Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

Have you ever been on a boat in the water? I had the pleasure and privilege of taking a group of young people Inner-tubing one time. For those of you who have no idea what that is, let me explain. You take a good sized inflatable inner tube and you attach a cable to the front of the tube. Then you take the other end of the cable and you attach it to the back of a motor boat. Then, one person drives the boat, towing another person on the inner tube, behind the boat.

I watched as our youth group commanded the inner tube, and sometimes flew out of it when they hit waves, but they would splash back down into the water and haul themselves up into the boat or back onto the tube. I thought that I would be brave and so, I decided to venture out into this inner-tube.

I dove into the water and made my way up onto the tube and firmly secured both of my hands around the handles attached to the tube. I remember thinking to myself, I can’t believe I’m doing this, but that thought quickly passed as I heard the sound of the motor and the boat began to gradually pull my tube.

As we started out, I began to get the hang of how the tube was reacting to the water and I thought, this isn’t so bad. I was jumping over waves and steering the tube side to side and quickly a smile broke out on my face. I was having a great time. And then, the fateful words came out of my mouth. Words I will never forget. “Can’t you go any faster?” The next thing I noticed was the boat speeding by me in the opposite direction. The cable whipped around and the tube yanked out behind the boat with me clinging on for dear life. As we bounced along over the waves, It was all I could do to just stay in the tube.

Then I noticed it. The boat was headed down a narrow channel with rock walls on either side. I tried to get the boat driver’s attention, when suddenly, my tube hit the wake left by a boat traveling in the opposite direction. And then, I was airborne. Everything seemed to go into slow motion. I could see the rock wall approaching and there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t even get my hands up in time to protect my head.

Have you ever skipped a rock across a lake? It bounces a couple of times and then sinks. That was me. I hit the water and flipped over twice, landing in the shallows of the side of the rock wall. Floating on my back there amongst the rocks, I remember thinking about how cool it was going to be to ride in an ambulance and how powerless I had been to stop myself from hitting the rocks, or even in controlling the tube. I had no control. I had no power.

The boat circled around and I heard one of my buddies ask, “Is he alive?” They were shouting my name and swimming over to me. I decided that I could risk looking towards them and as I did, I realized that nothing was wrong with me. I did not have a scratch on me. Other than being a little sore, nothing was broken, sprained, or even cut. I adjusted myself in my life jacket and was in awe. Even though I had no power to stop myself, someone else did. That someone was our omnipotent God

This morning, we’re continuing in our “What’s God Really Like” Series and we’re talking about omnipotence. A few weeks ago we studied the omniscience and omnipresence of God which have to do with God being “All-Knowing”, and God being “Ever-Present.” But this morning, we’re going to look at God’s omnipotence; the fact that He is “All-Powerful.”

In his book, the prophet Jeremiah praised God, saying “Our LORD, great and powerful, you alone are God.” (Jeremiah 10:6, CEV) Now most of us may have never read this verse before, but it doesn’t come as a shock to any of us. We know that God is great. We know that God is powerful, but what we want to dive into this morning is how great and powerful God really is. First we’ll look at what the Bible has to say about the omnipotence of God and then we’ll wrap up with some impact points; places where the power of God impacts us on a daily basis.

Let’s jump into this. The first thing the Bible teaches us about God’s power is that God’s power is absolute. Psalm 147:5 says, “How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!” (NLT) Throughout the Bible, God is constantly and consistently described as “almighty” or “all-powerful.” In other words, God can do anything He wills to do. Nothing can stand in His way. R.C. Sproul said it like this: “We know that no part of creation can frustrate His plans for the future. There are no maverick molecules loose in the universe that could possibly disrupt His plans…Nothing can withstand the power of God. He is the One who is almighty.”

Someone once tried to raise the question, “Well, if God is all-powerful, then can He make a rock so big that even He can’t lift it?” His reasoning was as follows:

1. If God is omnipotent, then He can do anything.

2. Therefore, God can create a rock so heavy that He cannot lift it.

3. But if He cannot lift it, then He is not omnipotent (because that is one thing He cannot do).

4. And If He cannot create such a rock, then He is likewise not omnipotent.

5. Therefore, God cannot be omnipotent.

Here’s the problem with his thinking though:

1. If God is omnipotent, then He can do anything.

While it is true that God can do anything that is consistent with His nature, it would be ridiculous to suggest that he can do everything. Hebrews 6:18 says God cannot lie. James 1:13 says God cannot be tempted. Psalm 102:25-27 says God cannot cease to exist. Just as it is impossible to make a square circle, it is impossible to make a rock too heavy to be moved. What an all-powerful God can create, He can obviously move. Hank Hanegraaff puts it another way, “God can do everything that is logically possible.”

God never experiences a force more powerful than Him. He never runs into a force that can stop or hinder Him. He cannot be overpowered. His power is limitless. It is absolute.

The Bible also teaches us that God’s power is “awe”some. The word “awe” isn’t a word that we use very often. Unless it’s with something cute. We look at whatever it is and say, “awwwwww…” Obviously we’re talking about a different word with a different meaning. God’s power is “awe”some. In other words, it causes people to stand in awe. When the church was just beginning, God gave his apostles incredible power to work miracles. These miracles were designed to put the power of God on display, and they worked. Acts 2:43 says, “A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.” (NLT) When the power of God is on display, you can’t help but feel awed, amazed, speechless.

Think about how God’s power has been displayed throughout history. When God’s people were running from the Egyptians, God parted the Red Sea and his people walked across on dry land. Can you imagine seeing an ocean split in half, two huge walls of water standing on each side? Do you think there was some awe among those people?

How about when an angel visited Mary and told her that she was going to be pregnant with the Son of God?

"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:34-35, NIV) Nothing is impossible with God. Don’t you think Mary was amazed at this powerful act of God?

Jesus commanded the winds and the sea, and the men who saw it marveled saying, “What manner of man is this, for the winds and the sea obey him?” (Matt 8:27, KJV) It was a miracle. It showed Jesus’ power over nature. And they wondered how, because they could not understand how any man could have power over nature, unless that power was given him by God. Nature goes on its own course and we cannot change it. Man cannot change it, he can only use it. Gravity, for instance, causes everything to fall downward, dirt, rocks, and water all fall to the earth when thrown into the air. Left to themselves, they cannot move except by falling. They never move except when they are pulled or pushed forward. Water never stands in a heap or a mass, but flows out on all sides as far as it can. Fire always burns, or tends to burn. The wind blows to and fro, without any discoverable rule or law, and we cannot tell how it will blow tomorrow by observing how it blows today. We see all these things. They have their own way; we cannot change them.

All we attempt to do is to use them; we take them as we find them and we use them. We don't attempt to change the nature of fire, earth, air or water, but we observe what the nature of each is, and we try to use it as best we can. We make steam from water, and use it in trains and ships; we use fire to heat our homes and cook our food. We use the things of nature, we submit to the laws of nature, but we do not command nature. We do not attempt to change it, but we merely direct it to our own purposes.

It was a completely different story with Jesus. He made use of the winds and the water (He used the water when He got into a boat, and used the wind when the sails directed the course of the boat). However, He also commanded, the winds and the waves—He had power to rebuke, to change, to undo the course of nature, as well as to make use of it. He was above nature. He had power over nature. This is what made the men marvel. Experienced sailors can make use of the winds and the waves to get to the shore. Even in a storm they know how to use the wind and waves. They have their rules on what to do, and they are on the look out, taking advantage of everything that happens. But Jesus did something far greater. He did not instruct these fishermen – turned disciples – on how to manage their sails, nor how to sail the ship, but He addressed Himself directly to the winds and waves, and stopped them, making them do that which was against their nature. His use of command was “awe”some.

One final thing we learn from Scripture is that God’s power is accessible. This may be the most amazing side of the power of God. God, the almighty and all-powerful One, gives us access to His power.

He gives us access to His power through prayer. James 5:16 tells us that “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.” (NLT) Prayer is the way we plug in to God’s power.

He gives us access to His power through the Holy Spirit. 1 John 4:4 is an awesome promise. “God’s Spirit is in you and is more powerful than the one that is in the world.” (CEV) If you are a Christian, then God has given you the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells, or lives inside, you. It is a part of God living in your life. God has given us His Spirit to encourage us, convict us of sin, and give us power to overcome the problems in our world!

Throughout this series, we have explored the characteristics of God and then we have discussed application, or “impact” points which are designed to show us how God impacts our lives. We’re going to spend the rest of our time this morning unpacking some of these points.

The first impact point is that God’s power teaches me that He is God and I am not. When we come to grips with the absolute power of God, it should humble us. It’s hard to be cocky or conceited when we compare ourselves to the strength and power of God. Check out this verse from Psalm 147. “The strength of a horse does not impress him; how puny in his sight is the strength of a man.” (Psalm 147:5, NLT) How “puny” is our strength in the sight of God! I took a weightlifting class in my sophomore year of high school. I figure it would be a good way for me to start improving my muscles so that I could impress the female population of my high school. I figured I was going to be “all-that and a bag of chips.” However, when I got into the class, I learned a few things. First off, I was the second smallest guy in the room. I also learned that I couldn’t assist some of these big linebacker types that were lifting 300 and 400 pound weights. Also, I learned that there was no way in one semester that I was going to become big and powerful. The next time your head begins to swell and you start thinking you’re “all that,” compare yourself to God. We all need to remember this fact in our lives…There is a God, and you’re not Him.

Secondly God’s power teaches me that His plans will always prevail. Because of God’s great power, nothing can stand in his way. Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” (NIV) This should encourage us to stick with God, through the good and bad times in our lives. Ultimately, we want to be on the winning team. God will always succeed. His plans will always prevail.

Third, God’s power teaches me that He can re-create my life. A lot of you don’t like who you’ve become. You’re not even sure how you got to where you are in your life. You don’t like what you do, you don’t like who you are. Sin has messed up so many things in your life that you just want to start over. I’ve got some great news for you…God, using his unlimited power, can re-create your life!

2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (NIV) The God who created the universe uses that same power to re-create us! Some of you need a new start. It’s available. God can use his power to erase all your past and give you a second chance, or a third chance, or a hundredth chance.

Finally, God’s power teaches me that He loves me. At first that may not make sense. How can God’s power teach me that he loves me? Think about it this way…God has the power to destroy us when we mess up. When we sin, God has the ability to take us out. But he doesn’t. He chooses to withhold his power and give us another chance. Sometimes what God doesn’t do with his power tells us more than what he does do with it.

Not only that, but God gives us access to His power through prayer and his Holy Spirit. He uses his power to re-create our lives. Everywhere you look, the power of God is just a demonstration of how much he loves us!

Power is a word that we use a lot. In sports, you can have a “power play” in hockey or a “power hitter” in baseball. A lot of you consume a sports drink called “Powerade.” When shopping for a car, you might be interested in the “horsepower.” Our electricity is generated in “power plants.” But when it comes to this idea of power, nothing tops God. He is power. And his absolute power teaches me that…he is God and I am not, his plans will always prevail, he can re-create my life, and he loves me. His power is available to we who are his children

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!" and the father said once again, "Yes, you can"

This went on a few more times. Finally, the father put his arm around the boy and said, "Son, you don’t understand. You didn’t use all your strength. You didn’t ask me"

God’s power is absolute, it’s awesome, it’s accessible, and God’s power is available. For some of you today, you don’t feel like that. You feel as if God doesn’t care about you. You feel as if God’s power is not available to you. If that’s you, I encourage you to go to our website and listen to Mike’s sermon on the Compassion of God from last week.

For those of you who know that God is omnipotent, maybe you’ve known that He is all powerful but you haven’t trusted Him to be, or you have just been living as if you’re the only powerful force in your life. Let me invite you today to start trusting God with everything. His power extends to every area of your life. It is available to you 24-7 365 days a year.

For those of you who don’t know God or His power, let me invite you to meet Him today. You can come and talk to me or one of our Elders and we’ll be more than happy to sit down and lay out God’s plan of salvation. Don’t let another day go by without meeting the most powerful force in or out of the universe. He wants to meet you and He desires a relationship with you. Won’t you come and meet Him today as we stand and we sing.

Brian Morrissey

Tags: omnipotence, power, absolute, awesome, accessible, available, purpose, love, recreate, prayer, Holy Spirit, God's nature, God's power, What's God Really Like