The Omnipotence and Authority of The Lord Jesus Christ. Gen 16

Grace Bible Church

Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries

The TREE OF LIFE is a weekly teaching summary.

The Omnipotence and the Authority of The Lord Jesus Christ.

 We have been noting the importance of the authority and the power of God and how it relates to GEN 16:9 "Then the angel of the Lord [Jesus Christ] said to her [Hagar], Return to your mistress [Sarai], and submit ourself to her authority."

We noted that we cannot have a correct understanding of the importance of authority unless we have a right 
understanding of the Essence of God and our Lord as the all-powerful one, having all authority.

Omnipotence gives life and action to all of the divine attributes.  For example, Omnipotence gives the Sovereignty of God the power and authority to make any decisions that He desires to.  Without Omnipotence, His love and mercy would be just weak pity, His Veracity and therefore His promises would be empty and His Omniscience wouldn't have the power to provide what He knows His people need.
Without Omnipotence, it would be no use for His Omnipresence to never leave us or forsake us, His Immutability would not have the power to never change and His Righteousness would not have the power to always be right.
Without Omniscience, His eternal life would not have the power to give us that life forever and ever.
However, God's power does exist and because of that, whatever He says, He is able to perform.  For example, consider the power behind nature.
In Job 38, Satan is through with his cross examination of Job and now we are going to have some questions from the Lord to reveal to Job the importance of authority.

First in JOB 38:1-2 "Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, who is this that darkens counsel[or distorts My doctrine] by words without knowledge?"

God asks Job "Who is this that darkens counsel by words or doctrines without knowledge?"
In this context, God means that Job has the doctrine but has made the wrong application.  Remember one can perceive and metabolize doctrine and still refuse to apply it.
In verse 3, God announces His intention to interrogate and examine Job and to reveal the importance of having all power and all authority.
JOB 38:3 "Now gird up your loins like a man,"

One of the biggest difficulties with believers when they get into suffering is that they lose the valiant principle of being courageous.  This is when they whine about everything that's going on in their life and they start to blame others.  Job, like all of us, must stop whining about his suffering because we can't whine about the past and serve the Lord in the present. We have to understand the power and authority of God.
This is a command for Job to face the truth to get back in fellowship with God and forget about his suffering.
In order to "be a man" you have to face the fact that you are responsible for your own failures.

In every generation God is looking for men and women who will be men and women and who can stand in the gap and handle pressure.

In EZE 22:29-30 "The people of the land have practiced oppression and committed robbery, and they have wronged the poor and needy and have oppressed the sojourner without justice.  And I searched for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one."

Most believers say in their heart and in their actions, Luk 14:18b-20 "I have bought a piece of real estate and I need to take care of it; please consider me excused. I have a business and I am going to invest in it; please consider me excused. I'm married, and for that reason I am too busy, therefore, I cannot come."

David said to his son Solomon just before he died, 1KI 2:2 "Be strong therefore and show yourself a man."
A man is someone with strength, a woman is someone with virtue.

Joab, David's general said to his soldiers who were out-numbered and the odds were against them in 2SA 10:12 "Be of good courage and let us play the men for our people."

The apostle Paul said to the believers at Corinth concerning false doctrine and apostate teaching, 1CO 16:13 "Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong."
A real man is someone who is on the alert, and who stands firm in doctrine and is strong.

In verses 4-11 of Job 38, we have the first question: Was Job present at the creation of planet earth when the authority and the power of Almighty God was present?
Of course the answer to that is No!  So we have a beautiful description of creation.
The Lord says to Job in verse 4 "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding,"
That takes power, that takes authority!

Verse 5 "Who set its measurements, since you know? Or who stretched the line on it?"
God is saying to Job, "I know what I'm doing! I have all power and all authority."
Job had a plan that he was going to have prosperity for all of his life and he thought he was all set for life, however, that was Job's plan not God's!
God's plan was to bring some adversity into his life whereby Job could glorify Him in the angelic conflict.
Spirituality does not guarantee a life without problems and difficulties!
As the apostle Paul said in 2TI 3:12 "And indeed, all who desire to live godly [eusebos-spiritual] in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."
If man doesn't know what God is doing it is simply because he doesn't need to know or because he is not oriented to God's plan.  None of us can fully comprehend the adversities and the sufferings which come into our lives and why they do but in the end we will discover that God knew all along exactly what we needed and what was best for us.  Remember what The Lord Jesus Christ said to Peter in JOH 13:7 "What I do you do not realize now, but you shall understand hereafter."

No one in the human race can ever really understand in depth the principle of the authority and the power and omniscience of God.....and the fact that God knows all things and has everything under control.
Job is about to learn that some of the greatest blessings you can have in this life comes through suffering not through prosperity and trusting and relying on the power and the authority of God.
JOB 38:6 "On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone,"
When God laid the foundation of the earth the angels were there.
JOB 38:7 "When the morning stars [the angels with authority] sang together, And all the sons of God [beni ha Elohim, the angels] shouted for joy?"

The sons of God  are the beni ha Elohim, the sons of the gods referring to the angels. When God started to restore the earth for man's existence on it, there were angels there during the restoration of the earth but Job wasn't there.  Remember that Gen 1 is not a record of the creation of the earth but a record of the restoration of the earth!  These were elect angels and that is why it says in verse 7 that they shouted for joy, because God was going to take a new type of creature called man, give him a free will, and prove to the fallen angels that they were out of line in their decision to follow Satan.
 
Job 38: 9-11  "Or where were you Job when I God, with power and authority enclosed the sea with doors, When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb; When I made a cloud its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, And I placed boundaries on it and I set a bolt and doors, And I said, Thus far you shall come, but no farther; And here shall your proud waves stop?"
Consider God's power in preservation. No creature has power to preserve itself. Both man and beast would perish if there were not herbs for food, and herbs would wither and die if the earth was not refreshed with rain.
It is impossible for God to do anything that is imperfect since He is perfect and He has all authority and the power.

The second question is found in verses 12-15.
In effect, the question is to Job, Can Job rotate planet earth on its axis and produce a sequence of day and night?
JOB 38:12-15 "Have you ever in your life commanded the morning and caused the dawn to know its place; That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it? It is changed like clay under the seal and they stand forth like a garment. And from the wicked their light is withheld, And the uplifted arm is broken."

The third question: Does Job know anything about death and can Job guarantee the function of the so-called scientific laws regarding weather, verses 16-30.

JOB 38:16-30 "Have you entered into the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? Have you understood the expanse of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this. Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And darkness, where is its place, That you may take it to its territory and that you may discern the paths to its home? You know, for you were born then, And the number of your days is great! Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, Or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, Which I have reserved for the time of distress, For the day of war and battle? Where is the way that the light is divided or the east wind scattered on the earth? Who has cleft a channel for the flood or a way for the thunderbolt; To bring rain on a land without people, On a desert without a man in it, To satisfy the waste and desolate land and to make the seeds of grass to sprout? Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew? From whose womb has come the ice? And the frost of heaven, who has given it birth? Water becomes hard like stone, And the surface of the deep is imprisoned."
God is revealing His majesty and magnificence through knowledge.

In verses 31-33, a fourth question: Can Job handle the universe outside of planet earth?

JOB 38:31 "Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades, Or loose the cords of Orion? Can you lead forth a constellation in its season, And guide the Bear with her satellites? Do you know the ordinances or the laws of the heavens, Or fix their rule over the earth?"

How minute our problems must seem to God.
Yet His love for us is manifested by such passages as 
LUK 12:6-7, "Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? And yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows."

The fifth question: Can Job operate the laws of meteorology such as directing wind, rain, and thunderstorms, found in verses 34-38, "Can you lift up your voice to the clouds so that an abundance of water may cover you? Can you send forth lightnings that they may go And say to you, Here we are? Who has put wisdom in the innermost being, or has given understanding to the mind? Who can count the clouds by wisdom or tip the water jars of the heavens, When the dust hardens into a mass and the clods stick together?"

The continuation of the universe and all of its creatures and the stable state of the atmosphere depends on the omnipotence and immutability of Jesus Christ, Col 1:17; HEB 1:3.
When we think about the magnitude of His power and His love for us and the ability that He has to come through for us, we should never even worry for a moment!

JER 32:17 "Ah Lord God! Behold, Thou hast made the heavens and the earth by Thy great power and by Thine outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for Thee,"
Scientific laws, as such, do not exist, because science did not develop them, nor does science enforce them, God does!  These so-called scientific laws are based on the statistical assumption that the universe, which operates according to a fixed norm, will continue to do so. Science can observe and apply, but the speculation of science is what is often in conflict with the Bible.  Science can observe certain laws, but cannot guarantee their continuance. The universe with its matter, energy, and operating laws of God will not always exist as it does at the present time,2PE 3:10?12; REV 20:11.

Every discovery of the pattern of the universe is a treatise on the faithfulness of Jesus Christ, who at the present time is guaranteeing the function of every bona fide scientific law, Col 1:17; HEB 13:8.
Christ is holding the universe together is to resolve the angelic conflict in human history and to bring many sons into glory, HEB 2:10.

Occasionally these laws have been overruled by the sovereignty of God. For example, the day the sun stood still for Joshua in battle, JOS 10:12-13. Power and authority belongs to the Lord!

Consider God's power in government. 
Think of the restraining hand of God limiting Satan from taking over the earth. The devil as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour. Satan is filled with hatred against God and against those believers who love the Lord. If he had his way he would treat every growing believer the same way he treated Job. He would send fire down from heaven to destroy our fruit; destroy our cattle and cause the wind to overthrow our houses and cover our bodies with boils.

Consider God's power in judgment. 
When He smites, none can resist Him. EZE 22:14 "Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with you? I, the Lord, have spoken and shall act."
Think of His power when He opened the windows of heaven and poured fountains upon the world so that only those inside of the ark were safe from his omnipotence.
Consider Pharaoh and his entire army, which at the time was considered to be the greatest military in the world. However, when they ran into divine omnipotence at the red sea, they were destroyed in an instant.
 
Consider God's omnipotence on the unbelievers and the reprobate. 
God is going to display His mighty power upon them not merely by incarcerating them in Gehenna, known to many as hell, but by supernaturally preserving their bodies as well as their souls in the midst of the eternal lake of fire which burns forever and ever.  That is power and authority. That is why we should all obey and recognize authority.

It should be very comforting to you to know that this same authority and omnipotence keeps us saved and protects us.  This power should lead us to worship and adore such a wondrous, infinite perfect God who along with this power loves us with a divine love which will never change.
As a member of the Royal Family of God and the future bride of Jesus Christ, your worship and respect toward God is revealed by your confidence you have as a believer. He is clothed with omnipotence, therefore no prayer is too hard for Him to answer.
No need to great for Him to supply.
No passion to strong for Him to subdue.
No temptation too powerful for Him to deliver from.
No misery too deep for Him to relieve.

God has allowed both angels and mankind to possess a free-will or volition and both angels and mankind have used that volition in a negative way. Therefore, when we understand the omnipotence of God, we will be assured that nothing is to difficult for Him.

Consider the sovereignty of God. Sovereignty means that God is supreme in rule and has authority over all things. However, in harmony with His divine essence it's important to note that God will never use His sovereignty to coerce human volition.
This means that God honors our decisions, whether they are for Him or against Him. This also means that we cannot blame God for anything that happens.
The sovereign will of God for mankind is expressed entirely in one verse in the Bible, 1TI 2:4 "He desires all men to be saved and to come unto the epignosis knowledge of the truth."
The very fact that all men are not saved and that all believers do not come unto the epignosis knowledge of the truth reveals
That although God is sovereign, He will not violate or coerce human volition.
 
In our verse in GEN 16:9 the principle is that only the will of God can solve our problems. Regardless of how hard it seems to be, God's way is the best way. God's will is the only way to meet and to solve the problems of life. God's will must be communicated, and then there must be positive response to it.  Positive response to it means recognition of the authority and then the function of execution.

The time will come for Hagar to leave Abram's household, in Genesis 21, but not at this moment. At this moment, it is the will of God for her to stay.  Eventually, it will be the will of God to separate from Abram and Sarai, they will have to be separated eventually, but right now Hagar's responsibility is to go back under the authority of Sarai.  God's timing must be related to God's will and God's timing is perfect, no other time is right. To function under the will of God, is to have God's correct timing for your life.

Hagar's return to Sarai, her mistress, is tantamount to adjusting to the justice of God. This brings into focus one more principle we need to note, and that is the doctrine of divine guidance. 
For the first time now Sarai is faced with the issue of the will of God.....and obedience to the divine will.  At this time it is the will of God that she go back to the point where the problem began, and divine guidance calls for recognition of human authority whether it has been distorted, or not.
The principle of authority is one, which is absolutely necessary for the continued outcome and the perpetuation of the angelic conflict in history.  Divine guidance is the doctrine of determining the will of God for the life of the believer.  Divine guidance is the communication of divine will through divine revelation. Today that divine revelation is confined to the canon of scripture and, of course, the alternative, Divine discipline.
Divine discipline and human disaster as a classification of guidance from God is limited to the negative aspects of God's will.
Discipline and disaster most frequently is God saying "No, you are not in My will." Therefore divine discipline is limited to warning that believer that he is not in the will of God. 
We cannot know the will of God apart from the word of God.