00:00Mighty God
00:06What do you think of when you hear the word mighty?
00:09Do you think of something strong or something powerful?
00:13According to Dictionary.com, the definition of mighty means
00:17having, characterized by, or showing superior power or strength,
00:22or of great size or great in amount, extent, degree, or importance, exceptional.
00:29There are several instances in the Bible of people being called mighty.
00:33Nimrod, David's mighty men, and Goliath, to name a few.
00:38The same Hebrew word, jiber, is used in each instance, and we translate that as mighty.
00:44All these people mentioned above were great or mighty, in some capacity they were skilled,
00:49strong, exceptional, or, in the case of Goliath, also of great size.
00:54However, there is one person with whom they cannot compete, the God-man, Jesus.
01:01Isaiah writes about the coming Messiah in chapter 9.
01:05He says that the coming Messiah will be born as a baby,
01:09he will deliver his people, and he will establish his kingdom.
01:13The government will rest on his shoulders, and his name will be called Mighty God.
01:18This word, jiber, is the same word used to describe the mighty men listed above.
01:25With so many examples of mighty champions and heroes,
01:29it must have been exciting to imagine how mighty the Messiah would be.
01:33But what does it mean for Jesus to be called Mighty God?
01:37When Jesus was born, his arrival was announced by a host of angel armies.
01:42The Bible says God's glory was terrifying.
01:46Certainly, it is a display of mighty, heavenly power.
01:51But when the shepherds found Jesus laid in a feeding trough for animals,
01:55this was not what anyone expected as they anticipated the coming of God's Mighty One.
02:01And yet, they believed.
02:02They hoped for what was to come.
02:05And they worshipped their Mighty God.
02:06The day he was born was the first time Jesus did something only God can do.
02:13He redefined what true might can do, becoming completely humble.
02:18Paul says in Philippians 2 verses 6-8,
02:21Who, although he existed in the form of God,
02:24did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
02:28but emptied himself, taking the form of a bondservant,
02:31and being made in the likeness of men.
02:34Being found in appearance as a man,
02:36he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
02:40even death on a cross.
02:43Throughout his life, and in God's timing,
02:46Jesus' ministry was filled with an amazing display of his deity.
02:50Jesus showed his superior power through the miracles he performed on earth.
02:55The Son of God came as a baby,
02:57lived a perfect life without sin,
03:00died on a cross,
03:00was buried but raised from the dead on the third day,
03:04conquering death,
03:05and ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God.
03:09These mighty acts show Jesus' superior power and strength.
03:13However, the greatest showing of power and strength is still to come when he defeats Satan forever
03:19and sits on the throne as king.
03:22You see, when Isaiah wrote about our Mighty God,
03:25he was not just writing about the first coming of the Messiah,
03:28but also the second coming of Jesus Christ.
03:32It is at the second coming of Jesus
03:34when this prophecy that Isaiah wrote will come to complete fulfillment.
03:39How does this title, Mighty God,
03:41prepare your heart and mind for the Christmas season?
03:45We need to stop, celebrate,
03:47and reflect on the fact that Jesus came to earth for the first time.
03:51If he did not come before,
03:53he cannot come again.
03:54During this Christmas season,
03:57take time to ponder how unexpected God's ways are.
04:01His might and power will always bring him glory by his ways and his timing.
04:07He always keeps his promises.
04:09We must also take the time to remember why Jesus came to earth.
04:13He came to bridge the divide between us and God.
04:17Jesus came to be the ultimate sacrifice
04:19and to shed his blood to cover our sins
04:22and wash them white as snow.
04:24Even after all of that,
04:26we must accept this gift of salvation to then be made right with God.
04:31We, too, can believe, hope for what is to come,
04:35and worship our mighty God,
04:37just as the shepherds did in the stable the night Jesus was born.
04:41As we watch the news or read the headlines
04:43about current events taking place in our world,
04:46we can take comfort in the fact that Jesus will come back to earth again.
04:50He will put an end to the sorrow and pain once and for all as he establishes his kingdom on earth.
04:58Jesus will be king, and Jesus will be champion, our mighty God.
05:03Prayer
05:03Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us.
05:07Thank you for having a plan that always involved rescuing and redeeming us through the blood of your Son, Jesus.
05:14Lord, when we watch the news or read the headlines,
05:18we rejoice in knowing that Jesus,
05:20who came as a baby the first time,
05:22will come again someday as the King of kings and Lord of lords.
05:26He will establish his kingdom and sit on his throne as our champion,
05:31our hero, our mighty God.
05:33Help us, O God, to find new ways to share the good news with others this Christmas season.
05:39In Jesus' mighty name, Amen.
