In this message we look at the Power of God as seen in Creation, Preservation, Christ, Believers, and Unbelievers. Let us look and tremble!
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The Power of God
We have seen what the Scriptures teach about God’s presence, and knowledge. God is not limited by space or by understanding. He is everywhere present at the same time. His knowledge is infinite. So too, God is not limited in power. His power is infinite.
Now, that is not to say that God can do anything. The Bible teaches us that there are some things God can’t do. God can’t lie. God can’t die. God can’t sin. God can’t deny Himself. God can’t make a rock so big He can’t lift it. Why not? Because God can only act consistently with His own nature. So, it would be better for us to say that God can do anything consistent with His own nature. And, by the way, we too can only act consistently with our nature. Our free will is bound by our nature. We are free to choose according to our nature, but not contrary to our nature.
We also need to realize that God can do anything as easily as He can do anything else. He does all things effortlessly. In other words, it doesn’t make God more tired to create a galaxy than to create a butterfly. We get tired and need food to replenish our energy. However, God never needs replenishing. To what or to whom we He go to get replenished?! Isaiah 40:28 says, “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.”
Psalm 62:11 says, “Once God has spoken; twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God.”
Revelation 19:6, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.” God is referred to as the Almighty 58 times in Scripture.
Luke 22:69, “But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” The phrase “the power of God” is synonymous with God Himself.
2 Chronicles 20:6, “and he said, “O Lord, the God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You.”
This morning I want to help you meditate on the power of God. Let’s consider God’s power in Creation, Preservation, Christ, Believers and Unbelievers.
1. The Power Of God In Creation
There have been many brilliant men down through the centuries that have created things. Some sculptors have created great works of art. Others have created new inventions like the electric light, the telephone, the phonograph, the automobile, the airplane, the television, the computer and the smart phone. Others have created penicillin and vaccines. We consider these folks with an attitude of amazement. However, in every one of those creations, the human creator started with pre-existing materials. The sculptor started with a block of stone and a chisel. Edison used glass, and electric wires, and vinyl. But God started with nothing!
Hebrews 11:3 says “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.”
Psalm 33:6 says, “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host.”
So, exactly how did God create, if He had no pre-existing materials to work with? He merely spoke, and His creation came into being.
How much power did it take for God to create the universe? Unlimited power. Our minds can’t even fathom the kind of power it would take for God to create the universe. Let’s try to get things in perspective.
Alpha Centauri is the closest star to us beyond the sun. A professor was once speaking to his students and said that we would allow one inch to be equal to 1 million miles. How far away would the nearest star be to us? 3 feet? 10 feet? 100 feet? No, it would be from here almost to San Diego! And that’s the closest star outside of our solar system! That is 300,000 times further than from the earth to the sun. It takes over 4 years for the light of that star to reach us! It takes 8 minutes and 20 seconds for the light of the sun to reach us, but over 4 years for the next nearest start to reach us! Let’s put that in perspective. It would take about 6 months for us to travel to the sun if we were flying in our fastest spacecraft available, traveling at about 25,000 miles per hour. So, if it takes 6 months to fly to the sun, how long would it take to fly to the nearest star past our sun? 114,155 years! No problem! Let’s go. The numbers are so astronomically ridiculous that we throw our hands up and admit that we will never be able to comprehend the vastness of our universe.
It is estimated that our Milky Way galaxy is somewhere between 100,000 and 150,000 light years in diameter.
Scientists have estimated that our universe is at least 93 billion light years across, and it is expanding. And that’s only the observable universe.
Let’s take our sun. The sun produces more energy every second than has been used in all of mankind’s history! Every second the sun produces the same energy as about 1 trillion 1 megaton bombs! That’s enough power to destroy the earth 400,000 times, and that’s each and every second! In 1 second the sun produces enough energy for about 500,000 years of the current needs of our civilization. The sun is only an average size star in the universe. It is only one out of about 100 billion stars! And the milky way galaxy is only one galaxy out of about 100 billion galaxies! Folks, the immensity of the universe is beyond human understanding.
Folks, how much power would it take to create our sun out of nothing? And then, multiply that by 100 billion, and then by 100 billion again!! Are you starting to see the infinite power of Almighty God? He created the entire universe out of nothing with just His word!!
2. The Power Of God In Preservation
Hebrews 1:3 says, “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.” The word “upholds” carries the meaning of “to support” or “maintain.” Jesus holds all things up. If he ceased holding all things up, they would come crashing to the ground. If Jesus were to stop holding all things up by the word of His power, there would be chaos and destruction everywhere.
Imagine Jesus relinquishing His maintaining of the universe for just 24 hours. The law of gravity would cease to operate, and all of us would be hurled out into space.
The earth is situated in the perfect spot in relation to the sun for life to thrive. Imagine that the earth’s orbit drifted further from the sun. We would all freeze to death. Imagine that it drifted closer to the sun. We would all be burnt alive. The average temperature on Venus during the day is 880 F. The average temperature on Jupiter’s surface is -234 F.
What if the moon was much closer to the earth? The ocean tide would create great flooding, causing cities like London and New York to disappear under water.
The reason things like this have not happened is because Christ upholds all things by the word of His power. In Him all things hold together.
Not only did God create all life forms on the earth, but preserves them by providing their food and water and shelter. Not only did it require great power to create our world, but it continues to require great power from God to maintain and preserve it. Deists picture God as a cosmic watchmaker who created the universe, and then left it to wind down completely on its own. That is not the teaching of the Bible. God is personal, and continually interacts with His creation. He upholds all things by the word of His power.
3. The Power Of God In Christ
The Birth of Christ. The power of God was displayed dramatically in bringing Jesus into the world. What would require more power than to have a woman who had never known a man conceive and give birth? Yet, that’s exactly what happened! Listen to the words of the angel to Mary in Luke 1:35, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”
The Ministry of Christ. Jesus’ ministry was full to overflowing with the power of God. After Jesus had been baptized and then tempted of the devil in the wilderness, Luke 1:14 says, “And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district.”
His works of healing were a dramatic display of God’s power. He healed the paralytic, the man with the withered hand, the blind, the deaf, the woman with the issue of blood, the man whom Peter cut off his ear, and the leper. Peter said in Acts 10:38, “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”
His authority over demons was a dramatic display of God’s power. Sometimes He would cast out a legion of them from a single man.
His authority over nature was another dramatic display of God’s power. He walked on water, stilled the storm, multiplied fish and loaves to feed thousands, and turned water into wine.
His authority over death was another dramatic display of God’s power. What greater power could there be than to infuse life into a corpse that was dead? And this, Jesus did, not once or twice, but three times. In one case He gave life back to a corpse that had been dead four days and was in the process of decomposing!
The Resurrection, Ascension and Enthronement of Christ. We see this beautiful truth vividly in Ephesians 1:19-23, “These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”
Here we are talking about the power to give life back to a man who had been dead three days. Then, forty days later, we see the power to cause that body to lift off the ground and ascend into the sky! Then we see the power to grant that person all authority in heaven and earth, and take dominion over everything in God’s universe.
The Second Coming of Christ. Matthew 24:30 says, “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.” Now I need to let you know that not all interpreters understand this the same way. Some see this as a reference surrounding Jesus coming in power to judge the Jewish people through the Roman armies. But many see it is a reference to the second coming of Jesus Christ. I am undecided at this point. So, if this is a reference to Christ’s second coming, then we see the power of God displayed in this event also.
4. The Power of God in Believers
Enables them to believe. First, let us consider how believers become believers. Ephesians 1:19 speaks about the greatness of God’s power toward us who believe in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead. In other words, it took the resurrection power of God to enable you to believe the gospel. Why? Because your sinful heart loved its sin and would do anything to keep it. Our minds were blinded to the glory of God in the gospel. Our ears were deaf to the beauty of Christ’s words. We were dead in our trespasses and sins. So, of course it took the resurrection power of God to enable us to believe! Paul puts it like this in 1 Thessalonians 1:5, “For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.” It took God’s power to change the gospel from word only to full conviction.
Enables them to Witness for Christ. Jesus said in Acts 1:8, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Enables them to Abound in Hope. How does a Christian abound in hope? Paul tells us how. He says in Romans 15:13, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Enables Them To Have a Ministry. Listen to the apostle Paul in Ephesians 3:7, “of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.” Paul was made a minister of the gospel according to the gift of God’s grace. But how was that gift of grace given to Paul? According to the working of His power. My friends, if you have been granted a ministry by the gift of God’s grace, it came to you through the working of His power! It was the power of God that called you into ministry for His glory.
Enables Them To Have Christ Dwell in Their Hearts. In Ephesians 3:16, Paul prays that the Ephesians would be “strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…” This verse could be paraphrased, “so that Christ might settle down and be at home in your hearts through faith.” Is Christ at home in your heart? Is Christ comfortable dwelling in your heart, or is He uncomfortable there because of sin?
Enables Them To Persevere to the End. How will a believer be able to hold on steadfastly to Christ and persevere in faith to the end? How will that happen? Does he have the power in himself? Of course not! In himself he is no match for the devil, or indwelling sin, or the temptations of the world. But the power of God will enable us to do what we never could do in ourselves. How will we hold on to Christ to the end? “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil.1:6). Peter tells us the very same thing in 2 Peter 1:5, “who are protected by the power of God for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Enables Them to Labor in God’s Work. Listen to how Paul puts it in Colossians 1:28-29, “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power which mightily works within me.” God has a work for all of us to do. We are not all called to do the same thing, but we are all called to do something in God’s kingdom. The only way we will be able to fulfill God’s call on our life, is by God’s power. That’s how Paul fulfilled his ministry. He proclaimed and taught every man with all wisdom to present them complete in Christ, by the power of God.
Enables Them to Suffer for the Gospel. 2 Timothy 1:8, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God.” Folks, how do the saints who endure such persecution around the world do it? How do they endure being arrested, tortured, imprisoned for years, beat, and sometimes executed? The only answer is “the power of God.” They suffer for the gospel according to the power of God. That is how the martyrs have suffered and died in faith. That is how they went to the stake singing praises to God as the fires were lit. It was by the power of God.
Enables Them To Live A Life of Godliness. 2 Peter 1:3 says, “seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness.” God’s power has given us life – spiritual life. But it has also given us everything we need for godliness. If we live a godly life, it must be by the power of God! We need a divine power to live a divine life. Thank God we have that power available to us through faith.
Enables Them To Be Raised Bodily From the Dead. Paul put it this way in Philippians 3:21, “Christ, who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”
Are you starting to see that everything in the life of the Christian must be done in the power of God?! We simply do not have the ability in ourselves to live the Christian life, to minister to others, to abound in hope, to live a godly life, to suffer for the gospel, to persevere in faith, to labor in the gospel, to witness for Christ – to do anything apart from the power of God!
5. The Power of God in Unbelievers
How is the power of God seen in unbelievers? We have a clue in Romans 9:22, “What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?” What is Paul saying? I believe he is saying that God is willing to demonstrate His wrath and make His power known, but right now He is not doing that on unbelievers. Instead He is enduring them with much patience. However, He will not always endure them with much patience. There will come a time when His patience will cease, and He will demonstrate His wrath by making His power known. In other words God’s power will be seen in unbelievers by pouring out His wrath on them in judgment.
For believers, the power of God is a beautiful, wonderful truth. For unbelievers, the power of God is terrifying! God is for the believer, but He is against the unbeliever. All the power of God is used for the good of believers, but for the damnation and destruction of unbelievers.
Conclusion
My friends, have you ever worshiped God for His power? Are you thankful that He exercises His power continually on your behalf? This should be a source of thanksgiving and praise in our lives. Our God is a God of power, and He is for us. Hallelujah!
If you are not a believer, tremble before Almighty God! He has the power to crush you more easily than we can crush a moth. Humble yourself, sinner, under His mighty hand, and cast yourself on His mercy. If you will come to Him on His terms, He will not turn you away, but receive you, save you, and show His power on your behalf!
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