Saddened and shocked us last week with the bombing
in Saudi Arabia that took the lives of American
men and women serving in uniform. I suppose that
it is events like this that remind us that even
though we are the superpower of the world, there
are limitations upon us as to how we can react.
We see that not only in governmental matters
that we have limitations, but we see it personally,
don't we? We see it, for example, in the Olympic
events coming up. How many of you would like
to be participants in the Olympics? Would you
raise your hand? Well, that's some of us brave
souls. The rest of us are probably more honest,
because we see that we have limitations. We may
have desires to do certain things, but we have
weakness. We have limitations in our humanness
and our flesh. Weakness is inherent. in being
human. But God is different. God is different
than we are. He is able to do all that pleases
Him. It may please us to be in the Olympics,
but that doesn't mean that we will be. It might
please us to strike out at those terrorists by
doing something that would get their attention.
But we can't necessarily do that. But you see,
God can do all that pleases Him. Now that's not
the same as saying that God can do anything at
all. Because God can't do anything. Emphasis
on any. What I said was that God can do all that
pleases Him. Let me illustrate the difference.
There are some cynics who through the ages have
posed the question, can God create a rock so
heavy that he cannot lift it? And they have debated
round and round about that and sometimes mocked
and made fun of the idea that that God is all
-powerful. Actually the question is a foolish
question. Because it's based on a false premise.
That is that God might do something out of harmony
with his nature. And he can't do that. Theism
in his theology says God is all -powerful and
able to do whatever he wills. Since his will
is limited by his nature, God can do everything
that is in harmony with his perfections. Paul
ends who's also a theologian writes a little
more simply and a little more plainly when he
says God cannot do things that are not in harmony
with his nature He cannot go back on his word
He cannot lie He has no relationship with sin
So you see God cannot do anything But God can
do all things that are in harmony with who he
is. One word that theologians use to describe
the mightiness of God is the word omnipotence.
That comes from a Latin etymology, omni, meaning
all, all -encompassing, everywhere, omni, and
then potens. which means powerful. And so this
word omnipotence means that God is all -powerful.
The word is found in the King James Version in
Revelation 19 verse 6 where it says the Lord
God omnipotent reigneth. Those familiar with
the Messiah will recognize that Handel used that
verse as part of the hallelujah chorus. The New
American Standard Version and the New International
Version translate that, Lord God Almighty. And
that particular translation or title connects
with our text today in Jeremiah 32, where I invite
you to turn. Jeremiah chapter 32. And I pick
up again the theme at the end of verse 18 where
it says, Oh great and mighty God, the Lord of
hosts is His name. Great in counsel and mighty
in deed. Mighty in deed. You see that title for
God, the Lord of hosts? That is translated Lord
God Almighty in the New International Version.
Now obviously the Old Testament is written in
Hebrew and the New Testament is written in Greek,
but the two names are very close to the same
though the different languages. Here the literal
name for God given is Lord Sabeoth. And if you
remember singing Martin Luther's hymn, A Mighty
Fortress, you remember that name is incorporated
in Luther's words. I remember as a kid thinking
that I said Lord Sabbath his name. Because that
was a word I was used to, Sabbath. But then I
looked at it more closely and I saw no it's not
Sabbath, it's Lord Sabeoth. Which literally means
the Lord of the armies. The Lord of the armies.
It is the warrior name. of God. He is the Lord
of the armies of heaven, and as I say the NIV
translates it, Lord Almighty. Today we want to
talk about the fact that God is mighty in his
deeds. In the context of Jeremiah 32, God's might
is illustrated in several supernatural historical
events. The first one is found in verse 17, where
it says, Thou hast made the heavens and the earth.
And so Jeremiah, as he prays to God, calls upon
his understanding of God, and he names the making
or the creation of the universe as a demonstration
of the power of God's deeds. God spoke and formed
the heavens and the earth. As he continues praying,
he calls upon other historical events to show
how God is mighty in His deeds. Verse 20. Who
has set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt?
This goes back to the judgments or the plagues
that came upon Pharaoh because he would not let
the people of Israel go. In verse 21, Thou didst
bring thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt
with signs and wonders. And so here we see the
deliverance of Israel from Egypt. Verse 22, Thou
gavest them this land which thou didst swear
to their forefathers to give them, a land flowing
with milk and honey, and they came in and took
possession of it. And so here Jeremiah is pointing
back to the possession of Canaan when Israel
entered into the land and took possession of
it as recorded in the book of Joshua. And then
in verse 24 he seems to to bring up another historical
event that shows the mightiness of God's deeds.
But this one is not a happy one for Israel. Behold,
the siege mounds have reached the city to take
it. Jeremiah is saying that among God's mighty
deeds must be counted the fact that the Babylonians
are knocking at the front gate of the city of
Jerusalem. God is mighty in his deeds. Notice
that Jeremiah twice uses the phrase, signs and
wonders. A sign is an indicator or a signal of
something. Those who live in Minnesota have no
trouble understanding signs, for when spring
arrives, we have new signs everywhere that say,
road closed, detour. et cetera, et cetera, et
cetera. And when we see those signs, it's an
indication to us, a signal that something is
changing. And boy, does it change. And then the
word wonders refers to what God does that invokes
awe and amazement. It can also include the idea
of being a miraculous omen. or a harbinger of
something that is coming. What Jeremiah says
is that God in His mighty deeds performs both
signs and wonders. These are demonstrations of
the might of God. And as you read the Old Testament,
you find that the ten plagues that came upon
Egypt were especially noted as God's signs and
wonders. They would include the opening of the
sea so that the people could pass through on
dry ground, the water that came from the rock,
the wilderness, provision of manna, the quail,
the pillar of fire, all of these things as well
as the ten flags. must be counted as signs and
wonders that God performed in the history of
his nation. This guy, could you get that glass
right there and go fill it up with water for
me please? Thank you very much. You look very
comfortable sitting there, but I need the water.
Thank you. Now why did God do these things? Well,
he tells us. It was to make a name for Himself
in verse 20. To make a name for Himself. God
in His mighty deeds performed these things so
that He could gain a reputation among the nations.
Now I don't have time this morning to go into
the scripture texts that deal with this, but
just try to track with me as I explain what I'm
saying. In the 14th century, in the 1400s B .C.,
God performed these signs and wonders. It was
in the ministry of Moses. And when God did that,
He said to Pharaoh, I am raising you up and I
am doing these things to you so that I can gain
a name among the nations. You will find if you
study scripture that for the next one thousand
years. That was the reputation of the God of
Israel. What he had done in Egypt and at the
Red Sea, thank you very much, and what he had
done in the wilderness in providing for his people.
For example, 450 years later David mentions it
as he prays before the nation. in 2 Samuel 7,
23. 300 years after that, Isaiah talks about
this in the 63rd chapter. Our text today in 586
BC. Daniel, about 50 years later after this,
will again mention this. And Nehemiah, about
100 years after that, will again mention. that
God had gained himself a reputation among the
nations by the mighty deeds which he did. God
wants to be known as the God who is mighty in
deeds. Now today we don't talk about God very
often in relation to what he did in ancient Israel.
I think we should. I think we should mention
this more than we do. Because it happened to
Israel, we often assign it to page B, or to a
subcategory. But in fact, God wants to be known
by these mighty things which He did. So you say,
that was Old Testament. Yes, it was. But the
God of the New Testament is the God of the Old
Testament, isn't he? However, God has done something
in our age that is greater than the ten plagues,
the opening of the sea, the provision in the
wilderness, all of that put together. God has
done something more mighty than all of that.
And it is this deed by which God especially wants
to be known in our age. Not forgetting the others.
But God has done something that is so mighty,
so surpassing of all of those things, that he
wishes to be known by this deed in this age.
Turn with me to the book of Ephesians the first
chapter and you will see what this mighty deed
is. Apostle prays beginning in verse 18. With
these words I pray that the eyes of your heart
may be enlightened. so that you may know what
is the hope of His calling, what are the riches
of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
and what is the surpassing greatness of His power,
His omnipotence, toward us who believe. Now notice
the next sentence or so. These are in accordance
with the working of the strength of His might,
which He brought about in Christ when He raised
Him from the dead and seated Him at His right
hand in the heavenly places. In this age, this
God who is mighty in deeds wants to be known
for this act. That He, the mighty God, was able
to reverse death. Not temporarily. Not just to
raise someone from the dead, only to die again.
But He raised a man from the dead. who was also
his son. He raised him from the dead never to
die again. He raised him as an immortal being,
the first of his kind. No one has ever been like
Jesus before in his resurrection. No one. Others
have been raised from the dead, as I say, but
none has been raised like Jesus, never to die
again. And not only that, God took this man who
is His beloved Son, this one who is the God -man,
and He raised him to be seated at His own right
hand. No one has ever been there before. no human
being. But Jesus Christ is now seated at the
right hand of God, and God has proclaimed that
He is head of everything. Before Adam was the
head of the creation, Adam lost that by his fall
into sin. But Jesus Christ is the last Adam.
He is the counterpart to the first Adam. And
He is the beginning of the new creation of God.
And He has been exalted to the right hand of
God and sits there in authority over all of the
creation. And God says that that is the single
greatest deed that he has yet performed in the
history of the world. Now that has lots of profound
implications for you and me. Not the least of
which is that we are seated there with him in
Christ. that we have been raised from our sin,
that we have been given new life, that we are
seated with Him. But I want to focus in on one
particular mighty result of this for you and
me. And that is that because Jesus Christ is
seated at the right hand of God, you and I have
the privilege of prayer. We have one who is at
the right hand of God who intercedes on our behalf
and through our prayers. God is mighty indeed
and He is able to answer your prayers and mine
and I'd like you to flip over just a page or
two in your Bible to chapter 3 of Ephesians where
Paul begins to draw the line underneath the things
that he has written about in the first three
chapters. And he says, as he closes this chapter,
verse 20, Now to him who is able to do exceeding
abundantly beyond all that we ask or think according
to the power that works within us, to him be
the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to
all generations forever and ever. Amen. God who
is mighty indeed is able to answer your prayers.
By the way, if you want to see some of the other
implications of God's might, look up that little
phrase in your concordance, He is able. For God
is able, and do a Bible study on that. It will
thrill your soul. But I'm picking out just one
this morning before we go our ways in verse 20.
Now to him who is able. We're talking about the
one who is able to pour out plagues upon Egypt.
We're talking about the one who is able to open
up a sea and let his people through. We're talking
about one who is able to provide manna from heaven
and meat for his people. We're talking about
one who is able to provide water out of a rock
in the middle of a desert. We're talking about
one who can dam up a flooding river and let his
people into a land and give it to them. But beyond
all of that, we are talking about one who is
able to raise the dead into immortality. Now
to him who is able... to do. God is able to work.
God wants to be known as the God who does things.
God's power is not dormant. God has not grown
weak with age. God is still in the business of
doing. And how does He do? Well, it says, beyond
all that we ask or think. And so we have a part
in this. The implication here is that God does
when we ask. God does things when you and I petition
Him. I heard a very convicting tape this last
week that was a sermon of Jim Symbola, who pastors
at Brooklyn Tabernacle, when he spoke to the
praise gathering in Indianapolis a couple of
years ago. His major point in the message was
that Jesus said, my house shall be called a house
of what? Jesus didn't say my house. shall be
called a house of worship and music." He didn't
say, my house shall be called a house of preaching.
Not that either of those things is bad. In fact,
God made provisions for them in the Old Testament,
didn't He? In the worship of the temple. There
was music there that was glorious, choirs and
instruments of all kinds and dancing in the presence
of the Lord. And the word of the Lord was read
and explained. But Jesus said, my father's house
shall be called a house of prayer. And what is
the thing that we least do in our congregation?
at the end of the 20th century. We emphasize
preaching. Somehow we have elevated it to be
the center of the service. We work hard at worship,
trying to develop styles that will allow people
to express themselves. That's fine. But the thing
that we ought to be concerned about We neglect,
and that is prayer. If, in fact, God's mightiness
is not being demonstrated in our day, might it
not be that part of the reason for that is our
lack of prayer? And why is it that we have hundreds
who come on Sunday morning and 50 on Sunday night
to pray? And I don't say that to throw a guilt
trip on anybody. I'm just asking that question.
Why is it that we are excited about coming to
Sunday morning worship, that somehow other things
are more important than gathering to pray? My
house, said Jesus, shall be called a house of
prayer. Notice what God says about this. He says
God is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond
all that we ask or think. You know, there are
some things you don't even ask God for. You think
them. It may not enter your mind to ask, or you
may say to yourself, well, boy, that's, you know,
I don't know if I'm brave enough to ask God for
that. Do you ever have imaginations that kind
of stretch the limits, that push the edges out
a little bit on what you would like to see God
do? Well, what it says here is that God is not
only able to do what you ask and what you imagine,
as far as you can push that, but God is able
to do exceeding abundantly beyond all of that.
God's able to do far beyond anything that we
can ask. anything that we can imagine, and some
of us can imagine some pretty wild things. And
God's able to do beyond that. Now remember, God
can't do anything, but God will do all things
that please Him. And so when we get a hold of
what God's mightiness is about, and understand
that we are a part of God demonstrating that.
It ought to excite our hearts. It ought to really
turn us on about prayer. It ought to motivate
us to say, God, how can I pray today that will
allow you to do what you want to do in my life?
God, would you work in my imagination and help
me to imagine things that you want to do and
I can ask you for? Because I know even if I ask
you for that you can do more. The mightiness
of God. God is mighty indeed. He is not only
able to answer our prayers, He delights in answering
our prayers. And what I'd like for you to do
this morning in response to this brief message
on God's mightiness is just to sit and reflect
for a moment and think about your own prayer
life. For most of us, that's pretty convicting.
And to say, God, what have I been asking you
to do? And have I been asking you in faith? And
have I been asking you what you want me to ask
so that you can do what you want to do and what
pleases you? And when we examine our hearts,
then I think we need to come to the place where
we simply say, Lord, teach me to pray. Teach
me to pray. Show me how to pray. So that you
can demonstrate to the world how mighty you are.
So that God, you can gain a reputation in our
generation. I'm not going to take time to read
it, but Jeremiah just tore into the people of
Judah in his preaching because they had followed
the God of the nations around them. And he says,
you make these gods out of your hands and you
carry them around because they cannot walk and
they will not respond to you. He says to them
in essence, why are you following these gods?
When you have a God who made the universe and
a God who delivered our forefathers from Egypt
and provided in the wilderness and gave us this
land, why? You do not trust Him. Today we trust
so many things, but we don't trust God as we
ought. So it's a time for us to reflect on this
this morning and ask God to uncover our hearts,
to stir us up to pray, to show us where we have
ourselves followed idols. And may God, as a result
of this, loom large in our minds, and may we
see afresh how mighty, how potent God is, and
how He longs to demonstrate His mightiness in
your life and mine. Let's pray. proceeding abundantly
beyond all that we ask or think according to
the power that works in us. That is the power
of the resurrection. As you examine your heart,
what do you want to talk to the Lord about right
now? Is it your prayer life? Is it what you've
been praying for? Is it how often you've prayed?
Talk to him right now. Tell him what you're sensing
inside. And will you commit yourself to him right
now to pray more and better? Will you commit
yourself to Him by simply saying, Lord, teach
me to pray as it pleases You? Show me how to
pray so that Your almightiness can be demonstrated
in my life and in the world. If that's close
to what you're saying to the Lord, and the commitment
you want to make this morning, would you just
lift your hand and put it down? By the lifted
hand, say, that's where I'm at. That's very close
to what I'm saying to God. Yes, God bless you.
I want to pray more and better for God to demonstrate
His almightiness in my life. God bless you. Father,
I pray for all of you who have lifted the hand.
And with them, I pray, teach us, Lord. Teach
us how to tap into the almightiness that is at
work in our lives. Thank you for the demonstration
of your power in the resurrection and exaltation
of the Lord Jesus. Father, show us, I pray. the
exciting possibilities in our lives if we will
only learn what that means. If only we will give
ourselves to prayer, to fellowship with you.
Let's stand together, please. With our heads
bowed, let's sing. sweet to trust in Jesus, just
to take Him at His word, just to rest upon His
promise, just to know the best of all. Jesus,
Jesus, how I trust Him, how I prove Him o 'er
and o 'er. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, oh,
for grace. to trust Him more. Look up at me just
for a moment. The songwriter said, how I've learned
to trust Him, how I've proved Him, or and or.
May that be our experience, to prove the Lord,
to learn to trust Him. and to see him demonstrate
his all -mightiness in our lives this week. This
week. I don't know what that may mean, or what
it will look like, but if we will determine to
trust him and ask him to prove himself in our
lives, he will. And he's able to do all that
pleases him. that is in harmony with his nature.
And now, Lord, help us to dream big dreams because
you're a big God. Help us to ask wisely because
you are a God who delights to answer. And may
we this week, as we have sung, prove Jesus. in
our lives. In His name we pray. Amen.