1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,560 As we consider together the various attributes of our God, I think it's fitting that on this 2 00:00:06,560 --> 00:00:12,380 particular day we talk about the one that is before us tonight, and that is the omnipotence 3 00:00:12,380 --> 00:00:14,140 of God. 4 00:00:14,140 --> 00:00:19,520 This is one of those omnis that we mentioned last week. 5 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:27,440 Potence or potent refers to power, so we're talking about the universal power of God, 6 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:30,640 that all power belongs to Him. 7 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:34,540 We see this throughout the Word of God, of course, but there are a couple of verses that 8 00:00:34,540 --> 00:00:38,040 we refer to on the outline that you received as you came in tonight. 9 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:46,320 Revelation 19.1 is the text which Handel employed in part in writing the great chorus entitled 10 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:53,880 the Hallelujah Chorus, where it states, Hallelujah, the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. 11 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:57,720 So we have that word used, omnipotent. 12 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:07,280 And then in Psalm 62.11 it says, power belongs with God. 13 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:13,060 May I further remind you of what is said in Romans chapter 1 verse 20, in which relating 14 00:01:13,060 --> 00:01:20,440 the condition of the pagans throughout the world who have no record of God's written 15 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:21,440 revelation. 16 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:27,360 They are nonetheless by the creation itself confronted with certain aspects of God's 17 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:35,320 being, one aspect being His eternal power, Romans 1.20. 18 00:01:35,320 --> 00:01:41,560 Now whereas there are in fact energy shortages in our world, and there are power shortages 19 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:47,360 which are common, there is no power shortage when it comes to God. 20 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:57,560 All power is still His, and though He continually exercises all power, He never becomes weaker. 21 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:00,480 There is no diminishing of His strength. 22 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:06,680 Furthermore, He is still on the throne in this world. 23 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:14,620 And if there be times when it appears that man is having his way, or Satan's schemes 24 00:02:14,620 --> 00:02:21,340 seem to be accomplishing what he desires, never forget that the Lord God omnipotent 25 00:02:21,340 --> 00:02:24,240 reigns. 26 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:30,040 One of the names by which God has been pleased to reveal Himself in that early in the Bible, 27 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:39,640 the first name used of Him, is the name Elohim, which means the Almighty One. 28 00:02:39,640 --> 00:02:47,960 And so even in His very name, He reveals the fact that all power belongs to Him. 29 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:52,020 Considering the state of the world in which we live today, I think there would be great 30 00:02:52,020 --> 00:02:56,420 cause for pessimism if one were a humanist. 31 00:02:56,420 --> 00:02:58,640 But we are not humanists. 32 00:02:58,640 --> 00:03:04,780 We are theists who believe in a personal God, and a God who is interested in the affairs 33 00:03:04,780 --> 00:03:09,360 of men, and who in fact ultimately controls the affairs of men. 34 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:12,800 And because of that truth, we have no fear. 35 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:16,720 Let's think for a few moments tonight about the omnipotence of God. 36 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:24,240 Dr. William Evans says that omnipotence is the attribute by which God can bring to pass 37 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:28,580 everything which He wills. 38 00:03:28,580 --> 00:03:30,440 Can you do that? 39 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:33,880 Neither can I. 40 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:40,400 There are many things that I will and wish that I can never bring to pass. 41 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:46,320 In fact, most things that I will, I cannot actually control. 42 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:53,160 Evans goes on to say, God's declaration of His intention is the pledge of the thing 43 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:55,920 intended being carried out. 44 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:59,440 If God says it, it's going to be done. 45 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:01,240 It's just that simple. 46 00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:07,640 I review with you some of the statements of scripture relating to God's omnipotence. 47 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:15,560 In Genesis 18, 14, is there anything too hard for the Lord? 48 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:16,560 That's a great thought. 49 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:19,880 Of course, there is nothing that is too hard for Him. 50 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:26,140 There are some things outside His purposes which He will not do, but there is nothing 51 00:04:26,140 --> 00:04:29,240 that is too hard for God. 52 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:35,800 And then in Job 42, verse 2, that ancient godly man said, I know that thou canst do 53 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:40,240 all things and that no purpose of thine can be thwarted. 54 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:45,560 A great statement of faith, especially after all he had been through. 55 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:55,640 And then in Matthew 19, 26, our Lord said, with God all things are possible. 56 00:04:55,640 --> 00:05:04,240 In Jeremiah 32, verse 17, the last part of the verse, there is nothing too hard for thee. 57 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:12,540 And so the scriptures are replete with explicit statements telling us of God's omnipotence 58 00:05:12,540 --> 00:05:15,740 that He has all power. 59 00:05:15,740 --> 00:05:21,200 And then the scripture is also filled with illustrations of God's power. 60 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:26,480 Just think of some of the realms in which God expresses His power. 61 00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:30,880 Perhaps the most obvious realm is that of nature itself. 62 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:36,680 In Genesis chapter 1, we have the record of the beginning of all things, the creation 63 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:38,680 of the world. 64 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:43,640 There are those who say that that is but a poetic setting for something that took place 65 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:44,640 very naturally. 66 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:51,840 But I say to you that there is no natural way to explain Genesis chapters 1 and 2. 67 00:05:51,840 --> 00:05:56,360 We either have to accept it for what it says or reject it, and in rejecting it, reject 68 00:05:56,360 --> 00:06:00,000 the whole Bible and the God of the Bible. 69 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:04,840 God supernaturally brought into existence everything that is. 70 00:06:04,840 --> 00:06:10,620 And He did that not through a long process of time, but by the word of His mouth. 71 00:06:10,620 --> 00:06:17,440 He said, let it be, and it was, that fast. 72 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:25,800 Turn with me to Psalm 33 as we see some of His power in nature described. 73 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:32,120 Psalm 33. 74 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:34,760 Look at verse 6. 75 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:45,360 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth. 76 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:50,320 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars. 77 00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:53,080 That's kind of an amazing statement, isn't it? 78 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:55,800 Can you imagine all the waters of the sea in jars? 79 00:06:55,800 --> 00:06:59,600 Well, the idea is that He stores them up. 80 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:10,320 He puts the deep into storehouses, referring here to the reservoirs of water within the 81 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:13,560 world, deep within the earth. 82 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:16,480 God has put them there. 83 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:21,720 It says, let all the earth fear the Lord, let all the people of the world revere Him, 84 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:26,360 for He spoke and it came to be. 85 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:29,960 He commanded and it stood firm. 86 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:34,160 And so we see God's power in nature. 87 00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:43,200 We see it expressed even in the Lord Jesus when He was with His disciples on a couple 88 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:48,440 of occasions on the Sea of Galilee. 89 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:56,280 And He stood in their presence and spoke to the supernaturally whipped up storm. 90 00:07:56,280 --> 00:08:01,080 And the language certainly implies that this was not a normal storm, though there are severe 91 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:07,640 storms very naturally on the Sea of Galilee because of the condition there with the mountains 92 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:08,640 and so on. 93 00:08:08,640 --> 00:08:12,720 But this is a storm that was satanic in its origin. 94 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:18,960 It was one of the attempts of Satan to kill Christ. 95 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:28,240 And so He stood and spoke and literally what He said was, hush, be muzzled. 96 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:32,360 He speaks to the sea as though it were a wild animal. 97 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:34,760 And He says to it, just be muzzled. 98 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:39,880 And immediately there was calmness. 99 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:46,320 Before the boat stopped rocking, the sea was like glass. 100 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:48,220 His power in nature. 101 00:08:48,220 --> 00:08:54,040 That is why I like the words and I think most of you do too, that great hymn, How Great 102 00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:55,040 Thou Art. 103 00:08:55,040 --> 00:09:03,820 O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds Thy hands have made, I see 104 00:09:03,820 --> 00:09:11,760 the stars, I hear the roaring thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed, then 105 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:15,980 sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee. 106 00:09:15,980 --> 00:09:18,640 How great Thou art. 107 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:22,880 We see His power revealed in nature. 108 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:27,400 And then we see the power of God in another realm and that is in history. 109 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:34,180 I would invite you to turn with me to Daniel chapter 4. 110 00:09:34,180 --> 00:09:40,480 In the book of Daniel there is occasion after occasion when the power of God is manifested. 111 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:46,840 And I don't mean in little insignificant ways, in amazing ways, what a tremendous book this 112 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:49,480 is. 113 00:09:49,480 --> 00:09:59,560 In Daniel chapter 4 we have the record of a dream by King Nebuchadnezzar. 114 00:09:59,560 --> 00:10:02,520 We're going to have to cut into this in the middle of it for time's sake. 115 00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:08,280 It says in verse 28, and this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar, 12 months later, as the 116 00:10:08,280 --> 00:10:14,880 king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, Is not this the 117 00:10:14,880 --> 00:10:23,480 great Babylon I have built as the royal residence by my mighty power and for the glory of my 118 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:24,480 majesty? 119 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:30,960 Now there's a guy with a good healthy ego. 120 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:37,960 And it says the words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, this is what 121 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:41,600 is decreed for you King Nebuchadnezzar. 122 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:44,560 Your royal authority has been taken away from you. 123 00:10:44,560 --> 00:10:46,960 Notice, not will be, it has been. 124 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:49,480 He hadn't just realized it yet. 125 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:56,200 It says you will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals. 126 00:10:56,200 --> 00:11:00,280 You will eat grass like cattle. 127 00:11:00,280 --> 00:11:06,960 Seven times, representing seven years, will pass by for you until you acknowledge that 128 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:16,880 the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes. 129 00:11:16,880 --> 00:11:20,800 Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. 130 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:24,520 He was driven away from the people and ate grass like cattle. 131 00:11:24,520 --> 00:11:30,880 His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like feathers of an eagle 132 00:11:30,880 --> 00:11:35,040 and his nails like the claws of a bird. 133 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:38,480 Here's a king that just went to the birds. 134 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:42,880 He is driven away from civilization. 135 00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:50,480 He goes mad because of the judgment of God upon his pride. 136 00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:58,120 He lives like an animal for seven years until to look at his hair was to look like an eagle 137 00:11:58,120 --> 00:11:59,120 that was molting. 138 00:11:59,120 --> 00:12:07,920 Another very pretty picture and the nails of his fingers look like the claws of a bird. 139 00:12:07,920 --> 00:12:11,920 Can you imagine that? 140 00:12:11,920 --> 00:12:19,400 Then it goes on to say in verse 34, at the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised 141 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:23,800 my eyes toward heaven and my sanity was restored. 142 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:29,520 It always helps sanity when we raise our eyes toward heaven. 143 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:31,160 Then I praised the Most High. 144 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:33,760 I honored and glorified him who lives forever. 145 00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:37,960 Now listen to the words of this king. 146 00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:41,720 His dominion is an eternal dominion. 147 00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:45,520 His kingdom endures from generation to generation. 148 00:12:45,520 --> 00:12:51,660 All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. 149 00:12:51,660 --> 00:12:57,080 He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. 150 00:12:57,080 --> 00:13:04,020 No one can hold back his hand or say to him, What have you done? 151 00:13:04,020 --> 00:13:09,560 At the same time my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for 152 00:13:09,560 --> 00:13:11,600 the glory of my kingdom. 153 00:13:11,600 --> 00:13:15,780 My advisors and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even 154 00:13:15,780 --> 00:13:17,380 greater than before. 155 00:13:17,380 --> 00:13:23,960 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the God of heaven because everything 156 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:30,720 he does is right and all his ways are just and those who walk in pride he is able to 157 00:13:30,720 --> 00:13:31,720 humble. 158 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:37,080 There it is. 159 00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:42,320 One of the many records of scripture of God's power when it comes to history, the realm 160 00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:44,960 of history. 161 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:51,040 Nebuchadnezzar boasted of his ability to build and to construct for his own glory and his 162 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:56,440 own purposes and God over the process of seven years completely broke and humbled that pagan 163 00:13:56,440 --> 00:14:01,500 king until he was willing to confess with his mouth that God is control of all history. 164 00:14:01,500 --> 00:14:04,520 He does what he wants to do. 165 00:14:04,520 --> 00:14:10,160 In other places it says that he raises up people when he's ready for them and he puts 166 00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:13,240 them down when he's through with them. 167 00:14:13,240 --> 00:14:16,080 History truly is his story and not man's. 168 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:22,520 It is the outworking of God's purposes and personally that's why I enjoy history, reading 169 00:14:22,520 --> 00:14:24,560 about history. 170 00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:32,800 Because behind the events, even of our own day, the hand of God moves toward certain 171 00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:39,880 purposes that he has predetermined and nothing will stop his hand. 172 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:43,960 He will accomplish what he has set out to accomplish. 173 00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:52,840 As we consider even the potential war over the Falkland Islands, as we consider what 174 00:14:52,840 --> 00:15:01,520 happened today in Jerusalem, there in that Arab mosque, as we consider the potential 175 00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:05,160 of warfare there in southern Lebanon. 176 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:09,200 And all the events that seem to take place as a part of history, let us never forget 177 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:14,880 that everything that happens is moving toward God's decreed end. 178 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:19,520 Not that he causes everything to happen that happens, but there's nothing that can stop 179 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:23,800 his decreed end from being achieved. 180 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:26,680 He proves his power in history. 181 00:15:26,680 --> 00:15:34,240 And then he proves his power in another realm and that is in the plans of ordinary men. 182 00:15:34,240 --> 00:15:39,640 James has some instructive words to us in the fourth chapter of his letter in the New 183 00:15:39,640 --> 00:15:50,200 Testament, James chapter 4 and verse 13. 184 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:58,160 Now listen, you who say, today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year 185 00:15:58,160 --> 00:16:00,960 there, carry on business and make money. 186 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:06,960 It sounds like he lives in 20th century America. 187 00:16:06,960 --> 00:16:11,720 He says, why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. 188 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:14,340 What is your life? 189 00:16:14,340 --> 00:16:21,880 You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 190 00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:29,960 Instead, you ought to say, if it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that. 191 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:35,480 Instructive words to all of us as we lay our plans. 192 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:44,880 We are in fact responsible for planning our lives, for our families, for our church. 193 00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:47,920 God expects that we will prepare for the future. 194 00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:51,680 That's part of our stewardship in this world. 195 00:16:51,680 --> 00:16:58,440 But our preparation should always be with the understanding, if the Lord wills, we will 196 00:16:58,440 --> 00:17:01,000 do this or that. 197 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:06,400 I am reminded of that very wealthy farmer that Jesus told about. 198 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:07,880 He had an excellent year. 199 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:13,000 It was quite unlike the present farm situation in our country. 200 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:15,640 He made a lot of money. 201 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:18,480 In fact, it was so much money, he did not know what to do with all of it. 202 00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:25,480 He did not know how he was going to contain the crops that he had gathered in his harvest. 203 00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:28,080 And then he said, I know what I am going to do. 204 00:17:28,080 --> 00:17:32,640 I am going to tear down these barns and build bigger barns. 205 00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:40,720 And then he said, I am going to take it easy, eat and drink and be married. 206 00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:47,840 Isn't that the attitude of most of the people that are out there in the world today? 207 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:56,660 And yet that night, the voice of God came to him and said, you fool, because your soul, 208 00:17:56,660 --> 00:18:00,560 your life is now required of you. 209 00:18:00,560 --> 00:18:04,960 And whose will those things be that you have gathered together? 210 00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:09,160 You see, that night he died and stood before God. 211 00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:15,280 And all of his magnificent plans came to an abrupt end as he was called in the presence 212 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:18,260 of God. 213 00:18:18,260 --> 00:18:24,000 He went out of the world with just as much as he brought into the world, nothing. 214 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:29,400 And yet how often we prepare and we plan and say, I am going to do this, I am going to 215 00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:35,080 do that, always it should be with the understanding. 216 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:38,000 If the Lord wills, we will do this or that. 217 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:44,840 Because you see, even our personal plans are subject to the power of God. 218 00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:48,040 And then there is another realm in which our God expresses his power. 219 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:51,080 It is in the spiritual realm. 220 00:18:51,080 --> 00:18:56,340 We read the verse I am going to refer to in Daniel chapter 4 verse 35 where it says, he 221 00:18:56,340 --> 00:19:04,360 does according to his will in the powers of heaven, the army of heaven. 222 00:19:04,360 --> 00:19:10,000 It is referring to the spiritual realm, the angelic realm. 223 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:12,280 That is a realm that is very mysterious to us. 224 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:15,160 We cannot see it. 225 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:26,960 It is not perceptible by our eyes and our feeling and our hearing. 226 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:36,480 It is another dimension of reality that exists beyond our ability to perceive. 227 00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:45,280 In that realm, the spiritual realm, the heavenlies, as Paul calls them in Ephesians. 228 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:49,220 In that realm, God does what it well pleases him to do. 229 00:19:49,220 --> 00:19:52,080 He is in control of the armies of heaven. 230 00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:54,600 Yes, there are armies of angels. 231 00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:59,120 And yes, there is warfare in the spiritual realm. 232 00:19:59,120 --> 00:20:04,920 There are the clashing of the forces of good and evil. 233 00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:10,240 We see that in Daniel. 234 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:17,480 Daniel chapter 10 records one of those incidents when there was warfare expressed. 235 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:23,600 This warfare that takes place now on some kind of scale will be greatly intensified 236 00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:27,200 during the tribulation period that is to come upon the earth. 237 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:31,200 Revelation chapter 12 talks about that. 238 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:37,960 I personally believe that some of the events that we see take place in history are nothing 239 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:44,960 more than the overflow of warfare that is unseen in the spiritual realm. 240 00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:48,840 But God is in control in that realm too. 241 00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:54,120 And although Satan boasts of his power and he is like a roaring lion, says the Bible, 242 00:20:54,120 --> 00:21:00,840 who walks about seeking whom he may devour, he nonetheless works within strict limits 243 00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:02,880 that God has put upon him. 244 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:05,720 He cannot do anything he wants to do. 245 00:21:05,720 --> 00:21:14,920 For example, in Job, he comes before God along with the other creatures in the angelic realm. 246 00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:17,400 And God has a conversation with him about Job. 247 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:19,960 Do you remember that? 248 00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:24,440 And finally Satan says, well, it's no wonder Job praises you because he gets anything he 249 00:21:24,440 --> 00:21:25,440 wants. 250 00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:29,320 You have blessed him and I can't touch him. 251 00:21:29,320 --> 00:21:35,640 And so God says, alright, you can touch everything he has, you can't touch him. 252 00:21:35,640 --> 00:21:39,320 I will draw the boundary a little tighter, I'll put it right around him, but anything 253 00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:40,520 he has you can touch. 254 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:45,280 Over the process of time, Satan took all of that away. 255 00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:47,600 And what was Job's attitude? 256 00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:51,040 The Lord gives, the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord. 257 00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:53,040 What do you do with a guy like that? 258 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:59,640 Well, a period of time later, Satan again was before the Lord and again they considered 259 00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:05,000 Job and Satan said, well, it's no wonder he praises you, you won't let me touch him. 260 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:11,360 So God said, alright, then we'll put the hedge in a little tighter and we'll prove Job and 261 00:22:11,360 --> 00:22:12,360 his faithfulness. 262 00:22:12,360 --> 00:22:16,480 He said, you can touch him, you can't take his life, but you can touch him. 263 00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:22,040 And so he got all these boils and sores on his body. 264 00:22:22,040 --> 00:22:26,160 And Satan took away everything but his wife and she was a thorn in his side during that 265 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:29,000 time. 266 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:34,920 The devil knows what to take and what to leave sometimes. 267 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:38,840 And with all this tremendous pressure that he was under, we must never lose sight of 268 00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:45,080 the fact that Satan could only do what God allowed him to do. 269 00:22:45,080 --> 00:22:53,760 And what he did accomplish God's purpose, not Satan's, it was only for a limited time 270 00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:58,360 and as a result of it all and his faithfulness, Job was greatly rewarded. 271 00:22:58,360 --> 00:23:03,560 So you see, the whole story does not tell anything about Satan's power, it's all about 272 00:23:03,560 --> 00:23:06,560 God's power. 273 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:09,200 How God is in control even in that realm. 274 00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:13,680 And there's a day coming when Satan himself is going to be bound by God and cast into 275 00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:15,520 the bottomless pit. 276 00:23:15,520 --> 00:23:19,200 For a thousand years he's going to be chained there, unable to do anything. 277 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:23,960 And then when God's purpose is accomplished, he'll let him out for a little time. 278 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:27,080 And then again when God's purpose is accomplished in that, he's going to throw him into the 279 00:23:27,080 --> 00:23:28,080 lake of fire. 280 00:23:28,080 --> 00:23:32,280 You see, Satan's whole future is already told to us in the word of God. 281 00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:35,360 And it will be accomplished and the devil knows that and it's greatly frustrating to 282 00:23:35,360 --> 00:23:37,860 him. 283 00:23:37,860 --> 00:23:40,000 God is in control in the spiritual realm. 284 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:43,140 You and I don't have to run afraid of Satan. 285 00:23:43,140 --> 00:23:48,240 We need to respect his power, to recognize what he can do and to recognize what he can't 286 00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:52,620 do and to claim our position in Jesus Christ. 287 00:23:52,620 --> 00:23:55,120 We don't have to be afraid of him. 288 00:23:55,120 --> 00:23:59,800 What we are commanded to do is to draw near to God and resist him and then he'll flee 289 00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:02,800 from us. 290 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:07,720 And then God is in control when it comes to death. 291 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:11,280 The psalmist said, my times are in thy hands. 292 00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:14,960 It is true of all of us. 293 00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:25,320 We are essentially immortal in this world until God's purpose for us is accomplished. 294 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:34,840 There's nothing that is going to take your life a minute sooner than God's purpose. 295 00:24:34,840 --> 00:24:39,280 Your life will be extended to the point that God wants it to be and then there's not a 296 00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:42,560 thing in the world that's going to keep you here a minute longer. 297 00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:44,840 Our lives are in his hands. 298 00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:50,720 Now of course that is balanced somewhat by the fact that if we get out of God's will 299 00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:56,960 and live in sin as Christians, we can commit sin unto death. 300 00:24:56,960 --> 00:25:03,920 Which simply means persistent, deliberate rebellion against God of which we refuse to 301 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:06,200 repent and confess. 302 00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:10,120 And when we live in that so long, there is an end to the patience of God and he will 303 00:25:10,120 --> 00:25:11,760 call us home early. 304 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:16,680 That happened to some of the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians chapter 11. 305 00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:22,600 And I think it's possible for us to be very foolish and careless and end our lives sooner 306 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:28,080 than God really had expected that we would live because of our own mistakes. 307 00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:34,520 But in a general sense, I am saying that God is in control and that our lifespan is what 308 00:25:34,520 --> 00:25:36,280 he determines it to be. 309 00:25:36,280 --> 00:25:38,480 We walk in the will of God. 310 00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:41,640 He's in control of death and we need not fear it. 311 00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:45,560 There is a day when God himself is going to call death to account at the great white throne 312 00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:52,160 judgment and death is going to be cast into the lake of fire also. 313 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:59,960 And so he is powerful in the realm of death, he is powerful in the realm of judgment. 314 00:25:59,960 --> 00:26:01,880 All judgment belongs to him. 315 00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:05,560 And that is expressed again and again in the word of God. 316 00:26:05,560 --> 00:26:09,320 Whether you are talking about Israel or you are talking about the church or you are talking 317 00:26:09,320 --> 00:26:14,000 about the world at large or you are talking about specific nations, judgment is in the 318 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:18,320 hands of God. 319 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:25,560 And frankly that ought to frighten us a little bit living in the country that we do because 320 00:26:25,560 --> 00:26:32,960 of the condition morally of the nation in which we live and of which we are citizens, 321 00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:36,360 most of us. 322 00:26:36,360 --> 00:26:43,280 Because God is a just God and what is taking place in this land in terms of the sin that 323 00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:50,200 is promoted, the rejection of God himself, the exaltation of man, all of that has a price 324 00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:56,260 tag to it and that price tag is judgment. 325 00:26:56,260 --> 00:27:01,200 We have an illustration of God's judgment in Pharaoh don't we? 326 00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:08,960 That man to whom Moses said let my people go and he said I will not. 327 00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:14,880 He hardened his heart and God judged him right then, God hardened his heart even more judicially. 328 00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:17,080 And again and again that took place. 329 00:27:17,080 --> 00:27:20,920 Pharaoh hardened his heart and God hardened his heart even more. 330 00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:25,920 He hardened his heart again and God hardened his heart even more until finally Pharaoh 331 00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:32,680 was judged and his army was all drowned in the sea, the Red Sea. 332 00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:37,680 God is able to bring this nation into swift judgment as well. 333 00:27:37,680 --> 00:27:42,040 There is a lot of speculation as to why the United States has not mentioned end time prophecy, 334 00:27:42,040 --> 00:27:43,800 specifically at least. 335 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:47,680 There are some references that some people I think stretch a little ways to say that 336 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:50,160 that refers to the United States. 337 00:27:50,160 --> 00:27:53,560 I see no clear reference to the United States and end time prophecy and there must be a 338 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:56,120 reason for that. 339 00:27:56,120 --> 00:28:00,120 The only one that comes to my mind is the fact that the United States by that time and 340 00:28:00,120 --> 00:28:05,760 that time may be close, becomes such a small power in the world if not completely subdued 341 00:28:05,760 --> 00:28:13,300 by some foreign power that it is insignificant in terms of what happens in the world. 342 00:28:13,300 --> 00:28:20,240 Right now we are second in power in the world and God's judgment folks can fall upon us 343 00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:26,920 so quickly that we won't know what happened. 344 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:32,480 You remember when God was going to bring the enemy upon Israel and judge them, take them 345 00:28:32,480 --> 00:28:34,920 away in captivity? 346 00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:37,600 And they said, Lord how can you do that? 347 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:40,080 For they are more wicked. 348 00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:46,000 They are all of their works and yet God brought that power upon Israel, his people, and judged 349 00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:47,840 them and took them away into captivity. 350 00:28:47,840 --> 00:28:54,520 Oh yes, he ultimately dealt with the other nation too, but God used that horrible nation 351 00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:59,720 to bring judgment upon his people. 352 00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:03,560 And though we may call ourselves a Christian nation, we are not a Christian nation. 353 00:29:03,560 --> 00:29:08,840 We are a humanist nation and God is able to bring anything upon us that he desires to 354 00:29:08,840 --> 00:29:11,320 do and we probably deserve it. 355 00:29:11,320 --> 00:29:14,480 Let me change that, we do deserve it. 356 00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:19,320 I believe that there is only one thing that can change that and that is for the people 357 00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:24,880 of God in this nation to humble themselves before God and for a spiritual awakening to 358 00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:26,920 occur in this land. 359 00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:34,520 Unless we see that, we are surely doomed to judgment and that may be very soon within 360 00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:35,520 our generation. 361 00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:39,160 That is a fearful thing. 362 00:29:39,160 --> 00:29:44,720 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, but judgment is in his 363 00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:48,920 hands and all power belongs to him. 364 00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:52,160 Now in light of all that we have said, what are some of the applications that we can quickly 365 00:29:52,160 --> 00:29:54,120 draw and will be done? 366 00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:59,720 One application is this, that as a child of God I need fear, no enemy. 367 00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:03,440 Isn't that a great thought? 368 00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:11,520 Psalm 27, the Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? 369 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:18,560 The angel of the Lord encamps round about those that fear him and he delivers them. 370 00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:23,540 We consider the possibility of judgment in our nation, the possibility of the collapse 371 00:30:23,540 --> 00:30:28,360 of Western civilization as we have known it for hundreds of years. 372 00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:34,160 We are safe, not that we would not suffer, but we are safe within God's power. 373 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:38,800 He will care for us and we need fear, no enemy. 374 00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:43,680 Sometime on your own, read Nahum, there is a book in the Bible with that name. 375 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:47,000 Nahum, chapter 1, verses 2 through 8. 376 00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:53,880 And notice the words of comfort there regarding God's care for his people. 377 00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:56,600 We need fear, not even Satan himself. 378 00:30:56,600 --> 00:31:05,000 We need not fear the world system that controls the population of unsaved men on this planet. 379 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:10,280 The only one we need fear and that with reverential respect is the Lord. 380 00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:13,160 Apart from him we fear no enemy. 381 00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:19,080 And then there is another application, because of God's power I can be assured of my eternal 382 00:31:19,080 --> 00:31:21,600 safekeeping. 383 00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:25,320 Let me remind you of a verse in John chapter 10. 384 00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:29,000 I think a lot of you probably know this, but some of you may not. 385 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:36,600 In John chapter 10, these words of our Lord Jesus Christ. 386 00:31:36,600 --> 00:31:41,800 My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them and they follow me. 387 00:31:41,800 --> 00:31:47,440 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. 388 00:31:47,440 --> 00:31:51,080 No one can snatch them out of my hand. 389 00:31:51,080 --> 00:31:54,080 My Father who has given them to me. 390 00:31:54,080 --> 00:31:56,480 Remember we talked about that this morning? 391 00:31:56,480 --> 00:31:59,920 That we are called to belong to Jesus Christ. 392 00:31:59,920 --> 00:32:05,400 Here Jesus says, My Father who has given them to me is greater than all. 393 00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:10,360 No one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 394 00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:16,320 We are absolutely secure and safe within the power of God. 395 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:23,080 We are shielded by the power of God and kept for the salvation that is just about to be 396 00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:24,880 revealed. 397 00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:26,640 Referring to the rapture. 398 00:32:26,640 --> 00:32:30,360 That said in 1 Peter chapter 1. 399 00:32:30,360 --> 00:32:34,080 And then a third application, and with this one we'll close. 400 00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:35,720 God is all-powerful. 401 00:32:35,720 --> 00:32:40,240 He is my Father and yours if you trusted Christ. 402 00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:47,480 And so our prayers are heard by an omnipotent Father. 403 00:32:47,480 --> 00:32:49,360 Jeremiah 33.3. 404 00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:52,320 Do you know that? 405 00:32:52,320 --> 00:32:55,120 Let's say it together if you can memorize that. 406 00:32:55,120 --> 00:33:04,360 Call unto me and I will show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not. 407 00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:06,320 Do you know Jeremiah 33.2? 408 00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:10,880 No, that wasn't on the card I memorized from. 409 00:33:10,880 --> 00:33:13,680 Well let me just read that verse to you. 410 00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:17,360 This is the verse that comes before Jeremiah 33.3. 411 00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:21,840 That's why it's called Jeremiah 33.2. 412 00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:24,520 This is what the Lord says. 413 00:33:24,520 --> 00:33:32,560 He who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it, the Lord is his name. 414 00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:36,420 Call unto me and I will answer you. 415 00:33:36,420 --> 00:33:42,100 You see he points out his omnipotence, the great power that is his, and then invites us 416 00:33:42,100 --> 00:33:45,220 to call out to him in prayer. 417 00:33:45,220 --> 00:33:53,360 And he will respond by showing us great and unsearchable things that we do not know. 418 00:33:53,360 --> 00:34:02,080 In 1967 J.B. Phillips published the book Your God is Too Small. 419 00:34:02,080 --> 00:34:06,420 The title of that book alone is thought-provoking, isn't it? 420 00:34:06,420 --> 00:34:11,080 How big is your God, my fellow Christian? 421 00:34:11,080 --> 00:34:15,320 How big is your God in your prayers? 422 00:34:15,320 --> 00:34:21,240 How big is your God in your problems that you're facing tonight? 423 00:34:21,240 --> 00:34:24,680 How big is God in your plans? 424 00:34:24,680 --> 00:34:30,420 How big is God in your personality problems? 425 00:34:30,420 --> 00:34:32,080 How big is your God? 426 00:34:32,080 --> 00:34:39,040 I think that most of us would have to confess with Phillips that our God is too small. 427 00:34:39,040 --> 00:34:47,880 So we need to enlarge our vision of God's power and understand what he can do. 428 00:34:47,880 --> 00:34:51,760 There is another truth that runs with this, and that is that God will limit himself in 429 00:34:51,760 --> 00:34:58,040 our lives to just the size that we want him to be. 430 00:34:58,040 --> 00:35:04,560 Or he will increase as much as we allow him to increase. 431 00:35:04,560 --> 00:35:10,720 Although God is all-powerful, he will limit himself in his activity in our lives if we 432 00:35:10,720 --> 00:35:15,400 keep him small because of unbelief. 433 00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:19,960 Do you remember the time that Jesus went back to Nazareth? 434 00:35:19,960 --> 00:35:22,160 He had been out doing miracles everywhere. 435 00:35:22,160 --> 00:35:25,880 He comes back to Nazareth and he could do no mighty work there. 436 00:35:25,880 --> 00:35:26,880 Why? 437 00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:31,680 Because of their unbelief. 438 00:35:31,680 --> 00:35:33,560 He was small to them. 439 00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:35,400 They did not believe him. 440 00:35:35,400 --> 00:35:39,080 And so he did nothing there. 441 00:35:39,080 --> 00:35:52,000 I don't know about you, but I long for my life to bring glory to God by God doing in 442 00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:58,720 me and through me things that can be explained only in terms that God did it. 443 00:35:58,720 --> 00:36:00,380 Don't you? 444 00:36:00,380 --> 00:36:06,320 I don't want to be known by things that I can accomplish. 445 00:36:06,320 --> 00:36:13,320 I want my life to be a magnifying glass of God's power. 446 00:36:13,320 --> 00:36:17,640 Now if that's going to happen, part of the responsibility is on me. 447 00:36:17,640 --> 00:36:21,040 I have to believe God for big things. 448 00:36:21,040 --> 00:36:24,320 I have to be willing to step out and take risks. 449 00:36:24,320 --> 00:36:28,180 Apart from risks, there is no such thing as faith. 450 00:36:28,180 --> 00:36:31,000 We come together. 451 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:35,840 Are we willing to risk it all, to put it all on the line and trust God? 452 00:36:35,840 --> 00:36:39,080 We need to do that as a church too. 453 00:36:39,080 --> 00:36:42,120 We've got some big things before us. 454 00:36:42,120 --> 00:36:46,080 Wonderful opportunities God has given us. 455 00:36:46,080 --> 00:36:53,080 But those opportunities involve some big steps that are going to require faith. 456 00:36:53,080 --> 00:36:57,320 I believe that God wants us to get started on a building program. 457 00:36:57,320 --> 00:37:03,320 I don't know about you, I'm tired of parking on the lawn around here. 458 00:37:03,320 --> 00:37:14,560 I'm tired of seeing our children in classes, in hallways, and in corners. 459 00:37:14,560 --> 00:37:20,040 I believe that God wants us to get into a facility that can house us. 460 00:37:20,040 --> 00:37:24,560 Now for that to happen, it's going to require a great step of faith. 461 00:37:24,560 --> 00:37:30,360 As you know, financially speaking, we are making it on our own, month by month. 462 00:37:30,360 --> 00:37:33,000 God is blessing. 463 00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:38,200 But for us to get involved in a building program and buying the property around here, that's 464 00:37:38,200 --> 00:37:40,960 a big step. 465 00:37:40,960 --> 00:37:47,940 Already our elders have been working in this direction, giving us leadership. 466 00:37:47,940 --> 00:37:53,560 I think I can say that all the homeowners around us have been contacted, and all of 467 00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:56,360 them have indicated they're willing to sell. 468 00:37:56,360 --> 00:38:01,160 We're talking prices with some people, and on the long range plan, we're talking about 469 00:38:01,160 --> 00:38:10,280 tying up property immediately around us, I think it's nine parcels, by sometime later 470 00:38:10,280 --> 00:38:12,440 this summer. 471 00:38:12,440 --> 00:38:19,120 And the possibility of beginning a building, the nature of which is yet unknown, by as 472 00:38:19,120 --> 00:38:22,400 soon as this fall. 473 00:38:22,400 --> 00:38:27,480 Now for all that to happen, it takes money to tie up parcels of ground. 474 00:38:27,480 --> 00:38:33,220 To talk about building a building, we're talking in terms of maybe a million and a half dollars 475 00:38:33,220 --> 00:38:34,960 or more. 476 00:38:34,960 --> 00:38:38,880 Probably more. 477 00:38:38,880 --> 00:38:40,400 Even for a simple building. 478 00:38:40,400 --> 00:38:46,480 We're not talking about an elaborate cathedral. 479 00:38:46,480 --> 00:38:51,720 How can we see that happen, when right now we're just making it go with what we have? 480 00:38:51,720 --> 00:38:54,720 There's only one way we can do it. 481 00:38:54,720 --> 00:38:57,160 God's going to have to show himself powerful. 482 00:38:57,160 --> 00:38:58,160 Will God do it? 483 00:38:58,160 --> 00:39:03,700 If it's his pleasure that we be in that building program, there's no question he will do it, 484 00:39:03,700 --> 00:39:05,000 if we trust him. 485 00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:06,940 That's the condition. 486 00:39:06,940 --> 00:39:08,040 Are we willing to risk all? 487 00:39:08,040 --> 00:39:12,040 Are we willing to sacrifice, willing to do our part, and then say, now God, we've done 488 00:39:12,040 --> 00:39:17,640 everything we can do, show us great and mighty things. 489 00:39:17,640 --> 00:39:20,840 And God will. 490 00:39:20,840 --> 00:39:26,400 You see, when it comes to this matter of God expressing his power in our lives, it's the 491 00:39:26,400 --> 00:39:28,840 heart that's the secret. 492 00:39:28,840 --> 00:39:29,840 It's the heart. 493 00:39:29,840 --> 00:39:33,000 Where our hearts are filled with faith. 494 00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:39,520 Paul Rees makes, I think, a probing statement when he says, I can count on God to let power 495 00:39:39,520 --> 00:39:44,560 loose in my life, when I am ready to let something loose. 496 00:39:44,560 --> 00:39:53,120 In other words, the hurtful habit, the crippling compromise, the unsurrendered ambition. 497 00:39:53,120 --> 00:39:56,000 What is it that limits God in our lives? 498 00:39:56,000 --> 00:40:02,000 Well, it's those sins that so easily beset us. 499 00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:10,360 The attitudes of unbelief, the compromises that we make, the unsurrendered, self-centered 500 00:40:10,360 --> 00:40:12,200 ambitions that we have. 501 00:40:12,200 --> 00:40:17,880 Are we willing to put those on the altar and say, Lord, it's all yours. 502 00:40:17,880 --> 00:40:18,880 It's all yours. 503 00:40:18,880 --> 00:40:21,760 I want your power in my life. 504 00:40:21,760 --> 00:40:30,480 Vance Havener said, God is using you as much as he can, but not as much as he could. 505 00:40:30,480 --> 00:40:33,920 How much would you have him use you? 506 00:40:33,920 --> 00:40:37,800 It's up to you. 507 00:40:37,800 --> 00:40:48,680 Heavenly Father, as we stand back and look at this doctrine of your omnipotence, it is 508 00:40:48,680 --> 00:40:52,440 grand. 509 00:40:52,440 --> 00:40:55,200 It is far beyond what we can comprehend. 510 00:40:55,200 --> 00:40:57,440 We confess that. 511 00:40:57,440 --> 00:41:03,480 But as we begin to focus that upon our lives and how you need to work in our homes and 512 00:41:03,480 --> 00:41:11,960 in our personal lives, and in our church, it becomes very relevant. 513 00:41:11,960 --> 00:41:19,920 God, we don't want to be known as a church like Nazareth was known, a place where you 514 00:41:19,920 --> 00:41:25,080 can do no mighty work because of unbelief. 515 00:41:25,080 --> 00:41:27,840 We want you to do great and mighty things here in our midst. 516 00:41:27,840 --> 00:41:38,040 I pray that you will cleanse us and humble us and give us the kind of faith that is willing 517 00:41:38,040 --> 00:41:51,640 to see you work, the kind of courage to take risks, calculated, careful risks to see the 518 00:41:51,640 --> 00:41:56,920 power of God unfolded. 519 00:41:56,920 --> 00:42:05,400 I pray that you will take our hands off the reputation and off the glory of it all and 520 00:42:05,400 --> 00:42:10,520 receive that all for yourself, for you alone are worthy. 521 00:42:10,520 --> 00:42:20,360 Lord, from our hearts tonight we shout hallelujah, the Lord God omnipotent reigns. 522 00:42:20,360 --> 00:42:26,320 And we offer unto you our worship and thanksgiving for that blessed doctrine and truth. 523 00:42:26,320 --> 00:42:32,840 May it help us to live tomorrow in the light of it. 524 00:42:32,840 --> 00:42:35,640 In Jesus' name I pray, amen. 525 00:42:35,640 --> 00:42:44,640 I thought it would be fitting for us to close this evening by singing a verse of number 526 00:42:44,640 --> 00:42:55,440 238, this song by the Gaithers entitled, Because He Lives, I Can Face Tomorrow. 527 00:42:55,440 --> 00:42:59,600 We can, folks, because He lives and because He's all-