just recently had an opportunity to take the seminary students up to the Wilds, and I was reminded of an event that happened a good many years ago. Shortly after Noah's flood, I served as a lifeguard at the Wilds. And in that summertime, it was part of my obligation to administer the swimming tests and make sure that young boys would be able to swim. And it always amazed me that boys who clearly did not know how to swim would jump off the side, off the bank, into water, well over their heads. frantically paddle a few feet and then begin to sink. And that happened every week. And I would say to myself, you know, I wonder what process of thought was going through the minds of those young men. None of them died. That was a good thing. But we had this custom every week to go to a place called Sliding Bear Rock. And that was at the second falls at the Wilds, and there was a sloping series of rocks made smooth by the water and by moss and whatnot, and rapids going over the rocks, and the kids would intertube over these rocks and float out into a very deep, clear pool of water. Well, it was an odd thing at the time, but there seemed to be a little bit of a loophole, and somehow some kids got to go on that hike on that sliding bare rock who weren't as proficient swimmers as they should have been. And I became aware of this, and so I decided that I would station myself at the bottom of where the rapids were coming down the rocks, right out under the deep pool, because I was just entertaining the idea that one of those guys might slip out of their inner tube and not be as proficient as he needed to be in swimming. We were down there the first week. I positioned my place in my station, and I was as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof because I'd never been a lifeguard before, and I didn't know what was gonna happen. Well, several of the boys came sliding down there all having a great time. I mean, this was a fun place. And about the fifth guy down, he came shooting down the rapids, down the rocks, floated out into that deep, fairly calm pool, and then, bloop, he went right down through his inner tube. And I dove out there as fast as I could, and swam toward him as fast as I could, and then dove down and looked down, and I could see down through many feet of absolutely crystal clear water, his face, looking up in sheer terror and absolute hope that I was gonna come down after him. And I went down there after him and I grabbed him by the hair and I swam to the top and I carried him to the side. And I think that I was more frightened and more shaken than he was. He was trusting me completely, weak, frail, relatively a newbie as a lifeguard, but he had his hope in me. Now fast forward a number of years, several decades. I'm in my house, it's a holiday, it's what we call at our house blessed chaos. I have ten grandchildren. Ten years old and younger. Okay. Ten to two. And they just have a ball when they come. And they were being their fun and loud and frantic selves and I was walking out of the living room by our front door near a staircase, headed into the den, and I was coming to the staircase. Out of my peripheral vision, I saw my five-year-old granddaughter a good seven or eight steps up, pretty high up there. And all of a sudden, she cries out, Papa! And she did a full-body dive through the air, head first, arms outstretched, beaming a smile, and landed, you know, right in my arms. That's a scary kind of trust in not an all-powerful guy to catch her. You know, thinking of those incidents has made me think about how many times in adulthood I have put my trust in fallible, weak people. I mean my complete trust. Climbing on an aircraft with 300 or 400 other people, going 36,000 feet up into the air, Flying 17,000 or 17 hours over the ocean from Atlanta to Johannesburg, South Africa? What are we, insane? Think about the trust involved in the aeronautical engineers. Think about the trust involved in the pilots. Think about the trust we're investing in fallible, weak human beings in situations like this. And yet, we hear every Sunday, don't we, And you've experienced it often like I have, where you have a problem, when you have a weakness, a serious problem, you go to the doctor, you get the news, you go to the hospital, and you go right into that operating room, and that anesthesiologist puts that shot in your arm, that IV in your arm, and you go off to la-la land, and the surgeon does his work, and three or four hours later, after he's sliced and diced and carved and opened and closed, and you wake up, and there you are, and it's just all good, you know, until the pain starts. And then it's all good again, because you get the stuff that helps you with the pain that happens. The trust in partial power in limited power. I mean, we put our lives in the hands of people who lack power. Well, we face many circumstances in life where we put trust in limited power, but we have one who is all-powerful, El Shaddai. El Shaddai, God Almighty. Just a little bit of Hebrew there up on the screen for you, not to do a deep dive into technicalities, but it's always kind of fun to learn a little something different. You see those letters there, those two words, El Shaddai? Actually, I think there is a pointer on this, isn't there, sister? Yes, El, okay, Aleph, Little vowel pointing there, lameth, sheen, pathak, daleth, pathak, yodh, el, shaddai. One of the many words for God in the Old Testament, and it does mean God Almighty. This is actually like saying God super-almighty, because if you look up El in the Old Testament language, you find that Shaddai is really just, in a sense, an adjective adding on to God who is all-powerful, super-powerful. This is underscoring, in a major way, the nature and character of God. So calling Him almighty, is a good way to describe him from this name. God Almighty is for us. This is profoundly the message of the Scripture for the people of God as you look to the Word. That description of God as God Almighty occurs 58 times in the Bible, Old and New Testament. And I'm talking about the English word, Almighty. And it is used often in the Old Testament, primarily in Genesis, primarily in the book of Job also, even more than any other book. There's a very interesting statement early on in Scripture, in Exodus chapter 6, verse 3, where the Lord says, as he's addressing Moses, I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, El Shaddai, in contrast to appearing to him or communicating with them, rather, as Jehovah or Yahweh. But now he's communicating to Moses as Yahweh, that personal name of God that emphasizes his self-existence, his always existence, his non-dependence on anyone else, The very name that is given to the Lord Jesus by himself in John 8, 58, when in debate and controversy with the Jewish leaders, Jesus finally says to them, before Abraham was, I am, actually describing himself as Jehovah or Yahweh. Now that's a significant point for me to make right now with you because that's not the only name of God ascribed to the Lord Jesus Himself. And when I said the Word Almighty to describe God appears 58 times in the Bible, and I said many of those times it appears in the Old Testament and fewer times it appears in the New Testament, it does appear in the New Testament. And I want you to follow along with me for a moment in a process of thought. El Shaddai is Hebrew. Now, most of you have heard of this thing called the Septuagint. Have you heard of that before? That was a translation of the Hebrew Bible that was done in 250 BC by a group of 70 Jewish elders in Alexandria, Egypt. Do you know that the Septuagint was the Bible of first century Christians? The Greek Bible of first century Christians. And I mean the Greek Old Testament. It's what they read. Do you know that when they read El Shaddai, they read a Greek word in that Greek translation? Now, please forgive me for technicalities, okay? But here's the word. Pantakrator. Pantakrator. All-mighty. All-sufficient. All-powerful. When you read in the Old Testament El Shaddai and that version of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament, the Old Testament of first century Christians, The Old Testament that Paul the Apostle actually quotes in some cases in his letters, that Greek Old Testament, that's the name that's used. Pantokrator, the all-powerful one, Lord Pantokrator, Kyrios Pantokrator. Why are you telling us this, Dr. Hankins? I'm telling you this because you're going to see with me that in the New Testament, that name is ascribed to none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. So when you looked at the outline tonight, and you looked at these New Testament passages, and you might have said to yourself, why is he looking at the New Testament? We're talking about this Old Testament name. We need to have these shofars out here and blow on the shofars like we did this morning. Get all Hebrew and everything. And instead, he's talking about the New Testament. The reason I'm talking about the New Testament is that Jesus who was Yahweh, I Am, is Jesus who is Kyrios Pantokrator, the Lord Almighty. And that when we go to the New Testament and we see our Lord Jesus Christ, we need to understand that He's the God of the Old Testament. And He's the God of the New Testament, and He's our God. God Almighty encourages us to trust His promises based on His power. Now, I decided I'd take a journey through those 58 instances in the Bible where God is described as Almighty. And I looked at those passages in Hebrew, and I looked at them in the Greek Old Testament, and I looked at them in the Greek New Testament, and I looked at them in the English Bible, and I had to make a decision. How in 30 minutes are you gonna capture for the people of God what we need to get ahold of together so our hearts will be more firmly knit To our Lord Jesus, the Lord Almighty, there's choices that have to be made, decisions about what to look at. And as I looked at these passages, there were three passages that seemed to really come home powerfully to me as promises based on the reality that Jesus Christ is the all-powerful God. that we can latch on to, we should latch on to, that will directly connect us to His almightiness in men and women, brothers and sisters in Christ. My watch can't possibly be saying what it's saying, but it is. The Lord Jesus Christ, in all His power, wants to connect with us. So let's see these promises together. He promises to father us as the Almighty One. We're gonna take a journey through these three texts of Scripture, and I invite you to turn to them in 2 Corinthians 6, verse 17. There's a wonderful passage of Scripture here. It's a surprising instance where this term Lord Almighty occurs in the New Testament. If you look at 617 through 7-1, notice it says, Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. And what is this passage about? Well, guess what? If we look at God as he identifies himself in verse 18, he is whom? The Lord Almighty. There it is, Pantokrator. There it is, El Shaddai. You know, this idea that God would be the Almighty One, our Father, and we His sons, is the same language that was used by God in His covenant with David in 2 Samuel 7, verses 8 and 14. He says in this text of Scripture, He will be a Father to us based on His character as the Almighty God. What does that mean to you? Correction, protection, provision, all powerful in every one of those things. But if you look carefully at this passage of Scripture, you'll learn with me that His fathering of us, as He most wants to father us, is based on our pursuit of holiness in our relationships in this life. God is our Father if we're saved. He will never stop being our Father if we're saved. We are part of the family of God. We are the sons of God. Will He be a Father who is continuously correcting us? Or will He be a Father who protects and provides and nurtures and finds joy in us and smiles upon us? Yes, He will. As this text reveals, if you begin in this passage of Scripture in verse 14, if we learn together to not be unequally yoked, with unbelievers? For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said, I will dwell in them and walk among them and will be their God and they shall be my people. Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." That is a fascinating passage, statement. The Apostle Paul in this case is doing a combination of quotations from Isaiah 52, verse 11. Ezekiel 37, verse 27. And in so doing, He's promising us a special relationship. What? If we pursue holiness in our relationships. Holiness set apart from that which is evil, impure, mundane, earthly, set apart unto what is pure and righteous and heavenly. And men and women, there's plenty enough in the Bible that is very clear, very explicit, that you can spend your life seeking this kind of holiness, this kind of purity, At the behest of the commands and the urgings of God, would you notice too that this promise of God to be Lord God Almighty to us as our Father in fathering us is based on our pursuit of holiness personally? Look at verse 7, chapter 7, verse 1. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Now it is cleanse yourself from all filthiness of the flesh, your physical life and spirit, your internal life, your inner immaterial man, your attitudes, your imaginations, your reasonings. You perfect yourself, cleanse yourself from all filthiness, bringing holiness to completion and maturity. How? By a reverential apprehension. Apprehensiveness about God. God is all-powerful. God is our Father. God loves us. God is super attentive toward us. And there's no lengths or ends to which He will not go to bring us in conformity to His image. What a fantastic promise we have. What a wonderful condition we can meet. to know in a special way the fathering of God based on our commitment to purity and our commitment to holiness as a people of God. He promises as Almighty God, Lord Almighty, El Shaddai, to father us. He promises also to transform us as the Almighty One. Now turn over in your New Testament to Ephesians chapter 3, verses 20 and 21. Ephesians chapter 3, verse 20 and 21 climaxes with a magnificent promise. After a prayer that Paul was praying, beginning at verse 14 in this passage of Scripture, Here's how it reads. Now to him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Again, He promises to transform us as the all-powerful One, the One with all power, based on His ability. And this is a little different language used here in this verse to describe this all-power of the Lord. It's a word in the language that we derive our, you've often heard this, our English word dynamite from, great power, but not destructive power. Now unto him who is able to do, who is all-powerful, beyond all things, it says, exceedingly abundantly above all." Exceedingly abundantly. Super abundantly. Beyond all of our expectations. Read the next phrase. Above all that we ask or think. All that we can desire, ask, all that we can think, beyond what we can imagine, God can and will do for us. But what is being talked about here? What is being talked about here, if you project back into the passage, is look with me at verse 16. Paul prays he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man. That's one thing. That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. That's a second thing. That being rooted and grounded in love, you may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the width, length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge. A third thing, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Yet another thing, this, these are the things beyond imagination, beyond desire. internal transformation, making us what we could never imagine we could possibly become as spiritual human beings, transforming us. By what? According to the power that works in us. And what power is that? The power of the Spirit of the living God in you. presently in you, at work in you as God the Spirit, through the work of Christ, ministers grace to your heart. This is not only possible, but probable, in fact certain, if you are seeking God, pleading with God, pursuing God as a saint of God. And what will the result be? The result will be a church filled with His glory. Look at verse 21. To Him be glory in the church. By Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. We want a sense of Christ's presence in our church. We want Christ honored in our church. We want His name lifted up. How will that happen? By the working and the presence of the Lord Jesus as He's working in us and through us in the assembly of the saints to bring great honor to God. Now, there's yet another promise I want you to see, and that is that God Almighty, Christ Almighty, promises to be the all-sufficient head of the church as the Almighty One. And now look with me at what is a rich and encouraging climactic statement in Revelation 1-8. Notice that John says in verse 4, John to the seven churches which are in Asia, grace to you and peace from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne. and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness. Now look at how the Lord Jesus is described. Verse 8, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. Pantokrator, El Shaddai. This is the Lord Jesus who promises to be the all-sufficient head of the church. Men and women, what follows after verse 8 is a magnificent vision of Jesus Christ in verse 9 through 20. And then do you know what follows after that in chapter 2 and 3? Seven letters to the churches from the head of the church, commending them and in some cases condemning them and warning them and urging them to repentance. assuring them of His working and of His love and His attentiveness, Jesus Christ is presented in verse 8 as the Alpha and Omega. Now that's an interesting phrase because it's the first letter and the last letter of the Greek alphabet. And that can sort of tend to mean He's A to Z. He's everything. But let's just keep in mind that there's some other ways Jesus is described right here. And this is the first letter and the last letter. And letters make up words, and words make up sentences and paragraphs, and they make revelation. And Jesus Christ is the Word. He is the communication of all that God is to us and for us, and he has given us all revelation, all direction, all instruction, all doctrine, all reproof, that we may be thoroughly furnished unto all good works. And he is the beginning and the end also, the Scriptures say in this verse of Scripture. He is the great planner from start to finish. He is the great storyteller. He has written it all. And from this the church should find great confidence, just as we find great confidence in His all-sufficient revelation as the head of the church. We find great confidence in the fact that He is the great planner of all things, of all creation, every covenant. every era, the history of every nation, the life of every man, and the life of every church, including our church. He who is the head of the church has the stars in his hand, the end of this chapter. He has the pastors in his hand. He knows exactly the beginning and the finish for every ministry. He knows who our next pastor's going to be. He knows exactly who he wants him to be. None of this is beyond him. He is our perpetual sustainer, the Lord who is and was and who is to come. He is now our intercessor at the right hand. He was the God of all the centuries and the God incarnate ascended into heaven. He is the one who will come, the Lord Jesus Himself. He sustains us. He has sustained. He does sustain. He will sustain throughout all eternity in the new heaven and the new earth, in the new Jerusalem, as He ministers to us forever and ever. Christ is the Almighty, the Almighty God for us. Father, I pray thy blessing upon thy people. I ask that you would encourage them and strengthen them through thy word to trust in thee as the almighty head of the church, as he who will father us, as the one who will care for us always and sustain us and transform us. We commit ourselves unto thee and thy care. In Christ's name, amen.