Monday, February 23, 2015

God's Power Revealed




In the beginning was the Word, 
and the Word was with God, 
and the Word was God.
John 1:1



Some people question how God, being a spirit, talks to man.  While true believers know that God speaks to us in a variety of ways, the most prevalent and obvious way that God speaks to us is through His written word; what we refer to as the Bible.   God instigated the record of His thoughts and actions through man:

And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. (Exodus 17:4)

God reveals the purpose of His written word:

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  2 Timothy 3:16

The Bible is a record of how God reveals His power in the earth. Here are the various ways God reveals His power:

*    Through His spoken thought, [And God said . . . ] the world was created:

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  Genesis 1:1

*    God reveals Himself in nature:

The plants and animals, valleys and mountains, waters and deserts, and even the skies above are all visible signs of His creative power:

Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in the firmament of His power.  Psalms 150:1

Which by His strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power; Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves and the tumult of the people.   Psalms 65:6-7

*        God is in the wind, sea, and mountains:

He caused an east wind to blow in the Heaven; and by His power He brought in the south wind.  Psalms 78:26

The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.  He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.  The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.
   Nahum 1:3-5


*     He controls all the elements of nature:

When He uttereth His voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; He maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of His treasures.    Jeremiah 10:13

Job 38-40 provides a detailed record of how God is revealed in the world of nature. God has revealed His power so clearly in nature that men have no excuse for not believing in Him:

For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.  Romans 1:20

From beginning to end, God's written Word reveals His power. It opens with His power to create. It closes with His power to destroy, judge, and recreate. Between Genesis and Revelation, God's Word records His power constantly at work in the world and in the lives of men and women.

Not only do the accounts recorded in God's Word reflect His power, but the words in which they are told are powerful:

For the Word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  Hebrews 4:12

Acts of judgment by God reveal His power. His power was first demonstrated in judgment when He judged Adam and Eve after their sin (Genesis 3).

It was revealed at a greater level when God destroyed the entire world with a flood in the days of Noah (Genesis 6-9).

The Bible is a continual record of the power of God revealed through judgment of sin. He sent judgment upon His people when they sinned. He also sent judgment upon evil nations as recorded in the book of Judges and the books written by the prophets.

Each time God sent judgment, He clearly indicated its purpose was that people would come to know His power.

And thou shalt say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.  Thus saith the Lord, In this thou shalt know that I am the Lord: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.    Exodus 7:16-17

Throughout history, God reveals His power in miraculous acts of redemption.

Although God judged Adam and Eve, He provided a way of salvation for mankind 

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
 Genesis 3:15

Although He destroyed the wicked earth with a flood, He provided an ark of safety (Genesis 6-9).

God redeemed Israel from bondage in Egypt through His power:

And because He loved thy fathers, therefore He chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in His sight with His mighty power out of Egypt.  Deuteronomy 4:37

God raised up judges, kings, and prophets whom He used to redeem His people out of the hand of the enemy. Nehemiah said of Israel:

Now these are thy servants and thy people whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.  Nehemiah 1:10

Each time God redeemed His people, He had a purpose. That purpose was to reveal His power:

Nevertheless He saved them for His name's sake, that He might make His mighty power to be known.  Psalms 106:8

God's greatest plan of redemption was revealed in Jesus Christ through whom all men could be redeemed from sin once and for all.

God's power was revealed through the prophecies about the birth of Jesus and in His miraculous birth. 

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
 Isaiah 9:6


It was evident in the life, teaching, and ministry of the Lord as well as in His death and resurrection.  The greatest revelation of God's power was in Jesus Christ:

And I heard a loud voice saying in Heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.  Revelation 12:10

Through Jesus, we too can have power.  Jesus promised His followers:

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.  Acts 1:8

Acts 2 is the record of the coming of the Holy Spirit, sent from God as Jesus had promised. Through the Holy Spirit, God continues to reveal His power.  God also reveals His power in other supernatural ways. "Supernatural" means beyond the power of the natural world. It is something that cannot be done by the power of man.

God's power has been revealed through miraculous healings, deliverances from demon powers, the dead being restored to life . . .  through water flooding the entire earth, the earth opening in judgement and even through fire falling from Heaven. 

The entire Bible is a record of supernatural signs of God revealing His power. 

God's power is still revealed through such signs today.

Jesus said such powerful signs would be done by God through believers:

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues.  They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.   Mark 16:17-18

From the beginning of His written Word, God worked on this earth through men and women. Man has a capacity for power unlike any other created being. God's judgment came through evil men and women. Redemption came through godly judges, prophets, kings, and finally through Jesus Christ.

When God came to earth to manifest His power, He was born of a woman in human form in the person of Jesus Christ. The greatest redemption of all times, redemption from sin, came through one made in the form of man.

After Jesus returned to Heaven, God continued to demonstrate His power on earth through men and women. The book of Acts is the record of the power of God at work through believers.

And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.  Mark 16:20

God's power was demonstrated through the power of the Gospel that changes lives of men and women. It was demonstrated in miracles of healing and deliverance. His power was shown in spite of suffering and persecution.  Whenever God raises up a man or ministry it is for the purpose of showing His power. God said to Moses:

And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power, and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.               Exodus 9:16

God continues to reveal His power today through believers who are part of the true Church. He demonstrates His power through special leaders He sets in the Church and through spiritual gifts given to believers.  

Why does God reveal His power on earth? Why does He show miraculous signs to mankind?   Many purposes of God's power can be summed up in one major purpose. 

This purpose, from the beginning of time, was to redeem sinful mankind through Jesus Christ. 

The purpose of the revelation of His power is to draw all men to Himself through Jesus:

Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath PURPOSED in Himself; That in the dispensation of the fulness of times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in Heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him.  Ephesians 1:9-10

And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.   Ephesians 3:11

God is the source of all power. 
He is the supreme and highest authority in the universe.

Although God is the source of power, His authority does not go unchallenged. The levels of authority He has established in the world also do not go unchallenged. There are evil forces challenging God's authority. They are not a threat to His authority in any way, but they constantly wage warfare against it nevertheless. If you incorporate  God's ways and thoughts into your life and apply it, then you will be challenged by these same forces.  Out of all the armor that God gives us to enable us to stand only one piece of the armor is used to defend our self; the rest is protective gear.  The one part of the armor that God supplies us with to defend ourselves with is the sword - which is His word.  

God, in His infinite wisdom , has given us all that we need to confront and face anything that comes against us – 

His Written Word!


(Biblical Studies)



05/10/16
05/39/17
01/15/19
02/17/20
07/08/22

1 comment:

  1. And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. (Exodus 17:14) Amen.

    Believers Bible Commentary.
    Exodus 17:8-16
    Joshua (Jehovah is salvation) now comes on the stage for the first time. As the servant of Moses, he fought against Amalek in Rephidim. As long as Moses held up his hand in intercession and in dependance on God, the Israelites had the margin of victory. But when Moses' hand sagged, Amalek gained the ascendancy. Amalek, a descendant of Esau, is a type of the flesh—that is, the evil, corrupt, Adamic nature of man. Observe the following parallels between the flesh and Amalek: (1) It presents itself after the Holy Spirit is given at conversion to fight against the Spirit; (2) The LORD will have war with the flesh from generation to generation; (3) It is never eradicated from the believer till death or the Rapture of the church. (4) Two means of triumph over the flesh are suggested—prayer and the Word.
    According to the ancient Jewish historian Josephus, Hur was the husband of Miriam, Moses' sister. This same Hur was later left with Aaron to supervise the people while Moses was on Mount Sinai (Exo_24:14).
    The-LORD-Is-My-Banner (Heb. YHWH Nissî) is a compound name of Jehovah.

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