"God, the Almighty" Revelation 4:1-11 Pastor Allan Wooters, D.Min.

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We have all heard it said that, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Given our fallen human nature that saying is true for everyone except God. God alone can handle absolute power and so the Apostles’ Creed doesn’t shy away from confessing, “I believe in God, the Father Almighty.” It is a stunning affirmation. There exists a being who possess not some, not most, but all power. None can rival Him nor defeat Him. But this belief is not without problems and I will engage these problems in this message. But above all, the life-changing impact of this confession of God’s almighty nature holds the key to the hope and peace we crave especially of late.

The text we just read is one of the most amazing statements in all of Scripture concerning God’s power. Classically, the belief that God is almighty is known as the omnipotence of God. But before I engage our text it is important to recognize one undeniable fact about God’s power namely, that it is a truth declared throughout Scripture.

A Truth Declared Throughout Scripture

The word almighty, for example, is woven through the entire Old Testament. The Hebrew word is Shaddai, as in El Shaddai. Some of you might recall the famous song of that name by singer Amy Grant. But get this, in Genesis 17, it is a name God used for Himself. In Genesis 17 is the account of the Lord appearing to Abraham. God says to the patriarch, “I Am God Almighty!” The Hebrew is, El Shaddai; El meaning God, and Shaddai meaning Almighty (Gen. 17:1). God went on to tell Abraham that he would be the father of “a multitude of nations” (v.4). Since Abraham was 99 years old at the time and childless, God had better possess the ability to keep such a promise. He did keep His promise as we all know because God had the power to do this.

Later in the Bible we read of God easily defeating the gods of Egypt in an array of ten plagues and then parting the Red Sea so the descendants of Abraham could escape the armies of Pharaoh unharmed. 

When Jesus came, He displayed the almighty power of God in His miracles. Jesus by His power defeated physical illness, cast out evil spirits, controlled nature, and on three occasions raised the dead. Jesus, being the Son of God could exercise the power of God.

But it is in Revelation 4 that we encounter the grand celebration of God’s power. The author of Revelation, the apostle John, is given a vision of the throne room of heaven. He sees God’s throne “standing in heaven, and One who was sitting on it….” (vs.2 – 3). John avoids any direct description of God probably because no description could do God justice. What follows is a depiction of the grandeur of the scene that greets John. He sees a mass of colors shining like gemstones. He notices twenty-four smaller thrones most likely representing the twelve tribes of Israel and the Twelve Apostles. Lightning flashes. Thunder roars! Yet God’s throne rests upon a sea that is as smooth as glass. This sea shows heaven’s calm despite challenges on earth. Also, John sees four creatures representing all of creation. Then there is worship. Those four creatures representing all of creation join together continuously saying: “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, Who was and Who is and Who is to come.” Then all creatures in heaven join in singing, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed and were created.” Al Mohler says the confession of God’s almighty nature “is where our worship begins…We worship in song, deeds, and in the preaching of God’s Word… It ought to rule our hymnody, our teaching, and every moment of our daily lives.” ^[1] Yet, this belief in God’s omnipotence, faces some difficulties. Skeptics love this teaching! They use it to try to make believers look silly if not outright stupid. 

A Truth Challenged by Skeptics

To be fair, the skeptical challenge has troubled some believers as well. You may be one, but the alleged difficulties with the doctrine are really nothing. The challenge is usually a series of questions that may include: “Can God make a rock too heavy for Him to be able to pick up?” “Can God make a four-sided triangle?” “Can God tell a lie?” Any way you try to respond it seems you are stuck. If we say God can’t do something, then how is He all-powerful?

C. S. Lewis has what is still the best response to such challenges. Lewis first notes that there are indeed some things God can’t do because of His nature. God is a God of truth so lying for Him is impossible. But more, God has created what we call a “rational universe.” Lewis shows that the so-called skeptical challenge is only silly word-games. God’s omnipotence means that God has the power to do all that is actually possible, not what is actually impossible. God cannot make a triangle with four sides or any other propositional absurdity. By definition, a triangle has three sides, period. It’s not because God’s power is limited but because nonsense remains nonsense even if we preface it with the question, “Can God….?” The only limit to God’s power is the contours of His character and the consistency of His nature. ^[2]

So, there’s no real intellectual challenge to God’s mighty nature. So, don’t give these skeptical men and women a second thought. Simply join heaven rejoicing in it and being assured by God’s power. And while there is no real skeptical challenge to God’s omnipotence, there is an irony to this truth.

The Truth is Ironically Revealed

Revelation 4 is a celebration of God’s omnipotence. But immediately following this the theme of heaven’s rejoicing turns to the cross. This happens in Revelation 5. There, Jesus’s presence is noted but more, His eternal sacrifice for the sins of all believers comes to the fore. Heaven resounds with the words, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receiver power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing” (v.12). Notice how the themes of might and sacrifice are joined.

Here is given to us the ironic fact that we see God’s greatest power displayed in the cross. At Calvary we discern the power of God at work to save sinners. Michael Bird says it better than anyone when he writes:

In the crucifixion of Jesus, in the apex of agony, in the summit of suffering, in the depths of degradation, we see God’s power unleased on an unsuspecting world. Do you want to know what God’s power looks like? Well, it looks nothing like the coercive power of emperors or tyrants. God’s power doesn’t rely on gold or guns, much less the threat of violence to bring victory. God’s power comes to us in the cross, in the height of humiliation and in the zenith of disempowerment; there, in of all places, God’s power rescues and redeem, purifies, and purchase a people for Himself. No wonder Paul was “not ashamed of the gospel.” ^[3] 

In the cross, God’s love and power unite and so we can be saved. And it is this fact that leads me to my last point. It is that God’s power is a truth that is gloriously empowering.

A Truth That is Gloriously Empowering

The confession is empowering because of the uniqueness of God’s power. What we find in Scripture is that God’s power is unlike any other. That may give us pause. After all, isn’t power…well… power? Not really. God’s power is different from any other on earth. Unlike humans, God does not simply possess power. He is power. His power and His essence are one and the same. On earth for example, military leaders have power only to the extent that they have the weapons and troops to do their bidding. God’s power is dependent on no one and no other thing. God is His power. He does not draw His power from elsewhere. ^[4] God can and does act through others and through events to carry out His will, but He doesn’t have to. Jen Wilken notes:

Though we do not always perceive it, God’s power is always active and absolutely unflagging. Unlike us, He does not need to take a break to regain His strength. He does not require sleep or rest of any kind because “He does not faint or grow weary” (Isa.40:28). He has never needed nor taken a Sunday afternoon nap, never nodded off in the midst of reading a sentence of a favorite book. The six days of creation did not drain one iota of His power…. ^[5]

Incredible to consider isn’t it?

Second, the confession is empowering because of the effect it works in us. Let me bullet-point these effects. God’s power: empowers our prayers, grants us the assurance of our salvation, gives us a true sense of self-worth, gives significance to our service for God, grants us confidence for the future or to put it another way, gives hope for the future. I need to know these implications of God’s power for my life. I think you do as well. Just take prayer that I listed. Prayer works not because we manage to say the right words. Neither does it work because we are righteous enough, have sacrificed enough, or prayed sincerely enough. Prayer has power because it connects us to God who is God the Father, Almighty! God’s power gives prayer its power.

Right now, we are all feeling considerably weak. What we could easily control just a few weeks ago is gone at least for now. We can feel insignificant, sad, even despairing. But God is still enthroned. He is still Lord over all and above all. His will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven which means in time all things will be understood as working for good. So, meditate on God’s power. Muse over Revelation 4. Add chapter 5 for good measure and see how God’s absolute power empowers you and life itself absolutely.

For Further Reading

Knowing God, J. I. Packer