Mighty God

Each year we look at a different aspect of the Christmas story. Sometimes we focus on the characters like Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, or even Herod. Sometimes we focus on the facts of Jesus’ birth in Matthew and/or Luke. Sometimes we discuss the various prophecies about Jesus birth like where he would be born.

• - This year, our Christmas series is called The Light of the World.

• We wanted to spend a few weeks thinking about our savior and his character.

• Therefore, we decided to go to Isaiah 9 where we find 4 descriptions of Messiah – Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

Last December, when we were making the preaching schedule, I suggested we do this series.

• - It was my desire that our study of Jesus as the wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, and prince of peace would encourage our hearts, give us hope, and motivate us to make our lives about him.

• That is our goal this Christmas season – encouragement and hope in Jesus that motivates us to faithful living.

To set the stage for my task – explaining how Jesus is the “Mighty God” – I would like to step back and think about Isaiah, prophetic ministry, and the hope it provides today.

I think the prophets are the hardest books of the Bible to interpret. Sometimes I read Isaiah and don’t have the foggiest idea what he is talking about.

• - It helps me to keep a couple things in mind as I read.

First is the role of the prophets. The people have not kept their covenant with God. They worship other gods and ignore the Lord’s commands. Therefore, God sent his messengers, his prophets, for three basic purposes.

• - Confront the nation’s sin and tell them of the consequences

• - Command them to repent

• - Call them to covenant faithfulness

When I am reading Isaiah and getting lost in the 66 chapters of the book, I remember. The Lord sent Isaiah to confront their sin, command them to repent, and call them to faithful living!

• - The prophets had a tough and dangerous job. They were often killed presenting the truth of God’s Word.

But amid confrontation, the prophets also gave predictions of hope. This is the second thing I keep in mind as I read. Their prophecies often relate to three different time periods.

• - Restoration of the nation to the land

• - Reconciliation with God through Messiah

• - Restoration of all things at the second coming

This is where the prophets can get really complicated. Sometimes the message is about one of these, sometimes two out of the three, and sometimes all three are involved.

• - Even though it might be challenging, you can always return to this point – God provides a message of hope for the future.

Our Christmas series, taken from Isaiah 9:6, is a message of hope amid confrontation for sin that reminds us of the character of the coming messiah and what he will ultimately accomplish.

• - Last week we focused on Jesus as the wonderful counselor.

• Aren’t you glad that he provides counsel that is truly wonderful. His words were (and are) surprising and unexpected. But following them results in joy and blessing.

• This is contrasted with much counsel available today which is complete garbage.

This morning we are going to focus on Jesus, our ultimate Christmas present, who is also The Mighty God…

• - Please open your Bible to Isaiah chapter 9...page 492 in the front section of the Bible under the chair in front of you.

We have a message of hope placed inside a message of judgment with the associated consequences. Isaiah 1-39 is a bunch of hard news with several moments of hope scattered throughout.

The message in Isaiah 9 has everything to do with the coming of Messiah – Jesus. Although Isaiah’s prophecies were given some 700 years before the birth of Christ, their accuracy is breath taking.

• - The Lord gave us the privilege of living further down the road of salvation history where we can look back and see what the Lord has done and look forward to see what is still to come.

Please follow along as I read Isaiah 9:1-7. This is the Word of the Lord. Read 9:1-7.

The title of the message is The Gift that is Mighty...and I’d like us to concentrate on Four principles necessary to understand and benefit from God’s power.

I. God Predicted that the Messiah Would be the Mighty God.

I believe that this is such an important statement. While Matthew and Luke provide information about Jesus’ birth, Mark and John skip it.

• - They have different purposes and begin their books proving that Jesus is Messiah (that is John) and that Jesus is Yahweh or the OT covenant name for God (that is Mark).

Think for a moment if someone entered the church this morning proclaiming to be God. We would think that person is crazy. Jesus confirmed his identity through signs/wonders, and also by fulfilling OT prophecies like this one.

They were expecting a Messiah that would be the Mighty God.

• - A little later I will spend more time focusing on Jesus as God and the things he does that only God can do. Things that are mighty.

For now, let’s put our focus on the concept of his power or his might. Here are a few other places in the Bible where the term is used.

Other uses of “mighty”.

1. Outstanding bravery.

1 Samuel 17:51 - ...And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

The word mighty is translated as “champion” in this verse. We might think in terms of strength, power, toughness, courage, or bravery.

1. Uncommon faithfulness.

1 Chronicles 29:24 - All the leaders and the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David, submitted themselves to King Solomon.

This passage recounts the particularly sad reality of the split between the northern 10 tribes and the 2 southern tribes. In the division, those who were loyal to David remained loyal to his son Solomon.

• - There was a group of people called David’s mighty men. These were like the men who earned the Medal of Honor and survived while doing it.

• - To qualify you had to kill a thousand people with a toothpick.

• These men were known as “mighty.” Those with skill and power.

1. Heroic power.

Psalm 103:20 - Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.

What an interesting verse. The Psalmist encourages the angels themselves to praise the Lord. They are described as mighty. Again, this sense of power, strength, irresistible force comes out.

This term describes the Lord in places like …

Psalm 89:8 - O Lord God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O Lord, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

1. Vast justice

Psalm 89:13-14 - Your arm is endued with power; your hand is strong, your right hand exalted. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.

Please notice a pattern in these verses. Might, power, or strength, when referring to the Lord is closely associated with other divine characteristics. The New International Dictionary of OT Theology says …

New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology – God’s power is inextricably linked to righteousness, goodness, justice, steadfast love, and faithfulness. The divine power and righteousness are as vast as the immeasurable distance separating earth from the high heavens [Psa. 71:18-19).

Humans do not always exercise their might and power in helpful ways.

Jeremiah 23:10 - The land is full of adulterers; because of the curse the land lies parched and the pastures in the desert are withered. The prophets follow an evil course and use their power unjustly.

1. Wise understanding.

Job 12:13 - To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.

When Isaiah writes that the coming Messiah would be the Mighty God it was a message of hope. Let’s consider its …

Significance.

Telling us that the Messiah, this child, the son given to us would be called Mighty God was hopeful in context and one of the identifying features of Messiah.

• - We will discuss the context of hope in a minute for the people of Isaiah’s day. But as we fast forward biblical history to the birth of Jesus …

• - I find difficult to comprehend just how radical the birth of Jesus would have been.

• o Yes, they were expecting a coming Messiah. But it would be hard to accept Jesus as Messiah without prophecy regarding his identification and then fulfillment of that prophecy.

• o They needed to see he was the Wonderful counselor and Mighty God.

The Messiah is not just lowly, born in a manger surrounded by shepherds. He is the Mighty God of Isaiah 9. Thankfully, the gospels help us see that while his first mission involved giving his life as a ransom for many, he still fulfilled Isaiah’s words of Mighty God.

I mentioned earlier that prophecy involved 3 basic possible timelines. (1) restoration of the nation to the land of Israel; (2) reconciliation with God through Messiah; and (3) restoration of all things at Jesus’ second coming. Prophecies could address 1, 2, or all 3 of these timelines. So let’s return to Isaiah and try to put ourselves in their shoes and understand what is happening.

II. The People of Isaiah’s Day Needed this Message.

Isaiah ministered during the reigns of 4 different kings. Chapters 7-9 describe the events surrounding the rule of King Ahaz around 735 BC. This is before the Assyrians conquered the northern 10 tribes in 722 and before the Babylonians destroyed the south in 586.

In 735 the nation was divided.

• - Israel in the north and Judah in the south.

• - The northern kingdoms were more advanced in their idolatry and turning away from the Lord.

• - Isaiah was ministering to the southern kingdom...to King Ahaz...

There was a problem. The leader of the northern kingdom made an alliance with two of the pagan nations and then they tried to pressure Ahaz, and the southern kingdom, to join their alliance.

• - As Americans we don’t think much about that. We have two massive oceans to our east and west making invasion particularly challenging for every country in the world except Canada and Mexico.

• - While we are different, the US and Canada have maintained peaceful relationships. While our history with Mexico is more tumultuous, we spend far more time thinking about immigration policy than preparing for invasion.

• - That was not true for Israel.

Invasion was a constant threat for such a small country. King Ahaz feels the pressure. The good news is that Ahaz does not join this alliance. Isaiah explains that the alliance would fail because they were trusting in their own power and might to rescue them.

As good as that news is, well, Ahaz decided he would make his own alliance with an even worse nation – Assyria! Rather than trust in the Lord to deliver them from their enemies, they make an alliance with a nation they believe is strong and powerful.

• - It indicated a lack of trust and a willingness to compromise.

The king’s choice.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 - This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.

Ahaz chose to trust his own wisdom, and his own ability to get out of a jam, even if he had to compromise everything he believed.

• - When it was decision time, he had to determine whether he would trust in the power of God even though he might not be able to see how it is all going to work out or was he going to ignore God’s Word and His will and figure this out himself?

• - We know what he decided. The Lord describes what he wants in passages like …

Psalm 147:10-11 - His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man; the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

It did not take long for disaster to strike. Within 15 years the northern tribes were decimated and the south, while intact through divine rescue, also suffered. It was a difficult time to be alive.

Amid Isaiah confronting this sinful behavior and all the consequences they would experience from it, he provided a message of hope. A messiah is coming who will be born to us and he will called wonderful counselor and mighty God.

This would help all of God’s people, not just Ahaz, trust in the Lord, have hope for his promises, and motivation to live faithfully. The same would be true for …

Isaiah himself.

Please turn back to chapter 6 for a moment. Isaiah has a vision of God seeing his holiness and majesty. In v. 5 Isaiah recognizes his own inadequacy and proclaims that he is undone and he is a man of unclean lips.

• - But the Lord provides forgiveness and cleansing (vv. 6-7) and calls him to ministry.

Isaiah’s call is a tough one. The Lord told him that his ministry would bear very little fruit in his lifetime.

• - Yet, the book that bears his name is one of the most treasured in the OT and quoted directly in the NT often.

• - He had to decide, like Ahaz, whether he would trust in his own power and might or whether he would trust in the Lord.

In God’s kindness, he revealed to Isaiah that while things are difficult now. He would give his life for the sake of ministry and not see the days of prosperity but he did have hope. Hope that impacted his everyday life because one day the Lord would give a marvelous gift. A child will be born, a son will be given and the government will rest on his shoulders and he will called wonderful counselor and mighty God.

• - The people who walk in darkness will see a great light!

The hopes and dreams will come true. Discipline for unfaithfulness comes today, but there will come a day when the Messiah comes.

Now we need to move forward 700 years in biblical history to the coming of Jesus.

III. Jesus Christ is the Marvelous Fulfillment of this Prophecy.

I mentioned that when Jesus came on the scene and claimed to be God it would have been a surprise. They were expecting a Messiah. But it is one thing to expect Messiah and another thing to say that this child is the Messiah.

• - In order to prove it, Jesus demonstrated that he is the Mighty God by doing mighty acts, that in some cases were things only God could do.

• - As we review some of them, I hope your heart is encouraged that Christmas is a big deal because Jesus is a big deal.

We see first …

The power to withstand temptation.

Satan made the following offer:

Luke 4:5-6 - The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.

Since Jesus is the Mighty God it would have been so easy to dismiss the humility and frail humanity. Yet, the Mighty God refused that offer from Satan and frankly from others.

Luke 4:14 - Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.

Jesus withstood all temptation including the temptation to power and fame.

The power to heal.

Matthew 9:7-8 - And he arose and departed to his house. Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.

Matthew 9 recounts the story of the paralytic. It was one of my favorite scenes in the passion play. It was not only an act of kindness to heal the man. It was a demonstration of his power. By the grace of God our medical professionals have learned a lot and can do a lot. We have medications, surgeries, and procedures for all kinds of ailments.

• - But some things are beyond our knowledge and skill.

The multitudes marveled because they understood that no ordinary human did that.

The power to do good.

Acts 10:38 - how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

Acts 10 reminds the readers of Jesus’ ministry. The Mighty God was active and powerful even healing those under the power of the devil. Sometimes we might want to do good, but we do not the resources and strength to do it. Jesus did not have that struggle.

The power to teach with authority.

Luke 4:32 - They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority.

This was a common theme in the gospels. Jesus taught with authority. This is exactly how we would expect the Mighty God to teach.

The power to forgive.

Mark 2:10-11 - But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”

This is the same story I mentioned earlier. This point is a little different. The religious leaders were not opposed to Jesus healing a person, but Jesus said to that person based on his faith that his sins were forgiven.

• - That created a stir.

They responded no one has the power to forgive sins except God. In this case, they were right. They understood that Jesus’ declaration was not about some wrong between the person and Jesus in the same way as between two roommates, or spouses, or parents and children.

• - When Jesus said your sins are forgiven, he declared that the paralytic was now right with God.

Anyone can settle issues with anyone else, but only God can declare a person right with him. Jesus could do that because he is the Mighty God.

The power to voluntarily die for our sins.

John 10:18 - No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.

The gospel of John often refers to “Jesus’ hour.” There was a time, place, and set of circumstances that had to be met before Jesus laid down his life.

• - The religious leaders wanted to kill him on multiple occasions and the gospels record moments where it says something like “they sought to seize him but his hour had not yet come.” He simply walked away.

But when the time was right, Jesus laid down his life of his own accord. This is something we cannot do. It is a function of the Mighty God.

The power to rise from the dead.

Luke 22:69 - But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.

The Bible explains that all three persons of the Godhead raised Jesus. In John 2:19 Jesus, speaking about himself, says destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it. Only God can raise the dead.

He raised the widow’s son, Jairus’ daughter, and Lazarus during his earthly ministry. He could do this because Isaiah’s prophecy is true – Jesus is the mighty God.

The power to build His church.

Matthew 28:18-20 - And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

2023 we have seen the Lord do that right here. The gospels clearly present Jesus as fulfilling the requirements found in Isaiah 9:6 – Messiah would be called the Mighty God.

This message so far has been heavy on content. We thought about the ministry of prophets and seen how the prophecy gave hope to people in Isaiah’s day, but how Jesus fulfilled the qualifications of Messiah. We need to end our message with ways that this gives us hope, encouragement, and strength for everyday life.

I want to present the application in a series of thought-provoking questions.

IV. Today’s Question – How Mighty is Your God?

Do you have a powerful Savior?

1 Corinthians 1:23-24 - but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

I realize some of you would say, “absolutely, I do!” Jesus, the Messiah, is my savior and Lord and I find delight in my relationship with him today and I am looking forward to the future with him.

But there might be others who might answer that question differently. You do not have a powerful savior because you either did not know about it or have rejected it to this point. I want to encourage you to consider the fact that if Isaiah gave a prophecy 700 years before it was initially fulfilled by Jesus, then his other promises are true as well. Rather than foolishness, the message of Jesus living a sinless life, dying on the cross, being buried for 3 days, rising again is the power of God.

• - You need to repent of your sin and place your faith in the finished work of Jesus for your salvation.

• - There is no better time than Christmas to make that decision.

Do you have a powerful hope?

Romans 15:13 - May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes we face challenging times. King Ahaz did. Isaiah tells us that Ahaz’s heart shook as the trees of the forest shake with the wind. Rather than turn to the Lord, he ran to another solution. That solution resulted in the death and destruction of his people.

In Isaiah 9:4 he reminds us of the days when the Lord provided Gideon to rescue the nation from the Midianites who continued to create suffering on God’s people. A massive army was destroyed by a band of just 300 because God fought for them.

Yet how often, in the face of challenge, difficulty, or concern do we run to our own solutions rather than to the Mighty God?

• - When do we throw ourselves at the mercy and grace of our savior?

We have hope for deliverance or at least endurance because our savior, Jesus, is the Mighty God. Pressures and challenges should move us closer to the Lord.

Do you have a powerful witness?

Acts 1:8 - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 4:33 - With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.

Romans 1:16 - I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

All these passages remind us of the importance of sharing our faith. There is a lost and dying world. People need the Lord. I hope that is part of your personal heartbeat. I hope you want to share what the Lord has done for you with your family and friends that they might see their need for Christ. I also hope you take advantage of the ways we do that together.

• - Musical is here on the 17^th. They are serving at Faith North today. Faith West next Sunday.

• - Living Nativity. Friday-Sunday the next two weekends.

Do you have powerful confidence?

Ephesians 1:17-18 - I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

2 Timothy 1:7 - For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

I mentioned that prophecy can have multiple stages. We know that the child and son of Isaiah 9 happened. We know that Jesus fulfilled the names of wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, and prince of peace. But other phrases are not yet fully complete.

• - The government will be on his shoulders

• - There will be no end to the increase of his government or of peace

• - To establish and uphold justice and righteousness

We are further along in biblical history than Isaiah, but we also live waiting for the return of Jesus. We have seen some of Isaiah 9 fulfilled and yet we still wait for the remaining part.

Do we live with a measure of confidence that today could be the day? Does that impact your thinking and behaving?

When you are tempted to express your anger in sinful words, tones, and body language you should be thinking that you are not ready for the return of Jesus because that is not how he should find you.

• - When you blame shift your problems at home, in your workplace, or in the church, your confidence in Jesus return should stop you in your tracks.

His return should motivate Christlike behavior.

Do you have powerful wisdom?

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 - When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.

2 Peter 1:3 - His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

The wisdom of God is available to us all. We just need to ask.

I find the passage today to be delightful. Jesus, our Messiah and Savior, is the Mighty God.