Christmas Series 12/9 - Mighty God

Chapter 9 verse 6 and I as we've been studying that virtually been looking at the different names that Isaiah gave to Christ as he was able to see prophetically into the future of the coming Messiah and understand who this savior would be and last night our family. I got a chance. I sometimes I work on a sermon and I'm developing all these things. I'm thinking of going to illustrate the point that I really want to make in the sermon and sometimes it doesn't happen until the very last minute. And so last night our family went out my in-laws are in town. And so we're glad that they're visiting with us and we were able to get out and do the things that typically if you live locally in are you never get to do because you live locally in the area and so we did some of the local attractions are we actually went out and we stepped over drove over to Berrington living history farm at Washington-on-the-Brazos. Anybody been over there? Yeah, like probably half the people in the room, but you all live here, right? So There's things you live in are you never go do until someone's out of town, So you like? Hey, let's go do something out of the ordinary. So at Berrington living history Farm you go over there at Washington-on-the-Brazos and they have it set up where it's actually a kind of a historical reenactment and you go over and you step out of 2018 into 1850 and they had an event set up last night and it was all kind of in the dark. There was no running electricity. There was no life is just a little candles that are kind of all over the place and you're running from field through the field from house to house to house and it was last night it was cold. And so we're we're running around from house to house to house. We're doing all these things and we're seeing how people in 1850 celebrated Christmas here in Texas and it was pretty interesting. There was there was some pretty cool highlights. One of the highlights was I became an expert at the patty-cake patty-cake polka. Anybody know the patty-cake polka. It was a dance that they didn't. 50 my son. I got together with two other guys and we had four ladies dancing around us and I can teach you to patty-cake polka now so awesome highlights from last night. Another highlight was there were out there and you would join them and you sneak up to a house and all of a sudden you choose all the guns and they had all these rifles and you shoot them outside and you need to start whooping whooping and you can get excited and and and then you start cheering happy Christmas happy Chris cuz they didn't say Merry Christmas. And so we did that. That was awesome to

I don't know why we don't do that anymore. I think it's a great tradition for us to kind of bring back. You got shot now. It's all in good fun. And but but there was one other thing that that kind of hit me last night and this is where I go when I went and I saw this I thought you know, this is really the point there was a stop that we did and it was one of the first stops and we went up and there was a man that was dressed and kind of festive Garb and he said hey, who do I look like and he kind of had a green jacket on with some white trim and he had knee high stockings and I kind of had a little green hat with some mistletoe tatsch to it and we were looking at a manure like that. Santa Anita is kind of portly but he didn't really have anything that you would recognize as Santa you said, you know, actually 1850 there were all kinds of various models of Santa everybody had their own image or picture. Some people thought he was a skinny guy. Some people thought he was a little elf He was drawn and all these various ways. In fact the current version of Santa that we have today that all of us think about the big guy with the rosy cheeks in the red jacket and everything else that didn't actually come about until later in the Civil War. There was an artist who began to redefine Santa and give us a universal idea of who he wouldn't Huey is it was a cartoonist named Thomas who began to draw Santa for Harper's Weekly and he began to illustrate him is this small elf and he eventually change the color of Santa's jacket from tan. Read which kind of stuck and so that that was the beginning of the modern version of Santa and then later after the Civil War in the several years later decades went by Thomas Nast was drawing all these things but in the 1920s, there's a company called Coca-Cola who began to use Santa and all their advertising by 1930 Coca-Cola had hired an artist named Haddon sundblom, and he was really the man responsible for giving us the version of Santa we have right now. Where he's a big portly fellow and everything else and he wears the tire in the red and everything else. But what hit me as I was going and looking at this is really this point you can redefine the things that you control our own. You can redefine the things that you can control or that you own. You can redefine your home anybody married to a woman who likes to nest and redefine their home. I can't get my wife to stop. I don't like why have you not settled in this house yet. We've been here for three and a half years. I've guys can help me anyone have a wife that you finally got to stop by. I don't know how it's done. I'm at a loss for that. But you can read a fine clothing style. Anybody recognize that you go out to the stores every year and there's always a different style people who control and own that control and redefine the style. What about your job description. Do you have a boss that my tree to find your job description from time to time? Yeah, he's able to control and own kind of what you're responsible for chores for children at home moms and dads you ever read to find the chores at home with your kid get a little bit older. These are all things that we can redefine. Santa is one of these things that can be redefined but 600 years before Jesus appear to man named Isaiah. He was a prophet for Israel was serving in a broken Kingdom to Broken Kings in a dark and really spiritually depraved. Of time and as he was serving he was praying and he was beseeching God and he said God the times are horrible. I cannot read to find them. I can't control them. I can't own them. I need you to do some redefining for me because what I see is hopeless and God through the power of the Lord began to give Isaiah visions of the future in as Isaiah begin to look forward to the price. That would come he began to see all these different Dynamics. And as you work your way through Isaiah you see over and over and over these snapshots. The Messiah who would come they're not put together they're spaced out but they're different things that show up and they are given to us and Isaiah chapter 9 verse 6. You have that verse that we remember that a child would be born to us a son would be given and the government would rest upon his shoulders and Isaiah then gives us four distinct name. She said his name Shall be Called wonderful counselor. Mighty God Everlasting father or Eternal Father and Prince of Peace

As we've been going through this month, we looked at the wonderful counselor last week. And today I want us to stop and I want us to reflect on how this child who was born would be a mighty God. How he is the Mighty God the term that Isaiah uses and record series El gibor. It's a term that means L God and Gabor Warrior. It carries with it a connotation of strength of a mud mud. Appropriately be defined as the strong one. Where is a powerful Warrior Isaiah is looking forward to seeing the Messiah the Christ who would come and he says I see the Mighty God. But when we reflect on Christmas and we see the manger animal feeding trough and we think a baby is being born in this. How is this a mighty God? He doesn't appear Mighty in any fashion. In fact, one of the best-known chapters in Isaiah, Isaiah chapter 53 shows us that this savior who would come appears to be extremely weak. One of the verses that begins Isaiah chapter 53. First two says before he grew up with before him like a tender shoot and like a route out of the parts ground. He had no stately form or Majesty that we should look upon him nor parents that we should be attracted to him. And if your work your way through Isaiah chapter 53 over and over and over you see how frail and fragile the appears. They says that he took so he takes our pain that he Bears suffering that he's pierced that he's crushed that he's punished that he's crashed that he's afflicted.

It doesn't sound like a mighty God when you look at this snapshot and Isaiah chapter 53. I think of the people in the days of Christ when they see this man coming out of Galilee and they look at him and they're saying who is this guy? He's From Galilee don't you know, nothing good comes out of Galilee. It's confusing. It doesn't make sense to say that this baby would be a mighty God yet. We have other passages Nuys there that we can look at and Isaiah says but he is he is there something that happens or something and Isaiah chapter 9 verse 6 that shows us that yes. He is both Isaiah. He's he is it going to keep in mind he's running these things in dark days and as he is writing these things and dark days. He's beseeching God 600 years before Christ that the his people the nation of Israel would turn and repent and return back to the ways of the Lord and that she is seeing these visions of God in the promised Messiah who would come he's getting some awesome powerful images that he begins to record of Christ. Consider this and Isaiah chapter 59 starting the first in verse 15. He's he's calling for the people to repent because he says the god that we serve is righteous and vengeful over again since he says this yes truth is lacking right now and he who turns aside from Evil makes himself a prey. That's the culture we live in it. So bad that if you try to do the right thing those who are evil pounce on you now the Lord saw and it was this pleasing in his sight that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man and he was astonished that there was no one to intercede then his own arm brought salvation to him and his righteousness upheld him. He put on a bright he put on righteousness like a breastplate and a helmet of salvation on his head and he put on garments of Vengeance for clothing and he wrapped himself with Zeal as a mantle according to their deeds. So will he repay wrath to his adversaries reckon sit recompense to his enemies?

To the coast lands, he will make recompense. So they will fear the name of the Lord from the West and his glory from the rising of the Sun for he will come like a rushing stream of the which was which the wind of the Lord drives.

The Redeemer will come to Zion and those who will turn from transgression and Jacob declares the Lord. Can I said gives a snapshot of your snapshot bad for snapshot in wall one of the snapshots portrays and infant a man a frail individual who is persecuted and suffers there other snapchats that show us that there is a mighty warrior in this person. And you have to wrestle with the tension will how can both of these two things come together and be the same? Let me consider this other snapshot that I existed gives and he's looking forward to the day of the Lord when God will come and he will exact his final judgment Isaiah chapter 6 chapter 63 and these are all verses about Christ. He says this who is this who comes to eat with garments are flowing colors from Basra this one who is Majestic in his apparel Marching In the greatness of his strength it is I who speak and righteousness mighty to save why is your apparel red in your garments like the one who treads in the winepress? Give you a hint it's not because he's Saint Nick.

Now we'd like to really soften this message and say will it is because he's tantic. But here's the answer. Why is it his garments red because the Lord says this Jesus says this this baby who was born grows up and says this I have trodden the wine trough alone.

And from the people's there was no man with me. I also tried them in my anger and I trampled them in my raft. And their lifeblood is sprinkled on my garments. And I stained all my arraignment.

For the day of Vengeance was in my heart in my year of redemption has come and I looked and there was no one to help and I was astonished there was no one to hold me. So who upheld me my own arm brought salvation to me and my wrath upheld me and I trod down the peoples in my anger and I made them drunk in my RAF and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth. Jesus himself is saying my Vengeance my final judgment for wickedness and sin has come. This is a picture of Jesus second Advent his return to the earth now Isaiah 600 years prior as he's looking at all of these things. He can't see the ordering of what's happened. When you see Prophecy in the Old Testament. It's kind of like a prophet has a vision of a mountain range my wife grew up for many years in Washington State. There's some really cool Mountains in Washington state that are isolated. But if you've been to other areas of the country where the mountains are closer together, you can actually stand and from a certain perspective. You can't tell that there's a great big gap between the different ranges. They kind of flow together. And so Isaiah's he's looking at these prophecies. He's seeing all of these images of Christ on a flowing together like a mountain range. He sees all the Peaks but he doesn't understand how far apart they are. So Isaiah's seeing this and he's recording the words and he's saying this is our Messiah are the one who would be born. He's going to trample those who are evil. He's going to destroy them. Like a wind that he himself is going to be the one pouring out his rap over sin against them and he says this that not even the one that will be able to contain it. It's going to spill out over the entire Earth.

mighty warrior the Mighty God

continue seeing says I shall make mention of the loving-kindness of the Lord. Praises of the Lord according to all the Lord has granted to us into the great goodness tour the house of Israel, which has granted them according to his compassion and according to the abundance of his loving-kindness. He said surely they are my people. songs who will not deal falsely so he became their savior. In all their Affliction he was afflicted. And the angel of his presence saved them in his love and his Mercy he redeem them and he looked at them and he carried them all the days of old. You see the Savior that Isaiah sees he's trying to understand and he's asking God is a fine it because Isaiah recognizes that I don't have the power and I don't own this. I need the one who has power. What's the one who owns this to help Define who the savior's going to be because I am living a dark time and I need to show my people that we need to turn back and that a savior is coming. Isaiah chapter 9 verse 6

For unto us a child is born a child is born to us when we see the image of Christ and we recognized in his suffering as Affliction is persecution the fact that he would be crushed. This is an image of his humidity in this is the linchpin really for this entire morning if you leave here with nothing else. I want you to understand that between the first phrase and the second phrase is the key to understanding how a child who is an infant who is helpless who can't feed itself clothes self shelter itself defend itself a child who is helpless between these first two phrases is the understanding of how that child can be a muddy Warrior. Because in the first phrase he's completely helpless we look at an infant. We say how in this how in the world could this little baby do anything for itself? But Isaiah says not only is a child born to us, but a son is given UC in Christ's Humanity, he was born he was 100% man. Yet God gave us his son. In his son Hood in his deity. He was 100% God. This is the Incarnation is what theologians have poured over for centuries as they've studied how one person contains two Natures the person of Jesus Christ. He was 100% man born as a baby yet. He is 100% God as he has a son that is given Isaiah died that phrase and it is key to understanding everything else that follows because if he is not a son that has been getting too given any can't be the wonderful counselor. You cannot be the Eternal Father can't be the Prince of Peace because he would be just like us if he was only a baby that was born.

But he wasn't he was a God who was given to us by the father. He comes down from on high given by God to Be Our Redeemer know is he powerful?

I was comparing the strongest Among Us.

4/3 over 30 years. Jesus had to resist temptation. He struggled and he wrestled against Temptation for numerous and more terrible than we have ever known Adam fell when the woman tempted him and offered him that fruit Eve felt when the serpent offered the enticing fruit to her, but the writer of Hebrews says that Christ endure every Temptation known to man and he stood in vulnerable to attacks of statement is Satan fuse he has a power that is so great that he can absorb all of the evil that can be hurled at him until there is none left to hurl. He was tempted in all points, but not end. Well one Arrow of hell was spared as they fired it against him over and over and over Jesus was more than a conqueror who stood he went foot to foot with Satan in the wilderness. He went hand-in-hand with him on the Pinnacle of the temple. He went side-by-side with him through the midst of the busy crowd and Christ never stumble. Jesus gave Satan battle wherever his adversary we will to meet him and I sit and gathered up all of his mic to push Christ the cross. He got him in the garden and from all sides with doubt and despair until Christ begin to drop sweats of blood sit and Preston, but Jesus there knelt and he said father not my will but yours be done. And as he lay down his life even prayed over those who are persecuted and mocking him and he said father forgive them for they know not what they do. All of the Temptation that you and I face. It pales in comparison to what Christ had to endure and we don't come even close to remotely in the same category with the amount of Temptation and persecution that he have must have faced throughout his life yet. He stood and he never fell to it. I haven't known anyone in my life who could endure Temptation like this. Satan is recorded in scripture is an angel who fell from the heavens and he was tempted with power and with pride and he took one third of the Angelic order with him. He's the angels fall to temptation.

the price stood Christ did you know we get barely tempted and we fall we're not even designed to withstand the Temptation that we face. Just a little bit. Just a little bit and we're falling flat on her face. But Jesus stood perfectly resisting every Temptation and in his standing he proved himself to be all-powerful and its Purity. Is it any surprise to us? Why the Angels Cry day and night? Holy holy. Holy is the Lord God Almighty.

They saw him and they understood his power understood that he could withstand even if things that they could not.

And in his strength, he made himself known to be God. If its strength against Temptation isn't sufficient then I ask you to consider his sacrifice all of the sins were gather on him and he buried them on his in his own body on the cross Charles Spurgeon who was the English preacher in the 1800's describe the heart of Christ as a Reservoir in the midst of the mountains. I have some friends who live in Colorado one of them lives in an area that's really a valid even though it's very high up, but are all around him in this Valley are mountains and he said it stays cold there even into the summer months because all of the cold air is just trapped in this mountain range and Charles Spurgeon said the heart of Christ is like being surrounded by mountains and his heart is this Reservoir where everything flows down into it all the tributary streams of iniquity every single drop of the sins of the people runs down in the gathers in the one that leg as deep as hell in a shortlist as eternity all of them flow down in Christ heart and he endured them all. They took our griefs and carried our sorrows and wave after wave after wave rolled over his head until he sank into the deep with the Sims the people to public execution and they are dead. they've cease to be and if they are sought that cannot be found because he has removed them as far as the East is from the West.

But there is more he descended into the grave. He was bound with chains of death. And when the appointed hour arrive to sunlight in the third day emerged. He snapped those bands of death is as if they were pieces of cheap thread is Flash didn't see corruption and death couldn't hold him. He is the death of death the plague of the Grave the destroyer of Destruction. He's The Immortal Life is self-existent the Eternal being without beginning Without End is key to trample the fires of Hell verse the shackles of the grave and he led the captives free and he gave gifts to those who he would lead and he still live today. You seem Mighty God.

Isaiah chapter 40 with Joel are we start with Keith was reading earlier as we lit the Advent candle Isaiah chapter 40 speaks of the greatness of God. Listen to these words. A voice is calling clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness make smooth in the desert a highway for our God let every Valley be lifted up and every mountain and Hill made low and let rough ground become a plane and the rugged terrain abroad Valley than the glory of the Lord will be revealed and All Flesh will see it together. Pronounce Lourdes Pocono voice says call out and then he answered he says what should I call out? Say this all flesh is grass and all this loveliness is like a flower the field the grass withers the flower Fades and when the breath of the Lord blows on it surely the people are grass the grass withers the flower Fades, but the word of God stands forever is a picture of Jesus and Joel are teeth. Sorry. I haven't next week Keith said this you read these verses get high up in the mountain was Zion bearer of good news lift your voice. Mightily o Jerusalem bearer of good news. Lift it up Don't Fear say the cities of Judah here is your god behold the Lord. God will come with mic.

What does arm ruling for him behold? His reward is with them in his recompense before him like a shepherd He will tend his flock in his arms. He will gather the Lambs He will carry them in his bosom. He will gently lead the nursing use who is measured the Waters of the hollow in the in the hollow of his hand who is marked off the Heaven by the span and calculator the dust of the Earth by measure and weigh the mountains in the balance in the hills and a pair of scales who is directed the spirit of God. Where is it counselor has informed him with whom did he consult and who gave him understanding who taught him in the path of justice and taught him knowledge who informed him of the way of understanding behold the nations are like a drop from the bucket before him. They're regarded as a speck of dust on the scales. Behold, he lifts up the islands like fine dust even Lebanon is not enough to burn Noritz beasts enough for a burnt offering all the nations are as nothing before him. They are regarded by him is less than nothing in meaningless. To whom then will you liken your God? What likeness will you compare him? That's for the idle a Craftsman cast it a Goldsmith plate with gold and a silver. Smith Fashions. It would change of silver. He who is to impoverished for such an offering select a tree that doesn't rot D6 to make for himself as skillful Craftsman to repair an idle. That won't talk to her. Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has not been declared to you from the beginning and have you not understood from the foundation of the earth that it is, he who sits above the circle of the earth and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers who stretches out the heavens like a curtain who spreads them out like a tent to dwell in it. Is he who reduces rulers to nothing who makes judges of the earth, meaning of scarcely have they've been planted scarcely have they been sown scarcely has their stock taken taken root in the earth, and he merely blows on them. And they weather.

The storm carries them away like stubble to whom then will you liken me that I would be his equal says the Holy One. Lift your eyes on high and see who is creative these Stars the one who leads for Thor host by number. He calls them all by name because of the greatness of his might in the strength of his power. Not one of them is missing. This Is Our God See Isaiah when he sees this baby being born. He sees that mountain range. He says wonderful counselor. Mighty God This is who the Messiah is. He doesn't understand. There's a great big gap. But it's not just a child that was born as a son that was given. Sun would be the king of kings and Lord of lords Jesus Christ

He's proved himself to be Mighty got over and over and over and The Best Is Yet To Come. You will see in every need will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. 2nd Corinthians chapter 12 Paul was running the church is after Christ. Now Christ has died. He's resurrected. He's gone back up to the father. And now the church is spreading and Paul is serving he's telling people about Jesus and ask his ministry and he recognizes that he himself is weak and that he describe something that he has a thorn in his flesh. I take it as a metaphor of something. That's really bothering him. It's something that's holding him back that you struggling with and he and his own power does not have the ability to get rid of any rights this to the Believers in Corinth. He says this and 2nd Corinthians chapter 12 concerning this Thorn it was in my flesh. I Am Lord the Lord three times that it would leave me. And he replied back you said to me my grace is sufficient for you. my power Is perfected in weakness? Most gladly therefore I would rather boast about my weakness so that the power of Christ May dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses with insults with the stresses with persecutions for when I am weak. Then I am strong.

this Christmas season It's easy for us to go back and just to think about a little baby that's in that Manger. But the picture that Isaiah wants us to see as we read his word is that this little baby is not just a man. He's the king of kings on his Lord of lords and he is a mighty God. And his power is sufficient for you. His grace is sufficient for you and what I want to give you today before you leave here is just this. God's power and God's grace can redefine your weakness You might have come in today. You might have been wrestling or struggling with things. You might have an illness that you can't kick in the doctors are trying to figure out what's wrong. You might have a physical ailment that you're struggling with. And for some reason beyond our understanding God has not brought him. It's not that he is not capable of healing but he was wanting you to perhaps learn something that in your weakness. He wants to make himself known strong to you.

You might have come in here today and you might be struggling with depression or anxiety shame or fear.

And while his grace is sufficient or his power is available to sustain you now. There is a day coming when we will see the might and the power of God. And we know that in the scripture that says that in that day this body this frail body that we have right now will be gone and we will be like him. You see there's hope that's coming because of the first Advent cuz we know there's a second one coming. Some of you might be here and you're battling with bondage of sin. Might be a addictions that you're wrestling with over and over and over. And God's Powers able to break you free from it. His grace is able to cover it with what Christ paid on the cross. I want to know what I want you to know is that there is a mighty God who has done so much for you. Some of you I have talked to you in days recently, and I know that there's a struggle there's a temptation to measure up in some regard. And you try to figure out how you can Define your own life. But what I want to tell you is that it is not you who owns and controls your life. God created you he has a plan for you to understand what's coming tomorrow, and he alone is able to redefine who you are and what's going to happen with you. And a lot of you were just feeling this pressure. I got to measure up I got to do this I have to do that. I have to to say the right thing that I come into the church and I see all these people who seem like they got their act together and I want to let you know all of us need a plot of Christ. Because all of us daily fall to temptation. It is only by God's grace. That Christ did what he did for us. And that we have a God who came and I love this verse verse in 1st John chapter 3. This is one of the only versus where we see these words written that the purpose of Christ's parents, you know, it says in 1st John chapter 3 the purpose of Christ appearance or to destroy the works of the devil. I need that. You need that. So as we worship together this morning, I want to invite you to Worship in Mighty God, Mighty God who is able to deliver you not just from your sin and your bondage and same but shame but he is able to deliver you from death and that is second coming. We will be with him like he is his name Shall be Called wonderful counselor. Mighty God Everlasting father Prince of Peace worship Him Now for he is the Mighty God. Fathers we close out today will we reflect on how powerful and how awesome you are God. I pray that if there are people here who are wrestling and struggling to control all the things that are happening in their lives. The thought of they would see you and acknowledge you for who you are that you are a Triune god father son spirit and thought and if we even spent time to dig into the Trinity we could spend weeks upon weeks upon weeks exam in the glory and awesomeness of how you have existed. Co eternally throughout all of all of time and space in history and got we would only be scratching the surface of seeing the awesome majesty and Splendor that you have. So God today we worship you and we worship your son Jesus Christ. Who became incarnate for us who took on flesh and dwelt among us so that we might behold his glory. And God, we know that you desire to share your glory with us in John's gospel. He makes it clear that Jesus prayer in John 17. And his desire is that we would be with him where he is and that we might be one as you and he are one so that they might it would have that we might as a church experience your goodness and your glory now, we don't deserve it. But you love us so much that you did all this for us. Seagal maybe we worship you today. Maybe we sing Our praises and may we cry out Mighty Is Our God in Jesus name in it?

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