Mighty God

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ATTN: VIDEO

Stories like this can perplex you if you think about them deeply enough. Here is a missionary couple, devoted to Christ, who are captured while they are in the middle of serving the Lord. I am sure that they had prayed for God to protect them. I am sure that others, when they learned of their capture, prayed for their safe release as well. I am sure that in that last gun battle, this precious believers prayed for deliverance and for protection, and yet, when the smoke cleared and the shooting stopped, one was alive and one was dead.

In such stories God’s deliverance seems mixed at best, and even cruel at worst. This lady might have preferred death to the thoughts of having to watch her husband die and then having to live without him. Skeptics might hear a story like this and say, “Where was God’s deliverance in all of this?”

ME

A few months after I moved to Wilson I developed a persistent nagging cough. It was just there in the background literally for weeks, until I developed a fever and decided I’d better have it checked out. It was my first visit to a Doctor in Wilson and it was unforgettable. It was the weekend before my very first attempt at Directing Camp Lapihio and I could not believe that I was having to deal with a doctor’s visit at such a time.

I soon had my perspective restored. The doctor took an x-ray and found a suspicious mass in a part of the lung that usually didn’t show pneumonia. He sent me for a CAT scan and I received a suspicious diagnosis. All of this happened within a 24 hour period. One day I was worried about a nuisance visit to the doctor and the next I was worried about what would happen to me and my family if I had lung cancer. I remember the church praying and I remember having a few heart to heart conversations with the Lord myself. It turned out to be pneumonia and it was gone in time for me to be at camp by Monday night. Of course, I was praising the Lord for my deliverance.

But I am aware that for every story of deliverance there are several where the diagnosis does not get better, it, in fact, gets worse! How do you look at those situations? How can you make sense of this unevenness when it comes to our relationship with the Lord?

HE

JUDAH NEEDED A MIGHTY DELIVERER

Well, if we want to get at some sort of answer to that question, we must begin where the Lord does and that is simply with this truth: You and I need to be delivered! That’s right. Though it may not be popular to admit weakness, when it comes to our spiritual well-being, we are not self-sufficient. We need deliverance.

So did Judah. Judah desperately needed some outside help for many reasons, not the least of which were the pathetic Kings who tried to lead her. It had started with Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. WE’re not sure if Solomon’s son just didn’t listen to his father or whether Solomon was just too taken with his 700 wives to pay attention. What we do know is that Rehoboam tried to improve on what his father had done without the wisdom his father had. While Rehoboam should have delivered Judah from a needless split with the rest of Israel, he failed.

And things didn’t get much better as time passed. If you skipped ahead over 160 years you’d find another “mighty” King on the throne. His name was Uzziah. He started well, bringing reforms that could have saved the country. He built the army and amassed an arsenal that raised a few eyebrows. The Bible says in 2 Chronicles 26 that “his fame spread far and wide, for he was marvelously helped till he became strong.” I’m sure many in Judah thought, “Finally! A delieverer we can believe in.”

But it was not to be. Uzziah began to read his own press clippings. Lifted up in pride he presumed to burn incense in the temple, a job God had reserved for the Levites. When he was corrected he reacted like any ten-horn dictator that’s big on ego and short on wisdom. He got mad. And immediately, the Bible says, he broke out in leprosy and spent the rest of his days in shame. He could have been a deliverer, but he died alone. He failed.

In the middle of all this failure, however, the promise remained. God had a people and He had a plan. Though man might fail, His plan could not, which is why, in Isaiah 6, it says. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. This experience of God’s glory launched the career of Isaiah the prophet, a single light of hope in the middle of a dark, dark time.

Yet things still didn’t get much better. Some 15 years later, in the prime of Isaiah’s ministry, Uzziah’s grandson, Ahaz, comes to the throne. By that time, the problems that had troubled Uzziah are threatening Ahaz. The Syrians are on the move in a big way and Ahaz realizes he’s not got anything that can stop them. Isaiah, the prophet goes to him and encourages him to trust God and see His deliverance. But Ahaz won’t buy it. He turns instead to the very nation that threatens him and seeks to appease his enemy. Ahaz actually makes a trip to Damascus, the capitol of Assyria. While he’s there he sees an altar to one of the gods that the Assyrians worship. He comes back and has the audacity to take down the old altar his great grand-dad, Solomon had made in the temple, and replaced it with an altar to this Assyrian god. Rejecting the only One who could have truly helped Ahaz and Judah, the King yielded to the folly of Assyrian idolatry and trusted in a piece of wood or stone to deliver him. And needless to say, he also failed.

And in the middle of this extreme darkness we have that wonderful prophecy of Isaiah in Isaiah 9:

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this

JUDAH WAS PROMISED A MIGHTY DELIVERER

You see, not only did Judah need a mighty deliverer, a mighty God who would do for them what no earthly King could do, Judah was promised a mighty deliverer. That’s what that second title means. It says “And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, listen: Mighty God. In Hebrew it is the name El Gibbor: El being shortened from Elohim which is God and Gibbor which literally means “hero” or deliverer. This child who was coming would bring the power that Rehoboam squandered, he’d bring the humility that Uzziah lost, and He’d bring the courage that Ahaz never had. He would be God, the Hero. He would be the deliverer. That was the promise Isaiah made through the Holy Spirit.

JUDAH RECEIVED A MIGHTY DELIVERER:

He delivered those that others ignored:

Explanation

And how did it turn out? Was that Child a great deliverer? O yes! And in a surprising way! He delivered the most unexpected people. This Hero of a God delivered those that others ignored. He reached out to the insignificant ones. There’s old blind Bartimaeus. He’s been sitting by the road begging for quarters so long that he’s blended into the roadside. Like some billboard you see on 264 on your way to Raleigh, people had seen him so often that they didn’t hear him anymore. But old Bartimaeus wasn’t so easy to ignore, especially the day that Jesus came walking by. When someone told old Bart that Jesus, the mighty deliverer was coming, he started calling out: Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! You might have ignored Bart on other days, after all, he was an insignificant beggar whom you could walk right by cause He’d never see you. You might have tried that at other times, but not today! No, today this insignificant beggar would not be denied and what happened? That’s right! Jesus healed him! Out of all the things Jesus could have done to make a name for Himself, this one was unlikely. Here was this insignificant beggar, yet Jesus takes the time to heal Him. Why? Because he delivered the insignificant ones.

That’s the way you may feel this morning. Completely insignificant. To bo honest, you don’t even know why Jesus would even take a second look in your direction. You don’t come from any special family. You’re poor. You may even be handicapped or a part of a group that is looked down on by society. You feel lower than a snail’s belly. I want you to know that Jesus delivers those that others ignore.

ILL

Not long ago Charles Shultz died. You remember him don’t you? He was the cartoonist who delighted us with his “Peanuts” cartoons. You may have never stopped to think about it, but many of the Peanuts characters were, well . . . losers!

For instance, even Charlie Brown’s baseball idol, Joe Shlabotnik, was the worst player in the pros. Of course, Charlie Brown’s baseball team fared just as bad. And when it came to love, every major character in the strip has an unrequited love—Charlie Brown and the little red-haired girl, Lucy and Schroeder, Linus and Miss Othmar. Even Snoopy got dumped at the altar. Happiness may be a warm puppy, but as Schulz once said, "Happiness is not very funny." Many of his panels have two characters outside, at night, staring at a field of stars. "Let's go inside and watch television," Charlie Brown says in one. "I'm beginning to feel insignificant."

You may feel like one of those Peanuts characters, but I want to tell you that the maker of those stars specializes in delivering insignificant people. He delivers those that others ignore, but

He (also) delivers those that others reject.

EXP

She could feel their eyes on her. Every time she made her way to get water along with the town’s other women, conversation stopped when she got close. It was as if she was carrying around her an invisible sound proof booth that no one dared penetrate. They wouldn’t speak to her, but they would stare. Behind those stares were a million questions: “How many men have you slept with? . . . Are you after my husband? . . . How can you live with yourself? . . . Why does God even let you live? . . . Why don’t we bring back stoning?

Finally, she tired of the questions that were never asked and just tried to avoid the situation altogether. She started going to the well at the hottest part of the day, when none of the other women would be there.

And that’s where she met the great deliverer. For once someone actually spoke to her. For once someone actually engaged her. She began the day helplessly locked in a lifestyle that had isolated and enslaved her. She ended the day in absolute freedom. You see, she was delivered because Christ delivers those that others reject.

ILL

I will never forget watching an evening talk show featuring the story of the parents and killer of a young college student. The killer was his best friend. The weapon was high alcohol content inside a speeding automobile. …

What made this particular feature prime-time viewing? The parents had forgiven the young driver… And if that was not enough, they had taken him in as their own. This young man sat at the table in the chair which was once occupied by their only son. He slept in the son's bed. He worked with the victim's father, teaching seminars on safety. He shared their fortune and supported their causes. He spoke about the one he had slain in ways only someone who knew him intimately could have. …

Why did these parents do such a thing? Because it gave them peace. The interviewer was amazed; I was amazed. I kept trying to put myself in the parents' position—but I could not. Then, as the tears streamed down my cheeks, I heard the Spirit of God whisper to my heart and say: "No wonder you cannot relate. You have put yourself in the wrong position. You, my child, are the driver." God was the parent who not only forgave, but also invited me to sit at His table in the space my Savior left for me. As a result, I have peace.

You see, we really get things all mixed up. We begin thinking that we are pretty good people. Hey God may have had to reach way down when He saved some folks, but not really us. We grew up in church; we never had a drug habit; we never became prostitutes or pornography addicts; we never robbed a bank or pulled a trigger in anger. But the truth is, in God’s sight, all of us are women at the well! We are exceedingly sinful, but, you see, recognizing that is a good thing! After all He came to deliver those that others rejected.

Yes, He came to deliver those whom others ignore, and He came to deliver those whom others reject. But

He (also) delivers those who openly opposed Him

EXP

It wasn’t his favorite assignment. Going out in the middle of the night to arrest a two-bit false prophet wasn’t his idea of fun, but it needed to be done. Long ago he’s learned the value obedience, after all, not every Jew got to serve as the High Priest’s servant. It was a great honor, and it was an honor worth perserving. Though he hadn’t heard it directly, he’d picked up enough from hushed conversations and knowing glances to understand that this Jesus was trouble. He’d grown to dislike him and maybe even hate him. Now he had the chance to be part of the arresting party. Maybe it wasn’‘t so bad after all.

They arrived in the garden, so dark that it was hard to tell one Galilean fisherman from another. That was ok. One of his “disciples” had defected. This was going to be rich. He’d get to watch this imposter’s own follower betray him . . . with a kiss. There was the moment of hesitation as if Judas was rethinking, then, there it was. As soon as Judas’s lips reached Jesus’ cheek, Malchus moved. He never even saw it coming. One minute he was walking toward Jesus and the next he was writhing in pain grasping the bloody side of his head where his ear used to be. One of those wretched vagabonds had cut off his ear. He was already feeling dizzy from the loss when that Nazarene magician stepped forward with that mass of blood and flesh that used to be his ear and reached to the side of his head. Then the most amazing thing happened. One moment he stood there bleeding and the next moment the side of his head was just as if nothing had happened. If there’d ever been an undeserved healing it was that one. Yet, Jesus did it. Why? Because he even delivered those who opposed Him.

And that could be you this morning. You came here in doubt and maybe even with a spiritual chip on your shoulder. You’re seeking something and you know it, but you’ve got a lot of “issues” with God. You’ve got questions about Christ and the truth is you really, down in your heart, are opposed to everything Jesus stands for. I want you to know that He can deliver even those who oppose Him.

JUDAH REJECTED THE MIGHTY DELIVERER

But there is a catch. You see, while Malchus was delivered physcially, we really don’t know if he ever trusted Christ for eternal life. Now, you’ll have to admit, he did have the opportunity, but we don’t know if he ever did it or not. And, if he didn’t, he wasn’t in the minority. You see, in spite of the fact that Jesus was the “Mighty Deliverer”, the “Hero of a God,” most of Israel rejected Him. John 1:11 says it like this: “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” That’s an amazing statement. After Isaiah predicted this Child who would be the Mighty God; After Jesus came and did so many amazing miracles; After Christ healed the sick and raised the dead, still, He was rejected. Why? Why did Israel reject Him? And, by the way, why do people today reject Him as well? Well some rejected Him because:

He didn’t solve the immediate problem:

That was Judas’s problem, after all. He hung around with Jesus for one reason: He wanted an immediate solution. Don’t wrap your failure in the skin of God’s sovereignty; Don’t say, “Well, man proposes and God disposes.” In Judas Iscariot’s view those were just convenient lies of an imposter, so when Jesus began to talk about going to the cross, Judas saw his plans for ruling in the dirty, nasty here and now come crashing down. Because the Almighty wasn’t on his time-table, he’d have nothing to do with the Almighty, thank you very much! He rejected this mighty deliverer because Jesus refused to solve his immediate problem.

He wasn’t the first to do that, and I’m quite certain he wasn’t the last. O no, that happens all the time.

People will come to Christ with their marriage and even though they’ve trashed their wife, neglected their kids, and committed adultery, they expect this Mighty Deliverer to wave His magic wand, make their mate see things their way, and immediately put their marriage back together.

Others come to Christ with their finances and even though they’ve borrowed money for vacations they can’t afford or luxuries that were above their means, they expect this Mighty God to bail them out and to do it before the bank forecloses.

These, and many others like them exhibit the Judas syndrome: they want God on their own terms and in their own time. And since they exhibit the Judas syndrome, they often get the Judas result.

While they might play the Texas two-step of their own time-table, this Mighty Hero just doesn’t dance. And because this Mighty Hero doesn’t solve their immediate problem they turn on Him and walk away in defiance, betrayal, and anger. They reject Jesus because He doesn’t solve their immediate problem. But they also reject this Mighty God because:

He doesn’t offer the expected solution:

That was the Pharisee’s problem. If you’d have asked any one of them in the middle of all the commotion that Jesus created, “Do you believe that the Messiah is coming?” to a man they would have said, “Yes, I believe!” And, by the way, they would have meant it, too. But the truth is, they weren’t looking for God’s Messiah, they were looking for their own. In their mind they had constructed how this deliverer had to arrive and what buttons would have to be pressed. They had a picture of what this world-changing ruler would be like, and this meek and lowly, Sabbath-breaking nomad from Nazareth didn’t fit the bill.

You see they wanted real power. They wanted someone who physically kick out the Romans and deliver them to the place of Kingdom prominence they so deserved. They didn’t want to love their enemies, they wanted to kill them; They didn’t want to give secretly to the poor, they wanted the credit; They didn’t want to wait for Heaven to be vindicated, they wanted vindication now.

In the middle of their wants comes Jesus. Instead of a King, He’s a peasant; instead of a warrior, He turns the other cheek; Instead of worshiping the Law and knuckling to their power, He transcends the Law; Instead of keeping the Sabbath, He uses the Sabbath to heal and bring glory to God; He might offer answers, but He didn’t offer the answer they were looking for, so they reject Him.

Met any people like this? I certainly have! Frequently I sit across the table from them. They come with their problems and their issues and seek counseling, so I hear them out. When I’ve gotten a grasp of their problem, often I’ll point them to Scripture and show them what God says and what they should do. Many, many times they reject what God’s Word says because its not what they want to hear.

Listen, my friend, Jesus is a Mighty Deliverer! He’s able to deliver all who call on Him, but He will deliver in His own way and in His own time and the reason He came to His own and His own did not receive Him is because He refused to trade eternal value for immediate relief and He refused to trade the Divine Plan for human timing and He refused to trade divine wisdom for human logic.

But not everyone rejected Him. In fact, John 1:12 says that as many as received Him to them He gave power to become children of God. You see admidst all the one who insisted that He dance to their tune, there were a few who were willing to say, God whatever You want, whenever you want it, and it was these people who found Him to be the Mighty Deliverer

VIDEO

You might be saying about now, “Rusty, I just don’t get it. If you call Jesus the Mighty Deliverer yet He doesn’t deliver me from my failing marriage, or my debt, or my depression, how can you say He’s delivered me?” Well, can I just try to answer that very quickly. You see, if you could get ahold of the kind of deliverance Jesus offers, I think it could forever change your life. You see, if you could simply take your weak quivering life and once-and-for-all release that life to Him, you could be delivered.

In the first place, you could be delivered from a life that depends on changing circumstances. See if all God does as the mighty deliverer is to rescue from one unpleasant circumstance after another, He’s really just fed your addiction to pleasure and He’s really not helped you all that much. When I come to Jesus and I truly surrender my life to Him, He immediately begins to challenge my dependence on my circumstances for my happiness. He begins to allow some bad things, into my life, but in the middle of all that bad stuff, He begins to build a strength in me that is unbelievably strong and which no circumstance can overcome. He delivers me from my dependence on my changing circumstances.

And then He delivers me from a life that depends on temporary victories. Can I just tell you the problem I have with all the emphasis on the “health/wealth” gospel of our day? You know those preachers who tell you that if you just have enough faith you’ll be able to ride around in private jets like they do? The biggest problem with all they say is that all their victories are usually in temporary things that make no eternal difference. Listen, even if the miraculous healings they claim are true (and the large majority of them are not), their best effort is only a temporary fix. You see when I really come to the Mighty Deliverer and give Him my life, He begins to lead me into victories that last forever. He begins to guide me to spiritual victories that will last for eternity. He delivers me from a dependence on changing circumstances and He delivers me from a life that depends on temporary victories.

And most of all, he delivers me from a life that depends on limited strength. By the way, you and I will always be limited in our strength. I don’t care how strong your are, your strength has limits. You may win every game you play and get the best of every opponent you face, but there is one enemy who will take you down, because there will come a time when you’ll lay down, never to get up again. Death, that enemy of our bodies, comes around and no one can deny him his victory . . . No one, that is, except this Mighty Deliverer. Jesus went to the cross and rose from the dead, and once and for all, won the victory and brought deliverance to us all in the way that really matters! Your strength is limited and it always will be, but Ephesians 1 tells us that, as believers, the very same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to you and me. When I give my life over to this Mighty Hero of a God, He delivers me from a life that depends on limited strength. He is the Mighty God!

And it is this Hero of a God that you need. Your circumstances may be bad and your strength may be limited, but may I remind you that For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God

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