Mighty God: Our Everlasting Hope

Isaiah 9:6

Bible Passage: Isaiah 9:6

Good morning, Church. Go ahead and Grab your Bible and make your way to the book of Isaiah.

Welcome to Week 2 of our “He Shall be Called” Series.

Where we are looking at the prophecy that the prophet Isaiah received in Isaiah 9 that ultimately points us to Jesus.

There are right at 322 direct prophecies that describe for us the character and nature of the coming Messiah, as well as giving us specific details about his birth, His life and His death.

These predictions were not like those of people like Nostradamus.

You ever read those? There’s like 1000 of them, I’ve read a few… Nostradamus was a 16th century French mystic who got his prophecies by peering into a pot of boiling water… his predictions are vague (at best) and even his most ardent followers will tell you he was often just plain wrong.

By contrast, the sheer specificity, amount and detail of the Bible’s prophecies is truly amazing! I’d encourage you to investigate them yourself… once you really look at them, it’s pretty hard to say that the birth of Jesus was coincidental or a chance happening… that event, the birth of Jesus, bears God’s stamp all over it.

I found this interesting example from a CIA report:

Whenever a double-agent wants to reveal information to the CIA, the CIA usually gives them several layers by which to identify themselves, so that there is no chance that they could get the wrong person.

For example: One particular Soviet double-agent was given 6 prearranged signs to accomplish:

(1) He was to go to Mexico City, and

(2) contact a certain guy in the city to let him know he was there and identify himself by the name of “I. Jackson.”

(3) After 3 days he was to go to a specific place in the city and (4) stand in front of the statue of Columbus, (5) with his middle finger placed in a guidebook.

When he was approached by somebody asking for directions (6) he was to say that the statue of Columbus was a magnificent statue and that he was from Oklahoma.

At that point they knew they had their guy.

Jesus had not 6 signs to identify him, but 322.

So, yes, fulfilled prophecy was a major way that God authenticated the message of Jesus. Scholars tell us that nearly 25% of our Old Testament is prophecy… It’s the dominant theme of the whole thing: Jesus is coming, and the world should be watching for the birth of this baby who would be God.

and we looked like week and we saw how God, how Christ, is our wonderful counselor.

Today- we are going to see how Jesus is our Mighty God.

Before we jump into that- I first want to give us the context in which this prophecy was given.

We’ve got to rewind the clock about 700 years before the birth of Jesus.

There was a rising power in the Middle East called Assyria, and all the other nations in the Middle East started to get nervous about how strong Assyria had become… so, they formed an alliance to defend themselves.

The northern kingdom of Jerusalem was already destroyed by the Assyrians.

Well, they wanted the southern kingdom, Judah to join their alliance. but Judah’s King, King Ahaz didn’t want to do it, b/c he didn’t like either of those guys, so they threatened to invade Jerusalem and replace him with a king who would.

So, their armies start making plans to invade Jerusalem, and this of course throws King Ahaz into a panic.

Well… then, the King of Assyria comes to Ahaz and says, “Join me, and I will protect you from them.” (both sides want him to join for protection)

Ahaz doesn’t know what to do. So God sends the prophet Isaiah to him and tells him, “Don’t join either side. I will protect you.”

Well, Ahaz is nervous about this and Isaiah can see that on his face and so Isaiah says, “Don’t worry, I’ll give you a sign from God.”

Now, you’d think Ahaz would be excited about that but instead he’s like, “No, don’t do that.”

Because evidently he thinks, “If God gives me a sign, then I have to obey him.” • But Isaiah says, “You don’t want a sign? I’ll give you one anyway.”

And so in Isaiah 7, he says the sign is this a virgin will give birth to a child. Now this part right here is a little confusing, so hang with me.

Scholars believe that there was a fulfillment of this prophecy at the time of Isaiah, a child that was born then. In fact, you can see the birth of that child referenced in Chapter 8 of Isaiah, but it becomes pretty obvious.

Lets read Isaiah 9:2-7 together and read exactly what the Lord said.

Isaiah 9:2–7 (ESV)

2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil.

4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.

5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Here's your Debbie Downer moment for your weekend, Ahaz ends up rejecting all this advice and making an alliance with the king of Assyria, which not only did not help them, but it eventually backfired.

Assyria, who they made the alliance with, came against them and would try to capture them.

Then Ahaz completely loses his mind and starts to sacrifice to the gods of the other nations around them.

Instead of first listening to God, he disobeyed. Instead of turning to the Lord in repentance, he is turning to everything else, hoping upon hope that one of these other gods will help him.

Begging them. Help him. Know help burn an offering to this guy just in case that helps. And then I'll try this out over here and then I'll try this out over here.

He even turned sacrificed his sons to the false gods. He turned anywhere and every where to find help from Assyria.

I get the image of a guy who's going to Las Vegas and lost all of his money, so he takes the last little bit of it that he has and starts just playing at anything and get his hands on to see if he can win back all this. He lost.

At the end of his life, the legacy that Ahaz leaves is to have led Israel into all kinds of idolatry that would ultimately lead into their destruction and exile.

So be depressed. Right. But this passage, while it's depressing in its historical context, is very instructive for us.

The Child that was given to us was born in a manger born a virgin in the town of Bethlehem. And that child was fully God and fully man, and when that child grew up.

He showed to the world that He was the Mighty God that Isaiah spoke about 700 years prior.

How mighty is he?

Think about this.

There are 8 planets in our solar system is one star the sun.

There are more than 200 billion in our Galaxy and we get one.

There are 173 moons, 560,000 plus asteroids, 3100 comets, and it is 11.65 trillion miles in diameter.

Our solar system 11.65 trillion miles in diameter.

It would take a little less than two light years to travel the distance of our solar system, but it takes 120,000 light years to cross our Galaxy.

To scale our solar system is the size of quarter. And the Milky Way Galaxy is the size of a continent.

I want you to get that in your head.

So imagine that I'm holding quarter right here in Jacksonville on this stage.

Think about that quarter in light of North America.

That's our solar system.

Inside of our Galaxy, which is one of 10s of thousands of galaxies.

So how mighty is God?

Colossians 1:15–17 (ESV)

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

The stars, the sun, the moon, the galaxies, the planets, the solar systems, the rotations, the purposes in him, all things hold together.

And if you are like me- it probably makes you feel really small.

And yes, in light of all existence, in light of an ever expanding universe we are nothing but a speck of sand in an endless desert.

But to a Holy God, you are so significant that God the Father sent His only begotten son to be born fully God and fully man.

We can’t really wrap our head around what it means for God to be Holy.

Holy means set apart. We are called to be holy but not like God is holy. God is in a category all on His own.

I always chuckle, when people say when I get to Heaven I have a couple of questions, I’m going to ask God. Like we are going to put God on trail.

You know what you are going to do in the presence of the Holy God? You are going to fall on your face and tremble. You aren’t going to ask anything unless God allows questions.

And every time God revealed Himself in the Old Testament God revealed himself- there was fear, there was reverence, there was a response.

Isaiah responded with a deep sense of unworthiness, crying out, “Woe is me! For I am undone” upon seeing God's holiness.

When Moses encountered God's presence in the burning bush, he hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.

When the glory of the Lord filled the temple built during King Solomon’s time, the priests could not perform their duties, and the people worshiped.

When God’s message of judgment reached the Ninevites by the reluctant prophet Jonah, they repented in sackcloth and ashes.

When God descended on Mount Sinai with thunder, lightning, and smoke in the book of Exodus, the people trembled in fear and stood at a distance, asking Moses to speak to God on their behalf because they were too afraid.

So no, you aren’t going to ask God anything.

RC Sproul said it really well...

The holiness of God is traumatic to unholy people.

And only a Holy God could die for our sins and have it counted as the payment that satisfied the wrath of God. He is our propitiation.

He is our substitutionary Atonement.

Hebrews 9:22 (ESV)

22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

And in the Old testament it was bulls, goats, lambs, pigeons if you were poor.

And when John the Baptist saw Jesus coming he said John 1:29

John 1:29 (ESV)

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

He is our perfect spotless lamb, once and for all time.

and only a Holy God could fully and completely satisfy the wrath of the Father. He is our mighty God.

And Jesus revealed himself time and time again to be the mighty God foreshadowed in Isaiah 9 all throughout His ministry.

1. Mighty God has power over Disease

The first recorded miracle written in detail in the Book of Matthew was Jesus healing a person with leprosy.

Matthew 8:1–4 (ESV)

1 When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.

2 And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”

3 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”

Couple of things you need to understand- the book of Matthew- written by the Tax Collector- 1 of the 12- the Apostle Matthew. And the original intended audience of the book of Matthew was to the Jews.

And the first recorded miracle of healing was a leper being cleansed. Why’s that significant?

There was no cure for leprosy. If you got leprosy, you were cast out of the camp. You were removed from society. You were exiled. You were seen as less than human and if someone was walking towards you, you would have to yell “unclean unclean unclean” to let people know not to come near them.

It was a lonely, miserable, existence. A living death sentence.

There’s only three instances of Leprosy in the Old Testament.

One of them had to do with a foreign commander named Naaman, and the other two had to do with Moses.

Understand- Moses was the guy all the people pointed back to.

Its the same way sports fans talk about the greatest of all time in the various sports.

My generation- will talk about Tom Brady, Tim Tebow, Michael Jordan, Randy Moss.

The generation behind me- will talk about Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Bo Jackson, Larry Bird, magic Johnson.

The Older Generation- Staubach, Namath, Jim Brown, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell.

The Younger generation will say Mahomes, Lebron- and that’s when we shut them down because Lebron is not the greatest because 6-0 will always be better than 4-6.

Every time- the Israelites were remembering all the Lord did- they mentioned the parting of the Red Sea.

He was the guy they all pointed back too. Moses was the guy. He was the unanimous greatest of all time.

And here Jesus is demonstrating that He is greater than Moses. He healed leprosy.

God gave Moses leprosy on his hand and gave it to his sister. God is the one who healed them of the leprosy.

This guy went to Jesus and asked to be healed and Jesus said I will, be clean and he was clean.

Because God has the power over any and all disease.

Or one of the prophecies in the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 35:5–6 (ESV)

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

Do you realize no one in the Old Testament was ever cured of blindness? There were time some people were afflicted with blindness but no one was ever cured of physical blindness until the Son of God cured them of their blindness.

In Matthew 9- two blind men followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” (Matthew 9:27). They recognized Jesus as the Messiah, using the Messianic title “Son of David.”

Jesus asked if they believed He could heal them, and they responded affirmatively. Jesus then touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith be it done to you.” (Matthew 9:29

Matthew 9:29 (ESV)

29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.”

This isn’t the only time Jesus made the blind to see.

The Gospels record at least six specific instances where Jesus healed individuals or groups of blind people.

He caused the deaf to hear which was foretold in Isaiah. And not once instance of it in the Old Testament

In Mark 7:31-37

Mark 7:31–37 (ESV)

31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.

32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him.

33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue.

34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”

35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.

36 And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.

37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Ears were opened and his tongue released.

He could hear and the first thing he heard was the sound of God’s voice.

My goodness, can you imagine?

Leprosy, blindness, deafness, and he even caused the lame to walk.

At the Pool of Bethesda which was located in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate Jesus caused a lame man to walk.

It was believed to have healing properties when the water was stirred. Many disabled people gathered there, hoping to be healed.

Jesus encountered a man who had been an invalid for 38 years.

The man was lying by the pool but had no one to help him into the water when it was stirred.

That man stayed there longer than I have been alive. I can’t imagine how dejected and defeated this man must of felt.

Jesus just walks up to the man and looks at him and says, “Do you want to be healed?” (John 5:6).

When Jesus uses the word healed he means in like a wholeness kind of way.

When you see the word healed in the New Testament he's not simply saying do you want me to fix one little broken part of your life.

He is saying do you want me to put your whole life back together so that you can love God with all- that's what he's talking about here.

And so- here's what's important if the man does not want to be healed we got a problem because the want to comes before the how to.

I can't tell you the number of teenagers I have counseled over the years- and they come to me and everything is going wrong for them.

terrible grades

Bad relationships with their family.

Making poor choices all around.

Doing things you shouldn’t be doing

I always ask a couple of questions:

1. How is your time in the Word and in prayer? If you aren’t in the Word, if you aren’t in prayer, you aren’t building your relationship with God.

2. Who are you hanging around? Because if you hang out with dirt.

Bible says do not be deceived, bad company corrupts good morals.

3. Are you involved in your local church?

The Bible says in Hebrews not to neglect meeting together.

Ultimately, its up to them if they want to improve or not.

You want to keep doing dumb things with your dumb friends then nothing is going to change.

Your grades are still going to be bad, your relationship with your parents is still going to be poor.

And this isn’t just applicable to teenagers but to adults as well.

There's a whole bunch of people that don't want to be healed.

How many of you know- there's some people that are going to showed up to a church this weekend that don't want to change?

They don't want to change.

Sometimes the reason is you begin to identify so much with the pain that to take it away you feel like it would take your identity away.

Some people just don't like change- like a baby in a diaper.

They'd be like I know it's gross and its stinky but it's warm and it's mine. I'll just sit in it for a while okay.

Sometimes you don't want to be healed because then it will take away your excuse for your bad behavior.

yeah, if I'm Healed God makes me whole then who do I blame my drinking on if God heals me?

For some of us if God heals us it'll take away our excuse for our rotten attitude all the time.

I dare you to ask yourself this question- do you want to be healed.

When Jesus asked this man this question- The lame man responded

John 5:7 (ESV)

7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.”

People who are good at making excuses are good for nothing else.

There are some people good at making excuses and some people good at making it happen.

No one is good at both.

Nothing frustrates me more than excuses.

Nothing frustrates me more than excuses and this guy...

I can't believe this guy doesn't live today he sounds like a 21st Century College student that's what he sounds.

Well it's not my fault, you triggered me, I need a safe space, and a juice box.

Think about that for a second

Because what you were going to see here is the patience and mercy of God.

that's what Bethesda means by the way the mercy of God.

And its a good thing too because if it were me and I needed to save you I would have screwed it up for everybody

Because if I walked up in there knowing the man has been there for 38 years and I said hey man I got one question for you “do you want to be healed?”

That is a yes/ no answer.

And he’s “well it's not my fault I tried- I can't

I'd be like- all right- okay- how about you do?

You want to be healed nope not too late too late

Do you? come on, you get up.

You want? get up. I'd be like Oprah giving out cars and you get a healing and you get a healing

you get a healing you- Nope, not you, you had your chance that's what I would do

That's not what Jesus does though praise God praise God because if I only had one chance with Jesus I'd have missed it.

So even while the guy is given his excuses

Jesus is going to heal him anyway.

So many of you are looking for healing in the wrong places now.

Let me be very very clear here- God heals in all kind of ways “every good and perfect gift is from above”

and so he calls himself the great physician and then God gives us this common Grace

like doctors and nurses and medicine and technology and counselors and all of the above.

Oftentimes he works through those instruments of his grace so that we can receive healing.

Sometimes, healing comes through just the power of prayer and sometimes through pills and sometimes through people but it all comes from the great physician himself

and so he's saying look man this pool, which they believed an angel would stir it up and the first person in got healed, this pool’s got nothing for you.

I'm the one that can heal.

Jesus says to him get up, take up your bed, it means like bed roll, like a mat, get up take up your mat and walk

John 5:9 (ESV)

9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath.

Why carry the mat? So everyone can see that he is no longer needs that mat. That nasty, filthy, disgusting mat is no longer a part of him.

God healed him from the mat and that mat can now serve as a testimony to what God did for him and what He can do for us.

Because God has power over disease.

But not only that...

2. Mighty God has power over Demons.

I will tell you this no believer in Christ can be possessed by a demon because you are possessed by Jesus

He purchased you at the cross but he can oppress you and sometimes sometimes

it's demonic attack and sometimes the reason that you're going through pain is because of your sin.

Listen, I love you.

This is going to sting a little but it's just true.

Sometimes people come to me, Jordan, Mr. Chambers, I think Satan's attacking me.

Tell me what's going on and they tell me what's going on- I'm like no darling all he's got to do is leave you alone.

The self-inflicted wounds are just fine.

But you don’t understand my grades right now in school- well you got caught cheating and you’ve spent literally zero minutes studying.

But you don't understand my finances- well listen you keep buying stuff with money you don't have the enemy doesn't have to do anything- you're just dumb

I'm telling you or sometimes- sometimes you'll be like I got the enemy's attacking me- my girlfriend just broke up with me.

Thats because you were texting back and forth with another girl.

That ain't the enemy- that's just you- so sometimes it is it is the Fallen World sometimes it is specific demonic attacks- sometimes it's your sin.

And Jesus removed our sin as far as the east is from the west.

And Jesus has power over the demons.

In the book of Matthew, Matthew 8, Jesus met a man that wasn’t just dealing with 1 demon, but upwards to 6,000 demons.

After crossing the Sea of Galilee, Jesus and His disciples arrived in the Gentile region of the Gerasenes.

The area was known for its tombs, caves, and rugged terrain.

It was considered unclean by Jewish standards because it was Gentile territory and associated with pigs, which were unclean animals in Jewish law.

Cemeteries are considered sacred spaces, set apart exclusively for burial.

You would be breaking the Jewish by staying in a cemetery among the dead.

When Jesus arrived, the man ran to Him and bowed down, indicating the demons’ recognition of Jesus' divine authority.

Jesus asked the man, “What is your name?” The demons responded, “My name is Legion, for we are many” (Mark 5:9

Mark 5:9 (ESV)

9 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”

A legion was a Roman military unit of 5,000–6,000 soldiers, emphasizing the vast number of demons inhabiting the man.

The demons begged Jesus not to send them out of the region or into the abyss.

Instead, they asked to enter a nearby herd of pigs.

The pigs immediately stampeded down a steep hillside and drowned in the Sea of Galilee.

and a lot of people stop and go “ Why would Jesus allow that to happen?” That is so cruel. PETA needs to get involved. He allowed 2000 pigs to die.”

That was the herdmen’s issue too. They were more worried about losing the pigs- namely the revenue the pigs would have created then seeing the amazing miracle that just happened before them.

They see Jesus as powerful and unpredictable. So “behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and … begged him to leave” (v. 34).

The response is disappointing, but not shocking.

In their eyes, Jesus lacks due concern for property. It is the way of this world to care more for things than for people.

Don’t believe me. Go to a theatre and watch any movie where an animal dies.

Neverending story balling their eyes out because the Artax the horse died.

Old Yeller.

I remember seeing grown men crying while watching King Kong.

Not a tear for all the people who stepped on, ate, broke in half, but heaven forbid the Murderous Giant Gorilla dies.

But when a person dies in the movies, no big deal.

That’s how upside down this world is.

We see that sarah mclachlan dog commercial.

The music starts playing- “In the Arms of an Angel” 2 legged dog pops up on camera with one eye. Dog’s name is lucky. for just 50 cents a day you can help lucky and other animals like him.

all animal non-profit organizations in the United States combined earn over $16 billion with a B in revenue annually, with a total asset value exceeding $35 billion across these organizations.

16 Billions for animals.

But we have a homeless epidemic going on in this country.

Over 650 thousand homeless men and women, many are veterans.

Around $3 billion to $5 billion when considering primarily federal funds and known local contributions.

Isn’t that insane?

But Jesus just demonstrated how valuable people are.

And He is going to show in a much bigger way when He is point on the cross at Calvary.

3. Mighty God has power over Disaster.

One of the most striking examples of His power is His control over the sea.

The unpredictable nature of the sea has long been a symbol of chaos and danger in human history.

For how many years was the movie the Titanic the biggest box office movie?

Most of us have seen it. A homeless man and a rich heiress fall in love even though she was engaged to a man that gave her a diamond necklace so large that people were searching for it in the wreckage.

But they are on the ship and the ship sinks- spoiler alert.

He finds her a door frame to lay on and he stays in the freezing cold.

He dies- she goes on to live a full life. Gets married, has children, grandchildren.

And it turns out she had that diamond necklace the whole time and she throws it in the ocean. She dies that night, and is now with the homeless man she spent 4 days for all eternity.

Not her husband who worked, provided, helped raise the children. And she had one of the most valuable necklaces on the planet and thought “nahhh, he can go to work every day.”

The movie hasn’t held up very well over the years but People are still fascinated by the unsinkable ship sinking.

and its because of how dangerous and restless the oceans and seas can be.

Yet Jesus demonstrated His authority over it with calm assurance.

In Matthew 8 again, Jesus and His disciples embarked on a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee.

As they sailed, a sudden and violent storm arose, with waves crashing over the boat and threatening to sink it.

The disciples, many of whom were seasoned fishermen, were terrified and awoke Jesus, who was sleeping peacefully in the boat.

They cried out, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38).

In response, Jesus rose, rebuked the wind, and commanded the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Immediately, the wind ceased, and the sea became completely calm.

This miracle left the disciples in awe. They asked one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:41

Mark 4:41 (ESV)

41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Thats a key questions every single person will have to answer. Who then is Jesus?

Is he a good moral teacher, is he a prophet, is he a lunatic? Thats a questions everyone will answer.

And there is only one correct answer- He is the only way unto the father. He is the one true God.

He is the Savior of the world. He is the Lord.

and He is either Lord of all or not at all.

Because only one person ever conquered the grave.

4. Mighty God has power over Death

There are 3 instances of people being resurrected in the Old Testament. They all died again.

Jesus resurrected Jarius’ daughter but she died again.

Jesus resurrected Lazarus but He died again.

Muhammad’s body is still in the tomb.

Buddha is still dead.

Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, died in 1539 and is still there.

But the tomb of Christ is empty.

Because the grave could not hold him. The Bible said it was impossible for him to stay dead.

Here’s what I think. By His resurrection, by the tomb being empty.

Jesus has just accomplished what we read in 2 Corinthians 5:21

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

That means Jesus is the substitutionary atoning sacrifice for our sin.

Substitute means “to take the place of.”

Atonement means “to pay for.” Every single one of us are wretched, blackhearted sinners. Period.

This is the heart of the problem.

We have sinned against an almighty, holy, and just God, which requires an infinite punishment. And there is nothing that we can do on our own to make the payment.

So, in His mercy, Jesus says, “I’ll make the payment.” He goes to the cross, and on the cross he pushes up on his nail-pierced feet and He says, “It is finished.”

And what is finished is the full payment required to take away our sin.

Through His victory over sin and death, He paid the ultimate price for humanity’s redemption. The Scriptures declare this truth boldly:

Acts 2:24 (ESV)

24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

Romans 4:25 ESV

25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Jesus made salvation available to all who believe.

Belief in Jesus is not merely an intellectual assent but a heart-transforming trust.

When we believe, we move from death to life. As Jesus promised,

John 11:25 ESV

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

He is the Mighty God, the Everlasting Savior. His resurrection proved His authority over sin, death, and the grave.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

1 Corinthians 15:55–57 (ESV)

55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

This victory is not just for Jesus; it is for everyone who believes in Him.

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead now works in those who trust Him, transforming them and guaranteeing their eternal inheritance (Ephesians 1:18-20).

He holds all power and authority. He is mighty to save, mighty to redeem, and mighty to give eternal life to all who call upon His name.

In Him, we find hope that transcends the grave.

The resurrection is not merely a historical event—it is a declaration that death is defeated, sin is atoned for, and eternal life is secure.

All you have to do is believe in Him, and you too will experience His mighty power to save.

Trust in Jesus, the Mighty God, for He is the resurrection and the life, and through Him, we have eternal victory.

Let this truth transform your heart today and forever.