Mighty God
He Will Be Called • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 6 viewsNotes
Transcript
Me/We
Me/We
In the Marine Corps I spent my fair share around sand. And sand is an interesting thing. The more you try to control it the less you actually can.
get into our tents
in our boots
in our weapons
in our gear
You’ve been to the beach before right? That stuff gets everywhere. In the toys, in the shoes, you find the shower at the beach ya know to clean off, but how do you use those things?
—
Here’s the other thing I’ve noticed about sand… the only way to truly control is to hold onto it loosely. Then you can control it, but too much pressure causes you to eventually lose control of it.
Life is like that too, if you try to control things in your life you eventually lose it.
You’ve meet people like this before too right?
Boss — Ex wife — brother — coworker
The thing with control is people will try all sorts of different ways to gain it.
The Manipulator: They use guilt, flattery, or fear to get what they want. They're the ones who say, "If you really loved me, you'd..."
The Victim: They play the role of the helpless victim to gain sympathy and control. They're the ones who say, "It's not my fault."
The Fixer: They try to control other people's problems. They're the ones who say, "Let me help you."
The Micromanager: Obsessing over every detail, even when it’s not necessary or productive, to ensure things are done their way, but they won’t delegate to you.
Let’s have some grace b/c if we’re all honest, you like control too don’t you? In fact control is something we all enjoy. And the problem with control isn’t necessarily the desire to influence your life it’s that you never fully have it, right? You try and try and try but you can’t control the outcome of some situations. AND Studies show us that it’s not good for you to try and control everything. Yet, sometimes we still try and try and try to
But there’s the fear of the “if”…
There’s a remedy for that, but first….
Truth
Truth
We’re in our series “He Will Be Called.”
Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Names where so important in the ancient world. They carried meaning and they carried the origin of someone. In other words, where they came from and who they came from. Isaiah is declaring that this king will come from God.
Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary iv. The Royal Hope (9:1–7)
In its highest use, ‘name’ sums up character; it declares the person. The perfection of this King is seen in his qualification for ruling (Wonderful Counsellor), his person and power (Mighty God), his relationship to his subjects (Everlasting Father) and the society his rule creates (Prince of Peace). Wonderful
Intro to the series
Wonderful Counselor
Mighty God
This one is all about power and position. Those are the marks of a king. And lets be honest those are the marks of a someone in control. You have the power and position to control the situation.
Isaiah is saying this new king will have all the power and authority.
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Somebody say all
But Jesus… I am still worried.
Now there is a place in the ministry were Jesus actually speaks about worry and control…
22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.
Jesus, that’s easy for you to say… I have so much and so many people are relying on me.
christmas shopping
kids
business
contract at work
Jesus says yes yes I know…
24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!
God provides for them. Why do you stress?
25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?
Isn’ that true?
Physiological Impact: Studies have shown that chronic worrying can lead to increased heart rate, higher blood pressure, and elevated stress hormone levels. These physiological changes can have long-term negative effects on physical health. (Brosschot, Van Dijk, & Thayer, 2007)
Cognitive impact: Worrying can significantly impact cognitive function, making it difficult to concentrate, learn, and make decisions effectively. This can negatively affect academic, professional, and social life. (Steinfurth, Alius, Wendt, & Hamm, 2017)
Sleep Disturbances: Worrying often interferes with sleep patterns, leading to insomnia and daytime fatigue. Chronic sleep deprivation can have detrimental effects on both physical and mental health. (Weise et al., 2013)
27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.
God sees what you need and what you’re going through. He knows it and He knows what you need.
Did you catch that? God knows what you need — He is the one who knows.
31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
So focus on the things God cares about and the rest will be taken care of… why? B/c God knows you need them. I love the way Matthew wraps this up in his account…
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Application
Application
Do you best and focus on what you CAN control.
Relationship with God and with others — seek first his kingdom.
You control that. Can’t control
if the college accepts you
if your boss takes your advice
if the sale goes through
You can’t control it.
Sand illustration.
—
You weren’t built for control. You were built for obedience.
Control and obedience cannot coexist.
Obedience to God is easy when He’s doing what I want him to do, but what happens when he’s not?
be a nurse
marry a 6ft 2in guy
3 kids
What happens when that doesn’t happen?
own a business
marry a blonde with blue eyes — she’s going to be a smoke show
have 5 kids
make so much money that she’s going to stay home and take care of the kids
What happens when that doesn’t happen that way?
Happens when you don’t get the job you wanted? When the marriage isn’t easy? When the money isn’t making sense?
So here’s the big takeaway, the thing I want you to do in order to give him control.
Breathe and release. Lord I trust you.
Simple but not easy. Do the right thing according to Jesus and trust him with the outcomes and in so doing you hand the pen over to Him and say “Lord, you finish the story.”
Extras
Extras
Have you ever sat in front of the pen and the black sheet of paper?
"Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words."
— Mark Twain
Except what happens when you don’t know which words to cross out or perhaps which words to add?
Our life is somewhat that way. It’s our story written on the parchment of creation. There are times in life when feel like that author starting at a page. What to write next? Where to go next?
This is what I call the “fear of if.” If is one of the most, if not the scariest word in the english language.
Why?
B/c it means you don’t have control. B/c if you had control it would be “when” or “is.”
For many of us in this room, control is our drug isn’t it? Believe me, I struggle with b/c being in control means safety and if you’ve experienced any trauma in your life, the more control, the better, isn’t that right?
However one of the biggest problems with control is the lengths we’ll go to get it.
17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Meaning again, he created everything, but he didn’t just create it, he created and now he sustains it. Let’s think about some of the things God creates and sustains…
Earth — perfect amount of space away from the sun to hold life
A change of just a few degrees would be devastating to the earth’s ecosystems
Interconnectedness of life, plants, animals, air environment
Complexity of energy flow — sun >>> plants >>> animals >>>
Paul says you see all this around you, Jesus is the one who holds it all together. Everything you see, hear, feel, smell and taste — all of it Jesus has authority/control over. Power and position.
That’s a lot so here is the point. Jesus has authority over Creation b/c of His death and resurrection.
