The Lord's Might: Power & Possibility
Easter weekend is filled with stories of miracles, life, Gospel, and the Lord’s Might. But what happened after that first Easter Sunday?
Does this story of Might continue?
The word, “MIGHT” can mean two different things in English:
- POWER (as in “mighty”)
- POSSIBILITY (as in “You might lead your family in devotions today”)
Throughout Scripture, throughout Easter weekend, and in all of the stories that follow, we see that with the Lord’s Might, there is both POWER and POSSIBILITY!
On the night that he was betrayed, just a few days before that first Easter Sunday, Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples. He washed their feet, he broke the bread, he passed the cup, and he talked. And as he talked, one of the main topics of conversation that night was the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus promises the Spirit:
“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth…” (John 14:16-17).
“The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26).
“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me” (John 15:26).
“I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7).
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come” (John 16:13).
The Coming of the Spirit
Jesus keeps all of these promises and, just 50 days after his resurrection, he sends the Holy Spirit.
And when the Spirit comes, we see the Lord’s Might, for he comes with limitless Power and limitless Possibility.
What would be impossible for a bunch of ex-fishermen and tax collectors, what would be unfathomable for Thomas who doubted and Peter who denied, suddenly becomes possible through the power of the Holy Spirit. For Jesus tells them that the Spirit will empower them to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).
They will receive the Lord’s Might, his power & possibility, and, therefore, be able to share the Gospel with all nations.
The Greek word here for “Power,” “dynamis,” is the same word that gives us our word, “Dynamite.” It’s used often throughout the New Testament to declare the powerful work of the Spirit through the early church, championing the relationship between the Spirit and the Lord’s power:
Romans 15:13—May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
2 Timothy 1:7—God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
1 Thessalonians 1:5—Our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.
Ephesians 3:14-16—For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.
In the same way the Lord’s Power comes upon us through the Lord's Might, so comes Possibility.
Matthew 19:26—Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Luke 1:37—Nothing will be impossible with God.
Luke 18:27—What is impossible with man is possible with God.
Our power is limited. The Lord’s, limitless. Our possibility is limited. The Lord’s, limitless. What our power can do could be summarized on the front side of a napkin, while all of the books in the world could not adequately describe the ability of our powerful Savior. The extent of what is possible for us barely gets us out the front door in the morning, while the Lord’s possibility reaches to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth, stretching to hearts of all nations of all generations, for there is not a life he cannot touch, a mountain he cannot move.
I remember the old question we would ask our Sunday School teachers as children, trying to stump them—“If God can do anything, can he make a mountain so big that even he couldn’t move it?” Well, let us celebrate the Lord’s Might and proclaim that he can make a mountain of any size (POSSIBILITY) and he can move a mountain of any size (POWER).
Jonathan Williams is the founder of Gospel Family Ministries. He is also the author of Gospel Family. Jonathan enjoys this ministry alongside his wife, Jessica, and their three children, Gracie, Silas & Elijah. With a heart for families and the church, Jonathan also serves as the pastor of Wilcrest Baptist Church in Houston, Texas.
