Mighty God
Isaiah 9:1-6
December 10, 2023
If you were to choose your most favorite name or expression for God, what would it be? For example, you may think of God as a God of - - - -
peace counselor healer comforter
Rock physician shepherd creator
Eternal Merciful Grace Father
And if we were to be really honest, there’s been times when many of us have wondered where God is in the midst of our pain. Maybe we’ve called God - - - -
absent angry unapproachable
weak uncaring distant
Many of us have been there and wondered about God’s presence. I really want to encourage you with today’s name from Isaiah 9. It’s actually my favorite name and way to describe God.
For this Advent series, we’re taking a look at one of the classic prophetic passages of the Old Testament about Jesus. It’s from Isaiah 9. It’s prophetic because it points the people of Israel, who as Isaiah tells us in 8:22, the people were in great "distress and darkness," to an amazingly bright and glorious future.
God was going to do some amazing things to redeem Israel and set the world right. And what’s at the heart of this hoped-for future? The advent, the coming, the arrival of a baby.
Isaiah declared in verse 2 - - - -
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them light has shone.
As I said last week, it’s so awesome the way it’s written. It’s written in the past tense. It’s this promise from God that their condition is going to change. It’s going to get better.
And think about the hope we have when we’re in a dark place — — and we see a light. We gain a sense of hope! And of course, the great light is the One who is the LIGHT OF THE WORLD - - - - JESUS!
There are times when we’re living in distress and despair and it’s difficult to see better days ahead, yet the promise from God is that better days are coming.
How the days come is totally mind blowing. Isaiah declares - -
6 For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given - Isaiah 9:6a
It’s bold! It’s an audacious claim, isn't it!? Pastor Ray Ortlund wrote - - - - "God's answer to everything that has ever terrorized us . . . . is a child."
But what's so special about this child? Who will this child be? What will this child do? Isaiah's prophecy gives us only a few names. But these names tell us a lot about this child.
6 and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. - Isaiah 9:6b
Last week, we looked at the first of these names, "Wonderful Counselor." God will be our great strategist.
This week, we'll reflect on the fact that this child to be born, whom Christians confess to be Jesus, shall be called "Mighty God."
So, what does that mean to call Jesus, Mighty God?!
Names in the Old Testament were often meant to be descriptive of a person’s identity or character.
The name says something about what God will do or who God is. We can say the name Mighty God is kind of a job description. This child will reveal the mighty God to Israel and us, in a unique way.
Jesus is the One who reveals the mighty God of the Bible. In John 14:9, Jesus said to Philip --- “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”
Jesus reveals the Father because the Father is at work in Jesus in a unique way. Yet God wants to tell us something more. As we see the mighty power of God at work in Jesus, we realize Jesus is the mighty God — come in the flesh, even as a baby.
One of the greatest ways I love to describe God comes in a militaristic sense. Jesus being called Mighty God signifies His strength and power. We can show strength and power in our humility, as well.
But in this instance, it’s more than that. It’s also about who He is, not just that He can defeat the enemy, Jesus is - - - -
powerful enough to bring peace,
powerful enough to forgive us of our sinfulness,
powerful enough to endure the cross,
powerful enough to love despite being forsaken
powerful enough to defeat death.
My favorite name for God is first found in 1 Samuel 1:3, when we read - - - -
3 Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD OF HOSTS at Shiloh ... - 1 Samuel 1:3
That title, the Lord of Hosts is a different name for God. It’s a bit more unusual, although it appears over 250 times in the OT, mostly in prophetic books. The Lord of Hosts is a combination of 2 Hebrew words . . .
Yahweh Tsavaot
Yahweh is the personal name for God. It’s the name God used to introduce Himself to Moses at the burning bush. And the word TSAVAOT means armies.
What we learn is that God is the God of the Armies, or as The NKJV calls Him Lord of armies.
The Message strangely is one of the most accurate by referring to God as God of the Angel Armies.
So, when I think of this child being called Mighty God, which also means Warrior, it gives me a sense of confidence and peace. It helps me to know that my God can defeat whatever enemies are coming my way.
It gives us a twofold view of God. On the one hand, we see Jesus who is humble, meek, kind of an unassuming person. But then He becomes like that big brother, big sister, and I really don’t want to compare God to a big brother or sister, but I know and trust that my God - - -
He’s going to fight for us.
He’s going to equip us for battle.
He’s going to pray for us.
He’s not going to fail us,
He’s not going to forsake us.
That’s part of His promise for us. So, I trust He’s there. I’m confident when He promises me His forgiveness, His grace, Him mercy, His presence, His power ... He WILL ALWAYS come through. There’s no doubting.
When Jesus offers me the hope of eternal life, I believe it. Even though to most of the world it seems far-fetched, it’s a promise from Jesus and I believe He has the power to do what He says. He’s my Mighty God.
God shows us He is a Mighty God by being with us. His presence speaks to His power to move through time and space. John tells us - - - -
1 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:14
When trying to describe the mighty acts of God, how do you even choose one that’s bigger and better than another?
Jesus came into the world and dwelt among us. The divine became human. Theologically it’s called the Hypostatic Union. It’s somehow the merging of the divine and human to become the One who would become our redeemer.
God becoming man, because we are and totally helpless to change our outcome - - - - eternal separation from God. Our sinfulness! Our selfishness! So, God sends His Son into the world to redeem the world, not wanting any to perish apart from knowing Him.
Jesus came into existence through God’s supernatural power, and yet He did so in the Virgin Mary's womb. Luke refers to this miracle when he records the words of the angel - - - -
35 The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God - Luke 1:35
God did something He'd never done before — and will never do again. By the power of the Spirit, God brought together two radically different realities in a single unity --- humanity and divinity in the womb of Mary, in the person of Jesus.
One of the English Puritan writers from the 1600's, Stephen Charnock, describes this miracle of miracles with these words in The Existence and Attributes of God - - - -
What a wonder is it, that two natures infinitely distant, should be more intimately united than anything in the world; and yet without any confusion!
That the same person should have both a glory and a grief; an infinite joy in the Deity, and an inexpressible sorrow in the humanity!
That a God upon a throne should be an infant in a cradle; the thundering Creator be a weeping babe and a suffering man, are such expressions of mighty power, that they astonish men upon earth, and angels in heaven.
Those are great words. We see the power of God through the birth of Jesus, and it continues when we look to His life.
From the start of His public ministry, Luke 4:14 tells us ‘the power of the Spirit was upon Him. And when Jesus began to proclaim the gospel, He read from Isaiah 61. It was to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Jesus read - - - -
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
20 And He rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
And so it was. Jesus was talking about us. We’re the oppressed because of sin. His life and ministry were unlike anything anyone had ever seen. They came with such clear demonstrations of power and proclamation.
Then Jesus began to walk among the people and He did the miraculous. He did what nobody had ever seen before. Everyone, even His opponents, were awed by Jesus. Luke tells us — (4:36)
36 The people were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word?
For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!”
Jesus healed the lame, the blind, the sick, the lepers, chronic illnesses, even death couldn’t stand before Him. Then Jesus showed the disciples something they never saw when He calmed the storms at sea. Mark tells us - - - -
41 the disciples were filled with great fear and said to one another,
“Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” - Mark 4:31
Even nature obeyed Jesus. He could turn water into wine and a couple of loaves of bread and some fish into enough for thousands. He even knew where the fish were biting. There’s no doubting who Jesus is and what He can do! He is our Mighty God.
And of course we see the power of Jesus in His death. But that’s a struggle for so many people. When they think of Jesus, it was Pontius Pilate who showed real power in sentencing Jesus to death — not Jesus - - - - He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, beaten, humiliated and nailed to the cross.
Yet, Paul tells us in Colossians 2 - - -
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.
Notice in verse 13, Paul said we were dead in our trespasses. There was no remedy. No magic pills or drinks. We were doomed.
BUT VERSE 14 - - - - oh my! The Mighty God at work!!
14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.
God forgave us of all of our trespasses — — all of our sins gone, wiped away.
The word cancel isn’t a great translation. Literally, it means to obliterate; to totally remove; completely erase.
This was one of those open and shut cases. We were guilty! No excuses, no way out! Condemned! No questions asked!
But notice what only this Mighty God could do, only God Himself could take on and atone for the magnitude of our sin.
So, God makes us alive by forgiving us of our sins. He took those who were dead in their trespasses and sins and made them alive together with Christ. He nailed our sins, our trespasses to the cross in the person of Jesus!! Folks, that’s me and you!!
It’s an amazing display of resurrection power in our own souls! But, more than that, and this is really important to grasp - - - - God disarmed all the spiritual forces that are trying to defeat us. It may not always seem that way.
But we now have the resources at our disposal to combat the forces of evil. We have the power of Jesus through the Holy Spirit residing within us. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10 - -
13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.
God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability,
but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. - 1 Corinthians 10:13
Isn’t that great? We don’t have to say, I was overwhelmed with temptation. I couldn’t say no to it. You can’t say I’m the only one that’s ever happened to.
Instead, God has provided us with the means to resist temptation and He promises to be with us. Our Mighty God provides the way of escape. That’s because He is with us, Immanuel, our Mighty God, with us.
Finally, James 4 helps us defeat the enemy by telling us - - -
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you. - James 4:7-8, 10
There’s part of the plan. Submit to God, resist the devil, skip those temptations . . . draw nearer to God and humble yourself and God tells us He will exalt us. We have the opportunity to experience our Mighty God.
That’s an amazing promise that only a Mighty God could do for us.
Seriously, this is so great at who God is and what God does for us.
He is our Mighty God. He came as a baby, a helpless child, who was really the Lord of Hosts. The God of the heavenly armies - - - our mighty God.
I want Him on my side, how about you?
So, whatever you’re going through, if you’re in the good times or struggling . . . . know that you have a Mighty God who stands with you, wanting to equip you to live life in a way that not only glorifies and honors God - - - -
but also allows you to live life expectantly, expecting to experience the power and presence of God at all times.
If times are not so great, please know and trust He’s with you and has a plan for you. If times are great, you have that very same trust, He’s with you . . . .
Never to fail you
Never to forsake you
But to strengthen and empower you with His presence . . .
ALWAYS!!
