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Page 1 of 6 OBCC 3/24/2013 “THE GOD OF ALL POWER” “WHO IS GOD Pt #5” Over the past four weeks I have spoken to you about 4 characteristics of who the Bible tells us that God is. We have seen that the God of the Bible is moved with compassion and that His compassion produces action on our behalf We have seen that our God, the God of the Bible is called the Father of Mercy, Abundant in Mercy and full of Tender Mercies 2 weeks we saw that He is the “The God Who Reveals Himself” and manifests, or shows himself to mankind We saw that God is not hiding, or distant, He is waiting to reveal Himself to those that will hunger and thirst for Him and diligently seek Him JER 29:11-14 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity …….. I asked if you knew this “Me” who tells us to call to Him, because it is critically important that we understand who is telling us to call unto Him, and what is the correct gospel. We must know who the Bible says that God is. I told you that this ministry is founded on the truth that Our God Reveals Himself, and that this truth is the reason for our Mission Statement. We looked at the 1st part of our Mission Statement: “Passionately Pursuing God…… His Presence and His Purpose. I pointed out that Pursuing His Presence is why we emphasize worship, why we hire different staff, and that in His presence we find His Purpose for our life D:\565323978.doc Page 2 of 6 I said that we are not program driven, but we are presence driven and that we are not content to play church, we want to be the church like the church in the New Testament Last week we looked at another aspect of who the God of the Bible is and saw that our God is always giving THE VERY NATURE OF THE GOD OF THE BIBLE IS TO LOVE UNSELFISHLY AND THAT MEANS TO ALWAYS BE DOING AND GIVING FOR THE WELFARE OF ANOTHER. True love is not self-seeking, it is self-sacrificing, and because Jesus is the embodiment of pure love He lays down His life, even for those that hate him This kind of love is beyond our understanding because He is not sacrificing for another like Him, or sacrificing to get something in return. He is sacrificing for mankind, which is not His equal, but what He created! ROM 5:7-10 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. ROM 8:31-32 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? We finished stating that the God of the Bible wants to give you a 2nd chance. His hands are outstretched toward you and He is ready to give you a new beginning Today is the day that Christians celebrate the fact that Jesus not only came to earth, not only lived as a man, not only willingly died on a cross in our place, but HE PROVED HE WAS GOD BY RAISING FROM THE DEAD! D:\565323978.doc Page 3 of 6 This shows us another aspect of who the God of the Bible is. It shows us that He is the GOD OF POWER!! Throughout the Bible God reveals His power to mankind It begins with the 1st words of the Bible: GEN 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. We saw that the word for God in Hebrew is Elohim, which means; , “Strong and Mighty One, Great in Majesty and Omnipotent Creator” We see the God of Power in the parting of the Red Sea and 40 years later stopping the waters of the Jordan for Israel to pass over We see it when the walls of Jericho collapse His power is displayed when the 3 Hebrew boys are thrown into the furnace and come out alive, not even smelling of smoke We see Elijah on Mt Carmel and fire coming from heaven and consuming the sacrifice JER 32:17-21 'Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. 18 'You show lovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them -- the Great, the Mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts. 19 'You are great in counsel and mighty in work, for your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings. 20 'You have set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, to this day, and in Israel and among other men; and You have made Yourself a name, as it is this day. 21 'You have brought Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terror; In the life of Jesus we read: MAT 4:23-24 Now Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. 24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and D:\565323978.doc Page 4 of 6 torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. Jesus demonstrated that the God of Power is willing to use His power to remove the suffering of His prize creation, man. JOH 11:41-44 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 "And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me." 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go." The God of the Bible, the God of Power, is also the God of compassion, the God of Mercy, the God Who Reveals Himself and the God Who Always Gives Jesus proves He is the God of Power by the miracles He performs He raises the dead Cleanses those with leprosy Walks on water Speaks to the wind and waves and they obey His last demonstration of who He is and His Power and Authority as God, is what we celebrate today. Jesus is crucified and buried. His followers mourn His death, but it’s not over In Jesus life, He demonstrates His power and He is unsurpassed by any other religious leader of any time or culture D:\565323978.doc Page 5 of 6 But He still doesn’t stop there because rising from the dead He validates everything He has said when he comes back to life! ACT 10:38-40 "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39 "And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. 40 "Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, LUK 24:46-49 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 "and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 "And you are witnesses of these things. 49 "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." Jesus gives unto His follower’s access to that same power ROM 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. ACT 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." CONCLUSION: Who is the GOD OF THE BIBLE? He is Love in Action His COMPASSION moves Him and He takes action on your behalf His MERCY keeps us from the judgment we deserve, He REVEALS Himself so we will see His character and come to Him D:\565323978.doc Page 6 of 6 He constantly gives for our good and even GIVES His Son When we receive His Son our sin is removed and His POWER is released into our life! TODAY IF YOU WILL ACCEPT GOD’S GIFT, HE WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE AND YOU WILL FIND PURPOSE, PEACE AND TRUE LIFE. His Love and Power are available for you today and He will set you free from anything that holds you captive! D:\565323978.doc