GOD IS: ALL POWERFUL (Elshaddai)
In our GOD IS…series last week, we discussed about the
God of all Creation. How wonderfully He created the beautiful Earth we live on and
the Universe that we cannot fully understand with its intricacies. If you are
baffled by the mysteries of the Universe, you are not alone; even scientists
are having a hard time understanding how our Universe works.
Here is how Pedro Ferreira, University of Oxford
professor of astrophysics, is puzzled, as most physicists are, about the
origins and essential elements of the Universe. "We're at a complete loss for
how to explain some of the most fundamental but baffling observations of how
our Universe behaves. There is a tremendous, even cosmic, chasm between the
physics we know and love and some of the phenomena we observe but can't make
head or tail of.
We have no idea how to bridge this chasm – yet we are
proceeding to construct ever more expensive experiments and observatories in
the hope that we will. I've spent most of my adult life staring at the cosmic
chasm – the abyss between what we know and what we don't.
And while our knowledge of the Universe has improved
dramatically in that time, our ignorance has become only more focused. We're no
closer to answering the big questions about dark matter, dark energy, and the Universe's
origins than when I started. This isn't for lack of trying; a titanic effort is
underway to try and figure out these mysterious aspects of the Universe.
But there's no guarantee we'll succeed, and we might never
really grasp how the Universe works." [1] (pause). Naturally! We may
never understand the Universe without knowing the God of the Universe. Today we
will go one step closer to meeting the All-Powerful God who is seeking a close
relationship with us. We will explore what the Scriptures say about His power,
with which He holds the Universe together and our lives if only we let Him. Ephesians
1:15-23
I.
What does God have to say about Himself in the Bible?
We had an event with Asia's Strongest Man at our
Church. I had a hard time selling the event. I got mixed responses whenever I
told people to meet Asia's Strongest Man. Some gave a shocked and puzzled look,
some said can I fight him, and several didn't bother.
I don't even want to attempt to introduce you to the
real and the most powerful God of all creation. Let God speak of himself of who
He says He is. This is how God revealed himself to Abraham, who was ninety
years old. Genesis 17:1-3. When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord
appeared to him and said, "I am El-Shaddai God Almighty.' Serve me
faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you, by which
I will guarantee to give you countless descendants." At this, Abram fell
face down on the ground."
The Hebrew word El-Shaddai means "The
all-sufficient one, the God of the Mountains; God Almighty. For Abraham and his
descendants, mountains meant God's provision, promises, protection, and
everlasting presence. Here is how God revealed His power through mountains:
God provided a lamb when Abraham was about to offer
Issac. He said, of God, "Jehovah Jireh," It became a proverb,
"On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided." Genesis 22:13-14 The
Israelites knew God as the God of the hills and the valleys, I Ki 20:28. David
expressed his confidence in God, saying, "Even when I walk through the
darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and
your staff." protect and comfort me. Psalm 23:4
Israelites prayed as they traveled through mountains, "I
look up to the mountains. Does my help come from there? My help comes from the
LORD, who made heaven and Earth." Psalm 121:1-2. The pilgrims sang as they
ascended to Jerusalem. "Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount
Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever. Just as the mountains
surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, both now and forever."
Psalm 125:1-2
What can Elshaddia, God of the
mountains, can do to us today? Our all-powerful God has absolute control over
every situation we encounter. He sees our highs and the lows and everything in
between. We can be safe in His everlasting arms wherever we find
ourselves. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, God's presence surrounds us.
II.
How did people witness God's power throughout generations?
The scriptures recorded numerous miraculous acts of
God. Every act of God is a power encounter. That's why they are called miracles.
One of the Bible's most miraculous deliverance ever recorded was God delivering
His people from 400 years of bondage to slavery. He performed various signs and
sent ten plagues over Egyptians. He parted the red sea, made the Israelites and
their cattle pass through on the dry ground, and killed the whole of Pharo's
army.
After witnessing this mighty deliverance, Moses and
Israel sang, "I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; he
has hurled horse and the rider into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my
song; he has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise him, my Father's
God, and I will exalt him! The Lord is a warrior; Yahweh is his name! "Your right
hand, O Lord, is glorious in power. Your right hand, O Lord, smashes the enemy."
Ex 15:1-6
God's powerful right hand delivered the Israelites and
provided, protected, and cared for them for over forty years in the desert. God
wanted His people to know He did all those great things and no one else, so He
wrote it in stone by giving them this command. Exodus 20:1-3, "I am the
Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your
slavery. "You must not have any other god but me." What does this
mean for us today?
Are you facing a red sea kind of situation? God can
make a way through your troubled situation. Are you struggling with finances,
unable to cope with mounting debts, medical bills, student loans etc? If God
could care for over 600,000 people, he can certainly care for you.
III.
The four things that God's power would do in the life of a believer.
The Apostle Paul prayed that the Ephesian believers
would grow in their knowledge of God. He wanted them to understand the
incredible greatness of God's power. Let's look at the four ways God's power works
in all who believe in Him.
1.
God's power can save sinners, including the worst ones.
The good news of Jesus Christ is powerful in saving sinners.
Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is
the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes the Jew first and also
the Gentile." God's power is here to save all sinners.
2.
God's power lives in all those who believe in God.
Eph
1: 19-20, I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's
power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ
from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the
heavenly realms."
3.
God's power gives us the strength to endure hardships
Colossians 1:11 "We also pray that you will be
strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and
patience you need. May you be filled with joy." No matter our hardships,
God gives us strength and patience to endure.
4.
God's power provides all that we need to live godly lives
II Peter 1:3, "By his
divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We
have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to Himself
by means of his marvelous glory and excellence." Our all-powerful God
invites you to trust Him.
My prayer for all of us is, "From his glorious,
unlimited resources, God will empower you with inner strength through his
Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your
roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong." Eph 3:16-17
