Jesus, Mighty God
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
We’re looking at Who Jesus really is by looking at His names as found in Isa. 9:6.
Last week, we discovered that He is our Wonderful Counselor. Today, we’re going to discover that He is our Mighty God. It’s crucial to understand just Who Jesus is so we can better relate to Him. The first word I’d like to look at today is the word “God”. To do that, we’re going to take a little “Theology 101” course. But first, let’s read our text together this morning.
6 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.
I. IS JESUS GOD?
I. IS JESUS GOD?
For evangelical christians this seems like a simple question with an obvious answer.
9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
That being said, there are still many people who doubt that Jesus is really God.
Jehovah’s Witnesses, for example, deny Jesus’ deity. They claim He is god-like or divine, but not fully God. In fact, they go so far as to say He is a mighty God, but not the Almighty God.
Mormons claim that Jesus and Satan are brothers and on the same god-like level.
Let’s look at several Scriptures that prove Jesus is, in fact, God.
There are 3 key ways to prove this.
A. His Names prove it.
We said last week that in scripture, a person’s name described his character/being.
We see that Jesus has the same names that God has.
1. He is called the Son of God.
He has the same makeup/DNA as His Father.
Jesus called Himself THE SON OF GOD.
25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.
18 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.
2. He is called I Am.
God told Moses in the Old Testament book of Exodus that His name was “I am Who I am (YHWH).”
58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
(Jesus’ betrayal)
John 18:4–6 (NKJV)
4 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, “Whom are you seeking?” 5 They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am He.” And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. 6 Now when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
Jesus uses 7 other “I Am” statements in Jn. that imply that He is God.
Bread of Life (Jn. 6:35, 48), Light of the World (8:12, 9:5), Gate for the Sheep (10:7, 9), Good Shepherd (10:11, 14), Resurrection and the Life (11:25), Way, Truth, and Life (14:6), True Vine (15:1).
Jesus Himself claimed to be God.
(C.S. Lewis) “Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord of all.”
3. He is called God. (in passages other than Isa. 9:6)
8 But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
B. His Attributes (qualities, characteristics) prove it.
He has the same attributes God has.
1. He is eternal.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The verb “was” suggests His continuous existence in time past.
2. He is all-knowing.
24 But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, 25 and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.
(disciples)
30 Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.”
3. He is all-powerful.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
4. He is all-present.
While on earth, it’s obvious Jesus couldn’t be in two places at the same time. And yet…
48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
5. He is worshiped.
We know that only God is to be worshipped.
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
13 You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name.
There are at least 5 occasions in the Gospels where Jesus is worshiped.
Wise men (Mt. 2:11), disciples in the boat (Mt. 14:33), blind man healed (Jn. 9:38), women at the tomb (Mt. 28:9), and the disciples at His ascension (Lk. 24:52)
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus is to be worshipped because Jesus is God! His names and His attributes prove it.
II. WHAT KIND OF GOD IS HE?
II. WHAT KIND OF GOD IS HE?
A. He is a Holy God.
(Peter)
14 But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
B. He is a Glorious God.
3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
C. He is a Royal God.
8 But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
D. He is a Saving God.
13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
This is THE key difference between Christianity and other world religions. Every other religion people are trying to earn their way to God.
E. He is a Mighty God.
17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.
7 Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah
(Keil & Delitzsch) “Who else would lead Israel to victory over the hostile world, than God the mighty? The Messiah is the physical presence of this mighty God.”
We can’t fully understand it, but there’s an incredible battle taking place at this very moment in the spiritual realm over the people of this world. There are forces of evil battling forces of good.But there’s coming a day when the King of Glory, the LORD strong and mighty, Jesus Christ our Mighty God, will return as a great champion and victor! When He claims victory, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess.
That’s why Jesus came to us, and is coming again, not only to be our Wonderful Counselor, but also to be our Mighty God.
III. WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?
III. WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?
Why do we have to understand that Jesus is God?
Why does Jesus have to be both human and God?
Why is this so important? Let me give you three reasons.
A. My salvation depends on it.
Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, came as a baby, fully human, yet fully God.
He had to both fully God and fully man.
All those animal sacrifices could never completely remove sin. Human sin ultimately required human sacrifice. Jesus had to be human in order to be a perfect substitute for our sin.But He also had to be God because He had to be perfect, without sin.
Only a perfect God was sufficient enough to save the entire world. If Jesus wasn’t fully human, He couldn’t have been the perfect substitute for our sin. If He wasn’t fully God, He couldn’t have died for the sins of the whole world.
B. My strength depends on it.
Not only is Jesus God, He is a Mighty God.
It doesn’t take much for us to realize we are not in control. We are not as strong as we would like to think. In fact, we are very fragile beings, helpless and hopeless in our own strength.
2 The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.
26 My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
When the storms of life seem to bury us, when we feel like we can’t go on, it’s incredibly refreshing to know that our Savior, Jesus Christ, is also our Mighty God.
C. My security depends on it.
Jesus, as our Mighty God, is the only One able to protect us and keep us safe from harm. He alone is our Deliverer, our Fortress in times of trouble. There’s a battle raging for the souls of men and women. Satan prowls about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He uses all sorts of tactics to attack and defeat us. We don’t have to fear the enemy if God is on our side. Our Mighty God is infinitely more powerful than Satan could ever dream of being.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Conclusion:What a Mighty God we serve!
Our salvation, our strength, our security is absolutely dependent upon Him.
The blessing is that while we are dependent on Him, He is always available for us.
He is always on our side, as long as we trust and follow Him.
Jesus Christ is God, but more than that…
Jesus Christ is our Mighty God!
This Christmas season, let’s remember to worship Jesus, our Wonderful Counselor and Mighty God!