with- lifting 100 pounds is definitely harder than lifting 10 pounds? That’s because our power and strength are limited-

* God’s power has no limits. It is no harder for God to keep you saved than it was for God to save you in the first place.

John 10:27-30 (KJV)

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and my Father are one.

III. Conclusion:

A. This knowledge should excite us to worship God.

* When Moses led the children of Israel through the Red Sea, He stopped the people, and they sang a song of worship to God as a result of seeing the might power of God part the sea. “All Hail the Power of Jesus Name, let angels prostate fall”

B. This truth should encourage us to walk with God.

* Not many Christians live their lives in the power of God.

* Most Christians live in the power of their own human flesh the majority of the time.

* They live that way until they run into some sort of crisis—a power outage, if you will.

- Going to the doctor and discovering that something has shown up in your test results.

- Going to work one day at the same place you’ve worked for twenty-five years and being given a pink slip.

- Getting a call at 1:00 in the morning telling you your child has been killed in a car accident at college.

- Finding out your husband or wife has been unfaithful.

* Most of us don’t want the power of God in our lives until we are overwhelmed with our own weakness.

* It’s only then we discover that when we are weak, He is strong (2 Corinthians 12:9–10).

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 (KJV)

8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. * It is then that we discover we can “do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13)

Philippians 4:13 (KJV)

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

* Note the context Paul says this statement, Paul has learned to endure afflictions and suffer need because He has learned to lean of Christ for strength.

Philippians 4:11-19 (KJV)

11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

14 Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction. 15 Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. 16 For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. 17 Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. 18 But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. 19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

* This is why we need to continually “walk with God.”

Quote from David Jeremiah:

A.B. Simpson was the founder of one of the great missionary agencies of a previous generation. He was a godly and spiritually powerful man. I have read and profited from many of his writings. I didn’t know until recently that A.B. Simpson went through his own power outage in his mid-forties. He just burned out—lost his health, his ministry, and was defeated and discouraged. Then one day he heard the words of an old Negro spiritual—“Nothing is too hard for Jesus, no man can work like Him”—and it hit him: He had been trying to do the work of God in his own strength. As a result, he rededicated himself to the work of God and never had another power outage in his life.

The God Who Created You is a Powerful God

I. What the Bible Teaches about the Power of God

A. God Can Do All Things

B. Nothing Is Too Hard for God

C. God Never Gets Tired

D. God Cannot Violate His Character

II. How Can We Know God Is Powerful?

A. The Power of God Is Resident in Creation

B. The Power of God Is Resident in Preservation

C. The Power of God Is Resident in Resurrection

III. Conclusion

A. This Truth Should Excite Us in Our Worship of God

B. This Truth Should Encourage Us to Walk with God