Scripture: Genesis 17:1-5; Matthew 19:24-27; Luke1:35-37; Revelation 19:5-7a
As we continue with our examination of
God’s attributes - His character, and His ways - today we consider His power
and strength – His Omnipotence, if you
will! The word means “all powerful” –
not just in relationship to that of humanity, which of course, is anything but
“all powerful”, but rather to a power that is infinite and unique among
all beings.
The power of God is, as we considered
last week, infinite. It knows no limit,
it is unchanging, it is undefeatable, it is perfect. One additional characteristic, though, is that
God does not use this power for His own benefit, and does not impose it on the
world in general. It is shared with
those who will follow His lead, and who will obey His commands, and it is available
to all who are working within His will.
And this incredible power has been made
evident to us throughout scripture.
Today, we consider some of these passages, and what they mean for our
lives.
Read Genesis 17:1-5
The LORD has established a covenant, an
absolute promise and relationship, with and for those who will follow Him. Throughout scripture, every one of the references
to “covenant” is shown to be given in order to lead others into the will of
God. In this example, Abram receives
the promise that he will be the “father of many nations”. But first, the man is told just who is making
the covenant – God Almighty. And what
must Abram do in return? He is to live a
faithful life.
“Walking before God” means that the man
must be loyal to God alone, and trust that all he will be asked to do has great
importance for both his life and for that of others. And being “blameless” doesn’t mean perfect or
sinless! It refers to Abram’s faithfulness,
a connection to the loyalty that he must have to Godly ways.
And why is the man being called to
faithful and loyal living? Because the LORD has begun an incredible plan for this world, and it begins with the changing
of this man’s name. Abraham – father of many
nations – gives us a hint of the plan that God has for this world. It will go far beyond the “nation” of Israel –
it means that this new concept of “family” is all about God’s family, and not
just Abraham’s blood line. But Abraham would
be the beginning of that family – the family that all believers are welcomed
into.
Read Matthew 19:24-27
Some see this passage regarding Jesus’
conversation with the rich young man as a condemnation against worldly wealth,
when it actually is about where we put our hopes and expectations. When we begin to depend on the wealth that
the world brings to us – finances, abilities, jobs, relationships, positions, authority
– we will be bound, limited, and controlled by those very same things. But if we place our lives in the hands of God
through faith in Jesus Christ, we will begin to follow His ways, and the Lord will
work through us.
You’ve heard me use the phrase “the
ministry of showing up” before. The
thought behind these words is that it has nothing to do with what can be
accomplished through our own abilities, and everything about what God can do
through our faithful obedience. As a
matter of fact, that is all that the LORD
expects of us – to do what we are asked to do, and nothing more. Of course, there will always be those who
think that they have to do more than anyone else, that they have
been called to do great things in the name of God, that they know what
the result of their faithful actions must be, and then move to accomplish it in
their own way, that they don’t have to wait upon the LORD, that their timing is what is really important!
But if everyone thought about this for a
moment, they would come to the realization that the power of God doesn’t work
on our schedule or in our desires! The
power of God works through us as He plans, not as we do! And as Jesus said in verse 26 – there is
nothing of value that we can do on our own, and there is nothing that God can’t
do when we are faithful to what we are called to do! And there is none other who is able to work
in that way.
Read Luke 1:35-37
Here we see a prime example of the
previous passage from Matthew’s gospel.
Mary’s relative Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah were well advanced
in years, but they had never had any children, because Elizabeth was unable to
conceive. They were incapable of doing
this thing that was so natural an act for nearly every husband and wife.
But there was a plan underway that God
had “conceived”. Regardless of what this
faithful couple could or could not do, God was about to accomplish the most
incredible work of all time. And whether
they believed it or not, whether they understood it or not, it was happening,
and it had only just begun.
The LORD then
moved from the improbable to the, supposedly, impossible. God had told Mary that even though she wasn’t
married, even though she had never been with a man, she was going to have a
Baby. (Luke 1:26-34) And not just any baby, but the Son
of God - conceived in a Godly way, but to be born in a human one through the incredible
and improbable will of Almighty God. And
when Mary expresses doubts about the process, she is told that by the power of
the Holy Spirit, anything and everything is possible - for if God says it will
be, it will be.
Read Revelation 19:5-7a
Since time began, sin has been running
rampant in our world. The divine will has
been ignored, abused, denied, and misrepresented in a nearly infinite number of
ways by the people of earth, and only a handful of humanity have accepted
God’s way for their lives. He could have
stopped the nonsense anytime that He wanted, but the Plan was that people would
be allowed to come to the LORD through their
own decision, and would never be forced to come to His way. No one could ever stand against the power
that God could bring down on the earth, but He will hold that power back until
the proper time comes.
Sin had been defeated at Calvary, but it
wouldn’t be destroyed, and it will continue to plague humanity until that
perfect time arrives. And in this
passage from Revelation, it speaks of that time. On that day, sin will no longer be able to
contradict the word and wisdom and power of God, and all will freely
acknowledge the work of God that we read of in the above passage from Luke’s
gospel. In Philippians2:5-11 we read that when that time comes, “that
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under
the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father.”
This confession will be universal – that
every knee, and every tongue will acknowledge and honor the truth
of God that was given to us in Jesus Christ.
The Almighty, the Omnipotent, the Power that has no end, will finally be
praised and rejoiced and glorified.
This is the Power that was able to
create “the heavens and the earth” that we read of in Genesis 1, including all
that is contained within them.
This is the Power that caused the 10
plagues of Egypt (Exodus7:14-12:30), including a way that would spare
Israel from the 10th one.
This is the Power that then guided
Israel to the land promised to them, including the safe crossing of the sea (Exodus 13:17-14:31).
This is the Power that brought Jesus
into this world.
This is the Power that raised our LORD from the tomb, and lifted Him back into His heavenly home.
And we could go on rejoicing over all
that the power of God has done and could do, but suffice it to say that this is
a power unlike any other.
It is the same power that allowed both
an older women and a young girl to be his instruments that would allow His love
to come into this world, and
It is the same power that will, one day,
conquer evil and hatred, and will reign supremely, eternally and passionately.
And this is the power that will lead us,
in faith, through this temporary life and into everlasting life with Christ. And it is the power that many will never come
to celebrate and follow, but who will, one day, discover that they have to
submit to it, and finally admit that their life has been a colossal mistake.
May the Glorious Power of God lovingly
work in and through each and every one of us this very day.
