Mighty God

MIGHTY GOD

ISAIAH 9:1-7

INTRODUCTION:

FOR THOSE OF YOU LISTENING BY RADIO, OVER THE ADVENT SEASON WE’VE BEEN EXAMINING THE NAMES THE PROPHET ISAIAH GAVE TO THE MESSIAH HERE IN CHAPTER 9.

I’M HOPING YOU CAN SEE THE COMPLEXITY OF ISAIAH’S CHOICE OF TITLES HERE. IT WASN’T JUST RANDOM IN CHOICE, NOR IN ORDER. EACH OF THE TITLES THAT ISAIAH USES, FUSES ANOTHER PIECE OF THE PUZZLE THAT HE IS COMPLETING.

OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS WE DETERMINED THAT ISAIAH WAS WELL WITHIN HIS RIGHTS TO CALL JESUS WONDERFUL AND COUNSELOR. BUT TO BE A WONDERFUL COUNSELOR WITHOUT THE POWER TO ACT ON HIS COUNSEL IS MEANINGLESS. POWER WITHOUT GOOD COUNSEL IS ABUSIVE. THIS BRINGS US TO ISAIAH’S THIRD TITLE, MIGHTY GOD.

ENGLISH DOESN’T HAVE THE FLAVOR THAT THE HEBREW LANGUAGE HAS WHEN SPEAKING ABOUT GOD. THERE ARE MANY WORDS IN HEBREW THAT ARE USED WHEN TALKING ABOUT GOD THAT IN ENGLISH WE JUST TRANSLATE GOD. EACH OF THESE HEBREW WORDS HOWEVER, GIVES US A CLEARER PICTURE OF WHO GOD IS.

A VERY COMMON WORD IN HEBREW TO TALK ABOUT GOD IS THE WORD “EL” IT IS A WORD THAT DENOTES POWER, OR POTENCY, THE FIRST CAUSE BY WHICH ALL THINGS HAS COME TO BE, AND BY WHICH THEY CONTINUE TO BE. IT IS USUALLY USED WITH OTHER WORDS TO DESCRIBE SOME CHARACTER OR ATTRIBUTE OF GOD.

NOW IN THIS PASSAGE “EL” IS USED IN CONNECTION WITH ANOTHER HEBREW WORD “SHADDAI”. “SHADDAI” MEANS MIGHTY. IT’S THE POWER THAT BREAKS FORTH, BREAKS THROUGH, AND CAUSES VICTORIES. “EL SHADDAI” IS THE OVERCOMER OF ALL THINGS.

AS WE ARE GROWING UP WE ALL WISH TO HAVE A HERO, A MENTOR, BY WHICH WE CAN STRIVE TO LIVE UP TO. THEY CAN BE VARIOUS PEOPLE, POSSIBLY IN SPORTS, POLITICS, MAYBE A GREAT HUMANITARIAN, OR WRITER. HEROS CAN ALSO COME FROM FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS. THEY CAN BE IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES AND ARE NOT BOUND BY AGE RESTRICTIONS.

ONE THING ALL HEROS HAVE IN COMMON THOUGH, IS THAT THIS POSITION IS EARNED, IT IS NEVER INHERITIED. ANOTHER THING THEY SHARE IS THAT THEY ARE SEEN AS MIGHTY, POWERFUL PEOPLE BY THOSE WHO SEE THEM AS HEROS.

SO LETS PUT IT TO THE TEST AND SEE IF THE MESSIAH CAN BE THE HERO, THE MIGHTY GOD THAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR.

I INTEND TO SHOW SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS THAT JESUS IS THE MIGHTY GOD.

POINT ONE: THE FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY

JESUS IS THE MIGHTY GOD BECAUSE HE FULFILLS THE PROPHECY OF SCRIPTURE EVEN BEFORE HE WALKED JESUS FULFILLED OVER 12 PROPHECIES THAT WERE HUNDREDS OF YEARS OLD.

PROFESSOR PETER W. STONER WROTE A BOOK ENTITLED “SCIENCE SPEAKS.” IN HIS BOOK HE STATES THAT THERE IS A 1 x 1017 POSSIBILITY OF FULFILLING 8 PROPHECIES FROM SCRIPTURE. THAT’S 1 WITH 17 ZEROS BEHIND IT. WE CA’T EVEN COUNT THAT HIGH, IT’S ONE GROUPIONG ABOVE A TRILLION, JUST TO FULFIL EIGHT PROPHECIES.

JESUS FULFILLED 10 PROPHECIES WHILE HE WAS STILL IN THE WOMB, WITH TWO MORE RELATED TO HIS BIRTH.

1. THE OFFSPRING OF A WOMAN – GEN. 3:15

2. FROM A VIRGIN - ISAIAH 7:4

3. THE SON OF GOD – PSALM 2:7

4. A DESCENDANT OF ABRAHAM – GEN. 22;18

5. FROM THE LINE OF ISSAC – GEN.21:12

6. FROM THE NATION OF ISRAEL – NUMBERS 24:17

7. FROM THE TRIBE OF JUDAH – GEN. 49:10

8. FROM THE FAMILY OF JESSE – ISAIAH 11:1

9. FROM THE HOUSE OF DAVID – JEREMIAH 23:5

10. IN BETHLEHEM – MICAH 5;2

11. PRESENTED WITH GIFTSZ – PSALM 72:10

12. CHILDREN WILL BE KILLED – JEREMIAH 31:15

THROUGHOUT HIS ADULT LIFE HE FULFILLED MORE THAN 300 OTHER PROPHECIES.

JESUS THE MIGHTY GOD IS LIMITLESS IN HIS POWER:

MARK 5:21-43:

THE STORY OF JARIUS’ DAUGHTER.

EVERTHING SEEMS TO BE WORKING AGAINST JARIUS, AND THEN HE IS TOLD SHE IS DEAD.

LUNGS THAT HAD NO AIR NOW BREATHED AGAIN, A HEART THAT WAS STILL STARTED BEATING AGAIN. FLESH HAD COLOR AGAIN, AND SPEECH RETURNED TO LIFELESS LIPS.

OUR LIVES ARE FULL OF LIMITATIONS AND ROADBLOCKS. EVERYWHERE WE LOOK SOMEONE HAS ERECTED A BOUNDARY THAT WE DARE NOT CROSS OVER.

MDEICALLY SPEAKING - THIS CAN’T GET ANY BETTER

FINANCIALLY SPEAKING - YOU CAN’T DO THIS

- THIS THING YOU DREAM OF CAN’T HAPPEN WITH YOUR RESOURCES.

JESUS THE MIGHTY GOD KNOWS NO LIMITATIONS. HE CROSSES EVERY BARRIER, HE BREAKS THROUGH ALL WALLS AND NOTHING HINDERS HIM FROM ACCOMPLISHING HIS PLAN.

IT DIDN’T MATTER THAT PEOPLE LAUGHED - JARIUS’ DAUGHTER LIVED

IT DIDN’T MATTER THAT THEY SAID SHE WAS DEAD – JARIUS’ DAUGHTER LIVED

IT DIDN’T MATTER THAT THIS HADN’T BEEN DONE BEFORE – JARIUS’ DAUGHTER LIVED

IT DIDN’T MATTER THAT THE FATHERS FAITH WAS WAIVERING – JARIUS’ DAUGHTER LIVED.

IT DIDN’T MATTER THAT PEOPLE SAID IT COULDN’T BE DONE – JARIUS’ DAUGHTER LIVED.