The Attributes of God Steve Lawson
Trinity Bible Church, Men's study, 3/17/22
LESSON 8. The OMNIPOTENCE of God
MESSAGE INTRODUCTION
Like all of His attributes, God's Omnipotence is co-extensive with His being. There is no area of the universe where He is not exerting His power. From a blade of grass to the stars of the sky, everything and everyone is dependent upon His immeasurable power for its existence. In this lesson, Lawson explores the nature and extent of God's incomprehensible power.
DEFINITION
Stephen Charnock: The power of God is that ability and strength whereby He can bring to pass whatever He pleases, whatever His infinite wisdom may direct, and whatever the infinite purity of His will may resolve.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Lord Almighty/God Almighty—350 times in Scripture
2 Chronicles 20:6
LECTURE OUTLINE
I. God's Power is Infinite
A. God possesses all power.
1. All human power and ability ultimately comes from God.
2. Even Satan's power is allotted to him by God.
B. God's power is without limits or bounds.
1. He has the means to carry out His every desire.
2. Nothing is too difficult for God to accomplish (Jeremiah 32:27).
3. God is able to do what humans cannot, including the act of saving sinners.
C. The knowledge that God can overcome all obstacles should encourage us to pray to Him boldly and persistently.
II. God's Power is Irresistible
A. No one can thwart, resist, or undermine God's purposes (Job 42:2; Isaiah 14:27; Isaiah 43:13).
B. God does not have to struggle to bring about His will.
1. God does not depend upon human action to achieve His goals.
2. The battle between God and Satan is not a stalemate or a tug-of-war.
3. God effortlessly prevails over human rebellion and Satanic resistance.
III. God's Power is Inexhaustible
A. God's power does not diminish over time.
B. He never grows weary or tired (Isaiah 40:28).
C. Through His inexhaustible energy, He gives strength to His people (Isaiah 40:29–31).
D. Scripture assures believers that they can do all things through the strengthening power of Jesus Christ (Philippians 4:13). God's inexhaustible strength empowers us to carry out whatever He calls us to do.
IV. God's Power is Incomprehensible
A. God's power is so far beyond human capabilities that we simply cannot understand it.
B. God is "able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20).
C. God works powerfully in human hearts in unseen and mysterious ways.
V. God's power is manifested in His WORKS
A. CREATION
Jeremiah 32:17 "Ah Lord GOD! behold, You have made the Heaven and the earth by Your great power and stretched out arm; there is nothing too hard for You!"
Nehemiah 9:6 "You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of Heaven worship You."
Psalm 33:8-9 "Let the whole earth tremble before the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it came into being; He commanded, and it came into existence."
Colossians 1:16 "For by Him all things were created: things in Heaven and on earth, visible and invisible . . . all things were created by Him and for Him."
B. PRESERVING, SUSTAINING and GOVERNING His Creation
Colossians 1:17 "All things are held together by Him."
Hebrews 1:3 "He upholds the universe by the word of His power!"
C. SALVATION
Explain Spurgeon's remark: "Every conversion is a display of God's Omnipotence!"
Matthew 19:22-26; Ezekiel 37; 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Your thoughts on a less than omnipotent God?
2. What is the relationship between God's Sovereignty and God's Omnipotence?
3. Explain Watson's remark: "God's power is of equal extent with His will."
Job 42:2 "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted."
Psalm 135:6 "The Lord does whatever pleases Him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths."
Isaiah 14:24 "The Lord Almighty has sworn: Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand."
Isaiah 14:26, 27 "This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations. For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart Him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?"
Ephesians 1:11 "In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will"
4. Can a man's "free will" hinder/frustrate/conquer God's Omnipotence?
5. Give some examples of the Omnipotence of Jesus.
What does this tell us about Jesus?
6. How should God's Omnipotence humble us?
Acts 12:21-23
7. How should God's Omnipotence comfort us?
Smith, Ryle —>
8. How should God's Omnipotence encourage us in evangelism? Acts 18:6, 9-11
QUOTATIONS
Brad Klassen: All of God's attributes exist and function in harmony with each other:
Because God is immutable, His power neither waxes nor wanes.
Because God is holy and righteous, His power is never used to do evil or commit an injustice.
Because God is all-wise, His power is never used foolishly.
Because God is self-sufficient, His power depends only on Himself and never on external supplies.
Because God is sovereign, the exercise of His power is always in conformity with His will.
Pink: We cannot have a right conception of God unless we think of Him as all-powerful. He who cannot do what He wills, and perform all His pleasure—cannot be God. As God has a will to resolve what He deems good, so has He power to execute His will.
Charnock: As holiness is the beauty of all God's attributes, so Omnipotence is that which gives life and action to all the perfections of the divine nature. How vain would be the eternal counsels, if power did not step in to execute them. Without Omnipotence:
His mercy would be but feeble pity,
His promises would be an empty sound,
His threatenings would be a mere scarecrow.
God's power is like Himself—infinite, eternal, and incomprehensible. It can neither be checked, restrained, nor frustrated by the creature!
James Smith: God's Omnipotence is altogether on the believer's side. All that God consistently can do—He will do for His people. Nothing is too hard for the Lord. He can make us contented in the most trying circumstances—and happy in the deepest affliction. He can so bring down our minds to our condition—that we shall glory in tribulation. He can turn darkness into light, and bitter into sweet; and bring the richest joy out of the deepest sorrow. The omnipotent God is your God! All that God is—He is to you! All He has—He has for you! All He has promised—He will fulfill in you!
Ryle: God is able to give those who love Him, the best of gifts! He can give them in this life: inward comforts which money can never buy; peace in poverty; joy in sorrow; patience in suffering. He can give them in death, bright hopes which enable them to walk through the dark valley without fear.
Pink: Well may the ungodly tremble before such a God! To treat with impudence One who can crush us more easily than we can a moth, is a suicidal policy! To openly defy Him who is clothed with Omnipotence, who can rend us in pieces or cast us into Hell any moment He pleases, is the very height of insanity. To put it on its lowest ground, it is but the part of wisdom to heed His command, "Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for His wrath can flare up in a moment! Blessed are all who take refuge in Him." (Psalm 2:12).
Well may the godly trust such a God! He is worthy of implicit confidence. Nothing is too hard for Him. If God were stinted in might and had a limit to His strength, then we might well despair. But seeing that He is clothed with Omnipotence . . .
no prayer is too hard for Him to answer,
no need is too great for Him to supply,
no sinful passion is too strong for Him to subdue,
no temptation is too powerful for Him to deliver from,
and no misery is too deep for Him to relieve.
Charnock: How great must that vengeance be, which is backed by all the strength of God's omnipotence! When God takes vengeance upon the ungodly, all His power shall be exercised in punishing, and none in pitying! How foolish is every sinner. Can we poor worms fight it out against infinite power? Oh, that every obstinate sinner would think of this, and consider the futility in thinking himself able to grapple with Omnipotence!
Isaiah 33:14 "The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless!
Who of us can dwell with consuming fire?
Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?"
Luke 12:5 "But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into Hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!"
Hebrews 10:30-31 "For we know Him who said: It is Mine to avenge; I will repay!" . . . It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God!"
God is the best _______, but the worst _______!
God is omnipotent to fulfill His every promise to you!
Isaiah 46:4 "Even to your old age and gray hair I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you."
Jude 1:24-25 "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."
Revelation 19:6 "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns!"